#( jonah + river ) — the coward & the survivalist . . . ꩜

[holyshitmp3]

continued from here // @godstrayed

Jonah sighed heavily, fingers sore from the tight knots he’d spent the entire morning tying. The exercise felt futile, especially considering the time spent out in the open — he’d been jumpy and on edge all day, head jerking left and right at every little shift of branches or crunch of leaves. What were the odds they’d even catch anything? He couldn’t remember the last time he saw an animal that wasn’t infected or sick or just plain skin and bones.

He tied off the last knot on his current trap and straightened up, stretching his arms and back towards the hazy blue sky. The sunlight cut through the thin covering of grey clouds like fingers, stretching down to drag across the ground. The last stretches of summer were on their way out, the warmth giving way to cool breezes and drizzling rain.

“ How many more of these are we going to make? ” he asked, eyeing the ever-shortening length of rope in his hands. His stomach churned with hunger, and his throat ached for something to drink. He wanted nothing more than to go home and curl up in his corner again, eyes trained on the door and knife gripped tightly in his right hand.

[holyshitmp3]

Jonah fumbled the protein bar, letting it fall to the leaf litter below. After wincing at the rustle of leaves, he ducked down to grab it, ripping into the packaging before he’d even fully straightened up. The bar was bland and thick, sticky between his teeth and bitter after he swallowed. He savored every bite.

“ Thank you, ” He said through his last mouthful, crumbling the wrapper and shoving it into his jeans pocket. Jonah found food on the regular a while back, but as the months wore on it became scarcer and harder to come by. Coupled with his growing fear of the world outside his apartment, he began eating less and less. He went hungry more often than not these days, not any different than anyone else still surviving he guessed. His ribs poked through the thin skin of his torso and his cheeks grew sunken, almost gaunt.

“ Sounds good to me. ” He jerks his head back the way they had come. “ I saw a barn on the a little ways back. Might be good shelter if it’s empty. ”

　It wasn't easy accepting someone new.　River wasn't fully certain where Jonah stood with him or even where he might stand with the other male. He only knew that they needed each other to increase their odds and that seemed like enough for him. The future might hold something different —— it was hard to tell what was true out here and he wasn't the best judge of character all things considered. He had depended on a damn dog to determine people's character.

But River knew himself and knew he wasn't going to let others dissuade him from being what he was. It's why he digs into his backpack,　the old army green thing tattered but beloved,　bringing out one protein bar he had found in an abandoned building. He tosses it over. He had been hungry far less than the other he reckons. It's only fair and an act of good faith.

“ We're done for the day. Let's find somewhere to settle for the night and we can check them in the morning. I bet we'll snag something small. ”