Apocalyptic Fallout with AbsoluteDreams

[Absolutedreams]

Cody merely nodded as Maverick explained about his arm. So as it was, the extremity was practically useless. Amazing that Maverick has managed this long with a paper weight attached to his body. He's easy pickings. Maybe it worked better before but before doesn't count now. Cody couldn't have a liability tagging along. He was pretty certain the person he was going to take Maverick to will be able to give him a functioning arm – using what Maverick had or supplying more parts. The guy had enough parts to build whatever the hell he wanted, kind of a pack rat really. "Yeah, no problem." He said regarding Maverick's thanks.

Whatever they didn't eat Cody tossed into the fire to let the embers burn it up. He too settled back against his own bag. Maverick and himself very much had the same mindset but at the same time Cody figured the kid wouldn't try to off him in his sleep. They came this far didn't they? And Cody was the one who threated Maverick's life, not the other way around. That may be an honorable quality but Maverick's hesitation to do just minor damage to Cody had him worried. Worried that Maverick wasn't going to make it as long as Cody has. You must be ruthless in most scenarios, otherwise this world would eat you up.

He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the other fall asleep, Cody thought the kid was too nice – maybe naïve. Easy to take advantage of and Cody frowned. He couldn't worry about shit like that, it wasn't his place, after this arrangement Cody will go his own way and Maverick would be on his own.

Cody dozed in and out but he didn't really sleep. The slightest noise, the wind, the silence even Maverick's breathing constantly pulled him out of his sleep. He had to worry about someone else now (not that he had to, but he did) and that made it hard to sleep. When morning started to rise Cody had to put on his pair of blackened goggles to protect his eyes from the bright ass sun. Already it was warming up and it was going to be a hot day – just like the days to follow. He grabbed his shit and if Maverick was up he motioned for them to move out, if not, he'd wake him up with a light tap of his foot after grabbing and stashing away the bottle of whisky.

They had a few days to go before they would reach the settlement Cody had in mind, and (he felt bad but) Cody had to watch Maverick suffer carrying his bag of heavy, clunky arms. Did the guilt eat away at him? Yeah because Cody finally gave into the nagging in the back of his head and he made Maverick stop. They were at the hottest, most miserable part of the day and Cody couldn't let Maverick struggle on with the amount of weight he had to carry. Cody considered the amount of energy, the calories Maverick was burning from the added weight and Cody sure as hell wasn't going to be dragging Maverick to town if the kid collapsed.

He wasn't going to argue about it either, he'd split the weight (not even evenly because he took more) and fastened the items to his backpack and hoisted it up. To give Maverick a break from carrying it all.

 

[ZetaInfection]

Throughout the night Maverick slept fairly well, only stirring for a small handful of occasions when a sound was simply too much to ignore but he would fall asleep just as easily as he awoke. He normally would have been awake by the time Cody prodded at him to get up but somehow he was still asleep. The prodding caused him to jump slightly, turning to Cody and recalling that he had a traveling companion for once. When he saw how high the sun had gotten he frowned. He really did oversleep. His exhaustion was catching up with him unfortunately. He had been running himself quite hard lately to come up with what he needed to fix this arm. He couldn't stand remaining at a complete disadvantage for too long.

Maverick got up and stretched before taking a small drink of his water and stashing it away. While he wasn't looking forward to it, he heaved his bags up and prepared to set out. The miserable scenery laid out before them was the norm. It was like a wasteland out here and every remaining building or landmark had been picked apart. Anything that wasn't nailed down was long gone as people scrambled to find supplies. Over time people had to travel further out to scavenge for stuff as the closer areas were picked completely clean. Any area that looked particularly livable was a bad idea to visit if you didn't know for sure who was around.

Those that didn't fit the societal mold ran around in packs like hyenas. Often times they had their own territories picked out and they would rob anyone who dared step foot upon them. Some groups would do even worse than that. It was a situation that was simply unthinkable in the past. The world had changed and society's rules along with it. The terrain was unfavorable in this particular area with a lot of unnecessary ups and downs. It got easier when they reached the flatter areas of course. The lack of large structures or trees meant that there was very little shade along there travel route.

