Chapter Summary: In this chapter, we see Angus and Killian part ways after an incident at a small town called Benning, where Angus meets up with Abby once again. Then, we see some time with Abby and Angus, where Angus learns what happened after he left Pine View.
(A New World Saga - Part 5)
Chapter Four.
The Birth of The Hub - Part 5!
27th of May 2093 - Oregon, Benning:
It has been two weeks since Angus and Killian left Pine View. Since then, they have been travelling east, stopping at small settlements and towns that had life in them. They were also searching any post offices or vans for letters and packages.
During their travels, Killian asked why were they going east and why was he putting a lot of work into what was meant to be a con? Angus admitted that he wasn't sure, but if he had to think about it, he was doing this out of boredom. After so long alone doing nothing, he found something interesting to do other than just doing the same old plays every so often. This was something that allowed him something to keep him going at the end of the day. After thinking about it, Killian could understand where Angus was coming from.
So, for the last two weeks, Angus and Killian were searching for lost mail and delivering it wherever they can. Not saying it was easy for them, dealing with hostile people, or people and places that are no longer around, along with mutated creatures, but it was interesting.
Right now, they were in a small town called Benning; fences made from either wire or/and sheets of metal protected it. They told the people of Benning the same story as Angus told and they believed them.
So, here we are, Killian at the cart at the entrance, was taken to a movie theatre where he stood in front of a torn screen. He was standing next to the town's Mayor, who was smiling, hoping to get some glory by association.
As Angus stood in front of the ruined scene, the ragged people of Benning started to enter the theatre and clamour in front of it. There were a few kids there, smiling at Angus and the mayor.
"Thank you all for coming, in a second our new postman will call out names, and if your name is called come forward and get your mail." explained the mayor, "And if a name is called and they aren't here or they are dead, I'll correct the mail and give the letters to the people later or give them to family members if there are any." Here, the townspeople nodded at this before the mayor turned to Angus, and said, "You may begin, Mr. Postman."
And so, Angus began to call out names, "Rachel Clark! Charlie Sykes!" Both of these people were here, then he called out a dozen or so names, a few were there, a few that weren't, were either working or busy. Finally, he called out, "Graham Druitt!"
"G.D. died last winter of the flu." explained the mayor. Angus nodded and handed the letter to the mayor.
Once checking to make sure there were no more letters for the town, he placed the remaining letters back in his bag.
"I'm afraid that's all the letters for now, folks." explained Angus. "There should be more either if I return to this town myself or once a real system is in place, if things go as planned."
"Tell us about the Acting President Alenko!" called out one man.
"Unfortunately, I haven't met the man, so I can't tell you anything about him, other than he is trying to rebuild some sort of government." explained Angus
"What about New York City? Did they survive the Great War?" asked an elder lady.
"Unfortunately, I don't know. The person who hired me told me that they had no information about the east yet." explained Angus.
The lady sobbed at this news. Angus suspected she was hoping that a loved one was still around. He could have lied about it and they would never know, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.
"How much is it to mail a letter?" asked another man.
"They haven't figured out the new currency yet," explained Angus., "for now, I'm trading mail for a meal for my friend and I or other small supplies. I'm not saying a meal or whatever for each letter, but a bulk deal. Say you only have a few letters it would only be one meal for us or a few supplies, same as if you handed me lots of mail. It would only cost more if it is an important item or mail that needs to be protected."
The townsfolk had to admit that this wasn't a bad deal, trade wise. They were hoping to find out that there was some sort of currency now, instead of the sort of trading that they have been used to up 'til now. At least this new postman wasn't asking for much, just a meal for him and his bodyguard or a few supplies for delivering whatever mail the town gave them. All in all, it was a great deal for the town.
Before anything else could be asked or said, the town's siren went off, and so they rushed to the gates to see what was going on.
o0OoO0o
27th of May 2093 - Oregon, Benning - short while before, Abby:
Young Abby was having the worst two weeks of her life, ever since the postman left her town. At first, things were fine, but then, about two days later, the Holnist Army came along with General Bethlehem leading them. It all started when the general saw that the U.S. flag was flying in front of the post office. When no one would take responsibility for who put the flag up, he told her husband, Michael; he was going to take responsibility for the flag.
General Bethlehem had Michael burn the flag and throw the burning flag into the post office, whilst telling everyone that the United States did not exist anymore. To make up for having the flag up, he asked for a tribute before he was willing to leave. Whilst they waited for the damn general to say he had gotten enough tribute, the general spotted her and wanted to have sex with her. But Michael wouldn't allow the general to have her, so he killed him for it.
Normally, the townsfolk would back down in fear and do nothing, thanks to the postman's arrival and his words about dreams and hope, and a possible restored United States, they tried to fight back. It didn't work out, of course. It forced Sheriff Briscoe to tell General Bethlehem about the postman. Hearing this, Bethlehem got angry and asked where the postman went. Briscoe honestly admitted that he didn't know, as the postman told them all, that he and his bodyguard were searching for post offices and post vans for lost and forgotten mail to give to people.
