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It was early morning. The sun just starting to hit all the crumbling buildings. At such early hours, it was less likely to run into anyone. Miigwen had grown used to being lonely. Carefully, he climbed another staircase in those beat-up, bloody Converse she had stolen off some old rotten body. Constantly checking for glass or any signs of movement, squinting in the darkness. Although the once skyscrapers of wonder now were unstable and dangerous, they sometimes had supplies, something left behind by some office worker, working some 9 to 5 dead-end job. They stayed low, walking among the abandoned graveyard of cubicles.
The sound of someone twisting gravel beneath a heavy step made Miigwen catch her breath, it wasn’t hers. When they looked up they were eye to eye with green, a deep green. Another person. He grabbed out his dad's old switchblade, getting ready if they were looking for a fight.
They looked to the left, pausing before looking to the right, almost like the way people did before crossing the street. Then, they ran for it, sprinting. In their shock, Miigwen lost stance on their crouch, falling backward with a gasp, hands digging into the cement and pebbles. Then, weight on top of her, she looked back from the ground to find the green enveloping her senses. The other person's hands clinging to their old nirvana Tee.
They were crying.
What the fuck was she supposed to do her. With his face twisted bitter, and his switchblade just out of reach, he hugged back. Albeit a bit awkward. It was more just a pat on the back. But they weren’t letting go.
Miigwen's voice scratched at their throat as they tried to wheeze out a whisper, “Hey man-”
“It's been so long since I’ve seen another living person.” They moved their hands to the front of his t-shirt, iron grip clinging to him, tears glittering in the sun's rays, “I thought I was the last.”
Miigwen tried to push herself onto her elbows, off her back, maybe get the upper hand, “I get it and I appreciate it-”
Their head hit Miigwens chest, “Please don’t leave me.”
Miigwen let themself relax, knowing the pebbles dragged up their skin, meaning they were going to have to find another med kit of some kind.
—---------------------------------
“Good god, can you stay any bit stable?” Ji-Min’s doc martens were digging into Miigwens shoulders.
“You're the one swaying!” Ji-Min glared back playfully, “Got it!” They sat back on Miigwens shoulders, causing Miigwen to yelp.
“Are you trying to make my knees buckle?!” She leaned down, letting him climb off.
“Not at all!” They replied, but their wide cheeky grin told another story. He threw the backpack back onto his back, “Race you to the docs?”
“Oh you don't want to do that, you never win,” Miigwen replied, with his hands on his hips, leaning his head to one side, a smile to match theirs.
He playfully smacked their chest, “That's because you have the longest legs on the planet Miigwen.”
“Excuses, Excuses.” Miigwen swatted her hand at him, “Sounds like someone a sore loser,” With a rough shove to the chest Miigwen shouted, “Tag!”
“Hey wait up, that's not fair!” Ji-Min took off after Miigwen, Miigwen cackling the entire way back.
They had bunkered down in one of those rich people's ocean-side villas. With their own twist, of course, they had found some old spray paint cans and drew whatever they wanted on the walls. It had taken days to scrub off all the paint on their fingers, but at least it wasn’t plain white anymore, and sure some of the drawings were more obscene than others but it gave them something to chuckle at every time they passed by.
From inside this house, neither of them could have afforded if it wasn’t the apocalypse, the worries of the world drowned out into a hum.
It was just the two of them. That’s how Miigwen liked it. That's how Ji-Min liked it. Just the two of them.
Out of breath, Miigwen flopped onto the old beat-up couch they had moved in front of the windows, hearing the ocean crash onto the rocks below. “Whatcha get?”
She turned to look at Ji-Min as they brushed their fingers through her hair, they smiled softly, “Your hair is getting long.”
He crossed his arms over the back of the couch, resting his head there to look up to Ji-Min, not moving to stop them, “Yeah, yeah it is.” There could be a clicker right behind them for all Miigwen cared and they still wouldn’t have moved.
They bit their lip for a second, looking the other way before coming back, “Do you think you could braid mine? I could braid yours- if you’d let me of course.”
“I’d let you do anything to me Ji-min.”
—-----------------------------------
It had been a couple of years. They had found some weed and some cheap alcohol. They had built a tent fort and strung up some battery lights. The room was hazy as they gave each other random stick and poke tattoos. It was far into the night, and they were giggling like children with their hands in a cookie jar. It was cold but it didn’t matter. They found old board games and spent the night probably playing them all wrong because the instructions were far gone. An old cd that Miigwens dad had made them played in the background quietly through a busted-up stereo that they had stolen from some sorry sucker.
In between giggles, Miigwen reached over, trying to snag the bottle from Ji-Min, “Pass it back dickhead.”
Their voices slurred as they hugged the bottle to their chest, “Says the one who downed almost the entire thing in one gulp!”
