-Chapter 3: Crystal-

So, this is something new. I'm just trying to survive on my own, making my way through the deserts, finding weapons, finding ammo. The same routine it's been since The End. I was just walking around, minding my own business, when all of a sudden a weird plant-thing ran up, shot some sort of weird seed at me which burst at my feet, shot me in the leg, and ran off, cackling madly. I laid around, groaning in pain, and although I knew if someone came up to finish me off, it would be an easy kill, I refused to let myself pass out. After around two hours, some strange fish man walked around the corner, and as he layed his eyes on me, I knew I would die. I braced myself, preparing for the end. I told him to just kill me and stop standing around, and he said he wasn't going to hurt me, but help me. He dug in his pockets, pulled out a medkit, and patched up my leg. He then carried me back to wherever he had come from.

As we traveled, I learned a bit about this guy. He said his name was Fish, because that's what he looked like. I responded with something like

"Hey, me too! Everyone calls me Crystal, on account of my appearance. Being like this, it's terrible. My mutation was slow and horrible. Can you imagine every last inch of your body hardening, turning into crystal? In the beginning you try to fight it, but eventually, you just give up, and let it claim your body. Thinking you're some sort of freak? I used to be beautiful. Now I'm a monster."

Fish replied with "Yeah, well, same here. Originally, nothing changed. Then, one day, I woke up to see that my left arm had turned completely green. I was terrified. Then the next day, it was the other arm. Then a leg. Eventually I was green everywhere. I thought it wasn't so bad. Then slits began to form on both sides of my neck. Then all my hair fell out, only to be replaced with fins."

I gasped. "That must've been terrible. I'm so sorry. At least us freaks are together."

"True," He sighed.

I noticed the acoustic guitar he carried under one arm. "Can you play that?" I asked stupidly.

"Yeah, I'm actually not bad. I played for a few years before The End, and now, I've really got nothing better to do than sit around a campfire all day, thinking up new tunes. It keeps me from going crazy, y'know? When we get back to the campfire I'll play you a few songs. I don't have anything of my own written, however."

"Cool. I was always kind of an acoustic fan. My husband played it, but he wasn't ever really good. He only played it because I liked the sound."

"Yeah, I was in a band with a few other guys. I haven't seen any of them in ages. Lemme see, there was, uhh, this guy we always called Plant on account of his long green hair resembling vines on vocals, Eyes, who wore huge glasses all the time, never took 'em off. He played the drums, and, what was her name, oh, I don't remember, all I remember is the she looked like a Chicken, because her hair was bright white and super fluffy, like leathers."

I chuckled. "Hah, that's kinda funny. You're a nice guy, not killing me, and helping me and all this."

"It gives me something to do, at least," He responded as we finally turned a corner, seeing the bright light of a crackling campfire. *Click!* I turn my head to see a I.D.P.D. member aiming a large blue gun at my head. What a day, I thought as I raised my hands in surrender.