It was in the middle of the scorching summer that two people, starved and exhausted, had to traverse the wide roads of the city of Pienne. With its dilapidated roads and abandoned skyscrapers that seem to at least provide some shade for the unfortunate ones, the eerie silence alternatively provides a sense of peace and calm. The scenario has been an everyday occurrence for the remaining survivors of this pitiful world. All of what remains are memories of the past unforgotten.
Those two people, a male and a female, ran. They ran as long and as fast as they can, they ran straight ahead, seemingly clueless to their destination. Yet their eyes were determined and true, eyes filled with motivation to the brim, eyes that ignores the pain striking their body in and out every second.
They passed the old pharmacy where they tried to hide for two days, they also passed the convenience store that served as their home for almost three years. They had nothing with them anymore, it's just the two of them now, along with their poor clothes and the body that they keep dragging in order to survive, they left all of their so-called belongings behind them, they left all of it for one thing.
It was their salvation. The thing that is being held by the female survivor is their gateway to paradise. That's why they never thought of anything else, they just ran until they get somewhere. Because with that thing, they will be saved.
Or so that's what they thought.
It was a week ago when they first encountered the object, when the male was trying to find more sources of food. Almost all of the malls, convenience stores, and establishments have been run through and both of the survivors knew that they needed to relocate. In an empty corporate building, on the 34th floor, it was when the male had entered a room that he saw broken vials, microscopes, and several chemicals oozing out of glassware containers. He thought that just like other laboratories, it wouldn't have anything essential and was about to leave when he saw something perching on a side table.
It wasn't particularly eye-catching and seemed to be some sort of stone. Yet there was a unique appeal to him as if the stone had told him to look at it, the faint sense of pull from the object somehow ignited an interest in the male. Like, for what reason would a stone the size of a pebble be doing just lying on a tabletop inside a laboratory.
Confusion started to plague the mind of the male as several questions appear on the nature of this inconspicuous object. Why is it here? Is it something important? If it is, why is it just lying on the table? Isn't it supposed to be inside a device for preservation? The inquiry that flooded his brain only increased his curiosity as to the what the stone is.
The male then searched for other stones inside the laboratory and even on other laboratories in the building, but to no avail. He thus concluded that the stone was something unordinary, that it may have some meaning, that with all of the years of just trying to survive in the desolate world, maybe he found something of worth.
When the male got back to the convenience store that serves as their base, the female immediately ran to him and dragged him into a room where they use to sleep. With a face shouting with determination, coupled with trembling hands, the female went face to face with the male; looking directly at his face, she muttered words that greatly shook the man.
"We're saved."
It took some time in order to process the sudden revelation that came out of nowhere. It was understandable that the male would immediately raise doubts and suspicions on the different contexts that may be involved in what was announced. Although he has a lot of things to ask, the reply that he deemed appropriate for his ecstatic partner is—
"That's great. So, how is that?"
And with the expectant look turning into that of a triumphant one, the female finally presented what was in her hands all along.
It was a grenade.
"Whe—Where did you get this? There should be no more weapons in this area!"
"Don't mind that now. With this, we can finally get our kills and get past the line!"
"… Look here, you need to calm down, it's not as easy as you think. Also, there's only one place in this area that you can find a gre—"
He was cut off by the rumbling sound, a signal that his quick thinking had forecasted came true. Immediately he took the hand of the female and started running outside. They ran as fast as they could because they knew that "those" will still catch up. Their only hope would be to pass the line, that single piece of threadlike lifeline. Even with the restrictions, the male had to think while running for dear life.
It was in the middle of the scorching summer that two people, starved and exhausted, had to traverse the wide roads of the city of Pienne. With a clear and determined goal in mind, roughing through the silent and searing road, the two of them ignored the wails of pain that stems from their failing bodies. One could say they aren't running anymore, but to these two who are have been numbed by these unpleasant feelings, even when they only had to rely on the instinct to flee, they will move. That's just how much they are frightened by what would happen if they ever got caught; to the point that maybe even instant death would be better.
