The Mojave

Chapter 7: The Way Of The Mojave

Paul struggles as sweat would slowly roll down his face before managing to push over a small boulder, he wiped some sweat from his forehead and looked over at Joshua who was sitting down watching. "This is useless Josh, this just working on my strength and pace. These are not secrets."

"Open your eyes, you can't see it but i am teaching you the ways of the Mojave." Joshua said as he watched Paul walk over to mark in the sand. "No you aren't!. Stop lying." Paul then broke out into a sprint to another mark in the sand, sprinting back and forth between marks. He soon sat down as he was exhausted. "Two hours of this..what a waste."

Joshua slowly got up and handed him a water as Paul would take it and start to drink it slowly. "Two hours,forty minutes and twelve seconds. I think your ready for the final test"

Paul looked up at him and exhaled quickly. "Pff..about time man" He got up and followed Joshua as they would begin to slowly walk through into one of the old abandoned mines. Joshua looked left and right. "The last step is rather simple. All you have to do is follow instinct. Trust your gut and overcome fear itself."

Paul walked behind him as he thought to himself. "He's gonna make me fight the 'Dark Master of the Apocalypse' and give me some Brahmin meat after as reward isn't he?" 

Joshua looked back at him as he stopped towards an entrance into another mine. "What are your thoughts?" Paul tried to take this seriously again as he said "I just know that i'm ready, where are we going?"

"We?...my road ends here, you must travel to the great drop of the Cascade Mountains...this is your time." Joshua smiled and handed Paul a flare "You'll need this to see in there, Good luck Vigilante." Joshua then walked back out of the mountain.

Things just got real. Paul now stared deep into the cold and dark mine as he swore he could hear something in the distance. Maybe it was just his mind or his fear getting to him. Paul walked into the mine as he ignited his red flare. He walked through the mine as he was now just a light in the darkness. He quietly coughed as it began to get more and more dusty as he ventured further to the drop. He stopped suddenly as the wooden structures of the mine came to a halt, he looked to his right to see a marking meaning that this was it...He was at the drop. He wasn't told anything to do when he got here, maybe he was supposed to go down the Drop? but that couldn't be it as the drop was so far down he would instantly die. He sighed before slowly tossing the flare into the pit before...FEAR as the flare would light up the drop he could see hundreds and hundreds of zombie-like creatures known as FERAL GHOULS. There was the moment of fear and dread as the ghouls had arose from their slumber. They instantly saw Paul and began to run to him as Paul SPRINTED out of there as fast as he could. Now he had no flare and couldn't see where he was going so he had to use his gut instinct on where to flee. Paul took  a turn left and knocked into a barrel as a ghoul would lunge at Paul and miss, causing loads of feral ghouls to be bunched up and clotted together. Paul ran up a path in one of the tunnels as the ghouls were now catching up. The mine structure stopped as Paul would jump and grab onto a huge rock on the side of the mountain. He climbed it and got to another mine but even MORE feral were coming up that way.

Paul ran towards them and jumped to grab onto one of the wooden bars as he climbed on top. He was so high up now as the only way to go was up. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he kept running and running, all that training from earlier had conveniently helped him. He could hear that the ghouls were catching up now as Paul had to do it. Now he had to keep going and use his determination in this life or death scenario. He jumped onto another rock to get up as other rocks would fall done. Paul climbed as fast as he could before eventually getting on top of the mountain. He looked around before seeing one small boulder as he walked over and began to use All his strength to push it over to where the ghouls were before-WACK...