I slept heavily. Must have made some noise, but no one complained. Got up this morning, and felt tired still, ache all over, and I feel so hungry I could eat a dead horse.
People are busy, milling around the camp. I can smell food cooking, smoke rising out of tents and shacks, and most look happy enough. It's going to be a hard slog trying to get going, but I know now that I have a base, and that this place is safe for me, I can go roaming and have somewhere to come back to.
I picked through my rucksack last night, before I drifted off into sleep. Not much left, that creepy man, hidden in the shadows, he seems to have take all the food I had. The two pistols are still there, but no ammo. So I'm still in the same situation as before. I don't even have a pot to boil water in. I could ask someone, but I don't want to be beholden to anyone, no telling what they might want in return, now or later on.
I guess it's time to go searching, and find some way to earn something to trade.
As I stand up I feel my bones crack, I am really feeling my age. I stretch out my arms, reach up to the sky. It is still warm, but the sky is white, hazy, like a storm might be coming. I look out from the ragged entrance to what there is of my camp, and see people all over, busy with their lives.
Beyond, on the walls, there are men, dressed in black leathers. They're guarding the place it seems. some have rifles in their hands, others more confident, slung over their backs. One has a white brimmed hat on it, maybe he's in charge. I'll seek him out later.
I step out from my small camp, and catch sight of a woman in a similar structure of her own. Her clothes look worn, her hair a mess, but she has a pretty face. She smiles at me. I try to smile back, but the hunger pangs are eating away at me.
'Morning stranger.' She shouts. I had expected people to be wary of me, but she seems friendly.
;Morning.' I shout back, at which she is coming over to me now. I notice she is barefoot, and cannot help but see her camp is bare, like mine.
'Hi, My name's Judy, what's yours?' She asks.
'I don't know, I can't remember. Don't remember much at all, except how to run away.' I reply. I scratch my head, my brain hurts as I try to recall something.
'I was with slavers, used for everything from their pleasure with my body, right up to washing their clothes and cooking for them. They got attacked by Raiders, and I used that chance to run. Ran for days, and came across this place just as I was about to die. Been here about three days now, still trying to get it together.'
I shake my head at her, in disbelief at how the world has changed. Slavery has always existed, but even when the world is dying, still it goes on. Horrible.
'How's it going, finding it hard to get it together here?' I ask.
She nods. 'People will protect each other here, but no one will help you eat or drink, and if you steal you're either thrown out or shot.'
'Where do I begin?' I ask.
She turns, points to her shack. 'My home is worse than yours, broken down and no roof, and it does rain from time to time. The rain isn't nice, dirty and makes everything stink, not to mention the radiation.'
I have no answer for her; I had hoped she might help me!
'Say, when I got my shack, there was an axe in there. How about I lend you my axe, and you go chop wood. With that, you can rebuild your camp, do some to mine, and get us some wood for the fire, and maybe to trade. You chop, I'll carry. How about it?'
I didn't really need to think about it, I had no other means of doing anything, other than going out into the Wasteland again unarmed. I smile and nod.
'OK stranger, let's get going.'
I follow Judy, as she leads me through the outskirts of the camp. I'm surprised at how big it is with so many people. There is a small side gate, well manned and guarded. We can go in and out, as long as they recognize us. If not, they just shoot and we're dead, no questions asked.
Near to the camp is a river, and beside that the beginning of some woods. Others have chopped trees down, but there is plenty to spare. We head over.
'You still have to watch out here. Raiders, they do attack from time to time. They can't get into the camp, too well guarded, but still they will go for us if they see us out here.' She says. I feel vulnerable, no idea what to do other than run if someone attacks.
We settle on a position. Not too far into the woods, and some good trees not too big to cut, about twenty feet tall, lots of branches.
The axe isn't brilliant, but it'll do, and as I swing, it feels useful, cutting well into the trunk of the tree. It's going to be a long hard day, as tired and empty as I am, but still, I have hope, that things can and will only get better...
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