Benny opened his mouth, but didn't speak at first. Really, his voice was stuck in his throat and a mix of sympathy and anger had netted it in place. Anger for the state of things, for the way the way these spores had spread so quickly, and no one had done anything about it. Someone could have done something about it, he was sure. Combat the natural disease with fire, perhaps. Acid. Something. How had it gotten so close to them? How did it make authorities turn on one another...? He breathed in carefully, though a tremor shook it. Ben? Too alike to his name. Far, far too alike. It must hurt to even think about him, the current Ben, even if his parents had named him Benny. He'd always thought it to be just a cutsy way to change it up from the generalized Ben. But his protective instinct was overriding every cautious, or well-thought plan in the back of his mind.

He threw caution to the wind, though, and slid forward, putting his arms around Emily in a generous hug. It was just as much for her as it was for him. "It's okay..." He muttered. "I understand..." While it did explain her hatred of guns, the way she was always rather apprehensive when handling them, it also hit far too close to home for Benny's liking. Maybe Emily didn't like to be hugged, but it seemed she needed it, and he certainly did. For once in five years he wanted to hug someone and not seem weak. Not shoved away and scolded and then feared for a possible spreading of infection. He didn't have the virus, the illness, whatever it was, wasn't a carrier, wasn't turning. People rarely got close to one another anymore, and he found that sad. Just as sad as someone suffering quietly, and so few people could understand if they were to hear.

Emily kept her eyes glued to her knees as Benny silently processed the information. It sounded so simple and clean cut the way she had explained it but there was so much more to it than that, she just couldn't put it into words. After a few moments, Emily raised her had to look at Benny. He seemed like he wanted to speak but was at a loss for words. Emily thought to break the silence and save him the trouble of responding but Benny slid towards her and wrapped her up in his strong arms before she could do so. Emily was surprised by his sudden action but quickly relaxed into his embrace.

The young woman fought the lump that rose in her throat and lost as tears started streaming down her face anew. She had never shared her past with anyone before and she felt slightly better for doing so, like voicing it aloud had somehow loosened the nightmare's hold on her heart and allowed her to breathe just a bit easier knowing that someone else understood. "Thank you," she whispered, wrapping her arms gently around Benny in return. His embrace was warm and she felt almost safe enfolded in his arms.

Benny patted the young woman, glad that she hadn't curled into a shell or backed away. There was a good amount of trust in the little gesture, more now than might have ever been, in their life as it was. There was more trust in actually telling Benny what had happened to her. He breathed out, controlling the shudder in the breath, and disentangled himself. "It'll get easier to forget about... over time." He muttered. "You won't completely forget, but..." He shrugged, looking over to the window. It had gotten darker. "Maybe... I could tell you about what happened to me... sometime..." She would have to prod him to speak, though. Right now he couldn't. It would come out as a jumble of incoherent muttering, spaced here or there with momentary uncontrollable emotions. He hadn't talked about it for a few years, not since Lee had sat him down and actually made him do so.

He breathed out, standing on somewhat weakened knees. "It's, ah... about time to get going I think." Benny shook himself a bit, regarding Emily with a hopefully uplifted expression. Something that would manage to chase away the bad dream and let her focus a little on the waking world. It would be good for both of them, he thought, to get on with what they'd agreed upon before. While he'd originally felt going on his own would be better so he didn't have to focus on someone else and where they were, now it seemed that Emily would only benefit from following along. Perhaps he could teach her to move silently, as he did. Keep to the shadows, know where to step so a branch didn't break underfoot or a stone didn't shift. With the clickers, it was overly important to move as silently as possible, or at least use the world around them to create distractions in other directions.

He went back into the living room, finding his backpack. He emptied most of what was inside, the survival necessities, since it would only slow them down and make more noise than it was worth---and it would allow more space to carry most items. He'd taken his jacket off, and while its gaudy color would more than stand out while in the light, decided to slip it back on. He had a flashlight with him, and slid it into an outer pocket of the bag. It would be needed in case her apartment was dark, and turning on lights would be a bit foolish to do if people were watching it.

Eventually Emily regained control of her emotions and reigned in her tears. Benny pulled away from her and did his best to comfort her with words. She supposed the hurt would lessen in time, but after three years of living alone with her grief, the pain still felt fresh. Wiping her face, she did her best to smile, though Benny probably couldn't see it in the darkness. "I would like that," she said softly. It would be good to know more about the man she would be working with and maybe it would also bring him some small measure of comfort, as it had to her, knowing that someone else shared the burden of his past.

Emily nodded at Benny's statement that it was time to leave before remembering that it would be difficult for him to see her in the dark. "Okay," she said, slipping off of the bed and jamming her feet into her well-worn boots. The young woman grabbed her bag from where she had left it on the desk and slung it over her shoulder before following her mentor out into the living room. She watched silently as he prepared his bag and fervently hoped that they would manage to complete their task without a hitch.