First Impressions Are Key
By Boasamishipper
(Prequel to 'Am I Needed?' You never have a second chance to make a first impression, and Aaron has never hated that quote more.)
I know I said I wouldn't update until I got five reviews, but hey. I tallied my reviews, favorites, and follows and got five. So here's another installment of the 'Am I Needed?' 'verse, starring Aaron Pittman.
Aaron trudged along the rocky path, kicking pebbles out of the way. Around him, grass grew through the cracks in the dirt; squirrels chased other squirrels up trees, and old garbage from before the Blackout lay in clumps, with mold, bugs, and rust inhabiting them. Aaron felt a lump in his throat, looking at the garbage.
Before the lights went out, Aaron was in the process of trying to get everyone to go green, because the Earth was failing around them. Seriously, he'd thought, if global warming, natural disasters and radiation don't get you to go green, this will.
All of his friends had teased him at parties, wondering why the Wizard of Google would waste his time saving the planet when there was carpe diem to be done, when you had to live while you were still young enough. Priscilla had encouraged him to speak up to his friends, and he'd eventually decided to give it a shot.
"Seriously, man." His friend Mike Avignon had laughed. "If the world's going down in flames, then I'm going out in a blaze of glory!" He'd chugged half a bottle of vodka to prove his point.
"Mike, with all that alcohol inside of you it's probably not good to have you around an open flame." Jake Fields had punched Mike in the arm.
"Aaron, there's no way it'll happen." Mike shook his head. "Seriously. I bet you-"He belched, "-that it ain't gonna happen. Five grand. No, ten grand."
"The world is in trouble." Aaron stubbornly insisted.
"Yeah, the world is going shit-crazy. Sure. But who cares? That's what YOLO is all about. Live a little, man!" Jake nodded.
Aaron had shaken his head and left the bar, unable to come up with anything to say to convince his friends his point.
"Aaron, how's your wife doing?" his driver, Robert, had asked him as he took a seat in the back of the limousine.
"Fine." Aaron muttered. "Priscilla's just stressed out, is all. Home, Robert."
"Right away, sir." Robert tipped his hat to Aaron and drove all the way back to the Pittman estate.
After the disaster with Jake and Mike, Aaron's protection of the environment took a steady downfall. And Priscilla never pushed it, never asked why he'd done it. She had just gone with the flow, and said that if he ever wanted to keep going, then he should.
Four years later, the Blackout had occurred. And now here Aaron was, trudging along some path near what was left of Wisconsin, alone. The Wizard of Google had been kicked off his throne, Aaron thought. He shook his head again and kicked an old Coca-Cola can that was in front of him.
What had he been thinking, leaving Priscilla, even though it was for the greater good, for Priscilla's own protection? Priscilla was much better off with Sean and the gang, Aaron reasoned. They could offer Priscilla more protection than Aaron could with a bazooka. Not that he'd know where to get one, anyways…
For years, he'd wondered if God had something to do with Blackout, if this was revenge on Aaron for not going through with his save-the-environment shtick so long ago. If it was, that would be sick. Even God wouldn't dream of getting back at someone by ensuring that electricity would have the same meaning as shit.
Jake had been right. The world was going shit-crazy, back then, right now, and forever. And there was nothing he could do about it. Carpe diem hadn't helped, saving the environment had been a fail, and the Wizard of Google was now the most useless man in America.
Vaguely, he was aware that he was near a playground now, where kids had played before, probably where they had hid during the Blackout…and where, before the Blackout, Aaron had been bullied countless times by Billy, the Mozart of wedgies.
A rustle in the bushes caught Aaron's attention, snapping him out of his self-misery. He dropped his backpack on the ground and rummaged around for something, anything, to help him get out of the situation that was speeding towards him faster than Doc Brown in his Delorean. Finally, getting a grip on a knife, he aimed it at the bush with trembling hands. Maybe it's just a rabbit; he tried to convince himself, trying to calm his racing heart.
"Stay back!" Aaron squeaked.
And with that, the bush exploded in a swarm of…squirrels. Aaron laughed; a one-note laugh of relief. He dropped his knife on the grass and bent down to pick it up.
Just then, a pack of coyotes leaped through the bushes after the squirrels. Aaron yelled in shock, instantly regretting it. If coyotes were anything like dogs, they could smell fear. If only his dog Zoe were still with him…
The one who seemed to be the leader cocked its head at Aaron, sizing him up. Aaron swallowed, aware that he was probably the largest meal these coyotes had come across since the Blackout, like a McDonalds Happy Meal in a salad bar.
