Chapter Text
Pran was tired. He’d been walking for longer than he could remember. But he couldn’t stop now, he was almost there. He hadn’t encountered any monsters ever since he got out of the city, so he knew he was close.
He always hated cockroaches and he didn’t want to encounter any. Especially now that they were twenty feet tall. Ever since those asteroids fell on Earth almost every insect and little animal had mutated into something bigger and scarier. The radioactivity that those asteroids were emanating altered most insects’ mutations. The really big ones are the ones that killed off half the population. But most of them were bigger than him, so he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a dangerous one and a really dangerous one.
He hadn’t been to his old house in years. The apocalypse had started a little over a year ago, but he hadn't been to his house in longer than that, and he couldn’t wait. But when he approached his neighbourhood, he was met with a giant fence surrounding it. Thankfully he’d stumbled straight into the main door. So it didn’t take long before the giant door opened and a couple of guys walked outside and looked at him a little sceptically.
“What do you want?” One of them asked, he had a rifle hanging from his neck.
“I just need to get something form the other side. Can I come through?” Pran answered hesitantly.
“It’s not that easy, we can’t just let anyone in. We don’t know what your actual intentions are.
“My house is on that side. Come on, are you going to leave me out here?” Pran complained, he was tired and he just wanted to get home. “I just need to get something and I’ll be on my way, I won’t bother you.”
“How do we know you don’t want to just steal?”
“It’s my house!” He yelled, frustrated now.
“What’s going on?” He heard someone ask. He frowned when he recognised the voice. The door opened slowly and his heart skipped a beat when he saw who walked out.
Pat.
“Just some guy that wants to go into one of the houses…” One of them told him. But Pat froze up the second he laid eyes on him.
“Pran,” he said his name, sounding breathless.
Pran’s heart skipped a beat and suddenly it was too difficult to breathe. He hadn’t seen a familiar face since his parents died. He opened his mouth, trying to utter his name, but it was difficult to even speak.
“Pran!” He exclaimed again and ran towards him to envelop him in his arms.
Pran gasped and felt himself break down the second Pat hugged him. It’d been six months since anyone touched him, seven since he’d seen a familiar face, and almost four years since he’d last seen Pat. He raised his arms and hugged him back. It was probably the first time they ever hugged, but he could tell they both needed it. He rested his cheek against his shoulder and practically melted against him, way too exhausted to keep going.
Pat leaned back to grab his face and look into his eyes. It was such an intimate gesture, but he couldn’t blame him, the apocalypse did that to people. He didn’t feel too bad about getting teary-eyed, because Pat did too.
“Are you okay?” He asked and looked down, trying to check for injuries. “You’re by yourself?” Pran was only able to nod. “What about—?” Pat stopped himself before he asked about his parents when he saw Pran’s dejected expression as he shook his head.
“I just wanted to get something from my room…” He mumbled, trying to keep his voice steady.
“Yeah,” Pat replied and fixed his hair. “Yes, of course. Let’s go,” he assured him and grabbed him by the shoulder to guide him inside.
“He’s not—” One of the guys at the door started to protest but Pat stopped him.
“I’ll take him to the hide-out. Tell Korn to bring us some food. And do not tell my dad about this, got it?” The guy nodded quickly and Pat guided him inside.
“Give me that,” Pat mumbled and took his backpack from his shoulders. Pran sighed in relief and straightened his back. It was good to have the weight off his shoulders. Pat hung the backpack on his right arm and raised his left hand to squeeze his shoulder.
“You’re sure you’re okay?” Pat asked him.
“Yeah, just tired, don’t worry…”
Pat looked like he wanted to ask him a million questions, but he kept them to himself. Pran was looking around, the neighbourhood looked almost the same as the last time he was there.
“How long have you guys been here?”
“Since it started,” Pat replied and Pran whipped his head to look at him.
“What?”
“We used the shop’s supplies to build a fence around the neighbourhood before those things even got here. We’ve kept it pretty quiet because most of the sanctuaries were overrun with people. Most of them wouldn’t last more than a month…” Pat mumbled and looked down, like it pained him to think about that. “Over here,” he told him and opened the door to one of the houses.
Pran followed him inside until they reached the back door of the house. It had several bolts that Pat had to unlock before they were able to walk out. He thought they would walk out into the back garden, but he frowned when he noticed they were inside a cabin.
“It’s right outside the fence. Not very safe, but private. Sorry, I’ll take you to your house, but my dad’s probably there right now and I don’t know how he’ll react when he sees you… You should probably rest before you deal with that.”
“I get it,” Pran mumbled and looked around the place. “Thanks.” He smiled, and noticed that he couldn’t remember when was the last time he smiled. “It’s cozy…” He pointed out as he looked around.
“Thanks, I built it.”
“Did you?” Pran asked, surprised.
“Yeah… My dad kind of runs this place and it’s hard to get away from him sometimes. So after one of our fights…” He let the sentence linger and gestured around the place. “Anyways, I’ll bring you some clean clothes and towels. Do you want to shower?”
“You have a working shower?” Pran asked, baffled.
“Yeah,” Pat answered with a smile. “Inside the house, I’ll show you. Just don’t waste— You know what? You probably haven’t taken a proper shower in a while, so take as long as you need,” he told him and opened a closet to grab a change of clothes and some towels.
Pran didn’t know how long he stood under the spray of hot water. But he also didn’t know when was the last time he took a shower, so he didn’t feel too bad about it. He sighed happily when he walked out of the bathroom as he dried his hair with one of the towels Pat gave him. The clothes were warm, clean and comfortable. He hadn’t felt so good in so long.
He walked back into the hide-out and was surprised to see that Pat wasn’t by himself, there was a guy with him.
“Hey!” He greeted him with a smile.
“Uh, Pran, this is Korn. He brought you some food.”
“Dude, you were out there? By yourself?” Korn exclaimed and clapped him on the shoulder. But his eyes zeroed in on the plate waiting for him on the table.
“Is that—” He started to say and swallowed slowly. “Curry?”
“Yeah, dude. Just made it, it’s warm.”
“Holy shit,” Pran grabbed the plate and immediately started eating. “I haven’t eaten anything warm since… I don’t know,” he said, mouth full, and sat down on one of the chairs. Korn and Pat looked at him as he ate, but he didn’t even care about looking so desperate. He was.
“What do you eat out there?” Korn asked him curiously.
“Just… Anything I can find. Sometimes there’s a convenience store around, but most of the stuff is expired. So, I keep a diary with food I can get from the forest and eat it. Loads of leaves, some animals I can hunt…” Pran explained as he ate. “Fishes. And, honey…. Yeah, loads of honey.”
“Honey?” They both asked, surprised.
“Yeah. Shit load of honey. You know, giant bees? Lotta honey.”
“Huh, we didn’t even think of that… We haven’t been able to find sugar in months. Maybe we can use that…” Korn suggested with a smile.
“I have a few jars in my backpack if you want them. It’s really easy to get, so I can get more,” Pran said and pointed at his backpack. Korn opened it and grabbed the two jars of honey Pran had there.
