The Nightmares
Chapter one.
A cold morning, gray skies above Samis's head as he gripped the cliff wall. Beads of sweat flowed down his messy shaved cheeks as he gripped another foothold with his dirty palm. He licked his chapped and blood stained lips as he crept up the rock wall overlooking the Quarry. Samis had climbed this cliff a hundred times before, but he had never gotten to the top. He would always slip on the last rock, and would have to cling onto his safety rope and wait to be pulled down by someone who walked by. His determination was admirable but some considered him a foolish boy. Only at the ripe age of 16, muggers had killed Samis's parents, leaving him to heed on his brother Acron and find his way to get through life. Acron was older then Samis by 3 years, and he as always, he was paid their parents insurance money, which wasn't that much. Samis however was stout, and his body clad with muscle and sweat. He was tall, only about 6,4 and he only weighed 178 pounds. His hair was dark black, and was curled out his bangs. Though he thought living in the Quarry would be a fantastic idea, he found it rather encumbered by how much labor it took to survive. Samis was growing tired so he tied off a small Army knife from his belt and jagged a small hole in the rock face, marking his position. He sheathed the weapon then slowly rappelled down the rock face until he got to the bottom and splashed into the mud. "Damn it" he said with a smirk. He slew the rope over his shoulder and he started walking into town. The Quarry was a dank, dirty, scummy sort of place. Most inhabitants had nothing but huts and small tents. The more rich had actual houses, if you could call them that. Most of them had an actual stone roof over their head, but broken glass windows and no electricity was anything if luxury. As Samis walked down the dirt and mud road, he stopped at the Red Boot Pub. The Red Boot Pub was the first and only bar in the Quarry. Samis walked by the bar and sat on the only clean bar stool.
"What'll you have boy" said the bartender. Samis looked at him and smiled
"Your wife on a silver platter". The Bartender smiled and poured him a cold whiskey,
"You try to climb the ridge again Samis?"
Samis shook his head and spoke as he shoved the whiskey down his throat.
"Yeah, I can't get up though" he replied calmly.
"No shit boy, no one ever has" the bartender said wryly. Samis got up and paid what he had on him then left the bar. As he walked down the mud street he saw Acron and ran over to him.
"Hey man what's shaken?" he asked as he shook Acron's hand.
"Ahh nothing…stock is getting low, I need you to run to The Forest to gather our pay". Samis shook his head and left for his Jeep. He drove home before going to the Forest. He got in the door and propped open a ceiling panel then climbed up. He flicked the light switch and the room illuminated. A weapon's locker was hanging by old rope. He walked towards it and sighed. Samis hadn't replenished his ammunition case, so he would have to be very careful not to waste any bullets. He smiled at a set of holstered six shooter pistols, which he found were full of bullets. He grabbed the holsters and wrapped them around his waist. He jumped down and landed on the concrete floor of his home. As he rose he found himself face to face with a barrel of a 12-gauge shotgun.
"Well well well…if it isn't old Samis himself. Surprised to see me?" said the man. Samis slowly backed away,
"Why'd you come here Ruben? I don't have your shit with me, or your money". Ruben Erikson had been hassling Acron and Samis for the last 2 years, demanding money and supplies of cigarettes that they both didn't have very much of.
"Well I better take it off your cut on the run your about to make" he said with a dry smile. Samis smiled,
"You got no cut on our pay, so why don't you take your sorry ass down the road and leave us alone". Ruben rose the shotgun
"Aye, I will, after you give me the money". Samis shook his head.
"I don't have it now Ruben, but I will get your money when I do the run why the hell cant you see that!"
Ruben smacked Samis with the butt of his shotgun. Samis fell backwards, but grabbed a rock and threw it at Ruben. The man ducked and fired a blast of his shotgun at Samis. Samis threw himself over a wall and ducked as the shot tore threw the wall. Samis reached for his pistols and drew them. He rolled to his left and fired at Ruben. Bullets tore through his body like small rocks thrown at pond water. Ruben fell back and landed on the red blood filled floor.
"You Asshole" he managed to choke out before he rolled out of consciousness.
