Jay shook his head. "I'm good. But thanks." He replied, giving her a faint smile. He settled back against the tree with a soft sigh. "Just don't take too long at the stream. If we aren't staying, I'd like to get moving as soon as possible." He said, raking a hand through his tangled hair.
Delia nodded and took back the container, heading to the dream without glancing back at him. Her auburn hair was a tangled mess and she wished she could comb through it, but she couldn’t get everything she wanted out here, just surviving was enough. She dropped the containers by the bank of the stream once she got to it and sighed, trying to figure out the best way to wash herself but not get the bandages wet.
Jay waited for her. He hesitated for a moment, then went into his backpack and pulled out a book in a plastic bag. He took it out of the plastic bag, smoothing out the cover. It was older, well worn and dog eared. He started to read, hunched over it as if to protect it.
She figured it out soon enough and started washing herself, deciding to just wash her face and hair. Scrubbing away the layer of dirt on her face she smiled, already feeling so much better. Her hair took a while longer as she tried to untangle some of the bigger portions as she washed it. Squeezing out as much water as she could out of her hair, she reached over and grabbed her containers, letting the stream run clean for a minute before filling hem back up and adding a drop to each of them again. When she finished she glanced back at the stream only for a moment to make sure she didn’t forget anything before heading back to camp, water already making the back of her shirt have a giant wet spot.
Jay was still reading. He had read this book so many times that he nearly had it memorized, but he still loved it. It was full of good memories, for the most part. Aside from, well…his finger brushed against the blood stains on the cover, and he bit his lower lip. He kept reading. His mother had given it to him. He kept it as safe as possible, buried in the middle of his backpack in a plastic bag, with a blanket wrapped around it.
“I’m back,” She said, making sure she wasn’t going to scare him as she sat down on the ground again and started packing her stuff up. Only glancing at him once, she didn’t ask about the book. She had some of her own anyway so she didn’t think it uncommon for him to be reading.
He looked up, closing the book and putting it back into the bag. "Hi." He greeted. "Ready to keep moving, then?" He asked, putting the book away in his backpack, and putting the backpack on. He stood, adjusting some of the straps, then put his hands in his pockets, waiting.
Delia nodded, shoving the last of her supplies into her bag before slipping the straps over her shoulders and attempting to get up with her pack already on her back. It took a little determination but she got to her feet eventually with another nod, “I’m ready, let’s keep moving.”
Jay nodded. "Let's head back to the road, then." He started out for the road, walking at a pace that Delia would be able to keep up with. If he was honest, he wasn't sure why he was still with her. It was dangerous, for both of them. It wasn't a good idea for him to stick with her, especially without warning her. But…no. The order hadn't come through yet, so everything would be okay.
She followed after him, wondering how many miles they had covered already. It couldn’t have been as many as she’d like, but they were still getting there. “So,” She broke the silence after they had gotten back to the road and walked for a while, “mind telling me little bit more about you? We have the time and even if we don’t travel together for too much longer, I can share about myself too.”
Jay glanced at her. "Uhm." He took a deep breath. "There's not much to tell, really." He said slowly, keeping his eyes on the road. What could he tell her? The whole truth would make her run the other way. Or shoot him. Partial? Maybe that could work. He sighed softly.
“There’s gotta be something to tell, no one has absolutely no past.” She looked over at him, studying his pale hair and features in general, “What was life like before this all happened for you? I know I was just about to go off to college, the one thing I was excited for.” Rolling her shoulders, she sighed, just happy that the sun wasn’t too hot yet.
Jay looked down at the ground. "… actually, I…" He sighed softly. "The aliens attack wasn't quite…out of the blue." He started slowly, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. "They had been studying Earth for…a good while beforehand. Ever notice that the reports of so-called 'alien abductions' ramped up in the years before the attack?" He shook his head, still not looking at her. "I was…being held captive on one of their ships for…a few years. They dropped me back down six months ago."
Her eyes widened and she looked over at him, though she didn’t slow down or stop, “What was it like, up in their ship? I’ve never seen an alien in their basic form, what’s it like?” She knew she was probably pestering him, but to be fair this was all new to her, she tended to stay away from the alien stronghold over the globe.
