Christine

Chapter 2

“You have to wake up, Christine, come on.” I heard Adam’s voice, his breath soft on my cheeks. My eyes trembled and then opened and I saw him leaning over me, a furrow between his eyebrows, his forehead creased with concern.
“Okay, I’m alright.” I mumbled and sat up, rubbing my eyes. We were in the middle of nowhere, as far as I could see, and we were far enough for our eyes not to discern the blaze of our town.
“Where are we, Adam?” I saw, turning to look at him. He shrugged.
“I don’t know, about five hours away, I think” he said, lifting his shoulders again. Under all that calm outside, I knew he was burning inside, and I wished I could help him. I lightly placed my hand on his shoulder, smiling a shy smile at him, before we turned to the others.
“We are going to stop here for the night” his mother said, gesturing towards a big shadow, which I supposed was a mountain ahead of us. We all nodded silently, still worried about the safety of our close ones.
From the moment I awoke and for the next half hour that lapsed before we reached the mountain, I had my face buried in Adam shoulder, his arm around me and my left hand holding Harry’s. We had all been through hard times together since we had met, so we didn’t feel awkward when we touched each other comfortingly.
“Are you alright, Christine?” Adam asked softly, his hand stroking my hair. I sighed deeply and then lifted my face, to look at him with humid eyes.
“I don’t know, Adam. It’s too soon to tell. What if Rider...” I stopped mid-sentence, a lump closing around my voice, as new tears flowed from my eyes. He tightened his arm around me, pressing his forehead on top of my head.
“He’ll be alright, honey. I know he will” he whispered in my ear, me being the only person that could hear him. I closed my eyes, praying that Rider was safe, indeed.
The next thing I heard was the car halting to a stop, as a group of people surrounded us, rifles pointing blank at our car. I froze under Adam’s arm, wrapping my arm around his waist and trying to appear as small as I could.
“Don’t be scared, we’re with you, friends.” I heard a masculine voice from the hooded man that was closer to my mother’s window.
“Are you from Portland, as well?” Harry asked, the only one able to speak at the time. The man shook his head.
“No, we’re from Springfield, but we heard about what happened in Portland. We’re sorry to hear that.” I could hear the genuine sadness in his voice, so I bashfully lifted my head slightly.
“If you want, come with us. We can offer you shelter and food.” Another figure, female this time, spoke. She was standing a few feet behind the hooded man, and a little to the left so she was in front of our car.
“Alright. Is it safe over there?” Maggie said, rolling down her window a bit so she didn’t have to shout.
“Well, it has been for the past three months, when our city was destroyed. It’s odd how no one learnt that cities have been demolished for three months now. But I suppose, nothing was left in order to spread the news.” The man laughed darkly.
“We’ll come with you then”, Adam said, his voice harsh with confidence, trusting that those people’s words were true and would grant safety to his loved ones.

The hooded figures gave us directions as to where their shelter was located, before hiding again. I was surprised by the skills that were needed to camouflage their hideouts so well. I sat up, softly pulling out off Adam’s arms and stroking his hand lightly.
“So, we are going to stay with them?” I asked, curiously. At least we would have a safe place to stay.
“I think it’s the smartest thing to do for now. Until we know what to do and where to go, at least” my mother replied, turning to smile tiredly at me.
She placed her hand on my, stroking me.
“Are you alright, Christine?” she asked, her voice strained with concern. I shrugged.
“As alright as anyone can be right now, mum.” I replied, sighing deeply.
I doubted that anyone was fine right now –at least in Portland’s region or in the other destroyed regions.

