Hollow Hearts

Despite what the angsty shows on the CW will tell you, jewelry isn't made for the apocalypse. The only jewelry that's surviving is the good stuff- real silver and gold and made with craftsmanship. The kind of expensive pieces that aren't usually owned by teenagers like Sarah and Dave.

The locket Sarah wore had most likely been bought at Forever 21 or Walmart. The chain was tarnished and left faint, green lines around her neck. The clasp and link connecting the locket to the chain had both been replaced at some point with clearly mismatching links. The actual locket was heart shaped and kept shut with a wire. The whole mess looked out of shape bouncing against her breastbone as they climbed over concrete and metal struts in the remains of a downtown.

The locket felt like a slap in the face every time Dave looked over at her - which was often. It was a cold reminder to keep his eyes to himself. Which was a bit hard for an eighteen-year-old boy to do under most circumstances. When every single structure but the schools were blown up, they were together at lunch. And thirteen months later, they hadn’t been more than 100 feet apart - only going that far on the rare occasion they were assigned separate jobs.

Even if he hadn’t liked her before he would have been screwed. And yet here he was, headed back from scavenger duty with her and five others, and everyone at camp knew the only reason he was allowed to follow her everywhere was because he had been assigned as her unofficial bodyguard. Assigned by her boyfriend, Adam.

“You’ve known her since you were - like ten - right?” Adam had questioned, one hand on his shoulder, staring at him in that too-intense way he’d always had. Brown eyes just a little too dark, too manic around the strands of greasy hair that had escaped his bun to hand around his face. “And you were a linebacker and always getting into fights, yeah?”

“I mean - I guess, yeah.” He’d responded, already a little anxious why Adam had asked to talk to him and brought him over to the edge of the camp. They’d only found Adam a week ago, four months since the bombing, and in that time, Adam had built up a camp of nearly three hundred teenagers. Dave had been astounded when they’d stumbled into the first semblance of civilization but had not been surprised to see Adam was the reason for it. He’d always been a leader.

“Right.” Adam confirmed, his hand gripping a little tighter. “And you know how special Sarah is – how important she is.”

This had only put Dave more on edge, readying himself to give the excuses about their friendship.

“Sarah’s just a – “

Adam raised his hand to stop him, face still friendly - if still too focused.

“I know, I know. You’re just friends. But you care about her – a lot. And this world is very, very dangerous now.” Adam turned him slightly so they were both looking back at the camp, where several dozen people were walking between the cabins made of wood, metal, and whatever construction materials they’d been able to scavenge and make use of.

“Sarah’s hot.” Adam said bluntly, staring out over the camp. “She’s beautiful. We have no showers, no makeup, no razors, no whatever other crap girls used to use all the time – and she’s still hot.

“Even if she wasn’t with me – the leader of one of the biggest camps, and the most prosperous camp, in 100 miles – she would get attention. And I trust you, you’re my friend. That’s why I need you to look out for her.”

He looked back at Dave and his face became very serious, mouth losing it’s usual smile.

“You’re job is to stay by her side – always. I don’t care if she’s going to the outhouse, hanging out with a bunch of girls, out on a job, or whatever. You do not leave her side. Your job is to take care of her and keep her safe when I can’t.

“Outside of camp I’ll have others go too but your purpose is to keep her safe and to tell me about anyone who looks at her funny, any guy who’s trying to hit on her or anything that seems the slightest bit suspicious.”

Isn’t taking care of her supposed to be your job? Dave thought, Stop being so possessive and go back to being our shining leader and leave me alone.

But he’d just nodded and agreed, not wanting to get kicked out of the only place that had food and safety. And he didn’t want to be alone, Sarah was his only connection and hanging out with her all the time sounded find to him.

And now he was carrying a heavy rucksack over one shoulder – this scavenging mission had been an attempt at finding medicine and hygiene stuff that could easily fit in it – with his other hand hovering over the large knife strapped to his right thigh.

He’d been surprised Adam had even let them go on this mission – he’d been more and more reluctant to let Sarah leave camp or do anything remotely dangerous. They’d gotten into a less-than-private shouting match by the cabin the two of them shared after dinner last week. Which had resulted in Dave being locked inside said cabin with Sarah for three days.

