Wastes - Children of Apocalyspe

Life... it’s delicacy is equaled only by is abundance. It’s loss, tragic, no matter how small, how insignificant. It is only rivaled by Death. Death and its invulnerability, over abundance. Only when new death is more numerous, more constant, than new life, is the world thrown into true chaos.


Andrew sat on the front porch stair of the shack. He wiped the barrel of his revolver with a piece of cloth. The Desserts stretched out in front of him, hot and unforgiving. The shack wasn’t any better, but it was better than nothing. Two rooms, protection from the elements, and placement on a cliff giving him and his friends a lookout, for danger. He didn’t want to leave, but he knew they had too soon.

“Morning sunshine.” A voice said from the door to the shack, Andrew turned around and saw his friend, Veronica, smiling, standing in the doorway.

“Morning.” Andrew said. Veronica came out and sat next to him on the stairs.

“Where’s Gear?” Veronica asked.

“Out, scavenging and scouting. He thinks there might be Raider activity in the area.”

Veronica cocked her Colt .45 pistol, “We going to have to do anything?”

“Gear doesn’t think so. How was Luke when you came out?”

Veronica smiled, “He’s fine, your so worried.”

“He took a knife across the face and a gunshot to the leg. We barley patched him up.”

“So he’ll have a scar, your just lucky we got out of that fight before it got serious. The Empire and Congress were at each others throats.”

“If were lucky, they slit each others throats.”

The battle had taken place just three days earlier, on the outskirts of New Gotham, the post-apocalypse New York City. Two of the largest factions in the Wasteland, the Imperials of Quinn, which was a massive Empire formed out of many smaller settlements, and the Continental Congress, a smaller Government formed on Americas older values. The two factions had become involved in fighting over land rights as the Congress was increasing in size. No official war had begun, just a lot of fighting on the borders of the Empires, that is until the battle in New Gotham, which the group had managed to become entangled in.

“So you going to make breakfast anytime soon?”

Veronica laughed “Make it yourself kid, I’m going to go wake up Luke. He’s going to need some painkillers when he gets up.”


About 5 minutes later Andrew walked inside the shack, clutching the locket around his neck. Veronica had woken up Luke and the two were sitting on the old couch. Luke was barley awake as Veronica prepared to give him a shot of a painkiller in his arm.

“Ow...” Luke said, groggily.

“Hang on, kid. You’ll be fine.” Veronica said. she finished up, and helped Luke lye across the couch. “I’ll be back.”


Veronica walked the Kitchen. It was old and rust covered, but the four had to make do with what they had.

“I don’t like that you’ve been giving him those old world painkillers.” Andrew said.

“What would you rather I do? Let your brother just deal with the intense pain?”

“What if he becomes addicted? What if you give him too much and he gets even more sick, or even dies? You don’t even know what your doing.”

“At least I’m helping him, you haven’t said a fucking word to him since he got hurt.” Andrew stopped talking, he began to cook his food in an old rusty pot. He took out a lighter and lit the stove. He leaned back against the counter and looked down. “He’s my younger brother, but he was always so strong. We were a team, he got into trouble and I rescued him. We were both from before the great war, before the bombs. But now I look at him, and he’s spread out on a couch, hopped up on painkillers, with a sliced open face and shot up leg.”

“Look, I know you don’t like seeing him like this. But those painkillers are the only way we are going to help him. And we can’t get the bullet out of his leg.”

“You sure? Theres nothing else we could do?” Andrew asked, looking up.

“Come with me.” Veronica said.


The two walked out the back door of the shack and looked over the edge of the cliff. Veronica pointed down towards the ruins of a small town, “Down there, that town has a old hospital in it. If were lucky,addicts haven’t robbed it. We could get more advanced medical supplies for Luke, and get out of here sooner.”

Andrew checked the cylinder of his revolver, “Do you think there are any threats in the town?”

“Yes, look” Veronica said, pulling a pair of binoculars out of her backpack. She handed them to Andrew, who looked down them. He saw armored men, patrolling the town rooftops with Assault Rifles and Snipers. “Who are they?” He asked.

