A Star-Crossed Wasteland by In This Moment
I woke up with a stretch, a bit disoriented as to where I was. A small smile appeared on my face as I glanced down at Sam. He looked peaceful. I got up to shower, smelling tar. Weird. I turned around and Sam was gone. What the fuck. I quickly got dressed in yesterday's clothes, going outside. It was sunny. Where the fuck is he?
I went back inside, not quite knowing what to do. Just as I was about to call Mama or Heartman in a panic, Sam reappeared. He sat up straight, looking around wildly.
"Where the fuck did you go? What happened?" I asked, relieved that he was okay.
"I was on the beach. I saw Amelie. She was singing. I followed her into the water and then woke up."
"No, Sam, you were on the beach. Body and all," I said, sitting down next to him. "I thought Higgs managed to kidnap you."
"It felt like a dream."
"It wasn't." I stood and started to pull my shirt off again. This conversation was going nowhere. "I need a shower."
"That makes two of us." I shot a coy smile over my shoulder.
"Why don't you join me then?" I asked. Sam followed without putting up a fight.
Our shower took a little longer than expected.
As we were getting dressed, Die-Hardman called. "Sam, I trust you and Taylor holed up somewhere for the night? There was a pretty nasty snowstorm near Mountain Knot City."
"Yeah, we stayed in a shelter near Heartman," Sam answered. He was able to keep a straight face and an even tone.
"Good. I'll have you bring Taylor back to Mountain Knot City and then head to Heartman's for a new assignment. You have to bring the destroyed UCA-41-011 facility online. The delivery terminal should still be intact but there won't be a facility to rest at. You'll have to cross the tar belt to find that at the next waystation. And then there's only one more facility before you find Amelie and bring her home."
"Sounds good," Sam nodded.
I came up behind Sam, kissing his back, and wrapped my arms around his waist. "Just come back to me," I asked quietly. Sam turned around to face me.
"I've got a reason to come back." He kissed me softly, stroking my cheek while looking into my eyes, and then kissing my forehead. He held me for a few moments before pulling away. "C'mon, let's get you to Mountain Knot City."
I nodded, beginning to gather my gear. We were ready to go within the hour, leaving the safehouse behind. The journey back to the city was a bit easier than getting to Heartman's but it still took a good couple of hours to get there. It was late afternoon by the time we entered the distribution center. Sam checked in at the terminal while I registered that I was here until told otherwise. I wonder if Fragile could get my things for me and bring them here. Or take me to get my things and bring them here.
"I'm going to rest here for the night," Sam decided. "The room I'm usually in appears to be booked."
"Stay in mine," I offered. "If we weren't in mine, I'd be in yours. It's silly to pretend otherwise." He chuckled.
The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging in my room and talking...among other things. We could have done something or gone somewhere, but I wanted to be selfish and take all of the time that I could with him. It could be a month before I see him next.