Part 1: The Runaway

  Chapter 8: The New Normal

  Splishishish. Water spewed from the hose onto the ground. The four had set themselves up comfortably at the side of Walker lake, with Scott and DD having set up the intake hose, which snaked down the hill into the water. The lake had been filthy longer than DD had existed, polluted by people who died before the end of the world as they knew it.

  The truck filled itself via a pump, crafted from some other appliance that was now unidentifiable. Walker itself was a pretty place, shielded on one side by steep rock faces, the abandoned old town that shared it’s name was built right into the hill behind them that leads down to the water.

  The three had thrown their dirty clothes on the ground and Trent was using some water to rinse them out as he glanced over at DD. She had been staring off into space for a while, so he decided to take a break and talk to her.

  “Is it the one you are staring at?” He asked as he came up behind her. Her eyes were locked onto a particular house, to Trent, it just looked like any other abandoned house in Walker, but to her it clearly meant something much deeper.

  “Yes.” DD said softly. It was the house alright. The one where she’d been attacked and abandoned. “It’s really an unremarkable old house, but I remember it well. Seeing it now is filling my head with a sort of pressure I can’t explain.”

  “You’re safe with us, you know.”

  “I’m aware. After that happened though, I never got out of my car to use the bathroom alone again.”

  “That makes sense. Also wait how?”

  “I had this like, tube thing someone gave me. It’s supposed to be for standing and peeing I guess? Weird problems for people before the collapse I guess, but I found some use for it.”

  “That’s weird, full honesty.” Trent stated.

  “When have I been normal?” DD shrugged.

  “What did you do until you got the tube?” Trent pressed.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” She snickered, then took a deep breath. “Alright you win I’m cheered up, let’s bother Scott.” She moved away from the house. Houses were supposed to be lived in, but that one lived in her instead.

  Aina was already laying her clothes out to dry in the sun, including a much more feminine outfit DD had never seen her wear.

  “You didn’t do my laundry, right Scott?” DD yelled.

  “Of course not. You told me not to.” Scott was folding his and Trent’s laundry. DD went to the back of her car and started throwing laundry over her left arm. She peered around the side of the car and the others were minding their own business, so she walked and threw her stuff down by the hose and began washing.

  “It’s hot today.” Scott noted.

  “It’s always hot Scott.” Trent said, a bit annoyed.

  “No I mean, really hot.” He clarified. He was kind of right, it was pretty miserable. They needed to pass the time somehow.

  “Trent!” DD yelled.

  “You alright?”

  “Yeah, just bored.” He began walking over to her.

  “Hey I’m bored too.” Aina said.

  “I think me and DD are going to talk, you should hang out with Scott.” Trent responded. He still kept a bit of his distance, knowing DD was protective of her clothes for whatever reason.

  “Thanks.” She said, noting his distance, and continued to rinse her clothes. “Can you keep talking to me? This place is very in my head and you’re more gentle than Scott or Aina.”

  “Reminds me of when we were kids.”

  “How so?” DD suddenly stopped.

  “You always seemed to come to me first, not that it was a bad thing. I remember that first time after the day we saved you in the school, the next day you showed up at my door crying.”

  ‘”Really? I don’t remember that.” DD resumed her work.

  “That ended up being our first night watching the stars.” Trent explained.

  “Oh!” She hadn’t thought about that in a long time, but it came back to her instantly. She’d felt guilty for trying to kill herself, but couldn’t figure out how to talk about it to anyone but him. “I admit the second time we did that stuck with me more.”

  “That time was memorable, yeah.” After the first night helped DD calm down, they made it a habit for a while. The second time a shooting star had darted across the sky.

  “Did your wish come true yet?” Trent asked.

  “No. Yours?”

  “Nope. Maybe shooting stars don’t work anymore.” He laughed a bit. DD had wished for him to love her back. Very childish in retrospect. She could’ve wished for the ozone layer to be fixed, the icebergs to be back, something that would’ve actually mattered. Instead...

  “You know, me and Scott tried it once while we dated.” She forced herself back into the conversation.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  “How’d that go?”

  “He held still for about five minutes.” DD began laughing at the thought.

  “I’m surprised how still you stayed to be honest, DD.”

  “Talking to you is one of the only things that grounds me. I’ve only met one other person who could do that.” It was true. She has always felt as if she were in motion, running, her entire life. Except around Trent. And Sam as well, when she’d lived in Reno.

  “Who’s the other?” Trent asked.

  “Someone you don’t know, Sam.”

  “The one who saved you from the Trawler’s mouth?”

  “The very one.” DD smiled.

  “Well, they are a friend to me. They are part of why I got to see you again.” DD’s heart skipped a beat. That comment nearly brought her to her knees. Would Sam and Trent have actually been friends? Sam’s interests were a bit, unconventional, to say the least.

  “Hey Trent?” DD asked.

  “Yeah?”

  “What have you been doing without me these last eleven years?”

