by Silas Vale
"Now I guess you do."
She decided not to take this man's word at face value, but kept the information stored away for later in case she need it. "… Right. Come on. You’d better be able to keep up. Otherwise we're gonna leave you behind." She glanced back at him and kept walking.
After a minute or two, she looked down at her son. "… You doing okay?" She asked after a second, furrowing her brows. "I can take your pack if you need it. I promise I'll try and find a safe place for us to sleep soon." She sighed, biting the inside of her lip.
It was cold, and they were tired. They needed to find somewhere to rest.
Saythe, however, seemed to feel absolutely rejuvenated.
"I'm doing fine, mom." He said, gravitating toward the strange man they had found. He certainly said funny things, but he didn't sound like a liar. Plus, it was good to have someone else along. Maybe he had stories he could tell by the campfire.
"What's your name, Mister?" Saythe asked, since they hadn't learned it earlier.
"I'm Erile, son. Erile Lathyrin. What's yours?"
Saythe smiled. Even though he had only meant it in a friendly way, the word 'son' seemed to roll off his lips. It was nice. "I'm Saythe. That's my mom." He pointed to Aisling, and Erile smiled.
"Yeah, I can tell. She seems pretty protective over you. She also thinks I'm an idiot."
Saythe giggled.
Aisling smiled ever so slightly, but it was mostly just out of relief. She was glad to hear her son laugh again, and it always lifted her spirits whenever he was happy. She wanted to give him as normal a life as one could have in times like these. She hoped when she found her parents that it would be better for him. If she found them.
No. When. When you find them.
"… I'm Aisling." She said after a moment, glancing to the man behind them briefly. She was similar to a big scared mother bear, and it seemed like her entire life revolved around her son. All she wanted was to keep him safe, and it was evident in the way she positioned herself around him. It was entirely protective.
Erile smiled, happy to have her talking to him like a civilized human being.
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Aisling. Now that I know when I am, I can probably be of a bit of use." He opened his bag as they walked, rummaging around until he pulled out what looked like a package.
He opened it, and exposed three things that looked like cookies.
He handed one to Saythe, who accepted it greedily, but looked to his mom before eating it. She had always told him not to eat anything unless she tried it first. It was the protectiveness in her, after all.
"Chocolate chip." He said, taking a bite out of one as he extended the last toward Aisling.
She hesitated, looking at the cookie with uncertainty. After a second she took it, broke it in half to make sure nothing was inside, and then took a hesitant bite out of it. She figured it would be alright, since he ate one too, but she didn't want to risk anything with her son. After tasting nothing funny, and waiting a little bit, she nodded at Saythe to give him permission to eat his. It was basic safety, after all.
"Thanks." She said after a moment, glancing back at him. He was strange. So eager to share, and for what? Plus, he had cookies. She hadn’t seen any of those for years.
She glanced up ahead. "… There's a weather tower up there." She murmured. "… Come on. Saythe, stay behind me." She pulled out her bow and an arrow, silently readying herself as she began to walk towards it. If all was well, they could sleep in the office of the abandoned building for the night.
Saythe eagerly bit into the cookie, and sighed in delight. They had been existing on salted meat and canned food for… Well, years. This was the first sweet he had tasted in a long, long time. This man… Why was he so nice?
The forest approached more quickly, now that there were the three of them. The weather tower was only a few hundred meters into the trees, but it was likely safe from the Aurans. It would be a good place to sleep.
Erile seemed… Apprehensive.
"You might want to be ready. My research says that the Aurans gathered in places that are enclosed, especially in cold climates. If they figured out a way in, they stayed in."
Well. Great.
Aisling hesitated. "… Saythe. Up." She turned towards him, and gestured towards a tree. "Climb up, and come down when I get you. I'm not taking any chances with you getting yourself hurt if there's any in there." She gestured towards the building, and after a moment hesitated. "Give me that gun he gave you. If it works, it'll be better than using a bow for something in an enclosed space."
She took no chances.
"You’d better not be lying to me." She cast a brief glance towards Erile and narrowed her eyes.
When Saythe went to hand her the gun, Erile took it instead.
"I'm trained with this thing. And I'm sure once you see how it works… You'll take me a bit more seriously." It was then that the bumbling idiot took the lead, while Saythe climbed the tree as he was told. He normally would have refused, but this gave him a good vantage point of the fight. And this… This was something he definitely wanted to see.
If there were Aurans in there, of course.
The building was big, and Erile tiptoed closer and closer on the crunching snow. Aisling followed behind him, and even though she couldn't see his face, he smiled. He knew that the Auranis was a time where helo-guns didn't exist, so this… It would be a shock for her.
He chuckled at the internal pun.
"Get ready to see exactly why nothing like this will ever happen in my time." He said, and then threw open the door.
And oh… Oh my.
About thirty decomposing, revolting, rotten heads turned toward them, and began to swarm towards the door.
That's when Erile let off a single shot.
There was no noise. Only electricity. Sparking, flickering, high-voltage electricity that seemed to travel through each and every Auran in the building. It charred their brains, which was good, as the brain was the only way to kill the fuckers. But the gun continued to discharge electricity until each and every walker in the building was charred to a crisp.
