At A World's End: Mason East

Chapter One

     I crouched down, and stroked my fingers across the orange dirt. The footprint there carved away under my gloved fingertips. I looked up from the dirt, my gaze following the trail into a dark cave. I flicked a small marble, hard enough that is flew into the cave.
     A few seconds afterwards, I could hear shuffling inside. The echo of the cave enhancing the sound.
     It was broad daylight, hot and unbearable as always. The hot breeze pushing against my brown leather jacket, making it sway in the wind. Small pebbles in the wind knocked against my mask and safety glasses. Along with the guns strapped to my backpack.
     I stood up and pulled a gun free. I unclipped the small pack I have strapped to my right thigh, and brought out a few shotgun shells. I loaded my gun as I walked towards the cave.
     I cocked the gun, and all hell broke loose.
     I man flung himself out of the darkness, baring a machete. He wildly swung, but he was far to early and missed me by a foot. Unfortunately for him, my shotgun can fire farther than a 12 inches.
     He flew backwards as his body was suddenly littered with holes. He slapped dead onto the ground.
     Another man sprung from the shadows. Then another. I blasted them both before their blades could touch me.
     The next man, a bit... Chubbier than the others, trotted out of the cave with a crying chainsaw in his hands. His laugh was enough to make me role my eyes.
     He ran at me, throwing his chainsaw above his head, readying a swing. I fired at his gut, and it bursted open. I shot him again, for safe measures. He stopped in his tracks and looked down upon himself. He stayed awake long enough to watch his organs and blood pour onto the ground. He fell over onto his back and the chainsaw clanged against the ground.
     I cocked my gun one last time, and the shell flew out. I slow clap echoed out from the cave.
     "Bravo, East." A male voice spoke my name. "Didn't even make you flinch."
     He stepped out into the light. A tall, thin man. If slenderman had a dark face, and a big stringy beard, he would've been the guy. He wore a purple trench, and a yellow under shirt. His black denim pants were covered in smeared dirt, but of course so was the rest of him. His long black hair was strung behind him in a pony tail.
     I nodded my head. "Octavian." I said in a greeting manner. "Where are they?" My voice turned determined.
     "A man straight to the point." He laughed. "I like that. I do. Let's see how fast you get to this point..."
     From behind him, two men charged at me, both wielding two swords. They were fast. Each wearing only tattered jeans, boots, shoulder pads, and face masks. They were in swing range before I could bring up my gun.
    I stepped back to dodge the first swing, and I had to lift my left leg to miss the next. They backed me up, I'll give'em that. They managed to swing a few more meaningless attempts, but it was only a matter of time before I got a shot.
     The man to my left was first to be pushed back my a hail of lead after he managed a lucky dodge, wasting a round.
     I had to role away from the other as he made a fury of swings, narrowly missing me. I took aim, and he too found himself in an ash heap in hell.
     I rose up, to meet eye to eye with Octavian. "Your time is up, Octavian." I told him, cocking my weapon.
    "Yes..." He said. "It seems so. However... You shouldn't judge a book by its cover. And it seems you weren't counting." He pulled a dagger from his belt and ran at me.
     I pulled the trigger but I was dried clean. "Damn." I dropped my shotgun and arched backwards, dodging Octavian's blade. I whipped out my own machete from its sheathe on my right hip, and deflected his next attack.
     He made a few other attempts. He was pretty good with a knife, all I could do at first was deflect and dodge. Then I managed to stretch out my leg and step on his foot. He lunged forwards with his knife, but he tripped and stumbles towards me.
     I swing my machete but he decides to go all the way and roll under my swing. He quickly gets up, but it was my turn to offend. I swung my blade, and he barely managed to deflect it with his dagger, but my force was greater. My blade scraped down against his, and cut his arm. A deep cut was made and blood gushed out.
     "Gah..." He almost dropped his blade as he stumble backwards. Then was when I made my assault.
     I lunged forwards, with a swing of my blade. He dodged one, he dodged twice, my third attempt making a cut across his right cheek.
     He stumble back and lunged his weapon at me. I deflected it away and made my own swing.
     This continued for a couple seconds. But I eventually got the upper hand. I cut his fingers clean off, making him drop his knife. I got behind him, kicked him down to his knees, and placed the edge of my machete at his throat.
     "Wh-who are you...?" He croaked.
     "Mason East. Nice to end you." With a swift cut, blood rushed out of his neck, and he fell limp.
     "You can come out now!" I called into the cave. My voice echoed, and there was silence for a moment afterwards. Then there were four pairs of foot steps.
     A family of four, obviously. The oldest man, brawny, but beaten. He wore a ripped coat, and a long streak of fabric around his neck, like a scarf. His pants were tattered and ripped. His boots ringed like bells whenever he walked. I had also noticed his limp. His fingerless gloves were tight against his burly hands.
     The oldest girl, the wife maybe, was bruised. Probably abused by the men that held them captive. Her shirt was almost completely ripped off, revealing more than needed, and the left leg of her jeans was gone. She was barefoot, and her right arms was bleeding.
     The two kids, boy and girl, were staying close to one-another. The girl, a few years older than the boy, late teens, was in a similar condition to the mother. Except almost all of her clothes were gone. She only wore ripped jeans and a clothe she had to hold over her bare chest. Her bruises were far worse than her mother's.
     The boy, maybe nine or ten, looked in the best shape. Looks as I he was left alone, but the lands still made its toll. His shirt was down to his knees, and his pants were baggy, and cut off at his shins. He wore sandals and held a doll in his hand.
     The man grabbed his wife and pulled her close. "Thank you, sir. Thank you so much." He said.
     "Of course, no need to thank me." I told them. "Were there any more of you? Did they manage to get a meal?"
     "No," the woman said. "Thanks to you."
     "Good." Cannibalism grew across the globe. Became the new trend. At first, people had eaten their family, friends, and stranger to survive. The it became more than that. People began to do it because they wanted to try in. Turns out human flesh is as addicting as drugs.

