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Josh Brenner grabbed the calendar hanging cockeyed on the cement wall one last time. Counting again the number of months that had gone by since the nuclear war had ended.
Two-hundred and forty, exactly twenty years, just like dad told me he thought. Too bad he couldn't be here Josh thought to himself in the darkness of his fall out shelter. The one his father had built nearly thirty years ago, the old man had always been paranoid. But by God it payed off, just not for him he died grocery shopping for supplies that could last over twenty years. Thinking of which were nearly gone.
Josh tossed the calendar to the floor and walked across the room to the nearly empty store room. He flicked on his flashlight and peered into the only remaining cabinet with food left in it. Three shelves four cans deep, and all that remained were five bottles of water and three cans of food. Two cans of a mystery meat that Josh had never fancied maybe that is why they are all thatâs left and a can of green beans.
He hated to think it but he was lucky his father had died in the last attack. If he hadn't their food would have run out long ago with the two of them sharing it. Even if he had made it back with all the groceries there wouldn't have been enough to last.
Hooking the flashlight to his belt the power still on Josh slid the pack he had been preparing in the last few weeks for leaving the bunker off his shoulder and unzipped it. Pack in one hand he dropped the cans of food and water into the pack.
The bunker wasn't lavish like some of the ones he had seen on t.v. when he was little before the war. His father was by no means rich as a military survival trainer. It had four rooms, a living/kitchen/dinning room, a bathroom, a store room, and a bedroom with a single bed, and extending off the kitchen area was a staircase.
Josh was sad to be leaving his home, he had grown up here, had learned to write and read here. Though he couldn't speak single word, being mute hadn't been a problem for him thus far. But he figured leaving, and risking meeting people in the new world could cause problems. No matter how badly he didn't want to leave he realized he must. His food supply was nearly dashed, along with his water. His best chance would be to explore.
He didn't have to go far he thought. He could mark his shelter somehow and branch out into the open world a little more each day. Always returning to his home, his sanctuary. He climb to the top of the steps, sparing one more glance at his old kitchen/dinning/living room.
As he pulled the pressure sensitive airlock lever he wondered how long he had before he would die if he didn't find water and food, two, three weeks at the most. The lock hissed, fresh air hit his lungs. He pushed hard on the trap door and was met with blinding warm sunlight.
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Sorry about not putting a chapter number on the first.
Chapter 2
Marcus stood on watch looking out the second floor frame of a window that had been shattered long ago. The greasy visor on his gas mask needed to be cleaned again. But that was an every day thing in the wastes of nuclear fall out. He wanted to get back to base he thought, glancing back at his friend huddled over a peculiar machine feverishly working.
"Would you mind picking up the pace Danny?" Marcus asked, turning back to keep watch out the window.
"Just about finished Marc, hang on just another minute." He heard clinking, rattling, and a quiet swear.
"You know the longer we're out here the more likely they are to find us." Marc swept the street below with his eyes. Ash was beginning to fall heavily outside. Cutting his visibility to zero.
"Snow is starting to fall again too, we'd best get back n..." Marc stopped cold, his blood turning to ice. Across the street in a third story window above he glimpsed a quick movement. The sounds of Danny's working stopped.
"What is it Marc? You see something?" He heard Danny shuffle to his feet and dust off his pants.
"Not sure what I saw." He said. Straining his eyes to catch any movement across the street, his eyes were darting from window to window then along the street. His adrenaline started pumping as he spied something moving fast across the roof.
"Danny we need to get out of here now." He turned from the window as the figure leapt from the roof. They heard a crash as something slammed through debris on the floor above.
"What was that Marc?" Danny asked as he was shoved toward the staircase on the other side of the room. Marc followed quickly behind his knife in hand. Mutant I would assume, no human can jump that far, Marc thought as they reached the stairs. They were down the stairs and into the snowy ash street.
Rusted shambles of automobiles hunkered in the snow drifts lining the east side of the street, a sign that this had once been a busy neighborhood.
