Post by poignant on Jun 22, 2011 19:38:18 GMT -5
Danica:
She watched him turn around and walk away. It was a very good plan indeed, do not die. It had ben her plan since she first saw those things. So far the plan had been working out just fine. Looking over her shoulder, she glanced down the hallway and towards where her room should be. Turning her head once more, she stared at the back of his head for a moment.
Something seemed to change in him as he walked off. She was good at reading body language and could tell by his posture that he must be drained. As far as emotional conflicts went, they seemed to have an all out battle. Truth be told, Danica did feel drained as well. No one had ever ignited her temper quite like he had and she could almost be certain that no one had ever pissed him off like she must have.
Crossing her arms, she again rubbed the bare flesh of her upper arms. Biting her lip, she debated if she should say anything or let him walk away. He was still being a smug bastard, even if he was finally leaving her alone. Letting out a sign, she spoke softly. “Thank you.” There, she said it. Though it was not very loud, she was sure he heard it.
Turning, Danica moved away from him and towards were her room should be. Suddenly she felt as though she could take a nap and actually get some rest from it. It was strange how emotions could take a toll on the physical body.
John:
-The sound startled John. Even more shocking where the words that jarred him back to reality, stopping abruptly as his mind reasoned for a response, turning just so she might have seen the puzzled look upon his face. Perhaps someone else might have asked just what she said. The words were spoken softly, barely audible above the din of the wall fans that circulated the air throughout the underground infrastructure, but John had heard them and understood just what she meant.
It just wasn’t in him to actually do anything about. Thank you? Hadn’t he told her this would happen? Perhaps she didn’t seek him out as he prophesied but in the end he did help her out. With a sigh he only waved two large fingers at her back, barely more than an acknowledgement. They were both weary from the mental battle they had waged; luckily it hadn’t come to fists. Apparently his feet had other ideas as the soft falls of the giant man ostracized the silence once more and behind her he was. “I don’t know when its going to happen, but they are going to try and separate us. Not just you and I, but all of us. I don’t even think Joseph realizes whats happening. We can’t let that happen.”
He gave the halls that patented paranoid look and touched her shoulder. “I don’t care what happens or how we do it, but we can’t let that happen. These people…”He hooked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of one of the Umbrella logo’s, “… they had something to do with this and they don’t like the fact we are here.”
Danica:
She stopped when she heard him behind her once again. Turning half way, she looked over her shoulder at him as he spoke. His hand was placed gently upon her shoulder. The heat of his surprisingly soft hands almost felt as though they were burning her skin. She knew she should shrug off his hand, but could not bring herself to do so. There were already enough cameras probably on them that were waiting for her to bat him away. It seemed time to change things up a bit.
Speaking softly still, she studied his face while he continued to speak. He was right, for once. “I had the same feeling.” It felt strange for her to actually agree with him on something. “.. but how do we prevent them from splitting all of us up? They have the upper hand… the guns. It doesn’t seem like any of us really have a choice. We are just the pawns on the chess board.”
She sighed. Looking away she tried to think of some solution to all of this, but found her thoughts clouded with fatigue. Danica could not seem to wrap her mind around much of anything at this point with how tired she felt. “This… virus. They had to have released it… but on purpose? On accident? I don’t remember anything on the news about this? Not even a possible cover story.” Again she looked at him. “I know we will be the last to know… on whatever is going on. And I don’t like it.”
John:
-Unfortunately John had no better solution to the plight resting firmly on their shoulders. Joseph had most of the information they needed, who knew about the medic. While the medic was friendly, she did not belong. She had no swagger, no attitude that naturally graced warriors confident in their own abilities. Still, clenching his teeth, they where key. “Follow me,” he beckoned and turned yet again in the direction of his domicile. There was security implanted there, the only problem was the cracked receiver. They would see video and if they had a lip-reader perhaps even make out some of the words, but it would be more difficult.
