CHAPTER SEVEN

A drop of icy water hit Lex's forehead. Then his cheek. He finally stirred when another hit his eyelid. He realized he was cold and wet. Slowly his eyes fluttered open and at first all he saw was darkness. It was raining, that much he knew and he was outside. As his vision became clearer he could see he was near the city wall. Images came back to him... running, fighting, falling... He looked up at the top of the wall. The body was gone but the blood remained, evidence of the earlier struggle. His hearing slowly came back and he heard the Techno siren blaring somewhere in the New City. Apparently he hadn't been out long though he felt like he'd slept for days.

Lex wasn't sure why he was alive and was slightly bothered by that fact. The fall should have killed him. At the very least he should be paralyzed. To Lex, that was a fate worse than death and he lie still for minutes on end. He didn't want to know for sure if he'd lost the ability to move. After several minutes the cold rain began to painfully cut through him and Lex couldn't stand it any longer. He started by moving his head and looking at his surroundings. He seemed to be in some sort of box. A dumpster. The realization and smell hit him at the same time and his stomach turned. He tried not to imagine what sort of things he might have landed on.

Without thinking Lex wiped at the water pooling on his face and was satisfied that his arms still worked. His body ached everywhere which in itself was a good sign and he attempted to sit up slowly. He was covered with wooden debris and realized it was a makeshift roof that broke his fall. Someone had placed planks across the top of the dumpster for a shelter. Lex was glad that someone wasn't home at the moment. Slowly he managed to stand, leaning against the side of the dumpster for support. His left calf was sliced open from the metal shards above but at least his leg still worked. He wished he had something to wrap around the wound which still bled, staining his sock, but he was only wearing a t-shirt and boxers to shield him from the bitter cold. Finally steady on his feet, Lex peeked out of the dumpster at the wasteland before him.

It had been nearly three months since he'd been on the dark side and half a decade since he'd been here on his own. Even when the city was somewhat decent, Lex wasn't fond of creeping around it at night. Never knew when some crazy was going to jump out and attack. Since the building of the New City, whatever might have been decent in the Badlands, had gone to rot. It was a living hell for lack of a better word. Even in that late hour of night screams echoed from various directions. There was no order and the tribes which ruled were worse than any he'd ever encountered in his time. Ruthless murderers and cannibals ran rampant only wanting to destroy anything in their path.

There was only one outpost of civilization left in sector eleven. A disgusting den of human life, if one could call it that. It was ran by a man known as Zeal and his lords of chaos. If one wasn't a killer, rapist or complete psycho, Zeal was the only hope for any sort of protection. Though his protection came at a price. Zeal and his men terrorized the dark side taking and controlling everything: Food, power, sex... It was Zeal who ordered Ram's assassination. After Mega banished the ex Techno leader, Ram tried to regroup his army on the dark side. He was betrayed and murdered by his own followers. But despite his cruelty and thirst for blood, even Zeal respected the Techno police and ordered his people to stay out of the way during their sweeps of the Badlands. There was a courteous rapport between Zeal and the guards and he even peddled slaves in exchange for batteries and food.

As Lex stared at the decrepit buildings and derelict roads before him, Zeal was the least of his worries. In fact, if he'd found himself closer to sector eleven he might even feel safe. At least he would stand a chance of getting back into the New City in one piece. No, Lex was in sector eight somewhere, at least two miles from the city gate. And that was if he followed the wall all the way back. It was the faster route but this deep in Badland territory, it was also the deadliest.

Something scurried off in the dark and Lex ducked down. He crouched in silence, rain pouring down, stinging his skin and chilling his bones. It wouldn't do him any good waiting for the Techno guard to come find him. It would take them some time just to piece the puzzle together and realize he was missing. If they hadn't guessed to look for him over the wall by now, it would be hours before it occurred to them. Not that he blamed them. Jumping over the wall had been a suicide mission. He hadn't counted on being alive and well with no way home. There was only one viable option and it still didn't guarantee he'd make it out of here alive. He would have to head for the train yard on the outskirts of the city. If he made it there, then he could walk along the outside of the old city to the safe road. It was a much longer walk, a few miles longer in fact but his chances of survival were better outside the city. The crazies kept to the wall in the core of the dark side where there were more places to hide.

