Shock

- 43 -

Hopper stayed with Greg. He wasn't really prepared for another seven mile walk, so we guided him up to the fifth floor and left him there.

As for Nathan and I, I don't know how we managed to find our way in our zombie-like state. The last three days had felt like an eternity. An eternity in which we hadn't slept, in which we'd only walked, always hoping to find something new. We sauntered over the streets, advancing slowly but never stopping to rest. This time, we didn't get lost, saving us at least twenty minutes, but the journey was still too long. It felt as if the walking would never end. Like it wasn't even really me anymore who was operating my legs, and they were just running on auto-pilot. We didn't talk much, but when we did, it was about Hainsworth.

I hoped the police would get to Atkinson & Coles before he'd wake up. Not that I thought Greg couldn't take him, I just didn't want him to have to deal with the guy.

When we didn't speak, the silence wasn't uncomfortable. Which was good, because I really didn't have the energy to fill it. It was just wordless peace, with only the thumping of our footsteps and heartbeats to keep our ears awake.

The buildings started to look more and more familiar, and I could identify the path we'd taken when we'd left on friday.

After hours, days of walking since we'd first left the diner, we were back.

I don't know why it surprised me that it looked exactly the way we left it. We'd only been gone for three days, though it sure didn't feel like that short. I suppose the monotony of walking for so long had made the concept of time blurry. I had changed within that time, and so I almost expected everything else to have changed as well. But Rhonda's diner hadn't.

I could see the bright red sign from at least a quarter mile away, though it wasn't nearly as bright as it usually was. Dust had settled on the vinyl, turning it from scarlet to a faded burgundy. The windows on the right hand side were broken, and the ones that weren't reflected the sunlight, making it impossible to see inside. Yet I wanted to see what lay beyond.

I dragged my feet forward, forcing myself to finish the road we had started in another life, all the way back to the fire escape. My legs were numb and useless, my feet frozen to the bone. My entire body ached for a place to rest. A place that was now right in front of us.

"Ready?" Nathan asked.

I wasn't. But I nodded anyway and he opened the door.

It wasn't that much warmer in the diner than it had been outside. The broken windows and lack of a working heating system were sure to be the cause of that. But the ground was soft in comparison to the cracked pavement outside, where rocks pried into the soles of my shoes with every step I took.

The hallway was long, and with every step, it seemed to grow longer. I don't know how far I got before sinking to the ground.

Get up, I ordered myself, but my legs couldn't carry me anymore. I laid down my head, allowing my face to press into the hardwood floor and closing my eyes. I heard Nathan sitting down next to me.

"Shouldn't we go inside?" I asked.

"In a minute..." his speech was slurred, like he'd been drinking, and I could tell just from hearing his voice that he was only half awake. I wanted to respond, but all that came out was a yawn. Yeah, I thought, in a minute... and then I was off to a dreamless sleep.

"Charlie? Nathan?" A husky voice called, waking us both.

I opened my eyes and saw Nathan staring at someone who lay beyond my vision. He squinted in the light that came through the open door which led to the diner.