"Look who's talking" Samis said with a smile. He picked up the shotgun and the backpack Ruben was holding. He found about 150 platinum, some shells for Ruben's shotgun, and a strange artifact made of brass and pearl. Samis shrugged and took the pack and ran to his jeep. He pulled out of the front gate of the Quarry and drove to the forest. The Forest was a dry landscape, nothing green or blue. Gray was the ultimate color on New Earth, all because of the nuclear war that had destroyed the major cities. Boston, New York, Seattle. All destroyed. Even the entire eastern hemisphere was under the ocean. Asia was claimed by the Chinese who had sided with Japan, and were leading a world takeover. The U.S was under water. And the island of England, where Samis and Acron lived, was the only land for over three thousand miles. The fuel tank on Samis's jeep was dangerously low. You did not want to be stuck in the Forest without fuel. This meant he would have to do the run quickly. He approached three shaded and cloaked figures after stopping his jeep.
"Do you have the merchandise I asked?" said the first shaded figure.
"I do" Samis said blandly. He got out form the back of his jeep a Hellfire missile. Samis dragged the missile to the figures and dropped it and he put his foot on it.
"Do you have my three hundred and fifty platinum?" he asked as politely as he could muster. The figure got a small beige handbag and threw it to Samis. He opened and smiled brightly as he poured two silver bars and a few coins in his hand.
"Pleasure doing business with you boys" he said and he took his foot off the missile and it rolled to the figures. Samis then rolled out, drew his pistols and shot the missile. It exploded in a fire; the figures in cloaks were no more. Samis spit on the nearest body,
"Stupid Chinese jerks". He removed their cloaks and placed them in his jeep, hoping that they could be sold for a few platinum coins. He got in his jeep and rode back to the Quarry. He stopped to pick up Acron at his weapon's shop and they drove home. They drove through their cement and dirt home and parked the jeep inside. You had to be very careful with the populace of the Quarry. Savagery and need was what drove the citizens. Stealing was common, since there was no police to speak of. They got out of the jeep and Samis showed Acron the hard earned platinum he had brought back Acron smiled
"Very nice little brother very nice indeed" he smiled again and gave Samis his usual 25 of the platinum. Then Acron gave himself some platinum, then packed the rest into the bag and through it into the ceiling room. They relaxed and Samis called his girlfriend Amy. Amy was a good-looking girl of fifteen. She had dark ruby red eyes, dark brunette hair and fabulous extremities. She glided to Samis, as he was taking off his jacket. She sat in front of him and wrapped her long legs around his back, then gently kissed him on the lips.
"I missed you," she said softly. Samis glided his hands up and down her thighs, feeling her warm flesh.
"I missed you to Amy" he said softly as he kissed her again. Acron came into the room,
"Oh Jesus you two get a room" Samis laughed and held Amy in his arms.
"Your just jealous" he teased. Amy grabbed a blanket and wrapped her and Samis in it. They kissed more; she glided her hands down his jeans to his groin. Samis sighed and stopped her.
"Not tonight Amy, I'm bushed". Amy sighed half-heartedly.
"We never do it anymore Samis. Why? Is it I? Why do you pull away anytime we get so close"?
Samis sighed and rolled over.
"I don't want what happened before to happen now". She sighed and laid herself on top of his shoulder. They had tried to make a family before, ending in their baby's premature birth and eventual death.
"I'm willing to take that risk Samis, but are you" she questioned. He turned to her
"If I had a choice I would have a family with you, its what I want truly, but if that were to happen I would have to give up all my runs to Acron, and he has enough on his hands. I promise you, one day when we are older and things are better, we will have a family," he said lovingly. Amy stood
"Well it seems all like a dream to me, not a reality". She left the room and made her way down to her own home. Samis stood and lifted the bag he had stole from Rubens dead body and looked at the ruby pearled artifact. It looked like a metallic cube, two sides of black and two different sides of ruby and pearl. He reached for his combat knife and tapped the cube. It rang a solid symphonic note. He put it aside and decided that he would throw it over the ridge in the morning