General Bethlehem asked if Sheriff Briscoe saw which direction the postman took. Brisco admitted that he wasn't sure, but the last time he saw the postman, the postman looked like he was going west. Bethlehem didn't believe the sheriff fully, so sent men east, north and south as well as west. After that, Bethlehem tied Abby's hands together and then tied the rope behind a cart, forcing Abby to follow or be dragged along. They also took three other women with them.
Abby saw that Bethlehem's men used the other three women, whilst Bethlehem used her. Bethlehem tried to have with her, but he couldn't get it up, which he blamed her for, so he beat her and used sexual toys to have fun with her. Whilst they set the other women freed after a week, Bethlehem kept her until he could have his way with her. Right now, her face was bruised, and her bottom lip split.
Whatever the case, here she was, in front of a town called Benning. Bethlehem was here to get protection offerings to keep the town safe.
Abby didn't know what was going on, but the gate wasn't opening for Bethlehem's men. Instead, a siren went off as a sentry kept watch.
As Bethlehem's men were setting up a quick camp, Bethlehem rode to the front line to see what was going on, dragging Abby along with him.
"Report!" ordered Bethlehem, as a soldier came from the town's gate and saluted.
"They won't open the gates, sir." reported the soldier.
"What?" the general asked in anger.
"They say they got a representative of the restored United States in there." explained the soldier, "They say this army is illegal. They say -"
"Drop dead and go to hell!" the sentry called out to finish what the soldier was about to say, before taking cover.
"That, sir." said the soldier, glad that the sentry called out, so that he didn't have to.
Bethlehem remains controlled, but his manner becomes deadly.
"The Romans had an expression they used to scare their children. 'Hannibal ad portas!' - Hannibal is at the gates. Do you know who Hannibal was?" Bethlehem asked Abby, who had a blink look at this statement, "Of course not. A pretty girl like you wouldn't know a thing." then turning to Getty, he said, "Colonel Getty, get some men up there and open that gate."
However, as Colonel Getty sent two of the Holnists to scale the gates, but as they got near the top, another sentry appeared. He fires an arrow at one of the soldiers, which hits their shoulder, making him the Holnist fall. The other jumps out of the way.
"Everyone, fall back!" Bethlehem orders his men to pull back. The general shakes his head as a quiet rage starts to build. With no military threat around, he was planning to take his rage out on the town. It was going to be a massacre.
For Abby, she could think of only one representative of the restored United States and that was the postman. It would seem that whoever this postman was, he had once again created problems for another town/settlement.
o0OoO0o
27th of May 2093 - Oregon, Benning - short while before, Angus:
As Angus followed the mayor, he saw two sentries in the guardhouse, hearing one of them calling out, "Drop dead and go to hell!"
Then, as the mayor climbed up into the guardhouse, which had an open back, he saw the mayor say, "What the hell are you doing?! Open the gates!"
"Governments restored! We don't have to take their crap anymore!" said a sentry, as he shot an arrow.
"Idiots!" the mayor called out, "The postman told us that they are working to restore the government, not that they restored it."
"They're gonna kill us all." said a scared citizen.
As the Mayor peers out through an observation hole, Angus and several others join him.
"No! Let's fight them!" said one of the sentries.
"With what?" the mayor asked the idiot, "We got five guns, maybe twenty rounds of ammo in the whole town! How do we fight them with that?!"
Angus watches as the Holnists prepare for battle.
"You don't." Angus told them, not wanting these people to die, "You negotiate a settlement. Give them extra supplies."
The men look at each other. Before the mayor agrees. It sounded like a reasonable idea.
"Okay. You're a government rep. You go and tell them." the mayor told Angus.
Angus knew that he was screwed here. He had no way out but to agree to this plan. So, with a nod, he went down from the guardhouse and left through the gate to talk to the general. All he could hope was that the man didn't recognise him. Sure, he used his powers to change his and Killian looks, but he didn't make the change too much. At least not for him, just added a few scars and other minor details, so he was slightly worried about being found out. But he had no other option but to do this.
So, by himself, making sure that Killian stayed behind, Angus left the town to talk to the general on horseback.
o0OoO0o
As Angus crossed the land that led to Bethlehem's command post, Angus was nervous. He wasn't sure what was going to happen. He was waving a white shirt like a flag, to let them know he was coming in peace and didn't want to fight. Once he got to the command post, Angus found that Bethlehem was studying a rough map of the town.
"Make it quick." demanded the general as he looked up from the map, "I've got an attack to coordinate."
"General, um, they've asked me to negotiate a peace treaty." Angus informed the man.
