Daylight Savings. [Private 1x1]

Nate raised an eyebrow at her at her comment about the jewelry. “Seemed pretty important to you for not being your ‘thing.’” He used his two hands as quotes to lightly emphasize the last word in his sentence.


He took a few more steps up the stairs and saw the light reflecting off the floors from the room they made their stay in. Realizing that it didn’t give him much time to look around for the ring, he sighed. He wanted to find it for her, it felt like a meaningful task to him, plus it would've helped night come quicker. But he figured that if he told her he was going to look for the ring, she’d want to help look too, which wouldn’t be a good thing for that ankle of hers.


So he decided that he’d keep his mouth shut until she went to sleep, then he would begin his search simply because it would eat away at him if he didn‘t at least try to look around. He hoped that he wouldn’t have to search in the dark for it. Oh how he wished they had a flashlight of some sort.


Moving up the steps two at a time after her, he smirked as he reached the top and said in a teasing tone, “Rude? Could’ve fooled me. But if you say so, Queenie.”


He moved past her on the way to the bedroom, then stopped himself in the doorway and turned around. His body cast a long shadow across the floor and he forced himself to smile, even though she could probably barely see it.


“Look, you really need to get off that ankle. And you look tired, so why don’t you sleep for a few hours? I’ll take first watch.” He thought for a moment, then a smirk spread across his lips and he muttered in a "hopefully she won't hear me" sort of tone, “Even though you’ve ignored everything else I’ve suggested you do today. Guess I might as well be talking to a wall?”


When he said that, a feeling of relief had suddenly swept over him, and he also felt like a piece of himself that was thought to have been cast away and long forgotten had returned itself to light. He felt more like himself again, a feeling that was truly unexplainable.
 
"Well you win some, you lose some."


It was all she could come up with, because he was right.


It was important to her, but she had used him so much already it would be unethical for her to push for anymore favors. Giving a quite chuckle at his Queenie comment, she suddenly felt like a ball of lead. Every movement seemed like it took forever, and it drained her twice as much as the time before.


Looking up at him, she couldn't even really hear what he was saying, she just gave a half smile and yawned. Rubbing at her eyes, she moved over towards the corner of the room next to the bed and propped herself up as comfortably as she could.


She caught the his last sentence, and gave a weak playful smirk, "Sorry for not wanting to leave you alone in this hell of a place we call a world."


Though her voice was joking, there was a hint of raw honesty in her voice, something that would have surprised her if she wasn't so exhausted.


Slowly the room began to go fuzzy, and she felt her heart beat slow to a steady pace, and her ankle stopped hurting for the first time since she had gotten up. Feeling her head slide down to her shoulder, she felt as if she were detached from herself and in a way she was.


Ashlyn found herself swimming through memories, both good and bad. Some of her father, others of her friend, some of her first impression of Nate. The light was warm on her skin, and only fed the overwhelming sense of exhaustion that was consuming her small frame.


Moments later her chest rose and fall lightly, and her smile had dimmed to just a ghost of smirk on her lips. The tension that had bound her muscles slowly turned in to a liquid, seeping away to another place, leaving her be in her few moments of peace. Slowly her hair fell around her shoulders, and she looked younger. Not in the literal sense of time, but she looked renewed. Lively, willing, and ready for anything. Perhaps everyone was like this when they slept though, as raw and at their most basic form of personality.


Against the wall, in the midst of the late afternoon light, she looked... normal. As normal as one could get in the situation they were in anyways. Her pale skin was bruised and cut up in multiple areas, and her hair was matted down with dirt, blood, grime, and other substances. But if you looked past it, you could seem the glimmering shine of humanity, the simple mixture of innocence and will which combined to make the most confusing creatures in the world.
 
During her descent to sleep, Nate sat on the foot of the bed and stared out back into the dark hallway. He watched the dust particles float in the across the floor and let it distract him while he waited. When he finally looked back at the girl he saw that she had finally fell victim to her exhaustion. A smirk spread across his lips again, much like a ripple in the water.


Success.


Getting to his feet once more, he took a few moments to watch her in the corner. Took a few moments to make sure that she was properly asleep. Eyeing her from afar, he saw for the first time the innocence played out on her unconscious face. He never really took the time to look at her while she was sleeping before, mostly because he found that sort of thing creepy and would’ve hated it if someone did that to him, but he couldn’t help himself.


What he saw in her expression wasn’t that of a savage, or scavenger. Nothing that looked like it came from the current state of the world. Just a calm-faced, innocent girl who was trying to find her way through this mess. And that’s exactly what she was. Despite all the dirt on her body and her hair being matted down by sweat amongst other things, he noticed that she was actually pretty. Not jaw-dropping gorgeous, but just enough to where it could catch the occasional guy’s attention.


The thought of her being pretty lingered in his mind for a few moments too long, and he was forced to mentally slap himself out of it.


If you’re really all that focused on her looks in a situation like this, then there’s something wrong with you, Nate.


Mentally coercing himself, he forced the thoughts away and quickly but quietly left the room, setting out for what he wanted to do. He had to set his mind on the task of finding her ring. The light outside was starting to fade, a sign that the sun was moving further and further towards the horizon, so he had to move fast and pay attention to every detail below, or he’d be back up to that room before he knew it, empty handed.


He was at the foot of the staircase, and he took it step by step, his eyes scanning each individual stair for anything remotely shiny, or anything small that stuck out to him. It grew darker as he descended, because obviously the light could only illuminate so much. He squinted, praying that his eyes were good enough to overcome the impeding darkness…


Come on.


Checking the staircase over twice and still unsuccessful, he realized that the light had faded more than when he started. Standing in complete darkness below now, he realized that he could no longer rely on his eyes to help him.


Determined, he got on his hands and knees. Slowly, he moved his hands across the floor and shut his eyes, so that way he wouldn't be focused on seeing and end up missing something. He felt a multitude of things, like dirt, dust, dried up blood…his hands were going through the mill for her ring.


His hands had reached the edge of the second staircase and his eyes snapped open once his fingers ran across a cool metal, something small, round and clean that stuck out like a sore thumb on the filthy carpeting. He lost it for a second, causing him to curse in his head, but his fingers quickly found it again like they were magnetized.


He lifted up the tiny object to what slight light source he had and a smile spread across his face. Stuffing it in his pocket, he got up off the floor and whacked the filth off his hands. Nate was the kind of person that made a plan of doing something constructive every day. It made the day feel complete. And even if it was something as miniscule as finding a ring, it still meant a great deal to him and it made him feel like he had completed his day successfully.
 
Lost in her thoughts, her sweet dreams slowly turned into savage and unwanted nightmares.


It was of her father, when he had left. A face cold as stone stared back at her. What had she done? What did she say? What could she do to repair the damage that she had unknowingly caused?


In reality, before he left he had said nothing. Leaving her alone, broken, and silent for days. However in this twisted nightmare, everything seemed sharper, cutting at her eyes like tiny knifes.


Ashlyn, you are a child. Children don't belong in a world like this.


The voice was so familiar, but the words it spat at her were foreign. Everything in her body screamed at her subconscious to ease the pain and stop the painful nightmares, but it continued on. Her ring floated in a black landscape, a wave of relief passed over her. As she reached for it she saw her hand was a grey-ish tint. Sores decorated it grotesquely, and suddenly a mirror replaced the ring. Firey red hair was now left in patches, her skin was deteriorating, her teeth black with disease and death. Her attempted screamed turned into a gagging and gnarled sound.


