Flashback from the end of the last chapter:
Afterwards, when the topic was sort of settled and the three of them had each finished their ice cream, they looked around a bit more while they talked about different things. When it was evening everyone went to their assigned bungalow and spent the evening there. It was strange for Sophie, she spent the evening in a strange place without Rosita.
Now:
It was night now, and most people were asleep, except for the guards who made sure the Commonwealth was safe from walkers or attacks by other people, even at night. Sophie was sleeping alone in her bungalow until she suddenly woke up with a start. "What the-" Sophie mumbled as she looked left and right while taking a deep breath, although Sophie's breathing was a bit heavy and slow. Sophie then leaned back a little and took a short breath until she suddenly heard a knock as someone knocked on the strong metal door. Sophie sighed in annoyance and stood up before going to the door, but luckily she didn't have to change, as Sophie usually slept in her everyday clothes because she never knew when she might have to leave. Sophie then opened the door and saw Yumiko standing there. Sophie looked at Yumiko in confusion, as Sophie had no idea why she was standing in front of Sophie's door. "Hey," Sophie said in a confused tone when she saw Yumiko standing there. "Hey, are you okay?" Yumiko asked in a gentle tone, knowing about Sophie's nightmares. "Yeah, I'm fine," Sophie murmured quietly, but still loud enough for Yumiko to hear. "What are you even doing here?" Sophie asked, confused, while looking at Yumiko with a questioning look. "Well, someone has to check that everything's okay. We promised Rosita that we'd look after you, and I'll definitely keep that promise. But I only came by because I couldn't sleep myself," Yumiko said at first, with her usual smile, but then her tone became a little more serious. "But tell me, why are you even awake?" Yumiko asked skeptically but with a smile as she looked at Sophie. Sophie then looked at her in surprise, but also with a look that quickly searched for an answer. "Oh, um," Sophie stammered as she searched for a quick answer to Yumiko's question. "Do you want to come in?" Sophie asked because she didn't want anyone to overhear the whole conversation. Yumiko agreed, so Sophie made room. Yumiko went in first, followed by Sophie, and Sophie then closed the door behind her. Sophie then sat down on her bed after approaching the bed, and Yumiko also sat down on the bed, a little distance away from Sophie, but she made sure to give Sophie enough space and freedom. There was a brief moment of silence between Yumiko and Sophie until, after a short while, Yumiko broke the silence by speaking. "Now tell me, why are you still awake?" Yumiko asked cautiously, yet in a gentle yet serious and curious tone, as she looked at Sophie. Sophie considered for a moment whether she should really tell Yumiko or not. Sophie sighed, knowing Yumiko wouldn't give in because she was quite stubborn, so Sophie decided to tell her after all, or at least try to explain. "Nightmare," Sophie mumbled, looking down, which made Yumiko suspicious but also worried. "About what?" Yumiko then asked in a cautious tone, noticing that whatever had happened in the dream seemed to really bother Sophie. There was a moment of silence between Yumiko and Sophie as Sophie thought about the dream again before finally answering Yumiko's question. "about Tara's death" addressed Sophie, whereupon Yumikos nodded understandably. Since it seemed as if Sophie wanted to say more, Yumikos decided not to say anything for now and to wait until Sophie had finished speaking. "I dreamed exactly about the day Tara was killed, and also about the scene in the barn, how all the Walkers came in and Tara told me to get out of here before Tara died, but I also keep seeing the image of Tara's head on that wooden stake after you found me," Sophie explained in a somewhat nervous tone, her leg jiggling up and down while Sophie played with her hands, thinking about what had happened that day with Tara, Henry, and the others. After Yumiko saw that Sophie was actually done talking, Yumiko decided to say something. "Hey, that's totally normal, especially what you saw. Nobody wants that, and on top of that, you've been through so much in your life, that's totally normal," she said in a sensitive yet serious yet gentle tone as she looked at Sophie. "I understand that too, but why doesn't it get easier?" Sophie then said quietly, tears slowly welling up in her eyes. "Sophie," Yumiko said in a calm yet sad tone, while Yumiko sighed slightly. Yumiko then thought about Sophie's question again for a moment. Yumiko said nothing because she didn't have an answer herself. What could Yumiko say? That life is just like that? "Hey," Yumiko said after a moment of silence when she saw that Sophie was still wiggling her leg and Sophie was playing with her hands, but this time it was more intense, faster. Yumiko then pulled Sophie into her arms when she saw that Sophie's breathing was also getting faster, while Sophie thought again about the dream she had been having over and over again about Tara since Tara had died. "Hey... Calm down. Try to breathe calmly," Yumiko said as she tried to help Sophie. Sophie nodded, slightly panicked, and when Yumiko saw Sophie becoming slightly panicked, she simply pulled Sophie into a hug. She didn't care if Sophie hated hugs; she just wanted to help Sophie and be there for her since Rosita wasn't with Sophie right now. "I..." Sophie stammered as she tried to breathe calmly. "Hey, calm down," Yumiko tried to calm Sophie down gently, but also gently and slowly, wanting to prevent this panic attack from getting worse. Yumiko spoke gently to Sophie, and after a while, Sophie's shaking hands slowly stopped shaking, and Sophie's breathing also began to regulate itself. "Are you okay?" Yumiko asked after a brief silence, giving Sophie the time she needed to answer because Yumiko definitely didn't want to stress Sophie out. "Yes... Something..." Sophie said in a slightly trembling voice. "Do you want to talk about what caused this?" Yumiko asked cautiously, looking at Sophie, to which Sophie nodded. "Before you came, I woke up because of a nightmare. It was about Tara. About the day we were kidnapped by the Whisperers and when Tara died and her last words, but also about Henry. I saw him die before Tara died. I've had nightmares about it ever since it happened, but only recently have Tara's last words been haunting me, as if I were to blame for her death," Sophie said in a desperate tone as she looked at Yumiko, but then looked back down at the floor. "Hey... None of this is your fault. You couldn't have known what was happening," Yumiko began, speaking in an encouraging tone. "But at least look at it this way: you survived, and that matters. Yes, there were victims, but you survived, and that's what matters," Yumiko continued, serious but also gentle and compassionate, to which Sophie sighed. "Yes, I always do. No matter what happens, I'll get out of the situation, but everyone I care about will die," Sophie said coldly, but also in a hurt tone. Yumiko said nothing because she didn't know the answer. The two continued talking for a while until Yumiko eventually left. Sophie then spent a while thinking about it before finally falling asleep.
That's it for the chapter I hope you like it. Please vote and comment for the chapter :)
