Part 2: Square One

  Chapter 3: Success is Relative

  The last of the dust had now settled, the sun hung low in the sky, the buildings of Winchester now coated in the light brown dirt of Nevada. The group was already putting their solar gear back on, save for Trent, who was staying with the radio station.

  “Hey DD, can I show you something?” Scott asked.

  “Yeah sure, where to?”

  “The old Pep Boys.”

  The pair walked through the fresh dust, which crunched under their feet, perhaps this was what snow was like? DD had never met anyone who’d walked through snow. The Pep Boys store stood a block behind the school, just as unremarkable as any of Winchesters’ standing buildings.

  They walked towards the store along some concrete, long since torn up by the wind, the conflict and Nevada itself, now more resembling stepping stones than a unified path. It was narrow, squeezed between the road and tattered remains of the school’s old wire fence. DD’s eyes were slowly drawn towards the fence, always drawn to what was beyond it.

  “Do you think this was a park?” she asked.

  Scott looked back at her, then followed her eyes. “Maybe. Or perhaps a sports field.” he suggested.

  “Do you think there were enough kids in old world Winchester for a school sports team of any kind?”

  “Probably not.” Scott chuckled. “But that’s never stopped kids before.” The two rounded to the old auto parts store and walked into an open garage.

  “So what are you showing me?” DD asked.

  “These!” Scott waved his arms at the husks of several long abandoned cars as he flicked the lights on in the building. None had wheels on them, or really looked usable.

  “Tell me more.” She stepped forward to get a closer look at them.

  “I’ve been taking cars apart and putting them together for years to learn how they work.” He bragged.

  “So what have you learned?”

  “Not much really.” He suddenly shifted to defeat. “There’s not much in the way of wires available. Maybe I’m not actually good at this.”

  “Nah, you just need something better to learn from. We can go open up my car.” DD smiled. “It probably needs to be dusted off anyway.”

  “Why don’t we take the truck to dust off the solar panels, don’t want the battery dying, it’s already only good for about an hour without sun.”

  “That bad huh?”

  “Well it’s not like I can use the warranty.” Scott laughed a little.

  “Damn. I’ve had to swap the battery in my wreck before.” DD said. “It was dead when I got it.”

  “How awful was that?”

  “Oh dude it’s shit. The battery is under that board in my trunk, whoever made that thing cut the entire back of the car up to make that fit.” If Sam hadn’t let her borrow their tools, DD would’ve never gotten the thing to start. Scott and her were now returning to the school parking lot, the weather now silent, perhaps there was also a calm after the storm? The pair separated to walk to their specific doors of the truck, DD had to do a tiny hop to reach her handle, thank goodness Scott hadn’t seen that. She pulled herself up into the seat, as Scott was seemingly flipping some switches under the dash.

  “What are those for?” DD pondered.

  “Kill switches. I got the idea from an old movie.” He explained as the power inside kicked on. Scott began accelerating, slowly. It felt even slower inside the truck than outside, as it vibrated like it wanted to go much faster but the best it could do was crawl.

  Slowly but surely, the ancient beast made its way down the road they had come, and about as quickly. It made its first turn and-

  “Alright we’re not sitting in silence.” DD complained.

  “Oh boy.” Scott knew what she was going to do.

  “Would you rather have X-ray vision on people you find unattractive, or everyone have X-ray vision on you?”

  “Easy, everyone has X-ray on me. I’d get used to it. Also like, if it was the other way around imagine what I’d have to put up with, your mom, Tess.”

  “Okay come on now be nice to Tess, she’s a sweetie.” DD snickered.

  “Would you rather, only be able to wear one color everyday, or only be able to wear seven colors?”

  “Let me be a rainbow Scott.” DD said quickly.

  “You could cheat it by wearing five-colored underwear I suppose.” Scott noted.

  “I’d do it.” DD smiled at the thought of rainbow boxers.

  “Give me a mean one.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “Are you sure you can handle it?” DD teased.

  “Yes. My body is ready.”

  “Would you rather always know when your parents are having sex, or have them know when you are having sex?” Scott pondered DD’s question for a minute.

  “I think I’ll say have them know when I’m having sex, since I’ve never done it and have no plans to.”

