Atlas | NovaHD

II: Unspoken

                  

Aleks was jostled awake in the morning by a hand shaking his shoulder, and his survival instincts kicked in instantly. He rolled out of the way, dropping to a crouch to pull his knife out from the strap attached to his leg.

It took him a moment to realise that he hadn't been sleeping rough in the street, that he was in a hotel room, and that he was in no danger from the man standing over him.

"You okay there Aleks?" Jordan asked, looking a little amused by the display.

"Habit." Aleks muttered, straightening up once he'd tucked his knife away. He knew it would take a while to adjust to this new way of life, and knew he'd be waking up every morning in the same way until he'd broken out of the habit.

"We're serving breakfast now, if you'd like to join us." Jordan left the room, and Aleks quickly followed him, adjusting his rumpled clothing. They passed a couple of other campers on the stairs, and they both smiled warmly at Aleks. He didn't know how to smile back, but he nodded at them in greeting.

"We eat our meals in the basement of the hotel because it's soundproof. It also keeps the smell away from the infected." Jordan explained, pushing open a heavy metal door, which revealed another staircase.

As they began to descend, the large basement came into view, and Aleks was surprised at the size. There were no windows, but the room was well-lit, thanks to the large generator in the corner. There appeared to be a small kitchen area, and the room was dominated by tables of people, all talking and eating together.

It was surreal to see so many humans gathered in one place, and Aleks had to pause on the stairs to take it all in. He was glad he'd washed last night, not wanting to look out of place amongst these people.

Suddenly, there was a sound that Aleks hadn't heard before. Laughter.

His eyes immediately scanned the room, looking for the source, when he heard it again. There was no mistaking the rich peal of laughter and that voice – it was James, and he found him sitting at a table with another guy. The grin on his face was infectious, and Aleks felt his lips twitch, even though he couldn't hear what James was saying.

Jordan had already begun to make his way over to the table, so Aleks hurried down the steps and caught up with him.

"About time you got your lazy asses out of bed." James remarked as they joined the table, and Aleks slid into the seat opposite him. He was still astounded by the humour radiating from the man, and couldn't think of a reply. Not even Cry with his dry wit had managed to make him smile. He had no idea why James could do it so easily, but as he looked around the room, he saw other people doing it too. Children giggled as they chased each other around empty tables, women were smiling as they cooked, and Aleks felt disconnected from each and every one of them.

James drew his attention before he could dwell on it too much, and he placed a plate down in front of him. "Sorry, it's not much. We're due a supply run."  He told him, but what Aleks saw was everything. A glass of clean water, a small pile of hot beans, and a thin strip of bacon.

"You have fresh meat?" He whispered, hardly believing his eyes.

"Occasionally. We have a farm." Jordan replied, digging into his own breakfast.

"Thank fuck the zombies didn't kill every animal." James said cheerfully, and then he turned to the blonde man Aleks didn't recognise. "Are you going to introduce yourself then asshole?"

"Seamus." He gave Aleks a quick nod, and then returned his gaze back to his breakfast.

He was grateful for the bluntness, being more familiar with that. "Aleks." He said, and then followed suit, finally tasting his breakfast for the first time.