John was the one to blame for the receiver being broken, though it was conspicuous enough that they would have to wonder whether it was broken on purpose or through faulty engineering. Either way, he stepped as close to Danica as he dared during his turn and whispered, “I’ve got some tea in my room. Better to discuss it there.” Would she catch the phrase? People like John didn’t drink tea and even if they did it was exotic to say the least. But then again he didn’t give her much room to respond or question his tastes, he just headed off towards his room in the hopes she was at least curious enough to follow. Who had ever heard of a hit man offering a cop tea?-
Danica:
She knew something was up when he offered her a cup of tea. If big brother was listening, and they were smart, they would realize something was up. Cops and criminals don’t sit down for tea. It didn’t really take a genius to figure that one out. Following behind him closely, she wondered just what he was up too. From the glint in his eye, she knew he was planning something. “You know… this does not count.” She was referring to his comment about coming to his door and seeking his help. “I’m only here for tea.”
When he opened the door to his room, she followed him in. Glancing upward, she eyed the camera in his room briefly. They still wouldn’t be able to talk freely, that was for sure. Continuing her can of his room, she noted that it was exactly the same as hers. No real shock value there. It was obvious these people, whoever they were, did no build this place for it’s aesthetic appeal.
Turning around, she looked at him again. “So unless we both have learned sign language in that walk and are prepared to use it, I don’t see the justification in coming to your room.” Her eyes narrowed for a moment and her arms crossed. “So…?” She was suspicious of him still and made her feelings rather apparent.
John:
-As the door clicked to a close and Danica begin to run her mouth the beauty of his plan matured. Watching her scan the room, eye the camera and then finally berate him for his supposed stupid, he sat glum for once. Women, with a shake of his head he took one of the cushioned seats they had provided. A low grade material had been used probably to keep costs down, but it was plush enough. He gestured about the room, “They can’t hear us. I took the liberty of cutting the receiver. No mic, no voice.” A grin made its home across his rugged visage.
“Have a seat. They can still watch us,” John had his back turned to the camera, “So try to block your lips with your hand should you say anything you don’t want them to know. I wouldn’t put it past them to have lip-readers.” A shrug of those massive shoulders caused him to shrink deeper into the chair as he relaxed. Facing towards the door he hardly looked at her from that point forward. Of course there was no tea and of course they would know that, but they couldn’t hear so it didn’t matter. John was good at sweeping the room for bugs and taps, which was his job and had been for many years, hell it was amazing the FBI hadn’t contacted him and offered him a job. “Joseph and the medic are key it to all of this and given the disposition of the Crone … I’d say they will be on our side sooner or later. I guess we should see how far their loyalty really goes.”
That was stretching his plan a bit and of course he wasn’t being very forthcoming about every tiny detail, but just enough to keep her on her toes. John was a dangerous man and prone to kill anybody he thought necessary. Whether she thought he was going soft or not played directly into his hands. “From there the most we can do is hope they don’t put anything in the food or water and when the guns come out, do what we do best. We will have to help each other or there is no way we will survive this and more importantly we need Joseph and the medic.” So there it was, most of the plan.-
Danica:
She didn’t sit down and instead stood off to the side for a moment. Arms still crossed, she eyed him and listened to just what his plan was. After hearing it all, she was not very inspired, in fact she could almost say she felt worse. This was ridiculous, if they heard outside that they were coming in her for tea, she was could almost bet they flipped on the camera here to see what this tea was about.
Seeing as there was no such beverage and after their display outside, this only added to their suspicious behavior. If she just sat there and talked with him calmly, they would only narrow their eyes on them even more. Raising her hands as if she was upset with something, Danica started to pace. With her back towards the camera, she paced away from it. Speaking out as though she were angry again, she waved her hands about as if making a point. “You better stand up and looked pissed or they are going to be knocking on the door!”
Turning around, she dropped her hands and let out a visible huff that the camera could see. She wasn’t over doing it by any means, but acting just the same as she had been outside in the corridor and before in the mess hall. Raising a hand, she rubbed her forehead as if her headache was still there. Head bowed, she spoke once more in a softer tone. “You honestly think that they would help you?” Dropping her hand, she then stood with her hands on her hips and glared at him.
John:
-Now she was getting into things. Sure they would be suspicious; there was no question of that. The heat was coming and like all cops, when the heat was on they were dancing. Well, he thought to himself, I better join in the act or they will wonder even more what all the flailing is about. Standing up, bones creaked under his weight popping in jubilant praise as he stretched. In one fluid moment the gun came out of his pocket, dropping to the table in a clatter. She would see the safety was on if she cared to inspect it. “You can’t trust anybody.” No he wouldn’t give her his greatest piece of advice. She didn’t have the look of a killer, just the tone of one.
