Day 25

Spent some time yesterday conversing and making deals with a traveling trader. Saw something moving in the distance, and made my way toward it. Once I got close enough, I could see that it was a large cart being pulled along by a mule with an atrophied extra leg sticking out from it's side. I tried to move so that I'd intersect his path, but it didn't look like that'd happen any time soon, so I started shouting to him, waving my arms when he looked my way.

I calmed down a bit when I realized that it had spooked him, and that he was aiming a gun my way.

Luckily, he still stopped, so I just kept my hands up and away from my weapons while I closed the distance between us. He relaxed when I told him I had only shouted to get his attention so I could trade, and that I thought I was going to miss him otherwise. Any trader likes a customer, and they like an eager one even more. Quite frankly, I think I may have spent to much time in Fest Town, and that I was beginning to miss hearing another human voice.

The cart was just piled with stuff, a mix of complete junk and useful tidbits. Got some more rounds of ammo for each of my guns, almost a full box for the shotgun. New whetstone for sharpening Disc. Couple lighters, each about halfway full. Traded away some food I had, some bits of scrap metal I had been holding onto to try to turn into armor plating. I know some folks that won't trade away food for anything, they treat it like its the last they'll ever see. I know better. Two good-sized hunks of smoked shrew meat would feed me for a day or two, but the five rifle bullets I got in exchange will let me replace that and then some.

The best thing, though, was that he had several cans of preserved fruit. Oh, the sweetness. So sweet it almost shriveled my tongue, the syrupy goodness coating the inside of my mouth. I tried to keep calm, but he got some idea of how much I wanted them. I talked him out of three cans in exchange for a book I'd been saving, one I'd found with all the pages intact. It almost hurt letting go of that, but...oh, that sweetness...

Day 23

Man, I just relistened to what I recorded yesterday. Heh, heat must've gotten into me or something. I don't want to delete it, it must've come from somewhere inside me, but it sounds kind of sappy hearing those words in my voice. Jacob Gofer, traveling warrior and all-around softy.

Still trudging northward. Nothing much notable's happened, really. Camped out in a hollow in the side of a hill. Not a cave, just under a little overhang. Set off again in the morning. Spent some time last night, before I bedded down, listening to some of the recording's I've made so far. Hard to believe so much has happened, really. A little sad, really. I talked about the closest thing I had to a family growing up, and what shits they were. Then I find a town of people that welcome me in, and they're burned out in, what, a week. That's the world we live in, now. I hope its gotten better.

I also realized I left someone out. I talked about the Mutates, and the Dyers. Gave a bit of background on raiders, from my own childhood experience. Even gave a little story of how scary cats are. Today, boys and girls, we're going to learn about the Rad Witches.

Don't really know where the name comes from. Personally, I haven't ever met one, so most of this is going to be secondhand, stuff I've picked up in my travels. Now, I've heard quite a few tales. Some of them mention the same things, sometimes its something just one guy said. We'll start with the things that people seem to agree on. First, they're pretty rare. Which, I suppose, is why I've talked with a Dyer doctor and played chess with a Mutate herbalist, but never met a Rad Witch. They're all hairless, too. Now, not everybody missing hair is a Rad Witch, but every Rad Witch is completely bald, even to the eyebrows and everything. I assume even the genitals, but no one's ever told me a story about bedding one. Most people are pretty scared of them once they know they're a Witch, because they all have some sort of powers. The most common ones seem to be: the ability to move stuff with their minds, the ability to communicate with animals, paralyzing someone with a look, finding water or metal nearby, or starting small fires with a touch. Most of the stories I've heard about them, they only get one. Which is probably lucky for the rest of us. Scary enough imagining someone stopping me in my tracks with a look, without adding them walking up to me and setting me on fire. Thank you, no.

Now for the less likely stories. These are the ones I've only heard from one or two people, usually together or at least in the same town. I tend to take 'em with a grain of salt until I've seen it myself or heard someone else say it, but I may as well record them. I have heard one story of a Rad Witch that could fly. Some town was getting aggressive toward him, he just spread his arms and lifted off the ground. Another guy told me he saw a Rad Witch that could heal people with a touch. No illnesses, but fixed a boy's broken leg, and made someone else's wound stitch itself up. That one, I actually hope is true, its a nice one. I've also heard another one, from two drunk guys that joined the raiders that raised me, about a Rad Witch that flung out blasts of green fire from his hands. One rumor I heard is that there's a community of them gathered together, somewhere on the edges of Terminus, to the north of here. Yet another guy said that he's seen groups of them up and migrating somewhere to the west.

There's a lot of stories out there. The main point to take from this today is that these guys can be a surprise waiting to happen. If you piss them off, there's no telling what they can hit you with.  

Day 22

I made my goodbyes this morning and headed out again. I've spent the past few days helping out by hunting up any food I could, while most of the townsfolk tended to their injuries and fortified their new home. They're still debating whether to stay in the underground tunnels or to come up and try to rebuild nearby. Personally, I'm thinking they should just fortify where they are. The old Fest Town was a bit of luck, cobbled together from the remains of buildings that were already there, fortified with scrap metals. Finding enough scrap to build a whole town again'll be difficult. They have secure walls and a ceiling already, plus its harder to set fire to and more defensible if their attackers come back. They can easily farm outside and nearby, it's not like they'll be closed up in there. We even found a generator, Armstrong said he's going to try to get it working, even if fuel is kind of at a premium.

I'm making my way northward. Tracks from the guys that attacked the town look like they came from that way. Last I heard, there should be the remains of an old highway around here somewhere, I'm hoping I can find it and parallel it. I don't want to walk directly on it, it'd leave me too exposed, but walking just close enough to keep an eye on it should let me see anyone else trying to travel the easier route.

The attack on the town is still fresh in my mind. It makes me wonder what happened to humanity. I mean, were people always like this? We've got bands of raiders roaming around, taking anything they want and killing or enslaving anyone who tries to stop them. People trying to eke out whatever crops they can get from this wasted soil. Groups like this New Church promising peace and love while they kill those who don't join right up. I haven't seen anything like it in the books I've managed to find, but I have to wonder if I just didn't find the right books, or if I missed something or glossed over it. I mean, maybe it was worse before, and that's why the world ended? I've met one Dyer who claimed he was alive when the Cataclysm happened. He talked about bombs blowing, and everything turning to shit after. But, I mean, the guy was a research guy, a scientist, totally dedicated to his lab. Still is, really. Maybe there was something else, he just didn't see it all. Were the bombs from an error, or an attack, or just a side effect of something else going on? Or was everything better before, the Cataclysm just let people be more of who they are on the inside?

I know I don't have any answers. I'm not a philosopher, or a head doctor, or anything like that. And something tells me I'll have to find a lot more books and maybe some audio recordings too, before I know what led to the Cataclysm. And honestly, I'll probably never figure it out. But it does make me a little...I dunno, not sad just...fatalistic, I guess, about humanity's future.

I've never really worried about good versus evil, or morality, or anything like that. Just never been that introspective. All I think I can really do is what I've been doing, for the same reasons I've doing them. Part of it is enjoying helping others, yeah. But its just a small part. The bigger part is...when you help someone out, you save them, you drive off the bad things...they open their arms to you, and their hearts. They make you feel welcome, and one of them. That's the part I like.

Day 18c

Like I said, it's been a busy few days. Right now, most of the survivors are living in the labyrinthine depths that I had recently swept the Fallen out of. Andrew's rejoined us, the Mutate herbalist. He saw the smoke on the horizon, and came back to investigate. His herbs have helped a lot, and Cailin's been following him around like a puppy ever since he helped her mother. She's even been trying to talk her mother into them going with him when he leaves, so that she can learn from him. It's a hard sell to her mother, and even more so to Andrew himself. Cailin herself just seems to view it as a done deal, and I've got to give her points for tenaciousness. Others of the survivors have left, saying they'll find some other town or something but that they couldn't stay here. They were given a fair share of the leftover supplies, and all the best wishes anyone could muster. They'll carry word of what happened here.

Once we made our way here, we first made another sweep of the place, making sure nothing else dangerous was here hiding. That done, we secured the place the best we could, and then those of us who were able to made our way back to town to scavenge what we could. There's not much, but it'll give everybody food enough to last a few days, and there were still some blankets down in the shelter. I'm going to stick around for a while, and I'm going to hunt and explore and make sure everyone's as all right as they can be. And then I'm going to find the bastards behind this, and make them pay.

