Into the Wild

[kindaemissary]

PREMISE


The year is 2020 and life as C1 had known it was over. It had already been five long years since Patient Zero of a novel, highly infectious, and deadly virus, known commonly as Caine, was diagnosed. After Patient Zero, it had been a matter of weeks before Caine had ravaged the globe, killing off people in droves. Governments had been useless to stop the mayhem, and all dissolved quickly under the anarchy.


Most people that survived the pandemic did so by living in walled cities, making peace with the fact that electricity, hot water, and a full belly were commodities of the past. While life in these walled cities was less than ideal, life outside them was thought to be much worse. Outside the walls, all law and order had been forgotten. It’s a dog eat dog sort of world out there, filled to the brim with dangerous raider groups and individuals not afraid to murder over a bottle of water.


C1’s life inside the walled city of Brandkast had never been ideal, but she was as happy as she would ever be following the end of days, or so she thought. After being accused of murdering the town chief’s son, C1 is sentenced to death, but barely manages to escape with her life by fleeing the safety of the walls and running into the wild. Hurt from her encounter and without any supplies to her name, C1 doesn’t hope for survival. But fate has another thing in mind for her when a young man, C2, stumbles across her and offers her a helping hand. She’s suspicious of him at first, but having no other option, she decides to tag along with him… wherever it was he was going.





CAINE


Caine was not released according to plan. A home-grown terrorist group was in the works of creating a disease for the government that would whittle down the population. The government was playing with fire, a couple of the research members had said, and after an unanimous decision the development team decided that it would be better that the government got an idea of what they were truly capable. The team of disease specialists added a few quirks to Caie before they released it to the government, and then they sat back to watch the destruction wreak havoc over the country.


The scientists did not account for mutations, and slowly Caine was killing more people than it had ever meant to. A couple members of the development team were sick or dying, and the only people that weren't having any sort of problem after the discovery were those with AB- blood type, the rarest blood type in the world. People started dying rapidly, and the entire world was in chaos. Caine was taking over the world.





SETTING


PRIMARY LOCATION


CANADA: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, & Manitoba


UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, & Minnesota


STARTING TIME OF YEAR


AUTUMN

 

[Mordecai]

The young blonde woman fled across the jagged landscape, and the drove of civilians followed. It was late evening; a heavy blanket of dimness settled across her surroundings, making even the young woman’s keen vision hazy. Kicking up the golden carpet of leaves, Rori stumbled, her hands slamming against the Earth, but she picked herself up and continued to run as fast as she could through the winding, ramshackle city streets. The cracking concrete made navigating even more difficult, but if she could just reach the city wall in time, she’d be safe, at least for the time being. The townsfolk of Brandkast, one of the largest and most hard-wearing walled cities in the area, poured after her, throwing rocks at her as she made a dash for her escape. She was so close to the city’s walls that she could see them, but her strength was beginning to wane, and a deep wound carved into her side was bleeding badly, making a faint drowsiness consume her.


With the sound of her blood beating in her ears, Rori managed to make it to the wall. It was tall, a good twenty-five feet high, built out of spare metal sheets, bricks, and anything else the citizens of Brandkast could get their hands on during the initial infection. The wall had once been used to keep Caine away, it had kept her safe for many years, but now Rori wanted nothing more than to get out of the walls. Her hands scrambled against the rubble, hoisting herself up and beginning to make the desperate climb. The stones pulled at her skin, opening small wounds across her arms and hands, but if she was bleeding, she didn’t notice. No, all she could think about was getting to the other side of the wall. She faced almost certain death on the other side of that wall, in the wilderness, but her death was guaranteed if she didn’t escape, and Rori was always one for taking her chances.


Scrambling over the wall, the young woman dropped more than jumped to the other side. She hit the ground with a thud, scrambling back to her feet and jogging a safe distance away, turning back to look back at the grand walls of Brandkast. A few of the civilians whom had been chasing her were now peering over the wall in wonder, pointing at her, but none daring to pursue her any farther. Luckily, she wasn’t worth wasting precious bullets over. Plus, they were all too scared to leave the safety of the walls, and in actuality, Rori felt very much the same. She just didn’t have any other choice. She hobbled into the surrounding forests, making it several yards under the canopy before collapsing against a tree. She took the time to inspect her wounds for the first time since she wiggled free of the arms of the executor. It seemed there wasn’t a section of skin on her that wasn’t bruised or bloodied in some way, she thought bitterly.


For a while, she inspected the wounds—as if to calculate the damage, but eventually gave up. Besides a pair of shoes and a jacket she managed to grab on her way out the door, so to speak, Rori didn’t have a single thing to her name. She hadn’t the time to pack a bag of supplies. No food, no water, no bandages of any kind, and when the realization dawned over her, reality began to set in. Darkness settled over her as she drew her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and gazing out into the willowy darkness between the trees. Before long, the last golden rays of sunshine would disappear over the horizon, and she would be very much alone in a very dangerous world. While she wished nothing more than to sob, Rori sniffled and wiped her nose against her sleeve. She clamored back on to her feet again, deciding that looking for some shelter for the night would be better than sitting around moping.


In all honesty, she hadn’t a clue how to survive in the wild. She had always been the type of person who really shouldn’t have survived an apocalypse at all, yet she had gotten lucky in getting swept up into Brandkast. Now, without large walls to keep her safe, Rori was slowly coming to the realization that she was probably going to die here. Some bandits were probably going to find her and murder her over what little she had—shoes and a jacket—and there would be nothing she could do about it. Leaves and twigs crunched beneath her feet as she began to get the first glimpse at her new surroundings. The air smelled surprisingly fresh and had she not known how dangerous it was in the wild, she might have actually enjoyed it. Wildlife surged from the forest—all around her she could see colourful birds, and small, furry mammals that she hadn’t seen since the infection.


The twilight was really something quite spectacular to see and for a few moments, she had forgotten all of her problems—her wounds, the fact that she was in peril—and focused on the world around her. Shortly, her amblings lead her to a bubbling stream, and she dropped to her knees on the rocky bank in relish. Sinking her hands in to the cool, spring-fed water, Rori watched as the blood drifted away in the water, revealing the pale skin below. She drank hungrily for a while, cleaning away as much blood as she could before she finally sat back on the bank. “Well, Rori,” she began in a tender voice to herself, “This is it. It was a good run, girl,” she sighed a bit bitterly.

 

[kindaemissary]

The initial wave of infection catered more towards the central states and hit the coasts rapid and hard, leaving most 0f the buildings empty and without a trace of what human life used to be there. Along the waterfronts were small shacks and retail locations that were abandoned as soon people had the thought to run. The disease that attacked the country, and would soon attack the world, didn't care about how far these people were running or where they thought they would find salvation. As the population ran inward, they carried the early signs of Caine with them, and soon most of the United States of America was infected.


Matthias was travelling up the Western coast of America with one single backpack, two bottles of water, and the hunting rifle on his back. He had spent the last few months working in a lab downtown in Lancaster, California, but after the outbreak of Caine the town's citizens were either gone or dead. He had no telling when the last time he came across human life, but he had seen extinction in strides. The views of these decimated cities weren't something worth telling about, and they were something he would probably never share.


As he made his journey North, he had had a few stops that made him question God's existence. The entire human race was facing peril and calamity, but as he walked further up the bay he came across locations with food safe to eat, clothes clean to wear, and running water so that he could rid himself of the dirk and grime that piled up against his skin. He didn't think that anyone could be so lucky, and even though he had never been a religious man due to his scientific explorations, he was about ready to question his own ideals and wondered if the work of prayer was something other than a joke, like he thought it was before.


By the look of the land he was in now, he had made it to Oregon. Northern California had forests, but not as dense as the one he had been journeying through for the last four days. The sky was made up of leaves and branches parked over each other again and again, and as he followed the water, he was putting further into this deep nest of trees. Matthias had never spent much time in the wilderness, and now that Caine had been released into nature, the wilderness was even more wild, and he was glad that he had been trained to use a firearm. It was easier to sleep at night knowing that he could make it another day at the expense of two bullets in someone else's head. He had enough ammunition to last him weeks if he only went through two bullets a day. He kept a hand gun on the belt of his jeans and the rifle strapped against his jacket, so he believed that he looked like the threat that he wanted to be perceived as. Without some kind of leverage, he might as well already be dead.


With all of his knowledge on medical engineering and creating machinery for medical uses, Matthias knew barely anything that would be able to safe him in this wilderness. He could easily clean the would the alcohol and water that he had on him, but aside from making a tourniquet there wasn't much he could do to save himself. There would no problem ending it if worse came to worst, but Matthias was never one for giving up. He would try his hardest to survive and do what he needed to protect himself even at the cost of someone else's life.


