Okay, so this one is really short but I think it got its point across :D Hope you all like it!! :D
He had been quiet all day. It wasn't the brooding, pissed off kind of quiet; this was the lost and helpless kind. This was something the others had never seen, something they never wanted to see. It was unnerving and unsettling and worst of all, they knew what is was about. Worse still, there was no way to breach the subject without facing the resulting explosion. So they drove all day, one town fading into another in the rear view mirror, the miles blurring and the pavement disappearing beneath them.
A town came into view just after sunset, crumbled and destroyed like every other town on this miserable planet. Lights worked, water worked, because there was no one left to turn off the systems or say when to stop. Broken down cars lined the streets, broken windows in storefronts and mangled remains of lives no one was alive to live. Normally the isolation wasn't a big deal, a town without zombies crawling out of every corner was like paradise on earth. Today, the lack of people seemed intrusive.
They picked a house that looked at least semi-intact and went through the normal routine of boarding up the windows and barricading the doors before settling in for the night. Guns were strategically positioned in every room of the house in case of a breach, though it seemed unlikely. This town seemed dead in more ways than one.
The girls rummaged through the cabinets, picking through the contents to find something to make for dinner. Anything that didn't come out of box or a can would have been great but that wasn't really an option now. You worked with what you had. The other two were somewhere else in the house, securing windows and marking exits in case a quick escape was needed. And it was still quiet. It was too damn quiet.
Dinner came and went, the silence never really breaking other than a few words here and there. They tried to play a board game but it seemed cumbersome and mocking in a way. Eventually they settled on a movie. The sounds of Star Wars filled the living room and words were no longer needed.
At some point, one slipped from the living room and disappeared into a back portion of the house. The others pretended not to notice, but the awkward space left by the missing member weighed on them like a layer of lead. Finally, one of the others stood up and followed the trail, ending up on a porch at the back of the house.
It was warmer outside, the weather mild this time of year. It also helped that they were upstate and not down in the south, the heat would have been unbearable. There was a half empty bottle of whiskey sitting on the wooden porch, the glass resting against faded blue jeans and a bowie knife. He said nothing when he heard the other approaching, his shoulders hunched and eyes staring off into nothingness. The trees were bony and dead, grasping the air with sharp, mangled branches. There was a broken bike against the back fence and a dirty patch in the dried grassed that looked suspiciously like blood spatter.
There was a soft shift of wood as the other man dropped down beside him, legs dangling over the edge of the porch. Normally he would have been terrified by the idea of something grabbing him from underneath the brittle wood but the underside of the porch was cement so it seemed safe enough. He didn't say anything for a long time, there was nothing to say. There were no words to make anything alright anymore.
The whiskey bottle was lifted again, a long, wincing swallow taken from the contents before it was offered to his companion. The other man shook his head politely, eying him carefully with a mixture of concern and the desire to offer some form of comfort but not knowing how. He opened his mouth to say something, shut it, opened it again, and finally shut it. It was hopeless. Instead, they sat in each other's company for a long time, long into the night, neither saying anything. The bottle was almost empty before either said anything.
"He would have been four today." The older man commented brokenly, his voice wavering slightly. His eyes were red from tears he didn't want to fall and his shoulders were hunched even further. He wanted to curl in of himself and forget the world and everything in it.
Not sure what else to say, the younger man nodded slightly and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know." Columbus said quietly, knowing he wouldn't be leaving the older man's side for a while. "I know..."
Just wanted to try messing with Tallahassee for once :P Take care!!