Disclaimer: I own the story but not the characters, well Ok I own a few but the main ones belong to someone else unfortunately.
POST APOCOLYPS
Prologue 2115
It started in July, 103 years after the Aztecs had predicted but it still happened. Unlike the popular movies it didn't happen all at once it took years. First there was the massive 9.2 earthquake all along the San Andreas line which triggered a chain reaction of 8 plus earthquakes all around the world for months after. Several Tsunamis were created as well. Millions lost their lives in the disasters, Millions more afterward due to disease and famine and unlawfulness that swept the affected areas.
From there the strong attacked the poor, governments declared war on neighbouring nations in order to sustain their own country, for supplies. Some countries dissolved into civil wars and not even the strong nations like England, France even the US were immune. The US was swamped with illegal immigrants, along with them crime lords. People fought for their country but resources were limited and the drug lords were vicious.
Then the great storms hit, hurricanes, tornados, blizzards, constantly all year round. Drug lords were the last of everyone's problems and the world turned into chaos, it was each man for himself. Family bonded together to try and survive, sometimes with neighbours. Houses became defunct almost, most cities lay in ruins. The West coast of the former US became uninhabitable. Only the mega rich, the powerful, crafty and strong survived.
After 20 years of the world taking out its displeasure on the human race it stopped. The world's population had shrunk by 80%. Where there had once been large cities, stood only trees and grass amongst the rubble. Shops had been looted long ago and they were bare. Small towns were almost extinct. Some had built small villages in the style in Europe Centuries ago. Most were razed by lawless gangs.
Technology was defunct, everything had been wiped out, and all natural resources were gone. Weaponry and ammunition became things of the past. They'd returned to ancient times of crude swords made by anyone with metalwork experience, homemade bows and arrows, staffs, sticks, stones, sling shots. Anything you could use to defend yourself.
By 2150 territories had been set up by war lords. Your survival depended on your loyalty to the warlord in that territory. People lived in relative harmony as long as they didn't come under the wrath of the warlord however most were fickle, used people as slaves and had no conscience. For those who did not want this lifestyle it was risky, you lived as gypsies, avoiding trouble and setting up camp in total darkness. You learnt to fight at an early age, to know when and how to hide. Most of the gypsies travelled in the wasteland of deserts or in mountainous ranges which held little interest to the war lords.
One such band of gypsies, about 100 strong, had set up camp in the dessert. They had located gorges that held natural caves, some of these caves ran deep underground to fresh water springs. Others held metals and the elders realised that at some time these caves may have been mines. Each family set up in smaller caves and would share the resources as a community. They employed a system where they would each learn different trades by trial and error dependant on what they showed flare for. So it was that they had a blacksmith who made weaponry and made shoes for their horses, a woodworker who made furniture from a forest which was 3 days trek away. They started small crops which they could protect and farmed animals.
It was also the year that their future was born but looking at the tiny female baby, the one the mother did not want, no one knew it. So a man called Cragen stepped in, he was an elder of the community even thought he was only in his mid thirties. With the help of the community he raised the girl, teaching her to fight as soon as she could lift a sword, make her own bow and sling shot. He taught her to be a fair fighter but also taught her that people fought dirty and how to defend themselves in that situation.
He named his daughter Olivia and she was his pride and joy. Tall and wiry she had dark skin, hair and eyes that flashed fire. She had a temper but learnt to control it as she got older. She loved to hang out with her best friend Elliot from a neighbouring cave. For hours each day she would mock battle him. He was 2 years older and a boy but she held her own. At first it annoyed him but eventually he came to admire her strengths.
Over the years the community had to save themselves from other gypsy bands. The women and children were sent into the dark caves to hide. Olivia always argued, ready to fight but Cragen was firm and had Elliott and another friend Fin drag her away. They won each battle and those willing to surrender were allowed to join their community or leave.
