It was raining, which was really the best sort of weather in this shitty world Gabriel lived in.
Rain made it harder for the rotten rabid corpses to move around, broke them down so there might be less of them, and cleared some of that ozone meat smell the entire world seemed to be enveloped in. He'd been on his own since he was ten, he barely remembered the world before it became what it was now, so he didn't have anything to miss.
Memories of his family, now eight years old, didn't hold the ache they used to. Just bittersweet things from a time long ago.
Long ago memories of a home, friends, family, warmth. Of lights and luxuries and technology. The distant smells of food cooking in a kitchen, bits and pieces of old conversations and smiling faces.
Burned to ash by the memories of fire, pain, and fear. Of walking corpses, screams and confusion.
Alone, he learned to manage his heat, avoid the raiding parties, larger colonies and rogue packs. He trusted no one, didn't have friends, didn't have a group. Being alone seemed to work so far and he planned on being alone for the rest of his life, however short or long that ended up being.
He carried two packs with him, as well as weapons strapped to his person. Currently wearing heavy clothing and a rain poncho. At the Canadian border if he were to guess. He found the trees and mountains were a good cover and as much of a 'den' as any. Cities were a death trap and using the main road was asking for trouble.
But, when he needed supplies, he had to do what he had to do.
So he followed one of the main roads to a farmhouse and a barn. The landscape flat here, desolate; the fog obscuring a lot from view but from what he could tell there wasn't any people or monsters to worry about. It was possible the place was raided already, but he'd give it a shot. There were a lot of things people passed over when panicking and larger groups didn't tend to be thorough when running through.
He decided the barn was safer; a good open area, easy to get in and out just in case there was trouble. He cocked his gun regardless, approaching the large rotted carcass of a building and tapping on the front of it. He could see between the broken slats of wood, just empty space, smelling musty, worse with the rain coming down.
Didn't see movement, but when he tried the door the thing was locked. A metal rattling sound resulted from his efforts to jostle the door; probably chained and padlocked.
He frowned to himself, was there someone inside? Or was this just a leftover from someone holding up a long time ago?
Gabriel had debated with the barn for a few more minutes. He could just leave, but the shelter it could provide briefly and the possible items inside were more intriguing. He also wanted to check in on the farmhouse but that would come second.
He frowned as he wrestled with the decision, the possibilities. Finally he figured fuck it, he could manage whatever was inside, he'd done as much so far. So instead he tested the wood paneling with one hand, trying to find the softest spot, the rain had helped to soften the wood further. Once he found the right spot he easily slammed his fist through the old wood, punching a space out before he yanked away the slats.
Just enough so he could fit inside, not wanting too big of a space for zombies to get through. He wedged his body in, shook the rain from his poncho and let himself adjust to the dimness of the barn. Standard; hay, farm equipment, a loft, random shit left behind or brought by others who used the barn before.
Nothing worth anything.
Though Gabriel kept looking, checked over the rusty tools, kicked at the hay to see if anything was hiding. Was so focused on his task he barely noticed the movement in the far corner. His nose scrunched at the unwashed smell that suddenly prevailed; and he raised his gun at the small mass he saw.
Couldn't make out too much in the dark, but something was there and moving. "Are you alive?" He asked, his voice booming in the quiet of the space. It'd been a long time since he spoke to someone else, his own voice almost startling him as it bounced off the walls. It was a simple question; yes or no, and the dead couldn't answer it. It'd make the decision easy, to kill whatever it was, to stop the threat and continue on his way.
Gabriel cautiously moved towards the mass in the corner, deftly took his gun from the holster on his hip and raised it towards the dark. Just in case he trained the weapon there, watching for movement, his body tense. He tried again, "Are you bit?"
Jesse couldn't really make out this new person, just the silhouette of him against the harsh grey light the broken door let in. Tall, broad shouldered, a grown up. The voice wasn't anyone he knew, but his lips moved and he spoke in a quiet little squeak, "Mama?" Even though the stranger didn't look or smell like his mother; he was delirious from the cold, the hunger. Couldn't say much more than that, just repeated it softly, drowned by the rain pelting on the barn roof.
Gabriel heard the small voice and at first he didn't understand what it was. Then it clicked. A kid? He cautiously walked further into the barn and there in the corner was definitely a child; dirty, hair matted, unable to get up it seemed like.
