Close Call/Harold/Good Times and Bad Times Always Lead to Sad Times

Crazy as it may seem, not much has happened in the last month since I joined the This is Our Town Faction. Most of my days are spent working on the power stations and sleeping. I’d say it’s quite tiring doing physical labor day in, day out. Aside from that, when I have some free time, I mostly hang out with Trey, Spencer, and Harold, or I read at the house—which they so kindly let me make my own. Despite the routine, there still are some memorable moments, so here are a few stories:

1- Close Call

One day, when I had a little free time, I was out exploring the town. Suddenly, purely by accident, a random woman and I bumped into each other.

“Oh, sorry,” I apologized.

She tilted her head and gave me a peculiar look.

“Is something wrong?”

“No.” She paused for a second. “Sorry,” she continued. “It’s just… I feel like I’ve never seen you before?”

I scrambled to make sure she didn’t keep feeling that way. “Are you sure? I think I’ve met you before. I mean, we must’ve met at some point.”

“Hmm, I guess you do look familiar.”

Thank god people are easily convinced.

2- Harold

‘Bout a week in, when I was still adjusting to all the new shit in my life, I was walking around town with Trey, Spencer, and Harold.

“Uh-oh, I got work in five minutes,” Trey announced abruptly. “Gotta dash, I’ll see each of you later.”

Just like that, Trey was gone, and for the first time, I was left alone with Spencer and Harold.

After a few seconds of being caught off guard, Spencer said, “That’s unusual for him, I guess he didn’t wanna leave you on your own.”

“Me?” I responded.

Spencer raised an eyebrow, as if it were obvious. “Who the hell else?”

“I don’t know. I guess it’s just strange how accepting he’s been of me.”

”Is it? I feel like it’s worth letting other people experience how amazing this town is.”

”Yeah, it’s a nice place.”

”Unlucky for you, I am okay with leaving you. I got some stuff my dad wants my help with back home. Harold, take him to get some good grub at Tony’s.”

Harold shot a look of annoyance at Spencer. “Why?”

Harold’s disapproval of my existence was so obvious it would take less than an infant to not notice. I don’t need everyone to like me, so it’s not the end of the world. I just wish I had some clue as to why he feels so strongly.

”Because he should get to try the best we have to offer. Wanna make him love this place.”

”Who’s Tony?” I interjected.

”Tony is a chef, and the best around,” Harold responded. Immediately after, he looked away, feigning disinterest in me. It’s like he’d forgotten to put in the effort to show his disdain and then suddenly remembered, trying to make up for it.

”I’ll catch you bastards later.”

And again, just like that, another one was gone, and I was left alone with Harold for the first time.

We stood awkwardly. I was the first to break the silence. “So… how ‘bout Tony’s?”

”Yeah, whatever. Let’s go.”

The silence was unbearable. Harold led the way, with me a few steps behind. All I could do was stare at his back, desperately hoping that he might say something. That hope flickered out quickly, though, as the silence continued to stretch on.

Momma had always taught me, “Nobody enjoys silence; they just ain’t got the courage to say so.” Her advice always saving me, I swear.

“So how’d you and the other boys meet?” I shot.

”Don’t worry about it.” And missed.

In hindsight, what I said next may or may not have been a little too direct, but y’know, sometimes you gotta go in for the kill.

“Do you hate me being here?”

“Something like that.” It seemed to work, though. That had to be the most responsive he’s ever been. He didn’t just brush me off—he actually showed his feelings. He got as close to saying “yes” as the guy possibly could. I saw a hairline crack form in the brick wall that is Harold, but to me, it looked gaping.

“Why?” I pushed, determined to get a full answer.

”Not important,” he replied flatly. Just like that, he was back to usual coldness.

”Please?” I kept pushing, unwilling to let him get away.

”No.” He wouldn’t budge.

”Please?” But neither would I.

”I said no,” he snapped back, his patience dwindling.

”Pretty please?”

”Can you shut up?!” He turned back to me, his frustration reaching its limit. “You don’t belong here! Stop trying to!”

“Sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say.

”Come on, let’s just get some food.” He turned away, silently leading me to Tony’s.

What was supposed to be a short ten minute walk felt like an arduous hundred. Eventually, we made it.

”Welcome!” Tony was a bright older fellow with a long mustache and a glint in his eyes that just made you want to smile. “How are you Harold?” He looked at me, paused for a split second, then said, “And you brought a friend, how nice. Come sit over here.” He showed us to a small two chair table in the back corner of the restaurant. ”I’ll be back with some food.”

