Let's take a few steps...(DudeGuy and Selena)

Raphael scrounged up four bottles of water from the back of the truck that they would be sleeping in that night. If they wanted or needed anymore, he'd get up and get them. He stepped into the other truck and found that it was filled up with mostly snack foods. Chips, candy, those sorts of things. In a few months, it would mostly go stale. Hopefully, they would be out of here by that time. He grabbed a bunch of stuff, piling it all onto his shirt. Once he was satisfied that he had enough, he headed back to the front of the truck and climbed up inside. The first thing that he noticed was, of course, her singing.

She had a lovely voice. Clear, melodic, and oddly comforting to him. For the first time since he woke up in that wrecked classroom, he felt calm and peaceful. When she finished, he held a bottle of water out toward her. "I've got all kinds of things here. There's only snack food in that truck though so it's nothing really healthy or anything like that," Raphael said softly.

Selena threw her hand over her mouth when she realized that he was listening to her singing. "I'm sorry!" she replied, immediately blushing. Singing lullabies..he must think I'm crazy...! She brought her hand up and grabbed the water bottle, a guilty look about her face. "Thank you." Selena said, letting one of her legs drop down from her chest as she opened the bottle and took a few sips.

She then looked at the pile of food he had brought inside. Chips, candy, everything unhealthy. Selena shrugged. She didn't care at the moment..she was hungry! Her hands picked up a bag of chips and a package of beef jerky and Selena happily began eating them.

"It didn't bother me," Raphael said as he quickly drained half of one of the water bottles. "You're singing I mean. I rather enjoyed it," he added. His eyes remained fixated before him, staring directly ahead and out of the window. He reached down and grabbed a bag of chips, and easily ripped them open. He began to munch on them one at a time, staring out ahead as if he were deeply engaged in some sort of television show. Really, he was lost in his own thoughts once again, wondering what they would do and how they would go about doing it in the coming days. How long would it take before someone found them? Until they got out of here? There were so many questions, and so much uncertainty. It seemed the only way they could get through anything was by fighting. So that's what they were going to do.

Selena finished her foot, setting the wrappers next to her side. She looked at Raphael, then at the area where he was staring at. I wonder what he's looking at... She thought. She didn't want to interrupt his concentration, so Selena sat there, her back up against the wall. Sleep felt heavy on her eyes, and before she knew it, she was falling asleep, despite all the horrible things that had happened today.

She than began to dream.

It was a beautiful cloudless school day in her dream; birds calling and flying over the tops of beautiful architecturally engineered buildings of her city she called home. Selena was walking her way to school on her usual route. This dream...it seems so real...just like how it was this morning.. Selena walked past many stores she knew, the streets looking familiar to her.

But Selena's pleasant walk to school would end abruptly when someone grabbed her from behind and held a knife up to her neck. "Stay calm," the person said, tightening their grip on her arm.. His voice sounds so familiar..this dream feels too real... "You never would've suspected that I'm still with PRAT. You're so naive." Selena was then turned forcefully around in her dream, and she saw the face of the person who had grabbed her.

It was Raphael! He held a knife above her head, and started forcing it downwards, fast...


But then Selena woke up, sweat on her brow and her breathing heavy. She had an astonished look on her face as she turned to look over at Raphael, beginning to rethink what she believed about him.

It had been about half an hour since Selena had fallen asleep, but Raphael was still awake. He still felt too energized to get so sleep right now. His eyes were darting around the room, several plans formulating in his mind at the same time. The first and foremost was their defences. Different little traps they could set up with relative ease. Then there was their sleeping arrangements. If they disconnected the trailers of the trucks and parked the actual trucks behind them, it could serve as a 'last line of defense', but at the same time, that would make it harder to see people coming at them. There was no way to fit debris through the tunnel opening unless. . .

That idea in and of itself was risky. Worth the risk? Maybe. Maybe not. He would have to spend some time tomorrow scouting the 'wasteland' above out. As far as the PRAT soldiers went? his tolerance for their presence was already wearing thin. The next time he saw one of them, he was very likely to completely lose it with them and really end their life. He didn't want to turn back into the monster that he had be en raised as, especially not with Selena here.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard Selena gasp. When he turned to look at her, he couldn't help but to notice how heavily she was breathing, and there was a look that she was giving him that he just. . .couldn't figure out. "are you alright," Raphael asked handing her another bottle of water.

Selena looked downwards, a scared look in her darkened eyes. Locks of brunette hair fell in front of her face, one hand wiping them away habitually. Did this just happen...or..was it a dream...or..I..I'm not sure... Selena was confused. Whatever happened felt far too real to be a simple nightmare...but here Raphael as, asking if she was okay.

