A World Beyond Our Own | TFP AU

36 || Deserted

This human-place was starkly different from the previous one. It looked as though the humans had decided to just pack their things and move one day, leaving everything behind. Nature had begun to reclaim parts of it, but a majority of the structures were still standing.

"I wonder what happened here." Taylor thought out loud as she approached the outskirts of the neighborhood. "Why did they leave?"

Ratchet hesitantly followed, his eyes scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary. "I'm not sure." He answered as his gaze lingered on a human vehicle that sat untouched in a vacant driveway. "They must've been in a hurry."

Bits of asphalt crunched under Taylor's shoes once she stepped off the grass and onto the pavement. There was a house to her right. She decided that was a good place to start looking for supplies. Part of the roof had caved in and allowed nature to find its way inside. The wooden siding was covered with moss and vines that stretched all the way up to the roof. A concrete sidewalk cut a path to the front door through the overgrown lawn, though the door itself was no longer there.

Ratchet could only stand on the front lawn, unable to follow Taylor inside due to his size. "Taylor, please be careful. We don't know if the structure is completely stable." He urged her as she passed through the threshold of the doorway.

"I'll be quick." Taylor assured him. The partially destroyed roof made her nervous too, although she found it interesting that she could look up and see the sun through the gaping hole with vines draping down over the edges.

The sun's light didn't reach every room of the house and some of the windows had been boarded up, so she was occasionally plunged into darkness as she navigated through the shadier spots.

There was nothing of interest in the living room aside from a few scattered books that had fallen from a bookshelf. She decided to take a few so she could pass time later on. Next, she entered the kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets, setting aside the food items that hadn't expired yet so she would remember to take them. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a backpack propped up against the wall. Praising her luck, she grabbed it and stuffed everything she'd found inside.

The house was rather small, so searching the rest of the rooms didn't take long. She took some clothes that were close to her size from one of the bedrooms and put them in the backpack as well. Once she was satisfied, she exited through the front door.

Ratchet had gone across the street to investigate a patch of marigold that had sprung up in the grass. Taylor followed the winding sidewalk back through the yard, then crossed the road to reach him.

"Find anything?" She asked as she approached him from behind.

"Yes, thank Primus." He answered, lowering his head to sniff at the delicate yellow flowers. Normally he'd only choose the best quality herbs to bring back, but he couldn't be picky this time. He needed all the herbs he could get. "We're lucky to have found this much before the first snow. I'm surprised the frost didn't kill it."

Taylor walked around to his side and knelt down in the patch of marigold. "Here, I'll help you gather some. How much do you need?"

"Cliffjumper's wounds won't require as much as mine will. A few handfuls will do." Ratchet told her. He watched her pick some flowers for a short while, then lifted his head to scan the area.

He almost did a double take.

There was a pair of eyes staring at him from the shadows cast by a partially destroyed house. He could scarcely make out their figure. They were small and lean—like they weren't quite fully grown yet. Ratchet lowered his leg to the ground in an attempt to show strength, though his injury said otherwise.