Warmer | r

IV

The rain poured down, soaking him body in minutes.

Of course, it had to rain, because what else makes sense right now? He thought, sitting in the convertible car with no way to put the top up. His hair clung to his forehead and the dirt from it dripped down his face. They'd been driving all night and they had hardly said anything to each other. He would occasionally look over at her and see her shivering. The wind wasn't making the rain much better. He didn't really care, but he could tell Jaedra was freezing.

They drove through a block of houses, in a further outreach of the main city, and Jaedra decided she was too tired and could continue driving the next morning. She pulled into the driveway of an abandoned house and the two had walked up to the door. It was locked.

R ran at it and the old hinges gave way under his weight. Jaedra walked in after him and began to look around the house, knife in hand. How she had managed to keep it for all this time, she didn't know.

"Wow, look R! It's been forever since I've seen one of these," she said, holding up an old Polaroid camera. He glanced at it, confused. "Smile!"

He was startled by the bright flash when she pressed a button. A paper slid out of the bottom and Jaedra shook it to reveal the picture. She laughed at his expression.

"My mum used to say that you should always be taking pictures, if not with a camera, then your with your mind. She was forever a romantic like that," she giggled.

"Here, take a picture," she said, handing him the camera. He pressed the button when she smiled. She took the picture out and showed it to him. He nodded, interested. She laughed.

"I'm gonna go check out the rest of the house, you can just hang out," she said, jogging up the stairs. He nodded, taking a seat on the creaky sofa and picking up a magazine. He tried to read it, but his eyes couldn't comprehend what was being said.

A few moments later, Jaedra reappeared at the top of the stairs. "Hey," she said.

He looked up at her.

"There's a bed up here that isn't too rotten. I'm going to get some sleep. See you in the morning," she began back up the stairs before stopping and backtracking.

"Um, R ... I- I was thinking, you ... you can sleep up there if you want to. On the floor, I mean. These old houses kinda freak me out," she stumbled over her words, wringing her hands, nervously. He nodded, setting down the magazine. She breathed out and went back up the staircase and into the bedroom. He came with.

R followed as she walked to the window when she heard the sound of engines. Down in the street was an entire convoy of armoured cars. General Grigio had sent out a rescue party. One person looked through the window and she pushed R out of his view.

R looked at her, confused. "H-home," he said, pointing out the window. That's where she wanted to go, right? He figured she would run outside and meet with them and leave him there all alone.

She waited for them to pass by before she spoke, glancing out the window again.

"Oh god. They would have killed you. If they saw you, they would have shot you right in the head and ... you'd just be gone," she said, turning towards him, heart racing and eyes wild with concern. She was worried about him.

Why? He wondered. She paced the room once or twice before walking back to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She was ... hugging him? He didn't know how to respond, so he stood there, frozen in place. She let go and headed to the bed, her breathing calmed and heart rate normal. She seemed to have gotten over her fit.

She curled up in the bed, wrapped in the covers as he walked in and laid down on the floor beside her.

Jaedra tossed and turned under the thick blankets, still freezing in her soaked clothing.