Dream Come True

19

ANNOYANCE vibrated off me. What I think was three weeks had passed as we prepared to make our way to meet Drey. We were all on edge and antsy as we lived with no knowledge of how our loved ones fared, eating stale packaged food and never leaving the bunker unless absolutely necessary. Peter's radio had been running almost nonstop as we sickened ourselves by listening into the news updates of the war raging outside. Outside the bunker was havoc, people ravaging the streets for food, new towns being obliterated each day and the casualty list growing longer with each moment that past.

Now as the time came to finally go to confront Drey, Xander and I were locked in a stand off.

"Of course I'm coming." I scoffed, tightening the belt around the camo uniform I was wearing.
"Are you kidding me Thia? You don't know what it was like to feel like I did when he had you in some old abandoned shed in the middle of no where! Are you seriously expecting me to just let you come, when you could be here, safe?"
Xander ran his hand through his hair in frustration for the millionth time.
"Well you don't know what it's like to be locked up in a metal room for days on end. I'm not doing that again." I said stubbornly, folding my arms in front of my chest. Xander narrowed his eyes.
"You're not going." he said. Too calmly.
"You can't stop me." I replied emphasizing each word.

Xander jaw clenched. I could almost hear his teeth grinding against each other. His chocolate eyes stared me down, but I refuse to look away. I looked up defiantly, my arms locked across my chest. He looked away, his body still tense. He shoved clothes into his backpack with sharp, forceful movements. My face softened and my hands released their tension.

"Please, Xander. Please." I whispered. His shouldered drooped slightly and his arms stopped moving. He shook his head slowly, his eyes closing.
"I can't. I couldn't. If something happened to you-" I cut him off with a outburst of frustration.
"Don't give me that crap!" I said throwing my hands up. "I've lived my whole life without you here to look after me and I'm still alive - I'm not fragile! I'm not some precious little-"
'Yes, you are!' He yelled, turning to face me and cutting off my rant. I blinked confused. He sighed.
"You are precious. To me, you are precious." He breathed. "I can't do it. I can't risk it. I know you've lived your life without me before but you've got me now and I'm not taking any chances."
I stared back at him, my nails digging into my palms, my eyes narrowed. He shoved his hands through his hair again with an exasperated laugh.
"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" He said, taking a step forward and putting his hands on the wall behind my head.
"Thia..." He whispered, his breath warming my face. His lips quirked at the corners and I remembered the first time I saw him. It felt a lifetime ago, not just a month or so. He leaned closer and I vaguely felt my stubbornness melt away slightly.
"Thia." He repeated again.
I seriously didn't mean to, I swear. I blame it on the way his eyes seemed to melt into a deeper chocolate, the way my knees buckled at the sound of his nickname for me. Possibly also the strange sudden feeling of calm compliance that I was overcome with, because the next thing I knew, I had reached out and pulled him to me by his shirt, closing the distance between us. He smirked against my lips and tightened his arm around my waist, making me take a step forward. He kissed me, making my knees weak. I curled myself into him. Our mouths moved in sync and I lost myself in the moment.

Suddenly I heard the closet door being opened and I stumbled to the floor as he pushed me backwards.
"Xander!" I yelled when I realized what has happened, my lips still buzzing from the kiss. I heard the him shut the door and I leaped up.
"No! Don't!" I smacked my hands against the door.

"I'm sorry, It's the only way I know you'll be safe." He said, shoving a thick branch through the cupboard door handles. And with that he walked away, my angry voice echoing though the room.

* * *

MY body slammed one again into the metal sheets of the cupboard door. I rubbed my arm from the pain of the numerous impacts. I peeked through the crack and examined my handiwork. The branch was splintering I walked backwards determined and rushed forward once again, hitting into the door with all my weight, again and again until, with a final crack, the branch thunked to the ground in pieces.

I extracted myself through the bent door and snatched up my backpack. I ran up the ladder, shoving the trap door open with my shoulder. Alesia yelped and jumped out of the way.
"Alesia?" I asked bewildered. She looked up at me with an unimpressed look.
"Yeah, I'm still here. That Peter jerk told me to get more supplies and as I was about to open this stupid door they handcuffed me to it!" She said, rattling her chained wrist. Grumbling, I lowered myself back down to find something to cut her loose. After finding a hatchet, I resurfaced and hacked at the chain until I broke her free.
"Thanks." she said, rubbing her wrist. I nodded and squinted into the distance. With a groan of annoyance, I rummaged through my pack find a map.

"They couldn't have gotten very far." Alesia said, picking at her nails smugly.
"Oh?" I murmured distractedly, still rifling through the bag. "Why's that?"
"Because I made sure I put in place precautions in case they were going to ditch."
I stopped short and slowly looked up. I opened my mouth and then closed it.
"Um... What kind of precautions?" I asked hesitantly. Alesia's smirk broadened into a chesire cat grin.
"The put-screws-in-their-tyres-and-emptied-their-petrol-tank kind of precautions." I spluttered out an astonished laugh.
"Are you kidding me? You're a genius!" I turned around and ran into a cluster of trees which concealed the second jeep. I wrenched open the door and flung my pack into the back, Alesia close on my heels.

"Let's go. We're going whether they like it or not."