The new world (Zavaya & MsBloom)

[MsBloom]

Eryn Flint

They had walked for about fifteen minutes when Robin asked if they feared death, a seemingly loaded question had it not be for the tone in her voice as if she was just making small talk to pass the time. The fact that it was asked just as they passed a small church perhaps added some significance to it but in the end it seemed a question she did not actually expect an answer to, and so Eryn simply shrugged their shoulders, letting Robin continue to answer her own question. This time Eryn nodded in response. It made perfect sense in this new world to prepare for every possible scenario.

They had been lucky that morning that Robin's plan had worked. Who knew how long those people had actually been watching Martin's scouts and scavenging team. Perhaps the plan had been to first trap the scavenging team at the bunker and then force either one of them to divulge the location of their camp. With a lot less luck they could all have ended up exactly like Robin said: Raped and tortured, taken for slaves or killed. Eryn had seen similar things happen before but always been lucky enough to avoid getting directly involved.

When they stopped another five minutes later Eryn looked out over what had clearly an industrial operation with a railroad running past it. It was just as clear that it was abandoned. Eryn nodded as they listened to Robin laying out some kind of plan for what it could all be used for while staring at the three silos and the many train carts lined up along the track. They also noticed a few buildings some distance further to the East and began to walk towards them. An operation of that size would have required heavy vehicles, front loaders, dump trucks and other similar equipment. with a bit of luck they might find one or two that still worked, or that they at least could scavenge parts from which they could build something useful.

They realised of course that this was a significant moment where they could prove their usefulness to Robin. The general idea was if nothing a good one.
"Has anyone actually followed the tracks to see where they go?" they asked as they pulled on the padlock on what looked like a large garage with sliding doors.
"I mean, I see a lot of mining carts but no locomotive. Logic however dictates that somewhere along the tracks a locomotive must exist. How else would they move the carts?"

Concluding that the padlock was actually still locked they squatted down and pulled out a Swiss army knife of the more advanced sort and used it to pick the lock with enough easy to suggest it was far from the first lock they had picked in their life. Inside they found almost exactly what they had expected: Two large front loaders. Whether they were in any way operational was still to be determined.

They looked around and found a small box mounted on the wall just inside the door.
"Keys," they said with a smile and took out two sets of keys, marked FL 1 and FL 2. They tossed the set marked FL 2 to Robin and climbed into the left front loader, assuming it would be FL 1 since most people counted from left to right. They key did fit the door and they climbed in. Now this was the moment of truth. Would it start?

 

[Zavaya]

"The tracks connect to all the main railroads in the US but east is Albuquerque and west is Flagstaff and Phoenix and on to California. Or what's left of it. Might even be a branch off to Vegas. There's a very small railyard just over the New Mexico border but I don't think there's a locomotive there. Your best chance for one is the bigger railyards near Flagstaff or New Mexico proper."

Robin looked at Eryn and her enthusiasm about the find. It was a good find but without diesel or heavy equipment it wasn't of any use to them. She took the key Eryn had thrown at her but didn't go to the forklift, instead went to the one Eryn had climbed into. It had whirred into life easily enough.

"Guess that one works?"

Robin was a little surprised but at the same time she wasn't. Equipment didn't handle the heat and the dust well, which is why James' semi constantly broke down but that was sitting out in the open and the elements. These forklifts had been stored in a shed and thus didn't come into contact with any dust or weather.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm but let's think this all through first. We need bigger tools and if we want to keep these running, diesel as well. Talk this all through with Allie and Martin. Maybe they'll have ideas. If they say no, we'll take it from there."

She knew the answer would be no already and in a way, she even agreed. They had shelters now in the shape of the big dorm room and the restaurant. If there would be smaller, private shelter, simple ones would have a priority but these grain carts would be solid for years to come and the ramshackle shelters some of the colonists had constructed themselves wouldn't last a storm, let alone years.

But Robin had settled in the camp and had to follow some sort of guidelines, whether she liked it or not.

"I think they have different priorities first. Like water and food. So please, don't get your hopes up too much yet. Things take time out here in the new world."

 

[MsBloom]

Eryn Flint

Eryn actually giggled when the front loader started without too much resistance, which was nothing short of amazing after a year of just sitting there. Then again there was no way of knowing for sure how long the gravel pit had actually been abandoned. Not even Robin's comment that without diesel to refuel the equipment it was useless to them could dampen their enthusiasm. After all this meant that they could make larger changes faster at the camp, unless they managed to convince everyone, Allie perhaps more than the others, that moving their camp here would be a good idea. Not only because it was more hidden than their current location but because of the possibilities this place held.

Eryn entirely agreed with Robin on that but also knew that without sustainable means to cool down the carts and carriages they would be uninhabitable. They had a few ideas on how to achieve habitable temperatures inside the carts and carriages but all of them relied on things they didn't have in any abundance, electricity and water.
"I wonder what those silos used to hold," they said having drifted off in their own head for a while trying to solve the problem at hand.
"Perhaps with large water collectors they could be used to both store water and to build some sort of hydroelectric plant, like a watermill connected to a generator or something like that."
Again they were talking more to themself than to Robin but then they turned to face her.
"For some reason I think there might be tools around here, like maybe that shack over there."
They pointed to the next shack over from the one they were now standing outside.
"And if not then we'll just add it to out own scavenging list for futures runs. Who knows there might even be heavy tools at that place we visited today. I mean there was enough tarp to build a decent sized water collector after all. Someone had definitely prepped that place for the end of the world. The only thing I can't figure out is where they are, why they didn't take up residence there when it actually happened."

They nodded in agreement with Robin's statement that Allie and the others back at Camp Houck probably had other priorities before power tools and a locomotive but that was also the point they would lead with. With better equipment they would have a much better chance at becoming increasingly self-sustainable and less reliant on diesel. With a front loader they could perhaps even dig a proper irrigation system, watered from whatever water could be gathered and stored in those silos.
"If they say no we could always do it ourselves, to start with, show them it is possible. Of course to build a large enough water collector to fill even one of those silos would take time and need a lot of tarp, not to mention clearing out whatever might already be stored there. And then there is the issue of purifying the water as well but essentially we could use the same water for electricity as we do for irrigation and for drinking, cooking and showering and stuff. We can also reuse a lot of that water if we have a water purifying plant as well. With some time and effort I think we could even build some kind of closed circuit water system that we could also use to cool the carriages and carts."

