geekpocket
First time out of the vault
Here's a story for the pbp game i'm starting. It's not relevant to the storyline, just some setting. I wrote this first part tonight. I'll write the second part tomorrow.
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one more thing
A young woman stood in the doorway of the crumbling house, her apron spotted with oil stains and her hands smeared with grease. Her dark brown hair had been pulled back, but the hair had rebelled and strands were escaping that fell over her face. Pushing them back, her face now completely exposed, it showed its true beauty in the hard lines of her skin. Time and experience had taken their toll but her eyes still shone with a soft light.
"Honey, don't forget to pick up some power cells for the generator!" she called out.
A man who was bent over a wheelbarrel stood up and a smile crept over his face. "Sure thing. See you tomorrow." He straightened the rucksack on his back and took hold of the wheelbarrels handles. Walking away from the house, he turned his head and waved. The woman waved back and went inside, closing the door behind her.
Power cells. One more thing.
The walk from the house to the road was a short one, only half a mile. On either side of the dirt path were fields of corn, standing still at attention, for there was no breeze. There was never a breeze here, save for the winds that carried the great duststorms down from the mountains.
The man pushed the wheelbarrow onto the cracked pavement and turned left, heading south. The road was in bad condition. Potholes the size of brahmin were scattered across its surface and wherever there wasn't a hole it was cracked beyond repair. Tufts of grass and weeds struggled to find purchase among them. The man smiled grimly at the grass, for they were a reminder of how hard it was to grow anything in this wasted land. Crops had a way of dying before they had a chance to grow. So did families. So did dreams.
The Sun had climbed above the mountains and had begun to punish the road below with its heat. Though his load in the wheelbarrel was light, sweat soon appeared on the farmers head and dripped down his face. The sweat mixed with the everpresent dirt and gave his face a mask of grime that resisted the most ardent attempts at cleaning.
He stopped walking to reach into his backpocket and pull out a worn cloth. Wiping the sweat out of his eyes, he squinted as he looked at the rising sun.
Bout to start getting warm. Don't have time to stand around.
Wiping the rest of his face, he placed the cloth back in his pocket. Grasping the wheelbarrow with both hands he started off again.
"Ahhh! Get away from me!"
A childs scream pierced the silence of the morning. Whipping around he saw a young girl running towards him, fear etched on her unblemished face. Behind the girl was the cause of her terror. A man dressed in sun-bleached leathers was holding his shin and grimacing. "Stupid little bitch! You're dead!"
The girl ran fast, and was two lengths of the dirt path away from him and closing quickly. The man in the leather stopped holding his wounded leg and raced after her.
"Cassie!"
The farmer recovered from his shock and ran towards the girl, shrugging the pack off his shoulder. The girl ran towards the farmer, but the man in leather was faster and gaining on her quick. The young girl looked behind to see her attacker a few strides back. Her head snapped forward and she looked into the eyes of the farmer, who seemed far away.
"Watch out!"
The farmers warning came too late and the girl fell into a large pothole, landing headfirst with a muffled cry that was cut short.
The man in the leather grinned as he reached the hole and stopped to look in. Hearing the heavy footfalls of the farmer approaching, he pulled a jagged hunting knife from under his armor. Stepping away from the pothole he casually flipped his knife and caught it, then leveled his head to stare at the man running towards him.
Surprise filled his eyes as the farmer dove across the pothole with his arms outstretched, reaching for him. The farmer caught hold of the mans neck with both hands and used it like a pole to swing his body away from meeting the fast approaching pavement. His momemtum transfered to the man in leather, the farmer landed in a crouch behind him with his hands still holding his neck. The childs attacker lost his balance and was swung around like a rag doll. He flipped backwards and sailed through the air, landing hard on his back.
Before the attacker could recover the farmer ran behind him and grabbed his head with both hands like a vice. Twisting violently, the farmer snapped his neck.
The farmer sat behind the dead man, cradling his limp head in his arms. Turning his gaze to the man in his arms, the farmer noticed the tatoo on his forehead.
Slavers.
A groan from the pothole snapped the farmers head up and he leaped up from the dead man and climbed down into the hole. The girl struggled to climb out, the blood flowing from her head matting her hair into a slick mess of tangles. The farmer rushed to her side and gently took her in his arms.
"Cassie. Oh no...Cassie."
The girl tried to smile but her face seized up with pain.
"Don't try and move girl. Just relax, you'll be fine."
The farmer knew that was a lie and the look in the girls eyes said she knew it as well. She opened her mouth to speak through the pain.
"Mom wanted me to...to tell you to get some....rope."
The girls last word faded as the light went out of her eyes.