The sky, through all of the gathered trees, was darkening, and Matthias could feel the cold beginning to set in. October had started out warm, but with the added pressure of the water affect, the air was getting colder more rapidly than he had projected. He walked a few more hundred feet and waited for the night to truly settle in before finding a space to camp out. He hadn't put too much thought into driving a car on his journey, and he wondered if he'd have the opportunity to steal in the future. It would be more comfortable than sleeping on the cold hard ground with two jackets under him, and without the population around he wouldn't need to purchase gas. It seemed like a win-win.


Matthias set his backpack down on the ground next to a large boulder and pulled out a coat from the unzipped sack. He was wearing a sweater than he had taken a week back and boots with two pairs of socks, but none of those clothing items would keep the sickness out of his chest. He sat on the ground and pulled out a pack of matches from the first section of the bag, pushed them into his pocket, and started gathering the biggest pieces of brush that he could find. He wouldn't light a big fire - just one large enough to keep him warm as he slept. With the ground wet with the season, he didn't see a reason to fear it getting out of control. Once he had enough twigs and dry leaves he took the matches out of his pocket, lit the undergrowth, and waited for the heat.

 

[Mordecai]

Rori brooded for a number of hours, it seemed, but had laid herself down on the rocks of the riverbank. The position was terribly uncomfortable, but the sky had turned black and bruised, and Rori found several hours of heavy sleep that was sharp enough to draw blood from a stone. She awoke in darkness to the stark realization, and subsequent disappointment, that she was not dead. No, in fact, her body was very much on the up and up. The adrenaline had finally waned and the having consumed her fill of water, she felt like she was on the up and up, which normally would have been cause for celebration, but she felt nothing but dread. A small part of her wished she would have just bled to death while asleep, leading to the most peaceful of passing’s she could have possibly known in such an existence. Yet, Mother Nature was a cruel mistress, and Rori found her wounds were hardly bleeding enough to cause a headache, let alone death.


Bitterly, she picked herself up and brushed off the grit from her clothes. Taking another few drinks from the stream, Rori pulled away and began to follow the water for a while, walking steadily down the banks. The pebbles crunched under her feet as she walked, but she didn’t both trying to be quiet as she moved. She hadn’t an idea of what direction was she was going, not that she would know where to go even if she had. Having spent most of her days in Brandkast, filling her time patching clothes and tending gardens, the young woman had very few survival skills. Oh, sure, she could grow a prize-winning cucumber, but probably couldn’t start a fire with gasoline and a match.


Rori was about as much of a disappointment during the end days as she had been before them. Having struggled through high school, she never made it to any college, and she managed to scrape by as a full-time waitress in a dive bar. Once the outbreak had progressed into full swing, she had been mortified how relieved it had made her. For a while, she was eager to be someone more than just the lowly waitress. She wanted to be a valuable asset to Brandkast, to be the type of person people looked at and were impressed by. But as time went on, Rori found she was still the apocalyptic version of the dive-bar waitress: the garden tender. No one trusted her with the more important jobs around the city, like helping the injured or guarding the walls. No, they put her in charge of the vegetables, because even she couldn’t mess that up.


It was only natural that the citizens of Brandkast used her as a scapegoat for the Chief President’s son’s murder. After all, she was worthless to them. Anyone could sew a hole in clothes or water the plants. They wanted to punish someone, to feel like there was some redemption for his senseless murder, but not someone who was valuable to their society, and Rori was the perfect example. Kicking a pebble along, Rori shoved her hands into her pockets to warm them, mulling over all her thoughts. There were other walled cities, like Brandkast, that she could try to find, but why would they welcome a vegetable tender? Falling into a bleak state of self-hatred, Rori strolled along until a sudden flicker caught her attention. The light was quick, dancing for just a moment between the ravine.


All her troubles were forgotten in a flood of adrenaline as she crouched down to her knees and moved as slowly and as quietly as she could managed through the bushes, following the light that grew more intense as she drew nearer. Afraid to even breathe, the young woman slowly peeled back a branch and peered out of the darkness. She caught the site of the fire and what appeared to be a man sitting alone. Eyeing the grounds suspiciously, she saw the rifle and what must have been his belongings. She contemplated trying to wind around to the other side of the clearing undetected and stealing it. Calculating the risk, she decided she would likely be heard trying to go for it and she hissed in disappointment. Seeing the fire though reminded her just how cold and damp she was, goose bumps suddenly tingling up her arms.


Concluding she had nothing else to lose, Rori stepped slowly from the underbrush and into the light of the fire, her blue eyes locking on him with trepidation. “I’m sorry, may I just—sit for a minute?” she inquired in a meek voice. She could only imagined how she looked, spattered in blood with her skin scraped and bruised to hell. She didn’t even want to think what tangled mess her hair had gotten into. “I just,” she began in a slow voice, “My clothes are wet and if I could just sit and dry for a minute, I’d owe you big time.”

 

[kindaemissary]

As the flames grew and bounced off the brush under them, Matthias felt himself relaxing into the warmth. His body was feeble and worn out from the monotonous and boundless walking marching he was putting himself through. The journey North was weighing heavy on his mind and spirit, and as time pressed onward, it was beginning to affect his physicality as well. The leisure he felt as the world stilled around him was immeasurable, and he couldn't help but pray for a continuous string of opportunities such as this. He realized that as his path got closer to the destination there would be more chances of the expedition taking a turn for the worst, but he couldn't help but hope for the best.


Insofar that the journey was excelling, Matthias had no reason to believe that it would cease to do so. There had been no unexpected interruptions since he made it past the Route 12 crossing in Santa Rosa. When he left Lancaster, he had been traveling on Interstate 5 until he reached San Francisco. He had wanted to be on Route 101 since it was just off the water by a matter of miles, and the easiest way to get there was taking the long route. For the first time in days after making his leave from Lancaster he had come across a group of people that he wished he hadn't seen. It was like they had gone feral, and they were going through a grocery store like crazed rabid beasts. Matthias had got away from the sight as soon as he could and moved on to a larger chain store to go his gathering instead. If he came across anyone else, he wanted to make sure he had more possibilities of getting away.


Since then he hadn't come across the smallest notice of human life. He had seen bodies partially decayed bodies decorating the streets. He knew that before long they would either decompose or an hungry animal would find them,, but he tried not to think about that. The world was going to become a terrible and terrifying place because of Caine, and if Matthias thought to much about any of it, he would probably shoot his head off.


Through the brush next to him came a few sounds and Matthias reached for his rifle as a girl stepped from the trees. She did not seem dangerous, but he kept the gun in his hands, aimed towards her. She was covered in dirt and had blood caked to her skin, but it looked like she had tried to rinse it off a while ago. Her skin was streaked with water lines, and Matthias could see the distress written on her face. If he believed that she was as innocent as she appeared to be, he could end up meeting the business end of knife or creating camaraderie. He had the option to attack and act against her but decided not to do it.


He gestured towards the earth and moved the butt of the gun away from her in some semblance of a welcome. "You're welcome to stay for awhile if necessary," he offered, and he rested the rifle over his crossed legs. He hadn't had proper conversation in weeks aside from talking to himself, and he wanted to savor every moment of this. Once this girl left he would have no one to talk to for even longer, and it would most likely start to drive him mad. "I've only stopped for the night, but don't feel like you have to rush off. It might be good to stay by the fire for longer than you believe you need." Matthias might not know much about health science, but he understood the developing symptoms of hypothermia and if he could stop them from advancing on someone, he would do so.


Matthias reached into his backpack and grabbed on of the extra jackets he had gathered and one of the bottles of water from his side pouch. "Here," he said with his arm extended. There were towns up ahead a couple miles from what he could read on his map, so if the girl decided to steal these things from him he wouldn't be at too much of a loss. "You don't want to get dehydrated, and you'll stay warmer if your body is doing something." He gave her a sympathetic smile, wondering why she was out in the middle of a forest in the first place. Everyone had their own reasons, he knew, because he definitely had a bout of his own.

 

[Mordecai]

The young woman didn’t flinch, even as she looked down the barrel of the gun. In fact, she seemed entirely disinterested in it. Bullets were valuable commodities; she understood that, so if the people of her own former community weren’t willing to waste a bullet on her, why would he, especially when it could be saved for more important things like fighting off someone who truly did want to hurt him or hunting? Besides a small switchblade she had tucked away in her coat pocket, Rori didn’t have a weapon to her name. Even if she had wanted to attack him, she’d be met with a bullet before she had the opportunity to even touch the blade. So, she kept her arms drooping lamely to her sides, both out of exhaustion and sign that she had no intention of trying to hurt him.


