Purple Sunrise

Nineteen

Rose didn't want to go beyond the hut, she didn't know how much earth they had beyond it. She made her way to the door of the broken-down hut, surprised that it survived the move. She took slow shallow breaths trying to conserve the air she had.

Opening the door, Rose held onto the frame for emotional support.

At this point she had her eyes shut closed, the only thing she could see was the darkness of her eyelids which she embraced. Rose opened one of her eyes slowly now holding onto her breath to peak out from the fully opened decaying door.

Rose couldn't believe her eyes; she took in a sharp inhale of breath as she opened her eyes as wide as they could go.

Rose still was in disbelief.

She could see all various greys and browns. The ground seemed to be going on for miles. Glimmering in the distance there looked to be hills, bumpy gravely ground. Either they had more of the earth than they realized, or their piece had collided with another to form a new atmosphere.

Rose rubbed her eyes the hardest she's done anything. Thinking that if she did it would all disappear, it seemed as if it was a dream.

"One.. Two.. THREE!" Counting to three she reopened her eyes to find that nothing had changed.

Rose found herself walking out more into the open, still holding onto the frame; she knew that in space you float. She didn't want to let go in case she floated away from their little home.

Rose heard no noise.

As she expected.

She never knew how beautiful the sound of nothing would sound. The slight light bouncing off the top of each pile of rocks. She felt the tears, the tears of looking at something so magnificent well up.

Her feet stayed firmly on the ground. It must be a new atmosphere. She didn't feel lighter than normal. Even though Rose knew that it meant she could move and venture more into the open. Her legs were firmly glued to the spot. She knew that she should go back into the bunker to share the discovery with them. But she couldn't leave this place just yet.

Rose stood there not feeling the time pass. Not feeling the ache in her legs from standing for so many hours. It seemed as if time had stopped itself up here. With one last look at the extradentary new world. Rose started to head back down to the bunker.

Lily and John were at the door. Pacing to no end. Rose had been gone for hours; Lily had already explained to him that she would have run out of air a long time ago. And that she had most likely passed on by now.

John was feeling antsy as he thought about a plan to go up there himself to find out what was going on, to get Rose back in here. Whether it be just her vessel of a body or her body with her soul still in it. They needed to do something.

But what.

John wasn't sure of yet.

Not noticing the door opening and shutting as Rose entered back into the room with them, she saw how they were both tense. Seemingly upset about something.

"What's wrong?" John jumped a mile upwards.

He hadn't expected to hear Roses voice again. He leaped into action pulling her into a tight hug in one smooth motion. John's shoulders dropped. He wouldn't have to think any more about life without Rose down here. As much as he would never admit it to her. Rose made the place come alive; she gave him the will to keep on living.

"We thought you were done for! You were up there for hours! What happened?!" John yelped out, starting to take his panic out on Rose, now having a person to take it out on.

Rose's eyes were glazed over as she relived being on the surface.

"It's wonderful out there." Rose's voice showed just how far away her mind was.

Sounding so soft it was almost as if hearing a river flow again, bubbling around corners, smoothly trickling along the track. She couldn't help herself with the smile which reached from corner to corner of her small fragile face.

Rose wanted to show them both the outside world. But it wasn't possible to. Finally catching up with the words that John had spurted out at her as soon as he realized, she was there.

"I was up there for hours? I didn't even notice." Rose asked with confusion in her voice.

With a short pause, Rose's mind was going a mile a minute.

"Hang on. Wouldn't've my air run out long before then?" Rose questioned.

Finally remembering that Lily was in the room as well. John turned to face Lily; she had all the answers to these types of questions. Rose saw where John was facing, turning to see that Lily was also there.

"Lily." Rose smiled at her.

Taking note of how Lily was standing. Seeing the hurt on her face. Rose went over to Lilly, hugging her to give her as much comfort as she could.

"I'm sorry if I worried you about being up there for as long as I did." Rose directed her words at them both but didn't break from the hug she was giving Lily as Lily started on her speech.

"You only had enough air for five minutes out there, how did you manage to breathe?" Lily felt like this was a partially silly question.

She had clearly breathed every way every other human being breathed; she just wasn't sure how else to phrase the question.

"I think we should all sit down. I have a lot to tell you both." Rose Didn't mean to ignore the question that Lily had asked her, although that is all she felt in the moment.

Ignored.

They forgot she was even in the room at first. Probably forgetting that she was even down here with them both. Lily felt at this point as if she was just a complication her being down here with them.

She detangled herself from out of Rose's arms, going to sit on the sofa as far away from them as she could. Wanting to let them know without using speech how she was feeling. She wanted comfort but didn't want to tell them that.

Rose took note of Lily, she seemed to be even more hurt. She knew that she would have to make a point to her that she was wanted.

Rose went and sat herself down onto the same sofa, giving Lily a pointed look. She had made a promise to her and had vowed herself not to break it. Lily would be kept in the loop.

"Well." Rose was rubbing her knees through her jeans, she was causing a lot of dramatic tension for both Lily and John, but Rose hadn't meant to. She was so pleased with what was out there.

Rose found it hard to describe without just showing them. She knew that If someone had said it to her, she wouldn't believe them; so, she continued.

"It wasn't what I expected to see out there. If I had been out there for hours and ran out of oxygen that must mean that the air is breathable." Rose was walking herself through the events with the others.