28

Finding somewhere to stay wasn’t hard in a world of abandoned buildings. Finding somewhere safe, however, proved more difficult. Especially with her partner in his current state.

Summer wandered the street peering into buildings and climbing stairs. She found refuge in an office much like the previous one. Except thrown couches laid amidst the chairs. She dragged one couch into a room full of boxes and placed Mensha down.

He lay limp and she couldn’t tell if he’d fallen asleep the moment his head hit the cushions, or if unconsciousness had taken him during her search. She sighed and sat gingerly she brought his head to her lap.

She looked at his face, pinched even in sleep, and hoped tomorrow would treat him better. She glanced at the boxes she’d stacked against the storage room’s door and closed her eyes.

Wakefulness struck her like a blow to the face. Her eyes burst open while her body froze. Her gaze skitter across the room. A grumble interrupted her thundering heart .she glanced down and saw Mensha raise a hand to cover his eyes, as he shifted in her lap.

Safe, safe, she slumped and the weight of a forgotten nightmare melted away. Her light dimmed with the flow of her now rhythmic breathing. She sighed when her heart calmed and leaned back into the couch. “Good morning,” she said nursing embarrassment.

“Good mourning,” he mumbled but seemed in no rush to rise. “Nightmare?” nestling his head in her stomach.

“Ya,” she sighed curling her fingers into his hair. “I hope this doesn’t become a pattern,”

“Indeed, waking up to a flash is annoying no matter how beautiful the light.” He dryly added.

She chuckled, and though distaste lingered, peace filled her as she fell into the moment.

They lapsed into warm silence as Summer roused herself to begin her much-reduced mourning routine. She sighed, “How’re you holding up.” She asked and met his gaze

Humor glimmered in his gaze, “Not well but I’ll live,” at least he was in better spirits

“Okay, then let’s go,” she said and held a smile as Mensha begrudgingly sat up. She pressed a kiss on his annoyed cheek and stood, she swung her bag on her shoulder. She offered her other hand and pulled him up as he swayed to his feet.

She pushed the stack of boxes away and opened the door. She glanced at Mensha, he covered his nose and glared at the air, but held steady. “Did you do any evolving last night?” His glare snapped to her and she tried curtailing the burgeoning smile. She failed miserably.

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“No, I made some tweaks while we,” h paused, “While you were walking.”

“But you couldn’t solve the root issue.”

He rolled his eyes. “Not yet.”

They exited the room, and Summer hovered about Mensha took the steps. Earning herself more than one amused look. Striding onto the street Mensha surveyed the crowd with wary eyes as she led them to the suburb.

One moment towering buildings surrounded her the next open air was all she could see. It was disconcerting in its suddenness and made her what had been left on Earth if there was still an Earth. She looked down from what might have been a hill and She strode down the street.

Lone shades skirted around her keeping from each other in a mindless paranoia at odds with the apathetic press behind her. Where shades had spilled onto the road in their ambling. Here they watched them pass, with cautious indifference from the overgrown lawns and sidewalks. A clump of shades strode down the road, an aggressive hunch to their silhouetted shoulder. She slipped her bat out as a group of four closed on them

She set her shoulders and glared at the group keeping her steps steady and Mensha squarely behind her. Resolve rose her light, and they stopped. She glared harder, they gave up and walked around them. Summer watched the go, and slumped as they turned a corner.

“I’d rather not have to do that again, you think we can slip into the sidewalk.” She turned to her guide.

He looked at her dark eyes glowing with reflected light. He shrugged. “We can try.”

She did and the timid shades fled, no longer skirting the sides, shades walked to the road’s other side, or simply turned around. Summer finally knew what it was like to be a big guy walking at night and found it less pleasant than she imagined.

They were avoiding her more than the spears and they had dead people under them! She sighed.

A gang of three shades rounded a corner and beelined to Summer, she sighed. She stepped forward and raised her bat to strike. The shades jumped like scared cats and fled.

She froze, and turned to Mensha, “Am I really that scary.?”

“Not to me,” he said with a light smile on his tired features.

“That’s not an answer,” she huffed.

“It might be the glow,”

“The dancer didn’t seem to mind,” she said and continued walking down the road.

“Ah, but you assume that they are the same as these shades.” He pointed at a sidewalk and the shadows that skulked around each other.

“True,” she sighed.

They walked past the occasional lit building but a cursory check showed them all to be empty. They continued and her partner led her to an odd clump of lit buildings she noted they were less wind-swept than their neighbors.

Mensha led her right to a door, “Are they here?” excitement and trepidation ran through her.

“Maybe, I’m getting a strong smell and it feels fresh.” He knocked on the door, and she stood with bated breath.

No reply came, he gestured at the door, and she raised her bat then lowered it to try the handle. It gave and Summer lightly walked into the living room. A chair stood by the door, and Mensha slipped in beside her, his eyes immediately finding one of the two corridors leading from the room.

She caught his gaze and followed his careful steps into the bathroom. He picked the garbage bin from the ground and tilted it to show her a pile of bloody clothes, and cotton. The faint smell of alcohol wafted free.