When the screaming was done, she realized that she was in the bedroom again, sighing heavily she felt safe.


As she looked up, she realized she was paralyzed, her body wouldn't move. However it didn't bother her, she was probably just past the point of exhaustion and needed to rest.


Nate entered the room, a feral smile splayed across his face. It was like staring at a bright light, it was fascinating yet oddly dangerous. Cocking her head sideways she found her voice;


"Nate... what's wrong?"


When he spoke his voice was sharp as broken glass, and hoarse, his eyes gleaming with a borderline psychotic excitement. He said nothing and just laughed, though it was strangled and nothing like his actual one. Terrified Ashlyn looked up trying to find what it was the set him apart from the Nate she knew. He was raw, open hostility painted his face like war paint, and the way he was breathing was short and resembled a dog's more then a human's.


Refocusing on the situation at hand, she saw the glint of an all to familiar weapon.


Her gun.


Nate had it pointed at her, it was cocked and ready to end her pathetic existence. Tears streamed her face, and she looked up at the young man she thought she knew so well.


"Why, why are you doing this?" Heartbreak filled her voice, and it wavered, her bottom lip quivering uncontrollably.


When he spoke, she did not hear Nate's voice, she heard her father's;


Ashlyn, you are a child. Children don't belong in a world like this.





During the nightmare, Ashlyn had fallen over and was now huddled in a ball, pulling her knees up against her chest. Her lip was bleeding again, probably due to the fact she had pierced it with her teeth. Tears covered her face, and soft murmurs of pain and heartbreak fell out of her mouth. Shaking, small, and no longer lively she looked like a withered flower.


"Daddy." Her whispers were the very definition of longing and pain, "Why?"


Out of the murmurs those were the only two that were audible to the human ear, she continued to fight the nightmare away. Most of the time she would simply resurface to consciousness, but she couldn't. Something about the nightmare was shutting down her ability to cognitively think. Her brain felt as if it were going to explode, she felt as if her heart was already laying before her in shattered bits that resembled glass.
 
Nate walked towards the bedroom with a spring in his step, something he hadn’t had in a long time. Normally he used to walk in such a manner when something excellent had happened, like when he asked a girl on a date and she accepted, or when he was looking forward to an evening in town with his friends. To him, finding the ring was something to certainly be happy about. That way his friend wouldn’t hurt her ankle anymore trying to find it herself. And hey, maybe the ring would raise her spirits a bit more.


Checking his back pocket to ensure the ring hadn’t fallen out, his eyes temporarily were blinded by sunlight the second he stepped into the room. When this happened, he heard his friend saying something but didn’t hear her properly. Assuming that she was awake, a smile passed over his face. “Hey, you’ll never guess what I found. No seriously, I dare you to...”


When he raised his hand in front of his face and stepped away from the light, his voice immediately became lost in itself. He saw the bodily shakes and the tears and at first he thought she fell back into another emotional state of mind, but after listening to her speak again it slowly came to light that she was still asleep.


And just like that, he was at her side. He put a hand on her arm and was alarmed at how badly she was shaken up. Whatever the images in her head were showing her, they definitely weren’t anything pleasant from what he could tell.


In a tone that was quiet and gentle, but audible enough to jar someone’s sleeping process, he said, “Ashlyn. Ashlyn, wake up. Come on…” He shook her shoulder, moving her back and forth in a quick succession and added on as he did so, “Ashlyn!”
 
Waking up after a few more shakes, she awkwardly sat up pushing her face into his shoulder.


She felt like screaming, her heart ached, and her mind was seared with images of pain and loneliness. Feeling his body heat against her, her tears dried, and now she lay there quietly.


"I'm sorry, it was just a nightmare..."


Her voice was weak, and her words even weaker. Reliving the images of the last scene in her head, she shook them away. Her throat was dry and her body felt like lead, she didn't even bother moving at this point. Recovery from things like this were slow, but she pushed her spirits off the ground in an attempt to salvage any glimpse of sanity she might be able to cling on too. Her ankle throbbed, and so did her head, the cuts and bruises she had stung, but she felt safe for right now.


Slowly the feeling of utter decimation receded back to a strong wave of pain, and after a few more minutes, turned in to a numb pain. Pushing herself up and back against the wall she rested her forehead on her knees, trying to focus on something distant and far away. Feeling the sunlight on her small and shaking frame she felt the bone-deep coldness slither away back to whatever hell it had come from. Her shoulders relaxed and her grip on her knees did as well. Nauseated and light-headed Ashlyn willed herself to accept the exhaustion and fall back asleep, and she had to admit, she was still tired.


"I'm sorry, it was just a nightmare, I'll try to keep quiet."


With that she tucked herself against the wall as tightly as she could, letting her heartbeat fall back in to it's lazy beat, and stared in to the darkness that resided behind her eyelids. All she wanted to do was go home, abandoned or not. Smell the scent of her perfume, the house cleaner that the housemaid had once used, and the stale scent of too-expensive leather on the furniture. Gripping reality with a steel hand she waited for herself to fall out of consciousness. However, now she hoped for a bitter darkness rather then any vivid images of life, the past, or what could become the future.


She looked for a glimmer of hope, in what felt like the slow progression of her insanity, and she found it in the rather quick response of Nate. He was at her side, willing her back to a reality that was no where near as bad as the one she had conjured up in sleep. Feeling a small amount of warmth wash over her inside, she could breath normally. It was all just a nightmare, and he woke her from it, now they were back to the normal hell they lived in.


This hell was better then her own, for the actions that were carried out here, were not of her fault.


However, the one in her mind was a stronger version of karma, coming back to spite her for every mistake she had ever made.
 
Sitting there for moments that seemed like forever, feeling her tears sinking through his tattered shirt, he realized something. When she removed herself from him and lay back on the floor he scanned her expression somewhat thoroughly, and from what he got, he had a decent idea of what she had seen in her head.


Knowing that she still wanted to rest by what she told him, he put his hand on her shoulder. Felt her warmth and tried to think of something to say to her.


“It’s not something you can help. Just…try and rest.” Knowing that he was stating the obvious, he got up and moved towards the window, not wishing to disturb her from her inevitable slumber any longer.


Just as he reached the warm glass, he saw the bottom of the sun hit the horizon. Sunset. The light that he and his new friend were accustomed to would soon be gone, and the diseased ones would take over their place in the darkness once more. But for now, he decided to soak the remainder of warmth up while it was still there for the taking. He felt a sense of tranquility in a dangerous and deathly world setting.


Something about the scenery laid out in front of him set a voice off in his head. He wasn’t sure why or what caused it, but it was most likely due to the circumstances itself.


Those things out there aren’t the only things you should worry about. They’re the least of your problems, actually.


While he thought about this his eyes moved over to Ashlyn again, wondering if she was asleep yet, but he wasn’t about to check and see. He stared out the window again, the sunlight highlighting his eyes in a way that showed he let his mind drift.


