Noah and Max

**Content Warning**: Suicidal Thoughts discussed

*December the 14th, Sometime in the early Third Millennium AD*

Noah and Max walked through the old shell of what once was a magnificent building. Noah wasn’t sure what he’d eat tonight, and it was hard to find food in the devastated wasteland that consumed the whole world. At the very least, Noah had Max, and Max was a good dog and a good friend.

*Thud, Crack!*

Something fell in the old building. Max began to bark, concerned that something was out to harm his old master.

“Hush boy, it’s okay, it’s okay…” Noah said to his old dog. In truth however, Noah was concerned about what that noise could have been. It almost certainly wasn’t another human, it was rare to find another soul around these days. Noah was more worried about the strange beasts that roamed the wastes these days. There were of course the robotic abominations that terrorized the world, but there were also now more infernal beasts born from The End.

Max was scared by the noises. While he loved and trusted Noah, Max was still scared. Noises like that were no good, Max knew that.

“Let’s get out of here boy, I don’t think there’s anything in here” Noah said to Max. Noah didn’t really know why he talked to Max the way that he did, it was probably the isolation from other humans. Noah didn’t remember the last time he had seen anyone else. Plus, in recent times, Noah felt like Max had almost begun to listen to him.

Max felt bad in his head again. It had hurt a lot for a while. The noises hadn’t helped. Max felt strange. Smarter maybe? He didn’t have the words.

Noah led Max outside of the old building, and he let out a cough. The air was choked with soot, ash, and foulness; it was a miracle that anything could breath in such conditions. Max looked up at Noah and whimpered, the old dog was worried about his old master. Noah scratched behind old Max’s ear, and looked around for anywhere else to go.

Max liked getting scratched. It made him feel better. Helped him ignore the bad. The choking, black air.

“Come on Max, that old house over there might have something.” Noah started leading Max over to the old, burned down house. Was the old house ravaged by some infernal hellbeasts or destroyed by the last spasms of a dying humanity? Noah didn’t know, all he knew was that the place might have something to eat. Very little grew these days.

Max knew Noah was hungry. Max was hungry too. Max was scared for Noah, scared if he would leave soon. What was the word for that? Worry? Dread? Max wasn’t sure.

The two began to head over to the small house, as a large metal beast erupted from the shell of the magnificent building they had just left. It was remarkably held together given the state of the world, although given that it was probably an old security system or some pawn in the Final Wars, it wasn’t surprising that it was made to last. The metal beast charged at Noah.

Noah was caught off guard by the beasts charge, but luckily was still quick enough to pull out his pistol and fired at it as he and Max ran towards the old house. The two were just barely able to escape the creature, as it soon reached the limit of whatever area it was designated to patrol, and slunk back to its hole in the decrepit building it came from.

The experience has left Noah incredibly shaken, and with only two rounds of ammunition left for his pistol. In times like these, with all sorts of monsters roaming around, he wondered if it would be enough to keep him and Max safe. Noah thought for a moment about using his last two rounds to spare him and his dog from anymore suffering in this nightmare of a world. He collapsed on the floor of the old house, crying to himself as he thought about ending it all.

Max was worried for his old friend, he knew that his friend was scared. Max walked up to his old friend and put his head in his lap. Max struggled a bit, but said “It okay” to his old friend.

Noah was surprised by this, and recoiled a bit at Max’s unexpected talking. It was the first time Noah had heard someone, or something, talk to him in a very long time.

“It okay” Max said again. He licked Noah’s face and put his head back in Noah’s lap again. “It okay” he said again.

Noah managed a weak smile as he petted his old friend. Times were strange, so it wasn’t the most surprising thing for his dog to start talking he supposed. “Yeah, it’s okay Max, it’s okay” Noah said again as he pet Max.

“It okay!” Max said with a silly smile on his face. Max was happy that Noah was happier.

Noah decided in that moment that he would have to keep going, if not for his own sake then for Max’s. Noah picked himself up off the ground and said “alright old boy, let’s see if we can’t find anything in here!”

Max grinned, happy to see his friend up again. Max managed to say “let go!” as he jumped up and down with joy. Max was happy that Noah was happy.