“Sweet!” He said as he looked at them with a smile. “Literally. I’m gonna go make some dessert, people are gonna love it. Thanks, Pran!” He thanked him before he ran out. Pat chuckled before he looked back at Pran, who was eating a little bit slower now that he wasn’t so desperate to get something on his stomach.
“He’s the chef. If you haven’t noticed.”
“Really good one. How do you get this food?”
“We have a search party. They’re supposed to get here soon. But it’s been harder to get food lately, so they take longer to come back… If they even get here sometimes.”
“Shit… Sorry,” Pran mumbled as he wiped his mouth and left the plate back on the table once he was finished. He grabbed the glass of water and chugged some of it, he was so thirsty. “So your dad runs this place?”
“Yeah. He built the fence so everyone started treating him like a leader and… You know how he gets sometimes. It got to his head. I mean… It’s nice. Better than the other sanctuaries.”
“How do you know those perished?”
“We kept in contact with some of them over the radio. A lot of them had problems with food since there was so many people, so a lot of fights broke out, and riots. And a lot of people means that the monsters will be attracted to that place, so most of them had breaches.”
“That’s… Awful,” Pran mumbled, he’d been trying to keep his distance from those sanctuaries because he knew they only meant trouble. “But you’ve managed fine, right?”
“So far. But it wasn’t like this in the beginning. We’ve stopped contact with every colony or sanctuary so they don’t come for our food. The only reason we can have food and running water is because we’re not that many. If we attract attention, we also call for trouble.”
“Yeah, I get it…”
They both stared at each other for a few seconds before Pat couldn’t help his smile as he spoke.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said suddenly, which caught Pran so off-guard, his heart skipped a beat. “I’m happy you’re alive,” he continued and Pran didn’t even know what to say.
Pran took a deep breath to try to speak but before he could say anything, the door opened suddenly and they both whipped their heads to see who it was.
“Pran!” Paa yelled and almost jumped into his arms when she saw him. Ink was right behind her. “Oh my God, you’re actually here!” She said as she squeezed him into a hug. Pran smiled widely and returned the hug. He couldn’t believe they were both there.
“Pran, God. When Korn told us you were here, we couldn’t even believe him,” Ink told him and hugged him the second Paa was done hugging him. “We asked him so many times if he was sure your name was Pran.”
“Guys, you…” He got choked up as he looked at them, but he didn’t feel embarrassed because they were also on the brink of tears. “I haven’t seen a familiar face in so long,” he explained and placed his hand on Paa’s hair.
“Were you really out there by yourself?” Paa asked him excitedly.
“Yeah, well… Not all the time. I was with my parents at the beginning…” He stopped for a second before he continued, but he could see it in their faces, they understood. “They died six months ago.”
“Months?! You’ve been alone for six months?!” Ink exclaimed.
“I’m so sorry, Pran,” Paa mumbled and hugged him again. Pran returned the hug with one arm and looked over at Pat, who was looking at the whole interaction with fondness on his eyes. He turned to look at Ink when he answered her.
“Yeah. I found some survivors a few weeks after my parents died. But we parted ways a little while later. They wanted to go to a sanctuary they’d heard about and… I’d rather be by myself, honestly.”
“How were you able to survive out there for so long? We can’t even get our people to come back safely after a few days when they go out to get food,” Pat asked him and stood up. Paa took a step back and looked up at him, waiting for an answer.
“I got used to it. You pick up some skills along the way. With my parents… We were in Phuket when the whole thing started.” He saw the surprise in their faces. Phuket was ground zero. “So we saw first-hand the chaos. We got out of the city as fast as we could and… So many people died just for following what the military was saying. Staying with other people wasn’t safe. So we kept to ourselves. And we survived… For the most part.”
They all nodded and decided not to pry any further, not wanting to get emotional.
“You wanted to get something from your room, right?” Pat asked, changing the subject.
“Yes,” he replied, sounding excited.
“Oh, I think Dad is there now,” Paa told him.
“I’m sorry, why is your dad in my house?”
“Well, Pran, it’s been more than a year since we saw you or your parents. We didn’t think you were coming back. My dad kind of merged both houses and it’s our base now.”
“What? What about our stuff?” Pran asked, a little heartbroken. Pat shook his head slowly. “No, no, Pat, that’s the whole reason I came here!” He exclaimed and Pat made a gesture to the two girls so they would give them some privacy. They nodded and left, Paa rubbed his arm encouragingly before they left.
“Pran, I’m sorry, but we needed the resources.”
“My family’s stuff are not resources! They’re memories. Why would you do that?! They’re not yours!”
“Would you calm down?” Pat took a step forward and placed his hands on his shoulders. “Your room is intact. So whatever you need is probably still there. Anything valuable I also put it there. They don’t know, that’s why I didn’t want them to hear,” he explained and Pran frowned.
“What? Why?”
“Before I built this, I used your room to get away from my dad after…” Pat took a deep breath in and let it out before he continued. “After my mom died. It was the only place I knew nobody would check. So before they even merged the houses together, I climbed through your window and I barricaded the door so nobody could get in from inside the house. I haven’t been there since I built this, but it’s probably still intact. They think the door’s broken and it’s just a storage room.”
“Pat, thank you,” he mumbled and didn’t think twice before he took a step forward and hugged him tightly. “I’m sorry about your mom,” he whispered against his neck.
“It’s okay… I’m sorry about your parents too…” Pat took a step back and placed a hand against his cheek. “Do you want to rest a bit before we go talk to my dad? It probably won’t be long until he finds out you’re here. If he doesn’t already know.”
“No, I’m okay, let’s go.”
Pat nodded and gave him a tight smile before they both walked out.
It was weird walking through those streets next to Pat. Especially since everyone was looking at him, they probably knew he was a stranger and he wasn’t supposed to be there. But Pat didn’t seem to mind.
His heart clenched when he saw his house in the distance. He never thought he would make it. But he tried to keep it together; the last thing he wanted was to cry in front of Pat’s dad. They walked into his house and Pran frowned when he saw that the door was wide open.
“Just wait here,” he instructed him when they walked through the door. Pran nodded and Pat walked over to the living room. He could still hear everything that was being said.
“Pat,” he heard Ming’s voice and his heart skipped a beat. “Is it true that you’ve sneaked someone in without my permission?”
“Sneaked? I let him in. We can’t just leave people out there, Dad.”
“We have protocols for this. You can’t just do whatever you want. What if they don’t have good intentions, it can be a trick.”
“It wasn’t, I can vouch for him.”
“How? He’s a stranger, you never know.”
After a few seconds of silence, Pat popped his head out from the living room and motioned for him to come.
“He’s not a stranger,” Pat replied just when he walked in. Ming frowned deeply when he recognised him, he wasn’t the only person in the room, there were other people, they seemed to be having a meeting before they got there.
“You?” He almost spat, Pran was expecting that reaction. “What are you doing here?”
“This is my home, what are you doing here?” He bit back and that only seemed to anger him more.
“You haven’t been here in more than a year.”
“Sorry, I was a little busy, you know… Surviving the end of the world.”
“Don’t get cocky, kid…”
Pran closed his fists and tried to keep his composure. He opened his mouth to answer but everyone flinched when they heard shots being fired.
“Shit,” Pat mumbled and ran out of the house. Pran followed them as they ran towards the shots, it was near the main door, the same one Pran had walked through.