She was hesitant when he seemed to relax, but she padded cautiously closer. Every once in a while, her step would falter out of equal parts pain and wariness. Finally, she reached a spot that was both close to the fire and where she could keep a wary eye on him and plopped down rather unceremoniously. The warmth of the fire breathed new life into her and colour returned to her face. Overcome with relief, Rori folded his arms against her sides and dragged her knees up to her chest, trying to warm every inch of her body simultaneously. Once she had gotten comfortable, her eyes flashed up to the young man sitting across from her. His face was glowing, reflecting the flames, but from what she could tell, he seemed about her age. There was something decidedly pleasant and welcoming about him, she decided, and she admired that.


“Thank you,” was her only response to his thoughtful comments. In truth, she didn’t know what she was going to do, or where she was going to go. She didn’t have any where to go, but knew that staying in one place for too long was probably not the best idea. She had some survival skills, she supposed, but without any tools to her name, she knew she would struggle. Finding an old town would probably be her best bet, she realized, at least then she could maybe forage for something useful.


Rori jumped when she saw his arm coming at her from the corner of her eye. She scattered back a foot, her chest rising and falling forcefully. For a second, she had thought he was taking a swing at her, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. Eying the objects with some hesitancy, Rori reached out and finally took them from him. It had been many years since she had known such kindness and a small smile overwhelmed her. Pulling the jacket across her shoulders and cradling the bottle in her arms, she nestled into herself again, feeling a surge of warmth that even the fire hadn’t provided.


“Thank you for your kindness. I wish I had a way to repay you, but I don’t really, I’m sorry,” she explained. Everything about her seemed more relaxed than before as she blinked languidly, staring into the flames. While she hadn’t a clue what was in store for her now that she wasn’t apart of Brandkast, she felt good in that moment—warm and content. The realization that she had never introduced herself made its way into her brain and she looked back at the man who had been so generous to her, pausing a moment to study his face with curiosity.


“I’m Rori, by the way.” She decided not to ask for his name, in case he didn't want to share. Now that she was warming up again, she was beginning to feel the tingling in her fingers and toes. Desperate for something to do, she tugged her hair forward and combed her fingers through it, pulling out the knots and tangles until it was somewhat more manageable. She began to braid the crisp blonde locks, trying it off with a thing strip of cloth.

 

[kindaemissary]

Matthias nodded to her as she took the belongings from him and continued to scout out the area surrounding them. The tall California Redwoods reached to the clouds and made it hard to see the sky from the few cracks of light coming from the brush. He had never spent too much time in nature growing up or as an adult, and now that he was living in it on a very macabre level, he wasn't sure why anyone in their right mind would be so enthused by what he saw before him. The lack of cleanliness on the earth was devastating and since had never gone a day without to the ability to shower or change clothes, he felt even more grimy than he would any other place. Nature was a disgusting thing and he hoped that once this all cleared up he could find somewhere to stay with enough amenities to make him feel like he was living pre-Caine all over again.


"There is no reason to repay me," Matthias said in response to her apology. He knew that it was hard for anyone to get to civilization in times like these, and from the way the girl looked at the time, she needed all of the help that she could get. He knew not where all of the people had gone since Caine affected the world, but he figured this girl might have an idea. Since most of the remaining population was in the central U.S., he wondered why she had stayed in the first place once Caine was released. She probably didn't realize until later that she was immune, or maybe she hadn't realized at all. Mattias knew from the moment Caine was reported that he would be fine even though he wasn't supposed to be, and that's why he has to get out of this area as soon as he can. Otherwise, there's no chance he'll make it another month. Not with so many people looking for him.


"With the world in utter chaos, it's not necessary. I'll find more water when I leave in the morning and another jacket at the next now. It won't be difficult, and you're not putting me out." He gave her a gentle smile and warmed his hands against the heat of the flames. She seemed kind, and he didn't feel bad for giving these things to her. Sure, if she kept the coat he might be a little upset, but he could always find another. She might not have that chance.


When she told him her name, Mattias looked up from his hands to the girl's face. In the bask on the flames, her complexion was yellow and orange. "Matthias," he told her, and he reached towards her with one hand in the form of a handshake. "Matt, if you like."He didn't want to make her uncomfortable with the proximity, but it was only polite. He hadn't seen a functioning human being since before Caine and this was a moment he wanted to remember.


"Rori," he said after a moment, and he looked back across the fire at her. "Where are you from? Or, well, where have you been since Caine started? I haven't seen a live human since I left Lancaster, California and that was about two weeks ago." He wanted to know why she was alone or rather, if she had seen anyone else since she had been out and about. It was going to get cold soon and he wanted to know how many people were really in the area. Friends or foes, he didn't care, he just needed a count. From what was estimated, close to 42 million people should be alive, and so far Matthias had seen four not counting himself in the last 800 miles. It was getting closer to winter and if there were people out there that were dangerous, he might want to start sleeping in towns.

 

[Mordecai]

The coat hugged her in warmth she didn’t know it could possess. Tucking her knees up against her chest, the young woman folded against herself, nestling her chin against the ridge between her knees. With her arms wrapped loosely around her legs, Rori’s eyes bore into the flames, letting her mind wander. Now that a temporary sense of safety had settled over her, she began to try and figure out what her next moves would be. While she'd stay near the fire for as long as she could, she knew eventually she'd have to move along. Having grown up in the area, she knew the towns and cities around there well, and knew her best chance for survival would be to find shelter in one of them.


“Well, thank you for your kindness,” she replied, looking across to the water bottle that laid next to her hip, the first touch of smile gracing her face as she reached up and began to wipe away some of the dirt from her cheeks. The soot collected on her sleeve and she looked down to it with a hint of surprise, but then went to clean off her sleeve on the knees of her trousers. “But, if the world is in utter chaos, isn’t that more reason to keep your resources?” she asked, angling her head so she could see his face from the corner of her eye. While he was being atypically kind towards her, her apprehension of him remained; she couldn't help but keep a wary eye on his rifle.


“Matthias“ she curved her mouth around each syllable, “Your name… it means the Gift of God. Huh. Fitting,” she mused but recoiled when his hand extended to her. Slowly, she reached out and took his hand, giving it a firm shake. The sensation was strange—she hadn’t felt the skin of another human being in weeks and the warmth of his hand was both strange and inviting. She smiled, “It’s nice to meet you, Matt,” withdrawing her hand from his before lacing her fingers across her knees once more.


The muscles in her back rippled with tension when he asked about where she had come from. Danger flashed across her face and she began to feel defensive, even though she knew she had no right to feel that way. “Well—“ she began slowly, “I lived in a small town near here. Maybe fifty miles Northwest from here, and after that, I ended up in a walled city of survivors called Brandkast that's about three miles from here. Brandkast is why you haven’t seen any living person recently, probably. Any survivors from these parts settled in those walls,” she explained slowly, her defensiveness easing some as she began to talk, “It’s nice there, I guess. It’s safe,” well, it had been. It was safe for some people, but it hadn't been for her.


She was glad he talked about himself, for it distracted from her own story and she could only hope he wouldn't ask why she was no longer at Brandkast if it was safe, like she had said. She nodded slowly, processing his trip and picturing his path in a mental map. “That’s quite a bit of traveling.” Rori began to wonder where he was traveling to, but decided not to ask out of politeness. At first, she assumed he had been heading towards Brandkast, but he didn’t even seem aware of its existence and she began to wonder if other cities like Brandkast existed out there. She supposed they must. Surely, there must have been plenty more survivors elsewhere in the world.

 

[kindaemissary]

Matthias nodded at her comment because it was true, and he knew that he should be thinking with his head more than his heart, but with the entirety of everything falling apart around him he wanted to know that he could still make emotional decisions. He hadn't had to make one in a very long time, and it was nice to know that he was still capable of kindness. "With all of the people scattered around, there are a lot of coastal towns that were abandoned. As I've made my way North, I've been able to find all of the supplies that I need. Canned food, water, clothing when I need it. It's been a very fortunate part of my journey, and without it I would probably be dead.


"So you're right, I should probably be keeping my resources to myself and not handing out necessities to strangers, but there's a good chance that I will find more by morning. Until then, I'll be one jacket and one bottle of water short. It's not too much to lose considering the person I am giving it to has nothing but the clothes on her back." He gestured towards her with a smile and noticed the tension in her shoulders. He followed her glance towards the rifle and sighed before moving it towards the sight of him. "I understand that you're wary of me, but there's no need to be. If I had wanted to harm you, I would have done so by now. This is not the time to get to know someone and then kill them. The world has made that abundantly clear."


