I hear her scuffling around on the step and then her head rests down on my lap. My body stiffens from her touch, even through the thick jean material; I can feel the warmth of her head. "What are you doing?" I snap at her.
"You're warm, and I'm cold," she says.
It's been so long since I've felt any warmth that I've forgotten what it's supposed to feel like, but maybe this is close. Craving more warmth, I lower one of my hands and place it down on her back. "We're not so different, Sin," she says softly. "I won't hurt you either." She thinks she knows everything.
Focusing on the warmth radiating beneath my hand, I find it hard to sleep. I spend the passing hours watching her back rise and fall with every one of her breaths, realizing I've never had the time to watch a person's breath for so long. I watched the padded walls breath, however. When you stare at something long enough, it begins to move—it morphs into things only a human brain can conjure up in a time of desolation. At least I know I'm not imagining this movement within her.
Somewhere between the time Reese fell asleep and now, the rain has stopped. The birds are cawing outside, and I know it's time to get moving. I squeeze the hand I haven't moved in hours, and she stirs gently beneath my grip. Whipping around and sitting up quickly, she looks at me like I'm the one who coerced her to fall asleep on my lap. "I wasn't dreaming I guess," she says.
"No, you're still in a nightmare."
She stands up and stretches her arms above her head before throwing herself to the ground. "A rubber band!" she shouts. She was definitely locked up for too damn long. Who gets that excited over a piece of rubber? I watch her curiously, wondering what the big deal is. But I stop wondering when she twists her hair into a knot on the top of her head so she can wrap the rubber band securely around it. "I've dreamt of pulling my hair up for years."
"You have shitty dreams," I tell her.
"I guess only shitty dreams can exist in a nightmare."
"You got me there." I walk over to the workbench in the corner and grab a few things to keep in my pocket. "You ready?"
"I'm not sure," she says. "But we need to get out of here. I need to see daylight."
"You don't know what you're talking about," I mutter under my breath.
She walks up the steps to the door and pushes the metal bar to the left. "There's light," she says quietly, pressing the door open slightly.
"He could still be out there," I remind her.
"I found a revolver in the closet. I'm not worried." I close my eyes and pray the girl doesn't shoot me after stepping outside of this shithole.
"Let me go first. I've actually shot a weapon before." I nudge her to the side and step outside, surveying the damage from the tornado. Although I suppose it can't be called damage anymore though. It's more like the icing over destruction.
She follows me outside, cupping her hand over her eyes, shielding herself from the sun. "The sun," she says. "It's—"
"In the sky?" I ask with sarcasm. "Let's get out of here quickly." I grab her by the arm and pull her faster than she wants to walk. After crossing the street, she pulls away from me.
"Wait!" she shouts.
"What the hell are you doing?" I pull her a little harder, so she doesn't try to stop us again.
"Was that the shed?" she asks, pointing to the pile of rotting reddish-brown wood.
"Yeah and you would be buried beneath that if I didn't save your ass, so now do me a favor and walk."
"You're kind of an asshole," she says.
I jerk her arm and pull her in front of me, lowering my face to hers. "Listen to me. The world is a fucked up place. Especially right now. This is an abandoned town. Has been for ten years. Do you know what happens when things are abandoned, Reese? Tell me. Do you?"
I hear her swallow against the stale air. She tries to stare me down, her jaw grinding back and forth with anger. "All I know is that abandoned people go crazy." She breathes heavily contemplating her next words before spitting them out, "Like you, asshole."
"And like you," I grit through my teeth. "Let me tell you something, sweetheart, when towns are abandoned, they become a habitat for the insane. So keep your eyes open, your mouth shut and stay behind me until I tell you otherwise."
