No More Anything

Chapter Seven: The Induction

Figuring Lucille could use an alarm clock more than he could, Blake went to his nightstand and unplugged his gray alarm clock and stepped out into the hallway with it. He quietly set it on the floor in front of Lucille's room, knocked on the door, and snuck away back into his own room, shutting the door quietly so she wouldn't hear it. 

"Who's there?" He could hear her voice muffled through the wall, followed by her door opening.

 He waited a second, and when he heard her door shut, he peeked out again. The clock was gone. Package received. His heart was racing at the moment they just shared together. He'd always been super nervous around people he'd found attractive, and she was no exception. The only difference is that around everyone else he had feelings for, he stumbled over his words and looked like a complete idiot around them. This didn't happen with Lucille, for some reason. He felt more confident with himself, hence the tiny kiss on her head he left. He wasn't sure how she'd react to compliments or any of that stuff, but she seemed to take it pretty well, seeing as how Blake didn't get immediately shot down, which seems to happen pretty much every time he's made a move on someone. 

She seemed into Blake, and he was definitely into her. His mind, however, flashed back to his parents and his sister. His ultimate goal was to somehow make his way back to Greenville to find the safehouse, and pray to God that they're there and safe. If they aren't, he'd have to find a way to break out and head to Portman. Assuming he COULD break out. By the all the dead soldiers and ripped American flags at the stadium back in Charlotte, it seemed like the place was controlled by the military. If that's the case in Greenville, they might not be so willing to let someone leave. 

Whatever, Blake thought. That's another problem for the future. He had to focus on the "now" part of things. Was he going to spend the night and leave, or try to stay a few days and get some more rest? If he stayed, there's no telling what could happen to his family in that time, but if he left tomorrow ... what about Lucille? Would she want to leave with him? During their meatloaf dinner, they talked mostly about lighthearted stuff like their favorite video games and things like that. Blake doesn't know her story; where she came from and where she's headed are still a mystery to him. 

He went to his bed to lay down, shutting his eyes and replaying the events of the day over and over in his head. Somehow, he was able to focus on the good parts with Lucille, and that meant he was able to drift off to sleep peacefully.

***

Blake Walker woke up to the sound of someone knocking on his door. Groggily, he looked over at his clock ... well, where his clock was, and sighed deeply. He got out of bed and pretended to be fully awake, though he was unsure how successful he might be. He wasn't, by any means, a morning person. He walked over to the door and opened it, seeing a wide-grinned Brian standing there. "Howdy, Blake!"

He rubbed his eye, already failing his mission of pretending to be completely awake. "Hey, Brian. What's up?" he asked in a raspy voice.

"I'm just goin' door to door letting everyone know that we fixed our projector last night!" He seemed proud of himself, as if he were the one that fixed it. He could've been. Who knows?

Blake smiled, but wore a confused expression. "Projector? What are you talking about?"

Bryan chuckled and said "I didn't show you our movie theater when you got here yesterday?"

"I mean," Blake replied. "I used to come here with my sister a good bit, so I already knew there was a theater here. I just didn't know you guys kept it a theater."

"Yessir!" Brian put his hands on his hips, which seemed to be his signature move. "We figure, if our residents are going to be stuck in a mall, they might as well enjoy some of the things the mall has to offer!" Blake chuckled, but before he could say anything, Brian continued. "Anyway, we're playing 'Willy Wonka' at eight o'clock tonight, if you wanna come!"