Receeding Tides (mcyt)

Chapter 8

Despite the layers of grime and his disheveled everythings, Tommy looked younger when he slept. He breathed silently, and the smile lines in his face seemed to disappear. This was Tommy entirely relaxed and, for the first time in what seemed like forever, feeling safe. The dirt on his face and the scrapes on his exposed skin made him look more like a child playing in the Garden of Eden.

Whether he liked it or not, he was older. Far older than he should be. Tommy entered the apocalypse as a budding young adult still very naïve to the world's arsenal, and once he was comfortable in that world, he as thrown into another. Like countless others his age, Tommy lost a large chunk of his adolescence to the apocalypse. He didn't get the chance to grow and mature in ways this world required. Instead, he build several layers blocking everything from other people to emotions from even breathing the same air as him.

Though he shouldn't have had to, Tommy proved himself as a more than capable survivor, but that didn't change the fact that Dream still felt a need to protect him. What from he couldn't quite name. From the ugliness of the world? No, he'd seen it already. From others? No, that was inevitable. Dream reached carefully for his bag not to wake the child beside him. They probably had enough to last them to Dover.

Dover, an English port, was the closest town between the British Isle and mainland Europe. France to be specific. If Dream remembered his geography correctly that is. Since they were already on the beach, he figured they could just follow the shoreline until France was in sight.

Theoretically, they could swim from Dover to Calais, the closest French town, if Calais was still standing. Swimming came with huge risks though. The acidic water would burn their skin if they were exposed too long, and the Waves' affect on marine life had yet to be explored. Dream relied heavily on rumors and theories to get him across the Atlantic. Still, it was a better option than paying for a ride.

Dream sighed finally taking time to relax his tense, aching muscles. He hadn't realised how much stress his body had collected in the past few days. Every muscle in his arms ached, and a fierce pounding hammered inside his head. Lucky for him, he couldn't feel his legs, but if he could, he could imagine the excruciating burning they were suffering.

The cool rocks and sand beneath him did little to soothe the aches in Dream's body, and it began to clump around the soles of his over-used shoes. Ironically, they were the same ones from his one Twitter post all those years ago. Crappy, all-black sneakers from Walmart that his fans had given him so much shit for wearing. Dream smiled fondly at the memory knowing he'd never make another one like it.

Social media had disappeared around a year after the Waves. In very few places, the internet itself was still accessible and useable, but the virtual graveyard for the human race usually remained devoid of users. Photos of family and loved ones and vacations and celebrations still resided on discarded devices, but without their owners, no one could access them. Likely never again. Dream gazed blankly out into the ocean.

The water was acidic enough to leave third degree burns if exposed to it for too long, and it had become an eerie greenish-brown colour yet still somehow quite translucent. Only the insane or desperate would ever dare swim in it. At times, Dream felt like both. No matter what happened though, you could always see the moon's reflection flicker and glint on the water's surface. Just as Dream felt himself drifting off to sleep, he was woken up by a nearby engine. Slightly irritated, he shook Tommy's shoulders to wake him up.

"What's going on Dr-"

Dream blocked Tommy's groggy sleepy voice with a calloused hand, "There's somebody up there."

Tommy quietly stood and stalked obnoxiously spy-like to the road. He peeked over the boards. The sound of a car engine came vaguely from the arcade a few buildings down, and Tommy hauled himself onto to the wood to take a closer look. Panicked, Dream dragged himself to Tommy.