Darkness Before the Dawn: A Zoethian Fanfic :Ch 1

I jolt from my bed, my face covered in sweat. Another nightmare. The same one I've been having for the past 3 days. I sigh and glance at the clock, and see that it is 9:43. Rythian should be here by now. He always comes at 9:00. Where is he? Did something bad happen to him? Does he need my help? "Nurse Carla," I ask. "Where's
Rythian?" She replies after looking at me for a minute. "Darling, you look pale. Are you OK? Why don't you get a little more rest."
"You didn't answer my question." I say, the sudden anger bubbling inside of me.
"I'm sure he's fine. Get some rest."
"TELL ME! WHERE THE HELL IS HE! " I yell. She looks shocked, and starts to back away slowly. "I...I'm sorry. I don't know what got into me. Never mind. I'm sure he's fine." What happened back there? I'm never that angry!
Well, now that I think about it, I haven't been the same since the Nukes exploded. I used to be so happy and bubbly all the time. But now I'm angrier, weaker, more insecure.
Pessimistic, even.
Rythian can't know I feel this way. He'll worry, and he's not the same when he worries. And so I've been acting like I used to. So he
doesn't know. He can't know. I can't show him the scars.


10 minutes later, Rythian walks in the front doors.
"Hi Zoey." He says. I act like my heart monitor is more interesting than him. Which it isn't. "Hi! Oh! Check this out! My Heart Monitor is dropping the bass!"
He looks at me like i'm crazy. "Um... Uh... That's not a bass. That's your heartbeat."
He believes every word I say. And for the first time, I feel kind of guilty.
"Oh... Yeah, it's kinda boring in here. Can I leave yet?" This isn't false. The only sound in this wretched place is the insistent beeping of the Heart Monitor.
It's driving me crazy.
So I get up and ask the Doctor, who says I'm free to leave.
I unattach myself from the machine, and turn it off. What a relief. That thing got on my nerves. Even though it kept me alive, I still hated it.
And, for the first time in 28 days of suffering, I feel sunlight again.


We soon arrive to our new home, after exploring the town. Rythian says that after the nuke, the alchemy isn't working as well as it usually is. Everyone is OK, despite a little radiation here and there.
But Fishton is missing.
"I don't suppose you guys found Fishton... H-he wasn't with me when I landed... and I kinda hoped he...maybe swam back here... Have you been trying to fish him up?"
"No... We haven't been fishing..." Rythian replies.
"We're in Sick Bay, near the water. We can find him surely..." I say, halfheartedly.
I hope we do find him, though it is unlikely.
"I feel like this is... this is a fresh start. I'm still alive, you're still alive, Tee's still alive, pretty much everyone's still alive. That's the only thing that matters."
"Yeah, I'd say so." He says.
But is it?