Lex took a deep breath and slowly peeked out of the dumpster. There was silence except for the splattering of rain washing the dingy surface of a world forgotten. Looking ahead he recognized the alley and knew it was his best route to the train yard. He wasn't anxious to move but he painfully pulled himself out of the dumpster anyway. He picked up a splintered plank of wood and with caution, stepped into the darkness.

The first few blocks were quiet and vacant and Lex was comforted that at the very least the freezing rain was keeping the nut jobs inside. He limped along, the biting cold distracting him from the pain of his more serious injuries. When he reached sector fourteen he noticed that the sky, though overcast with gray clouds, was getting lighter. The sun would be up within an hour or so and this made Lex cringe. With the light would come the crazies and whatever else was living in the burnt out shells of buildings. In his injured state he was no match for anyone looking for a fight. Panting, Lex leaned back against a cold, brick wall. The building had been bombed years earlier during Mega's war and the wall was the only thing left standing. He wasn't far from the train yard now. Lex remembered running from the Locos down this very alley. How far away that time seemed when the Locos were the city's biggest problem. When Zoot ruled and the innocent were caught in the wave of chaos.

He was ripped from his thoughts by screams. Jumping up he started to run in the direction of the railway. It was his only hope to hide and escape whatever was coming up behind him. As the screams grew louder and closer, they became distinguishable. One was that of a young man who seemed to be crying out of fear. The others were a high pitched howling that chilled the blood. Lex knew those screams. They were the Algoths and he'd run into them before. Algoths were a cannibalistic coven which worshiped the dead and preyed upon living flesh. They were the only ones sick enough to attack a Techno convoy. Lex ran until his heart pumped battery acid through his veins. He finally spotted the trains and without pausing to be grateful he climbed inside the first one he came upon. The screams grew louder as they got closer. Lex crept through the car looking for a good hiding place. He finally found an old closet for storing food and drink trays. It was a tight fit but he squeezed inside anyway and tried to stifle his heavy breathing. He could feel the blood dripping down his leg, his rapid pulse causing him to bleed profusely. Lex sighed knowing there was nothing he could do but remain still and quiet.

They caught the boy and though Lex couldn't see it, every scream ripped through him. He cringed and closed his eyes as the boy cried for help. What was happening to him shouldn't happen to anyone. Lex knew enough about the Algoths to know they were eating the raw flesh from the kid while he was still alive. When the kid's screams finally died down, Lex knew he was being dragged away as was their feeding ritual. Poor boy. Probably just took advantage of the heavy rain in hopes of finding food. When all was silent, Lex finally broke down from exhaustion and wept for another man who would never grow old.

Sometime later he finally crawled out of his hiding place. He still had an hour before it was light but he was too tired to run anymore. He stumbled into the dining car and passed out on one of the seats. When he awoke again he was still cold but only slightly damp. He shivered and looked around. He wasn't sure but he guessed by the light that it was just after twelve noon. Had he slept that long? He was incredibly dizzy and frowned as he surveyed his blood encrusted wound. It seemed like it might be slightly infected and he looked away in disgust. His leg felt heavy and numb as he dragged himself up into a standing position. The rain had stopped and the city was alive with noise. None of that made him feel any safer. At least at night he could hide under the cover of darkness. After spying out the windows for any hint of life, Lex stepped out of the train car. The yard was surprisingly deserted which he was grateful for. Perhaps his trek along the outskirts would be uneventful. Willing his cold and shivering body to step forward, Lex started his journey.

It wasn't long before he realized the outskirts weren't as quiet and vacant as he'd hoped. He continually ran into strays. Not strong enough to survive within the core of the Badlands but too damaged to leave in search of a better life. Some stared at him with jaded interest, others offered him their wares (scraps of dirty material, worthless nicknack's, sex) in hopes of food, but most ignored him. It was the ones who eyed him with interest that worried Lex. While strays weren't necessarily known to be dangerous, he only needed one lunatic to attack. Though his will to live was obviously strong, Lex knew he couldn't defend himself now. He could barely walk. The outskirts no longer felt safe and Lex spotted the tree line further out. He started toward the woods thinking he could follow the tree line outside of the city until the safe road came into view. At this point he didn't care how long a walk it was. He just wanted to get home alive.

