Post-apocalyptic

Chapter 5

There are flowers and trees lining the walkway of the crater. Birds are singing and pollinating thousands of plants. You lean against a tree and bask in the sun. It feels good. The earth seems to be the only thing that will never feel grimy to you. You hear a small, raspy voice whisper in your ear. "You smell so good... You look so good..." You look up and see a small, thin man with long dark hair that reaches his knees, wearing a flowery shirt and stained blue trousers. He smiles at you and begins to stammer. "W-w-wait... I can help you... I can help you s-s-scavenge..." You feel like you know him, but you can't quite figure out how. "What do you mean 'scavenge'?" "I can help you... I have experience..." "You help or you die." "I can..." The man begins to back away. "DIE DIE DIE!" The man frantically runs away. You chase after him and leap off a short cliff into a small pond of water. The man screams and begins to splash about in the water. You stand there and watch as he drowns, but you feel no remorse. You stand there and ponder your next move. You are a scavenger armed with only a knife. 

You find a pistol laying in the water, but it is cocked and loaded. You are surrounded by men and woman who are all ready to kill you on sight. You can't go down this road. The men and woman around you are to numerous and you would be foolish to attempt to go back the way you came. The sound of splashing draws your attention. The man is drowning. You pick up the pistol and hold it in your hand. You can't kill him, but it's frustrating to see him die like this. You decide you can't just leave him here to drown. You pick up the man and put him over your shoulder. You turn around and walk back to the edge of the pit. You throw the man's body over the side. You watch over the edge as it lands in the murky water and begins to sink. You turn back to the scene of drowning and see the man struggling to swim to the surface. He makes it halfway out when you toss your knife at his feet. The knife lands point first, impaling the man through the chest. He gasps and tries to move, but he is stuck and can only manage a weak movement. You don't feel remorse for killing him. You are not like him. The man is dead, and you are still standing. You have escaped death again. You have done it by relying on your skill, and not by relying on the mercy of others. You head up the road and come across an old store with a smashed  through window. The side of the store is piled with mangled corpses of humans and mutants. 

You peer in and see a storekeeper trying to fend off a mutant with a knife. You load your crossbow with a bolt and take the man out. You search the store and find a key on a peg board behind the counter. The next location is a dilapidated house. You walk up to the door and look in the window. "Surely there's something left behind, right?" You open the door and are assaulted by the stench of death. You can actually see a body in the corner of the room, but you don't see any weapons. You shut the door and look a little more carefully. You see a partially eaten corpse on the floor and another on the bed. You wonder if the bed's corpse was killed by the dog, or if someone else came and got rid of the body. "This place is literally hell." You're pretty upset that there's no food in the house. You look at the corpses and you wonder if one of them might be the family that you're looking for. "Is it them? Is anyone else here that could help?" The man in the doorway looks at you and you can see a murderous glint in his eye. "What the hell are you doing here?" You answer with a smile and say, "Just exploring!" "You dare enter my domain?" You nod. "I'm not just anyone." "You don't seem like just anyone." You raise your eyebrow at that. You have a short exchange. "Then what are you?" "I am the ruler of the dead" You scoff and reply, "The Dead isn't a kingdom, you know." "It most certainly is." You say, "Interesting. Mind if I take a look inside?" You reach into your pocket and grab a lighter. The man steps into the room and raises his knife to strike you down. You bat his hand away and flick open the lighter in your hand. "You know...You look a little... hot" The man's eyes bulge and he stares at the flame of your lighter. Your bat and lighter look very similar. 

You light his clothes on fire. The man screams as the flame ignites his clothing. Then he stabs you in the neck. You bleed out onto the floor of the dilapidated house. You manage to grab the knife and stab him. The man's head snaps back as the knife pierces his skull. He manages to put up his hands to grip the knife. You are still able to stab him through the air. You try to say something else but all that comes out your mouth is blood. Then your head hits the floor and all your life's blood is drained from your body. There's always an end. A man comes from behind the ruler of the dead and stabs his neck. Then he drinks his blood. You did not survive this night.