     When darkness came, I decide to stay the night with the family. Just to give them a night of safety. They had already turned down my offer to come with me. I was worried for them, but grateful. I travel alone, and it's best alone. More people draw more attention.
     I had given the women fresh clothes I brought from my pack, and I gave the man an extra gun and knife. I gave the two kids some bread, and the adults another bag full of canned food. They should last a little longer now.
     "I'll make my way in the morning once you're ready to go on your own." I told the man, Joseph.
     "Thank you so much again." He said, shaking my hand.
     "Of course."
     Joseph and his wife, Harley, slept together with their son, Thomas. I was still awake, cleaning the barrel of my gun, while the teen girl, Jane, drew in a note pad in the light of the fire.
     Couldn't see much from where I sat, but I could tell she was pretty good.
     "So," she said. "Where'd you learn those moves?"
     I chuckle a bit at the question. "I was born in the beginning of the war. So, naturally, I grew up in it. I'm ex-military." I said, dangling my dog tags in my fingers. "Hated it at first, but it's served me well."
     "Yeah, I saw that." She chuckles softly. "So, you said you were going back to the big joint up north? What was it?"
     "Apocalypt-Inc." I told her.
     "No offense, but that doesn't really sound like the good guys."
     "We get that a lot, but... We try our best." I assured her.
     "Why don't you take off that mask?" She asked. "Doesn't it get annoying?"
     "Face protection is important. Not only is it armor, but it protects me from the Earth's killer atmosphere." I said.
     "Oh..." She said before yawning. "I'm gonna go to sleep." She closed her book and put it, and the pencil, into her own pack. She then laid her head down on it, and went to the dream world.
     I laid myself down, against the cool cave wall, and played with my pistol. In short time, I too had drifted to sleep...
     But with a gun in hand.