All That Remains

[SnowStorm42]

Neil looked over at Chris who was now standing, his things packed. "I did what I ha-"


"-d to. I know. Save if for someone who cares Blondie"


Neil looked away from Chris. He wondered if he had done the right thing by shooting at Chris' hand. He trusted his accuracy but he wondered what Gospel thought of the situation. His mind was fixated on her again. He looked at the magnum which he had now holstered. He looked at Pinkerton. His old ways were coming back. And he didn't want that. He went over to Pinkerton and cut his bindings.





"If you run I swear I'll kill you" Neil said. Pinkerton nodded. With that they moved out Neil dragging the tied up General and Chris ushering Pinkerton. They walked down the steps. Pinkerton opened the door to lead into the hallway and Neil and Chris both panicked upon hearing Gospel curse. Chris rushed over to her and Neil followed after smacking Pinkerton on the head hard.


"Are you ok?" Chris asked first. Neil examined from a bit behind Chris and pulled a clean tissue out of his pocket to give her. Chris took it and handed it to her.


Neil looked back at Pinkerton wanting to break his nose, but another look down the empty hallways told him otherwise. "We should go" Neil said. Chris nodded and put a hand on Gospel's shoulder and smiled. He grabbed Pinkerton's arm and escorted him. Neil dragged the General as they made their way to the truck. A brief image flashed into Neil's mind of the girl from his dream and then the water that surrounded him. He shook his head hoping none of them notice. He needed to get some sleep otherwise he was gonna start hallucinating too.


As they got closer to the exit Neil looked when they were in the room of damaged computers with the one big computer. He reached into his pocket but found that he didn't have his zippo on him. He sighed. He wanted to burn the place down. He kept dragging the General as Chris ushered Pinkerton. The rain poured heavy outside and the only thing that resembled light outside were the headlights of the truck. Keith waved at them. Neil shoved the General into the back of the truck and Chris got in with Pinkerton. Neil held the door to the passenger's side in the front for Gospel. "Where to?"

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Holding her nose, her eyes widened in slight surprise seeing that Pinkerton wasn't bound and left for dead. He had a fair shot this way, at least she was glad that Neil changed his mind even though it cost her a bloody nose. She could feel the liquid start to drain and she was very thankful for the randomized tissue. She could have cracked a joke about Neil carrying tissues but considering the looks of concern both guys were giving her she didn't. Huffing, she tilted her head at an angle trying to stop the bleeding.


"It's just a bloody nose, jeeze. No need to look at me like I broke my pelvis."


Gospel grumbled in reply to Chris's question. She didn't understand what the need to become protective over her all of a sudden was about but she sure wasn't positive that she liked the unwarranted attention. Keeping pace easily, she lowered her head slowly finally getting the trickles of blood to stop. Gospel frowned at the rain, hesitant to walk out the final door after them. She did though, following the group with caution ready to bolt at the first signs of thunder.


Meeting his gaze, she looked up at Neil as he held the door open for her. She looked at him for another long moment before shifting her gaze towards the city barely visible in the distance. It was crazy to think that she had even made it out of there with Grace at the time. The place was crawling with dead and Grace had gotten bit in the process of leaving. She took a deep breath, taking a glance towards the guests in the back of her truck.


She didn't know actually. Before she had thought about dropping the General off in the city but she realized how foolish that would be. Cities were off limits unless you absolutely had to go in.


"Let's just....start with getting away from here."


Gospel muttered climbing in the passenger side while she motioned for him to get in as well. She just had this really bad feeling sitting out in the open like this.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil nodded at her and shut the door behind her. Chris peeked out from the back of the truck. "Neil grab the walkie talkies from my bike" Chris said. Neil nodded and looked at the bike. It was a really nice bike, skulls painted neatly and symmetrically on the gas tank, black all over. It was really nice. He reached into the satchel on the side of the bike and pulled out a walkie and tossed it to Chris before hopping into the back of the truck. Keith started driving the moment the door shut.


"This is Chris. Keith and I need the flat down by the Rotterdaime labs. Leaving our bikes here. Get the flat ASAP over"


Chris waited and smiled when the confirmation came. He loved the flat. He could leave his bike anywhere and know that the flatbed would come by wherever the bike was, pick it up and deliver it home. Home. Chris wondered what it was like back at HQ and at the smaller camps. He feared with his absence things might have fallen behind. His mind then began to work its way to Gospel and the kiss they shared the other day and the conversations. Neil thought of both the time he shared with Gospel in that office space and the people back at his safe zone. He cared for the people at the safe zone like they were family, because at this point they practically were. And Gospel. Neil couldn't recreate the feelings if he tried.


The truck remained silent as Keith drove slowly on the slippery wet road, which was also covered by cars. He swore that while he drove he heard a distant screech. It had been a long day with things that he wish could've went differently. Right now all he cared about was getting home but that was quite a distance off. The closest location was probably Woodsrow but unless they were spending the night in the car that didn't seem like a plausible option. The walls were too high to climb and even if they found a way in Woodsrow had no breathing room for humans.


Neil looked around the truck. Pinkerton was asleep and the General hadn't made a peep yet. Neil decided to lean his head back and shut his eyes for a moment. A moment though turned into an eternity as he quickly fell asleep. Chris saw this and decided to look at the floor. It was a difficult day for everyone and they needed somewhere to go. They had to tie up the loose ends in the back of the truck with them first.


At that moment Keith took the turn off toward Woodsrow. He figured there might be a gas station or a motel a few miles away from the city. If he was wrong then they could decide where else to go...probably Dranesville.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel watched droplets of rain slip down the window, her eyes scanning the sides of the road as Keith drove. She would have insisted that he let her drive considering the truck was her baby, but she didn't trust her navigation skill in this rain. She hadn't been in this area since the beginning of all this. She had grown up moving from city to city due to her Father's job and Woodsrow just happened to be their latest bland apartment. Her thoughts brought on a nauseating feeling, making her lean her head lightly against the window. Gospel glanced at the high walls surrounding the city in the distance trying not to block out the memories of fear and panic.


Shifting uncomfortably from being so close to a place that harbored so many bad memories, Gospel glanced in the back seat seeing Neil sound asleep and Chris looking at the floor in thought. As they gotten closer and closer to the outskirts of the city and Gospel had to fight the urge to tell Keith to turn the truck around.


She didn't speak for a while, not really knowing where to go or what to do anymore. It wasn't like she could just go waltz back into Pawnee. She most likely had a target on her head if they didn't think she was dead already.


