It's the end of the world as we know it - PSL for Gus

[artistwithasickness]

It had to happen sooner or later right? America with the right words, the right push, the right fight and World War 3 had finally happened. Except the world didn't groan back into anything resembling normal life. The war had wiped most everything from the landscape, leaving ruined cities and streets that were filled with abandoned cars and ghosts of a civilization that once was. The people that had survived scattered into the winds and humanity was returned to its natural, nomadic state.

Some chose to group up, family and friends, or people that clicked on the road. Devi had no family, nor friends and she largely avoided people in general. Those that she did find were normally less then friendly, as the destruction of civilization as they knew it had loosened the feral edge everyone had been taught to hide under their cars and well paying jobs.

Devi was no different but she'd gotten a lot of practice being generally unapproachable before the end of the world - this was just it, on crack. California was a bust and Devi traveled east for better, hopefully less scorched ground.

--

There, just there, Devi could see the doe walking under her carefully chosen spot up a tree. "Just a little further, just a little further," she muttered under her breath, gripping the handle of her handmade shiv - one of a broad collection. If there was one thing Devi wasn't going to be caught without, it was something sharp.

Too bad something near by startles her would be prey off, sending the doe bouncing away and the former artist to quite loud swearing.

"FUCK."

Comments

[dontworkforfools]

The war didn't come as a surprise. People fought over stupid shit everyday. Black ties fought for money. Some fought to survive. He fought to protect but in the end he failed. He wondered why he kept going at times, only to remind himself that his mother wouldn't ever want him to give up. It was enough to keep him going, even if he was alone. Even if it meant leaving New York.

He kept his M9 in the inside of his jacket and relied on the switchblade in his palm. There was a make shift sword on his back though for now it remained in his shitty excuse for a sheath. He hadn't seen the doe or Devi. He'd been dealing with his own shit.

A stranger came running at Gus with a sloppy form and an easily readable path. He side stepped allowing the man to crash into the underbrush and scare the deer away. Gus remained on guard be he couldn't help the comment or the hate that seeped into his words. "You had enough Puto?" A second man ran at him and this time Gus's blade nicked the man's shoulder before the trained boxer slipped out of the way.

The fight was coming closer to Devi so hopefully she was ready.

[artistwithasickness]

Her stomach growled and she sighed as she watched the doe spring off into the distance. Goddamnit. Didn't they know there were other people around, trying to get something to eat? No, of course not because the world had gone to shit and they were savages, Devi thought to herself as she re-positioned herself to get a better view and idea of what was going on.

Okay. Someone was light on their feet. She gripped the wrapped handle of her shiv and wondered if she should get involved. Other peoples business wasn't her concern, right?

Maybe it was the brief trill of Spanish that made her decision to change from apathy to tilted interest. She was in a good position and she was far from helpless. If the stranger happened to manage under her branch, there would be no reason to not drop on him, just as she'd planned with the deer.

[dontworkforfools]

Gus might have heard Devi's stomach growling if he hadn't been focused on the two men in front of him. He knew he could take them but he didn't want to waste what few bullets he had left.

Drawing blood made the pair uneasy and while they held Gus's attention a third man ran up and grabbed hold of Gus's shirt, dragging and then slamming him against the tree that Devi was positioned in. His switchblade clatter to the roots of the tree while Gus took a few good punches to his ribs. He grunted and cursed, once again in spanish, beneath his breath.

The last punch forward Gus parried and then aimed for the man's jaw. The other two waited and watched, now with smug expressions.

[artistwithasickness]

Well, that wasn't what she expected but fluidity was the essence of survival. She couldn't help with anything until they stumbled her way and she winced as Gus was slammed into the tree. Fuck. The men were too close together for it to be clean.