“What happened!?” Ming yelled when they crossed some people who were running away from the shots.
“The hunting party just got back. One of those things was following them and it got inside.”
They started running faster and Pran saw Pat taking out a gun from his back pocket. But when he looked up and saw what was happening at the fence, his heart almost stopped.
“Wait, no, what are they doing?” He mumbled, only Pat heard him since they were running side by side. There was a line of people shooting at the monster that’d gotten inside, it looked like they didn’t have time to close the fence before it slipped inside. It was a giant ant. Pran was mortified. “No! No, don’t shoot!” He yelled as he ran faster towards them. “Stop it! Don’t shoot!”
“Stop shooting!” Pat yelled, his voice booming over the sound of the shots, one by one they stopped.
“Why the hell did you stop?!” Ming yelled and raised his gun. Pran was quick to place himself on the line of fire before they started shooting again, his arms extended and his back to the ant.
“Pran…” Pat started to warn him as he looked behind him, but Pran knew it would be fine.
“Move or we open fire!” Ming yelled again and Pat suddenly looked terrified.
“It’s a black ant, they’re peaceful!” He tried to warn them but they looked sceptical.
“Then why was it attacking us?!” One of the guys holding a gun asked him.
“You were shooting at it!” Pran yelled back and turned to look at the giant ant. He approached it and heard some people trying to stop him, especially Pat. But Pran ignored them and walked behind it. He jumped and grabbed the branch of a tree to rip it off.
He calmly walked up to the ant, which was starting to get up, a little disoriented, and offered it the branch. When she took a step forward to grab it, Pran took a step back. He let the ant eat a few leaves as he walked back and opened the fence.
He walked outside and guided the ant far away enough that she wouldn’t come back if he turned around. He gave it the branch and touched one of its legs before he walked back to the fence and closed it behind him.
As soon as he closed the fence, he saw everyone’s baffled expression.
“How did you do that?” Pat asked first.
“They’re still ants. Just big, they’re peaceful,” Pran explained and shrugged, which made everyone stare at him like he’d grown a second head. “She probably just got turned around; most ants don’t walk alone. Did you shoot at it first?”
Everyone turned to look at the team that just came back.
“Of course!” One of them exclaimed. “We shoot at any of those things, they can kill us!”
“What?” Pran asked, completely breathless. “You shoot at ants?!” He exclaimed. “Why?! There are so many monsters out there that could actually kill you and you waste bullets on black ants?!”
“Kid, you might want to change the tone,” Ming said and took a step forward. Pat did the same, but he stood between Pran and his dad.
“Let him speak. He’s been out there way longer than any of us.”
“And he came back by himself,” Ming said with a harsh tone. Pran opened his eyes widely.
“How dare you?!” He yelled and almost jumped at him, but Pat stopped him by grabbing his waist so he wouldn’t lunge at his dad. “My parents died out there, you asshole! But we survived together for half a year. Which is way more than any of you would survive!” He continued to yell, being held back by Pat. “I’d like to see you spend more than a week out there. I’ll laugh when you get eaten by a plant -eating monster.”
“Don’t treat me like I’m stupid. Ants aren’t herbivores.”
“I didn’t say they were. I said they were peaceful!” Pran replied. “That one was. I know that. Not all ants are peaceful. would you be able to tell the difference?”
“How do you know they’re peaceful?” Ink asked curiously. Trying to break the tension.
“You just… I don’t know, it's practice.”
“Maybe that one was too injured to attack you,” Ming challenged him and Pran turned to look at him with anger.
“No, it wasn’t. I got half of the way here on the back of one of those. There’s probably an anthill nearby.”
“You ride them?” Pat asked, baffled. He heard a few people gasp around him and they all started to murmur amongst themselves.
“Yeah, if you’re going in the same direction. They’re not horses, you can’t exactly guide them. Did you think I walked here? I don’t know how to drive.”
“That sounds like a load of bullshit,” someone spoke up. “We’ve had people die because of monsters just like that one!”
“Was it red? Or bigger than that one? Did you shoot at it first?” Pran questioned and nobody was able to give him an answer. “If all monsters wanted to kill us, we’d all be dead by now. Trust me, some of them are peaceful.”
“How long have you been out there?” Someone asked.
“A year,” he replied and heard the gasps. “Six months by myself.”
“Maybe we should listen to him,” someone else agreed.
“We should—” Ming started to speak but Pat stopped him.
“Let him rest,” he interrupted him and placed a hand on Pran’s shoulder. “He’s been traveling for days. We can talk about this over dinner, and maybe, if we listen to him, we’ll learn something,” Pat challenged his father and was satisfied when he didn’t reply. “Let’s go,” he told Pran and guided him away from the crowd.
Pran looked back at everyone, but followed Pat until they got back to their houses.
“I’ll take you to your room,” he explained once he opened the door of his house. “If I told my Dad what you wanted to do he wouldn’t have allowed it and he would’ve realized your room was still intact.”
They walked up the stairs until they got to Pat’s room. Pran was surprised to see that Pat’s room was also almost still intact. But they didn’t stop there for too long. Pat went to open the window and he extended a hand so that Pran could grab it. His heart was going a mile a minute, not only because he’d been waiting for that moment for so long, but also because his crush on Pat had not subsided even a little bit, despite the apocalypse. Having him care for him so much was not helping in the slightest.
“It’s easier now since they merged the roofs,” Pat told him with a smile while they walked on the roof of the house. He pushed Pran’s window open and jumped inside, offering a hand to help him up too.
The second he stepped a foot inside there he felt like he’d been transported back to five years ago. He hadn’t been in his room even before the apocalypse started. Pat was right, his room looked intact, aside from a few boxes and his closet, which Pat moved to place it in front of the door so they wouldn’t come in.
“What did you want to get?” Pat asked curiously as he looked around.
“This,” Pran replied and grabbed a frame from his desk. He opened it and pulled ou the picture from inside.
Pat looked over his shoulder and he was glad he was behind him, he didn’t want him to see him tearing up as he finally laid eyes on his family’s picture. He hadn’t seen his parents faces in so long.
“You came all the way here for a picture?” Pat asked him, baffled.
“I—” Pran stuttered and went to sit down on his bed without taking his eyes off the picture. “I realized a few weeks ago that I couldn’t exactly remember my parent’s faces. So I decided to come here to get the picture.”
Pat sat down next to him on the bed and placed a hand on his back to try to comfort him.
“Do you want some privacy?” Pat muttered when he noticed that Pran was crying.
“No, stay,” Pran asked him and moved one of his hands to grab his arm. Pat nodded slowly and caressed his back until he raised his arm and placed it on his shoulder so he could bring him closer into a hug.
Pran let himself rest his head against Pat’s shoulder as he hugged him tightly. He wasn’t sobbing, but the tears wouldn’t stop flowing down his cheeks. Pat rubbed his back and his arm, he patted his head a few times, trying to comfort him.
He didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but he didn’t want to let him go. He hadn’t hugged anyone in months and this was the third time in the last twenty-four hours that Pat hugged him like he also needed that hug.