"You never answered me about Grace."


Her father said suddenly making her thoughts end abruptly. Gospel twisted her body so that she could look back at him with her best poker face.


"You certainly didn't give a damn before so why would you now?"


Gospel leveled, narrowing her eyes slightly as she tried to keep her voice down not wanting to wake up Neil.


"Because she's still my daughter and despite what you think, I still care Jessica."


He responded for a second sounding like a concerned father but Gospel wasn't so easily fooled. Maybe to other people he seemed like a guy just trying to get by and take care of his family. But to Gospel, he was the devil himself.


"What do you think happened General? You left us in Woodsrow. Did you honestly expect us to survive in a city when you knew what was happening?"


Gospel hissed, her anger starting to boil over.


"No. I hadn't expected anything. It was truly a surprise finding out that you were alive."


Gospel's throat burned, jaw clenching as the reality of the situation had hit her full force. He left them there expecting them to die. It made her sick to think that a person could do that to two kids who depended on him. Not to mention that they were family, a word that she realized the General didn't know the meaning of. Stunned from the way he just stated that he had hoped that she and her sister would die there Gospel twisted back to a forwards position staring out the windshield.


"Stop the car."


Gospel whispered, shooting Keith a glare as he kept driving seeming to not hear her or think that it wasn't a good idea to just stop in the middle of the road. The click of her seat belt being undone was hopefully enough to emphasize her point, she needed out of this confined can before she ended up pushing her father out of the car. That and she felt as if everything was pressing in on her, her main question finally having it's answer after all these years of just coming up with theories as to why he had left them in the apartment that morning. As soon as the vehicle finally pulled to a stop she was out of the car, the cold rain hitting her face in a futile attempt to calm her down. It just made her more angry to think that her sister's life had been that meaningless to him.


That everyone's life wasn't as important as his own skin.


Yanking the back door open, she grabbed the back of his chair and pulling it out with as much force as she could muster. A little part of her felt happy about the way his head hit the ground on the way out. Garbled curses fumed from his mouth, trying to regain some control of the situation. She looked down at him coldly, trying to come up with some master plan that would rid him of her forever.


"Grace is dead. As far as I'm concerned you pulled that trigger not me."

 

[SnowStorm42]

Chris watched as Keith pulled off toward Woodsrow. He would protest but he wanted to sleep somewhere besides this truck. Anywhere. He watched Neil sleeping, not making a sound, almost as if he were dead. He then looked at Pinkerton who looked like he was regretting everything he had ever done to get him to this point. Keith looked neutral as did the General. Gospel seemed a bit uneasy. He was going to say something when the General spoke up. He mentioned Grace's named and Chris knew where things were going from here.


Chris listened as they exchanged back and forth. Chris had to restrain himself from punching the General. He wasn't going to intervene in Gospel's fight. It was at the moment that the General announced that he didn't think Gospel and Grace would survive that Chris really had to fight the beast inside from killing the man tied in the chair next to him. He didn't though because his life was Gospel's choice.


Keith didn't stop the truck at first, but when Gospel started taking her seat belt off, Keith hit the break, and skid a bit to a stop. Neil fell on Pinkerton and woke up. Keith and Chris watched Gospel get out of the truck. Chris once again was going to react but the back doors opened. Chris and Neil both watched as Gospel pulled the General's chair and threw it outside the truck. Chris immediately took out the silver desert eagle from the labs and aimed it at the General, getting out of the truck. It was a precaution in case he tried to escape.


Neil got out of the truck too, just to be present and find out what Gospel was going to do. Neil was half asleep but his brain was already thinking. He was disgusted with the General. At that moment Pinkerton up and bolted out of the back of the truck. Neil sighed. "I got him. You guys decide what happens here" Neil said, taking off after Pinkerton. Chris looked back to Gospel. "We should let him turn" he said coldly, looking back at the General. "Let him know what he put us and people we love through"


For a older, scrawny scientist who didn't seem to get out much Pinkerton ran very fast. Neil was faster though. After a bit he caught up and grabbed Pinkerton. Pinkerton fell and Neil tried to keep his balance so he didn't fall and hurt the stitches. Holding on to Pinkerton's shirt he lifted him up. "If you kill me they will kill you and everyone close to you"


"Can it you'r-"


"They'll kill all of us. We have to go back to the labs. Or at least let me walk back. They will find out it was you and kill you"


"They have no idea who I am"


"They have sources. God they probably think I'm a traitor"


Neil shook his head and dragged Pinkerton back. He started getting louder.


"Shut up Pinekrton!"


Neil yelled. Pinkerton finally shut up, but his trembling was getting worse. Neil was almost back to Gospel and Chris. He wondered what they decided.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel stared at the man before her seeing no emotion reflected in those shared blue eyes. She used to always hate how she took after her father's features while her sister had the best of their moms, but she had realized a long time ago that it was no use wasting energy on things that you couldn't change. Like the fact that there was only a handful of living people in the world, no one could change that now. Unless of course, a breeding machine was invented that just popped out baby after baby. A highly unrealistic solution, but at least it was some sort of a solution. Her gaze shifted back to Chris at his comment, a little disgusted with herself that she had actually considered that for a good ten minuets before coming out here.


"No. We're going to do something much worse."


Gospel whispered, looking down at her father as his eyebrows drew down in confusion. Apparently he couldn't think of anything that was worse then giving him the bite. She wouldn't have realized it herself if she hadn't been so caught up in the past. Shrinking so that she was eye level with him, she looked into those soulless pools of blue hoping to find an emotion that would be considered human. Instead she saw nothing, it was like staring at a blank space.


"You can't kill me."


He ground out, sitting up straighter in his chair trying to get tall enough while sitting so that he could look down at her. Gospel looked down at her hands for a hard moment, before looking back up. She saw Neil drag Pinkerton back, it seemed like he was freaking out about something but she hadn't really been paying all that much attention. Gospel had been too busy with what she was going to do to the General sitting in front of her.


"I'm not going to. I'm not going to do anything actually." Gospel stated, tilting her head as she looked down at him with a slightly vicious gaze. She gathered her thoughts before standing up and looking back towards the walls in the distance. "I'm going to leave you here. Alone."


Gospel stated rather sharply, a look of disgust crossing over her features at the little chuckles he made.


"And how is that worse?"


