Floor 31

Chapter 9

"Do you like him?"

Dream knew what Alex meant by 'him' but she tried to play it off.

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Dream."

"No, not really." Dream replied, persistent.

Alex sighed. "We'll continue this conversation later."

Alex carefully opens the door of their apartment and peeks through the gap. There was nothing in sight besides dead bodies of the few zombies they had to kill earlier.

"How far?" Alex asked.

Dream looked left and right. "50m to the right."

"Are the buttons on?"

"Yep, they still have electricity on them for some reason."

"They're most likely going to work."

"Then let's go."

Dream and Alex tiptoed out of the apartment, careful to make as little noise as possible. Eyes fixed on the elevator, they head straight for it. Getting to the elevator was the easiest part, but once you were in. There's no way back, the elevators took 5 seconds to close and open. Which means when you enter another floor, you're trapped there for 5 seconds, not knowing how many zombies and monsters they'll be. They had to prepare themselves for the worst.

"These elevators are taking an eternity to move." Alex commented.

"What would you expect? They've been dead for months; the electricity is flickering on and off. I'd be surprised if these elevators didn't stop half way to the next floor."

"So... continuing on from our last conversation. Do you like him? Be honest with me, Dream."

"Why do you want to know so badly?"

"Because I can see how obvious it is. The others may not but I can see that you at least care for Kai. I've always had my sister by my side, my inseparable twin. I love her like nothing else, which is why I never dated anyone. Alexa is my number one priority and if she ever died. I don't think life would be worth living anymore."

"So, your point is?"

"I'm just trying to say, you like Kai. I can see it, and I can see that Kai likes you too. We don't have long to live. We're all going to die soon, none of us will ever make it out of this. None of us will ever survive no matter how hard we try. The world is ending, so live while you can. Love him while you can because you won't ever get another chance."

"For being twins with the most optimistic person I've ever met, you really don't have any hope."

"Yeah, I don't have any hope. But I'm still here because I love my sister, and I would never leave her." Alex explained.

"Why love someone when it won't last long? Why love when you know they're going to die anyways? Won't it just hurt more? Won't it just become unbearable at one point? I don't want to love someone because I don't want my heart to be broken again. I don't want love someone knowing they'll die. I don't want any of that. I've been broken to many times to see someone I love die again. I just can't."

"Then what about Kai? Do you think he'll just wait around until you die? If he confessed, what would you say?"

"I'd say no."

"Why?"

"So that no one will ever die for me. So that I don't have to feel guilty for the rest of my life. Love is strongest weapon on Earth, it can save you but it can also kill you. You can't see it but you can feel it. Love hurts more than anything."

Suddenly, the doors of the elevator swing open, revealing the hallway of Floor 19. Dream and Alex stand bewildered as they see dozens of monsters and zombies facing them. Staring for just a second before attacking. Dream slams the close button. The countdown starts now.

"Alex! Watch out!"

Zombies and monsters lunge after them, the world goes by like a blur. They try to fight then off but the 5 seconds seemed to be taking years to end. Dream shoots as many monsters as she can, while Alex focused on keeping anything from entering the elevator.

5

4

3

2

1

The doors slam shut and they both have a gasp of relief.

"I now have a hatred for elevators."

Dream laughed at Alex's comment but she didn't disagree with it.

"Where'd you learn to shoot so well?" Alex asked.

"Talent I guess, since the first time I held a gun. I never missed a shot."

"You're naturally a fighter, you're good at protecting yourself. And you're smart too."

"Thanks."

"How'd you even learn about all this stuff?" Alex asked.

"You just start noticing stuff. I'm very observant and I have an excellent memory."

The elevator doors open once more on Floor 18. Dream and Alex both feel accomplished despite almost dying. Running the 50m back to their apartment, both of them had bonded through standing in a single elevator together.