"The patient requires four bandages, one advanced IFAK, possible need of one tourniquet and two immobilizing splints. One for yourself and one for the patient." Captain wrote this all down on a piece of paper as neatly as he could.
"Well we have the IFAK and we have a bandage. So that'll be three bandages, a tourniquet and two immobilizing splints." Captain said, eyes focused on the paper.
"Correct." Assured Servo as Sergei groaned in pain. He was propped on a table, with his coat, shirt, glasses and hat neatly folded and placed on a chair along the wall. They were all covered in blood, as well the table Sergei was bleeding on. His boots dangled off the table as he laid painfully on the bloody surface. He was much fuller of muscle than Captain thought, now with a closer, more exclusive look.
"So I'll have to get it then." Captain asked.
"Correct."
Captain never scavenged for supplies, it was always Swan or Adrian, sometimes Zach. Either way, Captain always made sure that people back at the warehouse weren't strangling each other. Now, he wasn't so sure he would come back to see everyone alive. If the pressure of making sure everyone was still alive and well wasn't reminder enough that he needed to be back soon, he also needed to be back before the storm came.
"Thanks, Servo." He said before leaving the room through the door. As soon as he closed the door gingerly behind him, he was jump scared immediately.
"Hey. Cap'n!" Zach said, too loudly for a normal speaking tone. Captain limped back, afraid his other shoulder will get bruised up with the same treatment. Zach was holding something behind him. It couldn't have been too heavy. The silence between them made the far away clanking of Artisan trying to reconstruct the turrets sound irritably loud.
"...yes?" Captain finally let out.
"I wanted your opinion. Do you uh. Do you think," he revealed a single, lovely strawberry-colored rose out from behind the shadow of his back. "Do you think Pathfinder would like this?" Captain didn't care if she would like it, he wanted to know where he got the rose from. Nothing ever grew where they were. It was all scavenge for some tinned food and hope the expiration date wasn't a month ago. Captain took an immediate step closer, further inspecting the rose. His dark red mechanical hand looked black compared to the vibrant color of the innocent, healthy rose.
"I grew it. I found some rose seeds when scavenging a few weeks ago and tried something called 'gardening'. I also found a light, which helped." Captain was speechless that such life could be found in such a desolate and heartless place.
"Zach, she'll love it." He said. Zach inspected it a second time. The stem of the flower never surrendering to the gravity as he turned his wrist around to see all of the rose's sides.
"Should I?" He asked, knowing that Captain full-well knew what he meant.
"Now." Captain replied with no hesitation. He pointed a finger to Pathfinder, who was sitting on a cargo crate, sharpening the edge of her blade. Zach started off with a small jog and went over to her. Pathfinder stood up and looked at him. Her gaze, although just an eyepiece, beating down on him like a searing hot summer sun. Captain could see the rose behind Zach's back, and watched as he lifted it into view, and slowly thrusted it to her. She looked at it for a second, and then slowly back at him. Zach stood there, like a stone statue. His white ghillie suit made his red-hot checks stand out from miles away. From under her skull mask, she pulled it down, revealing her mouth sewn together with strings. She put her arm blade up to her mouth and cut open all the strings, like bad memories being forgotten one by one to let in a new, spontaneous one. Her face slowly closed into his and the two closed in together. Captain watched it all from afar, even with an eyepatch, it felt like his left eye was still there. He wanted to cry from both sockets as he gripped the wrench, strapped onto his leg and headed outside where Artisan was working industriously.
He didn't notice Captain walk out, with his blast helmet covering his face and an objective to complete. He couldn't blame him. He had his own objective to complete.
One footprint after another. Boot down on soft snow after yet another. Out here was a lawless land. Home of the scavengers, at least when they weren't trying to attack them. As far as they knew, there was an outpost, a base inside a hill, a radio tower and a well fortified castle. All except for the castle, abandoned. They said a powerful leader took care of some of the scavengers there, but were otherwise hostile to anyone that wouldn't serve under them. A place Captain would want to avoid. If Servo was here, they could've seen threats a mile away. Sergei would've been good just for protection. Everybody would've been good for the job if they didn't have their own jobs and moments. The outpost was almost in sight to the left of Captain, trying to hide in the arid winter fog. The hill base must've been further up because the snow to the right seemed to pile up higher.
"You should go to the left." Said a voice. Captain immediately jumped up in fright and flourished his wrench in his left hand.
"You won't do much harm with that." Replied the voice. It was calm. Gentle. Soothing. Out of the cold and bewildering fog came out a man. No older than 25, with a guitar in his hand. Held in a way to prepare a song, not a fight. Captain lowered the wrench slowly.
"Why do you say that?" He questioned. The man chuckled as if he's seen everything, start to finish. Almost as if he's lived life a thousand times to stand where he was, and to say what he had wanted to say. He wore a black duffel coat and hiking shoes, with deep black hair that curled away from his face. The snow Captain stood on all of a sudden felt like quicksand. Unsure of whether standing or running would be the better option.
"It will reveal valuable information. And maybe valuable people." With that said, he started to walk away. Not really anywhere. But away. Somewhere. Captain stood in place. He looked around himself. The snow stood where it was. How violent snow could be, when it's soft blankety texture feels so innocent. Captain looked toward the outpost. He could make out a watch tower and a small, closed in base. There was barbed wire laid around it, even bodies around it. But Captain, for whatever reason, trusted the man. No matter how mysterious or weird the occurrence was, he definitely wasn't a supply-hungry scavenger. He took a short walk over to the outpost, leaving history of his existence behind him in the snow and greeted the door to the base with a long stare. The watch tower and a large stone was to the right of the base. He decided to enter the door, one mystery to unveil. As he opened the door, he raised his wrench up high. The room had a door on the right side. Some chairs, a table, a fridge. It also had a pool table looking more like a polluted pool table with all the wear and tear. There were playing cards and empty bottles scattered around the table, as well as some bullets here and there. Captain picked up each of the metal rounds before looking in the fridge. It was cold and barren, reminding him an awful lot like something he was living through. He shut the fridge door with disappointment and walked to the other door. Bracing for an ambush, he flourished his wrench and laid the head of the tool to the door, preparing to thrust it through the door and into an unsuspecting scavenger. Nothing but the slight creak of the door was heard. Nothing but the cold air and desolate landscape was seen. Captain lowered his guard and walked around. The castle was clearer in view now that they were closer, with only the giant rock shielding half of it from view. He walked around the mass of stone before stopping mid-track. Blood, scarred on the rock like writing on a wall. Neither fresh on the stone nor old on the snow. Whatever happened here didn't leave anyone alive. Or particularly well.
"Continue forth to the castle." Said the same familiar voice.
Captain quickly turned to the voice. Sure enough, it was him again.
"Who are you?" Demanded Captain. Surely nobody back at the warehouse found enigmatic people talking to them.
"Don't worry about that. Make haste. Continue the search, you do not have much time left." Captain was at a loss of words. He checked his watch hastily and braced it with his right hand. Sure enough, the storm would come in an hour or so.
"What search!?" Yelled Captain, but by then, he had already walked off. Captain decided he should too. But where to? He hadn't found anything of use. Sergei was dying – or even dead. He would be no leader if he came back with nothing. With the weight of his machine gun feeling even heavier, he decided to continue forth to the castle. They would either kill him on sight or try to indoctrinate him. Either one wasn't great to think about.
YOU ARE READING
Winter Collapse
FanfictionA fanfiction of Decaying Winter, with some twists and changes. I wrote it for an assignement, and finished it off soon after. This is one of my older works, and is not very well done. Cover from Decaying World, as I had no other better cover for it.
