[IC] Promises left on the sand(megatrash/freedom)

[freedomliveson]

Poking through the pebbles and grit, he managed to find the object jutting out of the pile, a smile playing across his lips as he lifted it up, brushing off the remaining dust and debris. It was a long, serrated scabbard which still had the 14 inch knife inside. He gripped the grooved handle, withdrawing the blade for a moment, allowing the drizzle to wash off any impurities. It was of a good make and well-maintained, which surprised him. Most weapons like these were safeguarded by their owners with ferocity due to the lack of materials to craft something like this AND the people with the wherewithal to not kill themselves during the process. Of course, he WAS scavenging the site of the latest conflict between The Wildcards, a rogueish band of thugs who had an affinity for blades, and raiders who thought numbers could prevail over skilled warriors. In a sense, they were right; the crimson garbed Wildcards were scattered across the sand, their faces contorted in agony. Yet, there were a number of raider corpses haphazardly littered about as well, various gashes and cuts present on their bodies. The carnage brought the tenacity of the Wildcards to the fore of Justin's mind, but he didn't too much reminding. He and Malika went through three turbulent weeks of a "relationship", those memories serving as a way for him to never forget the motto of the Wildcards:

"Live to conquer. The rest sorts itself out."

Snorting at the thought, Justin sheathed the blade and placed the scabbard on a hook in his belt, securing it with a small bit of rope before standing up to his full height. He wasn't massive, but he was taller than others, his frame lithe and athletic, perfect for his job as scout for Omega.

This latest scouting trip complete, Justin's green irises scanned his surroundings one last time. The collapsed buildings, some crawling with verdant vines, others sprouting full on foliage, flanked his left and right sides, but there was no movement. Content, he started north back towards New Jerusalem, which would be no more than a days journey by foot if there weren't any complications.

But of course, there were always complications.

He snickered, looking up at the grey sky, feeling the light rain on his tanned face. Normally he would be covered from head to toe in his normal scouting attire, but with the day being so cool, he decided to lighten his load. On his body were cargo pants that had been cut off at the knee and a long sleeved navy shirt covered by a light jacket sewn together from shirts Kylie had found on her journeys(bless her heart). He carried a pack with him on his back and the scabbard dangled from his modified pants, said pack shifting every time he moved forward.

He started down the road, passing the shambles of what could have been Chinatown...or the Freedom Tower complex? His geography was sketchy at best. It was hard to remember what these places were called back in the old ti-

About one hundred yards away, tucked up against the entrance to an alleyway was what looked like a woman. He drew closer, eyes narrowing. It was indeed a woman and next to her was a steel lockbox.

Odd.

"Hey...hey, why on earth are you out here?"

[megatrash]

Four days. It had been four days since Cameron began her journey. It had also been four days since she had seen any signs of life, other than a caravan of thugs her people had warned her of long ago. The tales included kidnapping, slavery, and torturing for information, and the flag that rippled in the wind as they plodded along assured her that it was them. When she saw group roughly a quarter mile out through her pair of binoculars, she camouflaged herself in the terrain surrounding her for an hour until she was sure they had moved along. That was when the realization hit her that she should probably have planned this out better. Walking north was not the most elaborate scheme she had devised, but given the short amount of time she had, she did not see a better option.

Four days since a decent meal. Each night she had camped, she was able to snag a rodent or a lizard but had to force herself to consume it between the dry heaves. The standards for cuisine weren't not high by any means where she came from, and she did not consider herself to be picky, but the meat she prepared almost seemed worse than not eating all together. A small water bottle with a filter on the top saved her from certain death, but purification was surprisingly not the issue for her. It was finding the water itself. Her roles in the village never prepared her to be out in the world on her own, navigating her way to New York, or even hunting and gathering. No. Nothing in the village prepared her for this.

A tattered statue of liberty had finally graced the skyline after the seemingly infinite trek, and the sight alone brought a tear to Cameron’s eye. She wasn’t even quite sure what to do with it, but the glimmer of hope that the image instilled in her was enough to keep her momentarily positive. The silver box that had made the journey with her began to feel like a 50 pound weight, and once she found the right hands for it, the burden would be lifted off of her. Or at least, she hoped. How would she know who could she trust out here? They said she would feel it when the one meant to receive the box, which the vagueness of that statement alone was enough to make her paranoid.

When she finally made it to the heart of the city, she was utterly exhausted. The thought of trying to find a band to take her in for the night was overwhelming, and when she found a quiet, empty alley to lay down in, she nearly collapsed to the ground. The large backpack that overpowered her small build when she wore it served as a pillow, and she nestled the box closely as her eyelids became too heavy to keep open any longer. She drifted off into a deep sleep, until the sound of a voice jolted Cameron awake.

She popped up from her sleeping position and immediately grabbed for the knife holstered on to her thigh. “Don’t come any closer!” she yelled with a voice hoarse from the journey. It had been a while since she had to use it. She used her feet to scoot herself across the alley wall, creating more distance between them. The hand that wasn’t holding the knife gripped the box tightly, causing her knuckles to turn white. She blew a piece of black hair that had fallen in her view while keeping her eyes on the man in front of her. “Who are you?” she questioned, her volume a bit lower, while remaining ready to attack. Although it was relieving to see someone, the stories she had heard of people outside of the village led her to believe that it was a dog eat dog world, especially in New York.

