The Resurgent

by Blake Wilbanks

Tyler went upstairs to the guest room—that he now considered his own, or at least until everything that was happening, whatever it was, was over—and laid down.

  He sucked in a deep breath of air and closed his eyes. As he lay there, he allowed himself to forget about everything he was thinking, and everything that had happened that day, and was asleep a few minutes later.

  Downstairs, Xavier was still sitting down on the couch, while Demetria moved around in the kitchen, baking a cake and cooking whatever it was that they would all be eating that night.

  He, too, closed his eyes and fell asleep. Not because he was tired, but because there was a lack of anything else to do. They couldn’t watch TV to occupy them, well they could, but Xavier would have to go down to the basement and grab an old DVD player and hook it up. It’d be a welcoming distraction, and he promised himself that he would do that as soon as he woke up. He’d have to look for some old movies while he was down there, but that didn’t seem too hard.

  He was awakened a few hours later, but it had only felt like a few minutes, by Demetria shaking him awake, much like his mother had the night that everything had turned to what it was now.

  A vestige caricature of what was once a world full of vibrant promise, not a dull lifeless form of turmoil.

  “Come on,” said Demetria, her voice soft like silk blowing gracefully through the wind. Like the ripple that surged through the sky, like a ripple in the ocean, or a fitted sheet in the wind. “It’s time to eat.”

  He sucked in a breath of air, then let it out slowly. “Okay,” he said, pushing himself forward and onto his feet, then followed Demetria into the kitchen.

  Tyler was already sat at the table, digging into a plate of spaghetti with meatballs. He looked up when Xavier entered and gave a nod of his head.

  Xavier sat across from him and dug in as well. He only ate half of it, then pushed his plate away, his appetite had long since went, and he didn’t feel like eating anymore. He gulped down his glass of water washing down everything that he had just eaten, then sighed.

  “How’s the food?” said Demetria, twisting her fork around and collecting a reasonable amount of noodles, then proceeded to lift it up to her mouth and eating it.

  “It’s better than nothing,” replied Xavier. “But I’m growing to miss my mother’s five-star cooking.”

  “Well, too bad,” said Demetria, taking a long sip of water, then placing the cup back down, gracefully, onto the table. “You get me and my two-star cooking. And it’s better than anything that you or Tyler could cook up.”

  “I resent that. My mother has been teaching me how to cook since I was practically an innocent.”

  “The foods good,” said Tyler. “And it certainly is better than anything that I could possibly make. I think that I’ll stick to house chores, getting wood for the fireplace and things like that.”

  Demetria made a noise, and said, “Maybe you two should do that. Get wood for the fireplace, help me around the house, and collect extra pieces of wood in case any of us want to have a bonfire.”

  “And attract all of the crazies to where we are?” said Xavier, his brows furrowed and lips pursed in confusion. “I don’t think so.”

  “Then Tyler and I—if he wants to—shall have a bonfire without you. He and I can make S’mores, roast hot dogs, and tell scary stories.”

  “Ooh,” replied Xavier. “Do tell me of what kinds of stories you’ll tell. There is this one particular one about how people speculated how the world would end. I do have to say, it is one that I know well. I always favored the theory of fire and ice. Why choose one cataclysm when there could be both?”

  Demetria’s eyes furrowed into thin slits, she then opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted before she could get a word out.

  “Instead of ice and fire, we have a weird rippling sky that resembles too much of the ocean. Whenever I look up at it, I have a small irrational thought that conveys the idea that it’ll fall from the sky, envelop us under, and drown us one day.”

  Tyler and Demetria stared at him in confusion.

  Tyler sucked in a deep breath, pushed his plate of spaghetti away and stood up. “I think that it’s time for all of us to go to bed. And tomorrow we can all go and do something. Something that’ll take our minds off of whatever it is that’s going through our heads, but mostly Xavier’s.”

  No one responded. Instead, they all stood to their feet, like Tyler had, and followed him up the stairs. Once they reached the top, they all split and went into the direction of wherever their rooms were located then locked themselves in for the night.

  It didn’t take long for sleep to overcome any of them. They threw themselves back onto their beds, closed their eyes, willed away any thoughts that threatened to overcome them, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

  It was the most relaxed sleep that he had had in a long time.

  CHAPTER

  NINE

  THE WOODS WERE beautiful in the light of mid-day. The sight of the sun’s rays peaking through the tops of the trees was a beautiful sight to behold.

  It was the perfect place to take pictures as well. Xavier looked through the lens of his camera at Demetria and Tyler, who were leaning against the large trunk of an old oak tree. The light from the sun was shining perfectly down on them and moving in a perfect angle thanks to the ripple.

  It shined brightly down on them, heating their skin with the perfect amount of warmth—to Xavier’s standards, anyway.

  He captured the moment with a quick click of his camera and took a few more just in case he didn’t like the first one, then pulled back to examine the pictures thoroughly.

  Each one almost looked the same. Tyler, sitting down at the base of the tree, leaning his back up against it and his head tilted back so that he was staring up at the sky. And Demetria was standing behind him, her side leaning against the tree, a blank expression on her face and her arms were crossed against her chest.

