Days passed and turned into weeks. Then weeks faded and before anyone could notice a month had passed. Or maybe two.

A sense of time did not exist once there was a place to settle and no immediate danger to worry about. Days were lived however was desired, ended when they didn't feel fulfilling no more.

Yawning, you opened open eye and were immediate blinded by the brightness of the sun. It was hard to tell if it was morning light or already broad day outside.

But the sky was as blue as it could be, no clouds. It wouldn't rain any time soon and the heat that made you sweat also made clear that it was summer at its height.

Sighing softly, you stretch all limbs only to realise that there was suspiciously much space in bed. Usually you woke up suffocating under the weight of an entire woman.

But not today. Ellie wasn't by your side. Frowning in confusion, you sat up to have a look around. The bedroom was messy. As always, since Ellie had a habit of throwing her clothes on the ground if they needed a wash.

Sighing and rolling your eyes, you slipped out of bed, only wearing a slip and a large t-shirt with the resort logo on it, and picked up the worst to throw everything in a bin.

It was almost filled to the brim, soon it would be time to wash in the river down the hill. After a bit of exploring you had been pleased to find out that this place was a whole lot more versatile than you had first thought.

Not only was it well shut off, but also able to provide food and safety to a high quality level. The river carried water from the top of the mountain which meant it was fresh, safe to drink and wash clothes in.

Besides, after a bit of cleaning and tidying up, the place had turned into a pretty neat apartment to live in. The lower floors had changed as well, now serving as both supply rooms and greenhouses for the more fragile crops.

"Hmm...", with a smile you noticed that there was breakfast on the counter, consisting of two eggs, some fruit and bread.

Thank to a few cookbooks down in the kitchen you had been able to learn how to make most things on your own. And the hotel had plenty of dry ingredients that had survived the times.

Flour and oats, but also dried fruit weren't missing for the next decade or so. All of it had been sealed in plastic bags, vacuum sealed and then stored away from the sun.

It wasn't like Ellie to wake up early but whenever she did she never missed a chance to make you a little treat to wake up to.

Ellie was a sweetheart for trying, she deserved all the praise for her efforts. But when it came to cooking she wasn't the greatest.

Chuckling, you put the food down and threw on some clothes instead. With a quick run to the bathroom you freshened up and then grabbed your rifle.

There wasn't really a need to arm yourself around the area. After settling you and Ellie had made sure that the fence was fine or needed fixing. Neither was the case, nor were any infected around.

But you preferred to be safe instead of sorry. So you always carried a small knife and your rifle. The sound of running water filled your ears, the flush of the toilet needed a little longer.

For some reason there was still running water in this facility. After some snooping you had found out that it once had been an off grid luxury hotel for families that wanted to "return to their roots".

To your luck that meant an independent water filtering system, already existing crops to eat from and other useful things such as gardening tools.

The only thing that was missing was electricity. Even after many days of search there was no generator to be found. But that was an issue that could be resolved over time.

Humming to yourself, you opened the door to your apartment and stepped out into the hallway. All of the doors to the other rooms were open.

A safety measure to make sure nothing could hide in the rooms. Even though that also was kind of an unnecessary safety measure.

You excused it with bad experiences in the past. Ellie still liked to tease you about it every now and again.

Your steps echoed from the walls. Everything was empty but it did not feel lonely. Instead, you felt at peace. Maybe for the first time in an entire decade.

As you passed the stairway that led down, a whistle made your skin crawl. Struck by surprise, you flinched.

A soft laugh filled the silence.

"You're so easy to scare.", with her hands on her hips and tilting her head, Ellie stood at the edge of some old wooden stairs that came out of the ceiling. "So cute."

Annoyed, you showed her your tongue but couldn't help and be interested by the stairs behind her.

"What's that?", you asked.

Ellie smirked.

"C'mon.", she gestured upwards, one foot already on the first step. "Lemme show you something."

That usually did not mean anything good. Sighing, you rolled your eyes but followed her anyways.

Bright light blinded you for a second as you pushed your torso through a trapdoor that was imbedded into the flat roof.

A hat breeze chased through your (H/C) hair. It smelled of fresh flowers and grass, mixed with the dryness of the bark of trees.

"Here ya go, princess.", Ellie grabbed you by the hand to help you up onto the roof.

Right before you opened the garden of your new home. Colourful blossoms bloomed right next to thick bodies of watermelons and other fruits.

Vegetables made bees buzz. It was a calm view. Homely.

"That's amazing...", you muttered wirh a smile.

Ellie pressed a kiss to your cheeks. Her hands wrapped around your wrist and made you swing with her a little.

"You know what else is amazing?", she asked with a smirk in her voice.

You frowned, smiling.

"I'm sure you're gonna tell me soon."

She pulled you around one of the smaller roofs.

"Tada!", with a broad grin Ellie presented you four large black squares.

"What's that?", you asked.

Satisfied, she raised her chin.

"Solar panels. And...", she flipped a switch in an electrical box that hung on a wall. "I fixed them... for you."

"Are you serious?", you asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah. Cause, you know. We gotta have a proper house. And I love you so much I want to see you in the dark as well.", with a shrug, she pulled you close and kissed you deeply.