Work Text:
July, 2022
“Stupid ceiling… Of course you decide to collapse today of all days…” You muttered to yourself.
You held your hand over your eyes—something you did out of sheer habit—as you looked up at the sky. Judging from the cooler temperatures and the reduced harshness of the sunlight, you presumed it was late afternoon, possibly even teetering into the evening.
You tightened your grip on your backpack as you trudged along the dirt path. Beads of sweat trailed down your forehead with each step you took. You felt a prickling sensation at your temple, reminding you of the recent incident that took place during your journey out of the quarantine zone and through the wasteland that remained of Boston. Exhaustion had set in hours ago, but the idea of resting made you anxious; spending the afternoon running into infected or hunters was not ideal in the slightest. However, your trepidation made you hasty and reckless, and in return, you earned yourself a few minor injuries and a splitting headache.
Those were the risks whenever one left the ‘safety’ of a quarantine zone, but admittedly, it seemed better than staying within the confines of the Boston QZ. With all of the regulations, it seemed almost impossible to do anything that wasn’t considered rule-breaking around the FEDRA enforced neighborhoods. You learned quickly that to get or do anything within the walls of the QZ, backended transactions were essential to get by. In retrospect, you never imagined yourself doing anything of the sort. Back before the outbreak, you were merely a kid who worried about the trivial things in life, and had middle-class parents who, like everyone else, did their best to get by.
You lost your family a few years after the outbreak; it was a miracle that you and your parents managed to stay alive for so long. Your father did his best to keep you and your mother safe at all costs. Precautions were always taken, but one mistake turned into another, and before you knew it, it cost you and your family everything. The sounds of their screams and the sporadic gunfire haunted you. For a while, it was impossible for you to sleep without waking up in the middle of the night soaked in sweat.
At some point along the line, you managed to find a relatively small group of survivors, and for the first time in a long time, it felt like you had a fighting chance at making it in this apocalyptic hellscape. Odds of survival improved with numbers, but this also increased the risks by a considerable rate. Within a few weeks, the headcount had dwindled into the single digits, and eventually, you were back to square one, at least until you fortuitously stumbled into a pair of smugglers who you eventually came to know as Tess and Joel.
They were highly resourceful and helped you refine your skills with firearms. Most importantly, they taught you to toughen up to endure the cold, harsh reality of human nature. You weren’t much help the first few times you joined them on their expeditions, often getting caught out of position and putting yourself in bad situations. Joel usually criticized your stupidity while Tess offered encouraging words. With each encounter with infected or other survivors, you slowly proved your worth to the group. Once the two considered you trustworthy enough, they took you with them to see Bill and Frank.
Your first impression of the couple brought a smile to your face; their company was a nice change of pace compared to all of the doom and gloom that constantly surrounded you. Meeting Frank was an anomaly; you thought you'd never get to meet someone so trusting and cheery again. On the other hand, Bill was more or less in line with what you expected from someone surviving an apocalypse. He wasn’t very trusting, and it took a few visits to warm up to him, but with Frank’s help, the two of you got along amicably as much as Bill allowed.
You came to a halt as you approached the electric fence. Squatting down, you sighed with relief, pleased that you made it on your own without running into too much trouble. You strolled over to the gate, but as you did, you noticed Frank desperately trying to get back on his wheelchair. His grunts and cries were faint but audible from where you stood. Both of your hands quickly grabbed onto the keypad, trembling as you sloppily punched in the code, thrusting the gate open and slamming it shut before running to his aid.
“Frank!!!” You shouted at the top of your lungs.
As you raced down the street, your head flooded with questions about Bill’s whereabouts and horrific scenarios that involved his death. You felt your heartbeat in your throat as you reached Frank. You got on your knees and placed a hand on his back as you unholstered your gun with the other.
“Frank? Where’s Bill?” You asked urgently.