About an hour later, as we entered the mountains, our eyes faced something bizarre. Behind the cover of the paramount shadow, there was a small basin, surrounded by mountains, where survivors had started slowly creating a community. There were a few scattered houses next to the river that meandered between the giant mounts of rock, and small figures walking in the streets, busy preparing a place for the arrivals.
“Is this it?” I asked, raising my head so as to have a better view. It did look successful. At least those people weren’t giving up without a fight.
“Yeah, this is it, judging from the guard’s directions,” my mother replied as we reached the bottom of the road, where the first houses where on the side of the road.
“It looks alright, I suppose.” I mumbled to myself, playing with a lock of my hair, looking out of the window. We had reached what looked like the square of the town, where the townspeople were waiting for us.
“Welcome to our town, fellow siblings” said a middle-aged man, probably the leader of the colony. He had silver hair, held back in a loose ponytail and bright green eyes. He looked a trustful person, with the element of leadership in him. I had no doubt why they had trusted him to grant them safety.
“Thank you so much for accepting us. There is no question as to if we would have survived without you.” Maggie said, shaking her head with gratitude.
“Please, we want to help you. We know how it feels to have nowhere to go.” He said and gestured towards the people scattered around us.
Suddenly, I realized that we would probably spend the rest of our lives here.
“I want to get out of the car. Please.” I whispered in Adam’s ear, my breath washing over his face. He looked at me, concerned, but loosened his grip around me, opening the door next to him. I slid over him and I felt awkward for a moment but then I was out in the chilly air, breathing deeply. I could almost feel my self-control wear out, and I almost collapsed in front of everyone, but somehow managed to keep myself together, at least until I was away from the crowd.
As I found a desolated alley, shuffling down until I reached a deadlock, my breath started getting heavier and more difficult to inhale, as the lump in my throat started swelling. I felt my knees get weak, so I slipped slowly lower and lower, until I was sitting on the ground, my forehead leaning on my knees. I pressed my palms on the sides of my head, blocking every kind of sound from invading my privacy; the only sound I could receive was the beating of my heart, and my hastened breath.
Still sitting that way, I didn’t hear the sound of his footsteps as he approached me and kneeled beside me, wrapping his arm around me. I didn’t even open my eyes, I knew who he was from the moment his scent reached me. I breathed deeply the familiar scent, feeling myself somehow calm down, as I buried my face in his chest once more and cried like I had never done before.
He let me cry for a long time before he said a word.
“Do you want me to go away?” he whispered as he stroked my hair with rhythmic, familiar moves.
“No, please don’t.” I muttered, tightening my grip around him. Adam was one of the person I always knew I that I could trust. He was my best friend, along with his brother. He was nice, gentle and beautiful on the inside, and on the outside. He was like a brother to me.
“Thank you, Adam.” I said, as he hopped up and help me stand. I stumbled a bit, but then I found myself again. He didn’t let go of my hand as we walked back to the town, where we found out that our families had already gone to the house we had been acquired just minutes earlier.
Adam, Harry and Maggie would live in the same house as me and my mother, since we didn’t have a problem and there weren’t exactly plenty of spare houses. Actually, all the houses were at use right now, so it would take a while before they had the option to move out.
“I hope you’re okay with it. Don’t want to see anything you don’t want us to.” Harry joked with me, when I stepped through the front door. It was a traditional, wooden home. It looked quite comfortable to provide shelter to five people, at least. Of course, the twins and I would have to share the same room. I didn’t have a problem with that, we’d grown up together.

Present day
The next two weeks went by really quickly, before I even realized what was going on. The twins and I started working two days after we arrived, they as builders and I as a baby sitter for the baby that lived two blocks away from our house. My mother helped the townspeople cook for those unable to do so, either due to injury or due to lack of knowledge. Maggie was doing the same, along with my mother.
“So, what is it like?” I asked Adam one evening, when I was cuddled under his arm, looking out the window. If anyone saw us sit that way, they’d think we were a couple. But the love I felt for Adam was brotherly. And just that.
“What?” he mumbled, his fingers locked around a tuft of my hair, spinning it around and then untying it, over and over.
“To be working as a builder. I bet it’s tiring, I can’t even think about moving bricks and cement all day.” I pretended to be freaked out by the thought of it.
He thought about it for a little before answering.
“Well, it’s not actually that bad as movies and documentaries make it look. I know it’s dangerous and everything, people get killed every day doing this, but I don’t think I’d mind if anything happened to me. What’s left to live for, anyway?” his voice trailed off, his eyes locked on something outside the blurry window, unfocused.
I pulled out of his embrace, turning to look at him, repelled at the thought of him getting hurt.
“What are you talking about?” I shrieked, my voice strained with anger. He looked at me, his eyes full of the pain he had managed to hide so well. I stretched my hand, my pale fingertips caressing his sun burnt skin, full of golden freckles. Just above the freckled bridge of his nose, his big grey eyes, full of care and tenderness, were just sinking into mine.
My fingers slipped higher, my fingers weaving around his golden hair, enjoying the soft texture of it. His lips parted, his sweet breath washing over my wide-open eyes. I inhaled deeply, registering his scent, leaning closer to him. His hands were shaking as he wrapped them around me, pulling me closer, and softly placing his tender lips on mine for a moment. My breath trembled as I kissed him lightly, lovingly. His kiss was different than what I was used to, it was sweet, innocent.
After a second, he pulled back abruptly, our lips parting unwillingly.
“I’m so sorry, Christine, forgive me”, he muttered, scooting away from me. I felt my brows furrow.
“What are you apologizing for?” I asked, pouting as I sat back, crossing my arms over my chest.
“For behaving like this right now. I’m sorry”, he said, looking at his feet.
“Don’t be.” I said and lightly stroked his hair again as I got up and walked swiftly outside. I needed some time with myself, to think about various issues in my busy life in this little town.
As I walked outside, heading towards the deserted and cold town square, I thought about what had just happened. Adam had been someone I’ve loved for as long as I can remember, but not this way. It was just the love that siblings felt for each other. It was the love between best friends. Not the love I felt for Rider.
The moment I thought of him, my eyes filled up with tears and a silent sob shook my body. Rider. What had happened to him? He could be dead, and I was here sitting on a couch and making out with Adam. What was wrong with me? I hid my head in my hands, collapsing on an icy bench, crying.
When I was alone, before I met Rider and developed feelings for him, I used to hate myself. I used to have break-downs and harm myself in every way possible. All my friends had left me back then, the only exceptions being the twins and Sarah, my best friends. My mother was so worried about my situation, that she took me to a psychologist. We would go to her every week, twice a week. She had prescribed some medicine to me, which my mother used to slip in my drink or food, for I wouldn’t take it otherwise. And then, I met Rider, and all my pain had gone away. He loved me unconditionally and so did I. We spent all our free time together with our friends, laughing and having fun. Everyone that I knew was extremely happy for us, not a single soul had wished something different for us.
But now he was gone, disappeared like so many others when the invasion begun. And I had no clue of where he was. Oh, I wish so dearly for me to be with him, but it was in no way achievable.
After a while, when my feet had gone numb and I couldn’t feel my fingers from the cold, I decided to go back home. By then, our whole family was home, worrying about me. As soon as I opened the door, my mom rushed to my side, hugging me tightly.
“My God, Christine, don’t do that to us ever again! We thought you had left the town!” she shrieked, her eyes humid with tears of relief. I shook off her hands, shrugging my shoulders.
“I’m not hungry. Goodnight.” I said and dragged myself upstairs, falling face first on my bed and not moving to get myself more comfortable. A few minutes later, I heard someone walk up the stairs, so I slipped under the covers and pretended to be asleep. The door creaked open and a single ray of light came in, lighting up the dust in the air. I didn’t check to see who it was, but whoever it was left a few moment later, closing the door behind them.
As soon as I was certain about the distance between me and them, I turned on my back and stared at the ceiling. I wished I could be up there, in the skies, were the ones I loved had gone. Why did I have to be stuck here, all alone...? I turned on my side and closed my eyes, a single tear streaming down my face. The next moment, I fell asleep.

Sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up. I noticed that it was still dark outside, but I just couldn’t sleep again. I sat up, wrapping my arms around me. I could hear Adam’s breath coming from his bed on my left and Harry’s on my right. I stood up, fumbling my way in the dark and found the door. I opened it slightly, walking into the hall. There was a single light burning there, casting mutated shadows on the walls. I stared at them creep towards me and then back again, as the unprotected flame of the fuse flickered. I blinked once and headed towards the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I looked at my reflection under the weak light of another light in the bathroom, examining my expression. My hair, stranded and plain, framed my pale face like black velvet curtains. I never liked the way my hair laid just like that, simple and boring. But I didn’t have the courage to do anything to them, I was too busy fretting over every single detail I didn’t like in my life.
My reflection stared right back at me, my eyes dark red around the light brown iris. I sighed and closed my eyelids, sinking into darkness, trying to hinder the terrifying images of my past haunt my present. A small child screaming for protection as the ray of light burnt its flesh. My friends’ screams echoing in the empty corridors of my mind. Rider falling on his knees, his clothes covered in blood – his blood – staring at me as I stood there and watched him die. My breath coming out in sobs, my fingers clasping the cold porcelain sink, as my tears dripped silently on the smooth surface, forming rivulets of pain and sorrow.
I felt my knees weaken; I knelt on the ground and hid my face in my hands.
I opened my eyes and realized that I was laying on the floor of our bathroom, my head inches from the edge of the bathtub. I sat up, leaning against it and breathing deeply for a second, before I got up and opened the door. I walked silently to the door to our room, when I noticed that it was open, while I could easily remember that I had closed it behind me. Just then, I noticed a dark figure standing right next to me, leaning against the wooden railing of the staircase.
I opened my mouth to scream, but the figure placed it’s hand over my mouth. I struggled to free myself from it’s arms, before I caught the scent of Adam’s skin in the air and stopped fighting.
“Are you alright?” he asked me as I let out a small cry of relief.
“I’m fine.” I said and pulled away from his embrace. I heard him sigh as he stepped away.
“Okay, I’m not touching you. Now are you alright?” he asked, a furrow of concern forming between his brows. I nodded and then started going downstairs, clicking my tongue in disapproval when I heard him silently following me to the kitchen. I tried to ignore him as much as I could as I walked around the kitchen making myself a cup of warm chocolate.
“Do you want to tell me something?” I asked at some point, annoyed by his constant following me around the house.
“Yeah, actually I do”, he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
I rolled my eyes and did the same, gesturing him to start talking.
“I want you to tell me something. Honestly. And no lies”, he said and looked at me confused.
“What exactly do you want me to say?” I asked him, tilting my head to the side.
“Do you love me?”