Aiden moved cautiously through the deserted streets, all his senses on high alert. Every shadow seemed to hide a threat, every suspicious noise made him freeze, ready to retaliate. The abandoned buildings loomed around him, like silent colossi witnessing the end of the world.
Suddenly, a movement to his right caught his attention. In a flash, Aiden spun around, brandishing his crowbar, muscles tense. But instead of the expected monster, he found himself facing a young man his age, hands raised in a sign of peace.
"Whoa, easy there!" the stranger called out with a smirk. "I come in peace, no need to bring out the heavy artillery."
Aiden narrowed his eyes, suspicious. He looked the newcomer up and down. Tall, athletic, with tousled blond hair and electric blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Despite the surrounding chaos, he seemed surprisingly relaxed, almost amused.
"Who are you?" Aiden asked, not lowering his guard. "And what are you doing here?"
"Name's Ethan" the young man replied with a little theatrical bow. "As for what I'm doing here... Let's just say I was wandering around, looking for a bit of company. And maybe also a few monsters to take down, to pass the time."
He winked at Aiden, as if he had just shared a particularly savory joke. Aiden, for his part, didn't quite know what to make of this character. His instinct told him that Ethan was not a threat, but his exuberance threw him off balance, and after what he had seen in recent days, he preferred to remain cautious.
"Aren't you afraid to walk alone?" he asked, intrigued despite himself. "With all these monsters lurking around..."
Ethan gave a little laugh and shrugged.
"Oh, you know, when you have a little hidden talent, you feel much safer."
He extended his hand towards a piece of concrete lying nearby. Suddenly, the debris lifted into the air, floating a few inches above the ground as if by magic. Aiden's eyes widened, astonished.
"Nice, huh?" Ethan added.
He let the concrete fall back down with a small smirk.
"But judging by your post-apocalyptic bad boy look, I guess you've also had a surprise upgrade."
He approached Aiden, suddenly more serious.
"So, what's your superpower? Don't tell me you're just really good with a crowbar!"
Aiden hesitated for a moment. Something in him urged him to trust Ethan, but he wasn't ready to reveal all his secrets just yet.
"Let's just say I've had some physical enhancements" he replied evasively. "Strength, speed, endurance... That kind of thing."
Ethan nodded, looking impressed.
"So basically, you've become a kind of modern-day Captain America. Cool!"
Despite himself, Aiden felt a smile tug at his lips. Ethan's enthusiasm was infectious, like a breath of fresh air in this world suffocated by darkness.
"Listen," Ethan said, suddenly very serious, holding out his hand. "I don't know about you, but I'm starting to get really tired of playing Lone Ranger. How about we team up, you and me? Plus, I'm sick of talking to myself!"
Aiden considered the proposition. His instinct screamed that he could trust Ethan. And after all the trials he had been through, a little company wouldn't be unwelcome, and he would just have to be careful. He shook the outstretched hand, sealing their agreement.
"Alright," he said. "But I'm warning you, I don't share my canned food," wondering if Ethan was only there to take advantage of him or not.
Ethan let out a thunderous laugh.
"No worries, mate. I'm more into frozen pizzas anyway."
As Aiden and Ethan navigated the labyrinth of deserted streets, their footsteps echoing in the silence, a unique camaraderie began to form between them. Ethan's knack for lightening the mood with his humor was undeniable. His jokes ranged from the utterly absurd—like suggesting they start a band with the local monster population as their biggest fans—to clever quips about their dire situation that somehow made the end of the world seem a bit less grim.
"One day, we'll tell our grandkids about this," Ethan said with a straight face as they carefully stepped over a cracked sidewalk. "We'll say, 'Back in my day, we had to walk ten miles in the rubble, just to find a decent can of beans. And if you wanted a pizza, well, you had to make it from scratch. And by scratch, I mean scavenging through abandoned grocery stores for anything not yet expired.'"
Aiden couldn't help but laugh, the sound startlingly loud in the empty city. It was moments like these that made him forget, even if just for a second, the horror that now constituted their daily lives.
Yet, Aiden sensed that Ethan was hiding a shadow behind his smiles and humor. Sometimes, when he thought Aiden wasn't looking, his face would take on a melancholy that seemed to carry the weight of the world. But Ethan suspected he wasn't the only one who had been through ordeals, and preferred not to ask questions for the moment.
He himself was not yet ready to reveal all the torments that haunted his nights.
The memories of Léa's blood on his lips, the shame and thirst intermingled... It was a burden he had to bear alone, for now.
One evening, as they found shelter in an abandoned apartment building, Aiden decided to push a bit further, encouraged by their evolving friendship.
"You ever think about what you'd do if... if things went back to normal?" he asked, staring out at the cityscape bathed in the light of the setting sun.
Ethan pondered the question, his usual quick response taking a moment longer.
"I don't know," he finally said. "Maybe travel. See the world that I only got to see through screens before. What about you?"
Aiden thought about it.
"I don't know... That's my problem, I've never really known what to do with my life. Everything seemed so empty, and yet, now, I regret those empty moments..."
They continued chatting, oblivious to the danger that was closing in on them ever more rapidly.
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So, what do you think of Ethan? Is he nice? Fun? Will they both make it?