“I just…” Pran started to mumble as he leaned back. “I wish I could go back…”
“To save them?” Pat asked hesitantly and wiped his tears away from his cheeks.
“No, back here,” Pran replied and motioned to the room. “Back when everything was so much simpler and my only concern was getting a better grade than you so my mom wouldn’t get mad at me…” He chuckled as he recalled those times, Pat smiled too.
“Okay, wait here…” Pat said as he jumped up from the bed. Pran looked up at him, he approached the window and left.
He was left alone in his room for a few short minutes before a noise startled him. When he looked at the source of the noise he was startled to find one of their tin cans on the floor. He frowned and got up to grab it and walk to the window. Pat was on his balcony and he gestured at him to place the tin can against his ear. So he did as told, waiting for Pat to say something.
“I'm sorry about my dad,” Pat said and Pran shook his head slowly before moving the tin can to his mouth.
“It's okay, it's not your fault.”
“Well, you know, your mom is pretty harsh on me too,” Pat said and Pran gave him a confused look when he heard that. “Do you think she'll get mad at both of us if we get the same grades or we could get away with it?” Pat asked easily and Pran gasped, immediately transported to easier times. Happier, even though they didn't know it back then. How he wanted to go back. His eyes filled with tears and he had to swallow around the knot in his throat before he replied.
“Maybe, but we've never been able to pull that off,” he mumbled, his voice breaking. But Pat's smile didn't falter.
“Eh, that's because you will never catch up to me in math, you're useless.”
“And your English? It's laughable, Pat. I don't know how your mom hasn't scolded you yet. Didn't she study abroad?”
“Then it's her fault for not teaching me properly, right?” Pat answered, Pran heard the moment his voice broke, but his smile didn't fade away. “Didn't your mom study engineering? She could've taught you proper math. Or maybe you're too thick-headed to learn.”
“If anyone's thick-headed here is you,” Pran bit back, but he started to feel his tears running down his cheeks again. He still chuckled. “I can't believe your dad actually thinks rugby is more important than some classes. And you believe him!”
“It is! At least some of them, right? Like art.”
“Fuck off, I love art.”
“Only because that’s the only thing you can easily beat me at.”
“Not true, soccer too. You’re lucky your dad is into rugby, he’d be pissed if he found out how shitty you are at soccer.”
“Doesn’t your mom hate soccer?” Pat asked him and Pran buried his fingers in his hair, resting his elbows on the windowsill when his legs almost gave out on him.
“She does,” he replied with a smile but still sobbed. “She made me quit just so I could go to afternoon classes.”
“It’s okay,” Pat mumbled. “My mom also signed me up to English afternoon classes. I guess in the end we’re both useless, right?” Pran chuckled and the only reason he didn’t feel bad about breaking down was because Pat was also crying.
Pran buried his head between his arms and his chuckles turned into sobs. He tried to calm himself down before he said anything. He brought the tin can to his lips but didn't look up.
“Thank you, I needed that,” he mumbled as he tried to keep his voice steady. It took a few moments until he heard Pat’s voice. The tin can wasn’t against his ear so he heard him far away, but he still understood his words.
“Thank you for coming back… I also needed this.”
Pat took his time showing him around and introducing him to people. He thought he would know more people but he didn’t recognise anyone. He knew it was because most of them died, so he didn’t bother asking. He hadn’t seen so many people in so long. And despite having Ming as a leader, they had a pretty good system.
“You grow vegetables? Nice,” Pran commented when he saw the orchard.
“Yeah, we have some cows and chickens too. We wanted to have a rice field but we don’t have enough water for that.”
“Where do you get the water and energy?”
“The dam is near the river. But we have some strict policies about saving water and energy.”
“Why don’t you build the rice field near the river then?”
“We only come out when it’s strictly necessary. We can’t have that outside the fence.”
“Do you go out often?” Pran asked curiously and then continued walking.
“No, almost never…” He replied and shrugged. “My dad says I’m too important here to risk going out there.”
“He’s just worried, it’s dangerous out there.”
“No, trust me, he wants me here, taking care of everything that he doesn’t think is too important for him to handle.”
“Like what?”
“Everything,” Pat replied and laughed without humour. “He only cares about what’s out there. He manages the fence, builds it higher, better. He goes out for food sometimes with the hunting party. They have… This map with every place around that has food. They go ou to get food every month.”
“And you manage all of this?” Pran said and pointed around. Pat nodded.
“It’s a pretty self-sufficient system, honestly. If people follow the rules, there’s not much I can do.”
“This is a lot, Pat,” Pran assured him with a smile. “It’s probably the only sanctuary that I’ve seen actually running smoothly.”
“Have you been to others?”
“A few. But very briefly. In passing, when we needed to rest or stock up. Some of them aren’t very welcoming. But I haven’t seen one in months. I hate them, actually. I try to avoid them.”
“I just…” at stopped and looked a him. “I have so many questions about how you survive out there… We don’t allow people to go out for more than five days. If they haven’t been back in a week, we consider them lost, nobody has survived out there for longer than a week.”
Pran smiled, thinking about the outside world.
“It’s not that bad, Pat. Like in here… You just have rules. It wasn’t that easy in the beginning. I survived mostly thanks to my parents.”
“They were very smart,” Pat pointed out with a smile and Pran nodded.
“I know.”
“Hey, Pat!” They both turned around when they heard someone call him. “Help us set up the tables!”
“Yeah, I’ll be right there!” He looked at Pran and motioned for him to follow him. “We try to have dinner together. It’s easier to manage rations and keeps morale high,” he explained and Pran followed him with a smile.
“Neat, can’t wait to have another warm meal,” Pran said excitedly with a skip in his step.
“You don’t use fires out there?”
“Not often. I have a rule: you either get a warm meal or a good night’s sleep. The smell of the food attracts monsters so you can’t stay there for long after cooking. And lately I’ve preferred to prioritise sleep,” he explained calmly and looking around the place. They had picnic tables around a bonfire, which was lighting up the place since the sky was getting dark already. People were setting up tales o using the bonfire to cook dinner.
“That’s… We’ve never thought of that…” Pat mumbled pensively, and Pran was starting to understand why their people couldn’t last long out there.
“Pran?” He heard someone ask suddenly and he whipped his head to see who it was. His heart skipped a beat when he saw a familiar face that he thought he’d never see again.
“Wai?” Pran asked, and he was already walking towards him, a wide smile on his face. Wai took a couple of steps forward and they crushed into a hug.
“I can’t— What are you doing here?” Wai asked him when they stopped hugging, excitement clear on his face. “God, I heard someone knew came in but I never thought it would be you.”
“I used to live here, I just came back,” Pran replied and placed his hands on his shoulders, his cheeks hurt from how much he was smiling.
“You know each other?” He heard Pat ask and he turned around to look at him.
“Yeah, we went to boarding school together.”
“He was supposed to transfer to our uni right before the whole thing went down. I told him the architecture program was better there.”
“Our?” Pran asked when he heard Wai say that to Pat, he saw Pat’s expression suddenly saddened.
“We went to uni together, he was studying architecture and I was doing engineering…” Pat explained and Pran was suddenly hit by the realisation that he was only a couple of weeks away from attending the same uni as Pat before the world ended.