"WATCH OUT," she cried. The advantage of surprise had to be sacrificed to give Gus any kind of warning that he was getting help, and it didn't do his attacker much good, beyond bracing for it. Devi landed on the guys chest and jammed the back end of her shiv underneath the edge of his jaw. Dangerous green eyes snapped up to the other two -

"Unless you're looking to do your yearly sacrifice early boys, I'd suggest you back off." The man under her bucked and it lifted her slender frame but Devi didn't hesitate in sucker punching the guy, swiftly turning her shiv around to hover the point dangerously over one of his eyes.

"I wouldn't do it, big guy."

[dontworkforfools]

Gus regained his footing quickly and despite not knowing the girl who fell from the tree he took it and used it. He drew his gun from his jacket it and held it up to aim at the two who were about to step forward. It was every man for themselves and Gus already knew that the group had thin alliances between them.

"You heard her. Back the fuck off." His voice rang out with surprising authority and while Gus didn't want to waist his aim the sight of the gun and the mans mortality was enough for the two men to rise their hands and slowly back away.

Gus's eyes stayed on them as he moved next to Devi. "Kill him or not. It won't matter to these assholes and I have a feeling there are more of them coming. We need to get out of here. I know a safe place but you'll have to trust me." He considered it his fault that she got in this so he's going to get her out of it.

[artistwithasickness]

Devi glanced between them, letting her gaze fall back on the guy underneath her. She took the chance on Gus when she dropped out of the tree, never mind that she couldn't have gone anywhere until they'd gone. But what to do about the not so little moth she'd caught.

They wouldn't be able to handle more of them.

"You best start moving, amiego," she said to Gus before leaning closer to the guy under you. "And you, best stay where the fuck you are."

As soon as Gus started moving back, Devi slowly lifted herself off the guy with the ease and the grace of a cat, shiv still at the ready. She wanted to make sure there was no doubt in the guy's mind that she would lunge again and be much less kind in her decision.

[dontworkforfools]

Gus nodded and began to take a few measured steps backwards. He didn't look away since he had both the gun and the advantage. It was enough for for those attacking to hang back while him and Devi made something of an escape. With the men still within hearing range Gus switch languages. "Vamos a dirigirse hacia el este y luego se corta en Manhattan de esa manera. Tengo un lugar allí." (Translation: We're going to head east and then cut into Brooklyn that way. I have a place there.)

He's planning to keep his gun up and out while they're heading there. Gus didn't mess around when it came to someone else's safety. His steps were quick but he knew that Devi would be able to keep up with him. "Let's move."

As the men fell out of sight Gus turned and began to run. He knew that they had seconds at most to get ahead of them and anyone else who might be coming. "You alright?"

[artistwithasickness]

Devi backed up a few feet, glancing at Gus for reference and to take a few broader steps towards him before turning her eyes over her shoulder. There was a rush of hot relief in her chest that the Spanish trill she'd heard before meant what she thought it had. It was echoed by the relief that the two Tia's she'd stayed with some of her life had taught her the language that her father had refused to.

No response was needed to it, not when they were edging out of sight and once Gus turned and sprinted, Devi sprinted after him, the black trench coat she wore flapping out behind her long, quick steps.

"Sure - my and my busted dinner date hadn't been on the menu for a few days. What's an extra rib?" She glanced at him with a smirk before darting around to avoid a tree. "I'm not the one getting punched in the head. Are you okay?"

[dontworkforfools]

Gus felt his lips tug into a smirk. "I've been hit with worse." He'd be fine though he did want to get them somewhere safe before the sun and their visibly went down. He continued a few miles at a run before he slowed his pace and turned them towards a tunnel that would be easily missed if you didn't know it was there.

He kept his gun out and as the darkness of the tunnel surrounded them he pulled out his flash light. "Stay close to me." He had food and he'd happily share it since she'd lend him a hand. He was good at making his way and since he only had himself to look after it was easier.

"What are you doin' around here? Don't think I've seen you in the city."

[artistwithasickness]

Yes, it was true - Devi was a little winded by the time they hit the tunnel, but the slower pace was workable and let her catch her breath. She was impressed by how long he'd run and by the secret tunnel; he felt like he knew what he was doing, so there was no issue with doing what he said and sticking close.

