Sleep, sometimes, does the weirdest thing to your brain. Like messing up the time in your head. I find myself back traveling back to the past, back to those days where I would spend my summers at a holiday cabin. I would hibernate like a bat, and the first thing when I got up was to flop back onto the bed and snooze again for another five minutes. Typical me.

With my eyes still closed, I stretch on my comfortable bed, roll over to the other side and nestle my head into a hard, giant pillow. Except that it's...moving?!

I blink my eyes open. That's when my fuzzy brain registers that I'm not at home or a holiday cabin. But it's something similar—a camper van. The ceiling's pretty low. The lights are off, but moonlight spills through the window. A clock sits on the top of a fridge, reading 8.31pm. Everything is so still and silent, save for my pounding heart and the crickets chirping outside.

Shucks. Did I sleep the whole day away?

I shift a little, but find my cheek press up against Zarius's chest. My hand drapes over his torso, my leg hooking over his. His eyes are closed, his breathing even. His perfectly sculpted face is mere inches away from mine. With his arms wrapped around me protectively, I feel like a bear cub snuggling up against him; warm and safe from the monsters lurking outside.

Seeing him like this, I can't tell the difference between him and a human.

And was he worried that I would be cold?

My hand reaches out to brush aside a lock of his hair that has fallen over his forehead, the tip of my fingers lightly grazing his skin. I scan his face and his side, heaving a silent sigh of relief that his wound has fully recovered from the earlier fight.

He stirs slightly, pressing me closer to him so that his chin rests on top of my head. My jacket is gone and my shirt has lifted a little during my sleep, leaving a small gap of skin exposed. The subtle brush of his fingers against me has caught me off guard, and my skin flushes. Heat rises in my cheeks quickly.

The room suddenly feels hot.

I lie still, afraid that when I move again, he's going to wake up. Questions swim through my mind as I wonder what it's like to be a merfolk living underwater instead of a human.

Do they feel attraction towards each other? If they do, do they take the time to date—or court—each other? How do they have kids and grow a family underwater? How does society work over there?

My musty hair plasters to my neck. I must stink like hell, but somehow, my nose is desensitized to my scent. How does even Zarius stand being around me? And how does he not stink? Is there a merfolk secret to this?

Maybe a shower is what I need. I attempt to pull out of his arms slowly, trying to pry them off me carefully, but Zarius's eyes snap open immediately. He looks high and alert, no doubt putting out his antennae to sense for dangers.

His eyes settle on me. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," I respond meekly. Feeling the heat of his gaze on me has me growing flustered and I avert my eyes. "So, erm...how did we end up here?"

"I went back the way we came from and found these little huts."

"And you picked this? A camper van?"

He blinks, confused by my growing amusement. "Yes, I figured you would need this if we're heading to the place that you wanted to go. That human boy was driving a box like this, wasn't he?"

His observation skills surprise me yet again. "He did. You're a freaking genius, Zarius. If anybody's going to survive this apocalypse, you will be the man leading us all."

Zarius seems a little proud when I praise him. "Not without your help."

"I'll be there," I promise happily. "I'll take all your instructions, boss."

I raise my fist, but he frowns at my hand. I take his hand, curl his fingers, and bump his fist against mine lightly. "Deal."

"What does this mean?"

"This is to solidify our friendship, alliance, partnership or whatever you call it," I explain while smiling. "Humans use it as a greeting too."

Zarius stares down at his hand, wearing an inscrutable expression. "This won't be necessary."

His words deflate me like a balloon, but I brush it aside, thinking that he doesn't understand the things we humans do. I realize he still hasn't loosened his hold on me yet. I tap once on his arm lightly and clear my throat loudly. "Do you mind? I'm thinking of taking a quick shower, if they have one here."

He releases me slowly and I climb out of bed, despite my sore muscles screaming in pain, and stub my poor toe into a side cabinet. "Ow!"

I lie back on the bed, but my back hits Zarius instead. I find myself sprawled across his lap awkwardly. Oops. Not a graceful fall at all.

He gives a soft chuckle. "Fragile halfling."

"Excuse me?" I exclaim in sheer disbelief. "I'll show you how this halfling can beat your ass."

Shaking his head with a humored smile, he shifts me onto his lap into a more comfortable position with my head resting on his left thigh. He grabs my injured foot and begins examining the toe. "This is the one?"

My body stills. "Y-yeah."

I forget my pain when swipes his thumb over my bruise gently, giving it a massage. My breath hitches in response. My skin hums in excitement as I try to get a grip on myself. Electricity is pulsing in the air between us. I feel like my heart is about to combust the longer I stare at him and especially his lips.

What's wrong with me? With us?

Maybe...it's because I'm craving for touch. An embrace. Anything to console me after losing people I've loved.

Regardless, I attempt to divert my attention away from Zarius by talking. "By the way...it's nighttime and we've been making a ruckus. Will the monsters hear us and come for us?"

"No." He seems so certain, and I believe his instincts. "I sense none of them in this area. They must have gone further inland and after the humans. You smell less like them right now."

"Because I shifted halfway earlier?"

"Correct. And because you're with me. The human boy is no longer with us. His blood attracts them."

The mention of Jace has me feeling afraid for his safety. "Do you think he's still alive?"

Zarius's eyes soften when he sees my crestfallen expression. "I hope so."

Hearing me sigh, he continues to rub circles around my bruised toe, as if he knows how soothing that feeling is. But my mind lingers over the fact that it's just me and him now. Together in a camper van. Alone.

And that's not helping to slow my racing heart.

Alright, that's it. TIME OUT.

I scramble out of his lap hastily, earning a look of confusion from him. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope, nope! It's nothing!"

Of course there's something wrong. He's so freaking hot that it makes my brain's malfunctioning. And I can't believe I'm having such thoughts when the world is ending soon. Unbelievable.

His frown deepens at my odd behavior. "Where are you going?"

"To the shower." I grab my backpack off the counter that has my clothes, but stop before I step into the tiniest shower room I've ever seen in my life. "Thanks for keeping my bag safe. No peeping, okay?"

He nods somewhat blankly, and that's enough for me. I pull the flimsy door shut and latch the lock properly. A quick shower is all I need. It's already embarrassing enough to know that he can hear all my movements and he's waiting outside for me to be done. The last thing I need him to see is me being naked. No, thank you.

The space is pretty tight and dark. Placing my bag on the hood of the toilet seat, I rummage through it for a flashlight. After locating it, I switch it on for a quick search around the tiny cubicle. Lucky me, there is a stock of shampoo and soap in the cabinet right on top of the sink.

I pull off my clothes and stand under the running shower. The electricity is out so there's no hot water, but I'm slightly better at withstanding the cold now. As droplets rain down on me, it feels like a numbing relief after being slapped right in the face with the apocalypse.

Except that the feeling is only temporary and the guilt and pain of losing people never really goes away.

😢❤️