The Decay

Chapter 58 - A white lie

58

Anita woke from her nap, feeling more tired than when she had fallen asleep. She recalled the vivid dreams she'd had and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Partly for not telling Mike about the dreams and part for not being able to save her friend back then. She had never understood the motive behind the murder. When she had gone back to her friend's parents, they had seemed sad but oddly not surprised, as if they had almost expected it to happen. She had shaken it off back then, but the more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that it was the case.

She pushed the thought away and sat up. She felt a little dizzy but ignored it, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and stood up.Part of her wanted to rest more, but she felt it would just make her even more tired. With some difficulty, she got dressed and left her room. A nurse approached her and made sure she was fit to be walking around. With some reluctance, the nurse let her go and Anita went out to find Mike.

As she went outside, she was surprised to see that it was late in the evening again. How long have I been asleep?  She thought. As she walked towards the cafeteria in the area, she saw Ray. He waved at her and she walked over to him. 'How are you feeling, Anita?' he asked, smiling. She shrugged. 'I've been better.At least I'm not stuck in the bed any more. Have you seen Mike?' His smile faded. 'I think he went to prepare,' he said. 'Prepare? For what?' asked Anita. A brief silence followed. 'He's going to help Richard rescue someone called Alexia. I'm joining them too.' 'What?'asked Anita, more surprised than angry. 'Why have I not been told?'Ray looked at her with sympathy. 'Well, probably because you need your rest,' he said. 'Oh don't give me that crap. I'm coming, whether you like it or not,' she said. 'You just probably speak to Mike about it,' he suggested. 'He's over near the armory.' 'Thanks,' said Anita, before walking away determined.

Mike was in the middle of taking in all the equipment on the shelves in front of him when he heard a familiar voice thundering behind him.'And what do you think you're doing?' said Anita, a distinct fury in her voice only she was capable of using, particularly with Mike. He wasn't as surprised as he should have been. He had prepared for this.He turned around and calmly faced her. 'Hi. I think you know what I'm doing, and I'm sorry, but you need to stay here.' 'You know I won't do that,' she replied. Mike took a deep breath. 'Listen. We're a three-man team. We each have a very specific role. It has nothing to do with you getting shot, me wanting to protect you or you needing rest.' Anita looked surprised when he said that. It was obviously not true. They didn't have a plan yet, let alone specific roles, but Mike knew her. She would never stay behind if the reason was that she needed rest. It would have to be a valid strategical reason, and here he'd given her one. She stood there, silent for a few seconds. 'Fine. Do whatever you need to, but you've damn better come back to me,' she said, a different kind of anger in her voice. A worried one. 'I will, Anita, don't worry.' She came up to him and he hugged her tightly. 'I see you're better,' he said. She kept silent and buried herself in his arms. And that moment, she wished she could stay there, never letting go of him again, for the pain of losing him would be far too great.