Unbroken resolve

The morning chill lingered in the air as Jaxon and Selene stepped out of the abandoned building they had claimed as shelter for the night. The streets were still, eerily silent, save for the distant echo of gunfire or a scream quickly cut short. A city that once thrived was now reduced to a husk of its former self, with scavengers lurking in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Selene adjusted the strap of the makeshift bag she had slung over her shoulder, her eyes scanning the broken streets. "So, scavenging for scraps in a post-apocalyptic wasteland… Never thought my life would turn into a survival game."

Jaxon, walking a step ahead, shot her a dry look. "You sure? You already act like an NPC half the time."

She scoffed, nudging his side. "Wow. That's rich coming from the guy who literally analyzes reality like it's a simulation."

Jaxon smirked. "And I was right. Look where we are."

Their words were light, but the weight of reality pressed down on them. It wasn't just a game. The destruction around them was real. The hunger gnawing at their insides was real. And the people willing to kill for supplies—very real.

They moved carefully, sticking to alleyways, avoiding open streets where desperate eyes might be watching. Every now and then, Selene would glance at Jaxon's right arm—the augmented limb that had replaced the one he lost. It moved naturally, seamlessly integrated, but she knew it wasn't just some advanced prosthetic. The military had given it to him, and that meant it wasn't ordinary.

Jaxon noticed her staring. "What?"

"Nothing," she said, looking ahead. "Just… still weird seeing you with that thing."

"Better than bleeding out," Jaxon muttered.

They fell into silence as they approached what used to be a small grocery store. The windows were shattered, the metal shutters halfway torn open, evidence that it had been raided multiple times already.

Selene peered inside. "Think there's anything left?"

"Only one way to find out." Jaxon slipped through the broken entrance first, stepping over scattered debris.

Inside, the shelves were nearly stripped bare. Expired cans, torn bags, and empty boxes littered the floor. But Jaxon wasn't looking at the mess—he was looking at the dried blood stains near the register.

Selene followed his gaze. "Great. Love what they've done with the place."

"Yeah, real cozy," Jaxon muttered.

They split up, searching for anything useful. Jaxon checked the aisles, flipping over discarded packaging. A few minutes in, his fingers brushed against something—an intact can. He picked it up, wiping off the dust. "Jackpot."

Selene walked over, peering at it. "Is that… dog food?"

Jaxon turned the can in his hands. The faded label barely held together, but yeah—dog food.

Selene stared at him. "You are not serious."

Jaxon popped the can open with his augmented hand and took a sniff. "Smells like regret."

Selene gagged. "Nope. Absolutely not."

"You wanna starve?" Jaxon challenged.

Selene hesitated before groaning. "I hate this timeline."

They found a few more barely edible supplies—stale crackers, a half-crushed energy bar, and a bottle of water that looked questionable at best. It wasn't much, but it was something.

As they prepared to leave, a noise from outside made them freeze. Footsteps.

Jaxon motioned for Selene to get down. They crouched behind a fallen shelf, listening.

Two voices.

"—think we'll find anything?"

"Maybe. We gotta check every place. Food's running out fast."

Jaxon clenched his jaw. Scavengers.

Selene mouthed, What do we do?

Jaxon scanned the store. The back door. It was slightly open, barely hanging on its hinges. He pointed at it, and they began to move, staying low.

A creak.

Jaxon stopped.

One of the scavengers had stepped inside.

"Shit," Selene whispered.

Jaxon's mind raced. His arm—could he take them if it came to a fight? Maybe. But he wasn't eager to try.

They reached the back door.

Another step from the scavenger.

Selene pushed the door open slightly, enough for them to slip through.

A voice. "Hey!"

Jaxon grabbed Selene's wrist and ran.

Gunfire. A bullet cracked into the brick wall beside them.

They darted through the alley, weaving between rusted cars and piles of debris. The footsteps behind them faded, but they didn't stop running until they reached another street, lungs burning.

Selene doubled over, gasping. "I… hate… everything."

Jaxon exhaled, glancing back. "Could've been worse."

"How?" she shot back.

Jaxon held up the can of dog food. "We could've lost this."

Selene groaned. "I take it back. Just let me starve."

Jaxon chuckled. "Nah. We're in this together."

Selene stared at him for a moment before sighing. "Yeah. Guess we are."

Their world had collapsed, but at least they still had each other. And for now, that was enough.

