Alex finally shook off Jimbo, who was now just sitting, his massive tail thumping the ground. Alex stood up, wiping a truly impressive amount of saliva from his face.
"Okay, okay, down boy!" he laughed, pushing the dog's head away. He looked back at the group, who were still standing by the Raptor, staring at the happy "monster."
"Come on, get out," he said. "He doesn't bite..." He added, a bit weaker, "...that hard."
As they reluctantly got out, Alex grabbed Jimbo's thick collar. "Jimbo, sit. Be nice." The dog obeyed instantly, but his whole body wiggled. Alex introduced them one by one, letting Jimbo sniff their hands. Thankfully, the dog was incredibly friendly, seeming to understand Alex's tone.
Jenna, her eyes wide, pointed from the dog to the now-closing gate. "Alex... did he just open that gate?"
Alex smiled, ruffling Jimbo's enormous head. "Of course. For safety reasons, this inner gate can only be opened from the inside. There's a pressure pad by the back door. He knows the command 'Gates.' Smartest boy in the world, aren't you?"
"Smart..." Jess, the vet, couldn't contain herself. Her shock was replaced by intense professional curiosity. She stepped forward, her hands out. "Alex, what... what is he?"
Before he could answer, she was kneeling, examining Jimbo, who immediately rolled over for a belly rub. Jess's hands pressed his sides, felt his legs, checked his paws. "This is... incredible," she muttered, looking at his teeth, his ears, even stretching his tail. "Strong frame, perfectly healthy muscle definition, pristine paws, no plaque... he's clearly more fit and bigger than he should be. And he's intelligent enough to operate a mechanism. Just what is this dog?"
Jimbo barked happily, thoroughly enjoying the attention.
Alex just scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know? I always thought he was just... naturally gifted."
Everyone looked at him strangely. It didn't take a vet degree to figure out this was not a normal dog. Feeling their skeptical gazes, Alex quickly changed the subject. "Okay, stop staring at the dog. Let's get our stuff settled in."
He grabbed a few bags, and following his example, they quickly shuttled their gear to the front door. Jimbo trotted ahead, trying to sneak inside with them.
"Ah-ah!" Alex's voice was stern. "Jimbo! Mat."
The giant dog let out a comically human-like whine, but obediently turned and settled on the welcome mat just outside the door, his chin on his paws.
Alex held the door open. The interior of the house was pristine. Just as they stepped in, a stylish, open-plan living room greeted them. The first thing that hit them was the TV, a screen so big it could have been in a small cinema. The massive, U-shaped white fabric couch facing it was big enough to fit at least ten people. Further back was a high-end, American-style kitchen with a gleaming steel island, and a small WC/bathroom combo was tucked next to the stairs leading to the upper floors.
Alex dropped the bags by the door and spread his arms wide, a small, teasing smile on his face.
"Welcome," he said, "to my humble abode."
Mina's face lit up. "Finally! I can live like the princess I am!" She made a running leap for the enormous white couch, only to be caught mid-air, by the scruff of her hoodie, by Alex.
He held her there like a kitten. "Shoes," he said sternly.
The whole group, properly chided, shuffled back to the entryway to toe off their grimy boots.
"Right," Alex said, "Quick tour." He gestured to the open-plan ground floor. "Living room, kitchen, and the WC/bathroom combo next to the stairs. Now, upstairs."
He led them up the modern, floating staircase to the first floor. It was a long hallway with seven identical doors. "There are six bedrooms," he said, gesturing. "And one bathroom/WC combo beside the stairs."
Jess let out a visible sigh of relief. "Six... so we don't have to share rooms? That's... thank God. Short-term would be fine, but long-term..."
Mina, predictably, started flinging open all the doors. "He's right, they're identical!" Each room was spacious, with a queen-sized bed, a desk, and a closet. Pristine, but empty. She got to the sixth door, then turned back, her head tilted. "Wait. You've been here before, right? Why aren't your things in any of these?"
"Oh," Alex said, walking past her to the end of the hallway, where a much larger, double-door was set. "That's a library." He then pointed to a second, narrower staircase tucked away. "My room is on the second floor. Want to take a look?"
Mina, now standing next to Alice, clicked her tongue. She leaned in and whispered, "Great. How is sis supposed to 'accidentally' enter your room at night when it's on a whole different floor?"
Alice, being close enough, heard every word. Her face flushed a deep crimson. She clamped her hand over Mina's mouth. "Sshh!" She then looked at Alex, forcing a bright, slightly strained smile. "Yes! We'd love to take a look!"
Alex led them up the final, private staircase. It opened up into a massive, converted-attic-style suite that took up the entire second floor. There was a king-sized bed, a huge desk with a high-end computer and three monitors, and a TV mounted on the ceiling, angled toward the bed. A normal-sized bookshelf, a private bathroom, and a WC filled the rest of the space, but for a room that took up a whole floor, it felt remarkably empty.
What dominated the room, however, were the windows. The entire back wall was floor-to-ceiling glass.
"Wow," Jenna said, walking over. "The view is amazing. But... can't people see in?" She got closer. "Oh! These are those one-way windows, aren't they? From the outside, it's just a mirror!"
"Yes," Alex answered. "I liked the view, but wasn't fond of being seen from every angle, so..." He shrugged. "Anyway. Make yourselves at home. I'm going to make some food for us. It's getting late."
He urged them down. The group, buzzing slightly, went back to the first floor and began the silent, awkward process of claiming their rooms, unpacking their meager things.
