15 Years Later: Wasteland by Nick S. Thomas Read Free Book Online Page B

pull the trigger. But his doubt over the weapon, and her hatchet being so close to hand, made him stay clear of the trigger.
    "What do you want?" he repeated in a louder and sterner tone.
    She lifted a clenched fist and that made him a little edgier still. But as she opened her hand, a ring dropped, hung from the chain that had been around his neck. He couldn't believe his luck. He let his guard down and lowered the rifle for a second as he gazed upon the ring, but snapped back out of it and raised the rifle against her once again. She said nothing and simply held out the ring as if expecting him to make the next move.
    Is this a peace offering?
    It seemed as good as any. He stepped forward cautiously and snapped it from her hands.
    "I can't go back," she said bluntly.
    "Why not? They are your people."
    She shook her head. "If I go back I will die."
    He didn't need to ask why. He nodded as if to accept that she was not his enemy and lowered the rifle. He knelt back down and picked up his photos.
    "Are they your family?" she asked.
    He shrugged. "Probably, but I’m not sure."
    It didn't seem to strike her as strange that he didn't know.
    "Why do you carry pictures? People you don't really know; probably aren't even alive."
    That made him angry. He needed something to keep going on for besides survival.
    "You have no idea if they are alive or not, do you?" he snapped.
    She shook her head, but didn't shy away as he thought she might. He could tell she was the creation of a harsh world, a savage upbringing he would not wish on anyone. He looked back at the photos and wondered what it might be like to never have anyone to care about.
    "Where will we go now?"
    He looked puzzled.
    "We? We aren't going anywhere. I am going West. Don't follow me."
    But it was clear that she fully intended to do that, whether he liked it or not.
    "Why would you want to follow me, anyway? I can't offer you anything. I don't even have anything to give."
    She shrugged as she looked out into the distance.
    "Lonely life out there."
    He thought about it for a moment and began to wonder if there might be some safety in numbers, but then he turned back and remembered what and who she was. She still looked at him with crazy eyes. He fully expected her to attack him at any moment, and he didn't want to imagine what trying to sleep through that risk might be like.
    "You tried to kill me, why would I want you around?"
    She blanked him completely and responded with her own question quite bluntly.
    "You have any food?"
    Her face was so matter of fact and serious.
    "What?"
    "Food, do you have any?"
    He shook his head as she threw the pack off her back and opened the lid. It was full of cans and jars, as well as bottles of water.
    "If you want food, you will go with me."
    He sighed and shook his head, but looking down at the jars he began to notice how hungry he was, and how strong her position was. He briefly considered taking it from her with force, but somehow he wasn't comfortable with striking her, when all she was trying to do was live with him.
    "Fine, we go together until I find my own food."
    She smiled, and he could tell she really was happy.
    Maybe there is some humanity left. Maybe she really does want something more than to live in that hellhole amongst savages. Or maybe she just has no choice.
    Whatever it was, he was stuck with her, and him with her. They seemed like the most unlikely of pairings, and yet it was the events that brought them together, not their personalities.
    "You are waiting until night?"
    He nodded as she came forward and took a seat out of sight where he had been before. They eased into some comfort as she broke out some food. For several hours they did nothing but periodically check for any sign of the lunatics from Jaytown. Occasional passes in the vehicles gave them cause for concern, but they never got close enough to be a problem. It was clear they had no clue where he had gotten to, and that was a major relief. As they reached