sleepless nights

it's unknown how much time has passed, it's unknown how long she's been running, but it's still not safe here. she's probably being watched, she's already been assassinated, and she can't stay there any longer. just not now and not at this time. she wouldn't want to live it over and over again, feel that vivid, terrifyingly unbearable pain and see... no, just don't think about it now! not now... you should be thinking about something else entirely right now, bive. "first we need to find a place to sleep..." the black-haired woman mused to herself, nervously fidgeting with the torn sleeve of "her" coat. "only that... where am I now?" she stopped in the middle of an unfamiliar road and caught her breath, already exhausted. obsessive thoughts and disturbing memories filled her head so much that she was lost not only in time, but also in direction. It was a different neighborhood from the one she had been in for a long time. there were mostly grey multi-storey buildings, between which, in dark alleys, she hid from other people. but even the alleys didn't help her get rid of the nagging, bone-chilling feeling that someone was watching her from the windows of those cold, dusty buildings, burning into her already cracked, wounded soul. she had never felt safe and peaceful there, but the constant escapes and nights that kept her awake from loud sirens and alarms made her get used to this lifestyle, which made her forget what peace was for a long time. and after all, from the very moment she was born, she did not know this word, constantly living only in eternal stress and torture. she had seen too many terrible things that had affected her so much in one way or another that the poor girl was frightened even by the usual rustle of a mouse and... even by something unfamiliar that she had not seen before. she had nowhere to run and no one to turn to for help, because she knew that anyone could impersonate someone else. maybe even her own friends and acquaintances. the warm steam dispersed through the air, creating a small soft cloud. the coat and even her own body of hair couldn't give her the amount of warmth she needed to keep warm. It seems that winter won't be as kind to her this year as it was last year, so she'll have to endure until she can find warmer clothes. crossing her arms a little tighter over her chest, as if protecting herself from everything, she slowly and as quietly as possible went forward to explore the place. but the shiny snow, as luck would have it, creaked unpleasantly, creating a loud echo throughout the street. the area she later found herself in consisted of small private houses that exuded a kind of christmas cosiness. some of them already had cute figures of deer and elves, and many houses were simply decorated with garlands and christmas wreaths, since, obviously, christmas was only a couple of days away. she would have found it cute, however... this place was quieter and emptier, which made her immediately suspicious of him. it's unfamiliar and strange. she can't even trust silence, although this is very typical for a fairly late time of day. she believed that nothing and no one could be trusted. but it was getting close to night, the sun had almost set below the horizon, and the last residents had already returned home to their family or maybe just to their beloved pet. everything is too calm here, which made our heroine very tense. the feeling that anyone would run out of the house to harm her. Hah, we'll see who's who, because she's ready! thinking about it helps her calm down a little, even though she can't always help herself. bive rushed forward, confidently (or pretending to) tread on the dark cleared asphalt, which was illuminated only by lampposts with their dim and slightly yellowish light. where is she going? I have no idea. as long as I stay away from them. and it just might seem to her that it was empty, and she was in her usual proud loneliness, but anxiety screamed at her only about one thing: you are not alone, there is someone else here. this confirmed the feeling of tension behind her, as if someone was walking behind her, someone very tall and obviously very massive, and it seemed that a little more and he would pounce on her with his whole body, crushing her like a burnt cake, which was clearly not being watched. he walked right behind her, at the same pace as she did, occasionally even speeding up his pace to get closer, without overtaking or bypassing in any way. If she was speeding up her own pace, then he was speeding up too. because of the tension, she did not dare to look at who was following her, and it was unlikely that she would have wanted to do so. no, no, no, she won't get caught this time, no way! the surfacing thoughts about the laboratory made her shudder with fear, which made her immediately take off, starting to run, who knows how many have already counted for today. she didn't even have the strength to run anymore, but her instinct for self-preservation was stronger than hers, and he didn't give a damn about her condition. She's too cold, too hungry, and too tired to handle another speed adventure where the main goal is just to survive and not fall into the hands of a stranger. everything blurred before her eyes, her legs barely obeyed and moved, which caused her to constantly stumble. a little more and she'll lose her balance... but she kept running, even with severe shortness of breath and limbs almost numb from the cold. It was as if a thick white fog had formed around them, through which you just couldn't walk and see anything. her head hurt so much, it almost sounded like a siren, making her feel so sick, as if everything inside her was turning inside out. she can't do this anymore. she gave up. she landed face-first on the asphalt and, barely turning over on her back, instinctively covered her face and head with her hands, breathing heavily and shivering either from the cold or from animal fear. bad. It's really bad. who would have thought that she would look as pathetic as she did back then. apparently this is the end... "bive?" - a velvety calm voice rang out. ... or not? hearing an eerily familiar voice. She took her hands off her face, barely able to see who was following her. The heartbeat has leveled off. he wore a warm brown coat, a dark gray turtleneck, unremarkable glasses, and the same blue scarf that looked like a cloud-free sky early in the morning. the soft smile on the "man's" face was combined with a worried, good-natured gaze directed directly at her. It was wallter, an old concrete acquaintance of hers. she had crossed paths with him earlier while traveling in an elevator. sometimes they managed to talk to each other, if at least mark wasn't in the elevator, with whom he was... He often swore or exchanged caustic remarks. she