A Long Day
Fiction
“Are we there yet?” The young man said. He had cradled his chin on the passenger seat window of the car.
“Not yet.” The driver replied, his eyes glued straight to the road.
“Mmm, fine.” The young man shifted to the side, his head leaning against the window.
An awkward silence danced in the air between the two. The driver looked at his companion through his glasses, seeing the man’s back facing towards him. The car drove through the street with ease, as the sun had set, and darkness loomed over the desert sky.
“Myles, I know you’re angry and...” The driver spoke.
“And what Teddy! You almost got caught by those zombies.” Myles had spoken with concern dripping through his voice. “What would’ve happened if you got bitten Teddy?“
The car had stopped, Teddy’s foot pressing hard on the car brakes. The short, silent tension was unbearable for both of them.
“We wouldn’t have been in that situation if you hadn’t made the noise in the first place!” Teddy had snapped, his eyes still looking towards the horizon in front of them.
“I wouldn’t have made that noise if you told me the plan!” Myles had snapped back at Teddy, still not looking at him.
“Damn it! I knew I should’ve left you in the car. At least you would’ve been safe there.” Teddy gripped the leather wheel hard.
“Wow! It seems the only thing I am capable of is screwing up!” Myles shouted. A knot had formed in Myles’ stomach. He knew he had placed Teddy’s life in danger and not only that but how much of a burden he truly was. Teddy scrunched up his eyebrows and did a deep sigh. He angled his right leg and continued driving.
Myles’ eyes had looked through the window. He had seen the shifting orange landscape, the green patches of hardy plants, and the long stretched out plains of dirt and sand. Often, people would have referred to the Mojave Deserts’ nights as harsh and dangerous. But in contrast to everything that is happening around the world, this, to him, was peaceful.
“Look, we would have had to walk all the way there if I didn’t,” Teddy spoke, his dark brown eyes moving in Myles’s direction. “I just don’t want you to get hurt, okay.” Teddy moved his right hand off the wheel and onto the center console.
Myles had turned his body to face Teddy, his eyes resting on his partner’s face.
“What am I going to do with you? It was just a few months ago that we were just roommates.” Myles said, his hands pressed tightly on his jacket sleeve. “It took the end of the world for us to get together and, you know, have feelings for each other.“
Teddy had sighed again, adjusting his grip on the steering wheel.
“Just tell me what you plan on doing, okay, and…” Myles mumbled. His left hand had slowly laid down atop Teddy’s. “And don’t do dangerous things alone. Tell me.” Teddy’s cheeks blushed a deep red as the car coasted through the desert night.
“Okay, enough of this sappy stuff,” Myles said, raising his left arm, and began fiddling with the car stereo. Teddy does the same and places his right hand back onto the wheel.
“Why don’t we rest here for the night?” Myles asked. The night had started with the crescent moon’s light barely touching the horizon. “I’ll find somewhere safe to park and we can lie low for the night.“
“Alright.” Myles looked at Teddy with a soft smile. “I’ll help.”
The car’s headlights had lit up the road ahead of them and illuminated the strange rocky silhouettes of the surrounding things. Having found a suitable spot, the two had parked the car in between two large rock formations, ensuring that anyone walking or driving through the road would not have seen them. The two had slept inside the car, with the back windows slightly open, allowing for some air to filter through the inside.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
The sun had risen on the Mojave desert, and a harsh, fiery light bathed the desert. Myles had woken up on the passenger seat rumpled up on the side. His back ached because of the position he had slept in. Sweat had begun to form on Myles’ forehead, his eyes flickered open.
“Ugh, my back hurts. Teddy, how long will this drive take?“ Myles had asked as he stretched out his back.
“Teddy?” Again he asked. Myles’ head swiveled to the side. Then he realized he was alone in the car. Teddy’s disappearance had irritated Myles, his face scrunching up to an annoyed mess. The locks of the car clicked open as Myles unlocked his car door and slowly opened it.
Teddy had parked the car in a strategic location. Not only did it provide safety in the night, but also provided shade in the morning. The rough wind picked up as Myles got out of the car, feeling the hot warmth of the desert wind. He looked at his wristwatch attached to his left wrist.
“Still 7:23 am…” Myles muttered to himself, having felt the pop of his legs and back as he stretched himself even more. “Ugh, I feel so old. Now where is…” His eyes strained to scan his surroundings for Teddy.
“Ah, you’re awake.“ Myles heard Teddy’s voice from a distance in front of him. He saw Teddy’s silhouette having stood opposite to the sun. Myles approached him.