Alex was in the kitchen, the sounds and smells of actual, large-scale cooking filling the house. Mark appeared at the top of the ground-floor stairs, holding his toiletry bag and a towel. Alex chuckled.
"What? Get exiled to the ground-floor bathroom?"
Mark looked embarrassed. "Yeah. The girls... uh... said they'd be 'grateful' if they didn't have to share a bathroom with a man. So, this one's mine now."
Alex laughed. "Hey, take it as having a private bathroom. Just like me."
Mark thought for a bit. "You know... you're right." He brightened. "I do have a private bathroom." He proceeded downstairs, seemingly happy with this.
Alex was almost done, plating up what looked like a feast, when Jess appeared at the top of the main stairs, looking hesitant. "Alex? I... I don't mean to be a bother, but I don't have anything other than the clothes I'm wearing. Do you... do you have anything I could borrow?"
"Oh, yeah. Sure." Alex nodded, wiping his hands on a towel. "C'mon."
He led her back up to his private, second-floor room and opened his closet. It was organized and sparse. "Take what you want. Sweats, t-shirts. Whatever."
She quickly took a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. "Thank you," she said, genuinely grateful. She then went back down to the first floor, disappearing into the now "girls-only" bathroom for her long-awaited shower.
After giving Jess the clothes, Alex went back down to the kitchen, his mind already shifting to the logistics of feeding six people. The others, drawn by the smell of actual cooking, came down one by one and settled on the massive couch, a safe distance from the kitchen.
Jenna offered, "Alex, can we help?"
"No, I got it. Just... relax."
Mina, plopping down next to Alice, mumbled, "So ungrateful. When I graciously offered my help..."
Alice just chuckled and, falling into an old, familiar habit, began to braid her little sister's hair. "Just let him work, Mina."
Not far from them, on the other end of the couch, Jenna had tucked her feet under Mark, and they were cuddling. Mina frowned at the sight. "See that, sis?" she whispered. "That could be you two. But no, you're too witless."
"Ow!" Alice yanked the braid, hard. "I am tired of this nonsense. Leave it alone." But even as she said it, she couldn't help but steal a long glance at Alex, his back to them, moving with an easy, practiced confidence in the kitchen.
Soon, Jess started coming down the stairs, her hair still wavy and damp from the shower. The clothes Alex had given her were clearly too big, but she'd adapted; the sweatpants were tied tight at her waist, and the t-shirt was knotted up at her side, leaving a small, unassuming area of her navel exposed. The whole look gave off a cozy, relaxed, "homey" vibe, like a girlfriend at her boyfriend's place.
Mina, seeing this, stopped complaining. Her eyes went wide. She started chewing her nails. "Alice. Look," she hissed. "She's not even trying. You're already losing."
Alice smacked Mina's hand away from her mouth, but her own face wore a distinct, undeniable hint of jealousy.
Alex looked up from the stove, oblivious. "Good, you're done. Dinner is ready." He turned off the induction stove, setting the large pot aside on the counter.
Jess had just arrived at the bottom of the stairs and was looking at Alex, but her gaze suddenly fixed on the floor beside him. A small, dark pool of blood was collecting by his boot.
Her "doctor" voice, slightly pitched with alarm, cut through the room. "You're bleeding."
Alex looked around, confused. "What?" He followed her gaze down. "Oh..." He saw the puddle under his right arm. He suddenly remembered the shot that had grazed him at the plaza. "I forgot."
The others were on their feet, worried. But Jess was already in motion. "You forgot? You're an idiot." She was already pulling him by his good arm. "We're stitching that up. Now."
"Whoa, okay," Alex said, surprised by her strength. He looked back at the others. "Uh... can you guys set the table?"
Jess pulled Alex up the stairs and into her newly claimed room, shutting the door. "Sit. Take off the upper clothes."
He did as she asked, wincing as he peeled the shirt off the bleeding wound. She took her own bag, the one from the vet clinic, and got to work, her hands quick and professional as she sterilized the wound and prepped a suture needle.
Meanwhile, Mina had sneaked up the stairs, peaking around the corner of the doorframe. She watched as Jess, her face a mask of worried concentration, expertly began to patch him up. Alex, for his part, just looked annoyed at himself. "It... it really didn't hurt. That's why I forgot."
Mina felt a pit in her stomach. Her sister was falling more and more behind.
A few minutes later, Alex and Jess walked back down, his shoulder professionally bandaged. They all sat down to the feast Alex had prepared. The praise was immediate.
"Alex, this is amazing!" Mark said, his mouth full.
Jess, especially, looked almost emotional. "I... I haven't had a normal, hot meal since the outbreak," she said, her voice thick. "Thank you, Alex. For... all of this."
After the meal, they all migrated to the massive couch. Alex, taking center stage, broke the comfortable, full-bellied silence.
"Okay," he said, his voice serious. "From tomorrow, the 'holiday' is over. This place... it's not automated. It needs care. We have to maintain it. It's a lot of work. I'll tell you everything in detail when it comes to it. For tonight... just... get a good night's rest. You've earned it."
They began to retreat to their rooms, exhausted. As Mark passed him, Alex called out, "Hey, Mark."
Mark turned. Alex walked closer, his voice low so only Mark could hear.
"I'll say this just in case..." he started, a small, almost invisible smirk on his face. "The rooms are lockable. They're... also soundproof." He gave Mark a pointed look. "And, uh, there are some... things... you might need in the bedside table. Left drawer."
Mark's tired face broke into a massive grin, like he'd just hit the jackpot. "Alex... you're the man."