After an unsure amount of time, a scene glinted on the eyes of the male. Rubbing his eyes and squinting to get a better look, the male started screaming in delight.
"There it is! There's the line! I see it, come on, just a few more meters!"
He didn't receive any reply, however. And he understood why, she must've been more exhausted than him; knowing that they have been running for who knows how much time. He also had to recall that she got a grenade, and that weapons were hoarded in one place within the area for years already; it must have been hard for her, squeezing every ounce of bravery and determination for one grenade. No wonder she was that happy by just showing what she got.
Thus, he knew that she must have experienced something far worse than the three years that they lived off in their pathetic lives. Yet, it was vexing in a sense, she was able to get something essential for them to survive, but at what cost? They are now on the run, and with even with the line on sight, he is unsure of what would happen after they pass that.
He honestly thought multiple times during the travel, he thought that maybe he should've left her, that he could've had more resources if he wasn't sharing it. Though these ideas were not new to him; during the three years that they were together, there were countless times that he glared at her, the times that he attempted to kill her. Those times were the hardest.
Because even with all of these years of hardship and suffering, the last things that's keeping him intact are his sanity and humanity. The male knew that if she dies, he would be alone again; he would again spend days swamped by despair, clouded with thoughts of how long he will live, how much more he should endure, and the perpetual question of *when will everything end.*
And though he knew he'd be lying, he let go once again of those provoking thoughts and spoke words of encouragement for the female.
"Come on, were there already, let's endure a little bit longer, after we pass that line, everything will finally be ok."
The female still didn't speak, as the male was almost supporting her whole body as she walks due to fatigue, he cannot see her face and her reactions. He thought that maybe she was too tired to even try to stand up straight, so he continued to trudge along the road and decided to help her stand up once they passed the line.
"Hey, I think I still have some spare strength left, so I'll try to lift you up so that I can carry you, okay? I think this is better since we're near already."
Yet what he received as a reply was neither affirmation nor denial. Suddenly, the female stood straight and looked at the male; surprisingly, there was neither tiredness nor exhaustion on her face, he could even tell that she looked energetic, an outright contrast to him who's face is probably so haggard that he would look like a dying old man.
It was then that the female crouched down and held both of the male's legs. He was too shocked in the series of weird events that he was unable to respond to the subsequent actions of his partner. This gave the opportunity for the female to do what she needed to do, she then firmly squeezed what she was holding, breaking his bones and muscle altogether into mush.
He screamed, he screamed so loud that instantly he felt like his throat was on fire, and losing his legs, he then fell on the ground. The female then grabbed his hair and started dragging him towards the line. The only glimmer of comfort for the male being that she was not running, she walked as she prepared the grenade on hand.
The line was now just in front of them, she let go of him and threw the grenade on the empty space behind them. The grenade exploded and smoke donning different colors illuminated the air. Once the gnashing sounds that was surrounding them earlier disappeared—
"Take out the stone."
He immediately understood what she was talking about. Sudden realizations came in, to a fault it may have been him repressing these thoughts out of fear, yet right now he had no choice but to brave it out and accept that what was once a ridiculous thought turned out to be an inevitable reality.
Nonetheless, it was quite surprising that he was able to adapt almost instantly, his mind became clear and his willpower somehow invigorated. His mind was able to analyze all current information and is now devising new stratagems in dealing with his current situation as well as that of moving forward. He already knew what to do.
"You lied when you said you loved me and needed me."
"I loved him, and you were disgusting."
Taking out the stone, the only thing that he managed to save during their escape, he finally finished organizing his thoughts.
"That's just sad. I guess this 'him' would be the progenitor of the line, and this stone would be from those rumors 8 years ago."
The female flinched, confused as to how this male, who was supposed to be an idiot and a tool, was able to know classified information.
"It seems that you're a liar yourself," she muttered.
"I'm not, I simply adjusted to the setting, and as compensation for the time that we were together, I guess I'll give you a hint on what you should do next."
He then put the stone in his mouth, swallowed it, and made a godly smile for her.
"You should run."