A Borrower at the End of the World part 17
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“Shit.” Briar muttered under his breath as he accidently sliced three of his fingers with his whittling knife. It wasn’t a deep cut, but it still hurt.
The borrower sat on an empty crate in the corner of the room. It was around mid-day, the windows were open to let a nice breeze into the room. (Though several of the windows were cracked or shattered, so that breeze was coming in either way.) Briar was babysitting Layla as she played with her stuffed bear on the bed (that was three times the size of the borrower), while her brother was out checking their hunting traps. In the past day or so they hadn’t caught anything. It seemed like all the animals had left the vicinity of the forest. No birds chirped that morning and no crickets sang the previous night, it was eerily quiet. Briar’s instincts were on edge and cutting his hand didn’t help.
He was trying to make a new fishing lure after his first one was swallowed whole and whisked away by a much larger than indented fish. The block of wood was about as big as his thigh, and he accidently sliced his hand while adding the scale details.
“Wha– No!” Briar stood right up and looked at the five year old. “Don’t say that!”
“Briar, what’s ‘shit’ mean?” Layla looked back at him from her bed with curious, innocent eyes.
“Shhh!” Briar held a finger to his lips. Layla had never known a proper swear word before and Jace certainly didn’t want to say any around his five year old sister. Briar had heard her call her brother childish insults like ‘stupid-head’ or ‘ugly-butt.’ (These insults usually involved an adjective and a part of one’s body.) But if Layla had real curse words in her limited vocabulary, Jace might actually break their no touching promise and strangle the borrower.
Layla had long since recovered from the flu and with that came the return of her headstrong nature. She too took the same oath Jace had. No touching, no revealing the secret of Borrowers and always listen to what Briar said. Though Briar could tell by the way she looked at him, she desperately wanted to hold him. It was definitely much harder for her to keep her promise because she was so young. He often felt her big brown eyes watching him as he walked around the room. Briar thought he might need to be on guard when alone in a room with her.
“It’s not a nice word,” Briar tried. “You shouldn’t go around saying it.”
“I know, I know.” Briar was just about ready to pull his hair out. A single year was taken off his life span every time he heard the word slip through her lips. “I shouldn’t have sworn, that was bad of me, and I’m sorry. But you can’t say that, especially not when your brother comes back.”
“Okay?” Briar eyed her, waiting for her to say it again, but she just turned and kept playing with her bear. He let out a sigh of relief, hopefully she would listen to him on this, but he had his doubts.
The pair sat there for a while. Briar was almost done with his wooden fishing lure when Jace burst through the front door. Without saying a word Jace threw down his backpack and started stuffing things inside, including their family picture (sitting on the nightstand). He grabbed a couple cans of food, a water canteen, clothes, his journal and roughly threw them all inside.
“Get your things, we need to go.” Jace said to Layla, out of breath. His bag was quickly becoming heavier and he was probably going to forget something important, but he didn’t have much time to really think about what he was grabbing.
“What’s going on?” Briar called from his perch, “Where’s the fire, boy?”
Jace briefly glanced at the smaller man and kept packing clothes, “I saw them, not too far from here.” He sounded out of breath, panicking.
“Not who. What.” Jace finally looked at Briar, the boy had fear in his eyes. “It’s those creatures, there’s a pack of them coming this way. I saw them in the woods.”
Briar finally understood why the boy became frantic, remembering the last time Jace and Layla had ever seen those monsters was the day one killed their mother.
Jace packed a smaller backpack for his sister with her bear, clothes, water and some food. It would probably be too heavy for the child. Jace pulled her arms through the strap and she teetered back from the uneven weight. Jace grabbed her small hand to steady her and rushed her towards the door.
Layla pulled out of her brother’s grasp and cried, “What about Mommy? We were gonna wait for her here!”
Both Jace and Briar froze. The boy still hadn’t told the five year old their mom wasn’t coming back. She was killed by those creatures when they got separated while trying to get away. Jace only knew she was dead because he turned back and watched one rip into her throat… you can’t come back from that.
Briar was the only other person in the world who knew this. Jace confided in the small man one of the first times they ever spoke to each other. Layla was asleep and ignorant to the heavy subject matter discussed that night.
Jace tried to grab her arm, “Come on, Lays–”
“No!” She twisted away and stomped her foot.
They were running out of time. “Listen, I-I’ll tell you what, I’ll write Mom a note. Tell her which way we’re going. She’ll catch up, I promise, but we have to leave now, Layla.”
Tears welled in the child’s eyes, but she nodded.
Jace pulled out his journal from his bag and quickly ripped out a blank page along with a pen. He scribbled some words on the paper and slammed it down on the bedside table. The boy moved with such sporadic and intense speed that it was hard for Briar to keep track of what Jace was doing.
Briar knew Beans were fast, he’d watched them run and move for years. When Beans were in a panic, they really knew how to move.
“What did you write?” Layla looked at the note, the only thing she could understand was ‘Mom’ written at the end.
“Uhhh– That-that we are heading to the next town over and to meet us there.”
