Fool's Beginning, Fool's End (At The End, Everything is Okay: The 0th Story)

Section 10

Sam didn't talk much during the trip. He didn't ask where they were going, why they were making the trek, or how long it would be. He simply sat on the back of the wagon and watched the landscape pass.

The occasional crumbled mess of what was formerly a building would make itself known, and then shrink into the horizon. Sometimes a rusted steel rod where signage once stood would go by, a reminder of what once was.

When Nil asked him questions, he'd answer with a simple "yes" or "no", or sometimes not at all.

"If he wants to sit back there and be miserable, then that's fine by me." Nack said at one point, "So long as he keeps that attitude to himself."

Their route hugged the coastline, with the pink sea and the Ring an ever-present landmark on their journey.

The path changed, the terrain beneath the wheels of the carriage going from sandy shore to grass-patched earth. The route elevated; Looking down, one could see the waves crashing against the craggy cliffs.

As the day grew long, and the Great Ring became a great semicircle lying on the horizon, the world was cast into the red hues of dusk. A few stars began to shine in the sky as the light of the Ring faded from the atmosphere.

Atop a high, flat outcropping, Nack stopped the wagon.

"I'm done walking." He complained, "We're setting up camp here."

By the time the Ring had set, the bedrolls had been laid across the grass, and a small tent had been pitched. Within a ring of stone, Nil tended to a small flame, gradually adding tinder as the fire grew stronger. From a tri-legged stand, a pot hung above the bonfire. A mysterious stew bubbled away, its strange yet inviting savory scent blowing away in the gentle ocean breeze.

Nil stood up, the fire's hunger sated for the moment. She wiped her hands on her pants, smearing dirt and ash across them.

She turned to Sam, still on the wagon. "Hungry?"

"...No." He replied, just before his own body spoke the truth, letting out a long growl.

He pouted.

"...Maybe. All I had was that hot cocoa earlier."

"Oh-ho-ho," Nil teased, walking towards the wagon, "Finally talking now, huh?"

"No, I just– Ugh!" He groaned, rubbing his temple, "This has been a very, very, extremely long and... strange day for me."

"I believe it." Nack chimed from his lounging spot next to the fire, "It's not every day you wake up from a tube."

Sam stammered, "No! Well, yes, but that's not the whole of it."

"Well, what's the whole of it then?" Nil asked. She leaned into the wagon beside him, rummaging around for something.

"What's the whole of it?" Sam reiterated to himself. He let out a short sigh, and let his hands fall to his knees with a light slap.

"Well, how about this?" He said, bluntly, "I woke up this morning, and then the bombs fell and destroyed everything."

"Oh, is that it?" Nil said, nonchalant.

Sam brought his feet up to where he was sitting, hugging his knees. He fell silent for a moment.

Quietly, he explained, "...It was night, actually. The sirens went off in the middle of the night.

"People had been talking about it for years. Global conflict and politics and stuff all going to shit. A lot of people just tried to pretend like none of it was going on. Myself included.