People go insane in this world so easily now…it’s so easy to simply slip up. So if she ends up sliding, even just a bit--


Nate’s eyes suddenly widened, and immediately stamped the thought of abandoning the only person he felt somewhat close to in several months out of his head, like an insect crawling beneath his feet. Saying he was furious at himself was an understatement, and the peaceful quiet feeling he had this whole time previously was gone. Point blank, he didn’t want to even remotely think about what would happen if she lost her mind in all of this. Not the cause, the outcome, or anything. He wasn’t too worried about himself losing his marbles, though there were certain moments where he did question himself, but for the most part he thought he was okay.


But then that’s what all crazy people think.


His eyes met with the slumped over figure of his friend once more and they expressed a deep feeling of guilt. He knew that he couldn’t leave her. If he did, she would surely be on the path of insanity and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to live down the fact that he basically left an innocent person for dead. No matter what his mind would continue tell him, he’d refuse to act upon it every time. Over and over he would tell himself the same thing: She needed him, and in a lot of ways he needed her. He felt stronger together with her than he did alone. For the sake of the emotional ties he had just sown together with her despite the short amount of time - even though she had saved his life amongst other things in said short amount of time - his decision to stay was final.


Why he still had that feeling of uncertainty he did not know, and maybe it would always be there. It didn’t matter to him. He intended to fight it to the end.


Stepping away from the window, he scooped up another granola bar from her bag. He knew he had to feed himself to stay strong, but after all the places his mind took him to, his appetite was as good as gone. Throwing the bar back on top of her bag, he moved over to the foot of the bed and sat down. Exhausted as he was, he lay the top half of his body on the soft mattress, but willed himself to stay awake. He also willed himself to think no more on the subject of abandonment, instead pushing his mind towards other things. Like memories of better times.
 
Feeling his hand was like her mind throwing an anchor, grounding itself to sanity and not letting go. Giving an uneasy nod, she turned back to her curled up position against the wall.


Every movement he made was loud, audible, and clear. He was tired, and his footsteps were no longer crisp and decisive. Tightening her hands she exhaled quietly, letting her stress run it's course. It touched every inch of her skin, leaving an uncomfortable electricity in it's place.


Trying to forget the images so clearly seared in to her head, she felt as if she were a wound that was repeatedly opened. Outlining her face and body in her head she tried her best to blame her sudden nightmares and emotional outburst on lack of sleep. Playing a song in her head, she listened to it intently. Music flooded her mind and body, releasing all tension and hatred. Smooth and quiet, it caressed her worry thoughts to a box, where she would shut them out for the time being.


Her eyelids felt heavy, and finally she was at peace, no longer restless with pain and heartache. Feeling her heartbeat in her chest, it was small and quiet, but the only sign that she was still human. That she still had hope. Memories of better days, such as when her and her father traveled to Europe only added to the small fire warming the icy feelings of betrayal and fear. Melting away, suddenly she was no longer conscious, now lost in memories of happier scenes.


Though she was sitting, her back against the wall, her body started to lean towards the side. As if it no longer had the strength to keep her up for the time being. Her hair covered her face, and her arms had dropped slightly, showing she was no longer aware of how she was sitting. Her breathing was normal, and her face was no longer as pale, and all seemed forgotten for a few moments.


Nate was just another guy she had met at school, she could still wander down to the music store where her favorite albums had been discovered, she still had a Physics test on Monday, and she was still going to graduate. With her paper diploma, stating her achievements she would then move on to college, where she would pursue medicine, or perhaps business. And that was the beauty of the world two years ago, you still had a choice. Now, the only choice you had was to survive, rebuild, and look for others.


A small smile formed on the girls lips, as she thought of her 11th birthday.


Her father had gotten her a puppy, a small German Sheppard that his co-worker was hoping to get rid of. Looking at the small dog, Ashlyn had never cherished anything more. Hugging it, and taking it with her wherever she went, she was always protected.


The dog caught learned her emotions, and would fix her moods as best it could. If she was crying the small puppy would wander over to her, curl up in her lap, and let her pet him absently until she stopped. The school bullies faded in to silence, and the hard looks she got from other girls dissolved. All that mattered was she had her puppy, and that puppy loved her.


She would never be alone, ever.


--- Merged Double Post ---


((Sorry for the short post, please feel free to fast-forward time! I just didn't know what to do really haha!))
 
His head turned towards the window yet again and he watched the small bits of orange cloud moving across from what he could see of the sky. The light blue was beginning to darken, with yellow and red hues blending together like a piece of art. Breath-taking, it reminded him of a time in his city where the sky looked exactly like that. He lived far away from this town originally, only knowing it’s geographic well simply because once he was taken to this town, he had never left. On occasion he would miss his city, but never wished to return to it; if it looked anything like the town they were in currently, he knew that the memory of his homeland would forever be tarnished. Surely his sanity would drop down a few pegs from seeing the abandoned streets of his former neighborhood, boarded up homes, grass as tall as a forest and untamed as a weed. No. He made the decision that he would never return long ago.


Seeing the sky that reminded him of so much however, made the present world he was stuck in fade away. Fade away and transition over to a memory.


He was sitting on the computer in his room, holding his acoustic guitar that he bought at a yard sale down the street with one hand. He wasn’t all that good at playing the used instrument yet, and at the time he only knew how to play a few songs on it. On the screen was a page dedicated to the tabs for a new song he was trying to learn, which looked like something that would challenge his amateur skills quite a bit.


Exhaling, he moved his fingers around, prepping them for playing. He picked up the guitar with the other hand, rested it in his lap and slowly started off, looking up every now and then to make sure he was hitting the right notes. Knowing the song pretty well, he felt like he was spot on despite going slowly. A smile crossed his lips and he started to play a bit faster as he gained more confidence.


It was this time of day that he always looked forward to. With all the hectic hell at school he would deal with for the first part of it, it was always when the sun would set and that was his time to kick back and chill out.


As he continued onward with his full concentration on playing, he barely heard the knocking on his bedroom door. “Nathan?”


His train of concentration interrupted, he ended up hitting the wrong note. Sighing irritably, he put the guitar down and spun around in his chair towards his door, but to his surprise his grandmother was already in the room. Not wanting to put her in a nursing home, his mother took the liberty of letting her live with them instead. She wasn’t senile, and she was always respectful of other people’s privacy.


But now, however, Nate detected a sense of worry and anxiety in her expression. “What’s wrong grandma?” He asked, completely bewildered. Normally she always had a smile on her face, so seeing her like this obviously meant something happened. In his mind he was praying that it wasn’t anything bad.


“Nathan, your mother is in the hospital. The ambulance came for her at work, her lung cancer is acting up again.”


At once, the scene he was seeing dissolved out, back to the present with him lying on the soft, but lumpy mattress. He felt a tinge of sorrow in his heart that only lasted momentarily before he noticed that the sun had disappeared. It was completely dark outside now, and from the window he could hear the faint moans of the infected stalking the streets below.


He sat up quickly, cursing under his breath. Was he so wrapped up in the memory that time had just flown by, or did he fall asleep? He wasn’t able to tell due to the fact that he still felt as exhausted as he did before he hit the mattress.


Wanting nothing more than to get rid of that feeling, he stood up and stretched. He wondered if his friend was still asleep in the corner but couldn’t see very well due to the darkness that his eyes hadn’t fully adjusted to yet.
 
