Radioactive

"Don't leave me! Don't leave me Megan! Come on! I know you can make it!" I yelled at no one in particular.

But I knew I was just trying to make myself believe that everything would be alright. Megan. The only family I had left. The rest of my family had died off

when this whole war started.

Megan and I were the only ones to survive, but

considering the circumstances, I wish I had died. I still remember everything. I knew I was supposed to be strong, I was a soldier, a fighter.

None of that mattered though. I still cried myself to sleep every night. I was lucky enough to have somewhere to stay at night, even if it was an old boarded up house, I wasn't going to complain.

There were a few derelict buildings strewn across the land, but they were far to dangerous to even go near, too many of...them, made homes in there.

I was brought back to reality when Megan whimpered in my arms.

"Patch, leave me...go...on...please."

That was all she could manage before her eyes fluttered closed. For good.

That was it. Everything and everyone I loved. Gone.

I looked up at the red sky, a toxic cloud of dust swarmed around the ruins, and radioactive creatures could be seen on the horizon. I could barely see anything through the itchy gas mask that I had on, but that was better then dying of radiation poison, right? I knocked on the door of a broken down house. The door opened instantly, and a blonde haired girl's head popped up. With her gas mask on, it was hard to understand her, but I already know what she said. She asked every time somebody entered.

"what's the password?" i asked in my head.

"lucifer"

She opened the door wide for me, and I entered quickly and took off my mask.

"Do you have to ask every time, Aviva?" I asked the blonde girl.

"Yes, I do." she replied shortly. "What if you were a stranger trying to steal our food?"

"Aviva, we're the only survivors!"

"You don't know that!" she shot back. Aviva always goes on about how she believes that there are others out there, that there are people out there who will save us. It can be annoying, but it's the only hope we have to hold on to these days.

Aviva always put a smile of my face, even in the darkest of times. She's always had my back, no matter what. I don't know what I would do without her.

"We need to talk Aviva." I said, swallowing the lump in my throat.

We sat down on her make-shift bed. "Patch, what's wrong? Is it about Megan? Is she in trouble?" Aviva pressed.

"Sh-she's gone..." I managed to stutter.

"Oh, Patch..." She said, processing the only thing she knew I could possibly mean. We just lay there for the rest of the afternoon, cuddling together, her head resting in the crook of my neck, letting the past events sink in. Aviva snapped her head up and looked around in panic. "Patch?" She whispered. "I hear it too...but it doesn't sound normal..." I pondered, but staying alert. "That's what worries me, i'm gonna go check it out." She grabbed a hunting knife off the stump in the middle of the room and headed to the front window.

"Patch," Aviva whispered nervously,"there's someone out there."

I stalked over to the door and put my hand on the handle. "Are you sure it's someone? It could just be a different kind of...unno." I shivered. I was such a coward. After Megan died, I couldn't even say their name without breaking down. Suddenly, the door handle started rattling, and my grip further tightened around it. "Patch?" Aviva whispered, swallowing. "Give me the knife, then on three, open the door." She handed me the knife and got behind the door. "1..." Something started to thump on the door as if someone was trying to break in. "2..." Someone started to tap on the window. "3!" Aviva opened the door and I stumbled out of the house, readying for impact. I noticed that there was non of them anywhere close to our shelter, it has to be human. These days, most humans you ran into where ruthless killing machines, turned against their own family. I secretly hoped this one would be like that, because as the moment, my sadness had turned into anger, and I really wanted to get it out. Although, being the kind-hearted person I was, I wasn't going to just kill an innocent person.

A flash of something orange caught my eye. Something was hiding behind a smashed brick wall. I slowly approached it, knife in hand, ready to strike at the first sign of danger. Aviva was a few steps behind me, wielding a large metal crow bar that she must've found on the ground. Together we inched closer to the wall. My heart was racing as I looked around the corner. What I saw looking back at me with scared eyes was not a something, but a somebody. It was a man with straight orange hair and brown eyes. He had raggedy clothes on, and paint mask to protect his face.

"Who are you?" Asked Aviva who had come up to stand beside me.

"Mmame ish mmimer"

"What?"

"Mmame ish mmimer"

"What?!"

"MY NAME IS MILLER!"

"Miller?"

Miller nodded.

"Come inside and we can talk" I reached out my hand to miller who was still crouched on the ground. He hesitantly took it and I pulled him up off the ground. The three of us headed back to the house.

Once we were in the house we sat down on some makeshift chairs.

There was an awkward silence before Aviva decided to break it.

"What are you doing around here?"

"It got dangerous where

I was,my camp got over ran with...you know..."

Miller trailed off.

"Creatures?" I suggested.

He swallowed nervously before he continued to talk.

"They look even more deformed than the last time I saw them."

Aviva looked up at him with curiosity.

"Y-you saw them...close?"

I could tell she was panicking, even if she tried to look strong, I saw right through her act.

"Yeah, a few miles from here..."

"See Aviva," I supplied, "Theres no way that we're in danger!"

I could see her face getting red with anger.

"Not in danger?! Patch, those...those..things!" She spat, "They can run 5 miles in an hour! Let alone 1!"

"Aviva!" I yelled.

"Sorry, i'm just worried...you know, cause of what happened to my brother..."

Her words broke at the last word.

I put my arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. She leaned into my touch and snuggled her head into my neck.

"Uh...guys?"

Oops, forgot there was someone else in the room.

"Yeah?" I said not knowing what else to say.

"I have some food in my bag...I was trying to save it, but that's fine."

Aviva looked up at him with joy filled eyes at the mention of food, bipolar much.

"Really?"

He nodded.

"Oh! Thankyou!"

She ran up and threw her arms around him in a giant bear hug.

"We'll talk some more after, but now it's time for food!" She said in a sing-song voice.

Man, that girl really is a character.