Chapter Text
Prologue:
Buck didn't remember the sun flares or what came before them. And to be franc, he liked it better that way. No point in yearning over a life he could never have.
It was different for Maddie, though. She was ten when the world changed forever. For a decade, she lived an entirely different life that Buck would never understand. She talked about foreign topics like schools and theme parks. Theme parks sounded awesome. Schools not so much. He felt for her, seeing how much she missed a world that no longer existed.
But even though they didn't understand each other, she was all he had. When they’d lost their parents shortly after the sun flares, Maddie became his lifeline in the shit show that was his life.
But then Maddie died.
Buck wished he could forget that day, but unfortunately he relived it every night he went to sleep. Buck was extremely sick and hadn't eaten in days. Maddie knew there was a military group called the Sentinels not far from them and made a decision that would cost her her life. She hid Buck in some bushes and said, "Stay here. I will be right back." That was the first (and last) lie she ever told him.
Through the leaves, Buck watched Maddie sneak passed the guards and into the fortress. After that, it all happened so fast. Buck heard his sister scream, followed by the sounds of gunshots. He shut his eyes, burying himself in the bushes. He waited there, desperately believing she was going to come back. But when morning came, a twelve year old Buck had to face the truth.
He grew a deep hatred for the Sentinels that day. After the sun flares, the rest of what was left of the world governments came together and created an army that was supposed to keep the peace. But all they did was hide behind their walls and watched the rest of the world burn. And now they'd taken the one thing that meant the most to him.
From that day on, he was on his own.
He new he couldn't stay in those bushes forever, so he picked himself up and kept going. He came across an abandon building and decided to take shelter. Maddie had pointed out a place like this before. He was pretty sure she called it a "mall." It was strange to imagine there was once enough people on this Earth to fill a place like this. It sounded claustrophobic.
But now, it's emptiness was overwhelming. Each step he took bounced off every wall. It made Buck feel so small.
He wandered in and out of the stores, collecting things to make a bed for the night. He found an empty corner and made himself comfortable. He liked sleeping in corners. Corners were safe.
It was so quiet. The empty space next to him was more apparent than ever, now. So, he cried and cried, until his body couldn't take it anymore.
...
When Buck woke, he reached for someone who was no longer there. Oh. He didn't think he'd ever get used to that.
His heart stopped when he heard a rustling noise coming from somewhere in the room. Normally, he'd hide while Maddie made sure the coast was clear. But that was a thing of the past now. So, holding his breath, he reached for his pocket knife and followed the sound.
To his relief, the source of the sound was not a threat. It was a tiny, orange kitten, nibbling on some scraps. Buck tucked his knife back in his pocket. "Hey, buddy," he scooped up the shaking kitten in his hands. "Are you all alone?" Just like me. The kitten looked so afraid. Buck knew how that felt. "Don't worry, little buddy. I'll look after you." He paused, thinking. "Scraps. I'll call you Scraps."
Although Buck didn't intend on staying there more than one night, he lingered. His days were spent wandering around the mall, collecting materials with Scraps by his side. After a while, his little corner in the empty room turned into something he felt like he could call home. Sure, his nights were plagued with nightmares and his best friend was a cat, but it wasn't too bad.
That was, until he met Eddie Diaz.
_______________
In the four years that had passed, Buck had not ran into many people. To be fair, he rarely left the mall and it was so overrun with trees that it was almost hidden from the rest of the world. But Buck liked being alone. Surviving in this world meant you couldn't trust anyone, no matter who they were. Maybe that was one of the reasons he never left.
So when he heard the sounds of footsteps crunching on leaves, he panicked. Grabbing Scraps, he hid with his pocket knife ready.
He watched a man dressed in all black pace through the halls, with a gun in his hand. On his shoulder was a big "S." Buck's breath hitched. He'd seen this only once before. This wasn't just some random scavenger. This was a Sentinel. What was he doing here?
His hands started shaking, not having seen one since the day he lost Maddie. Unfortunately, his shaking hands caused Scraps to jump from his grasp. "Scraps," he whispered, "Come back here." But the cat didn't listen.