Not a single complaint was made even as Maverick occasionally staggered under the pressure of the load he was carrying. He had been quiet up until the point that Cody decided to take his bag from him despite any stubborn protests he may have made regarding the issue. When Cody got his way they carried on, and Maverick found it refreshing not to be weighed down by all that junk but he worried whether or not it would be too burdensome for Cody. No, it wasn't his problem. Cody had insisted on carrying it so it was now Cody's problem.

The two made very good progress over the course of two days and their next stop was an old piece of culvert that Maverick had used many times. This area had a lack of good structures to hide in but the culvert remained intact. It was large enough for them to fit into and wouldn't leave them too visible. It was the best he could find unless they wanted to travel in the dark, and that would have been far riskier than this little spot. He set his stuff aside and fished through his bag for a can of soup. Hopefully they would reach this settlement soon because he was running out of supplies. "I'm surprised we haven't run into trouble yet, but it's not an impossibility." he murmured as he used part of a utility knife to get the damn thing open. It had several little tools attached to it and one of them was a rather poor excuse of a can opener.

"I don't know if you've heard, but Rosaria has gotten rather cocky lately. They are expanding their patrols further out than usual." he informed. Maverick knew an informant who kept his ear to the ground about all the latest useful information. Rosaria was just another faction of raiders that had cropped up in the area. He wasn't sure where their base of operations was but it was probably west somewhere. "Bunch of fools is what they are. The more they spread out the thinner their numbers get if they wanna comb large areas for unsuspecting targets." Maverick was used to running into the occasional Juicer or Black Skull, but he had no experience with Rosaria.

Most of these gangs were obvious by the decals or accessories they wore. Juicers like to paint bloody blenders on their stuff, and Black Skull adorned themselves in the skulls or other bones from the people they killed. As far as Maverick knew, Rosaria had a cult-like mindset and wore rosaries. There were countless groups out there but the big ones were well-known. Rosaria was getting to be one of those big names.

 

[Absolutedreams]

"James town…" Cody heaved a heavy sigh as he laid down once they were under cover. Damn tired, tired of always fucking walking everywhere. "They've been raided so many times there's not much more to raid – but they also amped up their security so it is mostly unlikely we won't have trouble…." But then again, they didn't seem to have the best of luck. Like Maverick said it wasn't an impossibility. Cody drank some of his water, like the other he was running low on supplies too, but they were close. They could probably make it in a whole day if they didn't get held up. Cody pulled his goggles off and stuffed them away too, deep red rings around his eyes from where the goggles sat on his face.

He rubbed at his temples as he listened to Maverick talk. Rosaria… He hasn't had any firsthand experience with them either and he'd rather it stay that way. He's heard enough about them that it made his stomach curdle. The Juicers were a bunch of fucktards and a pain in the ass, he didn't like dealing with Black Skull either – fucking psychopaths. Yes, he could live the rest of his life without ever having to have a run in with any of them. If that's one thing he could get out of this life, it would be that. "I wouldn't worry. We shouldn't have any problems." We won't, he hoped but they didn't know what could happen. Cody didn't want to think about what could happen if they run into a group that out numbers them. They'd be fucked – literally and figuratively. "Try to get some rest, it's gonna be cold tonight." The faster they could get to James town the better.

Cody pulled out some crackers to munch on, his whiskey and he shared it with Maverick again. He rather not talk about the possibility of running into any of them – it's almost like asking for it, you know gotta be careful about the things you say. The universe might be listening. However, he was a pretty decent listener and maybe it was because he didn't like talking much himself. He did pay attention to Maverick. After his snack he got more comfortable – the culvert didn't lend them as much personal space as the other places they stopped but at this point he was getting acquainted with Maverick's presence.

Using his backpack to lay against, Cody draped his arm over his eyes as he laid on his back. He gave himself a hard time silently, because he's been so hyper aware of Maverick that he's been on edge. He's only used to worrying about himself, and he has little regard for his own well being that he could sleep easier alone. While he's tried not to show it, he's actually been concerned for Maverick's well being this whole time. He isn't sure why he even cares, he tells himself that he doesn't care – but that's just lying. He's kept a pretty close eye on Maverick and it wasn't because he didn't trust him.