“Don’t know, some mercenary group probably.”

“What are they doing?”

“I clearly don’t know.”

“What do you think we should do?”

“We wait until Gear comes back. He will stay with Luke and you and I will sneak into the town at night, take the medical supplies, and get out. The Mercs won’t even know we went in.”

“You better be right.” Andrew locked the cylinder back into the gun.


About an hour later, out of the heat waves of the Wasteland, walked Gear. The lumbering monsters, skin dust colored almost as if it had been weathered by his life, walked up to the shack. His hulking, mutated, but yet human form marched toward Andrew and Veronica.

“I bring bountiful supplies, and confirmation of raiders not being present in the area.” He said. He dropped a large sack onto the porch. Guns, ammo, and food spilled out of it.

“Any medical Supplies?” Andrew asked.

“No, I’m sorry, but nothing here will help Luke’s condition.”

Andrew sighed, “It’s alright, you did great Gear.”

“Hmmm” Gear muttered as he walked past the two and inside.

“You want me to tell him the plan?”

“Yeah, yeah I need a minute alone.”


“I sense your fear...” Andrew heard a voice whisper. In the glare of the sunlight, a ghostly shape appeared. Andrew looked into its face, his face. The apparition continued to form, until it perfectly replicated Andrew.

“What do you want.” Andrew asked.

“I’m here for...encouragement. We both know thats what you need.” The apparition said.

“Yeah, so what are you going to do.”

“The same thing I always do,” The apparition wrapped a cold, ghostly hand around Andrews arm “let me take control during the raid. We both know you’ll screw up if you don’t. And if you screw up, everyone loses.”

“Why does everyone lose?”

“Because we lose that.” The apparition said, pointing towards Andrews locket. Andrew looked at the locket, then back at the apparition, “What’d ya say?”

Andrew sighed “Fine.”

Where life is fragile, medicine has removed that fragility. There was a time when a broken leg could mean the end of a mans life. Now, its a moderate annoyance, one that can be solved with patience."


Sunset, the towns name was Sunset. Andrew found that funny, he didn't know why, but he did. He and Veronica walked past the sign, got low, and quickly moved towards a nearby gas station. They hid behind a wall and checked their weapons. Andrew had six shots in the revolver, 12 in his pocket.

“You know, this would be easier if we had actual weapons.” Andrew said.

“Yeah well, it was either the weapons or your brothers life. Which would you rather have?”

Andrew silently slid the revolvers cylinder back into place, and then he heard a voice, “It’s time.”

Suddenly Andrew could’t see anything, only darkness. He felt himself falling through the air, and then going unconscious.


“You ready?” Veronica asked.

“Yes.” Andrew replied, in a deep and serious voice.

Veronica was a little startled by this, she looked at Andrew, he didn’t look any different. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, lets do this.” Andrew replied.


The two got low to the ground and began to dart towards the nearest alley way. The Mercs were patrolling the streets, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

“We have to go through a building, we can’t go on to the street.” Veronica said.

“Come on.” Andrew replied, he moved toward the buildings side door and kicked it open. He looked down his revolvers Iron Sights as he and Veronica moved into the building.

“Are you crazy?” Veronica said “What if they hear that noise?”

“They won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Just trust me.” Andrew said, looking back at her. They walked up the stairs into the second floor of the building. The Second floor had been bombed out long ago, no roof or any walls. “Get low.” Andrew said. He got down on his stomach and Veronica followed suit. The two crawled on their stomachs across the dust covered floor. A couple times the Mercs shined their lights onto the wall next to the two, but never enough to cause them to stop.


At the end of the hallway they were startled to find a Merc, leaning back in a chair, not paying much attention with his back to them. Andrew motioned Veronica too wait, as he grabbed a large shard of Glass that was sitting next to him. He continued his stomach crawl up to the chair until he reached it. He then began to stand up, looking over the Mercs shoulder. Andrew wrapped his arm around the Mercs head, violently covering his mouth with his hands. He then brought the glass down, hard into this throat. Silencing him and Spraying blood all over Andrew and the floor. Andrew picked up his rifle, an Old World assault rifle. Engraved on the side were the symbols “M4”. Andrew looked over at Veronica, who was looking on in stunned silence, and tossed her the rifle.