That seemed to satisfy the child.
Guilt settled heavy on Jace’s heart, he was taking advantage of the fact that Layla didn’t know how to read. She never got to go to kindergarten because of the whole apocalypse that happened. She knew the alphabet and how to spell her name, but any words more than three letter animal names she didn’t know what anything said.
I’m so sorry
We miss you Mom
The pain and guilt finally slapped Jace with some clarity in all his panic. He paused, stilling his body, letting his mind catch up. Something suddenly occurred to the boy. He looked at the borrower who was standing bewildered on the crate, suddenly uncomfortable with the bean's intense stare.
Briar froze as Jace walked closer and knelt before the smaller man. They were now at eye level. Briar noted that he was about as tall as Jace’s face, chin to forehead.
“Briar?” Jace’s voice seemed unsure.
“W-will you come with us?”
Briar hesitated... for several reasons:
One: Going with them would definitely involve being in close contact with the beans, possibly even being carried by them. The second promise Briar made the kids swear to would have to be broken: “Never touch the borrower.” Sure, Briar had (technically) broken that part of the deal when he calmed down both kids, but he hadn’t touched either giant since and he didn’t really want to break that streak.
Two: He was still terrified of both children. Their size and the pure strength they had over him. 48 years of ingrained anti-bean propaganda fed to him since birth will do that. It was already hard enough to get to the level of trust the three were at now. It felt like pulling teeth, finally agreeing to teach Jace how to hunt and now the boy was asking Briar to put his life fully in his gigantic hands and leave with them.
Three: Briar had a pretty nice set up in the walls here. He had built some furniture out of a tin can and some rat bones. Blankets from the skinned rabbit Jace caught not too long ago. Wherever they went next, Briar would have to start over completely. But was that such a bad thing? He'd remade his furniture hundreds of times over the years. A fresh start with these two beans? A new adventure. The Briar of his youth would be excited at the prospect. Had he grown too old for new things? Or…
Briar sucked in a deep breath and looked at the bean before him. Jace was huge, there was no denying that fact. But he was still a child. A kid who was woefully unprepared for the dangers of the world.
The borrower promised to stay until Layla was better. She was healthy now. But he also promised to finish teaching Jace how to survive like a borrower. The boy was still far from that level of self sufficiency. If Briar left them now, he anticipated Jace wouldn’t be able to catch any food and even if he did, the boy still wouldn’t have the stomach to kill an animal. Briar did promise to kill any animal Jace caught so the boy wouldn’t have to, as long as they stayed together.
Without Briar’s survival knowledge and years of experience, the kids would probably die of scurvy or infection or starvation… Whichever came first.
I really got myself wrapped up tight in this web, huh? Briar shook his head, I can’t believe this is my life. I can't believe I MADE this my life.
Briar steeled his resolve and smiled up at the boy. Jace had those big brown eyes that matched Layla’s. Pairs of eyes that could melt the heart of a (five inch tall) man and convince him to do anything.
Within his next breath, Briar made up his mind. “Yes. I’ll go with you.”
“Great!” Jace almost cried tears of relief. Layla cheered too.
“Do you need to get anything?” Jace wasn’t entirely sure where Briar lived in the walls, but he would let him go there if it ensured the small man would leave with them.
“No, I’m ready now.” Briar patted his bag at his hip. The life of a borrower was always unpredictable. That was ironically the only predictable part about it. The occurrence of suddenly needing to drop everything and move was not a new phenomenon to Briar. It had happened to him several times in his life. Because of that preparation, everything that was important to him and necessary for survival was currently in the satchel at his hip. He wouldn’t need to run back into the walls and waste time finding his belongings, he was ready right then and there.
Jace did one last glance around the room, “We’re ready too.” Layla had her backpack, though she was very much unevenly balanced and was teetering backwards again. Jace looked towards the small man with hope in his eyes. Then he hesitated, “How do you want to do this, boss? Will you walk?”
“No, I would never be able to keep up with either of you,” Briar conceded.
Briar looked the boy up and down. His pockets? No, that seemed stuffy and horrible. He wouldn’t be able to see anything in there. Jace's hands? Definitely not, Briar didn’t like the idea of standing on a platform that could come alive and snap shut around him. Jace’s backpack? Better, but not the best. Who knows what kind of random objects Jace shoved in there, the borrower might accidentally get crushed if the boy set the bag down for a second. That left only one place.
“Your shoulder should do fine.”
“O-okay.” Jace was unsure what to do. How would he get the small man onto his shoulder without grabbing him? The boy placed a shaky hand next to the man who was roughly the same size. Should I grab him? Let him walk on? Jace began to panic, he didn’t want to make Briar scared and back out of his decision, but they needed to leave now.
But thankfully Briar already had a plan. The borrower went around the boy’s hand and straight for his arm. The borrower grabbed Jace’s gray sweater sleeve and began his ascent up to the boy’s left shoulder. Jace froze in place and watched the man, scaling his body like a mountain goat, with wide eyes.