Ashlyn had woken up, but remained tucked away in the corner. She liked the silence that had filtered in to the room, it allowed for her to think clearly and recollect herself. From what she could tell all of her emotions were no longer frayed. Exhaling slowly and quietly she felt the room around her, it was cold, but comfortable. Once warm sweat had cooled and made her hair stick to the back of her neck. Pulling it away, feeling less then pleased with her hygiene, she let the cold air drift over the pale and vulnerable skin on her neck. Twisting it absently she pulled all of it over her left shoulder, so it was no longer sticking to her skin.


Nate was dreaming, or perhaps concentrating, either way she had no wish to interrupt him. The last bit of light had dissolved, and the sounds of hell emerged in the forms of soft groans and the sliding of feet. Worried she stared at him, but if he wanted to do something she decided that he would have done something about it already. Twisting the knife in her hand, over and over, she kept her eyes glued to the door and her ears open for any sound.


The wind was blowing, and they were on the second floor, meaning that their scent would be scattered. Relaxing a little she slowed the pace of the weapon in her hand to a nervous twitch. Exhaling slowly, she stood up, trying out her ankle to see if it was doing any better. Closing her eyes tightly, she moved it. The response surprised her. It didn't hurt, it was sore and a bit stiff, but a majority of the pain was gone and had receded to muscle stiffness. Giving a small smile, she looked around the room.


Her eyes were a light brown, despite the lack of natural light, and she caught the movement of Nate. Moving over slowly, she saw that he was now standing and stretching. Her eyesight was no where near perfect, but she could see the outlines of his face rather well. He was frustrated, a small line on his forehead indicated so, and he was still exhausted. The bags under his eyes weren't noticeable upon first glance, but if you were looking for them, you could see them.


Not knowing what to say, she moved over to the window slowly. There wasn't much movement, and she felt as if it were going to rain. It wasn't anything supernatural, it was just habit. You could smell the moisture in the air, and the wind was always just a touch colder.


The wind was picking up fairly quickly and she felt relieved. Infected usually didn't move much in rain and wind, it tore at their already deteriorating bodies. Looking around, she saw the few infected that were there wandering aimlessly. Quickly she peeled herself away form the window, not wanting to be seen by the strange creatures.


Shivering, she realized that the room was probably stripped of insulation, and her jacket was no where to be found in the dark. Wrapping her arms around her, she realized that if they were to return to her home she would have new clothes to change into.


Longing sprang up inside her for her bed and pillows, the faint scent of strawberry shampoo she had used for so long, and the underlying scent of perfume that lingered from past use. Tilting her head towards the boy she realized that some of her father's old clothes might fit him rather well, or at least be close enough.


She realized she was staring at the boy, longer then she had originally intended, and quickly she forced her eyes to a dark spot on the ground. Heat rushed into her cheeks and she chided herself for getting lost in such petty things such as his appearance. He was handsome though, she had to admit. Witty, fairly well-versed in survival skills, and somewhat comedic. More thoughts flooded her head, and again she mentally kicked herself for getting lost in thoughts about him.


"Do you want to move the wardrobe over the door again? My ankle feels a lot better, so I can help now."


As she spoke she moved towards him, and she could make out his features much better.


Taller then her, and larger in build, dark hair and fair complexion.


He reminded her of a character in a book. Purposefully flawed as if to help compliment the true talents and virtues of said character. His past was no where near as bright as she may have originally imagined, and he had some life experience to say the least.


However through the midst of it all he remained sane and kind, so she imagined she could as well. Her thoughts flooded her head and she kept her gaze on the young man, smiling she let her eyes trace the fine details of his outward appearance and build.
 
Nate was rolling his head around, working the kinks out of his neck when he heard the girl speak. He had to squint a bit to see her properly. See, it didn’t matter how long he was thrown in darkness, no matter where or what happened, his eyes would always take forever to adjust at first.


Finally they started to focus and he saw the smile on her face, which caused him to reciprocate. “Are you sure you want to block yourself in here with me again? Willingly this time?”


His tone had a taunting air to it, which caused his smile to turn into the familiar smirk he had when the conversation made him take the tease tactic. He glanced down at the silhouette of her ankle and sighed. “Well, as much of a S.O.B that thing is to move, I don’t know if I want you becoming a cripple on me again. Because then that means I’d have to start doing things for you again…like looking for your ring, for example.”


A mischievous smile - one that you would see on a small child that stole a cookie from the cookie jar - spread across his face. He just remembered her ring, feeling the round little circular object rubbing up against the back of his leg and decided that now was as good a time as any to give it back, even though he would’ve preferred it daytime to do so.
 
"Don't even act like you don't adore spending time with me," she laughed, but tried to hush her voice as much as she could. Chuckling quietly, she looked up at him, her eyes relaxed and calmer then they had been in days.


She shot her gaze towards the wardrobe, she had to admit, it was large. Shrugging, and feeling an air of competition, her voice came out slick but taunting,


"Or maybe you're just worried that you're muscles will fall in comparison to mine?"


Making her way over to the wardrobe, she heard his words. Turning quickly on her heel, she almost toppled over, her eyes that of a small child. Excited, bright, and painted with specks of disbelief, she quickly tried to regain her posture. However she could feel her hands shaking, her voice came out the same way.


"You found... my ring?"


By the tone of his voice, she didn't need him to answer this, she already knew. Not knowing what to do with her emotions, she stood speechless for a few moments. Then, without hesitation, she quickly closed the gap of space between them and only taking a moment to glance up at him, she threw her arms around his neck tightly. Pushing up on her tiptoes, so she was able to hug him properly, she felt her eyes watered. Her voice was gone, squashed by the feeling of amazement and pure gratitude that ran through her veins.


So maybe life did suck, and perhaps this wasn't the best situation. However, in the midst of the world falling apart, being chased by infected things, and other humans, he had gone out his way to find a piece of jewelry that meant nothing to him.


Suddenly she found her voice, faster then she could keep up with, and the words spilled out in hushed whispers.


"Why? You didn't even know what it looked like? How long did it take you? How did you find it? Why? Thank you so much, Nathan. Thank you. Why?"


She repeated herself multiple times, but couldn't help it. Excitement poured out her the same way it might pour out of a child during Christmas. Pulling away so she could meet his eyes, though they were watery, they were stronger then ever. Swallowing down her emotions, she smiled, "Thank you."
 
He smirked, taking notice of the Christmas child-like gleam reflected in her eyes. “Well, maybe I found it…and my muscles so out power yours it’s not even fun-”


The rest of his sentence was squashed out by the intensity of the hug she suddenly gave him, and at once all the heat in his body came rushing up to his face like a volcanic eruption, leaving the rest of him rather numb, but the warmth that came from her body easily fixed that. Knowing that he was redder than a damn tomato, he laughed a bit awkwardly and slowed it down to a normal chuckle so he wouldn’t give himself a way.


Oh thank god thank god thank god it’s dark in here.


Hell, at that point he didn’t even pay one bit of attention to a word she was spilling out to him. The sort of contact she gave him, it was almost foreign to him because nobody had been this close to him in a long time, but it also created a warmness in his heart, a strange type of warmth that spread to all the numb parts of his body. Letting it overtake him, he wrapped his arms around upper body and hugged her back. He didn't take any notice of the amount of sweat he was feeling, how she smelled. It didn't matter to him because he probably didn't smell that much better to her anyway.