It was cooler in the woods, the leafless trees managing to block out the sun's warm rays. Lex's breath came out in shudders as he trudged along. He didn't realize it but he was lapsing in and out of consciousness while he walked. His mind flipped channels and a strange movie played itself before his eyes. Random images came to him in no particular order. The Mallrats, his apartment, Salene's hands, Mega's living room, Taisan's candles, his mother... It was a fight just to keep from slipping into delirium and Lex was unaware that he was stumbling further into the woods taking a southern detour. The hours slipped by unnoticed by the man wandering through the forest. It wasn't until the sun began to set that Lex came out of his trance and wondered where he was. He stopped and looked around. The city wasn't where it was supposed to be. In fact, it wasn't there at all.

Lex walked in the direction where the trees were meant to end and found he was much deeper then he wanted to be. Confused he wandered in circles trying to find a recognizable landmark. Pinpoint a direction in which to continue. By now he wasn't even sure what direction he'd come from. He had to stop and rested on a rock. This was bad. The only thing he knew for certain was that the sun was setting in the west. But that didn't help since he wasn't positive which direction the city was in. He couldn't think straight. His mind and body were so numbed by cold and pain that their sole priority was keeping him alive. The only thing he knew to do was to keep walking. Maybe he would find a farm house if he could get out of these woods.

Night fell and Lex was still hopelessly lost. At one point he began to laugh insanely at his own helplessness. The strange tone of his voice scaring a tiny part of himself. He was sure he was going to die out here. If the cold didn't get him, some animal would. When all seemed lost he spotted a twinkle of light through the trees. He stumbled toward it and in the distance he saw a cabin. Or something like it. It was too dark to tell. All he knew was there was light which meant there was life. Lex knew he had to get there and stepped forward.

He hadn't expected the drop off and it was a miracle he didn't break his neck falling. Aside from the cuts and abrasions from rocks and sharp twigs, he was no worse for the wear. When he finally rolled to a stop, Lex didn't bother to move. He didn't have it in him anymore. His body was exhausted and he finally succumbed to the freezing cold which had been trying to claim him all day. As he gazed up at the stars, his teeth chattered and he found himself mindlessly reciting some nursery rhyme his mother used to sing to him. The words were mumbled and Lex himself wasn't even sure what they were anymore. Somewhere in the distance a wild dog howled but Lex didn't care as he surrendered to the dark to escape from the cold.

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"What are you doing on my property?"

Lex opened his eyes and squinted into the bright sunlight as he tried to make out the silhouetted shapes standing above him. The voice sounded muffled and distorted in his head and he wasn't even sure of what sex the inquisitor was. There were two of them, one no bigger than a child. He attempted to lift his head and was painfully reminded of how much damage had been done to his body in the last seventeen or so hours. How was it that he'd lived through the night?

"I... got lost." He said hoarsely.

The tall one lowered whatever weapon it was he carried and stepped closer. As the shadow moved, long hair swept over the shoulder and Lex concluded it was a female. She said something softly to the young one and the child ran off. He watched her kneel beside him, the sun keeping her features in shadow. She touched his wounded leg and he winced. Without another word she reached into a small pouch attached to her waist. He couldn't see what it was she pulled out and popped into her mouth. After a couple seconds she spat the chewed pulp into her hand.

"This is gonna hurt but it'll stop the infection."

"Wha...?" Lex didn't finish his question as she pressed whatever it was into the gash in his calf. "Augh!"

Though her touch was gentle his leg throbbed with renewed agony. Until now the pain had become so overwhelming that the whole leg had gone numb. It was a wonder to him that he could feel anything at all.

"Sorry," She finally turned to him and brushed some of her dark tresses from her face. Lex gasped with recognition and wondered if his pain was making him hallucinate. He narrowed his eyes as memories came flooding back to him in no proper sequence.

"Trudy?" He finally ventured, his voice hardly above a startled whisper.

"Hiya Lex."

End part one