At this point Eryn realised they were just rambling on and thus stopped talking.
"Back?" they asked and nodded towards the road that had taken them there.
"As you say we need to talk to the others before we really do anything. I would however really enjoy driving that front loader up to the camp, to like show them what you have found here and to use as a starting point to argue in favour of the project."
That said they returned to the front loader and started it up again. However being an industrial vehicle it had only the one seat which meant that whoever wasn't driving would either have to stand on the steps or sit in the driver's lap.

 

[Zavaya]

Eryn's enthusiasm would have warmed anybody's heart. Yet Robin remained sceptical. Big words and promises but would they be possible? A few people in the camp knew their ways around power tools and could perhaps help Eryn with some ideas but Eryn was hopelessly naïve. A point Robin was keen to point out.

"Those preppers live to prep. When the actual shit hit the fan, most of them followed the government orders to evacuate. Saying you're independent and self supportive and being it are two completely different things. Especially with the looting and plundering that happened when government forces left. Not to mention what happened when the government fell all together. You've witnessed proof of that today. Most doomsday preppers never even considered that. They prepped and stuffed their hideout with supplies but when everybody needed supplies, they became a prime target to loot and plunder. That's why it's important we stock up on as much as we can while we can. Treasure troves like the one we've been to won't last long. We'll go back there as soon as possible to get as much out of there. And here, we defend it well."

Robin looked at the empty grain carts.

"Those would be good for that as well."

Then Eryn came with the idea to drive the loader up to the camp and again Robin had her reservations but this was a case which would do no harm either way. Since Eryn was already on the machine, Robin stepped on the sidesteps and held on to the A pillar.

"Onwards, to victory!"

 

[MsBloom]

Eryn Flint

"Onwards to victory," Eryn agreed and it did indeed feel like something of a victory when they drove up to Camp Houck in the front loader and parked it next to the semi.
It was clear that most of the people working on unloading the day's loot were a bit shocked at the sight.
"I was wondering where you two got off to," Martin said as Eryn climbed out of the vehicle.
Allison nodded and shot Robin an annoyed look for having not only taken off on one of her sulks but also had lured Eryn along.
"So just where did you find this thing?" she asked rather than scolding either of them.
"Some distance south of here, down at the gravel pit," Eryn said and walked up to their sister giving her a squeeze on the arm.
"How was your day?" they asked with genuine concern.
Knowing how awkward Alys could be and how uncomfortable she could be around new people. It had perhaps not been the best strategy to leave their sister alone with these people for an entire day.
"I missed you," they then said and gave Alys a more proper hug.
"You can tell me all about it later, after we've eaten and are alone in our truck, ok?"

They then began to sort through the material they had scavenged while talking aloud to themself about how to use it. It was in parts because it helped them focus their ideas and thoughts but also to let the others know what they were thinking of using it for.

When the semi was empty and everything was stored away Martin and Allison called a meeting to discuss the unexpected events of the day which Martin opened by explaining the necessity for what had happened on their arrival back at the settlement.
"As I am sure Robin will agree we cannot afford to draw attention to ourselves by allowing people we know nothing about to follow us back here and then return to wherever they came from. We all know very well that it is a dog eat dog world out there and that just as the apocalypse has brought out the best in some people it has also, most definitely, brought out the worst in far more people."

 

[Zavaya]

Well it's a dog eat dog
Eat cat too
The French eat frog
And I eat you

Alys couldn't help herself but to sing the song inside her head. She was happy her sibling had had a good day and by the looks of it, a very productive one as well. It was hard to shake off the events of the day however as the two people left alive initially had not left yet and were also nowhere to be seen. Since Alys was a lot of things but not stupid, she had her ideas as to what had happened.

After that, she had ceased to figure out where to built a vegetable garden as her only goal now was to get the hell out of here, away from these people. She sat through the meal in silence, letting her sibling to the talking about her new plans and answering questions from curious people wondering where they came from and what their story was. Alys had also noticed Robin wasn't with them for the meal.

This was of worry to her, not because she cared for Robin but because Robin had taken her sibling away once already and so had the potential to do it again. Once the meal was done, Alys basically dragged Eryn out of the canteen and as soon as they were outside, walking towards their vehicle, she spoke her mind.

"Eryn we can't stay here. They've murdered those people!"

There was a sense of urgency and panic in her voice as she looked at the horizon where the sun was already halfway down, making for a spectacular sunset.

"And then that.. that woman took you away and you didn't even protest and also, nothing will grow here. The soil is infertile, there's no moist in the ground at all. This is a bad place to be. And also.."

Alys rambled on, not giving her sibling a chance to speak.

"Who else knows about this camp? Is there like a communication network? If other people know about this place, they might come and raid it in the night when everybody is asleep. I'm telling you Eryn, we have to leave."

She opened the door to the car and climbed in and waited for her sibling to be seated next to her.

"We can fill up the truck tonight when they are asleep. Just take some fuel from their semi, I know where they've parked it. We just need a bit of hose to suck the diesel out and then we can leave and go to the mountains. If we just follow this road east, we should get there eventually."

Alys looked at her sibling expectantly, seeing no flaws in her plan and thus fully expecting her sibling to agree with her.

 

[MsBloom]

Eryn Flint

After the meeting and dinner Eryn and Alys retreated to their truck for some alone time and for Alys to finally get the events of the day, or rather the afternoon, off of her chest. Eryn did their best to comfort their clearly, and for good reason, distraught sister. Even though it had been a year now and the two of them had been through a lot, seen things they had never expected to see outside movies and television, neither of them had killed anyone, nor actually seen anyone killed. They had wanted to hug Alys but knew better than to try. It would probably make things worse to force physical intimacy upon her on top of the traumatic events she had already been through.
"I'm sorry I went off with Robin without talking to you first but at the time I didn't know where she was going or what she had found. It might not be better for growing things but it has a lot of potential and is a lot easier to defend."
They explained to their sister what Robin had shown them and what she thought they could make of it, including the possibility of finding a locomotive if they followed the tracks and how they could use that to travel back and forth, maybe set up some sort of supply line or just keep going until the end of the tracks and see what they could find.

