Chapter 9: You have once again entered the world of survival horror. Good luck.

The sound of the engine had become so familiar, that I couldn't even imagine a time where it had not been there.

There had been a time though.

Monday.

It hasn't even been a week, evading creatures and mad scientists. Then, of course, there was Amanda. The poor soul who should have had the chance to live, but because of me, died.

I should have been able to protect her. It was my job to protect her and I failed.

Our plan to trap Mr. X. would have been perfect, but things went wrong. I didn't think about the number of shots she had already fired and because of that, she's dead.

Her death was my fault.

Tears didn't start to flow. I didn't cry. I was so desensitized to the horrors, that I couldn't cry.

I couldn't shed one tear for her. I could only worry about Devan and myself.

It felt like I was unable to care for the dead anymore... that there were simply too many. I had never seen so much blood.

Too much.

I was drifting off at the wheel, so Dev urged me to pull into a motel. Like clockwork, practised many times over, we took a key from the lobby and found ourselves a room.

Deserted. Every key hung on the corkboard, telltale that no one had been there for a while.

We were somewhere in the Fraser Valley, not far from Vancouver and we would wait until sunrise to leave.

Looking around, I smiled. No dust.

There was no fine beige dust, no sand and no dirt…anywhere. The desert was behind us, save for in our clothes and our pores.

I took Devan's hand, leading him to our room and opened the door.

It was nice. The room was tidy and clean. No blood. No bodies… dead or undead.

What a thought…no blood anywhere. No screams… just silence.

Devan jumped onto the bed and smiled, broadly. "Oh god yeah. This is nice."

He stretched his body out and revelled in the comfort.

I set the guns down on a chair and untied my boots, groaning loudly with pleasure as I slipped them off. It felt great.

Would this be how it felt to get home? Relaxing for once and being happy?

Devan's smile didn't leave his face and he made no effort to move as I pulled the dusty and worn shirt from over my head. I reached over, undid his boots as well and pulled them off, before climbing onto the bed with him.

Devan turned his head toward mine and spoke, his voice a whisper. "A moment's peace."

I kissed him softly, my hand brushing against his cheek. "A moment's peace."

His hand started to move along my chest, a sensation that sent shivers across my body. I smiled, my gaze never leaving his and leaned in for another kiss before pulling him off the bed and into the narrow bathroom, taking the time to get the shower just hot enough before stripping down and stepping under the running water.

He kissed me again and that kiss led to another that stretched into the night amongst much more.

I awoke to Devan's smile. He kissed my forehead, running his hands through my hair. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too." I smiled. Last night was fresh in my mind. His embraces, his kisses, his caresses… all of it.

I yawned loudly and sat up, rubbing my eyes. Devan's arm still draped around me, his hands sliding along my shoulder blades.

I needed the peace of the moment. Without the peace, I would probably fail again. I shook the thought away, Amanda's face fading into the background of my thoughts. Right then there was only me and Dev.

Devan chuckled and pulled me into an embrace. "I'm putting this Motel on my 'favoured motel' list."

I chuckled at the thought as well. "Wait a minute… you have a list?"

Dev smiled. "Well, I do now."

The two of us stood and we each picked our clothes off the floor. I slipped into my my jeans, annoyed at how dirty they felt and pulled the tight t-shirt back over my chest. "Y'know Dev, I can't wait to get home. It's been four days since I've changed. I'm really going to like peeling these clothes off for good."

Devan did up his belt and slipped his shirt on as well, grimacing at much the same. "For good? Thinking of becoming a nudist?"

I laughed and quipped back sarcastically. "Yeah. I think I've outlived clothing at this point."

Devan chuckled. "You just keep 'em coming…" He tried to stop himself, but too late, I grinned widely.

"Well, what do you want to do?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Let's go see what's left."

He nodded and stood after having laced his boots. I looked up at him and smiled. I'm glad I could smile. I'm glad I had a reason to smile.

With that thought fresh in my mind, we set out.

The sun was much nicer in the valley, than in the desert. In the desert it was sweltering, but here it was nice. There was a breeze that didn't warm the skin, but cooled it instead.

Devan drove us forward, toward the City. Into something that was both familiar and unknown at the same time. It was the unknown that frightened me. I was scared of what could happen to me. I was scared of what could happen to him.

I didn't want to die. I wouldn't die. I just won't allow myself to die and I will not let Devan die either. The fear was too much and it made me angry… desperate to survive.