Selena couldn't help but scoot away from him slightly. "I..I'm sorry Raphael...but...would you hurt me?" She asked, telling him about her dream, experience, whatever it was just moments ago.

Raphael felt as if his heart had stopped upon hearing all of the things that she was saying to him. He thought that she understood that he had no intention of harming her. Was a dream really all it took to rattle her faith in him? Had he done something to make her second guess her trust in him? He got up from the seat and turned to face his companion, so that she could see the look in his eyes. It was a firm, unwavering, direct look, one that he hoped would be convincing enough for her to understand that he was very serious about what he was about to say to her.

"Listen to me Selena - if I had any intention of harming you, do you think I would have brought you this far? Brought you to safety, stood up against that PRAT Soldier that wanted to hurt you, done. . .any of these things? Is the fact that I was once being used by those people enough to rattle your faith in me," Raphael asked. He was actually hurt to hear her see those things. He would have thought that all of these things that they had gone through would have been enough for her to see that he was trustworthy.

"No, I wouldn't hurt you. Not unless I had to do so to save your life."

Selena looked up into his eyes as he spoke; his eyes showed the seriousness of the situation. As he continued to speak to her, her eys began to well up with tears when she came to the realization of her mistake in questioning her trust in him, and his trust in hers.

Looking away from him, she spoke in a guilty tone. "Raphael...I...I'm sorry...will you please accept my apology?" She then looked back up at him, a dissapointed look on her face.

She had made a promise to him earlier. She needed to amend that promise, and she had to somehow show that she was certain that her trust was still there. Scooting over by him slowly, she laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm lucky to have you with me through this...that dream it just felt too real, that's all.." she replied, trying to convince him, as well as herself. The dream was still very raw.

"It's fine. I understand it can't be easy knowing that the one person you're stuck with in this situation used to be a part of the same insane group that ruined your life," Raphael said softly. He leaned in a bit to take a closer look at her face. She looked. . .rather upset. Raphael reached out and wrapped his arms around Selena embracing her warmly. She had no need to be feeling bad about asking him that. He really couldn't imagine what it was like for her to be in this situaiton. She must have been afraid and confused, and after confronting that man earlier and learning that Raphael had once been a part of PRAT? He should have seen this coming.

He slowly pulled away from her and placed a hand on top of her head, offering her a slight smile. "I know. . .I've been acting a bit cold. Situations like this make me shut down emotionally. I don't ever fully lapse back into the way I used to be. Don't worry," he reassured her once more. He just wanted to be completely sure that she knew that she could trust him.

Selena couldn't help but smile up at him softly. For some reason, he had changed...he wasn't acting stern or cold at all right now. Was this the real Raphael, the one who wasn't changed by the horrible effects of being in such a horrible organization? Maybe.

All Selena knew was this his touch was warm and reassuring. She knew that she could trust in him. She just knew it!

After Raphael pulled away, Selena just sat there next to him. "The reason I've been questioning our trust doesn't just deal with my dream and you being a former PRAT member and all." she paused for a mement, sighing slightly. "When I was young, my trust was broken horribly. My father was very sick for a good half year. During that time, my uncle was like a father to me. We became very close. But, since he was in the military, he was called to fight against a band of PRAT members. Before he left, he promised me that he would be back for the winter."

Selena stopped once more. "But, he never came back. He was killed in battle. I know it wasn't his fault that the promise was broken..but it still hurts, to this day."

The side of Raphael she was seeing now was the real him. Without being in that survivalist mindset, he was actually a really nice guy. To get through all of these things, he had to revert back to that PRAT mindset, or at least, get as close to it as he could without completely relapsing back into that killer animal he used to be. To maintain that balance between drawing on his experience and becoming that monster, he needed to concentrate at all times. He nearly slipped back into being that same wild animal when Selena had been taken hostage earlier, but thankfully, she fought the man off herself.

When Selena told him about her Uncle, his eyes widened. He must have been one of the men who stormed that compound where the children were being kept. It took the military about a month to actually get into the facility. When they did? There was an even bigger battle. Some of the children were even put out on the front lines. Raphael? He had been one of them. It took three soldiers to take him down, his strength and skill were that equal to their own. Perhaps even a bit better. That day was still a blur to him.

"I'm sorry to hear that. But. . .I understand what you mean," he said softly.

"Thanks. Your understanding means the world to me right now." Selena smiled a bit, " Plus, he is probably in a better place than us."

