Chapter Text
Time lost meaning. Sometimes it was dark. Sometimes it was light. It was no different to him.
The heat didn’t hurt him. Not in any meaningful way. He’d sit under the shade of some rubble in the day, and be fine by night. Any burns he sustained quickly faded by nightfall anyways. Nothing like what happened to humans caught out in the sun, where the heat was so intense they’d melt where they stood, screaming all the while. Unfortunate, really. What a waste of good meat.
His kin rarely acknowledged him, but he knew them. They smelled different- rotten. That was the only reason he’d never tried to eat any of them. He didn’t want their companionship anyways. He had no use for companionship. But, his kin for the most part seemed fragile. If they got caught out by the yellow hazmats, they’d be whisked away or swiftly killed, dissolving into bloody mush. He, on the other hand, didn’t have such worries. The yellow hazmat’s bullets had no effect on him. He hardly felt them.
To him, the yellow hazmats were a convenient meal source.
As human’s became more scarce out and about, the yellow hazmats remained plentiful, and usually found in bunches. Their numbers made them brave. That was foolish. Their numbers meant when he found one of their packs he had food to satisfy himself for a few days. They never had a chance. They were just prey for him.
He knew he should probably leave, find new territory, new hunting grounds as prey became more scarce in this one. But…. He couldn’t bring himself to. He didn’t know why. He needed to stay around the city, and the cluster of homes outside of it, regardless of how few living were left- or at the very least living who were bold enough to venture out where he could find them.
Many of the homes outside the city had been destroyed, likely the work of the hazmats… But one remained. He didn’t dare approach it. Something deep inside him wanted him to stay away. But, he’d watch. Sometimes humans would be let in. Sometimes his kin would be let in. Sometimes a human would come out, taking with him remnants of corpses- both the work of his kin, and what was left of his kin upon being discovered. It gave him a sick sense of glee seeing the mangled bodies of his kin be removed. They were stupid, they gave themselves away. Unlike him.
Some nights, the man would be standing on the porch, smoking, staring out into the darkness. What was he looking for? Was he looking for anything? He didn’t know.
Then…. The man stopped.
The man was gone. No more humans came to the house. The house itself seemed to have been boarded up.
There was nothing. There was nothing for a long time. Nothing but the hazmats.
At least the hazmats tasted pretty good.
Slowly, the heat seemed to dissipate. He noticed his skin no longer burnt during the day. Meaningless to him, but, it could mean more prey coming out soon for him.
But, his mind returned to the house. His unexplained reason for not moving on.
He approached the house in daylight, for the first time. There were no signs of life from the outside. Using mild force on the door, he was able to break it down, boards be damned. Few things could really effectively keep him out.
The house was empty. A thick layer of dust seemed to cover everything, like it had been completely abandoned for the entirety of that quiet period. He might have been convinced that was true- if it wasn’t for the wonderful smell that lingered on the air.
No. Someone was still here.
The smell, it seemed to be coming from under the house- conveniently, he could see a hatch near the entrance to the home. A smile stretched across his face. He wasn’t sure what he was feeling… Excitement? He wasn’t sure. He wasn’t very good at recognizing his own emotions anymore.
He threw the hatch open with little care, as it hit the floor with a loud bang. He peered inside, sure enough… Humans.
Specifically, there was a little human with long hair, clutching an orange cat against her. She stared at him, wide eyed and shaking. Both she and the cat looked well fed. Unfortunate. He did not have a taste for the human pups, or other creatures such as cats. He would be leaving them.
Then, he saw him.
Tucked away in the corner of the basement was the man he had watched. His clothes were torn, and his skin sunken. It seemed the health of the human pup and the cat had come at the man’s expense.
Though he had not physically felt much of anything in a long time, seeing the man, he felt warm. He reached out, collecting the man into his arms. He was weak and unconscious…. But alive.
The human pup screeched at him as he stole away the man, but he paid her no mind. She made no true efforts to stop him. She couldn’t, after all, and she likely knew that.
He left the house, walking in the direction of the nearby woods to find somewhere to settle for the time being, the man in his arms.
Starving humans didn’t make good meals, but, he didn’t want to eat him. He didn’t know why he didn’t want to eat him… But no. He wouldn’t, he’d decided.
He caressed the man’s face with a long, bony hand, watching the way his face shifted ever so slightly with each breath he took, and each movement made. It brought him such glee…. He would have to keep this human. He whispered to him, in a voice gruff from lack of use.
“My little sun….”