Stick Together

Chalet

After a cozy, warm night of rest and reminiscing, the group started to explore their new shelter. The ski lodge, or as it was named, Whitecap Mountain Ski Resort, was located near Green Bay, Wisconsin, almost 800 miles from their desired location of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Made of 80 year old pine and cedar wood, the lodge smelled of sweet wood and fresh pine needles. The outside remained beautiful even after the fall of society. The lodge, like most of its time, was an A-Frame building with large windows and several fireplaces. With its own generators underneath the establishment, the 5,000 square foot resort possessed its own electricity. It was a paradise for a group that had been trekking across the Midwest for several hundred miles in the cold and snow. Conveniently, it only had a few bedrooms with a few beds, so the almost-family had to bunk with each other. Of course, Becca and Aaron, brother and sister, bunked with each other, and Cameron and Lily bunked with each other. However, the convenient part, at least for Elle, was that she and Dakota slept in the same bed. Meaning almost nothing the first few days, it was normal, but after a week, Elle began making advances on Dakota.

"Quite a lovely night we're having, isn't it?" Dakota coughed. "Not in any way romantic, of course."

"Indeed," Elle awkwardly responded. She slid her body closer to Dakota slowly, hoping he wouldn't notice. "I'm a little cold," she lied when she figured out he had stiffened up. Dakota flipped over on his side, avoiding anything further. Elle grew annoyed. "Huuhhh," she sighed as she got even closer. "Sure would be nice to feel the embrace of another human, but no, it's fine, stay cold and isolated like usual."

Dakota turned over. "What are you talking about?"

"You're always so emotionally distant now," Elle explained. "It'd be nice to finally see the good side of you, instead of the serious side."

"It's called the necessary side, Elle," Dakota countered. "In times like this—"

"We are fine right now!" Elle exclaimed. "There's nothing to worry about! We're in the middle of nowhere with a lot of food, a lot of water and a lot of energy. It's about time we take a break."

Dakota pondered this for a little bit. It was relieving to relax after almost a month of nonstop running, hiding and death. The idea appealed to him greatly. "Ok, fine," he finally responded. "I'll relax."

* * * * *

"Wow, Dakota, you look like shit," Andrea joked. "Adventurous night?"

"Ew, no, sicko," Dakota denounced as he rubbed his half-open eyes. "I just got a good night's sleep."

"Mhm," Andrea hummed. She was cooking breakfast; oatmeal with freeze-dried bacon. "This lodge is packed with food. We might be able to stay here for the entire winter."

"One can only hope," Cameron chimes in, almost unnoticed until that point. She was playing on her phone that she kept from the outbreak.

"Do I smell bacon?" Kenny boomed down the spiral stairs, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Indeed," Andrea smiled. "Can someone take this up to Jesse?"

"I'll do it," Cameron jumped up from her seat immediately.

Just as she took the food up to Jesse, Elle came down the stairs with a mess of hair similar to that of Dakota's.

"Someone got lucky last night," Andrea laughed.

"Shut up," Elle chuckled. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Don't make it sound like anything happened, Elle," Dakota spoke up. "Nothing happened."

"Okay, mister cover up," Andrea said as she fixed his plate. She winked at Elle and Elle winked back.

"I'm not blind," Dakota reminded. "I saw both of those."

"Are you weirdos talking about sex?" Aaron asked as he tiptoed down the stairs.

"Jesus Christ, as if this could get any more awkward, we now have a 14 year old talking to us about sex," Kenny said.

"I'm 15, penisface," he fired back. "I'm only a year and a half younger than you guys."

"Look, guys, we haven't even kissed yet, so calm the fuck down," Dakota blurted out.

"Lame," Becca yelled from the indoor balcony. "Slow-pokes."

"Dude, even I've kissed Lily," Aaron flaunted.

"Seriously?" Elle asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"Ouch," Aaron whispered.

After everyone had eaten breakfast, they mostly all went out to the backyard of the grand lodge to find a green, algae-ridden outdoor pool. Although there was snow on the ground, it was merely 37 degrees outside, enough for ice to melt to water. The type of algae in the pool must've been a newly adapted form of the species that could spread in cold weather.

The group consisting of all the uninjured people minus Andrea was having a conversation outside near the disgusting pool that was instigated by its mere look. The other three placed themselves on the outside second floor balcony, watching over the rather big group. After a while, Jesse finally saw something emerge from the grimy water and step onto land.

"Guys!" he yelled, "behind you!"

Dakota swung around and saw the grossly decayed and soggy entity and tried to stab its head, but only sliced flab from its face. The monster stumbled over onto Elle and tried to eat her. Dakota grabbed the wet biter and shoved it off of her, with a crazed look on his face. He then stabbed it about 25 times, ensuring it was dead for a second and final time. Shortly after the excitement, Elle rushes to Dakota, ignoring the blood all over him, hugged him and kissed him.

It was a long one, as he had just saved her life for another time. Heartfelt on both sides, it was what Elle would've described as magical.

"Dakota," Elle said after the kiss, "I love you."