A cold sweat blanketed Dwight's skin, soaking through his clothes. Fear traveled throughout his body, paralyzing him. His lungs felt compressed while his breathing became desperate, constricted. He could hear a desperate voice shout his name, continuously somewhere. His fear of death, the loss of one of his friends, of the Entity, it overwhelmed him. He could feel the sting of tears as he panicked.
"Dwight!" Someone called out again.
Dwight awoke immediately, his heart beating rapidly against his chest. Tears leaked from his eyes, blurring his vision, before he could make sense of his surroundings. He wrapped his arms protectively around his knees, struggling to calm himself.
"I'm sorry…" Dwight mumbled, his chin trembling.
This was his twenty-fifth night at the campsite after the Entity's persistent trials. It was never ending, a torturous death match. A lump formed in Dwight's throat. He wanted to go back to his old life, before the nightmares and fear of the Entity plagued his thoughts.
Nea looked over to Dwight, concerned. "It's okay." She whispered softly.
He felt guilty for have woken Nea up, and selfish because he wasn't the only one who was stuck here. Dwight lifted his glasses as he frustratingly rubbed at his sore eyes, berating himself for crying like an imbecile.
Careful as to not wake the other survivors, Nea quietly managed to sit closer to Dwight. They listened to the soft pops and crackling of the campfire in silence. The darkness of the forest seemed to engulf them, making the consistent fear in Dwight's chest feel prominent.
Nea touched Dwight's shoulder when she watched his features tense. His eyes were bloodshot accompanied with dark circles, making his skin seem paler than usual. He was exhausted, yet scared to sleep and it broke her heart.
"You're okay, Dwight." She gently squeezed his shoulder, wanting to soothe him. "I promise."
Nea looked at Dwight in a way that made him want to cry again. She offered so much compassion and sympathy. She felt like home, a scarce and rare feeling that he ached for.
Draping an arm around Dwight's shoulders, Nea tugged him closer until she felt his shivering stop. She inhaled his scent; a mixture of the fire's smoke and an earthy smell. It was so familiar and comforting. She could see his eyelids began to fall and breathing become heavy with sleep.
Carefully, she removed his glasses and tucked them into his shirt pocket. She delicately kissed his temple, letting her lips linger for a few seconds before pulling away. Leaning him back against the tree's shadowy trunk behind them, she let her arm fall from around him.
"Goodnight." Nea sighed, before allowing herself fall sleep beside him.