Waving his hand about dramatically and eventually throwing them up in the air, he began to search the cupboards methodically. While it wasn’t tea, he did indeed serve a hot steaming cup of coca, complete with marshmallows bobbing at the top. Making a show of sliding it across the counter towards Danica he sat once more. Attempting to appear as though he was calming her down, “Just gather intelligence for the time being, see if one of us can’t figure a way out of this and away from those d**n infected.”
Danica:
Her arms dropped like dead weights at her side at the site of the cup, moving forward she grabbed the cup with one swift movement. Lifting it to her mouth, she pretend to sniff the liquid and savor the smell. “… and again this whole trust issue comes up…”
Sipping her cup gingerly, she then set it down on the table. She was never a fan of the stuff, but was putting on quite a good show as if she enjoyed it. Still looking rather annoyed with him, she raised her hand and yawned. Leaving her hand to linger over her mouth, she spoke. “They know that we have a strong hatred for each other…”
Her hand dropped and she crossed her arms. Walking to the chair he had set out for her, she grabbed it and turned it. Placing it somewhat next to him, with the back angled towards the camera, she sat down. Positioned at an angle, it made it look as though she were not deliberately avoiding facing the camera. Reaching for her cup, she took another sip from it. “… and I’m not very happy with this arrangement. Stop avoiding the question and just answer me.” She set her cup down again rather hard, as though she were irritated by something. Her head turned fully towards him, the side of her face could be seen by the camera. “How can I trust you?”
John:
-John took a sip of his own cup. Hot coca was a childhood treat, the only fond memory he could still recall. Unable to dally in it as he had in the past he watched his newfound feline friend waltz about the tiny space and eventually settle in next to him. Boiling down to a matter of trust, John turned just so that his back faced more to the wall giving the camera a slight angle on the disposition of his lips. Catching her eyes in his hallowed grey orbs, he caught a glimpse of his own reflection. “Do you want to live? Do you want to make it out of this alive?”
The rhetorical question was left unanswered as he took another sip to let the obvious sink in. “You can trust me because I don’t want to die here. I don’t want to be one of those f***ing things outside.” Standing, he took her by the bicep and dragged her up to her height as gently as he could. Then pinched her bicep, “I want you to punch me and whatever else you deem necessary and leave. You have heard all I’ve got to say, we’ll meet when we can and report what we’ve found. Do it now.” He clenched his fingers together to form a fist in his free hand and acted as though he was going to punch her. The rest was up to her as he deadened himself to the impact she was about to make. His blow would be easily parried not even fast enough, though it would look real enough to any observer.-
Danica:
Hauled up to her feet, she found herself standing practically on top of him. He was right again. She did want to live, that much was for certain with her. Continue to hold a look of anger, she made a show of trying to pull her arm away from his grip. His fingers were ridged, holding her in place as she seemed to struggle.
Her teeth were gritted as she spoke. It would be hard to tell exactly what she was saying if anyone was indeed trying to read lips. “Soon then.” Pulling back her hand, she swung her arm across. The sound of her open hand striking his cheek echoed through the room. No doubt her hit would leave a mark. She wanted to do more, but knew that would be enough for now.
Wrenching her arm from his grasp, she backed away from him. Turning, she walked towards the door and shoved it open. Almost knocking the door from hits hinges, she stormed off and down the hall. She looked pissed, but in truth it was still an act. It actually felt good to slap him, even if it was only for show.
Making it to her room in record time, she opened the door and entered it. Slamming the door shut hard, she knew the sound would echo down the empty halls. “That bastard!” She practically screamed, making sure the camera heard and saw her little angry fit she was throwing. Moving over to the bed, she plopped down on it, resting on her stomach. Burying her head in her folded arms, she let out a small sight. This had been an interesting morning.
John:
-The words and then the blow. The impact of it was great enough to set his ears ringing. Staggering to give her time to exit, he steadied himself with the now unclenched hand. “pregnant dog,” he called out after her, though by now Danica would be too far away to hear anything he said. The door slide to a close and with a hand to touch over the sensitive area of her slap, he turned out the lights. What a f***ing morning. The contents of the cups had been splattered all over; luckily none had gotten on him.