“Check his body for a silencer and/or scope, then cover me. I’m making a break for the clinic.” Andrew said, pointing to a small building about two blocks down.

“Got it.” Veronica responded, pulling a Silencer off the guard and a scope out of his bag.

“Turn on your Radio and be my eyes in the sky. Thats not an old world sniper, so be careful.”

“Alright.” Veronica said, checking the rifles clip.

Andrew climbed over the edge of the building and dropped about ten feet onto the ground. “Good Luck.” He heard Veronica say over the radio.


Andrew watched Veronica pick off two of the patrolling guards. He Darted across the street to the next alley. He moved silently through it and around the corner.

“Get out of sight!” Veronica said over the radio. Andrew dived behind a dumpster and drew his revolver. “Four Mercs. Two of them going down the alley. Other two are mine.” Veronica said. Andrew saw the flashlights of the Mercs shining past him. Andrew squeezed as far into the corner between the dumpster and the wall as he could. The Mercs appeared, standing side by side. Andrew tackled them into each other and a wall. He threw one Merc to the side and kicked the others face in as hard as he could. He then took the first Mercs knife and stabbed the second, still dazed one in the head. Andrew picked up their weapons. Another M4 assault rifle and a old Sawed-Off Double-Barrel Shotgun. Andrew took the extra ammo, and slid the knife into his left pocket.

“You okay?” He radioed to Veronica.

“Yup, took those guys out, no problem.”

“I’m coming out of the alley now.”

“Streets clear to the clinic, i’m gonna start taking some guys off rooftops, then i’ll head to you.”

“Understood, good luck.”

“Same to you.”

Andrew exited the alley and darted across the road. It was cluttered with destroyed cars, the remnants of a last second evacuation attempt. Andrew bounded over a car and then over a small stone wall onto the clinics property. He moved towards the door.

“Once your inside, I won’t be able to support you for awhile.” Veronica said.

“I know.” Andrew responded. He turned the doors handle, finding it unlocked, and went inside.


Inside was dark, Andrew flicked a light switch on, which dimly illuminated the dusty room.

“Looks like no ones been in here in year.” Andrew said to himself. Suddenly he felt an overwhelming weakness,he lurched over holding his stomach.

“When are you going to let me out?” He heard the real Andrew say in his head.

“We aren’t out of the town yet kid.” Andrew said, re-gaining his strength and picking himself up.


He walked along the halls until he found his way to a room labeled “Supplies.” Andrew opened his bag and began packing it with everything they were going to need. Needle, Stitches, Antibiotics, A Scalpel, Pliers, etc. but then he heard it, something walking into the building. Andrew loaded his Shotgun and swung the bag of supplies over his shoulder. He heard something quickly walking down the hall. Andrew swung out and pointed the shotgun down the hall.

“Hey whoa hey!” Veronica said with a gun barrel in her face.

“Sorry.” Andrew said, lowering the gun.

“You get what we needed?”

“Yeah, lets get back to the shack now.”

“Alright, let’s go.”


The two exited the clinic. They began quickly making their way down the street. There was nothing to be concerned about now, but in the morning when the Mercs found the bodies, they might have to be ready to fight, and that meant they had to get home fast. They had to help Luke fast. They had to get out of the area fast. They had to be fast.

“Family... it’s a strange thing. You will never be closer to any one person, closer than you are to those who share your blood.”


Andrew felt the apparitions control over his body fading, and stepped in to take its place as he and Veronica quickly walked in to the door of the lantern lit cabin. They quickly walked through to the living room, where Luke was still lying on the couch.

“How’s he doing?” Andrew asked Gear. The mutants big hands were wiping Luke’s face with a wet cloth.

“He has a fever, not the worst of the ones he’s had, but it is a bad one. Did you gather supplies?” He asked, looking up at the two.

“More than enough.” Veronica said.

“Then we must get started.” Gear responded, standing up.