[freedomliveson]

"Woah, woah, no need for the aggression!" Justin chuckled, extending his arms out in front of him, hands up.
"See? Not drawing a weapon, not trying to advance towards you to take anything." He stood rooted to his spot on the main road, although a rumble of thunder from the south indicated that he would have to get off the main road soon. With so many buildings, it would be easy to find a place to wait it out, but this ebony haired vixen might be a rabid survivor of yet another raid. She had the frenzied look, the tattered clothing, the nervous stance, but something told him from the lockbox that this wasn't the normal "refugee-on-the-run" he encountered frequently in his travels. Why was she guarding it that closely? Might have had some family heirlooms, but in this age, why guard something that had only sentimental value? Hold onto the past? She didn't look much older than him, so there wasn't much past to grasp. In any case, she looked like she could use a place to call home for a few days. He motioned to the pack on his back as he told her:
"Ok, look, going to get out a packet of raisins...raisins. You know, the dried grapes. For you to eat." He slowly got on one knee and took his pack off, rummaging through it to find a small plastic bag that was tied. Zipping the pack shut, he placed the bag on the ground in front of him.
"Take them and eat. You're going to want the energy to get through the storm that's coming." The drizzle that had been descending picked up slightly in pace, as if on cue. Thunder rumbled once more, this time closer.
"We can get into a building nearby, out of the rain. You can eat, I can start a fire and we can have a friendly conversation instead of you waving a knife at me. That sound ok? Cause I know it sounds ok to me." He drew a bit closer, picking up the bag of raisins and extending it out to her.
"Come on, they're not poisoned." He waved the bag at her, his best smile coming across his face. Yes, it was dangerous to try and help, but more often than not he had learned that helping people in this world amounted to more good than evil. It was the optimist in him.

[megatrash]

Cameron kept her eyes and knife trained on the man as he spoke, only interrupting her intense focus to look up at the rain that began to fall and the rumbles of thunder clouds moving towards them. After observing him thoroughly, she realized that he did not fit the description of the brutes she had hear stories of from the village leaders. Part of her thought maybe that all those tales were exaggerated to keep them all from leaving, and if that was the case, it worked on Cameron. But the man in front of her seemed kind, at least for now, and she slowly lowered the knife and holstered it.

Raisins sounded like a four course meal to the malnourished woman. She eyed the bag hungrily before pushing her pride aside and reaching to grab them, and she immediately began to devour them. After a quite moan in relief from eating something other than road kill, she looked up to him, wiped her face on her sleeve, and let out a quiet “thank you.” Still eying him, she rose slowly to her feet and gathered her belongings, slinging the large backpack over her back with a grunt. “Well,” she began as she cleared her throat, “lead the way.” Her voice had no signs of enthusiasm to it – being holed up with a strange man in an abandoned building was not on her to do list– but she forced a smile, trying not to be rude.

After the small snack she had, she nearly felt like a new woman, although she knew that she would be ravenous again soon enough. Her newly found energy made her feel a bit less hopeless as she followed the man in the rain. The cold water felt amazing on her sunburnt skin as she traveled through the strange terrain of the city, and she began to stick her tongue out to catch the droplets as they hiked. She was truly grateful that someone was taking her in; it would have been a long night in the dark, cold alley with the weather. But she wasn’t ready to trust a random man who gave her raisins. No, she was no idiot. She would have to keep an eye on him, and even more so the silver box that was safely held in her right arm.

[freedomliveson]

"I can do that." He adjusted his pack before adding:
"And you're welcome. No one deserves to starve."

Every couple of minutes or so, Justin looked back, his stride quickening after the fifth time.
"Clouds are getting much darker. Here's hoping this freak storm doesn't last for too long." Thunder rolled through the sky, the sounds echoing off the remains of the desolate downtown streets that would have once held a city teeming with life. It was hard to swallow that New York had once been a thriving metropolis with almost ten million people occupying the island. To think it was only fifty years ago that-

The rain began to pound the pavement, drops assaulting his ash brown hair. Groaning, he quickly identified a building to their right with gaping holes for where windows would have been.
"In here, c'mon!" Cursing to himself for not bringing enough attire, he hurried through one of the former windows to find himself and his new-found guest companion in a medium sized space with rusted steel cabinets and rotting wood drawers. He walked around the perimeter of the space and found there were a couple of doors that led into the alley between this building and another taller one. He mumbled something incoherent as he grabbed a couple of drawers and placed them to the left of the makeshift entranceway they had utilized.
"Keep a lookout, alright? You see anything weird, let me know." He rummaged around the cabinets and floors, coming up with some dead leaves and scraps of faded paper that he placed on the bottom of the drawers. He withdrew a rock with a sharp edge from his pack and after a few hard strikes, sparks flew onto the paper and the comforting warmth of a fire began. Nodding in assurance of his fire-making ability, he planted himself a few feet away from the blaze.
"I've got a good vantage point now. Go ahead and sit." He chuckled slightly before adding:
"It looked like you were trying to rest before I interrupted you. Sorry about that...well, maybe I'm not. It's not a smart idea to rest in the open like that. Tried that once and almost got robbed of everything I had." He sidled up against the nearby wall to his left, blowing out a sigh before looking at her.
"I'm Justin. Justin Plance. Wish we could have met in better circumstances, Miss...?"

[megatrash]

“Cameron,” she replied gruffly as she plopped down on the floor next to the fire and set the pack in front of her. “Cameron Wright. Nice to meet you.” Her hands worked to remove the makeshift bandanna that held her hair somewhat in place, and when she finally removed it, her black hair tumbled down her shoulders and reached to the middle of her back. She used her fingers to shake it free of the mold the fabric had made and winced a bit at the soreness of her scalp from wearing it so long. She rolled it up neatly and stuck it in the backpack in front of her.

