Hi, this is my first story so give me some slack. I've only been here for litterally a day and give me as much feedback as possible.

DRY

FOREWORD

Before The Dry came this land was fertile. Rivers and lakes were bountiful, rains came with the seasons and we all took it for granted. I dont remember this much, I was very young. Then slowly, it changed. The rains stopped falling, the land was dry. The governments looked underground, the wealthy nations found what they were looking for.

In these lands they had the pumps, huge steel structures that went up and down, up and down all day never stopping, never resting. The pipes, they burrowed deep into the ground looking for the most precious commodity…. water.

Then the unthinkable happened, the pumps stopped, even deep underground was dry. The people in the big buildings with their big comfy chairs stopped worrying about losing a bit of their millions of coloured pieces of paper. This was now about survival.

And the small men, the ones that already live in the bush and desert. They went on with their lives and the cycle of the seasons, not knowing what had happened till it was too late. The rain never came and their crops never grew, they and their animals died.

Soon, even the strongest and largest of civilisations came crashing down. There were riots in the streets, shops were destroyed, cities in ruin. Men, women and children were dying. Few survived The Dry, those that did were under the iron fist of the psychotic groups that controlled the water. Even the land is harsh, from Sydney to Perth; from Adelaide to Darwin all desert. And the cities are places of gangs and rusted buildings.

So now, water is the most precious thing on the planet. If you don't have it you can't survive. People spend their days searching for water. Others hide what they have and protect it with their lives.

I am no different to anyone else. My days are about water. But unlike everyone else I have a secret. I know where it is.

CHAPTER ONE

"Hey kid!" I awaken to a dark figure standing over me. I blink in the bright sunlight and realise its morning. The dream I was having of my parents drifts away as I come to the reckoning that they are gone and always will be. My heart sinks, as it does every morning.

I startle as I realise the silhouette avove me is holding a gun! But as my eyes adjust I also see him smiling at me, with a toothless but kind grin. "sorry to scare ya kid, but I didn't want to scare ya when I started shooting. There's a fat mob of roos over there. If you help me carry the carcasses, I'll share the meat…"

Despite my usual caution with strangers, two days of an empty belly reminded me this was a good deal. Kangaroos did quite well without water, and were likely to be in better shape than me. A friend, even one with a gun, was worth having.

I brushed myself off and stretched my aching legs. I had walked a long way last night, and ended up sleeping in a sheltered spot near the ruins of the University campus. This far from town was likely to be safer and it took me a little closer to my destination. But that was not something I was going to be discussing with my new companion anytime soon. People will kill for even the promise of water. I had learned that long ago.

"My name's Gary, kid. Pleased to meet you" He thrust a dirty hand in my direction and took mine in it warmly. It was a little confusing, it had been a long time since anyone had been this open and welcoming. I shook his hand and smiled back, "so, where are these kangaroos then?". Gary laughed, and it seemed my change of subject had worked. I was not going to give out my name to anyone.

"Hungry, eh?" He ruffled my hair and started walking towards his pack of belongings. He started gathering ammunition, binoculars and sharpening a big knife. Although my instincts were that I could trust him, my earlier experience told me I should be wary. He was probably 50 and in worse shape than me so at least if things got ugly I could run.