If Uzi had been anyone else she wouldn't have set up an alarm for the weekend but if she wanted that part then the weekend is the only time to get it, it was hard trying to be a hero.
She had set her alarm clock under her pillow, trying to muffle it from her dad in the next room even if she had planned it for when he would wake up.
At the same moment a mimic of an alarm happened by his bed. She raced to shut it off before he would have.
She lay awake in worry, not able to move till he had gotten up and out of the house.
Still, she waited for him to move out into the main living space, waiting as he made every noise from a wall-rattling yawn to clearing his throat for the hundredth time.
She had to wonder every single time she snuck out how she never woke up from all the noise he produced every morning, it was maddening having to stay in bed and listen to him just go about the process.
Eventually, the torture had to end, he left and she sprang into action.
She had to rush out into the hallway, weekends made everything empty for her to get away with her bag. Even if anyone saw her, no one would stop to chat. All too tired to even pretend at the hour.
Her aim was a storage closet partway to the exit, perfect to hide into and change.
0-0-0
She hid everything that could identify her, her hair all hidden under an ugly dirt brown beanie and a scarf, just as ugly, wrapped around her mouth with goggles over her eyes. Her body was covered in new clothes, belts, and bags. All things she had slowly snuck into her room to hide from her father, some of it stolen from around the colony but she couldn't have anyone know who she was when she left.
A true wasteland scavenger, no one wouldn't agree that she didn't look the part along with everyone else.
Now if someone actually talked to her, there would be a bigger issue. She had been approached before, sometimes people thought she was someone else and she just played along. She planned to get there just before the gates were opened for the day to avoid anyone trying to talk to her.
She exited the moment she was ready, the clocks on the way already told her that her dad took too long to leave that morning and she needed to rush now to get out in time.
Others soon joined up on the way to the front, she passed each of the doors that her father had become famous with. Each thicker than the next, all the better to hide behind in case of danger. She hated them but she could easily distract herself as she came to the waiting group, pushing forward to make sure she wasn't in the back.
She just had to play it cool, get into the main group to give a few head nods to people and just head out so she couldn't be picked out. It's worked the last few times she has snuck out.
All however when her father wasn't on guard the first few times, he likely started to suspect that she had been sneaking out and started to take shifts on the weekend.
She got by the opposing wall to wait for the gates to open for the lot of them to head out for the day.
It was a short wait but still dragged on when you're trying not to be caught.
Her father looked over the group, stopping over her, she had to do something unlike her.
If she looked away then the gig was up, so she did the only thing she could think of. She raised her hand, giving what she thought was a manly salute. Adding a nod with it to finish the act before looking ahead.
He bought it, or at least responded with his own before looking at the rest of the crowd.
The time ticked over to before six am, on time the gates opened.
The sun would be well into the air and it was shining down on the earth as the cityscape cast long shadows across empty space in front of the gates.
It opened out into the street, to the ruins of the skeleton of a city. One that was spared of the bombing, chemical caking or other destructive evidence of the war.
It was overrun with plant life, the roads and cement that once covered everything had patches of grasses and flowers. Trees even made themself at home in some spots.
The most impressive thing to Uzi was the plant life that managed to cling high up on the skyscrapers, vines covering up and far above the sky. She always wondered what it would look like up the top levels of a skyscraper, was there life even inside.
Now she had a far more important thing to do, stop staring up at the sight like it was the first time. It wasn't, she had been doing this for a few months but it was still impressive.
Uzi walked out with the group, making sure to dash away and head around the side. To get out of sight of the smaller groups that all split up for the day.
The amount of actual scavengers was small, most of the people that left the colony were the hunters and gathers.
Red meat was special to come by, even if the colony had small animals being farmed inside. From rabbits, guinea pigs to chickens. All small and not much of a slab of meat, and managed by several families for something so small.
The few that did scavenge were already leaving and she needed to be too, she wanted to head back to an area she had been in before. Just had to make sure no one else was headed that way, no one was and she started to move off.
The only issue was that she was alone, most left in small groups and she hoped no one would take notice of that. There were rules for how people should be leaving, safely.
