Nigel’s Interlude

AN: This is a one-shot fanfiction-style guest chapter, not set chronologically. It’s meant as a standalone work featuring Nathan and Nigel, inspired after “To Texas and Beyond”. It was written by @itsgladius on Wattpad,  Enjoy.

               The air wasn’t as humid up in Austin. There was more of a breeze, and the rainy smell was colder and thinner than in the location of my childhood. Closer to Houston, I always used to joke that trying to breathe felt like forcing my lungs to swim— like walking was swimming through air. Heavy, thick.

The sky in Austin seemed more open, the spaces wider. Rivers and hills and trees of every kind.

That chilly rain smell settled over us right then, walking along the riverside leading to the bridge on South Congress. The clouds had dissipated after the storm during the day, leaving nothing but that pleasant moisture and wind beneath a clear night sky. With all the lights out in the city, it was so easy to see the stars.

“You said it was a short walk.” Nathan grumbled at my shoulder. (Figuratively of course, he couldn’t reach my actual shoulder). It probably wasn’t the walk itself that earned his complaint, but my constant promise of being almost there.

I waved a hand at him in dismissal. “We can’t move on ‘till I show you this, alright? Just smoke a joint or something. I have some gummies in my fanny-pack if they’d be easier on your sweet little baby asthmatic lungs.”

He punched me in the arm, hard, which made me bark out a pained laugh as I stumbled away.

“Shuddup.” Nate shoved an aggressive middle finger at me. “..Still can’t believe you picked up that stupid thing.” His eyes lowered to the aforementioned highly-tactical fanny pack buckled around my waist.

I grinned. “Whaat? You don’t think it’s sexy?” I opened my palms in my best fashion show pose while moving back closer. He snorted and pushed me away playfully.

It was nice. We crossed the bridge, stopping in the middle for me to stand up on the flat stone of the railing and hold my arms out as if to embrace the view of one of my old cities, the stars swimming through the cut down the middle of the river. Nate preferred to stay safely on the bridge, but I think despite his uneasy glances up at me he liked the view just as much.

One of the pros of the zombie apocalypse: no light pollution. Of course, the buildings weren’t lit up at night anymore… they just looked like square hills silhouetted alongside the rest of the organic backdrop. If making a lot of noise weren’t one of the worst possible ideas in that it would definitely have attracted any potential zombos in the vicinity, I would have taken the opportunity to yell. Nothing screamed freedom like… screaming.

The city looked so deeply lonely. Quiet. It was a good thing I liked Nathan, because it would suck to feel like the last people on earth with someone I didn’t.

I looked down at him, my breathless grin melting down to a warm smile. I squatted a bit and ruffled his hair. “Hey. ‘You always this short?”

“Fuck you.” He smothered his roach against the stone platform next to my feet. “Is this what you wanted to show me?” He asked in a much softer voice.

“Nope,” I replied, hopping down. My boots hit the sidewalk with a satisfying thunk, cushioned by the bend in my knees. After forever being harassed about my choice in footwear, I’d finally opted for more functional (but no less tasteful) options. In my defense I hadn’t expected to last long enough in the apocalypse to warrant not dying in Armani dress shoes.

“Just a little further.”

It was a lot further. At least more than I remembered. But that was okay, I think we made a just fine time of hiking and whisper-singing duets together.

It was darker downtown where the glow of the moon was blotted out by the skyscrapers. And unfortunately most of the journey was uphill.

“Fuck.” I muttered once the buildings finally thinned out and we made it back out into the open, where a bend in the road we were supposed to take was blocked by a car pileup that looked like a tower of doom. Some cars seemed to have even fallen from the cliffs above, scaling around the same mountainous hill. “Can’t get to the driveway from here.” I explained quietly, glancing around for another route. The road broke off down another hill to our left, so I waved Nate to follow along behind me. I was suddenly thankful for the dark, so he wouldn’t have to worry as much about how high up we really were. The jutting rock raised along the riverside really snuck up on you.

After pushing down the slope a ways, we finally reached the shelf over the bank. This way it would be easier to avoid yard fences.

No zombies so far, but I still didn’t want to risk getting us stuck in a cage with one.

