Mad World Book 1: The Hero

Mad World:
The Hero



In an alternate timeline the Cold War never ended it kept going until it spun into nuclear warfare seemingly ending the world. A century later people came out of hiding and civilization tried to start over, but it would always be brought down by war. The world we know as today has changed into a radiated wasteland, filled with mutants, radiated creatures, raiders and slavers, and freaks of nature none of us have seen before. There is no law or justice in this world just chaos and corruption. The year is supposedly 2142 and the former United States is now a war zone, with no one government in control. The former country is split up into a thousand territories owned by the people who have claimed it, and nobody else is willing to take it.

Welcome to…. Mad World
















Chapter 1: A man and his family.

Sacramento, California or now known as Crocker’s land, the place is nothing special, just another desert wasteland. Right in the middle of Crocker’s land, there is a small, small town established called Big town, with a total population of 23. Big town and everyone there is property of Crocker. Crocker is the man who runs this California territory, and controls a gang of mutants that function as his army. No one has seen Crocker in person, but some say he is a full mutant hybrid, mixed with man and Crocodile and he stands 10 feet tall, 800 pounds of muscle, and has a taste for human flesh… as most mutants do. Like most gangs, they rule with authority and they demand protection pay from their subjects, and if they don’t pay, all assume you are taken to Crocker’s lair and are turned into feces in Crocker’s toilet.

Up north of Big town, about a quarter of a mile, lies a farm occupied by a man by the name of Jack Carmine and his two kids Sarah, 10 years old, and Mark, 12 years old. Jack is a quiet person, usually keeping to himself, his neighbors don’t know much about him, even though he and his kids moved there about 9 years ago. Most assume he is a normal person just trying to make a living in this mad world, but others closest to him say he is just a broken man trying to forget his past. Whatever his problem is, Jack’s friends a decade ago wouldn’t recognize the same man.

It’s a Friday evening and Jack and his boy are working outside on the farm, both trying to fix a broken down tractor of theirs. Nothing they had was nice, just cheap, rundown equipment that breaks every five minutes, in fact the only entertainment for the kids was a 21st century Gameboy they shared. Still, they just tried to make a living, however each day just turned for a worse for Jack, who would try to keep his kids fed and pay off the rent to Crocker with pay that he didn’t have, he tried his best to keep his kids hopes up even if his own was very down.

“I tried it again Pa… But its just not workin… What do ya reckon we do?” Jack is wiping his hands off with a rag, and then looks at Mark.

“Well shoot… Well its starting to get dark out, so I say we push this thing back into the shed and we’ll try again tomorrow, besides I’m getting a little hungry kiddo… whadda bout you?” Jack rubs his belly and smiles at his son, who smiles back, Mark looks to the south to see a car heading toward the farm.

“Hey Pa, is that Crocker’s gang heading up here?” Mark points at the incoming car. Jack looks back at the old familiar beat-up car and sighs a very stressful sigh.

“Son… Go inside now and help your sister with dinner… Daddies gotta do business.” He commands his son.

“Uh yes Father…” Mark heads back into the shack they call home. The beat-up car enters the driveway to the farm and stops just a little of 20 feet from him, as Jack places the greasy rag into his back pocket.

After the car stopped, three of the car doors opened up, and three grotesque looking mutants stepped out, each with their own distinctive deformities. Jack recognized all three of them, they were Crocker’s tax collectors, and they were here to collect. The one sitting on the back of the car with long hair covering half his face and half of his ugly grin and holding an AK-47 is called Jared, the other walking around the hood of the car, is called Janet, perhaps one of a few of the female mutants. Finally the third one walking toward Jack, went by the name Rufus, he was a bit older than the others and was the leader of this pack of three.

“What’s up Jackie-boy? You do know what today is right?” Jack nodded slightly making little eye contact with Rufus. “That’s right, Mr. Carmine! Its payday today! So pay up Carmine!” He pokes Jack in the chest.