Thankfully, thanks to the illusions that he placed on himself; Bethlehem couldn't place the person in front of him. But that didn't mean that the general didn't feel something familiar about the man, as he asked, "Do I know you?"
"I don't think so, sir. I -" Angus began, but Bethlehem cut him off, after he scans the uniform that Angus was wearing,
"You're the Postman that I've heard about, aren't you?"
Little did the two men know, but Abby was watching the going on of the talks from the flap of Bethlehem's tent. But when the guard saw her, he shoved her back inside.
Bethlehem flicks at the uniform flag shoulder patch as he scoffs and says, "The restored United States. Do these people really believe that shit? Who are you really?"
"I never said that the United States has been restored. Instead, people are trying to restore the government." explained Angus, hoping to make sure the man in front of him wouldn't attack the town. He would like to confess everything he knew that could make things worse, at least for him, he decided to playthings out and hope for the best. Angus went on to say, "As for who I am, I'm a United States Postman. Authorised by order 417 of the restored Congress to -"
"I was near to Washington when it was hit by the bombs." General Bethlehem told the postman, "So, don't try to sell me on any of that restored U.S crap."
"Who said it was still in the same place?" asked Angus, "From what I've been told, the new capital is based somewhere in Kansas."
Bethlehem nodded at this. He had heard the same rumours about this, where a man was asking about what was going on in this area. It was said that the man was here as a group that he belonged to was thinking about rebuilding the government. Bethlehem put the rumours as that, rumours. In Bethlehem's mind, why would they think about rebuilding the government after all these years?
Whatever the case, it was highly likely that this postman heard the same rumours and so used them to his advantage by pretending to be a postman to get what he needed. As if the government was back in some sort of form, there would be more of these postmen or/and other people from the government.
Whatever the case, wanting to hear what this postman had to say, he asked, "So, what are their terms?"
"They'll open the gate and give you double what they usually give you." explained Angus, "All they ask in return is that you don't hurt anybody. This was all a big misunderstanding."
"I appreciate their offer, Postman." Bethlehem told the postman after thinking about it for a few moments, "But the problem is that you're in no position to negotiate. These people made it through the bugs, the riots, the radstorms and the years of non-stop winter. But they're not going to survive you."
And with that, the general looks over to Getty and nods at the man. Here, Getty signals to a gunner, where they fire at the town. Instead of bullets hitting the town, they were explosives that hit the gates.
All Angus could do was watch in horror as another round of explosive rounds hit the gate, breaking it down. He saw that the mayor of the town was behind it, dead. He tried to step forward, to do anything to prevent this, but the soldiers had their rifles and spears pointed at them.
"Law six, justice can be dictated." Bethlehem informed the postman, before turning to his soldiers and ordered, "Kill him. And kill any hope of the United States being rebuilt with him."
Bethlehem turns his attention to the battle. People of Benning were running about, trying to escape, in fact, Angus saw Killian using their cart to escape with some of the children and woman. Some of Bethlehem's men tried to prevent this, but the men there stopped them as best as they could, giving them enough time to escape, or so they hoped.
As this was happening, one of Bethlehem captain's steps forward with a gun raised and ready to kill Angus.
"In accordance with law eight and by the authority of Emergency Order 46, you are hereby -" the captain began to say, but there was a sound of a rifle being fired and then the captain's forehead exploded, and he fell to the ground.
Shocked at this, Bethlehem whirls around, searching for the source of the gunfire. It shocked both Angus and Bethlehem to see her shooting from a position behind a supply wagon, for. For Bethlehem, it was because she escaped somehow, and for Angus, he was shocked that she was there in the first place.
But, as Bethlehem turns, an arrow, fired from one of the town's sentries, hits and lodges in his arm. This made Bethlehem bellows in outrage and pain. But before he could do anything, he had to take cover behind some tin barrels, as Abby began to shoot at him, to give the postman cover.
Upon getting shot at, the general called out to his men, "Shoot the bitch!"
As this was happening, Angus took the long stick that was helping to keep a tent that was close by up and swung it at a Holnist rider who was passing by to get to Abby, hitting him off the horse. The knock on the ground knocked the rider out. Angus then grabs the fallen Captain's gun and swings into the saddle.
As Angus rode towards Abby, he had to shoot two men who were running towards Abby. Angus killed the first one, as the other turned and tried to shoot him, but missed as Angus killed them, too. Then, riding toward the tent that Abby was shooting at, he reaches down, takes Abby's arm and swings her up behind him. Then digs his heels in for all he's worth.
Getting out of cover, Bethlehem snaps off the arrow shaft and shouts, "Colonel Getty!"