“Guys,” He heard Korn suddenly call for them, placing a hand on Wai’s shoulder to dissipate the tension. “Aren’t you hungry? Let’s eat.”
They all nodded and helped set up the tables before they sat down to eat. Pran was sitting between Pat and Wai, but a crowd of people had gathered there to meet Pran and practically interrogate him about how life was out there while they ate.
“How do you even sleep? Every time we go out, we get ambushed in our sleep,” some guy asked him and Pran shrugged. “Do you have a tent?”
“No, a tent is too heavy and it attracts attention. I just… I don’t know, I have different methods, depending on the environment. But I mostly use a tarp to blend into the ground. I use it as a blanket and cover it with some leaves. You get a good night’s sleep like that.”
“I don’t know how you’ve been able to survive with your OCD…” Pat pointed out and chuckled.
“It’s hard!” He joked and they both started laughing.
“Since when are you two even friends?” They were startled when they heard Ming’s voice at the head of the table.
“Dad,” Pat started, his smile fading away. “The world went to shit. You can’t tell me you still care about that, right?”
“I don’t trust him. I don’t think he was able to survive out there so long by himself. You haven’t seen what’s out there…” Pran saw Pat roll his eyes and let out a sigh. He could tell this was a card Ming pulled a lot. Probably to tell Pat that he didn’t know what he was talking about. “How do we know this isn’t what he does? Got to other colonies to steal food?”
“Why would he steal? We are literally giving it to him,” Pat argued and motioned at the plates on the table.
“And he brought honey!” Korn pointed out, trying to stop a fight from happening. A few people gasped, excitedly. “So we have dessert tonight!”
“You brought honey?!” Paa exclaimed excitedly. “We haven’t had anything sweet in so long…”
“He brought a lot of honey,” Pat pointed out with a smile.
“Seriously?”
“I have a lot of honey, yeah… It’s not that hard to get,” Pran replied and shrugged.
“Is it? How do you get it?” Ming questioned him, a tone of scepticism in his voice.
“Honeycombs?” Pran answered like it was obvious. “They’re still just bees. Bees don’t sting unless you attack them. They still die after using their sting, you know?”
“Isn’t it radioactive?”
“Well, uh… Yeah, don’t get honey from bees that have eight eyes, and stay away from them. But it’s hard to come by those. You have to be close to a zone of impact, and you don’t have any of those around here, right?”
“How do you know all of this?” Paa asked him curiously.
“My dad studied environmental science, so he knew a lot of stuff about insects and animals. It came in handy.”
“There are very dangerous things out there. Just because he guided out an ant that was already dying doesn’t mean that he’s right about everything he says,” Ming pointed out and Pran suppressed a sigh.
“Dad, I think he knows,” Pat replied for him and Pran felt something swell in his chest. He wasn’t used to seeing Pat defend him to his dad. But then again, Ming would be the only person able to say that to him after his parents died.
“Let’s just eat, he’s probably overwhelmed with all the questions,” Paa pointed out with a smile to try to dissipate the tension.
Everyone agreed and they went back to their food. Pran felt Pat’s hand on his back in a comforting gesture before he started talking to Korn next to them. They all talked to him about their lives inside their little sanctuary and Pran listened with a smile on his face. It was the first peaceful community he’d encountered.
“We used to hate each other,” Wai explained as they ate and Pran raised his eyebrows, surprised.
“What?”
“Yeah, there was this big rivalry going on between the Architecture faculty and the Engineering faculty. Remember I told you about that?”
“Barely.”
“Well, we got into so many fights.”
“And how did you end up here? The uni is miles away…” Pran asked as he looked at the guys around the table.
“Funnily enough, we were fighting when the asteroid hit,” Korn explained as he laughed. “We had to hide for a couple of days in the uni, they wanted to quarantine the place but Pat knew that wouldn’t turn out well and he wanted to go back to check on his family.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t leave them there and they didn’t want me to go by myself. So we made a plan to leave. Some of us got into my car and we drove here. It was hard getting out of the city…” Pat continued and Pran didn’t want to ask them the details because he knew they probably lost some people on the way. “When we got here, my dad was already quarantining the place.”
“So we decided to stay, it seemed like the best option.”
“What about your families?” Pran asked, he couldn’t imagine staying in someone else’s house without knowing where his parents were.
“After we got settled here, we went out to find them. Uhm… We found most of them, but not all…” Chang, the guy who had greeted him at the fence when he first got there, explained. Pran nodded slowly and looked down at his almost empty plate. For the first time in almost a year, he could finally say that he was actually getting full.
He opened his mouth, trying to change the subject to a more lighthearted one —nobody wanted to talk about their dead parents—, but a deafening scream startled everyone.
They all jumped from their seats and turned to look who had screamed. A few people were running away from their tables. Pran frowned and took a couple of steps forward, but he flinched when he heard a gunshot. And that’s when he saw what exactly had scared everyone. A bug had gotten in by burrowing a hole in the ground, it scurried away and rolled into a ball when the shot was fired.
He gasped and looked at Ming, he was the one who had tried to shoot it, but he missed since it was so dark. He was about to try to shoot it down again.
“Don’t! Don’t you even dare!” Pran snapped and grabbed Pat’s gun from his pocket to point it at Ming. Everyone froze, not expecting him to do that. A pin drop could be heard. “It’s a damn Pill Bug. They eat dead plants. They’re completely harmless! You are not killing it.” They all stared at him in disbelief, and a deafening silence filled the heavy atmosphere.
“Pran…” Pat said softly, Pran flinched but tried to hide it when he realised it was just Pat. Still, he didn’t move the gun, aimed straight at Ming’s head. “We won’t kill it, okay? Just lower the gun,” he said as he tried to calm him down. He only felt his breathing slow down when Pat grabbed his arm gently and helped him lower the gun.
He flinched and looked down when he felt something nudge his leg, it was the pill bug. It didn’t even reach his knee and they wanted to kill it. He looked at Ming as he gave Pat his gun back. He went to grab the piece of bread he’d been eating and walked over to the burrow to give the bug a piece before he threw the rest of it into the hole. The bug rolled down and Pran stood up so he could cover up the hole again by pushing the dirt with his foot.
“It probably just smelled the food,” Pran explained when he looked up, his voice still sounding a little breathless. Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
“I thought you said they ate dead plants,” Ming spoke up and Pran stared at him with fury in his eyes.
“Fuck you,” he spat before he walked away.
He shook his hands as he picked up the pace; they were still trembling. He knew the way to Pat’s hideout. He needed to get his stuff and get the hell out of there. He’d gotten what he was looking for. He had the picture right in his back pocket.
“Pran!” He heard Pat call for him as he jogged up so he could catch up with him. “Are you okay?” He asked when he started walking next to him.
“No, I’m not. I need to get my stuff.”
“What? Why?” Pat asked him, suddenly alarmed.
“To leave,” he replied with finality and turned the corner into the house that connected to the hideout.
Pat followed behind him until they got to the little cabin.
“Pran, wait. You’re not thinking straight. You can’t leave now,” Pat tried to reason with him, but Pran grabbed his backpack and placed it on the bed so he could check that he had everything.