They stopped talking when they realised that perhaps none of that was particularly reassuring to their sister. Alys wanted to leave and find fertile soil but as Eryn explained to her: "It would be almost stupid to leave such a scavengers haven behind as the one I just saw earlier today. Completely untouched. Not even Robin seemed to know it was there."
That was the other reason Eryn was reluctant to just pull up stakes and keep moving East, Robin.

While neither of them had even touched on anything romantic during their short hike to the gravel pit Eryn had begun to fall in love. They of course had no idea if Robin felt even remotely the same but they wanted to find out and that meant that if they were to leave again they wanted Robin to come with them.
"Maybe we could just take the semi with us instead of just draining it of diesel, not that it wouldn't be easier to just grab a couple of the cans we scavenged earlier," they said as they lay down next to Alys, hands behind their head.
"I mean, that way we can raid that bunker on the way, and like if we ask Robin to come with us, I know she doesn't agree much with the people here either, then we can take both the semi and our own truck. After all, Martin said it himself, it's a dog eat dog world out there."

The idea of raiding another camp the way Eryn was now planning was something entirely new to them and their sister. So far they had mostly played nice when others played nice with them. Perhaps it was time to change.
"We would need to somehow avoid their night watch but I think I know how to do that, and I am sure Robin has a few ideas as well. Let me go talk to her and then I'll be back before it gets dark. Okay?"

Eryn got back out of the truck leaving Alys there to read or start packing up their things as she liked and walked over to the underpass where Robin had made her own little camp within the camp.
"Hey ..." they said and smiled.
"So I've been talking to my sister and she is kind of freaked out by how our scavenging trip ended and wants to leave Camp Houck. She wants to keep going east. She might be persuaded to just move south to the gravel pit if we can really sell her on the idea but either way ... she wants to leave and I would rather not force her to stay, and I certainly won't let her leave on her own."
They fell silent for a while as they considered how to say what was on their mind.
"I know you're excited about that gravel pit and its potential as a much better camp but realistically we would need tools and supplies we don't have and won't easily acquire here to build it. I mean I don't even know how to begin to MacGyver it as it is. But if you were to come with us we could steal the semi, raid that bunker on the way and head up into the Rockies maybe, or the Great Plains."

They fell silent again realising that they had still not addressed the reason they were making Robin this offer, why they had revealed the plans they had made with their sister to her without knowing for sure that Robin would not try to stop them from leaving one way or another.
"And like ... I mean ... I would really hate to leave you behind almost as much as I would hate to force Alys to stay or leave on her own, because like ... I don't know if you even go that way but I think I am kind of ... like ... falling in love with you."

 

[Zavaya]

"No!"

Alys was quick to dismiss the idea of stealing the semi as well.

"You've seen what they did to those people. They didn't even steal anything yet. Imagine what they'll do to us! We don't need that semi... We just need enough diesel to head east."

She was visibly nervous and scared as she couldn't sit still. Her legs twitching and her foot tapping the floor of the car. Alys' eyes grew larger when Eryn mentioned Robin and then opened the door.

"Eryn! Wait... I..."

But it was too late. Eryn had already left the car and had left her alone in the car again.


Robin was sitting on her bed, a pencil and a small sketchbook in hand when Eryn entered. She quickly put her stuff away and listened to what Eryn had to say. Robin frowned and looked over Eryn's shoulder to see if she was followed, ignoring the fact that Eryn had just told her she loved her. For now.

"You see, the thing is, I don't quite know how you two have made it here, all the way from California without running into trouble. If your sister is so upset about people trying to rob us being killed, you two won't make it far. This is the reality now. Kill or be killed. Or, since you and your sister are good looking young women, or... you know.. maybe being killed is the most positive outcome."

She had seen raided camps which made her skin crawl.

"Our medic, Katie? The young one, we found her... not too far from Phoenix actually. Rescued her from a bunch of raiders. She was one of nine female prisoners, we rescued her and Jade. Got them back to Houck. Jade... She couldn't deal with the trauma she had suffered. Killed herself."

Robin paused for a moment to let it all sink in with Eryn.

"Leaving here, on your own, is the worst idea ever. I'm not coming with you either. I'm going to the tracks and the sand mine."

She took a deep breath and sighed.

"You're the first one to come here who has some kind of vision on how to make things better. The others are just.. surviving. You and I, we can thrive, we can live again. We don't have to steal tools from Houck, we can just ask. Your car is faster for small scavenge trips to the cities. We can work together with Houck. They have connections. There's a large farm near Albuquerque. We traded with them before, they might want to trade again. I've also heard of a fuel refinery in Texas. If we find that locomotive and figure out how it works, and pray the tracks are clear, we can thrive here Eryn."

She stood up, walked to the door and looked out.

"Don't leave. And if you do, don't leave now. The weather's changing."

Robin nodded at the sky, as if Eryn would know what to look for.

"Clouds are coming in from the horizon and the wind is picking up. If you two get caught up in a sandstorm, you've had it. Talk to your sister. I'll talk to Allie and Martin about the sand mine. Please? I kinda need you there."

 

[MsBloom]

Eryn Flint

In so many ways Eryn was prepared to agree with Robin about their sister being overly nervous and had often found her desire to keep moving at the first sign of trouble quite annoying. However, unlike Robin, Eryn knew the reason and it was one that Alys had always struggled with and why Eryn had always protected her. This new world was in that respect no different than before the meteorite. They listened to Robin as she kept talking about the new world and what fates worse than being murdered could befall two young AFAB all alone in it. They nodded in agreement as Robin told Katie's story. This was one of the reasons why Eryn had wanted to stay in Houck. Safety in numbers and the people at Camp Houck seemed like decent people after all.