Cameron’s eyes snapped up to look at him after getting settled and watched him for a moment. She wasn’t sure what to make of the man, but she could tell that he did not seem like a threat. So far, anyway. She dug around in the bag to find her water bottle that was nearly empty. After taking a swig, she eyed it and slid it across the floor in his direction. “Not much, but if you need some, go ahead.” She stood up to remove the soaking wet, black jacket she had been wearing, and she laid it out along the floor near the flames. She was left with a black tank top, jeans that were worn and ripped, and combat boots that she now worked to untie. Once she brought both feet out, she groaned as she stretched them and rolled her ankles, then she placed them back inside the boots. She had also taken a large, long sleeve tee shirt out and threw it on, maneuvering the wet tank top off underneath it in an act of modesty.

“So,” she blurted, “are your people from here? New York? Or are you alone?” She then hoped with every ounce of her being that his band was close. She could not bear the thought of living a nomadic lifestyle any longer, though she also knew there was a possibility of them not accepting her to stay with them. Many factions were fickle like that, not wanting to accept any outsiders to live with them, which was incredibly stupid – how can groups expect to grow without adding more people to the mix? As she awaited his answer, she began to scan the dilapidated building they took shelter in. It was damp and dark - a perfect hiding place really. But what were they hiding from? Who else was out there? This was all very different than the village. Then there were the file cabinets, the desks. She imagined the employees, the computers, the phones ringing, and paperwork being shuffled around almost as if she was alive during that time. She wished she could have seen it herself, a time where America didn’t have to fight to stay alive. She audibly sighed at her thoughts and turned her attention back to Justin.

[freedomliveson]

Justin nodded his thanks and drank from the bottle, admiring the taste of the water. It was much better than what he was used to and was about to comment on said taste when her hair shook free of the bandanna that had sat on her head. That caught his attention. She was...well, a number of words came to mind, pretty being one of them, but it seemed to not give enough praise to those luscious locks. He looked away after a couple of moments, not wanting to appear as if he was ogling her body, and was about to speak up when she asked him questions about where "his people" were from. Good question. He wasn't wearing the normal scouting gear, which included a light cloak with the insignia of a rising sun on the sleeves. That normally gave it away, seeing as Omega had become quite the force over the past five years or so.
"Thankfully not alone, no." He slid the water bottle back to her before continuing:
"I'm with Omega. We've been in the area formerly known as Uptown for fifteen years, but we're just now starting to actually make a difference around here. I'm lead scout...or at least, I'm the one that does the most scouting, so my bosses gave me a fancy title to make me feel better about all the work I do." He rubbed the back of his neck absent-mindedly.
"I haven't really known any other life than being with a group, which is something that most don't know. I've seen so many people out there who are floating. Omega tries to give people a place to thrive in, you know?" He laughed before adding:
"Not trying to sell you on the place, just saying that the leadership there cares. They can be a bit too conservative sometimes, but hey, better than the Wildcards, right?" A flash of lightning shot through the dark sky, lighting up the ruins of New York in a vain attempt to gussy up the place. Thunder accompanied the lightning, as if the sky was disappointed in it's remodeling efforts. Justin watched as the darkness settled back into the city, vigilant for any oddities on the streets near their location. After he felt satisfied nothing was going to consume their lives in the next few minutes, he asked:
"What about you? I assume someone sent you here on some kind of mission. The way you gripped that box doesn't leave much to the imagination."

[megatrash]

So he was from a band – that was a major relief to Cameron. She nodded at him as he spoke about the group he was with as millions of thoughts ran through her head. There was still much to learn about who he was and what exactly Omega was all about, but at least she would have somewhere to stay. It wasn’t like the opportunity was available to be selective about her living arrangements. If the village wasn’t raided, she would be at home, probably in bed with one of the old books she had taken back when she was allowed to explore alone.

Before the reminiscing could continue, the thunder made the floor vibrate. The sheer volume of the storm made it seem like the building could be demolished before the storm was over. “Damn it,” she whispered after she had jumped. “I’m, um, not usually this skittish. It’s been a long few days.” She scanned the building again, purely out of habit, before answering his question. “I’m from Maryland, near Baltimore. My group was pretty… different. Lots of farmers and spiritual hippies, but we also had our strict, gun-wielding assholes.” She chuckled before she continued. “They wouldn’t let outsiders in. Very selfish in a way.” Speaking about her home made caused a lump in her throat, and she coughed to casually try to get herself together. The box sat on the floor about a foot away from her feet. “Ha. You would think so, huh? Just personal stuff I took before I left. My village – it was attacked in the middle of the night. Completely burned to the ground.” Her voice began wavering as she spoke. “I’m not sure if anyone else survived.”

Her stare pierced the floor in front of her as she held her hands up to the flame. This situation, this place, and this man – it was a lot to take in. She had seen more dead bodies in four days than she had seen in a life time. She had walked over a hundred miles without being kidnapped, raped, or killed. She found someone in a large city who didn’t rob her and beat her half to death. Maybe the elders had been right about the box – that it would guide her to the hands it belonged in. She was never in to the spiritual mumbo-jumbo they spoke about. Hell, most of their ideals completely ridiculous. But maybe, just maybe, this streak of luck was enough to make a little sense of it.