"Traveling. Trying to work myself upstate, maybe into Canada if I can manage it. You seem like you're settled in - what were you doin' that far away from what I'm guessin is home base?"

[dontworkforfools]

Gus shook his head. He noticed that she was losing breath and slowed their pace to something easier. It was a fair walk though Gus knew the shortest way there. They'd be fine as far as the men are concerned though Gus was forever careful after what happened with his mother and brother. "Making sure these dick heads didn't find it. They're part of old gangs in the city who've been banding together and making things hell for those still left." He really hated those guys.

At her question he rolled his shoulders. "I had no reason to leave." That's since changed but he hadn't figured out where he'd go if he did leave.

The tunnel let out to a low part of the city. He holstered his gun and began climbing a ladder which lead to the the street. "Just a little further." With a grunt he pushed an opening a side and led Devi into a small apartment building that from the outside didn't look like very much. Inside it was clean and looked like the way his mother had left this apartment.

[artistwithasickness]

Extremely long distances wasn't her thing - she was in shape, just not used to that kind of running so the slower pace was much appreciated.

"Never heard of a gang planting flowers and saving babies," she quips as she follows him out of the tunnel and peers up the ladder he starts climbing. "Does that mean that you have a reason to stay?"

She didn't mind the city though, even with it's overgrown streets and ominous shadows. Her city hadn't been much different, wasn't much different from the sounds of it and she hadn't had any reason to stay. Being back here was almost nostalgic, if she could stop thinking about what brought them to such a monstrous state of existence.

[dontworkforfools]

He waited until she followed him up the ladder before opening a window on the fire escape and stepping inside. "Not anymore." Once she was inside he closed, locked, and bared the window. He then covered it with the blinds making sure that none of the light from inside the apartment could seep out into the streets. It looked like a normal apartment for New York and they were standing in a bed room.

Gus waved for her to follow him towards the family room which sat neat and clean with the kitchen off to the side. It was small and a little rundown but it was obviously loved. It also looked like an older woman lived here and not a twenty something year old male.

"Let me get you something to eat. I have some meat in the fridge but also some canned stuff if you'd rather have some of that." He was gonna cook her something thought it'l most likely be Mexican themed in some way. "You're also welcome to stay in the spare room. It's in the back." He pointed to the other door that was down the hall. "It's cool if you leave but let me know so I can lock up."

[artistwithasickness]

Devi held her questions as she followed up after him, taking in the apartment and the way he blocked the window behind them. Looked like he did alright for himself, she thought as she went further in, stopping behind the couch with a faint smirk. Glancing down the hall at his gesture, she nodded.

"Yeah, thanks." Looking back to him, one hand came over her stomach. "I've kinda been living off roughage and whatever scraps I can find that haven't gone bad yet. Whatever you can spare though, I don't want to take food from anyone's mouth... Do you live here by yourself?"

Because if so, holy fuck. This was clean.

[dontworkforfools]

Gus nodded his head as he moved into the kitchen. "Yeah. I do well enough with the city to loot and the animals that have come into the city." He had to learn a lot about hunting in a very short period of time. It'd been trial and error which happened to be the best way for Gus to learn.

The refrigerator was running on a generator he had set up and while it was rather empty there was still a few days of food in there. He grabbed a small slice of meat that looked like it was very crudely packaged and tossed it into a pan to cook. He then grabbed a can of green beans from the pantry which went into another pan to heat up.

"Take a seat. This will only take a minute." He was a pretty good cook but he didn't do as much as he used too. He didn't want the smell to travel to far though he knew that the rest of the building was empty. He'd made sure of that much.

[artistwithasickness]

Devi kind of did what she was told, pulling the chair closer to the kitchen so she could watch him work. Her stomach growled audibly as the food was tossed into pans; when was the last time she'd had a hot meal?