Here more Holnists on horseback arrived, but it was too late. Abby and Angus were already gone. So, the Holnists were forced to follow them into the woods.
o0OoO0o
Whilst she was a bit angry at the postman, seeing that she believed that he was behind what happened to her town and the town that they just left, she was also glad that he was once again around. Like it or not, the bastard had helped her again. This time, it was to escape from Bethlehem and his men. She didn't know how much longer she would be able to last with Bethlehem. She feared she might end up killing herself and her unborn child. To get away from Bethlehem's nightly fun with her.
So, it wasn't surprising that when the horse started to slow down to a trot, that she became concerned, not wanting to be caught and sent back to Bethlehem. "We can't stop now. They might still be coming after us."
However, Angus couldn't hear her. Unknown to him until now, he got hit when he was making a run for it back at Benning, and up to now he was running on adrenaline. But now he was beginning to calm down, thinking he was somewhat safe. The adrenaline was leaving him, and he was beginning to feel the pain. So much that he leaned forward against the horse and blacked out.
Seeing this happen, she felt the postman's side and found that he had been hurt, that his sides were bleeding. Somehow, he got shot in his belly.
Then, before Abby could decide what to do, she heard a sound somewhere in the woods. Worried who it might be, Abby urges the horse off the road and into the thicket.
When the thicket grows too dense, Abby jumps down and carefully pulls the postman down to the ground. As she did, the postman moaned, "Abby…" but Abby had to silence him, so as not to attract anyone. It was a good thing too, because as she forced the horse onto the ground, a Holnist rider entered the woods and went past where they were.
Unfortunately, Abby's horse made a snort that alerted the Holnist rider. Hearing the horse making a sound, the rider jumped off the horse and searched the area.
As Angus lays there unconscious on the ground. Abby sits beside him, rifle in hand, ready to fire. When the rider entered the thickets to search for the sound of the horse. But, as he got close to Abby and the postman, Abby called out, "Don't move!"
The rider hesitated at first, worried that the woman would shoot him. However, he soon realized that as he dismounted his horse and moved toward her, that something wasn't right.
But as he got too close to Abby, she cocks the rifle, aiming at the rider
But the rider only smirked at this, as he said, moving closer, "If you'd had a bullet, you'd have used it by now."
"You're right." admitted Abby with a smirk. What the soldier didn't know was that Angus had regained a bit of consciousness and saw what was going on, so he pulled back a branch known to the rider. When the rider was in the right place, where Angus let go of the branch where it hit the man and knocked him down.
Abby then dashes towards the rider, rifle in hand, and she swings it at the man. The butt catches the side of the rider's head. Knocking the man out.
The last thing that Angus saw before blacking out again was Abby pilfering through the soldier's gear, taking everything of value: a knife, bullets, a canteen. Once she found these things and, knowing that they were going to be followed for a while, she decided to go east to Mt. Hood Meadows. As she heard from some old wanderers that there was a hut around there, not only that, but it was cold thanks to the snow around there. So, very few people would enter the mountain area, which meant that it would be very unlikely that the Holnist Army would follow her.
Another thing about this area which stops most people going there. Whilst before it would often snow a lot, but after the Great War, there was an anomaly where it snowed much more than before. Not only that, but it seemed to have a mind of its own, even some kind of snow monsters. So, whilst it was a dangerous place to go, it made it the safest place for them, as long as they were careful. Because no one would expect them to go there in the first place.
So, with this in mind, Abby worked hard to put the postman back on the horse, before getting back on herself and as safely, but as fast as possible, she went to Mt. Hood Meadows. She just hoped that there was somewhere for them to stay in, as they would be dead either way. The cold would do Bethlehem's for him.
o0OoO0o
23rd of June 2093 - Mt. Hood Meadows:
It has been over two weeks since Abby saw the battle at Benning, where many died and she was forced to escape with the postman to Mt. Hood Meadows, all the whilst hiding from the Holnist patrol. It took her a few days to get to Mt. Hood Meadows, as she fought through the blizzards that appeared until she was able to find an old wooden snow lodge.
To Abby, it looked like it was a place where a lot of people used to live in, seeing how many rooms there were. But seeing how damaged the place was, and that it was just the two of them, she put them in one of the smallest rooms on the ground floor. This was so she could keep the heat in one room, so not needing to go out so often. She had to block a window that was broken with an old blanket that she found in another room, so that the wind and cold couldn't get to them.
Half-frozen, once she was sure that the postman was safe, she searched the lodge for food and clothing, to keep them warm and to use for medical supplies. As she searched the place, she thought about her way here and was thankful that she didn't face any of the Holnist or any other monsters. She wasn't sure if the two of them could have made it if that happened.
Either way, during her search, Abby was able to find some old food. It wasn't much, as it looked that whoever came before her found most of it, but she found enough for at least a week or two, depending on how much she used. Once she got the food and clothes sorted, she broke down some of the wooden items in the other rooms to start a fire in her room, to keep herself and the postman warm.
