The Madman And The Doll

“So, what’s the plan today?”

Rob didn’t answer. He rarely did.

“Good idea,” Aryen said, nodding at Rob.

Rob didn’t nod back. He rarely did.

Aryen pushed himself up. He dusted off his trousers and vest, both worn down after months of travel, and picked up Rob. Rob, the remnants of what had once been a G.I. Joe doll, didn’t object. That’s what Aryen liked so much about Rob. He never complained, always did what Aryen asked of him and never fell behind.

Rob was the perfect survivor.

The dirt specks on his goggles cleaned off, Aryen put them on and climbed out of his hiding hole. It was a good hole. Good for hiding, good for sleeping. He always could appreciate a good hole. He’d arrived at the hole late into the night, and could now finally survey his surroundings. The red sun barely reached through the layers of ash and dust in the atmosphere, but it was enough.

Enough for Aryen to see the remnants of what had once been a bustling city. Jagged skyscrapers stood like broken teeth among the rubble of a hundred and more buildings. Rusting hulls of abandoned cars littered the streets leading in and out of the once city.

“Well,” Aryen sighed, turning Rob to face the sight. “What do you think, Rob?”

Rob didn’t answer. He rarely did.

“That’s what I was thinking!” Aryen exclaimed, carefully placing Rob in the breast pocket of his vest. “Maybe we’ll even find someone today!”

With an excited spring in his step, Aryen hurried down the small hill, leaving small wisps of dust wherever his feet made contact with the earth. He reached the main road that led to the once city and made his way over the one of the abandoned, rusty cars. He often found useful tools in the glove compartments and trunks, and every car was well worth checking. If luck was on his side, he’d even find someone today. Someone that wasn’t dead.

Car by car, step by step, Aryen inched his way closer to the city. He knew that searching each and every car was impossible, but it felt like such a waste whenever he passed by one and had no idea what was inside it. Luckily cities were just as, if not more, exciting than rummaging through rusting cars. There was so much to see, so much to look for.

There had to be someone else here.

Right?

Aryen slammed the door of an especially worn-down vehicle shut – it had been empty – and turned his focus towards the once city that now surrounded him. Shattered skyscrapers towered above him, giant ruins of a lost world judging him from atop their mighty thrones. Parts of them had fallen down on the smaller buildings around them. Giant beams of steel and metal that had destroyed whatever had found its way in their path.

“What was that?” Aryen asked, looking down at Rob hanging about in his breast pocket. “No, Rob, forget it. I’m not going up there.” He cocked an eyebrow. “I might be crazy, Rob, but I’m not crazy. It’s too dangerous.”

Silence reigned for a moment, the only sound the soft blows of a warm wind finding its way through the once city’s ruins.

“You’re a smart man, Rob.” Aryen broke the silence first. “But now you’re acting erratically. I’m not going up there, end of discussion.”

A hint of frustration in his step, Aryen continued his way through the once city. It was easy to get overwhelmed in a place like this. So many places to discover, so many possibilities behind each door. But Aryen knew that in order to survive, one had to be decisive. One wrong decision could end it all in a heartbeat. A support beam on the verge of cracking, a hole that had opened up during the earth quacks, a wall that would give way at the slightest touch…

Without Rob, Aryen figured he’d been long dead. Rob was the perfect lookout, always peering ahead towards what was coming. He never took his eyes of their path. Most reliable.

The metal door fell inwards with a loud clunk, sending up whirls of dust around it. Aryen massaged his foot for a second, he had misjudged his kick just slightly. Toes and heel all healed up, he made his way inside the building. The light from his flashlight shone just bright enough for Aryen to take in the room. It had once been a walk-in refrigerator, he figured. Most shelves were empty, looted long ago by people who had died years ago. Some still had stock though, and Aryen smiled as he moved aside some rotten carton and found several cans of pineapple rings. They were still sealed.

“Well look at that,” he said. “Looks like it’ll be fine dining today.”

He showed the can to Rob.

Rob didn’t answer. He rarely did.

Stashing whatever cans he could find in his backpack, Aryen left the building a satisfied customer. It still felt weird walking past the cashier desks without paying. Sometimes, Aryen would leave crumpled bills he had found at the self-checkout. It felt like the right thing to do, a final reminder of a different life.

He readjusted the mask that covered the lower half of his face and continued his way through the streets of the once city. With food secured so early on in the day, Aryen found himself relaxing as he walked through the ruins of civilization. He looked through cars, waste bins and storefronts for whatever could be useful in his travels. Soon enough, two knives, a new walking stick – a headless broom handle – and a fresh pair of boots had been added to his collection. The boots he had put on immediately, his old pair was a leaky as the car he had found them in weeks ago. The knives were welcome as well. They had been preserved quite well and were near completely rust free. A rarity these days.

Hours later, he exited the main center of the once city on the opposite side he had entered it. His backpack weighed significantly heavier than it had this morning, which was a good sign, yet Aryen still felt a sense of disappointment. Five years now he had walked from one destroyed city to the next. Five years, four of which with Rob by his side, of loneliness. Where had everybody gone? There were vague memories of conversations he had. Memories of a world on the brink of collapse. And then he had woken up in this hellscape, everyone and everything he knew gone.

“No, you’re right,” he answered Rob’s question. “We’re all alone. Just you and…”

He fell silent.

There. In the dust.

Aryen stared in shock at the footprints in the dust before him. Two pair of them, clear as day and leading away from the city. He checked the soles of his own shoes just to be sure – he had walked in circles before unknowingly – but knew the imprints were of a different pattern.

He squatted down next to the prints and took of his goggles. Immediately, dust pricked into his eyes causing small tears, but he ignored it. They might very well have been tears of joy.

“Look at that!” he yelled, grabbing Rob from his sentry spot and moving him closer to the footprints. “Those aren’t mine! Someone was here!”

He turned Rob towards him.

“I’m not seeing things!” he argued the doll. “They’re there, right there! Look!”

Aryen gave Rob another chance to take a closer look.

“Exactly,” he said. “Those aren’t mine. Or yours.”

His eyes followed the direction the footprints lead towards. Away from the city, and into the desert. A chill ran through Aryen’s spine. He had remained close to the roads, town and cities for as much as he could. The desert was dangerous, void of water and food sources and surprisingly easy to get lost in. He hesitated for a moment. Putting his own survival above all else was the logical decision, that much he knew from experience. Yet here there was a chance. A chance to no longer be alone.

“I’m doing it,” he decided, the newfound weight of his backpack supporting the decision. “We’re going into the desert, Rob. You ready?”

Rob didn’t answer. He rarely did.