sleepless club ▸ c.g [ 𝐈 ]

𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚣𝚘𝚗𝚎 ⇢ 𝟶𝟶𝟺

September 6th ┆10:19 am

"It isn't so safe now, is it?"

"Don't be such a dick, Matt."

"What? Everything happens for a reason. . Perhaps this reason was to give a handsome man, like myself, a place to call home? Or, better yet─ I'll find a person who'll be better company?"

Tucking her cold hands into the pockets of her hoodie, the two continued the walk into the land once seen as a safe haven to many─ now merely a wasteland of the little that remained.

Approaching a home that miraculously made it through whatever chaos that consumed Alexandria─ overcome with curiosity, the two walked inside.

Matty moved into each room, scavenging for whatever supplies he could carry, whilst Anais would walk slow; taking the time to admire the details within. The sight alone, strangely enough, brought a light smile to mark over the teen's brims. It was bittersweet. Their homes were destroyed, yet, by the looks of things, they gained the opportunity to live a normal life─ even just for a little while. Anyone would kill for something like that, which could possibly explain their tragic end of bliss.

The smile that stretched over her mouth was quick to fade when her gaze found something that would rapidly grasp onto her attention.

Reaching out, her fingers carefully brushed over the frame rested on the bedside dresser─ before she'd pick it up, dusting off the broken pieces of glass to take a look at the image.

There, the adolescent sat, bandage over his eye─ arm loosely hung around a little girl that happily sat upon his knee. He appeared happy, which was a drastic change compared to the state Anais would see him in now. This fragment of memorabilia sent a heavy weight to her chest.

"Anais!"

Matt's sudden voice echoing down the hallway snapped her from her daze, giving her time to gather her thoughts for the briefest of moments.

"Coming!"

Before she would leave to accompany Matty out of the house, Anais was sure to fold the picture over; slipping it into the back pocket of her jeans.

"Find anything?"

He'd ask, combing his digits back through his head full of hair before the breeze could brush it back over his hazel eyes.

Upon his question, Anais paused, but ultimately gave a slight shake of her head in return, "Yeah─ Nothing. No. . What about you?"

The teen sniffled, slyly scanning eyes over the empty neighborhood. She hoped to find some kind of sign of the guy with the bandage.

  "I found some protein bars stashed under the couch pillows, and a few bottles of water hidden under the floorboards."

  He began, quickly cocking up both of his thick brows before digging his hand into the pocket of his coat─ finally pulling out its contents, "Oh, and 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 baby."

  Applying focus back to him, Anais arched her eyebrow whilst he happily displayed a half bottle of alcohol he just so happened to stumble upon.

  "You know, that could come in handy."

  "Eh, yeah, to get fucked up. . If I have to spend much more time with 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 annoying ass─ crying about bad dreams and shit, I'll at least need to be drunk for a little while to make it kinda bearable."

    With a roll of her eyes, Anais marched ahead, leaving a giggling Matty to follow behind; taking a few quick swigs from the bottle.

Allowing a sigh to fall from her mouth, she momentarily drifted off into silence; catching her lower lip between her teeth to lightly chew on.

"Can we at least get out of the cold, then?"

Glancing over her shoulder, she felt the strong urge to roll her eyes again, simply by the thought of spending another full day with Matty. Not just Matty. An intoxicated Matty.

"Yeah, but I'm not going back to that house. There's dead walkers downstairs and the smell is just─ Ugh. ."

"Then, here's a bright idea: why not just take them out of the house?"

Matt stopped on the pavement, sighing against the air─ leaving Anais to do the same, waiting for some kind of snotty reply from him.

"I mean─ if you're down to the smell of puke and dead bodies; 'cause I will throw up, then sure. I'll be happy to go back to the house."

"Can you be reasonable for two seconds, at least?"

Rolling back his shoulders until he felt that satisfying click of his bones, he deeply exhaled─ looking aside at the last of what was evidently a church. With a tilt of his head, he motioned for the teenager to follow his lead.

Quietly groaning to herself, the maiden moved over his tracks─ forcing their way through the grass and string of vines that curled their way around the wood and rust.

"Is this reasonable enough for you?"

He said, and with a bash of his shoulder against the door, he forced his way inside. The male stumbled, but was quick to catch his balance and walk inside.

With the door crashing against the already deteriorating walls, a cloud of dust shadowed over the small room─ resulting in Anais falling into a small coughing fit once she gained access to the main entrance.

Her eyes experienced some irritation, but they eventually adjusted to the little light that crept in.

"Bottoms up."

Sitting himself down lazily on what was left of the pews, he tilted his head back; taking mouthfuls of the drink─ only to give some kind of disgusted expression by the strong taste the liquid gave off.

Anais, however, ignored his behaviour and studied the scene. The floorboards creaked with each step she took, and the damp smell that laced the air faded as the seconds they spent in there drew on.

Dropping her backpack by her feet, she looked down; scanning focus over the mattress that was carelessly settled on the ground, stained with blood and other various unpleasant odours she couldn't quite identify. Yet, she couldn't protest. She was grateful to have a mattress to rest on.

Sitting herself down on its edge, she eventually laid back─ closing her eyes and sighing out in content.

After her last nights of restlessness, she didn't wish to go through another, but the exhaustion was so powerful. Fighting off sleep was a losing battle.

Hopefully, now that they were in a new environment, it would help. Maybe even slightly. There was only one way to find out.