We approached, rather slowly, what appeared to be a cramped lot. We somehow found a space amidst the multitude of cars that were parked here.
Why? To the west just a few meters of distance was a field. A huge one. A fenced one. No zombie was a match for a literal barricade, right?
About ten minutes later, Espio and I sat across from each other on a burgundy blanket. Oh, how humorous it is… All an artist would have to do is glaze over the sky with a bright blue and dot it with a few clouds (or perhaps ditch the first step and dot it with twinkly stars), and the picture would look absolutely nothing like something out of the end of the world.
Nobody cried, and the sound of that silence made my heart feel as if it were taking a sigh of relief. The optimism here was a great kind of noxious; I felt embraced by it. I could feel… a bit safer.
"I'll be back as quickly as I can," Espio promised. "Nobody here appears to be up for a trade… or a sale… but I have to see if I can find Silver… or Vector, or Blaze…"
At that, as I watched Espio stand up and tread carefully away, one name echoed in my mind.
Silver…
Silver… Seeing him was the next giant step toward my happiness, wasn't it?
How was he faring, by the way? Did the doom weigh down on him like a million asteroids would... and exactly like it had on me? Had he… pushed through?
What am I saying?! If he had survived… I knew he would have. He would have found a way through, especially being surrounded by the ones he cared for the most. Most of the ones he cared for, anyway. I mean… for a bit of time now, Espio had been separated from the group. Either way, he had the comfort, the arms, and the words of Vector and Blaze, always at the ready when he needed them.
Oh, how I longed… How I longed to have the same type of job. To be there, ready to catch him in case by some outlandish chance, he fell into a phase of complete and utter hopelessness.
If I could… I'd be there. I would have done anything to be there at this point. It was all I wanted.
Zombies… take us on! Either be slain by the forces of a strongly-bonded duo, or have us both for a two-course meal!
I wouldn't be nearly as crippled as I would if it were either just me or just him. Just as long as I had him… I could take on just about anything. With Silver, I knew… I could dodge the swiftest bullet, escape the meanest bandit, mow down the grossest zombie, and just nudge aside absolutely anything that tried to depress me.
With him… I could breathe. How it hurt me so much… that he had absolutely no idea…
All of a sudden, "Hey!" boomed from somewhere over my head.
A grim-looking Espio stared at me impatiently, holding a mere box of golden bullets.
"I didn't find anything, or anyone, but this box of ammo," he huffed. "We're done here. Zombies are starting to pop up."
I followed him to the car, wondering just what kind of sick thing had gotten into him.
Once we got in, he turned the car on and sighed "Did I snap at you? I-I'm really sorry… I just had some rival ninja call me a bunch of names and make fun of me because… well… he thought you and I were, like… married, I think. Not sure where he got that from, but… it pissed me off."
We moved forward, back out onto the open road.
Question for the reader: I've asked this in one other fanfic so far; thanks, ChristianApe99. However, if there's anyone else reading this… What's your opinion on self-insertion? I guess it's that one OC that's supposed to really signify you (like you're literally putting yourself as the character in the story), and I heard from somewhere that it's a don't when it comes to fanfic writing.