He released the trigger, then held the gun up to his lips, and blew at the smoke. Nice.
Aisling's face went pale. She stared at him with wide eyes, and then they flickered to the gun. She furrowed her brows, and for a moment there was a spark of fear in her eyes. He could use that thing against her. If it did that to the Aurans, what the hell would it do to her? Or Saythe? She didn't want to think about that, though.
For a brief moment, it occurred to her that the man might’ve been telling the truth.
And he just saved her ass, because she would've unassumingly opened that door, and her and Saythe would've been dead already. She bit the inside of her lip, and looked him up and down with a mixture of nervousness and appreciation. "I-"
She lowered her bow, and slung it back over her back. "… Thank you. I would've opened that door and we would've been fucked. I- is there anything I can do to repay you?-" She regretted those words the moment they came out of her mouth. She knew what he was going to ask for. It was what they always asked for. And then she'd know she'd have to ditch the slimy fucker. But… She didn't take back her statement. Truthfully, it gave a good read on a man's character.
Erile looked to her, a strange look filling his eyes.
And then he smiled. It was a loose, happy smile, and one that she never saw during the Auranis. "Well… I've been on my own for a long time…" Oh no. She was right. He was just be another sleazebag, looking to get laid. And he seemed so nice.
"And I know women are much better at this than men, or at least, that's how I remember it." Yep. He was definitely going to ask for it. God, why did guys always have to think like that?
"So uh… Will you… Can we…" And here it came. Maybe Aisling could just punch the guy and take the gun? It would definitely be useful in the future.
"Can I have a hug?"
… What?
She hesitated. "Why on earth do you want a hug?" She pursed her lips, some distrust evident on her face. "… Out of all the things you could've asked for, a hug? I mean, really?" He could've asked for food, shelter, so many other things, but a hug?
She wasn't sure whether he was stupid or kind. Probably both.
"I, uh… Well, I've been traveling on my own for more than ten years." He said, putting a hand to the back of his neck. "Since then, all of my relationships have been strictly business. Which means… Pretty much no physical contact at all."
He seemed very uncomfortable with the situation, and to be honest, it was kind of endearing.
"So, uh… I just… I don't know, I kind of just want a hug from somebody. And you seem nice and protective, so I know you give good hugs…"
He backed away instinctively, however. It seemed almost like… He was used to being hit, for asking such things.
"But if you don't want to it's totally cool, I mean you just met me and you don't even believe half of what I say and oh my god I probably sound so creepy I'm so sorry I'm so so sorry-"
He seemed to be prone to anxiety.
She stared at him for a couple seconds, and after a moment sighed.
He was just some nervous guy in the woods, who may or may not be crazy. And while she had never truly been alone, it had been hard sometimes being the only one her age around. She needed to be able to talk to other people of her caliber sometimes. And honestly… She needed a hug too.
She took a small step forwards. "C'mere." She opened her arms up, raising an eyebrow at him inquisitively. "Get your ass over here then."
His eyes widened as his words stopped, apparently mid-sentence. He seemed… Honestly, in disbelief over the fact that she'd actually hug him. He took a small step forward, and then collided against her, throwing his arms around her.
Surprisingly… His hands stayed completely chaste, right around her waist. He didn't try to grope her, or steal anything from her… For saving their lives, all he asked for in return was a hug.
Huh. What an interesting guy.
Was… Was he crying?
She tensed up for a second, before she wrapped her arms back around him tightly. She lightly rested her chin on his shoulder, and held her arms securely around him. He was right, she was good at giving hugs. She was soft, and kinda squishy despite her gruff exterior. It was… Nice.
She lightly rubbed his back. "… You okay?" She asked after a second.
… This guy probably wasn't too bad. Maybe a little off in the head, but… He seemed like a decent person. And that was a rarity these days.
Erile pulled away after a few moments, considering he'd dragged the hug out to its longest comfortable duration. He wiped a tear away, and smiled the biggest, most genuine smile she had seen since the apocalypse started.
"Thank you." He said, and then turned around to the large room in front of them. He began dragging bodies out, their charred remains not weighing more than fifty pounds each. Thirty-two Aurans later, and they had the room to themselves.
He set his bag on the ground and took out that button-looking device from earlier, and clicked it once.
What in the absolute living hell? Mattresses?
Indeed. Two mattresses had sprung forth in some sort of… Well, it seemed like magic. They had come forth in a stream from the button and then blew up exponentially, until they were two full-sized queen mattresses.
"I figured one for me and one for you and your boy…" He said, seeming a bit embarrassed.
Aisling furrowed her brows, shocked at the sheer improbability of the situation. This was… It was impossible. How the fuck did he do that? She was half convinced this was all some strange fever dream, which was a problem, because she had a fever and she was supposed to be taking care of Saythe-
"… How the fuck did you do that?" She gestured to the mattresses in shock. "You can’t just… Do that!"
She walked to the door. "SAYTHE!" She took a couple steps out into the snow. "Come on! It's safe!"