didn't understand why they would hate each other so much, but she never tried to ask. my mind was always on other things. he approached her, squatting down carefully and adjusting his glasses. - are you hurt, dear? - the concrete-headed man turned to her after a minute, examining her. - i... uh... mm… from the sudden panic, bive couldn't speak a word, she was too worried. but it seems that her friend was even amused by this, considering that he had often heard her start talking nonsense in an anxious state, especially about her conspiracy theories. it was strange and sometimes even stupid, but it was interesting for him sometimes. without further ado, he extended his hand to help her. Initially, she was hesitant to take it up, as she was still in a shocked or even shocking state and even doubted the reality of what was happening, but in the end she held out her hand in response, somewhat embarrassed, looking away. a gloved hand came into contact with hers. a warmth that shimmered with another strange sensation, making her shudder and at the same time feel very embarrassed. while she was processing information in her brain, saying, "what's going on where I am who I am," he lifted her off the ground quite easily, forcing her to return to reality and even cry out softly in surprise. He grabbed her by the back with one hand to keep her from falling. - what are you doing here?" He asked calmly, but with obvious curiosity. It's not always possible to meet your old friend near home, especially at a time like this. - oh.. um... -  she began to stammer, as if trying to hide something. - I... can't stay in that area anymore, so... uh... ended up here... her voice trembled treacherously, and the wind was so stinging that she abruptly closed her mouth and tried to warm her hands with warm steam, although she understood that it would hardly help her. wallter was obviously surprised by his friend's behavior, because he was used to not feeling cold and hot. besides, knowing her body, I thought that even in these clothes she would be warm. apparently the temperature is too low outside. since he can't stand still and look at a trembling body in a torn light coat, he took off his coat with light movements and threw it over her shoulders so that she would be at least a little warmer. blackie (bive) immediately wrapped herself in it, inhaling the warming scent of ginger and fresh lemon. an unfamiliar scent, but so eerily pleasant to her, and most importantly - warm. the trembling in her body gradually faded into the background, which allowed her to relax a little for the first time. Surprisingly, even for her, that a simple unfamiliar coat made her feel safe. small pinkish lights seemed to light up in her eyes, which warmed not only her, but also the person standing next to her. he looked at her with some emotion, feeling as if a stone had been lifted from his soul. gently placing his hand on the shoulder of the lost-in-thought lady from behind, he turned his gaze upward. it was already midnight, and small stars shone softly in the black sky with a blue-violet tint, merging with the white snowflakes slowly falling on the asphalt. meeting after meeting, but she still needs to find a place to spend the night and reflect a little on how to proceed, as well as focus her attention on her investigations. after all, she's a self-styled detective. - it's all very nice, of course, and that's it, but... I should keep going. - she looked up at him, nervously taking off her coat. he looked a little sad in his face, but soon his expression changed to "enlightenment." - why don't you spend the night at my place tonight? - the architect asked with a smile on his face. - it's really late, and besides, I can see that you're exhausted. these words puzzled her, as if she had been offered something as criminal as possible. on the one hand, it seemed strange and somehow suspicious to her, but if you look at it from the other side... it's much better than wandering the streets to no avail, sleeping on a hard sidewalk and freezing from the bitter cold. plus, she was very tired after all these catch-ups and insatiable hunger. when was the last time she ate? the day before yesterday? last monday? she probably won't remember anymore. however, before she could even think for a minute, her shoulders felt the thick, heavy cloth again, which her interlocutor carefully but carefully placed. she probably won't have a choice, because wallter prefers to stand her ground rather than accept defeat and let her go on her free snowy voyage. she couldn't argue with him, so she let him put his arm around her shoulder and just... lead where you need to go. usually, such closeness scared her very much and it is more typical for her to push him away from her, but she did not do this because of an incomprehensible but pleasant feeling in her chest. most likely, she just caught a cold or was just tired, as she thought. they walked in an awkward silence, which was occasionally broken by a creaking rustle, as if someone was digging in the snow, and sometimes just by the heavy tired breathing of the biv, creating balls of white steam. If wallter hadn't been holding her next to him, she would have looked like a drunken, strange monster staggering from side to side, eventually falling into the snow and falling asleep there forever. and this is one of the first desires that has arisen in her head at the moment. she just wanted to sleep. as soon as the architect relaxed his arm a little, bive collapsed onto the snow, which softened her fall a little and at least prevented her from concussion. wallter gasped softly in fright and rushed to her, shouting her name several times not very loudly and shaking her by the shoulders. her body simply refused to obey, screaming with its pain for vital rest. the image of her friend seemed soapy in her eyes, and her voice was muffled, barely audible, as if a radio with white noise had been turned on at full volume next to her. he lulled her to sleep like a lullaby, making her forget everything that was happening to her and fall into a sweet, desired sleep. yes, she had indeed fallen asleep. he sat in front of her for several minutes, trying to comprehend what was happening and figure out what to do: his companion just fell asleep! he couldn't leave her sleeping in the snow, and not out of sympathy, but out of his own conscience and some pity for her. he had no choice but to carry her home on his own. sighing heavily, he gently picked her up in his arms, wrapped her completely in his coat, and silently walked towards his house to her quiet snuffling. and only pale snowflakes accompanied them along the way, settling in a light layer of frost on bive's hair and clothes, as well as on wallter's head, occasionally getting on his scarf and turtleneck. good night, bive.