"Gosh, Gavyn! Just gimme a break already!" Payton yelled from a couple of paces behind her brother. She had a small, towheaded boy around the age of three on her hip, who was silently humming to himself. The last adult had died, and as fast as things were good, they'd grown for the worst. The panic of another apocalypse had caused their entire tribe to go crazy. Payton had never before seen such acts of violence. There was constant fighting over who would be the leader, who would make rules and how to punish violators. It was no place to have a child raised- especially one she had grown so fond of. Little Teige was the son of Cloe and Ved, friends of Danni, their mother. Before Payton and Gavyn were born, Danni had met up with Cloe and Ved when they'd escaped the city- the very city that they were passing through. She'd already established a tribe in the town and welcomed the both of them with open arms.
But now they were gone… Teige was joint authority of Gavyn and Payton. Payton had never dreamed of being a mother before, and suddenly she was thrust with this responsibility.
"We need to go, Payton. It's almost night, and Teige needs to eat soon." At the sound of his name, Teige clapped his hands. Despite the pain in his legs from so much walking, Gavyn couldn't help but crack a small smile. Sure, the kid could be a pain in the ass, but he was quite cute. They'd been on the road for a week now, staying in different abandoned buildings that came their way. The first day of walking was brutal- they'd managed to walk from their town to this new city. Things were different here. For one, the surprise rounds of gun fire woke Teige in the night. Gavyn had gotten into a tiff with a kid who claimed to be a Bulldog and had been almost shot, point blank, in the head. He and Payton learned to equip himself with a pistol at all times.
"Where would you like us to go? We should just leave this city all together. It's even worst then where we were before!" Payton stopped walking. They'd been traveling the back alleys of the city, knowing there would be less of a chance of being spotted. From pieces of car parts and run down appliances, they'd made armor for themselves and the little one.
"To move on, we must cut through it." Gavyn told her while he scoped the buildings around them. There was a small abandoned restaurant at the other side of the road- or what looked to be a restaurant at one time. The building was rusty and the windows had long since been broken. From where he stood, Gavyn could tell that most of the tables and chairs had been destroyed. He could spot an upstairs, which probably served as storage at one time. They'd be safe there for a couple of days… "C'mon, there's where we'll stay." He looked back at his sister, pointing to the building he was speaking of. Teige made bubbling noises in response.
Payton sighed dramatically. The bag on her back weighed about 300 pounds to her, and Teige added about 30 pounds in her arms. The whole trip she'd been bitter about her brother only carrying a knapsack of tinned food and fresh veggies. He had been making excuses as to why he couldn't hold the kid. She switched the hip Teige was on, and then began walking with Gavyn behind her, gritting her teeth with each step she took.
When they'd stepped inside, they already knew that they couldn't take shelter in the downstairs section. There were rats gorging on what food was left over from the last tenants, as well as the giant broken window which would give them away easily. Carefully, they walked up the creaky steps to check out the upstairs. Everything was cleared away, except for a few boxes and some left over rags. They both assumed that this was a usual pass-through for some strays.
As soon as Payton put Teige down, be started to cry. Having being held all day, he enjoyed having arms wrapped around him. "Shut him up!" Gavyn yelled in Payton's direction. Noise travels fast in a city this quiet, and Gavyn knew that if the kid kept crying, someone would find them. They'd already been put into tight situations because of him.
Payton knelt down beside her bag and began trying to find a few of his toys. She reached past his nappies and a can of crushed carrot baby food to a couple of wooden ABC blocks. She walked over to the child and put them down in front of him. Instantly, the boy stopped crying, completely fascinated with his new toys. Payton took a deep breath and stood up. She couldn't help but glare at her brother. "You have to be a little bit more compassionate, brother. The kid lost his mum a few weeks ago."
"Haven't we all?" Gavyn spat, angrily. He saw the corners of his sister's mouth twitch, which made him realize he'd gone a bit too far. "Sorry, I'm just stressed. The closest way to where we want to go is through this city, and so far it seems like the longest journey of my life. This city is a warzone… Mom told us it was pretty good at one time… her old tribe lives here."
"A lot has happened since Mom's been here." Payton crossed her arms over her chest and watched Tiege play with his blocks. He'd put one on top of the other, and then knock them down with a swat of his hand. Apparently this was the funniest thing in the entire world, because he'd erupt with his tiny, hiccupping giggles. Innocence. Payton couldn't remember the last time she'd been a child. This whole experience has made her grow up so fast. She turned back to her brother, who was rummaging in his own knapsack. "What are you doing?"
