Leather Jacket

Cold blood within the empty fog

Days to weeks go by, no sign of any immediate danger. But, you both are under the feeling of being watched.

As you start to get to know him, you began to feel more comfortable within his presence. Strange, being it, he's not like the men you heard about in what you call the main camp. The ruthless, savage men, that are too sex driven to be stable, what the fellow ladies call the common man.

Perhaps, he has no interest in such things, you start to wonder why he's warming up to you though. Perhaps he only wants a friend. Maybe he's gay? You think to yourself, as you search throught cupords, hopelessly finding nothing within your desperate search for food.

Suddenly, you hear a loud boom, you scramble in a silent fury to your lover. You later note that he was strangely calm within this situation.

A whirlwind a bullets, followed. With his fast reflexes, he grabs you in an embrace, and pulls you behind the large shelf, across the room.
"This is a dangerous world." He mutters to you, "Y/n, my arsenal! You need a gun."

You have very little experience with guns, but you go into his opened duffel bag, and pull out a pistol. You finally take a glance at the enemy, before you could see more of his blurry figure, you shoot him square in the head. Your head spins, it all happened so fast.

Your arm ached from the knock-back the pistol had, but it was a victory. He smiled, "head shot your first try!? Amazing! Beginners luck I guess, heh." you two got back from behind the shelf, and saw the body. You are a novice martial artist, but maybe, this new tactic will be a lot stronger in battle.

He wraps his arm around you, and pulls your shorter form to his chest. "I'm glad he didn't blow you away.. I'm not sure if you saw it, but the bullet hole was just centimeters from your head." He points to the large hole in the wall behind you. "I'd be ripped limb from limb, or if I'm lucky, live in a deeper depression in a life of solitude, if you up and died like that." For the first time, his eyes showed true fear. It brought a bit of astonishment to you, and a feeling welled up that you've never felt before.
"But, glad luck stayed good to me and kept you alive!- I mean us.." He brushed it off, yet, for the first time in your life, you feel important, and needed. This man, you think his name is Benjamin, needs you. More-so, his live depends on you.

You think about bringing him to the subject's, hideout, or what you call, main camp but, you know the outcome would become abysmal.

He hasn't let go. His grip is now much tighter, you can now feel how surprisingly strong he is. "I must protect you, Y/N, your life is more important than anything else in existence.. There are horrible people out there. I've seen it all with my own eyes." He paused for a moment, a little wry smile emerged from his sober look.
A cold, dark fog settled onto the ruins, giving almost a terrifying atmosphere. Very little noise could be heard except for the distant echos of the decaying infrastructure.

"Hopefully, if your up to it sometime, we can bring new people to to this world, and hope they grow up to be strong, beautiful people like their predecessors, but that's entirely up to you." Cold shoots down your back, as fear settles into your body. Being the youngest of all of the subjects, you were lucky enough to be guarded and hidden from the worst Olathian men's horrors, and the nightmarish things that happened to the fellow girls.

"I guess it was too soon, wasn't it Y/N? Sorry to drop such a strong topic on you like that, but.. it's bound to happen someday. Perhaps I should get to know you better. I.. I'm sorry if I have been pushy about this.."
"No need to apologize, the world depends on us, Benjamin."
"..." He blushes, and adds, "it's Benny heh, but I prefer to go by Beltboy. You knew that didn't you?"

"Told me lots, but you never told me that." You give a short laugh.

You two talk for a little while, easing the tension a bit, you dig out a beer from your backpack and glane upon the largest tower of the city.

It was mutual, but you two both agreed to go. Yet, deep inside you had an odd feeling about this.

It was a bit of a hike, but at the top, you two watched the view of the formerly lit streets below. These streets were empty, quiet, almost like a skeleton of what it used to be. You think to yourself, what if the flash didn't happen, and the world would have been normal today?
You look over to Benny's slender form next to you. 'I sure wouldn't have met this man. I would have been a normal twenty year old, going to a college somewhere, living a hopeless, depressing life, under the thumb of an abusive husband, and a fascists-capitalistic pro consumer society. Maybe this was for the better.'

"Well, I would have been stuck working at Wally's and have been screamed at nobodies for forgetting something, or wanting a refund over a slightly overcooked burger. It would have been bullshit, but in some ways, today is a lot worse." He said openly, you were astonished that he was able to hear you.

Sometimes you talk without realizing it.

He muttered something, but you weren't able to catch it. Just for a second, he showed a bit of sadness, but lightly brushed it off.

"Anyway, I'm going to get some shuteye. It's getting pretty late." He stretched. Your bedding was set up on the floor below, just in case it rained. Oddly enough, his wasn't unpacked as of yet.

When you went downstairs, there he was, sleeping jacket-less on top of your blankets. You get a chill of fear down your back.. 'He mentioned that he wants to have kids with me... But tonight? God dammit Benny, try any funny business and you're fucking dead.' You thought as you cautiously go under the covers.

He rolls over, putting his back to you, and stirs in his sleep. You soon join him in a warm slumber.

A that feeling settles in again. As your head began to feel heavy with slumber, you start to note, that this feeling was of a form of safety.

Safety you've never felt before.