Briar had climbed fabric hundreds of times, scurrying up curtains, blankets and clothes was easy. It would have been easier if the surface under the fabric wasn’t alive. No matter how much Jace tried to stay still, his body twitched slightly from the contact of little hands.
Finally, Briar made it to the peak and quickly sat down. The borrower gulped, but still tried to keep his composure. “I’m ready.” It was weird not having to speak loudly to talk to the bean since he was so close to the boy’s ear. If the Briar wanted too, he could reach up and pull on Jace’s earlobe. But he definitely didn’t want to, he tried to avoid touching the boy’s skin as much as possible. That became a little difficult when the boy’s center of gravity shifted as he stood, the sudden change caused Briar to bump into the boy's neck. It was radiating heat and there was a distinct heartbeat echoing inside. Briar pushed himself back and muttered an apology. Jace gulped and said it was fine. Briar tried to ignore the adams-apple the size of his head bobbing beside him.
“Let’s go.” Jace grabbed Layla’s small hand and the three left the house where they first met.
The trio watched from the top of the hill as the abandoned house they all called home was invaded by a pack of ravenous monsters. They flooded the premises, knocking down the front door, one even jumped through an already broken window. They were probably demolishing the cans of food that Jace had to left behind.
Briar gulped, if they had stayed in that house for a few more minutes, they would have been swarmed. The kids would be dead. And the borrower most likely along with them, if those creatures managed to claw their ways into the walls.
“Come on, we need to go.” Briar tapped Jace on the neck.
The boy nodded. He gathered his sister’s small hand into his own, as the quickly left the vicinity of the house.
“Where can we go now?” Jace asked no one in particular after a bit of walking. He wasn’t entirely sure where they were in the first place or where the nearest town was. He didn’t want to freak Layla out, but they were lost and he was scared.
“Follow the river.” Briar pointed down the other side of the hill where a creek flowed. “Beans always made settlements around bodies of water. If we follow the stream, we’re bound to find a bean house eventually.”
Jace raised an eyebrow, how did Briar know so much if he hated being around Beans?
But that was a conversation for another day, when they weren’t still out in the open and in danger.
Briar gave a direction and Jace would fulfill his promise and do as he was told.
Jace grabbed his sister’s hand and they made their way towards the river.
The kids walked and walked the day away, following the river downstream as instructed. They did eventually see some human-bean houses, but most of them were burnt to a crisp or completely ransacked. Briar didn’t think this area was safe, so they kept walking and following the river.
Layla played beside the water, happily hopping from rock to rock.
“Careful child, you’re going to fall in,” Briar called from Jace’s shoulder.
Just as Briar finished talking, Layla gasped as she slipped on a rock, her foot submerged into the cold water, completely soaking her sock and shoe.
Jace helped her back onto shore.
“Shit,” Layla muttered looking down at her soggy boot.
Jace did a double take, “What did you just say?” He must have heard her wrong.
Briar was now sweating bullets. Yup, that’s it, I’m dead. It was a nice life while it lasted, but this is the end.
“Layla,” Jace said slowly, still not believing his own ears, “where did you learn that word?”
Layla pointed innocently at the small man on Jace’s shoulder. “Briar said it.”
“It was an accident!” Briar tried to see Jace’s face, but from where he sat he could only see the underside of the pre-teen’s chin. The borrower looked down at Layla, who he could clearly see, she had a devilish smile stretched across her face. Oh, she knows exactly what she’s doing. She thinks it's hilarious! “I told you it was a bad word and not to say it!”
Layla just shrugged and ran ahead of her brother so he couldn’t catch her. Briar felt Jace’s shoulders tense beneath him as he rubbed a large hand down his face and groaned.
“If our mom were here she’d shove a bar of soap in Layla’s mouth.” Jace muttered under his breath. Then he tried to look at the man on his shoulder, he could only see the top of Briar’s head. “I think she’d also put soap in your mouth too, boss. She always said it would wash out bad words for good.”
“Trust me, I’ve eaten soap thinking it was food before, my mouth was washed out enough.” Briar admitted he figured he’d try to keep the tone light and mention his own misfortunes, rather than picturing a giant woman trying to shove an entire soap bar into his mouth.
“Are there any other swear words that you accidentally taught my five year old baby sister that I should be worried about?”
“No, thankfully she doesn’t know the other 12,” Briar laughed, “there are definitely worse ones I could have let slip.”
“I thought there were only seven?” Jace tried recounting all the swear words he knew and once again got to seven.
“You wish there were only seven, boy.” Briar chuckled. The tension in his shoulders relaxed.
“God, there is still so much I can learn from you.“ Jace shook his head and smiled, “that we can learn from you.”
“As long as I am around, I’ll keep teaching you both new things until you don’t need me anymore. Just no more swear words.”
“I’m counting on it.” Jace smiled and walked a little faster to catch up with his sister. She was laughing and playing in the creek as the sun started to set.
I have made 23 full rotations around the sun! My birthday and Halloween are literally my favorite days of the whole year!
I’m so excited to post chapters again! 😆
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