The Regeneration Project

~6~

Aspen—

It has been a week since Risa showed up at my door and I still can't quite shake the air of uneasiness between us. We've tried to come up with answers as to why we are the only ones left, but so far all we have is empty hands and minds full of frantic questions. I just can't fathom how an entire civilization could disappear overnight. There's something not right, something I'm missing; I just can't figure out what that information is. I can't help but feel that this isn't really real, something that isn't as it seems to be. I constantly have this nagging feeling that I'm being watched, and for good reason too. I told Risa about the message I had received from the SST, and as to who or what that is, I have no clue. But doesn't it just seem odd that I'm being watched by someone when everyone else is gone? It just doesn't  add up. The only rational explanation  besides the unlikely theories of an alien invasion that we have come up with is that we are being tested. To what extent we don't know, but I can only hope that it isn't something that could be harmful to us. I don't think whoever is observing us would let us die, seeing that we are their only test subjects in whatever this is, but they could get us as close to death as they wanted...

"...Aspen!" I hear Risa calling.

"What, what is it?" I yell startled out of my thoughtful trance.

"I was trying to talk to you and you just stared off and wouldn't respond. I thought maybe you were under some controlling influence of the SST or something."

"Oh no, sorry, I was just deep in thought and I guess I tuned you out." I answered apologetically.

"Well how about you tell me next time? You scared the daylights out of me."

"Oh what is that I hear? Was that concern? I really am flattered, Risa. I had no idea I meant so much to you." I teased.

"Oh shut up. I just didn't want you to turn into a drone or something." Risa retorted.

"Oh so that's what it was... alright, whatever you want to believe."

"I'm serious!" she said defensively.

"I am too. You really were genuinely concerned."

"Whatever Aspen, don't flatter yourself too much."

"Oh don't worry, too late for that." I said with a discernible grin.

"What am I ever going to do with you?" she said as she slowly shook her head.

"So I was thinking," I proposed, "that we should start going out and searching buildings for any clues. Start with ones closest to us and gradually spread our search outward."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that too," she replied, "We could always move to different apartment complexes the farther we get away from here. They're all unlocked, and from what I've seen, they all have a large stock of supplies."

"Yeah that sounds like a good plan." I think we should skip any housing and just search businesses. If at the end of searching everything we don't find any clues, then we can go back and search later."

"Okay, sounds good to me." she answered. 

I start forming a plan I my head and hoping that we will find something of interest. Something that could explain all the sudden disappearances and where they all went. Deep down I have a gut feeling that something is wrong with us and not everyone else though. I fell like all the answers lie inside something special with us, but what that could be however is only up to my best speculations.

"Risa," I ask as I venture into dangerous territory, "do you ever wonder why it is us here together and not someone else. Just think for a moment about the likelihood of it being us. I mean, it's close to impossible that it would be you and I."

"Yeah," she admitted, "sometimes I do, by then I just get confused and a lot of unanswered questions flying through my head so I usually just avoid it altogether. It's us, and there's nothing I can do about it so why bother?"

"Yeah," I reply, "I guess so. It just seems a little odd to me. I feel like something isn't right about this whole arrangement, but then again, it could just be me being paranoid."

"No," she reassured me, "It's not just you. I think about it too."

A very long silence stretches between us, but it isn't a bad silence. It is a period of understanding and deep thought. Something that is rarely present during these questionable times.

"Well, I'm going to I get ready for bed. I'm exhausted." I say. I look towards the clock and realize how late it is. Its almost midnight and I've been up all day planning and sorting facts in my mind.

"Yeah me too." she says as she walks towards my parents' old bedroom where she's been staying, "Goodnight Aspen."

I catch a glimpse of the corners of her mouth perking up into a rare smile that spreads across her face before she turns away to head for the door. I wish she would smile more often; it suits her well. She looks beautiful when she smiles. I quickly break myself out of my trance before it seems an awkward amount of time for me to be staring at her.

"Goodnight Risa." I manage to get out before she closes the bedroom door.

Soon, I follow suit and walk into my own bedroom where I put on my night clothes and crawl into bed. I really am starting to fall for her and that scares me. My number one rule has always been no attachments. Whenever I get attached to people, I end up getting hurt. I don't want that to happen again, especially not with the only person left in the nation with me, and possibly on the entire planet. But I can't help thinking about her and the life we could have together. We could rebuild this place.  As I drift off to sleep, I continue to have pleasant thought of her on my mind and I wonder what our future could be like.

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Sorry for the short chapter, but the next one will be sort of long so I will make up for it. I didn't quite get five votes on the last chapter, but I said I would update every Monday so I'm sticking to that. Feel free to make it up on this chapter though (: hint, hint. Again, thanks for reading!