“Are we going to your house?” Nathan asked curiously as we helped each other up and over a large red boulder. It was a residential area, if one could even call it that with how spaced out the mansions were. Designer pools overlooking the river preceded each unique property, like everyone on both sides were making a competition of having the best house and biggest water feature, the most boats and jet skis parked under their water awnings. I was pretty tempted to bust in and find some keys, but it could wait until daylight.

“Not mine technically,” I stopped and backpedaled a few steps, squinting up at the cliff to try and find the right place to climb. “But it is my baby.” I slung my full backpack off and unzipped it, taking out the climbing gear from when we looted that Bass Pro Shop on the way. Clipped them to my fanny pack belt.

“Are we about to rock-climb.” I could hear the flat un-enthusiasm in my companion’s voice.

“No, you are about to rock-climb. I’m about to tree-climb.” I told him, jabbing my thumb over at some evergreen positioned just close enough to the cliff for me to make it up onto the ledge. Right into my self-proclaimed back yard. Of course, I’d never tried scaling a tree with a sword strapped to my hip, but dreams really do come true, huh?

“I’ll pull you up once I make it.” With that I clapped Nate on the back and approached the tree. There were enough lower branches to hoist myself. The first pull was always the most difficult and usually determined how far I’d be able to make it up. Nate, practical survivalist as ever, had started watching out for our surroundings. I like to think it was because he didn’t want to watch me climb (heartwarming!).

I pulled myself higher into the branches, feet wedged sideways and arms straining. For all the shit I gave my buddy for being afraid of heights, I was very pointedly ignoring thoughts of spiders lurking where I next put my hands.

The bark was rough and comforting. I was never scared of climbing trees as a kid because it always made me feel… in control. Trees were puzzles. As long as I didn’t mess up, as long as I felt stable… there was nothing to worry about. It was an act of trusting your senses and nothing else.

I climbed higher. One foot after the other, hand after the next. I pulled myself up into the fork in the branches and looked out at the cliff. Yep. This was the place. It looked intact too.

I crushed the sole of my boot into the cusp of the branch that supported my weight, holding onto another for balance until I sat in a crouch. This would be the hard part— jumping. It required a lack of doubt.

I couldn’t afford to freeze up. I glanced down at the shrunken ground beneath me. Not only would the fall most likely injure me… but I’d look real stupid in front of Nathan. Couldn’t have that.

I sucked in a breath and trained my focus on a point just past where I would need to make it onto the ledge. My heels crunched against the bark as I forced my weight through the soles of my boots, keeping my eyes on that same fixed point.

For a moment I was weightless. That was always the worst part, the gamble on if I’d make it.

My legs hit the dirt and I rolled sidelong with the momentum. Difficult with the sword, but at least the scabbard was strapped shut so it wouldn’t be flying out to slice my leg off.

“Yeah!” I came up grinning, stumbling a little on the solid ground of my target platform.

I was alone in the backyard. There was a measly fence to climb over but aside from that, we were home free. I could just barely make out the dark silhouette of the back of the enormous house, the looming balcony.

“Alright jackass, now pull me up.” Nathan called up at me. I could hear the relief in his voice.

Still smiling through the adrenaline, I took out the climbing supplies from my pack and started securing one end to the edge of the fence. Although I was sure I’d be able to pull his weight, I didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks. If there was anything I’d learned from the apocalypse, it was to expect things to go wrong. Usually it was fine as long as you prepared for it… we’d made it this far, hadn’t we?

“Alright, Prince Charming. Ready to climb my tower?” I called out, tossing the rest of the rope off of the edge. “Just slip on the harness. There should be enough footholds for you to make it while I’m pulling. If you slip, you won’t go anywhere. Got it?” I peered over the edge. Nate was probably the toughest person I’d ever met, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have fears. See: my aforementioned arachnophobia.

He was busy putting on the harness all those feet below me. “You alright?” I called down.

“Yeah. Just… don’t drop me?” He was smiling when he looked back up at me, pulling the cables taught across his torso.

“You got it. Whenever you’re ready.” I wound the rope around my palm and hooked a knot into my belt. Held on tight and moved back, giving my knees a slight bend.

Nate went quiet when he started to climb. “Nathan?” I kept pulling out the slack.