“What are we doing, exactly?” Andrew asked.

Veronica turned and faced Andrew, “If you want Luke to have any chance of surviving, we have to operate now.”

“What do you mean by operate?”

“Gear and I both have... enough... medical training. I’m going to get the bullet out of his leg, and Gears going to stitch up his stomach.”

“His stomachs fine...” Andrew said.

“No, it’s actually not.” Gear said, standing up. The seven foot tall mutant looked at the two of them. “I checked the bandage while you were gone. He’s been bleeding through it, and it’s beginning to show sign of infection. I will need to clean it, stitch it up, and then he’s still going to need Antibiotics.”

Andrew walked over and lifted up Luke’s shirt. Sure enough, the bandage, scraped together with some old tape and cloth, was completely blood soaked.

“What can I do?” Andrew asked.

“Keep him calm. All we can ask is that you do that.” Veronica said, already starting to take out her supplies.

“He’s knocked out though.” Andrew said.

“It’s due to blood loss,” Gear said “He’s going to need a transfusion too.”

Andrew stuck out his arm, “Do it.”

“Are you a match?”

“He’s my brother, alright? We don’t have much of choice here so do it!”


Luke slowly woke up. He looked around the dimly lit room and saw his brother, Andrew, sitting on the old coffee table beside him, “Hey kid, how’s it going?” Andrew asked.

“Ya know... I’ve been shot and slashed so... as good as it can be.” Luke responded.

Andrew smiled, “Always with the sarcasm?”

Luke smiled back, “Always. Ahhh!” Luke screamed and began to wiggle around. Veronica had just made the first cut in her attempt to get the bullet out of his leg.

“Keep him calm!” She told Andrew. Andrew pushed Luke’s leg down.

“Luke, I need you to listen to me. Your a big boy, you need to sit still or Veronica and Gear can’t help you.”

“I’m not a big boy, I’m eleven.”

“Thats big enough to suck it up if you want them to help you.”

“What... what are they doing?” Luke said, grinding his teeth while tears rolled down his face.

“Getting the bullet out of your leg right now.”

“Oh god.” Luke said, he threw his head hard against his pillow.

“Luke, it’ll be alright, just talk to me.”

“I’m trying to think of something... OW oh god!” He screamed again.

“Don’t you have something to numb the pain?” Andrew shouted.

“Don’t you think we would have used it?” Veronica shouted back.

“Alright, Luke.” Andrew said, turning his attention back to his brother, “What do you want to talk about?”

“What was it like, before the bombs?”


“Well Luke, that’s a hard question to answer.” Andrew said “I was only alive for five years before they fell. But I can tell you what I remember. We lived in a house, bigger and nicer than this one. It was bright, with several windows all over the house. It was just the right size for us, the four of us. I had my own room, you had you room and... Mom and Dad had their own room. We had this big backyard that me and some other kids, I forget who they were, used to play in all the time. Mom would come out holding you, and the bunch of us kids would run over to see the baby. Then the other kids would go home, Mom would put you in your high chair and I would sit at the kitchen table. She would make us dinner, mostly for me, you just ate baby food, and then she would put us to bed. Dad would come home later, and then we would do the same thing over again the next day.”

“What were Mom and Dad like?” Luke asked.

Andrew opened his locket, on the right side was a picture of his whole family, His Mother, Father, Baby Luke, and himself. On the left side was a picture of Luke now. “From what I remember, Mom was this sweet and compassionate women. Every time I did something wrong or got in trouble, she didn’t yell at me, she corrected me, told me she was disappointed. She didn’t want to be a mean Mom or anything, she just wanted me to act right. She loved you by the way, every moment of her life was spent with you. She woke you up, made you breakfast, brought you on a walk, made you lunch, brought you shopping, made you dinner, and then put you to bed. Every moment she could, she spent with you.” Andrew noticed Luke smiling as he closed his eyes.

“And Dad?” He said.

“I didn’t know Dad as much. He must have worked during the day because he was never really home. He was just as loving as Mom, playing games with the both of us, tossing us around and what not. He was stricter though, and if you got in trouble with him, you were going to have to endure his wrath.”

