stars (phan)

chapter 6

*1 year later*

phil's pov.

everything seemed to deteriorate quicker than usual. all the buildings that were still standing were riddled with vines and rust. paint was peeling around the edges, making it seem like it had been ten years in stead of one.

dan and i had found a small house to stay in for a while, until all the districts were 100% safe.

our small house was on the far side of the district.. district 17. we found a large collection of batteries, enough to keep powering the small radio we have.

"phil?" dan called from the other room,

"yeah?" i answered back, leaning forward slightly,

"turn the radio on please?" he asked politely.

"mmhm" i hummed, leaning to my right to turn on the switch.

static filled the dusty room before it clicked and the familiar voice of emily, the news radio host.

"-has been sightings of dergons on the far east coast, a couple of miles away from district 4, every one has been advised to evacuate the surrounding area and district 4 will soon be re-located near district 9. no other sightings have been reported yet. also, on a side note, if any of you who are orthodontists and are listening right now, i really need these braces off. my teeth are pretty straight. now over to angela for the approximate weather news. its currently around 2pm and i really need to feed my fish-"

the radio cut short and the small red light flickered before turning off, signalling its death and need of new batteries.

dan poked his head out from the door frame, afternoon sun bathing the side of his face making him squint slightly. his hair was a little messy, curly from 11 months without electricity meaning no straighteners.

"apparently theres been a new ship in of supplies, i reckon we can trade a few of our things for another carton of water and maybe some bread or something." he moved slightly into the room, leaning his side into the door frame, smiling a little.

i stood up, legs aching a little. "what do we have to trade? i mean i think we have a large saucepan that we have no use for..." i looked up at him but he was already trailing off to the kitchen. i followed behind and leant next to him in front of the cupboard. we had a large pot and a small one, behind that was the saucepan, the lid for it was cracked a little. dan leant in and grabbed the pan, pulling it out gently. it clanked against the pots, sending the noises to echo around the room. i walked over to his empty bag that was placed on the counter from our previous trip to the garage. we had traded both our laptops- which were long gone by then- for a 3 months supply of food.

"anything else?"

"we could trade our soul?" he laughed, zipping up the bag.

"i think the pan should do well for someone with a sir fry fetish."

it was my turn to laugh, shaking me head slightly at his petty remark. we then proceeded to walk out the door, broken glass mixed with gravel crunching under foot.

dan's pov.

we walked down the gravel pathway, passing broken down houses and rubble. a dog sniffed around, glancing at us before bounding up to us, tail wagging madly. it had large brown eyes and long fur that was shaggy and matted. its back had patches of a soft brown on it and had a faded red collar that was a little tight around its neck.

we both stopped and it bounced around us before flopping on its back in front of phil, begging for a belly rub. he leant over, scratching while smiling like a big idiot. it was fucking adorable. the dog shook under him, a literal grin on his mouth. it was a boy i noticed.

"its so cute" phil laughed, sitting crossed legged and scratching its belly with both hands. i took the bag off, dropping it to the side and sitting opposite from phil so i was on the other side of the dog and began scratching him too, scribbling my finger tips around its ribs like i did with phil when i found out he was ticklish a few months back.

"jesus phil look how skinny he is" i noticed, running my fingers over each bump of its ribs. the dog twisted around so it was in a lying position on its belly, each leg outstretched. he yawned, making a small squeaking noise. "we should probably get going before it gets dark." i started, standing up and grabbing my bag.

"but daaaannniellllll" phil groaned, lying his back on the gravel.

"wait, phil, is his collar too tight?" i asked, kneeling down again. phil sat back up, lacing his fingers under the dogs collar. his eyes widened, fumbling with the buckle before taking it off completely. the dog jumped up, scratching its neck with its back paw, a happy look on its face.

"maybe we could trade the collar too" phil suggested, already unzipping my bag which was dangerously close to my crotch. he placed the collar next to the pan before quickly zipping it up again. phil then turned to scratch behind the dogs ear in a goodbye and i did the same before we continued walking down the road. the dog barked behind us, running out in front of us before looking back at us.

"it looks like the dog from howl's moving castle" phil blurted out, giggling slightly.

"oh my god yes" sudden excitement filled me and the longing to watch that movie again.

the rest of the walk was a comfortable silence, the only noise was the occasional chirp of a bird and phil and i's footsteps mixed with the soft patter of the dogs. we rounded a corner where the gravel road turned into a bumpy concrete one and we came up to the familiar wire fence that stretched for god knows how long. a guard stood firmly with a loaded gun at the large gate, which was covered in barbed wire at the top so no one could climb over.

"dan, phil" the guard acknowledged us. his name was mark, we only ever spoke a few times but he did let us into district 17, which we're thankful for. "got a new addition i see?" he said happily, looking down at the dog at our feet.

"yeah, we found him back there" phil said, twisting his body to point behind him.

"hes pretty adorable" i added in, smiling.

mark nodded, suddenly realising he wasnt allowed to speak to us before unlocking the gate and gesturing us through,

"good luck" he whispered to both of us, winking.

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wow sorry for not updating sooner and for a short chapter.

to be honest i have no idea why i decided to make this some kind of apocalypse/the last of us kinda thing idk ive had the idea for a while.

hope you guys enjoyed now im going to go eat breakfast.

((shout out to emily for letting me use her as a radio host, you should feel honoured. phan child evolved by the way))