  “The radio mostly. I fell in love with the old music, the sounds of people reaching out to the world to be heard. I taught myself a bit about audio equipment, even computers a little. Nothing like you though. As far as the without you part, I was mostly just really sad, especially after we heard what happened to Reno.”

  “Speaking of which, how did you guys know I was in Reno?” She’d been wondering that for a while but kept forgetting to ask.

  “Well, I tracked you part of the way on your trip. I talked to people as far north as Tonopah who’d seen you. We assumed you went north, and then by chance a traveler passed through town about ten years ago, talking about a girl who’d helped him on his way, said she was beautiful, had blonde hair, green eyes, and a terrible sense of humor.”

  “That could’ve been anyone.”

  “Apparently she helped him fix the solar panels on his car, told him a bunch of confusing information about her computer job, and was wearing bright red pants.”

  “Okay that does sound a bit like me.” She said while laughing about the experience. She actually recalled that gentleman. His car had gotten caught in a sandstorm which messed it up. Turns out, a lot of her wiring experience working on computers applied to car electronics too.

  “Trent, I’m still really sorry for leaving.” DD suddenly felt her mood shifting.

  “DD it’s fine. I forgave you.”

  “But it sounds like I hurt you so much.”

  “Well, I looked for you longer than your own mother did. I used to play songs out for you on the radio. I think it’s part of what shaped my love of the radio.” He fell quiet all of a sudden.

  “Trent?” She asked. At this point she was laying her clothes out to dry. Trent didn’t reply. “Trent?” She said louder. Finally she walked over to him and put a hand on his back.

  “I just wanted you to come home.” He said quietly, he was shaking a little.

  “Are you crying?” She asked. She already knew he was; she could hear the soft sounds of his sobs.

  “You were my closest friend. You were always by my side, then you just vanished.” He sat down, and she went down next to him. The ground was scorching hot, even through her pants.

  “I needed you.” He said.

  “I’m sorry.” She was beginning to cry a bit now too. “I didn’t mean too.”

  “But you did!” He said sharply. “I’ve been trying to just let myself be happy about you being back. I’m trying to forgive. But I needed you so badly, and you didn’t care. You never tried to stay in touch. You just went further and further away. You let me think you died!” He smashed his hands on the ground and stood up. He wiped his nose. “I can’t do this right now.” And began walking

  “Wait!” DD extended a hand, and Trent smacked it down, hard.

  “I don’t want to talk to you right now. I can't talk to you right now!” Her hand stung as he left. She began sobbing uncontrollably. She hit the ground hard and let out a scream. She grabbed her left hand with the other. Why shouldn’t she just rip the glove off? She deserved to be in pain for causing him pain. She gripped her off hand so hard it hurt, the bones threatening to shatter.

  “Hey!” Scott ran up to her. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m great.” She snapped.

  “I know that’s not true.”

  “Are you just pretending to be okay with me leaving too?”

  “No, I’m not going to hold it over your head. I did my grieving. I got over it. Now I just get to be happy I’ve got you back.”

  “I’ve caused you all so much hurt though.” DD’s voice cracked as her crying intensified again. “I don’t deserve to be alive.”

  “You’ve also been hurt yourself, the entire time. I don’t get a lot of your choices, but I know being stuck in your own head affects the choices you make.”

  “You could never understand.” DD’s voice was sharp and raspy.

  “How do you know that DD?”

  “You’ve never had to feel the way I do, feel like the world was crushing you.”

  “You could never know if that was true. You haven’t seen me in a decade”

  “So you do hate me.” She moaned.

  “No. Everyone has their flaws, and I still love you. But I wish you’d realize there is a bigger picture sometimes.” He stood there a moment, then extended his hand. “Can I show you something?” She looked up at his outreached hand and wondered, then, she took it. He led her to a building, being careful to avoid the one he’d seen her staring at. Finally they were inside a small abandoned house.

  “Why’d you bring me here?” DD asked.

  “You assume I’ve never felt the way you do, never been to rock bottom.”

  “You’re so much stronger than me, better without me.” She muttered.

  “I don’t think so. We all have things to hide DD. Parts of ourselves we don’t like.” He began unbuttoning his pants and DD looked away as she heard them drop.

  “Look.” He said. She turned and looked at Scott’s legs, he bore the same rows upon rows of inner thigh scars as her. All of his were older though. She touched her own thighs as the scars seemed to hurt again. He began to collect his pants.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” She asked.

  “Seeing you almost die... It made me reconsider a lot of things. Everyday I saw you get out of bed inspired me to do the same. You were so strong, you were inspirational to me. That’s why I knew you weren’t dead. You’re not that easy to stop. What you call weakness, is not weakness. You’d be a fool if you thought what you did wouldn’t upset us. But we accepted you back because we know you’re a good person. Please, stop feeling like all you do is cause pain.”

  “I-” She was speechless. Scott pulled her into a hug.

  End of Part One