I took a series of quick glances at her wavering figure, drawing back whenever her green eyes met mine. I knew what she was afraid off. After I almost left her alone, I couldn't possibly do it again. Not to her, nor to anybody else.
"It's a promise then." I muttered.
Jason by the side was leaning against the wooden wall, overhearing our conversation. He gave me a friendly grin, and went off.
"Come on already! We're about to leave dude!" Amir cracked.
Alex and I were sharing a conversation under the watchtower before we went on with a mission. My wound by now had healed almost completely, leaving a small, fleshy scar as a result.
While I was recovering, Amir and Jason came to visit and explained to me what happened after I got shot. Thankfully, that bastard that started the battle was caught and detained in the lowest floor of the camp.
He was interrogated for and finally confessed (after many hours of torture) that he and his raiders were keeping a stockpile of supplies back at their hideout. Our mission was simple enough; steal their provisions.
"So mates, word says the supplies were being kept around the southern part of New York city." Jason said.
"Bro, there's no way I'm walking. I'm already sore from last night's pillow fight!" Amir said.
He was right. That party seriously took away the pillow in pillow fight.
It was more like Hit the Amir-looking piñata kind of party. Though I'm glad Amir's looking much better now (emotionally I mean). He didn't really take it well when he guessed of his parent's gruesome death.
Jason beamed widely, and I knew he wanted to show off his new, XD143 quad bike. At least, that's what he called it. He climbed up the tower and pulled a trigger of some kind, making the machines and gears above screech, opening a hidden garage by the side of the entrance.
He pulled another lever, but this time the stairs that led to the ground above assembled but with the metal steps slanted, like a slope, perfect for driving towards the surface.
"Hop on, my comrades!" As soon as he said it, he rushed to meet his new bike, and hugged it. Striding it's ultrasoft, Italian black leather with an exterior frame of carbon-lined brown paint. At least, that's what he told me.
We jumped right in. Surprisingly, all three of us had fit in the back. Amir sat behind Jason, while Alex was at the rear, sitting right behind me.
Jason gunned the engine, and went full throttle towards the surface, driving the dust away and raced at light speed towards the abandoned city.
...
As we neared the destination, Alex whispered something to my ear. "This code, by your neck."
I felt my head pop like a sore, rotten tomato. I never noticed it until now (which was saying a lot), but her soft hands were holding on really tight on my waist.
"I don't know. Really." I said. This code by the side of my neck, a tattooed "07" was always a subject of my past. I never even knew when and how I got it in the first place. You know, with all the memory loss going on, I couldn't even remember my own name. That was how they came up with my nickname, Zero, taken from the first digit of my tattoo code.
"We're here!" Jason said as he rolled in the breaks and sent us tumbling against each other. Seriously, the big guy needs a driving instructor.
"So," I said, picking myself up and then walked to Alex to help. "Where's this hideout?"
Jason scanned around the city wasteland, examining rubbles and broken glass that laid waste to the broken roads. In the stillness of the city, you could hear the metal screech of cranes carrying iron pipes swinging about. Like the creaky sound of an old, rotten door being opened.
A gust of wind carrying with it dusts blocked out what little light the sun could give through the cruddy sky, making high noon look like an early evening.
"It's up ahead by that building's shadow, my mates." Jason said. "Alex, set up sniper camp at that upstart building at the back, radio us if anything shady happens. Get it? Shady? Because--"
"Yeah bro, we get it." Amir said.
Alex took out her sniper rifle hanging by her back, and ran off towards the run-down building. Giving me a quick See you later gesture as she pulled up her red scarf to nose-length.
"Don't I get one?" Amir asked.
Oh he got one alright. I think that was a Kill you later gesture. Good for him. Best girl by the way.
We hid the vehicle in an alleyway, and went on to the raider's hideout. It was an ordinary, abandoned diner, with flickering lights coming from broken down bulbs. And take it from me, I've seen many diners. Including a particular one at Miami.
I glanced at Amir to see how he would react, but I can see he's trying hard not to screw up this mission with his pent up feelings for the insects.
Jason pointed to the far side of the building. "There."
A door was placed behind the counter wall, a broken one at that. The place looked too eerie, too fishy, and way too suspicious. Like someone, or something has been here only recently. I could tell.
We paced our steps cautiously along the checkered floors as mixed liquids of spilled Coke and Pepsi were dripped down the tables. Now THAT is an abomination.
Jason pressed an earpiece positioned in his left ear, signalling for Alex. "You there?"
"Yes. Nothing that important to report so far." Her voice echoing all along my earpiece.
"Stay safe, okay?" I said.
"Yeah. Sure."
Amir gave me the pat on the back, as if to say Now that, was harsh. She's always like this whenever I'm with the others. Barely talks. Barely sweet. But that's the thing about her that makes her so likeable.
"We're going in mates. Ain't got time for cock-ups." He opens the door, and a small, dusty staircase appeared, leading down to the basement. The stairs led us straight down to the underground room, where a few weapons and ammo, some canned food, and a whole pile of cigarettes were being kept.
"Jackpot." Jason said.
"Not sure if you guys noticed, but, we didn't bring along any bags to carry it all on." I said.
"Not to worry mate, got here an extra." Jason pulled out a large, leather sack from his coat. How it fit there, I had no idea. But as soon as he removed the bag, the jacket seemed to deflate until it looked like a shriveled grape. So that's why he looked kinda fat this morning.
"Get the things you need for the base. Leave those cigars, ain't gonna do much for you."
"We don't do smoking anyways." I said as I scampered off to take a look at the knives collection. Damn, these raiders were classy. The left wooden walls were decorated with hundreds of top-of-the-shelf knife hilts and blades.
A spear-point blade caught my attention, with it's fine detail and structure, this totally was the one for me and my fighting style.
"Dude! Look at what I've got!" Amir jolted a big and glowing purple rock; like a crystal pulsing with energy. I swear I've seen it before. And before I could put my hand in it, I realized too late.
"Drop that!" I scampered to take the knife with me as Amir laid down the crystal.
"What the freak man." I rushed to bring all the ammunition to the bag as quickly as I could. I could feel the intense rush of adrenaline kicking in, the blood flow cranking up my body to the max.
"Ow shoot." Amir realized what he had done. He grabbed as many canned goods as he can, and rolled away from the crystal, cursing as he made his way to Jason.
Jason was still unaware of the hell of a situation Amir put us in. He was examining a brown, leather jacket propped up high on the walls.
"Jason!" I called out and pointed at the block of crystal that was lying across the wooden floor. Then gestured again to Amir making his way to the bag.
"Bloody hell."
"S-Sorry dude. I-I..." Amir, feeling dumbfounded, turned pale white right down to his very bones.
"Don't worry about it man. Let's go!" I said. Jason wrapped up the sack, while Amir and I hastened to the surface. Jason followed closely behind, dragging the sack along with his shear strength and power.
As soon as we resurfaced, the cold feeling of discomfort kicked in. The everyday wasteland air was still the same as ever, but a cold shiver ran down my spine, knowing something was gonna go wrong, one way or the other.
It was quiet. A bit too quiet if you ask me. That eerie feeling of suspense crept in, my hands shaking from the things that were about to come.
"Ready yourselves." Jason said.
A sudden array of tiny rumblings in the ground was felt in my tingling feet and resonated all over the building walls. Like the march of a thousand soldiers marching towards us at an abnormally fast pace, except it was uncoordinated. And the other thing was, I knew it wasn't human.
"Alex. Report." Jason said.
A brief moment of silence rolled over as a bead of sweat dripped across my cheek. Then, the voice of Alex broke the tension, with one word to sum up everything she needs to say.
"Run."