Scavengers pt 1
#2 of Scavengers
Yus! A new story which I've had saved up for a while. I might as well post it. Enjoy!
============
He crouched down, tasting the scarred surface of the road. Someone had been here before him, and he wanted to know who. They had been following his route for 3 days. He only had a backpack with his things in it, and an M16. Everyone had guns now. It was 2112, 100 years after nuclear fallout. The way his grandfather told it, the Nazis had been experimenting with creating hybrid humans, stronger and faster than regular humans, but once they finished the first batch something happened. The intelligence of animal and human had combined. The first group were slaughtered and the Nazis tried again. They created 17 batches in total, each time refining the procedure and making sure everything was in order, but they couldn't control the animalistic side of the hybrids. World War 2 ended and the hybrids were set free. They dissipated before the Allies could reach them. Their numbers grew rapidly, and in 1967 they made first contact with humans. They had learned to control themselves, but the humans were scared. They were hunted and locked away, safe from the bombs. They broke free and now they were the legacy of the human race. Humans, extinct by their own actions, were not on Earth anymore. Hybrids were the future, hybrids were the only intelligent species left, and they had to live in the hell that humans had created.
He walked down the broken road, trying to find what he was looking for. His grandfather told him that somewhere, there was a place where the desert and wasteland gave way to green grass, blue skies, and tranquillity. He had been searching for years, but had found nothing. In Tranquillity, all hybrids were allowed to come, and would be given clean water and fresh food. Canned produce was getting harder to find, and he was having to go some days with no food at all. The sun was setting and he needed to find a place to stay for the night. He walked past an abandoned petrol station and looked inside, finding nothing of interest. Something in the corner of his eye moved, but when he turned it was gone. A pot fell down inside and he slowly brought up his M16. Although it was old, it was well maintained, as his grandfather taught him to deal with everything a gun could throw at him, except the bullets. He heard a grunt, and realised he had been spotted by a mutant, most likely a dog. He decided it would be a good time to run, and ran. The dog burst out of the doors, which fell down, and chased him. He turned and fired a couple of shots, not wanting to waste bullets. He tripped and fell, grazing his knee. He rolled over and watched the monstrosity of nature come closer, bearing its teeth. Something attacked the mutated dog and it was pushed 10 feet to his left. Whatever attacked the dog had killed it before it hit the ground, and was now tearing at the dogs stomach. He got up and looked at it, it was reptilian and had 2 horns coming from its head. Three rows of plates ran along its spine and down its tail. He got up and the reptile got something new to bring his attention to, him. It stood up and hissed, blood caked its snout. It wore nothing, but it didn't need to. This was a world where you fought to live to see the next day, and it seemed like it was winning. He put down his gun, not wanting to anger the reptile, and backed away slowly, "Hey. It's your kill. I don't want it. Enjoy. I won't bother you."
The reptile growled and picked up the gun, holding it correctly. Its finger wasn't on the trigger, a relief to its owner. It studied the weapon for a few moments before running and catching him before breathing heavily and speaking, "I like sharing, and don't you want your gun?"
"What? I don't understand."
"People either shoot at me or run from me, I'm a little tired of that. You will eat with me. I know where the best meat is."
The reptile let go of him and gave the wolf his gun back. The reptile turned and walked back to the dead dog, "I'm Michael, by the way."
The wolf looked at his feet and thought. The reptile saved his life, and only asked for some time in return. The wolf had nothing else to do, and he had to mark the map he had. He was charting anything of use, and had to mark the petrol station as not useful. He walked to the reptile and put his hand on Michaels shoulder, "Ok. I'll stay with you for tonight. I need to rest as well."
Michaels eyes lit up, "You will?"
"Yes. I owe you my life."
Michael swung the dog over his shoulder and walked under the shelter where aging petrol pumps stood. He gathered some dead branches and to the surprise of the wolf, spat fire on them. "What's your name wolfie?"
"I..I don't know."
"You don't know your own name?"
"I haven't used it in so long I've forgo - Sal, my name is Sal."
"Nice to meet you Sal."
"You don't see that many hybrid reptiles."
"Most of us died out in the nuclear winter. My ancestors survived by burning everything they found, caught or owned." Michael said while using his claws to tear past the mutated flesh of the dog. He took a piece of the road and put it over the fire, heating up the broken concrete. Sal put his bag on the floor and the gun next to it before taking out a large map. Michael looked on in interest, "What's that?"
"A map."
"Of what?"
"The land you're standing on."
"Where are we then?"
"Here." Sal said while pointing to a little blue petrol pump printed on the map. He took out an ink pen and filled it with blood from the dog, before writing onto the map. Michael watched the wolf write on the map and tried to have a look in Sal's bag. "Don't touch it Michael."
Michael shrunk back and tore through the meat again. He put the good meat on the concrete and let it cook, burning to mutated flesh away. He made a mental note of how long it was on, while watching Sal plot his route. Sal muttered to himself, "About a mile, turn left, then search that road. If not then turn right after the left."
"What are you looking for?"
"A place where all hybrids can join and live in harmony, instead of fighting over the last scraps of food."
Michael got a tear in his eye, "You're looking?"
"Yes." Sal replied.
Michael turned back to the food, not wanting to let Sal see he was crying. Sal blew the ink dry and put the map back into his bag, and tucking the pen into the compartment that Sal had sown in. Everything had a place in Sal's bag.
"Sal?"
"Yes Michael?"
"Food." Michael said as he took the concrete off of the fire and threw it on the floor in front of Sal. Michael took his share and ate with his hands. Sal had a few spoons, knives and forks, but ate with his hands anyway. Michael looked at the petrol station, "Should we go inside? I don't think we'll stay dry for long out here."
Sal finished the last of the meat and looked for a hole in the ground. He spotted one a few metres away and saw that most of the liquid inside had gone. He looked at Michael, who was holding the brush and was walking towards him. "Michael, what are you doing?"
"Putting the fire out. Don't want to attract night raiders."
"Not in the hole."
"Why? There's water in there."
"It ain't water Michael." Sal warned. Michael threw the brush to the ground next to the hole, and Sal watched a cinder fly in. "Run!" He yelled as he rammed into Michael to push the reptile as far away as possible. The concrete gave way to a huge explosion, the cinder igniting the fuel still in the tank. A fireball went 50 feet high and dissipated, leaving only smoke. The fuel was gone, only waste remained. Michael watched the explosion, "Shit. What was that?"
"Fuel, for human vehicles."
"The rusty things that are on the paths?"
"Yes. Those. Now let's go inside." Sal said. He picked up his bag and went inside. Michael took one last look at the larger hole before going inside. Sal put his bag behind the counter and laid down, using his bag as a pillow. Michael curled up on the other side of the counter in the aisle.
"Sal?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks for staying with me."
"It's ok. You saved my life."
"Yes I did, and I'm glad I did too. Goodnight Sal."
"Goodnight Michael." Sal said before closing his eyes and falling asleep. Michael lay awake, unable to sleep. He could never get to sleep. He surveyed his surroundings before hiding his firey orange eyes from the world, and trying to sleep.