He didn't know much about name meanings or origins, so it was interesting that she did. Most of the facts he knew were scientific ones and had little to do with anything that would help him survive from here on out. He knew how to read a map, and that was something that would take him far, but the things he used to do to make a living were not too needed in this world anymore. He needed to know how to survive, not how to kill. All of the skills he had been acquiring since high school were obsolete. No one was in need of in vitro fertilization or chemical warfare, so for now he was out of luck. He wouldn't be needing a job for a very long time anyway, so there was no reason to worry too much.


When she answered about where she had come from before he had meet her in the wood, he listened. He could sense her apprehension but was glad that she was saying something. She might have been afraid or simply worried, but it wasn't to the point that she was strangled with fear. If he wanted to continue the conversation, he might have to open more up to her, while excluding the obvious things, so she would feel less threatened.


"I haven't heard about the walled cities," he admitted, and he knew that would add up to the fact that he hadn't seen anyone. He hadn't been too far inland since he passed through San Francisco so it would make sense that he was unaware of this, but he wondered how these cities came to be in the first place. Caine was spreading fast and people were worried about its development, but they probably didn't realize that everyone left was most likely immune carriers. He was one of those few by design even though he wasn't supposed to be, and thus he was on a journey to get as far away from Lancaster as he could.


Rori seemed interested, but Matthias didn't want to focus too much on her past or present in worry of over-harassing her. He could put it off as finally having someone to talk to, but he didn't want to get over his head and make her more uncomfortable than she obviously already was. "I grew up in New York," he said after a few moments. If he opened up some more she would probably become less cautious. "I was in California for a job when Caine happened and haven't had the time to call home and see if anyone from my family survived." He knew at least one of his parents had to be alive due to the blood type, but that wasn't a fact he needed known. "I'm trying to get to Canada. Maybe even Alaska. As far away from the states as I can, honestly. I heard there are other safe zones up North and want to find one before the winter hits. Otherwise, I'd probably still be in Lancaster. If there wasn't a hope I wouldn't have left."

 

[Mordecai]

{ooc| Sorry about this post. I've been feeling a bit uninspired the last few days.}


Rori listened to him intently when he explained how he has traveled and gathered everything he had needed along the way, but she didn’t have anything else to add to the conversation and remained quiet. She nestled her chin back in the crook of her knees. After the outbreak, Rori had rarely left the walls of Brandkast and was unfamiliar with life outside. The city leaders explained the outside world as a harsh, cruel one where bandits roamed wide and free, and for the longest time, she believed the stories. Yet now that she was out of the walls, she hadn’t seen a sign of the devastation that the stories spoke of. In fact, the only thing she had found was the single kindest person she had encountered post-Caine. There wasn’t signs of rabid bandit groups and Matt had made it abundantly clear it had been weeks since he last encountered another living person and while he was armed, he hardly seemed equipped to handle an attack from a group of bandits. She couldn’t help but consider what else the city leaders had lied about.


Her thoughts were put aside when she caught a glimpse of the rifle being moved from the corner of her eyes. She snapped her head back towards him, “Yea, well,” shrugging it off when he called out her trepidation, “It may surprise you to know that people have back-stabbed me before,” she chuckled softly. He really did seem friendly enough and she knew she should swallow her fears and unwind a little, but she couldn’t quiet the nervous voice in her head. She did feel better now that the rifle was out of his hands, even if he reached for it now, she at least had a fighting chance of getting away.


Sniffling, Rori nodded. Even as a child, she had a fascination with names and their meanings. She would spend hours pouring over her family tree, researching names and what they meant. A library of name meanings filled her mind, even though it had always been useless knowledge. While her hobby had been completely useless, her skills as an impoverished waitress were handier than one might expect. She knew how to tailor and to rig odd contraptions. As much as she had hated the malfunctioning coffee brewer while working in the dive diner, it did teach her a thing or two about tinkering. The skills she had gathered over time were mildly useful, although not useful enough to keep her alive alone and in the wilderness.


“Really?” she echoed curiously, “They were built to keep infection out at first, but after everyone who was susceptible to the disease died, they were used to protect resources,” she explained idly, although she was sure he understood the concept. “The city I came from, Brandkast, is quite beautiful, considering.” The city was built across a river, so, the waterway surged through the heart of the town, providing fresh water and irrigation during the summer. Gardens lined the river to both sides, and the housing lay beyond them.


“Canada?” she echoed, tilting her head when he mentioned where he had come from and where he was going. North seemed counter-intuitive to her, really. It was cold and dark for long parts of the year, which would make gathering resources even more difficult. Fresh water could be frozen over and harvesting plants would by non-existent. She had assumed that going South would be more favourable, but she realized that dangerous raiders and bandit groups would probably exist in higher numbers in the milder climate. “Are you worried about the climate at all up North?” she inquired curiously, “I’ve been to Alaska, and there are weeks in the middle of winter where all you get is an hour of daylight a day.”

 

[kindaemissary]

[ooc: I know you may feel like this post wasn't up to your usual par, but I can see no fault in it. We all hit creative blocks sometimes. No worries.]


Since the beginning of the end, as Matthias continued to call this madness in his mind, he had been curious as to where the remainder of Western civilization had left to, and now, after meeting Rori, he finally had an answer. He figured that the healthy population was worried for their survival and built the walls to protect them from disease. If they hadn't contracted sickness during the initial wave, there was bound to be no way of them developing the virus as time progressed since it was airborne and typed by blood, but the common person wouldn't know that. Matthias wouldn't have known either if he wasn't working in Lancaster for the past seven months, or before then on an internship had the CDC.


It had taken a lot of work for him to get where he was when he arrived at Lancaster, and he wouldn't change the time it took for the world. He had connections in multiple fields of science before Caine and hopefully a few of his colleagues were still alive after. With the small amount of people left, Matthias could only speculate than the population of North America was around 2 million. If their calculations were correct back when he was working in Lancaster, that would be the highest possibility of human survival post-Caine. They had worked out all of the miniscule problems before it went viral, and Matthias had said that he would sacrifice himself for science, but when Caine was released his partners were not aware of immunity. He had changed his records and citizenship paperwork from when he was younger to make it seem like he was O+ like the majority of the world's population. It was a glitch that he survived, and Canada was going to be the best option for him to stay alive.


"Only in the Northern-most parts of Alaska, I believe," Matthias said after a few moments passed. He figured that if he told Rori parts of his plan that it would not backfire too much, and if it did, he had a rifle. There would be no problems. He had no reason to doubt her sincerity, so he talked onward. "I know that it will get devastatingly more cold as I move forward, but if I stay here I'll be bored. There are no countries anymore; no more states. This is the perfect time for intercontinental travel, and I want to make the best of it."


That was true in a sense. Without all the legality behind moving from place to place, Matthias would be able to discover the world. Sure, he did not have a plane, but there was plenty to see in North America. With most of the earth's population now gone, he'd be able to work towards their first planned goal and create a healthier environmental atmosphere. His work would ultimately be something that no one would know was his, but that was never the point. They wanted to cleanse the earth from overpopulation and the waste that humans were leaving behind. Now that everyone was gone, the planet would be able to breathe.


Matthias added some more brush to the fire and watched it smoke before creating more flames. "The cold will be brutal, but it's necessary. By the time winter ends, I hope that I'll have found a safe zone where I can stay. It's a long shot since I have only heard stories, but I want to try. If there's a will, there's a way. I just hope that it actually exists."

 

[Mordecai]

{ooc| Ah, you are really too kind.}


Rori placed her hands to either side of her and dug her fingers into the dirt, feeling the damp earth gather below her fingernails. Scooping some of the dirt up, she let it crumble through his fingers. The smell of earth hung heavy in the air, mingling with the smell of smoke coming off the flame. It was a truly lovely smell that calmed her a great deal. There were a lot of what ifs and questions in this new existence, but dirt was one thing that always stayed the same. She found comfort in knowing that Mother Nature never changed; the simple recipe of earth, sun, and water was a fundamental constant in a world that was otherwise changing. Rori had always been a creature of habit and resisted change with every fibre of her being, and knowing that plant-life was her last true constant was disconcerting, to say the least.


“I guess,” she echoed in response to him, “If everything as we have ever known has ended, we might as well enjoy the scenery, right?” chuckling dryly at the thought. Without people grooming the landscape, Mother Nature had grown quiet wild. It was truly an impressive feat just how quickly nature worked to reclaim what was once hers. Of the few times she had been outside the city walls of Brandkast to raid supplies from neighbouring towns, she had seen flowers crack through the cement and bramble eat through windows and doors of abandoned buildings; it was like all the old human residencies were being swallowed whole. She could only imagine what her old apartment probably looked like now, and it filled her with some sadness.