Leaving the mess for one of the drones to pick up, he climbed into his bed shedding clothes in his wake. Sleep came easily, though it wasn’t long before he was moaning in his sleep, mumbling this and that as the nightmares overtook him.-
She watched him turn around and walk away. It was a very good plan indeed, do not die. It had ben her plan since she first saw those things. So far the plan had been working out just fine. Looking over her shoulder, she glanced down the hallway and towards where her room should be. Turning her head once more, she stared at the back of his head for a moment.
Something seemed to change in him as he walked off. She was good at reading body language and could tell by his posture that he must be drained. As far as emotional conflicts went, they seemed to have an all out battle. Truth be told, Danica did feel drained as well. No one had ever ignited her temper quite like he had and she could almost be certain that no one had ever pissed him off like she must have.
Crossing her arms, she again rubbed the bare flesh of her upper arms. Biting her lip, she debated if she should say anything or let him walk away. He was still being a smug bastard, even if he was finally leaving her alone. Letting out a sign, she spoke softly. “Thank you.” There, she said it. Though it was not very loud, she was sure he heard it.
Turning, Danica moved away from him and towards were her room should be. Suddenly she felt as though she could take a nap and actually get some rest from it. It was strange how emotions could take a toll on the physical body.
John:
-The sound startled John. Even more shocking where the words that jarred him back to reality, stopping abruptly as his mind reasoned for a response, turning just so she might have seen the puzzled look upon his face. Perhaps someone else might have asked just what she said. The words were spoken softly, barely audible above the din of the wall fans that circulated the air throughout the underground infrastructure, but John had heard them and understood just what she meant.
It just wasn’t in him to actually do anything about. Thank you? Hadn’t he told her this would happen? Perhaps she didn’t seek him out as he prophesied but in the end he did help her out. With a sigh he only waved two large fingers at her back, barely more than an acknowledgement. They were both weary from the mental battle they had waged; luckily it hadn’t come to fists. Apparently his feet had other ideas as the soft falls of the giant man ostracized the silence once more and behind her he was. “I don’t know when its going to happen, but they are going to try and separate us. Not just you and I, but all of us. I don’t even think Joseph realizes whats happening. We can’t let that happen.”
He gave the halls that patented paranoid look and touched her shoulder. “I don’t care what happens or how we do it, but we can’t let that happen. These people…”He hooked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of one of the Umbrella logo’s, “… they had something to do with this and they don’t like the fact we are here.”
Danica:
She stopped when she heard him behind her once again. Turning half way, she looked over her shoulder at him as he spoke. His hand was placed gently upon her shoulder. The heat of his surprisingly soft hands almost felt as though they were burning her skin. She knew she should shrug off his hand, but could not bring herself to do so. There were already enough cameras probably on them that were waiting for her to bat him away. It seemed time to change things up a bit.
Speaking softly still, she studied his face while he continued to speak. He was right, for once. “I had the same feeling.” It felt strange for her to actually agree with him on something. “.. but how do we prevent them from splitting all of us up? They have the upper hand… the guns. It doesn’t seem like any of us really have a choice. We are just the pawns on the chess board.”
She sighed. Looking away she tried to think of some solution to all of this, but found her thoughts clouded with fatigue. Danica could not seem to wrap her mind around much of anything at this point with how tired she felt. “This… virus. They had to have released it… but on purpose? On accident? I don’t remember anything on the news about this? Not even a possible cover story.” Again she looked at him. “I know we will be the last to know… on whatever is going on. And I don’t like it.”
John:
-Unfortunately John had no better solution to the plight resting firmly on their shoulders. Joseph had most of the information they needed, who knew about the medic. While the medic was friendly, she did not belong. She had no swagger, no attitude that naturally graced warriors confident in their own abilities. Still, clenching his teeth, they where key. “Follow me,” he beckoned and turned yet again in the direction of his domicile. There was security implanted there, the only problem was the cracked receiver. They would see video and if they had a lip-reader perhaps even make out some of the words, but it would be more difficult.
John was the one to blame for the receiver being broken, though it was conspicuous enough that they would have to wonder whether it was broken on purpose or through faulty engineering. Either way, he stepped as close to Danica as he dared during his turn and whispered, “I’ve got some tea in my room. Better to discuss it there.” Would she catch the phrase? People like John didn’t drink tea and even if they did it was exotic to say the least. But then again he didn’t give her much room to respond or question his tastes, he just headed off towards his room in the hopes she was at least curious enough to follow. Who had ever heard of a hit man offering a cop tea?-
Danica:
She knew something was up when he offered her a cup of tea. If big brother was listening, and they were smart, they would realize something was up. Cops and criminals don’t sit down for tea. It didn’t really take a genius to figure that one out. Following behind him closely, she wondered just what he was up too. From the glint in his eye, she knew he was planning something. “You know… this does not count.” She was referring to his comment about coming to his door and seeking his help. “I’m only here for tea.”
