1x1

Also did you want me to start or...?

It had all happened so suddenly. The Bunker was supposed to be safe. There were strict rules to follow and each family was dished out their rations every week. Nobody got too much and nobody got too little. Everyone was assigned jobs and expected to follow them. That's how it worked. Besides that, they were given freedom to do whatever they wanted or be wherever they wanted as long as they stayed in the bunker. It was dangerous outside, so Eve had never worried about leaving. She didn't want to. She hoped to spend her days working in the infirmary, helping Dr. Scott and eventually replacing him.

Then the news came.

Saturday. The third of October, at least from the calendars they had which were barely more than stained paper at this point. A bunker wide announcement was made to alert the public that somebody had been stealing rations. Of course, the primary suspects were those that worked with the rations. Unfortunately for Eve, she was one of them. The second she heard the announcement, she knew who had commuted the crime. Dax, one of her coworkers, had recently stopped complaining about the small amount he was given every week. She knew it was him. However, when it was her word against the son of the Overseer, everyone knew who won.

Apparently Dax had had the same idea and reported Eve to his father. He'd claimed he saw her, sticking extra food and water and medicine in her clothes and her family's box. He claimed she was selling it, getting the family more money when they already had more than enough.

She had not been aware of this situation until early morning that Monday. The lights shot on in the hallway which woke nearly everyone. The harsh lights were off until 6 am to conserve energy. There was a knock on the door and it seemed like only seconds before Eve was being dragged out roughly by one of the guards with nothing but the knife she had grabbed and a pocketful Of coins. There was no trial. No nothing. She was dragged down the hallway for a crime she didn't commit, head hung low in shame.

"Eve Wilson, you are under arrest for the stealing of rations," the overseer said as he followed the guard towards the bunker door.

Eve didn't respond.

"And as a punishment, you are exiled to the Wasteland."

She looked at the crowd that had followed them, meeting eyes with Dax. The boy smiled his venomous smile and hit the button that opened the large door.

(I was thinking we could wait for the other two until a little after they got outside?)

The overseer paused when a voice spoke out against the punishment. That was odd. People liked to believe the problems were solved once someone was punished. It put their minds to ease and made them easier to influence. That's why he'd jumped on the chance to banish the young woman from the vault when Dax had come forward.

He had jumped on the opportunity to banish the young woman. It wasn't that he personally had anything against her, but she'd become a pawn in his game. He convinced them that the wasteland above was too dangerous. They'd never be able to survive. If he banished those that went against his wishes, everyone else would fall in line to avoid the same fate. It was a twisted game and he hated to use someone so young and full of life in his game, but what had to be done had to be done. She'd be sacrificing her life for the greater good.

He glanced towards his guards, one look telling them to keep Eve where she was. "Well, well, well. What do you we have here? You seem to believe she's innocent? Is that right? What if I told you one of the good, law abiding people of our bunker came forward with an accusation and video evidence?"

A gasp erupted from the crowd. Eve had been well liked by some, but unknown by most. She was just a girl working in the rations office that would have a friendly word or two for the majority of the customers. Eve knew that's what made her such an easy target for Dax. It wasn't that he had any especially vicious grudge towards her. It was just that she would be missed less than some of their other coworkers. She was replaceable. She was convenient.

Eve looked up from where she hung her head in shame. She hadn't done anything, but at this point it was easier to slump in defeat than try to fight her way out. It was a battle she couldn't win. Her eyes met his and she shook her head. "Caiden..." she said, her voice warning. It warmed her heart that he was defending her. He was standing up for her when her parents had been held back at their room. They weren't even allowed to attend this 'trial'.

"I'll remind you, boy, these aren't the days of the past. We aren't in your history book. In such a contained community, we must stamp out any little threat before it grows any larger. Inconveniencing one person is much better than harming the entire community," he said. His voice was calm and even. His words were picked carefully. The man was a master of speaking, and that's what made him so powerful.

There were a few murmurs of agreement from the crowd.

"Now, I'd suggest you listen to her and go back to your room. Fall asleep and forget about this incident. This girl. Your other option is to join her."