“I just— I need to go. I can’t stay here…” Pran said as he packed his stuff quickly.
“Wait…” Pat tried to stop him.
“You guys almost killed a roly-poly! Those things are like puppies! What have they done to you? I could understand the ant, it could attack you. But a pill bug? They roll into a ball!”
“I know, I’m sorry. We didn’t know, okay? But you can’t go. Please, it’s dark and you haven’t even slept.”
“Pat, I have to go,” Pran said and closed his backpack.
“Please don’t leave me again,” Pat blurted out and Pran froze. He stopped packing but didn’t have the guts to look up at Pat. He waited a few seconds before Pat said something else. “I just got you back…” Pat whispered. he sounded desperate. “I thought you were dead, Pran. This whole time… I thought I would never see you again. So please… Don’t leave.”
Pran sighed and slowly looked up at him. It took him a few seconds to gather his thoughts before he said anything.
“I don’t know how to live locked up, Pat. This fence… It’s making me anxious, I need to be out there…” He said, trying to make his voice sound softer.
“I can take you out there if you need it. A breather, yeah?” Pat suggested with a smile and Pran furrowed his brows. “Come with me. Leave your backpack.”
Pran followed him and saw him open a trap door behind the desk that he had in the little cabin. He crawled out and Pran followed him. Once he was able to stand up, he realized they were outside the fence. When he looked back, he was finally able to see the hideout from the outside. It was built right up against the fence and Pat had opened a hole on the bottom.
“Nobody wanted this house since it was so close to the fence. So my friends and I took it. Paa and Ink too. I built the cabin against the fence and opened a pathway…” Pat explained and Pran turned to look at him. “I never get to go out, my dad won’t let me and I have too much to do around here. So sometimes…” He said as he walked over to a tree and moved around some leaves. Pran frowned and suppressed a laugh when he saw him unfold a poolside chair. “I come out here with Korn, we drink some beers and we pretend that we’re not trapped inside a fenced community at the end of the world.” He told him and set up both chairs right against the fence, looking out into the forest.
Pran smiled when Pat gestured at the chairs like he just pulled them out with magic.
“That’s very sweet…” He mumbled before he sat down on one of them. Pat sighed and sat next to him on the other one. There was a moment of silence where they both breathed in the air like it was different from the one inside. “You guys have beer?” Pran asked suddenly, which made Pat laugh.
“Yeah, Wai brews it. He’s pretty good at it, actually. He used to work in a bar.”
“Yeah, I know,” Pran replied and they both chuckled.
“We could’ve… Gone to uni together…” Pat whispered as he looked up at the sky, he could see so many stars out there. Pran hummed in response, because he didn’t know what to say to that, it hurt way too much to think about a future that never even happened.
“You seemed… Especially anxious about us killing that bug,” Pat pointed out the obvious. Pran hadn’t been so nervous and on edge when they were shooting at the ant. “Any reason why?”
Pran sighed and leaned his head back against the chair before he replied.
“Pill bugs burrow into the ground…” Pran mumbled to himself. “My parents were killed by a giant spider,” he said, and it felt weird finally saying it out loud. “We hid, most times, but this one… It got to us before we could run. My dad tried to kill it, but it killed him instead. And my mom was just barely able to hide me before she was dragged away by that fucking monster…” He tried not to remember the vivid images living in his head as he finally told the story to someone. “She hid me in a burrow. I hid with a pill bug for almost two days. I knew— I knew they were dead, but I didn’t have the guts to come out and see it for myself. So I just… I stayed with a roly-poly under the ground until it wanted to come out too. The spider was gone by then.”
When he finished speaking, the only thing he could hear was Pat’s slow breathing next to him.
“Scorpion,” he said suddenly and Pran had to turn his neck to look at him. “That’s what killed my mom. A year ago,” he explained, trying to sound calm. Pran gave him a weak smile. At least they could understand each other. “So you like roly-polies?” He asked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. Pran nodded..
“Pill bugs are kind of… Perfect,” Pran replied and couldn’t help the smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “They’re not too big, they never attack, they don’t eat our food and they clean the dirt. Plus, they make the best companion. I’m not kidding when I say they’re like puppies. They roll into balls, Pat. Ever played soccer with one of them? They like it, it’s like a game of catch.”
Pat chuckled when he heard him talk about them so excitedly. Pran sighed and closed his eyes as he rested his head against the back of the chair. They stayed silent for a few seconds until they heard a noise coming from the forest. Pat tensed up and reached into his pocket to grab his gun. Pran opened one eye to see his reaction.
“Sshh… It's a worm, just let it pass…” Pran whispered and placed his hand on top of Pat's to stop him from grabbing the gun.
“You haven’t even looked…” Pat pointed out, Pran was still looking at the sky. Pran smiled and raised his hand to tap his ear twice.
“Living out here for so long… You end up telling the difference just by sound.”
“How can you tell? When they’re peaceful.”
“You…” Pran started to say and opened his eyes to look up at the sky. “It’s in their eyes… You look into their eyes,” he explained calmly.
“Why didn’t you tell them that?” Pat asked as he looked at the side of his face.
“Not everyone can look into the eyes of a monster and live to tell the tale…” He whispered and looked down. “If you tell a bunch of people that, they get reckless. You shouldn’t look into their eyes unless you’re sure you can defend yourself when they attack,” Pat nodded slowly and Pran sighed as he stretched himself on the chair. “But you guys are fine. You have ants, pill bugs and worms. Which means you don’t have a lot of predators around. You haven’t gotten any lately, right?”
“No, thankfully, we haven’t.”
“You can tell when there’s a real monster around when you can’t see any harmless ones,” Pran explained and Pat smiled fondly.
“We didn’t know there was a difference…”
“Probably the reason you guys can’t last long out here. You have to learn to live with them. And your dad can’t leave peacefully with anyone.”
“I’m sorry about my him…” Pat mumbled after a moment of silence. “He’s not usually this bad…” He started to say and Pran gave him a look. “Well, maybe with you… But he’s been especially on edge lately.”
“Something happened?”
“We lost someone,” Pat explained and crossed his arms over his chest. “Not long ago. A woman. My dad was seeing her.”
“Seriously?” Pran asked, surprised, and raised his head to look at him. “After…”
“Yeah, after my mom… It wasn’t immediately, thankfully. But— Yeah, he can’t understand how I’m still grieving even though it’s been more than a year since she died. And I don’t know how to tell him that he can always get a new wife, but I will never get a new mom.”
“I’m sorry, Pat…” Pran whispered and reached over to place his hand on top of Pat’s so he could comfort him. “Everyone copes differently. Maybe he was coping…”
“Oh, yeah. Don’t worry, I got that part. Apparently, everyone has the same coping method,” he replied humorlessly.
“What do you mean?”
“Everyone’s a little coupled up…” Pat said and chuckled. “The end of the world does that to people. Nobody wants to die alone, right?”
“Seriously?” Pran asked and Pat nodded.
“Yeah, Wai and Korn have this weird thing going on…”
“Really?” Pran asked and snorted.
“Yeah, they used to hate each other. But now, whenever they aren’t yelling at each other, they’re having sex. Don’t bring it up to them, though. They’ll pretend they don’t know what you’re talking about. But everyone knows, they’re kind of awful at hiding it.”