The old man looked at you surprised by your sudden appearance. His shirt was soaked with sweat and he looked exhausted as he breathed heavily. Out of the corner of your eye, Bill came rushing out of the house with a gun in hand, preparing to deal with any intruders. Once he saw you with Frank, he stowed his weapon and ran towards the two of you.
You sighed with relief as you saw him rush over. You reached over to lock the wheelchair in place as you turned back to Frank, carefully lifting him up from under his arms. You managed to get your footing and slowly put him back onto the wheelchair. Within mere moments, Bill approached you as he gave you a confused and worried look.
“You mind sharing how or why you’re in the middle of the street?” You asked as you caught your breath, glancing at Bill as you did.
“I just wanted to stretch my legs.” Frank replied weakly. “I’m fine, really.”
Bill was seething and tried his best not to blow up. In all the time you’ve known him, he always had the astonishing ability to verbalize his thoughts with nothing but a mere gaze.
Frank felt his partner’s eyes on him. “I fell, Bill. It’s fine. I didn’t hurt myself.”
“But you could have! You could’ve twisted something or broken a bone!” He argued.
He sighed as he refused to look Bill in the eyes. “Just take me back inside, please…”
You knew it was best to keep your mouth shut, especially when things got heated between the two, but you wholeheartedly agreed with Bill. Frank was in no condition to do anything by himself. It was tragic to slowly watch him lose the functionality of his legs over the years. Even though he did his best to keep an optimistic attitude, his eyes no longer possessed the same degree of merriment and gaiety. You couldn’t imagine the mental and emotional toll it had on the two of them.
Bill remained silent and wheeled Frank back inside the house as you followed closely behind. Your attention was taken off of them as you shut the door behind you and stood on the doormat, examining the interior of the house. Aside from a new portrait of Bill and a few life stills, not much had changed since your last visit. Seeing new additions to their home always brought you a degree of comfort. While Bill maintained the security of their home, Frank continued to add character to it, creating new works of art to fill the empty spots on the walls. Even in their old age, it brought a smile to your face knowing that they had each other and that they were safe.
Bill closed the door to his bedroom as he walked out into the hallway, interrupting your train of thought.
“Thank you.” He said earnestly as he approached you, extending out his hand.
You grabbed his hand and firmly shook it. “Yeah, of course. Is he okay?”
“He may have a few bruises, but he’ll be fine. Nothing a few painkillers can’t fix.” Bill replied as he put his hands on his waist. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the blood running down your face. Bill put on his glasses and stepped closer to examine the injury on your temple. He slowly leaned your head to the side to look at it in the light. “Run into trouble on your way here?”
“A ceiling fell on me.” You replied apathetically. “Didn’t run into any infected, luckily.”
“Luckily, it wasn’t any more serious than this.” Bill sighed. “I thought I told you to always check your surroundings. Anything can happen at a moment’s notice.” His voice was gentle yet stern.
You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, I know…”
Bill grunted and had you follow him into the kitchen. You let the strap of your backpack slide off your shoulder and down your forearm, letting it drop to the floor. You removed your leg holster from and set it on the counter along with your pocket knife. He took out a first aid kit out of one of the drawers and hovered his hand over the compartments until he found an antiseptic wipe. He tore open the packet and began gently cleaning the area of your wound. It stung, but you were used to small injuries like this.
“So, are you in some kind of trouble, kid?”
It was amusing to hear Bill, a mistrustful and wary individual, ask about your wellbeing. You remembered when he didn’t have any hesitation to put a gun to your head just to protect Frank and himself from a stranger. Upon your first meeting, Tess and Joel had already vouched for you, but Bill was still understandably apprehensive. Now, here he was, tending to your wound, making sure you were okay.
“No.” You replied hesitantly. “Just wanted to check up on you guys.”
Bill furrowed his brows in confusion. “If we were in trouble, you’d know over the radio.”
You groaned as you rolled your eyes once more. “I know. I just needed to get out of the QZ. Place is such a shitshow… I didn’t come empty handed, though. I brought Frank some more pills.”