  The symmetrical lines of dark shadows and the light from the sun is what made the scene really pop. It was a gorgeous sight to see that had Xavier in awe of them.

  They didn’t know that he was taking pictures of them, they thought that he was just taking pictures of the scenery around them, but he liked the thought of catching them off guard because then everything was authentic and real.

  From where Xavier stood in the middle of the woods there was a circular pool of light that beat down on him. The heat was a welcoming warmth. To him, it was the best feeling that he had had in a long time.

  The woods at mid-day looked ethereal. Like something that could have been taken out of one of the many fantasy books that he liked to read. The image reminded him of something that could have been seen as the summer faerie court in a book that he had read a few years back when he was thirteen years old and was on an almost obsessive fantasy kick.

  That was the time he would read or watch anything that he could get his hands on.

  Nowadays he was very particular with what he picked up. His taste had become, or at least he would like to think, more refined since then.

  He forgot about taking pictures of Demetria and Tyler and threw his head back, basking in the warmth of the sun ghosting across the skin of his face. He took in a long breath of fresh air, held it in for a long moment and then let it out slowly.

  After a few moments, he tilted his head forward and let the sun warm the back of his neck. He just liked the feeling of the suns warmth on his skin, it felt like something familiar, something that he couldn’t really pinpoint, until suddenly, all at once, it came to him. It felt like having a hand placed gently on one’s cheek.

  Just a soft lingering touch.

  After a few moments of basking in the feeling, he stood up straight and heaved a heavy sigh. He wanted to explore and take some more pictures of anything that caught his eye, whether it was Tyler and Demetria, or the scenery around them.

  He moved forward, further into the woods, sticks and
leaves crunching under the weight of his feet.

  He walked further and further, just taking in everything that he could. The woods that they were in weren’t the ones that were behind Xavier’s house, but some that Tyler had taken them to on the other side of town. He said that he liked them because there was a small stream that wasn’t too far away from the entrance.

  That is where Xavier was going and he didn’t think that it should be too hard to find.

  And it wasn’t.

  He found the stream in a little less than five minutes. The sound of the rushing water getting closer was enough to make Xavier grow excited. He picked up the pace and moved faster, reaching the end where he could see the water rushing by. It was beautiful and relaxing.

  He took a seat on the ground, not caring if he got dirty or not, and closed his eyes just listening to the sounds of nature all around him. The sound of the rushing water is what really coaxed him into a relaxed stupor.

  It pulled him under like a strong current. Once he was under, he would have to fight his way back out again.

  He was so lost in the relaxation that he didn’t hear the coming sound of footprints coming up from behind him. They were faint but should have been enough to pull him out of his relaxed daze, but they hadn’t.

  He was jolted out of it by someone pushing him forward. It was unexpected, and the force was too strong, so he was almost pushed into the water of the stream before him.

  He gasped, his breath catching in his throat and his eyes bulging wide.

  “What are you doing?” asked Demetria, as calm as ever, dropping down beside him and Tyler did the same.

  Xavier shook his head. “Nothing,” he said, sucking in a deep breath of air. “I’m just sitting here and trying to relax.”

  “You had us worried,” she said. “You could have told us that you were going to wander off.”

  “I’m sorry,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “I just wanted to see the stream.” He absentmindedly grabbed a fistful of leaves and dirt in his hands, crushed it up, then sprinkled it down on the ground again.

  There was a long pregnant pause before any of them spoke. The only sound that could be heard, for a good few minutes, was the rushing water of the stream. It rushed by fast, but pleasantly. It had a weird effect over Xavier. It had the ability to calm him and make him feel relaxed for the first time in a long time.

  “Should we eat?” asked Tyler, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. “I packed us a picnic, in case we were out for a while.”

  Xavier nodded. “Thanks,” he said, as Tyler and Demetria handed out ham sandwiches wrapped in plastic wrap, plastic sacks filled with potato chips, and bottles of water.

  Tyler nodded in affirmation. “You’re welcome,” he said.

  They all ate in silence, just listening to the sound of the stream. It was much better than having to sit in silence, and it was better than having to carry an awkward conversation that went completely nowhere. Which were most of the conversations that he had.

  He liked to think of them as short, sweet, and to the point. But others probably thought that he was just an ass.

  When he finished eating, he gulped down a few gulps of water and sighed. The cold water was just the right thing he needed.

  He hadn’t really noticed, until now, that the air was humid and hot. And if he had long hair it would probably be puffed out and unable to be tamed. But Demetria got away with it; her hair was naturally puffed out and untamable. It was simply the way she liked it.

  Demetria and Tyler were indulging in an unlikely conversation, one about all of the extracurricular activities that they would have participated in if they were still in school, and not, possibly, among the few of the last people on earth, while Xavier just listened, quietly.

  He looked around, in all directions, just taking in all that he could. He laid back, not caring if he got dirty or not, and closed his eyes. He let the warmth of the sun lure him into an unusual peaceful sleep. He was awakened an hour later by someone gently laying him down in bed, and when he tiredly opened his eyes he saw Tyler looming over him, straightening up his posture and getting ready to leave.

