A World Gone Under

Staying the Night

We've been speaking for hours it seems, before the sun starts to set and we plan what to do. "We should just stay here tonight and then start moving along tomorrow. Now that you've cleaned the building out, we could sleep in an actual bed too," he states. It's true, it's been months since I've slept in an actual bed, and if we were just on Floor D, it'd be pretty safe. It'd be nice, especially now that i'm not alone, I could let my guard down just a little more too. I laugh a little and say, "sure, they look pretty comfy in there too." He throws his bag over his shoulder and puts on his backpack. He reaches for my bag too but I kindly reject. We open the door, which is much lighter now, and he holds it for me while I go in first. I know I should be a little more cautious but I trust him strongly for some reason, maybe it's just that hes a survivor or how easy-going he is, either way. I walk down the stairs and all the way down the hall to room D20, it's clean and all put-together, so i figured it'd be nice. I walk to the back room and set my bag down on the side stand, the lights and electricity are off but there's still a little light pouring in from the windows. I turn around and jump a little when I see Alex leaning against the wall. He chuckles, "forget about me?" Of course I didn't, but I can tell he's joking, "No, I just.. I figured you'd stay in another room or something." He walks forward and sets his bags on the opposite side, pulling out just a small revolver and setting it on a pillow. I blush as I realize we're going to sleep in the same bed, but it is the safest option. He must have noticed again because he laughs more and speaks, "I can sleep out on the couch or something." "No, it's fine," I squeak out. I pull out some fruit and energy bars and sit on the bed. He sits next to me and pulls out the rest of his food, just a bag of beef jerky. He opens the bag, eats a piece, and hands the package to me. I smile at the generosity of him sharing the last of his food before I reach down and pull out 5 cans of food. I push them towards him, "I have plenty and you're almost out, take them, and a few bars too!" Placing them in his backpack, he leans back on the plushy bed and eats away at an energy bar. "Thanks V, you don't have to be that nice to me, I know it's a fight for survival in the world now," he sighs. I stay facing forward as I reply, "Ooo, a nickname, I like. It is, but it's an easier fight with two people, plus if you've lasted this long, you've got to be at least kinda good." The joke seems to set us both in high spirits because he throws another bar at my back. I giggle as I fall backwards, the bed is softer than I imagined, especially after always sleeping on concrete. I pull the comforter up over me to my shoulders, it must be made of feathers, light and soft. I can feel Alex sliding under the blanket behind me but I try my best not to make it awkward. I look over my shoulder to see him facing the ceiling, his eyes look down at me and he smirks as I turn back quickly. I'm staring at the wall as a memory starts to cloud my vision yet again. I'm back at my house sitting in the living room with my cat, waiting for someone to arrive. The doorbell rings and I jump and swing open the door, within seconds, Ember is hugging me and we both fall to the floor. Laughing and gossiping, we head to my bedroom to blast music and we both plop down on the bed, flying back up from the recoil of springs. My eyes start to clear back up to the wall blurred from tears. As I come back, I realized I must have made noise or something because Alex is holding me from behind. It brings me comfort as I wipe my tears and look up at him, his eyes are closed and features are soft, his breathing low and even. I don't know how long it's been since my flashback had started but I figure I should sleep too. I pull the blanket up and little further and lean back into Alex, praying I don't have another nightmare tonight.