The Decay

Chapter Twelve

"I don't know."

"What do you mean 'I don't know'?"

"I mean," She says stretching it out, "I. Don't. Know."

    The group arrived at the destination Noah told them about though it took them longer than Noah had estimated. They sit inside a small motel in wait of Noah's arrival; not knowing exactly when he'd make it there.

"Well, how do you not know what kind of sword it is?" Continues Tanner.

    "A weapon is a weapon to me," the girl explains narrowing her eyes, "I found it and taught myself how to swing it right. Sorry that I didn't stop to google it at some point."

    Tanner is happy. He doesn't care that he's irritating her. Miyonah and Lucas went to sleep in one of the rooms when they arrived but he wanted to talk to someone. He doesn't like being left to his own mind in fear of what he'll think about. Plus, the girl was intriguing to him and he wanted to learn more about her.

    "Self taught? I thought you must have had some sort of training the way you took that bider down."

"Bider." The girl whispers and a faint smile tilts the corners of her lips.

Tanner, liking the fact that he got her to smile, went on.

    "It's what Noah, the guy we're waiting for, calls them. He said it's because it not only sounds like 'biter' but also because they bide their time waiting for something to kill."

"I like it." She says but doesn't further the conversation.

    She gets up again and stands by the door, looking out, watching for danger or for the man they call Noah to appear. Tanner sits in an overstuffed chair facing her in the lobby. He wishes she'd sit back down in the chair opposite him and stay there but when he'd suggested it all she'd said was, "Not smart."

"Nothing's out there. You've checked twenty times in the last ten minutes."

She turns to him with the same serious expression, "Five times."

    "Do you not understand sarcasm?" He asks but she doesn't react. He sighs. "Could you please just sit back down? You're making me antsy."

"You should be."

The stare down that ensues continues for what seems like forever to Tanner.

I don't mind, he thought as they battled each other's wills, staring into your eyes.

    As they continue, Tanner thinks that looking into her eyes is like falling into eternity. Then he thinks about how stupid that sounds but doesn't withdraw the comparison because somehow, he believes it just fits. He knows he's being ridiculous obsessing over this girl who's name he does not know. Yes, she's beautiful and somehow looks like she invented the term, "Badass", but now seemed like the weirdest time to obsess over a girl.

    Now was the perfect time for it. She was something to think about besides the world around him. A mystery to solve. Something to make sense of since he knew he could probably never make sense of the world he lived in now.

    Eventually, that almost nonexistent smile creeps across her lips again and she finally sits back down.

"You aren't very smart, antsy boy."

"And you aren't very talkative."

"Talking gets you killed out there."

"But we're in here."

"What is it that you want?"

"To talk."

"Obviously. What about?"