The Two of Us

Chapter 10: Please Don't Die

I thought I wouldn't fall asleep that easily, but I did. Unfortunately, my sleep lasted short because of a thunder that struck nearby.

I am now on my feet, clutching my pistol tightly, and looking around the living room. Where is he?

Zane is gone again. Why? Where?

"Zane!" I call out loud. "Where are you?"

"I'm here...!" Zane's voice comes from behind me. I whirl around to see him sitting in the dark corner of the room, holding his pistol like it's an extension of himself.

"What are you doing there?" I ask, then shoot him a concerned look.

He doesn't answer me for a moment. He just stares at me with a serious expression. Then, finally, he speaks. "Couldn't sleep, so I decided to stand guard." He stands up and walks over to the window. "It's raining like crazy outside."

I frown. "Yeah," I say absently as I stare out the window at the same time. "I hope it will stop soon so we can continue our journey. We still have a long way ahead of us."

"Indeed," Zane says.

I notice that he's shaking slightly. His left hand is balled into a fist, and he's biting his lips. I wonder what could be bothering him.

"Is everything alright?" I ask worriedly.

"I think there is someone in that house over there." He points at a small house on the other side of the path.

"There?" I glance at the house. "I don't see anything."

"Trust me, someone is watching us." Zane looks back at the house again. "Look over there. You can see some light coming from one of the windows. It's flickering, and it's moving around. There is definitely someone inside."

My eyes grow wide, and I instantly feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up. "You're right." I nod slowly. "That can't be good."

"No." Zane nods too. "It's not good at all."

We stand silently for a few moments. The rain falls hard against the roof. Zane looks more nervous than ever.

I decide to break the silence. "What should we do?"

"Nothing for now," Zane replies firmly. "Let's wait until dawn, then we'll see who or what is hiding inside that house. Until then, we need to stay here."

"Agreed." I turn to face the window again as my mind races through the possibilities of who might be watching us.

Zane's grip tightens on his pistol, his eyes fixed on the mysterious house. I can tell by his body language that he's really afraid of whatever is in that house.

I stand there silently, contemplating the situation. Who is in that house? Is it another survivor? If so, how many of them are there? Will they attack us? The questions race through my mind faster than lightning. All of them are scary and dangerous. And all of them unanswered.

"I told you this place gives me the creeps," I say suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, well, we needed a shelter. We couldn't just keep wandering outside in the rain, hoping to find somewhere safe to spend the night."

I pause for a moment before replying. "True."

For a while, neither of us says anything. Neither of us wants to talk. Both of us are thinking about the night ahead.

At last, Zane turns away from the window. He takes a deep breath and says quietly, "How do you feel?"

"Good," I lie. "Why?"