See, we had left the bodies of the gunmen laying where they died. I found where I had knocked out that one, but I had forgotten about him and he apparently recovered enough to leave. I only hope that he didn't see where everyone went. I searched the other bodies, though, trying to figure out who they were, why they had done this. Of course, I also took their guns, the townsfolk can use them. They weren't dressed like raiders: no armor bits, no garish colors or accessories to frighten their victims. They looked like regular guys. But in one of their pockets, I found a small notebook. Opening it, I found bits of paper similar to what had been in the book carried by that Brother Francis. This wasn't as big, wasn't as full, but it was obviously another copy of the Word. There wasn't much to it, but what I saw chilled me. Things about stoning women, dashing children against stones, fighting unbelievers. At the end, there were even some sort of cartoon pages about various things, obviously just individual parts of a whole, including one of a member of some competing group being thrown into fire.

Whoever and wherever this New Church is, they seem bent on making sure that their Word is the only word, the only way, and the only law. They're enforcing it with pain, death, and fear, and seem to be taking their Word from only disjointed bits and pieces of other things.

Almost all of Fest Town has been wiped out, the town itself burnt to ashes and scrap metal, its people scattered and injured. That sanctuary against a harsh world is gone. Max is dead, a good man dedicated to protecting and providing for his friends. And Jennifer is dead, I found her body inside the house that had been given to me. I-...I don't know how much I cared for her, but I did care. She was a sweet girl, and she was comforting to wake up to. No one deserved this, least of all for simply not agreeing to follow someone else's way of life. Someone is going to answer for this.

Day 18b

I'm still kind of recovering from everything that's happened. So much loss, so many people killed, especially the way the world is now with people so few and every day a struggle to survive against the world itself...it's sad, it's pointless, and it just angers me. Yeah, I killed those raiders just a few days ago. Yeah, I killed those raiders just the other day, but they were rapists and slavers and killers. Bad men that this world didn't need. The people of Fest Town were welcoming, trying to make new lives and bring some sort of civilization back to this world. And they were wiped out by fire and by bullet.

Inside the burning section of the town, I managed to find six more people, mostly huddled together as they tried to beat back the flames. They were in a relatively open area, but the heat surrounding them would have still roasted them, if the smoke didn't get to them first. As it was, two were down, passed out. The others couldn't help them, they were too busy trying to kick dirt onto the nearest fires as they coughed. One little girl knelt by a lying form, crying out for her mommy to get up, to move. I ran to them, shouting that they had to move. I picked up the comatose mother over my shoulder and the little girl in my other arm, got the others to pick up the other guy, and I made them follow me out. We retraced my path in, but it wasn't easy. The flames had narrowed what little pathway there had been to begin with, making it hotter and harder. One of the others stumbled as we went, and was supported by leaning on one woman's shoulders in order to make it out. I know their names now, but at the time my brain couldn't process names or even faces, we struggled to fight our way out. We managed to escape the encircling blaze just as Armstrong returned, and he helped me guide the rest out and clear of the devastation. A grand total of nineteen people were laid out on the sand and dirt outside of the town, all still alive.

None of us were unscathed. The back of Armstrong's bald head was already developing visible blisters. The little girl, Cailin, had burns on her leg that will mostly likely end up scarring, but she still managed to walk to her mother when I set her down even though she was visibly in pain. Almost all of us were coughing and wheezing, the cooler air abrasive to our throats. We paused, Armstrong and I, just long enough to catch our breaths, and then we turned and jogged back toward the fire, to search for any further survivors. We were too late. Even before we reached that wall of light and heat and death, we knew that it had grown to close together. Without speaking, we just looked at each other, and we both knew that while we might make it in, we'd never make it out again alive. All that was left was to wait for it to burn itself out so that we could search for bodies. I collected my bag again, and we rejoined the others. I dug out what water and food I had on me, and we parceled it out among the others.

And then the first gunshot rang out, and one of the townsfolk fell, blood streaming from the wounds that appeared on his face. I shouted for the others to get down, pulling out my rifle and tossing my pistol and my shotgun down for anyone else who felt well enough to use them. I looked around and saw three men approaching us at a fast walk, just firing away. I knelt and took a moment to aim, the smoke having made my eyes irritated and watery. It took me four shots before I hit any of the gunmen, catching him in the upper thigh and making him fall and drop his weapon. The other two kept coming, but now I heard someone else firing from behind me, adding their own shots to mine. Between the two of us, the last two attackers fell, dead and unmoving. The first one that I had hit writhed on the ground, clutching his leg. I rose, walking forward enough to be sure of my shot, grimly finishing him with a bullet to the head before I came back to see to the others.

That hail of gunfire had claimed six more lives, bringing the survivors of Fest Town to myself and a whopping thirteen other people.

Day 18

I know, it's been a while since my last entry, but a lot has happened. Had to kill some folks, had to say goodbye to some folks, and had to bury others. Fest Town's gone. Hope you haven't been looking for it, based on my earlier entries, but unless someone's taken the time to rebuilt it, all you'll find is ash and the skeletal remains of people's homes.

As I came back, I spotted the smoke on the horizon from the direction of town, so I hustled my ass getting back. Alternating between running and walking, to keep cool and not push myself to exhaustion, it still took me an hour to get back, and I crested a hill to see what was going on. By that time, most of the town was already gone, burned away. There were still fires burning at one end, circling what buildings remained standing. Judging by which areas which were still smoking, it looked like the fire had started at the gates and burned inward. I'm just glad there had been other exits, because otherwise people might've been trapped behind the flames.

While I looked, stunned for a moment, I noticed movement just below me. I crouched down quickly, seeing someone that I had never seen before, a man with a scoped hunting rifle aimed toward the town and a large bag next to him with a few pieces of lumber sticking out. I'm not sure I even really thought about my next move, next thing I knew I had jumped down and clubbed with my own rifle in the back of his head. He went limp, bleeding where I'd hit him, but he was alive. I left him there, taking his rifle and making my way carefully toward town. I didn't see any other snipers but no one shot at me, no one ambushed me. I assume they figured the fire would do most of it and just one guy would be enough for clean-up.

I weaved my way into town through burned-out gaps in the walls. Bodies were all over the place, scorched and burnt, lying in doorways and in the ruins of the buildings. A thought struck me as I moved through the destruction to where the fire still raged, and that was the realization that some of these buildings were spaced too far apart for the fire to have spread this easily without a lot of wind. I made a mental note to check more thoroughly later, for now I needed to see if anybody was alive and needed help.

I tossed most of my gear on the ground as I moved quickly toward the flames, and saw movement as I approached. Armstrong, the smith, was carrying one person over his shoulder while helping to support another one, getting them clear of the flames. He had a leather blanket or something tossed quickly over them all, helping to protect them from the flames, but it still had smoldering holes and ragged edges, all trailing smoke as he moved. He greeted me as he recognized me but never stopped moving. As he passed, he simply called out to tell me where he had taken anyone he had found, and he wasn't sure if anyone was left alive. With that, I dove past the flames as best I could, and began searching.

Day 15d

On my way back to town now. Nearly sundown, the sun's about half-covered by the horizon. And still no sign of anyone from town to help collect supplies and bring them back. I don't know whether they're sick, or there was an accident, or what, but I've got mixed feelings. Aggravated that they're dragging their asses, and that I have to carefully watch on the way back so we don't pass each other; relieved, that they weren't in the way during the gunfight with the raiders or as I ran from the dragon. Speaking of the raiders, I know I saw them depart in a different direction from where Fest Town lies...but they could have circled around, found my tracks coming in. Not likely, can't really think of any reasons, but it is in the realm of possibility.

I did get enough oil to scrawl a warning at the Mart, right in between the two sets of doors. Letters a couple of feet high saying, “HERE THERE BE DRAGONS. REALLY.”. Something I saw somewhere, just seemed fitting. Took a while to get enough, even with the number of cars piled here and there. Most of it was dried to near paste, which is useful for writing with it, not so helpful for the initial gathering. Had to use a stick to scrape some into an old can.

Used some twine to rig a small booby trap on both sets of Mart doors. Nothing major, just set up so that opening or knocking out the doors pulls the pin from a grenade and drops it to the ground. Easily seen from outside, but nasty surprise if the dragons or its spawn decide to come out that way. I'm out of grenades for now, but already planning to try to come back with some townsfolk, get them surrounding the doors with plenty of guns while I go in and lure the beasts out. And then we can loot the Mart, plus dragon steaks.