“Yeah?”

“What’s your favorite movie?”

“What?” A pause as he sucked in a breath. “Shit. Okay. Uh, you know The Lion King already. Then… The Road to El Dorado.”

“God, you’re such a Disney adult.” I teased. “Are you my Tulio?”

“I’m trying to focus!”

“And I’m trying to distract you. Come on. Almost there.”

He was quiet for a while, grunting occasionally as he strained upward still. I kept pulling.

“What’s yours?” He huffed. “Your favorite movie.”

I smiled, jaw clenching as I felt him near the edge. “You kidding? Pretty Woman. Julia Roberts is incredible— and hot.”

I heard him laugh softly. “I thought you were gay.”

“You’re telling me you wouldn’t have sex with Julia Roberts?” I lowered myself closer to the ground and pulled hard; I could just barely see his hands grabbing at the edge of the moistened dirt. The moon was more visible now, casting everything in a pale glow.

I inched over to the side once I was sure Nate was holding on. “And come on, I mean, with those big, crazy—“ I gripped his hands and he swung up over the edge, face inches from mine. “—brown eyes.” I finished, mouth suddenly dry.

We were still for a few long moments, a look between us passing and looping back and forth, on and on. Infinite. Both our hands were clasped between us.

Nathan leaned in.

His weight pushed against my shoulder until he’d managed to move me out of the way and climb completely onto solid ground. I scooted back and let go of his hands as soon as we were in the clear. “Phew. Good job.” I mumbled. He nodded. “Thanks.”

Nate let out a breath and began untangling himself from the harness before rummaging around his pack for his inhaler. I sat on my heels and focused on looping all the rope back into a neat wreath.

“Now what?” Nathan asked, casting his focus back to the looming house. “What is this place, anyway?” He stood and dusted his hands off on his emo pants.

I finished up the last of my coil and stashed it. “It’s a house I sold back in the day.” I held my hand up and Nate pulled me to my feet. “But I was also there from the beginning, before it was built. One of my mentors was in property development and management, which tied into my real estate endeavors. He showed me the inspiration for the house plans and then I was here all the time, helping out and watching it come to life.”

I pushed myself up and over the iron yard fence, Nathan following suit.

“That guy and my broker got along well too. Nobody minded giving me these bigger projects because well, it’s mostly in being reliable and knowing who you know. Since that mentor friend did devs all around… ‘gave me plenty of time to travel and get all fancied up for house tours or whatever else. Hence where I landed in your neck of the woods.”

Nate snorted. “You were too thick-skulled to not be a salesman.”

“Shut up.” I grinned. “You’ll like the place. Hopefully there aren’t any zombies left inside.” It wouldn’t be an ideal hideout for them anyway, so far up on a cliffside next to the river.

Nate jimmied the glass back doors open with his crowbar after we skirted around the massive pool. The moonlight glittered over its  wind-roughened surface and left a peaceful hiss of moving water.

I took one last deep breath before following Nate inside.

He whistled. I couldn’t argue— the place was stunning. Even as an empty shell, nobody could deny the beauty and architectural prowess. It was one of the few houses made by my mentor that didn’t go a generic modern route. I’d pushed for it a while, helped pick out plenty of the tiles and textures.

The ceilings reached for the sky, doming in a beautiful sunset pattern of pastels. Just enough color to not be distracting, set off against the cream color of the backdrop. Pillars lined the massive main hall that led in a breezeway from the front door to the back. All the other rooms branched off from there. It looked… classic. It reminded me of a pantheon or some great temple.

Priceless art hung on the walls, compliments of the former owners. The Conrads had been a lovely couple, looking for a new place to settle down and adopt a kid or two. I hope they’d gotten around to it, before the end.

I took a breath. Surprisingly the stench wasn’t bad. The fridge was probably rancid, but it didn’t smell like anyone was rotting in the foyer at least. The bedrooms could be a different story, but all-in-all it smelled… almost sterile.

Nate inspected a vase probably worth more than both of us (at one time, at least). “Now what?”

“We search. If I remember correctly, the place has an independent water heater and filters that draw from the river. Plus a generator. If we’re lucky, we’ll be having a home-cooked meal in a real kitchen.” I beamed, unsheathing my sword as I stepped down the massive hall.

