The Dimension Wanderer *HIATUS*

Chapter Thirteen ~stormy lion~

Sierra slept like a log.  She didn't snore, didn't roll over, didn't move once. The room was completely silent and dark, save for the soft sound of Aelia's own breath. Maybe that was why Aelia couldn't sleep.

It was strange to her. After all the chaos and panic and thrill of the day, silence was a new sensation.  It was beautiful, yet Aelia felt so uncomfortable in it. Like she didn't belong.  She shifted on the flimsy mattress, tucking an arm beneath her head, being careful not to disturb the quiet. 

There were many things she could worry about now.  She could just pick one and worry until sunrise.  But it's hard to choose when your thoughts are so scattered and untamed.  Aelia released a breath through her mouth slowly, eyes closed, feeling every limb relaxing.  Then she inhaled and every muscle tensed once more.  Sleep was not her friend. 

The cement ground was cool even through her socks as Aelia stood up and padded to the door. The wood was damp and old.  It smelled like old books. Or an underground bunker. Take your pick.

The Rosy Dumpster had taken off again in search of an abandoned bunker that Hazen had spent a few nights in once.  It was comfortable, though not the loveliest landmark.  Cement and rotting wood were the primary materials of the bunker. Hazen said there were many of these in the city.  Secret shelters and safehouses.  Some were deserted, like this one, and others provided a hideaway for hundreds of families. This one had probably housed three families or so, but it was hard to tell.  Everything that the people could carry had been moved out.  All that was left were a few pieces of dusty furniture and the mattresses that they were sleeping on. 

There were four rooms branching off of one hallway. Two were plain with a few mattresses, one was empty save for a bucket, and one was the kitchen, supposedly. There was a fire pit set in one wall, and a few old boxes laying neglected on their sides.  That was the bunker.  At the end of the hallway was a ladder to climb out of the bunker, but it was concealed at the surface by a manhole cover. 

The whole bunker was rather small and sad, but it suited their purposes for the nights. Aelia couldn't wait to be out of it though.  The utter lack of anything- sound, light, people- was overwhelming.

Aelia exited her room and walked down the hallway to the kitchen.  Dim light crept through the crack between the door and the ground. Aelia stepped from the shadows and cautiously peeked beyond the door.

Hazen was kneeling next to the hearth, poking twigs into the fire. He glanced up at the creak of the door. "Oh. Hey."

"Hey. Couldn't sleep?" Aelia eased herself past the door and gently shut it behind her.

"Even if angels sang me a lullaby I'd still be wide awake." His accent was thicker than usual, a symptom of the weary spell of late night.

"And probably wondering why angels were singing you a lullaby."

"Yes. That too."

Aelia rubbed the goosebumps on her arms and walked over to sit by Hazen near the warmth of the fire.  "So won't this smoke alert those guys who are trying to kill us to our location? I mean, I'm no survivalist expert, but I'm pretty sure making fire is risky. It usually is in books and movies and things."

"We're fine. With the start of the war, many people lost their jobs. Either they couldn't pay rent, mortgage, or simply the electricity bill, and now smoke is pretty common.  A lot of people make fires for warmth or cooking or light now."

Aelia twirled a stick in her fingers. "You keep talking about a war.  What war?"

Hazen sighed. "Long story. Very long story."