“That sounds like Wai, yeah. Anyone else I should know about?”
“Well, Ink and Paa started dating almost immediately after everything went down.”
“Wait, what?” Pran asked and sat up. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah, you didn’t see that one coming, right?” They both started laughing, but Pran still couldn’t believe what he was telling him.
“Doesn’t it bother you? I thought you liked Ink…”
“Yeah, a lifetime ago. But I’m happy for them, really. After everything happened, the last thing on my mind was Ink. I’m just happy my sister isn’t alone.”
“She’s got you,” Pran mumbled and looked down as he fidgeted with his hands.
“Not the same,” Pat replied and chuckled.
“What about you?” Pran blurted out, the question had been on his mind for a little while now.
“Me?” Pat asked and turned to look at him with a confused expression.
“Yeah. Are you… With anyone?”
“No,” Pat replied immediately and snorted like it was a crazy idea. “No, no way.”
“Why do you say it like that? I’ve seen how everyone looks at you…”
“Half of them want to get on my dad’s good side, or take advantage of the fact that I run everything here. The other half just want sex. I don’t know if it’s the same out there, but apparently everyone wants to have a lot of sex during the apocalypse,” Pat said and laughed, but there was a hint of frustration in his voice. “Especially in this house. I have earplugs if you need them…”
Pran let out a loud laugh and turned his body a little towards him so he could watch him.
“Why don’t you do it too? It’s not like you don’t have options.”
“I used to, very sporadically… But nothing good comes out of that. It’s the end of the world, everyone’s too desperate. And I see it, even with my friends or my sister. There’s no such thing as casual sex anymore. Even Wai and Korn, they pretend like nothing’s going on and that they don’t have feelings for each other… But I found Wai crying once because Korn hadn’t come back from a trip in a few days and he thought he was dead,” he explained and turned to look at Pran. “Korn hasn’t volunteered to go out since, even though the trip went well.”
“I can understand that…” Pran mumbled and rested his cheek on his shoulder, they were both looking at each other now.
“Right, so I don’t wanna put someone else through that. Especially if I don’t feel the same for them. It would be cruel.”
“Mh,” Pran hummed and nodded slowly. He didn’t want to admit to himself that he was actually a little relieved that Pat wasn’t dating anyone.
“What about you?” Pat asked suddenly, which caught him off guard.
“Me?” Pran asked and snorted. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s pretty lonely out there.”
“What? You don’t even find other survivors?”
“No, most people are underground, I think you’re he first colony I’ve encountered that lives in the surface. I haven’t seen another human being in five months,” Pran explained and shrugged. “I spent half a year with my parents and the other half grieving. Trust me, there was nothing going on in my love life or sex life…”
“Seriously? Not even back when you stopped at other sanctuaries?” Pat asked him and Pran raised his eyebrows, his smile not fading.
“Once,” he confessed and avoided his gaze for a moment. “In a very desperate attempt of not wanting to die a virgin.”
“Was it good at least?”
“No,” Pran replied and they both broke out in laughter.
They stayed in silence after their laughter died down, looking up at the stars and trying to feel a sense of relaxation. But before they could nod off, Pat spoke.
“We should go inside, before we fall asleep…” Pat mumbled but didn’t get up.
“It’s such a nice night out here…” Pran whispered without opening his eyes.
“We can’t sleep out here, it’s dangerous.”
“No as much as you think,” Pran mumbled and opened his eyes when an idea popped into his head. “Have you ever slept outside?” Pat frowned and shook his head slowly. “Wait here.”
He got up and walked inside to get something from his backpack. When he walked out, Pat gave him a confused look until he unfolded the tarp he used to sleep.
“I’ll show you how I do it,” he told him and pushed his chair closer to Pat’s. He sat back down on his chair and placed the tarp on top of them like it was a blanket. “I would usually cover it with leaves, but we’ll be fine.”
“And they won’t see us?”
“The one’s that are awake during the night don’t have good vision,” he explained with a smile as he closed his eyes. “So we’ll be fine as long as you don’t snore.”
“We’re fucked then.”
“You snore?” Pran asked and opened his eyes in surprise. Pat chuckled.
“No, I’m joking.”
Pran rolled his eyes and slapped his shoulder.
“Sleep,” he told him as he closed his eyes. “We’ll be fine, I promise.”
“I trust you,” he heard Pat whisper next to him right before he fell asleep.
Pran woke up at the first signs of the sun rising. It was still a little dark and his head was resting against Pat’s shoulder. He sighed happily and moved his eyes up to look at his face. For a second, he thought it might’ve all been a dream. But there he was, practically cuddling with Pat after not seeing him for so long. After an apocalypse.
He reached into his pocket and took out the picture of his parents that he’d taken from his room. He couldn’t get enough of looking at it. He was standing in between them, they had their arms around him and all three had bright smiles on their faces. They didn’t know the world was going to end soon.
Pat groaned and stirred awake slowly. Probably sensing that Pran was moving too. He opened his eyes slowly and looked up at the sky.
“Hey, we’re still alive,” he muttered, his voice a little raspy due to sleep. Pran would keep his horniness for another time.
“I told you you could trust me.” Pat smiled and looked down at him, which did nothing to help Pran’s quick beating heart. “We should probably head inside,” he said suddenly and sat up, grabbing the tarp so he could fold it. “Before they realise we’re gone.”
“Yeah,” Pat agreed and rubbed his eyes before he got up to put away the chairs.
They walked inside the house and Pran went to take a shower. He couldn’t believe he actually got to take showers now. When he walked out of the bathroom and went downstairs, he saw Korn and Wai in the kitchen eating breakfast together.
“Hey, are you feeling better?” Korn asked him with a smile. Pran smiled back, he was so different from Wai, he would’ve never thought they were together. Maybe it was true, opposites attract.
“Yeah, sorry about yesterday…”
“Don’t even worry about it. Honestly, it was kind of badass. More than killing anything that moves.”
“Hey,” Pat greeted them when he walked into the kitchen with a fresh set of clothes and a toolbox in his hand. “I’m gonna go to Tay’s house, he told me yesterday that his shower wasn’t working,” he informed them before he turned to look at Pran. “I’ll come and get you once I’m done. I wanna give you something from my house, okay?”
“Okay,” Pran mumbled and nodded. Pat squeezed his shoulder before he left.
He turned to look at Wai and Korn and frowned deeply when he saw the amused expressions they had on their faces. Everything was a little weird between Pat and him, and they could definitely tell.
“Shut up. Or I’ll ask about you two,” he threatened and they both whipped their heads to avoid eye contact and looked anywhere but at Pran.
He chuckled and walked over to the pantry to see if there was something for him to eat.
“There’s fresh milk over there. If you want cereal,” Korn informed him.
“Thanks,” Pran replied and looked for a bowl.
“I’m gonna go, I have to get started on the food.”
Pran saw from his peripheral how Korn left his breakfast plate on top of Wai’s, and when Wai frowned, he leaned over and kissed him quickly before he left.
“I’ll see you later, Pran!” He yelled over his shoulder.
Pran looked straight at his cereal when he heard Wai get up from his chair, pretending like he hadn’t seen that. But then he remembered this was Wai, his best friend.
