Scavengers {#Wattys2016}

Chapter Twenty Four

We followed scout through the cave. He looked back double checking to make sure that we were all alone. It wasn't so much of a dark cave and wasn't long. Just had frequent allusions within it to make it seem like a dead end. Sammy kept thinking it was a hoax and a rouse watching out for anything like bandits....or huge scorpions. 

Scout motioned for us to follow as he stepped into the light picking up his pace. I began to hear the voices of people faintly. I stepped out with Jordan behind me and we looked up towards what was all around us. 

"Hey! Move it!", snapped a woman at Sammy. 

He stepped back making space for her to push her metal wheel barrel through the sand towards the small stand. There were colored fabrics and everyone here was out and about. I looked up with Jordan and we saw soldiers holding guns eyeing us. Other's walking around in various uniforms from different former countries. One Chinese and the other Japanese. Some had torn sleeves and grenades strapped to their belts. There was everyone, whites, African, Vietnamese, Persian, you name it. Everyone from practically everyone was here. I walked forward turning around looking at everything. 

I heard a humming and then across the sky shot two jets. Sammy beamed pointing. 

"Damn! I want to fly one of those!", he laughed. 

My father and mother were taking everything in. This place. What was it? 

I stopped before being hit by two naked children who rushed across the bust market place path bare foot and their elder brother running after them with their attire yelling, "Stop! Put on your shoes!". 

Scout motioned for us to come. "Come! I'll take you to General Havoc, he's been wanting to meet you!", said Scout. 

"General who?", asked my father with furrowed eyebrows. 

"You'll see, you'll see", said Scout. 

We followed him through the busy market place. There were buildings carved into the sides of the walls. They looked familiar. Too familiar. I couldn't put my tongue on it. I knew what they were, it just wasn't coming to mind. 

We were lead up through the stairs of rock and soldiers passed by in their rags and uncleaned uniforms. Some stood at their posts other's eyed us. But Scout paid them no mind. Scout lead us to one of the larger dwellings. The floor was of tough cement and inside it looked like that of a military base. A bit at least. There were men and women surrounding a large table portraying what looked like a holographic image. Man star wars was now way too real.

They were murmuring and looked up turning their heads. We all sort of raised our eyebrows as the room suddenly grew quiet. An elder man at the far end and head of the table with round glasses looked up. 

"Well....I'll be damned....", he said.