Chapter 1 - Scavengers


The man pushed his hand through his rough black hair and took a deep breath. His glasses held together by tape rested on his dirty face. Looking up, his eyes fixed on the grand wooden door in front of him that stood strongly amongst the wreckage of an old building. His black and red clothes were made up of scraps sewn together to create sturdy armour to protect against the harsh conditions of the shattered world they inhabited. Several pockets and pouches lined his jacket as 3 bandoliers held a variety of bullets and seemingly home-made weaponry. Clenching his fist tightly around the revolver that resembled nothing more then scrap metals and a few glowing gems joined in the form of a gun, he exhaled. Flicking a switch on the weapon it jumped to life, glowing a bright red and humming as parts of the barrel began to rotate, gaining speed. Pulling it up and pointing at the door, he looked down the sights and tightened his grip as the humming and glow continued to build in intensity. A smirk crosses his face as he pulls the trigger sending a powerful red bolt of light that flew towards the door. It's impact instantly demolished the door sending large chunks of wood flying back into the room beyond, leaving nothing more than a gaping hole and splinters. Clicking the gun back off and putting it back down to his side, "Well that was smashing" he smugly states. He is met by silence.

"oh come on man, that one was good!"

"5/10" a voice responds. Another man gets up from a piece or nearby wreckage. Taller than his friend and dressed primarily in a dark blue, his light brown hair frames a longer and sterner face. His long overcoat hides the similar selection of weapons as he carries a large yet sturdy-looking backpack. Picking up a heavier rifle and pushing himself up he heads towards the still-smoking hole in the door and begins to pass through.

"stop saying that an- hey don't walk away, wait up!" the first man states as he hurriedly tries to put the constructed revolver back into a side holster whilst picking up his own backpack from the floor.

Entering the room he catches up to the man in blue who is staring off into the distance, "You know, you could at least try to HUMOUR me"

"shhh"

"I mean i'm just trying to make you laugh"

"SHH"

"and it's not that hard to just preten-"

"Rage shut up!" he shouts as he turns to face him

"but whyyy?" he moans

"Because we're not alone" he adds, before pointing to some tracks in the otherwise untouched dust on the ground. Rage quickly stops moaning before putting his hand to his revolver and pulling it back out. The other man heads over to the tracks and kneels next to them, putting his rifle to a side and running his finger along the inside of one of the footprints.

"Any excuse to pretend to be batman" rage mutters under his breath before scanning the room for any other signs of life. The building seemed almost completely intact with only a few holes in the high ceiling letting thin strips of light in illuminating the otherwise pitch black hall. Thick wooden arches ran across the roof, slightly fire damaged and sodden but otherwise intact and supporting the weight of the roof. The walls made of large stone blocks that had no obvious way in or out; the only two entrances included the door they'd blown through and one partially obscured by dark at the other end of the room. Where the tracks led. Rage clicked his gun to life as it began to spin and light up, casting a feint red glow over his surrounding area.

"Hey hollow, you about done playing detective over there?" he nervously states as his eyes continuously scan the walls around him.

"votors. Probably about 5" Hollow states before clicking his gun on. It's blue crystal at the hilt pulses as it lights up two strips along either side of the barrel before creating a small, constant spark at the end. "You ready?"

"Have you SEEN the colour of my crystal?" Rage responds whilst holding his gun up. Hollow looks at him silently "Ready?...Red-ee?"

"you're such a bitch" Hollow sighs as he turns round and begins following the tracks.

Walking steadily to the back of the room they edge closer and closer to the second door, which hasn't faired well over time and lies half collapsed leaving an easy route in or out of the next room, a room in complete darkness. Reaching into a pocket Hollow pulls out a small metal disc with a bulb on the top and bottom, which he holds out on the palm of his hand. Pushing the top down it clicks into life and begins to whir and spin as it takes off, hovering slightly over their heads. A bright spotlight kicks in underneath that illuminates the floor around them as the little UFO darts around back and forth lighting up various parts of the area.