When he opened the door to his room, she followed him in. Glancing upward, she eyed the camera in his room briefly. They still wouldn’t be able to talk freely, that was for sure. Continuing her can of his room, she noted that it was exactly the same as hers. No real shock value there. It was obvious these people, whoever they were, did no build this place for it’s aesthetic appeal.
Turning around, she looked at him again. “So unless we both have learned sign language in that walk and are prepared to use it, I don’t see the justification in coming to your room.” Her eyes narrowed for a moment and her arms crossed. “So…?” She was suspicious of him still and made her feelings rather apparent.
John:
-As the door clicked to a close and Danica begin to run her mouth the beauty of his plan matured. Watching her scan the room, eye the camera and then finally berate him for his supposed stupid, he sat glum for once. Women, with a shake of his head he took one of the cushioned seats they had provided. A low grade material had been used probably to keep costs down, but it was plush enough. He gestured about the room, “They can’t hear us. I took the liberty of cutting the receiver. No mic, no voice.” A grin made its home across his rugged visage.
“Have a seat. They can still watch us,” John had his back turned to the camera, “So try to block your lips with your hand should you say anything you don’t want them to know. I wouldn’t put it past them to have lip-readers.” A shrug of those massive shoulders caused him to shrink deeper into the chair as he relaxed. Facing towards the door he hardly looked at her from that point forward. Of course there was no tea and of course they would know that, but they couldn’t hear so it didn’t matter. John was good at sweeping the room for bugs and taps, which was his job and had been for many years, hell it was amazing the FBI hadn’t contacted him and offered him a job. “Joseph and the medic are key it to all of this and given the disposition of the Crone … I’d say they will be on our side sooner or later. I guess we should see how far their loyalty really goes.”
That was stretching his plan a bit and of course he wasn’t being very forthcoming about every tiny detail, but just enough to keep her on her toes. John was a dangerous man and prone to kill anybody he thought necessary. Whether she thought he was going soft or not played directly into his hands. “From there the most we can do is hope they don’t put anything in the food or water and when the guns come out, do what we do best. We will have to help each other or there is no way we will survive this and more importantly we need Joseph and the medic.” So there it was, most of the plan.-
Danica:
She didn’t sit down and instead stood off to the side for a moment. Arms still crossed, she eyed him and listened to just what his plan was. After hearing it all, she was not very inspired, in fact she could almost say she felt worse. This was ridiculous, if they heard outside that they were coming in her for tea, she was could almost bet they flipped on the camera here to see what this tea was about.
Seeing as there was no such beverage and after their display outside, this only added to their suspicious behavior. If she just sat there and talked with him calmly, they would only narrow their eyes on them even more. Raising her hands as if she was upset with something, Danica started to pace. With her back towards the camera, she paced away from it. Speaking out as though she were angry again, she waved her hands about as if making a point. “You better stand up and looked pissed or they are going to be knocking on the door!”
Turning around, she dropped her hands and let out a visible huff that the camera could see. She wasn’t over doing it by any means, but acting just the same as she had been outside in the corridor and before in the mess hall. Raising a hand, she rubbed her forehead as if her headache was still there. Head bowed, she spoke once more in a softer tone. “You honestly think that they would help you?” Dropping her hand, she then stood with her hands on her hips and glared at him.
John:
-Now she was getting into things. Sure they would be suspicious; there was no question of that. The heat was coming and like all cops, when the heat was on they were dancing. Well, he thought to himself, I better join in the act or they will wonder even more what all the flailing is about. Standing up, bones creaked under his weight popping in jubilant praise as he stretched. In one fluid moment the gun came out of his pocket, dropping to the table in a clatter. She would see the safety was on if she cared to inspect it. “You can’t trust anybody.” No he wouldn’t give her his greatest piece of advice. She didn’t have the look of a killer, just the tone of one.