“Hehe” Luke giggled weakly. “What happened that last night?”

“Well, that’s the hardest to remember. I remember a lot of screaming, both from Mom and Dad and outside the house. It was late at night, and i was confused why they had me sitting on the couch holding you. Mom and Dad then brought us out too the backyard and down into a shelter. Mom gave me the locket and I asked where she and Dad were going and they just said they were going to help. Then they closed the bomb shelter door, and it didn’t re-open for a hundred years.”

Luke opened his eyes, “Don’t lie to me, i’m only eleven and your only fifteen. We were in their for ten years.”

“Luke, I found out during are travels, I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to know. We were in there for a hundred years. The technology of the shelter just made it feel like ten.”

“Who told you?”

“That’s a story, for another time.”

“I got the bullet out!” Veronica said “Gear, get on that chest wound!”


Andrew sat back out on the porch, watching the sun rise. It had been a long, but successful night. Luke was going to live, and he was going to be fine. He then heard the door opening and closing behind him, “You know you didn’t have to tell him that right?” He heard Veronica say.

“You didn’t have to tell me.”

“Well the circumstances were a little different then, I was shocked when you said you had only been in the shelter ten years but had seen the old world.”

“Yeah well, he had to know sometime. Besides, in all honesty, I thought he was going to die.”

“Yeah well, he and Gear are off to sleep and I’m right behind them, you coming?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m coming.” He said.

“Being prepared and being ready are to different things. Being ready is the brutish, warrior type thinking where you have the essentials. You’ve got your Shield, Armor, and Spear. Being prepared is the thought after that, its that extra armor you have on your back or that knife hidden in your boot...”


Andrew woke on the hard wooden floor of the shelter. He looked to his sides, Gear and Veronica were already gone, up and ready to face the challenges of a new day. Andrew got up as well and headed to the bathroom.


He looked at himself in the mirror. He had changed, he wasn’t the same kid he had been three months ago when he stepped out of the shelter. His skin had been deeply tanned, his hair had become blonder, he looked more and more tired everyday. But it wasn’t just the physical changes. It was the mental changes, the trials he had to endure in just three months. Murder, Torture, Corruption, Starvation, and everything else in the apocalyptic world he now lived in. It had driven him more cynical, and every passing day, he felt as if the hope was being driven out of his body. He combed his hair, washed his face, and then headed out to the main room.


Out in the main room, he saw Veronica and Gear packing bags. Luke was sitting up on the couch, reading a book.

“What’s going on?” Andrew asked, confused.

“We have to leave, we’ve been here too long.” Veronica said.

“What, you mean right now?”

“As soon as possible.” Gear said, slinging a sack over his back.

“Why? Luke still needs more time to heal.”

“I’m fine for road travel.” Luke said, looking up from the book.

“I doubt that.”

“No, it’s true.” Veronica said “We have his leg in a cast and Gear brought back a wheelchair from the salvage he found yesterday. We can wheel Luke down the road.”

“Well where are we going?”

“As far away from New Gotham as we can get. We don’t want Imperial or Congressional scouts tailing us.”

“Are there any nearby settlements?” Andrew asked, looking at Gear.

“Not that we know of.”

“So we are just walking out into the Wasteland to die?”

“No, because at least out there we have a chance. Here, death is guaranteed, whether by the Empire or Congress.” Gear said, with a serious look in his eye.

“Right.” Andrew said, turning to his brother, “Come on, let’s get you in that wheel chair.”


Andrew pushed Luke out the front door, following Veronica and Gear. He felt his skin baking in the hot sun as he looked out into the desert in front of them.

“How much water do we have?” Andrew asked Veronica, as he checked to make sure his Revolver was in it’s holster.

“Not enough, we need to ration it.”

“Great.” Andrew said. The four trudged off into the Wasteland, walking across the old, cracked road to do so.


As the four walked they came across an old shack sitting at the bottom of a hill. It was made of very thin rusty metal and very poorly put together. It consisted of three walls and a ceiling, no nails holding it together, it was all a balancing act. Nevertheless, the four could see several boxes and crates laying around the floor of the shack.

