“Thank you, thank you. I know I am,” Topher quipped with a teasing smirk, reclining back against the dusty white metal of his van as he fixed a playful gaze on her. “But I gotta say, it is always nice to hear.” Long fingers toyed absently with the loose threads on the sleeve of his worn flannel shirt as he listened to her, an undercurrent of amusement evident in his features at her reaction to the scent of the joint roach still smoldering on the ground several feet away. “Hey now, smoke rises. That’s one of the many reasons I happened to pick this lovely locale, it’s high enough up your air isn’t getting polluted.” Though the words were defensive, his tone suggested that he took very little offense to her remark. “An’ besides, some of us actually like the smell, ya know. One man’s skunk is another man’s sticky-icky an’ all.” He flashed a grin at that, his gaze following her as she took a few steps forward.
“I mean, I figured as much, honestly. Of all the supplies people are gunnin’ for anymore, music doesn’t really seem t’be one of them. Y’would think that’d make it easier for me, but I’ve had shit luck lookin’ for weeks now.” He shrugged, teeth digging lightly into his lower lip as he tried to recall the slim selection of albums he did have. “This 90s mix CD that someone must’ve burned or something, Sounds of Nature — which, coincidentally, is nowhere near as cool as I thought it would be— and way more Lana del Rey than I know what t’do with. So I’m sure you see my dilemma.” Another smirk. “An’ yeah, scurvy. Wasn’t anything more than a word from a history book before all this shit, but like, with how little fresh food is up for grabs anymore, you’d be surprised how quickly your levels of vitamin C can drop. It’s pretty crazy.”
“Can you point me in the direction of this everyone you’ve met? Because I sure as hell can’t find ‘em.” He watched as the woman climbed up onto the roof of a nearby car and suddenly he wished he hadn’t jumped down from the van. But he knew well enough how clumsy he was when he wasn’t under the influence, and he wasn’t actually inclined to eat shit and make a fool of himself in front of someone who’d actually bothered to stop and talk. “Topher,” he offered when she shared her own name, flashing a friendly smile. “An’ that,” he added, nodding over to the cat sleeping on the hood of the vehicle, “is Paul.”
“Hey, what happened to the whole cliche surrounding stoner logic? No fair you get to say anything that makes sense. And by some of us, I’m going to assume that you mean yourself and the rest of the Dazed and Confused cast.” She laughs at both her own comment, and his use of “sticky-icky.” He’s definitely the most entertaining stranger she’s met lately. Especially since she never could’ve guessed he’d be someone to live so easily at the end of the world.
“What did you think Sounds of Nature was going to sound like? Lions roaring? Gazelles softly running away? Hey! Say what you want, but Summertime Sadness has to be a pretty chill track to slay zombies to.” Again, she sighs. “Okay, yeah, well as the kind person I am, I’m about to give you a little thought for food- see what I did there?- and say that it probably isn’t the best idea to go around saving strangers from scurvy before you get to know them. You don’t have a clue about me; I could be some psychopath with no food and lots of weapons. Or I could be part of some insane rag-tag group of neanderthals just waiting outside of the door to come in and steal all your shit at my signal. I’m neither of those things, obviously, but someone could be. And you offering out food isn’t the best way to ensure survival.”
“Well, there was this one guy who waved a pistol in my face after offering me up to any biter around. Someone I cut by accident, my ex from high school, a magician.. The list goes on. The magician chick was cool, though.” Sutton tucks her legs underneath her, smiling at the introductions. “Topher. Suits you, actually. Some people have names that you just can’t see being their real name, you know? Like.. Paul. That is not a cat name.” She looks at the sleeping animal and momentarily considers going to pick him up, but he looks content where he is. “But he’s adorable. Y’don’t see many animals anymore. Especially not as pets. It’s a nice change.”













