We See the Same Sunset

8

When Nikola wakes up again, the ground is moving. Her vision is blurring, but when someone throws their body onto her, sobbing, she stiffens.

"You're alive..." Soren's entire body is shaking so hard that Nikola's afraid that he might fall apart, but she still hugs him with all her might. "You're alive!"

"Hey, get off her! She's supposed to be recovering."

The warmth leaves her and her vision clears, as she sees Soren and the man kneeling over her. Her parched lips crack into a smile, as she sees their relieved smiles.

"You made it..." Nikola tries to move, but the man stops her with a stern look.

"Listen, I already bandaged you up, but if you keep moving, you're going to open up those wounds again," The man purses his lips, as he studies her.

Nikola looks at her heavily bandaged hand, where it's clear that her pinkie and ring fingers are no longer there. Ignoring the sudden spike of fear, she gives an experimental wiggle of the fingers and blinks in surprise. "I don't feel anything."

"What did I just say?" With an exasperated sigh, the man pinches the bridge of his nose. "Anyways, that's a good sign—the painkillers are working."

That does explain why Nikola feels like she's floating on a cloud. Her legs feels swaddled in a blanket and as she moves a barest inch, the cot sinks according to her weight. Nikola licks her dry lips, before asking, "Can Soren come closer? I want to be sure that he's fine."

There's some hesitation in his face, before the man nods absently, as he takes out a canteen. Unscrewing the cap, he says, "He could hold your hand, but that's it."

Soren's hand touch her gently, but he squeaks, as she squeezes it, relishing in his warmth. He flushes red when he sees the man staring. "What?"

At that moment, Nikola realizes that man has found a different fabric to tie over his face, hiding his jaw from view. But despite that, it's clear that the man is smiling as he watches them. "Nothing. It's cute."

"I'm not cute," Soren protests hotly, but he still doesn't let go of her hand. Even though her face feels like it hasn't moved in days, she feels herself grinning at him. "Really!"

The man laughs. "Sure, whatever you say." Holding up the canteen, he looks at Nikola. "Anyways, can you please open your mouth? Let's not die of dehydration right after that."

They fall into a silence, where the man dribbles some water into her mouth. This is ridiculous. She wants to tell him that she's not a child and she's perfectly fine with drinking water herself, but the moment water touches her parched mouth, it overtakes her mind, until she finishes the canteen.

When she's done, the man wipes her mouth and her eyes dart to the electronic lights flickering overhead. They appear to be a small room with curtains over the windows, but the floor is moving.

"Are we on the train?"

He follows her eyes and taps his finger absently against the cot. "Yeah. Luckily, they work."

"Where are we going?"

The man hesitates before he answers. "Anywhere, but there. I don't know how far the construction for the railroads went, but I've studied the maps to know where we could go. But as for the moment...we're running around in a circle."

"Is that safe? Will the train last that long?"

The man heaves a heavy sigh. "Let's not think about that right now. We just got away from those scavengers. We need a moment of peace."