When she released him and thanked him, he smiled warmly and felt the heat leave his face. He silently prayed that his face was his normal facial color again considering how she was staring at him, so he decided to take the aloof approach just in case. “No problem, but you owe me something to clean my hands with.”


With a smirk and a certain confident air about how he walked, he moved past her to the wardrobe and leaned against it with his arms crossed. “Now let’s see who wins this battle of strength, shall we?”
 
Smiling, she let a small laugh leave her lips, "Well I suppose that's fair..."


Watching him, she felt renewed, the ring was in place and she felt whole again. After returning to her normal height, her feet flat against the ground, she watched as he moved towards the wardrobe. Comedic dread rose up inside her, and she scowled at the piece of furniture, but quickly she moved over and leaned next to him. Looking up a competitive gleam had reached here eyes, "Just for the record. No matter what I'm stronger then you." Dropping her look, and replacing it with a genuine smile, she looked over her shoulder at the wardrobe.


Sighing heavily, she pushed on it, and to her surprise it moved. Granted, it wasn't probably even a measurable distance, but a sense of relief overwhelmed her. A few moments before she realized that she hadn't done any sort of physical exercise, since... well she couldn't even remember, and she was sick of being useless. Exhaling slowly, she inhaled as much air as she could get, and pushed on the damned thing again.


Hearing the click of her ring against the metal every time she pushed was a beautiful sound, and she spoke with a new fire, her movements injected with pure enthusiasm. Perhaps it was hard for her to keep her grip most of the time, but he had returned the most important piece of her that remained before the outbreak. Not even having to look at him, just feeling him close, gave her a sense of security that was a bit shaky before.


Now he was her anchor, and if he planned on leaving, well that wasn't going to happen. Perhaps God was finally paying her back for the hell he had put her through, and he was the pay. Feeling the small fire spring to life again, she leaned all of her weight against the damned piece of furniture and waited for any movement at all.
 
Clicking his tongue in response to what she said about her strength overpowering his, he watched as she pushed up against the wardrobe. To his delight he saw the wardrobe move over slightly, heard the noise of wood rubbing against the wooden floorboards. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow jokingly, as if he was blown away by the fact that she could even move it a centimeter. He then smiled to show that he was kidding, because he was honestly glad he had help to push the thing this time.


At some point while she pushed onward, he realized that he was still standing there, and simultaneously he realized how stupid he must’ve looked. Putting his dirty hands on the wardrobe next to hers, he inhaled to the point where he couldn’t inhale anymore and then he pushed while he exhaled. The wardrobe moved a lot farther than he could’ve pushed it himself due to the combined effort. A triumphant smile floated over his lips and after another deep inhale and exhale he pushed again, throwing his legs into the mix with a determined look that took over the previous smile he had.


When Nate and her had the wardrobe blocking half of the door at that point, he felt the need to readjust his hands. Glancing at the girl out of the corner of his eye, he smirked. “You’re doing pretty good, just a little bit more. If that ankle of yours can handle it.”


Intending to give the huge hunk of wood one last big push, he took a deep breath and planted his hands firmly into the woodwork. His supposed final push was cut short however, when something in the woodwork had jabbed him in the hand and with a small yelp he immediately ripped his hand back as if something had burned him.


Oh please don’t be bleeding don’t be bleeding-


Nate flipped his hand over and even though it was only a small cut, he saw that the blood was already trickling down the side of his palm. His eyes widened, and immediately every swear word in the book came to light in his mind, all open options for him to scream and holler out.


After the quick moment of internal panic however, his face changed around completely. The friendly face was gone, replaced with a dead serious stare, almost cold, but it also gave a sense of composure. The kind of face someone would give in the matter of their vital survival, and his tone was more than urgent.


“We need to get this door blocked. Quickly.”
 
"I could do this all day long princess."


Giving him a strong smile, she pushed with him. Her ankle was whining quietly in the back of her mind, but it was just stiff. Looking down at her hands, she realized that they hurt more then anything, but she refused to submit to such lame pain.


Looking down, she saw the trickle of blood. Before he could finish his sentence, her shoulder was against the wardrobe, and she pushed as hard as she could. Trying to listen past the sound of rubbing wood she looked for any sounds of the infected. Not bothering to wait to see if he was helping, she kept his back to him, her eyes glued to the door. Inhaling sharply, she pushed all of her weight on to the wardrobe. It moved painstakingly slow, as she inhaled again she heard it.


Freezing for a moment, cold dread broke out in the form of sweat against her eyebrows.


It was downstairs, the soft murmuring of the undead piercing her ears like small needles. Inhaling quickly, she pushed the wardrobe again, looking around for her knife. The distance it was from her seemed almost unreal, it laid next to the wall where she had been sleeping.


Looking forward she saw the wardrobe was almost in place, and she quickly darted across the room, grabbing the knife and placing it between her belt and pants. Forgetting about the wardrobe, she moved towards the window, her strides long and defined. Avoiding standing directly in front of it, she shut it slowly, not wanting to let any of them smell the blood more then they already had. As it slid shut, she listened, hearing the activity of the things that wanted to end her life, using her for nothing more then food.


Running back to the wardrobe, she tried to identify what had happened, but to no prevail. Everything was so dark, it was impossible to breath normally, and she felt as if every movement she made was equivalent to the sound of a construction site. Looking at the boy, she darted back over to her bag, she pulled out a bandanna. Closing the gap between them, she pressed herself close to him, not wanting to speak any louder then she had too. Her words were carried on her breath, barely audible;


"Let me see you're hand."


The words were sharp, and slightly agitated, though not with him. With the situation in general, those things seemed to be waiting for them to make a mistake. Pushing her paranoia away, she waited for him to expose his damaged hand so she could tie it off, hoping to reduce the spill of the sickly liquid that seemed to call to the infected ones.
 
He had rushed to her aid in helping her push the wardrobe in front of the door, using his shoulder and good hand to heave it shut. When she left his side to get her knife he continued to try and push it in place, but only got so far without the use of his other hand.


With a defeated groan he backed away from the door and stared down at his injured hand, squinting slightly to try and see the damage better. Luckily it wasn’t the hand he used his weapon with, but if he didn’t find some way to seal off the bloody mess of his palm and soon, over a hundred of the diseased ones would be at the doorstep, and not even his skill with a machete would stop them from their desired feast.


And the wardrobe in front of the door, if the infected somehow managed to get through downstairs, it would only take so many of them before they’d be able to break through their limited defense right up the stairs. Two people could barely push that wardrobe around, but ten or fifteen of them?


His eyes narrowed, his emotions thrown around in several directions. Guilt, anger, frustration, anxiety, it was all bundled and mixed together so well. He had attracted the infected by showing off and acting reckless, like he was before any of this started. In the midst of all the fun, he'd forgotten how serious and dire their situation was, and he cursed at himself for it.


Damn it Nate, you idiot.


Knowing that the first aid kit was all the way across the room, he backed up from the wardrobe only to halt himself when he reached the center part of the room, listening intently to the sound of a strange scratching noise that came from the first floor, according to his ears.


They were at the door outside. They were scratching at the walls, and their throaty moans were loud and almost perfectly synced together, making them seem larger in number. Unsure of how many there actually were which he prayed that they were still ungodly lucky in that respect, he took another step backward right into the girl. He knew it was her when he felt her body heat and relief flushed inside him; losing himself in his twisted up thoughts momentarily made him forget she was even in this mess with him.


