Evergreen

23

Songs: Anne with an E - the pains of being pure at heart, Hold Back the River - James Bay, Heart of Gold - Neil Young.

Dusk was slowly approaching, we spent the last of the daylight setting out small game traps we'd check in the morning. I wasn't expecting any joy out of them, I only catch vermin and birds here on a good day. The bigger stuff was in much more remote wilderness areas, probably why they still existed, nothing could commit to really bothering them.

Henry came in handy with the hunting part, he wasn't lying when he spoke of his dads hunting trips he could track some and he could identify mushrooms and berries. Setting the traps was in his wheel house too, his large hands worked away with surprising delicacy. He took care in concealing them, his furrowed brows in full concentration not to pile up too much to set it off.

I shot down two skinny crows they could be roasted quick on a small fire, along with our rations it was enough food for us to have the energy for the hike back. We both washed off the day in the frigid waters and I cleaned and bound Henry's hands with strips of material I'd packed.

Henry was in charge of not burning our meal while I washed our clothes in the river, I swear I could still smell rotting flesh. We were both left in our underwear, daylight dwindling a balminess had settled in. The heat of the day still being held in the ground, rocks warm to the touch, so it wasn't that unpleasant.

"Food's ready pip squeak." The fire lit Henry in all the right places, the warm glow casting shadows in every dip and curve of his muscled physique. He was truly carved like a gladiator, if I taught him how to use those pretty weapons he called arms, I could turn him something terrifying.

"Move your freakishly large ass." He moved up on the small drift wood, there was just enough room for us to sit shoulder to shoulder. Although my head didn't quite reach his shoulders, he really was a unit of a man. Being this close to his biceps they were quite literally the size of my head. Seeing them twitch as he tore tiny strips of meat off the birds carcass, made my heart squeeze just a fraction.

"You like my freakishly large ass." He winked, the shit had better cut this cocky act out.

"How's the KFC?" His lips curved slightly, he had little drops of fat caught in his beard.

"Not quite raising canes but they're actually the best meal I've had in a long fucking time."

Taking my first bite I let out a small groan, hot food was always a luxury. It was rare I could justify the risk of a fire. But today we earned it, I was confident the rotters were our only visitors. We couldn't have that much bad luck in one day.

"Have I made up for my coconut eggs?" He gently nudged my leg with his thick hair covered thigh, he screamed masculinity. I just about registered his question as I tore my gaze away.

"They were pretty bad." We both let out breathy laughs, it felt comfortable.

"You know I don't want to stab you all the time."

"I know. We all have our way of keeping the world out short stuff. Your's just comes with added attitude." I threw a little bone at him, he expertly deflected it into the fire.

"I guess my manners haven't exactly thrived with the hermit life." He just smiled in reply.

"Well the night walkers aren't exactly the conversational type either..." I could see the fear root itself back in his eyes, he tensed like they were stood in front of us.

"It's night time. Isn't it dangerous out here?! Should we go back to the tree now?"

"It's alright, the forest is calm tonight I can feel it. They were the first rotters I've seen out here for months, judging by their clothing they came from way up north, they've probably been wandering for years." He relaxed a little with my words of reassurance.

"Plus the night time is usually when I operate most, the only thing you really have to worry about is rotters. They keep us humans scared and hidden away."

"But aren't they like super mutants in the dark?" It was clearly time for ghost stories around the camp fire.

"The government put out false information at first you couldn't really rely on their zombie facts, they're stronger and more active at night. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, they're driven to feed at night so the more blood thirsty and desperate they are, the harder they are to kill. They seem to be in an eternal state of feeding, they turn on each other and themselves when they get desperate." Henry just took it in nodding slowly.

"I figured all that out pretty fucking quickly when I killed my first one." Henry's eyes glowed in the flickering light.

"It was a little kid. Really fucked me up for a while... I'd never killed a person before. Looking back now it just seemed like a waste of a bullet, I could of just caved its skull in." Henry nearly choked on his mouthful.

The crow meat warmed my belly in a way I could cry out for.

"How many have you killed?" He sheepishly asked.

"If I counted it would take me all night and I doubt I'd remember them all." Sucking the meat from the last of my bones I tossed the hollow things into the flames.

"Is that just rotters?" It was my turn to feel uncomfortable.

"No. Actual people too. I'm not proud of what I've had to do to stay alive but it is what it is."

"So those ones we killed today were what... not at their best?" His throat bobbed imagining how it could have gone worse.

"If I'm completely honest, if we would have ran into that big guy at night... I highly doubt there would be two of us sat here." He didn't like that version of events, leaning forward elbows resting on his knees he stared off into the fire watching the little bones turn black.

"You'd just leave me to die?"

"If you were bitten. I'd expect you to do the same if it was me." I know my tone was very matter of a fact, but it was. Fact, just what the world has become... pick your way to die.

"I'd probably put you out of your misery before you were turned or ripped apart. It's the only comfort I could give if things ever got that bad." I placed my hand on his forearm, he instantly looked down at my slim fingers a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

"You're not what I expected short stuff."

"And what did you expect from a wild bitch you found in a tree?" He had turned his body towards me the broadness of his shoulders covered me from the firelight.

"For you to have a heart in there." He prodded my breast bone playfully pushing me.

I had began to take a breath before he interrupted me.

"Yeah, yeah I'm going to loose a finger if I do that again." I couldn't hold back my smile so I chose to bite at my lower lip in vain.

"Henry." He looked down at me again, his soft expression calming me.

"Before we saw them, when we were still attached to the ropes..." He drew in closer the distance between us charged. The night air seemed more clammy than pleasant.

"What were you thinking?" My voice had never felt so small. Where was my bravery now?

He slowly lifted my hand placing it atop his he swiped his thumb back and forth across my knuckles, the simple touch sending sparks of want to places I swore had retired.

"I was thinking. I wonder what she'll stab me with if I kiss her?"