I found Theo and Tala hidden in the back of a large storage closet. An old office space with lines of storage racks filled with printer paper, folders, and other various office supplies. The room was tucked away in a narrow hallway with a simple wooden door. The reason I found them was from the soft light seeping out from under the seam. Tala had started the fire in a corner under a small window within a tin garbage can. She used a handful of shredded paper she got from a cardboard box, an old 9-volt battery and a rusted steel-wool scrubber.

Theo was laid against a stack of hand-towels, his arms folded over his stomach, and fast asleep. We had used the bandages I found to heal his condition by two steps down from [Injured] to [Bruised]. Now he was resting off the rest of the damage, though I felt him going to sleep so quickly was more so that he didn’t want to admit my success in killing the Abomination. Tala was in a [Bruised] condition as well, but she insisted that she only tweaked her shoulder and would be fine after a goodnight sleep.

“You should get some rest,” I said.

“I will… in a bit. Still kind of shaken up from today,” Tala said. She was resting her head on a cement stone wall, her eyes watching the smoke rise through the window and out into the night. Her soft brown hair and tan skin were glowing in the reflected fire light. She still had some dried blood at the edges of her hair. She looked tired. Her eyes wavered whether from the fire or from fear bubbling under the surface. She looked completely different from when I saw her step out from the crowd. She was full of confidence back then but I was sure she was regretting her decision. Though no one escapes the Trials. “You either succeed in the Trials or die.”

I felt a strange sense of empathy watching her. She was dealing with strong emotions and had no way of handling it. Though I was most likely not doing better. I had found a purpose here in the Trials and excitement in feeling myself grow stronger but I doubt Tala had that sense of accomplishment. She had been struggling more than she expected. I wanted to say something. To let her know she wasn’t alone. It felt stupid thinking that. Of course she wasn’t alone but she was still lonely.

“Hey… Ummm… Yeah, a pretty crazy day. I’m glad we’re all okay though. First day done. That’s an accomplishment,” I said, scratching at the back of my neck. “Some people don’t make it past the first day.” Something felt wrong with that last sentence. Like a bitter aftertaste that was stuck on my tongue.

“Sure,” Tala said. She kept her eyes up. I knew she was trying to avoid my gaze. Are her eyes watering? Is she about to cry?

“Tala… I… I wanted to say thank you again,” Saying thank you felt like the only thing I could say at the moment. “Thank you for not abandoning me earlier. Most people wouldn’t have done that. Especially with— Anyways, seriously thank you.”

She didn’t answer me that time. Instead she hummed in agreement, folded her arms and lowered her head. She then began to cry. It was awkward. I didn’t know how to deal with crying girls. Even though my best friends were both girls, I never really felt that close to them. Maybe more so with Indy, who acted more like a boy anyways. They never cried around me growing up. They were both tough girls, in their own way. Or so I thought.

I felt useless sitting listening to Tala cry. A few times I attempted to console her but I couldn’t think of what to say. I was more useless now than during any of the fights I had been through today. Monsters were scary, but it was something I could overcome with force. A crying girl was terrifying. I couldn’t fight my way through this. I should have put those stat points into Spirit or Mind instead of Body. A bit more wisdom could really come in handy right now.

“Tala? Are you okay?” I finally managed to ask. The question sounded so wrong.

She lifted her head and stared at me. Her tired eyes were now red in tears. Her gaze was like daggers and she was gritting her teeth. “Are you serious! Does it look like I’m okay?”

“No… It’s just. It’s what people say when someone’s crying. I don’t know,” I said.

“I almost died today. We almost died today. And guess what? That’s normal. This is our life, Ward. Even if we manage to finish the Trials we’ll be thrown back into the Fallen States. Thrown back into danger day in and day out. I finally understand why my dad kept me from everyone. Wanted to stop me from entering the Trials. Death is everywhere,” She was whispering, hoping to not wake Theo, but her words were said with such pain and anger that she may as well have been yelling.

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She dropped her head, tucked her knees under her chin, and started to cry again. She seemed so small and frail like a child wandering through a dark forest. Scared and alone. I wanted to comfort her but I really didn’t want to say something stupid again. I stood up, walked over to her, and sat down. I sat close enough that our shoulders were touching. If I couldn’t comfort her with my words then maybe simply being closer to her would help. No sooner had I sat down than Tala leaned her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arms around mine. She quietly sobbed into my new Windbreaker. Her tears ran down the waterproof outer layer and dripped to the tiled floor.

