Birds of a Feather (Apocalypse AU)

Chapter 10 - You've Got a Friend in Me (Stella)

TW: blood

Stella blinked, suddenly coming back to the road in front of her, and the fact that she was still riding a bike. Disoriented, she glanced around at the unfamiliar surroundings, tall trees and flat fields. Glancing next to her, she saw Carly pedalling next to her, motioning for her to stop as the sun filtered through the trees, coloring the sky orange and pink.

Slowly pressing on the brakes, she slowed down and propped her bike up on the side of the road. Rubbing her back, Stella turned around as Carly dropped her bike and dramatically fell on the ground. Stella smiled grimly and turned back around as her face twisted into a grimace of pain. Her hands were still stinging and oozing, and they hurt to look at.

Best time to zone out ever, Stella muttered as she patted her pockets with the backs of her fingers. Carly rolled over and pulled the bikes to the side of the road, patting a patch of grass down to sit on.

They were too tired to talk, the emotional and physical toll of their days hitting them like a slap to the face. Sitting down was a struggle, as Stella wobbled over to the bikes and sat down, pulling out the small dinner knife that she had smuggled from the cafeteria into her pocket. Using it to carefully cut small strands of fabric from the bottom of her shirt that was hidden under her jacket, hissing at the pressure that she was putting on her palm, causing red to seep through and cover the handle.

Carly wandered off into the brush, making sure that Stella and the bikes were in a memorable place so she could find her way back. She wanted food, but it was unlikely that she would find a steaming bowl of soup or a freshly made sandwich lying on the floor somewhere. Sighing, she started scanning the ground for small bushes or plants that looked at least somewhat edible.

After grabbing a few dandelions and a handful of wild berries that were somehow untouched on a bush, Carly was ready to make her way back to their impromptu camp by the road. It was getting later, and the light was fading, making it harder to identify the trees and places that she had passed on the way in.

Hurrying through the trees, Carly stopped short when she saw a brush of movement in the bushes next to her. After hearing a small noise, she decided to investigate, smiling when she saw the little animal that was hidden in the spiny bush.

Stella was finishing wrapping her hands and wrists in fabric as Carly came back from the forest, a purple flower behind her ear. She sat down next to Stella with a small cardboard box, grinning broadly as Stella grunted and turned around to face her.

"Stella I have something that I think you're really going to like," Carly gushed as she arranged the berries and flowers on the dry grass.

Stella raised an eyebrow. "Is it a jar of peanut butter? That sounds really good right now."

Carly scoffed and pushed the box towards Stella, putting her head in her hands and staring excitedly at Stella. Stella sighed, and opened up the cardboard box only to find...

A cute fluffy face staring back at her. Stella squealed in happiness as she saw a small white marshmallow ball laying down in the box, staring up at her with dark brown eyes. Reaching in, Stella picked the puppy up and held it in the air. It's tongue lolled out of its mouth as it tried to lick Stella's nose, ears perked forwards and tail swishing from side to side.

Carly giggled as Stella hugged the puppy in her arms, watching as the dog began to lick her face and wag its tail enthusiastically. The little thing had been stuck in the bush, its fur tangled around the branches and burrs in its paws. After a quick search, she had found a cardboard box and slowly reached to free the knots from the thorns.

She gave the dog a quick pat and turned to the "food" that she had gathered, frowning at the navy clouds and quickly-darkening sky. She grabbed a few twigs and some dry grass, setting it up in a small pyramid structure with some bigger pieces around it. Glancing back to Stella, who was still joyously playing with the puppy, Carly quickly brought out a pocket lighter and lit the leaves in the pile. Watching as they grew slowly, she added bigger and bigger twigs to the pile, eventually transitioning to dead tree branches and pieces of bark and logs - essentially anything that was laying around and was flammable. Tossing some dirt around the edges of the pit, she moved the bikes around and started roasting some of the greens that she found.

Stella shivered, hugging the puppy and wiggling closer to the fire. She had forgotten most of the day already, and was perfectly happy to find some food and take a nap. Setting the dog down, she fidgeted with the wraps on her wrists.

"So, Carly, what dog food have you dug up today?"

"Oh just the usual. Mud pies, pickles with chocolate and ketchup on them, and, your favorite, peanut-covered cheese bites."

Stella wrinkled her nose as Carly poked at the fire, making sure it was warm enough. She sniffed at the charred greens that she was handed, eyes brightening a little when she noticed the berries. Chewing on one of the stems, Stella's eyes watered: bitter. Looking over at Carly, she was having similar trouble eating the stems of the dandelions, and was instead focusing on the flowers, roots, and berries. Stella decided to do the same, and they finished the remainder of their snack in silence, basking in the flickering light as Stella snuck pieces of her food to the puppy.

The fire had burned down to embers and Carly had long since fallen asleep, the new puppy sprawled across her stomach. Stella shivered as the cold seeped through her hoodie, chilling her as she sat on the hard dry ground. The crickets chirping in the grass provided little comfort as a slight breeze caressed her hair, blowing embers into the coals.

Reaching into her jacket pocket, Stella lit a match, shakily holding it in one hand and shielding it with the other. She hummed a short tune, a solemn and familiar tune, before blowing out the match quickly, the smoke floating away with the rest of the wisps.

She clenched her hands around the charred wood, her heart aching with the pain of being truly alone. Only the loss of what could have been. What should have been.

Happy birthday.