âWe have to hide Danny weâll never outrun a mutant back to safety.â But where, he thought peering over his shoulder quickly towards the door they had fled through moments ago. If they didnât get off the street before it saw them theyâd have no choice but to fight, and fighting a mutant was something Marcus had not planned on when they left. It wasnât that he was scared to fight it. He had killed plenty of mutants in the twenty years following the attack. But the radiation in their systems, a mutant scratch contains enough radiation to make a person vomit blood. A bite is almost always fatal. And mutants love untainted flesh and they love to hear their victims scream.
Marcus shivered at the thought of being eaten alive by one of those things. His horrific day dream was cut off as he was yanked into a huge drift of snow and ash. Shaking his head he snapped out of his thoughts, to see Danny pulling snow into the hole heâd just made.
âGood thinking Danny.â Mark said with a grin.
Danny nodded back with a finger over his lips. Commanding Marcus to be quiet. Marcus was more than happy to shut up as the sound of scraping feet slid to a halt before the drift they were hiding in. Danny had left a small hole in the side.
Marcus eyed it holding his breath. He could see the rusted door to an old car five feet beyond the drift.
More shuffling outside, then a figure passed by. He could hear the mutant breathing hard. Five minutes passed and the creature remained mere feet from Marcus and Danny. A thin layer of snow and ash the only thing hiding them from the cannibalistic beast searching for them. Marcus realized what it was doing, sniffing. It paced back across the hole and began breathing heavily again.
If it catches our scent it will alert the pack.
Marcus knew he had to act before it signaled to itâs friends that they were here. If that happened he and Danny stood no chance of making it back to base. He had to act now.
Marcus pushed Danny into the side of the drift causing part of the roof to collapse on Danny. The creature outside shuffled. Marcus froze in mid step, his knife dancing in the sunlight the newly made hole let in.
Wait for it, wait for it.
His body was tense with anticipation, waiting for the moment to strike. The creature began to snort.
Now!
Marcus leapt from the drift sending snow and ash flying in all directions. The creature caught not completely off guard shuffled backwards into the rusted car. But Marcus had acted too quickly.
He slashed the air with ash in his eyes. Missing the first swing, he wiped his eyes with his free hand. The creature was huddled against the car. Hands raised toward the sky. It started to snort again but Marcus cut it off. He swung again, Lodging his knife deep in the mutants skull.
âMarcus! Whyâd you do that?â Danny asked, leaping from the remnants of the snow drift. His face was red with anger.
âDo what, save your life?â Marcus wiped his knife on the mutants meager excuse for a shirt.
âBut that..â Danny hesitated, looking for the right word. His bug eyes growing huge behind his cracked lenses. Marcus always found it funny to watch him struggle to think. His mind moved to fast for his mouth.
âThat thing was trying to surrender to you and you acted without mercy.â
Marcus laughed with a big grin. âOh kid youâre funny you know thatâ¦â Danny looked as if he might cry. Marcusâs smile vanished. âWait youâre being serious?â He looked even more hurt Marcus had to ask.
âLook kid.â Marcus said. âThat thing wasnât going to surrender Iâve seen that trick too many times, and Iâve seen too many good people die by it.â
âBut what if it wasnât a trick? What if it was really surrendering. We could have taken him prisoner. We could be headed back now with him in tow and I could run tests on him in my lab, maybe find a way to fix him.â
Marcus was amazed that even during dangerous situations Danny was always considering his work. Maybe thatâs why he had survived on his own before Marcus and his men found him. Danny had been holed up in an abandoned doctors office near base. Scouts had been reporting that a rather significant amount of mutants were surrounding the old office. Marcus, being the commander in the field because of his experience outside of the safe zone had rallied some men to go and investigate because mutant swarming generally meant that someone was still alive. They killed the entire group of mutants and found Danny inside as cool as the snow they had tracked in on their shoes. With a live mutant strapped to a bed, itâs guts hanging out of it. Marcus convinced Danny to leave the thing behind and they escorted him back to safety.
âWell Iâm sorry, the next time I have a cannibalistic mutant hunting me down Iâll get him to surrender and Iâll bring him in just for you, alive and well okay?â
Danny took his glasses off and wiped them clean. A tactic he often used to think things over.
âFair enough, just try not to injure it too much, the more intact the better.â He shoved his glasses back into place and held out a greasy black hand to Marcus.
