Steven was 17. He lived with his mom, dad, and younger brother in a nice apartment building in Manhattan. The kind of guy who worried about school, but not as much as he worried about when the landlord would finally throw him and his family out of the building.
He was a relatively average student, but was forced to drop out of school when his family contracted the disease. He was never any good at remembering dates. Hed always fail that section of his tests. But hell never forget the days his family died. First his mother, June 10th. Next came his father on June 12th. And finally his little brother on June 13th. All three of them died in the palm of his hand, in a state of delirium as the fever melted their brains and the mucus deprived them of oxygen. Before he had time to mourn, he too began developing cold like symptoms.
It wont be so bad, he thought to himself. Ill see you guys soon. But he didnt die. He got progressively smaller each day until he could no longer fit into his clothes. He lost sight of things he placed on cabinets, he could no longer open doors. He had contracted Type 1.
Steven wept every night as he mourned the loss of his family and, in essence, his humanity. The landlord, assuming he died like the rest of his family, cleared the room of all their possessions--sneezing the whole time. Steven moved into the rat holes. The rats werent immune to the disease either, so the holes served as a nice mode of transportation throughout the apartment complex.
As the weeks went by, Steven started becoming skeletal in appearance. He was eating rather poorly. Crumbs and bad bits of food left here and there. Occasionally there would be a hole in a trashbag that would allow him access to food, but most of the time he was on the verge of starvation.
So hungry, he thought to himself. Steven looked at his hands. They were dirty and covered in blood from maneuvering his way around in the darkness. He was half blind since his glasses no longer fit him.
An aroma rose over his nostrils. Stevens eyes teared up at the smell of a hot meal. He made his way to the source of the smell. There, on the floor, was a meatball. How it got there, Steven didnt care. But he burst forward at speeds thought impossible to man, and tackled the meatball face first, taking a large bite out of it. It wasnt until he attacked this meatball that Steven realized how hungry he truly was. He was starving.
It was at this point, while Steven gorged himself on the meatball, that the tenant of the room entered carrying a dustbin and a broom. Her name was Jade and she was a beautiful Australian woman. A bit of a clutz, constantly dropping things, but who cares.
Steven looked up with all the ferocity of a savage animal defending the kill hes worked long and hard for. Jade looked at him, and he looked back. They stared at each other for the longest time. The silence lasted an eternity. Finally, it was Jade who broke it.
You know, Ive got a whole bowl full of spaghetti and meatballs. I could heat you up some and that way you dont have to eat off the floor.
Steven tried to speak. His throat closed up and he seemed unable to recall how to make sounds. After a few seconds of trying, the thoughts and memories all flew back to him. That sounds nice, he croaked.
Steven didnt realize his luck. Since the dissipation of the virus, treatment of survivors varies from place to place. In some areas of the United States, the survivors are protected under the Americans With Disabilities Act and receive tax breaks and free government aid so that they might live easier lives. In other parts of the USA, theyre treated like lepers. Shunned, some killed in violent mobs. They are outcasts for whatever reason. Sadly it is this treatment that is most common on the streets. Much like the treatment of homosexuals when AIDS was discovered, or the shunning of the survivors of the atomic bomb in Japan. Lepers have a higher status quo than the victims. Everyones worried theyll catch it.
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Steven dived into the steaming pile spaghetti, burning his hands. He didnt care. Hed gnaw one of his legs off to get to food if he had to right now. As he ate with the ferocity of ten starving men, Jade looked at him with a combination of pity and amazement. Steven ate until he felt his gut would burst, and even then, he still kept a handful of meatball just in case.
Wow, you mustve been starving--how long has it been since you last ate, Jade asked in a concerned voice.
Steven thought about for a while. I dunno--a few days, maybe.
Have you had anything to drink, she asked, a little panicked.
Yeah. This building has really leaky plumbing. Once you learn the difference between the shower/sink pipes and the sewage pipes, its easy, he said. Steven didnt realize he was giving out more information than necessary. He was still feeling delirious and still too excited to have someone to talk to to be quiet.
Jade didnt want to think of the implications of that statement. She decided to change the subject. Why are you crawling around in the walls like a rat?
Well, my entire family was wiped out when the plague struck. The Landlord--the old one, not this new woman--came in and started cleaning out the apartment. I didnt want to get thrown out onto the street with all the cats and stuff so I just sorta found a mouse hole and made a dash for it.
Jade was unable to hide the expression of shock and utter sorrow upon her face. Oh my god, you poor thing! She couldnt help it. She reached down and picked him up, holding him against her cheek in a loving embrace.
Steven had been denied human contact over the past two weeks or so. During this time he had managed to build up a mental wall around him. With no other humans around it wasnt hard. The thoughts swam around in his head, but he did nothing. Steven had no time to weep--he had to stay alive. Now here, in the arms of a generous benefactor, with a full stomach, no longer having to worry about starving to death, he began to cry.
Jade patted him on the head and ran her index finger up and down his back. Shhh, she said. Its ok. Youll be ok now. You can stay with me
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After Steven let everything out, he ate again. A few days went by and Jade and Steven developed a sort of understanding of one another. They became good friends. Then they became close as if they were brother and sister--at least that was Stevens understanding of the situation. Then Jade brought up a small problem he had developed over the last few weeks.
You smell
like
really bad.
Everything smells, Steven replied. There are rotting corpses everywhere.
Corpses cant help it if they smell, Jade said, placing her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes. Were alive, and we can bathe.
Where am I going to bathe--the sink, he asked with a laugh. Jade just smiled. I was kidding, dammit. Id fall down the drain if I bathed in the sink.
Thats why you wont be bathing in the sink, Jade said with a smile. She placed her hand down in front of him.
Not now, Jade, Im watching the thing on the TV, he said absently.
Steven, you can watch The X-Files after youre clean--I have every episode on DVD.
Im tired, he argued, lying back and stretching himself out.
Jade rolled her eyes. Well, if you dont want to listen, she said. She reached down and picked Steven up before making her way to the bathroom, ignoring his protests. She placed him on the side of the bathtub and began filling it up with water.
What are you doing--Ill fuckin drown, Steven said to Jade in a less than friendly tone.
No you wont. Ill be here with you, she said in as seductive a voice as possible. Steven did a doubletake.
Im sorry, what?
Jade was an interesting character. She had recently gotten out of a bad relationship--not really gotten out of it. See, her last boyfriend contracted Type 2 and died alone choking on his own mucus. He was an asshole and he was not missed. After this she ran into Steven which was a nice change of pace. Unlike Rick, her last boyfriend, Steven was actually a nice fellow. A bit sarcastic and sometimes kind of depressing to talk to, but he was generally a nice person--and to boot, he couldnt beat the shit out of her, which was a plus. As much as she tried to prevent it from happening, she hadnt been able to help it. She was in love with Steven.
You heard me, she said, stepping out of her blue jeans and unbuttoning her shirt.
Uhm
Jade
Yes, she asked.
What the hell?
He didnt have tome for any further protests. Once she was undressed she climbed into the tub and placed him in there with her.
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It wasnt so bad. Steven enjoyed it, Jade enjoyed it, and the two became an item. Love blooms in the strangest places. Even in the midst of the rival of the black plague, people can fall in love.
Giantess World
