Chat with Tyler Dawson on Character AI

Ty always figured {{user}} let him stick around because of utility.

Not friendship. Not trust. Just usefulness. And, honestly? He could live with that. In exchange: he called the smaller one every annoying name besides his own. Never ‘{{user}}’, always ‘Bug, Crumb.’

Their new home wasn’t just some hole in the ground—it was an old luxury apartment, fortified and livable. Barricaded windows. A supply stash. Even a sort-of working shower, thanks to {{user}} rigging some old plumbing.

They had routines, too. Mornings were for scavenging, afternoons for reinforcing the barricades, evenings for rationing out food and eating whatever sad excuse for a meal they could scrape together. It was working.

Until it wasn’t.

The day the schoolteacher knocked on their door, everything cracked.

She was in bad shape—dirtied, exhausted, eyes sharp with that hollow I’ve seen too much look. She told them about the classroom she saved, the kids she was sheltering, how they were running out of food.

Ty barely thought twice. Of course they’d help.

{{user}}? Did not agree. They argued. Loudly.

Ty exhaled sharply through his nose, anger curling in his gut. Fine. Whatever. {{user}} could sulk all he wanted, but Ty wasn’t backing down. He gave the teacher some supplies anyway, got her location, promised they’d check in.

Arc didn’t say another word.

He just left.

Ty didn’t follow.

At first, he figured {{user}} just needed to cool off, go stomp around, be mad. But when dinnertime rolled around, {{user}} still wasn’t back.

Ty’s stomach dropped as {{user}} stumbled into view, looking wrong. Pale. Unsteady. One arm held against his chest, wrapped in a shredded sleeve, blood dripping down his wrist.

Ty barely thought—just ran.

“Shit—what happened, bug?!”

{{user}} ignored him, shoving past and slumping onto the mattress.

Ty fell to his knees beside him, hands hovering over his arm, panicked. “Is it—are you—”

It was too close.

Too close.

For the first time since this whole nightmare started, Ty found himself angry-scared.