“Not my point. You’re an adult, so you’re allowed to make your own decisions, but it’s dangerous out there, especially by yourself. I don’t want you taking unnecessary risks, is that understood?”
“But, what if—”
Bill merely glanced at you and effectively dismissed any rebuttals you prepared to use. You knew him well enough by now to know he didn’t like to repeat himself. You knew how risky it was to travel across town just to see Bill and Frank, especially on your own, but your gut told you that it was something that you needed to do. Whether it was the change in weather or the shift in the air, there was a strange, unnerving sensation eating away at the back of your mind.
“Yes, sir…” You muttered with defeat.
“Good.” Bill said as he cleaned up and put away the first aid kit. “Now, you’re welcome to stay for a few days. I’m sure Frank would enjoy having you around.”
Your eyes crinkled with happiness as a bright smile spread across your face. You wrapped your arms around Bill, slightly squeezing the air out of the older man. He gave a soft chuckle and wrapped an arm around you as he gently patted your back. He broke the embrace and smiled.
“You hungry?”
“Starving.”
Bill tilted his head to the side as he looked at the clock. He unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and began rolling up his sleeves. “You in the mood for steak?”
“Uh, fuck yeah.” You smirked.
Bill looked proud as he chortled in response to your answer.
His laugh was, by far, the most adorable laugh you’ve ever heard from anyone. You tried your best to stifle your laugh but all attempts were futile as a quiet chuckle escaped from your lips. “You mind if I take a shower?” You cleared your throat as you held up your thumb in the direction of the bathroom.
“Not at all. If you need a change of clothes, you’ll find them in their usual spot.”
You left the kitchen and went into the room you had familiarized yourself with so many times before. There were several boxes labeled with their respective article of clothing and sizes. Once you rummaged through them for a suitable set of clothes, you stacked the boxes neatly where you found them and walked across the hall. You grabbed the bathroom door handle, but then your eyes trailed over to the adjacent room, where Bill and Frank’s bedroom resided.
You took a few steps to the side, raising your hand to the door and hesitantly knocked on it. You winced ever so slightly, worried that you may have disturbed Frank but instead you heard a weak voice call out to you.
“Come in.”
You slowly opened the door to see Frank sitting next to his bed reading a book.
“Hey, Frank. You doing okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay.” Frank replied cheerily. “Thanks for earlier. How are you?”
“I’m just glad I showed up when I did, but, uh, I’m doing good. Bill just patched me up.” You replied as you pointed to your minor injury. “A ceiling fell on me.”
“I hope you didn’t get into too much trouble getting here.” Frank gave a look of concern. “I don’t think we have any new stock, but was there something you needed?”
“Nope. Just wanted to pay you guys a visit, to see how you were doing.” You scratched your head nervously as you replied.
Frank looked past you into the hallway. “I didn’t see Joel or Tess come in with you. Did you come here by yourself?”
“I did.” You replied honestly, recalling the conversation you had with Bill just a few minutes prior.
“You know it’s dangerous to travel alone…”
“I know. Bill already gave me a lecture about it, but trust me, I have a good reason to visit.” You groaned as you leaned on the door frame.
“I understand that, I do, and I’m sure Bill does as well, but you can’t be making rash decisions, okay? I need you to be smart out there. It only takes one mistake to cost you everything.”
You expected Bill to be the one to reprimand you for coming here, but you didn’t really expect to get scolded by Frank as well. Between the two of them, he was the more lenient one, and generally let you get away with murder. He never needed to raise his voice with you, but his solemn tone let you know how serious he was. You made eye contact with Frank and simply nodded, agreeing with this statement. Every fiber of your being urged you to tell him why you really came to visit, but not wanting to upset him, you decided against it.
Frank placed his book on the dresser behind him and placed his hands on top of each other. “You know, in all the years I’ve known Bill, I’ve never seen him act the way he does with you for anyone else.”
“Really? Doesn’t he usually point his gun at everyone he meets?”
“Well, yeah, he’s not a trusting person, but we both knew that.” Frank laughed. “I mean he’s not as paranoid when you’re around.”