Just a little sliver of sun left over the horizon now. I'm about an hour into what was a three-hour walk to get here. I've been seeing something in the distance, seems large but indistinct, can't quite tell... Is it...?

(*footsteps louder and faster*)

Shit...! That is smoke, either from town or from nearby...!

(*footsteps even faster, to a dead run, clanking of gear*)

Day 15c

So, I managed to catch a nap, get a little rest. I had tried to block the door with some of the rubble and debris here, probably not enough to stop the beast from coming out if it wanted to, but enough to slow it and make enough noise to wake me. I kind of wish that I had some way to signal the townsfolk to stop and wait, let them know that it's not as safe as I thought. But, after clearing away the raiders I just automatically sent up the flare to tell them to come on down.

I've actually been debating some with myself. I don't know for certain that I have enough firepower to kill one dragon, much less if there's more than one ready to fight. The shotgun could do some damage, and I have two grenades, but all of that would require getting close enough to penetrate that thick hide. Unfortunately, if I don't move quick enough I could end up trampled or lizard food. And lobbing an active grenade into a mouth is generally just the stuff of fairy tales or wishful thinking.

On the other hand, these things are a danger. If the townsfolk or anyone else wanders close enough, or goes in, looking for stuff they can scavenge and use, they could end up dead. Granted, a merc of some sort could just as likely wander in there and kill it. But I think I'd feel a little guilty if some non-fighting type got killed, when I could have done something.

Even as I say this, I realize that I may be able get some motor oil out of the nearby cars, use it to scrawl some warning signs on the walls here. I'm going to be limited by just how much I can find, but its something. Once that's done, I can make my way back to town. By that time, whoever they sent to gather stuff should have arrived, and I can tell them what's going on and send them back. They'll have wasted a walk, but they can deal with it considering the alternative. I'll just make a quick sweep of where the raiders had camped, first, to make sure they didn't leave anything useful behind.

I think I pissed them off. I walked by the doors into Mart as I said that last, and I can hear thrashing and crashing around. I'm just hoping they stay in there, instead of busting through to find me.

Day 15b

Okay, this damned place may have become way more trouble than its worth. And if I find out that any of the townsfolk had any idea what was living inside this Mart, they'll be lucky if all I do is knock them on their ass. The raiders would have been bad enough, I sweat and bled to drive them off, took injuries and bullet wounds. But they were a breeze and a nap compared to what I found in the Mart.

I had gotten into the food area and walked down an aisle at random, looking over the boxes and cans all over the floor, shelves toppled or spilled. Most of the stuff was difficult to identify, too faded or too damaged, some even torn or broken open. I hadn't thought much about the damage, at least not consciously. I guess, in retrospect, I just assumed that it was the ravages of time combined with clumsy scavenging by the townsfolk and others. I explored, looking over the contents while I waited for the townsfolk to catch up with me. At the end of the aisle, there looked to be refrigeration units, silhouettes of a cow and a pig hung over them. I saw another sign, hung from the ceiling far down the way; it said “Produce”, but the only things I could make out being produced were tangles of wild lettuce, onions, and watermelons.

My attention was suddenly drawn to a pair of doors set in the wall in the middle of the unit, barely attached to their hinges right between the cow and the pig. There seemed to be movement, only briefly seen through the gaps in the askew doors, and I started to raise my rifle and take a step closer, tensing. I was still exhausted, but my heart began to pump faster, adrenaline flowing. And then the doors burst open, one flying completely free from the wall and crashing into one of the aisles.

Like I said, I hate and fear large places like this. All this space, just open enough to be roomy and yet just close enough to be comfortable, combined with all the food inside and whatever can be hunted up through whatever opening might be available and large enough. It makes a rather ideal dragon nest.

Don't get me wrong, they're not like the creatures in the story books, the size of the building with a gargantuan wingspread, able to fly overhead and breathe fiery destruction below. But they are still nothing to be trifled with. Mutated lizards, growing to a length often equal to ten times a man's height, with long, hooked claws and teeth. Thick hides, commensurate with their size. No fire-breathing that I've heard of, though I have heard a few rumors of some being able to regurgitate and spew their stomach acid in a blistering spray.

Luckily for me, they tend to be slow-moving beasts, so I was able to outrun it enough that it apparently didn't even see where I exited. Its been a little while since I came out, though I've been watching the place too closely to check the time. The danger is not only the door I entered through. There has to be another entrance somewhere, a hole big enough for the creatures to have entered in the first place, as well as to exit to hunt for fresh meat.

And yes, I am referring to multiple of the creatures. While I only saw one come after me, that was likely due more to the speed with which I fled. As it burst from that door, I could see behind it due to some illumination from deeper within. The one I saw, the one that pursued me, was definitely an adult. But there may have been another. And I saw behind it an egg, with the remains of at least one other shell, hatched.

Day 15

Sun's just cresting the horizon, and the fighting's done. And great holy fuck, I'm tired. Me and those raiders have been playing cat-and-mouse games all night, trading bullets and chasing each other in the dark. I'd find a hiding place, lay low for a moment, then pop up and find a target to shoot. I'd get off one shot, maybe two, and suddenly there'd be two or three converging or firing on me. So, I'd run, hide, lose them, and then do it all again. Took out at least half of them that way, either wounded too severely to keep chasing me or just killed outright. I didn't come out unscathed, of course. One bullet in my upper thigh, makes it hurt to run. Couple of cuts and bruises. I'll be limping back to town, might need help carrying my bag.

Finally, I got their leader. I'll give him this, he was quiet for such a big man. I had actually managed to flank my pursuers and get back inside, and I was kneeling down to brace my shots and use the doorway for added cover. Suddenly, hands gripped me by my shirt and my hair, lifting and flinging me back into the cages, tumbling over them. As I shook myself off and scrambled back to my feet, I heard a voice bellow, “He's mine, boys!”

The bossman stood only a little taller than me, but quite a bit bigger around. One of those guys with a good bit of fat, but overlaying a lot of muscle. He wore loose pants, and open vest, and brass knuckles on each hand. He grinned as he came at me, flinging the cages and debris out of his way. I pulled Disc from my belt and braced myself, making sure he saw me ready to take him head-on. Actually, it was a trick. I got him to come at me, and then I kicked a chuck of wood at him, and rolled to his side. It was a desperation move, really. If it hadn't distracted him long enough, I was still within his reach and wounded already. But it worked. He flailed his hands up, and I sliced open the back of his ankle, and then stabbed Disc into his chest as he fell backwards.

I stood there panting for a few moments, taking stock of myself. Gunshot, sliced up, battered, and pretty sure at least one cracked rib, maybe two, from being flung across the room like that. Add to that general fatigue from running and fighting all night, and I felt lucky to be upright. I only got a moment to catch my breath, and then I heard footsteps running up toward the door. I forced myself to stand, and must've looked pretty menacing. One of the raiders came to the door, obviously not expecting to see a bloody me standing over his dead boss, weapon in hand dripping blood. He backed out of the door, hands up, shouting, “He's killed the boss!”

Apparently they all decided that that was enough, they'd lost enough guys. I looked outside to see them all gathering and running off. I mean, a few of them paused long enough to grab up some stuff, loot their dead buddies, but I was fine with that and I let them go.That was about an hour ago. I decided to use one of my Auto-Docs as soon as the raiders were out of sight. I was weak from blood loss, and in quite a bit of pain. Sat down and rested, raided the food they'd left behind.

And now I get to see the results of my labors. Just walked into the old mart ruins after having set off the flares outside. Planning to take stock now, maybe gather up some things before the townsfolk get here. Having to use my flashlight to see, but it looks like there's quite a bit useful here. I'm hoping we can just strip the place now, instead of having to make another trip later. Some old bikes over there, I can see a sign over some aisles that says Hardware. Looks like food's at the other end, gonna see what's available.

(*footsteps, sounds of rummaging*)

Hmm, most of these labels are too faded to read...

(*slow footsteps, momentary silence, low rumble*)

Oh, fucking fuck! Dammitall, fuuuck...!

(*running footsteps, loud clattering, static*)

Day 14e

Inside's where I'm running into the real problems. First thing I found inside were some cages, most pretty makeshift. Only one was closed and occupied, one guy inside looking dirty, beaten, and half-starved. He was weak, but begged me for his freedom. As I opened the cage and helped him out, he explained that there were others inside, women and children used for both labor and for the pleasure of the raiders. They had been picked up here and there, others dumped randomly when dead or dying. Yeah, these things happen. Not everywhere, not all the time...but, yeah.