He accepted the handshake, âNow weâd better head back to the safe zone before more of those things catch our smell, or the smell of their friend here.â
Sorry about not putting a chapter number on the first.
Chapter 2
Marcus stood on watch looking out the second floor frame of a window that had been shattered long ago. The greasy visor on his gas mask needed to be cleaned again. But that was an every day thing in the wastes of nuclear fall out. He wanted to get back to base he thought, glancing back at his friend huddled over a peculiar machine feverishly working.
"Would you mind picking up the pace Danny?" Marcus asked, turning back to keep watch out the window.
"Just about finished Marc, hang on just another minute." He heard clinking, rattling, and a quiet swear.
"You know the longer we're out here the more likely they are to find us." Marc swept the street below with his eyes. Ash was beginning to fall heavily outside. Cutting his visibility to zero.
"Snow is starting to fall again too, we'd best get back n..." Marc stopped cold, his blood turning to ice. Across the street in a third story window above he glimpsed a quick movement. The sounds of Danny's working stopped.
"What is it Marc? You see something?" He heard Danny shuffle to his feet and dust off his pants.
"Not sure what I saw." He said. Straining his eyes to catch any movement across the street, his eyes were darting from window to window then along the street. His adrenaline started pumping as he spied something moving fast across the roof.
"Danny we need to get out of here now." He turned from the window as the figure leapt from the roof. They heard a crash as something slammed through debris on the floor above.
"What was that Marc?" Danny asked as he was shoved toward the staircase on the other side of the room. Marc followed quickly behind his knife in hand. Mutant I would assume, no human can jump that far, Marc thought as they reached the stairs. They were down the stairs and into the snowy ash street.
Rusted shambles of automobiles hunkered in the snow drifts lining the east side of the street, a sign that this had once been a busy neighborhood.
âWe have to hide Danny weâll never outrun a mutant back to safety.â But where, he thought peering over his shoulder quickly towards the door they had fled through moments ago. If they didnât get off the street before it saw them theyâd have no choice but to fight, and fighting a mutant was something Marcus had not planned on when they left. It wasnât that he was scared to fight it. He had killed plenty of mutants in the twenty years following the attack. But the radiation in their systems, a mutant scratch contains enough radiation to make a person vomit blood. A bite is almost always fatal. And mutants love untainted flesh and they love to hear their victims scream.
Marcus shivered at the thought of being eaten alive by one of those things. His horrific day dream was cut off as he was yanked into a huge drift of snow and ash. Shaking his head he snapped out of his thoughts, to see Danny pulling snow into the hole heâd just made.
âGood thinking Danny.â Mark said with a grin.
Danny nodded back with a finger over his lips. Commanding Marcus to be quiet. Marcus was more than happy to shut up as the sound of scraping feet slid to a halt before the drift they were hiding in. Danny had left a small hole in the side.
Marcus eyed it holding his breath. He could see the rusted door to an old car five feet beyond the drift.
More shuffling outside, then a figure passed by. He could hear the mutant breathing hard. Five minutes passed and the creature remained mere feet from Marcus and Danny. A thin layer of snow and ash the only thing hiding them from the cannibalistic beast searching for them. Marcus realized what it was doing, sniffing. It paced back across the hole and began breathing heavily again.
If it catches our scent it will alert the pack.
Marcus knew he had to act before it signaled to itâs friends that they were here. If that happened he and Danny stood no chance of making it back to base. He had to act now.
Marcus pushed Danny into the side of the drift causing part of the roof to collapse on Danny. The creature outside shuffled. Marcus froze in mid step, his knife dancing in the sunlight the newly made hole let in.
Wait for it, wait for it.
His body was tense with anticipation, waiting for the moment to strike. The creature began to snort.
Now!
Marcus leapt from the drift sending snow and ash flying in all directions. The creature caught not completely off guard shuffled backwards into the rusted car. But Marcus had acted too quickly.
He slashed the air with ash in his eyes. Missing the first swing, he wiped his eyes with his free hand. The creature was huddled against the car. Hands raised toward the sky. It started to snort again but Marcus cut it off. He swung again, Lodging his knife deep in the mutants skull.
