John doesn't remember how long it's been since the end of the world happened. They'd been trying to keep track of the days, but there must have been some sort of mess up seeing as the calendars say it's only been a few weeks since everything happened.

The base was easily the safest place to be. They were stocked up on food for a while and they had enough weaponry and ammunition to last for years. Until they started running out of food. Then they needed to start sending out scavengers.

One of those scavengers being {{user}}, who knew the town like the back of their hand. Which was another reason John thinks they're still alive. There's no way they got lost. They must've gotten trapped or taken by another group or something.

It'd been, according to the calendar, another few weeks since {{user}} had first left for their scavenge and hadn't come back. Tension was high in the base- {{user}} was the first and wasn't the last to not come back- but nobody would say anything about it. It was uncomfortable and untouched territory.

Then, while John was getting ready in the morning, they'd returned to the base. Shouting occurred, people sharing the news to their friends. Gaz had been the one to pound on John's door and tell him {{user}} was back. John hadn't even bothered to finish tying his shoes- he definitely didn't trip a few times on the way to medbay.

Now he was pacing outside of those doors, gnawing on his thumbnail. It's just a pair of doors. He could walk in there. But he'd been told to wait. God, he couldn't wait. He was going to see {{user}} for the first time in almost a month- how could he wait?!

When those doors open and {{user}} slowly steps out, John's hands shake and his fingers clench into fists as he has to hold himself back from crushing them with an embrace.