The two were trekking through a largely ruined area, keeping an eye out for anything valuable as they kept a lookout for unwanted guests. The man was doing most of the scavenging while the woman kept a lookout for any unwanted company, and for the most part, the ruins looked empty, void of any strangers.
sunlight shined through damaged ceilings and cracked walls as an overgrowth of wild flora litter the walls. The woman approached the growth that wrapped itself onto the wall, before she went deep into thought as the man went through a nearby pile of rubble hoping to find anything valuable.
"What do you think you would be doing if things were different? If things were much more peaceful." She asked while admiring the growth of plants on the walls.
The man looked at her form who was admiring the plants around the walls, "Maybe I'd have a job with a stable income, one that is much more simple." he chuckled.
"Why ask?" He questioned.
"No reason." She pretended that it was a question out of random curiosity.
She turned her head towards him , "Well, if there were to be different universes out there," she smiled to herself before looking back towards the plants, "I just hope that I'll be by your side in every last one of them."
After hearing the words that she had spoken, the man froze. For a few seconds, he was racking his brain about what she meant by that, yet he decided it was a topic to be discussed another time.
"There's nothing of value here," He exclaimed .
The man dusted his hands off before he stood up, "We should search somewhere else."
They continued their search for the rest of the day, which was only interrupted when they had to hide from other scavengers .
By the end of the day the two had found some valuables that were enough to afford their supplies for a little while. But as the day was quickly setting they needed to set up camp.
After setting up the camp, they started inspecting their new found items next to the fire.The woman opened her mouth to try to speak about something that she had been keeping to herself, however she hesitated before closing it again with a sigh.
"What is it?" The man asks, noticing her hesitation.
"I am planning to join the military. I signed up for deployment at the end of next year."
The man felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach, his eyes fixed towards the items on the ground. He didn't respond and was deep in thought. Thoughts that were quickly filled with unpleasant scenarios . He was never a part of the military himself but he was aware about the mental and physical scars that it leaves on people.
The silence unnerved her. Attempting to break it and move on, the woman let out an awkward laugh. "Are there going to be any traders we are going to meet tomorrow with all of these items at hand?" she attempted to steer away from the conversation.
"I just hope we restock on med supplies soon," She continued "I'm running low on bandages, unfortunately,"
"But you probably have some in stock so there's no need to-"
"You're joking right?" He cuts her off. He must be hearing things.
"Joking about what?" She pretended to not understand.
"About you joinin' the military." He continued, his eyes fixed towards her. She knew that he'd react negatively towards her choice, but it was better than keeping it to herself.
"What do you mean?" She continued to put on an act and remained clueless about his statement.
"You can't be serious, right?"
"You don't have what it takes to even survive a day there." His voice weighed as heavy as his mind which started swirling with unpleasant thoughts. He wasn't angry at her, he would never raise his voice towards her, he could never bring himself to.
"I'll do whatever it takes to adapt, just like how you taught me to." She defended herself as she had already made up her mind a long time ago, for her determination to save her remaining family from their current state had been racing around her mind for long enough.
"You don't even know how to fend for yourself."
"That's why I'm joining."
"You could die out there."
"Why do you even care so much?" she couldn't bear to hear his voice in such a state of pure desperation. She raised her head up as she made contact with his desperate eyes which felt like it could tear her heart in half .
"It's because you're the only person out here that isn't actively hunting me down." All his life, the man had spent it fending for himself in a world where every person he met could be a death sentence for him until the woman came along and saved his life all those years ago. He wasn't ready to let her go, not after all this time when he finally found his reason to keep going in this world.
Silence.
The woman had nothing else to say after he had admitted his woes. His words repeated in her mind like a broken record, it felt like it was tearing her heart in half. The silence grew thicker every second, yet neither of them spoke up.
The man tore his eyes away from the woman's as he went back to inspecting the items that laid on the ground, and remained silent as he felt like he had said enough, and that nothing could change her mind at that point, no matter what he says.
The night continued in silence between the two. The woman felt like the tension made it colder than usual, so she decided to wrap herself in a blanket next to the fire, and faced herself away from the man who was now packing away the items . It's not like she could see his expressions in the first place.
As the man finished packing the items to be traded the next day, he saw the woman who was now fast asleep next to the fire, which made his heavy heart lighten ever so slightly as he wondered about what he truly felt at that moment.
YOU ARE READING
Rose Tinted Tears
Romance"There are looks that are hard to forget, Looks that you're ready to drown in forever. I dove in. His was special. He had the look of those cursed people who can't cry anymore. These people who are there in front of us but Who in the depths of their...