And then there was silence.

All eyes turned towards Caiden. Eve's were the first pair. Without words, she was begging him to turn around. This was a death sentence for her, for something she didn't do, but it didn't have to be a death sentence for her friend. He could still have a plentiful, long life. She wanted that for him. The way he was he only one to speak on her behalf proved than he deserved better than to die a slow, painful death on the outside.

"He made his choice," the overseer said. The man physically restrained someone that had tried to go after the boy. Family? Friend? Some unlucky bystander that didn't want him to go, but didn't have the courage to follow him? Or had the intelligence not to. It was a death sentence.

A guard took over restraining the person and everyone turned to the guard that held Eve with an iron grip.

"You have a good friend, but friends won't help a thief like you survive the night," he said. That raised cheers from the crowd, agreeing with his words. It raised boos as they pushed closer to get the guilty party out of their home. They didn't want her to cause any more damage. "The boy has heart, but not much in the way of brains," he muttered before locking eyes with Eve.

"Any last words?" he asked.

Eve glanced at Dax. His vicious smile. His bright eyes. The slump in his shoulders from relief. He knew he wouldn't be caught. Eve was banished and all they needed to was believe that the culprit had been punished. Nobody would look further into the investigation. Not that there was much of an investigation. There wasn't a jury. A lawyer. None of it. The overseer was the judge and his word was law.

"All I can say is that I hope you-" Eve's words were cut off by a guard cupping his hand over his mouth. Badmouthing the overseer was a punishable offense. Only one more crime added to her name.

"I'd wish you two the best, but we all know that would be a wasted wish," the overseer said.

Eve didn't get the chance to keep her dignity and walk out like Caiden had. Instead she was dragged to the door and shoved into the unforgiving wasteland.

The guards unholstered their guns and aimed them at the hearts of the two outside. They were to shoot only if either one tried to re enter the bunker. The overseer waved his fingers before hitting the button to close the door. For a few long seconds, the sound of the metal door slamming closed downed out all other sounds.

Then it was silent.

It was the kind of silence that would slowly morph into scary music as the victims approached the killer in a horror movie. It was too silent. The kind of silence that needed to be broken.

So that's what Eve did.

"Caiden..." she said, approaching friend and laying a hand on his shoulder. She didn't want him to come. This would be a death sentence for him as well. At this point, however, bringing it up would do nothing but cause a rift between the two when they needed each other most. Their only hope, their only slim chance of survival, was each other.

Instead, Eve hugged him. She rested her head on his shoulder so that her mouth was by his ear. "Thank you," she whispered and then let go. They couldn't just keep standing here for long.

"So, what should we do first? I guess our first priority should be too survive the night, but we also have to figure out how to get back inside. Or- or get to another town or something," she said.

There were safe havens dotting the wasteland. She'd learned about them in school. Large cities set up where people could get a shack to live in and a jobs. Walls would keep out any danger and they had water and food available.

Maybe she and Caiden could seek out one of those refuges. They both had skills that could translate into something useful for whatever city took them in. Of course she knew the bunker they had left would be the safest place. She had a vague idea how to get back in, but she knew they'd never survive the journey.

She'd overheard the overseer talking about a part he needed for the water purifies. Kingston was the only city producing the part and the overseer had gotten into a fight with the mayor of Kingston. If Eve could get her hands on that part, everything would be solved.

How could she expect her and Caiden to survive a journey like that in such an unforgiving place?

They were alone. Eve gripped the handle of her knife tighter. It was contraband, but her father had never trusted the overseer. He'd grabbed knives from the guards office and given one to each of his three children. She'd only pulled it out when she and Caiden were alone in the wasteland.

She hadn't thought of her father during her banishment, but he came to mind now as she walked one step behind Caiden. He was a guard and they had obviously kept the plan for Eve's banishment from him. Would her father be fine now? Would he be mistreated as the father of what most believed was a criminal?