He prompted, with a smug look on his face. Gospel resisted the urge to kick in his teeth, controlling her anger for as long as she possibly could. "As much as you pretend General, you need people. Alive. And Dead." She paused, watching the reaction to her words, his face going slightly pale. "I just truly hope, for your sake, that you starve to death before becoming zombie chow."


Standing up completely straight, she turned towards the car before stopping and moving towards the General again.


"I almost forgot."


Unsheathing her blade, she slammed it down in between his knee cap and shin. He screamed in pain, unable to clutch at the now useless leg in front of him. Detaching her sword from his leg she wiped the blood off on his shoulder before holstering it again.


"YOU FUCKING PSYCHOTIC BITCH-!"


Gospel shook her head slightly at his curse, a small twisted smile playing on her lips in satisfaction of watching him come to terms with the fact that he was stuck there and the blood was going to attract something.


"Must be an inherited trait."


She mused, turning towards the guys and gesturing towards the truck. She didn't care what they did with Pinkerton, she just wanted the man screaming bloody murder to be killed the best way fate saw fit. Climbing in the back of the truck this time, she felt a large weight just lift off her shoulders knowing that a leg injury like that meant he wasn't going to go very far. It also meant that he'd have no problem attracting Z's. So in a backwards way, she guessed that she did follow Chris's suggestion. Just not probably in the way he had pictured. In some corner of her brain she was a little scared of herself, scared of the way she was able to do that so easily. Gospel frowned at the thought, suddenly not feeling as weightless as she had before. These experiences had changed her so drastically that she wasn't even aware she could come up with something so cruel or put a blade through her father's leg without a second thought. Putting her face in her hands, she closed her eyes and breathed trying to make a list of all of the justifiable things that she had done in the past.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil led Pinkerton to the road and watched as Gospel said what she was going to do. Neil felt no remorse for the cruel animal in the chair. He caused all of this and that was something he had to be punished for. Neil trusted Gospel in leaving him in the middle of the road to Woodsrow. It was smart as no one really went by here except the dead and the occasional killers looking to loot. The General was as good as done. As for Pinkerton Neil had no idea what to do. He could kill him right here, but he knew he'd be guilty about it later. Then again. No. Neil began leading Pinkerton back to the truck. Suddenly Neil heard a whistle. Crimson splattered and Pinkerton fell to the ground, a bullet in his head.


Neil looked over at Chris a bit upset with his decision. Chris put the silenced pistol and the silver desert eagle back in their holsters. He looked at Neil with cold eyes. Neil felt like for the moment, especially with the news, there was a knife between the group right now. Neil then watched as Gospel stabbed into her father's leg and made her way back to the truck. Neil followed, getting in the back. Chris looked at the General. A twisted smile came to Chris' face as he stared the General dead in the eyes and then got into the back of the truck.


Keith went off the brakes and started driving toward Woodsrow again. He figured they could turn off from the main road and maybe look for a motel or something on the way to Dranesville. He didn't want to stay in Woodsrow, unless he was ordered to by the group. Chris looked at the floor. "Keith...we're going to Woodsrow. We'll find high ground and stay the night". The words Keith was hoping not to hear.


The General was no longer visible in the darkness that was behind them. Neil looked at his hands. He then put his hand on Gospel's shoulder as a form of comfort. He rubbed her shoulder a few times and took his hand back folding his hands and resting his elbows on his knees. He thought for a moment. The three of them were definitely not heroes. Neil reflected and thought how hard he had tried to not be a coyote anymore. Here he was now. He helped in the murder of two men. They were no better than the scientists. Then again..maybe they weren't. If the two decided to take it upon themselves to try to end a race, then the four in the truck had every right to take the lives of the scientists.


Neil then had an eerie thought cross his mind as he thought of Pinkerton's corpse, some of his blood still splattered onto Neil's clothes and arms. Who was going to find them. G.R.I.P? And were they actually capable of something like that? Neil was a bit concerned trying to dissuade the idea that anyone could know that they killed Pinkerton and probably the General. But some part of Neil felt like he had just signed his death wish.


Woodsrow came into view slowly. Keith skeptically drove up to the main wall. Chris looked through the front windshield. "Take the road around to the side wall" Chris said. Keith obeyed and turned left. As they drove Keith noticed a scaffolding that lead to a break in the wall, leading straight to the second floor of a tall house. "Thats our entrance. We get in there and then move a few houses over using windows and balconies we will have a nice secure second or even third floor to use until tomorrow" Chris said. No one responded. Keith stopped the van. "I say we vote on this one Chris"

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel stared out the window next to her, taking another breath still thinking hard about what her actions had just caused for that man, the grief and pain that was about to come for him was unimaginable. Still, she felt no real remorse for condemning him to death. Part of it felt wrong though, being the judge and executer wrapped into one.


Her eyes flickered out the other window seeing Pinkerton drop and Chris holding the gun. He had been the more emotional one of the group when he read the news, which made sense he had lost just as much as anyone here. She just wasn't sure she was willing to accept the vengeance that drove him. These people were tools.


The ones who should pay were these G.R.I.P people. And they would one way or another.


Pulling her gaze back to the window beside her she stared off into space only to be snapped out of it by the feel of a hand on her shoulder. Small flutters erupted in her chest, her attention suddenly on Neil and his palm rubbing her shoulder softly. Gospel looked at him quietly, understanding the gesture as him trying to comfort her. But that was far from what she needed at the moment. She didn't need comfort, she just needed sleep which was an unlikely probability. Pretending to look back at the window, her hand slipped over one of his folded hands. Her thumb drew a small circle on the back of his hand before taking it back and placing her own hand in her own lap.


Hearing the orders slip from Chris sent a small burst of annoyance and dread into her blood stream. She wasn't completely thrilled with the idea of staying there. When Keith suggested a vote she, at that moment, really wanted to high five him for also not being cool with the idea.


"It's better to find a motel or something abandoned outside of the city." Gospel replied, directing her gaze to Chris. There was something in her tone though that she didn't like, a hint of fear. If they were going in fine, but she had seen enough of the place to last her a lifetime.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil kept looking back paranoid as hell that someone or something was going to be after the truck. It was just darkness excluding the shade of red from the lights. He looked at Chris in shock as he gave directions to Keith as he told him where to drive and what they were going to do. Neil had never physically been in Woodsrow but he had met a person or two who had been during his ventures. Neil heard stories of how there was no room to stand in the streets because the dead were just herded up in the street like cattle. The only way to get around was through upper floors and roof tops and even then the dead were abundant. Neil bobbed a little as the car came to a sudden halt, something that was a bit too dangerous for Neil's taste on a slippery road.


