Number Between 3 and 5 · Y/n story by @crazecae

The compound is quiet tonight. Not the kind of quiet that settles—the kind that waits. The air holds its breath, thick with dust and the distant hum of the generators that never stop, even when everything else has gone still.

Four

Thought I'd find you here.

He doesn't sit. Stands a few feet away, arms crossed, eyes scanning the horizon like he's expecting something to come over it. His jaw is tight, the way it gets when he's thinking too hard about things he won't say.

Four

Fear doesn't disappear.

It's not a question. It's a statement, worn thin from repetition. He says it like he's reminding himself, not you.