Damn this human nature of his. Was it because he's spent so many years alone? He's done his best to avoid people, even going far out of his way to do so – but here he was now, chatting it up with the kid, partnered with him. That was very unlike Cody and he wondered if his subconscious has had enough of his lone wolf shit, that, that's why he's doing this. He really couldn't figure it out. Trusting someone, being this close to them, it could bring all kinds of bad, it could bring heartache, extra stress, more added burden, but also it had the pros too. Easier to work together to survive, less likely to be attacked, you're more of a target when you're alone. He just didn't want the attachment.

 

[ZetaInfection]

Much like Cody, Maverick wasn't optimistic about avoiding trouble. Better to expect it and be prepared for it than to be caught off guard. He sipped at the soup with a disgusted expression that revealed he rather disliked the flavor in question. It was why he had saved it for last. "I wouldn't get my hopes up for anything out here." he replied as he continued at his soup.

After the last few nights he felt a lot more at ease around Cody. Sure, the man had tried to murder him in a psychotic rage back in that facility but they were getting along now. Cody simply hated Delta for some reason. Since they would split up after the next expedition he saw no reason to pry into the matter even if he was curious. Once the soup was gone he set the can aside and took a drink of the offered whiskey. Maverick was mentally slapping himself for how cordial he was being right now. People in general were bad news so why the fuck was he spilling this information? Just for the sake of talking? What the hell was the point in that?

Maybe deep down he was starved near to death of meaningful interaction with people. After his time in the labs he trusted no one, and now that the world was like this? He absolutely couldn't afford to get chummy with people. Nothing good could come of it. In the right circumstances anyone might betray their close friends just to survive one more day. This was an unforgivable world.

Maverick took the advice and laid back against his own bag to rest. The culvert had long since dried up so there was no moisture to bother them. He eventually fell asleep and the night passed them over just like that. As cold as it was he didn't wake up more than maybe three times throughout the night. In the morning he got ready to go along with Cody. This was the last stretch. Cody has said they would make it by the end of the day if they didn't have too much trouble.

The wind kicked up a lot of the dried dusty dirt that lay loosely on the terrain and in turn it was harder to see too far ahead of them. As agreed, they took turns carrying the heavy bag of arms. It had to have been the afternoon by now and as if the world itself were mocking them for wanting to get through this without any problems, of course there were problems.

In the distance was five people. No, six? It was clear they were of differing affiliation. Two of them were on the ground dead. A fight was underway and if Maverick didn't know any better, half of them were Juicers. Fucking hell. The other two wore old but black clothing that seemed to almost be uniform. The sheen of a black rosary around their neck could be seen if one looked close enough. A quick look over the area showed that this was all of them. "Let's...go around." Maverick muttered under his breath as he was sure they were very occupied with one another.

In the distance they could hear them bellowing at one another. Filthy heathens, kinky choir boys, the insults were varied but it was clear that there was no love lost between the two factions. Both Cody and Maverick had intended to give them a wide berth to simply avoid them altogether and it seemed to be working, until one of the combatants noticed them. Not only them, but the fact that they were carrying an impressive haul. It was enough to cause both groups to cease their vitriolic squabbling with a new target in mind.

Maverick cursed under his breath and tossed his bag aside to lessen the burden. If they were going to fight they would need all the advantage they could get, because running with this much stuff simply wasn't an option. With any luck hopefully the idiots had worn themselves out a bit in their own fight. This wouldn't be too difficult of a fight, unless one of them had a problematic ability of sorts. Maverick already had a plan in mind to off one of the Juicers at the very least. He pulled out his gun which was nothing amazing despite being a custom piece. He fired one bullet and he had aimed it deceptively. Cody probably though he was a fucking idiot for missing the shot deliberately, but it would soon become very clear that the fluke was entirely intentional as the bullet changed course and burried itself in the skull of the closer Juicer. He had changed the bullet's trajectory once it was far enough that there would be little they could do about it, but he didn't expect the same trick to work twice however. They were now much closer and they would have to fend them off very soon but at least the odds were a little more even for them.