A long yawn interrupted the silence that had filled the room. "I heard about New York before. I thought I could probably find somewhere to take me in." Her eyes remained on the floor until the heat from the fire made them water a bit, and she shifted her glance to Justin. "I have a million more questions, but do you mind if I get some rest? I'm exhausted."

[freedomliveson]

"Of course. Can't get too comfortable, though. Once the storm blows through, we have to get moving. We're about a day away from Omega in one of the more unstable areas of the city. I want to get back home as soon as we can." He stood up, brushing some dirt off the back of his shorts before realizing that Cameron had managed to get past the Wildcard/Raider battle he had scavenged. Was she that covert in her approach or did she just get lucky? It was a boon from whatever gods she worshiped that she managed to get past that exchange AND avoid some of the more unstable groups south of the city was amazing. Or maybe she wasn't telling him what she had encountered. That was fair. They had just met and strangers weren't normally trustworthy and the ones that were usually got killed. And speaking of getting killed...

"I'm going to keep watch. Used to staying up and making sure my traveling buddies don't die in their sleep. Kind of important, wouldn't you say?" A half smile momentarily graced his facial features before walking behind a half fallen row of filing cabinets, some of them still standing in defiance of their run-down state. He crouched, able to see what was going on outside without being too visible. The rain didn't look like it would be letting up anytime soon, which means they might have to spend the night here. Not exactly what he wanted to do, but at least they had shelter.
"Well, a goodnight to you. Like I said, I'll get you up when we're ready to go. And I give you my word I won't go through the box. Feel like I needed to say that."

____

Maybe it wasn't...

Justin's brow furrowed in concentration, attempting to see through the near total darkness that had engulfed the streets. It had been a couple of hours and the storm had indeed passed through, creating a dampness that reeked of rusting metal and rotting wood. Things had been quiet, but something had glinted in the barely illuminated streets that caught his attention. The glint had been getting closer or at least...that's what it looked like. He couldn't gauge distance that well in the darkness, so maybe it wasn't coming closer-

A bang on the door leading to the alley jolted Justin out of his focused state, the scout quickly withdrawing his knife and moved next to the door, which banged again, heavier. At least this way he could hopefully surprise a potential attacker with an attack from the back. A third bang, this time causing the door to fly open, beams of white light darting across the floor as two figures emerged into the building, their silhouettes betraying themselves as slightly built individuals with hardhats on their heads, headlamps illuminating the objects that were thrust in front of them...

Pistols? They had guns?

Oh no.

Justin quickly came from behind and slashed at one below the knees, blood spattering onto the ground as the figure collapsed, the other turning to point his gun at Justin, who rammed his shoulder into the other's gut. The other slammed the butt of his pistol into his back repeatedly.

[megatrash]

“Yes, yes, of course,” Cameron agreed to him discussing the course of action that awaited them. A day away seemed like nothing now, although it would be preferable if Omega was closer. Oh well. She tried to choke down the thought of having a stranger keep watch of her while she slept, but there was no other choice, was there? The mention of the box startled her a bit, and she let out a nervous chuckle. You would think they would make the box a little less noticeable if it was some great secret. She scooted it near her and curled up into nearly a fetal position, watching the flames and quickly falling asleep.

Cameron’s body twitched a sliver as dreams of what she had seen in the last few days replayed in her mind. The sleep itself was deep, possibly due to her new circumstances or just physical exertion, but it was sleep, and boy, did she nee it. A simple dream of the rows of food grown in the village turned it to a nightmare of them burning rapidly and not being able to find an exit. Her heart rate increased, and panic set in. In a last ditch effort, she jumped into one of the walls of greenery – then BANG. It woke her up abruptly, and she began searching around the building.

Hearing a struggle close by, she looked around for Justin. Gone. Oh, Justin was in the struggle. Shit, Justin was in the struggle. At the realization, Cameron jumped up from the floor and pulled her knife out from it's holster, dashing towards the direction of the noise, until her eyes locked on him and she skidded to a halt. The sight of the man striking Justin repeatedly caused a wave of adrenaline to shoot through her. Immediately, she began running towards the assailant and launched herself onto his back, slipping an arm around his throat and squeezing as hard as she could while the other hand held the knife’s tip pointed to his jugular. After a few moments on not getting a good breath, the man dropped to his knees holding his neck and gasping for air.

Cameron looked to Justin; she didn’t know how he usually handled these types of situations. Does he kill them? Does he question them? Her eyes shot down to the man on the floor, and she cocked her head to the side observing him. Why would they barge in to an abandoned building with guns? What were they looking for? Her gaze returned to him. “Is this normal?” she nearly laughed as she caught her breath.

[freedomliveson]

