Will POV

Why is my head so sore? What happened?
Shadows dancing...

Shadows dancing! Matt and Logan.

I sat up as fast as I could - expecting the battle to continue, expecting to still be on the roof with endless rain flooding.
Instead I was in a mansion. Well, Melissa and I would call it a mansion. I suppose it's just a regular house for wealthy people.

I was lying on a couch that was as comfortable as a cloud. I glanced around - there was a stairway meaning there was a second floor. The walls were a light beige colour, except the parts that weren't built with sandstone.
It was sturdy.
It was comfortable.
Most importantly - it had a sense of home.

Even though it wasn't my home, it felt safe. It felt warm - like a mother's embrace. We could stay here for a while - that is if the fence around the property was sturdy.
Even so, I felt the strongest sense of grief.

Matt is dead

That Sepia dream will never come true. I suppose people like me don't get the happy ever after. I just wanted that sense of safety that's been lacking for so long that I lost track of time. Had it been a year since the Cannibals came? Had it been a month?

I slowly got up, and that was a mistake. It felt like my brain had just been stabbed with a serrated knife, only to be pulled out again. The mere pain threw me back on to the couch. I clutched my head in agony. Logan.

Fire consumed me, blazing and sizzeling. It consumed my guilt and replaced it with anger. Logan is going to feel pain unlike any other.
It took tons of will power to stand and ignore the pain.

"You must sleep more", Valarie said sternly.

"I can't, I need to find Logan", I spoke through clenched teeth as I tried to ignore the pain. It was white hot agony that danced inside my brain. Setting every nerve on fire. Severing neuron as it danced it's blade dance.

"Logan is dead", she said coldly.

My body froze in place, awaiting her next answer. Matt, too had perished. It's different when you know it in your heart, but when someone confirms it... the grief swallows you whole. It was easier to ignore the pain now as their was a new pain in my heart. How much pain can a human withstand?

"Matt is fine, he's sleeping in his room."

I looked at her as if she had just spoken Spanish. Matt can't be alive. Can he? I felt the balloon strings reappear around my heart and the goal of that warm dream resurrected.

I cringed at the pain in my head but swallowed it down, “I need to see him."

“No you will not.  You will rest – you probably have a concussion. Which is why we chose this place, out of sight, out of mind.”

My anger flared, “Valarie, I'm seeing it whether or not you approve”, despite my resolve I fell back on to the couch. I felt ashamed – I'm showing my vulnerability to Valarie of all people. She turned around – the warm light of the early sunlight made her look more gentle – her long blonde hair hung behind her.

“Ill go fetch him if that’s what you want.”

I took a deep breathe of resignation now I was baggage. I wondered how long a concussion lasted for… I wracked my brain for the answer. To my disappointment I couldn’t recall. So now, I had no idea how long we would be here.

What irked me the most was that I was knocked out – able to be hit – by Logan of all people. If anything I'm glad his dead, that look in his eyes – the malevolent look that harbored hatred and murder. It brought back memories of Roderick from so long ago. Back when my other half – my best friend, confidant and support system was still alive.

I heard footsteps coming down the stairs, I turned – in great pain – and saw Matt rubbing his eyes. Standing shirtless in all his chiseled glory. However that’s not what caught my attention, no, it was simply Matt. Him being here brought sun rays of relief into my stormy mind.

“Valarie said you were asking for me, are you alright?” He asked in his gravely morning voice, which was then followed by a yawn.

“I’m okay, just a painful head. I'm sorry I woke you, I just wanted to know that you were okay.”

“I’m fine, you should be focusing on getting better. There aren’t any painkillers in here – we checked everything. But theres tons of food. We can stay here for a while right?”

I pondered over his question. I don’t want us to get lazy and compliant – at the same time we need rest. I had to first ask Matt about the fence surrounding the property. Whether its stable, sturdy and wired. The last part was necessary considering my acute sense of paranoia.  I trusted my intuition at all times – and something was wrong. However, I didn’t want to put the others on edge just quite yet, they needed the rest. After days of walking through scortching heat, thunder storms and jumping across roofs – a rest is exactly what the need.

“I'll have to talk to Valarie about that."
She has better judgement when it come so these types of things”, I let out a heavy sigh, that used to be me – the one people turned to for decisions.
The power balance would shift the dynamic of the group. Valarie sees Matt as useless and, as such would rather he be dead. My only leverage was Gloria. And I feared that that would not be enough to keep Valarie at bay.

All the thinking resulted in that same sawing motion in my head. My hands wenbt up to my head, grabbing it in desperation. It would take me a few days to heal. I wondered how I co-

My thought pattern simply stopped.

“What was I thinking?” I asked out loud.

Matt’s face was perplexed. Of course he wouldn’t know what I was thinking. However, this sudden occurrence was both fascinating and dreadful. Knowing what I know, the forgetfulness was simply caused by the concussion – I hope.
I shrugged out off that thought and focused on the relief I felt knowing Matt was okay. We were closer to our Sepia dream, the place we both belong.

“Matt I just want to say I’m glad you’re okay… And I want to say I’m s-sorry for flaunting Logan in front of your face…”

His hand gently cupped my face, as if I were made of glass and would shatter any moment. The look in his eyes was one of adoration that made my stomach dip.

“Don’t feel guilty about what I’m about to say. It hurt like hell to see someone else hold you the way I was supposed to. But, I brought it upon myself for leaving you – I will never forgive myself for that. But, Will, I've always loved you and, I always will. But, if you really want to earn my forgiveness, you’ll go back to sleep, the pain will die down little by little – then tomorrow I’ll show you the rest of the house. I suppose its more of a mansion.”

His words resonated throughout my being and I knew my dream was a strong possibility, So, obeying his plea I lied back down, Sleep soon over came me.

A sepia dream of belonging.

A Polaroid of safety.

Yes, that’s all I want, no, that’s what I deserve.