"How we've made it, all the way from California, up and down the wastelands between Sierra Nevada, The Cascades and The Rockies, all the way up to Spokane to a small pocket of civilisation near The Great Salt Lake, always moving on when faced with trouble, to here?"
Eryn took a deep breath and chewed nervously on their bottom lip.
"Thunder and Rumble helped a lot more than Alys realise, or wants to realise. Of course we ran into all manner of trouble along the way but most of it I covered up to keep Alys from breaking down completely."
They then went on to explain Alys' neurodiversity and how it often caused her to not see things for what they were. It had of course been absolutely necessary to make sure that those people that had followed them back from the latest scavenge hunt did not make it back to their camp for the very reasons Robin had mentioned but in Alys' mind it did not work that way. In her mind it meant that the people at Camp Houck were equally as dangerous to be around as anyone else they had encountered over the last year.
"That's kind of why we've kept to ourselves since we left Utah to make it to the Great Plains. She doesn't trust easily under normal circumstances and in this new world you could say she is downright paranoid about people. It was no easy task to convince her to stay here even for one night."

The idea of moving to the sand and gravel mine just South with Robin seemed like a very good idea. It was what the two of them had talked about while they were there and Eryn had certainly seen both the potential in it as a settlement as well as the challenges. Adding to it the new information Robin offered up about a farm that already traded with the people in Houck and the possibility of a fuel refinery in Texas Eryn nodded. The railroad could connect them to almost the entire country should they find a working locomotive and fuel for it. It was a good plan and also agreed that working together with Camp Houck though separated from them was the best option.
"When do you leave?" they asked.
"I think I can convince Alys about the wisdom in going south rather than east."
Walking up next to Robin Eryn too looked up at the sky. They had not seen much of rain since leaving Utah but they remembered from school how when it did rain in the deserts in the South-West it was on an old testament scale. Seeing the clouds moving rapidly they nodded. Sandstorm or flood like rains neither was particularly alluring.

Before Eryn left to walk back to Alys to talk to her about what Robin had said they turned to face her, chewed nervously on her bottom lip again and then, quickly before they changed their mind or lot their nerve, pressed their lips against Robin's. They then turned and began to quickly walk away, embarrassed at what they had just done, not even looking back to see how Robin reacted to it.

Katie Miller

As the group unloaded and packed away the latest haul, as well as through dinner and the meeting, it had not escaped Katie Miller that the new girl was upset about something and she had a good idea what it was all about. It had also not escaped her attention that Alys Flint was almost certainly neurodivergent, high functioning autism was her guess. That made it a delicate job to approach her about what upset her and at first she of course left it to Eryn but then as she was about to begin her patrol of the perimeter she noticed Eryn walking off towards Robin's and decided to pay Alys a visit, just to check up on her, see if there was anything she, as the resident medic, could help with.
"Hey," she said with a smile as she knocked on the window on the passenger side of the pick up.
"Want some company?" she asked in her warmest, friendliest voice.
"That was quite some haul and that thing your sister, sorry your sibling, and Robin brought back, that's just like what the fudge, right?"

 

[Zavaya]

Robin understood the burden Eryn carried in the care of her sister but at the same time she was so deep in her apocalypse survival mode that she really, genuinely believed in a survival of the fittest. Eryn had proven herself to be an asset. To her and to Houck and if she could put her money where her mouth was and construct even half of what she had said she could, she would be invaluable. The car and mods to that were promising to say the least.

Alys had not showed anything yet. In fact, all she had showed was to be an insecure shy little mouse, ready to be pounded upon by the big cats if her sister let her out of sight for a moment. Houck had a couple of those people already. Dead weight. Mouths to feeds without anything in return. For Robin, who wasn't in charge of Houck but would probably be of the new camp, if it got hold in the first place having Alys was a risk. But wanting Eryn was a dead given and so, she had to accept Alys as well and believe the two siblings on their word that Alys could grow anything, anywhere.

"Would it help if you and your sister sleep here? With me? I'm not asking her, or you, to trust anybody else but me. We'll talk about the plans, if she gets half as hyped up as me or you, I think we're good?"

Robin looked at Eryn, sincerely hoping she could convince her sister and feeling helpless about not having control over it. It was a feeling she wasn't used to. She wanted Eryn with her, because of her skills and ideas but also for that other thing. Normally, especially in the last year or so, she had been on top of things. She wasn't a leader of the camp but a very valuable member who usually got her ways, one way or another. And now there was a woman between what she wanted, whom she didn't even know, had only seen for a few seconds and one who wanted more than anything to take Eryn and move as far away as she could from Robin.

"I won't leave without you. I'll talk to Allie and Martin tomorrow as well. You drive that digger back, your sister the car. Hopefully. We'll take some of my stuff in the bucket of the digger."

She gazed outside again.

"If the weather's not completely terrible. Come back soon. Sandstorms can be dangerous here. You shouldn't be outside when one hits."




Alys was sitting in the car, both hands on the wheel, ready to start the engine and put her foot down, to drive away. Or to get out, steal some diesel from the semi and then drive off. Her lips were moving without producing a sound as she kept telling herself they had to get out of here and head for the Appalachians. She could see the weather change as well. The clear blue sky was turning white first, then grey and in the distance it was getting a very earie shade of orange and purple. She had seen those colours in Yellowstone and California, before all the eruptions and all the times it was a forebode of thunder and apocalyptic rains.

As she looked up through the windshield, she softly whispered Skoll and Fenrir as the sun faded slowly. She had been heavily interested in the Norse mythology and the Celtic one, the latter being closer to her heart because of her heritage but the Norse being more interesting for her. Ragnarokk had begun. Jörmungandr had released his tail. The world would burn.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the knock on the window. Alys cursed and hissed before lowering the window and taking a deep breath. Why would she want company? They were leaving soon. She gave a puzzled look at Katie, not knowing or understanding what she really meant.

"Yeah... that was a good haul. I'm sure there's a lot of things you guys can do with that stuff."

Alys tried to sound friendly, probably failed as she looked out of the window on the other side to see if she could see her sibling already. She didn't want to be here when the end would come. She wasn't going to die in some God forsaken desert among scavengers and murderers. To hell with that...