I told him how to get to FestTown, then gave him some cover fire to make his way out, told him to stay low among the barricades and he hopefully wouldn't even be seen. I know neither of the raiders outside seemed to be firing at him. After that, I made my way further inside. Looked like the place was some sort of small office building, bunch of smaller rooms with desks and such. I found the other slaves huddled together in one room with a cookfire, obviously preparing some sort of meal for the gang, all chained together at the ankles. So far, no raiders. I was able to free them from the chain, keeping them quiet, and guided them to the door. I hid them just inside, the two raiders from outside were coming in, figured I'd ambush them as they came in. I readied Disc, but never got a chance to use it. As soon as the raiders were inside, the three woman jumped on them, frenziedly beating and kicking them. I just let 'em, though I kept an eye out for others.

Once they were done, I ushered them out the door, directing them to FestTown. I made my way further inside, looking for the boss and his lackeys. I admit to being a little overconfident, thinking that there could only be a few left. Anger didn't help any, especially since I found the final slave, the woman that had basically given up on life, on the way. And so I readied my shotgun and burst through a doorway into what turned out to be the back room of the place, planning to take them by surprise...

And found ten raiders waiting for me.

Luckily, only two had guns, while the rest were armed with clubs, knives, assorted close-combat weapons. I unloaded the shotgun into them as they came at me, both barrels. Pretty sure I saw one go down, but I was already backing out as fast as I could while they gave chase. Reloaded as I moved, got off another shot as they entered the hallway and I got to that first room. Definitely took out one with that shot, half his head splattered into the faces of the two guys behind him. Those two stumbled, not sure if they were actually hit or just thrown off by the gore. Dropped the shotgun as I went out, in favor of the rifle. Figured I can either pick it back up when this is over...or I'll be dead and won't need it.

Yeah, next time I go anywhere like this, I really need to spend some more time on scouting out any opposition. I think I got a little too cocky.

Day 14d

Alright, I can honestly say that that didn't go as well as I'd hoped, but it also didn't go as bad as it could have. Most of the raiders are dead, and I managed to free three women, one man, and two kids that they had enslaved. There was a fourth woman, but...well, I got the chains off of her wrists, and she just sat there staring off into space. I tried to take her chin and lift her face, tried to look her in the eyes and tell her she was free. Her eyes didn't even register me. Instead, she just numbly laid back, began to spread her legs, and went limp. I didn't have time for anything more merciful, and I was feeling pretty angry by that time, so I simply put a bullet in her brain. There wasn't anything more that I could do for her, she was already long gone.

I had counted eight or nine or something, I think, when I recorded the last entry. Just two ladders outside, one wagon to carry their plunder. Between that recording and when I made my way up, I saw three of the guards get changed out, plus another guy stagger outside and just pass out in the dust. That made twelve, plus the boss. Long odds, but I figured I could narrowly handle it. Plus, getting rid of another scumbag raider gang plaguing the wastes would be worth my life, so I decided to take the risk.

Sticking with my plan, I waited until evening. I actually went during sundown, because I wanted to circle around some, instead of coming straight out from my hiding place and straight toward the doors, and this way would put the setting sun somewhat behind me. That way, any lookout that happened to be facing in my direction would have the sun in his eyes. I may have decided to do something risky, but I'm not a complete idiot. I'll take any advantage that presents itself.

I also left one of the firebombs in the carpile, with an extra-long scrap of cloth in the neck of the bottle. Lit it up before I headed out, and high-tailed it. I had almost reached the outer wall when it off with a satisfying 'WHUMPF!' sound. I saw every guard turn to look at the suddenly burning carpile, and then I threw my back against the wall, figuring that at least half would go investigate. I pulled out the other two firebombs, readying one in my hand, lighter in the other hand. I heard the door open and close, lots of alarmed shouting that all added up them being confused and sending guys to investigate.

I gave it a few seconds after that before I carefully peeked around the wall. Sure enough, six were heading towards the blaze with weapons ready, accompanying another with a bucket of water. I still don't know why the water, why they'd care about putting the cars out. I just wanted to draw some away, and make their eyes have to readjust to the light. Two remained near the door, including on of the lieutenants from earlier. So, I lit the other firebomb's MUCH shorter fuse, gave it a sec, and then tossed it right towards him. I saw him catch it before I ducked back around the corner, and then it went off, splashes of flame licking around the corner of the building. When I looked back around, both door guards were dead and burning, and one of the doors was gone, blown off it's hinges and inside. The ones that had gone to investigate the carpile had turned, of course, trying to see what was going on.

Half of them went down easy as I started firing, easy targets silhouetted against the distant flames. After that, the rest began to react, drawing weapons and scattering. I kept firing as I moved to the door, making my way in with only two left outside.  

Day 14c

Got my closer look, and then I decided to camp out here until nightfall. The cars I saw and moved towards are kind of piled up and tossed around together. More than a dozen of them, all tumbled together and crushed together, enough damage and rusted-out holes that I was able to get even closer than I thought, and get myself worked into a nice little space to rest and wait for dark.

Its a raider gang holed up in there. I don't recognize the emblem on the banner hanging from their wagon outside, but I know the look of the people. Its the look of a human predator. Male or female, they're all armed, swaggering, violent. In just the brief time that I watched them, I saw two separate fights break out and get ended, and nobody else gave them more than a brief glance. The banner's a simple section of cloth or hide with the emblem painted onto it, looks like just a circle with three slash marks diagonally across it. A pair of ladders have been set up to get to the roof, a couple lookouts up there with rifles. Some more down on the ground, most with close-quarters weapons. I've counted eight of them, total. Two of the ones on the ground are staying near one set of double doors, often signaling orders to the others or stepping inside. I'm assuming that the boss is inside and the two at the door are his lieutenants or seconds or whatever title they're using. I can make out some firelight through the doors, but nothing else.

And again, they're staying to just one end of the building. In fact, they seem to be watching the other end of the place just as much as any of the rest of the area. They've been there long enough to have also set up a few simple barricades. Mostly just some thick branches, scavenged signposts, a car door, things like that. Wouldn't really stop an attacker, but will cause them to slow and zigzag a bit to get near. Unless, like I plan to do, you want to sneak in unseen instead of doing damage as you go, in which case you'd just have to leap them carefully. Oddly enough, though, the barricades facing the rest of the building are more solid than the rest, and have some spiky bits.

Not sure what all of that means, but I have to admit that it makes me nervous. Especially since the old mart...is in the direction that these are watching so closely.

Gotta take care of the problem I can see, first. Even as I've been recording this, I've been siphoning off some gas left in these old rust heaps. There's not much, but I've managed to almost fill three old soda bottles I found in here. I love plastic, shit lasts forever. I'm using the gas to rig up some small firebombs. Hoping I can kill a couple raiders with each bomb, or at the very least confuse and blind them so I can sneak close and finish 'em off easy.

Day 14b

Yeah, there's something over there alright. And it's something human-shaped. Two legs, walks upright, all that. I'm currently camped a little less than a mile away. Far enough that I can make out the L-shaped building through the binoculars, and I can make out the shapes moving on and around it, but not much more detail than that. The fact that there's people there -or people-ish, anyway- alters things slightly. Just finished getting myself a light snack and some water, just enough to keep me fueled and hydrating, not enough to weigh me down. Gonna give it a few minutes to settle, and then I'm gonna creep a little closer. I've got some decent cover where I am, some scrub bushes keeping me hidden as long as I stay low. About a hundred yards up, there's some large rocks or old cars or something that I can easily hide behind and get a closer look at things.

The difficulty will be in getting from here to there. There's a few bushes, some low rocks, even a ditch that angles across part of the distance, but its still not much cover for that kind of distance. I'm gonna have to stay low and stay fast, and hope I'm lucky enough that they're either not looking this way or they're not looking this far. Or both. Both would work even better, really.

Odd thing I noticed, all of the movement seems to be clustered at one end of the place. And this is a pretty huge place. I can't really give an estimate from here, its too far to see clearly enough, but I'm currently guessing that the long side is a hundred yards long, the short side half that. I have seen some buildings this large...but never one still so whole. Again, I could be wrong when I get closer, but all the walls appear to still be standing. That's notable on anyplace pre-Cataclysm, but especially on someplace so large.

