Not the End of Us.

Serious Talk

He had an explanation for what had happened. He had a reason behind it all, a good reason, because looking at it through Ben's eyes it all made sense. Who wouldn't kill the thing that made you suffer for months? the thing that killed your mother in front of you, just to give a taste of what would have happened if you didn't cooperate. Who wouldn't do what Ben did? after all, the thing, wasn't even human. Who wouldn't felt how he felt?

They walked for a couple of miles on completely silence, non of them said a word. They entered to the forest, where it was better to not get nasty meetings with any aliens. Still, there was the possibility.

They arrived to a river where both took a rest, the communication they were having was extremely strange and unique, in a way they both agreed with that break without words or even looks.

-Charlie: Let's get you out of all that blood!

Charlie tried to grabbed Ben by his arm, but he dodge her in a rude way, making his path into the river. He was covered in blood, his arms and clothes were full of it, his face had drops of blood too. Charlie also tried to entered to the river with him, it wasn't even deep at all, the water only covered Ben's legs.

-Charlie: Let me help you.

But Charlie had only gave a step.

-Ben: No!! the water is cold! I can do it for myself. Now can you please go somewhere else? Go find some wood for a fire.

The behaviour of Ben was rude, Charlotte sense it, and it made her feel angry as well, why even bother talking to him, or even helping him.

-Charlie: Fine!

So she went off, mad, not even looking back at Ben, she just didn't knew that Ben needed to remove his shirt, and he didn't want her to see the rest of the spikes. They were nasty, horrible from Ben's point of view, he just felt embarrassed. He cleaned the blood of his body feeling the cold water on his hands and chest, it was fall, so the air was freezing and the water too, he wasn't lying, he didn't wanted Charlotte to get a cold.

Ben got out the river putting himself a dry shirt he carried with him, he saw Charlotte walking away without stop, determined, she wasn't going fast because of her leg, so Ben catch her quickly from behind.

-Ben: Hey! Hey! Where are you going?

-Charlie: I'm out Ben! This was a mistake.

-Ben: What? Why?

-Charlie: I'm trying to understand you! I'm trying to give an explanation to what happened back there.

-Ben: I protected us!

-Charlie: There was something more than that! He was dead Ben, and you kept putting a knife on his chest with such joy!

-Ben: It's not a human it's an alien!! It's a thing! Determined to extinct human race!

The tone of their voices was angry, of disappointment from both sides, but by looking at Ben you could make yourself and idea of his lost, his pain. He was deeply sorry, but he wasn't.

-Ben: I'm not expecting you to understand Charlie. I.. I don't even know what to say, they've done terrible things..

Ben was saying this with so much pain, with his eyes on the ground, from his heart, because he knew that if he kept his eyes open, he was going to fell on his knees and cry.

-Ben: I can't let you leave... I can't leave you alone.

Charlie looked into his eyes and she knew he was being sincere, she knew he was going to keep her safe.

*****

After their small fight they made a bonfire, a small one, they place a blanket on the ground to sit on top of it, and the other one was covering Charlie's body. Somehow the silence between these two seemed to say more than words, seemed to be another way of communication for them.

The night was cold, and they were sitting right next to each other, not only to make themselves company and because there was only one blanket on the floor, but to keep themselves , in a way, warmer.

-Charlie: Where were you going? You were on your way to some place when you found me... Were you escaping from your camp?

The fire illuminated both of their faces, making the situation more... cozy.

-Ben: In a way I was... But the truth was shown today.

-Charlie: You were looking for some kind of.. what? Revenge?

Ben smiled.

-Ben: They made so many horrible things.. they made me this freak, they made me do a bunch of stuff keeping me captive, and they keep doing that to only kids. I have something against all of them, but skitters.. they disgust me, i just hate them the most. While I was on a harness i couldn't move, or speak or scream, and the skitters made you believe you're gonna be fine, you're one of them, they wouldn't hurt you. But that's a fucking lie, because when i was on that thing, they were trying to kill my family, and they were forcing me to hurt them. And they've mess up with my mind. I was on my way to kill the one that captured me, i know how is he because he is the leader and he has this nasty Red eye.. that's how they called them. The red eye.

-Charlie: I get it... your anger against them. They took our lives, I can't imagine how it felt for you.

-Ben: That's the thing! i feel deeper, I guess that's why my anger is too much you know?

-Charlie: Yeah, but Ben... You can hate the aliens all you want, but you can't hate yourself, don't gave them that control over you.

The feelings between the way they were looking at each other in that moment it's hard to explain, it was honest but it was also so much more than that.

-Charlie: I'm so cold!

Charlie was shivering from the cold , the blanket wasn't doing much, in an addition Ben couldn't felt that much cold.

-Ben: Come! it will help you warm up.

Charlie placed her body more closer to Ben's, and Ben put his arm around her making them be more closer, they both stared at each other for quite a while, their mouths were close together, they could felt each others breath, but they didn't kissed, they almost did, even if it was the perfect moment, they didn't.