8

Fingers softly trailed through her hair and all the world was well. She opened her eyes to a familiar pair of deep brown eyes. Yet they reflected an unfamiliar light.

Memories returned slowly by the time she was fully awake her glow bright the dark furniture store.

She stared at her glowing hands and noticed the dark oily stains on her clothes. She looked at her partner’s sad expression.

He wrapped his hand around hers and slowly nodded. There was no room for doubt left. It was real, the angel, the fight, the dead.

She stopped, and with a sobered breath reaffirmed her promise. She’d be better.

Another breath left her she scrunched her nose. “We reek.”, Mensha gave her a flat look. “What?”

He physically restrained a sigh, “Your first word in the new world and it’s about your offended nose,” exasperation dripped from his words.

She was caught between indignation and amusement – her concerns set aside for the moment. “Well excuse me for being sensitive,” his rolled eyes assured she’d failed at hiding her amusement.

He kissed her cheek, nose, and lips then rose “Come on, we need to prepare.”

She looked at the ring on her finger, her other hand on her lips. She rose into a stretch. “Prepare what,”

“Food, water, rope, clothes, etc,”

“We got most of that yesterday.”

“Yes, but we dropped the bags in the chase,”

She looked around the furniture. It was notably absent stolen goods and her handbag was the only bag-shaped thing. “Ah.”

“Ah indeed, plus I think we should check the roof before we leave.”

No disagreement, Summer followed him out she kept a watchful eye as she did.

The trip to the roof was disquieting. Their footsteps rang throughout the dead mall, and every oddity brought to mind some inexplicable monster.

Yet the halls were serene and perfumed with old blood and fresh rot from the many dead.

She paused at the open door to the roof, inched forward, and glanced about with perked ears for any signs of the alien wind.

Her partner’s hand found hers. “I think,” he said and pulled her away “We should tie ourselves together, it’d be bad if we got lost.” he retrieved the pilfered bundle from his bag.

She gave him a thankful smile as they retreated down the stairs.

It took several minutes for him to cut the rope into a reasonable length and more to tie it around their wrists. His left her right.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

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“Always”

When she returned to the roof it was with a renewed shine.

It was familiar, the taste of the air, the slight dread in her stomach, and the warms fingers entwined with hers. It sparked the same giddy feeling she felt when the night before.

Yet the sight couldn’t be stranger, the skyline looked like they’d been transplanted into a massive cave made of buildings in which architectural stalactites and mites dotted the floor and impossibly high ceiling. Occasionally joining the two in massive columns, every inch was covered in a city’s shining lights piercing into the cavern’s dark depths. Like she was seeing a starry sky from above and below.

she watched breathless, as new silhouettes joined the city, pushing into the dark expanse like rising shoots and deseeding roots.

“The fuck,” she whispered and continued to stare dumbly. The angel had been miraculous but as she looked at a bright blue blotch on the city’s ceiling be slowly covered, she was reminded what awe used to mean.

“What happens when the power goes out, will it?” Mensah’s muttering freed her from the sight.

She glanced at his wide eyes and then at the artificial constellation. With a shudder, she decided she preferred the unnatural radiance to an empty sky. “Let’s go,” she said and hurriedly dragged away, he followed, a final glance.

Staring at herself in a mirror Summer never knew she’d appreciate the act of changing clothes so much. However after the surreality on the roof. A new blouse felt magical, even if she had to wash with a cloth in the bathroom. It helped, that Mensha was too befuddled to argue when she told him to do the same. She washed her face for what she promised herself wouldn’t be the last time. Then exited the bathroom to a slightly anxious man tapping his foot and occasionally glancing up.

Over an hour after waking, they finally stood before the exit. Hefty bags on their backs a new bat in her hand and a large kitchen knife on her partner’s belt – held in a practical if ridiculous tinfoil and ducktape sheath. With a tug on the rope tying them together. She stepped outside.

Nothing happened, no monster jumped at her, no sudden shift. It was like they went for a late-night stroll if she ignored the distant screams, the spears could be particularly eccentric street lights.

She focused her resolve, and, silent they stalked forward. The darkness parted before her glow as they walked revealing plain asphalt. She looked back and froze, the entrance was missing. Her hand jerked and she spun in the rope’s direction to find it disappeared into the dark.

“Mensha!” she called and hauled on the rope, her partner fell through the dark and onto the floor.

Sprawled on the floor he glared up at her, before springing to his feet. “What’s happening did you find anything, why’d you stop?” his rapid pace added to her confusion.

“Stop,” she raised a hand he fell silent. Okay, they were okay. She turned and walked back to where she hoped the entrance would still be – Mensha quietly followed her. The pitch parted and it was, her tension eased.

She backward away from it and kept it squarely in her vision. Dark shapes quickly blocked her vision. She shared a glance with Mensha, and they returned to the entrance and stared into the consuming shade.

“When did you notice?” he asked, and she could feel the forced calm in his voice.

“I glanced back, didn’t see the entrance, you tugged,” She paused, “and weren’t there so I pulled and you sorta tripped out of the dark.”

“Tripped,” he said absentmindedly as he stared into the dark wall pierced by the distant angelic spears light.

She nodded. “Any idea what it is,” she said and turned to him.

After frowning at the dark for a while he raised a finger, “No.” he pulled the rope out of his bag and partially unspooled it, “But I can think of some tests.” He spun and threw it.

It sank silently into the dark like still murky water. No, that was quite right.

She crouched to get a lower angle. It came in and out of vision like there were. . . “Three’s stuff moving around the rope,” she scrunched her brow, “Darker than black stuff.

“So we have a shifting black blob,” Mensha said as he wound the rope. “How are we getting through this,” Annoyance tinged his voice,

Here was this magical force and he spoke about it in the same tone as when she forgot to tell him she was working late.

Smile tugging at her lips, she stood. “We have a compass.”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t get lost.”

“And it doesn’t mean we can stay here and pray we’re saved.” He sighed wearily, she pat his back consolingly and received a half-hearted glare – she hid a wan smile. “Together,” she said and turned to the slightly less unfathomable darkness.

“Always,” She needn’t have asked.