“Teddy, I thought you’ve gone and done it again, a supply run all on your own.” Myles said
Teddy chuckled. “I was just surveying the area. Turns out we conveniently parked quite close to the rest stop near our destination.“ Teddy offered his binoculars to Myles, as his companion drew closer to him. Myles took the binoculars and looked through the visor.
“If you look in that direction, Myles. “ Teddy said, having moved Myles’ head to the side. Myles could see from a distance, a ruined small town full of dilapidated stone buildings and littered with plenty of the walking dead.
“Hmm, this could be dangerous, Teddy. Maybe we should just skip this one and move forward.” Myles said. His eyes had still been peering through the binoculars.
“Well, we still have enough stuff that could last for a couple of days.“ Teddy replied.
“Huh, what?” Myles said. He had seen a horde of zombies congregating near the entrance of a single stone apartment. Buildings had surrounded this stone apartment, which had made it a hard place to traverse to.
“Myles, what did you see?’’ Teddy said, his voice full of concern..
“Something’s causing the zombies to-.” Myles stopped. He had seen what caused the zombie horde to amass; a lone woman and a child running away from the horde. “Teddy here!“ Myles had shoved the binoculars into Teddy’s hands and headed towards the back of the car.
“Wait, what are you doing, Myles?” Teddy asked, looking in the direction Myles had been looking.
Myles, who had been rummaging through the baggage of the car, had strapped a couple of magazines and newspapers to his arms and legs. Teddy had moved towards Myles and closed the gap between them.
“We’re going to help them.” Myles said without hesitation, looking deep into Teddy’s brown eyes.
“Wait, that’s too dangerous. I know it’s heartless, but we should just move on and…” Teddy said.
“I know you know I am faster and more nimble than you.“ Myles said, strapping more padding in between his legs. “And this is probably something that’s going to gnaw at the back of our minds, you know.“ Myles continued in a serious tone.
He moved towards Teddy and placed his right hand on his companion’s cheek. “I need you to trust me on this.“
Teddy nodded in silence as Myles embraced Teddy in a warm hug.
“Alright, but please be safe.“ Teddy said, his head snuggling against Myles’ back.
Myles had let go of the embrace and held both of Teddy’s arms. “I have a plan.“
___________________________________________________________________
“Sorry, I screwed up the plan,” Myles said, having cradled chin on the passenger side of the car.
“It’s alright at least you got both of them out.“ Teddy had replied. His hands had firmly gripped the steering wheel of the car. “What happened there?“
Myles looked at Teddy and said with a downcast look. “Accidentally made a noise when we were sneaking out, ended up having the horde chase us out of the town.“
“Well, at least you got out safely.“ Teddy replied.
“We just got lucky we found some fireworks in that building.“ Myles had twiddled his thumbs. “If it weren’t for that distraction, then I don’t know what would’ve happened.“
“Let’s not think about that.“ Teddy said, his eyes glued to the road. “So, what were their names?“
“Marisol and her daughter Kim.“ Myles said, having looked at the two people sleeping in the back seat of the car.
“You checked them for any bite marks or scratches, right?“ Myles asked. He had not seen what happened after he arrived with the mother and daughter in tow. Myles had undressed his equipment in a nearby shade away from the group and checked himself for any bite marks and scratches from the zombies.
“Yeah, not a single one. I wonder how they could, you know, survive?“ Teddy asked. He adjusted the rearview mirror with his right hand, having looked at their two new sleeping companions.
“Because they persevered,” Myles said with a soft smile. He had glanced at Teddy and shifted his weight on the passenger seat. Quiet tranquility had set upon them, as the car had been cruising at a smooth pace. The sun had started to set on the horizon, which bathed the sky in an orange hue.
“Ahh.“ Myles exclaimed as he stretched out his arms whilst having sat on the passenger side. “At least we have new people with us. I was beginning to get tired of seeing your face.“ His head now had leaned into the headrest.
“Oi!“ Teddy said with a light chuckle, eyes still glued on the road.
“So, uhh, are we there yet?“ Myles asked.
“No, but does that matter.“ Teddy replied.
Myles sat on his quietly for a moment and looked at both Teddy and the sleeping Marisol and Kim. With a soft tone, he said. “No, I don’t think it does“
___________________________________________________________________
Thank you to both Ravyne Hawke and Christine Graves of Promptly Written for both the space and the prompt “Are we there yet?” which inspired my writing. Which BTW you can find here:
https://medium.com/promptly-written/weekly-prompts-jan-15-21-2022-98b087ac989a
