One Dark and Rainy Night

The following days were a mixture of small triumphs and moderate disappointments. We were settled in a small natural cave, waiting for the rain to pass. Despite the toxic menace of the outside elements, we were more comfortable than we had been all week prior. A small fire was warming my hands and the smell of cooking fish wafted through the damp air. Even the smoke that always seemed to specifically target my sitting position was a pleasant presence.

“It doesn’t look like a rad storm,” Estelle said, as she walked back to the fire. “We should be fine in a couple of hours. But I think I saw a ball of lightning. Strange.”

“As long as something else doesn’t come to claim this refuge,” I said. I decided to ignore the lightning. Those usually occurred in rad storms, but it wasn’t unheard of in regular ones. Even if there was a rad storm, we were as secure as possible in the cave. Still, I kept my G-M counter handy. If worst came to pass, we could protect ourselves further by enveloping ourselves in a waterproof tarpaulin. It wasn’t the most elegant solution but it worked. At least it should in theory.

“Nah, it would’ve already happened if that were the case.”

“Don’t call the devil,” I warned her. Normal animals found their shelters before the rain started, but some mutants were still on the prowl. I was mostly serious, but she just smiled in response. “It was hard to see the outline, but it looked like a linear accelerator,” I said, changing the topic. We had been trying to break into a CERN compound before the rain caught us. Perhaps we could’ve succeeded and took refuge inside the laboratory, but there was no point in risking unnecessary exposure.

“Too bad. I hoped for some newer tech,” she said. She was of course correct. Many of the linear accelerators were equipped with decades old technology. Barely worth anything on the market. In the end all we could carry might be just enough to restock us on supplies, since we almost never chanced upon one of the drops that they randomly shot through the land as a strange form of charity. Those were more often than not picked up by whichever gang happened to control the area where the drop landed. Or it led to a confrontation between two of the gangs. Those for the most part didn’t escalate into all out wars, since resources were still precious, but some of the thugs and innocent bystanders were killed in every skirmish.

“I’ll take first watch,” I said. She didn’t argue and slipped into her sleeping bag. Wasting all the tech on supplies meant that our goal of finally leaving this forsaken place was getting no closer. She didn’t say it, but we were painfully aware. I turned around, enjoying the warm embrace of the fire’s heat on my back.

The coil gun was prepared and facing the entrance of the cave. My sister and I also carried a semi-automatic pistol each and a combat knife. I spent the lone hours dealing with maintenance of my equipment. After I was done, I inspected my fatigues. They were well worn, but still functional. The camouflage pattern was starting to fade, but ironically the MiSiTech corporate logo was still shining and new. It had been hard for me to accept that something that I desperately need would be branded by those I hate the most in the world. At this rate the debt would take years to pay off. I didn’t even want to think about what the bastards would decide to do if we managed to die in here in the Zone before paying them back.

Even unbidden, the thoughts still came. A couple of men in suits coming into her room and simply unplugging her from the various medical devices, then throwing her out into the streets to die and become a problem for some different institution. There would be no malice, no evil laughter. Just the cold efficiency of a well oiled machine. I had to pinch my leg to get myself out of this train of thought. No good could come from it. The fact was, me and Estelle were stuck here, and Priscilla would be kept alive as long as we continued to bring in the slightest bit of value. I looked back to check on Estelle. Her eyes reflected the flames. I wondered how long she had been awake for.

“You’re thinking about her again,” she said, still lying on her side. I couldn’t tell whether it was just a statement or a question and let the silence hang between us for a moment. “Me too,” she said and there was a slight tremble in her voice. She usually told me that there is nothing we can do but continue with our work. She was rarely this honest. We both loved our younger sister, even more than each other and had practically been her parents for a couple of years now. Either one of us would die to protect her. In a way we were doing so right now. “She’s always there as soon as I close my eyes. We’re happy at first, but as soon as I touch her, terrible things start happening.”

I went to her then put my hand on her shoulder. She slowly sat and then pulled me in for a hug, burying her head in my chest. I patted her head as she silently wept. In general I wasn’t the sort of person who made much physical contact with others, Estelle being one of the two exceptions at the time.

“The rain will stop soon,” I said and had to clear my throat to get the words out. The rain continued pouring for another hour or so.

The chirping of birds made me snap back to awareness. The morning Sun shone into my eyes, making me blink. I wasn’t sure whether I had fallen asleep or if my mind had just wandered away for a while. Either way, it was a great blunder. A moment of inattention was all it took to lose your life in the Zone. I cannot allow myself to get distracted again. I reprimanded myself in silence, taking care not to let Estelle see it. Still, I couldn’t lie to myself. My heart felt lighter than it had in months. Estelle’s eyes were red and puffy, but a mischievous smile had returned to her lips.

“Don’t stare. It’s the smoke,” she said and fanned her hand before her nose.

“Just start packing,” I said and shook my head. She just started laughing. I never really understood comedy. She tired explaining to me something about being the straight man, but that just made me more confused. Somehow when I tried to make jokes, they weren’t funny but when I was just being myself, it was hilarious to her. Just another mystery of life that I probably shouldn’t have wasted time thinking about.