"I think it's a good time to rest," Sun shared with Alex, glancing around the area. They were surrounded in a outcropping of rocks. Alex all but screeched in relief, throwing himself down to the ground.

"Oh thank the heavens! I thought we would never stop walking!" She sent him a glare over her shoulder, taking in his starfish position on the ground.

"You're ridiculous. I will never understand how you've lasted this long."

"I'm sneaky," he mumbled into the ground as he turned his head into the ground. He suddenly brought it up, sputtering loudly. "I got dirt on my mouth!" Alex complained. Sun rolled her eyes, taking up a spot against a large rock. She slid down to the ground, pulling her backpack off her back. She unzipped the bag, pulling a bottle of water out. She took a few sips, quenching her throat.

"Can I have some?" Alex asked, a charming smile splaying across his face. She raised an eyebrow as she screwed down her cap.

"You have a few bottles in your bag." He pouted, rolling onto his back.

"But my pack is out of reached!" he whined, waving his arm vaguely towards the area where it laid.

"It's like you want me to slit your throat in your sleep."

"I'm joking! I'm joking! Jeez, someone doesn't get humor," he grumbled, crawling on his hands and knees towards his pack. She froze, watching his back. Someone doesn't get humor. She sighed, thinking back to her past. That's what he said all the time when he would try his puns and references on me. She rolled down her left sleeve, brushing a finger lightly over one of the scars across her wrist. Her lips tugged up slightly as she mused over the memory. He was so caring...

"What's that?" a voice muffled by a full mouth interrupted her train of thought. She stiffened, pushing her sleeve up instinctually.

"It's nothing."

"Well, it's obviously something," he started. He leaned away from her as she whipped her head up to send him a mean look. He smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean... I know what it is. I just... Don't know how to approach this. It's a kind of topic people don't talk about on a normal basis."

"Then don't try to talk about it," she snapped. "We've wasted enough time here. Let's get a move on," she changed the topic, shoving her water back into her bag and zipping it back up. She swung it over her shoulders, stomping away from the resting site. Alex rushed around behind her, packing his things up quickly. He sprinted to catch up with her.

"You looked like you were remembering something good. That doesn't normal come with self-h-"

"I don't want to talk about it, okay!" she interrupted him, gritting her teeth to keep from chewing his ass out like she wanted to. He splayed his fingers out in surrender from where they rested against his backpack straps.

"Can you at least tell me why?" he asked, his voice turning soft, catching her off guard. She searched his features, trying to figure out what his angle was.

"I don't know what you're trying to accomplish, but I've known you for two days. I'm not about to release my secrets to you."

"It's the apocalypse. Confidence comes very few nowadays. I would use it when you could, even if they are complete strangers. If they're willing to listen, why not get some of your demons out?" She smiled weakly over at him before looking down at the ground.

"I'll keep that in mind next time I have something weighing down my chest." Alex wanted to argue more on the topic with her. He didn't want to have a companion being distracted by secrets of her own. But, he left her be, knowing she was too hard-headed to sway her answer.

"Do you have anything about your past that you will reveal?" Alex asked Sun as they continued. She glanced over him, raising an eyebrow. "I just want to get to know the person I'm traveling with for the next few weeks." he explained, fixing his grip on his backpack. She sighed loudly, raising her head to the sky to silently ask what she did to deserve this.

"I'm an only child. I have a bachelor's in Bioengineering, or at least I would. I was in my second to last year when the apocalypse hit," she said somewhat bitterly. Alex perked up at this bit of information.

"College? So, you're not that old! How old are you?" he asked her. She sent him a judging look from the corner of her eye.

"For your information, people can go to college at all sorts of ages. But, I'm twenty four." She watched the tree line as they left the rocks and entered a field.

"Oh, really? I'm nineteen. I would be about to go off to college! I was going to go into computer programming." he said proudly. Sun stiffened at the news, linking it instantly to a certain someone she had known.

"Great..." She muttered. Alex continued on, oblivious to her change in tone.

"Yep! I was planing on going to IU! I'm originally from Michigan, but I was able to get some scholarships I applied for at IU to go there. Where are you from, Sun?" Alex looked over at her, mistaking the grim line that was her mouth as her normal look.

"The U.S."

"What state though."

"Minnesota."

"Oh, Minnesota! I haven't been there even despite the apocalypse. Because of the apocalypse, I've been all over! Mostly in the southern states and western states. I dabbled along Mexico too since. Haven't really been anywhere past the right side of the Mississippi since though. I've spent most of my time in-"

"Alex, shut up," Sun gritted out. Alex snapped his mouth close; the noise of the teeth clashing was very audible.

After a while of silence, Alex spoke up again.

"Was there something I said that got you in a worse mood?" he asked innocently. She glowered over at him, stopping completely. His eyes widened as he pulled himself to stop. He knew he was in deep shit from the stormy look on her face.

"I do not need you picking around in my business. We are not going to be friends. I don't want to be your friend. I don't want to share my life. I'm here as muscle. I'm your gun to keep you from dying. So, you need to fucking keep out of my shit and just drop it!" she snapped at him. "Or else you may not find yourself waking up for the next morning." She took off again, letting Alex stand there in frozen shock. He eventually was able to move his feet again to keep following after her. Now I know not to delve into her past.