Here For You

Joyful Spirits (17)

A Few Days Later
1992
Your POV
•-•-•-•-•

The next couple days are filled with relaxation, preparations, and bubbling excitement for the day of gift-giving.

Christmas Eve in particular, my group had been growing almost impatient for the next day to arrive. Those twenty-four hours were mainly spent together.

Finally, today is the day we've all been waiting for. Christmas.

Nobody has any gifts to give, but we don't need anything. No one truly wants anything more than just an uneventful day spent entirely with friends. That's the only gift any of us wants.

That's all we can really ask for.

This is the longest we've ever caught a break, and we're praying that it at least lasts one final day before things go to shit once again.

Some more good news: My cold is seemingly going away now. I'm glad it isn't progressing even worse, as we don't have any medications to treat it.

Well, we do have some, but we won't know what I'd have unless I had a doctor tell me what I've got. None of us are doctors, so fat chance of that. Well, we have Eddie, but he isn't certified by any means.

So basically, I'm thankful for getting better.

I'm sat on the couch next to Bill, and on my other side sits Stanley with his arm around the backing of it. Bill's hand is intertwined with mine, resting on top of both of our thighs.

Richie and Eddie are play-fighting on one half of the other couch to our left.

Beverly and Ben come into the living room where we all are with trays in their hands. The day before, they were able to make some stuff for us.

They cooked some white rice we found a while back and added some soy sauce from the pantry to it for more flavor. Bev also had the idea to mix some of that rice with the dried beans separately. They made their own fire for these procedures.

There's also some pure maple syrup on the side, which was also found in the pantry with the beans.

Everyone gets a small plate of food, and once everybody is settled, we all dig in. I nearly choke with laughter at something Ben said, but swallowed my food before that could happen.

"Damn, Ben! Are ya tryna kill me or somethin'?" I joke, one of my hands touching my neck.

He chuckles, "Sorry!"

"Mhm," I tease, leaning back again as I relax with a smirk.

"I am!" Ben laughs out.

"Yeah, yeah, I believe ya," I say with a dismissive wave of my hand, smiling.

As time goes on, conversations thrive and our food Bev and Ben made is finished quickly.

Somewhere in the middle of it all, I get a feeling in my chest, as if it's tightening. My heart races a little and dread fills the pit of my stomach for a brief moment. I get a sense that tells me that something is going to happen, and soon.

The thought dissipates as I feel Bill carefully tug me into his arms, and I lean into him.

The feeling stays at the back of my mind, neither completely going away nor staying up at the front of my mind.

Nothing terrible occurs throughout the whole day, but the feeling still won't stop pestering me.

I've learned to trust my gut over the years, as it's usually always correct.

I have a hard time falling asleep that night, but I try to focus on all of the good that had happened today rather than what's to come.

I feel Bill's arms wrap around my waist, and I turn around in his grasp to face him. He pulls me close to his chest, as if sensing my uneasiness.

I instantly chill out, my breathing calming down and my body relaxing. I begin to grow tired, and I wonder how Bill is able to help me with this without even doing much. Without even realizing it.

Before my mind could ramble on further, I'm already gone. Knocked out in a deep slumber.

•-•-•-•-•

-CastrarWolf