Enigma Source: Grey Area

Chapter 24: Mechanized Memories III

August 25, ????
Sinclair
Somewhere in the Wildlands

A deafening silence accompanied our solemn journey. Only the soft sound of rustling grass blades swaying because of the incoming summer winds were heard. The ambient sounds overshadowed the soft snores of the three little brats rather well, so I did not have to worry about listening to them. Though I still had to carry them along.

I had three, thick chains wrapped around my waist, helping me pull the last remaining Land Strider along. It had run out of fuel a few days ago but I did not want to leave it behind. Not only did it carry vital equipment and gear, but it was Lux's. I couldn't leave her custome vehicle behind. Although I already did have a lot of mementos already, I wanted to keep as much as possible.

I looked back at the jostling vehicle. The three little children all slept comfortably together, snuggled up in the one seat. Loads of bags and sacks were securely tied down in various locations. Lux's bag, the black duffle bag, was secured at the front. All of the weapons and gadgets she had made for me were in there. I had to keep it safe. I had to keep it all safe. Even the kids.

We had traveled a long way from the outskirts of Magnolia City. The Strider Gang's hideout was only a few miles away from the ruins. By my calculations, our journey was about a hundred and twenty miles. Those last twenty miles were me pulling the vehicle. These things ate gas up at a high rate, so it was only a matter of time before we were forced to continue on foot.

The trek was unbelievably boring too. There was no one to talk to a lot of the time since the kids were either asleep or too depressed to talk. "If only you were here Lux. You'd have some kind of game for those kids to play", I spoke to myself. "At the very least there would be some background noise on this journey.

There was a place Lux had wanted us to go to for the longest. It was a settlement in the mountains that she'd lived in for a few years. Before she met me and the Striders it was her home. I believe she intended on us settling there, with all the kids no less. It was a strange idea... One that I wasn't sure I wanted. Now that she was gone though it was worth the time to at least see what this place was like. We were pretty close to out destination. According to the rough sketch Lux had drew, we had to enter through a specific clearing at the base of the mountain side. I was no cartographer but I could at least tell that she sucked at giving directions.

I reached down into my right pocket and pulled out the "map" she had made. The small rectangular piece of paper was in bad condition. Like I said, it was a rough sketch. The way she drew treelines and plains was abysmal but entertaining to look at. She may have been a whiz with mechanical works, but art was not her best skill. But she was better than I was. Of that I was certain. "Is the entrance near this heavily erased mark? Or is that supposed to be a river?", I pondered. "If that's the case I still have a long way to go".

I didn't know what to expect when I found this settlement. Lux spoke very little about it. In fact she started to mention them more and more recently. Before the attack that is. It was as if she knew something was gonna happen and this place was a safe spot for us. I'll never know. Not unless I find a way to communicate with the dead. "Maybe one day I'll figure it out".

Looking back at the map, I figured that I had to take a chance with the unidentifiable mark. "You better not lead me astray", I grumbled. I began to shift my paces to the left. Slowly and steadily the Strider followed my change in direction. The path ahead was gonna be bumpy and the vehicle was surely gonna hop around. "The brats will most likely wake up soon", I thought. "Better prepare myself for that too".

The somewhat even road quickly transformed to an off-road landscape. The crunches of gravel and pebbles under my feet and the legs of the Strider made a loud yet satisfying noise. Patches of dry dirt would appear every few minutes but for the most part the path ahead was grassy.