He didn't look at her still, keeping his gaze focused on the road ahead. "Not pleasant." He finally decided upon. "The aliens…they look very human. Obviously there are some differences, but…" It was like being in a zoo. A very abusive, experimenting-on-its-animals Zoo. He thought, but didn't say. He rubbed his arm with a hand. "It was chilling." His voice was distant, and he put his hands in his pockets before she could see that they were shaking.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” She said slowly after a minute of silence. She had thought over his original response and had a question, “Why did they drop you back down? I’ve never heard of anyone returning, but if it’s true…” She trailed off, the possibilities popping into her head even though she tried not to believe in them too much.
He stiffened, and his eyes flashed. "I…they had no more use for me." He said. That was a lie. They'd dropped him down here for operation Killswitch. But he couldn't tell her that. Not yet. "I don't really know." He said softly. "I tried to find my family, but…" He trailed off.
She slowed to a stop and turned to look at him, her eyes somewhat hopeful, “Do you know if they let anyone else go? Specifically a little boy? Six years old or so? With my hair color and eyes? Sweet and loves trucks and the color green?” It was all she could hope he said yes, it would mean her year and a half of searching for him would be over and she could know at least one of her family members had made it besides her.
Jay stopped too, and finally looked at her. His gold eyes were dull with pain and memories. "No. I didn't meet…I never saw anyone else there." I heard them screaming, but I never saw them. Except the dead bodies they would cart away. The ones that couldn't survive. The ones they killed. He closed his eyes for a moment.
Her shoulders sagged and she looked at the ground for a moment, shaking her head before straightening back up and clearing her throat. “Well, it was worth a shot..let’s keep moving.” As she started forward again, she was completely silent, thinking things over and trying not to cry.
"I'm sorry." Jay said quietly. He walked beside her quietly, looking at the ground. This person…her brother? They didn't usually take kids. Not that young, anyway. And when they did…they didn't usually survive. It was too harsh for them. He sighed softly.
“No, it’s fine,” She said softly, blinking back tears, “I had a feeling, but I had to check it for sure.” Rolling her shoulders, she went quiet again, seeming very interested in the road as they walked along.
He nodded, and kept walking. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again so he could see as they walked. He didn't say anything. He had his hat on, as usual, and he sighed softly. He hoped they wouldn't come across any of the Silverhead Gang. They had a vendetta against him, and would most likely try to kill him for what he'd done.
For a while they walked in silence again, the land ever so slowly changing to more farmland than forest. “So, back to our conversation before I got nosy, what was your life like before you got taken? Any family or anything?” She said, breaking the silence as she glanced over at him. Her non injured leg was starting to hurt again but she didn’t pay attention to it, knowing it was just from the walking.
He shrugged slightly, thinking for a long moment. "I…we lived here in America. I had one little brother and an older sister. My parents marriage was fracturing, but they were still together." He sounded like he was reciting from a script. "And then I was taken, and i never saw them again. I don't even know if they're still alive. Any of them."
She nodded, glancing at him, “Your life sounds like mine but completely opposite at the same time.” Her eyes wandered to the sky as she watched for drones, deciding how much of her life she was going to share, “Well, my family and I lived in America here, like you. My parents were divorced though, won’t bore you with that. I had a younger brother, the one I was asking about, my mother was expecting twins, And I had an older step sister from my dads new wife.”
Jay nodded. "I see." He said softly. "Did you ever find out what happened to them?" He asked, glancing over at her. His gold eyes were clear, but seemingly without much emotion.
“My dads new wife was shot by a raider, my dad too,” She started, her eyes flicking to the ground again, though her voice showed no emotion until she continued when she swallowed back tears, “My mother was taken, still pregnant with only a month to go, and up until half a year ago my brother was with me.” Her voice wavered a little and she focused on the ground ahead, “I made a vow to myself I’d protect him from anything and everything he needed protecting from, but I couldn’t…he was taken by one of the ships a year and a half ago, I’ve searched for him everywhere. I even went to the big alien base on the east coast to look for him. He’s gone though..”
Jay sighed softly. "I'm sorry…" He trailed off. They took a pregnant woman? Oh God… "I really am. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know." He said softly. He adjusted his backpack, and glanced up at the sky to look for drones.
She shook her head, “They’re gone now, nothing can be done to help them, and anyways it’s not your fault. You couldn’t have done anything to help them anyway.” For a moment she slowed and let her leg stretch but then she quickly caught up to him, “All I can do now is make sure they’re remembered and that I survive until these aliens hopefully leave, or until they give up on killing the last few of us that remain.”