Chapter 122: 122:Proposal
The warmth of the meal lingered long after the last piece of meat had disappeared. For a little while, nobody moved from the campfire.
Everyone was beyond tired, but none of them wanted to return to the silence waiting inside their tents. The crackling fire gave them something to focus on. Something painfully normal after everything they had experienced that afternoon.
Silver quietly poured hot water into several metal cups before handing them around the circle.
"It isn’t coffee," he said with a faint smile, "but at least it’s warm."
Jonah accepted the cup with both hands.
"I don’t think I’d taste coffee even if you gave me some."
A few weary chuckles spread through the group. Brian sat with his elbows resting on his knees, staring into the dancing flames.
For several minutes, he didn’t speak; the others didn’t interrupt him. Eventually, he let out a long breath.
"...I keep expecting Claire to complain."
Silver looked up. Brian smiled bitterly.
"She always complained whenever we camped."
Jonah laughed softly.
"She said the ground was too hard, and then she’d sleep better than everyone else."
Another contractor nodded.
"She also complained about whoever was cooking."
Silver raised an eyebrow.
"So she would’ve complained about me, too?"
Brian looked toward him.
"Oh, definitely. She would’ve taken one bite..."
He cleared his throat and perfectly mimicked Claire’s teasing tone.
"’Not bad. I guess you’re finally becoming useful.’"
For the first time after returning to the camp... real laughter spread around the fire. Even Ravenna covered her mouth to hide a small smile.
Jonah wiped at his eyes.
"I can actually hear her saying that."
"So can I," another survivor admitted.
The laughter slowly faded, leaving behind something quieter and warmer. Brian continued staring into the fire.
"You know... I met Claire four years ago."
Several people looked at him.
"It was her first assignment right after her integration. She was terrified."
Jonah leaned forward, interest in his eyes.
"Claire? The same Claire?"
Brian nodded.
"You wouldn’t believe it now. She could barely hold her rifle steady."
Silver listened quietly. Brian smiled to himself.
"She missed every target during training."
Jonah burst out laughing.
"That’s impossible."
"I swear, it’s true."
"The instructors almost failed her."
"What changed?"
Brian’s expression softened.
"She refused to quit. Every evening after everyone else finished training... she stayed. Again and again and again, eventually... She became the best marksman in our squad."
Silver nodded slowly.
"That sounds like her."
Brian looked toward the stars.
"She used to tell me something."
"What?"
"’Talent gets you noticed, but persistence gets you home.’"
The words settled quietly around the campfire. Nobody spoke for several moments. Finally, Jonah smiled.
"Remember when she shot Brian’s hat off?"
Brian groaned immediately.
"I was standing completely still."
"You’re lying, I saw you move."
"I absolutely did not; you were seeing things."
"You flinched."
"I ducked because someone fired a rifle next to my ear! That is a perfect human reaction. "
Jonah laughed harder.
"She insisted it was intentional."
Brian rubbed his forehead.
"She spent an entire month telling everyone she’d saved me from an imaginary beast."
Silver couldn’t help smiling.
"...She sounds exhausting."
"Oh, she was," Brian answered without hesitation. "And I’d gladly let her exhaust me for another twenty years."
Silence returned, but this time, no one tried to chase it away. The fire crackled softly.
Somewhere nearby, Association personnel continued speaking over radios, their voices carrying faintly through the cool night air.
The camp had begun settling down, and the survivors needed rest.
Brian slowly stood.
"I think that’s enough."
No one argued. One by one, the survivors rose from around the fire. Jonah stretched before giving Silver a tired smile.
"...Thanks."
Silver tilted his head.
"For dinner?"
"For reminding us..." Jonah looked toward the dying fire. "...that today wasn’t the last day."
Silver nodded quietly.
"We’ll keep moving."
"We have to."
Jonah offered his hand. Silver shook it firmly.
"I hope we meet again."
"I think we will."
Brian walked over a moment later. He stood silently before extending his own hand. Silver accepted it. The older contractor squeezed once before speaking.
"I owe you more than I can repay."
"You don’t owe me anything."
"I do." Brian shook his head. "If you hadn’t figured out what was happening... none of us would’ve made it out."
Silver smiled faintly.
"We all got each other out."
Brian didn’t argue, perhaps because, deep down, he knew no single person had survived Detroin alone. They had survived together.
The campfire slowly burned lower as everyone drifted toward their assigned tents. Silver remained standing beside the embers for a while, watching them fade.
Ravenna quietly walked over; neither of them spoke immediately. Silver finally looked toward the row of temporary tents the Association had erected, then broke the silence.
"They only gave us one-person tents."
Ravenna nodded.
"I noticed."
He hesitated.
"If..."
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"...If you don’t want to sleep alone tonight, you’re welcome to share mine." He quickly added, "Only if you’re comfortable with it."
"I just..." He searched for the right words. "...I don’t think either of us should be alone after today."
Ravenna looked at him for several seconds. There wasn’t embarrassment in her expression, only understanding.
"I was thinking the same thing."
Silver’s eyes widened.
"You were?"
She gave a small nod.
"I don’t think I’d sleep very well by myself."
She looked toward the dark horizon where Detroin lay hidden beyond the trees.
"...Every time I close my eyes... I keep seeing the greenhouse."
Silver quietly reached out and rested a hand lightly on her shoulder.
"We’ll get through tonight."
She looked at him.
"I know."
A faint smile appeared.
"Together."
Those single words eased something deep inside Silver’s chest. He hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear them.
The two of them collected their backpacks before walking toward the small tent the Association had assigned. It wasn’t much.
It had canvas walls, two sleeping mats laid side by side, a lantern hanging from a central pole, enough room for equipment, and little else.
Silver looked around before laughing softly.
"This reminds me of Checkpoint Eight, but a downgraded version."
Ravenna smiled.
"Right, but that is better. I’ve stayed in worse places."
"Really?"
"Yeah, there was this one checkpoint where the roof leaked."
"Seriously, don’t they have strict maintenance rules?"
"I wish, not every checkpoint is as good as the one we’ve been in so far. I’ll warm you away from the worst one when we get there. I’ve gotten my socks stolen more times than I want to remember ."
Silver looked horrified.
"Yeah, I can’t imagine, it would be really annoying."
"Tell me about it. Mallory raised hell at the checkpoint, but we got thrown out instead. They were good socks."
Silver actually laughed, a genuine laugh. For a brief moment, the weight of the day lifted. Silver carefully placed their equipment near the entrance before lowering the lantern’s flame. The soft golden light filled the tent with a gentle warmth.
Outside, the camp had grown almost completely quiet. Only distant footsteps and the occasional murmur from Association patrols disturbed the night.
Inside the small tent, there was finally peace. Silver looked toward Ravenna.
"...We should probably get some sleep."
She slowly sat on one of the sleeping mats.
"...Maybe," then, after a pause, she looked back at him. "...Can we talk first?"
Silver nodded without hesitation.
"...Of course."
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