I've never been inside someplace so large, either. I just tend to shy away from 'em. Like, tunnels don't bother me nearly as much, even a large network of them; if I get attacked, it can generally only be from one or two directions at a time. Outdoors, I can generally see what's coming. Big place like that, though? I could end up surrounded, with just one small door to escape through and a struggle to even reach it. Or, a place that big, I could walk into darkness, only to have lights suddenly coming to life across some old tech tank or robot. At least with this place, I know it was just a store.

Day 14

Out of town again on another errand. There's an old store about ten miles from town, something Mart. Pretty sizable inside, the townsfolk have been there some in the past, to get canned goods, medicines, batteries. All kinds of stuff. Apparently, they had a pretty wide selection, plus the large building was, like, further divided into some other stores and businesses, which helped protect some of goods inside. The townsfolk scrounged up some extra bags, a flare gun, and even a small cart.

There's a couple reasons they've got me going on this scavenging run, instead of just sending a few townsfolk and maybe a guard or two. Max is still worried about Brother Francis and his church, worried the guy'll be back immediately and try something. We asked him to give us a few days before he came back, but the guy didn't seem exactly stable, and he may just snap if he just gets turned away again, whether he's early or not.

Other main reason's that a couple of the Guard thought they saw movement out near here, moving in that direction. Could have been nothing. Or, could be bandits, some sort of critter, maybe even a few Fallen I missed somehow. Point is, there wasn't any way to be sure without somebody checking it out. I volunteered for it. May not be as native to the area, but I've got a lot more experience at scouting. This way, I can take a look around, see what's what, and I can send up a flare if its safe for the town to send a couple guys to help pack it all up and haul it back.

I estimate that I should be able to reach the place within a couple of hours. I'll pause as soon as I have a visual on it, probably take a quick look through binoculars to get some idea of the lay of the land. And then I can rest up for a bit, maybe get a small bite to eat, some water. Any more detailed plan'll have to wait until after that. The townsfolk were able to give me a couple sketched-out maps of the place from their last scavenging run out here, but it's been nearly a decade since their last trip. Not that I can blame them, I understand it can be hard to leave those safe walls for a nearly six-hour walk. Just means I'm going to map most it out on my own, while I take care of whatever needs taking care of.

Day 13b

Yeah, that was far less than pleasant. Little frightening, in fact. Max and I introduced ourselves, though he said that I was part of the town's security forces. Can't blame him. This guy called himself Brother Francis, a Missionary of the New Church. You could hear capital letters and emphasis on the names. He was kinda short, stocky, wearing a robe but with bulges of weapons under it. And he appeared to be alone, but something about him made me suspect he had some cohorts or guards or something hidden nearby. Max told me afterward that he had the same impression, and that's why he asked me to come out with him while the rest of the Guard watched from the walls.

Under my advice, Max refused him entry to the city. The guy just had this...look to him. Like, his face looked like his mouth was full of gopher meat that he refused to spit out and he was pissed about it. And the more he talked, the more intense he got, until it felt like electricity radiating off of him with every word. He read and quoted from a black binder he carried, which he said contained the Word. He made no mystery of the contents, occasionally holding it up to point and highlight some passage from pages torn and scrapped and glued into the binder. It made it obvious that these bits were selected piecemeal, mere parts of some larger whole. But this Brother Francis believed in it with the fervent fire of a zealot.

I didn't understand all of what he said, much of it seemed to be cloaked in parable, myth, and metaphor. But the parts that stood out to me most clearly left me shaken. His god was a forgiving god, but only if you gave yourself to him, body, mind and soul, utterly and completely. If your every waking action was not dedicated to worship, to the Church, this god would punish you in both this world and the next. There were ways to live which could not be forgiven, save through blood and death. Many undesirable types that had to be “cleansed” from the world. And any who refused this path, refused to join the Church, went against this will and would have to be killed by the faithful followers.

Neither of us really knew what to say to all that, when he finally wound down. He panted as he waited for our response, obviously expecting us to throw the gates open wide for him. Instead, we explained, calmly, that we'd have to speak to the rest of the town. Max asked if he had a spare copy of the Word, to show the others, but he only hugged his copy, his binder, tightly to his chest as he replied no. All we could do was to thank Brother Francis, and to then ask him to give us a few days, maybe even a week, to prepare for him properly.

Day 13

Spent last night playing checkers with Andrew. He even has his own board, a cloth one that he got in a trade, and pieces that are just random stones and bottle caps and such that he's dyed to the right colors. It was actually pretty nice. Like I said, he's actually a smart guy, especially for a Mutate. He knows a pretty good bit about plants, and he has traveled around some. We swapped some stories, compared our travels. Turns out his childhood was about as bad as mine, as he got picked on for his smarts and eventually just left his tribe and never looked back.

He also gave me a warning about Terminus, the great city to the north of here. Never been that far north, but I've heard that all the highways lead there. Turns out it's pretty dangerous there, as the perimeter around the place is covered in kudzu. Hopefully that shit's died off by the time you read this, because right now the typical response, completely justified, is to hit it with any and every kind of fire you can gather up. It's a plant, made of vines and leaves, but it moves. It's not really very quick, but there's a ton of it in any patch, enough to easily attack with four or five vines at a time. And it will wrap around a person or an animal, completely covering and trapping them, and then just hold them until they die and rot and feed it. Kudzu is an evil, deadly plant; I've seen a village get half wiped out before it was stopped.

Today, I am back on my feet. Still not feeling back to a hundred percent, but it's important that I exercise and work out the last of the infection. Personally, I'm hoping to be back to my old self tomorrow, so I can work again. The townsfolk here have been pretty understanding about me being out of it, but I know that they're feeding and housing me in exchange for my services and skills, and it makes me feel guilty that I haven't been able to provide.

(*Pause, barely-audible distant voice*)

I CAN'T TELL WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, MAX, COME HERE! OR BETTER YET, JUST WAIT THERE! Yeesh...!

(*Pause, footsteps, another male voice*)

“Jacob, we've got a visitor at the gates. He's not just wanting in, he's demanding it, in the name of The Church. And he says it just like that, so you can hear capital letters. You ever heard of them?”

Yeah, I have. And not much has been good. Just one guy? You're sure? Alright, c'mon, let's go get a look at him, I-...Oops, recorder's still on. To be continued.

Lost Journal 1

(*Gasping, heavy breathing*)

This is it. I'm...dying, I don't have any illusions. Leg's broken, and there's about two feet of intestine sticking out of this gaping wound in my stomach, and I can't shove it back in. I-I can't feel it anymore, it's completely numb now, that's a blessing at least. Cold, too. Managed to kill the fuckers attacking me, but damage was already done.

To whoever finds this: My name is Cal S-S-Stevens. Grew up in an underground shelter, born just after the world went to hell. Mom was a nurse, dad was a soldier, uncle was a professor. Learned plenty while growing up. Family died in the shelter, little things like heart problems in my uncle, dad got an infection. Came out a few years ago, armed and ready. Thirty-five years old now, and I am about to die because my “team” turned their backs on me.

Dad taught me how to fight, how to shoot, how to throw a grenade. Beyond that, didn't get much from him. Mom, at least, taught me a bunch of other things to survive, like dressing a wound and cooking. So, when I came out I thought I could take care of myself. After about six months on my own, I found a mercenary team. Decent bunch of guys, I thought. Took a little work to get them to let me join, but was safer that sticking out on my own. In retrospect...I probably should've just said fuck it, stayed in the shelter by myself.

See, I knew how to fight. C-Could take down someone coming at me with a knife, could shoot and hit what I aimed at. But I had no idea what was out there now, how to find work, where anything was. I joined the team thinking they'd help me with that, or I'd learn it on my own by watching. Instead, they just used me as an extra gun, told me where we were going but not how we got the job, told me to shoot the thing without telling me what it was. At the time, I thought it was just them saving me the additional work and headache, like they were taking care of me.

Earlier today, we came into this place, like a bunch of tunnels under some old buildings. I don't know why, I was just told to keep alert. Wasn't even told what to watch for. I just marched in the middle of the group, weapon out... And then something came out of the door to my right, like crashed through the door itself, slammed into me and we went through the opposite d-d-door together. Short flight of stairs, I think that's where I broke my leg. Lost my flashlight, just enough light to see the thing's silhouette and another one coming at me. Too dark, too fast. Big wound across my stomach, and I screamed at that one. Bunch of others, smaller, felt the blood flowing even before I killed them.

