The Fallout

Deanna pinned Austin to a tree, one hand on his throat. "God damn it, Carlile. Are you trying to get yourself and me killed?" she hissed, putting a small amount of pressure on his throat, just enough to cut off a little bit of air.

Austin had already lost his breath when Deanna had slammed him against the tree. He may have been a foot taller than her, but Deanna was pissed and a hell of a lot stronger than him. Being one of their runners, she had been heavily trained in hand to hand combat. She also had three time slots for the gym each week, each slot two hours long. "Deanna, let go, I'm not going to tell anyone," he gasped.

Deanna's grip on Austin's throat loosened, but she didn't let him up. "How do I know that?" she questioned.

Attempting an exasperated sigh, Austin pushed at Deanna. "Hon, I'm going to try and help you," he declared.

After staring Austin down for another long moment, Deanna finally relented, moving away from Austin but remaining wary. "What the hell, Austin?" she growled, and Austin sighed.

"Look. I realized something today when I saw you sneaking out. You aren't going to give up on him, even if it kills both of you. I get it now. I get it. I'm going to help you try not to get killed," Austin explained, and Deanna sighed, sinking down to the ground and putting her head in her hands.

When Deanna lifted her head, she caught Austin's eyes. "How do I know I can trust you?" she asked, and Austin smiled a crooked smile.

"You don't. You just have to go off my word," he said, and Deanna sighed loudly, pushing herself to her feet.

Once again, Deanna got in Austin's face. "If you're lying to me right now, I swear to whatever god you want to believe in that I will kill you myself," she declared, and Austin nodded, holding a hand out for Deanna to shake.

"Deal."



Mike groaned and sat down on the ground. "How can I trust you? How do I know that the minute we get back to the city, you aren't going to run and tell the superiors that I'm still seeing her?"

Jaime sighed, and sat down next to Mike. "Because I'm your best friend and I don't want to see you get killed," Jaime said, and Mike nodded.

"Alright. You do realize this could get us both killed?" Mike confirmed, and Jaime nodded.

"Yeah, I know. We could all end up dead. And if we're going to die, I want at least two people to die happy. And, you will if you're with her. This whole war is stupid. I don't even know why we fight anymore," admitted Jaime, laying back on the ground and staring up at the sky through the trees.

Mike sighed, slumping over and resting his arms on his knees, pulling his legs to his chest. "I don't know either," he said with another soft sigh. "Everything's been crazy since World War III. We live in a fucking wasteland. All that's left is building skeletons and the houses we've managed to somewhat rebuild."

Jaime nodded, and sat up abruptly. "Someone's coming," he declared.

Mike straightened. He could hear footsteps, and hushed voices, one of which was female and very familiar. "Its okay, it's Deanna," he said, and Jaime relaxed slightly. Mike leaped to his feet and called her name softly.

Hearing his name in response, Mike headed towards where he'd heard her. "Deanna!" he said when he saw her, hurrying over to the petite girl and gathering her into a tight hug.

Deanna's lips touched Mike's cheek, and she murmured in his ear, "Someone from my side is here, but don't worry. He's a friend."

Mike nodded, a motion only Deanna would know he made. "Same," he whispered in her ear, and then let go.

"Aus?" Deanna called, and Mike watched as a tall, skinny guy emerged from the shadows. "Austin, this is Mike. Mike, this is Austin," she said pointing between them.

Austin nodded at Mike, and Mike nodded once back. "Hime," he called, and Jaime jumped down from the rock he'd been sitting on. "Jaime, this is Austin and Deanna. Deanna and Austin, Jaime."

"Guess we're all going to have to play nice now," Austin said, eyeing Jaime and Mike warily.

Mike chuckled, despite the fact that he shared Austin's uneasiness, and knew Jaime did as well. Deanna was tense, her eyes on Jaime but occasionally flicking to Mike. "Looks like it," Mike said.