“Are we stopping soon? We’ve been on the road for hoours.” Derrick sighs, and leans against the passenger window of the old beat up car as it careened down the lonely highway. “I’m kind of hungry too.”

“Soon.” Ethan replied, he felt bad for his little brother. They had been on the road for a straight seven hours, pulling over only for piss breaks when absolutely necessary. “It looks like there is a gas station further ahead, maybe we will get lucky and find something we can still stomach.” Ethan smiles and rustles Derrick’s blonde hair with his free hand, eyes still scanning the road ahead. It had been eight years since the nuclear bombs fell and the world changed forever. Derrick was only a year old at the time, and doesn’t remember the world any different than the apocalyptic one that stretched forever in front of them. Losing both of their parents in the chaotic aftermath of ‘The End of the World’, Ethan was the only authority figure his little brother has ever known. It was a responsibility Ethan took very seriously, Derrick was the only family he had left too.

“You’re right! I see it,” Derrick exclaimed, now eagerly watching the growing dot in the distance turn into a gas station.

“You think I’m so cruel I would joke about a rest stop?” Ethan replied with a smile.

“But Ethan, do you think we’re really going to find food? I haven’t eaten anything besides these rice cakes for a week.”

“Of course D, I’m sure of it. Keep an eye out as we pull up to the station, it looks deserted but you never know.”

As the old 91’ Ford Escort shuddered to a stop near the rusted out gas pumps, both Ethan and Derrick scanned the building looking for any signs of recent activity. This was an old Texaco station, though the faded logo was just barely visible due to the fallout of the attacks. The front door of the station rattled slightly in the winds, but remained latched. Surprisingly, neither the doors or any of the windows appeared broken by passing vandals or natural causes. The two gas pumps they pulled up against both clearly hadn’t been touched in months, if not years. Not that he would expect to find a working gas pump in this new age, Ethan always had to use alternate methods to find fuel for their vehicle. He mentally notes the two abandoned looking vehicles, a van and another smaller sedan, at the far end of the parking lot before turning to regard Derrick.

“It appears empty, but let’s make sure to use caution when we leave the vehicle, like we practiced.” Ethan locks his eyes with his little brother, to hammer home the severity of the point.

This wasn’t the life Derrick should have been born into, no nine year old should have to endure what he has. He had taken it all in better than Ethan ever could have, in truth Ethan was envious of his little brother. The new world is going to need people like him, people willing to survive at all costs. It was up to Ethan to continue teaching that to Derrick in this world of uncertainty. Quietly and slowly, as they had practiced, both boys exited the Ford, eyes glued to the gas station and it’s surroundings. The wind and dust from the Arizona landscape continued to wisp around them as they began their approach to the building, neither seeing anything out of the ordinary that would cause them to pause. As the boys reach the door, Ethan uses the sleeve of his dirty Starter jacket to clear a circular area of dust away from the glass front. Cupping his hands around his eyes and peering in, it’s clear this place has had its share of scavengers pass through, though it appeared deserted at the moment. Among the empty shelves he thinks he can make out an assortment of unopened boxes and cans spread around in the dim light.

“I think we’re in luck D.” Ethan says with a bright smile. “But we still must be careful as we search inside, O.K?”

“Of course E! Do you think theirs any Twinkies in there?” Eyes wide and bright, Derrick asks while dancing on his feet, hands clasped together in hopefulness.

“Let’s find out, but follow behind me, alright?” Ethan chuckles, but keeps his senses alert as his slowly unlatches and pushed open the gas station door.

As his eyes slowly begin to adjust to the light, Ethan begins to survey what he can and cannot gather from the castoffs of previous looters. Seeing no imminent danger, he motions for Derrick to follow him in.

“You know the essentials D, if there is anything you find you’re not sure about, let me have a look.”

“Yeah, yeah I know, there isn’t my first time.” Derrick jokingly replies, trying and failing to hide the glee in his voice.

A can of beans here, the rare un-punctured Top Ramen packet there, it’s the typical things Ethan is used to looting. It’s all a welcome site, though, as he knew their food stores were getting dangerously low. Nothing he would ever burden Derrick with, but this gas station was a miracle find. Funny, he thought to himself, that the food every other post apocalyptic survivor left behind was solely what he and Derrick had survived on for so long now.

“ETHAN! Ethan!” Derrick shouted from the opposite end of the store, near the cashiers desk.

“What?!” Ethan crams the last can he was holding into his backpack and rushes towards his little brother.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Look!” Derrick holds up a half smashed, weathered looking package of food. “The plastic isn’t ripped, I checked! Can I have this?”

Ethan reaches out and takes the package from his little brother, wiping some of the dust and grime away from the lettering on the package. ‘Sno Balls’ the package read. Ethan inwardly chuckles to himself, of all the cake based delicacies to find on their stop, Derrick would find literally the worst tasting of them all.

“All yours buddy, it’s called a ‘Sno Ball’. It’s uh… kind of like a Twinkie I guess.” Ethan smiles, watching his brother as he hands the package back to him, happy for him to still get these new child like experiences from time to time.

