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Jimmy Solidarity has no idea how many days have passed surviving in the apocalypse. The morning that everything went down had started as usual, and he felt like turning on the news for once. He didn’t expect to watch as all hell broke loose, the announcers screaming at anyone watching to stay inside before the camera glitched and cut out. The first thing he tried to do was give his family and friends a call, but nothing would go through. When that didn’t work, he tried texting, but still nothing would go through. He sat alone, wondering if his family was safe and had seen the news. Maybe they didn’t and went outside unaware; they would never turn the TV on for the news.
Jimmy remembers it took him a month to run low on food. Most of it expired within the first two weeks he spent locked up. Then, his frozen food went out after the power was cut entirely. He was down to his last few crackers and cans when he decided to pack his stuff and gear up for an outside expedition.
The world outside looked a lot different than it did two months ago. The street was quiet yet full of everything. Cars were left abandoned, houses ransacked, and some boarded up, and bodies scattered in the streets, sidewalks, fronts, and backyards. It was a disaster. It’s the kind of scene you’d see in a movie, and the fact that this isn’t some fake scenario had Jimmy hurling yesterday’s snack into his bushes.
Jimmy doesn’t remember how many bodies he passed by, but he does know it only took him a few days to get desensitized to the sight.
The first few places he visited were corner stores near his neighborhood; it was a familiar area, and if he could avoid monsters, that would be even better. He didn’t pick up much, but whoever came before him did leave behind a few expired items. They must have been in a hurry; they probably came through when everything first went to shit or before the monsters left the area.
Once Jimmy gathered what he considered a sufficient amount of supplies, he headed straight for his brother’s house. It was still in good shape, but the welcome mat was dusty from lack of use, and the place was empty. It lacked any human presence. Jimmy tried a few more homes, but after the fifth disappointment, he gave up. He spent countless weeks wandering aimlessly, grabbing enough to barely get by.
It took Jimmy 5 months and 17 days to find a living person.
He lived in a small Cul-de-sac outside of Empires. Empires was a big-bustling city; Jimmy would drive up every Sunday to browse the shops and eat the local food. His favorite place to visit was a small alleyway with different stores on either side. Months ago, it would have been live with music and chatter between shop owners, but now it was dead and surprisingly untouched. Jimmy was inside Ravenger Records, shuffling through a stack of CDs, when he heard a squawk followed by a comically loud thud a few stores down.
Hand ready on the handle of his bat, Jimmy crept low on the floor and headed towards the front door, where he waited. When the footsteps got close enough, he rounded the corner and swung.
That was how Jimmy met an eccentric man named Tango Tek.
Countless apologies later, as well as promises to make things right, the two found themselves enjoying the other’s company too much to separate now. Going into the apocalypse with two people is way better than doing it solo. So they picked a direction and went off together.
On their way, Jimmy learned that Tango was from a southern city called Hermit City, where he worked in a small shop that fixed mechanical equipment and toys. Jimmy also learned that Tango knows how to hotwire a car— for some reason, he’s still unsure about it. During an incident, he found out that Tango can be quick with his hands despite being clumsy, and thankfully, they could bounce before a hoard could surround them while the alarm blared.
A newly acquired blue-beat-up truck that now sported a broken driver’s window cruised west until all the buildings and paved streets were gone, and like a miracle sent from heaven, they ran out of gas in the driveway of a beautiful white ranch. They spent a year living there, only venturing out when supplies got low, and Jimmy kept an eye out for a more permanent solution to their food problem. Once they got their hands on a few seeds from a market stall, Jimmy started a farm while Tango built up a stone fireplace in the backyard where they could finally cook meals.
Even with proper ingredients or tools, Jimmy will always remember how amazing the food was the first night Tango roasted. Anything could beat the stale crackers and cold spaghettios he had been eating, but something about the food prepared for him had Jimmy melting in his spot.
A year spent like that flew by quickly, and Tango declared that today was the day they expanded the range of their usual scavenge. Jimmy was nervous to go out farther than before but knew they were running their nearby spots down, so he agreed.
A week-long hike brings Jimmy and Tango to their current location, a vintage clothing store called Deep Dives. Jimmy looks at a rack full of jackets as if he is an actual customer when he hears Tango gasp from the back of the store. Jimmy quickly abandons the atrocious jean jacket in his hands, swipes his knife from his pocket, and runs to assist his partner.
When he arrives at the scene, Tango turns around at the sound of his rapidly approaching footsteps and tilts his head in confusion at the sight of Jimmy, who is ready to fight.
“You… are going to give me a heart attack one day.”
“Aww, but you love me!”
Jimmy sighs and relaxes his form, “Yeah, yeah, I do. So what’s got you all excited?”
Tango smiles, “It’s a surprise! Gimmie your hand and close your eyes. No peeking!”
Jimmy does as instructed and sticks his right hand out, expecting Tango to drop something into the palm of his hand. He is surprised and fights the urge to open his eyes out of curiosity when Tango gently caresses his hand instead and turns it over. Jimmy feels something cold slip onto his ring finger, and he already knows what it is before he can look.
“Now you can open.”
The golden band fits perfectly on him, and he spins it in circles where it rests. “Is this a proposal?”
Tango flushes a dark shade of red and waves his hands in front of him in a placate manner, “No, no, no, it’s- uh-“
“’Cause y’know if it was, it’s on the wrong hand.”
Tango furrows his brow in confusion, “There’s a wrong hand?!”
Jimmy barks out a laugh and quickly slaps his left hand over his mouth to stop the sound from echoing longer, “Yes, this is the widow’s hand!”
“Well, put it on the other one then! You’re not a widow, and I’m not gonna die!”
Tango snatches Jimmy’s hand as if the ring being on the wrong hand would magically kill him then and there. Jimmy watches him with a fond look and agrees, “Yeah, we’re not.”