Now, during the first night there, as she removed the postman's cold and wet clothes, to put a new set on the postman's right arm, below his shoulder, she found the branded symbols of the number eight appeared. Not only that, but his appearance changed too, less scars and looking a bit younger than before.
Abby stares at it in disbelief. She wasn't that bothered about the looks of the postman changing, but the symbol. It was the symbol of the Holnists, Bethlehem's men.
Upon seeing the mark, Abby didn't know what to do. Part of her wanted to kill him, as she believed he was the reason her husband was killed. At the same time, though, there was a part of her that wanted to keep him alive. Maybe it was because he was possibly the baby-father of the child she might be carrying. So she couldn't bring herself to kill someone who gave her what she and Michael always wanted: a child.
This was the case for almost two weeks. Nearly every night, she thought about killing the postman for what happened to Michael, but she always stops herself. Maybe it was because he was the baby-father of her child, or she kept him alive so that he could protect her and her child.
Either way, after about two weeks of the postman being unconscious, he had awakened earlier that day. Whilst he was awake, he wasn't at full health just yet. He was looking pale as a ghost. Abby was somewhat happy that he was awake, as now she didn't have to spoon feed him every day to make sure he lived. Whatever happened now, she could say that it was down to him and not to her.
With him awake, she gave him a bowl of thin soup and a spoon and sat in the corner of the room, letting herself think about the postman, about how she felt about him. Sure, she had thoughts during the last two weeks, but her thoughts were also about keeping him alive. With him alive, she could think about her true feelings.
Stirring it with a spoon, Angus smiles at Abby.
"Thank you." Angus thanked Abby, not only for the soup, but for looking after him for all this time.
She turns her back on him without a word, not ready to talk to the man yet.
"I don't think I've ever had water soup before." joked Angus, worried about Abby, wondering why she was giving him the cold shoulder. "Maybe next time we could try it with a little sand?" still no reaction and so he went on to say, "Dirt? Wood? A twig garnishes?"
Even then, there was no smile from Abby. She kept on ignoring him.
"You used to think I was funny." said Angus, trying to figure out what was going on.
"They killed Michael." Abby told the postman darkly.
"I'm sorry." apologised Angus as he ate some of the soup, not sure what else to say here. Whilst he might not know the man that will, he did know that Abby loved him and that alone was enough for Angus to feel sorry for his death.
"How sorry are you?" asked Abby.
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Angus, confused by that question.
In a flash, he found that Abby had a knife under his chin.
"What's wrong with you?" Angus asked in shock, wondering what the hell was going on here.
"Whilst you were unconscious, your looks changed, and I saw that you have the Mark of Eight on you." Abby informed darkly as she pressed the knife against his neck.
There was a long pause before, finally, Angus swallowed the soup in his mouth. The action presses his Adam's apple against the blade. He knew that his powers of illusion would fail if he became unconscious or killed, one of the reasons that he doesn't fight, in the fear of becoming unconscious. Now that he had become unconscious, he feared what happened to Killian, seeing how now he would look like the person he was. Angus just hoped the man would be okay and stay out of trouble.
"Listen, I know it looks bad, but the mark doesn't mean I'm a -" Angus tried to explain, but Abby cut him off, "You're a liar. I should've let you die."
"Then, why didn't you?" asked Angus.
"I'm still trying to figure that out." Abby admitted darkly, still unsure why she didn't let him die, only having a rough idea why. Something she wasn't willing to admit to the bastard that she blamed for her husband's death.
"You were with Bethlehem. Does that make you one of them?" Angus asked Abby, trying to make her see sense about this. "So, you know, I might be a cheat and a liar, but I'm no killer, just a wanderer who does whatever I have to survive, but if I can help it I won't fight or kill anyone. I prefer to run and hide from fights and killing. With Bethlehem and his men, I had the misfortune of getting captured by them and forced to join them. It wasn't until a few days before I came across your town that Killian and I were able to escape. Since then, I use my powers of illusion to hide who I am and that damn symbol. So, if you're not part of his group because you were forced to be with him, don't think that I was part of them because they forced me to join them."
This made Abby rethink what she thought was true. For the last two weeks, she thought that the postman was part of the Holnist Army. But now, with the way that the postman put it, if he was part of Bethlehem's army, so was she. She would have to rethink all this. But still, if he wasn't part of Bethlehem's army, she still felt that he was still to blame for Michael's death, as if he hadn't come into town, her husband would still be alive today. Sure, she still might have been used by Bethlehem, but Michael would still be alive.
Not knowing what was going through Abby's mind, Angus tried once again to lighten the mood by saying and he pointed the spoon at her, "Don't make me use this."