Waving his hand about dramatically and eventually throwing them up in the air, he began to search the cupboards methodically. While it wasn’t tea, he did indeed serve a hot steaming cup of coca, complete with marshmallows bobbing at the top. Making a show of sliding it across the counter towards Danica he sat once more. Attempting to appear as though he was calming her down, “Just gather intelligence for the time being, see if one of us can’t figure a way out of this and away from those d**n infected.”
Danica:
Her arms dropped like dead weights at her side at the site of the cup, moving forward she grabbed the cup with one swift movement. Lifting it to her mouth, she pretend to sniff the liquid and savor the smell. “… and again this whole trust issue comes up…”
Sipping her cup gingerly, she then set it down on the table. She was never a fan of the stuff, but was putting on quite a good show as if she enjoyed it. Still looking rather annoyed with him, she raised her hand and yawned. Leaving her hand to linger over her mouth, she spoke. “They know that we have a strong hatred for each other…”
Her hand dropped and she crossed her arms. Walking to the chair he had set out for her, she grabbed it and turned it. Placing it somewhat next to him, with the back angled towards the camera, she sat down. Positioned at an angle, it made it look as though she were not deliberately avoiding facing the camera. Reaching for her cup, she took another sip from it. “… and I’m not very happy with this arrangement. Stop avoiding the question and just answer me.” She set her cup down again rather hard, as though she were irritated by something. Her head turned fully towards him, the side of her face could be seen by the camera. “How can I trust you?”
John:
-John took a sip of his own cup. Hot coca was a childhood treat, the only fond memory he could still recall. Unable to dally in it as he had in the past he watched his newfound feline friend waltz about the tiny space and eventually settle in next to him. Boiling down to a matter of trust, John turned just so that his back faced more to the wall giving the camera a slight angle on the disposition of his lips. Catching her eyes in his hallowed grey orbs, he caught a glimpse of his own reflection. “Do you want to live? Do you want to make it out of this alive?”
The rhetorical question was left unanswered as he took another sip to let the obvious sink in. “You can trust me because I don’t want to die here. I don’t want to be one of those f***ing things outside.” Standing, he took her by the bicep and dragged her up to her height as gently as he could. Then pinched her bicep, “I want you to punch me and whatever else you deem necessary and leave. You have heard all I’ve got to say, we’ll meet when we can and report what we’ve found. Do it now.” He clenched his fingers together to form a fist in his free hand and acted as though he was going to punch her. The rest was up to her as he deadened himself to the impact she was about to make. His blow would be easily parried not even fast enough, though it would look real enough to any observer.-
Danica:
Hauled up to her feet, she found herself standing practically on top of him. He was right again. She did want to live, that much was for certain with her. Continue to hold a look of anger, she made a show of trying to pull her arm away from his grip. His fingers were ridged, holding her in place as she seemed to struggle.
Her teeth were gritted as she spoke. It would be hard to tell exactly what she was saying if anyone was indeed trying to read lips. “Soon then.” Pulling back her hand, she swung her arm across. The sound of her open hand striking his cheek echoed through the room. No doubt her hit would leave a mark. She wanted to do more, but knew that would be enough for now.
Wrenching her arm from his grasp, she backed away from him. Turning, she walked towards the door and shoved it open. Almost knocking the door from hits hinges, she stormed off and down the hall. She looked pissed, but in truth it was still an act. It actually felt good to slap him, even if it was only for show.
Making it to her room in record time, she opened the door and entered it. Slamming the door shut hard, she knew the sound would echo down the empty halls. “That bastard!” She practically screamed, making sure the camera heard and saw her little angry fit she was throwing. Moving over to the bed, she plopped down on it, resting on her stomach. Burying her head in her folded arms, she let out a small sight. This had been an interesting morning.
John:
-The words and then the blow. The impact of it was great enough to set his ears ringing. Staggering to give her time to exit, he steadied himself with the now unclenched hand. “pregnant dog,” he called out after her, though by now Danica would be too far away to hear anything he said. The door slide to a close and with a hand to touch over the sensitive area of her slap, he turned out the lights. What a f***ing morning. The contents of the cups had been splattered all over; luckily none had gotten on him.
Leaving the mess for one of the drones to pick up, he climbed into his bed shedding clothes in his wake. Sleep came easily, though it wasn’t long before he was moaning in his sleep, mumbling this and that as the nightmares overtook him.-