Undoubtably hearing his whisper, the man halted in place and turned his head towards Buck. Shit, shit, shit. Buck almost screamed when Scraps ran right up to him. Stupid cat, what are you doing?
The man bent down on one knee and greeted the cat, gently rubbing behind his ears. He said something like, "Are you lost? Do you need a home?" When he proceeded to pick up Scraps in his arms, that's when Buck lost it.
"Stop!" He yelled, stepping out into the light. "Put him down!" He felt silly holding up his small pocket knife to the man with the large gun in his hands, but what other choice did he have? He wasn't going to let a Sentinel take his family away from him again.
The man looked up, "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize anyone was here. He yours?"
Scraps jumped out of the man's arms and returned to Buck's side. "Yes, he is." He puffed out his chest and dropped his voice an octave, trying to intimidate the man even though he was shaking inside. "What are you doing here? How did you find this place?"
The man held his hands up, "Listen, I don't want any trouble. I'm just looking for my friend. Maybe you've seen him?" He stepped closer, holding out a photo. Now that the man was close, Buck could see he wasn't really a man at all. He looked about Buck's age, with his scruffy hair and big brown eyes. He was slightly shorter than Buck, but much more built. It was strange seeing someone as young as him in the Sentinel uniform.
Buck looked at the photo, realizing he had seen this man no less than a few weeks ago when he was out collecting water from a nearby stream. He considered lying, just wanting him to leave him alone, but for some reason he couldn't. "Yea, I've seen him."
He perked up, "Really? Do you know where he went?" God, this guy was very handsome. It pissed Buck off.
Buck shook his head, "I don't. I'm sorry."
"That's okay. I'm Eddie, by the way." He held out his hand, which Buck was reluctant to shake. He'd put an invisible wall between them that Eddie was trying to break down.
He took a step back, "I'm Evan."
Eddie slowly lowered his hand, "Uh, nice to meet you, Evan. So, you live here all alone?" Why is he still here?
"I do. Well, me and Scraps."
Eddie smiled, "Ah, yes. I—"
Buck raised his tone, cutting him off, "Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but I sure as hell am not about to make small talk with you. Good luck finding your friend, but get out of my hair."
Eddie stepped back in shock, "Woah, what's your problem man?"
"You. You think you can walk in here with your big ass gun and just start shooting the breeze with me? I don't think so. I don't like Sentinels poking around my business, so please just let me get back to my life."
Eddie rolled his eyes, "Oh, so that's what this is about. Well newsflash, asshole. Our job is to protect people like you. Without us, you'd be long dead by now."
No, without you, my sister would be alive. He almost laughed. "Oh, I'm sure." Pretty and ignorant. What an annoying combination.
"Well, I don't care if you like me or not. I need a place to stay for the night and will be taking refuge here. And since it seems like you're the only one here in this giant place, I will gladly be out of your hair."
"What? You can't stay here!" In all those four years, not a single living person had stayed in that mall except Buck. And there was no way he was letting a Sentinel be the first.
"I can do whatever the hell I want. You don't own the building, man."
Buck's hands tensed at his side. Technically he was right, but Buck still hated the idea of Eddie staying anywhere near him. He wanted to throw a tantrum like a little kid. "Fine. But you're sleeping on the other side of the mall and you're gone by sunrise. Got it?"
Eddie threw his hands in the air, "Fine with me!" He picked his gun up off the floor and turned his back to Buck. As he started to walk away, Scraps followed.
"Scraps, no! Stay with me." He heard Eddie laugh to himself. Damn, that cat. "Scraps, you get back here right now!" Extremely pissed off and embarrassed, Buck sulked over to Eddie and scooped up his goddamn cat. Eddie was quiet, with a big smirk on his face. Buck's blood was boiling.
Although Eddie didn't appear like much of a threat, Buck didn't sleep much that night. He was a Sentinel for crying out loud! And an annoying one at that. So, he laid there gripping his knife in his hands, hoping he and Maddie didn't share the same fate.