Just laying there, and now that his eyes adjusted to the gloom he could make him out better. Just a small thing, huddled under dirty garments, covered in grit, soiled. Been there days at least, if not longer.
He put his gun away, watching the young thing a moment and feeling his heart tug. Logically, he shouldn't do anything. The kid looked half starved, possibly could have a disease or at the least, a fever. Too weak to move. He'd be a liability, another mouth to feed with food that was already hard to find.
But the soft omega side of him kept whining; forcing his hand.
"Hey." Gabriel said as he kneeled down, gently brushing Jesse's hair from his face. Could see the shine to his eyes; alive as he was, not dying though it looked like it at first glance. "You bit?" He asked, but he'd probably just have to see for himself. "Or you waiting for someone?" Gently he picked the child up, moving him a little closer, into the dappled light from the side of the barn.
Had to be waiting, he heard him call for his mother. But, she left him here. For how long? From the looks of it, she wasn't coming back. Probably dead, if it'd been this long(or the other more troubling possibility, she'd just left him to further her own chances).
The sound of the storm outside was still going; pounding against the wood, the entire space cold. The kid was only wearing a shirt, obviously oversized, someone else's, but still that was all he had. Gabriel didn't have a lot of clothes, just the ones he was wearing and a few pieces he picked up on his journey.
He'd started the apocalypse young, so as he grew he had to just scavenge. Just the way of the world now.
Jesse had felt a rush of vertigo when Gabriel lifted him up to sit, would have fallen right back over had the omega not kept a firm hold on him. He blinked the black spots out of his vision but didn't understand the English the man was speaking. Questions; by the tone, but what questions, he didn't understand.
He lost his balance, slumping against the stranger's shoulder and speaking in his same soft squeak, "Mama?" He tried to make sense of this person and what was going on, pushing up a little to look over his shoulder, as if expecting to see her there. "Donde ésta mamá?" He asked in his native language, his little nose scrunching as the omega notes of this man invaded his senses.
Definitely not his mother; but carried the same comforting smell that caused him to relax, sagging against Gabriel's body with no resistance left.
It had been over a week since he had been left; starving and alone. He couldn't help it when his hands clutched at the front of Gabriel's poncho, barely able to keep his eyes open. Could feel the raindrops from the man's hair drip onto his face.
It didn't matter that he was a stranger, or that he wasn't his mother. It felt good to be held again.
Gabriel could smell the distress, could feel it in the way he clung to him. He cooed gently, picking him up completely and standing back to full height. "Your mama isn't here." He said, switching to Spanish; and it felt good to speak his native language again, his words smoother. "Didn't see anyone on the road, either." He said, hadn't seen a living person for a month at least; but he avoided them at all costs.
He knew the kid was in bad shape; even holding him, he weighed nothing, and the grip on his clothes was weak though it was probably all he had. It made him ache; even if the cruel, logical thing was to put him down again and just let nature run its course.
He couldn't do that, not once he touched him, held him.
Gabriel scrunched his nose to the sour scent of the toddler as he walked through the barn and back out into the rainy misty world. Still nothing on the horizon, no shadows in the trees, or in the fields. He crept towards the farmhouse, still painted though it was peeling, once was probably a bright white. The screen door was broken, outside there were buckets filling with water.
He was careful as he nudged the door open, tapping on the walls as he walked. The noise would bring the dead, if there were any in the house. But a thorough inspection came up with nothing. Just empty, full of material things from days gone by. Ransacked at one point, a few rooms in disarray but mostly intact.
Gabriel had went up the stairs to the bathroom, setting the little pup in the tub and carefully peeling off his shirt. First thing was first, he needed a scrub and new clothes if he wasn't going to get sick. "Stay here." He said, but didn't think he'd have the energy to move anyway.
He didn't take long, leaving the room to go back outside, to gather the rain buckets, to lock the doors and windows. To secure the place a little better before he'd go back to the kid. Once in the bathroom he stripped himself of his poncho and extra effects, the buckets against the side of the tub as he fished around the cabinets for anything he could use. When people tended to scavenge they didn't care about soaps and shampoos; usually weapons, blankets, and food was priority. So, he found it well stocked.