âMarcus! Whyâd you do that?â Danny asked, leaping from the remnants of the snow drift. His face was red with anger.
âDo what, save your life?â Marcus wiped his knife on the mutants meager excuse for a shirt.
âBut that..â Danny hesitated, looking for the right word. His bug eyes growing huge behind his cracked lenses. Marcus always found it funny to watch him struggle to think. His mind moved to fast for his mouth.
âThat thing was trying to surrender to you and you acted without mercy.â
Marcus laughed with a big grin. âOh kid youâre funny you know thatâ¦â Danny looked as if he might cry. Marcusâs smile vanished. âWait youâre being serious?â He looked even more hurt Marcus had to ask.
âLook kid.â Marcus said. âThat thing wasnât going to surrender Iâve seen that trick too many times, and Iâve seen too many good people die by it.â
âBut what if it wasnât a trick? What if it was really surrendering. We could have taken him prisoner. We could be headed back now with him in tow and I could run tests on him in my lab, maybe find a way to fix him.â
Marcus was amazed that even during dangerous situations Danny was always considering his work. Maybe thatâs why he had survived on his own before Marcus and his men found him. Danny had been holed up in an abandoned doctors office near base. Scouts had been reporting that a rather significant amount of mutants were surrounding the old office. Marcus, being the commander in the field because of his experience outside of the safe zone had rallied some men to go and investigate because mutant swarming generally meant that someone was still alive. They killed the entire group of mutants and found Danny inside as cool as the snow they had tracked in on their shoes. With a live mutant strapped to a bed, itâs guts hanging out of it. Marcus convinced Danny to leave the thing behind and they escorted him back to safety.
âWell Iâm sorry, the next time I have a cannibalistic mutant hunting me down Iâll get him to surrender and Iâll bring him in just for you, alive and well okay?â
Danny took his glasses off and wiped them clean. A tactic he often used to think things over. âFair enough, just try not to injure it too much, the more intact the better.â He shoved his glasses back into place and held out a greasy black hand to Marcus.
He accepted the handshake, âNow weâd better head back to the safe zone before more of those things catch our smell, or the smell of their friend here.â
Sorry about not putting a chapter number on the first.
Chapter 2
Marcus stood on watch looking out the second floor frame of a window that had been shattered long ago. The greasy visor on his gas mask needed to be cleaned again. But that was an every day thing in the wastes of nuclear fall out. He wanted to get back to base he thought, glancing back at his friend huddled over a peculiar machine feverishly working.
"Would you mind picking up the pace Danny?" Marcus asked, turning back to keep watch out the window.
"Just about finished Marc, hang on just another minute." He heard clinking, rattling, and a quiet swear.
"You know the longer we're out here the more likely they are to find us." Marc swept the street below with his eyes. Ash was beginning to fall heavily outside. Cutting his visibility to zero.
"Snow is starting to fall again too, we'd best get back n..." Marc stopped cold, his blood turning to ice. Across the street in a third story window above he glimpsed a quick movement. The sounds of Danny's working stopped.
"What is it Marc? You see something?" He heard Danny shuffle to his feet and dust off his pants.
"Not sure what I saw." He said. Straining his eyes to catch any movement across the street, his eyes were darting from window to window then along the street. His adrenaline started pumping as he spied something moving fast across the roof.
"Danny we need to get out of here now." He turned from the window as the figure leapt from the roof. They heard a crash as something slammed through debris on the floor above.
"What was that Marc?" Danny asked as he was shoved toward the staircase on the other side of the room. Marc followed quickly behind his knife in hand. Mutant I would assume, no human can jump that far, Marc thought as they reached the stairs. They were down the stairs and into the snowy ash street.
Rusted shambles of automobiles hunkered in the snow drifts lining the east side of the street, a sign that this had once been a busy neighborhood.
âWe have to hide Danny weâll never outrun a mutant back to safety.â But where, he thought peering over his shoulder quickly towards the door they had fled through moments ago. If they didnât get off the street before it saw them theyâd have no choice but to fight, and fighting a mutant was something Marcus had not planned on when they left. It wasnât that he was scared to fight it. He had killed plenty of mutants in the twenty years following the attack. But the radiation in their systems, a mutant scratch contains enough radiation to make a person vomit blood. A bite is almost always fatal. And mutants love untainted flesh and they love to hear their victims scream.