 

[MsBloom]

Katie Miller

"Hey listen," Katie said, sensing there was more going on than Alys was letting on.
She had opened the door to the passenger side and invited herself in.

It was of course easily understood that Alys was upset, considering what had happened, but she looked about ready to leave any second, or rather the second her sibling returned.
"None of us wants it to be the way it is, but sometimes one has to do some pretty extreme things to defend your own security, and your freedom. I am sure that both you and your sibling have seen what some people are capable of when there are no rules to inhibit them. I for sure have, before I came here with another girl. Jade was her name, an exchange student from Kenya. Like me and seven other women she had fallen into the hands of a bunch of real bastards, a bunch of misogynist incels who, in the absence of a functioning social structure and law enforcement, took it upon themselves to keep women as slaves, mostly for sexual purposes. I don't remember how many of them there were but a few dozen at least, who simply raped us whenever they felt like it, raped and beat us."
Katie paused and looked at Alys. She knew the story might upset the young woman even further but she wanted her to hear it anyway because it would remind her that life is not and will not be the same as it was before the meteorite and all the calamity it set off.

"Then one day just outside of Phoenix myself, Jade and a third girl, Christine, managed to escape and we ran into Martin, James, Owen and Robin just as the people they had sent out after us caught up with us. The three of us begged them to help us and just as Robin nodded that of course they would Christine was shot, right through the neck, and bled out at my feet. There was nothing anyone could have done to save her. Anyhow, bullets started flying and I am eternally grateful to Robin for being as good with a rifle as she is. Had it not been for her then All of us would probably have been dead, not just me, Christine and Jade, but Martin, James and Owen as well."
She paused again but this time it was more to do a bit of deep breathing, to calm herself down. At this point there were also tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"And that wouldn't have been the end of it. They would have kept one of them alive, tortured him until he told them the location of this place and then they would have raided it, leaving only the women alive and those women would have been added to their harem of slaves. So you see ... had not Robin and the others killed those men following me, Jade and Christine, then not only would we have been recaptured, and probably punished in ways you don't even want to imagine your worst enemy suffering, but the same fate would have befallen Nell, Allison and Claire. One might perhaps still argue that lethal force was excessive but think about it. What else were they supposed to do? It's not like there was any police to contact anymore, no courtrooms in which to sentence those bastards or prisons to incarcerate them. Had they been allowed to live, they would have continued raiding and taking women as slave for their own sick pleasures. Perhaps one day they might have run into you and your sibling. Do you think they would have cared that they don't identify as a woman? No they would only be interested in what is between their legs."

There was another moment of silence as Katie leaned back into the seat of the car.
"I'm sorry you had to see that before but that's just how things are. Talk to Robin, she has seen a few raided camp with no survivors, not even children were left alive, and worse. At least take a moment to think about what is out there before you decide to leave here."
Katie smiled at Alys but at the same time the tears that had been forming in the corners of her eyes began to run down her cheeks.
"If you're wondering where Jade is I can show you where we buried her after she took James' shotgun and blew her head off. She couldn't live with the trauma of what she had been through."

 

[Zavaya]

Alys had no idea why Katie was sharing all this with her. She hadn't asked for it and she certainly wasn't interested in the life story of some random stranger. What she did get out of it, was a warning as to not to leave Houck, something she really got annoyed at because it wasn't Katie's place to say that. She was a rational person and Katie had just shared an emotional story. So when she looked over to Katie and saw the tears, Alys just sighed.

What the hell was all this? Why had this woman picked her to talk to?

Knowing she had to say something, because that was expected of her, she began to think of an appropriate thing to say. Much to her own shock and surprise, the words coming out of her mouth were different from the ones she had formed in her head.

"Sure. Show me."

Baffled at her self she then began to think of a reason why she said that and not.

'Okay. I'll consider your story.'

Why the fuck had she picked the emotional answer over the rational one. She wasn't interested in looking at a deceased girl who may or may not have existed in the way Katie had just shared with her. In Alys' mind it could all still be made up. Some story or excuse to keep her and Eryn at Houck. But Katie was already out of the car and clearly waiting for her and Alys was polite enough not to come back on her words. Especially feeling as uncomfortable as she did after Katie's story.

So she got out of the car and locked it behind her and then looked around.

"I just have to keep an eye out for Eryn. When she comes back, we'll leave again."

And with that, she had basically told Katie she had ignored everything that was just shared about the dangers of going outside.

"So when you see her, please, let me know so I can tell her I'm with you looking at your friend. Ok?"

 

[MsBloom]

Katie Miller

Katie could sense that Alys was somewhat suspicious of the story, or perhaps more of the reasons she had told it. She had intended it as a way to explain that what had happened earlier did not make Martin or the others bad people but rather protective of the camp and the people living there. She had also sensed from quite early on that Alys was not like most people and now realised that perhaps telling the story of how she had ended up in Camp Houck had not been the best way to convince her and her sibling to not leave.

As the two young women walked away from the house towards the wind turbine Katie nodded to suggest that she actually did understand why Alys had reacted the way she did.
"What is it, ASD? High functioning?" she asked hoping that this would allow Alys to open up a little more, to know that Katie actually understood.

Eryn Flint

Eryn was unsure how Alys would respond to Robin's suggestion but seeing the sky above as she walked back to their pick up they realised a storm of some sort was in the brewing and that would perhaps convince Alys to at least not head out onto the open road that night and also that perhaps a shorter move away from the camp was a better idea, at least momentarily.

The upset sky was also one reason why Eryn was surprised to not find Alys in the pick up, ready to head out. Perhaps she had realised that it would not be a good idea to leave that night and sought shelter in the café. They were just about to head that way when they noticed two shapes moving towards the wind turbine. At first they assumed it was the two guards doing their rounds but then they picked up a voice that sounded very much like Alys. They turned and walked a few steps in the direction of the turbine.
"Alys?" they called out.

 

[Zavaya]

"Eryn!"

