Us and Them

The Rising Tide

   The sun rose and covered the room with a soft glow, Josh waking up and stretching the sleep from his muscles. It had been a week since he'd settled into his temporary home. The neighbors were beginning to stir as well, some going to their usual spot on their front porch and others slinking away toward the small town center. He went to the fridge and saw his supply of food had dwindled to some squishy grapes and a few slices of deli ham.
   "Shit," he sighed, not really wanting to be seen wandering cluelessly. Plus, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
   He closed the fridge and padded to the street-facing window. The house a few doors down looked fairly vacant recently. There had only been evidence of people in it about the same time he came into town. So, there would at least be something to eat while he figured out his next course of action.

   After some time of trying to remove the yellow tape from his jacket, Josh decided that his clothes were adequate enough to help him blend in. He squinted as he stepped out of the shade of the house and out into the hot California sun. He walked toward his potential feast, stomach grumbling in anticipation. Josh approached the front porch and climbed the creaky stairs. Something in the back of his mind told him to stop there and just bite the bullet of walking the three miles to the market, but his stomach and his pockets were empty. He took a quick, calming breath and turned the door knob, pushing the door inward and stepping through the threshold. The house was definitely still being lived in. He could hear the whirring of fans in the living room just ahead and he took a step back as he heard stirring in an adjacent room.

   "No news from Dallon out in Vegas about any Vixen activity. Seems they've moved further south, so we might have a chance to catch a break there." Andy said, flipping through a letter.

   "Vegas? Ugh, wouldn't we have better luck in the desert? Sorry to say, but I'd rather fry in the sun than live under some crackpot narcissist." Pete replied, "Besides, the desert wasn't touched since the war. We'd have our own little slice of paradise."

   "Well, I wouldn't say that..."

   "Don't bring up that story about those 'desert warriors', Andy. You and I both know whoever and whatever lived out there before the war were either killed, imprisoned, or ran off to the east coast. That's a bullshit story we tell kids so they don't grow up cynical." Pete waved him off, standing from the couch he was sitting on. "Besides, even if they did exist, where the fuck are they now? You've got Urie in Nevada attacking outposts for bounties, you've got the Vixens out here in Cali hunting people like us for sport. If they were that close to us they would've done something by now."

   Pete went for the front door but stopped when he saw Josh in the entryway, stumbling back. He'd left his weapon in the back room.

   "Who the hell are you?" He spat, trying to make himself look bigger than he was.

   "Wrong house?" Josh tried to make an excuse, but he'd been standing there for far too long for that to be the case. He shook his head, figuring it'd be better to be honest. "Look, I'm just hungry. I got into town about a week ago and I'm just here until I figure out what's next for my journey."

   Pete's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Journey? Rarely does anyone stop in this hellhole unless they're completely out of options." He paused, then looked back at Andy who had relaxed his weapon behind him. Thank god he always had someone watching his back. "Y'know what, I think I've got some bacon or something kicking around in the fridge. Andy'll get some breakfast cooked up for everyone and we'll see how we can get you outta here."

                                        •••

   "So, let me get this straight." Pete said, scratching his head. "You were the leader of some resistance on a giant island with a large concrete city? Ruled by some magic religious freaks?"