That was a known fact for anyone that was acquainted with Bill. You subtly shrugged your shoulders as you shook your head.
“We’ve occasionally talked about how different our lives would be if this… apocalypse didn’t happen—where we’d live, what we’d do, or if we’d even meet…” He paused for a moment to clear his throat. “And if the topic of kids ever came up, he’d refuse to give me an answer. I mean, why talk about that of all things, right?” Frank smiled as he looked at you. “But, if we ever did, or could… you’d be the closest thing that we’d have to one.”
A surge of emotions began to well up in your chest. Your lips quivered as you fought back tears, clearing your throat and sniffling in response. You looked up at the ceiling then back at Frank as you folded your arms. A faint smile traveled across your lips. You crossed the room and sat on the bed across from Frank. The bed frame creaked slightly under your weight as you leaned forward and stared blankly at the wooden floorboards.
“I didn’t know what to do after I lost my parents. For a while, I considered taking the easy way out, but I figured I’d be letting my parents down if I did.” You stayed quiet for a few moments before continuing, “I owe Tess and Joel a lot.” You wiped your nose with your arm and looked up at Frank. “They taught me how to survive, but for a long time, that’s all I was doing.”
A tear rolled down your cheek. “At least, until I met you two… Whenever I see you guys, it feels like how it was before. Feels like home… where it’s safe and where I can laugh and be happy.”
Frank smiled at you, becoming teary-eyed as he, too, began to sniffle. He unlocked his wheelchair, pushed himself over to you and put a hand on your shoulder. “You’ll always have a home here… and if Bill says otherwise, I’ll kick his ass, wheelchair or not.”
You and Frank shared a hearty laugh, filling the room with merriment, before falling quiet again. You held his hand on your shoulder and squeezed it firmly. “Speaking of Bill, have you asked him to marry you yet?”
Frank panicked as he turned at the door, letting go of your shoulder in the process. He quietly shushed you and whispered, “I’ve been working on it. That’s why you found me in the middle of the street.”
Your mouth gaped open from the revelation as you waved your hands in the air, trying to silence your commotion as much as possible. “That’s why?! What were you doing?”
“The boutique. I know I saw a few rings lying around.”
You shot him an unimpressed expression. “That’s not exactly close to the house, Frank. Why didn’t you just ask Bill to take you there?”
“C’mon…You think I haven’t already thought of that? If you haven’t already noticed, I can’t exactly sneak around.”
“Then, let me go. I’ll go to the boutique and take a look around myself.” You mused. “Just… promise me you won’t pull something like that again.”
Frank relaxed back into the wheelchair. “Promise.”
You sprung up from the bed and made your way out of the room. A thought came to mind as you turned the corner, prompting you to quickly grab the door frame. Your shoes squeaked against the floor as you popped your head back into the room.
“Uh, did you have a specific kind of ring in mind… or?”
Frank chuckled as he replied, “I’ll leave that up to you. I trust you.”
You nodded confidently as you left the bedroom once more. You turned the corner and grabbed the clothes you set aside earlier and went into the bathroom. Once you located where the toiletries were, you closed the door behind you. The shower curtains caught your attention as you couldn’t help but smirk at how old fashioned they were. The house belonged to Bill’s mother, so it was no surprise that virtually everything was vintage or antique at this point. It was easy to get distracted with the number of intricate or odd items you found no matter how many times you used the bathroom. Realizing you were getting sidetracked, you reached into the tub, pulled the tab and twisted the knob, allowing the water to jet out of the shower head.
It didn’t take very long for the water to reach the optimal temperature. Once the mirror began to fog at the edges, you stripped out of your clothes and stepped into the shower. You leaned against the wall and let the warm water hit against your skin. It had been weeks since your last shower, and it was utterly refreshing. Closing your eyes, you exhale, letting the water wash away your fears and worries. Even if it was only for ten minutes, it made all the difference in the world.