Selena felt at peace with herself and with Raphael. It must've been late in the night, because the call of sleep was once more on Selena's mind. Pulling one of the pillows into her lap and wrapping her arms around it, Selena fell asleep next to Raphael, her back against the wall. She slept a very refreshing and dreamless sleep.

Selena seemed at ease enough to drift off to sleep after their brief conversation, and soon after, Raphael did the same. When morning came around, Raphael was the first to wake. He got up and went to the back of the trucks once more, gathering some food and drink for them both, then brought them back to the truck where they had been sleeping. He took a bottle of orange juice and began to walk about the junction. In the office down here there was a break room that had a refrigerator which, like most of the things here underground, still had power. He could help but thank God for that. They could store some food and drink here so that it woudn't go bad. There were so donuts and some coffee, the usual stereotypical cop food.

There was also a working bathroom. There was no shower, but there were a few towels there. They would be able to stay clean at least. He spied a first aid kit in the kitchen, which, along with their other first aid supplies, would be more than enough for the two of them for now. Still, they would probably need to scavenge about the wasteland above to find something that they could really make use of. If they cleared the things out of the main office, they could use them for protection and they could build traps. They could convert the office into a room for the both of them. He'd have to rig the doors that had collapsed tunnels so that they wouldn't work.

So many things to do in what felt like so little time. With a sigh, he headed back to the truck to see if Selena was awake yet.

Selena opened her eyes, blinking a few times. At first look, she noticed Raphael, wide awake, glancing down at her. She quickly got up to her feet, a rather astonished look on her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were awake already!" A guilty feeling entered her, thinking he had been up and about working while she was sound asleep. She did feel refreshed though...

"Oh, um...Raphael?" She looked at him with her dark eyes, "After this whole mess is over...will we still be..er...friends?" she replied with a tilt of the head in an inquizitive tone. She wasn't quite sure why she asked such a question in a time like this...but it just came out. Early morning can get to a person, I guess.

When Selena opened her eyes and saw him, they blocked blinked blankly at one another. Selena jumped back, then Raphael jumped back. It was quite the comical seen. Or rather, it would have been for any spectators. To them? This was. . .just awkward. As soon as she apologized, Raphael shook his head. "No, no, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have been so close. I was just making sure that you were alright," he said. Though he said alright, he really meant that he was making sure that she was still alive and breathing.

He had just been about to step back out of the truck so that she could get up and stretched when he heard her voice again. Her question admittedly caught her off guard, but he found answering it to be rather easy. "After all that has happened so far, I don't see why we wouldn't be," he said softly. His way of saying 'yes', though the three letter word would have most likely sufficed itself. "Let me get out of the way so you can get out of here," he said. He back out of the truck, then jumped down onto the concrete floor below. Raphael reached out to take her head and help her step down.

Selena stood there for a moment, looking up at him with a mixed facial expression ; a cross between contentment, excitement and modesty. She looked as if she was analyzing what he had told her. After a moment, her eyes went wide and she looked downward, away from him. She felt as if she had stared at him...too embarassing.

She shook her head, looking back up at him as she took his hand and jumped out of the truck. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Raphael said as she hopped down out of the truck. He couldn't help but notice that she landed rather gracefully. He turned her hand lose, quickly stuffing both of his hands into his pockets and he began to explain what he found when he went looking around before she woke.

"While you were asleep, I took a look around this area. More so in the office right of there," he said gesturing to their left with his head. "The main office area is full of typical things. Forms, folders, documents, the works. In the back of the office is what matters the most. That's where the lounge is. There are a couple of couches there, a few seats, a table, a working refrigerator, a working bathroom. . .the only thing we're really missing is a tub. If we had that much, everything would be perfect. But I'll take anything we can get now.

"If we take the pillows, blankets, and sheet's out of the trucks here, we can use the couches as beds. We can also store some food and drinks in the freezer, and others in the refrigerator. The perishable things first, then we can worry about the other stuff. There's a coffee machine and some coffee in there as well. We're actually in much better shape here than I expected us to be," Raphael explained.

Selena listened to him explain all that he had found while she was asleep. "Hmm...." she replied, "people tend to take all this for granted 'til a situation like this happens..." she replied with a smile. "I've been thinking, I could use some of the papers and folders to create targets so I could sight-in this bow. We could even sight-in the guns..but you can't retrieve the ammo after shooting, like you can a bow, and the sound of guns may give away our position to any PRAT soldiers.."she then paused. "But I love the idea for the beds."