Adam would let him in at breakfast, locking the inner door of the cabin behind of them, and letting him out after dinner when Adam would come back for the evening. Sarah had been livid – it had been a very tense, and very awkward three days.

He knew this trip was an apology of sorts to Sarah. Adam’s gesture of good faith; evident in the fact that her two closest girl friends were also in the group.

And yet even on that first day in the cabin when she’d thrown every single one of Adam’s belongings at the door, she had not touched the heart shaped-locket Adam gave her. Though Dave wouldn’t be surprised if it was somehow welded around her throat, despite the cheap material.

He caught himself staring at it again as she fell behind her friends, waving them off as she settled her pace next to him in silence.

Dave kept his eyes on their surroundings, they were less than half a mile from camp and there were three other guys in the group acting as security, but their camp had nearly 800 people now and you could never be too safe.

“You know Mary told me that she still thinks you’re cute.” Sarah said suddenly, reaching up to fiddle with her necklace.

Dave glanced over at her, but she wasn’t looking at him, staring in the direction of the camp resolutely. Mary was one of the girls with them, short, brunette, and too sweet for a post-apocalyptic world. He’d considered that possibility once.

“Adam doesn’t want me to hang out with her like that.” He said quietly, long past the embarrassment he used to feel about being commanded by the other boy.

Sarah snorted, “Didn’t realized he was your boyfriend too.”

Was that a trace of bitterness in her tone? He’d admit he had been a little bitter when Adam had first told him off, subtly hinting that Dave couldn’t properly watch over Sarah if he was too distracted by a girl.

“I’m too awkward for relationships anyways.” He saw the first camp outpost come into view as they went from the rubble and concrete streets of the city to the dirt and grass of the field that separated the old city from the camp.

“It’s not fair that he controls your life like that.” She continued, voice dropping a bit to make sure the other people in their party couldn’t hear.

“Like he controls yours?” He bit his tongue as soon as the words slipped past his lips. He knew how petty and jealous that sounded.

“He just wants to keep me safe. He wants to keep us all safe.” Sarah said, fingers on the locked slowing.

“He said he won’t lock me in the cabin again.” She whispered.

“He probably doesn’t want all his things destroyed again.”

Her lips quirked up in a triumphant grin and his heart lifted a bit, lips curling up in return of her smile.

“He deserved to have his things destroyed.” Her voice low and gleeful, smile turning wicked as she looked to the side at him.

It took him a minute to build up the courage to say, “You didn’t destroy that.”

He nodded at the locket and her fingers stilled.

“That…. would have been too much. I’m not sure what he would have done if I’d done something to it.” She explained slowly.

“Is there like,” Dave started, not sure if what he was asking was weird. “Is there like a picture of him in there that somehow survived the bombing?”

She smiled again but it didn’t reach her eyes. She slowed to a stop and he stopped beside her, waving to the other guys to continue on when they paused. They were only a hundred yards from the camp now, they wouldn’t get in trouble.

“Wanna see?” She asked conspiratorially, eyes still flat. He shrugged, not wanting to see too interested.

“Sure.”

She slowly untwisted the wire keeping the locket shut, pausing before opening it for him with a flourish.

He frowned, “It’s empty.”

She giggled and closed it shut, twisting the wire in three quick movements before grabbing his sleeve and tugging him towards the camp.

“How would I have gotten a picture of him? I didn’t even have one before the bombing, I definitely don’t have one now.”

He felt his cheeks heat a bit and shook her hand from his arm.

“I dunno, I just thought that there’d be something with how special you both treat it. Didn’t think it’d just be empty.”

“It’s pretty, isn’t that enough?” She asked, eyes more playful now as they walked into camp.

“I guess so.” He mumbled, eyes catching on Adam who looked relieved to see Sarah back at the camp.

He jogged towards her swept her up in a hug like she’d been gone for days instead of hours. He watched the two of them laugh, wrapped up in their own world as the rest of the camp moved around them.

He felt unsettled for some reason, like there was somebody watching him or something he’d forgotten about.

But no one was watching him, all eyes were on the golden couple. He took the pack off his shoulder and set it against a tree, sitting besides it to join the rest of the world in staring at Sarah and Adam.