The boy jumped down from the tree in which he'd been stationed, a smile on his face. He'd seen everything, and well- he kind of hoped that this man and his mother would fall in love. He'd seen them hug, and his mom had always told him that hugging was a sign of love. That's why she hugged him every day.
He ran toward the building, but kept his feelings a secret. For some reason, he felt like he shouldn't say those things yet.
Once he saw the mattresses, though… He let out a sigh of shock.
"Real beds? Where did they come from?" He looked first to Erile, then his mom, then back to the beds.
He hesitantly bent down and touched one.
"They're so soft!"
Aisling looked to her son and smiled ever so slightly. She didn't answer, because she didn't know. She had no idea how the hell he’d managed to create them. She glanced to Erile suspiciously for a brief moment- was he really telling the truth…?
She shook her head, then closed the door and barricaded it. She did a sweep of the room, making sure there was no way anything could get in. When she was satisfied, she shucked her pack off to the ground and sighed. "… You can lay down if you want, Saythe. We're staying here for the night." She glanced to her son and smiled. She opened up her pack. "Are you hungry at all, either of you?" She glanced to Erile.
They didn't have too much food to spare, but she was bound to find more. There had to be deer or elk around there somewhere.
Erile noticed her slim pack. It was absolutely absurd to offer anyone food anymore, but the more absurd thing… The more absurd thing was to refuse it.
But Erile knew how hard it was for this woman to feed her son. He'd read so many stories about the Auranis, and diary entries by the people who suffered through it. He didn't want to make it any harder on them.
"Please, save it for the two of you. I will be okay, and I'll help you hunt tomorrow. You'd be surprised how good an electricity gun is for fishing." With that, he laid down on the mattress, and for some reason… Kept his bag next to him.
"… Thank you. I would have been lost without you two."
Saythe beamed. "You're welcome!"
Aisling gave him a strange look, but paid no more mind to his response and turned towards her son. "Come on. Have some jerky. You need to eat, you're a growing boy." She pulled out a portion of jerky and held it out to him. "Then we can go to sleep. But you need to eat first." She pulled out a smaller portion for herself and tore a chunk off with her teeth. It was filling, and that was good. Plus it kept forever, so she didn't have to worry about eating it before it went bad.
… She was getting worried about her food. She needed to find more soon.
She zipped up her bag and shoved it against one wall. "If you're still hungry after that, tell me. You can have more."
Saythe, indeed, was still hungry after that. But he didn't ask for more. He never asked for more.
His mom worked so hard for him. He tried to help her in return, but… He always seemed to get in the way. He laid down on the mattress and clung to her arm, as he usually held onto her as he slept. It was good that way; they were close in case something happened.
He was out in mere seconds. The boy was absolutely exhausted.
In a few moments, Erile spoke up. "So what the hell have you been through, Ms. Aisling?"
She laid down, gently wrapping an arm around her son and using the other to stroke his hair as he slept. She looked down at him, studying his face for a moment with a sigh. He was tired. Maybe she'd let him sleep in the next day, because he needed the rest. She was always afraid she was working him too hard. Before he got up, she'd move some things from his pack into her own to lighten his load. That would make it easier on him.
Her eyes flickered up to the man across fro
m her. The little light caught the cut across her face, and she chuckled for a moment and ducked her head.
"A hell of a lot." She lightly rested her head against the mattress. "Depends on where you want me to start."
Erile thought about that for a moment.
"Start with him." He said, nodding towards her son. "I take it he was born into this mess, which means you and his father were caught in it. What happened to him? Was he some nobody who you gave the same offer to as you gave to me?"
… Woah. So he knew what she was offering, and yet he still only asked for a hug? That… That never happened. Never. Not with sex so rare during that time.
"Or was he a good guy who… You know?"
This guy seemed much more intelligent than she first believed.
Her eyes lifted to him, and she studied his face for a moment in surprise. Huh.
Her eyes lowered back down towards her son. "… Shaun was a good guy." She murmured, lightly running her fingers through her son's red hair. She pulled her own hair from its bun and grumbled as she ruffled it. "… He had a brain tumor." It still hurt after all of these years, but it had slowly gotten easier. "He shot himself while I was showering one night." She swallowed down the lump in her throat.
"… It was a while ago." She added after a second. "Ten years, at least."
Ten years without Shaun. It stung, but it was the truth.
Erile sighed. Those were the worst stories. The ones about the people who died before technology advanced to save them. Be it cancer, or the virus, or a lost limb… Anything. It was all so awful, and he sighed a bit.
And then, he had an idea.
It was a crazy one, but one nonetheless. And perhaps… Perhaps, if she ever began to believe him, it would make her happier in the end.
He sat up, and looked over to her. "I am going to explain a few things to you. Like most of what I say, it'll sound crazy. But if you believe me… Maybe we can bring him back."
Her brows knitted themselves together as she looked up at him. For a moment, the faintest flicker of hope could be seen in her eyes, before it died out and she looked away. "I doubt it. You can't bring somebody back to life- well, you can but…" She sighed, pulling Saythe against herself so he'd be warm while they slept. "It's no use. He's gone. And he's buried somewhere up in the Canadian mountains."