Neil looked at everyone as they spoke their piece. Keith had voted no and so had Gospel. Chris suddenly locked eyes with Neil. Neil gave a cold stare back thinking back to how the two fought in the office. Chris was a time bomb. Neil didn't like bombs or time. The last thing Neil wanted was more lack of sleep, in fear that the biker would slit his throat. Neil looked at the scaffold. It looked sturdy and it was right there. Chris tried looking more menacing but Neil mentally scoffed at it. "Turn us around Keith"





Three to one, Keith, with a smile now turned the truck around and headed off a side path that had a green sign at the side saying how far Dranesville was. It was far but Neil and Keith were both confident that they would find something along the way. Chris on the other hand was infuriated. He felt like no one trusted his decisions right now. He thought back to the office and wondered if it was because of that. He had been reacting out of anger yes but they ended up doing what he could've done way sooner.


It didn't take long before the truck found a motel. There didn't seem to be any dead. Neil was the first one out of the van. He holstered his magnum and took his bat out instead. He felt it had been too long since he used it. He approached the motel and went to the office first. There was a body with its head mashed in. Neil looked to the check in counter and pulled a bunch of adjacent room keys out of their assigned spots. He walked out and tested each door, revealing surprisingly empty motel rooms. The last room he checked had some blood but upon investigating there were no bodies or zombies. Strange. Neil made his way back with the keys. "There's three. Someone is bunking but each room has double beds"





"I'll sleep wherever as long as we can get some sleep" Keith said from the truck. Chris remained quiet.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel closed her eyes, breathing a small sigh of relief over the vote. It would probably be of some cost later having out voted Chris, but it was better than marching intoGospel closed her eyes, breathing a small sigh of relief over the vote. It would probably be of some cost later having out voted Chris, but it was better than marching into that place. Opening her eyes slowly, she tried to hide the look of relief on her face, thinking about how horrible it would have been if Neil's wound had reopened while climbing that scaffolding they would all be in deep shit. Not only would the dead be attracted to the smell, but Gospel would have been too concerned about him to do anything else. Casting her gaze out the window beside her, she watched the scenery start to become more urban in the distance. Suburban towns at least wouldn't be as bad as spending a night in Woodsrow.


Barely an hour after they had turned away from the city, Keith pulled the car into a parking lot of a seemingly abandoned motel. Studying the brick building, she slipped out of the truck just after Neil had gotten out to head towards the office. She looked at the few cars sitting idle in the lot wondering if there was any gas that they could siphon out of them. Heading towards the closest one, a tan station wagon, she peaked into the car through the drivers side door. Not seeing anything that might want to eat her flesh, only the small blinking red light of the anti-theft alarm. Cursing under her breath, she backed away from it very carefully. Hearing the door another door close, Gospel turned to see Neil heading back over towards the small group with some keys. Her arms crossed over her chest, still looking around the unfamiliar area. She didn't know why she was so paranoid about things, it wasn't like she was actually going to sleep tonight. She processed Neil's words briefly, her mind drifting to the possibility of sharing a room with Neil or Chris. Kicking herself mentally she pulled her thought process from the gutter.


"Doesn't matter to me. But you two love birds," Gospel made a gesture between Chris and Neil a small smirk playing on her lips, "should stay at least a room away from each other."


With an amused look at her own joke, she reached for a set of keys that he held in the palm of his hand. Taking a set, she marveled briefly at the feel of the cool metal of the key against her palm. Taking a look at the dulling colors in the sky, the rain still coming down at a steady rate Gospel cast her attention towards Chris waiting for his imput. No matter how disappointed or annoyed she was at him and his actions earlier they still needed to function like a team. At least for the time being. It's the only way they were going to survive and they needed to trust each other.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil smiled a bit, genuinely, at Gospel's remark. Chris however did not. He simply got up and grabbed one of the keys from Neil's hands and stormed off into a room, slamming the door behind him. As if the dead wouldn't stir up or anything. Keith looked at them. "He's probably not too happy with me. Neil I hope you don't mind but if I can sleep in your room" Keith said, sounding a bit scared. Neil didn't say anything and smiled, nodding his head slightly. Keith laughed and took the last keys out of his hand and made his way to the room that was next to Chris'. Neil looked at Gospel. "Guess I'm having a sleepover" Neil said with a smile to Gospel.


Neil looked at Chris' door. Neil lost people too but he was over it already. The whole thing was planned and people died. Neil wished it was a bad dream but he knew that the asphalt parking lot where he stood was real. The light drizzle that trailed from the passing storm touched his hair particles with life. Neil knew this was reality. He was ok with it. It was what it was. It was hard to survive but he had Gospel, he had the safe zone, and after the war it would be back to simpler times maybe. He hoped the coyotes were rid of. Well..part of him didn't but for the most part he wished they were annihilated. Things would be way safer. The dead would walk and people would murder, but no one would ever have to go through what he witnessed again.


Neil snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Gospel with a smile. "If you need anything just knock or something" he said with a smile. He wanted to kiss her but he simply smiled at her and waved. "Goodnight..Jess" he said a bit timidly, uncertain how she took to being called Jess. Before he could find out he was inside his room and he saw an already sleeping Keith. Leaving the door unlocked Neil examined the lit up lamp and the broken television. Neil was surprised the power was on in the lamp. He wondered if there was a back up generator or if there was some alternate power source...he stopped debating on it. What he really cared for was the bathroom. He opened the door to the bathroom and walked in closing it behind him. The knob of the shower was the first thing he saw. He twisted the knob praying for the droplets to come out.


Neil wanted to cry tears of joy. The molecules came pouring out of the shower head allowing a hissing noise to escape. Neil stared at the water for a good fifteen seconds before he put his hand in it. It was a bit cold but it would do. He slowly removed his clothes, taking the most time to unlace his boots, until he was bare. He no longer questioned the motel. It was a gift for all their hard work. He quickly hopped in and immediately felt cleansed of everything the day had thrown at them. Thoughts rushed his mind while he allowed the water to drench everything. There was no soap and no shampoo but just the water alone felt so cleansing. He wondered how the moment could get any better?

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

She flinched hearing the door slam after Chris had stormed into his room. For a moment her own temper sparked at the childish way he was acting. Gospel couldn't tell if it was just because he was out voted or because he was still fuming about the whole impending doom thing being planned. Either way, he could suck it up and move along. It wasn't worth the wasted energy. Looking at Keith as he talked to Neil about bunking with him she let out a small sigh.


