Chapter Nine: Answers

The room was dark. The ceiling light flickered on and off. Underneath was a circular table, and on each side sat an man dressed to impress. A ripped tuxedo, and to compliment it, he had a thin mustache and messy black hair. He leaned in.

'All in?' He smirked.

'All in,' I pulled out a revolver from underneath my cloak, and pulled the trigger. Dying in an instance, I holstered my gun, lowered my hood, and took his bottle caps. Kicking down the closet door, I raised my flashlight with my right arm, prosthetic now, and saw my target. A young boy, roughly seven, tied up and abused. Putting away my flashlight, I put him over my shoulder and left the building.

A woman immediately ran from the bushes up to me, and I gave her the child. 'Thank you so much Mrrrrrr-'

'Mr.Heartlocke.'

She untied her child and hugged him tightly; he was still asleep. She waved me goodbye as she carried her son on her back.

Exhausted, I traveled back to the bounty office. After Sammy's death, I eventually found another colony like the one out in the desert, but it was in the forest. After some time, I made it to the gate walls. Waving my hand, the man watching let me in.

'Everything well Heartlocke!' He hollered down at me.

I didn't respond, but rather kept on walking. In the crowds of people, I could see mothers and fathers with their children laughing, smiling, loving one another. I greatly envyed them. I envyed them all.

The mother from ealier ran up to me, and took my hands. 'Thank you mister! Thank you oh so much!'

Pulling my hands away, I looked into her eyes, then continued on. 'Just doing my job ma'am.' Going around the corner, a fixed up apartment building stood. Going in, I went straight past the reception and up a staircase. Going to the third floor, I went to the third room on the right, pulled out my keys and unlocked it. Upon entering, I hung my cloak up, grabbed the clothe on the nightstand beside the coat rack, and made my way to the couch. I began to polish my right arm. Interrupted, I heard a knock. Going to the door, I looked at my mirror to my left. My hair, a mess, good for my dirty blonde. My eyes were also a sky blue. My outfit was just the same orange jumpsuit, but washed to be reused. Opening the door, a man in a suit n tie stood there.

'Mr.Heartlocke I presume?'

I nodded.

'My names Jackson Reeves.' He held out his hand.

Taking it, we shook hands. 'So, what's the occasion?'

He slipped a piece of paper into my right most pocket. 'That's a detailed map of the area as well as pass by zones.'

'"Pass by" zones?'

'They're walls or invisible barriers that we can walk through into another biome or area.'

'Oh, so that's what they're called.' Looking at this map, it had all this area to the city charted. 'When did you make this?'

'That doesn't matter. What does matter is your origins Mr.Heartlocke.' He smirked.

'What do you know about!' I grabbed the collar of his shirt.

'Go to the spot on your map marked with a red X, and you'll find out,' afterwards, he kicked me in my stomach.

Tumbling backwards, I looked up and he was gone. Scanning both sides of the hallway, he was long gone. Closing my door, I grabbed my cloak and went to my bedroom. Inside was just a mattress. Pulling the knife I had stuck in the wall, I used it to cut open the mattress, then I put it away in my utility belt. Revolver, check. Knife, check. Digging inside the mattress, I pulled put a shotgun. Shotgun, check. I had used the strap to hang it off my back and put my cloak over it, to mask it's presence. Pulling the map out, I examined it. To what it said, behind the town's walls is where I needed to go. Didn't seem to difficult. Grabbing a bag from my kitchen, I packed it with few supplies, ammo, water, food, and a first-aid kit. Ready, I went put the front door, and made my way out.

Time passed by, and the sun was setting. Getting dark, I raised my right arm, and it shined like a flash light, but worked like a lantern. The gears inside my right arm sometimes annoyed me, for they could get loud at times. Along the eastern or west side of the wall, I kept close to not lose my sense of direction. Fortunately and unfortunately, this colony only had one way in and out...without force. As for that being the case, I must go the long way around to this, place.

When I though it would be to easy, noises came from out of view. Loud ambient ones. In a moment's time, a boar with a third horn on its head, and speed that could rival with a wolves, came charging at me.

Rolling out the way, I withdrew my revolver, and chambered it.

Running full speed at me, I had to either shoot or move, but only one.

I decided to risk it, for the thrill, and I pulled the trigger.

Quickly, it grew limp and tumbled into me. It was dead. Hungry, I decided to cook the boar, and that I did. After consuming all it's meat, brain and all, I grew tired. Climbing up a tree, my eyes slowly blinked open and close, before the inevitable succumbed to me.

Waking, I stretched my arms and let out a great yawn. Hopping down, I wasted no time to get back on track.

The birds chirped.

A waterfall could be heard, with rushing water.

Nature offered many delightful noises, from those small to big.

Digging into my bag, bottle in hand, I took a swig of water and returned it to where it once came from.

Much walking, but I've finally reached the search area on the map. From where I stood, it was an empty lot. From where I stood. Thinking to past experiences, I looked at the map. "All the pass by zones are marked" I recall the man telling me. Looking at where Sammy and I found my journal, the pass by zone wasn't marked. Putting the map away, I fixed my posture, and went on.

A bunker stood, like the one I first awakened in, in the desert. Going up too the door, I placed my palm against it. It felt cold. Before my eyes, the door slide open, and a voice like o heard before spoke.

'Welcome back Mr.Heartlocke.'

To this day since then, I still have little to no clue who I am. Today that's gonna change, today I'll get answers.