That was...I dunno, about an hour ago, maybe more. I haven't seen the team since. I even have a radio on me, they could've called. For two years, we fought together. They joked about me being the new guy, fresh meat. But I didn't realize that I was that disposable, like they were happy for the extra worker, the extra gun, when I was there, but couldn't be bothered with anything more. If you're listening to this, spread the word about them. They abandoned someone that was supposed to be one of them, as soon as my limited use was done.

Day 12b

Feeling better, but still recovering. Took a nap, had a little bit of stew along with some crackers that someone brought me as thanks for clearing out the Fallen nest so that they can scavenge. Andrew hasn't come back yet, but I'll be able to report that my strength's already returning some.

Now seems like a good to talk about the Mutates. First, bear in mind that there is a pretty wide range of variation, and to cover every single one would be almost impossible. It'd be about like trying to give a description of every regular human. The main difference is that, with humans, the differences are things like different hair and eye color, different heights. Mutates tend to vary more...let's say, sharply.

For the most part, in the great majority, Mutates are huge. Most of the ones I've seen are around eight feet tall, some reaching nine, and Andrew is the only Mutate I have ever seen with shoulders less than twice as wide as mine. And I have heard rumors of some growing even bigger, almost gargantuan. They're generally well-muscled, too, and strong; a Mutate blacksmith is a muscle mass with eyes. They tend to have very pale skin, pretty much a chalk white, but they don't get sunburned or tan. I haven't seen much variation in hair color, ranging from black through gray to white. And there's not a huge difference between male and female. 

They seem to be able to tell each other apart easily, but I can't. There was a magazine I found a while back, it gave tips on exercise and on nutrition, things like that. And there was a story with some pictures, about “female bodybuilders”. It was about like that, but even more so.

They also differ from normal humans mentally. Mutates usually are not very bright, though it can be dangerous to assume that about all of them. From the ones I've managed to speak to, I actually think it's a matter of focus or attention span. Most don't have it; in fact, Andrew's the only one I've seen it otherwise in. Learning about anything requires focusing on it, studying or practicing, and they just can't. On the other hand, they make pretty good blacksmiths or cooks, things where you can enjoy what you make as soon as you're done. And of course, they can be damned good fighters.

Now, a lot of people will also call them extremely violent. Personally, I don't think that they're all that much more violent than humans. They're just more direct about it.

I haven't seen or heard much study on them or anything. General guess is that Mutates came from radiation, maybe even disease, warping normal humans, and then the new traits being passed down to their children. This also explains variations and offshoots. Andrew, for example, is relatively rail-thin, only a little wider than me. But, he's about eleven feet tall, and a pretty smart guy. I've seen one with tentacles, and one disturbing whose skin was almost clear.

Like Dyers, though, they tend to make home for themselves, away from the others. The Mutates, though, arrange theirs closer to a mix of a tribe and a raider family. The one in charge at any given time is usually the one that hits hardest, argues loudest, or both. And that can change the next time they need to decide something.  

Day 12

I'm still in bed. Still really weak, too, and it's been a couple of days. Turns out that the “itchy” spot on my neck was apparently a scratch from the Fallen, and infection set in. It's not a light matter when all of the factories or whatever that used to make medicine have ceased any production, and calling someone “doctor” usually just means they've read a couple of old books. I did meet a Surgeon, once. He carried a hatchet, a saw, and a blowtorch.

So, given all of that...the fact that I'm still alive now is pretty damned notable, and I lucked out.

It turns out that there was a traveling herbalist visiting the town when I passed out. And an even bigger oddity, he was a Mutate. Huge guy, I think I mentioned that fact before I went out completely. I realize I haven't really gone into much detail on them yet, I'll describe them more later. I'm definitely staying in bed today, and possibly tomorrow as well.

But, he knew his plants, and he was willing to try to help me stay alive. From what Jennifer's told me, he spent a few hours brewing a tea, making a stew, and mixing a salve. It was tricky work getting the tea and the stew in me, as I was either unconscious or delirious through most of yesterday and the day before. I had a fever, and the sweats, and I even soiled myself a couple of times. Not a pleasant image. Kinda glad I don't remember any of it; even if I couldn't help it, I'm still embarrassed that I was that weak and helpless.

He spread the salve across the scratches on my neck a few times, saying it would help clean the wound and stop the infection from worsening. The tea was to help lower my fever and help my body fight it off from the inside. The stew was to do more of the same but in more concentration, in addition to getting nutrients and food into me.

He apologized this morning, saying that he just used my own food and meat from here to make everything, mixed with the medicinal herbs and plants that he carried with him. Meekest Mutate I have ever seen. I laughed, and I told him that not only did he not owe me an apology, I owe him a huge debt for his efforts. He smiled, and introduced himself as Andrew, and then he left to get himself a walk and then some rest. He should be back later to check on me, he said.

Day 10c

Trying to get back to bed... Drrrifting in and out, here...

Don't remember leaving Armstrong's place. Something's wrong. Each step feeling like my leg weighs a ton. 

Hot... Sweating... Light's too bright...

(*Silence, distant voices, heavy thump*)

Oookayyy, kinda fell, here. Dirt, rocks... Hey, sis. Long time, no see. Can you give me hand up here, and back to bed? I'm not feeling too well. Where've you been, what've you been up to?

(*Female voice*)

 “Jacob? What are you talking about? It's me, Jennifer. Get up, what's wrong?”

Eh, I'm just not feeling well. I think I just need some rest, sis. Are mom and dad with you? I've missed you guys, haven't seen you since... Since...

(*Heavy thump. Same female voice.*) 

“Jacob? Wake up, come on! HELP! SOMEONE GET OVER HERE!”

(*Approaching footsteps, clanking sounds*)

Oh, wow. You are huge. Help me up, would you? I've got to get to bed. Got an Autodoc there somewhere, need to plug it in. Don't carry me, please, just...help me walk...

Day 10b

Mmm, the best part of today: I finished that last recording, got halfway dressed, and then Jennifer walked in without a word or a knock. I'd left her a little gift, too. And oh, she appreciated it.

After I got dressed again, I went out to see the blacksmith. I noticed that I was developing a bit of a limp, and it wasn't helped any by the fact that the place was built in a bit of a valley. Down one hill, up another. The limp wasn't too bad, nothing that would definitely slow me, but I'm going to have to keep an eye on it. From the feel of it, I think I bruised my knee, somewhere on the inside.

Armstrong is an interesting guy. He's shorter than me, but his shoulders are about three or four times as wide as mine. He's also utterly bald, even his eyelashes and arms, not a single hair on him. He's got a pair of goggles, says he wears them constantly to keep things out of his eyes since he doesn't have eyelashes. When I met, he grinned like a fool, shook my hand in a grip that made the tendons in my hand pop. Seems he's always in that kind of exuberant, jolly mood.

I'm actually rather glad that I left him a fair share of the pans. Honestly, from what I've heard, he is by far the more talented smith. The town's other smith, Smithson, is good for little more than repairs or just making the same things over and over. Armstrong, on the other hand, has a reputation for learning and improving his craft. He had left the noted because he wanted to speak to me personally. And I'm glad I came by.

Smithson was there for the beginning of the meeting. It made me apprehensive at first, but he just wanted to admit that he wasn't so good at innovation. He was damned good at just repairing, or copying something he's done or seen. But he knew wasn't good at trying something new. It actually made me respect him a lot; in a world like this, it's good to know your strengths, and your weaknesses. If I need a simple repair done, I will happily go to him. If he's still in business whenever you hear this, he's good at what he does.

Smithson left after that, having said his piece. Armstrong, however, made me an offer He wanted to add some armor plating to my usual, simple leather outfit. He also offered to improve Disc a little, making it stronger and sharper as long as I brought him the materials he'd need.. I, of course, accepted. I mean, he could improve my armor by the end of the day, and improve my most reliable weapon whenever I bring him materials. Despite the arguments made by the pink gerbil that walked into the room, I had to accept. We shook hands, and I let myself float into the clouds, where I could look out over all of the lands as they turned vibrant with multicolored fruit and cotton candy...

Oookay, I think something's wrong and my other head seems to agree with me...

Day 10

Well, it hasn't been a whole day. Once I had gotten back to Fest Town, it was almost dawn. And I was near collapse from exhaustion. However, I had a job to finish, and I wanted to complete it before I rested. No sense putting it off. So as soon as I got back to town, the first thing I did was to go find Max, give him the report. I made sure that the bodies would be treated with respect; both the Fallen and their victims. None of them had asked for what had happened to them. The Fallen had once been people, with hopes, dreams, friends. They had succumbed only to fate. They'd be buried decently.

