The Days Are Tired (Book #1 of the Dark Skies series) - A Zombie story

Chapter 21:Trust

That night I walked aimlessly through the hollow halls of the building. 

The dull thuds of my footsteps were the only constant in my life at that moment. The only thing I could depend on to be there every time I took a step forward. The slap of my feet on the solid ground was comforting. 

The day had ended quietly.

The departure from day to night was like a whisper, small and quick. The sun sneakily escaped from the sky only to be replaced by the bright moon. It seemed to be turning night quicker as the hours sped into each other; distorting time and memory.

I couldn't sleep; wouldn't sleep.

The nightmares bled into my reality making it hard to distinguish what was real from fiction. So I opted to trade in rest for something more important- my sanity. I would stay awake until my body shut down from exhaustion. Sometimes this tactic would help me sleep and have no dreams at all.

Something I craved with every fiber of my being.

I had left Beth and her son sleeping in our shared quarters. Azula had taken my spot on the floor; tail wagging and doggy eyes huge. I let her stay there since I wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon. So I shut the door and left all three of them to rest.

It was my fourth time walking past the room Will had let me sleep in all those nights ago. I itched to open his door and see if he was awake. But I knew that wasn't an option. So I turned on my heels, walking to the second floor. Maybe the second floor would offer me something different to look at in the dark.

A much-needed comfort from the recesses of my mind. But I knew it wouldn't since I've been doing this almost every night. It only made it worse...

Walking from room to empty room trying to find pictures or objects on people's desks that offered me a glimpse into their lives. And a momentary reprieve from my own.

As I made my way to an office on the second floor. It held a sleek dark brown desk with a picture of a husband and wife on a beach somewhere. I was halfway to the door of the darkened room. I noticed the door was wide open. 

And I slipped.

The white flooring was as hard as a brick. I hit the ground straight on my butt. Easing slowly to my back I let out a groan of agony. It was low and dragged out as I tried to rub the burning sensation away.

After the pain lessened I noticed something wet on the floor. I reached for the flashlight that slid from my hands when I fell - aiming it toward the floor.

Water and footprints.

I feel my eyebrows angle down in confusion. I know the guys had been soaked by the downpour of rain but that had been hours ago. They had dried off and left their shoes on the top floor near a sunny window to give them a chance at drying.

Rolling over I kneaded my tailbone; the pain reverberated through my body leaving me stunned.

I slowly stood stretching my back trying to see if the fall had left any permanent damage before I continued my journey into the seemingly empty office. I wouldn't let the fall deter me from my one-way stop to the picture of the happy couple. It was my favorite to look at out of all the other valuables I had found; they seemed so happy in that picture.

So safe... in each other's arms.

I couldn't bring myself to move the picture or take it with me upstairs. It felt like an even bigger invasion of privacy. A disrespect to something so sacred and personal. It was something normal in this abnormal situation.

But upon stepping completely through the door I knew something was off. A funny feeling in my chest and the hair rising on my arms alerted me to something. Whether it was the slight chill in the air or the deep groan of the wind outside I couldn't tell.