George pulled back the sleeve of his flannel shirt absentmindedly, his eyes partly glued shut from just waking from his slumber. He peered down to look at the time on his digital watch: 8:16AM. He let out a quiet groan and turned in the car seat, that must've been close to a record since the world turned to s***. He gazed out of the window towards the row of abandoned houses lit by the morning sun. Inside the one opposite him was his sister, Cassie, probably asleep on the occupants' sofa. The siblings took turns each night to sleep in a house for a somewhat better nights sleep, while the other looked after the car. In this world, it was necessary to keep an eye on everything you owned. If it were up to George, he'd sleep in the car every night so that Cassie could avoid the slight paranoia that consumes you as you try to nod off. His sister was having none of it, and he didn't want to argue with her. Besides, it was nice to have someone look out for your sleeping pattern at a time like this. He decided not to try and go back to sleep. They had been in this neighbourhood for a while now and he wanted to make a push southbound, it seemed to be the direction most were travelling in.
He tossed the blanket he had been sleeping under to one side and unlocked the car door, flinging it open. He stretched when he was outside, noticing the slight breeze of the October morning. It was going to get cold in a month or so, and it was going to start to be a problem. He walked up to the house and knocked on the door.
"Cass, its me!" he called. He didn't receive a response. After trying again twice he felt a twinge of panic and opened the door himself, easily by passing the chain lock. He smelt cooking and scrunched up his face in confusion, he hastily walked towards the smell and into a large kitchen, deep within in house. His sister was stood over the stove, and jumped when she turned to see him. Before she could say anything, he butted in. "I did knock and call your name, multiple times" he said grumpily. "Thought something was s'matter" he added, yawning at the end of his sentence.
"Sorry, should've woken you up before I started" she replied, her own voice quiet and tired. George peered at the hob curiously and his face broke into a smile. She was cooking. It must be a gas oven, he thought as his eyes fixed on a dead match on the counter. Eggs and baked beans, two things that would last a little while...and bread? Cassie noticed him staring at the bread that was toasting in a separate frying pan. "It was in the freezer so it lasted longer, its not got mould or anything!" she said excitedly. George picked up one of the slices that was left and chewed on it. God, he had missed bread. God...he was excited over bread.
He slumped into a nearby seat at the dining table as she served up the fried bread, beans and eggs, still eating his piece of bread that he now dipped into the beans. "Remember when I didn't like beans?" Cassie mused with a small smile. "Had to get over that one pretty quickly". George allowed himself a chuckle, this world had so many adjustments, big and small.
"Wasn't too fond of eggs before the apocalypse either" he responded, dipping another piece of bread into the yolk. The two conversed over their breakfast, potentially their only proper meal of the day, and then packed up their things. Cassie lingered in the hallway, staring at the family photos on the wall - it looked a bit like them, two parents and two children, standing with wide grins at what looked like a wedding. She inhaled sharply, feeling a sting in her nose as though she was about to cry. Then, she felt George's hand on her shoulder. "Let's go" he murmured, comfort and understanding in his voice.
The pair piled back into the car and George turned on the engine, beginning to drive through the small lanes out onto the larger dual carriage-way. Cassie had a map in her hand, tracing their route as they drove for almost an hour. "We'll be passing coming near Wales again soon" she observed after looking at a few road signs. "Near Newport I'd imagine". George nodded in response, the city's name echoing in his mind for some reason.
"We need to stop for petrol" he gestured towards the meter, pulling off at the next services. These were hotspots of supplies, which proved a blessing and curse, especially if there were people already there with malicious intent...