The End

New friends

"So Jason how did you like the food?" grinned Myles leaning back in his chair taking a long draft from a bottle of drink. We were sitting in a softly lit large comfortable room with many tables and chairs scattered around,

all filled with eating, laughing, talking people, all looking at peace.

I had just had the best meal of my life. They had served me a glass of an old beverage called coke which fizzed with bubbles as it was poured from a dusty bottle, and they had actually served me a plate of steak! Real beef!

All this was paid by myles who seemed to be overflowing with coin, a currency of copper discs around the size of a flat pebble.

I grinned "Thank you so much Myles for the food, info and hospitality!" Myles smiled warmly before saying "no problem Jason" while taking a swig from the bottle he held.

During our eating I had discussed the dangers of my original route with Myles, who had told me it contained everything from bandits to mutants to area's still coated with poisonous air and radiation. "So" said Myles punctuating the word with the thunk of placing his bottle on the table "I take it that after the info you're going to accompany me to hope?"

I nodded slightly "I suppose I am." Myles smiled again and said "well then let's get kitted out for our trip!" and he stood up with fresh energy, a look of excitement upon his face.

I stood up feeling more confident now I had temporarily partnered with Myles and I followed him through the crowd towards a small chamber filled with shabby but large stalls that were almost entirely dedicated to survival, offence and defence. The stall owners here looked more surly and serious and most looked like they knew how to handle every weapon in their considerable armouries

Myles led me to one of the smaller stalls which seemed to be selling survival equipment; the trader stood up from the stool he was sitting on and took his place behind the counter. "Go on" he grunted "take a look" he gestured towards the display of items on the front, in the pile lay gas mask filters, hatchets, knives, canteens and all sorts of other detritus.

Myles turned to me and said "since you're new to the wastelands what you'll really need are gas mask filters" Myles picked up a filter and showed it to me "can I see your gas mask if you have one?" he asked and obligingly I lifted my gas mask in front of Myles. Upon seeing the worn looking shabby gas mask he snatched it from me and threw it into a nearby bin, "Myles!" I said indignantly "what the hell!?" "That mask was a deathtrap" said Myles calmly "it was structually weak, probably had holes in it" he turned back to the stall "c'mon Jason I'll give you as much coin as you need to get your kit".

"The second thing you need" continued Myles "is food and water" indicating the the foil packages labelled 'MRE'S' (Meals-Ready-to-Eat) and the canteens. "I know you already have a canteen but its best to get two canteens and fill them both up just in case". "Next are tools" said Myles hefting one of the hatchets out of the pile, "you already have a knife so you only need a hatchet", we collected all the things on Myles' list and paid the trader twenty coin. I moved on to the next stall Myles led me to.

"Right" said Myles as we reached a stall that displayed shelves and racks of ammunition, "I know you have a lot of ammo already but you're not completely topped up, so lets get some more shall we?" he turned to a burly trader and began trading rounds of various size and calibre.

I collected the last 5.56x54 rounds I needed (I know kumar said he gave me a submachinegun but the calibre technically made it an assault rifle) and looked around to anticipate our next stall. I looked at the weapon stall hopefully, remembering kumar's words about my gun, but was disappointed as Myles finished his business, turned and said "let's go!".

I followed Myles once again through the bustling crowd and we followed the general flow of the crowd in the direction of the old battered exit signs. "Careful now" warned Myles "its day out there so you might be blinded for a minute" I groaned "not again!" Myles laughed "don't worry, just hold onto my shoulder and we'll sit down for a bit ok?".

I agreed and we readied ourselves by the gate to the surface part of salvation. "Ready?" asked Myles. "As ready as I'll ever be" I sighed and we stepped out into the sun. My eyes were assaulted by the light, and the familiar stinging and blotches in my vision reappeared. I physically staggered and Myles said "it's okay Jason just keep hold of me and we'll find somewhere to sit." I nodded blindly and after a minute of staggering Myles lowered me onto a bench of some sort and I allowed my eyes to slowly become accustomed to the sun.

"Thanks again" I said once I could see. "No problem" replied Myles "I don't want to lose my companion before we've even started our journey". I chuckled at that "yeah that would put a wrench in the works wouldn't it?" "Quite" said Myles as he helped me up and guided me towards the gates through the crowd.

I only managed a superficial look at salvation but what I saw still impressed me, the streets were relatively clean and clear and nobody looked particularly ill or unhappy. The housing I could see looked modest and homely and the market we passed through was flourishing with all sorts of items and products, proving Salvation's trading success.

We finally arrived at the tall perimeter wall and approached the guards standing around another heavy machine-gun emplacement in front of heavy steel gates. Myles exchanged a few friendly words with the captain of the guards while I waited, during Myles's conversation I began to hear discordant noises from the Market and turned to see the crowds jostling to hurriedly make way for a unseen group which was shouting loudly.

Feeling uneasy I unslung my gun and thumbed the cocking mechanism. Myles had finished his chat and the captain was walking off, so I tapped Myles on the shoulder and pointed to the ruckus in the crowd. Myles also seemed to feel uneasy and he unslung the AK from his back and disabled the safety catch.

"What do you think?" I asked. "Well I don't like it" replied Myles, "let's get going ASAP". But just as Myles finished his sentence the crowd finally split to reveal a group of 20 huge men all carrying an assortment of weapons from clubs to homemade rifles, and at the head of the group was our old friend Boris.

"OI PRICKS!" he yelled "MISSED ME!?" "Fuck" muttered Myles as he shouldered his AK and fired a warning shot over Boris's head. Boris flinched violently but this seemed not to scare him, but to aggravate him and he surged forwards waving a decrepit looking revolver in our direction. I glanced backwards at the gates to see it's progress and sure enough it had started to shudder as gears grinded to roll the gate apart.

I turned back, wondering angrily at how the guards had still not noticed Boris's little enterauge, and saw that Boris was no more than 30 meters away lining up a shot with his revolver. Myles was yelling at him to stop, but I knew that he would shoot.

Time seemed to slow almost to a stop for me, I could see everything and I could feel Boris's finger slowly squeezing the trigger of his revolver. Instinctively I raised my right hand open towards Boris just as the revolver went off, the bullet sped towards Myles but as if it was going through water. I had somehow used my telekinetical mutation to stop a bullet!

I made a move like a baseball pitcher and the bullet flew back towards Boris and in slow motion hit him in the left shoulder. Everything flew back into real time and seemed to speed up as Boris spun round spurting crimson blood as he collapsed groaning on the ground. The group that had followed Boris stared at me in surprise, bewilderment an fear.

The gate had opened fully now and I turned to a open mouthed staring Myles, "come on!" I yelled "go go go!" and Myles shook himself quickly and sprinted with me through the gate before the guards or the thugs could take in what had just happened.