The Intermission

"What happened?"

"Your wounds are gone!"

"It's finally time to explain to you huh? give me my knife and I'll show you." The girl states calmly.

The boy passes her a knife. She injures her right palm while wincing her face. Blood runs down to her arm. It is a minor scar, but the boy could see clearly that she's hurt.

"Wait…" she says.

After around 1 minute, she wipes the blood from her palm and shows it to the boy. The scar in her palm is gone. It's almost like a magic show.

"How is that possible?" his eyes flickered with curiosity.

The girl continues to hold the boy's hand and does the same thing to him. The boy presses his lips together holding in the pain he receives. Before his eyes, he can see that the scar that is once in his palm gradually closes itself. It looks good as new.

"You see now…we're both the same." The girl breaks the silence as the boy's jaw drops.

"What is this? so you're saying we're like superhumans with rapid recovery?" his forehead creases as his head spins with millions of questions.

"Yeah, we probably are. Although I'm not sure about other people, but we won't be able to die." The girl shifts her eyes away to another place avoiding eye contact with the boy.

"Did you…?" the boy's expression hardened.

"Yes, I once died. I still could feel the pain when I died. The next day, I was brought back to life." The girl nervously plays with her hands.

"If we can't die or be hurt, then does it mean we won't get old too?" The boy can't help but ask again even though the mood in the room is bleak.

"Well, I guess that's the good news huh? I won't be wrinkled and neither you."

The girl plastered a fake smile on her face.

The boy realizes that he will be a 17 years old boy for the rest of his life. They both are going to walk down the horrid path together. They live against the law of the universe. They disrupt the cycle of life. They are going to keep breathing until doomsday occurs. They are immortal beings. His face displays a look of terror as he gulps down anxiously.

===

The boy brushed a younger boy's hair. He seemed like he was half of his age. He had brown hair. They were all busy eating dinner at the table. The boy seemed happy. He laughed and his face was bright just like the girl. He was warm and so alive. His father was sitting across from him, and his mother sitting next to her father. The boy felt content even though he could not see his family member faces.

He wished that time could stop at that moment. However, he knew that it was just a dream.

===

It's been three days since that incident happens. There is not much change happening in their lives. The boy will simply train himself how to shoot, do some sit-ups or run around the woods, and lastly help the girl with house chores. They never argue with each other, it seems like they are match-made in heaven. The girl is somewhat talkative and easy-going as usual, and the boy is just a shy quiet boy as he is.

The boy likes to listen to the girl's stories. She could talk about many things. Like the things, she used to do before the apocalypse happened. Like how she used to be an All-As student at school cause she resembles her dad. How she loves spending girl's night with her friends. Her love for her younger brother.

The more she listens to the girl, he feels curious and content. It feels like the girl is filling the void he has in his heart. Giving the memories that he once had. The girl shares what the boy doesn't have. It makes him happy.

Even though being around her makes him happy, the boy could not help but notice that there is a dark shade deep within her eyes. That shade would turn into a fiery gaze when the girl encounters creatures. A resentment she conceals behind her faint smile. It must be related to how she lost her family. But the boy never asks. He thinks that when the time is right, the girl will tell him her story truthfully in the future.

===

The boy gazed into his reflection through the mirror across his bed. He was all alone in a cramped room. He was very skinny and his bones were visible piercing through his skin. His eyes were gaunt and his hair was messy. His lips were all chapped signing that he lacked both nutrition and hydration. His heart felt empty and so is his stomach. He only wore a white hospital gown that only made his appearance worse.

He wanted to get out of that place. The place that made his skin crawl. A hint smell of drugs was floating around the room. A sickening scent. He thought.

A bunch of men wearing white coats barged into his room. The boy suddenly felt nauseous. He sensed that his stomach is being turned upside down. Cold sweat ran down his spine. Not again. I do not want it. He contemplated.

"It's time." said one of them.

The boy was ready to revolt.

"No. Not again. I don't want it!" He screamed as his breath got shorter.

Two men held his left and right arm tightly.

"Let me go!" He shrieked loudly making the men close their ears.

The boy kicked his legs toward the men but they wouldn't budge.

"Hurry up! Do it!" One of the men said.

One man injected a huge needle into his arm that already had multiple needle scars. Again. The boy lost to them.

===

The boy awakens to the girl holding his right cheek.

"You're finally up, you're hyperventilating. I try to wake you up. Did you have a nightmare?"

"Ha….ha…I am hyperventilating?" he gasps.

"Yeah, and you still are."

"Breathe. Slowly. You could also sit, here drink some water." The girl handed over a glass of water to the boy.

As he sips his water the boy thinks about the dream. It's the first time he has had such a gruesome dream that it caused him to hyperventilate. It has never happened before. It's like he just opened a pandora's box. This memory feels more real than the ones that he usually has. The boy could sense that he is sweating all over his body.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The girl brushes his hand softly.

The boy still controlling his breath, doesn't answer.

"If you don't want to that's okay, I'm going to prepare lunch." The girl is ready to leave and rise from her seat on the floor.

However, the boy was faster, he seizes the girl's hand hardly that the girl couldn't move.

"Okay, okay…I'll listen…" The girl goes back to sit besides the boy.

Even though she says that the boy still doesn't talk.

"If you can't talk about it. Then…do you want a hug?" The girl opens up her arms widely.

Again. Silence. The girl feels awkward.

"If you also don't wan-" The girl breaks the silence however unable to complete her sentence as the boy interrupts him by wrapping his hand around her shoulders.

"No. I'd like it. A hug." He whispers.

"I need it." He closes his eyes as he continues hugging the girl tightly.

The girl could hear the sound of a beating heart. The only question is it hers or his? or could it be both of their heartbeats?

The boy could smell the girl's hair. It's strange. He thinks to himself. Both of them use the same body wash and shampoo, but it still smells differently on the girl. The scent of the products has been combined with her natural scent. It's addicting. He inhales the scent deeply.

He has a big body but he clings to such a small girl. It makes him feel weak.

"You're warm" He whispers softly to her ears.

The girl could sense that her ears are red. She wishes the boy doesn't notice.

To be continue.