I made sure that Max knew what kinds of supplies I had left behind, so he'd know what he and the townsfolk could go and scavenge. I made arrangements with him before I listed it all off, to make sure I'd be getting a portion of any ammo or other useful loot from the place. He sat and listened, occasionally negotiated, all while he was still dressed in a robe and nothing else. Turns out that I had woken him. And honestly... I didn't care. I was tired, battered, scratched, and sliced. Interrupting his night's sleep didn't bother me in the least.

I made a few other stops, but didn't bother to wake people. Dropped all the dried and canned foods in the town square, with a small note for people to only take a few. This way, people'd have some advance notice of what was available, and it'd hopefully be easier for Max to get volunteers to help carry it out. Also dropped off a pair of cooking pans with the blacksmiths. No rust, no scratches, no dents; should be good for everyone.

And then I slept. I slept a lot. A good rest after a battle is almost a necessity. And that job was, what, three or four battles in a row, mixed with some scouting and recon. I'm feeling more rested now, and that makes it a new day. Still covered in bruises and scratches. I may have cracked a rib at some point, probably when my own grenade knocked me into the wall. And the back of my neck really itches. I'm pretty sure I've got a wound of some sort back there, because I went to scratch it and ended up with blood under my nails. Going to try to leave it alone, let it scab back over and heal. Also going to have to try REALLY hard to ignore the itch.

Only other notable thing is that there was a note on my door when I woke. One of the town's smith's, Armstrong, apparently wants to see me about something. All he said in the note was wondering about the coating on the pans, and something about my weapons.

The doorway lead through a small closet and into another corridor. It was beginning to seem more and more like some sort of shelter designed to protect and hide all of the inhabitants from the houses above. There's no telling whether these Fallen are part of those inhabitants, or wandered in from elsewhere. I still couldn't hear anything, so I randomly decided to go to the right. This was the good direction. Found a storeroom and a kitchen. Ammo, a few more grenades. Some food, and some cookware I'll probably just give to the townsfolk. Best part is, though, I found two Autodocs. Great little robotic devices. They read a BioComp, and they act to help drastically speed wound recovery. They'll administer anesthetics, antiseptics, even do minor surgery to help set a broken bone or remove a bullet. They're only meant for one quick use, but hey: I got two.

Kept exploring for a while. Good part is, only found three more Fallen. Bad part is, they'd apparently dragged some travelers down there. An adult, the body too mangled and chewed to tell even the gender...and a kid. Both fairly recent, the blood not fully dried around their remains. I only saw two of the Fallen at first, eating. I'll admit that I was in a bit of shock at the sight. Managed to fire the shotgun and kill one, but then the third one hit me from the side, messed up my aim so that I only wounded the second eater. And then that third one was on me, and it was all I could see as I was knocked to the floor. We scuffled, and I have a couple nasty scratches across my ribs to show for it, but I finally managed to kick him off of me enough to reach Disc and bury in his chest. As he fell, I looked around for the last one, and saw him slowly crawling toward me with one leg barely still attached. I could also see the kid's remains at the same time. So I took the time to stand, I pulled my rifle around, and I took the time and enjoyment to bash it's skull into the floor with the stock.

I explored a little more after that. No more Fallen, but I did find another exit, partly blocked with a cave-in. I went back to the kitchen after that, and I got some oil and some matches. I burned the bodies of those two poor victims. Figured it was the least I could do, not leaving them out in a place like that. I also made sure that I closed the place up pretty good behind me, so the only other potential predators that'll be able to get in there will have to be the intelligent kind. At the very least, it won't be something quite so likely to do that to a small child, something helpless.

Day 9d

Well, crap. I'm damn near back to town, now. Did NOT realize that this thing had cut off at some point. And I was all kinds of heroic back there. I'm really going to have to see about tweaking this thing, or fixing it, or something. Dammit...! Okay. I guess that, for now at least, I'll just have to recap what happened. Gotta admit, the temptation is there to exaggerate, but I'm going to try to be truthful. This is for posterity.

So, the last thing that recorded was me trying to kick open that door. It was barricaded shut, and locked up pretty solid. So, when I kicked it, I damned near broke my foot on the door, and knocked myself onto my ass. Literally, I hit the door with a good, strong kick, and I only succeeded in pushing myself backwards, losing my balance, falling onto my ass. I made quite a bit of noise in the process. Once I was able to focus again, that's when I heard the other Fallen getting closer, all hissing and snarling and hungry. I quickly scrambled to my feet, picking my shotgun back up and turning to face the other door, behind me.

They reached that door just as I began to set myself, scratching and scrabbling at it. Being mostly mindless, Fallen don't exactly coordinate very well. The door remained closed, the knob rattling and wiggling, but never turning quite enough to actually unlatch and open the door. Sounded like several of them were trying to get through at once. I think I even heard them shoving and hitting each other.

Before they could get through, I set my back against the opposite wall, pistol loose at my hip, shotgun in my hands. And then I had a thought. Pulled out a grenade, pulled the pin but held the trigger thingy. I then used the shotgun to blast a hole near the middle of the door, also knocking a couple of them back...and then I tossed in the grenade and ran like hell back up the hall. It exploded just as I started to round the corner, the concussion making me stumble into the wall, and it made a small cloud of dust fall from the ceiling so everything in the hall turned hazy and indistinct.

I got back up as quickly as I could, turning and aiming back where I'd come from. Couple of strained snarls, but they grew quiet as I walked closer. Peering in, I saw that the grenade had pretty much taken them all out, though one needed a quick dispatch with Disc. A doorway on the other side of the room beckoned, silently. At the time, I hoped it was silent, my ears were ringing too much to hear anything. I paused at the doorway to check myself for any wounds, and to reload.

Day 9c

(*Static. Running footsteps, more static. Footsteps crunching on dirt and then on something solid, more static. Gun cocking loudly, two shotgun blasts, heavy breathing.*)

Okay, this isn't working. Even with the handpiece just in my shirt pocket, I can hear it cutting out, or getting this weird feedback. I think it may be affected by my combat rush, adrenaline, heartbeat...or maybe the damned thing's just on the fritz. I'll just have to fiddle with it.

So, I'm just inside that door I saw earlier. It hasn't been all that difficult getting here, which is rather surprising. I had to kill two more Fallen as I came in the door. I'd pulled out the shotgun, just in case something happened. I started down the stairs, they were coming up and out. One barrel into one, other barrel into the second one, and they both went tumbling down the stairs. I think I spotted another one or two as I ran to find someplace to hide and reload, regroup. Either this is the nest, or they've just found something tasty that brings 'em back. If this isn't the nest, I don't know if I brought enough ammo. That's what, ten I've brought down so far?

Damn.

Okay. Going to just let this keep running, static and all. It's either going to end on me being victorious, or me being ripped apart and probably screaming a lot.

(*Shotgun cocking, slow footsteps. Pause, silence. Footsteps.*)

Hmm. This place is actually pretty big. Like it might've been meant to connect the houses at some point. It's not all well done, so it might've been done after the Cataclysm. Got two doors here, one left, one right. Let's try....THIS ONE!

(*Hard, solid thump.*)

Ah, fuck! My foooot...! Locked, barricaded, something...! Dammit!

(*Thud of body falling to ground. Static. Muffled snarls, hisses. Recording cuts off.*)

Day 9b

(*Hushed, quiet voice, sounds of movement*)

So, I decided to try to record some as I go through this. If I die, and you're listening to this, you'll know where the nest is, how many's in there, so forth.

Hopefully.

Been going through here for about an hour now. Not counting the time it took me to creep from town to these houses. Sky's been pretty clear, only a couple of clouds. Means more light for me to see by, but also more light for them to see me. Found the houses, there's about five or six of them in any worthwhile condition, all in a line. So far, killed seven of the Fallen. If that's all that's here, great. On the other hand, if that's just what's out hunting while the rest of the nest is resting...not so great. I've managed to keep them from realizing I'm here, I think. Got three of them with a bullet through the head while crouched behind walls, the others I snuck up on and used Disc. Wasn't easy, but I don't want them all to hear tasty snack out here and come rushing at once.

Brain's going a mile a minute, trying to focus on everything at once and make new battle plans with each step. Luckily, I'm kinda used to it, so I'm not shaking too much, breathing's still quiet and controlled. I think I spotted the nest. Saw two of 'em shambling through a door, one of the ones I killed came out of the same one. I'm about fifty feet away, now, watching it.

