Love, Not Pain

I had no idea where I was or what time it was when I woke up again. Disoriented, I glanced around the room, looking for a clock, and then, I suddenly recalled the events of the previous day.

Disarrayed images of what had happened started filtering through in pieces. Gunfire, dead bodies, skeletons, Castello. I gulped to force back down the knot that was growing in my throat and got up.

From the windows, I could see that the sun was up and that Hollis wasn't home, a little panic took over me. I shuffled over to the living room, just as he walked through the door, grocery bags in hand.

"The grocery store didn’t have much, but I got what I could." He announced, breathless.

Placing the bags on the table, he rushed over to me and shocked me with a hug that lasted for a while. He cradled my face in his hands and surveyed it with worry, passing his thumbs over my puffy and scratched cheeks. I forced a cheering smile.

"Good morning," he whispered, kissing me on the