Epoch of Desolation

Humans? Rain was confused. He couldn’t seem to understand the reasoning behind those words.

The world was in ruins, why should he have to be scared of his own kind—of the only ones who could accept him and be of the most help to him? No offense to J. It didn’t make any sense.

Was it that the woman wasn’t alright in the head? If humans feared each other and avoided each other, then how would one overcome this adversity that had plagued the world? How would one learn how to survive in this ruined world?

There was a particular saying Rain didn’t recall clearly, but it went something like: “two heads are better than one.” He really did believe that was true.

But even with all the thoughts of confusion raging like a violent sea in his mind, Rain was unable to open his mouth to ask Alice of her reasons. All he did was knit his brows in a frown while anchoring his gaze on the adult woman’s stoic face. She seemed to be aware of his thoughts, so he chose to wait for her to explain what she meant herself.

Alice put down her finger. “I understand. What I’m saying sounds like nonsense, after all, the world has turned to shit so why am I telling you to avoid the only people you can rely on.” Rain remained silent, now proceeding to fold his arms. “But that’s exactly the reason I’m saying this… because the world has gone to shit.”

“How so?” Rain couldn’t help himself.

“In a state of panic caused by something unknown, what do you think the natural response of humans is?”

“Survival.” Rain did not even need to think about the answer to that question. It was well placed at the forefront of his brain—as the human that he was.

“Just survival?” Alice inquired, her words inciting a twitch of Rain’s right eye and a sudden moment of silence that was only disturbed by the rattling sounds of the rain pouring down upon the ceiling of the store. A shuffling sound joined in soon later, though. It was Sean seeking another chocolate bar. That seemed to tug on Alice’s nerves. “Sean, you listen too!” She scolded the boy, causing him to shiver and instinctively draw closer to Rain.

It was a conventional reaction. The whole situation was not something a little child could take in immediately, and they were definitely going to be frightened instantly if anything made their heart jump, even if they were words from someone they had come to depend on.

That thing with J too spanned from this.

Kids were little adventurous rascals, and Sean was no different. Of course, coming across something as large and imposing as a Jaguar would naturally spark fear in any child, but their first response wouldn’t definitely be to shout.

And, furthermore, when that Jaguar does not attack, their fear would turn into curiosity and awe. This was what Rain saw in Sean’s eyes after the tension in the air during their initial meeting settled down. The boy’s first response, on the other hand, had been wrong. Unless… he was traumatized.

Obviously it was impossible for Sean to have met Alice as soon as he’d left the pod, and as such, during the time it took before they crossed each other’s paths, he would have been crying for his parents or for help while running away from whatever beast was on his trail. That experience had tainted his pure heart to now instinctively call or seek for the protection of another no matter the situation. The curiosity of a child was no longer at center stage for this boy. Seeking protection was.

Rain sighed and patted Sean’s hair, letting the boy lean on him. “What do you mean by your question?” He continued the conversation, pulling Alice’s attention back to him from Sean, and for a moment noticing the restrained emotion that was plastered on her face. For some reason, it looked familiar.

“Pass me a juice, will you?” Alice requested with an exhale.

“Sure.” Rain was about to toss her the orange juice he’d taken from the bag when he paused. “Which do you prefer? There’s orange, peach, apple—”

“Any is fine,” Alice cut him off. And at that a can of orange juice was tossed in her direction. She caught it, drank it in one go, and took a deep breath. “You—”

“I’ll listen,” it was Sean who’d done the cutting off now. Rain and Alice looked at the boy who straightened himself. “I’m sorry for not listening. I’ll make sure to always listen.”

Rain took a peek at Alice and found her slightly agape, almost like her brain ceased to function just before she could say what she’d wanted to say.

He knew what was running through her mind. “I shouldn’t have snapped at him.” “I made a mistake.” “He’s just a child.” Things like that.

He didn’t like the silence, but at this moment he knew he had to let it linger on, until Alice let her words out. She was the one who had saved the boy, she was the one who needed to reassure him.

It took a few seconds, but finally she said, “I’m sorry.” Sean wanted to speak, but she stopped him. “No. Let me. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. I was just scared.” Rain tilted his head indistinctly at those words; they had come as a surprise considering how her face was always so calm. “I just don’t want you to go through that same thing. Listening will prepare you for this world. It’ll help you, even if I’m not there. Do you understand, Sean?”

“I-I do.” He smiled.

Rain took advantage of that moment. “So, how did you both meet?”

Alice looked at him, her expression of indifference having already returned. “What do you mean?”

Rain was taken aback. “I mean, it’s obvious that both of you aren’t family members, isn’t it?” He didn’t mean that in an offensive manner, but now that he thought about it maybe he should have worded it in a different way, like: “it’s obvious you guys haven’t known each other for long.”

Alice didn’t mind though, it seemed. “We’re not. But my question was based on you trying to move away from the conversation we were having.” Rain was now the one on the receiving end of a scolding. She felt like a mother.

Honestly, he didn’t want to change the conversation topic, but Sean was still downcasted. In his state, the subsequent discussion would enter through one of the boy’s ears and leave through the other.

First, the mood had to loosen. And for that, Alice had to be on board.

He mouthed his intentions at her hoping she would come to understand.

Well, after a couple times of Rain repeating the same actions, as well as gesturing at Sean with his head, Alice’s posture seemed to sag. She had come to understand—thankfully.

“At the Comely Bank down at Craigleith Ave.” Sean’s gaze rose from the floor he was staring at. “Sean was in a car, surrounded by a pack of coyotes.”

Coyotes again? Is Edinburgh like their domain or what?

“Ten of them, and she killed them all,” Sean began to say with a shadow of a smile on his face.

Ten?! Isn’t that a bit too much for a boy of twelve? Those damned coyotes!

While having those thoughts, Rain leaned closer to the boy. “Oho. How? Did she look like a hero? Her red jacket must have looked like a red cape, huh?”

Sean’s smile fully bloomed now, and while exaggeratingly raising his arms up in the air, he corrected Rain, “No. Not like a hero. Like… Like an Angel of Death.”

Now that’s weird. Why are you smiling like that while describing someone looking like an Angel of Death? Rain jerked backward impulsively. Also, why were you in a car? Did your pod let go of you there, or did you escape to it yourself?

Rain was about to ask when Alice voiced, “Alright, that’s enough.” She was such a killjoy. “You’ve heard of how we met; now back to the matter at hand.” Rain did not object this time. Sean was already smiling, the boy had no reason not to listen anymore. “Like you said, in a state of panic the natural response of humans is survival. The thing, though, is, survival comes in different forms. In a state of panic, the response of humans isn’t just survival, it’s personal survival.”