Chapter 6: Chicken (Rewrite)

Shaw took the first step on to the rotted wasteland, taking a full survey of the new world around them.

"Stay for a second..." Dean took the next step off the front porch, holding a hand out to stop the children from proceeding with him in case it was dangerous.

Shaw kneeled on the ground, brushing through the grass with his fingers, "They're dead... all dead."

"But then..." Dean took a deep breath, "Why is there no smell?"

It's true, they couldn't smell a single rotten scent. It smelt dusty and ashy, but no smell that makes them fetch with disgust.

"It-It must be radiation..." Shaw looked around, "It probably burnt e-everything, leaving no rotten smell except for that burning scent."

"Then why do the plants look withered? Not burnt?" Dean asked.

It was unnerving. So... unrealistic.

But it was, this world is now their world.

"Even the garden's gone too..." They heard Kai's disappointed voice behind them.

"Kai!" Dean spun around, but couldn't find him.

He rushed out to the back of the house, spotting Kai, Luka and Orly crouching down by a patch of dead vegetables. "I thought I told you guys to stay—"

"But you were fine." Luka tilted his head, "So we thought we could step out too..."

Dean sighed. He couldn't argue with that logic.

He walked and crouched next next to them, examining the poor, withered plants.

It wasn't a big garden, but enough to provide for the little orphanage. There were all sorts of vegetables, from carrots, to cabbages, to eggplants, but now they all looked rotten, useless.

"What're we going to eat now?" Orly narrowed her eyes nervously, letting out a small cough.

Dean chewed on a fingernail, "Guess we're stuck with the cans for now..."

The children groaned disappointedly.

Dean was disappointed as well, and maybe even a little afraid, but he definitely couldn't show it to the kids.

"Hey... cheer up guys." Dean said hopefully as he knelt down before the kids. "Since we can now assume that it's safe outside, Cal and I will head towards the Shelters at MaryCity to ask the soldiers there for food and water. Maybe we can convince them to move us out early!"

The kids still looked sad.

"But I like our home..." Kai whimpered.

"I don't wanna leave..." Luka stared at the ground.

"Would I ever get to see the carnival?" Orly asked sadly.

Dean looked at them, a great despair lingered in his heart.

This war had been hard on them. So many people had lost their lives.

Soldiers.

Civilians.

Neighbors.

All of them had been affected by this dreaded war. One way. Or another.

These kids don't deserve this. No one does.

Why did the United Authorities have to disagree with each other? It was just a simple mistake.

All of this could have been avoided.

If they had just forgiven each other.

"D-Dean?" Luka's soft voice filled his ears.

"H-Huh?" Dean gasped as he blinked the tears away from his eyes, wiping away a loose drop that had escaped. He put on a fake smile again. "Yes? Is there a problem?"

"Y-You were crying..." Orly responded.

"Was I?" Dean acted shocked, putting a hand to his heart for dramatic effect, "My word! The air must be stinging my eyes! Quick! Back inside the house!"

Dean lightened up the mood by suddenly rushing at the children and tickled their sides.

The kids were officially distracted and ran inside the house to escape Dean's tickles, laughing heartily.

Dean chased after them, a wide smile on his face.

But it was forced.

Everything was forced.

--

"Huh?" Dean stepped outside again as he heard some rustling from inside.

He walked out back and found Shaw digging up the dead vegetables in the garden.

"Shaw?" Dean called out towards him, "What're you doing?"

"I dunno..." He answered, "Just... trying to find some edible vegetables, I guess. Who knows? Maybe there will be some blessing in disguise."

Dean watched silently as Shaw continued digging into the ground, wrenching up a couple stalks of carrot with his bare hands.

Dean had never noticed until now, but Shaw was truly, a really caring person. He may act like a jerk sometimes, but maybe that's because he feels lonely, unwanted.

Maybe he should really start treating Shaw the way he deserves to be treated.

"C'mon Shaw!" Dean suddenly crouched next to Shaw, startling him. "I'll help you! Let's find our blessing in disguise!"

Dean starting pulling out some carrots too.

"W-Wha—?!" Shaw was shocked, "What are you doing!?"

"As I said, I'm helping you!" Dean plucked out a couple rotten carrots, "Ooo... not these ones..." He threw them away promptly.

Shaw looked at him weirdly, then sighed in acceptance, "Alright. Whatever. You do you, and I do me."

They worked together in unison.

...

...

...

Thirty minutes later...

"Woo!" Dean chuckled playfully, "We got eighty-seven bad ones! Twenty questionably edible ones! And two definitely good ones!"

Shaw slumped, "Comparing the numbers... it's honestly sad."

Dean laughed, "Cheer up! It's better than none right?"

Shaw tilted his head slightly towards Dean, a suspicious look in his eyes.

Dean noticed them, "Yes?"

"You're just..." Shaw sighed and shook his head, "Never mind, just leave me alone now."

Shaw faced away from him, and picked up the 'healthy' vegetables from the ground, walking back towards the front porch of the house.

Dean stared at him with a dreaded longing in his heart. Did he do something wrong?

"Shaw. Wai—"

chip...chip...

"Huh?" Dean and Shaw spun around in unison.

They thought they heard some chirpin—

chip...Chip!

Suddenly, a little baby chicken popped up from the rotten grass and chirped at the two boys menacingly, like 'Yoo hoomuns gat out off ma fieldddd!!!'

It was adorable.

"Aww..." Dean bent down and extended his hands towards the chick.

It backed away like, 'Dont douch moi yu derti hoomun!'

Dean touched it.

He could feel the small animal wiggling inside his hand.

"Ooo! That tickles!" Dean swiftly scooped it up with that same hand. He raised the chick to his face.

The little chick was the bright yellow in color, with tiny orange legs and black, beady eyes. It bent its back down towards Dean, like 'Yu bettar ador moi hoomun!'

"Aww... Shaw!" Dean adored it, "Come look at this little guy!"

Shaw stalked over towards Dean. "What the?"

He dropped the vegetables onto the ground as he inspected the baby chicken.

"How did this... stupid thing get here?" Shaw was puzzled.

The chuckled chirped at him, like 'Dun gall moi stoopid! Stoopid hoomun!'

"Must have escaped from the neighbors." Dean explained, "And made its way here somehow."

"Well..." Shaw looked around, "What are we going to do with it?"

"We're gonna keep it of course!" Dean exclaimed, "We can spare a few grains of corn for it!"

"But—" Shaw sighed, "Whatever... I just wanna go back in..." he surveyed the dead land around them one last time, "This place makes me sick."

Dean smiled sadly at the chirping chick, "Agreed..."