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Seconds, minutes, hours. Time felt wrong and foreign. Two people -survivors, really- sat slumped against a wall, the deep smell of iron lingering around them. The guard sighed, quietly thudding her head against the wall and closing her eyes.
Snoring.
She chuckled and glanced over at her companion, exhausted and sleeping beside her. They’d been fighting those creatures for who knew how long, and they were tired. Gordon’s head slumped against her shoulder, but he remained asleep.
She wondered how long it would take them to reach the surface. How long before they were free and not in imminent danger.
CRASH
Imminent danger. She forcefully blew air out of her nose and shook her head.
“Gordon. Time to wake up.” She rose and stretched her back. He stirred, but was not fully awake.
“Doc, gotta wake up!”
That startled him, and before he could even adjust his glasses he made a motion with his hands. ‘I’m good,’ he signed, rising to his feet and finally fixing his glasses. ‘What’s up?’
“I heard a vent collapse.”
He stood straighter, hand hovering over the crowbar. A yawn escaped him, and the guard gave him a sympathetic look.
“Sorry to wake you.”
‘I’m alright.’
“You sure?”
He nodded. ‘Where was the sound?’
“What?”
‘Where was the s-o-u-n-d?’ He slowly repeated the original sign he had used for the word.
“Oh, sorry about that. Down that hallway, on the right fork.” She replicated the motion to herself once, then twice. She was learning sign language and learning it fast, being around him so much.
The guard smiled at the memories of the two of them in the break room, before everything went downhill. She would ask him what a swear word was in ASL, and then he’d laugh and show her.
A tap on her shoulder brought her back to the present.
“Sorry.”
‘It’s fine.’ He took a few steps forward, then readied the crowbar.
“Thought about something funny.”
He glanced back, his face somehow both stressed and entertained.
“Remember the break room?”
It took a few seconds, and then he smiled. He grabbed the crowbar with the other hand, then signed ‘asshole.’ The guard chuckled and signed the other version of it that he’d also taught her. The two met eyes and the smiles shifted; there was a warmth between them, a connection neither had the time nor energy to address at that moment.
Another time, then.
They gave each other a knowing, curt nod, and they straightened their shoulders.
“Ready?”
‘Ready.’
They moved quickly and quietly, crowbar and gun poised for attack. Turning the corner revealed a broken vent, but no other sign of life. Gordon held up his hand, signaling her to stop.
“Where do you-“
He shushed her, inching his way forward.
“Gordon-“
He shot her a pointed glare, and she got the message loud and clear.
She took a breath and sighed to herself. Every time they got into some sort of problem, he would run in head first before she even had time to react. Really, she was supposed to be a guard, what-
Something moved out of a shadow and lunged at the doctor. The sound of the metal bar beating its flesh briefly echoed in the corridor before the headcrab laid lifeless at his feet. He stood motionless above it, the grip on his weapon loosening until the loud clang of it hitting the floor rang in their ears.
“Everything alright?” The young woman was slow in her movements forward, not wanting to startle him. “Gordon?”
No response. She decided not to push it, and instead picked up the crowbar. She set it back in its place on the suit, then rested a hand on his shoulder. He flinched and looked at her in response. The expression on his face told all, as it always did. Without a word, she holstered her gun and turned him to face her, pulling him into a tight hug. As tight a hug as she could without the HEV suit digging into her, anyway. A hand found its way into his hair and she held him, secure and safe. His arms wrapped and brought her impossibly closer, his head beginning to hang.
“Tired?”
A long, deep breath brushed against her head, followed by an exhausted nod.
“I bet.” She gently rubbed the back of his head and neck. “We need rest.”
“Yeah.” It was quiet, but she heard it all the same.
The sound of a zombie reverberated from deep within the hallway ahead of them. Gordon’s entire body tensed, knowing he’d soon have to kill another former colleague. The guard held him tighter, the HEV suit finally starting to cause slight pain.
“I’m sorry.”
His fingers gripped harder. There was only so much someone could take, so much someone could lose, before they shut down entirely.
“I can take care of it, let me-“
“Don’t.” He rubbed a small, distinct circle on her back, a motion she’d seen him do before against his chest. ‘Please.’
Please don’t go.
You’ll end up like the others.
All those guards and scientists he’d tried to save, his friends and acquaintances that trusted him and followed him, were gone. No matter what he did, he couldn’t protect them and keep them safe. He’d look for them after a fight, heart pounding as he retraced his path, only to find their lifeless corpses. He couldn’t go through that again.
The zombie made a noise again, closer than before.
“Gordon. We can do this.” She pulled away slightly, still embracing but able to look at his face. “Ready?”
No.
God, how he wanted to say no, to just grab her hand and run. How he wanted things to return to normal, from before the Resonance Cascade.
But no.
Things would never be the same. People were dying, people were already dead. Something very bad had started, and it was quickly snowballing.
The look on his face told her everything she needed to know. There was sorrow there; pain from sudden and overwhelming loss.
“We’ll do it together, we’ll get through this. I’ll stay by your side, okay?”
He didn’t nod, didn’t say a word, nothing. He gave no indication of a response, but she knew the gears were turning. His tired eyes flickered across her face, pausing for a moment whenever their gazes met. Slowly, carefully, he brought a hand up and cupped her cheek, bringing their foreheads together.
A growling, pained cry resounded from the hallway, the awkward footsteps of the zombie growing nearer.
“You and me, Gordon.”
Their eyes locked, and the guard placed a hand over the doctor’s.
Gordon nodded, courage visibly etching itself across his features. She smiled at him, earning a warm one in return. They finally stepped away from their hug, and she readied her gun.
‘Be careful.’ The motion should’ve been urgent and cautious, given the situation, but the sign was almost loving. He was worried, and his facial expression gave that away.
“The same to you, doc.”
Once again, they squared their shoulders and poised their weapons to attack, both turning to face down the hall. They stood side by side.
The zombie came into the light and finally spotted them. It let out a sort of shriek and locked onto them, approaching with a newfound determination.
“You ready, Gordon?” She looked over at him. He flashed a confident smile, then gave a curt nod.
‘Ready.’