"...Sarah? Wake up."
My eyes snap open. I jerk upright, looking around.
Eric is sitting next to me, poking at my side. He's got a tired smile on his face, but it doesn't look like it's reached his eyes.
"...Hey." I mutter. My mouth is dry and tastes awful.
"Hey."
I sit up fully. "...So. What am I supposed to be doing...?" I ask, quietly. "...Just. Watch the fire, and keep it fed...?" I guess that's not too hard.
I can probably manage that. Maybe. For a few hours. I'll have to stay up for three of them, and that'll suck, but it's not like I haven't stayed up that late before.
"Mostly. Keep an eye on the forest too." He grunts and holds out his hand to help me stand. "Haven't seen anything yet, but that doesn't mean nothing's out there." His tone is serious.
"R-right." I say, taking his hand and getting to my feet.
I look over at Mia. She's fast asleep in the shelter next to me. Hestia is asleep on the ground next to me, her face buried in the grass and leaves, her back rising and falling steadily.
I wonder what they're dreaming of. I wonder how much of this feels real to them.
To me, everything about it feels so fake and dreamlike. Like I'll wake up and everything since that light in the middle of the street will have just been some sort of weird nightmare that I had.
I don't think that'll ever be the case. And if it was, then it's already taken too long to come true.
Eric watches me for a bit and then sits down.
"...Aren't you supposed to sleep during my shift?" I squint at him.
He crosses his arms. "You look like you'll fall asleep after three minutes of quiet." He mutters. "...I can stay up and help."
"...You've already been up for three hours." I point out.
"Don't worry about it." He shakes his head. "Staying up alone is boring anyway. No one to talk to."
"...I don't want you to miss sleep on account of me..."
He snorts. "Please, I've missed plenty of sleep before this, and it wasn't nearly so bad as it is here." He waves a hand. "It'll be fine. I'll get plenty once you go to sleep."
"...If you're gonna be up, why am I up...?"
He gives me an amused snort and shakes his head. "Like I said. It's boring being up alone. I'll be asleep before Mia gets up so you don't have to worry about hearing her lecture." He assures me, his voice dry. "You should be fine to deal with that."
I sigh.
But I can't deny that his presence is a relief, at least in the short term.
I look out at the fire, which is crackling merrily. It's casting shadows that dance along the treeline, flickering and moving. They make me uneasy.
Eric watches them too. His gaze is focused.
"...Do you really think there are animals in the woods that would try and hurt us?"
He shrugs. "Probably." He mutters. "...There are animals that do that on earth. And there's been nothing better about this place so far."
"...Yeah."
It's true.
Everything here has been worse.
"...Do you think Mia agrees?"
She's always so positive. It's like she's adapted to this place and likes it. Sometimes it seems like it.
But I'm not the only one who knows this place is terrible, right? Eric thinks so, too. Right...?
Eric glances over at her and then back to me. He shrugs. "Probably. She's optimistic, but she's not dumb." He mutters. "I think she just tries to be cheerful and positive for your sake." His tone is a touch gruffer than before, and I can see his eyes narrowing slightly.
"...For me..."
I stare down at the fire, rather than the woods.
Looking at the woods is nerve-wracking and I keep seeing shadows flicker, imagining it's things running between the trees.
I'm the one dragging everyone down. Needing to be sheltered from the truth. Collapsing at work. Unable to learn this. Stupid language.
Eric sighs.
I feel my cheeks heat up and my hands ball into fists. I hate this feeling.
It makes me feel like a child, being protected and shielded from everything around me. I want to do more, to be better, to help them. Not just to sit here and be a useless lump.
"It's not just you." His voice cuts into my thoughts. "It's for her, too." He says quietly.
"What?"
He glances at Mia. "If she focuses on you, she doesn't have to look at her own fear. Or the fact that there's no way we'll get out of this place." His expression is hard. "...No matter how good our language skills are."
I stare at him, eyes wide. "...Why are you telling me this?"
He huffs and shakes his head. "...You need to hear it. Otherwise, you're gonna blame yourself, right?"
He's not wrong.
I can't help it. He's right. I know I'm just a burden. I know it.
And I feel horrible about it.
"I...don't want to keep being a burden."
Eric's gaze softens. "...It's not like it's your fault if you can't learn the language." He points out, quietly. "...We're all just lost in this place too, you know." He says, voice soft. "It's not just you."
I swallow and look away, back at the fire.
"...Yeah." I say, my voice cracking slightly. "Sorry."
His hand comes down and pats my shoulder. "Don't worry about it."
I bite my lip and nod.
I can't promise that. Not yet. But.
I can promise to do better. I can try to keep from dragging them down, at least.
The sound of footsteps behind us cause me to startle, but before I can scream, Eric covers my mouth and shushes me, expression intense. "Shh." He whispers.
A rough sounding male voice I've never heard before speaks behind me in a low voice. "Sorry for startling you. Is this the one?" He's got a thick, almost Russian-sounding accent, but it's not one I'm familiar with at all.
"Yeah." Eric gives me another warning look, then slowly lowers his hand.
Freed now, I turn my head.
A tall, thin, reedy looking man stands behind me.
A human I've never seen before.
I blink, startled.
Was this one of the others who came with us from the camp?
If he is, what's he doing here now?
The man's blue eyes meet mine for a long moment, and then finally, he speaks once more. "Come with me."