His eyes bounced across the house as he took it all in for the final time. As his eyes slowly strolled across the house the front door creaked open loudly. His hand shot behind him and gripped the handle of his machete and his eyes darted to the door quickly. A dark silhouette stood in the doorway for a moment as he stared on in fear.
"W...who's there?" He asked, unsheathing his blade.
"Henderson number three," Amanda said, stepping into the house. Miles' eyes swelled once again as he dropped his blade to the ground sticking it into the wooden floor below. His words escaped his body and his mind went blank. All he could do was run to the door and lift her in his arms as tight as he could. He sobbed into her blouse as he squeezed her, holding her above the ground. Amanda felt the air leave her lungs and the tears build in her eyes. She knew this is where he went, but part of her was nervous she'd miss him.
The feeling of relief filled her small body as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The two of them cried in each other's arms in the doorway to the house they grew up in.
"I'm so glad you're alive," He said, finally being able to form words.
"I'm so sorry," He whispered.
"I'm glad I'm alive too, it would suck if I just kicked the bucket huh," She replied chuckling.
"Don't be sorry Miles, I saw the bridge. If it wasn't for you we'd be four more...husks standing on that bridge," She said, sliding her hand up and down the top of his back. Miles stayed quiet, crying harder into her chest.
"A...Abel?" He asked, nervously.
"I...I'm not sure," She said, pitifully. Sorrow washed over Miles, as he opened his eyes. Outside the door stood Thicket standing tall above the door stamping his feet lightly.
"What the fuck!" He shouted, leaping backward with Amanda still in his arms. He put her down behind him and grabbed the machete from the floor. Letting out a battle cry, he rushed toward the door with it high above his head.
"Stop!" She shouted, jumping in front of her frenzied brother.
"Miles this is Thicket, he's friendly," She said, blocking the path between him and Thicket.
"Thicket? Friendly? What the fuck is that?" He asked, confused.
"He's a buck, we think he was affected by the radiation in some odd ways," She replied, looking over her shoulder at the giant buck.
"He's got vines hanging off his fucking horns. His fur is green," He said baffled.
"I know, I know," She said, attempting to calm him down.
"He...He's incredible," He said, astonished and impressed.
"Does he let you ride him?" He asked, placing his machete back on his backpack.
"Ye...yeah, he's very docile, I'm sorry, are you...excited?"
"Hell yeah, this is the first giant beast I've seen that doesn't want to eat me," He said, scooting past her and walking outside to get a closer look.
"Eat you? Is that my guitar?" She asked, confusedly following him outside.
"Long story, and yes. Have you seen anything else like him?" He asked, examining every inch of Thicket's massive body while extending her guitar out to her.
"We saw a moose in the woods, but it was nothing like Thicket. It was decomposing and feral. It wanted to kill us, Thicket saved us," She said, patting him on his side and plucking a string on the neck of her instrument before placing it on her back.
"Decomposing?" He asked, concerned.
"A dead-moose, it was unlike anything I've ever seen. Its lower jaw was all bone, small black eyes, and decaying skin patched all along its body," She said, reminiscing about her encounter in the woods.
"Jesus, I guess my story isn't so long anymore," He said, horrified by the description she just gave him.
"The world is changing, quickly, and I don't think it's going to stop any time soon," She said, worried.
"I agree, I think dad had an idea," He said, thinking back to the blue ink that burned into his mind as he read it from the yellow piece of paper his dad had ripped from a notebook.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I found...his body, next to him was a letter. He said his research had been leaked to Russia and that's the weapon they used against us," He replied. A moment of silence was shared between them as both of them wondered what to say next. The sound of the vines above them curling around the house became more noticeable.
Thicket's restless legs clopped on the fractured pavement below.
"He's dead?" She asked.
"Yeah, I don't think he had even gotten the notification...I found the shotgun," He replied, the vomit in his stomach beginning to creep up once more. Another silent moment fell over them.
"The military base, we'll find answers there," Miles said, breaking the silence.
"I agree, but we should move quickly. Who knows when the vines will take the city? We don't want to be here for that," She said, moving closer to Thicket.
"What do you mean?" He asked, staring at the coiling vines.
"The vines, constrict things and destroy them. They suck anything they can into the ground," She replied, climbing onto Thicket's back.
"Of course they do," He replied.
"Come on," She said, lowering her hand to pull him up. Miles looked at her hand and stared at Thicket before smiling slightly.
"This is so cool," He whispered, grabbing her hand and pulling himself up.
"Hiya!!" She shouted, sending Thicket back toward the edge of town. He ran quickly, catching Miles off guard and almost dropping him to the street below.