Machine God: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (Final Draft)

Where are we going?

The blonde addressed the person staggering toward us.

"Glitch, we're returning to HQ. You can stop jerking off now."

"You just know how to talk to men," Hecto said.

"If you know one, you know them all."

"No need to complain, you guys, I found lots of stuff," the new guy called Glitch said.

He waddled toward us with a military rucksack, consisting of gearbacks, filled to the brim. A lanky guy, wearing a similar armor which was covered with cartoon stickers and quotes I didn't understand. Sort of the kid-friendly version of a desert warrior.

Hecto spoke.

"I hope your rucksack's not filled with bricks."

"This structure is a scavenger's wet dream. You won't believe the kind of tech I found."

"Tell us later," Hecto said, "we're already behind schedule, and the sun's not staying up forever."

The trio nodded and marched in formation. They neared the broken entrance gate where the light shone through. I stood on my spot and watched their backs.

"What about me?"

The blonde turned around. The light from the entrance illuminated her silhouette and gave her a holy vibe.

Fitting.

"You're coming with us, of course."

Of course.

No doubt in her voice.

These were the coolest people.

I accompanied them and walked outside. The second my boots passed the doorframe, the sun flushed my face and drowned everything into a glowing white. The view was so bright I yanked away by instinct.

"Are you anti-sun?" the gawky guy called Glitch said.

"My eyes are. Feels like I was stuck in the darkness since birth."

Hecto wasn't happy.

"Then shield your eyes. We've got to keep moving."

I nodded and avoided the sun stare. The trio stormed alongside the broken wall in front of the hall we just had left. The blonde and the big guy Hecto clutched their firearms, always on the lookout. Their fingers hovered over the triggers, ready to squeeze at will. Hecto waved me over and told me to hunker down next to a ruin.

Were we at danger? I couldn't hear anyone around here except for the wind whining through my ear channels. I looked back and realized my eyes adjusted to the light.

What a sight.

Sand drowned the streets. Car wreckages protruded from the dunes, torn-apart houses and skyscraper ruins pierced through the wasteland.

A concrete graveyard of metropolitan size.

Scary and fascinating.

What was this place?

The blonde must have read my worries, because she touched my shoulder.

"You want to keep your head down and watch out for anything suspicious."

"Like what?"

"Any kind of attacker with a firearm in his hands."

"Got it."

We slipped out the cover and hurried to the next spot—a blown-apart truck with a fortified steel-structure. Didn't help much—half the chassis was ripped-off. My eyes swung around the rear and gazed into the forsaken main street. The wind brushed sands off the ground and blew it around like mini tornados.

Whooosh.

A beautiful ballade of dust.

And not a single human being in sight.

My glance turned back to the trio that held onto their MPs and rifles like addicts.

I didn't feel threatened, but if they had arms, maybe it was vital to arm myself.

"Do you have a gun for me? I'm a decent shooter."

Was I?

Didn't know, but the sentence felt right.

The blonde pondered my statement. She retrieved something from Glitch's rucksack but Hecto stopped her arm in mid-motion.

"No, you know we can't."

The woman gave me an I'm So Sorry glance.

"We have tight rules. But don't worry, if there's a shootout, we'll cover you."

Said the stranger to the stranger.

Hecto took charge and led us around the empty intersection. My legs worked like the wind, but the gangly Glitch had trouble keeping up with us. He was carrying an MP and his ginormous military rucksack, which looked like a boulder dragging him down. Since I seemed to be the last wheel of the team, I wanted to make myself useful.

"Can I help you carry something?"

Glitch swapped glances with Hecto and the blonde.

"Dude, we just found you half-rotten in a ruin. I think you're too cranky to carry my pack."

"No, really. I'd love to help you."

Glitch exchanged a confused glance with his peers. They shrugged. For some reason, they thought I was about to collapse to the ground.

That wasn't going to happen.

"Let me try. At least for a couple hundred meters."

"If you say so."

Glitch unstrapped his rucksack and needed both of his hands to pass it on to me.

"Be careful, it's very—"

I swirled the rucksack around my back, adjusted the shoulder straps and walked on.

"Bulky," Glitch said with eyes bulging out.

I had to admit, it looked heavier on him. It wasn't exactly paper weight, but I managed, easily.

The blonde smiled.

I couldn't get enough of it.

"Were you lifting bricks in the ruin?"

"Not that I can recall. Guess I'm a natural."

Natural born rucksack schlepper?

What a useless line, but hey, my mouth wasn't adapted to speaking yet.

We dashed past the blown-out store windows and zigzagged from one cover to the next, avoiding the main streets. Everyone shut up during the sprint, but curiosity whirled around my head like a sand tornado. While Hecto spearheaded and the blonde guarded our rear, the second most burning question bubbled out.

"By the way, where are we going?"