Abel got walking, headed for the chain-link and steel gates to the squat little settlement. His pace was measured and cautious, making sure to stay just a constant step behind the guard with the big mouth who had just relented and decided to allow him in. He didn't wish to appear over-eager to these men, or to give off any sense of desperation despite just how empty his stomach really was. Besides, it could only behoove him to keep all of these wretched souls where he could see them. He'd been in far too many situations where the villains of the wastelands had thought they had the jump on him, and this time he'd play it careful and try to avoid any situations like that. He'd give them the ammunition, of which he had plenty, he'd get his food, and he'd share words with this vaunted 'Colonel', whoever that may be.

Then, he'd be on his way, God willing.

But, as he came to stand before the rusted gates barring his entry, the situation complicated itself. He'd heard it before his criminal hosts had. The guttural chugging of an engine; a rare and distinctive sound out here in these miserable wastes. A vehicle had made its approach, unseen to the lot of the bandits as they stared at their newest guest. It made its stop, not so far from what Alexander had thought was a respectful distance when he approached the settlement, and three men stepped out in unison, all uniformed alike, and all with a trio of rusty, neglected criminal guns trained on them each. Abel took a single glance over his shoulder, and that was all he needed. He turned back to face the gate, a cursory glance telling him more than the guards of the settlements had probably discerned in maybe a minute or so of fearful staring and aiming. He turned to face the gates once more, loathe to give the men in black a good look at his face. If he was lucky, he supposed, their business would not be with him.

He'd seen these types before. They weren't unlike the lawless men he was just now dealing with. Behind those uniforms, and their technology, and their supposed 'society' they were still thugs. They were, just like the mangy bandits: a perversion of humanity and a squandering of potential. They were just a more organized and well-trained perversion, or at least that's what Alexander believed. Their concerns were not for the welfare of humanity. Their concerns were their leader's, and ultimately it was all about power.

A 'Captain Stanton' made his presence known to the settlement's sentries as the gate guardsman hurriedly shepherded Abel inside with plenty of profanity and wild gesticulating. Then, the man, in knit-cap, with tattered leather jacket, and Chinese assault rifle, started forwards. There was fear in his eyes and in his steps. He knew exactly who these men were. Their 'civilization' was notorious amongst the less fortunate denizens of the metropolis. Black humvees, black coats, black hats, and, according to word of mouth, black hearts. The fact that he had maybe ten or so friends on the roofs of the settlement and on the walls with guns at the ready was hardly comforting, because the gate guard knew that if they gunned these three men down, more would come, with weaponry and strategy that even the wily 'Colonel' couldn't stand up to.

He came to a stop maybe twenty paces from the three soldiers and their vehicle, held his open hand up, and waved in an awkward greeting. He called out to them, "What do you want? This isn't your King's territory, got it?! You need to .. uh .. respect the sovereignty of the Colonel and .. move on!" He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder, towards the settlement, "I won't ask a second time! My boys will mow you down if you don't get in your damn truck and go!"

"I've only stayed for a night and ran into no one but, that doesn't mean there's not people. I just haven't seen any," Emily attempted to clear up the man's confusion and then added to answer his question about water, "Yes! Running water. It's cold but beggars can't be choosers." The girl smiled at that and continued to listen to what this man had to say; learning his name was Dei and that he was just passing through. She also remembered making her way through the small forest that he spoke of though couldn't recall there being a cat. Emily watched the man's movements and lips as he spoke; something she was taught to do at a young age. This helped her in many situations, being able to read body language as well as lips saved her life a few times.
As Dei asked his question about where she was heading, Emily thought about it for a second. She knew what she was looking for and in the direction it was suppose to be, but who's to say it even existed? This thought constantly nagged at her brain because finding nothing at the end would mean that this whole journey was pointless. She took a deep breath, "I'm heading towards Utopia. How about you?"

