19240422 06:48:12

19240422 06:48:12

TN-S-2660X06

"Greg."
The snoring continued uninterrupted. She made a second attempt by bending over and speaking louder.
"Greg."
His body mode slightly and involuntarily but the snoring still didn't stop. His head was nearly face down onto the sofa pillow. After a brief moment of hesitation and a sigh, she resorted to physically agitating him to get him awake. Pressing on his shoulder enough to rock his body side to side still wasn't enough. Alice repositioned her feet a half pace backwards and slowly reached her hand in to brush against his ear. Greg's left arm suddenly thrust out towards her, but came slowly enough that she managed to weave her body to the side to avoid being hit. As he slowly rustled himself awake and raised his head upwards, the pillow clung to his cheek for a moment before it dropped away in an audibly sticky detachment that left a streak of discolored brown on the fabric. She winced in reaction to seeing the stain.
"Wh-" He was only able to produce half of a syllable before the dryness on his tongue met his mouth and caused him to cough in heaves. Some subsequent deep breaths through the nose indicated that there was some kind of blockage in those passages as well. Once he was able to speak, the words still sounded as if they came from someone much older and frail.
"What."
"I have to go to work soon, Greg, I wanted to tell you good bye. I made some coffee for you."
He turned his head to face Alice directly but didn't have enough strength to fully open his eyes yet.
"Ygnh... you. You woke me up for that? Nghf, f. Fucking." After a sigh, his voice was down to a grated whisper. "Fuck. Fine. Fine. Bring it here then, will ya."
Alice blinked twice, then walked over to the kitchen to fulfill the request. She quickly returned with the half filled mug held in both hands and resumed standing at his side. He twisted his body in place so that he could hoist his torso upwards and receive the beverage, which he indicated as ready to receive by limply waving his arm out towards her.
"Thanks." His response sputtered between his lips as he brought the mug to his face. He tilted the cup back and felt the repulsion hit him immediately in the nose. The aroma from the liquid was from some kind of vegetation, yes, but nothing which registered as coffee in his brain. He interpreted the odor was as if someone had made a tea out of tree bark. Then the liquid poured over his tongue and down his throat and he sensed his very breath stop cold in his mouth as his neck contracted in a vain attempt to restrict the coffee from being consumed. The bitterness wasn't savory but acidic and artificial. Greg covered his mouth and coughed in surprise, and felt some drops of the coffee coarse over his fingers. Alice nervously stepped backwards as glared at her and pulled his hands away to wipe the wet fingers against his clothes.
"What the fuck kind of fucking coffee is that?" His voice and focus was suddenly much clearer.
"Oh uh, I. I don't know. We get it at work, for free. It's in some silver bag, no name, I don't know what it is."
"I-" He coughed more and darted his head around the room before realizing that the phlegm which he had accumulated had nowhere to go but remain inside his mouth. The act of swallowing was equally painful and nauseating. "I don't think that is fucking coffee. That's like grass or some shit. The fuck."
"W, well, I'm sorry Greg, I didn't-"
"Fuck, whatever. Got me awake at least. Fucking christ. Ugh. Well shit I gotta go now, I gotta go get that taste out of my mouth. Maybe lick a horse's ass or something, fucking Jesus."
Pulaski instantly stood up and hurriedly walked to door with a slight wobble still in his step. Alice remained motionless for a full minute as she stared at the door. It was the last time he spoke to her.