He felt the soft cloth of the bandanna rub against his wrist and slowly he turned his hand outward towards her, giving her the okay to take care of it. His other arm was tense, for if anything somehow got inside already and was at the door, he’d be ready to grab his weapon in a flash if he needed to. No matter what happened, he refused to let his eyes leave that door. His expression showed complete alertness, almost an animalistic sort of expression. The type of concentration he had at that moment was one that would not be deterred.
 
Quickly she tied the material around his hand, pulling it tightly. Looking up, she didn't look at him and kept her gaze at the door.


Sighing heavily, she moved over towards it hoping to gather some more information about the situation they were in.


There was more of them. A lot more of them. She realized suddenly that if they knew they were there, they would continue to come back every night.


Wincing, she realized that she was the primary reason this entire situation had come to be, her stupid ankle. Giving an exasperated sigh, and tapping her fingers against her thigh she thought of what their next move would be. Obviously they would have to wait these things out, and after that they would have to make a break for it in the morning.


Quickly, a clip on the news started to play itself out in her head, hushing all other thoughts she watched the replay intently.


It was on CNN, the first legitimate report about the effects of the outbreak and the infected people. They were listing off warning signs, possible treatments, and a list of near-by infected check-ins. The check-ins were a place where family members could bring their ill ones to be "treated", however, later it was found out they were simply executed. Many compared it to the holocaust but the public had no better ideas, so they sat in uncomfortable silence. Trying to remember, the fact she was looking for came to light, in the form of a reporter's voice.


"These things are not human. The International Board of Medicine has issued this mandate this morning, allowing military personnel to kill upon seeing them. This has caused much uproar, but so far has been a successful campaign. Through this though, one scientist claims that these humans are not just 'zombie' like creatures, but have predatory skills. Hunting, heightened senses, even enough of their frontal cortex - a piece of the brain - to remember information, such as location..."


His voice faded out in to silence, and dread crashed down on Ashlyn like a tidal wave, engulfing her every thought and movement. Standing eerily still the thoughts raced threw her mind like bullets being shot from a gun. Foreign, to quick to understand, but ultimately ending in a searing pain. Suddenly she turned on her heel, and quickly started packing her things up. Not wanting to meet the eyes of the boy, not wanting to know how he would react to the situation, she spoke softly.


"Tomorrow morning we need to leave. I think these things have a memory? Or something close to it."


She realized that once she thought would be a mouthful, turned in to a pitiful amount of words. Swallowing, she looked at her bag, feeling her eyes start to water. This was all her fault, this poor kid got stuck with her of all people. Feeling useless and rather depressed she forced herself to take a deep breath. Steadying her voice she spoke again.


"I'm really sorry. This is all my fault."


Her voice was steely and cold, to her surprise it hadn't wavered either. Keeping her eyes glued to the bag, she pushed away her now insignificant emotions, and listened intently to the sounds in the building. Directly below her she heard the sound of shuffling feet, mutilated murmurs, and other sounds she couldn't describe. The stairs sounded empty, which was a relief, and perhaps they hadn't had enough time to track down the scent completely. Once her bag was zipped shut, she grabbed her knife out it's home between her pants and belt, and moved towards the wardrobe. Sitting down, with her legs crossed, she sat a few feet away from it and stared. Though her outward appearance was rather tranquil, her thoughts raced about her head. A headache had emerged through her feelings of despair and guilt, trying to hold the tears back, she focused on a small area on the wardrobe where the paint had chipped.
 
Despite the fact that it was a small cut, he still winced when she tightened the cloth around his hand. When she was done he moved his fingers around without looking down, realizing with a furrow of his brow that his finger movement was mostly restricted on that hand. He stopped as soon as he figured it out, not wishing to create anymore spillage than he already had.


Seeing that the girl was at the door listening, he decided to take the window instead and promptly acted on it. Mindful of how loud he wanted his steps due to the diseased ones and their super sensitive hearing - some only needing the sound of a person breathing to provoke them - he swiftly moved over to the side of the window and remained quiet for a few moments. Listened to the sounds of the moans and the groans and the scratching jumbled together. Hearing them all, something inside his head made him hesitant to look out below and reveal to his senses how many of them there actually were. No, to even turn his eyes a fraction seemed too much for his brain to handle without convincing.


Taking a quick inhale and exhale, he forced himself to turn his head and look down below at what he thought to be the enormous army of infected. Only when he scanned the crowd with his narrowed eyes he realized that there were only ten or so. Maybe fifteen, he didn’t really bother to count, but it was a real relief knowing that the number his mind had flashing at him was false. For now. Hopefully the already large group of infected wouldn’t grow in number due to the noise they were making, like a siren in the darkness calling their brothers and sisters from far and wide.


Come to think of it, they actually look pretty pissed.


The infected, whether a variety of men and women he couldn't be sure, for the majority of their skin was vastly deteriorated and corroded as it was - not to mention the hair loss - seemed to moan louder than they did before. Their every move seemed more frantic, and their desperation to get inside the building seemed to grow more and more with each moment passed. As if they were angry that the delicious smell of that potent, rare liquid they loved and craved so much had suddenly been whisked away from them.


Their breathing headed from heavy and gruff to desperate and depraved, and Nate somehow managed to resist the feeling of a chill, more than ready to run down his spine. He pulled himself away from the window and briefly let his eyes travel over the girl by the door before he moved them up towards the ceiling. For a reason, the cool wall he had his back up against seemed like the only thing that gave him a feeling of comfort. He couldn’t imagine what or how she was thinking at that moment, but he was for certain that she wasn’t thinking very highly of him. Which was why the soft nature of her sudden voice caught him off guard.


“A memory?” It took him a moment to process, but he turned his head back over to the infected people below, then back to her disbelievingly. Was she implying that they would remember this location? Though he didn’t completely rule it out, since they leaned more towards predators than anything else.


He watched her pack up her stuff and was tempted to help her at first since some of her things around the room were scattered, but thought better of it so he let his eyes travel to his left, feeling like he might as well have been a part of the damn wall. Feeling the guilt take another stab at him, maybe he wished it, too…


What she said to him next was like a slap across the face back to reality. He blinked his eyes at her, tried to let what she said process through his exhausted mind a few times. When it did, he was completely bewildered.


Mindful of how loud his voice was because of where he was in the room, his words were only audible if she listened closely. “Your fault? How is any of this your fault?” His voice came out more like a hiss if anything, and somewhere in the back of his mind he was surprised by how infuriated he felt by this, like it was coming to a boil inside of him.
 
She thought hearing his words would comfort her and mend the wounds that she had slowly been inflicting upon herself emotionally.


However, quite the opposite happened. She was sick of being pitied and taken care of; she didn't need him to act like the burdened hero.


She was not a burden.


Standing up, quickly enough for the blood to rush to her head, she shot him a glare. The gleam of her eyes was mostly covered by the night that had filtered through the windows. Dark and angry she searched furiously for words. However, her anger was misplaced. Ashlyn knew it was, but she couldn't help it. Her heart felt as if it might explode, her muscles were lined with tense discomfort, her hands set in small fists at her side.


"First, cutting my cheek. Two, not handling the situation with the sniper better. Three, not dealing with the infected thing we came across better. Fourth, my ankle. Fifth, my lack of ability to do anything by myself without causing some sort of ridiculously difficult ripple effect!"


