A/N: My first Portal fanfic, this was made with no word goal set. Also, I've only played Portal 2 so excuse the possible non-canonical features. Er...I'm gonna go pass out now.
Disclaimer: I don't own Portal, I just toy with the characters occasionally.
1
If the past however many years had never happened, Chell might have been able to enjoy the scene before her. It really was quite nice, the grass swaying and the sun up. As of that moment she hadn't seen a single living organism, which made her sad. (The Weighted Companion Cube didn't count, it made her nervous. Any sort of electrical thing would make her nervous for a long time now. Besides, it wasn't actually alive.)
Ever so careful, the ex-text subject took her first steps in the open air since...she didn't know how long. The Weighted Companion Cube sat in her arms. She didn't trust it, but it certainly filled its purpose. Besides, the very thought of being alone made her nauseated. Even GLADOS, with all her horrid taunting, was better than pure, thick silence.
"What do we do?" even her voice felt foreign. It was so hoarse and raw. She made a resolution never to speak unless she had to.
"I would suggest you start by walking in a direction until you come across some sort of civilization, if there are any left," the Cube replied.
It seemed like rather good advice, so she followed it. But first, she turned back to look at the little building that was the entrance to the giant laboratory. It was a horrible place, no doubt about it, but it was also familiar. Even a familiar nightmare sounded better than facing the unknown.
That luxury, however, was gone. Chell began walking, not sure of what was ahead but in blind faith hoping that, whatever it was, it would be good.
If either one of them knew the song it would have been the perfect time for a rendition of "Here I Go Again".
0
After about two hours of purely silent walking by Chell and the occasional random comment by the Cube, the two came across something that was, at the very least, interesting.
What the two saw was something of an army-based guard tower. At least, that was what Chell assumed it was. It really didn't look like much of anything. The thing had collapsed a long time ago; she could see that by the moss that was growing on it. There were bones among the rubble, half of them combined to look like a real skeleton.
A human skeleton.
0
The sky had grown dark, and then bright again before they came across the very thing Chell had longed for. It wasn't big, and it certainly wasn't very nice looking, but nonetheless it was there.
It was a town, and that was all she needed.
Immediately she searched the place, looking for any sort of life form. She was exhausted, but that could wait. Desperation has a way of putting things into perspective.
Of all the buildings, only one had lights. Dim lights, but that meant that at the very least someone had been there not too long ago.
She knocked on the door.
