Night in the city that never sleeps was a lot quieter these years. With the world gone to shit around them, it was a trial just to survive to the next day. Some had even more to worry about, though. Joy was an escapee from that god awful facility where they did who knows what to girls like her. She was lucky, but only for the first two weeks. After that, she was barely making by with what she had. Nights spent creeping outside to look for food and supplies were painstakingly long to avoid nighttime patrols. At least they were sparse and she was less likely to be found out than in the day time. Still, she had grown into a nocturnal sleeping habit and often missed a lot during the day. She had to be vigilant and on the move, knowing full well that no place was entirely safe, just not searched yet.

The last night had been a wreck. She had to off one of the patrols to get ammunition. That would bring more trouble than it was worth, but she couldn't walk around without bullets in her guns. Nor without food in her stomach, and she just barely managed to get a hold on some protein bars. They were a godsend. She'd had to resort to hunting and cooking rats, hoping that she didn't get any sort of diseases from them, but it was either that or die of starvation. Or worse. She hadn't bathed since she left the facility, and a year's worth of grime and dirt clung to her skin along with the smell. She hated how she smelled, but she could barely do anything beyond using precious water to dab at her face and pick at her teeth. For now, she tried to not let it bother her too much seeing as how there was nothing she could do about it substantially.

As Joy trudged on through the junkyard she called home, she was careful to look and see if she was being followed. No doubt government units would be out for blood for the next week or so. Damn, but she didn't have much of a choice. She took a last glance before opening the back of one of the vans, broken down and missing more than just a few tires, and shut the door. She pulled her pack off and grabbed one of the power bars. Yes, she'd be able to sleep without an empty stomach tonight. A win for her, but getting by day to day was a battle in it's own right. She chowed down, washing it down with some water from her canteen, before packing up and drawing the makeshift curtains she put in behind the front seats to keep the sun out. After that, she took her boots and jacket off, put her pack down as a pillow, and crawled into her sleeping bag.

She ran a hand through her unkempt hair. She had wanted it cut short to try and pass off as a male, but the dog tag she wore around her neck that had her name, serial number, blood type, and birth date on it was pure proof she was a GMG. At least that needed to be read first and the hair was a quick glance. She yawned and pulled the jacket over her eyes to simulate darkness before silently praying that she would be able to sleep safely this day.