He twisted away from her as she reached closer, “You just can’t chug wimp.”
With that They lost their balance, landing on their back, letting the bottle slip from their hand as Ji-min looked up at Miigwen. Pitch black hair illuminated in the purple hues, deep hazel eyes darting around, looking to utter an apology as he went to tuck a stray hair or two from his face.
But Ji-Min had beat them to it, carefully brushing his shaking fingertips against her ears, letting his fingers fall against her strong jawline as he felt her gulp. Miigwen was all the things Ji-min could never be. Strong, a strategist, a defender, throwing themselves into too many dangerous situations they had accidentally found themselves in. But god, Miigwen was so, different when it came to just the two of them. Nervous, soft, and scared at worst. They took panting breaths like they just ran a mile, their eyes being the same as every homeless beat-up alleyway dog he had ever come across. Almost as if he was anticipating the end of it all, right here, right now.
A hand on either side of their head, keeping Ji-min pinned to the ground. At this moment he needed to be brave. They needed to be like Miigwen. One hand broke into Miigwens atmosphere, landing right over his heart, Ji-Min could feel his heart about to erupt, pounding against his ribcage. The other hand dragged up the skin of his arm, cradling her face in their hand. Miigwen’s breathing slowed as their eyes became half-lidded, hazed over by something other than the weed or alcohol. It felt like two stars about to collide, all he's waited for, all he’s wanted, a companion that wasn’t going to leave him. They could feel their eyes start to close as the two were millimeters apart.
Then Miigwen’s face twisted in agony as they reeled back with a wail. Collapsing in on herself like a black hole. He pressed his hands to his ears like it was his last lifeline.
Ji-Min called out.
Miigwen didn’t respond.
To wrapped up in her agony, it took what seemed like hours till she stopped wailing.
Again he called out, “Miigwen? Miigwen you there?” A hand ran down their back as they finally came to, panting. Miigwen lay back, splayed out, before giving a thumbs up with a grunt. In all their fear, they asked, “Was it something I did?”
He shook his head, “No. It's not you, it's just,” he rolled over on his side, shielding his eyes from the lights, he gulped again, “My dad and I both hear voices. We never knew where they came from.” They peaked over their arms. “But they just, happen.”
A hand once reaching to check her temperature flinched back, “What the fuck.” Miigwens eyes widen. “Miigwen that’s fucking weird. I get it we’re in the middle of the apocalypse and we’re under a ton a stress but that’s fucking weird.”
“What?” Miigwen sat up, or tried to. Her head spun dark spots clouding her vision, flopping back to the floor gasping like a fish out of water.
“You’re telling me that you and your dad hear random ass voices from nowhere and you expect me to act like it's normal?” Their rising voice started to sting in Miigwens ears.
“I don’t know, it just runs in the family Ji-Min.” He was floundering for words to explain it all.
“Are they even saying anything?” They were yelling. Miigwen could feel the same numbness as when she watched her dad become less and less human, a tear slipping through the cracks.
“No, there's too many to pick out just one.” They lay limp, looking away from him, back turned, voice cracking.
Ji-min’s fingers pulled at their hair, “What happens if this happens while we're out?”
“It won’t.” She was losing him.
“You said it just happens. What am I supposed to do in that situation, Miigwen? It's a liability!” Liability. The word echoed, ringing like a broken bell. Nanuq had been a liability. They had been a liability to everyone Dad had ever known.
Old, forgotten rage, like a forge set to spark again, “Shut the fuck up Ji-min!” His body was still fogged from the weed and alcohol, slurring and swaying. “Shut the fuck up! You know nothing.” Not only had she been insulted but so had Dad, and Dad's parents and their parents and their parents-parents. “I’m not a fucking liability!” His knuckles turned white as he gripped the blankets underneath, biting his inner cheek so hard he could taste the blood mixing in with his saliva.
“What if they tell you to kill me, Miigwen? Are you gonna follow them if they tell you to?” But by the time they had finished their sentence, Miigwen was just reading lips, all the sounds of the world had faded. It was all back to black and white. But she still has one color left and by god, she wasn't gonna let it leave quietly.
Miigwen looked at Ji-Min and howled.
Howled like a dog in the street calling out for another.
Howled so maybe they wouldn’t hear his heart-shattering.
He only looked back in horror.
It wasn’t a surprise that all that was left of them in the morning was that green flannel.
Miigwen took a bat to the place, destroying every evidence they were ever there. Stuffing an old piece of cloth in a bottle with a little bit of alcohol left, striking their lighter to spark before chucking it. He watched as the place burnt down.
And back to the docks, she went.
Miigwen was always better on their own. The wind trying to rip the green flannel off of her as the sun set, the moon creeping up over the eastern horizon.
But it was the only warmth he had left of him.