Stunned, the young man released the young woman. "Sorry, thought it was abandoned." He rumbled the words out, feeling the strange taste of apologizing after such a long time of simply killing and leaving with the spoils.
The woman glared at him and fixed her collar, turning away with a indignant huff. Then she paused, glancing at the revolver, before stooping and grasping the carved wooden handle and hefting the handgun. "You dropped this." She stated simply as she turned the magnum over to the man.
He nodded to her as he clutched the pistol in his right hand and slid it into the holster sitting underneath his left arm, just above his waist. The woman studied his face for a moment before saying, "You can stay for the night. But that's my bag. So get out of it."
The man grinned and unzipped the sleeping bag before crawling out of it. He locked eyes with the woman as his grin fell, realizing she had removed her bandana. She had a angled face and a smaller, thin mouth, with a little nose sitting below those two sky-blue eyes, with one covered by her long brown hair that draped over her shoulders and down to her lower back.
A very delicate face, compared to what he'd seen in the wastes.
The man brought his rifle up and slung it over his shoulder before venturing out to kneel by the fire. The woman slid into the ragged bag, zipping it up and rolling halfway over before pausing. "You can call me Ember."
The man glanced back before returning his attention to the shadows surrounding the camp. "Alder." He ground the single word out.
Ember smiled and laid her head down to sleep, as Alder sat down cross legged in front of the fire, facing out towards the city.
YOU ARE READING
The Collapse
Science FictionLong ago, humanity ruined its home world of Gaia with quantum weapon fire and synthetic production of soldiers. High-ranking officials were able to board battleships and disappear into the stars, but the rest of the population were left to fend for...