Justin managed to wrangle himself free from his attacker's grasp as the figure went down to the ground hard, sharp gasps for life occurring over a few brief moments before it went down. He raised a brow in surprise at the source of his assistance.
"Well, aren't you the constrictor?" As he turned around to face the first attacker, he heard Cameron ask a question that he could only chuckle at.
"Yep. For this part of town, yep, yep and...yep!" With a swift, downward thrust Justin jabbed the blade into the first figure's leg, a howl of pain bouncing off the sturdy walls. The scout grabbed the hardhat off the figure's head and situated the light to find the wide-eyed stare of a young man, probably not even twenty yet. His hands were shaking visibly, his weapon of choice on the ground a few feet away due to Justin's surprise attack. He was trying to worm his way to the gun, but his legs had received too much damage to do anything other than squirm. Justin took a knee next to his former assailant, shining the light in his eyes, noting the deep red that surrounded his irises.
"Sick."
"Hey...hey...don't...don't just stand there, man! You gotta get me back, gotta get me feelin all better again!" Spittle flew from his lips, his pupils growing wider by the second.
"Only way you're ever going to feel better is if you exit this life now." Justin grabbed the gun nearby, examining it for a moment.
"Before I send you on your way, I need to know where you got these."
"Dunno, duno...duno..."
"HEY!" Justin jammed the barrel of the gun into his leg, another shriek of agony shooting through the room.
"Where?! Where did you get these?!"
"Gave em to me...just...boss just..gave em to me.."
"Where's your boss?"
"Down the...do..." His eyes rolled into the back of his head, prompting Justin to rise and place a bullet in the young man's head, the echo of the shot jarring the other attacker awake. Justin spun and, using the headlamp to aim, fired another shot at the other's head. With a solid thunk, he collapsed to the ground. As quickly as he could, Justin searched the bodies, finding two clips of pistol ammunition and a glass bottle filled with a greenish-blue powder.
"I knew it." He strode to his pack, placing the bottle inside before looking to Cameron.
"These guys belonged to a faction of Raiders we've been hunting for months. They take in loners and the downtrodden, get them hooked on a blend of pain-killing drugs and send them out as scavengers. Those swine are too lazy to do their own dirty work, so they exploit the innocent. These boys? Didn't have a chance. They're better off dead. Trust me." He motioned to the gun still in the hand of the attacker Cameron had choked out.
"Grab it. If you don't know how to use it, just hold it in your hands. It deters trouble pretty quickly." He slipped his pack on.
"We need to move. The gunshots gave away our position, so you stick close. If we can get far enough uptown, there's a safehouse we can hunker down in."

[megatrash]

Cameron watched the exchange between her new companion and the boy who tried to kill him. It sparked a curiosity that may not have been settled soon, but she was okay with that, for now. Each bullet caused a quiet gasp as they were shot and hit their target with accuracy, changing her opinion of the man before her. Not a bad thing. Just unexpected.

The clamor that arose from the gun shots was loud enough to wake the dead. He was right – they needed to leave. Cameron shook her head as if to regain her focus and grabbed the gun from the limp hand on the floor. Most of the training the village offered to women was for defense, and never included a gun, but she liked the feeling of the cold metal in her hand. She ran back and scooped up her things quickly, including the box, and ran back to take a position behind him. He seemed to know his way around this city, thankfully, or she would have been dead in the alleyway right now.

After a deep breath, Cameron gave a nod to let him know she was ready and followed his lead as they slyly escaped out of the abandoned building. On high-alert, her dancing eyes attempted to observe every detail as they made their way through the dark, cold, empty streets with rain pouring down on them with relentless force. Although athletically built, she had not done much cardio in the past year, and it was showing in conjunction with the damage from the long walk. Her breath was short, but she wasn’t one to let herself seem weak, so she plodded along behind Justin, keeping her eyes open for any sign of life.

Why was she blindly following the stranger? Who knew? It was much against what the village was all about, but then again, the village no longer existed. She was running around a massive city, hiding from unknown assailants, and carrying around a silver box like life depended on it. The stupid thing was making it hard to move around, and hopefully soon, the right hands would make themselves apparent.

[freedomliveson]

As they wound their way through the tattered remains, Justin made sure to keep a steady enough pace where he wouldn't lose Cameron in the soaked ruins, stopping a few times in order for her to catch up. The gun he had apprehended from his attackers was firmly clutched in his right hand, leaving his left hand free to brush away vines and debris from their path. He had thankfully taken one of the headlamps from the assailants, using it to navigate past pitfalls and sunken buildings that acted as traps for the unsuspecting traveler. Every so often, Justin thought he could hear the light trailing of footsteps flanking them from either side through the patter of the rain, but focusing on ghosts wouldn't help. They needed to keep moving forward.

After nearly running into a few rusted cars and banging into the occasional stop sign that still stood, the rain let up, allowing Justin to have a somewhat clearer view of what was in front of him. Currently, they stood at an intersection with a skyscraper jutting up to the heavens just opposite of their current position. He shined the headlamp up a bit, sighing in relief to see a banner above the alcove that served as the main entrance, the flag a crimson red with a blue orb in the middle dotted with green.
"Come on." They crossed the street and under the alcove, which held a rather intact revolving door.
"Hold on, have to disarm this." He walked to the doorway and tapped the glass on the front of the door to make it spin a couple of degrees. A slight splatter could be heard on the other side of the entrance, Justin nodding to himself as he motioned for Cameron to follow.

Going through the door, he shined the headlamp on the marbled floor, displaying a black, thick liquid.
"Oil trap. Someone breaks in, oil gets all over em and the person in the safehouse comes out with a molotov to set them on fire. A bit much, but in this part of town, one can't be too careful. Thankfully, no one is using the place, so we won't have to explain ourselves." He led her past the oil spell and through a doorway on the right across from a rotting desk. Inside were a few cots stuffed up against the north wall, shelves tucked up against the western wall with a number of sealed rations marked with dates of creation and other random supplies like duct tape, makeshift glue and matches. Upon walking in, Justin shut the door behind them, sealing it with a wooden beam attached to a metal hinge next to the doorway. Walking to a cot, he dropped his pack before looking to Cameron.
"You holding up ok?"