“You think they have Food and Water?” Veronica asked.

“It’d be worth finding out.” Andrew said, just now noticing the sweat dripping down his face.

“Wait here.” Gear said, putting his hand out in front of Andrew and Veronica. Gear walked forward towards the shack, looking at everything he could with the corners of his eyes. He stepped towards the shack, nothing out of the ordinary. He began to increase his pace and eventually he stood on the dirt floor of the shack. “We’re clear!” He said, motioning for Andrew and Veronica to approach. He then turned his attention to the crates, picking up the first one he saw, he looked inside it. Inside was a small circular metal device, it flashed red and emitted three high pitched beeps in rapid succession. Gear barley had time to turn around and wave for Andrew and Veronica to get back, when the mine exploded.


Andrew saw Gear waving for him to get back and then saw the explosion.

“Gear!” He heard Luke shout. He immediately grabbed Luke’s wheelchair, and spun it around 180 degrees.

“We have to get out of here!” He shouted, and with Veronica following, the three ran for the other side of the road, diving behind a rock to use as cover. Andrew pulled Luke out of the wheelchair, and pressed his back up against the rock, “You don’t move, understand?” Andrew said, drawing his revolver.

“Yes.” Luke said, fear in his eyes.


Andrew and Veronica peaked over the side of the rock. They could see the shack had collapsed, the metal pieces now laid in a pile where Gear had once been standing. Andrew saw four people, three men and one woman, walking down the hill behind the shack.

“What do you think they are?” Andrew said.

“Just raiders, we can take them.” Veronica responded.

“You sure?”


“More than.”

Andrew pulled his pistol up to his face and aimed down the sights. The raiders hadn’t spotted them yet, and were scanning the area for anything. Andrew placed one of the men in his sights. A big man, no shirt, leather pants, with spiky blonde hair. Andrew placed the mans head dead center on his sights.

“Do you need my help?” Andrew heard in his head.

“No.” He thought to himself.

“Very well.” The voice responded.

“Andrew, on three.” Veronica whispered to him.

“Right.”

“One...Two...Three!” Veronica shouted, but just before they could open fire, Gear sprang out of the wreckage of the metal. He grabbed the rifle of the raider next to him, a tall, lanky guy with brown hair, and ripped it out of his hands. Turning it on the man, he fired two shots into his chest. The woman, who was behind gear, turned and aimed her pistol at Gears head, Gear jumped backwards onto his back, and the massive demons form crushed her out of existence. From his back, he then used the rifle to kill the other two raiders, shooting them both twice in the chest. He then stood up, collected the raiders weapons, and walked over to the other three.


Andrew and Veronica pushed Luke over to Gear fast, and the three embraced him.

“I thought you were dead!” Luke said, still hugging his mutant friend.

“It will take a lot more than that to kill me!” Gear responded.

The three backed away and Andrew took a look at Gear, “Are you alright?” he said, noticing a couple small gashes and a lot of burn marks on Gears skin.

“Do not worry, it will heal.” Gear said, comfortingly, as if Andrew were the one with the injuries.

“Well, good.” Veronica said, looking down the road and taking a rifle from Gear, “We still have a ways to go, but at least we have weapons now.”

“Thankfully.” Andrew said, taking the same and giving a shotgun to Luke for defense. The four continued their walk down the road.

“Everyone has a shady side to them”


Andrew stared into the campfire. The four were off to the side of the road. Gear and Veronica had already fallen asleep, and Andrew could feel Luke dozing off in his arms.

“Andrew, i’m tired” Luke said, leaning his head back to rest on Andrew’s shoulder.

“I know, your allowed to be. You’ve been through a lot.” Andrew said, runnig his hand through Luke’s curly hair.

“Can I go to bed now?”

“Haha, yes buddy. You’ve earned it.” Andrew said. He got up and un rolled a blanket, mat, and pillow for Luke. He then helped Luke get into his makeshift bed.

“Thanks, Andrew.”

“Your welcome.” Andrew said, smiling and kissing his brother on the forehead. Within moments, Andrew could tell his brother was fast asleep.