  “Thank you,” mumbled Xavier, rolling over onto his side. He didn’t know why he had felt compelled to say those words, but for some reason he did. And before he fell back into the land of dreams, and before Tyler left, he could hear the faint sound of two words being whispered into the void. “You’re welcome.”

  Then there was silence and Xavier was asleep.

  He didn’t really eat anything that night. For some reason he didn’t feel like eating, his stomach felt full. Like there was a heavyweight deep in the pit of his stomach.

  He felt sick for some reason. His stomach would clench and unclench every few minutes. He didn’t know why, but it hurt like hell like his insides were twisting and turning all about.

  He didn’t go downstairs; instead, he just stayed in his room, covered in his comforter with a book in his hand, even though he could go downstairs, cover up on the couch and watch a movie, thanks to Tyler setting up the DVD player that he found in the basement. And he would be watching a movie if he felt like it, but he didn’t.

  He marked his page and set his book down on the side table where his phone was charging. He picked it up and clicked the unlock button to display the time: 9:00 PM. Checking the time was all he used it for nowadays.

  He heaved a sigh. He was contemplating sleep, but his sleeping schedule was already so messed up that he had a hard time sleeping at night already. He spent most nights staring up at the translucent glow in the dark stars that decorated the ceiling. Unlike today in the woods, he doesn’t fall asleep as easy as he had then. But he didn’t let it bother him; he didn’t let the effects of his lack of sleep get to him. Instead, he was going to keep on going until he finally tired out and his brain shut down enough for him to sleep.

  He sat in bed staring at the wall for a few minutes, then forced himself to go downstairs and sit with Demetria and Tyler, just to pass the time and try to tire himself out.

  He didn’t say anything to either one of them as he threw himself down onto the couch between the two of them.

  There was a movie playing on the television, where some masked vigilante was sword fighting with a man dressed in black.

  It was weird to see since Xavier was seeing it completely out of context, but it was still a better source of entertainment than anything else. And it was certainly better than any conversation that he could hold.

  “Glad you could join us,” said Demetria, leaning her head on his shoulder and snuggling closer to him.

  Xavier made a noncommittal sound, then sucked in a deep breath of air and let it out slowly. “Yeah,” he said. “I got bored upstairs and I couldn’t really sleep.”

  Tyler made a noise from beside Xavier. It was almost a cross between a scoff and a snort, but Xavier didn’t think anything of it. He just sat, snuggled close to Demetria and watched whatever it was that was playing on the Television. Which showed a man riding away on a horse, with a sword at his hip and a mask covering his face. And from what Xavier could guess, it was to hide his identity.

  The movie wasn’t really something that captured his attention, but it was a welcome distraction that he could easily pretend to be interested in. He sucked in a deep breath of air then let it out slowly. He was trying hard to feign interest but the movie was about as interesting as a pile of bricks being stacked together to build a wall.

  The movie wasn’t really something that captured his attention, but it was a welcome distraction that he could easily pretend to be interested in. He sucked in a deep breath of air then let it out slowly. He was trying hard to feign interest but the movie was about as interesting as a pile of bricks being stacked together to build a wall.

  He listened minutely to the sounds of Demetria and Tyler’s breathing. It was a steadying and relaxing sound that he found could lure him to sleep. And it almo
st did. His eyes were growing tired with each passing second, and threatening to close. But before they could he was alerted by the sound of a loud shrieking squeal, and he jolted upright from where he had been lazily laid just a few minutes prior. He was fully alert, his heart was beating emphatically against his chest, and his breathing was intensely heavy.

  “What?” he asked. He looked around, hastily, at all of his surroundings. “What happened?”

  Demetria and Tyler were both silent for a good minute. Then Demetria said, “Nothing. I was just talking to Tyler about something and I got really excited about something. Don’t trip.”

  Xavier let out a breath that he didn’t know he had been holding. “Okay,” he said. “What were you excited about?”

  “Movies,” was her reply. “We were talking about our favorite movie franchises. Sorry, we woke you.”

  Xavier shook his head. “It’s not a problem.” He settled himself back onto the couch, searching for a more comfortable position, and laid his head back on the back cushion of the couch.

  He sat there for a few minutes, just listening to the sounds of both of them, Demetria and Tyler, breathing as he had done just moments prior. And like before, he felt tired, and then he fell into a dark abyss called sleep.

  He woke the next morning to light streaming in from the window and blinding him. He was laid across the couch. And his head was laid on Tyler’s leg and his feet in Demetria’s lap.

  He didn’t remember falling asleep like that, but he was a very restless sleeper, so he wouldn’t put it past himself to have just moved into that position, no matter how improbable he thought that it might have been.

  He pushed himself to his feet, carefully, so that he didn’t wake anyone and hobbled his way into the kitchen. His stomach was rumbling, but he normally wasn’t hungry in the morning. And he didn’t particularly like eating breakfast, because he didn’t like eating in mornings, but today was a completely different story it would seem.

  He took out a carton of eggs and scrambled enough for him, Demetria and Tyler. When he was done, he set the table and put a reasonable amount of scrambled eggs in three different plates, then went to wake Demetria and Tyler up. They woke with fair ease and gave no qualms when food was mentioned.