After he left, Harold and I just sat without saying a word. Harold stared off into space while I stared down at the table. I wanted to ask more ‘bout Tony, ‘bout the restaurant, ‘bout why we didn’t get to actually order our food and choose what to get, but I was too scared of being yelled at again. I didn’t wanna make our rocky relationship worse.

I’m not sure how long it took for Tony to return with our food. I was too busy pondering how much of a lost cause Harold had become.

That aroma—it just sucked me right out of my thoughts. I hadn’t even been hungry beforehand, but all of a sudden, I was absolutely starving. It felt like I was about to have my first meal in my entire life. I looked up from the table and saw Tony staring intently at Harold.

“Harold, everyone in this town eats here, so trust me when I say I know everybody. I don’t know who this is, but you boys need to be careful. And I don’t just mean of others—I mean of yourselves. If you’re bringing someone new in, you need to make sure they want to stay. I’ve been around a while, and he isn’t the first outsider to come here. There was once this girl who wanted somewhere new to live, so she chose here. At first, she enjoyed this place, but her ‘friends’ weren’t so accepting. She tried to leave, but she knew our secrets.” He paused, his face stiffening before he took a deep breath. “She was shot seven times.”

I was absolutely dumbfounded. That was ‘bout the last thing I expected to hear from Tony. Harold must have been dumbfounded too, because he just stared at Tony with his mouth slightly agape.

Tony set down the food, said, ”Enjoy,” and walked back towards the kitchen.

The blissful smell rising from the table immediately took back my attention. I picked up my fork and took a bite of the bright green pasta dish, sprinkled with herbs. The flavor was rich and absolutely scrumptious.

“Um.” I looked up, surprised to hear a noise leave Harold’s mouth. “Good, right?” His face was stiff, but he seemed to be trying.

“The best around.”

3- Good Times and Bad Times Always Lead to Sad Times

After a long night shift, I was getting some well deserved sleep, when I was jolted awake by the blaring of alarms outside. A voice came over the speakers they have mounted on houses and poles around town.

“ATTENTION! AN ENEMY IS ON THE HORIZON! RETURN TO CENTRAL IMMEDIATELY!”

I was immediately on my feet. I threw on my shoes, ran to the door, and paused, staring at the cabinet holding the Supernovacide. With a knot tightening in my stomach and little time to weigh my options, I turned and sprinted out the door.

As I ran through town towards Central, the house with Our Life inside, the alarms continued to blare.

“I REPEAT! AN ENEMY IS ON THE HORIZON! RETURN TO CENTRAL IMMEDIATELY!”

I guess this is a poor story because it ain’t exactly got a proper conclusion. What I just told, just happened. I am currently running, people flying out of their homes all around me.

Once I get to Central a random lady immediately hands me a gun. She’s one of many people handing out a variety of firearms.

A man who seems to be in charge is yelling out directions from a megaphone. “EVERYONE, PLEASE GRAB A WEAPON AND EITHER LINE UP IN THE STREET WITH YOUR GUNS READY, OR FIND COVER IN A HOUSE. BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING.”

I just follow the flow of people, not sure of where I want to head, and end up behind a bush with two other people. We stand, peeking over the bush with our guns pointed down the street. I had hoped that I would run into Trey, Spencer, and Harold, but there are more important things to worry about.

The synergy within the This is Our Town Faction is absolutely absurd. It only takes a few minutes for everything to go quiet, the street, sidewalks, and houses lined with people, all standing with their guns at the ready. I fumble around with the unfamiliar, cold, heavy steel in my hands. Everyone on this hardened Earth knows how to work a gun, but I’ve never really had to actually use one. Hopefully, these guys don’t mean harm—because I’d like to keep it that way.

Massive trucks equipped head to toe with weaponry barrel down the street, causing it to rumble under their weight. Motorcycles dart back and forth a gazillion times faster than my bike ever could. A wall of vehicles approaches us. In the face of such an overwhelming force, I feel like I’m about to either start running or piss my pants, but the calmness of everyone around me helps me to keep my composure. They slow as they draw closer to us and stop ‘bout fifty yards away. At the front of the mob is a single man riding a motorcycle. He dismounts and takes off his helmet, revealing a surprisingly gentle face. It’s almost disarming how soft and genuine his expression looks, but the tension is too high to be distracting. While raising his hands into the air—offering a sign of peace—he begins walking towards us.

We stand, quietly waiting for orders, with our guns pointed towards the mob of vehicles and that one man.

“Stop where you are! State your name and purpose!” the man with the megaphone demands. 

The other man stops and cracks a wide smile as if nothing could make him happier. “Our purpose is not to cause harm to anyone who is connected, trust us. As for our name, you probably know who we are. We are the Soul Brothers, and we are searching for a certain individual.”