But Abby didn't laugh. Instead, she left the room to get some wood for the fire, leaving the postman on his own for a bit.
o0OoO0o
26th of June 2093 - Mt. Hood Meadows:
For the next few days, the two of them didn't talk much to each other. For Angus, he didn't know what to say to make Abby happy, so just said a few words here and there and let her know that his name was Angus. As he didn't like being called the postman every time, she wanted to ask him something. As for Abby, she still felt anger towards him and she was brought up to believe that if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. She only talked to Angus to make sure he was doing okay, and to make sure that he wasn't hurt elsewhere. Otherwise, neither of them talked.
During these last few days, the weather had gotten worse; the snow had begun to pick up and today the winds had begun to howl, making howling sounds and blowing up a storm.
The silence is torture for Angus, she once again he tries to strike up a conversation with Abby.
"The wind is picking up." but Abby wasn't willing to talk to him, "Looks like it'll make the place colder soon."
Abby simply gets up and throws some wood onto the fire, before asking darkly, "Anything else?
"I didn't mean for you to -" began Angus, but Abby interrupts him by saying, "Your legs are going to rot off if you don't try to walk."
"But I'm still hurt." Angus told her.
"No, you're just lazy." Abby countered Angus.
"Lazy?!" scoffed Angus. Maybe he was a bit, but he was still healing for god's sake. "I've got a goddamn hole in my stomach. I'm weak. Whilst the food you have found would be fine, we're running out of it. Even if we have enough, it would still not be enough to help me heal faster, I need meat to help me heal faster and we don't have any meat around here and it's too dangerous for you to hunt for any, if there's anything to hunt in this area."
At this, the two glare at each other for a few moments before Abby pulls her coat on. Seeing this and knowing what the weather was like outside, Angus asked, "Where are you going?"
Abby didn't say a word. Instead, she picks up the rifle and leaves the room.
"You're not leaving me here, are you?" Angus called out as she left.
After a few moments, Angus heard a gunshot. Looking out of the room's window, he saw that Abby had shot their horse.
"You do know that we might have needed that horse in the future, right?" asked Angus, thinking about the future and getting out of this area once he was fit to move.
"You said you needed meat to heal faster, well, we now have meat for you to eat." Abby said darkly as she put the gun down, before she left the room again to find some knives to cut the horse up so they could eat it.
o0OoO0o
19th of September 2093 - Mt. Hood Meadows:
It has been three months since Abby killed the horse that she and Angus had, and things slowly got better between the two of them. With Angus more or less fully healed and able to walk without pain, they were ready to leave Mt. Hood Meadows. Well, Abby was more than Angus.
For the first month, they ate the horse that Abby killed. But it didn't last for long though, as although it was very cold, they knew that they couldn't eat the horse anymore, as it could be full of diseases after a month and so they would need fresh meat to eat. During that first month, whilst Angus was recovering, Abby was checking the pass, which had been blocked by snow. Abby was looking for some new meat to eat, otherwise, although it would make them ill, they would have to eat the remaining horse meat. It was better than dying of hunger.
Thankfully, Abby was able to find some mutated rabbits that were in the area. Unlike the normal rabbits that Angus knew of, these rabbits had longer ears and had horns, not only that, but they had burns from radiation. Not only was she able to catch rabbits, but she was also able to fish for some fish for the two to eat.
During the second month in the lodge, there was a blizzard, where Abby was forced to stay in the lodge with the postman instead of hunting or checking the pass. Whilst she was beginning to warm up to Angus again, she still didn't want to spend as much time with him, but she was starting to get used to him. Knowing that until she could find somewhere to give birth and somewhere safe to live, she would need Angus and it was for the best that the two got along with each other.
Abby was thankful that the lodge had lots of things made of wood, as they would have frozen to death. As for food, they had to limit how much they could eat during that month, but thankfully, Abby was able to get enough rabbits to last them for a month as long as they didn't eat too much.
As for Angus, he started to do a few exercises to rebuild his strength in his legs so he could start moving again. He was doing this in secret so that Abby didn't find out, as he wanted to spend as much time as he could with her. Although it wasn't working, he wanted to try to make her fall in love with him. But knew if Abby learned that he could walk properly, the young woman would want to leave as soon as possible. So, he took his time and did his training in secret.
Near the end of the second month in the lodge, they were running out of food once again. This made Angus give up his share of the food to Abby, so that she could live on even if he died. Abby fought against this, wanting to make sure that Angus stayed strong so when they could leave the place, Angus was able to fight if needed. In fact, during one chilly night, where Abby was huddled in blankets and in front of a blazing fire, Angus gave her his night's food once again.
Not only did he want her to live on, by now he suspected that Abby was pregnant, and if true, she would be eating for two and so would need all the food that she could get. He was glad that he did, as he learned that she was indeed pregnant. He did ask if the child was his, seeing how she spent time with Bethlehem. Abby admits that the child was his and not Bethlehem's. As although Bethlehem tried to have sex with her almost every night that she was with him, he couldn't do it with her. Because of that, he beat her and had fun with her in other ways until he could fuck her.