Once upon a time, she had thought her home would last forever. Home meant sanctuary, as common and taken for granted as the sun rising in the morning. She missed her hot shower and warm blankets, weekends spent watching Netflix for hours, and butterfly kisses against her eyelids from her boyfriend trying to stir her form slumber at some ungodly hour in the morning. It was the moments she had taken for granted that she missed the most. When the few remaining survivors began to leave town shortly after the outbreak, she remembered the feeling of relief and joy that something new was happening in her life, but now she’d give anything to go back and appreciate what she had a little more.


“If this sanctuary that you speak of exists,” she began, but trailed off for a moment, boring her eyes into the flames, “Why did people leave?” the rumours of such a place must have come from somewhere if there were any truth behind them, and that meant that someone must have been there and left. Perhaps there were other people like her out there—those that didn’t really fit in anywhere and weren’t useful enough to keep spending resources on. Looking at Matt now though, Rori decided he could be advantageous enough to be considered valuable. He was smart and had clearly knew how to survive, but she'd pity him if he'd travel all that way just to find out the stories of this supposed sanctuary was just that: stories.


“What are you going to do when you get there?” she asked, her blue eyes watching him carefully, but not out of wariness, as before. “You just going to settle down and be done with it?”

 

[kindaemissary]

Matthias ran a dirty hand up the side of his head and his mess of hair. He hadn't taken a shower in a few days, and even though there was still running water in most of the towns he had stopped in, he hadn't had much time to take care of personal care. He brushed his teeth every time he had made it to a new town , but that was only because he didn't want to waste drinking water when he was on the road. It was easier to waste resources when they were in abundance.


He didn't know what exactly he wanted to do once he was safe, but he knew for sure that he needed to protect himself. "If I find the location that I'm search of, I might start over. Once the spring comes I'd be able to start growing food for the season and turn it more into a home than a sanctuary. I'm not sure if there are other people nearby or even in a few nearing miles, but once I found somewhere to stay I'd be able to clean up the area surrounding me." He pushed a stick into the flames and poked at the fire to increase the warmth. Once he was safe, he'd be able to save the earth, which was one of the initial reasons for Caine as far as he knew. The rate that humanity was killing the planet was revolting, and Caine was going to be something that saved nature from humanity. Considering the devastation, Caine did a pretty good job.


"As for the rest of the human population, the ones that went inward, I doubt that they would have known about any sort of salvation awaiting them. They were too busy running from an invisible problem that would most likely catch up to them." The only reason that Matthias knew about the supposed location was because he had overheard people discussing it back in Lancaster. He had no reason to doubt it existence, so he had started the journey towards Canada without thinking twice. Now that he was getting closer to his goal and making his way up the coast, he wouldn't have too long until he was there and safe.


Once he got there, the only thing he would have to worry about would be security, and if the sanctuary had all of the amenities as he heard that it did, that wouldn't be too much of a problem. Lancaster had taught him a lot, but one of the most important things he learned was that you couldn't trust anyone but yourself. Once he got closer to Canada, he'd have to steal a car. He hadn't had one back in Lancaster, otherwise he would have taken it. He'd have to keep supplies in the vehicle as he made his way closer and have the ability to make trips back into towns if he needed to. If he didn't try his best to keep himself safe, he'd be dead before he had the chance to blink.


"I believe that the people who ran were more afraid of dying than they were curious about the possibility of leaving. There were many people who did not run, and like you said, built these walled cities. The ones who did not stay are probably dead or starving." Matthias doubted that was entirely true, but without his knowledge of the blood connection to Caine, it would be something that he'd likely believe.


He turned his attention away from the fire before him and onto Rori. She seemed interested in what he had to say but still didn't ask too many questions. It was a good trait to have considering that he didn't have a lot of answers, or at least he didn't have a lot of answers that he could give. "Why didn't you run inland? Was there something keeping you here that you had to reason to, or simply more of a reason to stay?"

 

[Mordecai]

When Matt ran a hand through his hair, Rori reached up instinctively and tugged her own hair loose of the braid it had been tied back into, letting the crisp golden curls tumble loose and fall over her shoulder. Idly, she spent the time running her fingers through it, trying to tug the knots out. The locks were still soft and clean from the bath she had taken earlier that day before she had been chased out of town. While her skin was caked with dirt and dried sweat from the day’s earlier events, it was clear she had been well taken care of. Her teeth were white and her skin radiated with health from a proper diet, a sight that was properly rare in the harsh wild.


“Well, that sounds nice,” the thought of home was a nice one but building one sounded even better. In her heart of hearts, she truly wished the best for him, as he seemed like such a kind soul who deserved to have good things happen to him. Early humans must have survived in conditions similar to this, perhaps even more dire, so why couldn’t anatomically modern humans, with their superior brains and resources at their disposal, do the same? The thought begged for Rori’s attention and she couldn’t help but laugh a bit bitterly at how poorly the humankind had prepared for such a cataclysmic event. Without her debit card and cell phone, Rori felt incredibly useless.


If Rori were to be honest, she didn’t know much about Caine. She watched people die around her in the most agonizing of ways while she didn’t even develop a cough. It was incredibly difficult to cope with and she felt almost guilty for surviving. How could she remain so healthy while everyone she had ever loved died around her? What made her so special? Rori didn’t even know what her blood type was, let alone how Caine had chosen its victims, and for that reason alone, she felt an overwhelming sense of self-reproach. Some had tried to explain the disease away as the rapture and those dying were making their ascent to heaven, but Rori had never believed in a God before. There was no greater meaning to the disease, she figured, except that she had miraculously won some inter-cosmic lottery with a grand prize of life.


Matt’s voice broke off her thoughts and her blue eyes shot up to him as he spoke, her heart sinking into her gut when he explained that he believed most of the people who didn’t stay inside the walled cities were dead or starving. “Fantastic,” she muttered, sighing a pitifully as she rested her head tiredly against her knees. In time, that would probably be her. If bandits didn’t get to her first, she’d surely starve to death—slowly and agonizingly. The thought made her almost decide to head back to Brandkast to face the wrath of its citizens. At least her death would be relatively quick, then.


“Well,” she began when he asked, “I joined that wall city I told you about earlier, Brandkast, almost immediately after everything went to hell and stayed there up until now. It was comfortable there and it was as close to normal as I could find,” she tried to explain. Normal was good for her, she liked normal. She liked markets and town meetings because she could pretend like nothing had happened; that she was still living in small town America in her dead-end job. “But after a while, I guess they just didn’t need me anymore, so, here I am,” she tried to explain as benignly as possible. “I was useful for a while because I know how to repair cars and machinery really well. My dad owned a repair garage growing up and that was my first real job, but after a while the cars Brandkast had stopped working because I couldn’t get parts I needed to fix them anymore and I was obsolete,” she explained. There was a bit more to the story than that. Even after she wasn’t able to help with the mechanics any longer, she was moved to the gardens, but that job didn't last long-- clearly.

 

[kindaemissary]

It was hard for Matthias to imagine that Rori had no real skills beyond basic car mechanics, but to each their own. If she had other skills, they probably weren't needed in this world anymore. Like hers, most of Matthias's skills went extinct when technology did. Even though the electricity was still working in most of these towns, he had yet to find somewhere any of the skills he had developed growing up were needed or even necessary. In the real world, before Caine devastated the entire planet, Matthias was beyond resourceful. He had planted bombs in terrorist cells and wiped out entire populations of unnecessary people. It wasn't a job that Matthias wished he could go back to but more like one he wished he never started. With Caine out and about, he was in more danger than he had put the rest of the world in. That is, if the people that he worked for had actually survived the outbreak.


Either way, both of them had deemed themselves or had been deemed by reality obsolete in this new world. "I can understand your frustration," Matthias offered in response. He didn't want to go too much into his history, but he wanted to make Rori feel like she wasn't alone. "Before Caine, I was a medical officer. It might seem like that could still be useful now, but when all you come across is the insane remnants of humanity it's more depressing than anything. I was mainly a data pusher, and since there's no more data to be pushed anymore, I really don't know what to do with my time."


Being a medical officer was only the first of many steps for Matthias, but it was the most public job he had had since graduating from Carnegie Mellon three years ago. His internship with the CDC was only a four-month program where he was stationed in Zambia to research first-hand on the Ebola crisis, but it was something of minute importance in his long range of jobs. After working for the CDC, he held only private jobs and consulted on more complicated federal cases involving microbiology and biochemical warfare. He only worked on a number of cases, but in the end they were what got him working on the Caine developmental team early last year.


"Computer and technology skills aren't going to help me for a long time, if ever." Matthias knew that once he got to the location he was searching for, he'd be able to find some use of his skills, but until then there wasn't much use for him. "I know how to perform CPR, but otherwise I'm not that useful in the world post-Caine."