"Stay back." Aaron repeated, gripping his knife. He suddenly had an idea and bent down to take off one of his shoes. "Hey! See the shoe? See the shoe? Go get it!" Aaron pitched the shoe as far as he could away from him. They hadn't called him Aaron Pitchman in college for nothing…
The coyote leader's expression showed that he was not impressed.
Aaron chuckled. "Yeah. Right." He suddenly wondered why he had chosen to throw his shoe away, and not a stick. Shoes were valuable out here. "So. I'll just be going. Nice talking to you…"
The coyotes watched him.
"I'm gonna take one step back." Aaron informed them, and then shook his head in disbelief. Have I really stooped so low that I have to talk to coyotes for entertainment?
He took one step back, and his other shoe landed on a twig, snapping it.
Oh, shit…Aaron thought as the coyotes leapt at him like they had been shot out of a cannon. Aaron yelled out as loud as he could: "HELP! HELP ME!" The coyotes were all over him, pawing at his chest, scratching up his arms and legs, drool dripping from their mouths as they got close enough to bite him.
"Help me!" Aaron screeched. A gunshot was suddenly heard, and the coyote on his chest collapsed with an arrow through its brain and its paw deep in Aaron's chest.
Help… Aaron thought vaguely before blood spilled from his chest and he knew no more.
-(*)-
It was a couple days later when Aaron woke up, confused. Though reluctant in deserting the oblivion of his dreams, he opened his eyes slowly, squinting against the bright sunlight glaring down on top of him. It was blurry, which immediately meant that his glasses were missing. Had the coyotes eaten them, the same way they had attacked him? "Fuck." Aaron mumbled it so quietly he wasn't even sure that he had said it outside of his head. He partially raised his left hand to shield against the light and shut his eyes. A second later, he heard a noise, some footsteps, a swishing sound, and the glare dulled down. Feeling safe to open his eyes again, Aaron repeated the action noticing that everything was blurry, fuzzy, with no real defining shape. It felt like he was a kid again, when Billy the Bully had given him to black eyes that he could barely see out of.
Feeling encased in a fluffy sort of cocoon, Aaron didn't want to move. He didn't want to speak. He just wanted to lie there and continue basking in the warm comfort, a luxury he hadn't had in so long, in such a long time. But the further he drifted into consciousness, the more aware he became of the stiff achiness his body exhibited. Well, that's to be gained seeing as I was just attacked by coyotes. Aaron thought grumpily. There was a sort of biting edge tingling in his hands, his head, his arms…ah, hell, everywhere. It was as though there was a wave of pain ready to burst forth and attack. And it only made him want to say 'screw this' and go back to sleep.
Damn it. What if those coyotes had rabies? What if they had bitten him and he was now infected and dying? No, he couldn't be. There was no rest for the wicked.
Even if he had wanted to sleep, he couldn't. There was something else too besides the biting pain. Something that only increased his befuddlement. His mind might be big, but it only could work at a certain speed limit and at that moment he couldn't comprehend anything. He didn't know where he was or what was happening to him. The sense of naivety overwhelmed him and before he knew it, he tried to sit up.
His fuzzy eyesight still a hindrance, he slumped to the right, his body quivering with exhaustion and being injured. His heartbeat thundered in his ears, the noise drowning out all other sound. His stomach felt horrible; like hundreds of worms wriggling in his gut causing him to gag. He wanted to move. He wanted to cry out. He wanted to do something, to get away. He had to get away from the shock of it all…The rabies must have been getting to him. Yup. The Great and Powerful Wizard of Google was dying. Fuck. Aaron had spots in his vision.
He felt a hand move onto his chest and heard a soothing 'Shhh' over the pounding in his ears. Curious, Aaron moved with the hand gliding back to a lying position, panting heavily.
"Sir, I need you to breathe for me, please. Nice and slow," he heard an accented voice say.
Following the voice's directions, he slowly calmed down taking in deep breaths. Once the spots in his eyes more-or-less faded, that was when he noticed a blonde lady sitting in front of him. She gave him a small smile that made his insides go all fuzzy. Her light blue eyes twinkled and he felt like he could relax.
"Well, then, the zombie's awake—welcome back to the land of the living." The woman said from where she was sitting.