"You cook. I'm not surprised, considering but.." She huffed a nervous little laugh. "It's almost normal." The first kind of normal she'd seen in what felt like forever. "Better then me at least. With the exception of Raman. I cook a mean noodle."

After running and living what she had taken to calling 'feral', everything felt a little surreal.

[dontworkforfools]

Gus tried to work quickly and when he was done he slid the food onto plates before turning off the stove and promptly cleaning everything. He had to get rid of the smell, just in case there were people out at night who might pick up the scent.

"I try." He looked back at her and offered a small smile. There were a lot of normal habits that Gus had worked hard to keep. It was probably the only thing keeping him sane. "I have some Raman." It was something he picked up at a lot of stores. "If you stick around long enough I'll see what you mean." Maybe. He didn't expect people to stay.

Gus took the plate and set it down in front of Devi. "Eat up."

[artistwithasickness]

Devi smiled crookedly back at him when he glanced at her and shrugged a noncommittal shoulder at the suggestion.

"Thanks," she said, as she plucked a piece off the plate and popped it into her mouth as she crossed her legs and considered him. "If it's okay, I'll stay at least a few nights. I don't want any of my shit messing up what you've got going on here. Is there any chance there are still any kind of supplies in the city? Like.. art supplies?"

Surely that hadn't been cleaned out.

[dontworkforfools]

Gus looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. He considered her for a second before setting down his plate and joining her. He spoke a quick prayer to the silver angel before taking a bite of his own food. He had plenty of stock though that was because he’d gone out almost every day to look for more. He knew that some day’s he’d find nothing and he needed to be prepared for those days, not to mention winter.

He nodded his head as he listened, knowing for a fact that no one in their right mind would loot art supplies. “I don’t see why there wouldn’t be. I’ll show you around the block tomorrow. We’ll have to leave just before dawn.” Which was his way of saying; get your ass up early.

“You can sleep in the back room. I’ll take the couch.” After eating he tossed his plate into the sink. He’d wait for her to finish before cleaning up. Gus had been on his own for a while now and he didn’t thrive well, he’d go out of his way to keep himself busy which was why the apartment was spotless and why he began to take apart his gun and clean it now.

[artistwithasickness]

Devi nodded at the time and started eating, but did so slowly despite the urge she had to scarf the food down. She'd learned that lesson, the first time she ate after a long period of malnutrition, since it left her with cramps and pains that were the worst she'd ever had.

"I don't want to put you out - I can take the couch. Anything that isn't a tree or bare concrete will feel like a cloud." A beat passed and she ate another bite, watching him clean. "What did you do before?"

She was sure she didn't have to specific before what. It had rocked and destroyed everyone's world.

[dontworkforfools]

Gus shook his head. "My mama wouldn't forgive me if I let a young girl take the couch." He turned his head and offered her a smile. "So I got it. Besides, it's the most secure room. You'll be safe sleeping there." Which matter to Gus more than anything else.

His hand worked to clean and get rid of the smells of food. It didn't take him very long, he was good at it.

"I was a car thief." He didn't want he did to take care of his family. "Otherwise I did odd jobs for gangs." Which was also how he got so good at shooting a gun. "Not the best jobs. What about you?"

[artistwithasickness]

'Young girl' cooled her gaze a little; she hadn't been a young girl for many years, as much as 'many' could be counted to a twenty four year old soul, but the quirk of his smile was enough to earn forgiveness and she went back to finishing what was left on her plate.

Okay, so there wouldn't be any more arguing about his bed.

"Nothing nearly that exciting. My last job was at a publishing house, doing cover art for shitty, short sci-fi novels. Before that, I worked at a bookstore. Not exactly hip deep in the criminal element..."

She wanted to ask why he did those thing, why he was.. forced to that option, but it wasn't smart to so blatantly question someone feeding and housing you, and Devi was in desperate need of a friend. Someone to talk to that wasn't herself. Internal conversations usually meant you were starting to go mad; Devi was already there.

