Jim was still dazed and confused as he ran back to the docks, his memory was still coming back and he wasn't sure about how he was feeling. He was out of breath by the time he was only halfway but he continued anyways. It didn't help that it was very hot already and he refused to take his coat off. Eventually he took it off, but what he was wearing underneath was also long sleeve and thick. Jim was following the waterfront all the way back, he was out in the open but it was the quickest way back. There was no wind, not even a slight breeze, and the water was flat. There was a lot of haze in the distance but no clouds, which was unusual considering it mostly rained there at that time of year. When he finally returned back to their home on the docks he changed into lighter clothing and drank a lot of water. Jim took a few minutes to just sit down and recover before he would head out again to find Turg, again. He was wearing a light grey tank top with jeans that were turned into shorts. He had his blue sweater vest tied around his waist and used it to hold each machete on both sides. Jim then refilled the flask with water before heading out again, he would've rather waited until night when it was cooler but he already wasted enough time. Jim didn't know where he could be but part of him said that he was up the hill on the opposite side of the town where the vault was. He hoped to encounter Maxwell on the way because he could track Turg better than Jim could. Jim tried to stay in the shade as much as he could to stay cool but as he started to head east it got more difficult. As he continued he couldn't shake off the feeling of being followed. Jim kept looking around but he couldn't see anyone or anything, but the feeling wouldn't go away. He then saw something move out of the corner of his eye and he quickly turned to see what it was. There was a small white cat with grey patches that had stopped and was staring at Jim with their blue eyes widened. Since it was just a cat, Jim decided to move on, he didn't want to bother it. The cat then started following Jim while meowing at him. Jim stopped again to see the cat was brushing their head against his leg and looking up at him. Jim then knelt down and started petting the cat and said "You're friendly for a possible stray. You probably want something from me."
He then opened his flask and poured out some water for the cat, who was very thirsty.
"Well, I've given you some water. You can go now." Jim told the cat, but the cat did not listen, probably because cats don't understand human languages. Jim stood back up and started walking away again, but the cat followed him and tried to trip him.
"Fine, you can come with me, but you can't be doing that." Jim told the cat again as he picked them up and started carrying them. Jim then said to himself "Look at me now, talking to a cat as if it can understand me."
After a few minutes of walking the cat suddenly perked their ears up and started looking to the right of Jim. Jim did the same and saw a black dog slowly approach, it appeared to be aggressive and was snarling at the two. Using one arm to hold the cat, Jim pulled out one of his machetes and pointed it at the dog and told them "No no, I am only getting one animal companion and I have chosen this cat."
The cat then started climbing up Jim onto his shoulders as they started hissing at the dog. The dog started barking at Jim as two other ones started approaching. One was small and white while the other was even bigger and brown with white patches. All three were very thin and Jim assumed that they wanted to eat him or the cat, or both. Jim then said "Alright, I know I've called myself a snack before but I didn't mean a literal snack."
With his other arm now free he grabbed the other machete and readied himself for a fight, though he didn't want to fight the dogs. He liked dogs and felt bad for them. One of them then tried to bite him, but Jim kicked them away and used his arm to shove another away. One then bit down on his other arm, causing him to drop the machete he was holding with it. He slashed at them with the other and they quickly let go and started running away. Another took the hint and did the same, only leaving the small white dog behind who was just angrily barking at Jim. The cat continued to remain on Jim's shoulder and hissed down at the dog. Jim then dropped the other machete and started forming a small flame with that hand in another attempt to scare them away. The small white dog then started running off upon seeing the fire and the cat started rubbing the side of their face against the side of Jim's. Jim then knelt down again and opened the flask to pour some water on his wound to try to clean it. He said to himself "Now one of them has the taste for human if it hadn't already. Hope I don't get sick from this."
The cat then leapt down from his shoulder and onto the ground as Jim took off the tank top. He used it as a bandage to stop the bleeding, it was a deep bite and it hurt quite a lot. He picked up and put away the machetes again as he stood back up. Jim also picked up the cat again and continued to follow the road back up the hill.
The sun was beginning to set by the time he made it passed the vault out to where the outskirts of the town were and Jim was starting to get too weak to continue. His vision was getting fuzzy and he had difficulty staying upright. The cat leapt out of his arm and started meowing at him. Jim lowered himself to the ground and responded "I know, I just need to sit down for a bit."
The cat then started sniffing Jim and then ran off further up the road. Jim then quietly said "Well, guess that's the end of that."
Jim then tried to take a drink from his flask and noticed how shaky his uninjured arm was, which spread to his legs as well. He took a drink and set it down as he then laid down in the dry grass while staring up at the sky. He didn't want to sleep because it was a bad idea while out in the open, but he did need it. After a few minutes he decided to get back up and try to continue. He didn't make it very far before his vision clouded over and he collapsed to the ground. Jim regained vision temporarily, but it was still very blurry but he saw the cat coming back for him with someone else following before losing it again.
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The New World
Fanfiction"Welcome to the new world you've created, one with no authority and death is the only thing that is certain." It had been over a year since doomsday when Jim finally left the vault with his new friend, Turg. The world had changed, everything was d...
