Purple Sunrise

Twenty-Two

John woke up excited to see what that day would hold. He felt a need to go back up to the surface and sit there for a while. It felt more like a must than a need.

He had woken with every fiber of his body no being able to sit still. He wondered whether the stars would still be out or if it would look different with more daylight to present itself. And what they would find when the sun was shining on every small rock to illuminate it all.

John made the last cup of coffee they had in the bunker. He got a piece of fruit beginning to make his way to the surface to go sit and wake up. He wanted the view to be the first thing he saw as he properly woke up.

Get the piece away from both the women that he had been craving. He knew that no one would bother him up here. Rose would get too distracted by the view, whereas Lily wouldn't be tempted to come up above ground.

John could feel the heat of the planet as soon as he stepped foot on the ground. The muscles automatically springing into gear, stretching them out into a permanent smile. The sky entering all its light into his eyes nearly blinding him.

John put his head into the fold of his arm, blinking several times attempting to get the white colour out of his eyes. John slowly lifted his head, giving his eyes enough time to properly adjust.

He had not seen proper daylight in so long that he forgot how blinding it truly was. How much it could hurt first thing in the morning, not long after going from the dark corners of his mind, he re-emerged into the dazzling reality.

It reminded him so much of when he would go camping back on earth before all this trauma happened. Beautiful stars lighting their way through the darkness until the sun said hello. The way the sun would sting his eyes after leaving the tent at sunrise.

He ventured slightly further out, decided it wouldn't be best to stray too far out of the hut, it was giving him protection from the sun that was much needed.

John knew that it would take him time; time to build up being able to come out past the hut. He sat down on to the hut floor just inside the doorway. He stretched out his legs, feeling the sun hit them.

A contented sound left his lips as he felt himself relax even more sipping on his coffee gazing out into the distance. A purple tinge still in the air from the night before.

"This is nice, I'm glad I can do this again." He talked to the world, thanking it for existing.

"Imagine what we could do with this planet." John couldn't help but let his mind wander

He finished his coffee and orange with his back starting to ache slightly. He lay his head down, feeling the rough hard ground beneath his hair.

It felt nice. He all of a sudden started feeling tired a bit even though he had not long woken up.

"I'll just have a little nap." John mumbled, trying to convince himself.

John began drifting off, dreaming of how he would make the planet better. The ways it would be different to earth.

Rose opened her eyes stretching herself out across the bed. Her head leaving the pillow ending up in a starfish shape. Sleepily, Rose reached up rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and letting out a little yawn. She felt well-rested today. The events of yesterday still fresh in her mind.

The astounding colours and company she had experienced. Not many days down here ended on such an incredible ending. Good conversation with good food. No silence being awkward, only welcoming.

Rose couldn't wait to feel all these emotions again soon. She would make sure more of their nights would end that way. On such a happy high that left them in such a good mood the next morning, they wouldn't care of any events the universe threw them attempting to ruin it.

Rose looked down at the clothes she was still wearing. Last night's clothes clinging to her body, crimpled with memories. She began developing deep feelings of disgust from sleeping in jeans. How itchy and her legs felt. The jeans were stretching slightly from being over worn without being washed.

"Erg." The disgusted noise left her partially parted lips.

"Time for a bath, I think." Rose told herself.

The gross feeling from still being in the clothes gave Rose the strength she didn't realise she needed. She got out of bed heading straight to the closet to get a fresh set of clean-smelling clothes. Rose made her way to the bathroom saying a quick morning to Lily who was heading to the living area.

It looked as if Lily herself hadn't long awoken either, Rose was glad to see that she had had a long sleep, at least one of them could have that. Rose would have stopped to properly converse with Lily, but she wasn't in the mood yet. Mornings didn't agree with her.

Rose placed herself in the bath, sliding into the warmth, bringing back a sense of normality. Feeling more than relaxed she felt as if she could just turn into a puddle of goo.

Rose knew she needed to come up with a plan of what they are meant to do from here. The lands looked to be as barren as the letter had described earth to have been when it reset. Bringing up memories of the orientation day they had to deal with it. To tell them what they needed to do. Rose replayed the memory in her mind hoping that it would tell her what they had to do from here.  

Short chapter this time as the next part will be a flashback.

Hope you still enjoyed it though! :)