Free Before the Darkness (Refuge Inc.) by Leslie Lee Sanders Page B

actually
    laughing. Adam hadn't laughed in a very long
    time.
    They walked and walked. Nearly an hour
    passed since they cut through a community of
    crushed homes, looking for more Refuge Inc.
    signs to lead them in the right direction but
    instead found nothing.
    "Look!" Elliot pointed ahead at a dark
    one story house. "You see that?"
    Adam swept the light ahead, looking for
    more black painted R's but didn't see any. "What
    is it?"
    Elliot rushed toward what could have
    been the backyard of a house where a massive
    covered wooden box sat. On closer look, Adam
    knew exactly what he was looking at.
    "It's a hot tub," Elliot said excitedly.
    Adam grinned at Elliot's enthusiasm. "I
    doubt it's hot."
    "But it might have water in it." Elliot
    examined the outside of the wooden cube. "It
    looks good. No damage. Now help me open it."
    Together they unhinged the corner locks
    and removed the lid. The smell of chlorine
    permeated the dank air. It looked brand new
    inside with an oval shaped iberglass tub and
    crystal clear water.
    Elliot dipped his hand in. "It's freezing but
    we can still use it to clean up."
    Adam nodded. "We'll make camp here
    and try to get some rest."
    He shined the light at the dark, empty
    house which reminded him of something from a
    horror movie the way the windows were
    broken and the back door swung lazily on its
    hinges. The side and front of the house was
    caved in, which made for poor shelter. But he
    made a mental note of searching it for anything
    useful before they left.

    ***
The ire was crisp and bright. It lit up
    Titan as he limped off to explore the empty shell
    of the house. The light of the ire also glowed
    around the hot tub enough for Elliot to see as he
    hopped in and washed off the dirt and dust that
    had collected on their bodies. Adam was
    courteous enough to turn his back while Elliot
    bathed, awaiting his turn in the freezing water.
    "Adam, what's your last name?"
    He poked at the fire with a stick. "Weber."
    "Adam Weber, hmm." Elliot chuckled.
    "Nice."
    "And yours?" The heat of the ire
    increased a bit, scorching the ine hairs on his
    knuckles.
    "Stewart. Elliot Stewart."
    "Common."
    "Yeah, so is Weber." The sound of
    splashing water resounded through the night.
    Adam took the moment to clear up what
    had been nagging at him since leaving their last
    resting place. "Look, I feel bad for how I acted
    earlier."
    "I was just getting over it." The water
    splashed as Elliot climbed out of the tub behind
    him. "We don't have to bring it up."
    "It's not fair to you. To lead you on. To lie.
    But I'm so used to it. Lying to keep people from
    questioning me. Lying to keep the people
    around me happy."
    "The whole 'I'm gay but afraid to admit it'
    thing is pretty pitiful." Elliot snorted. "Too many
    guys use that as an excuse not to get
    permanently involved or fall in love."
    "It's real." He glanced over his shoulder
    at Elliot, and then quickly turned back to the
    crackling ire. "Sorry my problems are too cliché
    for you. But it's real. It exists. Messing around
    with men caused me too much trouble."
    "Then it's time to get over it. What do you
    have to lose now anyway? Jena's already gone."
    Elliot sat down on a patch of grass if front of the
    warm, glowing ire. He was naked, wet and
    covering his pelvic area with his dusty shorts.
    "Jena's gone," he repeated as he looked into
    Adam's eyes. The sadness conveyed in his
    frown.
    As much as he hated to believe it, again
    Elliot was right. Jena remained forever gone.
    And somehow the blow was more intense when
    he heard it from Elliot's mouth instead of his
    own. Was he really trying to fool himself into
    thinking Jena still loved him? He always thought
    actions spoke louder than words. Her actions
    told him plenty.
    The gauze on Elliot's leg sagged and
    dripped with water. "Let me get that." Adam
    grabbed his pack and took out the supplies he
    needed to change Elliot's dressings. While
    placing fresh, dry gauze on Elliot's leg he
    thought aloud,