Aaron didn't respond. He didn't know how to. Seeing another human helped his agitation a bit, but it didn't help to know where he was at or who he was with. Maybe she was a Militia doctor, or maybe Aaron was in heaven. Aaron felt like he was trapped, and his breathing quickened…
He thought more as to what he was lying on and given the soft-yet-hard feeling under his head and the suppleness beneath his body, he could only guess he was on a couch.
Swiveling his eyes back and forth, he searched around what appeared to be a living room. Looking over into the far corner by a window, he saw a man dressed in a navy-white striped shirt and worn jeans standing vigilantly by the curtains. Glancing away from the male stranger, he tried to make out his other surroundings, becoming all the more confused. He tried to open his mouth, tried to remember the way that he used his mouth to speak.
"What…happened? Where am I?"
"You were attacked by coyotes." The woman said patiently, as if he didn't know. She had a British accent, something he hadn't heard in a long, long time. "They sliced your chest open, cut up your arms and legs. I had to give you almost fifty stitches."
Aaron winced. "Where am I?" Aaron repeated.
"Wisconsin." The man spoke up. "Although, if you want to get technical, Sylvania Estates. You got attacked about a mile away from here."
"This one shot the coyotes that were attacking you." The woman explained, looking at the man with such fondness Aaron turned away. Married, probably. That or about to be married. Priscilla used to look at Aaron that way…
"Am I in a hospital?" Aaron asked.
"A hospital?" Her smile turned into a smirk. "The place where doctors give you lollipops, and on Fridays free ice cream?"
The man snorted. "Nope, sorry. You're actually in my living room, and have been lying on that couch for about two days."
Aaron grimaced. "Sorry for the trouble, uh…I'll just be going." Aaron tried to find the energy to stand but couldn't. "Eventually."
The man laughed. "Good luck with that."
"Who are you?" Aaron said.
"I'm Ben." The man said. "Matheson."
"Maggie Foster." The woman informed him. "And you would be?"
Aaron swallowed. So Ben and Maggie weren't married. Maybe just dating. "Aaron Pittman."
"The Wizard of Google?" Ben tilted his head, and Maggie looked interested. "That's you?"
Aaron winced at his old title. "Yeah. Not anymore. Not since…" He trailed off as he saw two blond kids hide behind the door. One, a girl, looked about eleven, and the other, a boy, looked about six and was clutching a worn out teddy bear.
"Would you like to stay here for a few days?" Maggie asked. "We have a guest room upstairs…or I can see that you really have bonded with that couch."
One of the kids snickered, but Aaron, Ben, and Maggie pretended not to hear. "Thanks." Aaron suddenly felt very shy.
"And as for you, Aaron." Maggie started. "First off, before you ask me, you don't-and very luckily at that-do not have rabies. However, you are required to be on prime couch rest."
Aaron lifted his hand in a mock salute. "Yes, ma'am."
The two kids snickered again, and Ben turned around. "Kids? Come here, there's someone I'd like you to meet." The kids reluctantly slithered out of hiding and came to stand by their father.
"Charlie, Danny, this is Aaron. He's going to stay with us for a few days. Aaron, this is my daughter, Charlie, and my son, Danny."
"Pleasure." Aaron nodded. "Cool teddy bear."
The boy-Danny-tightened his grip on the teddy bear. "His name is Unca Mi." Danny declared. "He helps with my asthma."
Aaron looked at Ben in sympathy. It was extremely hard to survive in a post-Blackout world with asthma and without an inhaler. Poor Danny, if this 'Unca Mi' could help him it was worth a shot.
"By the way, you wouldn't happen to have my glasses, would you?" Aaron asked.
"Oh, right. We found them near your backpack." Ben handed Aaron's glasses to him, instantly making the world six million times more defined.
"Thanks." Aaron nodded gratefully.
"Guys, go and get washed, it'll be supper in five minutes." Maggie informed them. Charlie grabbed her brother's hand and the children went outside. Aaron heard a door slam shut.
Ben laughed. "You fit right in."
Aaron could've listened to Ben say those four words all day. Because fitting right in was along the same lines as being needed. And lately, he'd been beginning to question if God wanted him on this planet. If he was needed.
But on that couch in Sylvania Estates after being bitten by coyotes, after meeting Ben, Maggie, Charlie and Danny, and after getting his glasses back, he finally felt infinite.
He finally felt at home.
Well, how was that for an Aaron fic? Good, huh? I'll be sure to update soon if I get lots of reviews/favorites/follows. The future of this series is in your hands! And thus, you know what to do…
-Boa