The Fight for Survival

The Mission

The world was always going to end. Most skeptics would say that famine would wipe humanity out. Scientists claimed that it'd be a natural disaster. Maybe that's why no one really saw the spread of the B-12 virus as the end of the world. It's been 18 years since the world ended, but yet life still continues. Somehow.

Footsteps echoed down the alleyway, light splashing of puddles could be heard as someone rounded the corner. A young women in her mid twenties stepped out onto the street. Her brown locks were crudely cut and made her look serious. A black t-shirt fitted her frame as well as two .9mm pistols rested on her hips. Baggy camo pants blocked out the cold of the city as well as steel toed boots. Her hands had worn out gloves on top of wrapping which secured her wrist. Two dog tags rested around her neck on a silver chain. The woman looked around at her home.

Maraud had been one of the first cities hit with B-12. Most of the survivors were able to keep Downtown safe from the Infected, but that didn't stop the buildings from falling apart or from supplies running low. Twin Sanctuary was soon formed to keep peace between any remaining survivors. The council constructed a wall between downtown and midtown, leaving the Infected to run rampant within the upper part of Maraud. Rust had covered the old buildings due to the harsh weather conditions that had started up. To communicate with other outposts, satellite towers were constructed out of old RV's and large shipping containers.

Koda ran a hand through the hair that had fallen into her eyes and pushed it back. She scanned over the area before weaving through a few more alleyways. She stopped when she saw it. An old gas station near Gate #3. An old light sign was missing parts of the 'eastern union' it originally spelt out. Large pieces of wood boarded up the windows, barely letting any light through. Papers covered the street along with wrecked cars no one bothered to move. A scrapped Boeing 747 rested a few feet from the entrance, obvious signs of Scrappers and Bounty hunters having left their mark on it. She pushed open the old door with a creak. The bell still rang from the top of the door, alerting anyone inside that someone had entered.

Koda scanned the building. A few people sat scattered in the old retro booths. The countertops had thick layers of dust on them as well as a few cans of leftover food. The shelves had been removed, only to leave an imprint in the checkered floor. In the back corner sat two young adults.

One of them was a male looking to be in his early 20's. His head was completely shaved except for a dark goatee that he had growing. His left eye was slightly lighter than his other one, hinting at some kind of blindness. Leather gloves with iron plating covered his hands as a cloth was wrapped around his neck acting as a protection piece. Scars were littered on the parts of his arms that were visible, suggesting that he was covered in them. The smaller female next to him was an exact 180. With red hair and baggier clothes, her aura was a lot lighter than her companion. A side braid complemented the dark shawl draped around her shoulders. Leather bindings protected the more exposed parts of her body.

The female lit up and waved excitedly to Koda. "I'm glad it's the three of us heading out." Ava started with a smile. Despite the conditions that the world was in, Ava still saw the light in things.

Koda sat down on the hard leather and looked around. "Is Kai coming?"

Her companions shook their heads, causing Koda to scoff. Before she could get a word in, the bell rang again causing the gas station to fall silent. An older woman entered and stood in the middle of the room. Her stern eyes glared over each group who sat at the tables. A sharp military suit covered her frame, some wear had started to show with loose stitching patching it up. Four different badges decorated her left chest as a pointed hat rested on her tight silver bun.

"Today is no ordinary supply run. Today is also a scouting mission. You'll find a map with the locations each group is supposed to camp at." Rustling of maps came from around the room as each group looked at the rolled piece of parchment. Daemon scowled as he looked over the map, not letting the two girls see where they were going.

"This also won't be a short trip. This trip will take a few months to complete for each group. You'll find your equipment at each gate. Good luck soldiers." Koda and the general locked eyes, causing her to dig her nails into her palm drawing blood. Ava lightly nudged her with the tip of her boot, causing her to lighten her grip and simply clench her hands into fists. The General scanned the room again before turning sharply and left just as abruptly as she had come in.

Koda scowled as she crossed her arms and sat back in the booth. "We should get going. We don't want to get caught by Murks at dusk." The other two nodded and the group rose, heading for the door. As the group left the diner, Koda snatched the map out of Daemon's waistband. She opened the parchment and scanned it, only to realize why Daemon had hid it from her.

'Now isn't a good time. I'll confront him when we make it to camp.' She thought to herself as she tucked the parchment into her vest.

The group soon made it to Gate 3. The black metals and harsh lights didn't faze the young adults any longer but were a sign of safety now compared to when they were younger. Koda started digging around in her cache only to realize that Kai had one two. She looked around only to realize that the punk was chatting with one of the tower guards. She rolled her eyes, grabbed one of the protein bars that they were given and hucked it up at him.

Koda chuckled as she saw it smack him in the back of his head. He winced as the guard laughed at the interaction. Kai turned around with a scowl but soon smirked before grabbing the bar and waving goodbye to the sniper. With ease, the young man grabbed the side of the metal ladder and slid down it, not wasting his time with the pegs. A light thunk of him hitting the ground caught the attention of the rest of the team.

He brushed the golden locks from his face and smiled warmly at his old friends. A light scrubble had started to form on his face as well as some light scars. Ava yelled something out in a fit of glee as she sprinted towards her older brother. He engulfed her in a hug and spun her around, causing her to squeal in pure joy. Koda chuckled as she finished grabbing her equipment and supplies.

"Dakoda." A voice called out from behind the group causing the siblings to stop their joyful reunion. Koda turned around only to face the General once again. She held a tight expression and crossed her arms.

"General." she acknowledged the higher up with a head nod, but said nothing else.

"Did you read over the parchment?"

She nodded, not daring to state a word. Anything could play against her at this point. The general said nothing, only looking past her to her group before leaning in close and whispering in Koda's ear. The young girl tensed up as the old viper leaned away and walked off. She gripped the pistol in her hand before shoving in the holster attached to her hip. With a low growl, she looked up to the gate keepers waiting for them to finish grabbing their supplies. Forming a K with her hand, Koda signaled that they were ready.

Large gears started to move as a soft grinding sound kicked up. The large slab of metal started to rise with a creak before opening just enough for the group to duck underneath it. The group ducked underneath and the gate slammed shut behind them. Without a word to each other, the group took off towards the checkpoint. The zip lines attached to their hips allowed them to stay off the ground. Zipping from one place to another, they all met up at the top of the empire building.

"So, where are we heading? Corps had me emptying the supply trucks when I was supposed to be meeting y'all" Kai scratched his head as he looked back at his friends. Standing on buildings was a normal thing for Kai since he used to do it before the virus spread.

"The mall, then they needed some supplies from Outpost 6." Koda looked over the parchment she had swiped from Daemon. He didn't say anything as he saw it in her hands but lightly scowled at her.

"You mean to tell me they want us to go into one of the first and biggest hot spots for Infected?" Kai shook his head with a snort.

"Don't forget the other creatures that have surfaced." Ava started nervously. She fiddled with the charms that were attached to the end of her AK-47. Daemon patted her shoulder as he looked to their leader.

Koda shifted. "We'll go tomorrow. The mall isn't that far so we can rest in a building." she grinned and looked up at her group. "Think that there's an apartment still intact for us to stay in for the night?"