“Don’t want to waste any water. Who knows when we’ll get any more.”
I watched as he took his mask off from one side and took a few gulps down, his Adam’s apple bobbing with every swallow.
I pressed my legs together and stared off in the direction of the abandoned tracks.
“They said large machines were able to transport an infinite number of passengers and supplies to different parts of the world,” he blankly stated out of the blue.
“Where did you hear that? Who said that?” I asked curiously, moving onto my knees and leaning into him. I wanted to hear about another life. I was tired of this one. I wanted to take my mind off everything that had happened to us.
He turned to look at me, his mask still hanging from the side, giving me a good view of his smirk. Vik had the fullest lips against tanned skin. The days we spent underground had lightened him but I could already see life coming back the longer we spent time outdoors. Did he see the same sallow, hollow look in my eyes when he looked at me? I must look like a mess. I face flushed at the thought of him stealing a kiss from me.
Was it wrong of me to wonder if he would do it again?
“Old stories. Some passed down, some found in partially intact books. It’s said there are actual images, photographs, of trains loaded with people.”
“I wonder where everyone went in such high numbers,” I pondered.
“We’ll never know because those machines haven’t worked since the dawn of our new age,” he sighed.
“The age of vampires.”
“The age of when the virus transformed some of us into soulless bloodsuckers, yes.”
The conversation turned sour quickly, and I brought my knees up to rest my arms and head on.
“Don’t get too comfortable. We got about five more minutes until we head back toward Black Hollow.”
“How do you have this much energy? With your injuries at that,” I asked, perplexed.
He turned to me and smiled. “I got something I need to protect and bring back home. Come on, up you go.”
He got to his feet, dusted his pants off and pulled his mask back over his face. I sighed and did the same, stretching my back and arms in the process.
Vik watched me silently and it was a little unnerving and embarrassing all at once. I felt every grime on my skin and couldn’t wait to wash it all off.
We trekked silently, hand in hand as if we were afraid we’d be taken back to separate rooms for torture again.
When the sight of hut roofs came into view, my heart began to pound.
“Is that—” I choked.
“Come on.”
Vik pulled me as our steps turned into jogs. We did it. We made it back. We had fought side by side and escaped endless torture, but we made it. Figures up ahead began to notice us. Some ran back to alert the others while the few renaming topside went into their huts and brought out weapons.
“It’s us! Wait!” I called out, trying to calm them.
Vik’s steps slowed to the point where it felt like he was pulling me back where our hands were still connected. Didn’t he think to take off that stupid mask? It was probably why the community was being wary of us. He looked like a man about to destroy the camp, not one returning to it.
“Inés? Inés, is that you?” came a young, masculine voice. I recognized it after he called my name out again. It was Beau.
He ran toward us with a rifle in his hand. When was he stationed topside security? Have we really been gone that long?
“We’ve been looking everywhere for you! You disappeared without a trace. Since we couldn’t find…” he trailed off as he stared at Vik. His jovial face fell into one of distrust. “Since we couldn’t find Vik or his dog, we figured he was with you. Who is this guy, Inés?”
Beau made to step between us but Vik shoved him in the shoulder. I cursed under my breath at the impression he was making upon our return. They’re going to ostracize us at this point. He was acting too hostile.
I lifted my hands up between them to separate them.
