This Could Be Home

~ A New Face~

Log Date: 8/18/3172 -Randall-

Dim light shone through the various cracks in the old and crumbling stone walls around me when I heard a knock at the door above.

"Hey, Randall. Your time for release today is soon, so get ready and grab a bite to eat before you go this time. Don't always be in such a rush." The captain of the outpost, Maxwell,  said as he peeked his head in from the roof.

"Alright, thanks Maxwell. I will let you know if I find anything unusual." I slipped on my trench coat and tied my combat boots before heading over to the armory. When I got there, I pulled the rusted door open. Piles of different weapons in different conditions lie scattered throughout the moss-ridden room. Grabbing my katana, rifle, pistol, and knife, I left for the rations handout shack.

"Morning, Alice. Do you have any thing ready yet? I gotta leave soon for my daily mapping, but Maxwell told me to grab a bite to eat first." Alice, one of the members of the elite marksman division, was working the shack at the time. Her blue eyes shown in the morning sunlight, before she turned to grab my breakfast and her blue-tipped hair shown in the light instead.

"Oh, by the way have you seen Cadmus by any chance, Randall?" Her eyes glimmered with happiness as she spoke the name of her so-called friend.

"Yeah, your boyfriend is still asleep before he starts his sniper duty today." I smiled as I said this, but winced in pain as a punch to my arm came from Alice.

"We're not dating Randall!(whispers) At least not yet..." Alice smirked as her cheeks rose to the color of roses. I walked away laughing with the food in my pocket that I was saving for later. The gate opened and the city in ruins stretched out for a few miles ahead before stopping in front of the mountain at the edge of the city. I never got too close to the areas that way though, because that was the most heavily populated area of the Corrupt. They huddled around in small groups, hunting for their next victim. Deranged people infected by the X-Gene is all I though of them as, for there was no way to cure those mindless creatures. At least, not yet. 

I jogged to the nearest building even somewhat tall and began to climb. About halfway up, I needed a break. Luckily, an open window was nearby. The room I crawled into must have been an old apartment, because old children's toys and pictures littered the creaky wooden floor and eroding stone walls. In the kitchen, there was some pills and a first aid kit that I put into my side-bag. 

Continuing back up the building, I reached the top and looked out in the distance to the west to look for anything new or current situations, but nothing was much different. I jumped from building to building as I made my way to the east because there was a small group of buildings I had yet to search and map in one of the areas nearby. The sun was still pretty high in the sky, and judging by its distance from the horizon, there was about six hours until dark. 

After arriving at the buildings, I used my rifle to pick off the few Corrupt that were there. I then climbed down and searched the first few buildings, but came up with nothing useful. On my to the last building, I heard movement coming from the second floor of what used to be a store. The noise faded, but I decided to search the floor thoroughly anyways. For the close quarters risk and the advantage of more silence, I unsheathed my katana and prepared for a fight.

The crumble rooms were filled with debris, but the last room in the hall was not completely filled with the remains of the above floors. As I entered the doorway, the frightened eyes of a man not much younger than my self. He stood up and his scrawny frame was almost hard to look at. Before I could say anything to him, he pulled a knife out of his pocket and threw it at me. I sidestepped and the blade of the pocketknife just bounced to the floor.

"Really, dude? You are clearly in no shape to fight, and not even skilled with a knife. Here, have some food, and while you eat you can tell me about yourself and how you wound up out here on your own." I tossed the skinny guy the packaged breakfast I was saving, but didn't get around to eating. The new "friend" per say I had made just ripped open the packaging and devoured the whole meal in under a minute. Luckily, some of the color was starting to return to his face.

"Thank you so much. The names Franky by the way. You see, I was with a group, but I got caught up with some stuff I found in a building we passed by, and the next thing I knew I was in the city by myself with nothing but a single knife." He stood up and walked over to me continue the conversation.

"Before you say anything else, 'Franky', how long ago was this?" I asked him as I gestured to his very scrawny and weak body. He just laughed at this and my confusion.

"It was yesterday, and I have just always been this skinny. Now, you are here by yourself too, but you look prepared. Got somewhere to get back to?" Franky asked me while he picked up the small blade from the earlier situation.

"Yeah, I'm out scouting for the outpost right now. Speaking of that we should head back before night time gets here. Don't want to be stuck with the Corrupt at that time. Now, follow me. Hope you know how to climb." I gestured towards the roof and we started running back to the base.

"Wait a second, you're a SCOUT from THE outpost here?! I have only heard of that place and you guys in myths. Isn't it supposed to be one of the only safe havens in the city?" Franky said while I pulled him up from a ledge and the dull yellow sun was almost behind the northern edge of the city, beneath the mountain. 

"Yeah, I thought lots of people knew about us. We do get a new person every few months that comes looking for help and shelter. The outpost does provide that in exchange that they work for us and do their part around here." We walked the rest of the way because the gate was just ahead. Suddenly, a single Corrupt leapt from the shadows to my right, but a bullet shot him through his head. I looked at one of the sniper towers and saw one of my friends.

"Thanks Cadmus! Open the gate for us, will ya'? I got a newcomer here in need of some rest and food." The gates opened slowly and shut behind us as the light began to fade as the sun crawled behind the edge of the mountain.

"Well, Franky. Welcome to the outpost! By the way, I'm Randall."