Page 11 of Tower
There’s not enough here for droves to waste their time with.
Still, of all the threats that have arisen since Impact, droves are the worst. Just the thought of them makes me ill.
The meeting concludes with Levi announcing they should set up regular patrols farther east, just in case the drove moves our way.
After that, everyone disperses. Levi doesn’t acknowledge me at all before he leaves. I’m honestly not sure he remembers I exist. He and some of the others are making another run today—this time to escort a truckload of produce from the Nelsons’ compound.
I stay in the kitchen until midmorning, helping to clean up and prep the ingredients for lunch.
When Becca and Jen finish their work shift, I figure I’m done too. I go back to Levi’s room and stay there since I’m not yet comfortable hanging out by myself when Levi isn’t around.
I bar the door like he told me.
4
I spendmost of the day unpacking my clothes and trying to make room for them. Levi said I could move any of his stuff I wanted, and he appeared to mean it. He obviously isn’t overly concerned with his surroundings. The room isn’t dirty or gross, but it’s bare. Stark.
I clear out two dresser drawers for my stuff and manage to fit everything else in half the big closet.
It’s ridiculous for me to have so many clothes in this situation. A lot of the folks here probably wear the same two sets of clothes every single day. Laundry is a lot of work, so it’s silly to change clothes so often that there’s a huge load to wash.
But I’ve got them, and there’s no reason to throw them out. Maybe Becca will want something. We must wear roughly the same size.
When my clothes are sorted, I find places for the little trinkets and cozy elements I brought from my bedroom at home. I add a soft throw blanket to the bed. I put some books on a side table in the sitting area. I set a framed photo of me with my parents on my nightstand. I display my mother’s small collection of crystal butterflies on the empty dresser top.
She had one when I was a little, and I started to give her more as Christmas or birthday presents. She displayed them on glass shelves my dad installed near the window by her favorite chair. They’re what my mother left behind when she died that mean most to me.
If Levi doesn’t want them there, I’ll move them. But it’s an empty, unused space, so hopefully he won’t mind.
Jen brings by my sandwich for lunch like she did yesterday, so I only leave the room once to go to the bathroom. Otherwise, I get everything sorted, stowing my luggage and the tubs we used to pack my stuff on the closet floor.
After that, I lay on the bed to rest. I cry a little, but then I go to sleep.
I’m awakened by a pounding on the door.
Confused and groggy, I roll out of bed and head for the door. After unbarring it, I swing it open to reveal a scowling Levi.
“I’m sorry,” I mumble, trying to figure out what time of day it is.
“For what?” He pushes his way into the room. “Just next time ask who it is before you open the door. It might not’ve been me.” He gives me a sharp once-over. “Are you sick?”
“No. I was sleeping. Sorry.”
“For what?” he asks again. He sits down in the bigger armchair with a soft groan, rubbing his face like he’s trying to wake himself up.
“For napping.” I stand and fidget, smoothing down my hair and tugging at the hem of my shorts.
“Why do I give a fuck about that? You worked all morning, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“So you’re fine. Safer for you stay up here anyway.” He slouches down in the chair so he can lean his head against the back of it and close his eyes.
He’s tired. He needs a nap even more than I did.
“Okay.” Awkward and uncertain, I perch on the edge of the bed. I have no idea what he’s even doing up here. “Did you… did you want…”
When I don’t finish, he peers at me beneath his eyelids.
