Chapter One: Every Dog Has Its Day

 "Listen I just need a little information on when the next shipment of supplies is expected into town, that's really all I'm looking for I swear" this was the third time this month I came into this shit hole bar looking for some bogus info. "And I thought I told you to look somewhere else" the greasy woman sneered. "Why would I tell a Uni-party dog anything?! Just so you and your fancy friends can come in here and buy up all of the market, so we're left with nothing? I don't think so" she slammed the glass she was polishing onto the bar. "So, unless you're here to buy a drink, you need to get the fuck out" "Fine I'll take the drink and then I'll be on my way, but I'm not with the world government" I slid two rusted coins to her. "You might not have a master right now but that doesn't change what you are, a dog. You damn sure aren't human after you sold your soul to them and let them pump you full of all their bullshit" she poured my drink and grabbed the coins before walking away with not even the slightest glance back in my direction. She wasn't wrong… entirely. It is true that I used to be a dog for the government and that I let them conduct "experiments" on my body. Bionic enhanced joints and skeleton, forced genetic muscle mutations, and microchips placed at neuron hubs to speed up thought processes and to monitor for any foreign agents in the body. This basically means I can't be poisoned, I don't get sick, and my healing is boosted more than average. It is most common for those of us unlucky enough to survive the procedure to have stark silver hair and deep crimson eyes due to the genetic mutations, this is how we earned the nickname; dogs of the government, Uni-party dogs, the list goes on. But this allows us to see better in low light and feel atmospheric changes on our hair better. I.e. sensing things coming toward us. Our traits aren't the only thing that "earned" us that title, we were known for following out any order given. No matter how merciless or heinous it may be. What the general public -and most dogs for that matter- don't know, is that the little chips they put inside our brains are also designed to make us obedient and docile towards our "masters". In the truest sense we were… dogs, our every decision was made for us. What we ate, when we ate, when we went to sleep, how long we slept. They were able to control it all and you were simply a prisoner in your own body. Not every dog needed to be forced though, some went into the procedure already broken which made the remolding all the easier for them. Those individuals carry out every order of their own will with gladness and sadism that would even turn the devils' stomach, they are set apart and treated as elites of the elite. If anyone even dared to look at them incorrectly, they would simply erase your existence, and if anyone you knew or loved was heard discussing your past existence… they were erased as well.

 I was finishing my drink when two filthy drunks stumbled in and plopped themselves into the seats at the end of the bar, "what'll it be boys?". "Two of the most expensive bottles in this dump, and a round for everyone! We're celebrating!" The greasy woman scoffed and handed the bottles to the two soot covered men. "Easy Randy. You want everyone in here to know we're about to hit it big?" The shorter man hissed to the taller. "Sorry Tom, I'm just excited we're about to make so much money AND finally get that stuff off our hands." The tall man took a swig from his bottle and nudged the shorter. "Besides The Ghosts promised we could get the first pick of some of the stuff they get off the train" the greasy woman set another glass in front of me and continued making her rounds without saying anything. "Randy, will you shut the hell up!" The shorter man started looking around the room and our eyes made contact. "Hey what the hell are you looking at?!" I looked away and reached for my second glass. "Nothing man, I was just looking around, my bad" "... wait a minute! Are you a fucking dog?! We didn't say we would buy a dog a round, as a matter of fact what the fuck is a dog even doing in here to begin with?!" He obviously wasn't going to be dropping his guard anymore with me around, which was a shame things were just starting to get interesting with that little Ghosts comment. "I'm not looking for trouble, I'll just be leaving now" "Yeah, you will be. And leave the drink" I set the drink on the counter and walked out of the bar.

 Nearly four hours went by before the two men dragged themselves out of the bar. They stumbled through a series of back alleys knocking over garbage and boxes laughing the entire way through the dark; I jumped from rooftop to rooftop, being careful not to make a sound or lose sight of the men. After multiple twists and turns that were obviously memorized from feel the two men wound up in front of a large unimpressive, half dilapidated building. The front had either caved in or been destroyed by some kind of artillery because the main foyer and center stairwell were exposed to the outside. The two drunks made their way up and around a mountain of rubble before starting for the center stairwell, they took the stairs up to the third floor before cautiously looking around and cutting a corner down a hallway. I slid down the fire escape and sprinted across the street to the building the men just went into and paused in the foyer. I could hear a small group of people talking somewhere in the near distance but couldn't make out any details. I climbed the stairs to the second floor and made my way down the same hall under the one the two men took earlier; the voices were starting to get louder as I made it to a T-junction at the end of the hall. I turned right making my way further into the deceptively large complex, the voices began to echo slightly, and I was able to discern at least five or six separate voices. It became clear the two men weren't alone. As I neared the end of the second hall I came up on a set of double doors and heard the voices echoing on the other side, I cracked the door open just enough to be able to see. Inside was a group of five people talking to the drunks in a gymnasium. I must be in what was once a school, "I thought we told the two of you to take this seriously!" barked the hooded man in the center of the group. "We are taking this seriously, we're just celebrating a little and keeping the nerves at bay, c'mon lighten up" replied the shorter drunk. "Lighten up?! Do I need to remind you that this isn't some joke or something to be made light of?! If we fuck up or don't follow through, PEOPLE DIE!" The stocky man behind the one in the center laid his hand on his shoulder, "sigh look, are the explosives going to be ready by the deadline or not?" "Of course they'll be ready, we're professionals" slurred the short man before expelling his meager dinner all over the wood flooring, he wiped his mouth before continuing. "And we'll get first pick out of what y'all get from the train right? As a professional courtesy?" The smallest of the group in the back scoffed, "Are you serious Chet? We're doing business with these two buffoons?" It was clear from the tone of voice that they were female. "These buffoons happen to be quite skilled at explosive making and have supplies that we need. So, play nice." The center man turned back to facing the two drunks. "You'll get your pick, so long as you hold up your end of the deal. BUT should you let us down or decide to back out at the last minute I promise you we will hunt you to the ends of the earth and take everything your meager souls have to offer. Do I make myself clear?" The two men shuttered in place and simply nodded their heads. "Good, then make sure you have our explosives delivered to old McElroy bridge by sundown and don't be late" The two men shuffled off into the darkness. 

