Survivin' - [B.C.]

Chapter 38: This Generation's Internet Sensation

"Cal," Martin said in a soft voice. It was totally devoid of all character he had ever established of himself. I wondered if it was who he truly was, or if it was him putting on a show for me; telling a story like I had just done.

"You are so badass."

========= SURVIVIN' =========

February.

It was February.

When I woke up feeling like I'd gone through a whiz in the Tardis, I checked my phone to see what year is was.

2022.

It didn't feel real.

The world was supposed to have already been exploded. Ended. Exterminated the life on it.

A dead planet.

Yet here I was; on the couch, wrapped in someone's jacket, alive, and so was the world.

I let out a noise similar to that of a rhinoceros as I sat up and stretched. The living room was warm and empty. The events that led me to fall asleep on the couch were, although a bit fuzzy, ultimately easy to recount.

After my spiel to Martin, I had started shaking uncontrollably — this time from the actual cold. Martin beckoned me to follow him back inside and I actually listened to him that time.

We walked through the garden, neither of us saying a word to each other. As the house drew nearer to us, the racket coming from inside got louder. It might've been only two small families, but it sounded like a Gatsby party.

"Quite loud, aren't they?" Martin asked as he opened the back door for me. I chuckled as I nodded. Small talk.

Small talk, Martin, really?

I stopped in the middle of the foyer when I realized I had the choice of either going into the living room and joining the party once more, or crashing for the night.

Martin stopped beside me.

"You can go upstairs, if you'd like," he said in a quiet voice. "I'll cover for you."

I waited a moment, thinking over my choices.

"No," I finally said. "That's okay."

Together, Martin and I walked into the living room and approached the social scene once more. Sophie seemed to be the only one who noticed us. She waved us over and made a motion for us to sit beside her. We did so.

Ben was in the middle of animatedly telling a story about the one time he went rock climbing and his harness broke. People were gasping and reacting with genuine intrigue. I thought it was amazing how he could always captivate a crowd.

By the end of the tale, Ben was on the floor, screaming and acting out the dramatic scene. Some of us were laughing, some were nearly biting their nails off in anticipation. And then it happened.

The scene concluded, and Ben had safely made it back to the ground. Sophie clapped with a large smile on her face, though I felt as if she'd heard that story a trillion times over. Other members of his small audience cheered and whooped for our hero's happy ending. I stared at my companion in awe. He looked at me as he basked in his praise.