“Yeah… We don’t have anything right now, so can you please give us anoth…” Replied Jack, but he is interrupted by Rufus.

“Whoa, wait a minute, but did I just hear you say, you have nothing?” Jack nods a little and looks at Rufus’s gun holstered on his left side. Rufus looks back at his fellow gang smiling. “Did ya here that fellas! Oh Jackie-boy… Imma going to have a fun time breaking your f**king legs!” He moves toward Jack, as the other two behind him chuckle.

“Wait… uh I’ve been trying to sell the animals, but no one will take them! I just need more time!” Jack slowly backs away from the mutant, literally pleading.

“Well that isn’t my problem Carmine! You see Crocker wants his pay, and if he doesn’t get his pay he gets angry… So you see… I gotta bring something back, even if that something is one of your precious tasty little kids… Crocker likes his snacks bite-size.” Rufus puts his hand on Jack’s shoulder, whom pushes his hand away after that last bit.

“You better watch out Rufus… I heard this guy used to be a bad ass, a professional killer… He’s probably thinking about killin you with your own gun.” Said Janet sarcastically followed by a laugh.

“Oh was he… Mr. Carmine… a badass? Ha well Mr. Badass are you thinking about trying something? Huh? Go ahead do something you little Sh*t!” Rufus spits into Jack’s face and laughs at the man.

Jack then feels a sudden rage come over him, as he closes his eyes to hold it back. However he couldn’t stop thinking about it, he quickly eyed Rufus’s gun then back at the mutant laughing at him, then like a blink of an eye, Jack reached for his knife and lunged at Rufus and attacked his throat, slitting it, the blood pouring on Jack, Rufus to stunned to move after the attack. Just as quick as he slit Rufus’s throat, he grabbed his holstered gun and immediately aimed at Janet’s head. Pulling the trigger, a bullet enters and exits her head. Jared takes into action and aims his AK at Jack and begins to fire. However Jack uses Rufus as a meat shield and the rapid fire hits Rufus as he screams in pain. Jack counters back and fires two deadly shots right into Jared’s head killing him instantly. There stood Jack holding Rufus’s dying body up on him, the other two lying on the ground dead. Jack could still feel Rufus’s heartbeat and hear his cold whimpering. He throws the mutant body down on the ground face up, Rufus has this frightened look on his face and he tries to plea but just continues to bleed all over himself. Jack then points the smoking gun at Rufus’s head, with a very satisfying look on his face, he prepares to pull the trigger, but memories of gunfire and war and the screaming of his own wife interrupt his thought. Then Jack just stood there, staring at the bloody mutant that lies before him. Suddenly He heard a “Daddy!” Jack looked over to see his kids standing on the front porch. “Sarah…” Then everything turned black.

“Did you hear me Carmine!!” Jack opened his eyes, Rufus still stood before him, he had imagined it all, right down to Rufus’s death. “I said. Are you going to do something?” Rufus’s hand grabs Jack’s throat, as his head comes back to reality.

“Uh… N-no sir… I won’t” Jack says in a gargled voice, as Rufus’s hand squeezes tighter on Jack’s throat.

“Hmm that’s what I thought.” Rufus lifts Jack up in the air, feet off the ground, and then he bashes Jack’s head straight into the ground, face first, creating a small hole in the ground. Rufus then begins to pound on Jack’s head, with his enormous fists, burrowing it deeper in the ground. The pain was immense on Jack’s skull; he tastes nothing but dirt and blood; and all he could think about were the safety of his own kids. After about 6-7 hits to the head, Jack lost count after the fourth, Rufus let off of him, leaving Jack’s head buried firmly in the dirt. Jack’s hands were moving around in the dirt trying to grasp through the loose soil until he found a grip, then he pushed toward the ground, pulling his head out of the dirt hole. Jack, on his hand and knees, just stared at the ground watching the blood drip onto the dirt, creating a small puddle, completely ignoring the laughter that filled the air.

