REBIRTH [COMPLETE]

1 week later

I took a deep breath and glanced over the pile of rubble at the small community. I motioned to Ellie to move in.

I watched with pride as my dog limped into the camp, whining and sucking in her stomach. Community members glanced up and a pair of cautious elders walked towards Ellie.

"Aww, she's hurt." Cooed several childish and womanly voices.

A mans voice said, "I don't know..."

Suddenly a strangled scream split the air as my dog leaped forward, grabbing a chicken. Those birds were wandering everywhere around communities, but I could never get close enough. I cringed as shouts and shots were fired, but my dog came trotting back to me, a dead chicken in her mouth. I took it and we sprinted away. Though it is interesting... because of the radiation, chickens no longer had a beak, but a jaw.

That night, we had our first good meal of the week. I gave 3/4 of the chicken to Ellie since it was her catch, enjoying her hungry slobbering. I stretched and lay on the ground next to Ellie. "Keep watch, alright?"

Tonight, for the first time in over 2 years, I had no nightmares. When I woke, I wondered if I was forgetting Alex, but the painful memory that rose when I thought his name said otherwise . I rolled over and felt Ellie sleeping next to me. The fire had finally sizzled out and I groaned, knowing it was time to leave again.

Oh how I longed for a permanent home... somewhere I could be safe and warm. But sadly, I knew that day would never come for me. In all my life I'd never had a place to settle down, somewhere I could die before the ones I loved. I'd suffered the loss of loved ones too many times... I refused to ever care about another living again.

Ellie whined. I glanced down at her, "Except you, of course." I chuckled.

I forced myself up and grabbed my sack that I'd been using for a pillow. My tent had blown away in a storm a few days ago and ever since I'd been out in the open, a pawn of the elements.

So it began.... walking.

Ellie trotted along at my side, glancing around nervously. I saw nothing, and tried to ignore her jumpy movements. Suddenly she stood still, the hair on her neck rising. A low growl escaped her throat and she sniffed the air gingerly. I crouched, ready for anything. I caught a glimpse of movement behind a pile of rubble. Suddenly, a masked figure came out of nowhere and smashed into me. I rolled and came up on my feet, alert but dazed. Ellie sprang and sank a tooth in the leg of my assaulter. A muffled cry came from the figures throat, it sounded male. I tried to get a good look at his face, but it was covered in a mask. He escaped the jaws of my dog and leaped behind a pile of rubble. I scrambled up to catch him, but I could see him sprinting off to the east. I whistled for Ellie to come to my side and we took off after the figure.

It really didn't matter if I caught him or not, in fact, if I did I'd have no idea what to do. But it felt good to have a goal again... something to chase after. Although she could've caught him easily, I didn't let Ellie go after the figure, I'd be more fun to hunt him down. The dog followed his trial until it disappeared on a small ridge, overlooking a valley, grey and dead. The only structure in all the rubble was an entrance of some kind.

"Hmm..." I frowned. "Should I?"

Ellie growled.

I smiled into the wind, batting the hair from my face. "Yeah... let's do what we're best at. Stealing."

The entrance was just a steel cube that sloped into the ground. I'd seen many bunks like this before, Alex and I had lived in one. Most communities had some. Basically, the entrance opened into a big underground chamber with cots and a kitchen. But to get inside, you had to enter a voice activated, code. Or you could hack the circuits... but I wasn't that talented.

I walked around the entrance, wondering what the code was. When I got to the front, I gave a quick knock on the steel garage door. It was sturdy... impossible to get through.

"Well, Ellie..." I muttered. "I guess it's a lost cause."

The door creaked and began to open.

I stared in shock as it rolled upwards, giving me exactly 30 seconds to get inside. I slipped in, patting my leg so Ellie would follow. These kind of bunkers had a staircase leading underground and the roof was supported by rafters and railings, which were easy to climb around on. I gestured for Ellie to wait at the top of the stairs and leaped from the top step to the railing. I took a deep breath and pulled myself to my feet, wobbling on the ledge that was barely 2 inches. I used the wall as a support and tried to stay stable.

The main chamber had a few chairs and a table, like a meeting room, and hallways lead out from it into bedrooms and the kitchen. I decided to raid the kitchen first, that way, if I was caught, I'd at least have some food.

"Luke!" A female voice chided. "Sit still."

I gasped and pressed myself into the wall. 15 feet below me, I could see a girl, bandaging the leg of a young man. He cringed as her hands ran over the bloody mark on his leg.

"It's fine, Blair..." he hissed with pain. "I swear it's fine."

She frowned. "What happened? I thought you went out to catch that thief that's been tormenting the communities."

"I did!" He moaned. "And I found her too, but her stupid dog bit my leg."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. It would appear I'd caught my assaulter. I crept towards the kitchen, inching my way along.

"Luke!" Another voice, deeper and older. "What happened to you?"

The boy called Luke glanced up at a rugged man, and sighed. "I caught the thief.. but she got away."

I resisted the urge to snort. He hadn't caught me...

"Not without injury, I see." The rugged man chuckled.

Luke winced as the girl, Blair, pulled on his bandages. "Her dog."

As the people below me fell into conversation, I began to move again. My heart began to race as my foot slipped and I barely managed to find a finger hold in the wall. When I got my footing, I took a deep breath and prepared to continue.

I placed my foot forward.

Snap.

I don't know what broke, but I found myself in a free fall. I let out a short scream before I hit the ground. I felt my head slam into the ground before everything went black.