In the shower block, I sit in the dark on the damp cold floor; my head resting on my knees which are tucked into my chest.

Fara and Carlos told me and Bo to come back later as they're still treating Haiden. Haiden who wasn't moving. Haiden who wasn't talking. Haiden who wasn't making a sound. She wasn't doing anything an alive human should be doing.

I exhale shakily. No matter how much I wipe my eyes, the tears refuse to stop falling.

A knock on the door makes my head snap up; my heart starts pounding.

'Kit?' Zach says, pushing open the door.

I squint against the light shining from his hand. He strides towards me and drops to his knees. He raises his hand to my face, hesitates briefly before skimming his thumb across my tender cheek from when I was hit in the face earlier. I wince.

'You're hurt,' he says.

I shrug. 'If you're caught in the female shower block, you'll be in trouble.'

'I'd be surprised if anyone walks into the female shower block in the middle of the night.' Zach places a bundle on the floor next to me. 'Can I hold you?'

'You never need to ask, Zach,' I whisper.

His arms wrap around me. I inhale his scent and sink into his chest. His warmth doesn't completely rid me of the icy coldness numbing my insides. I'm not sure what will.

'The fire was a clever idea,' I mumble.

'Your fire made me think of it,' Zach says quietly. His grip tightens around me. 'What happened?'

'They saw us and started chasing us. One was punching Bo, the other shot Haiden when she tried to stop them.'

'What about you?'

'They hit me across the face that's all.' I don't mention their hands were all over me. I swallow the bile searing up my throat. My muscles tense as I remember their invasion of my body.

Part of me wonders if I'm being oversensitive. I don't like contact, maybe others wouldn't be as bothered by what happened.

I tilt my head backwards and find Zach's mouth. His hand dips under my top and holds my waist. I deepen the kiss, holding onto him, trying to use the pleasure of his touch to override the crawling sensation rippling across my skin. It doesn't work. The events of earlier are too fresh. I sob loudly and more tears start to roll down my cheeks.

Zach stops the kiss and rests his forehead against mine.

'I'm never going to be safe, am I?' I croak. 'I feel like I'm always going to be running. Those people know I'm resistant somehow. Everyone always wants something from me once they find out I'm resistant. '

'The people here don't want anything from you.'

'By staying here, I'm putting everyone at risk.'

'You don't know that.'

'Those people are going to come back for me, and if they have found me then the Techies will find me.'

'We'll figure something out.' Zach wipes away my tears with his thumbs.

'How?' I say.

'You're not leaving, Kit. Right now, this is the safest place for you.' Zach pulls me up to standing. My body creaks; every joint resists being used and my limbs feel weak and useless. Zach starts to pull my top off and I stiffen.

'Zach, what are-'

'You need a shower. You're covered in...' Zach pauses, not wanting to say Haiden's blood, '...dirt.'

Zach removes my top then undoes my trousers, sliding them down along with my underwear, he removes them and discards them to the side. He takes off his own clothes; we're both naked.

Moving us into the shower cubicle, he turns on the shower and lukewarm water drizzles out the showerhead. Zach rubs away the blood and dirt from my body. His torch on the floor casts shadows over his face, over my body.

Maybe this should be sexual. Maybe, I should feel awkward. All I feel is safe and loved.

The hairs on Zach's arms rise, making them feel prickly against my skin. His lips tremble slightly as he continues to wash me.

'You're getting cold,' I say, running my fingers over his shivering lips.

'I still haven't got used to cold showers.' Zach continues to rub at my skin.

'This is warm compared to the ones back in my parent's cabin.'

'That's because you grew up without a very amazing invention called a water heating system.'

'The Techie showers were too hot for me. I always felt like I was being boiled alive.'

'You can adjust the temperature. You could have had a cold one if you'd wanted.' Zach chuckles then frowns. 'You never mention what happened while you were there.'

'You never talk about what happened with your mum just before we left. I guess we both have things we want to avoid talking about.'

Zach steps back and I can see the hurt. I step forward. 'Sorry, I didn't mean-'

'Yes, you did.' Zach runs his hand through his wet hair. 'What do you want me to say? My mum didn't want me. I was the unsuccessful result of an experiment. She was willing to kill me because her experiment was more important.'

'Do you miss her?'

'No.' Zach frowns and steps out of the shower cubicle. He's lying. Over a month together means I know when he's lying. 'I barely saw her when we lived together. I feel like I hardly knew her.'

'You can miss someone you barely knew, just like you can love someone you hate,' I say.

'That makes no sense, Kit,' Zach says flatly. He grabs a towel off the pile he had placed on the floor earlier and wraps it around me.

'I'm just saying, she may not have been the best or even a good mum but she was a constant figure in your life, which means she would have had an impact on you, both positively and negatively.'

Zach doesn't respond. I watch him for a moment wondering how I can make the hurt disappear. I may have left behind my family however I know they love me. Whereas, Zach left with the knowledge his mother viewed him as a failed experiment. Can that sort of pain ever go away or will he simply learn to cope with the constant ache of rejection?

'When I was in the Techie compound and I made that playlist, I never expected you to find me. I didn't think it would end up in you having to leave your home.' I take the towel and place it around his shoulders. I hold his face. 'I don't talk about what happened because my memories of that place are of fear and pain. They're memories I want to forget.'

'Maybe, we shouldn't forget. Maybe, it's time to stop running and face what's happening. That might be the only way to stop all this,' Zach says quietly.

His hand cups the back of my head and he guides my mouth to his. I deepen the kiss, his tongue tangles with mine and the butterflies take flight inside me again. I run my hands up his back, over his shoulder and trace the raised scar on his shoulder. My hands continue to trail a path down his bare chest.

'Kit, someone could walk in,' Zach murmurs against my lips.

'No one is going to walk into the female shower block in the middle of the night,' I say quietly.

Zach's hand grips my waist whilst the other caresses my body. An unease creeps in, the images of hands on me start to appear and crowd my mind. I force myself to focus on the feel of Zach's skin, his tenderness, his warmth and everything from earlier starts to ebb away. 

Zach is always and will always be my escape.

After today, it's what I need. I'm desperate to hold on to him. I'm scared of losing him, of never getting to tell him how I feel.

'I love you,' I whisper.

Zach freezes and I close my eyes, not wanting to see the look on his face. I'm glad I finally said it, except the increasing silence fills my insides with embarrassment and hurt. I pull back, however, Zach grips my waist, preventing me from escaping. I'm about to ask him to let me go when his mouth crashes down onto mine. The urgency takes me by surprise. He mumbles something against my lips which I can't understand yet the intensity of this kiss makes me think he loves me too. We stumble towards the bench, he drops onto it and I straddle his lap.

'I don't want to hurt you, Kit,' Zach murmurs against my lips.

'You won't.'

Our hands wander and my insides are clenching uncontrollably with anticipation.

Our relationship has shifted although I can't tell how exactly. I can simply sense it and Zach must too because I feel him trembling underneath me as we lose ourselves in each other.

Author's note
What do you think? I kind of left this up to you guys to decide what exactly happens ;)