Today was a new day. Despite the situation, she was going to be optimistic, at least as much as she could be. She had to amit, with him on her side...she felt safe and protected. She loved this feeling.

Selena listened to him explain all that he had found while she was asleep. "Hmm...." she replied, "people tend to take all this for granted 'til a situation like this happens..." she replied with a smile. "I've been thinking, I could use some of the papers and folders to create targets so I could sight-in this bow. We could even sight-in the guns..but you can't retrieve the ammo after shooting, like you can a bow, and the sound of guns may give away our position to any PRAT soldiers.."she then paused. "But I love the idea for the beds."

Today was a new day. Despite the situation, she was going to be optimistic, at least as much as she could be. She had to amit, with him on her side...she felt safe and protected. She loved this feeling.

"I thought you would," Raphael said. "That sounds good to me. If I can find a tool kit or two, I could get to work on creating some protective gear for us both. And if there is anything wrong with the bow, let me know. I haven't worked with a bow before but I think I can figure it out after giving it a few tries. Or at least, figure out how it's supposed to work."

Yes, Raphael was a smart individual. He was close to earning his degree in engineering already. With some time, he could figure out mathematically how the bow worked, how it should work, and he could come up with a solution on how to fix it. As for all of the things that they picked up yesterday? He would be going through all of those things at length. If he had some more materials, he could ensure that he could make something that they could use. Perhaps it would be for the best if they went topside again? To see what they could find and where? He wouldn't suggest something like that until they were confident that they would be okay.

"Sounds brilliant." Selena replied with a contented smile. Though she was studying biology and wildlife rather intensely, seeing as she wanted to major in the life science area, she did complete trigonomitry and college level algebra courses. No where near Raphael's level, but she could understand how he could figure out the bow's composition and draw back in case it shot mistakingly. Though, one thing worried her: if the wood had a crack, it was almost impossible to fix.

"So, what are we going to do first?"

"First? I say we should at least wash up and check ourselves to make sure that are wounds haven't gotten infected. Then, we should get something to eat. Even if it's just junk food, breakfast is still breakfast," Raphael said. The food that he had taken out of the truck had been brought into the break room, and were now sitting on the table located within there. What would they do after they cleaned themselves up and ate? He figured it would be best to get the gauze they found from the first aid kits, cleaned it up, and then covered their wounds. After that, they could focus on arming themselves and other things of that nature.

Selena nodded. She located some towels stacked up in a corner of a shelfthat was up against one of the walls. Some bottles of lotion and soap sitting next to them. She walked over to them, noting that her leg was feeling much better, and grabbed a towel, tossing it to him and then grabbing one for herself. She then grabbed a few hand towels and a bottle of soap, her arms full of bath supplies. "Where should we freshen up?"

"There's a sink in the break room and a sink in the bathroom. You should take the bathroom, I'll wash up here," Raphael said, figuring it would be for the best if he gave Selena the more private area. If he finished up quickly and stepped out here while Selena was still washing up, that would be very embarrassing for them both. He figured it would probably be easier if she walked in while he was shirtless than if things happened the other way around. The young man had no intention of giving his companion the time to protest. He immediately went over to the sink and placed the towel and soap down, then turned the handles and began to splash some of the water onto his face.

Selena blinked a few times before going off to the restroom to wash up. She too set the towel and handtowel down, as well as a bottle of soap. Walking up to the sink, she turned the handles on the water, the other hand placing the hand towel under the running stream. The towel soaked up the water and became heavier. Selena moved one hand to turn the handle to its original position to stop the water before both of her hands rung the hand towel out, the extra water going down the sink. She applied a little soap to thr now dampened handtowel, lathering it up in her hamds as she began to wipe her body with the refreshing lather-filled hand towel. Her mother had taught her about spongebaths like this; she never knew that information would come in handy someday.

Taking off her skirt to clense the skin hidden beneath the fabric, Selena made a startling discovery: there was a large bruise over her ribcage area. She knew from an experience somewhat similar to this that occurred in archery a few years back, that when there is a bruise over one of your ribs, you have likely broken or fractured at least one rib.

The thing that Selena feared most was if she did have a broken or fractured rib, it could have easily penetrated into one of her lungs: a fatal doom if not immediately removed.

Her face turned white as she considered these horrible possibilities. She finished washing up, putting her clothes back on before going back to where they were at earlier. Raphael was there already; guys tend to wash up much faater than girls. Selena explained her bruise to him, and the grim but very possible outcomes thar could become of it. She then lifted her shirt just high enough to show him the bruise.