The sun's rays first streaked over the horizon announcing its awakening. The rays illuminated the barren expanse. In the early dawn light, the small bits of debris cast long shadows across the earth. Aside from the odd cockroach, nothing stirred.

As the first rays streamed into the rusted and decaying hull, Adam opened his eyes. Immediately, he shielded his face with his arm as his eyes screamed in protest. He slowly eased himself off the rotting cot and swung his legs onto the ground. He looked around his little home and saw Jack, sleeping soundly. His long grey snout was resting on his forepaws as he slept, lightly snoring. Adam sighed as he reached for his boots.

"That dog would sleep through a nuclear apocalypse," he said to himself.

Adam went to tug on his weathered boot when caught a whiff of their pungent odor. He dropped the boot and tried to cover his nose to block the stench, only to realize it was on his hand as well. He coughed and sputtered, his eyes welling with tears. He managed slip on both boots, despite the horrible aroma.

"Going to have to wash those today," Adam muttered, following his normal morning routine. He glared at the dog who was still slumbering peacefully. Adam nudged the dog, none to gently with the toe of his boot, and Jack lazily rose to his feet.

Adam fondled Jack's ears as he thought of the coming day. He would continue moving west, trying to find some place that could sustain life, even though there were very few of those areas left. They couldn't hold out for long on the scraps they found, and the large stash of canned sardines Adam had stumbled upon a month ago.

He sighed as he reached for his leather trench coat, slipping it on, thankful for the familiar feel. Although the cot was a nice find, it felt too soft, and Adam felt like he would be swallowed by it before morning. He stooped and grabbed his pack, his canteen clanking loudly. Adam sighed at the empty sound that emanated from it.

Jack looked at his over his long snout. You seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Adam gave the mutt a withering glance.

"You can't comment on the noises I make, Mister 'I pass gas all night long.'" Adam said, defensively.

I can smell your boot from here.

Adam was suitably chastened, as the dog was several meters away. "I'll never get the last word with you."

Jack grinned and gave him a look that told Adam he was right. Not for the first time, Adam marveled at how he could carry on conversations with a dog. Adam glanced over at Jack as he slung the pack and empty water canteen over his shoulder.

"It's not weird, right?"

You talking to me isn't weird. It's me talking to you that makes it weird. And with those words of encouragement, Adam set out into the barren expanse.

Adam was constantly scanning the ground around him, looking for anything he could salvage. So far, he had found a can of spam, a spork, two rolls of duct tape and a spade. As Adam hefted the pack onto his back, he grunted with the weight. He wiped his brow with the back of his hand, wiping the sea of sweat off of his forehead.

He looked at Jack who sat happily beside him, grinning and panting. Jack looked decidedly unburdened. Adam decided he'd keep an eye out for any scraps of fabric he could use to make a vest for him. It's about time you carry your own weight, he thought. Adam was wise enough not to voice the thought.

Adam was about to sigh before he thought better of giving Jack more ammunition. Instead, he remained silent and scanned the horizon. He could see for miles around. Large and small pieces of debris and scrap littered the expanse. A myriad of small objects and trinkets also filled the almost empty landscape.

Adam glanced up at the red sky. The sun was almost at the zenith of its morning climb. As he realized what time it was, his stomach voiced its hungry thoughts. Adam found a half-buried thruster and sat down, gratefully. He sighed with pleasure before realizing his mistake. Thankfully, Jack was too hungry to comment. Adam leaned against the rusted thruster as his muscles eased and the kinks worked themselves out.

He rummaged in his pack for one of the cans of sardines. He looked at it with distaste for a few moments before finally opening it. He hated sardines. He set it on the ground and Jack eagerly lapped up the contents. Adam produced a small metal bowl and then frowned as he felt an alien object in his bag. He pulled out a beer bottle that was half empty. He smiled as he realized they'd at least have something to wash down the horrible sardines.

Adam poured a small amount of the bottle into the metal bowl and Jack was equally eager for it. Adam then took a few swings before replacing the cap and depositing it into his pack. Adam slowly, regretfully, rose to his feet. Although a longer respite was tempting, he knew that if he rested for too long his muscled would tense and the rest of the journey would be even more agonizing then it was now.

Adam watched his feet as he kicked the red dirt mounds, slowly scanning the ground for anything useful. He stopped as he saw a small gleam penetrating through the dirt layers. He knelt and scooped away handfuls of dirt. His eyes lit up as he saw what the strange metal glint was. A combat knife.

The blade was a little rusted, and the hilt had seen better days, but nothing that a little care couldn't fix. After a little more digging, Adam had discovered a sheath for the knife. He grinned as he slid the leather scabbard onto his belt.

Jack lay on the ground beside him, eying the knife, seeming to raise one eyebrow. He seemed unimpressed. I'm definitely making him carry some of this stuff, Adam resolved.

