A Day In September - BTS Zombie au

23: Sixth Sense

"You had a nightmare last night," Jin brought up cautiously, setting the utensils and empty bowl on the side. He then slipped the breakfast tray back under the bed before taking a seat on the bed beside hers. His words held no intent to pry but there was curiosity in his eyes.

Mara laid in bed, having changed into a clean set of clothes personally washed by Jin himself. He'd made sure that every second she spent inside the infirmary was comfortable and clean, offering a shower later on once Mara regained her energy. Mara was still weak and lacking enough strength to carry out these tasks, but excitement bubbled in her stomach at the mere thought of finally cleaning her entire body. So long without taking a shower surely was making her emit a...smell. She'd tried her best to scrub herself clean with a wet cloth and warm water but that only did so much for her.

Another two days had passed and Mara continued to imagine what the outside of the infirmary looked like. Whenever Jin entered or exited the room, she was only met with the sight of a corridor—a corridor and a single dark wooden door that was always closed. The walls outside the room were a faintly graying white, paint just barely chipped away in some places but otherwise still intact for the majority. The hallway would be dark both in the night and day, only dimly illuminated by the light coming from the window in the infirmary and the candle Jin would light almost every night.

Mara also looked forward to meeting everyone else, hopeful they'd be as kind as Jin. He'd mentioned something about not wanting to overwhelm her, and that soon would be the time which she'd get to talk to them. Mara didn't really mind. She was starting to thoroughly enjoy Jin's company. Mara was also beginning to dislike the moments she spent alone. Every second she spent alone in the infirmary was filled with paranoia and a deafening silence in which  Mara attempted to occupy herself doing minimally engaging exercises like walking from one bed to the other. She would sit and watch the outside to distract herself, but the flashes of memories would cause the enjoyment to rapidly dwindle.

It took hearing Jin's muffled voice from the other side of the closed door for her to calm down. She'd hear other voices as well, but none she was familiar with.

Mara blinked in confusion, but she quickly caught on. She had no recollection of the nightmare but that didn't mean it hadn't happened.

"Yeah," Mara nodded, "For weeks I've been having nightmares of what happened before I got here. When I wake up I feel that initial fear, and then my brain omits it like it never happened."

Jin's eyes slightly widened in shock, but he was quick to play it off, "Right. I don't mean to be nosy, I just get worried and I'm not sure if I should wake you up or let you sleep."

Mara shrugged, "Doesn't make a difference. If I wake up and then go back to sleep, the nightmare picks up where it left off."

Jin sighed, "That really sucks."

"I like to think they'll go away," she replied, bearing a tired smile and tone. Somehow she still held a hint of hope.

Jin nodded with a determined frown, "I think they will. You just have to keep believing that and it will manifest. I will send you only good energy so that you are constantly surrounded by it."

Mara smiled gratefully, "I appreciate that."

The first day after waking up from a week of sleep had been spent with Jin. However, as night came around, Jin opted to sleep in his own room, mentioning that he didn't feel quite right invading her space by taking up the bed in the same room. Though Mara took this lightly on the surface, her inner self was riddled with fear. She wanted him to stay in the room and sleep on the bed next to hers to ward away anything undesirable. As much as she esteemed his chivalry, she couldn't help but be equally frustrated by it.