Now, during the start of the third month in the lodge, where Abby was starting to show that she was pregnant, the blizzard stopped, and the snow began to recede. Whilst Abby waited for the pass to clear enough for the two to leave the mountain, Angus helped to catch fish and rabbits for the two to eat.
During one of these fishing trips, in the second week of the third month, he saw his reflection in the water and saw how unruly he had become. Tangled beard. Matted hair. He had to wonder if that was really him. So, to change this, he sharpens a knife and begins to clean himself up.
Once Angus cleaned himself up the best he could, he looked himself in the water again and saw he did a decent job with what he had at hand. But this time, apart from his reflection, he saw Abby's reflection standing behind him.
"Abby!" Angus called out in shock, "What is it? What's wrong? Is it the baby?"
"The pass is clear." Abby told him simply, "It's time to go."
Before Angus could say anything, though, he saw that the lodge was on fire. Seeing this, Angus ran towards the lodge to see if he could stop it and, if not, get their things out if possible.
As he got to the lodge, Angus found that it was too far gone for him to save it. As he turned to Abby, he asked, "What happened here?" It surprised Angus when he turned to see that Abby had most of their gear next to her.
"You got our stuff out."
"Of course." Abby said simply.
"Of course?" Angus asked confused, not getting what she was getting at, "I don't understand."
"I set the fire." Abby told the wanderer.
"Am I missing the point here?" Angus asked the teen,
"You didn't think we'd stay here forever, did you?" asked Abby.
"Not forever no, for a bit yes." admitted Angus, "And even if we didn't stay here forever, we might have needed the place again? What if we needed to hide again should Bethlehem's men still be looking for us? I know it's unlikely after all this time, but still, we might have needed the place for one reason or another."
"Then we deal with it should it happen," Abby said simply, "I know that the longer we stay here, less likely I'll be able to leave until my child is born, even then it could be months or even years after before we could leave here, maybe if ever. But this way, though, we would have no option but to leave here now." Angus couldn't think of a reply there, seeing how she was right, they had no other option but to leave the mountains and find somewhere else to stay.
"Now, I'd appreciate it if you would travel with me long enough until we find somewhere safe for me and the baby. Then we can split up." Then, taking a better look at Angus, she noticed that he had had a haircut and shaved and so said, "On, you've shaved and had a haircut."
This was when Angus realized that Abby didn't really notice him until now, and all he could think of saying right now was this, "Yeah…"
"It looks nice." Abby said as she looked at the burning lodge.
Before Anguse could respond, though, Abby was heading off toward the pass, leaving Angus to shake his head at the absurdity of it all. He shouts after her. "You're really weird, you know that?"
o0OoO0o
26th of September 2093 - Shasta-Trinity National Forest:
It has been a week since Angus was forced to leave the lodge, thanks to Abby burning the place down. Angus wanted to talk about it, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up. As he learned whilst back in his vault that pregnant women can do strange things whilst pregnant, and it can be bad to confront them during this time. Especially if the woman had a weapon, which Abby had one, as they could kill you if you piss them off too much. So, Angus decided for his own will being, he wouldn't talk about it to Abby.
Now, during the last week, the two of them went south, looking for places for Abby to settle down and have her child. So far though, none of the places that they visited seemed right. Either unfit for a child to live, or it was a place where the Holnist Army would often visit, and so they were worried that Abby would be caught if she stayed in one of these settlements.
Whilst they took the roads, the two of them tried to keep to the woods and forests as much as possible, so as not to get caught. Sure, there are dangers within the woods and forests, but if they kept quiet and were careful about how they travelled, they believed that they would be fine. That they would be less likely to come across the Holnist Army.
Right now, they were in a forest that was once called Shasta-Trinity National Forest, taking an old path south.
"Have you ever heard of St. Rose, Abby?" asked Angus.
"I've heard people talk about it." admitted Abby, "In fact, I've heard lots of names. Bliss. Hesperia. New Eden. But Sheriff Briscoe says they are all fantasies. Places that people want to think that are safe havens, where they escape from the nightmare world that we live in."
Angus scoffed at this, of course Brisco would say that. Not wanting people to dream or hope, believing that if they don't do these things, they would be safe. Something that living in the wilderness and visiting other settlements Angus knew was wrong. There was no more safety. The best way to stay safe is to learn to fight or hope no one learns about your settlement, as depending on your situation, you would have to worry about monsters and people like raiders and the Holnist Army. Dreams and hope are things that Angus believed would keep people sane.
Whatever the case, Angus said, "Well, he's wrong. St. Rose is out there. And I'm going to find it."
"But you're The Postman." Abby told Angus, as if it meant something."
"Look, I'm nobody, Abby. I'm just…" began Angus, but before he could tell her the truth, the two of them saw a rider in the distance. The rider was coming their way.