  “Sounds reasonable. I’ve never really had sex either, only some very sensual clothes on hugging.” Scott laughed at her comment and DD joined him.

  “Who’d have sex with a loser like me anyway?” She added. “I’m not even attractive.”

  “Same honestly.”

  “You’re attractive, come on now.” DD hit him in the shoulder lightly.

  “No, I have the body type of a lamppost” Scott laughed.

  “Either way, you aren’t a loser.”

  “I haven’t really done anything cool in my life, DD.” The mood was biting lemons.

  “That’s not true. You do all the water runs, you help Aina and Trent, and you are learning about cars. All very cool.”

  “I guess.” Scott shrugged.

  “You’re also my best friend.” DD said softly. “I think you are cool.” This finally stopped Scott. He stared forward and the truck slowed to a grumble.

  “Same to you then, DD. You have the computer knowledge, the survival instinct, you roamed the wasteland alone for a decade, you fixed a whole car!”

  “None of that matters, I was never successful at anything everyone told me I’d do with my life.”

  “Fuck that noise. Success is relative. You survived and that’s remarkable. You’ve had depression all this time and you made it to hell and back again. That’s worth a hell of a lot.”

  “When did you get so mature?” DD asked.

  “You missed a decade of me growing up.” Scott replied.

  The truck continued until DD directed Scott to her old hiding place. It was the first time she’d taken him there.

  “Is this where you went to hide all those times?”

  “It is.” DD’s garage was full of dust, no windows, or roof really, to seal out the storm. The pair began removing their solar gear and dusting the car off with their hands. DD opened the door and pulled the latch to release the hood, which clicked open with a metal clang. Scott reached under the hood to release the latch fully, and lifted the cover.

  “DD where’s the prop rod?” Scott yelled, scanning the engine compartment for it.

  “Hang on.” DD climbed into her car and pulled a strip of wood from under her driver's seat, and set it in front of Scott.

  “Fair enough.” He propped the hood open with the stick “When’s the last time this dropped on your head?”

  “None yet.” DD noted. The car was a nest of wires and other things that weren’t original. A bundle of wires traveled through a section of the hood that was cut out, and along the right of the windshield, and up to the solar panel. Another bundle ran along the floor of the car, back to the rear compartment where the battery was. Scott was eyeing all of it.

  “I think the only original part here is the windshield washer.” He said, still taking things in.

  “Which doesn’t work.” DD added with a moan. A lot of the car was welded together, the welds much like the car itself: functional but not pretty. The parts seemed to be cannibalized from a myriad of other machines. Scott traveled to the back of the car.

  “Please don’t look through my underwear again.” DD said.

  “I told you I wouldn’t.” Scott smiled. He bent over and looked to the underside of the car, which was full of mismatched parts as well.

  “They cut out the fuel tank and welded some metal down here to hold the battery in. The car even still has old fuel lines.” Scott noted.

  “I know what none of that stuff does. I can change a battery; I can change a tire. Maybe some wiring, that’s it.”

  “Basically, it’s a wonder it works.” Scott finished.

  “Most old world tech that still works is the same way though.”

  “Fair. You know I’d love to see a plane someday.”

  “Really? That’s a fun thought, humans flying through the air with birds again… well birds don’t fly in the day anymore but you get the idea.” DD snickered.

  “It only takes one talented person with a lot of passion to make it happen.” Scott patted her back.

  “You’re right, but still, planes sound intensely complicated.”

  “Yeah, I think neither of us quite get this car even.”

  “Let’s just try and figure out how it works then. Just don’t break it.” She scowled.

  “Let’s go then.” The pair set back into the engine compartment, scratching their heads at the purposes of the wires in the car.

  “Hey DD.”

  “Yeah Scott?”

  “I just remembered we’re not even.”

  “What?”

  “I get another would you rather question.” He demanded.

  “Alright, go for it.”

  “Would you rather whip or be whipped?”

  “Ah a dirty one in return, hmm.” DD pondered. “Well I hate hurting people, but being hit in that manner scares me. Can I not answer this one?”

  “No you have to, those are the rules.”

  “Whip, I guess then, although I don’t like either.”

  The two fiddled with the car for a bit.

  “This has been fun DD.” Scott said.

  “Yeah, a good day, like old times.”

  “I missed it.” He smiled.

  To Be Continued