Moving her gaze back to Neil as Keith went off into their room she fingered the key in her hand looking back at him. That thoughtful looking coming back on his face after he made a retort about a sleepover. After a moment however the smile was back on his face and her eyes darted away from him not wanting to be caught staring. Her heart pounded for a second, gaze shifting slowly back to his figure. The sound of her real name leaving his lips made fireworks unfold in her chest. She felt faint for a second as well though she just chalked that up to being worn out from the day. Watching him head back to his room she stared at the space he had been standing at. Still not knowing how to reply to his sudden statement. It wasn't like she had given her real name much thought, not after coming up with the alias Gospel. Thinking about it now, it was hard to remember exactly why she had taken the name besides it's bibli irony.


Heading towards her door she stopped just outside, looking over at Neil's door and then Chris's. She didn't know how well he'd take to her trying to calm him down and she didn't know if she could go long without sloping him for going to such extrems in the first place. Puffing her cheeks, her eyes moved between the two doors wishing that this was an easier choice. Her eyebrows furrowed at the thought of being in the same room as Neil. She wasn't sure she could survive that either.


Gospel forced herself to breath, moving towards Neil's door. Pushing it open she scowled at the fact that he didn't lock it. Quietly shutting it behind her, she took in the small room blinking at the functioning light.


"Well that's a sight for sore eyes."





She grumbled, heading off past the snoreing Keith and towards the other sign of life. She heard the water running from inside, the luxury of running water bringing her back to her own room in Pawnee. At least she carried everything valuable on her person so it wasn't like she was missing much. Except for the shower. Raising her closed fist, she lightly knocked on the bathroom door. Her face suddenly burning along with her racing heart. Perhaps this was a bad idea. She didn't know what she was going to say to him. Unwittingly she leaned her back into the bathroom door too busy with her own thoughts to think of what would happen if that door opened.

 

[SnowStorm42]

The thing about showers and Neil was that it made him more thinkative than ever. His mind was now hooked back to the moment he had with Gospel back at the labs. There was something so perfect about that moment but he wondered how far things would go from there..or rather could go from there. This was a dangerous new world. Neil felt the scar on his fave, the stitches on his arm and then the closed bullet wound in his side that had formed a permanent scar. His back had wounds on it too. He was a disaster and it was all becaude the world had gone to shit.


He thought back to Rachael and all the times he had promised her that things would get better. The dead were walking but he always assured her things would be good. Back then he was just a scrawny kid trying to reassure a high school sweet heart. He knew how things worked now. People you loved died in this reality. Neil worried that he would bring upon Gospel what he brought upon Rachael.


Hearing a knock Neil shut the water off and wondered who could be knocking. There were only five possibilities. Keith, needing to use the bathroom, Chris looking to kill him, bandits who were making sure they killed every last one of them, the dead or...Gospel? Neil looked around the bathroom and saw two towels. They looked clean and upon smelling they seemed unused. He took the white cloth and dried himself off, sticking his hair up to what he usually did. If it wasn't Gospel or Keith he wanted to die with his hair looking good and a towel around his waist. Tying the knot to assure the towel was secure around his crotch and legs he opened the door to let whoever it was in. Maybe he should've asked first..

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel's eyes snapped open at the feel of the door behind her giving way. Letting out a small squeak as gravity tugged her off balance she closed her eyes tightly waiting for impact. Gospel's fingers slipped from where they had tried to grasp the doorway, her back slamming into something hard and damp. Blinking at the unexpected save, she tilted her head upwards dreading the thought of seeing Neil half naked or something. Her cheeks burned, changing from their natural pale color to a dark rose red.


"Um.....hello there."


She whispered, painfully aware of every muscled groove of his masculine torso. The perks of the apocalypse were sometimes great indeed. Kicking herself mentally again, she took a second too long to move away realizing that she was kinda just staring up at him. Gospel moved away like he was kryptonite, clearing her throat awkwardly while she looked anywhere but at him. She didn't want to notice anything else about him that might cause her to melt or something like that.


Chuckling sheepishly while quickly glancing at him her breath caught knowing that without the towel he'd be totally naked. Her mind derailed again, cheeks burning brighter.


"I um......forgot......why....I um..."


She shifted uncomfortably, looking and then looking away. Her brain not allowing her to process the scene rationally. Her hormones had hijacked this train and Gospel wasn't really sure she liked that. Her feet stayed planted on the floor, feeling really useless as she stared captivated by the male before her.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil opened the door to see Gospel. She had been leaning on the door causing her to fall. Neil having the reflexes of a cat managed to catch her, although her head had hit his stomach. He turned a bit pink realizing it was her he was holding close to his pretty much bare body. It was a good thing he had tied a tight knot on the towel. This would've been an even more awkward situation than it already was. "H-hey..." Neil said turning more pink at the fact that he fumbled in saying just that one word.


She was in his arms for a while, staring at him, before she moved away. He could tell she was avoiding his gaze and he was avoiding hers a bit. He remembered back at Pawnee when he had slept in Gospel's room. He recalled that this same situation had occurred. This time was probably worse though because Neil had no pants on under the towel.


Neil didn't know what to say when Gospel admitted she forgot why she had come here. Neil couldn't process. his brain was focused on two things. her and the lack of pants. Neil thought for a moment and turned pink. He was starting to walk toward her but then thought and realized Keith was in the other room. Although then again at this point he didn't care. Neil moved closer to Gospel. But then he hesitated again scared. Maybe he should put pants on. "I'll uh...walk you back to your room...maybe you'll remember" he said. This gave him a bit of an excuse to slip his pants on.


He stumbled a bit but managed to get a hand on his boxers and pants and he slipped them on while keeping the towel on. He almost slipped and hit the sink but maintained balance and took the towel off once his pants had slipped on. He put his boots on but didn't tie them knowing they'd probably be off once they got to her room or he got back to his room after walking her. He turned pink not able to find his shirt but found it. Putting it back on he calmed down a bit, enough to formulate a sentence but his mind was already in dark places where it probably shouldn't have been. "I mean if you want. It was just a suggestion. You can stay here if you'd like..or I could let you walk back yourself or...I don't know" he said starting to babbled. He had a tendency to babble when he was nervous in instances like this. No amount of time had changed that.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel twiddled her thumbs, glancing up at him carefully. He had started to stammer out a sentence she hadn't realized that he looked just as pink as she did. It was a little calming to know that she wasn't the only one flustered beyond belief. Her eyes followed him as he moved closer to her, small droplets of water falling from his dampened hair. She swore that she stopped breathing, her head thudding with the proximity of him to her. She didn't know if she sound run or kiss him. The mixed signals her brain was sending was even more confusing then what her heart was saying. Waiting for him to do something, Gospel found herself more than relieved when he turned to go back into the bathroom finding his excuse to put on some pants. A giggle erupted from her, seeing him skid across the wet floor in an attempt to reach for his clothes. Gospel turned her back to the door, holding her palm over her mouth in order to keep in her own nervous giggles of amusement.


