Gruff & Bones: The Quest For The Last N-Word Pass

Chapter 1

I awoke to the sound of gunshots and screams. This isn't unusual… but it was still unsettling. Bones was still asleep, he was always a heavy sleeper and was certainly never cut out for war. But times changed him, times changed all of us.

I looked outside of our small tent we had spent the night in. The sounds of war seemed to be coming from far away, but they were getting closer. I woke up Bones and told him to gather his things.

"Wha- where are we going?" He asked in a hurry.

"Anywhere but here." I said confidently. "The F.K. are coming."

"Oh shit!" Bones exclaimed, as he gathered his things as quickly as possible.

Once the war started, the government became known as the "F.K." or the "Freedom Killers". They took everything from us, our homes, our jobs, our very way of life. They made sure that there was nothing left, but we slipped through the cracks.

"Come on Bones! We gotta go now!" I yelled as the gunshots got closer. 

"Ok ok!" He threw his bag on his back and we ran from our little camp. They would know someone was there, but they wouldn't know it was us.

10 minutes of running later and we found an old abandoned house. 2 story, seemed to be rotting from the inside. I was hesitant to enter.

"Come on Gruff we can't just sit out in the open!" 

I gave him a stern look and then began to approach the house. 

"Stay back!" I ordered. I knew there would be traps or raiders or something, and I didnt want Bones getting hurt. 

I opened the door slowly, it let out a loud creak that anyone inside the house could hear. I proceeded with caution. 

The ceiling was dilapidated, the wallpaper was caked in mold and blood. The floor was covered with broken glass and fallen picture frames. I picked one up, it was a picture of a mother, a father, a son, and a daughter. A typical American family. Either kidnapped from their homes, or if they tried to resist… killed.

"This will be a good shelter." I said to bones. 

"It's a lot nicer than the tent!" He said excitedly. 

He was right, this was definitely on the higher end of shitty post-apocalyptic houses. Certainly nicer than a tent that's been ripped to shreds.

I put my stuff down and fell backwards against the wall. I put my head down and was on the verge of tears. 

Bones noticed and sat down next to me, I put my head up and he looked me in the eyes. 

"Its going to be ok, we'll find a way through this. What that thing you always tell me? Today may have been bad, but tomorrow is yet to be written!" 

Bones did his best to console me. He even recited a quote that I say that sounds super lame. But oddly enough it lifted my spirits. I looked up at him, glossy eyed, and smiled. He smiled back. 

"I promise you, before I die we will get our lives back." I told him.

"Promise?" He asked with hope in his eyes.

"Promise." I said.