Rope. One more thing.
The farmer closed her empty eyes and hung his head, silent tears running down his cheeks. They left streak marks that revealed his tanned skin which made the rest of his face appear even dirtier by comparison. The Sun continued to beat down on the road, the heat showing it's cruel indifference to the trials of man.
The sound of an explosion broke into his thoughts. He looked up and saw tendrils of smoke rising above the corn fields.
Fire?
A scream ripped through the air, then stopped suddenly. The farmer woke up from his daze and carried the body of the girl out of the hole. He bent down, layed her on the pavement and kissed her forehead. Rising up, he started running back towards the dirt path. The smoke was getting thicker, darker and as he turned onto the path he saw what where it was coming from. The smoke billowed out of the the cracked roof of the house.
The farmer sprinted towards the house and burst through the door. He flinched back, the heat from the fire turning the house into an inferno. The fire had spread and was now on its way to burn the entire building. Through the smoke and flame he saw two figures lying next to the remains of the smoking generator. One was large and wore heavy leather armor. The other was slight by comparison, and the only recognizable piece of clothing on the burned body was a stain covered apron.
Julie.
He walked forward, covering his mouth with his sweat soaked shirt. The fire licked at his legs and smoke filled his lungs. Something on the large mans armor popped and filled the room with a blinding light. Crying out with pain the farmer tried to cover his eyes but was too late. The world was wiped clean, all he saw was white. Smoke poured into his mouth as he dropped his shirt to cover his eyes and he began to cough. Blinded, choking, and nearly burned, the farmer staggered out of the room, running into the doorframe. He stumbled outside and crawled a few paces before collapsing.
The farmer lay on the ground, gasping for breath. The fire consumed the house. He heard the walls crumble and the roof collapse. He crawled forward, tying to put distance between him and the house. Away from the fire, his legs cooled and he tried to sit up. He froze when he heard the crunch of boots walking down the dirt path.
"Well...lookee what we got here my friend."
The voice came from ahead of the farmer. He shook his head from side to side, trying to clear his vision.
"Hey...I don't think he can see us. That's just makes this easier then."
The farmer started to stand up, but a blow to the back of his head forced him to his knees. Swirls of color filled his vision and he felt his head go light. Another blow, this one a kick in his midsection. Doubling over, he clenched his stomach and vomited. Laughter filled his ears as he struggled to control himself. Then something heavy hit him in the head and everything faded to black.
---------------------------------------------------
one more thing
A young woman stood in the doorway of the crumbling house, her apron spotted with oil stains and her hands smeared with grease. Her dark brown hair had been pulled back, but the hair had rebelled and strands were escaping that fell over her face. Pushing them back, her face now completely exposed, it showed its true beauty in the hard lines of her skin. Time and experience had taken their toll but her eyes still shone with a soft light.
"Honey, don't forget to pick up some power cells for the generator!" she called out.
A man who was bent over a wheelbarrel stood up and a smile crept over his face. "Sure thing. See you tomorrow." He straightened the rucksack on his back and took hold of the wheelbarrels handles. Walking away from the house, he turned his head and waved. The woman waved back and went inside, closing the door behind her.
Power cells. One more thing.
The walk from the house to the road was a short one, only half a mile. On either side of the dirt path were fields of corn, standing still at attention, for there was no breeze. There was never a breeze here, save for the winds that carried the great duststorms down from the mountains.
The man pushed the wheelbarrow onto the cracked pavement and turned left, heading south. The road was in bad condition. Potholes the size of brahmin were scattered across its surface and wherever there wasn't a hole it was cracked beyond repair. Tufts of grass and weeds struggled to find purchase among them. The man smiled grimly at the grass, for they were a reminder of how hard it was to grow anything in this wasted land. Crops had a way of dying before they had a chance to grow. So did families. So did dreams.
The Sun had climbed above the mountains and had begun to punish the road below with its heat. Though his load in the wheelbarrel was light, sweat soon appeared on the farmers head and dripped down his face. The sweat mixed with the everpresent dirt and gave his face a mask of grime that resisted the most ardent attempts at cleaning.
He stopped walking to reach into his backpocket and pull out a worn cloth. Wiping the sweat out of his eyes, he squinted as he looked at the rising sun.
Bout to start getting warm. Don't have time to stand around.
Wiping the rest of his face, he placed the cloth back in his pocket. Grasping the wheelbarrow with both hands he started off again.
"Ahhh! Get away from me!"
A childs scream pierced the silence of the morning. Whipping around he saw a young girl running towards him, fear etched on her unblemished face. Behind the girl was the cause of her terror. A man dressed in sun-bleached leathers was holding his shin and grimacing. "Stupid little bitch! You're dead!"