"Juke, light it up" Hollow states as he signals towards the door in front of them. It beeps in response before shining it's light on the door and passing through it. Guns at the ready, Hollow and Rage slowly walk side by side following the the small disc. Stepping through the smashed door they find themselves in a pitch black corridor with the only sound coming from the steady hum of their weapons and the lightUFO. The glow from each weapons casts light across Rage and Hollow's faces as they nervously step forward making sure there is nothing that can jump out at them and tear them to shreds, as votors like to do. The sound of the UFO beeping signals them reaching a dead end in the form of another door, this one seemingly still in one place and more importantly, sealed. As rage raises his gun to shoot through it, hollow puts his hand on his shoulder and points towards a hole in the wall a few feet across where the tracks go down. Putting his fingers to his lips and silently mouthing shhh to Rage, he grabs his gun crouches down and begins to shuffle along the corridor, the ufo quickly following him. Although Rage shows obvious hesitancies with this plan, the threat of nearby enemies means he cannot voice them and, finding himself alone with no source of light, begrudgingly follows Hollow into the tunnel.

As they slowly shuffle along the cramped tunnel dug into the earth under the building they grew tenser, tightening their grips on the weapons that have kept them safe in the wasteland so far. Coming closer and closer to the end of the tunnel, Hollow stops and whispers "Juke, dark." The light source turns off plunging Rage and Hollow into almost complete darkness as the glow from their weapon-crystals barely illuminates their faces and the tunnel around them. Rage's breath picks up, becoming more panicked as he begins constantly checking behind him; Hollow remains transfixed by the opening ahead as he slowly and smoothly shuffles towards it. Stopping as he reaches the end and taking a second to steady himself he listens into the darkness for any kind of sound or movement. The only thing to be heard is the light hum of the guns and the heavy, nervous breaths they find themselves unable to control. The room beyond has a few thin slivers of light that break through more broken roof tiles yet they only illuminate empty patches of floor that seems to be a few feet below the tunnel they are crouched in. Leaning in close to the steadily spinning ufo he whispers "Juke, other side of the wall, then sunlight" which is met by an acknowledging beep. It floats off into the darkness leaving Rage and Hollow sat in the tunnel, guns pointed into the room. Seconds pass, but they feel much longer as they wait for the small robot. Suddenly there is a loud beep from the other side of the room met almost instantly by a bright white light that seems to shoot out of the entire UFO, illuminating the whole room and the wretched monsters inside. Three raptor like beasts, almost 4 feet tall with long, blackened claws and razor sharp teeth bellow a ferocious screech as they turn to look up at the sudden appearance of the blinding light. Their leathery hides covering their bodies and their heads remnant of a bird of prey with a plume of grey and black feathers sprouting from the top. Their eyes, a dark yellow that almost glow against the grey and black skin.

Hollow and Rage act instantly as the beasts turn away from them and begin to try to rip the UFO apart, which hovers just out of their reach. Pulling up his rifle and clenching the trigger Hollow fires a long beam of blue lightning from the end that tears through the body of one of the votors, searing it in half. Rage fires two shots over Hollows shoulder, the first just skimming past one of the vicious beasts which turns to look at the pair. The second punches a large hole straight through it's head sending a splatter of blood across the floor as it's limp body drops. The third begins to charge towards the tunnel now and lets out another spine chilling screech which is cut short by a beam of blue lightning severing half of it's head straight off it's body, the momentum carrying the corpse forward a few more paces before it drops dead at the foot of the tunnel. Before they have a second they hear another Votor screech from where they had just come from. "erm, problem!" Rage shouts as he pulls out a second revolver, clicks it into life and fires a shot down the tunnel which burns a hole straight through a Votor heading towards them but reveals there are more behind. Hollow drops into the open room and begins scanning for an exit, with only one potential door out. "Hold them there!" he shouts as Rage pulls his other revolver round and fires bolt after bolt down the tunnel. "The fuck else am I supposed to do?!" he replies as he slaughters the vicious animals that are edging closer and closer, the corpses of the fallen beasts slowly clogging the tunnel. "Juke light it up!"Hollow shouts as he kicks through the rotten door and points his rifle into the door. The small robot beeps before drifting into the room and illuminating it, revealing an empty and dusty room with a chest high window that leads outside.

