(no subject)
Allison woke up in an unfamiliar setting. She was on the dusty remains of a couch in what looked like an old office building hallway. The last thing she remembered was being carried on Dantou's back. They'd been hiking across what seemed like countryside when she started getting weary. He picked her up and carried her, and then she got tired... In the past couple of days, every time she woke up she was in an unfamiliar place, but it was always in some sort of rural setting. This was the first thing she'd seen that looked like civilization since she stepped into that bunker when the war finally reached American soil. She was excited by the thought of finally being in an actual city with food and clean water, and best of all, other people. She'd spent four long months alone in that bunker, and only two days traveling with Dantou looking for other survivors since he found her. Perhaps the war had ended...or at least they'd managed to outrun it. She anxiously rose to her feet and looked around, but saw no signs of life.
"Dantou?" She started searching the immediate area for either him or anyone working in the building, but saw only dust covered desks and overturned office furniture. There was no light other than what looked like daylight coming from a room further down the hall. As she started walking toward the door, Dantou came through with his arms full of junk food and soda. As usual, he said nothing without being asked.
"Where are we? Are we still in Montana?"
"Yeah...we only went another five miles before we got here." He dropped everything on a nearby receptionist's desk without saying another word.
"So where is here?" She thought it was strange that he wasn't more excited. They were in the middle of nowhere when he found her, and they'd been looking for civilization ever since.
"Helena. It looks like --" He stopped when she sprang up and ran through the door down the hall. He started to call out to her and tell her not to go, but she began screaming before he could finish drawing the breath. Knowing what was coming, he slowly stood up and walked toward the door. When he turned the corner, he wasn't surprised to see the look of horror on Allison's face. Her face turned pale and was frozen in shock. She was in an office and looking out of the window at what was once Helena. The horizon was dotted with buildings partially destroyed by bombing. Most of the city was still standing, but it was entirely deserted. Even in the middle of the afternoon the streets were empty, with the exception of abandoned vehicles and the aftermath of looting. It appeared that it had been weeks since anyone had been near the city. Without warning, Allison collapsed on the floor and began sobbing. Dantou knelt next to her, and she fell into his arms. No words passed between them for the rest of that night.
Allison woke up early the next morning on the same couch, but it had been moved into the office. She couldn't help but wonder how he was able to move her without waking her up. As she stood up and looked around, she was surprised to actually see him nearby for once. He was sitting on a desk in the office with his 12-gauge Remington in hand as he watched the door. She looked at the door in a sudden panic, then back to him. She watched in silence for a moment, then finally spoke, just barely above a whisper.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing," he said in his normal calm tone. "Why are you whispering?"
She felt her cheeks turn red as she realized that there was nobody else there. "Why the hell are you guarding the door if there's nobody there to come in?"
"I don't know that there's nobody coming in. That's why I'm guarding it." He never changed his tone or expression, despite the implied sarcasm. One of the first things that Allison learned about Dantou was that it was impossible to get him upset, which made her feel even worse for being the only one that was flustered. It drove her to attempt to irritate him to no end just to get a reaction out of him, but never with any success. It was comforting to have someone so disciplined willing to take care of her, but at the same time she often felt like she was talking to a brick wall. She'd spent a long time crying the night before, and she was still worn out as a result. She was willing to let him win again without much resistance. "What do we do now?"
"We scavenge. We'll have to try to find any sort of reliable transportation, then gather supplies and move on to the next city."
"So we just keep going from city to city until we find someone?"
"Yes, or preferably a working radio. Without any way of communicating with the outside world, we don't know what we'd be walking into by just marching into a city. For all we know, the war could still be going and the city could be occupied. We didn't have any choice this time, but we'll have to be careful in the future."
Allison spent a minute trying to take it all in. She hated how calm he was about the whole thing. The whole world was at war, and for all they knew, millions of people in the United States alone were already dead. At any given moment, they could be the next to go for any number of reasons, but he was still somehow able to take it all in and make plans and keep them safe and on top of it all somehow keep her from falling apart. As much as she appreciated it all, she couldn't help resenting him for it. It was like he wasn't human. She couldn't resist taking a shot at him. "That's a stupid name."
"...what?" It was the first time since they'd met that she'd managed to take him by surprise.
"Your name. Dantou. It's stupid."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Did your parents give you that name?"
"...no."
"Then it's stupid. What is your real name, anyway?"
"What difference does it make?" He stood up and picked up a briefcase he'd found in one of the other offices. He began filling it with food, water and first aid supplies, hoping to keep himself occupied to hide the fact that she'd upset him. It didn't work.
"I just want to know."
"...Warren." Allison smiled, finally feeling like she was talking to a person.
"I like that better. So where did Dantou come from?"
"It's the name of a character I made in an internet game I played with my friends..." He paused for a moment to make sure he maintained his composure. "...you know...before."
"What's wrong with Warren?"
"I always thought it was a stupid name." He couldn't help smiling at the irony. He noticed she was smiling too. "What is it?"
