Unbound

Chapter Three

Eli

Map? Check.

Survival guide? Check.

Jack knife? Check!

I settled my pack down. I was almost ready to leave the Community. To be frank, I was really nervous and excited for this. Was this a good sign? Probably not but it didn't matter. I was going to be the first person of Wilinto to step out of the community and see what the rest of the world was like. That I was excited for. However, I was nervous about one thing: The pressure of finding the water chip. Everyones' lives were weighed on my shoulders and it was up to me to save everyone before it was too late.

Roger theorized it would take a year for me to find the chip. I didn't know why he told me it would take a year for me to find the chip until he pulled out a map that shown an image of what was once a place known as North America. Apparently, the country was divived into fifty segments called States and our state was on the Eastern coastline. As for the locations of the potential chip (or chips), they were no where near North Carolina. Some of the potential locations were places I've never heard about. But they all had one thing about them; They were once giant buildings that built water chips. All I had to do was visit each one, find a computer that logbooked each shipment of the chips they would make and hope to God himself that either they were in the factory itself or shipped to the last place before the world collapsed. And I had to do this alone before the year was up. I had to.

Roger also taught me it wasn't wise to trust anyone outside of the walls. Especially Tribals. The Tribals were all the same; Monsterous, cannibalistic fiends. However, if I needed any extra hands I should try my luck at any settlements. They normally have an hireling. And my best bet for finding my first hireling was at the closest settlement: a place called Norfo, to the north in a place known as Virginia. That would be my best place to look for first.

And so, my journey would begin. Roger would have to make an excuse for me to hide the truth from my family. He suggested I would be relocated to an another community to work. I knew that reason wouldn't work for long but I had to get the chip before everyone learned the truth.

That night, I begun my journey. Roger suggested that I should leave the community at night to sneak out. He would be waiting for me at the entrance to give me a weapon to defend myself. It was easy for me to sneak my way out of my house and towards the entrancement but I knew the moment I left the Community, it would be unmarked territory. Dangerously unmarked territory.

I waited at the gates, patiently. I couldn't say my goodbye to my family but I was able to snag a slice of my mom's apple pie before I would leave. My last, decent meal for awhile. I guess you can say, eh?

I hid in the shadows for around 15 minutes before I saw him. Roger stepped out from a dark alleyway. Not a great impression in my opinion, for obvious reasons but I assumed it was for hiding his identity. I decided to wait a few more minutes before I made sure it was safe for me to reveal myself. Roger immediately noticed me.

"I figured you would want to keep me waiting."

I smiled with amuse. "Figures for you to figure out where I was. I wanted to make sure the coast was clear."

It was Roger's turn to smile. "Not bad. At least you took safety in account." He then handed me what seemed like to be a police baton. "For your own self-defense."

Taking it with both hands, I decided to test it out before I even left the community. After a few whacks against a pole, it seemed to be in steady condition. Not in perfect condition but it was better than nothing.

"Alright, Roger. I think it's time. Do you have any advice for me or anything else that could help me find the chip?", I asked.

Roger could only offer me one piece of advice.

"Whatever you do, don't go dying. Fight to survive. Fight to live on. Fight for the will of us.", he answered.

I smiled. "It'll take more than a few hits before I'm down. I'll get the chip before the year is up. I promise."

Roger didn't say anything else. He pressed a button on a hidden panel on the wall and the gates opened up. I nodded back at Roger and I began to walk through the tunnel that would lead me into the wild. Before I reached the mid-way of the tunnel, I looked back at my Community. There was no telling on wherever or not I was going to see this place again, but I promised I would fight to survive to come back here. I then resumed my walk through the tunnel. And I never looked back.