Upon seeing the rider getting closer and nowhere to run, Angus couldn't use his powers because of how close the rider was. He unsigned the rifle, slid a round into the chamber.
"This is what I hate in our new world. Strangers." Angus said with a sigh, "Do you say 'hi' or do you blow their head off? Do they want to share what they got or take what you have? And if they want to take, how far are you willing to go to stop them? Damn it." Then, pointing his rifle at the rider as they got close enough, he told them. "All right, stop right there. That's far enough."
Hearing this, the rider stops a few matters from Angus and Abby. The rider was wearing some kind of blue home-made uniform.
"We don't want any trouble." Angus told the rider, as he kept the gun pointed at the rider.
"Me neither, mister." the rider said in a female voice, as she looked up to them.
Angus was taken aback as the rider took her cap off, she had dark brown hair which was in a ponytail. She looked around fourteen, maybe fifteen years old. It was Angus who registers the uniform first, something about it was familiar somehow. So he asked, "What are you?"
"Carrier Eighteen. U.S. Postal Service." the girl informed the two of them, before asking, "Got any mail?"
"That's impossible." Angus said in shock as he heard that, as he lowered his weapon before he looked at Abby and then back to Carrier Eighteen. How was this possible? He made up the return of the Postal Service to get food and drink, so he knew that they were really back. But here was a girl claiming to be part of the Postal Service. He wanted to know how this was possible.
"Haven't you heard of The Postman?" asked Carrier Eighteen.
"No, tell us." lied Abby, interested to hear what this girl knew about Angus.
"He's only the greatest man who ever lived." the girl told them with admiration, feeling inspired by the Postman. "He crossed the wasteland, shook his fist at the enemy and spit in the eye of General Bethlehem himself. Right now, he's back east with the acting president, President Alenko."
"Who told you all this?" asked Angus, wondering who was foolish enough to play this sort of con.
"Postmaster Ford Lincoln Mercury." Carrier Eighteen informed them, "He's in direct contact with the restored congress."
'I can't believe this.' Angus thought to himself, unable to believe that the boy would do such a thing after what Abby told him what Bethlehem did to their town, then aloud he said in disbelief, "Direct contact… I don't believe this."
"Do you have mail, or don't you?" the girl said, getting irritated, "If not, I have a job to do, to search for lost mail."
"You said you're Carrier Eighteen. Does that mean that there's eighteen of you?" asked Angus.
"No sir, there's thirty-two. Or there was from a few days ago." explained the girl.
"I see." Angus hummed thoughtfully, before asking, "Listen, I was wondering if you could take us to see Postmaster Ford? You see, this lady is a friend of his from his old town Pine View, and as you can see, she is pregnant, and we encountered problems over the last few months because of her being kidnapped by General Bethlehem."
Upon taking a closer look at Abby, Carrier Eighteen saw that she was indeed showing signs of being pregnant. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, "Are you by any chance Abby Steiner, wife to Michael Steiner?"
"By the Great Postman, Postmaster Ford asked all of us Carriers to keep an eye and ear out for any news about you." Carrier Eighteen informed Abby. Although Angus rolled his eyes when she said Great Postman, as if he was like a god or something. "He asked us to bring you to him as soon as we find you if it was safe to do so. It would be an honour to take you to him."
And with that, Carrier Eighteen led them towards her headquarters.
To Be Continued!
Author's Note: Here ends another chapter of Magical Fallout - The New World. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I have about two, maybe three, more chapters of this story to go. I'm using a script that I found on the net for The Postman. I have it all and need to edit it, to add what happens between the talking. And I've also had to remove certain parts that haven't got the Postman or Abby in it. From what I can tell, depending how much I add to the story, I should finish this part of the story in two to three chapters if I'm lucky. But knowing my work, it can have a few more chapters than I planned.
Now, I don't know how long the Postman and Abby were in the mountains in the movie, but I kept them in the snowy mountains for a few months to make it more believable that Ford was able to set up his own postal route and being able to gain so many people to become Carriers. I can't see Ford setting up his postoffice and gaining so many people in a month, he would need more time.
I would like to ask, are there any movies/cartoons/anime that I could use to tell the story of Richard Moreau/Richard Grey/The Master and Harold? I ask as I want help to write the story faster so that I can get to the story of the Vault Dweller sooner, that and I got something to work with.
I'm still looking for someone to help with editing this story and the last one, so, if you're interested in helping me, please let me know. One thing that I need help with is with passive verbs and active verbs, as I'm using ProWritingAid and it tells me I have problems with that. The thing is, I have no idea what passive verbs and active verbs are, and so, I need help with that to make the corrections needed. There are other things that it says I have problems with, but I need to pay to upgrade it before I can see what these problems are. But seeing how I don't have much money at the moment, so I can't pay for the upgrade and see what the problem is.