 "Chet, I still don't understand why we're relying on those two so much, we've hijacked plenty of supply trains and we've never had to blow one up before. I didn't sign up to hurt anybody." the woman complained to the leader. "Maggie no one's going to get hurt, you know as well as I do that those trains are minimally staffed and the ones that are on there are just as guilty as all the damn ring leaders." the man paused for a moment as if expecting a response. "Besides, what has hijacking them and stealing the supplies accomplished? All they do is work their slaves extra to make up for the loss and nothing happens to the ones at the top. We need to hit them hard enough for the ones at the top to feel the blow, and the best way to do that is to put the entire line out of commission for a while." Maggie looked away for a moment before responding. "But Chet that will affect more than just Avalon and the ones at the top, the surrounding burnout cities in this area also depend on this supply line for survival. If we wipe it out, what will they do?" the man scoffed, "you're seriously worried about these degenerates that refuse to even help themselves? Most of the people that live in these "cities" are just addicts and common crooks." the woman shoved the leader and got in his face, "have you forgotten that you and each one of us used to be one of those so-called degenerates? That you, your mother, and brother called one of these burnout cities home?" the leader snapped at this remark and shoved the woman back, the larger man stepped between the two. "Don't you ever bring them up to me! They were the example for me that the population of these cities are beyond help! We have also offered the invitation to each of these cities to join The Ghosts but the number of people that have responded is less than ten percent, and I refuse to help people who refuse to help themselves. We're going through with the plan and that's the end of that." The rest of the group remained silent, and an awkwardness started to build in the air. 

 What they were talking about though was madness! Sure, the cities were littered with scum, crooks, and drunks. But did that mean they deserved to suffer without access to supplies? It might be possible for the most fit of the groups to hunt and gather but that becomes too taxing for just one person let alone dangerous with all the radiated beasts and vicious nocturnal predators. Even if you're lucky enough to end up with two or three people fit for the job, eventually people get tired of taking care of others that don't help to pull their weight. Not to mention that most of those fit individuals with enough drive to get work done are joining The Ghosts. As I decided it was time for me to make my exit I heard a low growl to my left, to my surprise there was a large white wolf with golden eyes baring its fangs at me. The growl echoed its way down into the gymnasium giving away my location. "What's that sound?" questioned the woman. "I don't know but it sounds like a loose beast perhaps we're in its den" the group started to walk up the steps towards the doors. Shit! If they see me, it'll be a full-on brawl, no questions asked they'll just automatically assume I'm with the government! As I reached for a piece of rebar on the ground to wedge into the handles the wolf lunged for me, I narrowly rolled out of the way with the rebar in hand. The doors flung open, "Fuck me is that a wolf?" the shortest man of the group asked before turning and locking eyes with me. "Fuck! Chet we've got a government spy out here that was eavesdropping!" The leader came through the doors with a long barrel sticking out of his cloak, "well well if it isn't two lost puppies. Did your master forget to call you home?" The wolf looked between the leader and me and back again before lunging after the man with the gun. The shorter man intercepted the wolf and landed a knee to its side yelping as it slid between the leader and I. "Looks like we need to take care of the mutt before we get to chat with you" he lined the gun up with the wolf and prepared to take the shot. I didn't want to see the wolf get hurt, if this was his home we were the ones encroaching and he just wants us to leave. I barreled into its side as he took the shot, air whizzed by my ear as I felt contact near my collarbone. When I looked down there was a chunk of flesh missing from my right shoulder, he must have used a high-pressure air cannon. The wolf turned to growl at me but stopped when it noticed my injury and that I had saved its life. The leader laughed as the rest of the group made its way into the hallway, things weren't looking too great for us. "Chet, what's going on out here? Did you get the beast?" the woman turned, and we locked eyes. Seeing her up close with the moonlight coming through the windows it looked as if her pale skin glowed under her hood and her deep ocean blue eyes with such strength cut right through me. She was much smaller up close, maybe five foot three, with a slender but strong frame. As the recognition set in at what she was looking at her face distorted into disgust, "what's a dog doing here?" she spit the question out like a kind of poison. "Well, that seems to be the question. So now it's time for answers. Speak." The wolf turned its attention back to the group as a bead of sweat went down my back. "Listen, I know that you all probably think I'm with the government but let me just go ahead and tell you I'm not-" "Bullshit! That's what any government dog would say, don't listen to his load Chet!" the short man barked. "I'm not so sure about that Pete." the large stocky man surprisingly said, "most dogs I've come across would die before they talked down about their government, besides they all have more than the capability to kill all of us where we stand. So, the fact that he hasn't yet makes me curious about this one, I don't think it would be a bad idea to hear him out." Thank God the big guy had a rational head on his shoulders. "What are you saying Noah? The only thing we need to hear from this dog are his last breaths" The wolf started growling and baring its fangs at the short man, he leveled his gun at the wolf. Before he could shoot, I sprinted at the wolf and tackled him out of the window, as we fell to the ground air bullets whizzed by us peppering the shrubs below. When we hit the ground I lost my grip on him and he ran off. I gave chase hoping he might be able to lead me to somewhere safer than here but once he made it into the tree line I lost him. I decided to cut my losses and start heading toward the old McElroy bridge and make camp for a while until The Ghosts carry out their mission, then I'll swoop in, take what I need and get out.