Alys immediately turned around and walked back to Eryn and the car, completely ignoring Katie again, not even mentioning or saying she was going back. When she got to Eryn and near the car, she looked back at Katie who stood half way. For a moment she was in doubt. Go with Katie because she had promised? Or get in the car with Eryn and drive.

She noticed the wind was picking up in speed quickly up to a level where it was interfering with a conversation and the speed at which it all picked up was pretty alarming. Had Robin been with them, she'd have immediately told them to get inside but Alys didn't recognise the looming danger yet.

"Katie was going to show me where they buried her friend. She killed herself after they found her in some slaver's camp. When I get back, we can leave."

Alys now had to shield her eyes and face from the blasting sand and when she turned to face Katie again, she noticed the woman running towards her and Eryn, waving her arms. She was shouting something but it was impossible to hear what she was saying. Alys looked at Eryn and quickly glanced over the quickly approaching storm. The air was a sickening dark brown colour and before she had processed it fully, Katie got into shouting range.

"Get .. car..."

Still not fully grasping the situation, she shouted back that she couldn't understand her. Seconds later Katie was near enough.

"Get in the car!! Quickly!"
"But you wanted to show me Jade's grave? Near the tower..."

At that moment the first flash of lightning appeared in the storm cloud. It was now difficult to stand upright and Katie didn't answer her and just bolted towards the car. By now Eryn had also noticed the urgency and when Eryn and Katie were in the car, shouting at Alys, finally she got in the car behind the wheel and closed the door.

"I don't.. we were going..."

She was interrupted by a thunderstroke and lightning bolt again.

 

[MsBloom]

Eryn Flint

No more had Eryn called out for their sister before the winds began to pick up at an intimidating pace. By the time Alys was almost at the car the winds were high enough that her hair whipped about her face. This was no ordinary weather and in the back of their mind Eryn remembered having read something, somewhere, about how the weather can change abruptly in the desert during certain seasons, or maybe they had seen it on the Discovery Channel or something like that.
"Hurry up Sis. We need to get inside quickly," they called out but could barely even hear themself over the storm.
At the same time they saw Katie come running towards them waving her arms.

With all the sand blowing about from the high winds they didn't open the car doors until both Alys and Katie were ready to get in. It would be hell to clean it all out afterwards.
"C'mon, get in. Or you'll soon blow away ... just like Dorothy except there's no Oz waiting on the other side of the storm, no yellow brick road," they repeated at their sister who seemed blocked somehow, or rather caught in her own head trying to choose between some promise she had made and actually saving her own life, not always a clear choice for Alys, as Eryn knew very well.
Just as Eryn wa about to challenge the winds and go to grab their sister and drag her into the car the sky lit up with a loud bang not long after Alys seemed to shake awake and Eryn only just managed to get the door open for her before she was inside the car.

Once the three of them were all relatively safe inside the car there was a brief but awkward silence before Eryn decided to put the cards on the table, even though they were not alone with Alys.
"So I was talking with Robin, about leaving."
They paused and glanced over at Katie who was sitting to the right of them in the double passenger seat.
"Sorry. But two things really. I know she might be exaggerating a bit but Alys is really freaked about how you people kille those other people who followed us. I'm sure she understands the necessity deep down but with her ... being the way she is it doesn't always make sense or her mind flies off in all manner of directions. The other thing is that gravel pit Robin showed me earlier today. She is right you know. It could make for a much better camp than this place, more easily defendable for one. The silos could be used for storing water and some of those cars could be converted into decent living quarters of a much more private nature than what you have here."
Katie listened but didn't say anything. She had already figured out that the siblings had decided to move on. She just had not actually figured that they would go along with Robin on her pet dream project of building some sort of fort down in the gravel pit to the South.

"We could go to Robin's now, rather than back into the café," Eryn suggested and turned towards their sister.
"She has sort of agreed to jon us if we decide to go South instead of heading for the plains. And I think it is a good idea, at least well with this weather we won't get far anyway. What do you think Sis?"

 

[Zavaya]

Alys just sat in the car behind the wheel processing everything. She had wanted and planned on leaving. But now there was a storm that reduced visibility to almost nothing and Katie was with them in the car. And Eryn wanted to go to Robin, for reasons Alys didn't understand yet. She had her hands on the wheel and started the car, put it in drive and slowly let the car roll. The wind was really picking up and howled along the sides of the car.

And then Alys' rational mind worked again. She didn't trust the people in the camp. She did trust her sibling who in turn trusted Robin. So, by her own logic, she too had to trust Robin. She turned her head and looked at Eryn with her big brown puppy eyes, radiating a mixture of panic and exhaustion. Alys was at the end of her rope. All those months roaming the country, no solid reliable schedules to keep, meeting strangers and a lot of improvising. Her hope had been that Houck would be a good place but it wasn't. She had hoped that by now they had reach the Appalachians already to really settle down but they hadn't. So all the solid foundations she had craved and needed were just not there and she couldn't take it anymore. She tried to keep it together as she slowly rolled in the general direction of the highway, knowing Robin would be there somewhere.

"Okay. We go to Robin."

Her voice trembled as she fought the tears and kept her eyes firmly on the road, both to see where she was going and to hide the fact she was breaking down. Although her sibling probably knew her better than anybody else.

She followed instructions from Eryn and Katie as to where Robin was and eventually they made it. Alys parked the car under the bridge so at least it would be dry from the rain that had now started as well and turned the car so the back was facing the wind to prevent the engine and radiator from getting sandblasted.



Robin heard the engine over the howling wind and the thunder and rain. She grabbed a rifle and got to the door of her shelter. It could be Eryn, either alone or with her sister, or a random group of wanderers. The latter was unlikely but Robin wasn't one to take chances and risk everything. When she saw the big red car, she put the rifle down and watched not one, but three figures get out of the car. Raising her eyebrow she quickly spotted Eryn's sister as well and lastly, Katie. That was an interesting development. How did the camp junior doctor end up in the car with the two newcomers?

It was a question for later if it would come up. She held the door open and gestured for the three to come in. Katie was first to come in, followed by Alys.

"Welcome. It's dangerous out there now."

