Regeneration

Chapter 22 - I Dreamt the World Ended

Two weeks later...

My wound was healing quickly, as the tissue began sewing itself back together. I was recovering well; the agonizing pain was now just a memory.

Moving around no longer proved to be a challenge; however, I still had to take it slow.

For the last week, I tried to keep myself occupied, mostly reading novels I had found on a bookshelf. It was the only entertainment I had other than talking to Romero, who wasn't always chatty.

We were sitting in the living room when I glanced up from my book looking at Romero who was on the couch opposite to me; he was cleaning one of his handguns.

I studied him for a while.

His eyes flickered up towards me and he flashed me a quick smirk. I gave him a half smile, before averting my eyes quickly, concentrating on the words printed on the page before me.

Who are you Romero? He still had neglected to talk about how he knew so much about what was happening.

Romero had left the room at some point and I remained engrossed in my book for some time before getting restless.

"I'm going for some fresh air; would you like to join me?" I called out to Romero who was just exiting the kitchen.

I shut my book close and laid it on the glass coffee table in front of me.

"Ok," he responded, walking towards me.

We walked out of the front door, Romero shutting it behind us. It was a cool breezy evening, a few stray leaves twirled in the wind as the trees swayed ever so slowly.

I felt a sense of peacefulness and relaxation as the cool breeze gently hugged me, caressing the surface of my skin.

The wind tenderly picked up a few of my curls making them dance near my ear.

The sky wasn't arrayed with pastel colors but instead majestic shades of grey hung about the sky in the form of puffy clouds. It was evident that a storm was rolling in.

We walked down that tarmac road lined with trees, taking our time.

I saw Romero glancing at me from the corner of his eyes.

"What?" I looked at him, furrowing my eyebrows slightly.

"You look nice with your hair down," he said lowly.

"Thank you," a thin smile on my lips, "I'd tell you that you're good looking, but I have a feeling you already know that," I said as we stopped walking.

He cracked a smirk turning towards me.

"Are you saying that you think I'm attractive?" He took a step closer to me.

"Yes." I held his gaze.

I pushed his chest, making him step back. A small smile played on my lips as I turned and started walking again.

After walking for a couple more minutes Romero spoke again.

"We should get back to the house, you're still recovering, we don't want to get caught in the rain."

He was right, besides shadows were creeping in now.

We strolled back to the house, getting inside just in time. The rain had started pouring as huge crystal clear drops of water fell from the gloomy sky.

"It's going to be a cold night."

. . .

Later on, I was standing in the shower letting the water run over my skin. I stayed in there a few minutes longer enjoying the feeling of the water spraying against me.

After I showered, changed the dressing on my arm and threw on some clothes, I climbed into bed.

I listened to the sound of the rain as I watched tiny droplets of water run down the glass of the window.

I heard the shower down the hall go off and shortly after the door to Romero's room closed. I figured he was turning in for the night as well.

It was days like this that made me forget that outside of our four walls was a world of chaos. I didn't mind forgetting, it gave me a sense of peace and security.

Eventually, I slipped away into the oblivion of sleep.

. . .

My eyes blinked open as the knocking on my door pulled me out of deep sleep.

"Hailey are you going to sleep all day?" my door swung open and my mom walked over to the bed, pulling my covers off.

"Mom?" I spoke softly.

"You're going to be late for school," she said as she pushed my curtains open. I shielded my eyes from the sudden brightness.

"Get your butt downstairs in ten minutes," she pointed a finger at me before leaving my room.

I checked the time; it was 7:45 a.m.

"Shit," I swore under my breath. I was going to be late.

I suddenly froze then looked around my room, breathing heavily. It was a dream...

~~~Author's Note~~~

Glad you're still here. 😉

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Copyright © 2017 by Kimberley & Amanda Woodroffe