CHAPTER I
When he was starting to physically choke on the sand and dirt whipping in his face, Apollo knew that it was high time that he and the rest of his ragtag group had to find shelter for the rest of the day. The high noon sun was relentlessly beating down on them, the cracked and corroding stretch of black asphalt before them only magnified the heat. Thankfully enough it seemed, they were only a few more minutes away from a small town called Beta. If he could trust the worn and torn paper map in his hands. Certainly right now Apollo couldn't trust his eyes, the dust that had previously been choking him had risen in front of them like a dirty haze. But sure enough, within a few more stumbling steps the blonde could just make out the outlines of building rooftops. He signaled the rest of his group with a slight hand movement and they all broke into a run. If the buildings were more or less intact then that would mean shelter. And there could also be stores which would mean food and other supplies. But he knew not to get his hopes up on one thing. Towns, buildings, and stores did not always mean that there were other people.
Then out of the dust stood a vague shape, they all warily approached it and soon were able to make out that it was a sign or at least the remnants of one. In its prime the board probably said "Welcome to Beta" in bright and pristine letters while underneath it the sign would have listed "Home of the Blahblahblah" and "Population Suchandsuch." Now it was charred with the welcome part barely legible and half of its side missing. All in all it was a boring sign for what must have been a boring village. But there was one thing that stood out and caused someone behind him to mutter a string of curses. Although the spray paint's bright red pigments had faded somewhat, a single staring eye could be made out over where the population should have been listed.
"Well…" Apollo began but trailed off as he glanced over the haggard expressions of the bunch behind him. Just as he was about to open his mouth again, a tall young man step forward with a grim expression, it was Orion. "Pro woulda started yowling a while ago if he had sniffed anything up," Orion jerked a thumb to his ever present companion, a large wolfish looking dog who currently looked like he was trying to bury his nose between his paws. The sand and wind was affecting him too and that's why Apollo was wary. Even the best dog could be mislead by this kind of weather. But the facts were that they were tired, hungry, and this was the only town within miles. And they needed to get out of this godforsaken dust storm. The leader of the group gave one more glance over the faces depending upon his decision before nodding. Orion made a noise of victory and made beeline into the town first before any of them could react. Headstrong and stupid as usual. At least he had enough sense to take the safety off his gun first.
Orion's dog Procyon, or Pro as they liked to call him, quickly followed behind. The dog was followed by Orion's other constant companion, a spectacled young man named Sirius. Sirius was completely the antithesis of Orion. Whereas Orion was muscular with broad shoulders, Sirius was a gangly waif in comparison. He was the more intellectual of the three though Procyon came close second. The dog's nose and brains had certainly saved all of their hides on more than one occasion. And then there was Artemis, Apollo's sister. Being twins, even though fraternal, they looked startlingly similar. They had the same curled hair, same sharp blue eyes, even the same gun. Though she had another equipped with a scope and was fairly good at sniping.
Suddenly a shot rang out over the howling of the wind and the startled twins rushed into the town with guns drawn and safeties off. Apollo's favorite gun, Muse, glimmered under patches of sunlight that was able to make it through the dust storm. Artemis' gun, Nymph, was steady in her hand. As soon as they stepped foot into the town they could just make out Sirius' slight figure dashing around a corner and into a convenience store. The twins picked up their pace. Soon they were right behind Sirius who had yet to take out his own gun, Howl, so the only logical assumption was that the shot had come from Orion. Probably from his favorite gun, Betelgeuse which he always carried on his shoulder or maybe his pistol Bellatrix. Orion had also named his favorite hunting knife Rigel, though in Apollo's opinion he should have named the dog Rigel. It would have been easier to remember and pronounce but that was neither here nor there.
They had a bigger problem right now like where Orion was and if there was an enemy here why was it so quiet. The wind dully whistled outside the store but other than that it was eerily silent. Procyon should have been barking up a storm by now if Orion was in trouble. It was just then that Apollo noticed that Sirius was shaking as they all quietly moved forward down the aisles step by step. He placed a firm hand on the young boy's shoulder in an effort to jolt him out of it more than to reassure. Sirius flinched but gave the blonde leader a quick nod and took the safety off of his gun.