She accepted her banishment, though she didn't appreciate it or agree with it. What she refused to accept was how it would affect other people. Her father could possibly lose his job or be ostracized from his coworkers. Her brothers and mom would have to keep living every day without her. She glanced at the boy next to her. Caiden had subjected himself to a death sentence in an effort to save her. She appreciated his effort, but knew she'd carry around loads of guilt if he died first.

"So what next?" she asked as they walked. It was too eerie, too ominous, to walk in the dark silence. At least making conversation would help her relax, though it may also attract anything lurking in the shadows. The thought made her move a step closer to her partner. Safety in numbers, right? The last thing they needed was to get separated.

She truly wasn't even confident anymore on what she should or should not do. This world couldn't be any more different than the one she had recently left. She was safe and well fed. She'd had friends and a job. She had even had time for small projects and adventures of her own. She even hoped to be the bunker's doctor in the future. Well, that was all down the toilet now.

Though Eve did have some medical skills that could come in handy. Unfortunately most of her skills required medical supplies that they wouldn't find out in the wild. If they amantes to find a town, it'd always be possible to try and earn a stay. She could work with the town doctor and Caiden could find someone to apprentice under. That would make them valuable, right?

At this point, Eve knew she was grasping at straws.

I think around now would be a good time. Inara and York can just show up and threaten the two. I don't really think a fight is necessary unless Eve attacks b/c then Caiden would attack. Inara would assume only a threatening would be necessary and she doesn't want to get any wounds. Wounds are pretty hard to heal. Then they can exchange and make a deal. Is this okay?? Do you want my next post to start with Inara? )

Inara watched as the two targets stumbled their way through the forest. By how much noise they were making, people for miles would hear. Within the hour, they would swarm like mongrels to blood. There would be nothing left for her or York if the larger packs came. Inara tightened her grip on her knife. No one was going to take away her marks.

With practiced grace, Inara followed the two almost silently. Hopefully, York was on the other side as they had planned. One well-armed person was enough to scare the group, but not make dwellers loose hope. Two armed people, well, that would be enough for most dwellers to start begging. At three, dwellers give up and attack. Somehow two was the perfect number for scaring and not starting a fight. Inara just wanted to scare them enough so they would give what little they had and everyone could walk away unharmed. Fighting wasn't the smartest thing to do in the wastelands. Wounds easily became infected, no matter the attention given to them. Her side ached in a reminder of this fact. So, scaring it was.

Inara slunk out of the shadows with feline grace and a small smile. She couldn't hear York, but she hopped he was doing the same. "Well, hello there." She said as if them meeting was just an act of fate. She readied her gun with a small click so the duo would know they were armed. An unusual sliver of metal rested in her opponent's hand. Not many commoners had this, so it took a second to register in her brain. The girl had a knife and it looked like she knew at least competently hold on to it. Inara felt a bit impressed. Not many common dwellers knew their way around a weapon. Though the boy couldn't even make fists correctly, so Inara was going to assume the girl was a gem among the dirt. A gem with no chance of winning. A knife wouldn't be able to beat a gun. The wastelander waited, letting silence grow between the two groups.


When the women had appeared, Caiden took a step back and glanced at Eve. Had she heard the women coming? A click had his eyes focused back on the stranger in an instant. Guns were rare in the bunker. Guards and the overseer had them, but no one else. He still knew the damage they could cause. Even with their knife, Caiden doubted they could get out of this. It was depressing how they wouldn't be able to live for just ten minutes before getting killed. The male expected them to at least last a night.

He grew more and more nervous as the silence stretched. He didn't understand what game the wastelanders were playing. If they were going to kill them, it should be done quickly, not with all this waiting. Caiden grit his teeth together. He wanted to speak, but that almost felt like Inara was going to 'win' if he did. He clenched his fists as anger rose again. He could see the overseer in this women. Someone who didn't care who was hurt if they got to keep living. He held himself back, knowing he wouldn't get a foot.

Well, that was more than a poof. First; realllllly sorry for disappearing for weeks. Did not mean to. Life got busy and I forgot for a while. Anyway, do you want to continue? )