Though her voice was at a whisper the words were sharp and crisp. By the time she was done speaking her face was red with lack of oxygen and her eyes watered. Turning away from him and moving towards the corner to the left of the door she leaned against it. Bowing her head she let her emotions tangle themselves up. For once, she wouldn't try to stop it. At this juncture it was pointless and would only waste energy.


Creak.





The stairs creaked. There was no arguing that, she was sure she heard it. However, the variable was what made it squeak? Change in air pressure, drop in temperature, or worse... had those things figured out how to get up to them. No other sounds followed and the animal-like qualities of her senses dulled back down to their normal human capabilities.


Looking up at the boy, her eyes were lined with unfallen tears, she gave a weak smile.


"We're both exhausted." Rubbing at her eyes to clear them of the unwanted liquid plaguing her eyes, she kept her gaze at the ground.


"Those things are moving and we need to figure out a plan. So we can put playing the blame game off for a little while."


Trying to inject her last sentence with light-hearted humor, she looked up letting the small smile play at the corner of her lips. Rather then humor her voice sounded strained and pleading, her body language spoke of a bone-deep exhaustion, and her usually firey red hair seemed smothered to a lifeless dingy orange.


Walking over to Nate, she looked up at him. Knowing that he probably wanted to be left alone to sort out his own emotions, she couldn't help but want to be nearby. Her breath sounded small and her smile gave her a hint of innocence you might see in a child attempting to mend wounds they didn't quite understand. Reaching out towards the young man's hand with her own small pale one, she squeezed his hand gently, letting her fingers and palm rest on his hand until she had received some sort of response. Some sort of notification that he would be okay.
 
Saying that he was taken aback by Ashlyn’s sudden outburst was an understatement, and the only thing that brought him out of the temporary stun was the loud, drawn out creak that came from the stairs. He stared at the door longer than she did, his expression and body language like that of a deer who heard a twig snap in his peaceful, forest sanctuary.


When his heightened senses came back down, he felt the exhausted heaviness take hold of his body and his eyes once more, similar to a crash that you have after an energy drink high, only it dug much deeper than that. Not wanting to look at his friend, his eyes moved over to the window again. Watching the infected try and dig a hole inside their fortress didn’t make him feel any better, but it was something else to look at.


Hearing her try to lighten the mood after she blew up, he bit the inside of his lip which was slowly becoming a more frequent habit. All the things she said about her causing the troubled times they had was foolish in his eyes, because they never expected the events that happened to them to happen. He, nor she, knew that they would unexpectedly meet because of the sniper. They didn’t know that in the end, they had to use their combined efforts to end his life. They didn’t take the time to understand the cause and effect of certain things they had done because that’s how survival was.


Just like he didn’t know that he would cut his hand while pushing the wardrobe.


He shut his eyes for a moment but quickly snapped them open again, knowing that his heavy lids would stay shut if he had them closed for too long.


Ashlyn had a point. This wasn’t the time or place to get caught up in their emotions and faults, and it certainly wasn’t the time to feel sorry for themselves. He couldn’t understand why he was acting like the stereotypical hero, because he never used to be like this. He used to be all for himself to survive, much like every other human he came across was. Until she came along. Was it because of his withdrawal from human contact that made him so protective and so quick to blame himself for things? Was it because she was worth protecting?


In his mind, hearing her put the blame on herself was completely unjustified, but in her mind he knew she thought the exact same about him. And that thought made him realize how idiotic he was being.


Knowing that she was approaching, he turned his head towards her and stared. The moonlight that came through the window reflected in her eyes, giving them a softer look. He felt like she was staring right through him, which made him feel slightly uncomfortable when he considered where the conversation had went moments ago. But when she put her hand in his and squeezed, that feeling melted away and it’s replacement helped him think more clearly. Made him focus on the crappy situation they were still in. He let his fingers squeeze her hand back and sighed.


“Right…okay.” Despite the fact that the infected were all downstairs and knowing he should’ve been more alert than he was, he wanted to savor the moment. Wanted nothing more than to make it last, because as soon as it faded, things would go to hell again. With Ashlyn by his side, the world seemed less crazy.


The moment came to an abrupt end when the sound of a loud groan, almost a screech, made its way up to the second floor. He let go of her hand and looked out the window, his animal senses taking over again. The small crowd of disease below seemed to be growing larger in number. Nate cursed under his breath, knowing that sooner or later more of them would be drawn in no matter how much he prayed for the opposite to happen.


“Okay, we’ve got two choices seeing as their numbers are growing.” He turned towards the young girl again with a certain air about him. He was completely in his zone now. “One, we wait it out and pray those things don’t find a way in. Two, we grab our things, find another exit and look somewhere else to hide for the night. The second choice is risky as all hell, but if they all find a way in here, we’re boxed in and as good as dead regardless if it’s day or night.”


He paused and thought for a moment. “I think I know where another exit to this place is, but we’ll have to check and make sure we’re not surrounded first.” He waited for a response from the girl. Any kind of indication as to what she wanted to do, because no matter what, they had to do something. Fast.
 
For a moment everything stopped. The dark, hellish, surroundings she had become accustomed to dissolved in to a summery light that could only be conjured up by a memory. It was a late summer night and she had broken her curfew once again. With her father livid, her summer school grades falling, and everything suddenly seeming insignificant she ran outside. Hoping that the cool air would salvage her massacred emotions and thoughts. Slowly she slowed to a walk and eventually to her knees.


When she looked up all she could see were pastel and neon colors spattered across the sky, as if it were an aspiring artist's canvas. That moment made everything melt away and an eerie sense of reality and hope sunk in to her bones.


Getting back up to her feet, she had no more answers then she did a few minutes before. However, now she had an affirmed belief that with all the ugly things in the world God, or whoever created this pathetic little planet, balanced it out with something just as equally beautiful.


Feeling Nate's hands in here was similar to this moment. Forcing her out of the icy shell she had retreated in to, the simple contact he had made, sent something similar to electricity down her spine. Feeling a warmth spread through her bones, the bone-dead exhaustion was now dulled to a manageable tiredness. The most shocking part of it all, any fear she had tucked away in to the corners of her mind and being was illuminated. It dispersed, slowly at first, however at the end of the moment she felt renewed.


She longed for him to come back, however, this was no longer the time to day dream about romantic hopes and beliefs. Quickly her senses were heightened though it was no longer fueled by desperate adrenaline, now it was the sheer will to survive this evening and as many afterwards she she could.


Moving over to her bag swiftly, she found her jacket, which had tucked itself away underneath her bed. Shaking it out quietly, to remove as much dust and other dirt as she could, she slid it on. Shortly afterwards her backpack was sitting comfortably on her back and she was back to standing in front of the young man.


His words made sense, and she listened to both. Weighing the pros and cons, possible scenarios, probability of success, and possible setbacks. As she started to lose herself in thought, she heard it again.


creak.





Never could one sound send such a large wave of adrenaline in to Ashlyn. Instantaneously she was next to Nate, her eyes wide with anticipation and a feral hint of amusement. The only way she could keep her fear away was by pretending this was a game. Something similar to a made up game series she would spend hours trying to conquer on her XBOX. The only difference; it was her life on the line, not some fictional character.


Another creak, and the words fell out of Ashlyn's mouth.


"We need to go, now."


