Lost In Lucidity

Day Off

I roll off the shed roof and onto the back lawn as I crawl on my hands and knees, tearing my helmet off in the process. I stare down at the rain-covered grass and pant hard, trying my best not to throw up. A few feet away from me, Val is also crumpled on the ground, trying to regain her composure as well. She comes around much quicker and slowly shuffles over to me on her knees, wrapping an arm around my back.

"Wes, are you okay?" She asks between gasps.

I nod, "A-are you?"

"Yeah..." she tells me. We both sit there for a moment without a word, slowly regaining the normal function of breathing. When we've both finished panting, I sit up and look at her, to which she speaks again.

"Are you okay?" She says. She's asking a different question this time.

I swallow the saliva in my mouth and nod, "T-That was it, Val. It was out there- I-It's back." My breathing starts to pick up again, and my throat feels tight. Val grabs one of my shaking hands and pulls me close with the other.

"I know, hun...." She coos softly. I can tell she's struggling to think of what to say, "It's... It's gonna be okay."

Val and I hold each other tightly while I try to suffocate the panic in my head. I close my eyes and focus on the facts for now. I was okay. I was alive. More importantly, Val was too. And the mocker was outside the wall; there was no way it could get to us.

'It's gotten in before-'

'Shut up. Not now.'

Eventually, my breathing returns to normal, and I open my eyes again to look at Val. "Sorry, that all just really shook me up," I tell her.

"Hey, you don't need to apologize, Wes. I would be shaken up too."

I scratch at my wrist and change the subject, "Are you hurt at all?"

"No, I told you, I'm fine. Are you? You're the one who was in danger."

"Yeah, no I'm fine. It was just a quick chase."

"You sure?"

"Mhmm."

"Good," Val says before hugging me again, then flicking my neck.

"Ow, what the heck Val!"

"What were you doing, Wes?" She asks, "What did we say about splitting apart?"

I look away from her and to the ground, "It follows who it follows."

"Which means it's not fair for you to try and get its attention..."

"I know, I just... After seeing what it did to that hostess on camera...."

Val sighs and grabs my hand again, "Thank you for trying to protect me. But I care about you too. I'm a big girl; I can care of myself if something goes wrong. I don't want you putting yourself in more danger just 'cause of me. We both know the risks when we go out."

"Yeah, I know." Usually, I would have more to respond with, but my head is still swirling with anxiety, making it hard to pay attention. Val can clearly tell.

"Hey, let's just stay in tomorrow, okay?"

I shake my head, "It's fine, Val; I'm okay. We have to do prep. We haven't reset any safe houses in weeks."

"It's okay, Wes. The safe houses can wait. We got some good data today; that puts us ahead for next time. Plus, we probably just riled everything up in the area. Let's just take the day off? We can do training, then just watch a movie or something."

I don't like being a reason for hindrance, but I know that Val isn't going to take no for an answer. "Okay," I tell her. "Sure." I stand up and stick my hand out, trying to seem normal again, "C'mon, let's go report this stuff to six."