"It'll be cold." He said, kneeling next to the tub, gently rinsing his body with sloughs of water before he started to soap and lather him. "Have a name?" He'd ask sometime between washing his hair and rinsing it out, knowing he was already stepping in too deep. The toddler's little body was bony, all sticks and skin. It made him want to fix it, to care for him. Starved for human contact just as much as Jesse was. Had been on his own over eight years; hadn't realized how starved he was for someone else until this moment.
The rolling Spanish of Gabriel's was comforting to Jesse; helped ease him into this new situation. He'd been close to dozing off when the omega had entered the room again, and gave in easily to the scrub down he was given.
He hadn't protested when his dirty clothes came off, didn't whine or shiver when the water was poured over him. Liked the smell of the soaps on his skin, in his hair. Had hummed a happy sound when the man rubbed him down and washed him; letting the filth and grime fall off his body. He kept his eyes closed, head tipped back as Gabriel's massaged his scalp and rinsed his hair.
Eventually he'd murmured his name, "Jesse McCree."
Jesse was clean now, looked better for it. Smelled like artificial scent, but it wasn't bad.
Gabriel could probably use a bath himself, but that'd be a different day. When he could find a lake or a river. He wasn't as dirty as Jesse had been, though he could also use a haircut and a shave. Maybe he'd have time, depending on how long they holed up in the house.
"I'm Gabriel." He said gently, leaving Jesse in the bath a moment so he could go to the next room, the bedroom. He checked the dressers, finding some shirts and smaller clothing items. Not for a kid, but a young adult maybe. Would have to do.
He went back to the bathroom, got Jesse dry with the extra shirts and then started to dress him. He tied the drawstring on the sweatpants and rolled up the pant leg bottoms, buttoned the flannel shirt and rolled up the sleeves so he could use his hands.
He looked adorable in the larger clothing, his red-brown hair a mess. Now that he wasn't covered in grit he could really see what he looked like. "Better?" He asked after a moment before he lifted Jesse and took him to the bedroom. He set him on the bed before he started to root through his backpack for some food.
"Better." Jesse had agreed as he watched Gabriel move around the room, look through his pack, curious honey brown eyes completely focused on the omega.
Gabriel decided to start small, it wasn't like he could cook any of his cans indoors. He sat on the bed next to the pup, offering him some beef jerky. "Maybe your mom will come soon?" He said, "I can wait a few days." Maybe a few days, he wouldn't risk their lives, but until a threat came around or until he had a sense of a threat they could use the farmhouse. At least until the rain blew over. "How's that sound?"
Jesse was warm and clean, happy in his new clothing and accepted the offering of food when it was given. He sniffed it briefly before he started to chew on the meat, the taste of food after a week was euphoric. His big brown eyes were much brighter now and they focused in on Gabriel when he sat next to him.
"Is mama coming back?" Jesse asked.
"I don't know." Gabriel said honestly, pulling Jesse to him, letting his back prop against the headboard as he cradled the toddler in his lap. He gently petted at him, encouraging him to curl up and sleep. The bed was just a barren mattress, already stripped of comforts, but it was clean and they'd manage for now. "But she might. She should." He tried to ease, "Then you can go with her." He said, the room itself was barricaded already and the widow behind them was on the second floor. No one would be able to climb up, at least no undead. He also had a vantage point of the field and porch from here, he could protect them.
Gabriel felt accomplished when Jesse ate all he was able to, and looked like he was getting tired. He knew he wouldn't eat much at first, would take awhile for him to build up the tolerance again, but he could manage what he could for now.
He knew he could also raid the kitchen, see if anything was left; fill his canteens with the rain water outside. This was a good stop, but the pup was still up in the air. Best case, his mother came back to tend him, worst case was she didn't.
Could he lug Jesse around in this world and keep them both safe?
He was young, hadn't expected to be a mother at all, let alone right at this moment. But he didn't think he could just leave the kid behind, if his mom didn't show back up. Especially not when the toddler reached for him as if that was the easiest thing in the world to do.
Gabriel was exhausted too, from traveling so much, but didn't think he could just sleep easy. Even if things were mostly safe, he couldn't just slack on being vigilant, knowing the moment he did, they'd be dead.
Instead he just offered a yawn and closed his eyes; just resting, still petting Jesse soft in a soothing way. "Get some sleep." He rumbled tiredly.
It didn't take long for Jesse to be lulled; warm, cradled in Gabriel's strong arms, the omega scent of him forcing his muscles to relax. Before long he was out, at the mercy of the stranger he just met, innocent in his absolute trust.