Exploring the Wasteland.

Day 7.

I walked between the rows of abandoned cars. My shotgun swung over my shoulder. I could see Jake walking a couple cars to the left of me and Colby was almost a mirror image two cars to my right. It was a clear day and the Californian summer was in full swing, the sun beating down ruthlessly. You'd think after 21 years my pale English-born skin would be used to it. It wasn't. Jake felt my pain: "Hey Colby how the hell do you guys cope with this bloody heat all year round? My pale skin is burning!"

"It's preparing you for your eternal damnation in hell" Colby's laugh rang out: echoing between the cars. 

"What the hell? For fucking with Ouija boards?" Jake sounded confused. But, then that was nothing new for him, even I knew what Colby was about to say next. 

"For having no soul, you emo ass" Colby laughed again, louder this time. I vaguely heard Jake mumble something in confusion then the penny dropped. He hopped over the hood of one car, then onto another until he was one car away from Colby, who was air drumming and humming to himself. Jake crept up behind him and then sprung off the car and onto his back. Colby crumpled under the weight. They both went tumbling down the verge into a ditch in a string of cuss words. I sighed and jogged over to where they'd fallen.

"For fucks sake guys, are you trying to get us all killed?" I yelled at them as they untangled limbs and dusted themselves off, crawling up the verge.

Colby cuffed Jake over the head, "Yeah nice going emo boy" Colby muttered. Although I was younger than the majority of our group, Brennen and I had become de facto leaders. In the days after LA fell; we had become a collection of strays, people left behind, and friends who'd come together as the world as we knew it fell apart around our ears. As we returned to the road, Jake, Colby and I spread back out. Checking inside abandoned cars, to see if we could salvage anything. I couldn't help but feel like a vulture, picking over the bones of the less fortunate. I was rummaging through the trunk of a car when I thought I heard something that sounded like crying. Colby and Jake were continuing to bicker across the freeway. 

"Will you two, please shut the hell up, I can hear something" They both shut up and I continued towards the source of the noise. I ducked around cars, looking in windows. When I found where the noise was coming from, I called them both over. 

"Colby, Jake, you better come and see this" They jogged over and stood behind me, watching over my shoulder. I opened the door and the car in front of us, and nestled in a car seat was a small, pale, baby girl, screaming her head off. 

"Oh, holy shit" Jake gasped.