#9

Evelyn nodded wordlessly at Craig, seemingly affirming her trust in him before standing up and making her way back to the truck they had arrived in. She opened the door and slumped into the driver's chair, reaching down and pulling the lever to the side of the seat so that it reclined back. As she stared at the musty, grey roof of the truck, she pondered over the possibility of Black Mountain's sanctity already being compromised. The idea of shelter, safety, food and comfort had kept her going over the past few months. She had lost a companion whom she had developed camaraderie with and was much further out of Chicago than she had been a day ago. Through setback after setback, she had remained stony-faced and silent but now that she was alone, she couldn't help but feel that Levi had not just been means to an end. He was the first friend she had had in a long time.

The idea of not seeing him again hurt much more than she let on but showing weakness, especially in front of these strangers, was not a good idea. Scarlett was the only one she truly trusted. Joe seemed harmless but stupid, Haleigh gave off a calculating and conniving air, Marcus was a loner at heart and Craig's magnanimity was suspicious. He had been extremely charitable thus far but his history had deeply concerned Evelyn on the matter of his sanity. He had seen and done terrible things; surely it had scarred him? His status as the last survivor of such a large group did nothing to ameliorate her unease. 

Despite wanting to stay awake for as long as possible to keep an eye on the others, her desire for vigilance eventually capitulated to her need for sleep. Her eyelids grew impossibly heavy and her head rolled against the cold, leather headrest.

---

Evelyn slowly opened her eyes, awoken by the usually pleasant sound of birds singing among the treetops. She blearily glanced to the right to see Scarlett peacefully slumbering in the passenger seat. Judging by the pink tinge of the sky and the absence of the sun, dawn had begun in the last few minutes. Taking care not to wake Scarlett up, she gently opened the door and stepped outside.