Blackout • NH

Chapter 14

Day 43: Friday, June 22nd: 7:47am

We all wake up around the same time this morning. I was cuddled into Niall. My legs were tangled with his. His arm was resting limp right over my hip. His face was nuzzled into my hair.

I slowly unwrap myself from him without waking him and grab my backpack. I head to the water. I got to the edge and reached my hand out to feel the cool water flowing off of the elevated rocks above me. I look down over the edge to see something so astonishing.

There's a pool behind the falls. But it's not just any pool, it's a pool full of the blue crystals shimmering at the bottom. The water was clear.

Liam, Ellen and Elliot were going to climb back to the bottom of the falls and towards the bank to see if they can fish for some breakfast for a few hours. I know we are going to the Appalachians but we are in no rush. We are just surviving. Living.

I climb down to the bottom of the falls and slowly make my way behind it to get a better look at this pool. The rock we climbed up to get the the cave had a small weathered arch you could squeeze around.

When I got around it, I saw another cave, even bigger than the one we were staying in, full of those crystals. The water was shallow, you could see the sand and rocks at the bottom clearly.

I really needed a bath. I set my backpack down on one of the rocks so it wouldn't get wet. I then dig through it to see if I could find anything to clean the stench off of me.

I keep looking through it. I had a raggedy towel and a small bottle of men's body wash. I rip a small piece off of the towel to use as a wash cloth.

Wait, I don't remember packing body wash or a towel. I then noticed a small back attached to the backpack. The same bag Niall put the geode in. This is Niall's bag.

I hope he doesn't get pissed and think I took his bag. I thought it was mine. I really need to clean myself so fuck it. It's not like I'm stealing his shit.

I take off my top, followed by my pants, boots, bra and panties. They need to be washed because there is probably 2 inches of dirt and grime on them. I'll wash those first. I grab my clothes and step into the water. It was surprisingly warm.

The crystal caves usually stay at warm temperatures year round so that is probably why the water isn't cold. However the water coming from the falls is pretty cold.

I climb in and begin cleaning my clothes. I see dirt come off of them in the water. I use a bit of the body wash as a detergent to clean them. I began to scrub them, creating a bunch of suds and I dipped them in the water to rise off the foam. They're pretty clean now.

I walk back to the rock where the backpack is sitting and I lay them there to dry. I go back into the water to then clean myself. I put some body wash on the wash cloth and begin scrubbing my face, chest, arms, torso, legs, etcetera. I rinse myself off and put the cloth back on the rock to dry and put the body wash next to the towel.

I then walk back into the water so my feet no longer touch. The pool is about 6 feet deep and it's still clear, so I can still see all the rocks and crystals that have broken off and settled at the bottom. I decide to swim around for a bit, letting the warm water open my pores and get the excess dirt out of them.

I then float on my back and close my eyes, listening to the falls. It was such a peaceful sound. I don't think I ever want to leave this place. I was floating peacefully in the water until I heard someone say, "Oh shit."

I open my eyes and pull my body back under the water and look to the source of the sound. I gasp when I see Niall standing there staring at me with his eyes opened so wide, it looked like they were going to pop out of his head. I then turn my body away from him, forgetting that the water is crystal clear.