Andrew stood up and walked away from the camp. He walked a little ways down the road, and then ducked behind a large rock. He looked at the empty space in front of himself and waited. Within moments, the apparition started to form in front of him, when it was done, it stood with it’s arms folded and looked at Andrew with a slightly evil grin. Andrew looked up into it’s face, his face.

“You rang?” It said.

“I don’t know where else to turn...”

“Hehe...what do you need?”

“Where can I go that’s safe. I can’t let those three down, especially not Luke, and we can’t walk forward forever.”

The apparition sighed, “Well, you know, I could use the locket to show you where you could go.”

“And how would you do that?”

“Kid, come on, I know you know the power that thing has and i’ve been traveling this wasteland for over a hundred years. I know where to go.”

“Then why don’t you just show me?”

The apparition grabbed Andrew’s wrist, “Because, this is more fun.” It said, smiling at him.


Andrew watched as the world around him seemed to compress and move inward towards the apparitions hand. He felt the locket burning hot against his chest as his vision went dark. He couldn’t see anything but the apparition’s smiling face, then everything started to feel like it was getting tighter, almost as if his body was being pushed together into one small box. He then saw a blinding flash of light, as the world began re-building itself around him.


“Where are we going sir?” A young boy asked Andrew. He looked down and to his left, and saw a small tan skinned boy, about six years old, staring back at him.

“A small town Lionel. A town called Uplift.”

“Uplift, sir?” The boy, Lionel, asked.

“It’s built into a cliff edge, the town just keeps going up and up until you reach the top, but then it’s a whole different town.”


“What’s going on, I didn’t say that.” Andrew thought to himself.

“You don’t control what he says, only what he does.” He heard the apparition say.

“Why?”

“This is only a memory. You aren’t in full control. Use this wisely, it will help you and your friends in the future.”

“Am I really in control?”

“Yes, you are.”

“Let me see...” Andrew said. He turned and faced Lionel, wound up a punch, and knocked the kid flat on his back. “Hey, nice.”

Lionel sat up, rubbing his cheek “Oh my god...” He said, standing up and slowly backing away from Andrew. He began to run away, and Andrew saw the world around him collapse.


Andrew felt intense pain as this happened, he screamed and fell to the ground, and suddenly found himself lying face down in the dirt, back in the real world. The Apparition stood over him, “Do you have any idea what you have just done!” It screamed at him.

“Punched a kid.”

“You idiot, you can’t drastically change the memory. It’s like a movie, there’s only one sequence of events, you can’t change it.”

“So?”

“So, if you drastically change the memory, the locket doesn’t know what should come next, so it shut’s down.”

“Why am I worried again?”

“Whenever it has to do a forced shut down like that, it destroys part of your mind, didn’t you feel that pain?”

“Yeah, but...”

“But nothing, I can’t have you destroying your head like that.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.” Andrew said, standing up “But I got what I needed.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah, somewhere down this road, is a town called Uplift.” Andrew said.


He stood for a moment and studied the locket, “How does it work?”

“What, the memory thing?”

“Yeah.”

“You can relive any memory of anyone the locket touches, other than yourself.”

“Anyone?”

“Anyone.”

“How come I couldn’t do this before.”

“You could to an extent, you remember seeing these?” The apparition snapped it’s fingers and a holographic man appeared, his body made up of numbers and symbols of interchanging color. The Locket radiated heat.

“Yeah, I saw a couple of those around the wasteland.”

“Their memories that were programmed for you to see.”

“Why me?”

“Something tells me, your parents had a plan for you from the start.”

“Why not, Luke?”

“I’m sure they had something planned for him too. Maybe it just hasn’t shown itself yet.”

Andrew began to walk away, and he could see the apparition disappearing, but then he came back, “You know, don’t you.”

“What?”

“You know something is planned for Luke don’t you?”

“I know no such thing, but I do know there is always a chance.”

“Yeah, well let’s hope for your sake, that that chance does not get to happen.” Andrew said. He walked off back toward the campsite, and the apparition faded into nothing.