129. About reality, 9

(Myls)

I dragged on a small cart a crate of bullets and a few other items I recovered.

The cart makes quite a ruckus through the uneven streets. My ears hurt. I'm not used to such noises now.

But I'm quite happy with today's haul! A lot of ammunitions means that training will be possible again.

We don't lack greases since they age well. Dry powders are generally okay as well. Most organic fuels however don't. They get sticky in the bottom generally. But nothing is really fully predictable. Sometimes they're okay.

Zes has had to learn some chemistry to sort the good and bad fuels or other chemistry we find.

I focus more on the powders such as this.

I stop sometimes to check around that no weird thing was attracted by the noise I make. Not that they should, given what I'm hauling.

Nothing comes though, as I fairly expected.

We didn't find any clue that something really awful was around, and over time, they also tend to weaken and die.

I keep looking toward the south, wondering if I'll see Rose and Ann return sometime.

I'm not sure...

The only one I can really rely on is Zeslinry.

I push the cart and return to our armoury where I sort the spoils of war.

~

Zeslinry and I went for a hike, walking to the next city together. She walks well enough.

We're carrying what we need to camp there overnight.

Soon enough we'll be better scavenging through these other cities than our own I guess.

We'll repair a car or a truck when we find one to start on. We've already considered it and that is why we also started storing fuel aside.

But the priority is making our base steady and reliable even for the food supplies.

It's already good that we managed to reactivate a water supply system.

It was built from the nearby stream and a few holes in basements that have become wells over time.

M - You think they'll ever come back?

Z - I can't say, but I hope so.

M - At least, we will.

Zeslinry smiles at that.

We're reaching our training ground.

~

From a balcony above wide streets and squares, we set up a firing range.

We put ear protections and start shooting. We train for marksmanship.

The metallic poles corroding slowly in the streets have a nice ring when we manage to hit them.

We correct each other's postures, looking for clues in a yellowed and tattered instruction manual.

We take turns training for a few bullets and shots, with rifle and then pistol, hurting our shoulders and then becoming unsteady. Our hands are trembling after a while.

Rifles hurt, but they can hit far and badly enough to even cut through these poles. We even made one fall, like a cut tree.

Pistols are far less powerful and inaccurate quite quickly as distances grow, but they're likely more than enough for most foes and preys.

So far we've only shot the occasional animal to eat and the rarer monster to defend ourselves.

We both feel uneasy about this, but we both keep a weapon ready with us at nearly all time. Because they are unpredictable.

So we train for most of the day in this empty wasteland, to be more ready.

We camp carefully at night. We laugh together at how much our shoulders and arms hurt. A ringing sound never leaves our ears now. My nose feels burnt from smelling all these firing shells, smokes and ashes.

I taste them even on my tongue. It's nasty. Washing it doesn't get rid of the lingering taste.

Then it's a little hard to fall asleep, because we're not at home and not to each our room. But eventually I sleep as well, hearing Zeslinry's steady sleeping and breathing next to me.

Have nice dreams...

~

We are woken up by the sound of rain. But thankfully it was just a short one. Not long enough nor colourful enough to worry us in any way.

And we then gently make our way home, with much lighter bags, but strained shoulders still.

We see hedgehogs crossing the road. They run away from us as soon as we approached. Zeslinry likes these sights.

Z - Once we have enough grains, we should look for bigger mammals like sheep or goats to get some milk.

I glanced a little weirdly at her. Milk hm. All I know is where that comes from and why.

M - I wonder what that tastes like.

Z - Oh, you didn't have any as a child? It's... A little like perfumed oil in water, it can be off putting. But it's good food and we could refine it into cheese hopefully after.

To preserve food longer, I see... I have faint memories of what soft cheese could taste like.

M - You're always looking far ahead for us... Thank you.

She shrugged it in a smile.

Z - Thank you for putting up with me Myls.

What is she talking about? She makes me feel weird, like it's unfair on her.

We're walking slowly on the clear road bringing us back home together.

Hopefully there won't be any monster.

~

The risk was low, but we do encounter something monstrous in nature. Some animal probably died earlier in the bushes beside the road, and the light rain helped the thing grow.

It's mostly amorphous, dragging remnants of its former existence. It's like a giant slug, munching on the grass and herbs by the side of the road randomly.

It doesn't attack us. It doesn't seem to have eyes or nostrils to even be able to detect us.

From a cautious distance, we study it. It just eats plants, and sweats a kind of coloured grease.

M - So long it doesn't lay a million eggs, I think it's fine?

Z - I don't know... Probably?

Who can say? We're not sure.

At least this slimy slug doesn't appear too dangerous or hostile.

I poke it with a long branch. It recedes under the touch as if it was shy. Zeslinry pulls me back like I'm a child.

Z - We're not keeping it and don't annoy it. It's bad manners.

M - But what if it could make milk?

Zeslinry looks a little sick from the idea.

The slug seems to ooze a fatty fluid, but that's definitely not what she had in mind.

Z - No.

She pulls me away and we leave that monstrous animal on its own. The kind of beasts we don't want to eat and don't need to hunt down.

I wonder which kind we'll meet next.

We make it home safe and sound afterward, without any other surprise.

We've worked up a sweat just travelling.

I sniff my clothes and Zeslinry sees me.

She shoves a towel between my hands and pushes me to take the first shower, while she plans to wash our travelling clothes.

I'm feeling fuzzy as I strip down. She picks up everything and then leaves while I enter the bathtub. It's fuzzy.

It's good to be home.

~