{"id":252,"date":"2011-05-27T00:00:21","date_gmt":"2011-05-27T04:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=252"},"modified":"2011-05-27T00:00:21","modified_gmt":"2011-05-27T04:00:21","slug":"day-zero-chapter-5-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=252","title":{"rendered":"Day Zero – Chapter 5 – 03"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom lay awake on the mattress, listening to the sound of the worsening storm, but more struggling to listen to Marin\u2019s breathing as she slept within arms\u2019 reach of him, though he was too tired to reach for her.\u00a0 The wind howled, tugging, clawing at the sides of the tent secured by J.T., Davon, and Marin\u2019s younger brother.\u00a0 He and Matt got along\u2014but barely.\u00a0 He squeezed his eyes shut.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That turns nasty every time she and I fight.\u00a0 He only puts up with me for her sake, I\u2019m sure.<\/em>\u00a0 Thom exhaled slowly, shivering a little under his blanket.\u00a0 Wind still managed to work its way through the gaps\u2014small thought they may have been\u2014in the paneling of the tents, and the wind was chill, colder than it had any right to be.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They were really, really wrong.<\/em>\u00a0 For the temperature to start dropping so rapidly\u2026something must have gone seriously, seriously haywire.\u00a0 He just wasn\u2019t sure what.\u00a0 Maybe one of the others would be able to figure that out.\u00a0 Maybe it didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 Probably doesn\u2019t matter.\u00a0 Maybe.\u00a0 As long as we manage to keep ourselves fed.\u00a0 Survive.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He tilted his head to the side, watching as an errant, chill breeze stirred the hair against her forehead.\u00a0 He exhaled in another sigh.\u00a0 Is this what you saw?\u00a0 Is\u2026is all of this what you saw?\u00a0 <\/em>This end, not the end you thought you saw?\u00a0 Not a bomb, but this?<\/em>\u00a0 He winced despite himself, looking away, staring blankly upwards.\u00a0 No\u2026it\u2019s not real.\u00a0 It can\u2019t be real.\u00a0 Has to be wrong.\u00a0 Can\u2019t be that.\u00a0 If it\u2019s real, then what I\u2026<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt just can\u2019t be real,\u201d he mumbled to himself in the dark.\u00a0 Marin stirred and he winced again.\u00a0 Don\u2019t want to fight about it tonight.\u00a0 Don\u2019t want to fight about it tonight.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThom?\u201d\u00a0 Her voice was a drowsy mumble.\u00a0 \u201cAre you all right?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He nodded in the darkness, then realized she couldn\u2019t see the movement in the dim.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m all right,\u201d he said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cAre you?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cLittle chilly,\u201d she murmured, shifting on her mattress.\u00a0 He winced a little.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cCome over here.\u201d\u00a0 He shifted a little on the mattress, wincing at the sudden pains that came with movement, the twinging of his ribs and the stabbing pain in his ankle.\u00a0 He frowned at her hesitation, at the fact that she wasn\u2019t answering.\u00a0 \u201cMarin?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m coming,\u201d she said quietly.\u00a0 She gathered her blankets and eased over across the grassy ground between their mattresses, kneeling next to him and spreading her blanket over his.\u00a0 He smiled wryly up at her.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEyes adjusting?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Her expression was half lost in the shadows.\u00a0 \u201cA little,\u201d she said quietly.\u00a0 \u201cNot much light for them to adjust to in the first place.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Not with the storm.\u00a0 Forgot how much light the streetlights used to cast.<\/em>\u00a0 The darkness was less a problem for him\u2014but he\u2019d always had good night vision, good vision in dark places.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t sure why\u2014it had just always been that way.\u00a0 He worked his arm up from under the covers, catching hers at the crook of her elbow.\u00a0 His fingers trembled slightly with the chill; he could feel the goose bumps forming on her arms even as she knelt down next to him.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She swallowed hard, starting to shake her head.\u00a0 \u201cThom\u2026\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShh,\u201d he drew her down slowly next to him, pulling her near.\u00a0 Wish I didn\u2019t feel like a pile of crap.