Glancing over her shoulder at him as he stepped back out, she felt a small ounce of relief sweep over her to see that he had clothes on. Biting her lip while she studied him for a brief moment she nodded towards the door.


"A suggestion? That was a little too commanding for a suggestion don't you think?"


She teased lightly loosing her usual sarcasm in place of something else that she wasn't quite sure she recognized. Smiling at him Gospel forced the blush down as she turned towards the door not really knowing was was going to happen after he walked her next door. Her mind knew exactly what they could do, but she wasn't so sure about that.


A motel wasn't....he wasn't....


Gospel stopped walking for a moment, pushing the door open and walking outside her face burning even more at the idea of giving something like that to him. She wasn't even sure that she liked him that much...or anything. God she didn't know. Gospel huffed lightly watching him head towards the door after her, she took in everything about him feeling her heart beat faster the closer he got to her. It was unsettling and yet the feeling was addictive.


Her smile slipped from her face not knowing if she liked being addicted to Neil as much as her hormones were. She didn't believe in love, it was something that tore people apart and made them into twisted images of her father. She wasn't going to be like that and she wouldn't wish anyone in the world that pain. Taking another attempt at calming herself she waited til he was out side with her and the door was closed before slowly stepping towards the door on the left. Taking her key from her pocket, she pushed it in, turned, and then opened the wooden door. It was dark inside the room, her hand blindly reaching for a light switch. Finding one, she waited for her eyes to adjust as she stepped in looking at the mirror version of his own room. Turning around to face him, Gospel looked at him standing in her doorway not really knowing what to say.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil turned a bit pink when Gospel had giggled at him, and he was red when she said that he basically commanded her rather than gave a suggestion. He must've seemed like a horny asshole. He didn't want to be associated with Chris though. That little insult made him laugh on the inside. On the outside he was a bit panicky. He had no idea what was going to happen. Part of his mind told him they were just going to talk but then the other side of his mind was planting a different image of 'talking' in his mind.


Neil looked at Keith before leaving the room. The man was out cold. Neil wondered if they had stayed in the bathroom...he mentally slapped himself. He was almost disgusted with himself at the same time though he was trying to move on. But was it even that anymore? Neil looked at Gospel in the doorway and felt a bit sick..but a good kind of sick. His heart felt like it was melting and his stomach was going haywire. Something else was going haywire too, and with the pants on it was a bit uncomfortable but he had to suck it up.


Phrasing. He turned pink and mentally slapped himself again. He started to repeat the same sentence in his head: "We're just gonna talk. We're just gonna talk. We're just gonna talk" His brain was tearing itself apart. He didn't want to rush anything especially cause he didn't know where either of them stood with each other. But something was there. Neil felt it and he knew Gospel felt something too, but he didn't know what either of them was feeling and that scared him. If it was love then it would end in the same way the last time did. If it was just friends with benefits it would've been void of that one connection. He didn't know what it was. He wished there was a way to find out.


He closed the door behind him and followed her to her room. Upon entering his eyes readjusted to the better lighting. He closed the door and stood there completely lost. They stood there in complete silence for what felt like an eternity. "I.." he started. He couldn't find the words. He thought about how it could be worse. his shirt could still be off and everything would be all tomatoes and awkwardness. Trying to find the words to say he sat down on the end of the bed in the room, his legs too shaky to say what he wanted. "I..think I really like you" he started. "And I don't know where you stand..and how i truly feel...but.." he paused, his heart exploding. This could end in three ways in his mind..a slap, a kiss, or him leaving this room with no result. "Life is short..and for whatever time we have in it..I'd like to spend it with you" Neil finished. He had to be thankful for the body the apocalypse gave him because he certainly was not a poet right now. Speaking of his body Neil felt his nerves all over. His stomach was getting ripped apart by butterflies and his pants were still destroying the arising problem. He finally met Gospel's eyes for the first time since their meeting in the bathroom. He wanted to see if he could tell what she was feeling, although part of him was scared.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel stopped moving, she stopped breathing, hell she had stopped thinking at this point.


She couldn't process any of this, any of these jumbled mix of emotions she had bobbing around in her head.


Her feet carried the rest of her towards where he stood, a small bit of blush still tainting her cheeks as she looked at him. Her head felt light while his words just kept repeating like a broken record in her mind. With her chest pounding even more violently with every second of silence, she stepped towards him again until she was about a foot away. She studied him again, this time allowing herself to notice everything from the way his scar curved across his nose to the frazzled look of his wet hair. He liked her.


Gospel felt like she was in middle school all over again. More blush rushing to her face, but she refused to look away from him.


"Neil..."


She began, her voice coming out softer reflecting the emotions that she was struggling to sort through. Gospel wasn't sure what exactly this all was or what it could be, she just knew that she really needed him right now. Just like she had pretty much been there every step of the way with him when he was a Coyote. She closed her eyes and breathed in slowly trying to muster another heart calming moment so that she could speak. It was still rather ironic how after these few years of being apart and wishing that he had said something like this sooner, now that he actually said it it was like she didn't know what to do with herself. Opening her eyes, she looked at him with every pent up emotion she had stored away. For once not so scared to put her guard down.


"I....can't.."


She tried to finish before growing frustrated with herself. He wasn't helping her think straight so her scrambled brain did the only rational thing in could in any situation. Her open palm flew upwards smacking him on the side of his cheek. Paying no heed to the loud sound that vibrated in the room from the collision of her hand with his jaw, she curled her fingers around his collar before pulling him down into a kiss. Her lips melded against his and for a moment everything in the world fell directly into place. Her arms looped around his neck pulling him tighter to her not really caring about anything else at the moment. She could only hope that the words she was having trouble saying were reaching him through the lip locked kiss of bursting emotion she was giving him. Pulling away after what felt like eons with no air, she kept her eye closed gasping for breath a little knocked off her feet by her own intensity. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked up at his face hoping that the mixed signal that she just gave him wasn't enough to have him walk out that door.