When she was sure Katie and specifically Alys wasn't watching, Robin wrapped one arm around Eryn's waist and planted a quick kiss on her lips as she got inside. Then she gave a playful wink and closed the door and locked it.

"I wasn't expecting so many visitors tonight. But there's beer in the cooler if you want. I only have one double bed, so two will have to sleep on the couch tonight."

Alys was immediately panicking again. She had no intentions of staying the night.

"We.. Eryn and I can sleep in the car. We've been doing that for a while now. It's no problem."

Robin looked at Alys and then at Eryn.

"No... I.."

She wanted to say she understood why Alys wanted it but that would be a lie and she knew that Alys knew that as well.

"It's too dangerous to sleep in the car now with this weather. It's the worst I've ever seen it."

 

[MsBloom]

Eryn Flint

It was obvious to Eryn that their sister was not in a good place and with the conditions outside the car they had much preferred to be the one driving. The last thing they needed now was for Alys to lose it, as Eryn called it when their sister broke down, or rather closed down and became almost impossible to communicate with. From what Eryn knew and could see Alys was fighting against it and they couldn't help but to feel that they had somehow betrayed their sister for a chance at what - love - that was a stretch as things now stood. They didn't even know how Robin had reacted to them kissing her on pure impulse, though as they had heard no objections as they walked away it couldn't have been all that bad. Still that wasn't love, it was in fact little more than lust as things stood, and perhaps not even reciprocated lust. Was Robin worth it, was she worth having Alys potentially close down and having to start over regaining the level of sibling trust that had grown between them over the years they had spent living together. They had already put Alys through so much with coming out as non-binary and basically forcing their sister to stop thinking of them as a woman, stop using female pronouns when talking about them, which to Alys had seemed to be almost like learning an entirely new language, not to mention the intimacy issues it had caused. True Alys had always been shy about being naked, even in front of Eryn and even when she still thought of her as a sister but after Eryn had explained that being non-binary meant that they identified as both a woman and a man, it had gotten worse. It was the same with hugs and other displays of affection between siblings, such as cuddling together on a couch watching a movie as they had often done before.

Had it not been hell and high winds outside they might have asked Katie to get our and make her way back to the café and told Alys to just keep going towards Albuquerque and the great plains beyond but under the circumstances that was not a good idea. They could barely see beyond the hood of the car as it was and Eryn was actually quite impressed that Alys found Robin's place without driving around in circles, or missing it entirely.

Getting to Robin's was of course only half the issue with Alys being in the state she was. When she was as close to a break down as she was at that moment she was a lot more sensitive to change and intimacy but also more craving of the kind of emotional security only Eryn, despite their differences and internal issues, could provide.
"We can't sleep in the car Al," Eryn said and took their sister's face between their hands and looked into her eyes.
"It's too dangerous, but maybe under the circumstances Robin might let us use her bed so that we can still sleep together."
Eryn would of course much rather have shared the bed with Robin but their sister's well-being came first and there was nothing to say that they couldn't sneak out of bed once Alys was asleep and maybe have a tête-a-tête with Robin in some other part of the shelter.
"Please," they said and glanced sideways at Robin to see how she reacted to the suggestion.

 

[Zavaya]

Robin gave a quick nod to Eryn. She too much preferred to share her own bed with Eryn but even she could tell that Alys was hanging on by a thread. And now that they were all here, she figured she'd get another chance anyway. This wouldn't be their last day together. She got up, put a hand on Eryn's shoulder.

"I'll get some stuff out, so you two can be together in the room."

Just as she had finished her sentence, there was another thunder clap followed by an dull roar which quickly intensified. Rain. She looked at Katie, who had been in the desert long enough as well to know that rain was a rare occurrence, let alone in this quantities. She nodded at Katie to follow her outside. Now that the rain was falling, the most of the sand would be washed down and although there was still a seriously heavy wind, under the overpass it wouldn't be lethal anymore. Robin felt she needed to give the two siblings a bit of space and took Katie outside.



Alys watched Robin and Katie leave and then moved into the 'bedroom'. Room was probably too big a word. It was a corner of the hut, fenced off with an old rickety wardrobe and some scrap planks of corrugated metal. But it was privacy and it had Eryn in it and that was all she needed right now.

"I still don't get it Eryn. I'm sure I would have noticed if the wrong turn led us here. I think the signs must have been wrong."

Alys' brain brought her back all the way to the cause of why they were here. That stupid wrong turn. She had been convinced it was the right one even though instead of going east, they had been going southwest. Same highway, wrong exit. And now they were here. She'd seen plunderings, murder and was now about to lose her sister to another woman.

"Why do you like her Eryn? She's..."

She visibly pondered on her words, something she hardly ever did, indicating she was well aware of how it might effect Eryn's feelings.

"She's a bit rough around the edges? I think that's what I mean."

Alys gave a sheepish smile to her sibling. She was happy for them, she really was but at the same time it meant chance and chance, right now, was Alys' worst enemy. She took Eryn's hand and carefully curled up on the bed, pulling her sibling into a hug.

"Can you stay with me until I sleep? I.."

Then Alys finally broke. A tear ran down her face, quickly followed by more.

"I need you now. When I'm asleep, you can go to Robin."

 

[MsBloom]

Eryn Flint

They knew that under the circumstances they would have to handle their sister with soft gloves. The suggestion of them moving just a little bit to the South with Robin was bad enough. Adding the unexpected and violent weather to that and Eryn knew that Alys was a bundle of nerves on high alert. Change had never been her best friend and it had gotten worse since the world went to hell.

They were just about to suggest that they make the best of the situation as it was, at least until the weather calmed down enough to make travelling any sort of distance safe when Alys spoke up, once again going over the supposed mistake she had made to land them in Houck, the middle of nowhere surrounded by little more than barren land that would take advanced irrigation to yield anything worth growing.
"Hey. It's ok. I mean if we were to continue for the great plains all we have to do really is continue East past Albuquerque and the Rockies and we're there. It's not like we're totally lost and ... well ... had you not I wouldn't have met Robin ..."
The moment the words left their mouth they knew it had been a stupid thing to say under the circumstances. Robin was after all most probably a large part of Alys issues. Even if nothing had happened between Eryn and Robin yet, more than a stolen kiss to which Eryn had no idea how Robin had responded it was almost certain that Alys now saw Robin as a threat, an agent of change that in whatever worst case scenario was brewing in Alys' beautiful but fragile mind might lead to her losing her sibling, her only safety in this changed and ever changing new world.