It was just then that they made it to the back of the store where storage was only employees were allowed. As soon a Sirius reached out to the doorknob there was a rustle behind the door and the three of them jumped back and trained their guns. Suddenly the door shot open from the inside as if it was kicked only to reveal Orion. A rather pleased looking Orion at that but his smirk was quickly wiped off once he noticed his companions guns aimed at him. "Woah, woah, woah! Guy, it's just me!" he cringed. "You dumbass!" Artemis shouted and smacked him upside the head and Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. Apollo put the safety back on Muse and frustratedly ran a hand though his hair, "Damn it Orion! What the fuck was all that shooting about?" "S'cool guys, I was just breaking a lock," Orion raised his hands in defense, blocking another blow from Artemis. "I hope there was something good in there," Apollo crossed his arms. "Totally, man. Check it out," Orion rummaged through one of the many pockets of his vest to reveal a plastic wrapped surprise.
"A Twinkie? You scared us half to fucking death for a Twinkie?" Sirius groaned and rubbed his forehead while Artemis made a face of disgust. "Hey, beggars can't be choosers, man," Orion said while unwrapping the snack and taking a hearty bite out of it. The blonde young woman made a gagging noise, "I'll go scout the rest of the store," she said and with that Artemis was long gone down the other aisle. It was only just then that Procyon showed up by Orion's side and Sirius gave him a quick pet on the head. The tall young man quickly finished his yellowy dessert before motioning that Apollo and Sirius should follow him.
When they regrouped with Artemis in the center of the general store, Apollo and Orion were carrying several boxes full of imperishable snack stuffs. Sirius was smart enough to grab a crate of bottled water. Artemis also was not empty handed and carried two plastic bags. As she reached for a water bottle from Sirius, Orion asked what was curiously pressing on all of the male minds present, "What's in the bags?" "Enough 'lady accoutrements' to hopefully last me until menopause," she replied with a glare that could melt stone and Orion promptly turned bright red. Sirius quickly changed the subject and turned toward Apollo, "So, do you think we should scout around the town more? There's a possibility that there could be a bed and breakfast or something…" He trailed off and looked wistful at the thought of being able to sleep in a proper bed.
Apollo thought the question over as he placed a box on the ground and routed through the nonperishable's, trying to see if any were worth carrying and able to fit in their backpacks. He opened a bag of Cheetos, sniffed the inside, and then put it back in the box before replying, "Right now the store seems pretty secure, but we don't know for sure about the rest of the town. If the storm hasn't died down by sunset we stay in the back, there are a couple of couches in the lounge." Orion quickly spoke up while talking around another Twinkie, "And if it does clear up?" "Then we search the rest of the perimeter for supplies and shelter. We can't stay here any longer than a night," Apollo gave Orion a side long glance. It was true that with their successful finding of this store they were properly stocked with food, but what they really needed was more ammunition. A small town like this was unlikely to have such a kind of store, but maybe they could get lucky and find a small private stash. "And," Apollo continued, "No more wandering off alone. Anyone. And always keep your talkies nearby" Their leader pinned them all with a hard glare until even Orion nodded in acceptance.
For the rest of the time that they spent there they quietly filled their stomachs on an assortment of foodstuffs that would make a nutritionist cringe. But as Orion said, beggars can't be choosers. Just in time with the early setting of the sun the howling outside of the store began to die down, Apollo signaled the rest of the group. They exited the store quickly with their packs freshly laden and explored the surrounding area. Most of it wasn't worth any kind of notice, like barber shops, nail salons, and thrift stores. After a few minutes of searching the entire expanse of the small town they were fortuitously able to discover a rather small looking inn with its neon letters broken and strewn about. They cautiously entered with guns and flashlights out, night had quickly fallen and there was no electricity in the building. The group broke off into pairs, Apollo with Artemis and Orion with Sirius as they searched, each step stirring up long settled dust. They went from room to room; some were in varying states of destruction and decomposition while others only had a fine film of dust. Procyon's sneezes echoed loudly in the halls.
Just as Sirius and Orion were about to message that everything was clear, they heard a scream coming from the direction that Apollo and Artemis went in. They rushed with guns drawn and found the twins in one of the suite bathrooms. "What's wrong?" Sirius shouted, his eyes darting about behind his glasses. Then they settled on something that made him blanch. There in the scum encrusted tub was a moldering skeleton, skin long since picked clean and rotted away by time. Its jaw was slack as if screaming and in its hands was an old-fashioned toaster still plugged into the outlet. "Fuckin' shit," Orion gurgled around his hand as he tried not to dry heave.
Later that night, far on the other side of the inn, Apollo and Artemis shared a room with two separate beds while Orion and Sirius shared a bed next door. "'Pollo?" the blonde girl murmured in the dark, using an old childhood nickname for her brother. "Go to sleep Art," the young man pressed the side of his face firmly into the lumpy pillow. "And try not to think about it," he added almost as an afterthought. Artemis sighed and loudly rustled about before she rolled over in her bed, but she said no more that night.