She sat at the table, nursing her last cup of coffee... trying to make it last as long as possible. It kept getting cold and already she had reheated it several times. When it was gone, she would have nothing but water to drink... unless she could get up the nerve to venture into town. She shivered at the very thought of feeling that cold, dampness on her bare skin.
It was so dense most of the time that she kept the curtains closed. But something nagged at the back of her mind... that maybe the cold, dark moisture might creep in through the windows... and erase all sources of light. Could this be some kind of living entity that fed on light... was such a thing even possible? She shook her head... time to read something other than science fiction... it was giving her strange ideas.
Unfortunately, she was running out of other things too... she had used the last of her sugar the previous week... but the coffee was the last straw. Her menu now consisted of boiled rice with raisins and applesauce... or fried rice with onions and eggs. She could not go on like this... she needed food... a variety of food... and she dreaded the thought.
Closing her eyes, she let her mind drift back to the day she had arrived here... it had been beautiful... a lush green meadow, surrounded by shrubs and trees... all in various shades of green. Patches of wildflowers popping up here and there... had added small touches of vibrant colour.
The little two-bedroom house was old but had been kept in good repair... until the owners had decided it was time to move to an apartment in a seniors' complex. They had no children and had sold at a ridiculously low price... in hopes of a quick sale. She had been enchanted with her new home... but that was then... before she knew about the dampness.
Giving her head a good shake, she got to her feet... there really was no other choice... it had to be done... she had to face it. A violent shudder coursed through her as she recalled the last time she had gone into town... and the situation was much worse now.
Then, it was just a thick, heavy fog... but you could still determine the shapes of trees and bushes. The sides of the narrow road had been visible too... barely. But this cold, damp grey atmosphere had shrouded the land for... she wasn't even sure how long it had been... but it felt like weeks... and weeks.
Even the smell was getting worse... almost overpowering at times... like nothing she had ever smelled before. She couldn't describe it... sometimes it was like seaweed rotting on the shore... but she was miles from the ocean... unless some gardener was using it as cheap fertilizer. Other times... she thought she smelled smoke but... there was no fire nearby... and there was no wind to blow the smoke from distant wildfires... unless someone was using an outdoor firepit... even though the practice was banned due to a lack of rain.
