𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄'𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 | an apocalyptic novel ©

Chapter 96

Look At the Stars tonight

2035

Valencia

"You're not seriously thinking about stargazing again..." I mutter when I see Aidan's challenging grin. We are standing outside of his bunker. Apparently, he wants to look at the fucking stars again.

"We managed last time - without dying I may add," he smirks.

I watch him climb up on the flat roof of his bunker while I stand below, in disbelief. Seeing him manage the climb so easily stirs something in me – the height suddenly doesn't seem so tall anymore, almost as if my fear is partially fading.

"My suggestion still stands, I will not jump after you when you fall."

Aidan looks down at me as he straightens on the roof. "...sure." He holds out his arm for me below to grab. His simple answer almost makes me furious again. I scoff and clench my fists, resigned.

"You know, I guess I never told you", I grunt when I grab his outstretched arm and climb up the short distance, "that I wonder how the fuck you made it this long without dying when you are practically looking for options."

Aidan laughs. I shake my head but also start to chuckle at his contagious laugh when I brush off the dirt on my jeans.

After a moment, I look around. The rooftop is overgrown with moss and here and there are a few puddles where the plaster has come loose and caused an indent. From up here, the world looks smaller, but perhaps it's only my perception.

It looks a lot more broken and alone. This makes the fact that perhaps me and Aidan are indeed alone, the only sole survivors, a tough one to digest. A fact that is still hard to swallow, although it's been around me for the last nine years. Yet it happened 40 years ago, a span my father and mother must have experienced, yet I don't even remember their first name anymore.

I was eight, and everything in my memories within these eight years is gone, as if I never existed before that, just a blank space.

"What are you thinking?" I suddenly hear Aidan ask - almost hesitantly, as if he could sense what I was thinking about.

A pained chuckle escapes my lips. "Maybe the world is more broken than we both accept." I walk to the ledge of the roof and sit down. Everything I do - that we do, this close together - reminds me of what we did in the shopping mall.

Moments I regularly think back to and start to question myself every time what we are.

Strangers, far-apart neighbors, friends? Definitely not Lovers.

Right?

"The world has always been broken. Sure, there were good and bad times, but... I've been told that the world has always been chaotic. And most people denied it," Aidan replies to my previous words.

I glance up at his words. "What do you believe?"

His gaze shifts to the vicinity for a moment.

"It's fucked," he says after a moment and sits down next to me. "Just everything in it. How it could even come this far, I mean, shit went down a long time ago and- it's odd."

I bite the inside of my cheek.

"Why did you keep it from me...?" I finally ask and nudge his boot with my sneaker, both our legs dangling in the air.

"Are we seriously discussing this again?" I hear the sharp edge of his words and quickly shake my head.

"No- no. I just...wanted to know why. Like, I'm not mad tha-"