Three days had passed. Tul had fallen into a workable if frustrating pattern. Wake up, clean up, pack up and head out. Putt along, working his way through neighborhoods, avoiding obstacles, scavenging when he could. Look for a place to stay the night. Go to sleep. Repeat. This stupid city was never going to end.

Tul was sitting on his motorcycle, eating a protein bar. Thank the gods for desk stashes. With any luck, he'd hit the suburbs today and start really making some time.

This was not to be.

It was a scant two hours later. Before him lay the results of a full fledged battle. Bodies were sprawled over a two block area. Bullet riddled, stabbed, bludgeoned - it was an horrific display of the worst in humans. Tul couldn't breath. He couldn't look away. This was beyond... beyond anything.

Something within him snapped and he was suddenly retching. Everything came up. Tul was frantically trying to get off the bike only to fall to his knees when he did. He threw up until he was dry heaving. It was all too much. Too much. Tears ran as he gasped for breath and sobbed.

As soon as he could stand he threw himself back on the bike and gunned it. "Get out of here. Gotta get away. Gotta get away." played in a jangled rush in his head. He roared away from the carnage.

Tul didn't look back. He wasn't sure where he was headed. Anywhere as long as it was away from - from that.

When he finally got control of himself again, he didn't know where the hell he was.

He stopped in the shade of a tree and brushed his teeth wildly as if the glob of tooth paste could somehow erase the memory as well as the taste of vomit. A swig of water to rinse and spit. Put the toothbrush back in his bag. His hands were still trembling. He fisted them.

Tul looked around. A strip mall on his left. A few bodies but not many. A child had died there. It's back was pushed against the wall of a cell phone store. It's head was on a stuffed unicorn. Tul's eyes teared up. Fuck, what a day.

He glanced back up and almost pissed himself. He was frozen with his leg thrown over the bike seat, his eyes the size of saucers.

The corpse kid was sitting up and looking at him.

~~~~~

Tul swallowed. "Umm, okay... hi..." He slowly swung his leg off the bike. The kid slowly stood. The dirty unicorn was held tight against their chest.

"Hi. My name is Tul. Can you tell me your name?" No answer. The child began to back away. "Hey I won't hurt you." He took a step forward with his hands spread wide in front of him. The kid bolted.

" I have gummy bears!" Tul yelled. "You want some?" The child slowed, stopped and looked back at him. "You can have them! Um, they're in my bag. Wait just a minute."

Tul began digging through his bag frantically. " Where the hell are those - YES,  I found them." He emerged from his head long dive into the bag waving the gummy bears triumphantly.

He looked up and almost panicked. The kid was gone? No, the kid was closer. Peeking around the bumper of a car. Tul pulled out a water bottle and sat down on the curb. A quick rip and the bag was open. He pulled out a gummy bear and held it up to admire its bright red color before popping it into his mouth. "Mmm, they're warm. Best way to eat them!" He poured a few onto his palm. " Want some? We can share."

He held his hand out at full extension and looked slightly downward. He didn't look up but he heard the scuff of a shoe on pavement. A quick snatch and running sounds. The kid was behind the car again but Tul's palm was empty. Score one for Tul.

Soon, the eyes peered back over. "Aren't they yummy?" Tul ate another one and chewed with rather exaggerated delight. The blue eyes never blinked. "Want some more?" A few more gummies in his palm but he didn't look down this time, just slightly to the side.

He could see what he thought was a little girl. The kid was so dirty he couldn't tell for sure. Clutching the unicorn as if her life depended on it, the kid inched from behind the car.

"It's okay. They're for you." A quick dart forward and back. Another empty palm. But this time, she didn't hide behind the car. Just stood next to it chewing as fast as she could. A glance at his face, then to the gummies and back to his face. He grinned.

"I like gummy bears too." Tul opened the water bottle and took a sip. Time for Phase Two.

"Are you thirsty?"

It took an hour, two bottles of water, the bag of gummy bears and some jerky before she would sit next to him. He looked at her. How had she survived?  She was maybe four?

" Would you like to come with me? It's not safe here. Together, we can go to my friend Max's house. It's safe there and he has food. We can be safe together. " Tul waited. He couldn't leave her there to die. One way or another he would take her with him but willing was easier on both of them.  His dad used to say you could catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Time to see if it was true when it counted the most.

He watched her face and the wheels were definitely turning. She stood up and, to  Tul's surprise, walked to the motorcycle. She looked at him, looked at the bike and back at him.

Tul's grin was huge. He glanced around and suddenly realized he didn't see his helmet. Wha-? Oh. He'd wrenched it off and tossed it when he'd gotten sick. No way in hell he was going to try to go back for it.

"Looks like we're going to have to do some scavenging to get us helmets." he looked down. "And you some clothes."

He sat down on the bike and reached for her. A flinch. A backward step. A hesitation. She was nervous. Anxious about the motorcycle or him. He wasn't sure which.

"It's okay. It'll be faster if we ride to Max's house. I want us to be safe. Don't you want your unicorn to be safe?" His voice was soft, soothing.

"Here." He pulled off his back pack then took his blue jean jacket off. "Would you like to wear it? You can tuck your unicorn inside so you don't drop it." A step closer and a lifted arm. Alright! Tul wanted to pump his fist and pat himself on the back.

He slipped the jacket on her, watched as she put her unicorn inside of it and then he tucked it firmly around her. He slipped his back pack back on and looked down at her.

"Ready?" No answers still but there were no backward steps either. He reached for her and picked her up. He settled her in front of him and slowly headed down the street.

~♡~♡~♡~

A/N:  Motorcycles are often referred to as bikes in American slang. Tul is on a motorcycle.