***

The morning light was cold, washed-out. The world outside the shelter was still, as if the weight of what had happened hadn't settled yet. Or maybe it had, and there was simply no one left to bear it.

Jaxon and Selene stepped out into the remains of their city, the air thick with dust and the stench of burnt metal. There was no morning rush, no hum of traffic, no distant chatter of people starting their day. Just silence.

They had nothing but the clothes on their backs and whatever scraps of food they had found the night before. If they were going to survive, they needed more. Water. Food. A place safer than the half-collapsed structure they had slept in.

They needed to move.

Selene rubbed her arms. "I hate this quiet."

Jaxon adjusted the makeshift sling on his right arm. The phantom pain from where flesh met metal still lingered, a dull throb beneath the surface. "Yeah. Feels like something's watching."

Selene glanced around. "Don't say that."

Their footsteps echoed as they moved through the streets. Buildings stood like broken ribs, hollowed out and useless. Cars were left abandoned, some overturned, others with doors hanging open as if the people inside had simply vanished. Bodies were rare—most had been burned beyond recognition or buried beneath rubble.

They didn't talk much at first, just kept moving. The weight of it all sat between them, thick and heavy.

Then Selene sighed. "You know… this is the longest I've gone without checking my messages."

Jaxon gave her a sideways glance. "Withdrawal?"

"Yeah, I think I'm experiencing severe meme deprivation."

He snorted. "Tragic."

Selene grinned, but it didn't last long. Her eyes scanned the ruined streets, and the weight settled again. "I think I'd rather have that than food right now."

Jaxon kicked a loose piece of concrete. "That's dumb."

"Hey, if I'm gonna die, at least let me doom scroll one last time."

He smirked, shaking his head. "Your priorities are messed up."

"I cope how I cope."

They kept walking.

The first store they found was a wreck, shelves looted, glass shattered. The second wasn't much better. The third, a small convenience store at the corner of a street where the damage wasn't as bad, had something.

Jaxon stepped inside first, motioning for Selene to stay close. There was an unnatural stillness in the air.

Shelves were knocked over, but some food remained—mostly junk, expired snacks, and a few crushed water bottles. Not ideal, but it was something.

Jaxon moved carefully, scanning for anything useful. Selene picked up a half-broken energy bar and held it up. "This counts as a meal, right?"

Jaxon raised an eyebrow. "Sure. If you wanna die of malnutrition."

"Could be worse."

Jaxon didn't respond, just pocketed what he could find. As he reached for a pack of bottled water behind the counter, something shifted in the back of the store.

He froze.

Selene noticed and stiffened. "What?"

A sound—light, careful footsteps. Not an animal.

Jaxon exchanged a glance with her, then turned toward the source. A dark figure stood just at the edge of the broken shelves. A man, thin, eyes sunken and desperate.

Selene inhaled sharply.

Jaxon didn't move. He knew that look.

The man's hands were shaking. "Leave."

Jaxon glanced at the food in his hands. "We just need—"

"LEAVE." The man's voice cracked, and Jaxon saw the outline of something sharp in his grip. A blade.

Selene grabbed Jaxon's arm. "Let's go."

He wanted to argue, but there was no point. The man wasn't trying to be a threat—he was just scared.

So Jaxon nodded, took what he could, and backed away.

They left without looking back.

By the time the sun started dipping, they had enough supplies to last a few days. Not great, but better than nothing.

They sat on the edge of a crumbled overpass, splitting a protein bar.

Selene swung her legs over the edge. "So, what now?"

Jaxon chewed slowly, thinking. "We keep moving. Find somewhere better to stay. Maybe find—" He stopped himself.

Selene's voice was quieter now. "Find what?"

He stared at the ruins below. "Something worth holding onto."

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Then Selene leaned against him. Just a little. Just enough to be noticed. "Well. You're stuck with me, so… I guess you found something."

Jaxon exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "Lucky me."

She smirked.

When darkness settled, they returned to their shelter. The rain started up again, light at first, then heavier, drumming against the broken walls.

Selene sat with her knees tucked to her chest. "Have you ever noticed how rain makes things feel more dramatic?"

Jaxon leaned back against the wall. "Like what?"

She shrugged. "Like… I don't know. If this was a movie, this would be the scene where we have some deep, emotional revelation."

He smirked. "Are you expecting one?"

She thought about it. "Nah. I think I've had enough revelations for one lifetime."