[megatrash]

Cameron enjoyed watching Justin navigate through the twists and turns of the terrain they were running through, although she was beginning to get winded. The buildings surrounding the pair made her feel small, much too small for her liking, and as if they would collapse on her at any moment, but she couldn’t help appreciate the strange beauty of them. The village she lived in was surrounded by nature - creeks, greenery, the bay - and it was totally different than the cold, intimidating, dark, mysterious, and tall New York City. She did her best not to get too distracted by the architecture as they arrived as what she assumed was their destination. It looked abandoned and not very welcoming, but being picky about what shelter wasn’t necessary an option for the two.

She followed him into the building quietly, mimicking his movements to avoid the puddle in the lobby. Clever. Cameron marveled at their techniques to survive as they made it to a room lined with cots. The sight made her emotional – she had been sleeping on the ground for, in her opinion, too long. Her backpack fell to the ground as soon as she heard the door lock, and she rested her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. “I’m good. Haven’t ran in a while,” she chuckled. She hadn’t done anything in a while other than watching the ceiling of her room for the better part of the past year. The feeling of freedom was the only thing keeping her moving at this point, that and her strong survival instinct.

Cameron foot was used to push her backpack to a cot near his, and then she stretched her arms and back slowly before taking a seat on it. Her plan was to help him with whatever he needed, but sitting on something other than the ground felt so amazing. She rolled her neck a few times and looked over to him getting situated. “So, Lead Scout,” she began with a smirk on her face, her voice still struggling to project any louder than a quiet, hoarse tone, “what’s the plan for the evening?” She wanted to hear more about Omega, since it seemed like the only place that was going to be taking her in any time soon. Justin didn’t give off any vibrations that he would bring her any harm, so she took the holster holding her knife off her thigh and stuffed it in her bag. Her gaze returned to him. “Tell me more about your home. I’d like to know what I’m walking in to,” she smiled faintly. She maneuvered her hands in her hair until it was tied in a sort of knot on her head, keeping it out of her way, and then laid back in the cot with her arms folded behind her head. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she felt the fabric cradling her.

[freedomliveson]

"I can understand that! I tore something up in my heel a couple of years ago and couldn't run for almost six months. I was sucking wind. Hard. It took me a while to get back into enough shape to get through Mid-Town, let alone crossing the border south to Jersey." He then quickly added:
"Not that you were trailing too badly out there. For not running in a while, you sure kept pace with me rather well." Justin mumbled a curse when the battery operated bulbs mounted on the ceiling fizzled for a moment before resuming their jobs. How long had it been since they had replaced these things? As he walked over to investigate the faltering equipment, he heard her address him as "Lead Scout", a chuckle coming out of him in reaction as he turned around, brushing some water off of his forehead before answering the question:
"I personally want to sleep. I think you would want to as well. I don't think you were out for more than an hour before those guys got the jump on us." He grimaced as he felt his shirt cling to his body, lifting it off of his frame before it suctioned right back on.
"Excuse me, but I'm going to have take this thing off." He walked back to his cot, wrestling the shirt off just as she made an interesting request. Justin looked down at his torso, noting the thin scars that traced across his upper abdominal wall before she made a request, one that he was more than happy to gratify.
"That's fair. After all, you're coming from a whole other world down in Baltimore." He sat down on the floor up against the cot he had staked for himself so that his wet cargo shorts didn't make his bedding wet for the night(that sucked).
"Where to start? Uh...well, Omega was started by a bunch of older people who had survived the Wipeout through some miracle. They wanted to give hope to people that didn't have any, so they advocated for a system that took people in, put them to work and gave them a purpose. That's when the Bibles started coming out in full force. The older ones had some religious conviction, but when they stumbled onto some Bibles at an abandoned church...they really took to it, you know? Spread a culture of acceptance for all beliefs so just as long as you believe in SOMETHING and work your tail off, you have a place to call home. It's as nice as you can make a place. Got purifiers, clean dirt to plant food in, houses that are actually kinda nice. Uptown was apparently a wealthy part of New York, so scavenging materials was more of a breeze than a chore." He chuckled.
"One of my friends had a gold plated knife hilt cause he just found it rusting away somewhere. Cleaned it off, looked brand new. Of course, the knucklehead showed it off too much and got it stolen by raiders, but whatever." He rubbed the back of his neck as he commented:
"Anyway, point is this: we're a good settlement with good people. The religion thing kinda spooks loners off, but if you can get past it, it's a great place to be." Justin looked to Cameron, noting the look of exhaust on her face. It didn't detract from the simple prettiness of it.

Pretty?

Well, she was. It wasn't like he was going to hit on her, but yeah, she was attractive.

Pushing his inner dialogue aside, he asked:
"So Baltimore? I hear that it's pretty nice, but never met anybody from down there before. "

[megatrash]

The mention of his wet clothing made her suddenly aware of hers, but she wasn’t about to strip down in the cold. No, she would have to figure something else out. After he had removed his shirt, her eyebrows raised as she examined the man before her. He was fit, which wasn’t uncommon these days; most did not have the luxury of indulging in large amounts of food. Scarred as well, an obvious sign of those who leave their bands quite frequently – whether for business or pleasure. But her eyes shot back down to the ground as he began to answer her question.

“Ah, the Bible thumpers,” she nodded as he explained Omega to her, and as he finished, a smirk took over her face as her gaze landed on him once again. “Well, I work hard. I dunno about all of the religious shit though. I don’t really know what to believe in anymore,” she added, trailing off as her eyes scanned the room. After standing up, she made her way to a metal set of cabinets in the opposite corner and she crouched down to look through them. “Aha!” she nearly whispered as she took out a folded fire blanket. It wouldn’t necessarily be comfortable, but it would be much better than her dripping jeans and t shirt. She laid back down on the cot and covered herself with the blanket while she struggled to remove the jeans and shirt, ultimately flinging them a few feet. She did her best to wrap herself, only the straps from her sports bra wrapped around her shoulders showing. Her shivering subsided, and her attention was given back to Justin as he asked her about Maryland.

