83 Days Since

Part 4- Clocks

"You know that's not really how tag work-" Nick quipped with the same mischievous grin Ziggy knew. Without meaning to, she let out half a chuckle before regaining her composure.

"Come with me," Ziggy said, getting out of the car and gesturing for Nick to follow. She led him through the run-down house and past her mother's unconscious body in the living room. Mrs. Berman fell asleep with a nearly empty bottle of rum clutched in one hand and the foul stench of rotting fruit filling the house. Ziggy gestured for Nick to come into her room and shut the door behind her.

"What are those?" Though he felt uncomfortable, Nick gestured to 3 alarm clocks on her nightstand with loose pieces of paper saying "school", "shrink", and "eat".

"They're clocks. They tell time." She said sarcastically.

"Well, that I knew. Why do you need 3?"

After a moment of consideration, she said, "With everything, I just- time blurs together. I'll think that 5 minutes have passed but it's been days or – I don't know. The clocks help, I guess."

"Shit, Ziggy, I didn't know-" Nick started, taking a step toward Ziggy, but she shook her head to stop him.

"Come on, Nick- I showed you mine." He nodded knowingly and started to undo the button on his corduroy pants. The lower part of his left thigh had a barely healing scar of where Tommy Slater's ax ripped into it. Just seeing it brought back the ear-splitting screams of "Run. Run!" Nick belt out after saving Ziggy's life. She lightly ran her fingertips against the scar.

"I can still picture it sometimes. I wasn't sure you would get away." He said quietly.

"I see it all the time." Ziggy tore her eyes away from his scar and looked Nick straight in the eyes. 

"Why did we make it, Nick? Why didn't we die like everyone else did that night? Like Cindy and Alice? Why didn't the witch take us too?"

"Ziggy, look. What happened was shitty, but I'm glad you didn't die. I'm glad you are still alive, and Cindy would be too. No, don't get mad. Ziggy," Nick kissed Ziggy tenderly and continued, 

"Ziggy, I really like you."

"You talk too much," Ziggy said finally, deepening kiss. They spent the night together in Ziggy's room, opting to take a walk around the neighborhood as the sun came up on Shadyside.

"Are you busy today?" Ziggy asked on their walk.

"I'm probably in trouble for abandoning Will at that party, but no, I'm available," Nick admitted sheepishly. He wanted to spend as much time as possible with Ziggy before returning to his real life in Sunnyvale. "Why? What do you have planned?"

"I want to go back to the camp. I want to see it,"