After finding the knife, the rest of the day seemed uneventful. The only change from the monotony of trudging through the barren lands was finding a small mountain range. The peaks soared high above the flat landscape, sticking up like a sore thumb. In the past, Adam had found snow on mountains such as these, but as the miles dwindled, he could see no snowcapped peaks. This was particularly stinging after he felt his luck was turning, after finding the beer bottle in his sack and the knife.

But the pair still trudged on. As the sun passed its zenith, the air became stifling and the ground began to heat up. Adam had discovered this long ago, when he first found Jack. The poor dog was whimpering in the meager shade of a scrap of metal. He quickly tore up his one extra shirt and wrapped the pup's feet in the deteriorating cloth. He had kept the cloth for when the ground became too hot to bear. Adam knelt know and produced the four linen booties. Since their first encounter, Adam had improved the simple design by wrapping them in duct tape.

Jack waited patiently as Adam slipped the makeshift boots onto each foot. When he was done, Jack gave Adam a dry lick of appreciation. Adam ruffled the dog's head before setting off once more. Adam's stomach began to rumble again and he did his best to ignore the discomfort. The stash of sardines, he knew, was running low. He wanted to save the spam for dinner that night, as a special meal to break up the monotony of sardines every day.

In the intensity of the sun, his mouth felt dryer than a bone. He ached for water, or any liquid, really. The urge to sling his pack off and pull out the beer bottle and guzzle all of it was almost overwhelming. But he didn't know how close the next source of water was, and that would be unfair to Jack. Although, carrying all their supplies was unfair to Adam.

So, Adam continued to scan the ground, watching the red and orange dirt slowly crawl by underneath his feet. His head shot up as Jack began to bark, and shot across the wasteland. Adam almost jumped and, without thinking, ran after the stupid mutt. He was so focused on the bolting dog that he was oblivious to the small tree that Jack was running to. Adam finally caught up when Jack stopped and began to lap up the small pond of water at a prodigious rate.

With a shout of triumph, Adam fell to his knees and began to scoop handfuls of water into his mouth. The sweet liquid flooded down his throat, coating his thick, gummy tongue in a torrent of water. He quickly realized his mistake of gulping too much water at once as he sputtered and coughed, and his stomach began to churn violently. Jack had a similar reaction.

Jack flopped to the ground and Adam sat down gratefully, holding his aching stomach. Adam examined the surrounding area, as he could have missed something useful in that mad dash. In the distance, he could barely make out a large hull. It was indistinct, but their also seemed to be a building there as well. But Adam reasoned it was just his mind playing tricks on him. He unslung his pack and unattached the canteen. He unstopped and submerged it in the small, murky puddle. The water eagerly rushed in and quickly filled the canteen. He stowed it in his pack.

Adam glanced at the sun. Its arc had nearly finished and it was beginning to dip below the horizon. "Well, I say we head over to that hull over there and spend the night. We're only about a mile away from this water source," Adam said, more to himself.

Jack seemed to nod his approval and the two set out towards the wreckage. Adam walked with a new spring in his step and a tune on his lips. His moist lips, he thought with a smile. Adam wasn't as focused on the ground, but his life-long habit still asserted itself and he often caught himself inspecting the debris on the ground.

Finally, after what seemed like the longest mile of his life, Adam stopped at the hull. His mind had not played any tricks on him, there was indeed a building merely yards away from the wreckage of the hull. Adam inspected the old, ramshackle building with foreboding. In his experience, which was often brutal, buildings like these were not stable. After much internal debate, Adam finally decided the enter the abandoned building.

The building was small, maybe five yards by eight. A few chairs were scattered throughout, as well as a table. Several plates lay on the table, with only the decayed remains of food.

Someone left in a hurry.

"I agree," Adam said absent mindedly as he wandered towards a stairwell. He slowly descended, painfully aware of the creaking and groaning of each step. Before he was completely emerged in darkness, he fumbled in his pack for the small lighter he had found years ago. His flipped open the cap and flicked it on.

In the meager light, he could make out the bunker. A u-shaped desk lined three of the walls and shelves lined the back wall. He found a large lever and flipped the switch, not expecting much from the decrepit bunker. To his surprise, the lights, with great effort, flickered then illuminated the spacious bunker.

Now that Adam could see with greater detail, he noticed a cot that was slid under the desk. On the shelves that lined the back wall, jugs and bottles of water filled the shelves as well as enough food to last a year. Adam's heart leaped. And yet, there was something familiar about the large bunker. He smiled as he realized it was merely déjà vu. He no longer had to live day-to-day. For now, at least.

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Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! If you liked it, please vote and comment, it would be much appreciated! I always enjoy feedback and constructive criticism 

Question: To any pet owners out there, do you talk to your pets? I know I do. Do you expect a response? On the rare occasion, I do.