“It was beautiful,” she spoke quietly, blinking slowly as fatigue was creeping up on her. “We were by the the Chesapeake. Lots of water. Lots of green. We were small, only a few hundred. People came and went back in the day, but a year ago they put a strict ban on letting people in or out. An incident happened with a woman out in the woods and they got all spooked.” She cleared her sore throat before continuing. “Men were in control, of course. Most didn’t like me because I wasn’t docile. I enjoyed training and fighting, they’d even let me go out on hunts before they put out the ban. Bastards.” Her voice had risen a little with the last word, but she chuckled soon after. “They never let me hold the guns though, so thanks,” she smirked. “We weren’t really religious. The older ones, of course, went on about it constantly, but the newer generation was all about survival. The man’s duty was to teach the next generation of boys how to hunt, kill, build. They basically looked at the women as breeders, the homemakers, the healers. All the boring shit,” she chuckled.

At the end of her last sentence, a large yawn erupted from the woman as she wiggled her body to a comfortable position. The fire blanket was scratchy, but she’d be an idiot for complaining. It was warm. She was warm-ish. “Thank you,” she said calmly, “for helping me. Really, I appreciate it.” She nodded to reassure what she said before closing her eyes. Sleep was beckoning to her, and she had no choice but to succumb to it. An eye popped open quickly to make sure the box was close by before she finally drifted off to sleep.

[freedomliveson]

"Yeah...yeah, of course. Wasn't going to let someone starve out there, you know? It's a rough world. If we're going to make it a better one, might as well start somewhere." He saw her close her eyes, her body visibly beginning to relax.
"That's a good idea. Think I'll follow your example." He rose, undoing the button on his cargo shorts before grimacing. Justin bent down, looking to make sure that her eyes were COMPLETELY closed before he stripped himself completely. It wasn't like he could leave the saferoom and give away their location, but he certainly didn't want to scare her, especially after what she had said about an "incident in the woods with a woman". He connected the dots pretty quickly, seeing as he had heard stories about women being treated in terrible, inhumane ways. In fact, he had found a couple of female corpses a few weeks ago with shackles around their wrists and neck. Mundus had told him they would take care of it, which comforted the scout. People like that deserved to be brought to justice.

As quietly as he could, Justin peeled off his cargo shorts, quietly thanking the divine that his undershorts hadn't gotten soaked in the downpour. He placed both items of wet clothing under the bulbs to hopefully dry before securing another one of the fire blankets from the same shelf Cameron had helped herself to. Laying down on the cot, his eyes briefly caught a glimpse of the metal box Cameron so fiercely guarded. Whatever personal effects were located in there, they must have had a ton of sentimental value for her to lug it from Baltimore all the way up here. Maybe she would let him see what was in someda-

"...tin...wher...you?" He nearly tripped over himself as he got off the cot, grumbling about terrible timing before rummaging through his pack and finding the blue walkie talkie shoved at the bottom. He withdrew it just as the crackling voice said:

"...Jus...hav..to...bac...Ome..."

He held down the upper button on the side and spoke into it:
"Justin calling in from Safehouse D52, repeat request." Silence for a few moments before crackling:
"Have to...ple...can...t...do...it...al..." He couldn't tell who it was, which was maddening.
"Please, repeat!"
"Jus...back...he..." Silence again, this time longer.
"Identify and repeat!" Nothing. Justin took the walkie and placed it next to the cot, hoping that whoever had chimed in would repeat specific instructions. There was no way he was going to risk going out there again without a clear set of directives.
"I'll pray for you." He mumbled as he closed his eyes and-

"Justin! JUSTIN! Report in!" The thunderous voice came over the walkie, Justin roused from his sleep rather quickly as he extended his arm, grabbing the device after the third try.
"Justin here, what's going on? I got a..."
"Get yourself back here now! Mundus just declared a state of emergency." Well that's not good.
"Wait, for what reason?"
"Explain later, just get back here!"
"But..." The line went dead.

Fantastic.

[megatrash]

Often, in the mornings when she woke, Cameron would take a few moments to stretch and breathe before enjoying a cup of tea that one of the farmers would sneak through her window. When a member of the village was on house arrest, they were usually deprived of things that were deemed “luxury items.” Any drink other than water, desserts, fun of any sort – all things that Cameron was eventually decided unworthy of by the elders of the village. Especially since they considered her a threat to the safety of their people. What a load of shit. If anything, she wanted to protect them. To save them from the selfish pricks calling the shots. But, she figured, none of that really mattered anymore and that she would not have another peaceful morning for a while.

The booming voice from the walkie talkie made her nearly fall out of her cot as she awoke abruptly, gripping the blanket as she frantically scanned the room to make sense of the noise. She cocked her head to the side in a concerned manner as Justin finished up his conversation. A state of emergency? What the hell could that mean? One she spotted her jeans on the floor, she reached down and worked to get them on, which was a struggle since they were still slightly damp. Cameron figured now wasn’t the time for politeness, so she resorted to standing up to jump and wiggle them in position. She walked the floor barefoot until she found the long sleeve t shirt and slipped it back on. Also slightly damp, but it was better than being half naked in front of her host, especially if some thugs try to rob them again.