"I had to.. toughen up, I guess, once shit hit the fan. It, uh.." She glanced down at her now empty plate before standing up to head over towards the sink. "Wasn't pretty."

[dontworkforfools]

He could have said pretty girl but Gus didn't think that it would go over so well and since she was staying the night he wanted her to be comfortable. When he was done with dishes he moved to the closest and began to make up the bed. Not that he was going to sleep, he'd probably stay up and use the coffee table to clean his guns.

"It's better if you aren't. I didn't work with very good people." He only did what he did for his family. Without his mom there was no reason to work for those jack asses. Though not working for them got him into his earlier trouble.

He took her plate when it was empty and went to cleaning it. "Not all of life is pretty." He'd listen if she wanted to talk but Gus wouldn't push her. He knew that some people preferred secrecy. He didn't mind, he didn't have any secrets, not anymore. If Devi took a good look around his place she'd see pictures of his mother, religious figures. It looked like Gus lived here but it was obvious that the home was decorated by someone else.

[artistwithasickness]

"No, I-" she stared, falling short and sighing a little when she got no choice or chance to say that she could clean up her own messes, dish being taken out of her hand. She looked down, shoved her hands in her pockets and took a few steps back. She hadn't even been given a chance.

"Working retail meant I worked with pretty shitty, shady people. But none of my life is pretty, even the pretty parts. I take what I can get. You got a shower here?"

[dontworkforfools]

"Sorry. Habit." Gus replied as he finished up with the dishes. He'd always cleaned up and taken care of those in his house. His mom would fuss if he did the dishes to much but he'd always insist. It was weird to think that it might be a problem.

"Yeah. Showers down the fall, first door on the left. Water is cold but clean." The water heater broke and while Gus could fix it, he felt that it was to loud to run anyway. "Towels are stacked next to the sink. The white ones are clean."

Gus was pretty sure that life wasn't supposed to be pretty. Ever good memory he had was now in the past. "It can't be all bad." The words left his mouth even though he knew that he should probably leave things alone. "Even if it's something small. You gotta have something pretty in life."

[artistwithasickness]

Devi wasn't used to having things done for her. She did things for herself but she was a guest and guests weren't supposed to argue. Her father had taught her some manners. A bit of a face was made at there being no hot water, but she supposed it couldn't be helped, just like the slightly crestfallen expression.

"Thanks, I'll take what I can get right now." She tried for a crooked smirk but it didn't get too far.

"And you'd think that but the universe and I have a love hate relationship. It loves to hate me." The self deprecating smile came a little more easily for a second. "Nothing is pretty anymore." She started down the hall toward the shower. "I'll make it quick."

With that, she headed that way.

[dontworkforfools]

Gus was about to comment, to say something more, but he stopped himself. He really wasn't in a position to give her hope or an idea that shit might work out. It sucked, the world sucked and people sucked. And it was only getting worse.

He rolled his shoulders in a shrug and decided there was at least one thing he wanted to say before she disappeared into the bathroom.

"You still trust people. Life can't be filled with to much shit. Don't give up. I'm sure you'll find something." It sounded awkward and he knew he didn't have much grounds for saying so but he didn't feel right leaving things as they were. He wanted her to be able to smile, may just a little bit, when she realized that there were some good things too.

Maybe he was just fooling himself, like he had with so many other things before this.

[artistwithasickness]

Devi stopped at the bathroom door to look over at him. He didn't know the ranges of shit her life was capable of reaching on a good, normal day but she appreciated the words anyway.

"Trusted you enough to follow you home didn't I?" A smirk played across her lips before she stepped into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it gently in hopes of making it quieter and pass unnoticed.

Alright. Trust only went so far and it made her about 1000% more comfortable.

Getting naked was, on it's own, liberating. The fact that she was going to shower, even if it was cold water, sounded like heaven. She was pretty sure that she smelled. With a frown down at the pile of clothes at her feet, she silently lamented the fact that she'd have to put them back on. They'd been washed the last time she had.

