'The world as you know it is over.' There was a long deafening pause. 'A catastrophic catastrophe as swept over the nation, no ladies and gentlemen, the world. The end of the world is here and it has claimed the human race. This is Ron Sidwald signing off for the last time...ever for Channel 12 news, January 5, 2013. God be with you all.' Static and hissing is all that's left from the 6 month old news cast that still ran in random intervals all over the now nothing but dust, rust and abandoned desert that was once the flourishing United States of America. The world population of 7 billion as been reduced drastically for an unknown number ranging in the possible 3,000. But that was just a wishful thought of the ones that were still alive and unaffected by the disease that claimed their people and perfect life they had, though they didn't know how perfect it was until it was gone.
A rock sailed through the air, disappeared in the glare of the unforgiving sun and clinked into a rusty old folger's coffee can that tipped and rolled around on its round rim bottom, then tipped back and settled back onto the dusty ground.
"Woo!" A shout hollered from the top of a modified faded yellow school bus. "Rock in one. Beat that, Tank!"
"Oh, fuck you, Toombs. That was just a lucky shot." Tank grumbled, jumping off the top of the bus and picking up the rocks he and Toombs had been tossing into the coffee can to pass the time. "Hey yo, Link, when does Sy, Zero and Trix get back from where ever the hell they're going too?" The beefy, over tanned Hispanic shrugged his shoulders as he killed his AK-47, his two Glock 18C extended clip, automatics already cleaned and reloaded in his shoulder holsters. Link never said much, but he was good shit when it came to using his guns and getting the job done. Those qualities were the reason Sy and Zero valued him so much in these times.
"Where'd they go?" Toombs asked, sitting back in the fold up lawn chair on the top of the bus, pulling on his sun goggles.
"To the that city we saw on the map on the way here." Link answered, pushing bullets into a new clip for the AK.
"Are you fucking serious?" Tank boomed. "That shit was like seven miles from here and its almost sun down!" Link shrugged again, putting the clip into the gun. Throwing the rocks down to the ground, Tank shoved his way into the bus, took the radio off the dashboard and held down the button on it so hard the black plastic around it cracked.
"Sexy 'n' sleek to Fuck you, over." he called and released the button to wait for Trix's response. There a a bit of static before it came in.
"This is Fuck you, come in Sexy 'n' Sleek." static. "Over."
"What the hell are you guys doing, going to a city seven miles out of zone!" Tank chewed Trix out.
"We need to get supplies and we can't.." static. "..so Sy and Zero decided to come. We'll be back in no time. We just got here, over." Trix answered.
"Let me talk to Sy." Tank growled. There was no answer. "Fucking over!" he barked.
"Sy, isn't in range at the moment, here's Zero. Over." Trix replied.
Tank leaned, rested his palms against the hot dashboard and hanging his head. "I don't want to talk to Zero." he sighed to himself, wiping sweat off his forehead with the side of his arm.
"Zero here, over." Zero's annoyed voice came in. "What's up, Tanker?"
"Why the hell didn't you and Sy tell us you were going into the city for supplies this fucking close to sun down?" Tank asked, his anger controlled. Pissing Zero off wouldn't get anyone anywhere.
"We told Link and that's what matters." Zero answered. "He has his orders, now stay off the fucking line. Over and out." throwing the radio receiver, Tank rattled back off the bus and climbed back up to the roof of the bus.
"What's up, T?" Toombs asked as Tank dropped down into a plastic deck chair next to him.
"Nothing." Tank growled. "They'll be back in a bit. Link's left in charge till then."
"Okay." Toombs shrugged, indifferent by it all.