colonelstonewall
It was impossible not to be curious at every little action she took. He had run across hostile strangers before, but he couldnât recall a reaction to his presence quite like hers. That didnât mean he didnât understand it, though. Still, he knew what to do in the face of a gun, a knife, a makeshift weapon staring him down, suspicious eyes aiming his way. He had been trained for that, after all. This wasnât like that at all, though, and it was hard to know if the right thing to do was keep trying, or give up and let her be. There mustâve been something going on in her mind, a private debate of sorts, as he watched her close her eyes, clench her fists. This was something more than just not trusting a stranger, this was something bigger than the usual wariness with which everyone greeted strangers out in the world now. He had to wonder if maybe he reminded her of someone who had hurt her, or if it was something else entirely.
Either way, the longer he stood there, the more convinced he was that he was wasting his time trying to get through to her, when he couldâve been keeping on his search for supplies, for other survivors who might want to join up.
He raised his eyebrows at the venom behind her words, but wasnât too surprised. It only made sense to be wary of strangers out here, and she was usually right, after all. If he had been someone else, he would have been expecting something in return for offering aid. But he wasnât someone else, even if at times he wished he was, wished he was the type of person who could care less, whose heart was a little more hardened than it actually was. It wouldâve made everything a lot easier, that was for sure. But he wasnât; instead he was the type of person who cared too much, to the point where he felt his whole purpose now was to keep a group of people from harm as best he could.
âUsually, youâre right, but I donât want anything. I travel with a group of people who believe giving a little help to those you find along the way if youâre doing alright yourself is for the best. Weâre just all trying to survive, and a little kindness goes a long way. So thatâs what Iâm trying to do. Iâd do the same for any other friendly survivor I met out here,â Stonewall said with a little nod. It seemed like she was trying to give him a chance. He was surprised to realize how much that meant to him.
Her shaky smile, more of a grimace, confirmed that. He shook his head, and offered her a small smile. âDonât you worry, Iâm not asking for anything in return, just wanted to offer the little aid I can. You donât have to take it if you want, though. Iâm more than happy to go on my way now, if youâd rather that,â he said.
A part of her wanted to trust this man, wanted to give into the help he was offering and ask him for supplies before she ran off on her way, likely never to see him again. The other part of her, the part that remained too firmly focussed on the past, wanted to leap from her position in the bushes and bash his face in with her chain, leaving him a bloody mess on the floor before she took his equipment and left.
        For once the rational part of her mind won and she pulled herself up from her squatted position in the brush and exposed herself fully to the man. Her hands were clenched into tight fists, her trusty chain dangling limply from one hand as she contemplated the worth of what she was doing. She still wasnât convinced that staying and taking his aid was the right thing, still wasnât convinced that he was somebody she could trust. Sheâd been lied to before by people she knew â why would this stranger be any different?
        Though she didnât move further from her position, she snorted as she heard the words that came from his mouth. âA group of do-gooders in this world?â She gestured at the tainted, grey-brown trees around her, an eyebrow raised challengingly. âForgive me if I donât believe you.â Her words laced with the derisive tone sheâd attempted to rid herself of previously. In her opinion it wasnât unreasonable to be suspect, the world had broken, itâs inhabitants with it.
        Humans were not exempt from natureâs fury. They, like the world around them, had mutated into little more than beasts. Packs of them roamed the Earth, hunting for their next prey. It didnât matter to them whether their target was a food source or merely just play â they ripped apart whatever they came across then continued to repeat the cycle. Sheâd come across her fair share of violence during her travels in the years since the world had ended.
        Pulling herself back into the present, she refocused on him as more words came from his mouth. Before she could stop herself, words started spilling from her lips. âNo! Donât go!â Emiliya winced as they came out, feeling pathetic that she was so desperately craving what this man was offering her. âI mean- Iâm a bloody idiot. Why did I say that?â The switch from Russian to Bulgarian was seamless before she dug her teeth into her bottom lip as if to prevent more unwanted words from spilling out, her empty clenched fist punched into her thigh as she took inhaled deeply through her nose.
        Exhaling the breath sheâd just taken in, she steadied herself before speaking to the man once again, Russian once again spilling from her lips. âI meant- if you have water to give Iâd-â Emiliya paused for a moment, her free hand briefly coming up to run through the dirty strands of her that had fallen across her face during the conversation. âIâd appreciate it.â As she finished speaking, she could feel her throat constrict and her mouth dry further at the hope of being reunited with the precious liquid sooner rather than later.












