Slowly, quietly, and as carefully as you could, you turned the doorknob just a little bit so that you could take a peek.

Looking both ways, left and right, you had a relieved exhale then freely opened the door. 

You

"It's clear."

You guys searched the rest of the building, all you saw were loads of papers, desks, and chairs.

Scaramouche

"So... In the end, there's really nothing that got us closer to home?"

You

"No... But, there are still places we need to check. We can look there tomorrow when the time comes."

Scaramouche

"Do we really have to wait that long?... We've already spent hours on searching for something to help, just to find out there was actually nothing at all."

You

"... Which is why we should all just rest and then continue tomorrow. Or what, Scaramouche doesn't like the sound of it?"

Scaramouche

"Just-"

Childe

"Scara, they're right. I'm exhausted. Xiao is too."

Scaramouche

"Wh- Xiao hasn't even said anything!"

Childe

"Well, you can clearly tell he's exhausted, look at his face."

Xiao

...

You

"Yeah... Look, that room's pretty spacious. We should rest there for the night, and head out in the morning."

Scaramouche

"Didn't you say it was too dangerous during the day?"

You

"So you'd rather just wait here for another... What? 12 hours, maybe even more, and then go out? Plus, by morning I mean like we leave early in the morning while it's still dark. Then we'll hide in another building."

Luckily, the spacious room you chose to stay in had two sofas. But, that did mean that only two people would be able to have a kind of comfortable rest that night out of all 4 of you. 

You

"... It's up to you guys. I'll sleep on the ground."

You backed away from them, not wanting to be included in their quarrel. 

Xiao

"Me too. I shall sleep on the ground."

Right as Scaramouche was about to ramble about the sofas, the decision had already been made, as quickly as you didn't expect it. 

You

Hm. That's quite surprising.

Although the building was a little chilly, you were able to get some rest. For all of you, it was a long and exhausting day. You loaned Xiao your bag so he could use it as a pillow, and you just slept on your hand, leaning on it for support. It was rough ground.

Somewhere around 3 am, the coldness of the room woke you up. You woke up to see Xiao with his eyes open, literally staring into the ceiling. 

You

What is he doing... Does he sleep with his eyes opened?...

You sat up from laying down, your entire body aching like hell.

You

Ooh... Maybe it isn't a good idea to sleep on hard-ass ground...

You then waved your hand over Xiao's face, his eyes still wide open and staring right at the ceiling.

A late response came, he blinked slowly a few times and sat up to look over at you.

You

"Oh. So you are awake."

Xiao

"You... Thought that I slept with my eyes open?"

You

"... Kinda?"

You two conversed discreetly as to not wake Scara and Childe. Childe's legs were like- Practically hanging off the foot of the sofa since he was too tall for it.

Xiao

"Oh, no. I can't sleep at all."

You

"Really?... Even on days, you feel exhausted?"

Xiao

"I guess so."

You

"So you're telling me, ever since 10 pm when all of us started resting, you just... Had your eyes wide open, staring into the ceiling?..."

Xiao

"Yes. I told you, I can't sleep."

You

"Then... How about you just try shutting your eyes?"

Xiao

"I've already tried that. No method will help."

You

"... Count sheep?..."

Xiao

"... Who does that."

You

"I dunno! I'm just saying what other people told me."

Xiao 

"Other people tell you to count sheep?"

You

"... Yeah. What about it?"

Xiao

"... Does it work?..."

You

"Uh- Well... I've actually never tried it myself before. I just thought that it was a lie."

Xiao

"I see..."

You

"Well, you really should try to get some sleep. Tomorrow we're heading out again, I don't want some sleep-deprived guy slowing us down."

Xiao

"You think I'm going to slow you down?..."

It was then the thought came back to him - He couldn't be all dashy and shit because of the change in dimension.

You

"Yeah. Come on, you need some energy for tomorrow, chances are extremely positive that we'll run into the Infected."

You laid back down, stretching a bit to ease your body pain, then started sleeping once again.

Xiao

Count sheep, huh.

Xiao also laid back down, wondering if he should actually try the method or not.

The sun moves, although it isn't very bright. When you awoke Scara and Childe, they both looked like a disaster, which you found amusing. Their hair was a jumble, and their expressions were droopy. This couldn't be said of Xiao, who appeared more awake than ever and was still tidy.

You

"Ah, perfect. See, none of them are out here... I think."

Scaramouche

"... You think?"

You

"I'll never be sure of it."

You all got ready to leave, confident now that it wasn't so bright and the Infected were less active. 

You started making your way to another building that was just a bit shorter than the one you had just left. Then, the search continued.

Scaramouche

"Y/N, are you sure that searching in buildings like these are gonna help us? We haven't found anything in the past 24 hours, and we just searched a really tall-ass building. We're getting nowhere."

Scaramouche hadn't even started an argument, so there was no need for you to raise your voice, thank goodness. You reasoned that he was too tired to yell at you.

You

"Well, what other choice do we have? Do you just wanna sit down and eat crackers again?"

Scaramouche

"Ah, I am quite hungry..."

You

"Hm, I'm surprised you're not screaming at me."

Scaramouche

"Why?... You want me to?!"

His voice suddenly raised, noticing what tone he had been using while conversing with you.

You

"Aww, that's pretty sucky. I thought that you'd keep it down just for a while, guess I was wrong."

Scaramouche

"Damn, that's embarrassing... The next time I start speaking like that again you better tell me, dumbass!"

Scaramouche banged his hands on a desk, leaning forward to you, who was on the other side of the desk. A few items fell off the desk.

You

"Pfft, fine."

Looking a little lower, you noticed another piece of paper with a lot of writing on it. Even though you assumed it was just another signed document, you felt compelled to go through every piece of paper you came across.