Chapter 60-It’s just Nathaniel

Chapter 60: 60-It’s just Nathaniel

Aymara stared at the dead screen for a few seconds before letting out a satisfied sigh. "That had been fun."

After spending so long being the one who suffered while Dylan and Sarah lived comfortably, watching them struggle for once had given her a strange sense of satisfaction.

It was petty, perhaps, but she had earned the right to be petty. For years, she had swallowed every insult, every betrayal, and every reminder that the people who had hurt her were allowed to move on while she carried the consequences alone.

Seeing Sarah and Dylan finally lose control of the situation had not healed anything, but it had loosened something inside her.

She picked up her coffee and took the final sip, only to grimace when she realized it had gone cold.

Aymara frowned at the empty mug before setting it down. "That’s enough chaos for one morning."

She pushed herself out of the chair and stretched, but the moment she stood, exhaustion hit her like a wave. Her knees nearly buckled, and she caught herself against the edge of the console.

Aymara blinked. "Right. I had been awake the entire night."

Between monitoring the storm, checking the ship’s systems, watching over Nathaniel, and enjoying the hotpots and just now tormenting Sarah and Dylan, she hadn’t gotten a single minute of sleep.

She had been running on caffeine, adrenaline, and the stubborn refusal to let fall into slumber. No wonder her body felt like it was made of lead.

The exhaustion had been waiting patiently beneath her focus, and now that the immediate danger had passed, it was collecting its debt.

"With the world outside destroyed, I don’t have to clock in. That means that there were no more regular hours," she smiled as she spoke. "I can sleep when I want to and do whatever I want at any given time. There is no norm anymore."

She picked up the mug and carried it back to the kitchen. After placing it on the counter, she glanced around the quiet room.

Everything was still functioning perfectly. The generators were running, the refrigeration systems were stable, the water purification system was operating normally, and the ship was moving steadily through calmer waters.

The faint vibration beneath her feet was almost soothing now. It reminded her that the ship was still moving, still carrying them forward, even if she had no idea what waited beyond the horizon.

For the first time since the apocalypse began, there was nothing demanding her immediate attention.

There was no alarm, emergency notification, no voice calling her name from another room and no threat pressing against the hull.

Aymara yawned. "Finally. I can rest now."

She left the kitchen and headed toward her room. The corridor seemed longer than usual, and each step required more effort than it should have.

By the time she reached her door, her thoughts had begun to blur at the edges. She entered and didn’t even bother removing the outer coat she had on.

She simply walked to the bed, pulled back the covers, and collapsed onto the mattress.

Her head barely touched the pillow before her eyes closed. Her mind tried to resist for several seconds. It searched for problems, calculated risks, and replayed the events of the night.

Then even those thoughts faded away as she drifted off. For the first time in what felt like forever, Aymara slept deeply.

---

When she opened her eyes again, sunlight was streaming through the curtains.

Aymara blinked several times, momentarily unsure of where she was, before the memories came rushing back: the apocalypse, the ship, Nathaniel, Sarah, Dylan, and the mutated creatures.

The peaceful warmth of sleep vanished beneath the weight of reality, but it did not feel as crushing as it had before.

She slowly sat up, surprised by how much better her body felt. The ache in her shoulders had eased, her thoughts were clearer, and the heaviness behind her eyes had disappeared.

She simply sat there and listened to the ship for a brief moment. The steady hum of the generators, the distant movement of water against the hull and the quiet, reassuring rhythm of a world that had not collapsed while she slept.

Then she glanced at the clock. It was 12:03 PM. Aymara stared in horror. "No way. Did I sleep until noon?"

She had slept until noon. After being awake for so long, her body must have desperately needed the rest. "It’s fine. It’s not like I had to get to work anyway."

A small, almost guilty smile touched her lips before she rubbed her eyes and remembered something important.

"System, show me the ships stats."

Aymara immediately summoned the system, and the familiar blue screen appeared in front of her.

[Ship Status: Stable.]

[Energy System: Operating normally.]

[Water Supply: Stable.]

[Food Storage: Secure.]

[Defensive Systems: Active.]

[Agricultural Systems: Operating normally.]

[Structural Integrity: 100%.]

[No immediate threats detected.]

Aymara’s shoulders relaxed. "Good. That is really great."

She checked the underwater surveillance next and found nothing unusual. The small mutated creatures were gone from the immediate area, and the ship’s defensive systems remained fully operational.

The cameras showed only dark water, drifting particles, and the occasional shadow of something too distant to identify. It was not proof that they were safe, but it was enough to let her breathe for the time being.

Everything was fine. Aymara finally allowed herself to exhale, realizing only then that she had been holding her breath.

Then another thought entered her mind, Nathaniel. Her expression immediately changed. "Oh."

Her heart gave an uncomfortable little flutter. She had almost forgotten that she would have to face him.

The memory of the previous night returned with sudden clarity, bringing with it a warmth that had nothing to do with the sunlight spilling across the room.

"I should check if he’s eaten and has taken his medicine," she urged herself out of bed.

Aymara slipped out of bed and quickly straightened herself before leaving the room.

She paused in front of the small mirror near the door, studying her reflection. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and there were faint shadows beneath her eyes despite the sleep. "Even though there are no more norms, I should built a good sleeping habit from now on."

She smoothed her clothes, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and then stopped. Why was she trying to look presentable?

She stared at herself for another second before looking away. "It’s just Nathaniel."

The words sounded unconvincing even to her. She dropped it and went out. As she walked through the corridor, her confidence from earlier slowly disappeared.

The ship was quiet around her, filled with the low hum of the generators and the faint vibration of the engines beneath her feet. Sunlight spilled through the narrow windows in pale strips, warming the metal walls, but her palms felt strangely cold.

"There’s no need to be nervous. It’s just Nathaniel," she repeated again.