Child Of The Future

Episode 3: Group Of Grief

               "You've never shot a weapon before?" Jesse rubs his tired eyes before looking up to me while he leans on his side, throwing small traces of ripped fabric from his jeans into the dancing flames, tempted to jump from their spot to bite at his vulnerable skin.

               I'm sitting criss cross, looking my fine pointed blade over before putting it back in its holder, stretching, then laying on my back before shaking my head.

               "Nope. Never needed to."

               "But you needed to learn fencing?"

               "I like it. Besides, nothing else to do." I start to lose my slight spunk while staring way up, into the stars, smiling when they seem to twinkle back at me, winking a hello and I laugh when I do the same, only to hear Jesse scoff some more disbelief to how 'weird' I am.

               "You should go back. Wherever it is you came from, you should go back, and take me with you. Would you're people accept a stranger?"

               I raise an eyebrow before shrugging. "Don't know. Never needed to before. Maybe. Dude, if you want the direction, I'll tell you!"

               No skin off my nose. Jesse seems like a pretty cool guy. We've been sitting here for what feels like 5 hours, just talking, and I found myself excited when he said he could play the electric guitar, and he had a small band before 'all of this' started.

               Every time I said 'he shouldn't give up on his pointless infatuation of having a rock band' he'd scoff and tell me a little more about all the things he lost along the way, and how he'd just recently been away from his group when they were all killed.

               At first, I didn't believe him. But now...since he hasn't exactly said anything to make it out as a joke...

               "You should take that off. That necklace?" He points to it with a long twig he's been messing with.

               "Why?"

               "It's a nice necklace, but not very practical if you want to survive out here. It'd get beat and all that." His eyes capture the shine the heat between us that he skillfully started, and I focus on his words for a moment before chucking them to the side.

               "Or just suit yourself." Jesse sighs, finally closing his eyes to sleep, and I keep my choker on, intending to suit only myself for as long as I can.

__________

               "Look, here's an idea! If you insist on telling me there are no fvcking busses around, and nothing civilized left in this stupid city, then there are more than enough cars to use!" I widen my eyes, the sunlight finally exposing just how beat up this place is, my new companions hair seeming a bit lighter than last night, his eyes partially squinted when he turns to face me.

               "I told you none of them work! The best they're good for is supplies, doubtful, and a place to sleep. There's no driving any of these."

               "Can't you jump start one? Short circuit it or something?!" I groan when he throws his head back, raising an eyebrow and making a popping sound with his lips like he's thinking about what to say.

               "Hotwire. I can do that, but I don't think any of these sports cars are gonna work."

               "Won't know till we try. It can't be that bad." I storm off, the predicament of me walking around a place I'm still trying to gravitate to settle in my mind begins to irritate me, and I just stalk towards a shiny red sports car I've almost always dreamed of driving but never got the chance.