The tunnel Rage is in has been almost completely blocked off by the corpses of the vicious beasts, however there are still more pushing from behind which are safe from the bullets that keep pounding into the previous corpses. "Could do with a hand here!" He shouts worriedly to Hollow who grabs his rifle and turns and aims it down the tunnel. "Drop!" he shouts as Rage throws himself out the tunnel as the beasts get only a few feet away. Almost instantly Hollow pulls the trigger sending a long, heavy beam straight through the tunnel that slices through the corpses and the beasts just behind. Rage heads into the other room and reaches for a communication device on his shoulder.

"Fluke! There is nothing here, we need out now!" He shouts

"Who put you in such a lovely mood?" the voice responds

Rage turns to help fire shots at the votors that have begun almost dropping out of the tunnels as the pile of corpses gets pushed out onto the floor as Hollow backs into the room still firing shots

"Now is NOT the time Fluke!" Rage angrily responds

"It never is, head out that window and run straight. Oh and try not to die"

"We'll do our best" Rage responds as he pulls his hand away, draws his other gun and fires a shot at the chest high window which explodes out into the street. The votors are falling out of the tunnel in greater numbers now as the pair head towards the newly created exit and climb through, continuously firing back. Jumping out the window into the street outside and Landing on the floor first, Rage reaches into a pouch and pulls out and heavy red disk with a small central light. Hitting the light, which begins flicking on and off, he frisbees it back into the building as it sails over the heads of the numerous votors in the room and latches onto the back wall. Hollow turns and jumps out of the window just as it lets off one final beep and creates a huge explosion which sends a large shockwave of fire across the room, instantly burning the votors inside to a crisp.

"I'm on fire today!"he smugly states as he helps Hollow off the ground, who gives him a quizzical look.

"oh seriously man, not even after I save us?!" Rage winges, but is interrupted as several piercingly loud screeches are heard from the huge building they just broke free from. They look at each other and begin to sprint away down an old, destroyed street which is lined with burnt out and rusted cars and collapsed buildings. Behind them they hear the sound of votors breaking out of the building and hungrily chasing after them, getting closer and closer. Rage turns to look over his shoulder seeing dozens of the rabid beasts 40 paces behind, but rapidly gaining.

Suddenly over the top of the building they hear a tremendous roar as a jagged black ship tears over the top of the building and begins heading down the street. Four heavy wings stretch out of a large central hub as two large pulse jets propel it forward. As it passes over the top two gun turrets drop down with a girl and a guy sitting in each one. "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MERICA!" the guy shouts as he begins to open fire on the masses of votors running underneath, the heavy bullets easily tearing through 3 or 4 at a time. The girl also opens fire whilst innocently mumbling to herself about bunnies, both gunners easily cutting through the beasts. Rage and Hollow continue to run forward as the plane soars over their heads and pulls round in front of them, dropping one side and dropping two metal ropes down. The two turrets still continuously fire bullets over Rage and Hollow's heads as they sprint closer and closer to the ropes and to freedom, managing to reach them and latch on just as the votors catch up. The craft pulls up and away as Hollow and Rage are yanked out of harms way and the mass of vicious animals gather angrily where they just stood. The pair breathe a sigh of relief as they swing below the craft and watch as the building fades into the distance. "So, only 5 is there?" Rage states. Hollow gives him a dirty look. "well at least we're ahead of the pack" Rage adds, chuckling to himself. Hollow sighs and punches Rage in the arm.