"express......how damn long I've been waiting to hear that..."


The words were out before she stopped them, but it wasn't like she cared that much anyway if he found out that she had felt something for him now that he had spilled his something to her.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil sat there for a bit after finishing what he said. He was concerned but the blush on her face seemed like a positive sign. He was going to smile but his body was still overwhelmed with such a good feeling that made him immobile. He stood at the end of the bed ready to say more. Suddenly though her saying his name froze him up. When she didn't continue he didn't know what to make of it. He feared that she was going to give him bad news, but was excited that there would be good news coming out of her mouth.


SMACK. In that moment, for however short it lasted, and however brief the echo of the slap sounded, Neil's body was no longer overwhelmed. It felt shattered. His body didn't feel gooey or like it was melting anymore but rather it felt like it had been stabbed all over. The feeling though lasted for a brief moment, because before he could reach up to touch his cheek and rub the pain away, Gospel's lips did that for him, and the feelings he had before came rushing back like a tsunami. He didn't want his lips to leave hers.


She pulled away but the feelings didn't leave him. If anything they were just reinforced. He took the moment to catch his breath, not having been able to really allow his lungs to function due to the feelings and the surprise of the slap and kiss. The words slipped out of her mouth and that was it. That was all Neil needed. He smiled at her. "Sorry it took so God damn long" he said. With that he put his hands around her, one on her upper back and the other on her hip. He grinned before falling backwards onto the bed with her in his arms.





"I had to find myself" he said looking into her eyes.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

She felt his arms wrap around her, keeping her body close to his as he fell backwards on the bed. She hit the mattress with him, her breath escaping her lungs from the shock of it. Gospel hadn't prepared herself to be falling onto a mattress with him, but she was glad that she did. The feeling of his arms around her made her feel safe, something that she hadn't felt in what seemed like forever. Wrapping her arm around his side, she leaned back on the pillows looking over at him. A small smile resting on her lips at his explanation. The world seemed clearer, brighter almost now that the entanglement of emotions were more clear to her now. Taking her free hand she slowly stroked her thumb over the red mark on his face. Gospel hadn't meant to hit him, it just kind of happened. The only guess she had for the sudden outburst was the amount of jealousy she had felt for this phantom of a girl that seemed to drive him back then. Not that she was ever going to tell him that.


Gospel looked back into those eyes, her heart starting to soothe itself down now that he was so close to her. She struggled with the words, with wanting to tell him how fucking daft he was for not realizing any of this sooner. But she really wasn't one to talk she had only figured it out herself a few moments ago. That she liked him, she just wasn't sure how much she liked him yet.


"I...honestly didn't know either until you said...you know.....but before that....I just..."


She struggled with a sentence, finding the green in his eyes extremely distracting. Gospel was just going to have to get used to not being able to speak correctly anymore because that is exactly what he did to her and she was pretty sure he knew it too. An annoyed expression crossed her face, irritated with how her brain had just dissolved in his presence. Slipping her finger under his jaw, she leaned towards him while angling his face softly with her finger. Her lips connecting with his on a much softer scale then before. Only lasting a moment before she broke away with a pink face.


"Jerk."


She grumbled, resting her nose against his while struggling to restore herself to full speech capacity.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil watched her surprised face as she hit the mattress. He was really happy now. It was just like in the labs because here the world outside didn't exist. It just was them two again. Neil held Gospel's wrist while she moves her thumb along his cheek. The pain was canceled out with the feeling of her skin on the red. He smiled assuring her he was ok with the fact the he got slapped. He was half expecting it..but not ready for it. It'd been a while since he got by a girl.


As she tried speaking he got the gist of what she was trying to say but he had to grin in amusement as she struggled with her sentences. The fact that he had such an effect on her didn't surprise her. The bathroom made even him stumble and even now he had been babbling a lot. When he spoke to her out there it was one thing but when it was just them two it was just a mess with his vocabulary.


The soft kiss was a change of gears for him. Earlier the bathroom thing had him all riled up but now he was in a more kind of lovey dovey boat. Although he couldn't lie that there was still a problem with the former. He smiled when she called him a jerk. "It isn't my fault that you didn't pass your vocab tests in high school" he said with a devious grin. He didn't often get the chance to tease her so when the opportunity arose he had to jump on it.


He looked at her once again. She was so remarkable. Neil put his arm on her side now. he leaned in and gave her a kiss that was also soft as hers was before but it was a bit longer. He pulled away and rubbed her side. He looked at this moment from a third person. He wished he could go back in time and punch coyote Neil in the face and tell him about this now. Then again Neil would've probably been shot in the face by old Neil. Either way he was here now. The past was too late. It was the present that mattered.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel narrowed her eyes at him slightly, his teasing sending more sparks shivering down her spine. She watched that grin spread across his lips and she instantly felt like kissing him again . Though his teasing had done it's job in distracting her from acting on the action again.


"Hm, well I guess it's not my fault if you sleep on the couch."


She mused in reply though Her cheeks still kept their pink dusting knowing that she just inferred that the two of them were sharing a bed. As comfortable in his arms as she was in that moment she was really surprised that she hadn't actually started to doze off. Gospel let out a small hum at the feel of his lips molding tenderly against hers again. She held herself against him while the kiss lasted, fingers slowly curling around his T-shirt.


After a while their lips parted and Gospel was able to bask in the giddy sensation bubbling up in her chest. Leaning her head into his chest, she closed her eyes just taking in the way he held her. She was well aware of his hand stroking her side, every fiber of her being sparking from the smallest of his touches. He was her kryptonite.

 

[SnowStorm42]

Neil laughed at the couch reference. Then it clicked that they were in a bed together. This had never happened between them. Even when they were coyotes if they stayed where there was only one bed Neil had always taken the floor. Thinking about it now despite being a hard ass asshole he always had a softer spot for Gospel. Looking now it finally came out. Neil figured the anger in him as well as all the booze was what prevented him from seeing it any sooner. He regretted it now.


As her fingers curled around his t-shirt Neil felt an overwhelming sensation. He tried his best to keep his hormones in control though. The kiss was wonderful. As their lips parted though Neil felt a bit more tired despite all the energy that was going through his body. He smiled as she put her head on his chest and kept moving his hand on her side as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back. Finally what he needed most. He had Gospel in his arms and was finally getting some sleep. Things couldn't get better. Well the could but the dead would have to die again and they would need a five star hotel that had all the food, clothes, and water they needed. He smiled at the thought and slowly drifted into a state of paralysis called sleep.