By the time Olivia was 13 the community had grown to over 300 and this made people nervous. Cragen spoke that the warlords would surely start hearing of them but others waved away his concern. Cragen was adamant though and some started to listen, people started to scout the terrain further, within a half day trek, scouts were posted as lookouts for signs of trouble. Unless an attack came from above the hills or at night they should be able to spot an invading army in plenty of time to hide.
Unless they attacked at night, Olivia realised late one night as she was sitting in the mouth of her cave. If you attacked at night under the cover of darkness and when people least expected it you could overthrow their village in a matter of minutes. The next day she spoke to Cragen about it, he was impressed by her reasoning but informed that in this terrain it would be risky.
"But not impossible" Olivia pushed and he finally relented that no it wasn't impossible. So Olivia started to stay up at night, along with Elliott and Fin and a few other friends called Munch who was a few years older than Elliot and Fin and Casey and Serena who were 10 and OK fighters. She let them tag along because they had threatened to tell about their nightly rituals if they weren't invited.
At first they explored by moonlight which allowed them to see some, then they practised moving about by memory. There had been a few sprains and breaks which had to be explained the next day as training accidents but within a year all of them could move stealthily at night. They discovered more caves, some which were boarded up. They had been warned not to go into these as they were unstable but being who they were they went anyway.
They found interesting items that could have only been olden mining tools, picks and axes and shovels. They found a few crates of candle looking things that had the words dynamite on the side. They had no idea and when she asked Cragen he became alarmed and told her it was an old explosive and not safe. She told him the crates were empty. The next day they moved the crates into another boarded off cave. There was so many of them and Olivia didn't know if they would ever explore them all in her lifetime, not properly anyway.
It finally happened when she was 15, a warlord had heard of them and the community woke up one morning to a scout screaming an army was approaching. She stepped out and was stunned to see an army so large she was positive they had orders to kill all and destroy everything. Gauging they were still a good hour march from them still she raced inside to help Cragen pack essentials including weaponry. She then raced outside to gather their mule and loaded him down with their items.
She argued with Cragen who was staying behind to hold off the army until the women and children had a chance to get away. He told Olivia she was the communities future and to lead them to safety. Elliott and her friends were to help her, she was the best chance they had. Olivia gave him a big hug and led the mule away, not daring to look back. Elliot, Fin and Munch strode behind her and the rest of the villagers including Serena and Casey followed.
Olivia ordered Elliot and Fin to run ahead and collect as many of the boxes of dynamite as they could. They nodded and hurried off. She doubled her pace shouting at the people to keep up or be left behind. She dared not look back but within 20 minutes she could hear the cries of villages and knew their community was being burnt to the ground and the army would be coming for them next. Elliot came back with some sticks of dynamite he planned to blow the trail to stop the advancing army. She looked around and pointed to a cropping of rocks several yards behind them. He grinned and she told him to be quick.
She continued to lead the people on for several long minutes until a deafening explosion and rumble filled the air. People screamed and Olivia immediately drew her sword and raced back to where she had left Elliot. He staggered out of the dust, a little dirty and bloody but otherwise alright. They grinned at each other and returned to the villagers who were waiting. They continued on until dusk. The way had become too hard for Villages with wagons.
She stopped and looked around the mountainside. The caves were few and far between now, she hadn't seen one for hours and didn't want the villagers to sleep outdoors. She had sent Munch ahead a couple of hours ago to look for shelter but he had not returned as yet. She looked at the trail ahead, the wagons would be useless through there. Just then Munch raced back all excited and took her aside.
"I found a cave Olivia, its enormous. The wagons won't get through the trail, it's about a half hour on" he paused "Liv there are things in there I have never seen before, all from ancient times. There is a big metal door which leads further in but I couldn't work out how to open it"
Olivia was curious, it sounded interesting. They returned to the villagers and told them to unhitch their wagons and carry what they could, they had a half hour trek and would be to shelter. Everyone was too tired to protest and started to pack what they could. Olivia promised they would try to sort the wagons tomorrow.