Page 46 of Last Light

Five

IWAKE UP THE NEXTmorning, and it’s light in the room. That’s unusual—it’s normally still dark when we get up.

I blink and roll over, confused about the day and time. Travis is here. I can smell him. I sit up to discover him sitting on an upholstered chair near the window.

He’s reading my book of poems, but he puts it down as he realizes I’m awake. “How you feelin’?”

“Why didn’t you wake me up? We should have left a while ago.”

He shrugs as he stands up. “Don’t matter. Thought you could use the rest.”

I slide over to hang my legs off the side of the bed, then pat the covers next to me.

He walks over and sits, watching me with a quiet scrutiny that’s vaguely unnerving. “How you feelin’?” he asks again, his voice softer this time.

“I’m fine. The bruise is a little sore, but it’s no big deal. I’m really okay. You think men haven’t tried stuff on me before?”

“I know they have. But he was grabbin’ you all over. He hit you. I saw’m knock you down. He coulda—” His face is perfectly composed, but his accent is so thick that my empty stomach twists. He’s still really upset.

“He didn’t. I’m okay. I got knocked down, but now I’m on my feet again. And even if it took me longer to get up again, I wouldn’t want you to treat me like I’m broken or something.”

I see the acknowledgment of what I’m saying on his face. His jaw relaxes. “Okay.”

“So I don’t need to sleep all day or whatever you were thinking. I want to get back on the road. We need to get to Fort Knox before that drove does.”

“You gotta eat somethin’ first. Somethin’ with protein. You skipped supper last night. We’re already gettin’ a late start, so let’s make a fire outside and warm somethin’ up.”

I hesitate. I am ravenous, but we’re running behind.

Travis adds, “I’m starvin’ too.”

“Okay. But I’ve got to run downstairs before we do anything else. I’m about to pee in my pants.” I start for the door but pause when I realize Travis is coming with me.

“Not goin’ on your own,” he says. “Anywhere. Not anymore. I was tryin’ to give you space before. Be... respectful. Not crowd you. But that ends now. I’m not lettin’ you out of my sight.”

I release a breath and give him a little smile. “Okay. But you’re turning your back when I go to the bathroom. That’s where I’m drawing the line.”

“Deal.”

***

THE DAY ISN’T TOO BAD. I’m feeling better after yesterday, and Travis’s carefulness helps because it gives me something to push against, something to resist.

Not that I’m going to fight his attempts to protect me. We were getting too relaxed before, and both of us know it. But making sure Travis doesn’t think I’m damaged or weak gives me incentive to be strong.

My confidence returns as the day goes on. Too much has happened to linger on one bad moment anyway.

By the end of the day, I feel almost normal again.

We don’t make it very far with the late start and all the earthquake damage to maneuver around and the unending search for gas. By the time it starts to get dark, we’ve only made it maybe thirty more miles.

We had to leave the road completely again because of all the damage, so we find a spot in the woods to camp for the night. Travis shows me some practical self-defense moves and teaches me how to use his shotgun, which makes me feel even better. He lets me sleep first, after I make him promise to wake me up for my shift.

He does wake me up. And if I suspect he took a lot more than his half of the night, I have no proof. I don’t have any sort of clock.

I sit with my back to a tree, my gun ready at my side, as Travis sleeps at my feet. At one point he reaches out to hold on to my ankle the way he did a few nights ago.

I don’t pull away.

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