Right now, the plan is: Sneak to the door, hope another one doesn't come out while I'm exposed. Once there, hug the walls while I make my way in. Disc in my good right hand, so I can kill quick and quiet, shotgun held by the barrel in my left hand so I can quickly grab in on the trigger and fire if it all goes to shit. If I find them all gathered in close, I toss in a couple grenades, and then I back away a bit with the shotgun in case any survive the blast. If I don't find any in there, I wonder where the hell they went, and I keep looking.

(*sound of deep breath, drawn in and held*)

Okay, here goes...

Day 9

Well, technically anyway. Its just an hour or so past midnight, and I'm getting ready to head out to that Fallen nest. Fallen don't really have any kind of sleep pattern, for me to try to catch them napping. No, I'm sneaking there at night in the hopes that I can take out as many as possible before they can see me in the dark. Ideally, I can either get to a doorway unspotted and just chuck in a grenade or two, or they'll be spread out enough in the dark to take one at a time.

Bad part is...there's several houses out there. A few still have at least a partial second story intact, and chances are pretty good that every damned one has a basement. All I know is that the nest is in there, somewhere. So, not only do I have to kill the Fallen, I have to find them. I also have to be careful that none of them stumble across me unawares while I'm scouting. And I have to be thorough, make sure I get all of them. Otherwise, I tell folks that job's done, area's safe and clear, and someone gets killed by a straggler. 

Which is less than ideal.

Traded Max one of my guns, plus ammo for it. Got a few grenades, and he talked their blacksmith into cutting off a length of the shotgun's barrels. I'm leaving the rest of my stuff inside the house they're letting me use. Max assured me that he and the Guard will keep my stuff safe. I also rigged a couple surprises of my own, nothing personal against the guy. Nothing lethal, just a snare and a little something that'd be a little more humiliating than anything else.

So, I am heading out to try to find and then cleanse a whole nest of Fallen, full number undetermined, exact location unknown. I have my trusty rifle for long-distance work, grenades if I can catch them in a group, shotgun for close-up, and pistol as backup. And of course, if all else fails, I have Disc. If things get that bad, though, I might have to just cut and run, try again tomorrow night.

Day 8

Definitely some work available to me, here. More than one person needs something done, and my special skills to do it. They're not rich here, or anything, but they can keep me fed and housed while I work, and I can get a few other things to help me out during my travels.

There's a small security force here, just called the Guard. Just three guys, two women. It's led by a Captain, a guy named Max Thorpe, bringing the total to a whopping six people keeping an eye out and protecting the town. But Max is the main one pushing me to help out, and he's the one that said as long as I'm helping out, I get a small place to myself, and they'll keep me fed. He took me on a tour of the town yesterday afternoon. Made sure to point out a few people that have things that need doing, easy access in and out of town besides the main gate, and so on. Also made sure every Guard knows me by sight. That way, they know I'm safe to let in, and they know who to hunt down if I stab 'em in the back. Can't fault him for that.

He himself has a job he wants taken care of ASAP. About a hundred yards or so away from the main gate is an old, paved road. Pre-Cataclysm. Just on the other side of that are the ruins of several old houses. Remember when I talked about how some Dyers eventually just lose the parts of their mind that makes them human, and just become predatory. Well, we refer to those poor souls as Fallen, and it seems there's a big nest of them moved into those houses. The Guard can drive them off if they try to come into the town, but they're not really hunters or trained like I am. The nest is a danger to anyone traveling to or from town, just passing by, out gathering, or whatever. And if there's enough in the nest to rush the town, they might manage to get past the Guard.

Usually, I've got nothing against Dyers. I even count a few as good friends. But Fallen stopped being human, except barely in appearance. Max wants the nest cleared out, and I have to agree. Killing all of them'll make the area safer, and its a mercy to those poor Fallen.

Day 7

Oh, I feel much better now. Got to town yesterday afternoon. Completely exhausted and worn out, hadn't stopped moving all day, ate while walking when I got hungry. Not really good for me, but...well, I'm stubborn that way. Place is Fest Town. Used to be the site of some big festival before the Cataclysm. Lots of signs still around, but nothing intact enough to read the whole thing. A “Ren” here, “ance Fest” there. Pictures of some guys on horseback, or jugglers. Lots of colors, though they're faded by this point. Place looks like it might've had a forest around it once; there's a scraggly collection of what passes for trees now, spread all around. Enough so that it's hard to approach in a straight line, any big group trying to attack would get all bunched up and diverted. Even had a set of walls, though they had to repair some parts, replace or reinforce others. All in all, a good defensive spot.

Weirdest part is, place looks like a castle in parts. Like, from an old children's book, gates with giant, wooden doors in front, shields hanging from the walls. A castle. I don't know what, or why. I shrugged when I saw it...well, after I spent a few minutes being confused. But, they opened the doors and let me in. Lights aren't a problem for them, they found thousands of candles in one of the little buildings, food in another. There was even armor and weapons in a couple of the others, mostly knives and swords, couple of bows and crossbows. They loved the weapons I brought, and the food and tools. I got some ammo, and some old meds they could spare. Got a hot meal, a shave.

Best of all, I got a hot bath, and someone to share my bed with afterward. Turns out there's a stream running right through the center of town. They can get some firewood from the trees nearby, easy to heat the water. It was wonderful. And the girl's name was Jennifer. Very pretty, brunette, no bald patches, only one scar. Great cleavage, and she loved showing it off.

I might see about staying here a few days, rest up, see if there's any work for me. Plus, I just want to get a look at this place. I've spoken to a couple of people, including at length with Jennifer while we laid in bed together after. Looks like this place got cobbled together about six or seven years ago. Couple of people wandering just kind of stumbled across it after seeing one of the towers sticking up just on the horizon. So they wandered in, did what they could to clear it out. They started to rebuild it, starting with the walls, while going out and trading with others. Trade brought more people looking to live here. Its not a bastion of the civilization that was, but its a nice town, somewhere other people could look forward to finding.

Day 5b

Damn, this bag's a lot heavier than I thought! I had planned to just walk like normal. I'd heard of a small town about a day northeast of me, and I was heading there to trade, rest, resupply. But it's just starting into evening now, and both of my shoulders are killing me. Tried switching the satchel from one to the other, so each could rest... didn't work as well as I'd hoped. So, I'm going to make camp early tonight, and rest. Tomorrow, I'll strap the satchel onto my backpack, and then pick up my pace to make it to that town by nightfall. Might make things more awkward if I have to fight, since I've spent time making my backpack as balanced as I can, but I ain't leaving this satchel behind if I can help it. There's too much value in it, and it could really help some folks out.

So, while I lay here, warm and toasty by the fire, full of roasted shrew and corn, I'll elaborate.

I've spent more time with Dyers, so I'll start with them. First thing: Ugly as sin. I've seen people retch and even throw up from their first sight of one. I can't really blame them, and I call some Dyers friends. They look like their name implies, like they started dying and they ain't done yet. Some people turn into Dyers, some young Dyers have kids. No matter which way it happens, it starts off about the same. First, their hair starts falling out, in big, random clumps. Then the skin starts growing lesions and boils, until they cover most of the body. Turns them either really red and inflamed-looking, or really pale. Either way, it's not pretty, and it's only the start. Sometime after that, their skin starts just falling off, often large chunks at a time, and it can sometimes take things like their nose or ears with it. After a while, they just start to look like a skeleton with just the muscle and tendon barely holding them together. At that point, their minds start to go, too. It begins with them losing their memories, and ends with them being little better than just predatory animals. And for some, it happens quicker than others.

But everything comes with a trade-off, I guess. The good part is, the whole process can take a while. A long while. I spent some time with a Dyer doctor who claims he was alive when the Cataclysm happened, and he said it was over a hundred years ago. He remembers when the bombs blew, the sky turning to red, then black as the ash and smoke covered everything. After that, he ducked into a hidden shelter, under the research lab where he worked.

According to him, the Dyer state is a mutation of an old disease, something called cancer. Before the Cataclysm, it apparently attacked the body by turning parts of it against itself, turning whole organs into cancer. One of its biggest causes was radiation, he said, but now we live in a world soaked in radiation, where a strong wind can make old light bulbs flicker to life. He said his research shows that a Dyer is almost nothing BUT cancer now. Like, they have every kind that used to exist, all at once. And that instead of killing them by shutting down an organ or two, all the cancers work together and hold each other together.

Or something like that, anyway. I've never been real good with things like that, and I'm trying to quote something someone told me about a year or so ago.