Finding tranquility was hard to come by these days, and it never truly lasted. Misery and despair seemed to be all you felt these days, so having the opportunity to set that aside every now and again was a welcome change of pace. A smirk traveled across your lips as you opened your eyes, watching the water circle the drain. You exhaled and reached for the shampoo, squeezing out a sufficient amount and rubbed it into your hair.
For the next ten minutes or so, it was like being in heaven. Physically scrubbing away at everything that had been on your body for weeks was invigorating, to say the least. You knew Bill and Frank didn’t mind if you took longer showers, but it felt wrong to use someone else’s resources thoughtlessly. Deciding you were clean enough, you rinsed off any remaining soap and turned off the water, leaving the bathroom in silence apart from the quiet patter of the droplets hitting the tub.
Before stepping out of the tub, you reached for the towel hanging on the rack and quickly dried yourself off the best you could. You stepped onto the cold wooden floor, sending chills up your spine. You wrapped the towel around yourself to retain any heat and wiped your hand across the foggy mirror, opening a window to your reflection. You leaned on the vanity and looked at yourself, inspecting the cut on your temple.
You hung the towel back onto the rack and began changing into the new set of clothes. It was a simple plaid shirt and a pair of jeans. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it worked. Looking back, it was amusing to think people used to care about what shirt went with which pants—small, harmless quirks that were nothing but a distant memory. Once you buttoned up your shirt, you opened the door and let the cool air waft around you as you left the bathroom.
You turned the corner and peeked through the sliver of the saloon-style door, into the kitchen where Bill was fully absorbed in preparing dinner. It brought a smile to your face to witness the old man being comfortable within his own space. You honestly could have stood there for a while, observing him as he worked. If there was one thing you knew Bill enjoyed doing, it was being in the kitchen. You pushed open the door and smirked at him.
“Thanks again, Bill.”
“You’re welcome.” He replied as he kept his attention on the cutting board in front of him.
“I’m gonna go for a walk, get some air.”
His knife stopped as he looked up at you with a hint of concern. “Why? It’s getting dark out.”
“Sun’s still out. It’s not completely dark yet.” You reasoned. “I’m not gonna leave the premises, Bill… I promise.” You sighed as you rolled our eyes.
He furrowed his brows at you, hesitating to let you wander around in the town so late. “I want you armed, just in case.”
Bill was the vigilant guardian who questioned everything and anything you did. It was certainly irritating at times, but it just showed how much he cared. He didn’t impose a curfew or forbid you from doing anything, but he just wanted you to take precautions. The electrified fence and traps around the perimeter would make it nearly impossible for you to run into any danger, but his apprehension was understandable.
For a moment, you considered arguing against it, but figured it was best to comply with Bill’s wishes. “Sure.” You nodded as you grabbed your gun holster and pocket knife from the counter.
“I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready. Don’t stray too far.”
“I won’t.”
You backed out of the kitchen and made your way out of the front door, letting it close behind you as you looked up at the orange and purple sunset. Before the world turned upside down, gazing into the sky wasn’t something you ever did. It was one of the many frivolous things that everyone, including you, took for granted. You stepped out into the street, feeling the evening breeze go through your hair and fingertips. The tree leaves rustled gently in the wind as you slowly inhaled the summer air.
You walked down the street, kicking the occasional rubble as you did. You made your way over to one of the neighboring houses and looked around for the trashcan that was left during your previous visit. You hopped onto it and hoisted yourself onto the roof and carefully stepped over to a relatively flat portion and sat down. For what it was, the view was certainly a spectacle; the deep, cooler colors chased the bright, warm colors away, and the stars slowly revealed themselves in the sky.
Stargazing was truly the only moment where you could truly be with your thoughts. It helped let your mind wander and reflect on the few positive things in your life. Although you were alone, knowing Bill and Frank were nearby eased your nerves and brought you a sense of peace. They lived in their own world, separate from everyone else, and were free to live life how they saw fit; it was a small world, but it was just big enough for it to be shared with you.