I have no room for hate in my heart. It is a foul thing. But I must say, I was surprised and quite upset when I found Vinnie spreading rumors about me these past few days. She claims I am not to be trusted. After all, who can trust one who doesn't show his face?
I do not blame her for her mistrust. She is a scared little girl who grew up in a terrible world. But I am doing my best to fix that, and I hope that she can see that. I hope she can understand that. Unfortunately, this is up to the people to decide. Children can see more evil and good than us adults and my people recognize that. It is important we recognize that.
This was what was going through my head the day when everything turned upside down. The day I was surrounded by fire and hounds and guns. The day I was chased out of my own haven. The day paranoia, the very thing my people stood against, drove them to drive me away. The day I saw a true burning hatred in my best friend's eyes as he claimed my title. The day I finally understood that I was never truly the leader of those people.
Now I wander the wasteland with nothing but my bat and my crossbow. Crossbows are much more effective than guns as they are quieter and attract less attention. I walk down Highway 67 now, finding an odd sort of peace in the quiet. The sort of quiet that only comes when the forest is playing hide and seek with a predator. I was used to this quiet, I often heard it when I walked through the forest as a kid. I often heard it when I walked into a room before the apocalypse. It was peaceful. It allowed me to properly focus. It allowed me to think. I coughed, gagging at the smells of rot that lingered in the air. A telltale sign that a hoard was nearby. And right as I noted this, I heard a scream nearby. A scream of true fear.