Transmissions || Dustin Bates

Dark On Me

Two weeks later, it was late at night, probably around three in the morning.

Different nights, I could not sleep. I found ways to make myself tired, going for walks, working out, taking baths, drinking tea, but the easiest way was going outside to think. I loved that the compound had just think large backyard, fenced in for our protection more than for the protection of civilians. The lights outside were far enough away that I could look up and see every constellation, star, galaxy, planet, and comet. It was perfect.

This night was no different from any other night. I sighed, pushing myself off the bed and throwing on a zip-up sweatshirt to keep me warm. I halfway zipped it, letting some of my chest exposed. I just stayed in my gym shorts, not really caring if whatever lurked in the dark saw me. I walked out of my room, down the stairs, and out to the large grass patch behind the compound. I looked up, my eyes searching the fuzzy stars.

"Man, is it beautiful out tonight," I breathed, not talking to anyone or anything in particular. I just enjoyed the peace that surrounded me at the moment.

"It is," I heard a voice answer. I sat up, spinning around to see Shaylee walking towards me. She was barefoot, wrapped up in a blue blanket, though I could see the end of her pale pink nightgown underneath it.

"What are you doing up?" I demanded, my voice harsher than I intended.

"Well, you aren't the only insomniac, Bates. Quite narcissistic of you to believe that you are the only one who has sleeping trouble. After all, you do live with murderers." She sat down next to me, moving her blanket around so it covered her front. I stared at her in awe. "Ron took my knives from me, meaning I couldn't throw them at the wall until he woke up to entertain me, so I decided to come join you." I laughed a little, laying down.

"Sure, Shay." She laid down next to me before shuffling over and laying closer to me.

"So what do you do when you come out here?" I could see her watching me out of the corner of her eye, but mine were training on the vast space above us.

"I just watch the motion of the stars. How they move in this coordinated dancing pattern. It's just so incredible. The darkness filled with bursts of light from supernovas, planets, suns, galaxies, coming to our view from lightyears away; just to our vision."

"For us." Her voice was soft, her eyes still watching me.

"What?" I asked, not sure if I heard her correctly. It didn't sound like her, but someone distant and far away. I was seeing someone that I didn't know.

"The stars, the converge on this one place for us to see," she expanded her statement. I nodded.

"I guess so..."

We were silent, just watching the stars. I zipped up my sweatshirt the rest of the way, getting a little cold. Shaylee seemed to notice, because she moved closer, cuddling up next to me and putting her blanket over me as well. I slipped my left arm from under my head to wrap around her shoulders to pull her closer. Not another word was spoken.

After an hour, I looked down at Shay to see her asleep, breathing even and steady. I smiled, letting my fingers touch the ends of her hair gently. I stopped watching the stars and just watched her instead, giving in and allowing myself to dream of a future with her.

Hours later, I woke up to a looming shadow over me and someone poking my face.

"Hey, loverboy, get up." A voice laughed. I opened my eyes, detangling myself from whatever I was curled up next to and looking up at the person over me. Adam stood over me, laughing, but Ron was in my face poking my cheek.