Apocalypse

Chapter Seven

I woke slowly, and groggily. I groaned as I did, rubbing my eyes and sitting up. Aaron's arms slid off of me, and he stirred as he woke.

"Mph..." he mumbled, running his hand through his hair. I opened my eyes halfway, looking to him and smiling.

"Morning, sleepyhead," I whispered. He smiled without opening his eyes, rubbing his face and sighing.

"Gmnh..." he muttered. I laughed, pulling my legs off of his lap and rubbing my eyes again.

"You two sleep in," Richard said, completely awake from the sound of his voice. I glanced over at him, laughing quietly.

"Did you even sleep?" I asked through a yawn. He smiled, shaking his head as he continued to fiddle with his knife.

"No, I..."

His face changed, a change that made mine change too. He inhaled, glancing up at me.

"I couldn't sleep," he said, giving me a tight smile. I swallowed, nodding slightly.

"Oh... well, it was a long day, I'm sure tonight will be better," I murmured. He smiled, nodding even though he didn't seem convinced still.

"Yeah," he muttered.

"Good morning," Marion sighed from her corner. Creed grumbled something next to her, and I laughed.

"Morning," I said back. Chris stirred in his sleep, Ellie doing the same from where she sat a few feet from him.

"Good morning, everyone," I said. Everybody mumbled good morning, until Ellie chimed in.

"Actually, it's 2:38," she said, as Aaron fist bumped in the air.

"Yesss... new record," he said. I turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

"Record for how late you've ever slept in?" I asked.

"Oh no, how early I've ever woken up," he said. I laughed, shaking my head.

"My goodness..." I muttered. "Do I even want to know how late you've ever slept?"

He glanced to the ceiling, clearly thinking hard.

"Ummm... 5:34," he said. Now that got everybody laughing.

Everybody except for Richard...

He was staring at a spot on the floor, his gaze far off. I tilted my head, scooting over a bit to nudge him slightly. He jumped, staring at me quickly. I kept my hand on his arm, my eyes switching between each of his.

"Are you okay?" I asked. He swallowed, staring for a bit longer. Then he nodded, smiling as he seemed to return to normal.

"Y-yeah, sorry. I just didn't get any sleep," he said. I smiled slightly, nodding although I still wasn't overly convinced.

"Okay," I murmured. I turned back to the others when he didn't respond, standing.

"Alright guys, lets eat and get out of here. Do a final sweep of the weapons if you'd like, look through the supply closet again. After that we'll pack up and leave," I said. Everybody agreed with me, and we formed a circle in the middle of the room as we began pulling out various food items. Richard stayed on the outside, glancing around at us as we began passing things around to each other. I glanced back at him, patting the concrete beside me.

"C'mon. We have enough to share," I said. Aaron handed me a pack of jerky on my right side, and I smiled as I thanked him. Richard came and sat on my other side, and I offered him a piece.

"Thanks," he muttered. I smiled, taking a piece myself and placing the pack back into Aaron's hand. After the group had eaten we all began packing up, and I waved Chris over.

"Hey, could you go out through the back and do a quick sweep? Kill any walkers out there, clear the area," I said. He nodded, giving me a playful punch on the shoulder and cocking his gun.

"Gotcha," he said. He walked to the back room, and I could hear him pulling apart his barricade. Immedietly I heard his gun going off, the screams of walkers the only other thing. I laughed quietly, knowing that he'd be just fine. I then felt a hand slide up my back, one that made me smile and lean back into him.

"Hi," I said.

"Hi," Aaron replied. I sighed as he wrapped his arms around me, leaning back onto his shoulder.

"Hey," he said, as if preparing to ask a question. I turned to see his face.

"Yeah?" I asked. He seemed to be battling with words, and he glanced around at the others before speaking. Ellie and Marion were at the knife rack, comparing different ones. Creed was filling one of his guns with bullets, a few loaded magazines next to him. Richard had followed Chris, and I assumed that he was either helping him or looking through the supply closet.

"Do you..." Aaron began, but he trailed off. I turned fully to face him, tilting my head slightly. He swallowed, lowering his voice.

"Do you trust Richard?" he murmured.

"What?" I asked.

"Do you trust him?" he asked. I stepped back a bit, and he reached forward to take my hand, as if I'd disappear.

"Yes, I do," I whispered. He glanced between my eyes, weighing the possibilities. And then he nodded, seeming to finally agree with me.

"Ok.." he murmured. "If you trust him, then I do too..."

I nodded, trying to look reassuring and confident. But in the back of my mind I was wondering what was wrong with him. He looked... distant. Almost far off. Like there was a voice in his mind, talking to him when we weren't looking...

I tried to shake the chilled feeling that snaked up my spine. The only warmth that I felt was Aaron's hand holding mine, his thumb stroking mine gently as he stood in front of me.

Finally I smiled at him, turning to the others and letting his hand drop from mine.

"Alright guys. Let's pack up and go," I said. Everybody picked up their packs and began filing out of the room towards the back room. I swiped a few mags from Creed on my way out, smiling at his annoyed look. As I walked behind them all I turned into the back room to get Richard.

"Hey, we're leaving," I began saying. But I stopped as I saw him.

He was standing in the supply closet, holding a knife in one hand and grasping the shelf with the other. He turned it slowly in his hand, seeming to watch the light glint off of it. And his eyes... they seemed far off, but also hyper focused on the knife in his hand. I cleared my throat, which made him snap out of it.

"Oh, h-hey," he mumbled. He immediately put the knife away, sliding it into his pocket faster than I could understand. He then looked up at me, clasping his hands as if uncomfortable.

"We're going to go now..." I murmured. He nodded, moving to walk past me. I moved out of the way, and he crawled through the window just as Ellie hopped down. I watched him, and then followed.

As I dropped out of the window (Aaron caught me) I wondered what was happening to him...

Why was he acting weird? Why was he being so distant? What was happening...

I pushed all of the questions out of my mind, instead smiling at the group. Chris came around the building, his knife dripping with the dark blood of walkers.

"All clear," he said, smiling smugly. I smiled back, looking around. Marion and Ellie stood by each other toward my right. Creed stood by Chris, Richard coming over to stand by them. Aaron stood at my side, his hand so close to mine I could feel the heat radiating off of it.

"Let's go." I said.