Who: Ben Braeden and Sam Winchester What: Chance meeting Where: No Man's Land When: Today Warnings: Will update if necessary
Ben Braeden never realised how good he had it. He never had a dad, but his mom was awesome, and she took good care of him. He never really had to want for anything, though Mom taught him to work hard for the things he wanted. He did well in school, Mom helped him with his homework at night. He did chores (which he hated) around the house, and Mom gave him an allowance. Once he'd hit ten, Mom let him do yard work for the neighbors, to earn a little extra money. Ben had taken it all for granted, and now that it was gone, he felt lost.
He'd never had to face anything like this before. Whenever he'd found himself in a rough patch, Mom was there to help him through it. But Mom was gone, Ben didn't even know where. Just one day, she wasn't there, and there wasn't any one to take care of him, he had to step up and do it all himself. The city was a wasteland, practically abandoned, and Ben learned real quick to stay away from anyone who hadn't skipped town.
He'd stayed at the house as long as he could, but when the food ran out and there wasn't any water, he'd been forced to head out into the world. He was scared, terrified, really. But he held his head high, and he endured. Mom had taught him to be strong, to face adversity head on. He would be strong for her, he would survive for her, because he believed he'd find her again, and they'd be together and everything would be all right.
As the days went on, Ben started to doubt things were going to work out. He was tired and hot during the day, cold at night, and always hungry. He didn't know much about nuts and berries and leaves, he didnt' know what he could eat and what he shouldn't touch. He really really really wanted a nice, juicy hamburger and fries. He'd kill for a coke, but he'd been reduced to putting his face in the river to try and get some water.
He was eleven. He had no idea what he was doing, or why. The world was dead, and the more he walked the more dead it seemed. He hadn't seen another person for days, he didn't even know how long. And when there was someone there, crouched by the side of the river, Ben stood there watching, staring. he felt delirious. Was that person even real?