Marcus shivered at the thought of being eaten alive by one of those things. His horrific day dream was cut off as he was yanked into a huge drift of snow and ash. Shaking his head he snapped out of his thoughts, to see Danny pulling snow into the hole heâd just made.
âGood thinking Danny.â Mark said with a grin.
Danny nodded back with a finger over his lips. Commanding Marcus to be quiet. Marcus was more than happy to shut up as the sound of scraping feet slid to a halt before the drift they were hiding in. Danny had left a small hole in the side.
Marcus eyed it holding his breath. He could see the rusted door to an old car five feet beyond the drift.
More shuffling outside, then a figure passed by. He could hear the mutant breathing hard. Five minutes passed and the creature remained mere feet from Marcus and Danny. A thin layer of snow and ash the only thing hiding them from the cannibalistic beast searching for them. Marcus realized what it was doing, sniffing. It paced back across the hole and began breathing heavily again.
If it catches our scent it will alert the pack.
Marcus knew he had to act before it signaled to itâs friends that they were here. If that happened he and Danny stood no chance of making it back to base. He had to act now.
Marcus pushed Danny into the side of the drift causing part of the roof to collapse on Danny. The creature outside shuffled. Marcus froze in mid step, his knife dancing in the sunlight the newly made hole let in.
Wait for it, wait for it.
His body was tense with anticipation, waiting for the moment to strike. The creature began to snort.
Now!
Marcus leapt from the drift sending snow and ash flying in all directions. The creature caught not completely off guard shuffled backwards into the rusted car. But Marcus had acted too quickly.
He slashed the air with ash in his eyes. Missing the first swing, he wiped his eyes with his free hand. The creature was huddled against the car. Hands raised toward the sky. It started to snort again but Marcus cut it off. He swung again, Lodging his knife deep in the mutants skull.
âMarcus! Whyâd you do that?â Danny asked, leaping from the remnants of the snow drift. His face was red with anger.
âDo what, save your life?â Marcus wiped his knife on the mutants meager excuse for a shirt.
âBut that..â Danny hesitated, looking for the right word. His bug eyes growing huge behind his cracked lenses. Marcus always found it funny to watch him struggle to think. His mind moved to fast for his mouth.
âThat thing was trying to surrender to you and you acted without mercy.â
Marcus laughed with a big grin. âOh kid youâre funny you know thatâ¦â Danny looked as if he might cry. Marcusâs smile vanished. âWait youâre being serious?â He looked even more hurt Marcus had to ask.
âLook kid.â Marcus said. âThat thing wasnât going to surrender Iâve seen that trick too many times, and Iâve seen too many good people die by it.â
âBut what if it wasnât a trick? What if it was really surrendering. We could have taken him prisoner. We could be headed back now with him in tow and I could run tests on him in my lab, maybe find a way to fix him.â
Marcus was amazed that even during dangerous situations Danny was always considering his work. Maybe thatâs why he had survived on his own before Marcus and his men found him. Danny had been holed up in an abandoned doctors office near base. Scouts had been reporting that a rather significant amount of mutants were surrounding the old office. Marcus, being the commander in the field because of his experience outside of the safe zone had rallied some men to go and investigate because mutant swarming generally meant that someone was still alive. They killed the entire group of mutants and found Danny inside as cool as the snow they had tracked in on their shoes. With a live mutant strapped to a bed, itâs guts hanging out of it. Marcus convinced Danny to leave the thing behind and they escorted him back to safety.
âWell Iâm sorry, the next time I have a cannibalistic mutant hunting me down Iâll get him to surrender and Iâll bring him in just for you, alive and well okay?â
Danny took his glasses off and wiped them clean. A tactic he often used to think things over. âFair enough, just try not to injure it too much, the more intact the better.â He shoved his glasses back into place and held out a greasy black hand to Marcus.
He accepted the handshake, âNow weâd better head back to the safe zone before more of those things catch our smell, or the smell of their friend here.â
Sorry about all the duplicate posts, it kept showing it wasn't posting. I apologize again....
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