"what are you sorry for?"
"what?" the woman looked at her smugly and emily began to feel annoyed "you just come out of nowhere and save me and the first thing you ask me is that?"
"yeah, I saved you, now I want your story." emily just looked at her, confused for a moment.
"why?"
"because all of this? everything that's happened, everything that will happen? it matters. it matters that people know how it happened." she looked up from her camera bag and emily looked away.
"I don't even know your name." she said, still not looking at her.
"it's al." that was when she noticed how much she liked her voice, soft but deep. stern but playful. "do I not get to know your name?"
"oh shit, sorry I'm emily." she sat down opposite al on an old crate and looked at the swat van next to them. "what kind of a person has a swat van but goes around saving random people for their stories?"
"I was a journalist." emily made a noise of understanding.
"how'd you get the van?" al sighed.
"that's not how this works, I saved you. I get your story, you don't get mine." emily went quiet then, not because she was scared, al barely raised her voice, and to be honest if anything it was more hot than scary. she went silent because she was a brat. if she was going to be rude she'd get nothing. al rolled her eyes and climbed the stairs to the back of the van. emily wanted to ask what she was doing but she was stubborn so she stayed quiet. when al came back she looked at emily and laughed. "silent treatment huh?" she sat down next to the fire. "does that mean you don't want some noodles?" emily's eyes shot up at that, she hadn't eaten for days and she showed it with just the look on her face. "it's okay. these are a gift." emily smiled.
"thank you." al smiled at her softly for the first time then,
"it's okay."
"when all this started I was in therapy, I could barely leave the house." al's head turned, surprised she'd started talking, she thought about getting her camera out but something told her not to. "when everything went to shit I didn't run, I had nowhere to run to. I stayed. I didn't leave my apartment for months, maybe a year. the only reason I survived was jen. she protected me, went on runs for me so that I didn't have to go outside. then one day she didn't come back." emily looked at the floor.
"I'm sorry." emily looked up at al, noticing that she wasn't holding her camera and had made no move to grab it.
"what about 'my story'?" al let out a small laugh.
"maybe another time. wanna camp with me tonight? theres not much room but it's safe." al said with a small smile.
"if that's okay." al nodded and opened the back of the van. "is there even a bed in this thing?"
"you're standing on it." al said while searching through boxes.
"what are you doing?" emily knew she was being annoying but al was unusual and with this big van she was sure she could defend it.
"calm down em, I'm just looking for some blankets." she said, her tone smug. then she turned around a bundle of them in hand. emily stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do before grabbing the blankets from her and standing as tall as she could, which didn't help at all considering al was a lot taller than she was.
"my names emily." she said before kneeling on the floor and setting out a makeshift bed there, al wasn't lying when she said there wasn't any space.
"okay, emily." al was beginning to really annoy her, and she had a bit of a short fuse, she'd never hurt a fly but boy could she get mad. she was looking forward to going to sleep just so she didn't have to cope with al's cocky smile every two seconds. emily laid on one of the blankets and pulled the other over her while al took her boots and jacket off. emily soon realised she'd been watching her and looked away. she felt the blankets move and she knew al was in bed. she felt really awkward. she couldn't sleep with her right there. al shuffled and emily felt her breath on her neck and she couldn't take it anymore. she turned around.
"what is this?" she asked, louder than she meant to.
"what?"
"dont what me. if I close my eyes for a second you're gonna kidnap me or something." she said, eyes narrowed.
"if I was going to do that I'd have done it right after saving you, why would I spend 5 hours with you and waste my food on you?" she had a point, emily sighed.
"nice people don't exist these days." she paused and laid back down, there was silence for a few minutes and then, "jen was my sister. the last thing she said to me was that she'd found a music store, she was going to find me a record. when all this started she started bringing them back every time she went on a run." emily struggled not to cry. "I know she's dead, I just wanna bury her. I don't want her being like that." al reached over and pulled emily close. emily was taken aback at first, this woman she barely knew was not just hugging her, but cuddling? when she eventually hugged back al smiled a small almost shy smile.
"I'm sorry, about your sister." al said finally.
"thanks." they stayed there holding each other. "you lost anyone?" she asked quietly, as if she was afraid to ask.
"my brother." she said after a moment. "chose to chase a story, and he died alone. I couldn't get to him."
"I'm sorry." she pulled away slightly so she could see al's face. "I know you said I don't get your story but thank you for sharing some of it."
"thank you for sharing some of yours, I really have enjoyed getting to know you." al smiled, emily just looked at her for a moment, then smiled a small smile. "we should get some rest."
"yeah."
