RUN ✔️

Chapter Nine.

October 25th, Thursday.
Chapter Nine.
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"...I'd never have to do something as hard as telling those two girls that their one and only parent, was now dead. Jason was a good man, from what we'd experienced and seen. He may be gone but he will never be forgotten..."

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My body felt hot. Way too hot. I was sweating, and it wasn't because of the nightmare I was having.

I tried to push the blanket off my body, but it was not budging. I quickly realized that the blanket was in fact not a blanket but was rather a very heavy body being pressed against mine. Providing me with unlimited heat to the point I was in fact sweating. My face was freezing cold however, thanks to the iciness of the warehouses morning air.

My eyes flew open, and I turned my head slightly to the left to see whose body it was attaching itself to mine.

Brad.

Ah yes. We'd fallen asleep together in the same sleeping bag last night, with our backs to one another and now we're... Spooning? How did that happen?

I slowly and cautiously removed his arm from around my waist, quietly unzipping the bag so I could slide out of it. Brad did not stir thankfully. I removed the sweater from my upper half as I sat up. Noting that no one else was awake. The second the fabric was peeled from my skin, I felt cold.

As much as my heart was telling me to climb back in beside Brad, cuddle up to him and fall back asleep... My brain was telling me the opposite. My bladder was full, I may have been tired, but I did not want to fall back into the horror that was my own memories and horrid nightmares. Plus, what would the others think of me if they found Brad and I snuggled up together... Again.

This was a routine I did not want to continue, no matter how much I kind of enjoyed it.

I wondered off to the bathrooms and did my business, thanking Landon for having found bottled water yesterday at some point.

When I walked back over to the group, having put my sweater back on because the air was getting colder and colder, I found Nevaeh had awoken. She was still situated in her sleeping bag laying on her back as she rubbed her eyes, slowly waking up. I quietly stepped around the others, poking my head over so she could see me. Her little hand reached up and she gave me a wave.

"Hey Nev," I whispered softly, "Everyone else's still asleep, would you like to come with me and have some breakfast?" She gave me a small nod before climbing out of the sleeping bag.

Marie stirred a little, mumbling something to herself before stilling. I helped Nevaeh stand, passing her a blanket to wrap herself in as the two of us walked over towards our food pile. I grabbed box of protein bars and a juice box as Nevaeh also took a juice box, a packet of Oreos and a box of Lucky Charms. All things we'd either found in the breakroom or in a mail parcel.