“I’ll take right.” Nate called, cracking his neck. The two sets of stairs closer to the front doors wrapped either side of the breezeway and looped around in the back, though it wasn’t visible from the main hall.

“You’re the boss.” I smirked, and we swung to our respective stairwells in perfect sync.

Despite the size of the place, it didn’t take too long for us to clear it. To my surprise and delight, the house appeared to have been empty since before everything went to shit. Maybe they took a nice little health detox vacation somewhere on an island. It certainly looked like they’d packed up and left; there were no signs of a hurried exit. Maybe they got lucky.

We reconvened where the top floor stairwells overlooked the first floor. “Anything?” I asked, putting my blade away.

Nate shrugged. “Nothing that’ll try to kill us.” I didn’t ask what he meant. If anything was a hazard, he’d let me know.

We went down and cleared the lower level together. I managed to find the water tanks while he cranked up the generator.

The house lighting up was a real sight. Lots of elegant fixtures letting their light glint off of fine surfaces. It looked almost normal. Like it was just a house. Maybe… our house.

I clapped my hands together once. “Welp. Shall we see what’s for dinner?”

Nate smiled and left his unloaded crossbow on one of the bars. “Nothing with blood this time.”

I waved a hand at him as I opened the fridge. Coinciding with my first theory about the vacation, there didn’t seem to be any perishables in the fridge. Wherever the homeowners had gone, they hadn’t planned on coming back for a while. The housekeepers probably came too.

“How does pasta sound? Nice and easy nourishment after a long day’s trek.” I offered, glancing back to see Nate had hopped up to sit on the counter.

“Sure, but that was nothing. Easy.”

“I’m just looking out for you since you have to take twice as many steps as I do,” I replied innocently, emerging from the pantry with some pasta sauce, seasonings, and noodles.

“Fuck you.” He shot back with a grin, kicking his legs and bumping his heels against the cabinet doors.

Making dinner was like that. Just us chatting shit. I boiled the noodles and mixed up whatever concoction I felt in my heart to put in the sauce. We ate at the fancy dining table, me with a bottle of red wine and some whiskey for Nathan. We both had generous amounts of water from the fancy filtered faucet, too. We’d definitely have to take some of that shit with us. Even if Nate claimed he couldn’t taste the difference between that and regular tap.

After that, we made our way upstairs again. Nate took his crossbow and all of his goodies while I carried the wine and whiskey bottles.

The master suite was huge, with the bed raised above a sitting area, the balcony overlooking the pool and the river.

We’d gotten over having to sleep in separate beds at this point. Plus with a mattress that size, we wouldn’t be any further away than when we slept on the ground.

Admittedly I’d gotten used to the sound of his breathing next to mine. The gentle warmth emanating from being just close enough to feel it.

Knowing he was there helped me relax… knowing there was someone else out there in the world.

I took a nice hot bath in the jacuzzi tub and picked me out some nice new loungewear. The robe suited me (if I do say so myself).

I collapsed into the plush bed while Nate took his turn. I was nearly asleep by the time he returned.

“You’re snoring.” He mused, letting his belongings thud against the nightstand surface.

“I don’t snore,” I argued with my eyes still closed, the wine bottle tucked under my arm like a baby.

Nathan snickered, climbing into bed and laying next to me. He moved closer, which was a good thing because I wanted his warmth without any of the risk. Nathan was the kind of person that only gave his warmth to those he chose meticulously. I respected him for it, and was glad for the moments he’d shown me already. He was easily my best friend, probably the best one I’d ever had.

I opened my eyes just a crack and rolled over to face him. I’m not sure who reached first, but suddenly we were laying there with our fingers interlocked between us. I held his hand quietly for a while, just letting the silence settle in. Letting the weight of it compress my palm. The alcohol left a warm and pleasant bubble over my skin.

“I like it here. Texas, that is. It’s nice.” He murmured. I could see the exhaustion moving over his face; tugging at the edges of his lips, his eyelids. His hair was damp and he looked so completely comfortable that I could almost pretend it was different. That every day wasn’t a new death trap.

“I thought you would.”