He gave a side smile that looked more disappointed than anything, but he knew that someday he'd be able to get back into the swing of things. Even if it was only to create soil that produced the best vegetation, he'd be able to find something that he was good at once again. Until he reached the safe zone, though, he was only good for his feet. It would be hard to stay healthy on the road, especially once winter hit, but once he arrived at the destination he'd be ready for anything.


"Now that you've left Brandkast," Matthias started, "what are you planning to do? Do you have anything in mind or were you leaving unexpectedly?"

 

[Mordecai]

Rori eventually uncurled herself and opened the bottle water, taking a long, satisfying sip. The cold water hit her belly and she could feel her core temperature drop. The sudden chill caused an explosion of goose bumps to develop down her arms, but in the most enjoyable way. While winter was coming, the air was still plenty warm, and the feeling of coolness was a welcoming one. She had never known water could be so delightful, but she sighed contentedly and sat back on her hands, letting the fire warm her once more.


“Well, Mr. medical officer, I was a waitress in a diner,” she replied, having not much to offer in the way of expertise, but their skills seemed equally useless in this world. While there had once been a rift between their social classes, Caine had levelled the playing field between them. There were a few skills in the modern day that were useful: doctors, nurses, metalworkers, and the like. However, most skilled workers of the past life were equally fruitless. “Do you miss it?” she asked suddenly. Rori was incredibly indecisive, and went from moments of not missing her old life at all, to missing it dearly. She couldn’t help but be curious if anyone else get the same way she did, “Your previous life, I mean.”


She found some comfort in hearing his story, even though she was sure it was far from the entire truth. It felt like he was just saying things to be sympathetic towards her, but she really couldn’t care less. For even an instance, she felt delight in knowing she wasn’t alone. While she was aware that the moment probably wouldn’t last long, as Matt would have to continue his trek as he explained prior, it was nice to slow down for a few minutes. “Maybe, maybe not,” she replied when he brought up computers, “Generators are still being used.” Rori knew as she had to fix them several times in Brandkast. While the idea of working computers was a long way off, it wasn’t completely inconceivable. People were still too busy scrambling through the chaos and fear of survival now, but humans had overcome such obstacles before in their ancient past.


“You seem to be doing all right,” she pointed out idly, “You made it this far.” Hundreds of travellers had showed up at the gates of Brandkast in the past and they had all looked considerably worse off than Matt did. They were starving, dying people yet looking over Matt now he looked to be neither. Perhaps he was just selling himself short out of pity.


When he brought up Brandkast again, she shrugged. “I wasn’t planning on leaving, really. In Brandkast, there is something you could call equivalent to a King. Well, his son was murdered a few days ago and people began blaming me,” she admitted apprehensively at first. The last thing she needed was Matt believing she was an iniquitous monster. Rori had never killed before because she had never had to. The world of Brandkast was a general safe one, but their people needed an answer to the question “who did it?” and Rori had been on the top of the list.


“I’m not sure what I’m going to do now,” she admitted, “I’ve never been out of Brandkast before, so, I don’t even know what is going on in the outside world, really. I suppose I’ll make my way towards some of the old towns in the area and see what I can gather there for supplies,” the plan was an unconvincing one, but it was the best idea she could come up with. Surely, the towns would be mostly picked clean of anything exceedingly useful by bandits, but Rori, growing up near poverty, had always been pretty resourceful when it came to fashioning tools.

 

[kindaemissary]

Matthias didn't know how to answer the question. Of course, he missed his life and how everything in his little world was going, but did he miss it enough to want to go back? He had a stable job and an above reasonable source of income and all the amenities he could need, but if Caine didn't happen would he have wanted to continue living like that? Truth be told, if Caine hadn't had worked and Matthias had survived whatever kind of damage that initially came towards him, the government probably would have put him in a place that he would have needed to disappear completely or be found later on death row. It would be a lose-lose situation no matter what kind of spin he put on it.


"I miss it," he admitted, "but I feel like this is something that I can work with. I'd rather have this open-ended opportunity than a dead end job." Even if he was being chased up the coast, it was better than living a meager life where his science would probably end up killing him someday. This new world gave him the ability to change his entire life. Once he made it to the safe zone, he'd settle down and make a new life for himself. It would all work out fine.


"I am fairly good at making the most out of my resources," Matthias said after a moment. If he hadn't used each town he passed through as a convenience store, he would probably be more worse for wear. With all the people gone that cared about stealing, it was easy to make sure he had enough clean water, clothing, and food before he moved onto the next part of his journey. He could easily shower and take new things as he went from town to town, and making it this far wasn't as hard as some people might have believed it to be. "Whenever I stopped in a town, I got new water. A traded out clothes at stores and homes. I picked up new food and other supplies. It worked out pretty well. I stopped somewhere earlier but only for food and water. I'm planning on showering at my next stop tomorrow."


Rori told him about the incident with Brandkast's so-called king's son and what had happened. He was curious as to if she had actually done it, but it wasn't exactly polite to ask someone you just met if they were a murderer. On a larger scale, Matthias was, but that wasn't something he wanted to talk about, nor was he planning on it. "I'm sorry that they drove you out," he said. She might not have said it, but it was implied. "Whether you did or not, not that it's any of my business, you should have been able to stand some sort of trial. They have no right to accuse you without reason."


Post-Caine, the world was changed, but Matthias thought that people would still have some sense of responsibility. If the world was falling apart around them, the least they could do was keep it together as a society. Otherwise, what did they have left? In his case, there would have been no trial. He left a hearty paper trail connecting him to the evidence and didn't clean it up when he left. If anyone came across such information, it would only be a matter of time before he was looked at as a terrorist instead of a lowly medical officer. He'd be screwed.


"Have you thought about heading North?" Matthias asked. "I make long days, but I give myself time to rest. This is the first night I've slept in the open since I left. I normally hit another town, but this stretch was long. I could always use company on the road, and you seem like you'd enjoy it as well." It was a big offer, but Matthias had a feeling that Rori was more resourceful than she seemed. If they worked together, they could get much more accomplished. He would also be safer if he wasn't alone. "You can take some time to think about it, but please consider my offer. It gets lonely on the road, and I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going. It would be nice of you to join me."

 

[Mordecai]

Humming softly as she thought over his response, Rori slowly nodded. Most people she had asked jumped to a “yes” conclusion almost immediately. They missed their smartphones, their laptops, and their favourite T.V. programming. Few went on to explain how they missed family or friends, but Matt’s answer took her by surprise. While he admitted to missing his life, he made it clear that he didn’t miss it too much. She understood how he felt about working a dead-end job, coming from one herself, and like him, she wasn’t completely convinced she’d jump back into her old life given the opportunity, although her sentiment on the idea changed day to day.


“Have you run into anyone making those towns into homes?” she asked. It would make sense to her that people would eventually begin to immigrate back into the towns and cities for resources and shelter now that the threat of disease had tapered off. It had been weeks since she had heard of anyone else getting sick and she could only assume that Caine was gone now, for whatever reason. Perhaps everyone who had lived through Caine had already found their permanent settlements. If everyone lived in place similar to Brandkast, they would have no need for any meagre supplies that could be found in old, abandoned towns.


Her conclusion was less than satisfying, but it was the only one she could come up with. Matt had explained earlier that he hadn’t seen another human being in quite some time, yet rumours flying around Brandkast had explained the wild was wrought with bandits and evil people. Had she known how calm and uninhabited the outside world really was, she would have left Brandkast months ago.


Rori couldn’t resist a happy laugh that bubbled from her throat. Her eyes shone with amusement as she gazed across the fire and to Matt, “Oh, yes, well, this new world with which we live in isn’t exactly partial to trials,” she pointed out. The world had devolved to a more feudal caste system. Powerful barons had emerged in these walled cities and had claimed them as their own. People were either too scared or too hungry to fight their will and they eventually built up enormous power and called themselves Kings, Pharaohs, even Gods. “I mean, it’s all right. I kinda saw it coming, but I kept waiting. I waited for three weeks, which was probably two and a half weeks too long, but it took a long time for my hope that they wouldn’t blame me to die,” she had to admit that she had wished fervently for everyone to forget and go back to their day to day lives. That had not been the case, however.


His next statement caused her to visibly perk. For a split second, she wondered if he was just leading her into some kind of death trap, but quickly came to the understanding that she was going to die out here if she stayed behind, too. “North?” she echoed after him, as if the cardinal direction sounded strange, but ended up shrugging a response, “Why not? I don’t have anything else going on.” It was nice to know she had an ally in the world in a time she needed it most. Plus, she was strong, young, and athletic—in more than good enough shape to make the long journey. She didn’t have any other options and she liked Matt’s company. “We’ll hit a town tomorrow, you say?” she inquired, going through her mental map. There were several towns within walking distance of where they were and she wondered which he was planning to go to. Not that it mattered, for she needed some new shoes and some heavier clothing, on top of a plethora of other things. “Thanks for the offer, I really appreciate it.”

