Chapter 6
In the Darkness
Carter
““I’m hungry,” Thorsen said, and it made me want to strangle him.
“You said that a billion times already.”
“Aren’t you hungry, too?”
I was starving. We were in this bunker for what seemed like an eternity, although I suspected it was only the next day.
Thorsen let out a heavy sigh. “What would you like to eat now more than anything?”
“Can you please stop asking me that?”
“Then answer me.”
I touched the wound on my head that was slightly throbbing. No wonder I couldn’t think.
“Is it bleeding again?” Thorsen said, moving closer to me. “Let me see.”
“Stop touching me,” I growled, pushing his hands away. “I’m fine. It just hurts.”
His hands stubbornly returned, searching for my wound in the darkness. When his fingers grazed my lips, he mumbled something that sounded like “putain” followed by a breathless “sorry”. I merely shook my head in frustration and let him do his thing because I knew how pigheaded he could be. When his hand found the injured area, he carefully felt the skin around the gash. It was strange how such a big dude could have such a gentle touch.
“Maybe it’s infected, but I can’t see anything in this damn dark,” he said, sounding exasperated. “Fuck!”
“It’s not infected,” I grumbled, reluctant to speak about it. “Let’s change the subject. Tell me something. Anything.”
I couldn’t believe that I encouraged him to speak.
“Do you want to know what I would like to eat more than anything right now?” Thorsen mused. “Plain old burger and fries. I would kill you for a burger right now.”
“Well, I would kill you for free.”
“How long can you live without food, anyway?”
“I would worry more about water.”
Starvation. I never expected to die that way. Bullet, sure. But this…
“By the way, I have to pee,” Thorsen said, standing up. “And don’t tell me to hold it.”
I shook my head in frustration, although I knew this subject would come up eventually.
“Just use the farthest wall, okay? It can be—”
“Our lavatory?” he suggested.
“And keep your back turned to me. I don’t want to see more than I have to.”
“Only if you tell me what you would like to eat right now more than anything.”
“A burger, okay?” I growled. “I would like a burger, too. Happy now?”
“Yes.”
Thorsen
“Stop staring at me,” Carter said without opening his eyes.
I grinned. “How do you know I’m staring at you?”
“I can feel your eyes drilling a hole in my head.”
“Your face has the most amazing bone structure,” I mused. “Did anyone ever told you that?”
He shook his head in frustration.
“The things that come out of your mouth, Thorsen.”
“Yeah, well… I’m bored.”
“I’m bored, too, but I’m not talking gibberish.”
“It’s not gibberish. It’s a compliment. You can thank me for it or even return it.”
“Thank you. Now shut the fuck up.”
I turned my head away from him and sneezed before facing him again.
“You’re not getting sick, are you?” Carter said, propping himself on his elbow. “Do you have a fever?”
When he felt my forehead, I stifled a smile. So, the bastard cared about me, after all. Or maybe he just didn’t want to stay here alone with my rotting corpse.
“You don’t have a fever,” he concluded, sounding relieved. “But the next time you dress, please consider the weather. You’re not on vacation.”
“What’s wrong with my clothes?” I protested as he lay down beside me. “Don’t I look nice?”
“You look like a macaw. What’s with all the colors?”
“What’s with all the black?” I countered. “Besides, ladies like my wardrobe. Gentlemen, too.”
“Considering you’re still single, I doubt it, Thorsen.”
“Speaking of, have you ever been in love?”
“I’m in a relationship, remember?”
“Yeah, but you’re not in love with Vicky.”
Carter looked at me sharply.
“What? Of course, I am. Why would you say that?”
I shrugged, wiggling my toes to boost my circulation. “You don’t look in love.”
“And what does a man in love look like?”
“Happier, for starters.”
He didn't like that, judging by the green storm brewing in his eyes.
“Why would I be with her then?”
“There are many reasons two people stay together,” I said thoughtfully. “Friendship. Companionship. Security. Boredom.”
“Well, you’re wrong. I am in love with Vic.”
“If you say so.”
“What about you?” he countered, rolling onto his side to face me. “Have you ever been in love?”
I shook my head. “Nah. Never have been.”
“How come?”
“Dunno. I had a few flings, but I never felt something deeper. It was mostly just casual fun.”
He made a face. “Just spare me the details, yeah? There is such a thing as too much information.”
I laughed. “Like what? My favorite sex position? The size of my dick?”
Doggy. Gargantuan.
“Hard pass. Change the subject.”
“It would be easier to show than to describe, partner. That’s all I’m saying.”
I was joking, but all that sex talk made my dick stir in a bad, bad way. His body lying close to mine wasn’t helping, or his cologne that I could smell on him despite the stench of earth and mold around us. Or the fact that the one thing we could do down here, for a lack of better alternative, was fuck. Sure, he was straight and taken, but we were about to die in this shithole. It would be like the last meal for a death row inmate sans food since we didn’t have any.
“Do you think you’ll ever get married?” Carter said, bringing me back from the gutter my mind sank to.
I thought about it and shrugged. “If I meet the right person, sure. I can see myself sitting in front of the TV with kids running around. What about you? Getting hitched anytime soon?”
“Vic and I discussed it, but we decided to wait.”
“Who did?”
He blinked in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“One of you made that decision, and the other one agreed to it.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I decided. I can’t remember.”
“Ha!” I exclaimed with a victorious smile. “I knew it.”
“Vic wasn’t ready, either.” Carter argued. “She said we should wait until I get a… erm… a promotion.”
“Ah, I see. Good, old Vic is waiting for you to become a lieutenant. Or a chief of police, even. Hell, maybe even something more?”
“It sounds bad when you say it.”
I chuckled. “Well, you said it first.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being ambitious.”
“Yeah, but you’re not an ambitious guy, Carter. You just like your job. You hate it, but you also love it. It drives you. It makes you feel like a better person. It helps you wake up in the morning, and it makes the thought of a pension a little less terrible. You’re not the type of guy who needs medals and promotions. You just want to be able to sleep at night feeling as if you deserved it. Am I right?”
He didn’t answer, but his stunned expression answered for him.