Chris' room was in tatters. The lamp had been thrown at the wall, the TV was broken in, the couch was flipped. Drawers were thrown out and onto the floor, some wood on the floor, having broken off of the drawers. The only light was now in the bathroom where blood dripped in the sink. Chris, looked in the mostly shattered mirror and looked at his reflection seeing only parts of his skull face paint clearly. The rest of it was distorted. He looked down at his bloodied up fists.


He was just in his t-shirt and jeans, having thrown his coat onto the floor somewhere the moment he had gotten in. He turned the sink on, knowing there was water because he heard the shower on in the other room. His mind had imagined Gospel in the shower when that had happened. But after the shower turned off Chris went back to his rageful thoughts. He felt better now though. He took the water and cupped his hands under it. The face paint had to go or it would be smudged in the morning.

 

[Hell0NHighWater]

Gospel breathed him in, allowing herself to be engulfed by the warmth that was Neil. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt so comfortable and so relaxed. The only thing that could possibly rouse her from this feeling was the eminent danger of getting eaten by carnivorous dead things. After a while she felt his chest rise and fall at a more steady rate, her head shifting upwards to look at him. Gospel carefully uncurled her hand from his shirt, instead moving her warm fingers to his jawline. She took a while to study him freely, wondering if this was some new sort of messed up dream that had just decided to make her feel even more shitty than usual. It was a talent of hers to live all of her worst fears or memories while she slept and it was a wonder to her how he could just rest so soundly. She felt tired though, unlike her usual insomnia deprived nights, and she wasn't really certain if it was because she had his arms securely around her or if those restless hours had finally just caught up to her.


Placing her head on the pillow next to his, she maneuvered to untangle the ponytail holder from her hair grimacing slightly as it snagged once or twice. Putting the band around her wrist she settled back down beside him, closing her eyes in hopes that sleep would come just as quickly for her as it did for him.


The fog swirled around her quietly, a calming feeling to an eerie scenery. A lone bench sat in the midst of the smoke a woman's figure sitting neatly on the cracked stone. Gospel moved towards her cautiously, the feeling of dread consuming her as she moved closer unwillingly. Black hair cascaded down the female's back, the silky ebony reflecting streaks of light in the ghostly atmosphere. Her mouth was moving, looking down at something as small droplets of moisture rolled down her cheeks. She stroked the object in her hand, still not looking enough to show her face to Gospel who was now kneeling at her side. Everything blanked in that moment, her voice filtering in through the void but the picture being lost to the abyss.


"...only fools fall in love Jessica....I guess I was one of them..."





Her eyes popped open, air flooding into her lungs quickly as if someone had just knocked it out of her. For a moment she didn't know where she was and that scared the shit out of her, the fact that she couldn't get up was another thing that bothered her. Shifting her blue eyes to what was anchoring her, she saw Neil's arms around her pinning her tightly to his chest as if he were afraid that she'd just get up and leave him while she slept. Gospel felt herself relax slightly from just the sight of him being there, anchoring her to reality. She wondered briefly why the dream didn't finish, why it just cut off right where that part that kept her from sleeping was about to start. It was odd. The dreams never felt that calm before, or at least that tamed. Staring at Neil, she wondered if it had something to do with him that she was able to get a bit of sleep.


Prying his arms from around her, she quietly untangled their legs from each other, getting up from the motel bed in order to drag herself to the bathroom. Flipping on the light, she closed the door quietly before looking around at the identical bathroom to the one next door. The only difference was that the shower curtain was missing. Which was kind of odd for a motel, but she decided not to think much of it as she turned the shower on. Listening to the running water, Gospel let out a soft sigh while she stripped out of her clothes before getting into the cold shower. At least it was running water, she couldn't really complain there. Gospel just wanted the feel of being remotely clean, she missed all the hygiene luxuries of her old life. Closing her eyes the words from the dream came back to her, a little disturbing considering that she usually never said that specific line in that specific sequence of the dream. It boggled her mind, her eyes opening only to stare at the cracked ceramic tile liking the cold feeling of the water drifting over her bare skin. She got lost in the depths of her thoughts forcing herself to think on everything that had happened so far and in turn losing track of how long she had been standing blankly under the water.

 

[SnowStorm42]

"Rain fell continuously as Neil stood in the first safe zone he had been in. Rachael stood a few feet away from him. He wondered what she was doing there. He had just been with Gospel. He was going to approach her, his question gun loaded waiting to fire answers. He began approaching her when a familiar figure came into view. The woman with the black hair and practically red eyes from his previous nightmare. She had shot Neil. The feeling came back now. Neil started sweating a bit. The woman with black hair smiled and waved at him, putting a silver desert eagle to Rachael's head. Suddenly though Rachael didn't have blonde hair, but blue hair instead. It was Gospel. He immediately bolted to push Gospel out of the way of the bullet. Suddenly the dream changed. He was on the edge of a high building once again. He turned to see the black haired woman. "You never learn" and deja vu struck.





Neil's eyes flew open. He couldn't breath for approximately two seconds. He regained his breath though and turned in the bed and shot up, sitting up. He looked at the bed. Gospel wasn't there. Where-..? His brain functions started activating like a computer that had just turned on. He waited as his ears picked up on a familiar hissing sound. The shower. He figured it was Gospel. He rubbed his face thinking about the dream. Who was that woman that kept showing up. Neil never had premonitions before, and he never believed in that stuff but two nights in a row and he never met this woman. He feared this was the future. Mind slapping himself though he realized how stupid that sounded.


A knock sounded on the door. He moved over to it and opened it. Keith stood at the door. "I figured you were in here. I'm gonna get Chris and we'll leave when everyone is ready"


"Thanks Keith"


Keith nodded, smiling now that he was well rested. Neil smiled back and closed the door. He went over to the bathroom door and knocked gently, not knowing how long Gospel had been in there. The door apparently wasn't shut as it started to to open ever so slowly. Neil not wanting to tarnish what Gospel and him had just had the night before quickly closed the door quietly, turning pink. He had a towel on. She might not have had one on. He didn't know if they were there yet. Before his mind could wander... "Jess..uhm...take your time, but they'll be ready to go when we are. Again though don't rush" he said still getting accustomed to Jess. He made his way back to the bed and laid down staring at the ceiling and letting his mind wander.

​