"I'm hungry." When he stood back up, in one hand was a tin of beans and the other was a can opener. "Want some?" He began to open the can.
Payton shook her head. "Ew, no." She hated tinned food, but she knew that it was the only way they could survive in this city. Where she was from, they'd had their own grown fruits and vegetables. They made their own pasta and bread- completely fresh. Everything about their old home was fresh and new… this city was stale and smelly. The smell of newly fired guns tainted everything.
"Suit yourself." Gavyn took a plastic fork from his back pocket and began to eat from the can. Cold beans. He didn't mind it, especially since he had been hungry for a whole hour before they'd arrived. In his mind, they'd travel on foot for at least a day, and then they'd find shelter for three days, repeating this pattern for as long as possible. It got a bit difficult with the kid always crying for something or wanting a nap.
While Gavyn and Payton were talking, Teige got bored of the blocks. He was about to start crying when he felt something in the pocket of his little trousers. When he pulled it out, he had remembered that while they were walking through a part of the forest, he'd picked up a pretty on the way. Though not sure of what it was, he recognized the face in it. "Mommy." He said as he opened it. "Mommy! Mommy!"
Gavyn and Payton both turned to watch Teige. "What have you got there?" Payton asked him, walking toward the little boy on the ground. She picked up what was in his hand and gasped. "Woah… Gavyn look!" She turned and showed him what Teige had gotten his small fingers on. "It's a locket… with Cloe's face on it! My god, she looks young!"
"Young? She never looked old." Gavyn told his sister while swallowing a forkful of beans. He put the plastic fork in the can and snatched the necklace out of Paytons hands. It was gold, and rather heavy. The locket itself was shaped in an oval, and on one side of the locket was Teige's mother, while the other was another girl. "Strange. I wonder where he picked it up at."
As Payton was about to open her mouth to respond, Teige began to cry. "Mine! Mine! I want Mommy!" He screamed, slamming his little fists into the floorboards of the room. Tears built up in his eyes and ran down his cheeks and onto his shirt; his face was beat red. Payton quickly grabbed the necklace from Gavyn and handed it back to Tiege. The baby instantly ceased it's crying and opened the locket once more to gaze at his mother's photograph. "Mommy..."
Payton couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for the kid. At least she and her brother were fully aware that their mother was dying… poor Tiege still didn't get it. She knew that she could never take care of him as well as Cloe could… she was such a fantastic mother. So was Danni. "Maybe I'll take you up on that offer on the beans." Payton told him, her mind in a daze. She wondered how exactly Teige got a hold of the necklace… she hardly believed in fate, but for some reason she felt as though Cloe were smiling down on them from wherever she was right now. She wanted to keep her memory in her child's heart.
Gavyn nodded, taking another plastic fork from his pocket and giving it to his sister. They both sat down on one of the empty boxes and began to eat silently, listening to Teige babble on about his Mommy.
That evening, the only one who managed to fall asleep easily was Teige, his small arms wrapped around the locket as if it was actually his mother and not just cheap jewelry. Gavyn had a hard time getting comfortable on the floor, but eventually after an hour or so of tossing and turning, he began his usual light snoring. Payton stayed up for a while, just gazing out the window. She was transfixed at how quiet the streets were at night. It seemed as though a lot of the strays felt this too, because she'd watch a few of them walking with their knapsacks, looting for any tins they'd find.
She couldn't wait until they were out of here. It would be safer for everybody if they were finally through… especially for the little one. Once they hit the mountains, they could start their own life. Payton knew a lot about crops, and Gavyn knew his share of livestock. Together, they could successfully live in peace with the land. Teige's life would be better that way- completely away from a terrible place such as this. She glanced at the sleeping child, imagining what would happen if they'd settled here. He'd grow into one of those Bulldog fellows, with buzzed hair, missing teeth and a face that looked drained of any life. It made her shiver as her eyes began to slowly shut.
While the both of them were asleep, Teige's small eyelids suddenly popped open. He sat up from his makeshift bed and turned to find the two who were looking after him to be completely out cold. Payton usually had a tight hold on where he was to go, and now freedom was beckoning him. He stood up, the necklace in his small chubby hand, and began to silently walk down the steps of the storage room.
Never before did Teige have such a immunity. He was a little uneasy on his feet, but it didn't matter. To not be on Payton's hip or holding her hand felt like the best feeling in the world. When he stepped outside, he was off down the street.