Beyond The Wall

#002 - Welcome to the Wastes

Ambrose opened his eyes. His head hurt. Bad. Actually, his everything hurt. Bad. The pain was completely blocked out after he saw what he saw.

The ship was burning. His brother was next to him, covered in blood. The man was nowhere to be seen.

He rolled onto his bag and looked around. The man sat next to them, panting. He was bloody, too. Really bloody.

"Where-" He coughed, "Where are we?"

The man looked at him. "You just snuck onto the wrong ship, kid. Welcome to the wastes."

"You mean-" he coughed again, "You mean we're beyond the wall? In the monsters' territory?"

"Yeah, kid. We're damned." He sighed, "I'm Tramp Greene. Might as well know the names of the last humans I see before I die."

"I'm Ambrose," he breathed in, starting to breathe more easily. "That's Briar. My little brother."

"You know," Tramp laughed slightly, "You are the unluckiest people I know."

"How so?" He looked back at his brother, who was still out cold, but breathing. "We're alive."

"Exactly. You fell into the wastes and survived. Trust me. You'd rather be dead right now. Nobody leaves."

"What if we're the first? Who escape." He looked up at Tramp hopefully.

"Huge if, you got there, Ambrose." He ran his fingers through his long hair, and looked up at the sky, which showed just how dirty his face was after the crash.

Ambrose began to feel light-headed. "Tramp?"

Tramp looked back down at him, "Yes?"

"Take care-" his eyelids became heavy, "-of... Briar..." Everything went black there.

*****

He opened his eyes, "Briar? Doc? Tramp?" He looked around. He was moving. He was hanging upside-down, hung over something. His brother was next to him.

He heard Tramp's voice. "I bet you're wondering what's happening."

"Yeah, I am." The blood on him and his brother was cleaned off, and their cuts were patched up.

"Quick recap; A man named Sirius found us. He patched us up, and told me that he had a place for us to go. I decided to follow him to his base, but we had no way to transport you. You and your brother are riding on my dog, Askitt."

"Doc?" He blinked a few times, and began to sit up.

"You mean the bird?" Tramp asked. "He's on my shoulder."

"He likes shoulders." He smiled, sitting up so he was riding the dog.

There was a man with long greasy hair, and long scraggly beard, and wore clothing that looked like it belonged to a scientist.

The strangest part was that he, as well as Tramp and Doc, was riding a giant scorpion automation.

Ambrose took a moment to take in his surroundings. There was miles of dry, cracked soil in the direction they were heading. There was huge mountains of rubble and caves about 100 feet away from them on the left and right. He looked behind him, and there was a giant wall. Despite the fact that they were many miles away, the wall still towered over the barren land. And just in front of this wall, a large, smoking figure sat. "You're right. We are unlucky."

Tramp smirked, and looked over at him. "Why do you say that?"

He shrugged, and answered as if it were simple. "We landed just outside the wall."

"Good point, kid. You really are observant." Tramp ran his fingers through his hair.

"I've been sneaking onto airships and such for five years. It's a developed trait." He smiled, "but thanks."

"Yeah, well it just might save you life out here. Then again, if you didn't sneak onto airships, you wouldn't be here." He looked back at the wall, "You would be in there. Safe."

"You know what's really unfortunate?" He glanced back at the wall, then at his brother.

"This is the first time you let your brother come with you?" Tramp squinted, looking at a cave that seemed to glow a sick green color.

"Yeah. How did you know?" He looked at Tramp, confused.

"He told me. He was awake while Sirius patched us up." He smiled, "Kid has heart. I'll give 'im that."

Sirius spoke, "Almost there. Tramp, you're lucky I found you. If I hadn't, one of you would've been dead by tomorrow night."

"Thanks, Sirius." Tramp cracked his knuckles, "We appreciate the help."

Sirius looked like he wanted to smile, but felt that it wouldn't be very appropriate. "Nothing like helping out an old friend."

Tramp smiled, "Yeah. Even though you survived this long by avoiding contact with anything but Skrap, here." He patted the scorpion's back, symbolizing that his name was Skrap.

After a bit of talking between the three, Siruis smiled, "We're here." He got off Skrap's back, and walked over to a wall made of wood that looked like it covered the front of a cave. He opened a door in the wall, and gestured to the inside of the cave-home. "Welcome to your new home."

Ambrose hopped off Askitt, and walked inside, followed by Tramp. The scorpion walked into a small crater in the side of the mountain, and Sirius pulled an odd pully that led a metal and wood sort of garage door down in front of Skrap.

Askitt carried Briar inside the house, and laid down, the boy still on his back.

Sirius walked inside with Ambrose and Tramp. "Make yourselves at home. You're going to be here awhile."