Levi's Last Hope

5.

       LEVI DIDN'T PLAN ON SLEEPING. Safety was at the forefront of his mind. So he stuck on his headlamp and got to work.

        After knocking on every door in search of hidden occupants only to be greeted with silence, he'd moved on and secured every window in the ground-floor flats. He'd boarded them up before taking the locks off the inside of the doors and placing them on the outside. Any bulky furniture he could find was moved into the lobby and pushed up against the doors. It was a maze of tall cabinets, sofas, dressers, and tables occupying the entire floor until only the stairs remained visible.

        By the time he'd finished, the sun was starting to shine through the box window in the stairwell, beams of light brokenly peeking between the wood he'd nailed onto it. Levi didn't think a person would be tall enough to reach that window in particular, let alone small enough to climb through it but he wouldn't take any chances.

        It was only then he took a break.

        Levi plopped himself down on the steps between floors one and two like a well-trained guard dog. The window in this stairwell was left uncovered and he could feel the sun rays tickling his skin. He'd long ditched his black hoody, his arms bulging out of his matching t-shirt. If he wasn't careful, he'd soon start losing his muscle with the lack of food. A problem easily rectified once they were on the Isle of Wight and food wasn't so much of an issue, but in the meantime, Levi knew how looks could be enough of a deterrent. He was a big man and most wouldn't mess with him like this. Only one gang had been brave enough to try, thinking their numbers outmatched his skill and size. They'd been wrong, but despite winning, the sergeant hadn't walked away unscathed.

        He must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing he knew, there was a click of a door, shortly followed by Rosie kneeling on the step above him and tapping his shoulder.

        "Levi," she whispered so gently he briefly wondered if she was an angel in his half-awake state, but then her tone quickly changed. "What are you doing sleeping on the bloody stairs? There's got to be at least twenty beds in this place for you to pick from!"

        It was nice that she cared. "Slept in worse places." Levi let out a yawn, blinking away the sleep in his eyes. It was brighter now, the sun warmer and shining directly onto him. He wondered how long he was out for so checked his watch. Almost twelve. "Are you and Lily okay?"

        "We're fine. She's just gone down for her afternoon nap. Do you want some lunch?"

        "Would love some." He wasn't that hungry having just woken up, but there was no way he'd turn down an opportunity to spend time with them.

        Levi found himself inside her flat once more, no Lily in sight sadly. So he made do with the pictures above the sofa, taking in every detail whilst Rosie busied herself in the kitchen.

        After a moment, she stepped out of the doorway, looking vaguely annoyed.

        "What's wrong?" he asked, turning his attention to her.

        "Need to stock up my cupboards," Rosie admitted, shifting on her feet. "I've already looted everything from the ground floor and this floor."

        He knew that because he'd made notes of which flats needed searching. Levi was already on his way to the front door. "I'll go."

        "I can come with you." She stopped him just before he could open it. "I've done this before. Two sets of hands are better than one."

        Brave girl. But Levi wasn't about to risk her life for something he could do on his own. "Lily needs you here."

        "She's fine. I have her baby monitor. And I'll lock the door behind us." Rosie picked up a white bit of plastic with a blinking green light and showed it to him. "You can't stop me. I'll just follow you anyway."