Silence stretched between them, interrupted only by the rain.

Jaxon closed his eyes, exhausted. But sleep wouldn't come. The sounds outside kept him on edge. The possibility of danger. The lingering thoughts of everything they had lost.

Selene shifted beside him. "You're not sleeping either, huh?"

"Nope."

She sighed. "Makes sense. The moment I close my eyes, I just see—" She stopped herself.

Jaxon didn't push. He already knew.

"Wanna stay up all night like dumb kids?" she asked.

He exhaled a laugh. "What's the plan?"

She thought for a second. "We could play a game. Like… I don't know. First person to fall asleep loses."

Jaxon gave her a deadpan look. "That's just… staying awake."

She grinned. "Exactly."

He shook his head, smirking. "You're ridiculous."

"Yup."

And so they stayed up. Talking. Joking. Trying to drown out the weight of their reality with whatever scraps of normalcy they could find.

Outside, the city crumbled.

But inside that broken shelter, for just a little while, they pretended it didn't.

***

The streets were hollow. The buildings stood like corpses, skeletal remains of a city that once thrived but now reeked of desperation. Fires burned in the distance, the smoke curling into the night like the last breaths of the dead. Every alley, every turn, was a reminder that the world had changed—and not for the better.

Jaxon and Selene moved in silence. Their boots crunched over shattered glass and debris, their breath visible in the cold air. Hunger gnawed at their insides, but food was the least of their worries. Survival was everything.

They had been scavenging for hours, their bodies running on exhaustion. The few supplies they had managed to find were barely enough to last another day. They needed more.

Selene stopped in front of what used to be a convenience store. The windows were smashed in, the metal shutters bent. "Maybe there's something left inside?" she whispered.

Jaxon nodded, stepping in first. His augmented right hand whirred softly as he flexed it. The place had been ransacked, shelves overturned, but there were still places to check.

He gestured for Selene to stay close as they sifted through the debris. A few cans of food, a half-empty bottle of water—it wasn't much, but it was something.

Then the atmosphere shifted.

A low chuckle echoed through the aisles.

Jaxon froze.

Three figures emerged from the shadows.

They weren't scavengers. They were predators.

One of them, a tall man with a scar running down his cheek, grinned. "Look what we have here, boys. Fresh meat."

Selene tensed. Jaxon stepped in front of her.

"We don't want trouble," Jaxon said, his voice steady but sharp.

Scarface laughed. "That's funny. See, we don't care what you want."

The second man, bulkier with a broken nose, cracked his knuckles. "We got rules out here, kid. You wanna live? You gotta pay."

Jaxon's grip tightened. "We don't have anything."

Scarface's grin widened. "Oh, you do." His eyes flickered to Selene.

Jaxon lunged first.

He swung hard, his augmented arm slamming into Scarface's jaw. The man staggered back, spitting blood, but the other two were already on Jaxon.

A fist hit his gut. Another crashed into his face.

He stumbled.

They were fast. Strong.

His vision blurred as he hit the ground.

Selene screamed.

Jaxon's world spun as he saw one of them grab her.

No.

She struggled, kicking, clawing—but they were bigger. Stronger.

Jaxon tried to move, but a boot crashed against his ribs.

Pain exploded through his body.

Selene's cries rang through his skull.

Then something snapped.

A different kind of pain surged through him.

Rage.

Primal.

Unfiltered.

His augmented arm whirred violently, sparks flying. He pushed off the ground with a snarl, his body moving on sheer instinct.

The man holding Selene barely had time to react before Jaxon ripped him away, his metal fingers crushing into flesh and bone.

Scarface lunged, but Jaxon moved faster.

A single punch.

A sickening crack.

Scarface hit the ground. Unmoving.

The last man hesitated.

Jaxon didn't.

He grabbed him by the throat, his grip tightening.

"Jax—Jaxon—!" Selene's voice cut through the haze.

Jaxon's breath was ragged. His fingers trembled around the man's neck.

He could end him. Right now.

But Selene's hand touched his.

"Please," she whispered.

Jaxon let go.

The man collapsed, gasping, scrambling away before disappearing into the ruins.

Silence.

Jaxon turned to Selene. She was shaking. Tears stained her face.

He stepped forward—

She collapsed against him.

He caught her, his arms wrapping around her as she sobbed.

They stayed like that, two broken souls clinging to each other in the darkness.