Trance.
Glasgow, Kentucky.
May 19, 2010.
Gene woke to total darkness. His heart sped at first, reacting to the unfamiliar surroundings, but a couple of chilly breaths eased his fear. He was just facing the wall. He twisted around, frowning when he realized that someone had put out the artificial campfire. The only source of light came from the other side of the room, where the eerie outline of Mulder's face could be seen in the glow of his tablet. His eyes were barely open, but he seemed to be reading.
He fumbled around for one of the tiny flashlights he had stored in his cargo pants. He used it to find his way to Mulder, stumbling over the uneven floor. "Mulder?" he whispered, crouching down to try and get his attention. "Hey, are you awake?"
Mulder glanced up, tapping the lock button on his tablet so the light faded away. Gene shined the flashlight toward him, unsure of the strange expression on his face. He seemed lost.
"What are you doing? Everyone else is still asleep."
He shrugged. His voice was croaky. "I didn't sleep." He touched the back of his head, recoiling like a child who had stroked an open wound. "I just have this headache… this pain…"
Gene ran his hands along the back of his head, but it felt completely normal. He found no signs of injury. When he drew his hands back, Mulder leaned heavily into the cave wall. "It looks fine to me," he said, taking the tablet. "I'm keeping this."
"I think I need to lay down," Mulder admitted. He yawned, rubbing his eyes with his fists. He tried to get up, but the effort died almost immediately. "Will you help me?"
Gene stood up, dragging the larger man to his feet. He helped him back to his sleeping bag, watching him curl up on his side like an exhausted child. He was asleep within minutes, breathing peacefully. Gene hovered for a moment before returning to his own sleeping bag. He kept the light nearby, occasionally shining it over Mulder to make sure he was still there.
His face slowly shifted from dreams to nightmares. His eyebrows kept drawing down, his face contorted, and a few tears slipped down into the waterproof material. He was mumbling something that Gene couldn't make out. He thought he heard the name of his significant other, Scully, but it was all mixed up with bits of French. His hands were clenching the sleeping bag, balling it up so much that Gene wondered if it would split in half.
He unlocked the tablet, curious about what Mulder had been reading, but it came up on the home screen. None of the apps were open. He had been staring at nothing.
But did he even realize it?