Once she plopped back down to lace up the combat boots sitting next to the cot, she looked up to Justin. “So,” she started, taking a gulp to coat her throat, “I guess I’m getting that grand Omega tour sooner than I thought.” It was all a joke to Cameron at this point. Like she was getting punished for a crime she didn’t commit. What was new? Even if they were to wait until morning to leave, Cameron realized it was probably best to sleep ready for some sort of action, especially here in the city. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment in some sort of attempt to stop the pity party happening in her head and continued to ready herself.

She worked at her pack, grunting and cursing, trying to shove everything down to the bottom so she could put the stupid box inside. The zipper barely closed, but it fit. Thank God. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she stared at the misshapen backpack at her feet. The only thing about the box that made her happy now was imagining that she was throwing it off of a bridge. Maybe a cliff. The hostler for her knife returned to her thigh, and she tugged at it to test that it was secure.

[freedomliveson]

"Hope you're going to be ok with getting an abbreviated one. A state of emergency hasn't been called since before I was born." Justin sat up, then quickly realized that he was undressed.
"Sorry about this, but I gotta change." He sprang out of the cot and as quickly as he could strode over to his cargo shorts, which were somewhat dry. His shirt, on the other hand, was still a damp rag and was beginning to reek. Buttoning his shorts, Justin made his way over to the cabinet with the fire blankets, hoping that he could find...
"Yes!" One last solid white t-shirt was stuffed in the upper right corner of the cabinet where the fire blankets had been, Justin greedily grabbing it and placing it on him, breathing out a sigh.
"Sometimes it's just the feel of something clean on your skin to get you feeling like the world isn't going to fall apart." He walked to his pack, getting things in order as he told Cameron:
"Grab a couple of the rations. The stuff in it should last us until we get to Omega...unless we get side-tracked." Placing the pack in its normal spot, he rose.
"Let's move."

The trek towards Uptown was faster than plodding through the ruins of Downtown, seeing as Midtown had been largely unscathed by the chaos for reasons unbeknownst to those who were born into the world. Times Square, the Empire State Building, Broadway, all of it stood as a memorial to the past. Justin pointed out the occasional landmark as they darted down the maze of streets that he had committed to memory. They had just passed 101st street, the sun having almost reached its fullest peak before Justin stopped.
"Something's not right..." They stood in the middle of a city block, the remnants of old townhomes flanking them to their left and right.
"Normally we would've been hailed on the walkie by now..." He walked forward a bit before a scream of agony filled the air. His eyes widened as another scream came from just up ahead. Rounding the corner in front of them were two girls, one of them recognized by Justin.
"Bianca?!" The girls sprinted faster until reaching the duo, one of them standing across from Justin, her hands on her knees.
"Bianca, what..."
"They're...all..."
"All what?" She rose, her eyes filled with fear.
"All getting killed, that's what!" The other said, Justin now realizing that this was one of the newer girls...Josephine? Something like that.
"Slow down, tell us what happened."
"There was...an alert over the intercom and then people just started shooting and we got out and now they're..." Justin heard a fierce roar echoing from a couple blocks away.
"That's them!"

[megatrash]

Cameron’s thoughts put her into a trance-like state as they hiked the path he lead. The only thing that would shake her out of it was Justin pointing out different buildings, objects or places and giving a brief history, which she thoroughly enjoyed. All the stories she had heard of New York were of terrible. Things meant to scare them from ever trying to visit. But, the things he showed her were fascinating and historical. She created scenarios in her mind of the types of people lived there, where they were going when they walked down the same street, what they were going to have for dinner. When all of a sudden…

Thud. Cameron ran into Justin’s back forcefully as he came to a halt. “Shit, sorry,” she mumbled as she backed away from the man and looked at their surroundings. What, was he psychic? Something didn’t feel right? None of this felt right. When she was about to ask for some clarification, she heard the screams and tried to pin point the location it came from when she saw the two girls running towards them hastily. Panic. The girls were in complete and total panic.

Cameron’s brain was attempting to wrap around the words they were spewing out when they heard the group coming closer. Her muscles began to tense, and her heart began to race as she heard the noises – she had already gone through this once this week. And now, on her journey to relay the stupid box and to somehow save humanity with its contents, she was in the middle of yet another attack. Great.

Wait a minute. This couldn’t be just a coincidence, could it? Could the attackers be looking for something?
The box. What if they were looking for the box? But, how would they know she had it? They couldn’t have known, could they? Cameron was almost certain that no one witnessed her escape the village after John handed it over to her. But, she could be wrong. Damn it, she could definitely wrong.

Paranoia began to set it, and her widened eyes snapped to Justin as she reached for the gun she had tucked in the back of her jeans, not sure what the hell she was going to do with it besides attempt to scare away an assailant, and moved a bit closer to the group as she observed the buildings surrounding them. She probably shouldn’t have lied to Justin about what she was holding in her backpack, but it wasn’t like she really knew what was in her backpack. Plus, how was she supposed to know he was “the one”, anyway? She didn’t see some mystical aura around him, she didn’t feel anything from looking at him. If John told her to just give it to a friendly guy who has a nice body and can use a gun, then she’d be set. Scot-free. How the hell was she going to figure this out?

In an attempt not to look completely frightened, Cameron pulled one of the frantic girls in her arm and whispered, “We’re gonna be okay, don’t worry, don’t worry.” She blew a stray hair from her face and kept eye contact with Justin, hoping that he would have some sort of plan to get them far away from the group that seemed to be approaching them quickly.