---------- Post added 10-02-2012 at 09:50 PM ----------

((so, as I'm sure the rest of you are in the same situation, I've decided to go a little easier on the "post once a week" rule. Post when you can, but be sure you do post. if it's been a month and there are no posts from you, I'll remove your character and inform you.

Thank you everyone!!!))

"Utopia? Oh no, not you too!" Dei complained, throwing his hands up in exasperation as he turned away from the red-head. After taking a few steps to his left, the man began the beginning of his rant. "What is it with people these days? Utopia this, Utopia that. Oh, there's a 'land across the sea where everything's wonderful and not messed up by radiation. We ought to go there right now!' And where exactly is this land, I ask you?!" he asked, turning back to Emily in an almost dramatic fashion. "Has anyone been there? Has anyone come back from it? Actually now that I think about it even if they could, why would they? But that's beside the point!" Once more, he started walking, only this time he wouldn't stop for a while as he continued expressing his dislike of the popular and long believed in topic. He assumed Emily would just follow along. "The point is, why leave for someplace that might not even exist? Or worse, might be a trap? I know there probably isn't any place in this country that could be considered 'ideal living conditions' anymore, but I have seen people, communities of people, come together to make a good home for themselves in the wastelands and old cities. A lot of them are gone now 'cause they decided to chase a shadow of a dream."

Dei paused at this point and sighed. "Do you know how long I had to go without food or water after I found out everyone at Winnebago up and left without a word? Weeks! Same when I stopped by Mal-Lincoln." Despite sounding bitter at the fact that he had to go for some time without necessary supplies due to constantly disappearing communities, Dei was actually concerned about something else. The two settlements he mentioned, both named after the nearest broken car dealership signboards, were the homes of a few of his friends. Ever since they left in search of the fabled Utopia, he has not heard anything about them or the caravan they supposedly joined. He knew that communication was generally difficult across the wastelands, much less the ocean, unless you used pre-war communication devices or similar technology like his shelter did. But it has been three years since they disappeared and there was still no word of them. Surely the post-nuclear-war world still had ships for people to come and go with? "Besides, what part of the world hasn't been damaged by the effects of the bombs? None. Well, according to my teachers, anyway." he added, speaking as if his fellow traveler had been given the same education as he had and knew all about the history of the great war and its atrocious effects.

The orange-eyed man kicked a pebble into a nearby sewer drain before thinking to look around him. Without realizing it, he had walked some distance from the intersection already. About two or three blocks closer to the center of the city.

Akira couldn't sleep. Everywhere they went was devastation. The last down they past was compltely obliterated. There was spots from the nuclear blast in which you could see silhoutes of humans as they died. Bodies that had not been completely destroyed by the blast laid everywhere as charred bones. A small skeleton of a child had clung to that of an adult. Everything made Aiira sick to the stomach.

He only companion, Zachery, laid a few feet away sleeping. She didn't know how the boy could do it. He had seen everything she had, qnd yet he could shrug it off like it was nothing. Maybe he was just smarter than her. You couldn't change the past, just accept it and that was what he did. He was born a mutant, and in this new world, you had to make the best of it. There was no whining that you got the short end of the stick or that you were starving from lack of food. You had to go out there and take your food, make the bast out of your predictament. If you were a mutant with some nastily sharp claws, use them to hunt.

Lost in thought, Akira didn't hear the howls of mutated timberwolves until they close enough to be seen peering out of the shadows. Zachery had already awoken and was kicking dirt into the fire to put it out. The wolves snared at them as they advanced forward. In their mutated state, they were larger and stronger than their ancestors. They looked more like the fictional werewolf than anything.

Akira grabbed her broad sword and swung her before her, clipping on of the wolves. Zachery ran for it, knowing he couldn't fight against the monsters. Akira followed pursuit as the wolves ran for the boy. They would tear him to shreds if they caught up to him, but the boy was remarkably faster than them.

Daylight was breaking over them when they spotted a town not to far away from them. Maybe they could find some decent shelter within to hide.