 

[kindaemissary]

Matthias turned his eyes to the branches that had slowly turned into warm coals underneath the rest of the brush. He had seen people throughout cities, but most of them were bodies. Aside from Rori, he hadn't come across anyone with a stable mind set. He hadn't actually socialized with anyone since the beginning of Caine, and that wasn't too far back in time anyone. Much closer than he remembered it to be. He pushed one stick into the flames and poked at the wood cackling inside, trying to get the fire to warm up some more.


"That would be the smartest thing to do," Matthias agreed. "Heading back to old towns and fixing them up. They already have all the amenities. If there are more walled cities that you speak of, it would make sense why no one has headed back towards the coast. They're probably being told that the only people out walking around anymore are evil and most likely infected. From what I've seen, they're wrong. Everyone infected is dead."


Caine had many side effects that worked slowly at first, but Matthias would be able to pick someone with the disease out of a crowd. Their eyes would be swollen, deep bags under each socket, and the whites would be yellowed. Caine wasn't a decaying disease as some people believed, but one that attacked the immune system right at its source. Caine was airborne, something that most people weren't aware of, so no matter what someone without the AB- blood type would be infected. For months they had tested the procedure and got Caine to a point where the disease wouldn't act too quickly. At the beginning, the initial contact with Caine would be the last contact with Caine, and the test subject would die. It was a long process, but finally Matthias's development team was able to get Caine to stay in the system for about 10 days before it killed the infected person. It took a while for the inhibitor to work correctly before being overrode, but it worked out in the end. Most of the world was now dead.


"I am planning to make it to the next town before ten tomorrow morning. If we were to leave around 8:30 tomorrow morning and set out North, it's only a few miles of a walk until we get there. I've been checking for unlocked cars everywhere I go, one's with keys still inside, but I have yet to find any. We can get new clothes, water, and more food while we're there; maybe rest a bit. I'll continue my search for cars with keys, but I'm not sure that I'll find any." Matthias rubbed the back of his neck with the heel of his hand. "It would be much easier to carry things with a car. Not to mention progress would go by much faster, and we'd make it up North much sooner."


He wanted to make it to the safe zone before the snow hit. It was already so cold, and when he woke up in the morning there was often frost. It would be coming soon, and if they had the ability to move sooner and quicker there would be no doubt that Matthias would take it.


Matthias turned to face Rori again and set the poker stick down on the ground. "I like sleeping in towns more than this," he said. "I just didn't make it to my next stop before I got tired. I underestimated the elevation of the forest here. It'll be easier going down."

 

[Mordecai]

Rori finally put her arms through properly through the jacket that Matt had given her, zipping it up to her neck as the air temperature dropped with the coming of night. Scooting closer to the fire, she felt the warmth burn against her cheeks, causing a reddened flush to make its way across her face. She extended her arms towards the fire, opening her palms at it and feeling a happy cosiness siphon through her. In the moment, she had entirely forgotten about the pang of hunger in her belly or the worry in her head, and she remained in a state of complete mental repose.


“Oh, yes,” she said, blinking herself from her inattentiveness, “The officials of Brandkast often told stories of how dangerous the wild is,” she explained, “There is a lot of talk in the cities of rogue, murderous bandits and the like.” It made sense the more she thought about it. Cities couldn’t afford to lose their most valuable citizens, so they tried to discourage them from leaving to find something better by encouraging them to believe there was nothing better. Rori had only seen a very small sliver of what the wild had to offer; yet it hadn’t really been all that bad. Had she had some proper supplies, she could have probably made due quite well. At least well enough to survive, counting on whether or not she could get a fire going. On a list of things Rori could not do, building a fire was the crowning item, but if she could master the art of fire-making, she probably could make do.


After a while, Rori laid back against the Earth. Her honey blonde hair tumbled to either side of her head, collecting bits of fallen leaves and twigs, but she wasn’t concerned about that now. The ground still felt warm from the day’s sun and it reminded her of her exhaustion. Her eyes closed and while she was still awake, she could feel her mind grow a bit fuzzier. “Sure, I can be up by eight thirty,” she yawned, “I mean, I won’t be bright eyed and bushy tailed, but I’ll be awake,” Rori chuckled softly, forcing herself to sit up again so she wouldn’t doze off on him. Idly, she began to pull the bits of leaves from her hair, feeding them to the fire as she did so.


“Cars with keys?” Rori laughed, “Aw, that’s so cute. You know, the owner is probably dead, have you ever thought of just hot wiring it?” she suggested with a small grin on her face. Perhaps she’d be of more use to him than she had originally thought. While it had been a long time since she last worked on an engine, Rori knew a thing or two about cars—something he seemed to understand little of. “Those newer models of cars can be a bit more tricky because of all the anti-theft protection they have in them, but if we can find a car that’s older than 2012 and still has a good battery, I can get it running again. It would he nice until we can find something a little more permanent,” she explained. The good battery was going to be the tricky part, really. If cars sat too long, their batteries began to corrode and die. Most other parts maintained their quality relatively well, but batteries were fragile little things.


“If we can find some car parts still in good repair in the town, I can probably get something with an engine to run, but it’s really going to depend on what is still out there.” Sure, Rori knew her way around an engine pretty well, but she wasn’t god. A sense of pride washed over her, knowing she could make a positive input into their relationship.


Humming softly, she listened to what he had to say. Her eyes glanced out over the horizon, but it was too dark to discern the terrain. Nevertheless, the short run she had taken from Brandkast had proven a difficult one, wrought with hills and rolling topography that was taxing on her energy, she could only assume he had been faced with a similar path.

 

[kindaemissary]

Matthias shrugged and glanced back towards the fire before looking straight towards Rori. The light from the made the dirt on his face and neck seem more caked than it probably was, but it wasn't Matthias's place to judge. From listening to her, it seemed like Rori might have literally run from Brandkast, and considering the allegations against her it would make sense that she wanted to get out of there as soon as she possibly could. Either way, he was glad that she had gotten out of there before things got even worse for her. If she had waited a little longer or taken a wrong turn, they wouldn't have been having this conversation and on the other end of things there was a chance that Rori could even be dead.


"The only reason I wanted the keys was so I'd have a way to lock the car, but considering that human life is practically gone from America at this point, I don't even know if I'd need one." Matthias pulled the sleeves of his sweater down to his wrists from where they were before. The fall was ending, and even though the snow hadn't hit or the temperature drop, he knew that it was going to get drastically cold in the next few weeks, no to mention the next upcoming days.


If Rori could rebuild an engine and find the perfect way for them to have transportation North, then Matthias wouldn't turn it down. "I don't know how long it will take you to get the mechanics figured out, but we can stay for a little longer than normal if we're sure that we'll get a car. If it falls through I don't want to waste time. Once it gets cold, it's only going to get colder."


He moved his hands so that they were facing the fire and let them warm up with the heat from the flames. "Driving would be much more health conscious of us, but if it's something that can't happen it's not a problem. We can work it out or do something else. We don't need a car."

 

[Mordecai]

“Lock the car?” she echoed his words and chuckled, although her amusement was directed entirely at herself and not at him. “It never would have even crossed my mind,” she admitted truthfully. The world of Brandkast had been vastly different than the world here. There, everything was considered communal for the most part. Nobody locked anything, because no one truly owned anything. While the wilderness wasn’t some outlaw bandit town the leaders had described it to be, there probably were people out there who would steal, given the opportunity. She was beginning to realize just how under-prepared mentally for this new existence she really was. Nevertheless, she felt a stitch of satisfaction knowing she could offer Matt something useful.


Rubbing her palms against her eyes and yawning tiredly, Rori slowly nodded to finally acknowledge him, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to do it,” she admitted, “But it won’t take me long to figure out once we get to town.” If she could get her hands on a working battery, the rest would be easy, she assumed. “It’s just, I need to find a quasi-working battery,” or, at very least, a battery that could be jumped back to life. The first thing she’d do once they arrived in the town would be to look for an Auto Body, or even a car dealership. Those places were bound to be littered with something she could use, and Rori was set and determined to prove her worth, if not to herself, than to Matt.


