The Fallen World Part II

Chapter 6: A New Ally

"Hey, old man!" A voice called me out, I wake up from a slap on the cheek. I started coughing a little bit of water, a raccoon's looking at me. "Hey, you're finally awake." I slowly crawled back and pant, "Hey you're okay, I won't tear your belly open or anything. I'm not one of those Ferals." The raccoon explained and I calmed down.

"Why would I trust you?" I asked, "Because I could've killed you by now when I got the chance." He said, "Fair point, but that doesn't mean I already trust you." I replied.

"You're not from here are you?" He asked, I shook my head, "Where are you from?" He asked, "Idaho. I'm looking for someone." "Who are you looking for?" He asked again, "A female cat, she's orange and white. And a female coyote, all I can say is that they're both aggressive looking. Know any of them?".

The raccoon shook his head, "Not in particular, no." I sighed hearing that, "What's your name?" I asked, "Jake, yours?" "Darwin Gray." "Oh, because you're a gray wolf?" He made a joke of my surname, I sighed but—"Yes."

"Anyways it's getting dark out here, we need to go someplace safe. Come, I have a small hideout here." He said, I then stand up—picked up my stuff beside me, and decided to follow him.

"Hey kid, why are you helping me?" "I-I don't know, it's been a while since I had someone with me. I'm pretty lonely out here." "There's no settlements around here?" I asked, "Well there is one place in particular, 'Eden', it's a town made in a train station—a place run my P.A.C.C. and bounty hunters, but now I'm a wanted man y'see?" He explained, "Wanted? What happened?" I asked, "Gambling. Just gambling... and cheating." He said, I scoffed and shook my head.

"Bounty hunters you say?" I said, he raised his eyebrow. "So what about it?" He asked, "The cat who kidnapped my friend mentioned she did it for money. She might be a bounty hunter." I said, "Interesting. We can ask one of the hunters for her. If we manage to talk to one." He replied.

A few minutes passed by and I'm starting to wonder how far this place would be? "Hey Jake, how far is your place?" I asked.

"Maybe fifteen minutes from now we'll be there, just wait." He said, "Who are these 'Ferals'?" I asked, he then sighed. "They're cultists, they appeared just a year ago where a man who's a former spiritual leader believed that the Reefed came here for a reason—so he decided to call his group 'Rapture's Order' so he can 'End all impurities.' his motto says. His followers torture trespassers and sometimes devour them, it's disgusting really.".

"Have you dealt with them before?" I asked, "I killed a few, and I almost got captured one time." "Geez..." I replied. We arrived at a gasoline station and I pointed at the store, "Jake, let's search around." He nods, I open the door and look around the shelves, Jake also joins the search. "We have bottles of water and... nothing else." He said, "That's fine, at least we have clean water." I replied, Jake stores the bottle of water in his bag.

After a few minutes of searching for supplies around stores in the middle of a light shower, we heard a rustling of leaves at the overgrown roads.

"Shit, stay low," I said, we both take cover under the grass. I take a look at who they are, they're wolftroopers. "Sheesh, what a day. When will these cultists stop having fun with their fetishes?" One wolftrooper asks, "They probably won't stop until we're all wiped out." The other replied, "Yeah, I guess you're right...".

The troopers are wandering around the area, how are we supposed to pass through them? "Darwin? What should we do?" Jake asked, "I don't know, but all we could do is to get out of here." "Understood." He replied. I try to crouch my way through the wolves and around the buildings and immediately stopped in a laundromat as I heard one of them sniffing. "Hmm, I can smell another wolf—but they're not one of us, what should we do, boss?" One asked, "If he's not one of us, find him.".

"Shit," I whispered, the wolf's getting closer to us, we take cover behind a shelf and wait for him to enter the store. "I think the scent's coming from here." He said. As he got real close I quickly grab him and stab his neck, his paws started to flail trying to reach my paws but couldn't, the blood spilling from his mouth drips from the floor.

After he shed his last tears, I lowered his body to the floor and grab the ammo of his pistol. "Oh god..." Jake whined. Shit... I killed him, I'm back to my gruesome ways again. "We need to get out of here fast," I said. As we got closer to an office building, we hear roaring and clicking, "Shit, the Reefed are here! Everyone keep your guard up." The wolftrooper said to his comrades.

I grab a bottle from the floor and aim at the group of wolves, "This might keep them busy." I then threw it, the bottle shattered to a streetlight and the Reefed nearby roared. "Shit! Who did that?" One asked, but the coral infected animals from the stores came out and attacked them. "Dammit! Here they come!" The wolf screamed.

Their assault rifles started blasting them around every corner and we finally get to escape without getting caught. I can hear some of them screaming in pain and others panicking, suddenly one wolf tackled me from behind and shouted: "I found a straggler!", Jake then grabs him and strangles him with his arms. "I grab a brick from the floor and hit the wolf's face. "He's down." The wolf flops down to the floor lifelessly.

I found a walkie-talkie strapped on his belt, "Darwin, take that with you! You're gonna need it!" Jake said, I quickly picked it up and kept it in my bag then run away with Jake.

Few minutes have passed through this foggy city, the rain's getting a little stronger. "Through here, that's my place." Jake points at the hotel, he removed the branches and leaves showing large locked doors. Jake unlock the doors with his key and entered. The lobby's well maintained but dark. "Oh, I should turn on the lights." Jake flip the light switches at the reception desk and the whole lobby is bright and cozy.

"What a nice place you got here, how'd you get power?" I asked, "Stole a lot of gas from a wolftrooper camp, good enough to last a year." He explained, "How'd you stay here without anyone getting in?" I asked, "I barricaded all paths and covered them. Oh, that radio you got in your bag?" "What about it?" I asked, "You can listen to conversations from the wolves, from supplies to information—which is how I get fuel and food for a living—but you have to wait for a while.".

I brought out the radio and placed it on a table, "I'm gonna go stay here and watch the rain." I said and sat on a sofa looking at the windows above me. "Alright, make yourself comfy. Make sure you keep an eye on that radio, okay?" Jake walks upstairs to the second-floor cafe and started brewing something. My eyes are a little watery as soon as I look at the rain, I killed those wolves. How many do I have to kill until I'm dead?

I changed my thoughts and look at Jake, "Hey!" I shouted, Jake looks at me curiously, "You have any coffee?" I asked, "Nope, just tea!" He shouted, I nodded and took off my bag and boots then lie down on the sofa.