Gross.

But there was no helping it and Devi went on with what the shortest shower she had ever taken in her life. Her skin ached with the cold, body trembling violently under the streams from the showerhead, but it was the first time in months that she'd gotten to shower like a human being. Bless whoever made shampoo.

All in all, it takes her about 15 minutes to finish, but the shower only accounted for five. Half of the rest was spent wrapped up in her towel, trying desperately to return a feeling that wasn't death by a thousand pinpricks to her skin.

But she wasn't going to give any of that away - when the door opens, she's cowled in the towel, wildly tossed black hair peeking out from under it, but fully dressed with her boots in hand.

"That was both the best and worst experience I have ever had," she said, glancing at the back bedroom and padding that way to set her boots in the door before heading back to the living room. "How do you handle that all the time?"

[dontworkforfools]

Gus felt his lips tug into a smirk as she disappeared into the bathroom. He heard the familiar sound of the lock clicking and honestly didn't blame her. Being in an apartment with a guy that she just met was reckless enough, it was good that she was being smart.

While she was in the shower he finished cleaning and then changed his clothes. He tossed his dirty clothes into a hamper, wanting to keep them off the floor. He'd eventually do laundry, when it felt like it was safe to do it or he'd just wash his shit by hand. He was a guy and he wasn't that picky but if he was sleeping on the couch, his moms couch, then he'd wear something clean to bed.

Gus liked cold showers. They woke him up and reminded him that he was alive.

When she stepped out of the shower she'd find him sitting on the sofa. there was a pillow and blanket throw to the side that Gus would use later to sleep. Right now he had the pieces of his gun taken apart and placed carefully on the coffee table. There was a bottle of tequila next to him though he was more focused on cleaning than drinking. As she stepped closer he looked up, a light smirk tugging at his lips. "Yeah? If you stay longer I'll go into the subbasement and see about fixing the hot water." It wasn't something he'd do for himself. "You get used to it." Gus rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "Been like that for a few months now. I don't hate it."

He watched her before he slowly began to reassemble his gun, making sure that the mechanisms worked smoothly. "Relax, have a drink if you want to warm up."

[artistwithasickness]

Papa didn't raise no fool.

Ruffling her hair under the towel, Devi came to a stop by the edge of the couch, pulling the white cotton around her neck and carding her fingers through her hair, fwooping the top of her undercut back.

"Yeah?" What that was to was left to question, since she went ahead and sat on the floor, using the couch as something to lean against. Turned towards him so that she could watch what he was doing, she glanced over at the Tequila with crooked smirk.

"If you've got something I can drink it out of, and only a little. I'm not a big drinker and when I do, I like something not so strong. Beer or something." She rested her head in her hand, propped on the seat of the couch, fingers sunk into damp hair. "The only fuzz I like is grass."

It had been over a year since she'd had that and she was sure to never see it again. It was a great sadness.

[dontworkforfools]

"No beer but I do have small glasses." Gus quickling put his gun away before rising to his feet. He stepped around the table and grabbed two glasses from one of the cabinets. They weren't nice glasses but they were clean and they'd get the job done.

He placed them on the coffee table before pouring some of the tinted liquid into each. He made sure to pour her a little less, always respecting a guest's wishes. He then moved to return to his seat on the couch, his eyebrow raised quizzically at her. "Grass?" She had realized that they were in a city right now right? He found the comment a tad ironic but cute.

"Don't worry about drinking it all." He slid the cup in front of her. "This is just me coping." Openly, he had to deal with the fact that his mother was gone and that he blamed himself every minute of every day after that. It was anyone's guess why he kept going or what kept him here. He was trapped in his past and in a way stuck.

Gus rose his glass slightly. "To shit sucking." He then downed the shot, placing it on the table. He didn't expect her to do the same. It was just his way of drinking.