There was never any doubt that Andrew Davis was a great leader. As an elderly ex-general that had commanded in many wars, one would imagine him to be fierce, tough, and terrifying. However, he was much more mellow than anyone could have ever expected. Even despite the things that he had seen and gone through in his long life, he still managed to hold onto an upbeat, positive attitude as well as a certain childish wonder that made conversing with him so enjoyable.
He was laid back and preferred to spend his time hanging out with his buddies rather than fighting. He had a kindness so pure and unadulterated that was exceedingly rare on the hellscape of Earth. He considered it God's will that he had been spared in the horrors of the war, and he vowed to spend the rest of his life aiding those in need. While other colonies tended to be more elusive about who they would grant sanctuary to, Andy, as he preferred to go by, accepted anyone that happened upon his doorstep no matter their past. He gave them a place to stay, food to eat, and a sort of unconditional love that one would expect from a grandparent, not a strange old man they happened across when wandering around the desert. It was Andy's generosity that brought them all together in that little colony town.
Among them was a collage of oddity. There was the infamous desert bandit One-Eyed Bart who had eventually given up his life of crime under Andy's moral guidance. He made it abundantly clear, though, that he only joined the ragtag group as it would better his chances of finding his missing wife, Betty. He would never admit in a million years that he actually stuck around because of the friends he had made. He was just Bart now, though most usually called him by the affectionate nickname Potato Head on account of his oddly shaped dome. Despite having once been a thief, Andy trusted him enough to task him with dividing rations, keeping track of supplies, and figuring out a financial system should their colony grow any larger and become a full-fledged town.
Then there was Jeffrey "Slinky" Slinks, a retired acrobat who now spent his days lazing in the sun unless there was a task to be done. Though he looked lithe and fit, no one would have guessed that he was once part of a circus due to his general laziness. But he was a person to be depended on and, trained in the ways of parkour, could get from point A to point B without any issues at all. He was trusted with rogue missions that Andy would assign, and he had yet to let the general or any of his friends down.
Rex was one of the youngest in the group, a timid guy that, though standing at 6'6" and weighing almost 300 pounds, he often shrunk in on himself in an effort to make himself look smaller. He was intimidating otherwise until you heard him speak and stutter and squeak. He was the muscle of the group, and though he was a pacifist, he became the colony's sole bodyguard simply on account of his intimidating looks and raw strength. His kindness was his most obvious trait, a sort of purity that rivaled even Andy's. He was naive to the nature of the world they now lived in, and how he managed to survive so long on his own was beyond anyone.
Henry Hamm was the sole doctor among all of them. As such, he was placed in charge of fixing up the newcomers with what little supplies that he had available. He was the best doc in the whole west, though, and could perform miracles on a daily basis. He was a sarcastic little guy that was quick to make jokes to lighten the mood. He truly believed that laughter was the best medicine, and perhaps it was since there were very few cases he had that couldn't be helped.
Though there were many more amongst them, these were Andy's chosen few, the originals who worked daily to make their world just a little bit better. However, despite how close they all were to Andy for different reasons, there was one soul who everyone knew to be Andy's most trusted friend, a right hand man to the general: Woodrow "Woody" Pride.
Woody was a sheriff back in the days before the war who looked after a little town nestled deep in the desert. When the fighting began, he did his best to keep his people safe, but that only lasted for so long. When soldiers invaded his town, he was separated from his sister and father, the only family members he had left. With only a puny militia to keep the town safe, the foreign soldiers took over easily. Woody knew he should have fought back, but he ran like a coward, riding away in the dead of night on his trusty steed. He considered himself a failure for his cowardly actions, even more so when he lost his horse in a dust storm. But then he had found Andy, a man who was just as lonely and scared as he was, and that's when the sheriff knew what he could do to right his wrong.
It was easier when it was just the two of them. When Andy began accepting more and more people into their little colony and Woody was asked to resume his role as a sheriff, Woody admitted that he was too cowardly to handle such a big responsibility. Andy didn't care, though, as he saw good in everyone. It was the general's kind words, praise, and reassurances that helped Woody gain his confidence back and bond with Andy like he had never bonded with anyone before. Wherever Andy went, Woody was hardly a step behind. Whenever there was trouble, Woody was ready to delegate or take care of things himself. He prospered in this colony, as did everyone else. Andy gave them hope for a better future, a world that would be even better than what it was before the war.
This is the story of Andy's Crew.