I felt my heart pounding faster than ever. My breathing quickened, my forehead started to sweat and my jaw clenched so tight it hurt. I tried my best not to show how uncomfortable I was. I worked on controlling my breathing and to keep my body from shaking. I had never had a girl this close to me before. It made my hairs stand on end and the goose pimples were back. It was crazy to think that something as simple as a crying girl was making me panic worse than literal monsters.

I waited a few minutes before letting my head rest on top of hers. It was a small gesture but it’s all I could think of. I was sure I read somewhere in one of the Older World books that people did that. I didn’t know why but it seemed to be working. Her crying softened, she released her grip on me, and closed her eyes. So I let her sleep on my shoulder and there she stayed until the sun rose.

I had fallen asleep myself sometime during the night. The trashcan fire had died down and was nothing more than a pile of white ash. Small drifts of that ash still hung in the air when I noticed the morning light coming from the window slats. Tala still had her head resting on my shoulder in a deep sleep. My back hurt and my neck felt tight. I had fallen asleep in a weird position and I was suffering the consequences. My eyelids were heavy, my eyes itched and my vision was still adjusting to the sudden wakeup call.

Theo wasn’t asleep anymore. Instead he was standing with his back to us leaning against a nearby supply rack. He was looking at the only door in the room. His arms were folded and his face stern. He seemed to be doing much better than the night before despite the fact I could see his condition hadn’t changed.

“How long have you been up?” I asked.

Theo didn’t turn around, “A few hours. Couldn’t sleep. Didn’t want to sleep.”

“Anything happen while I was out?”

“No. It’s been quiet.”

“That’s good,” I adjusted my shoulder so that my back was curved in an awkward way while also trying not to wake Tala. She could use a few more minutes of rest. “Are you feeling better?”

Theo turned to face me, a pair of scissors in his hands. He let his eyes fall on me before finally saying, “Feeling strong? Level 2 huh? Plus don’t think I didn’t notice the gun you looted.”

“What’s your problem?” I said. Was Theo about to attack me? If so, why didn’t he just do it while I slept? Did he want the gun?

“My problem?” He let out a huff and continued. “I don’t have a problem. At least not with you.”

For some reason that really made me mad. I was the one who saved him. I was the one who killed the Abomination. He needed to know that I was better than him. That I was ahead of him. No, I knew that he knew. He just didn’t want to admit it.

“I know what your problem is,” I said. “You’re afraid.”

“What did you say?”

“You’re afraid. You realized yesterday that the Trials… That the Trials could kill you. The son of the famous Midnight Ranger could die on his first day in the Fallen States. How pathetic.” I gave him the best smirk I could. I must have hit a chord with him as he unfolded his arms and stepped at me. The scissors held ready to attack.

“If anyone is going to die in the Trials, it’s not going to be me. Do you understand? I am going to beat both of you to the top. I’m gonna unlock my Class Pathway and show everyone who I truly am! I’ll be my own person. My own title.” Theo’s eyes were as sharp as ever but I couldn’t help but notice something in his dangerous look. Fear. He really was afraid.

“If you’re so determined to get to the top before us then why are you still here?” I asked.

Again Theo didn’t answer right away. He thought about his response and he thought carefully, “Before the end. You’ll need me. You think you're strong now? Things will only get more dangerous the higher we go. If you’re smart with that gun of yours then maybe you’ll get to the top but she won’t. You may have killed that rare monster but she... If people found out I was saved by a girl… No. I’m gonna prove to her that I didn’t need her help. I’m gonna prove it to everyone.”

“You’re gonna get yourself killed. You’re gonna get her killed. Don’t be stupid. We need to be allies right now. That’s the only way we will get to the top alive. I want to unlock my Class Pathway just as much as you. I want to prove myself. I need to prove myself. So shut the hell up about beating us to the top. Help us and we will help you.” This time I gave him the best hard stare I could. We had been quietly calling each other out trying not to wake Tala, but I could feel her starting to stir.

Theo shook his head and marched to the other end of the supply room. He started looting through the various supplies as Tala opened her eyes.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you,” She said, rubbing her eyes.

“It’s fine. We should get going,” I stood up, stretched my neck, and called out to Theo. “What do you think, Theo? Should we head out?”