"Why do you like her Eryn?"
The question did not come as a surprise to Eryn. Nor did it come as any surprise that Alys thought Robin to be a bit rough around the edges. What did surprise them was how difficult it was to answer. Alys was certainly correct in her assessment of Robin. She was indeed rough around the edges but there was more underneath. Perhaps it as Robin's tomboyish attitude that attracted Eryn. They had after all been mainly drawn towards masculine women or feminine men.
"I dunno Al. I ... I just do. I mean how do you define love, or the reasons why we love someone."
Using the big word was perhaps also not the best way to express themself but they also knew that not being entirely honest with their sister could end up being much worse later on.

"Of course I'll stay with you until you're asleep. Don't be silly. I mean yea I like, like ... like like ... Robin but you're my sister and I would never abandon you, not even for love, not even if Robin decide that she thinks you are more of a liability than an asset. Should she not want you to join us as we try to build our own camp in the gravel pit then you and I head on East with or without her. Ok?"

Katie Miller

Outside the rain was coming down like a waterfall and the winds howled outside the overpass.
"They really are ... Hmmm ... a bit strange those two," Katie said.
"Adorable but strange and I can't help but wonder how they made it this far."

 

[Zavaya]

Alys nodded at Eryn and managed to produce a very slight smile on her face. Her sibling was all she had and the confirmation that they were still on her side was good to know, even though, deep down inside, she had always known that. She looked at Eryn and then laid down on the bed, trying to get comfortable with the amount of pillows and blankets she had available to her while also leaving some for her sibling who'd join her, hopefully later on.

After a few minutes, she turned on her side and raised her legs a little, ready to fall asleep.

"Eryn?"

She waited for the response before continuing.

"You can go to Robin now if you like. I'm almost asleep."

Alys squeezed Eryn's hand a little, letting her know it was all good now.

---

Robin snickered at Katie's remark.

"Strange is a wild understatement Kay."

She still hadn't figured out how they had made it this far or what their plan really had been.

"I think there is more to Eryn than meets the eye and she is no doubt the reason they made it here."

Robin looked at Katie. She wasn't easily impressed by people but after what Katie had been through before they rescued her it was a really impressive feature how well she had adapted and moved on with her life.

"But I don't understand why they left in the first place. I mean she, or... they, know how dangerous it is out there. Of that I'm sure. So why did they agree with their sister to leave and find something? I think they mentioned they were heading for the Appalachians when they left California. What did they expect to find there? Everything is fucked, the Appalachians won't be any different."

She stood there, with Katie as the rain and thunder continued, slowly wettening the soil under the bridge as well as the deluge of water slowly saturated the bone dry soil.

"I mean, this weather... That's not normal. I've never seen it rain like this here in Arizona."

Robin sighed, excited for the plans she had laid out with Eryn but also weary of getting hopes up too much. The earth took a big hit and with not even one year passed since, the whole future of mankind still lay in the balance.

"I'm just glad they made it here. Eryn at least is a valuable asset."

 

[MsBloom]

Katie Miller

"I think there is something between them that has at some point been broken and Eryn is trying to repair it. I mean they're both a bit odd but between you and me Robin I'd dare guess that Alys is almost certainly on the spectrum, perhaps Eryn is too but not as much as Alys. She seems very attached to her sibling, they both do, but I dunno ... I think Alys needs Eryn more than the other way around.
Katie paused for a moment and look ar Robin.
"I think Alys can be a valuable asset too under the right circumstances. She's good with gardening and stuff and I think that might be what they are looking for on the Great Plains, arable land. Did they mention where they're from by the way. I mean if they're from California then it makes sense they would be heading for the plains because well California is even more of a wasteland than this desert these days. It's barely even there anymore, the San Andreas fault sure had a big one and they did come from the West after all."

Eryn Flint

The two siblings had not slept without having the other by their side for more than a year now and Eryn knew that this had become a routine for Alys now and to break it would just add another change for her to handle. And that was the last thing she needed. So Eryn lay down next to their sister but made sure not to lay too close or attempt to cuddle with her. That was the way Alys wanted it. She was still confused about how she felt about Eryn no longer being her sister but her sibling. The idea of sleeping in the same bed together had even been something of an issue at the start of this new world. Eryn wasn't sure exactly what she thought would happen but it was what it was and Eryn knew their sister well enough to accept it as such.

They didn't talk, just lay there side by side in the dark, both still fully dressed until not long after they'd gone to bed Alys mumbled that Eryn could go to Robin followed by a soft, almost cute, snore to signal that she was asleep. Eryn remained in bed a little while longer before they got up and put on their jacket. Robin and Katie were still outside and when they joined them they smiled at Robin.
"That's my cue to exit stage left then," Katie said and headed back inside Robin's shelter.
Eryn stuck their hands into their back pockets and smiled at Robin again."
"Y'know after I kissed you just before I left to go find Alys I was almost sure that you would reject me when I got back," they began and took a few careful, almost shy, steps towards Robin.
"What I mean is I don't blame you if you don't feel the same way and it won't really change anything, for me at least. I'm still going with you to the gravel pit, assuming Alys agrees of course. Unless you want to join us and keep going for the farmland on the other side of the Appalachians."
They bit their bottom lip nervously.

Dating, or rather approaching a love interest, had been difficult enough when they were still simply a rather butch lesbian but having come out as Non-Binary had complicated things even more for them, especially on the rare occasions when they approached a man. At times they had wondered what the point was with coming out as Non-Binary when most people they hooked up with, be they women or men still only saw their assigned gender. To approach a straight man as a man themself was almost hopeless but it was in many ways worse to approach a gay man that way. Lesbians or bisexual women were a lot easier but harder to read.