\u00a0 We could both use that kind of comfort.<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cJust\u2026just trust me, Marin,\u201d he murmured softly as she eased down next to him, curled along his side.\u00a0 He shifted a little, finding her free hand in the darkness as she pulled their collective covers up and across them both, holding it tightly, drawing it against his breastbone.\u00a0 Marin made a small sound and tucked herself more tightly against his side, squeezing her eyes shut and huddling close.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI do trust you, Thom,\u201d she murmured into his shoulder.\u00a0 \u201cToo much.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019m glad you do.\u00a0 At the same time\u2026that scares the shit out of me.\u00a0 I almost wish you didn\u2019t trust me so much.<\/em>\u00a0 He squeezed her hand, closing his eyes and listening to the storm and her breathing for a few long moments.\u00a0 It was warmer, now, more comfortable with her curled next to him.\u00a0 Her shivering ceased after a moment and her hand grew warmer, her fingers curling around his, digging gently into the fabric of his shirt.\u00a0 They were both quiet for a few long moments, each reveling in the warmth of the other, sharing the comfort of each other\u2019s arms, before Marin spoke quietly, voice barely more than a whisper.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat does all of this mean for us, Thom?\u00a0 This\u2026this changes everything, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He frowned a little, switching which hand held hers so he could run his fingers through her hair.\u00a0 \u201cNot everything, I hope,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 I love her.\u00a0 I can\u2019t\u2026I can\u2019t lose her.\u00a0 But if her visions are real, then mine are, too, and I\u2026no.\u00a0 Can\u2019t be.\u00a0 Just\u2026can\u2019t be.<\/em>\u00a0 He swallowed hard.\u00a0 \u201cI do love you.\u00a0 Don\u2019t want to stop.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She shivered slightly against him.\u00a0 He wove his fingers through her hair.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShe\u2019s really sick, Thom.\u201d<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He swallowed hard, staring at Jacqueline, then looking past her to where Marin lay, hair damp with sweat, plastered against her forehead, pale and shivering beneath the blankets that shrouded her.\u00a0 His shoulders felt tight, overtaxed from something.\u00a0 A boy, dark-haired like Marin, knelt next to the cot where she lay, holding her hand.\u00a0 She was talking to him quietly, though Thom couldn\u2019t hear what she said to their son.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 His throat tightened.\u00a0 <\/em>We can\u2019t lose her.\u00a0 \u201cThere has to be something you can do.\u201d<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIf there is, I\u2019m not sure what it is,\u201d Jacqueline said quietly.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He\u2019d never felt so helpless.\u00a0 \u201cWe can\u2019t lose her,\u201d he murmured softly.\u00a0 \u201cYou have to do something, Jac.\u201d<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201c\u2026hearing you say that doesn\u2019t make it any easier to come up with what the hell I\u2019m supposed to do about it, Thom.\u201d\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t much anger in her voice, surprisingly.\u00a0 Only sadness, weariness.\u00a0 Marin had been her friend for a long time, after all.\u00a0 \u201cShe was asking where you were before.\u00a0 Wanted to come find you.\u00a0 I told her to stay in bed.\u201d<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He nodded mutely, struggling to breathe.\u00a0 His throat was so tight\u2026\u00a0 <\/em>I can\u2019t do this, Marin.\u00a0 I can\u2019t do this alone.\u00a0 You can\u2019t\u2026you can\u2019t abandon me like this.\u00a0 But he knew.\u00a0 This was an ending, and whatever came next\u2026he feared he\u2019d have to face that alone.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom swallowed hard, fingers tightening around her hand a moment.\u00a0 He forced himself to exhale, to take another breath, then exhale again, willing calm, willing himself not to react further to what had just flickered past his closed eyes.\u00a0 Marin cuddled closer.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thom lay awake on the mattress, listening to the sound of the worsening storm, but more struggling to listen to Marin\u2019s breathing as she slept within arms\u2019 reach of him, though he was too tired to reach for her.\u00a0 … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-5","category-day-zero"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-44","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}