She ran off as quickly as she could just in case.
0-0-0
The walk was something else, every time she came out of the underground had her excited.
The sun was something no light bulb could ever replace, she was even sure that she had gained some colour to her skin. But she did her best to keep it all hidden, covering everything to avoid sun damage or just to hide herself when inside.
She couldn't have it be brought up to keep it all a secret.
The air had scents, nothing like the unmoving air of the colony. There was greenery, life and not a single person around.
Perfect.
Sometimes there were animals that crossed by or ran off as she took turns, but nothing ever dangerous. Even if she expected it, she had a knife on her belt but she was sure to keep an eye out.
Also for any street signage that still stood the test of time.
Trips ago she managed to find a map of the area, it took her forever to figure out where she even was at first but now she could keep track of where she had gone and how to get home. Allowing her to just walk off in a direction for a bitter chance at loot.
She got back to the area she had been at last week, nothing looked different from then. Someone could have been there during the week.
She looked between the buildings, many would have long been cleared out of the bulk of items. She was looking for buildings that no one else would dare walk into, which also meant she had to look for the buildings that had long been marked as being unsafe to explore.
She just had to stop at one, she needed electronics but she couldn't tell what used to be used for such things. Sometimes she found some bits in completely random spots, she would also like to try a few stores up a building if she could. She turned to one and shrugged, she could spend hours just trying to pick a place to start at. At this point, she just needed to start searching.
0-0-0
Hours of looking and she had hardly come up with anything, shifting from room to room and on to the next building. She kicked at the ground to some sort of can from the past, she found some people's homes, and some places trashed by past visitors. There was even food in some of the kitchens, she was willing to try some things.
At least she wouldn't starve out there, at least maybe. The higher she went then the better the chances, likely people had already gone through some places.
She was sure the colony had to have done that early on before the farms started to produce. Some apartments had a drawn-up what she thought looked to be cans, apples, or straight-up just the words that food was gone.
No symbols for other things looted. She just grabbed some things for lunch, or multiple in case something seemed off.
She returned to an apartment that had large windows that showed the street below, a view to make something of the day worth it.
She had been happy to find that the mass of the room had been invaded by vines from outside, she walked over the mess to what was left of the furniture.
She found the sofa was nothing but a skeleton of wood.
Better to pick a chair that sat as a pair at a table, she pulled it and the little table itself to bring them both closer to the hole of a window. Setting up and sat down, pulling out what she would have for lunch there.
She wanted to do this as a job after high school, well she wanted to make guns. Ways for the colony to protect itself, but this was rather good too. A perfect second option.
That her father hated the idea of, both of them. Would rather her stay underground to be a part of the every day crafters. Or better yet, maintenance on the gates. Even make her own one day, as he always said.
"There is plenty of space to add in several more in the future."
As if that was the only option to go with. She had her own goals for the colony, far more sensible ideas than just hiding.
Her stomach grumbled, bringing her thoughts back.
She looked at the first can, its label showed some sort of soup. Her only hope was that it didn't need to be cooked first.
She opened it with worry, already having one explode on her. The smell of the rotted meat inside had made her throw out the shirt she had, she was sure it had lingered on her for weeks afterward.
She tested it with a sniff and then a sip when nothing seemed to be wrong.
Not the best, probably needed to cook it but she didn't have that option, so she suffered through the grittiness of it as some sort of grain was in it.
She frowned as she settled, the area didn't have many birds. Normally they are all about the place, going about their little bird lives. The skyscrapers had to be perfectly safe for them, far away from any animals that could get them at ground level.
Weird.
She didn't feel right and she didn't want the soup to be the reason for it, abandoning it part way through. She turned to the next can, the one she hoped with all her heart was still perfect.
Something she had quickly fallen in love with, peaches in syrup.
A quick plea and she cracked it open, finding it perfect.
Even if she found nothing else, this alone would make the day worth it.
More sugar than she could ever get at home, it would set her for the week.
All her previous worries just gone with the scent of goodness.