Scorched Earth

Venture

The next morning Faelyn awoke to her usual early morning alarm. She always was up just before sunrise. By now the nightly crew of rough scavengers were long off the streets. But just because she always woke up early did not mean she was a "morning person". Sleepy eyed and hair looking like she had just been electrocuted. Strands of hazelnut hair sticking out every which way after her restless night of sleep.

The bathroom sink that had a slow drip no matter how many times her father tried to fix it was her first stop after rising from her messy bed. In the mirror she could see her hazel eyes were puffy and tired looking. "Rest!" she scoffed "What is that anyway?".

After angrily brushing her teeth she went to the kitchen were her mom put on a pot of coffee. "Amazing that we still have coffee  in times like this?" her mother shrugged and stated.

"Yes, well when the coffee runs out the real madness begins" her father joked with a soft smile escaping his thin face. But Faelyn just stared at the coffee pot until it was done before pouring herself a cup. "You look tired dear..." her father looked sympathetically at her "did you not sleep?".

"I slept" she sipped "If you can call it that." she scowled.

"Franz, you will try to fix the tap again today won't you?" Carolyn asked. "It's dreadful to hear through the night".

"Yes, my dear" he sighed.

"I can get some fittings for it if you like?" Faelyn offered her father.

"That would be helpful."

"We haven't got the money to be spending on that. We need seeds, fertilizer, and charcoal for the water filter" her mother added.

"That's fine" Faelyn quipped "I'll scavenge for some".
Her mother bit her tongue but nodded "just be careful not to stay out to long".

"I will" Faelyn smiled and quickly finished her coffee and toast before rushing to her room closing the door behind her.

In her closet we're her favorite black boots and cargo pants. But she stopped, raising her index finger she turned on her heel and stepped to her dresser. In the top drawer were her tech tights. They kept her safe from radiation for up to 3 hours before needing to be sterilized for reuse. They kind of soaked up the harmful toxins until they reached their carrying capacity.
She wore them under her cargo pants. The tech tights were comfy but cargo pants have more pockets for whatever she might find. She continued to rummage her drawers until she found her tech tee.

In the area they lived in was considered a yellow zone. So precautions such as tech clothing is strongly recommended if you plan to be outside for more than 45 minutes. Orange zones need protective clothing anytime you go outside. And red zones even need breathing masks if you plan to go out.
Most people in red zones died in the early days. Most everyone got very sick in orange zones because a lot of them didn't have the proper gear at first.
Tech clothes have become expensive and most families don't have enough for everyone.

Faelyn donned her long hooded coat. True, it was very toasty outside but the more clothing you wore the better. More clothing meant less toxins reaching your skin. This meant a longer healthier life. But why do you need a longer life? No one goes anywhere? Faelyns favorite coat was actually made of very light weight 'performance' material so it added another layer of protection without adding warmth.

Before heading out she grabbed her bag by the door and put on some gloves. Once at the front door she paused and took a deep breath. Inside may get stuffy even with the plants that were specifically bred to provide cleaner breathing air but outside was dusty and the air was warm. It always felt like you were struggling to breathe. Rich  families always wore breathing masks. Faelyn thought of making one but the parts are expensive and difficult to find.