“Mmmmm,” through a mouthful of aged coconut and marshmallow, it’s clear Derrick is appreciating every second of the snack. “This is GOOD! Thanks E!” As he continues munching Derrick reaches out with one arm to give Ethan the biggest hug he can manage.

“Alright buddy, I’m going to keep looking around. I’m glad you like it.” It’s hard to hid the smile from his younger brother.

Ethan leaves Derrick to enjoy his newfound snack, quickly scanning the windows to ensure no unwanted visitors had arrived while they weren’t aware, before returning to his search. This particular Texaco had carried some extra camping and fishing equipment, most of which had been looked over several times before the boys arrived. Luckily Ethan was able to find a spool of fishing line, ever useful, and a large fourteen by fourteen foot tarp that apparently wasn’t deemed needed by anyone previously. He folds up the tarp and places it with the spool into his backpack, nearly stuffing his bag to the point he can’t zip it up. Grunting to finally close the bag, Ethan lets out a long sigh of relief; hunger was staved off a few more days for him and his brother.

“Ethaaaaan! Help!!” Derrick’s voice can be fearfully heard.

“Shut up kid!”

Ethan hears a loud smack, and abruptly turns towards his brother’s voice. A tall gaunt man was holding Derrick in a headlock, with a knife up against his throat.

“Throw me your backpack, now! Don’t make me kill this little boy of yours, I heard y’all talking from back in the cooler section, I know he’s your brother. I’ll do it! Don’t make me!” The man yells at Ethan, aggressively moving the knife far too close to Derricks neck for his elder brothers liking.

Slowly, ever slowly, Ethan removes the straps of his backpack from his shoulders, lowering the package to the ground as he keep his eyes locked on the man.

“Please,” in an even tone Ethan pleads, “My brother has not harmed you in any way. You can take our belongings, but please release him.” Still stuck in a gaze with his brothers assailant, Ethan stretches his hands out, in a friendly gesture and to also ensure their were no weapons within hands grasp.

“Stand back!” The man now held his knife outward as he slowly began to approach Ethan and the backpack he had dropped.

“Ok, Ok! Please do not hurt him.” Backing up, hands above his head, Ethan pleads to the man. Derrick means more to him than anything left in this world, he was the last connection to normalcy known to Ethan.

Slowly the man approached the pack Ethan had laid to the ground, left arm tight around the neck of Derrick, and right arm extended with knife aimed towards the surrendering brother. Damnit, Ethan thought to himself, how could he be so careless as to forget to check the cooler sections behind the drinks and assorted cold items. He kicks the grounded backpack towards his would be assailant, the supplies in the pack were all momentary solutions, he and his brother could always find more supplies. The man, almost stunned that Ethan has obeyed and given the pack up so easily reaches towards and pulls the backpack towards him, which he begins to feverishly search with one hand as the other loosely holds the young Derrick.

The sound of the unsheathed dagger hidden in Derrick’s boot was too quiet even for Ethan to hear. Stunned, Ethan watched the blade pierce the strangers neck and then retreat back into the handle, and as his vision focused he saw his nine year old brother behind that handle. Demeanor unshaken, Derrick held the bloody instrument in his hand, watching his attackers body fall to a slump on the dirty gas station floor, stoic and unwavering.

“D-D-Derrick?” Ethans voice is shaken, as he looks towards his younger brother. “ Are you ok? Are you hurt?

“I am fine E.” Derrick’s eyes, previously locked on the writhing dead body of his would be killer, rise to meet his elder brother. “I told you I could handle myself.

No further words are shared as both boys stand in the empty gas station, alone. The newly created corpse slowly bleeds out between the two of them, while the winds begins to pick up and rattle the loosely latched doors at the entrance to the business. Their eyes meet, yet neither boy moves to approach or comfort the other. Something had happened today, something has changed. Derrick realized he would not be the survivor Ethan was. He would be stronger, he would not forgive and he would not trust the structure of what was left of this world, exactly what he would need to survive. Ethan shoulders the more than twenty pound bag of supplies the stranger had been holding, as well as the partially searched bag he had been collecting for the last hour.

“Alright D. Lets get a move on, nothing else for us here.” Ethan remarks as his little brother as he heads towards and opens the dusty glass doors leading out of the station.

“Yeaahhh… I know. I’m ready E. I’m ready for anything.”

Ethan watches his little brother, fresh from murdering a scavenger that could not have cared less about either of their lives, walk to their old car. Derrick was what this world was going to need moving forward, whether Ethan was here with him or not, he thought. Ethan hated to admit it, but the strongest were going to survive this post apocalyptic world, whether with him or against him, and he wanted to prepare his brother the best he knew how. As Derrick reaches the vehicle, he finds an old beaten up comic book he had stored in the space between the passenger seat and center console which he begins to read. With a long drawn out sigh, Ethan grabs an empty five gallon tank from the back of their old car, and walks towards the old van and sedan that had been in the parking lot since his arrival. Well, he thought, time to siphon gas for my next adventure in the new American wilderness. At least this next one he knew his brother would be more than prepared for.