Resting her head in the crook of her knees and closing her eyes, Rori felt her mind grow fuzzy. She had done an awful lot of running that day, at least more than she was accustomed to doing and she had to admit that it had made her enervated. “Well,” she began in a sleepy voice, not even bothering to open her eyes anymore, “At least let me give it a try before you begin to doubt me, hm?” Rori idly brought the sleeves of the jacket over her hands, bringing her arms closer to her chest and coddling her body heat closer to her centre.


“Are there roads that take you all the way to where you want to go?” she inquired rather suddenly. She didn’t really know much about the trail North, considering the last time she had gone that direction it had been via plane. Of course, even if roads did vein that far North, that didn’t ensure that a car would be able to make it that far. With the weather on the brink of winter and no snowplows to dutifully help cars pass, the roads could become too snow and ice laden for a vehicle to travel. Even a car built for rough terrain, like a Jeep, couldn’t necessarily pass through snow if it got deep enough. It was things she was slowly beginning to consider; however, she didn’t dismiss the usefulness of a vehicle. Even if they later had to abandon it on account of weather, at least it would speed up the travel process up until that point.

 

[kindaemissary]

The fire cracked, and Matthias added more brush to the flames. They cackled at the new moisture and slowly settled back down into a quiet and warm burn. "Sorry," he said after a moment, and he looked up at her from the flames. "No doubting. It shouldn't take too long to find a car worth putting effort into, so when we get there that should be one of our top priorities. Obviously finding food and new water is important too, and I think that we should stop and find those things before anything else, but then we'll search for a car after that. We'll be hungry by the time we get there. I don't have much food on me, and the water I have is mostly gone. We'll make it work."


He figured that Rori knew exactly what she was doing when it came to cars, and even though he was no mechanic, he seemed to pick up on things pretty quick. At least he did when he found a way to correlate them back to science. Back in Lancaster he was taught how to disable a bomb similar to those the Unabomber used. It would have been much more complicated if he hadn't compared it to the likeness of an autopsy. When he was in high school, he dissected a frog like most students back then did. He heard that they had taken it out of the curriculum. Either way, dissecting that frog helped him complete an autopsy for the first time, and the autopsy in turn helped him disable the bomb. It wasn't as complicated as people may think from what they saw on television, but the stillness it required was one of absolute practice and patience. If that said anything, hopefully Matthias would understand car engines by the end of tomorrow.


Matthias's ears piqued at her question, and he drew himself out of his own head. "The roads might not lead straight to exactly where I am going, but when I get close enough I should be able to find where I want to be." If Matthias was told the correct information, the place he wanted to find was in the midst of Jasper National Park just past the province line of British Columbia and Alberta. It was along the most Northern Rocky Mountains. Matthias knew that he could have just traveled the mountain line, but the weather would get much more harsh there than it would by the ocean for quite some time. "I have only been to Canada twice, and that was to visit Niagara, but with the map I believe I can find it easily enough."


The journey would get much worse as time progressed, but if they had a vehicle like they were hoping it would much less tense. Matthias wouldn't be too worried. "Don't take this in the wrong way, but there's most likely going to be running water where we stop next. I don't know how your town worked, but you can take a real shower. I haven't stopped in a town that didn't have running water so far, so I have a feeling this one will as well. We can shower before we leave, get new clothes, and then hopefully reach another town before nightfall." He didn't want it to sound like she needed to take a shower, but he knew that he himself wanted one.


"If we get a vehicle, I'll want to find some kind of pharmacy as well. We'll need medical supplies just in case something happens while we're out." Matthias knew that it was always a possibility one of them could become seriously injured or sick, and while he wasn't a medical professional, he could try to be. He was much more skilled in killing people than keeping them alive, but he could figure it out. "We could bring a lot with us in a car," he said a little more to himself.


"With the time we'll spend before we get there we can get to know each other a little more." Matthias wouldn't tell her everyone, obviously enough, but he was interested in her life prior to Caine and even inside the walls of Brandkast. "We have all of the time in the world now," he said, "so it would make sense that we'd become more than traveling acquaintances."

 

[Mordecai]

Rori shrugged in regards to his last statement. She had grown accustomed to the feeling of hunger gnawing away at her innards, and after a while, it had become categorized as a daily ache and pain. Since the end days, there were certain sufferings she had just come to expect on a daily basis. Hunger was one, but so were aching joints, bruises, cuts, and pounding headaches. So, she wasn’t really all that put-off when he mentioned they may not have anything to eat until they arrived in town approximately twelve hours from then. As people went, Rori was pretty resilient to such things and in truth; she was excited for the journey. While she’d never tell Matt, she was enjoying the sense of purpose he had given her. Finally, she felt like she had a job in life that wasn’t tending vegetable gardens.


Repairing cars was, by and large, fairly easy, but there were subtle nuances of how it was done that usually hung most people up when they tried. With each model of car being slightly different underneath the hood, it often looked more confusing than it really was. Rori had no doubt in her mind that once she began to show Matt how everything worked; he would be able to pick it up with relative ease. From the way he spoke and what little he revealed about himself, Rori assumed that he was educated and perceptive, way more than she could ever dream of being. As such, he should be able to pick up car mechanics in time, but if that was the case, she'd be useless to him in relatively quick time. Glancing at him now, he seemed to be having no troubles surviving on his own, aside from getting a car up and running, but once he had that, what motivation would he have to keep her around? The thought fluttered past her mind momentarily, but she made not to dismiss it for now. “Oh, alright,” she agreed to the comment regarding medical supplies with a touch of feigned smile.


Rori just laughed at his comment, shrugging it off briskly, “I won’t take it the wrong way,” she assured him in an idle voice, tracing her finger across her neck to feel the dirt caked on, “Brandkast had water, too. But—my exit from the city resulted in running through mud, getting torches thrown at me, climbing over a wall---“ she trailed off idly, recalling the days events. It was clear that she was well taken care of underneath all the dirt, but running from an irate rabble didn’t leave her with the opportunity to pick the neatest path. If truth were told, the idea of a shower was a glorious one. She’d imagine the water would be cold, but that didn’t concern her. She could live with cold water if it meant that she could ring the mire from her hair and skin and step in to some cosy new clothes. While she appreciated his kindness in offering his jacket, it would be nice to have things she could call her own.


Again, she began to absentmindedly comb her fingers through her hair, picking out pieces of dirt as she went. “If we’re going to the town that I think we’re going to, they also have a Farm supply store-“ she explained, trying to picture all the towns around them in her head, drawing up a visual map of what everything had looked like before Caine, “They might have some useful things as well,” she was about to go on and explain what they might have there, if it wasn’t already looted, but fell decidedly quiet. After all, Matt had been out in the wilderness considerably longer than she had and probably had a better idea of things that would be needed along the journey.


Lacing her fingers across her knees, she looked up to him, studying his features through the orange light of the flames, trying to decide once again whether his motives were sincere. “I’m not very exciting,” she explained to him after his comment broke the silence and dragged her from her thoughts, “but at least I’m a warm body to talk to, right? Well, never mind, we can talk more in the morning.” Rori was beginning to grow tired and she was struggling to keep her eyes open, but she didn’t want to fall asleep just yet. Her mind couldn’t help but remind her that she shouldn’t just be trusting Matt as easily as she had been; her self-preservation fed her just enough adrenaline to keep her from drifting off.

 

[kindaemissary]

Matthias listened to Rori eagerly and adjusted himself so that he was leaning against a nearby tree trunk. It was nice to have someone to talk to - like she had said, a warm body - but it was obvious that she was becoming exhausted. It would make sense that she would be reluctant to fall asleep so soon after meeting a total stranger, and even though Matthias had been nothing but kind, he understood the hesitation. The world wasn't a good place, and he wasn't honestly a good person. Not that she needed to know that.


"We'll check it out," he promised. "The Farm supply store." Rori was trying to prove her worth, and even though Matthias already saw it, he knew why was was doing it. If she didn't, there was no reason he wouldn't leave in the middle of the morning without her. What good was girl who knew only how to live inside a box for the last couple of weeks? What good was she if could only fix cars? Matthias knew why she was making herself important, and he respected it, but he didn't want her to feel like she was obligated to prove herself.


He yawned which hopefully signaled to her that he was also exhausted. If he fell asleep first, it would possibly make her more comfortable. "In the morning," he said. "If you're not up a little before we leave, I'll wake you. It'll be easier to walk for a long if you just didn't wake up. We can eat a little bit and then hit the road." He moved his back so that he was comfortable and pulled out three pairs of gloves from his bag before he threw the third back in.


"Here," Matthias said, and he handed her a pair. "It might not seem like much, but it will help keep away frostbite. It's not too cold yet, but without metrologists how to we truly know." He cracked a smile and pulled the second pair onto his hands before leaning back against the tall oak. "We'll walk and talk in the morning," he repeated her. "It'll be better when we're rested and not so cold."