The girl ran fast, and was two lengths of the dirt path away from him and closing quickly. The man in the leather stopped holding his wounded leg and raced after her.
"Cassie!"
The farmer recovered from his shock and ran towards the girl, shrugging the pack off his shoulder. The girl ran towards the farmer, but the man in leather was faster and gaining on her quick. The young girl looked behind to see her attacker a few strides back. Her head snapped forward and she looked into the eyes of the farmer, who seemed far away.
"Watch out!"
The farmers warning came too late and the girl fell into a large pothole, landing headfirst with a muffled cry that was cut short.
The man in the leather grinned as he reached the hole and stopped to look in. Hearing the heavy footfalls of the farmer approaching, he pulled a jagged hunting knife from under his armor. Stepping away from the pothole he casually flipped his knife and caught it, then leveled his head to stare at the man running towards him.
Surprise filled his eyes as the farmer dove across the pothole with his arms outstretched, reaching for him. The farmer caught hold of the mans neck with both hands and used it like a pole to swing his body away from meeting the fast approaching pavement. His momemtum transfered to the man in leather, the farmer landed in a crouch behind him with his hands still holding his neck. The childs attacker lost his balance and was swung around like a rag doll. He flipped backwards and sailed through the air, landing hard on his back.
Before the attacker could recover the farmer ran behind him and grabbed his head with both hands like a vice. Twisting violently, the farmer snapped his neck.
The farmer sat behind the dead man, cradling his limp head in his arms. Turning his gaze to the man in his arms, the farmer noticed the tatoo on his forehead.
Slavers.
A groan from the pothole snapped the farmers head up and he leaped up from the dead man and climbed down into the hole. The girl struggled to climb out, the blood flowing from her head matting her hair into a slick mess of tangles. The farmer rushed to her side and gently took her in his arms.
"Cassie. Oh no...Cassie."
The girl tried to smile but her face seized up with pain.
"Don't try and move girl. Just relax, you'll be fine."
The farmer knew that was a lie and the look in the girls eyes said she knew it as well. She opened her mouth to speak through the pain.
"Mom wanted me to...to tell you to get some....rope."
The girls last word faded as the light went out of her eyes.
Rope. One more thing.
The farmer closed her empty eyes and hung his head, silent tears running down his cheeks. They left streak marks that revealed his tanned skin which made the rest of his face appear even dirtier by comparison. The Sun continued to beat down on the road, the heat showing it's cruel indifference to the trials of man.
The sound of an explosion broke into his thoughts. He looked up and saw tendrils of smoke rising above the corn fields.
Fire?
A scream ripped through the air, then stopped suddenly. The farmer woke up from his daze and carried the body of the girl out of the hole. He bent down, layed her on the pavement and kissed her forehead. Rising up, he started running back towards the dirt path. The smoke was getting thicker, darker and as he turned onto the path he saw what where it was coming from. The smoke billowed out of the the cracked roof of the house.
The farmer sprinted towards the house and burst through the door. He flinched back, the heat from the fire turning the house into an inferno. The fire had spread and was now on its way to burn the entire building. Through the smoke and flame he saw two figures lying next to the remains of the smoking generator. One was large and wore heavy leather armor. The other was slight by comparison, and the only recognizable piece of clothing on the burned body was a stain covered apron.
Julie.
He walked forward, covering his mouth with his sweat soaked shirt. The fire licked at his legs and smoke filled his lungs. Something on the large mans armor popped and filled the room with a blinding light. Crying out with pain the farmer tried to cover his eyes but was too late. The world was wiped clean, all he saw was white. Smoke poured into his mouth as he dropped his shirt to cover his eyes and he began to cough. Blinded, choking, and nearly burned, the farmer staggered out of the room, running into the doorframe. He stumbled outside and crawled a few paces before collapsing.
The farmer lay on the ground, gasping for breath. The fire consumed the house. He heard the walls crumble and the roof collapse. He crawled forward, tying to put distance between him and the house. Away from the fire, his legs cooled and he tried to sit up. He froze when he heard the crunch of boots walking down the dirt path.
"Well...lookee what we got here my friend."
The voice came from ahead of the farmer. He shook his head from side to side, trying to clear his vision.
"Hey...I don't think he can see us. That's just makes this easier then."
The farmer started to stand up, but a blow to the back of his head forced him to his knees. Swirls of color filled his vision and he felt his head go light. Another blow, this one a kick in his midsection. Doubling over, he clenched his stomach and vomited. Laughter filled his ears as he struggled to control himself. Then something heavy hit him in the head and everything faded to black.