Looking towards the door, she frowned at the wardrobe that had once been their only protection. Now it was the one thing standing in their way from breaking out into the hallway. Sighing, she moved towards the wall that faced towards the inside of the building and leaned her head against it. Pushing away the sounds from downstairs she couldn't hear anything in the next room or hallway.


"Just tell me where and I'll follow. Those things are figuring out where we are, quicker then I expected. They're gathering outside too, or at least that's what your face expression is telling me." Closing the gap between them, she stood in front of Nate, waiting for some sort of instruction. For a moment, she took the luxury of looking at him, and letting the eyes that had always been filled with such conviction comfort her once again. He wouldn't let her get hurt, or at least that was the lie she would tell herself to keep her motivated.
 
Nate nodded in agreement and moved swiftly over to the bedside. He scooped up his knapsack and slid his arm through the one strap. In a flash it was on his back once more, weapon and all.


He made his way over to the wardrobe and put his hands on it, careful not to catch anymore jagged pieces of wood. The last thing they both needed was him gushing blood all over the place and drawing more of the infected in.


It didn’t matter how heavy that wardrobe was. With his adrenaline running through his veins, the weight of the hunk of wood was the last thing on his mind. Whether the girl helped him or not didn’t matter either. They had to get out of there, because if they were a second too late, it’d be all over.


When he pushed it just enough so they could get out the door, he placed his hands on his knees and took a moment to breathe. A small smile stretched across his lips at her for a second, then said with a breathy sort of voice, “Okay…let’s go.”


His one arm up clutching his weapon in case something jumped out at them, he put his wrapped up hand on the handle and turned it as quietly as he could. He couldn’t judge how well those things could hear, and he certainly did not wish to test it out.


Every time the door creaked as it opened he flinched a little. When the door was open enough for him and the girl to get through, he scanned the hallway as best he could for signs of movement. From what he could see, which wasn’t very much at all, it was pretty quiet. Which was exactly what he hated.


He turned his head towards the girl but kept his eyes facing the long, dark hallway to the stairs. Somehow, it intimidated him a little. “Stay close, okay?”


Maneuvering his body to slide through the small space he allowed the door to give, Nate’s senses were knocked back by the pitch blackness. He froze for a second, listened closely for any signs of movement or noise. After a good five second pause, he whispered as quietly as he could manage and hoped she was next to him to hear, “We’ll need to use the walls to find out where we are. Stay close.”


He felt the need to remind her of that last part, not just for her comfort, but for his own even if he didn’t want to admit it. He remembered being scared to death of the dark when he was little, and being in this situation without a light source of some sort was slowly surfacing that fear again. Because in this darkness, any noise heard would possibly be something other than just a noise. They could not chance the fact that it was just the wind outside, or their minds making up the noise. The darkness was their enemy, and they were in a world where imaginary monsters were replaced with the real deal.
 
Following him, she nodded, however shortly after realized that he was unable to see her. His movements were fluid and precise, however, the slightest contradiction appeared in how careful his movements were, revealing how uneasy he felt. Though she couldn't blame him, she felt the same way, vulnerable and like a rabbit out during hunting hours.


The amount of time it had taken him, or the lack there of, to push the wardrobe aside was astounding. Adrenaline was the answer her mind wandered too, but it was still a bit remarkable. With in the last few hours everything he had done for her was remarkable to say the least.


Shutting down her day dreams and strange feeling of warmth she refocused on moving her slender figure silently away from the room that had protected them for quite some time.


Hearing his voice a second time, she realized that he must not have seen her nod, and instead of speaking she used her left hand to grab the back of his shirt. Her primary reason for doing so was to let him know that she had heard him and to keep herself on track. The second, was much more selfish, she just wanted to be kept safe. Granted, he was shaken up and it was pretty obvious, but he gave her a sense of security that no weapon of hers had ever given her.


Suddenly her thoughts were cut short, and the smell, it hit her. Panicking inwardly she couldn't remember if it had been there before or if it had just arrived. Her ears hadn't picked up on anything, and her eyes were dubbed useless with the lack of light. Quickly her hand opened so she could press her palm against his back, urging him to move forward faster. Any other time she would have spoken but the fear of being heard outweighed everything in the moment.


Silently, or as silent as humans could get anyway, they made their way down the hallway. Feeling rather small in the midst of all the shadows, doors, and past memories of humanity, she tried to keep her mind occupied with stepping carefully and quietly. Every sound they made, made Ashlyn flinch rather severely. She would recover from it quickly but it didn't put her racing mind at ease. Pent up adrenaline lined her muscles and mind, waiting to be released if a crisis arose.


The smell followed them, perhaps it was just the number of them that had made the smell so pungent? Or perhaps they were on the second floor? In other rooms? No one ever said they couldn't climb stairs... Suddenly she heard it, the softest and faintest noise, of shuffling. Skin on carpet.


They were on the stairs. Panic and despair were smothered out by a sense of urgency unlike any other. Finding her voice, and dropping her hand from Nate's back she spoke quickly.


"They're here."


Knowing that she wouldn't need to explain herself any more, she waited for Nate's reaction. Her faith in him had not wavered, but she couldn't help but look for another way out. A majority of the doors were closed and the ones that were open housed no visible windows. Her heartbeat increased and the adrenaline started to leak in to her muscles. The urge to run was overpowering but she forced herself to wait.


She realized painfully she was waiting for Nate. Three months ago she would have been gone without a second thought but now it was almost impossible to get herself to run. Her muscles screamed to explode in to a flash of movement but her mind was concrete in it's decision to wait for the new found companion. Pain leaked in to her eyes and so she kept them on the hall behind her, forcing the internal struggle away from the front of her mind.
 
Feeling her grab the back of his shirt made him feel a little more secure, slightly braver maybe. His eyes weren’t properly adjusted to the blackness yet, so he used his wrapped up hand to feel the walls as they traveled down. He felt the transition from old wallpaper to wood and knew that he just passed a door. It would be only a few more feet until they reached the stairs. His entire focus was set on getting himself and the girl to the stairs in one piece. The exit was downstairs, so if they made it then they were as good as gold to getting out.


When she pressed her palm against his back and pushed him forward all of a sudden he jumped a little. “What’s wrong?” He hissed, staying conscious of how loud he could be.


Then he heard it too. The putrid smell was what came first actually, followed by the sound of shuffling feet to the right of him. From where his hand was on the wall, he could tell they weren’t too far from the stairs, and the noise began to get closer and closer. His heart skipped a beat, followed by several fast beats to make up for the lack of one as his mind raced for a place to hide.


Hastily, he got close to Ashlyn and whispered into what he hoped was her ear, “Quickly, back here!” and as quietly as he could manage with more adrenaline coursing through him, he promptly made his way back to where he felt the door was, using the wall again to guide him. Hoping that she was still by his side, Nate’s hand ran down the wood of the door until it met the cool handle.


Please be open oh god please-


With no hesitation he turned the knob and it opened up. Moving to the other side of the door in the room, he grabbed the knob on said side and said with pure urgency in his voice, “In here!”
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 4 (members: 0, guests: 4)

Similar threads

Sora No Kami
A vicious dance with death (RP 1x1 based on the song "My R") TW: Self-loathing, Suicune
Replies
1
Views
199
Sora No Kami
Sora No Kami
Back
Top