Chapter 3

The night had enveloped Lindsey at some point because she awoke the next morning with the sun. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and shook her head to get rid of the tiredness. She rolled on her back and felt Jake lying down right next to him. He was snoring lightly and it made him look almost too adorable to wake up, but she knew she had to.

She propped herself up on her elbow and leaned onto him. Her lips softly brushed against his cheek. She placed a light kiss on his cheek bone, then moved up to his eyelids, and finally down to his nose. Each spot making her lips tingle in a good way. Jake’s mouth slowly twisted into a smile and without opening his eyes, he reached his hand up and pulled Lindsey towards him, joining their lips. One of his hands gripped her hair lightly while the other ran up and down her back. Getting into the moment, she pushed herself up and straddled him, without breaking the kiss. With every passing second, the kiss got more and more heated. Jake was pulling Lindsey into him like he wanted her even closer, and being where they were now wasn’t enough. He swiftly took her by the waist and flipped her over to her back. It pained Lindsey when she had to pull away.

“We have to go…” She said breathlessly. He just nodded with a smile on his face. Jake pushed himself up and reached down to help Lindsey up as well. They both gathered their few belongings; Lindsey didn’t have anything besides the weapons in her belt loop and the locket that hung around her neck, which held a picture of her mother, and her twin brother, who she constantly wished she had with her during this. Jake had a little more. He carried a dysfunctional watch, a bracelet, and a teddy bear, all stuffed into a tiny backpack that ran just a little too small for him.

They headed towards the sun, trying to stay in the clearings as much as possible to not freeze. Lindsey’s thin jacket and ripped jeans weren’t helping to stay warm either. Jake didn’t have any extra layers to lend her either; he was freezing in a short sleeve Under Armour compression shirt and Adidas Joggers. Lindsey looked down while they walked to not trip over any roots. Again as she stared at his pants, she realized that all the things that gave teenagers a purpose in life were pointless.

How your hair looked, the jeans you had, what brand shoes you wore, whether you ate the right thing, had the right size, wore enough makeup, none of it every mattered. It was never important, and most adults realize that. But in this new world, everyone realizes that everything in life didn’t matter besides surviving. Adults didn’t necessarily care about their looks, but it was money.

“Money was a piece of paper that dictated the lives of every living being. It had numbers, letters, and a colored background But somehow, somewhere, at some point in history, someone gave it the meaning of everything. That nothing is free, and you have to work, for a piece of paper. I mean, look around, then tell me I'm not the only one who realizes how stupid it all was.” Lindsey says aloud.

“Is this another one of your theories on life,” Jake teases, referring to her other small rants she had slowly unraveled to him. “Because it sounds extremely intriguing.” The sarcasm in his voice could have been noticed in text.

“Yes actually, just another to add to my list.”

“If I could choose your job, I’d pick philosopher.”

“Ew, that’s a job for old guys.” Their laughs echoed into the vast space before them. A sudden silence suddenly settled between them. Instead of being awkward, it was enjoyable and gave Lindsey that small sense of happiness. It was one of the first things that she realized she liked about Jake. She felt oddly comfortable around him, and the first time they kissed, his arms surrounding her, it was almost as if the world wasn’t ending around them. She reached her hand over and grabbed his. Their fingers intertwined and the warmth quickly spread in both their bodies.

They walked for hours, trying to find any building that had already been searched by the machines, but not fully destroyed. At some point when it seemed to be the middle of the day and their hunger levels were almost too much to bare, they sat down in a cave sheltered by many trees.

“Maybe we should just stay here,” Jake wraps his arm around Lindsey’s waist and pulls her closer. He plants a kiss in her hair. “And relax for a little bit. Just… be… here…” His voice gets softer, trailing towards her ear. It tickles her skin and sends chills up her spine.

“I wish w-we could.” Lindsey’s sudden breathlessness surprises her. On cue, her stomach rumbles.

“Alright, let’s eat.” Although he tries to hide it, there is evident disappointment in his voice.

They ate a squirrel they had found while walking. Jake had shot it easily. Lindsey had made the fire right there to cook, and then they carried it in the front pocket of Jake’s backpack.

The world had gone corrupt, and the only source of food had become animals of all kinds. Sucks for any vegetarians still out there. Without having efficient nutrients, and not enough food, their stomachs had shrunk significantly. Jake cut it in half, and made sure to give Lindsey the one that looked bigger. She felt bad and even when she wasn't hungry anymore, she finished the piece of meat. After their afternoon meal, they would usually take a small nap to compensate for what they didn’t eat, but today there was no time. They were back on the move with no particular destination.

When the sun started to drop below the trees again, they knew they had to find more shelter for the night. As if mother Nature was on their side, they stumbled across a cave. Jake, being manly, went in first to check it was safe.

“I survived for weeks without you, you know.” She said it as more of a joke but he took it seriously.

“You’re all I have left and I would never be able to forgive myself if something were to happen to you.” He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer. Jake looked directly in her, and the look in his eyes told her she was special, and that he loved her. They had yet to say it to each other, and now seemed like the perfect moment.

“I love you…” he whispers in her ear. Chills crawl up her spine and her breath stops midway in her throat. She closes her eyes and brings their lips together. Lindsey’s hands go through his hair, making it messier than it usually is.

“I love you too.” she responds, pulling away for only a second to tell him. He pulled her back and pressed her to him even harder. He lifted her up and the cold cave wall pressed against her back. Lindsey was invested in the moment, but she hadn’t lost herself to love. She pulled back. “I don’t want to…” She didn’t want to finish the sentence and make it too weird.

“Don’t worry, me neither.” He came closer again, this time slower to make sure she still wanted to kiss him. They ended up laying down, making out for a while. The mood was set, and they cuddled and watched the sun disappear behind the horizon and be replaced by the moon.