Chapter Text
It’s thanksgiving night. Everyone has begun to settle down. Some still eat at the table quietly, Carolina has always been a slow eater; while others start to get ready for bed. Charles is tucking Rafael into bed right now.
I am sitting on the bleachers. Alone. My knees tucked into my chest. My arms wrapped around my legs, my hands holding a ragged, torn-up bunch of papers. I’m scribbling in my diary. This diary.
I’m watching everyone, literally from the side-lines. I look up to see Turnbull and Johnson standing up at the watchtower. They’re looking straight ahead, into the darkness. It makes me shiver just to think about what hides in its depths.
On the other side of the base, I see Victoria, Baird and Omid painting their nails. Victoria paints her own as Omid paints Baird’s. I’m squinting my eyes to try to see what colors they have. I think it’s a pink and a green.
It reminds me of watermelon. Like the ones me and my dad would buy at the watermelon festival, and eat on hot summer days.
With just a quick look around, I see a small group of people, Santi, Bill, Ramos, Castillo, and Nate. They’re playing a game. I don’t know what it’s called but it’s that one cheesy family game where someone where’s a headband with a net attached to it while the rest throw balls at their face to try to get it in the net. It’s so goofy looking, it makes me laugh. Santi is laughing so loud I can hear it from here. He’s wearing the net, but because of all the giggling, he’s barely keeping still. There’s indistinguishable chatter as people keep talking over each other, yelling about getting the ball in the net. So far, there’s only 2.
Dafoe is standing across from them, where all the weapon workshop stuff is. He looks to be working on a gun, but he keeps pausing to look over at the group playing that game. I wonder why. He looks kinda,, sad? Maybe I’m imagining it.
Oh my gosh. Seth and Simpson finally got the TV up and running. Castillo found that piece of junk a couple weeks ago. Lugged it all the way back to the base. Most of us, including me, thought it was a bunch of trouble for nothing. I never expected it to turn back on or that we’d get power again. Simpson didn’t agree, didn’t want to agree. He’s been trying to fix it. With power finally running through our base, I think it finally turned on.
It was flashing static but I saw Simpson put in a CD Seth handed to him. It’s now playing,, ads. Oh my god, it’s playing ads. I’m getting that feeling I get when I see old billboards in town. It’s like seeing a remnant of the past. Once upon a time, these ads actually meant something to people. Well, maybe they still do.
Simpson and Seth have relaxed into the small sofa in front of it. They are now curling up to one another.
The TV is playing some Christmas movie? There’s this teenage girl, who just ran downstairs to her family. She’s talking to them about Santa,, about Christmas, I think? I wonder if Seth wanted this one because it’s almost Christmas. I’m surprised he didn’t think it would make anyone sad.