ghost towns
Quick bandslash ficlet in which not much happens. Written mid-2006. :)
Ghost Towns
*
Pete likes the fog. It's pretty, somehow; smog without the pollution, drifting across the dark roads and curling around corners.
Of course, he's never seen fog like this, where it's too thick to see the road ahead of them, even with the high beams on. They'll have to pull over; they're not going to make it to the hotel in the next town. Another night in the bus, and Pete thinks he's going to go crazy.
Crazier. Whatever. He's going to take crazy to a whole new level if he doesn't get off the bus soon and try to sleep in a real goddamn bed. Probably wouldn't sleep anyway, but it's a nice thought. At least they're stopped tonight; he doesn't have to worry about the bus hitting a bump just as he's starting to doze off, startling him awake for another few hours.
They hang out for a bit, watching some zombie movie Andy wanted to see - "not a zombie movie", he insists, "because they aren't actually dead, they're just have a crazy disease", but they're creepy as fuck and eat human flesh, and that screams zombie to Pete. He can't really get into the movie; Joe heads off to bed about halfway through, and Pete thinks about doing the same, but he's really not tired (surprise, surprise). Feeling a bit restless, actually, and he decides to take a walk, leaving Pete and Andy staring at the flickering screen.
It's warmer than he expected outside, but he still can't see anything through the fog. A walk is out of the question, then; he doesn't really want to end up lost in the middle of who-knows-where. Eventually he decides to climb up to the roof of the bus.
There's really nowhere else to go, which is probably how Patrick finds him within minutes. "Hey," he says.
"Hey."
They sit in silence for a few minutes. "It's like looking at a ghost town," Pete finally thinks out loud, and Patrick nods.
"Like there's no one else left alive."
"You're here."
"You too."
"If the world was ending right now, what would you do?"
"What I'm doing now," Patrick replies easily.
Pete laughs. "What, sit on top of a bus and talk about the weather?"
"I'd be here with you."
He likes that answer. He lies back, folding his arms under his head, and to his surprise, he actually feels a little sleepy. Patrick eventually stretches out next to him. It's probably a bad idea - scratch that, definitely a bad idea to sleep on top of a bus, Pete thinks, even if that bus isn't moving; he tosses and turns like crazy. But Patrick hardly ever moves in his sleep, and he has one arm securely over Pete's stomach, and Pete's sure that's enough to keep him safe.
*
Ghost Towns
*
Pete likes the fog. It's pretty, somehow; smog without the pollution, drifting across the dark roads and curling around corners.
Of course, he's never seen fog like this, where it's too thick to see the road ahead of them, even with the high beams on. They'll have to pull over; they're not going to make it to the hotel in the next town. Another night in the bus, and Pete thinks he's going to go crazy.
Crazier. Whatever. He's going to take crazy to a whole new level if he doesn't get off the bus soon and try to sleep in a real goddamn bed. Probably wouldn't sleep anyway, but it's a nice thought. At least they're stopped tonight; he doesn't have to worry about the bus hitting a bump just as he's starting to doze off, startling him awake for another few hours.
They hang out for a bit, watching some zombie movie Andy wanted to see - "not a zombie movie", he insists, "because they aren't actually dead, they're just have a crazy disease", but they're creepy as fuck and eat human flesh, and that screams zombie to Pete. He can't really get into the movie; Joe heads off to bed about halfway through, and Pete thinks about doing the same, but he's really not tired (surprise, surprise). Feeling a bit restless, actually, and he decides to take a walk, leaving Pete and Andy staring at the flickering screen.
It's warmer than he expected outside, but he still can't see anything through the fog. A walk is out of the question, then; he doesn't really want to end up lost in the middle of who-knows-where. Eventually he decides to climb up to the roof of the bus.
There's really nowhere else to go, which is probably how Patrick finds him within minutes. "Hey," he says.
"Hey."
They sit in silence for a few minutes. "It's like looking at a ghost town," Pete finally thinks out loud, and Patrick nods.
"Like there's no one else left alive."
"You're here."
"You too."
"If the world was ending right now, what would you do?"
"What I'm doing now," Patrick replies easily.
Pete laughs. "What, sit on top of a bus and talk about the weather?"
"I'd be here with you."
He likes that answer. He lies back, folding his arms under his head, and to his surprise, he actually feels a little sleepy. Patrick eventually stretches out next to him. It's probably a bad idea - scratch that, definitely a bad idea to sleep on top of a bus, Pete thinks, even if that bus isn't moving; he tosses and turns like crazy. But Patrick hardly ever moves in his sleep, and he has one arm securely over Pete's stomach, and Pete's sure that's enough to keep him safe.
*