“Why do you even keep it a secret?” He asked and turned to look at him, which caught Wai off guard. He stared at him, wide-eyed, before he finally said anything.
“I don’t want him to die,” he blurted out and Pran frowned, not making the connection. “Every time someone announces a relationship or something, they die. It’s like a curse. And then everyone treats the other person like they’re a widow. With so much pity in their eyes. I don’t want him to die, so I keep it to myself. And, God forbid, if it ever happens, it will be my own grief to deal with by myself. No pity eyes around me,” he replied and Pran nodded slowly, his eyebrows raised and impressed.
“That’s good, Wai. I’m happy for you, if it’s any consolation.” Wai smiled widely and stepped forward to squeeze him into a hug.
“God, I missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Pran mumbled against his shoulder.
“I can’t believe we found each other here, of all places,” he said and took a step back to look at him.
“Fate?”
They looked up and saw Ink and Paa walking down the stairs from their rooms, probably.
“Wai, I hope you’re done with your breakfast, we have to go,” Ink told him and Wai rolled his eyes.
“Where?” Pran asked curiously.
“We take care of the inventory, and we have a lot of work, since they brought new stuff yesterday.”
“Ink, it’s not a lot of work if they barely brought anything. I’ve seen the bags.”
“So? It’s still work, let’s go,” she said and Wai groaned and rolled his eyes before he left.
Pran chuckled at their interaction and turned to look at Paa.
“They don’t actually hate each other. Wai used to have a little bit of a crush on me before I started dating Ink… She still teases him about it,” she explained and they both started laughing.
“Congratulations, by the way,” Pran said and took a spoonful of cereal.
“Thank you!” Paa replied excitedly and grabbed a loaf of bread and a bar of butter. “Oi, I’m so glad you’re back,” she said and suddenly squeezed him into a hug. Pran tried not to choke on his cereal as he laughed.
“I’m glad to see you guys, too.”
“No, I’m serious Pran. Seeing you again… It’s like a breath of fresh air, we’ve been having some awful weeks lately. You’re just what we all needed.”
“I think your dad would disagree…”
“Don’t even worry about him. He’s just a grumpy old man. And I’m just… I’m so happy for Pat.”
“What? Why?” Pran asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
“He seemed so happy to see you yesterday.”
“Well, you were all happy, right?”
“But especially him. I think it’s the contrast…”
“What do you mean?”
“Well… Don’t tell him I told you this. But— He’s different…” Paa mumbled. “Ever since mom died. It’s been really hard on him. Dad took out his anger mostly on him and he had to deal with so many responsibilities around here. He’s…” Paa sighed and it took her a moment to find the words. “Lonely? He’s closed himself to everyone. He spends most of his time in that little hide-out he built and he only comes out to do his chores. He’s grumpy all the time and he fights with Dad almost every day. Honestly… I’m glad you’re back, Pran. I saw you guys talking yesterday and… I haven’t seen him smile like that in so long.”
“I– I’m glad,” he stuttered, not being able to find the words. He looked down at his cereal and tried to concentrate on eating it before it got soggy. But they were probably already expired, he didn’t even want to question it.
Paa spoke excitedly about all the things she wanted to show him. Stuff that Pat hadn’t thought Pran would find interesting. But Paa knew he would like them. Pran told her that Pat wanted to give him something from their house later, so she just agreed to show him around after that.
He was kind of glad he hadn’t left yesterday. Hearing Pat begging him to stay definitely did things to him. But seeing his friends smile and tell him that they missed him was something else.
Pat walked back into the house after he was done with breakfast and Paa kept telling him about the adorable chickens and cows that she took care of so they could eat eggs and have milk.
He asked him if he had eaten something already and Pran had to ignore the butterflies in his stomach when he saw Pat’s smile. It still lit up the room. He couldn’t believe everyone had been deprived of that gorgeous smile. He was at least glad that he could see it again.
Pat took him to his old house. He still wouldn’t tell him what it was that he wanted to show him, which kept the mystery going until they crossed the door and heard some voices coming from the living room. He saw Pat frown as they walked closer and when they got to the door, they saw Ming and a few other people looking down at a map on the table.
“What’s going on?” Pat asked and took a step forward into the room. Everyone whipped their heads up when they heard that. Ming frowned when he saw that Pran was also there.
“None of your business.”
“Dad, why didn’t you tell me you had another meeting? Didn’t you have one yesterday?” Pat asked, ignoring what he told him.
“We didn’t get enough supplies…” One of the guys answered for him. He saw Ming giving him a look so he would shut up. “We’re trying to figure out another area that we haven’t checked.”
“So soon after?”
“We’re running out of food, Pat. And now we've got more mouths to feed,” Ming said, looking pointedly at Pran. But he ignored him and took a step forward towards the table.
“Can I?” He asked as he pointed at the map. A few people shrugged, so he took it as a green light.
He looked down and grabbed one of the pens on the table.
“This zone has a massive wasp nest. You should definitely avoid that,” he explained and circled the same area that they had marked to go and check out. “There’s a critter in this area. Should be asleep during the day, but I wouldn’t take my chances… And this— There might be some food here, but I saw some traces of a lizard kind of monster, so it might’ve eaten everything already.”
“Then what the hell are we supposed to do?” Ming snapped and slammed a hand on the table, making everyone flinch. “You just circled out every area we haven’t been able to check out.”
“You only look for human foods. You forget that there’s a new world out there, new plants, new animals to hunt.”
“Don’t tell me you eat those things?” A woman asked, sounding disgusted.
“Some of them, yeah. We can’t live off of leaves our whole lives.”
“How can you tell if they’re not toxic?”
“I keep a diary with every animal that’s safe to eat and easy to hunt. It’s usually either the fish kind or the reptile kind. They’re pretty tasty too,” he explained and shrugged. “There are some new plants out there, too. New fruits, berries…”
“I think you’re trying to kill us all,” Ming said and placed both of his hands on the table to lean closer to him. “How do we know you’re not just trying to poison us all?”
“Dad…” Pat tried to stop him, but Pran snapped.
“You want me to prove myself? Fine. What do you need? I can go out there and get it.”
“What? No,” Pat immediately jumped. “You don’t need to prove yourself.”
“But I want to,” Pran said decisively, staring down at Ming. “You don’t believe me? I’ll bring you food to feed everyone for a month and then we’ll talk.”
“Deal,” Ming said, sounding satisfied. “I hope you don’t die out there.”
“No, no, Pran, you’re not leaving…” Pat started to say, he sounded desperate. “Dad, he just got here. Can’t you let him rest for a bit?”
“Nobody rests here until we get more food,” he bit back.
“So I’ll go and get it. It’s fine, it’s easy. I’ll be back in the blink of an eye,” Pran said as he smirked and crossed his arms.
“You are not leaving by yourself.”
“Pat, he’s survived by himself out there for six months. Of course, he can do it, right? Unless he was bluffing.” Ming taunted him, but it only amused Pran.
“I will—” Pran started to reply, but he was caught off guard by Pat.
“I’ll go with him,” he blurted out, and everyone in the room turned to look at him in disbelief.
“What?”