“Heh heh… Hey Carmine look at me… Heh… Come on man look at me!” Jack heard the voice coming from above, from that ugly mutant calling his name. He moved his head up toward Rufus and tried to look at him, but his vision was blurred and distorted. “Heh… Well Carmine I imagine your seeing double right now… Lets see if this we’ll help you out!” Rufus looks straight into Jack’s dazed eyes and bloody face, he grins and then he pulls his foot back and sends a punt kick right into the man’s face, throwing him on his back and several drops of blood into the air and splattering onto the ground.

The mutants laugh at the nearly unconscious man on the ground, Rufus examines Jack’s body, and then his eye catches something. Rufus walks over to the man and reaches down for something.
“What do we have here Jackie-boy? Some fancy looking knife? Hmm looks valuable to me.” Rufus studies the knife, with the words _____ engraved in it. “Well good news Carmine… This knife has just bought you five days.”

“Th-thank you sir…” Jack replies with a gargled disgruntled voice.

“Hey! Get away from my dad!” Says the young boy holding a .22 rifle pointing toward Rufus; he bravely stands just outside the shack door, with his little sister right behind him.

“Oh how touching, looks like junior here wants to play too… Carmine… You better call off that brat of yours or me and my buddies are going to have full bellies after this nice little visit!” Rufus tells Jack.

“Mark! Stop! Just go back inside! Everything will be ok.” Jack crawls toward the shack reaching his hand out, telling him to stop.

“But…” Replies the kid

“Now Mark!!” He yells at the kid, while trying to get back on his feet. Mark puts the gun down and storms back into the shack.

“Good boy you got there Carmine. Very loyal, like his father, like a bitch…” Rufus tells Jack, as he kicks the man one last time sending him to the ground. Rufus and the gang leave; their car spins out of the driveway, going back south.

“Daddy… Are you okay?” Asks Sarah, who still stands there watching her struggling father.

“Yeah… Yeah I’m fine honey, just go back inside… I’ll be in there in a bit.” Jack says as he finally manages to get back on his feet and slowly makes his way the shack.

All is silent at the dinner table after what just happened; the three of them eating canned food made a century ago. Jack is eating most of his meal and he looks up at the kids to see Mark just sitting there playing with the food and Sarah is just merely staring at it.

“So… Sarah, anything happen in town today?” Jack tries to break the silence by starting a conversation with Sarah.

“No not really…” Replies Sarah, as Jack continues to eat. Sarah looks at him for a moment, almost hesitating to tell him something, but tells him anyway. “But I heard Cindy’s mom talking about you… She said you used to be soldier… Is that true?” This question sparks the interest of Mark as he looks at Jack waiting for an answer. Jack finishes a bite and looks back up; both kids are staring at him waiting for an answer.

“Kids… You’ve been playing that video game too much… too many of them comics… I’ve… We have always been settlers looking for a home and that’s what we’ll remain to be.” Jack lies to them. Both of the kids look down sighing at the reply, Mark goes back to playing with his food.

“Why didn’t we fight back today? I mean you could of easily have took them out!” Exclaims Mark.

“And then what? Five more come back to replace them. Mark, look my main and only priority is to protect you two… nothing more… We’ll just pay the rent like everyone else until we can move.” Jack explains to the kids.

“We don’t even have any pay do we? You know I’m tired of this life! And I’m tired of them pushing us around like that!” Mark gets up from the table and storms off into his and his sister’s room. Jack watches as Mark leaves, his kids are starting to lose faith in him, especially after that beating today. Jack has to think of something that will make good pay and he has to think it now.

Later, when the sun is down, the moon out, and the kids off to bed, Jack sat there on his bed looking out into the stars, thinking heavily over their situation. Finally he looks away and onto his nightstand, where this picture of a woman sat. “Sarah… What do I do?” Jack lays on his cot, as hours of night go by and not one minute of sleep.