Waiting on a Friend for the End of the World

Dakota Marsh

There are few things more frightening than a petite blonde viciously stabbing you in the side with a knife. Dakota couldn't think of what those things were at the moment, but he know there had to be something.

"You stabbed me," he said in disbelief, pressing down on his hip to keep the blood in. "Why the fuck would you stab me?"

"I-I," she stuttered. "Um."

Stumbling back, Dakota landed with a hard thump on rubbery ground. He groaned as he put more pressure on the wound. It hurt like hell twelve times over.

"What do you want from me?" The girl asked, finally regaining her voice.

"Right now?" He winced. "A band-aid would be nice."

"Why are you here? Did you follow me? Who are you?" She fired the questions one after the other, standing straighter with every word.

Dakota coughed and winced.

"Look chicka, I don't know who you are or why you stabbed me, but let's start with the basics," he rambled. "My name's Dakota now bring me my bag. It fell and I'm not really able to go and get it at the moment."

The girl hesitated for a moment before pointing her knife at him.

"What's in the bag?" she questioned, looking over the bars of the playground to spot cloth grocery bag laying on its side.

"A decapitated head," he responded sarcastically. The girl was not amused and glared at him until he squirmed uncomfortably, and not just because of the laceration on his side.

"It's medical stuff," he winced. "To help with-" he gestured vaguely to his side.

"Stay," she ordered after a few beats of silence.

Dakota raised the hand that wasn't keeping his blood inside him up in surrender. The girl nodded, glaring at him before jumping off the playset to fetch his bag. It didn't take long for her to retrieve it, but it felt like years to Dakota. The pain in his side was excruciating and he felt as though he was going to pass out at any moment.

"Why do you have tampons?" She questioned when she got back up, looking quizzically at the item in the shopping bag. "Also... vodka?"

"Yes," he groaned out. "Give me both of those things."

He made a weak grabbing motion with one hand while blondie rolled her eyes and handed him the bag. Quickly, Dakota ripped open the tampons and stuck one on his sliced skin.

"You got any duck tape?" He asked, popping open the vodka.

After a moment's hesitation she turned to the large duffel bag behind her and dug out half a roll of duct tape.

"Don't use it all," she warned. "It's all that's left."

  "You, my friend, are an angel," he told her as he shakily unrolled the tape. He tore a piece of it off, which was difficult to manage with one hand, and put a corner of it in his mouth to hold between his teeth while he worked on the wound. 

He made quick work of cleaning the gash on his side. He tossed aside the ruined tampon before taking a quick swig of the vodka. Still wincing from the taste, he poured a fair amount of it onto his wound and did his best to patch it up with a couple of carefully placed tampons and duct tape.

"You know it wasn't that deep right? It couldn't have been more than two inches wide and less than a centimeter deep." The blonde guessed, starting at him with a board expression.

"Better safe than sorry," he chuckled. "It isn't that much fun to die these days."

The girl shrugged and turned to go back into the playground tunnel.

"Wait," Dakota asked. "Could I maybe sleep here tonight?"

The girl gave him a once over, looking guilty and unsure.

"I guess, but if you try anythi-"

"Scout's honor, cross my heart."

"Fine just don't wake me up if you die during the night," she told him, annoyed as she settled in for the night.

"Deal," he enthused as much as one could with a knife wound.

The girl hummed and turned onto her side. Probably electing to ignore her new companion.

They laid in silence for a few minutes with only the sound of crickets and breathing between them.

"Hey, I never caught your name."

The girl didn't respond.

"It's only proper," he paused looking up at the sky, "Seeing as you stabbed me and all."

"Alice," she responded after a beat. "Alice Walker."

"Cool name," Dakota hummed as he drifted off into a deep slumber. The best he'd gotten in years.