"Nothing. It's just nice to finally run across another person."
Comments: This actually comes from a story idea that I was wrestling with a couple of months ago. I never got it anywhere, and moving forward with it found it's way to the bottom of my to do list. I wouldn't mind picking it up again, though, if nothing more than for making a few junk box entries. I really like the overall idea, and it's nice to finally do something with it.
"Dantou?" She started searching the immediate area for either him or anyone working in the building, but saw only dust covered desks and overturned office furniture. There was no light other than what looked like daylight coming from a room further down the hall. As she started walking toward the door, Dantou came through with his arms full of junk food and soda. As usual, he said nothing without being asked.
"Where are we? Are we still in Montana?"
"Yeah...we only went another five miles before we got here." He dropped everything on a nearby receptionist's desk without saying another word.
"So where is here?" She thought it was strange that he wasn't more excited. They were in the middle of nowhere when he found her, and they'd been looking for civilization ever since.
"Helena. It looks like --" He stopped when she sprang up and ran through the door down the hall. He started to call out to her and tell her not to go, but she began screaming before he could finish drawing the breath. Knowing what was coming, he slowly stood up and walked toward the door. When he turned the corner, he wasn't surprised to see the look of horror on Allison's face. Her face turned pale and was frozen in shock. She was in an office and looking out of the window at what was once Helena. The horizon was dotted with buildings partially destroyed by bombing. Most of the city was still standing, but it was entirely deserted. Even in the middle of the afternoon the streets were empty, with the exception of abandoned vehicles and the aftermath of looting. It appeared that it had been weeks since anyone had been near the city. Without warning, Allison collapsed on the floor and began sobbing. Dantou knelt next to her, and she fell into his arms. No words passed between them for the rest of that night.
Allison woke up early the next morning on the same couch, but it had been moved into the office. She couldn't help but wonder how he was able to move her without waking her up. As she stood up and looked around, she was surprised to actually see him nearby for once. He was sitting on a desk in the office with his 12-gauge Remington in hand as he watched the door. She looked at the door in a sudden panic, then back to him. She watched in silence for a moment, then finally spoke, just barely above a whisper.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing," he said in his normal calm tone. "Why are you whispering?"
She felt her cheeks turn red as she realized that there was nobody else there. "Why the hell are you guarding the door if there's nobody there to come in?"
"I don't know that there's nobody coming in. That's why I'm guarding it." He never changed his tone or expression, despite the implied sarcasm. One of the first things that Allison learned about Dantou was that it was impossible to get him upset, which made her feel even worse for being the only one that was flustered. It drove her to attempt to irritate him to no end just to get a reaction out of him, but never with any success. It was comforting to have someone so disciplined willing to take care of her, but at the same time she often felt like she was talking to a brick wall. She'd spent a long time crying the night before, and she was still worn out as a result. She was willing to let him win again without much resistance. "What do we do now?"
"We scavenge. We'll have to try to find any sort of reliable transportation, then gather supplies and move on to the next city."
"So we just keep going from city to city until we find someone?"
"Yes, or preferably a working radio. Without any way of communicating with the outside world, we don't know what we'd be walking into by just marching into a city. For all we know, the war could still be going and the city could be occupied. We didn't have any choice this time, but we'll have to be careful in the future."
Allison spent a minute trying to take it all in. She hated how calm he was about the whole thing. The whole world was at war, and for all they knew, millions of people in the United States alone were already dead. At any given moment, they could be the next to go for any number of reasons, but he was still somehow able to take it all in and make plans and keep them safe and on top of it all somehow keep her from falling apart. As much as she appreciated it all, she couldn't help resenting him for it. It was like he wasn't human. She couldn't resist taking a shot at him. "That's a stupid name."
"...what?" It was the first time since they'd met that she'd managed to take him by surprise.
"Your name. Dantou. It's stupid."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Did your parents give you that name?"
"...no."
"Then it's stupid. What is your real name, anyway?"
"What difference does it make?" He stood up and picked up a briefcase he'd found in one of the other offices. He began filling it with food, water and first aid supplies, hoping to keep himself occupied to hide the fact that she'd upset him. It didn't work.
"I just want to know."
"...Warren." Allison smiled, finally feeling like she was talking to a person.
"I like that better. So where did Dantou come from?"
"It's the name of a character I made in an internet game I played with my friends..." He paused for a moment to make sure he maintained his composure. "...you know...before."
"What's wrong with Warren?"
"I always thought it was a stupid name." He couldn't help smiling at the irony. He noticed she was smiling too. "What is it?"
"Nothing. It's just nice to finally run across another person."
Comments: This actually comes from a story idea that I was wrestling with a couple of months ago. I never got it anywhere, and moving forward with it found it's way to the bottom of my to do list. I wouldn't mind picking it up again, though, if nothing more than for making a few junk box entries. I really like the overall idea, and it's nice to finally do something with it.