Redemption Earth

Private Property

With heavy bags slung over their shoulders, Alex and Sariel walk along a long asphalt road filled with cracks. The smell of sea salt stings their noses and pine needles crunch under their feet. At the edge of town the spot the two odd figures outside a convince store. They stomp over faster.

Bob greets them, "Ciao, smelly woman and tall male companion."

Irena licks her cheek. Alex discreetly wipes it off as Irena greets Sariel.

"It's pretty vacant out here. Is this place even open?"

Irena shrugs. Alex peers inside the store windows. The lights are on but, no one is inside. The only thing out of place in the store is a turned over pile of cardboard boxes on a dolly.

Alex shakes her head at them so, they continue to walk in town. The land is cracked and dry ants crawl in formation down the road beside them. The buildings start to clump together. When Irena turns and walks in a circle in front of one of them. Her hands are clasped behind her back she stares at the roof of a building. On top there is a person twitching slightly his arms held in front of his head and torso.

Sariel grabs her and tensely motions for her to move on, "Don't get close to that one. None of us can help him."

"Why?"

"He's got too many issues."

Irena looks behind them as they continue through the streets. But they get more crowded with seedy sort of people. Those sleeping on the sidewalks and staring vaguely at signs and walls. Sariel tucks Alex behind him.

All the signs on stores declare them open but there are only a few people with vacant expressions in them. Near an intersection. Cars are piled up in a massive accident. Glass is spread around. There is the smell of decay coming from some of the cars.

Irena stares in to one's eyes. Then claps in front her face.

"Irena don't touch them!"

The person stirs only slightly. Irena turns away.

"Sariel," Alex broaches.

He turns to face her, "No."

"We can't ignore this."

"We can't leave our finger prints out or her's for that matter," he gestures at Irena, "God knows what we'd get into with that."

"No one is awake."

"Also, if the landlord is in a drugged state how will she reimburse us so that we may move again?"

Sariel looks around running his hand over his hair, "What will happen if one or all of us gets stuck like them?"

Bob hovers over to one of the corpses.

"Then we get stuck. At least we tried."

"Great we'll get participation points."

"We can't have more lives on our conscience just because we didn't try."

Sariel gives her an unsure look. Irena gives her a thumbs up.

"Well, you are out voted. Bob, have you figured out what's wrong with them?"

He examines a corpse with a newly bought medical scanner, "I found no correlation in the physical states of victims except traces of self-harm and no high concentrations of any known drugs."

Alex furrows her brows.

"However, this instrument is rather basic. I would need a better technology or perhaps access to a hospital to truly understand what is going on."