Freedom & Chrome || Book 1 ENGLISH

Cheeky fruits

Full of energy, V jumped up from his camp bed the next morning and hurried through the tent, out to his parents. They were sitting around a cold campfire, eating breakfast. "Good morning, V," his mother greeted him.

"Good morning!" He plopped down on the ground beside her and reached for the plate his mother had prepared for him. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich, awesome! With his mouth wide open, he took a big bite and looked aimlessly around the area. Most of his clan was awake by now and were already well occupied. Weapons were being cleaned, new routes were being scouted to get to the best stores or scrap yards. Large canisters filled with fresh water were carried into camp or supplies were checked. A day like any other. Occasionally, gunshots could be heard from further back in the camp. There they had set up a makeshift shooting range to stay in shape.

Basically, there were three main functions one could perform in the clan. First, there were the scouts. They were the ones in the clan who set new routes and scouted out new places to find a potential new home to live for the next few months. Then there were the guards and medics. They protected and guarded the clan and cared for the wounded and sick to some degree. Operations or serious illnesses were cases for a real hospital. Minor gunshot wounds or cuts, however, were no problem for them. Last but not least, there were those who, like his dad, got money and supplies. Mostly the men did all these jobs, the mothers and wives preferred to stay in the shelter of the camp and took care of the children and the maintenance of their home. Money could be obtained in any way possible, whether by stealing or performing tasks and small jobs such as repairs that were requested in surrounding towns. Most of the time they earned the money honestly, there was no need to constantly rob small stores that were probably just getting over the rounds by themselves. America was no longer the rich, magnificent country it once was. Nowadays, the landscapes were parched and lifeless. Hardly any wildlife was left and the few that did exist lived either in the Wastelands or within the cities in the hands of wealthy people. The only people who could afford to live a good life of luxury.

Ash came trotting out of the tent a few minutes after V, yawning widely he stretched his arms skyward to stretch out. His dark brown hair was disheveled and sticking out in all directions. "What do you look like? Did you have a fight with your pillow all night?" asked Mell in amusement, lovingly stroking her fingers through Ash's wild mane to get the hairstyle somewhat back under control.

"Mom, that's so embarrassing," he grumbled, shoving her hands grumpily aside before reaching for his own sandwich.

"Ah I forgot, you're growing up," she chuckled, leaving him alone. As time passed, both parents were out of earshot and Ash returned to their idea from the day before.

"They're both out right now, go get Kaden," Ash instructed his brother after he finished eating and checked to make sure the coast was clear. The small store was not far from their camp and was located in a small town. Ash took the opportunity to show his brother a little more of the world than just the desert. They had traveled a lot, and it probably wouldn't be long before they moved on, but V had never really been outside the camp. He could only ever see the world from the window of their car. V nodded in agreement and dashed off to get his best friend. It wasn't long before the two boys came whispering back to the teenager. V had already excitedly told Kaden about what they were going to do today, and Kaden was no less excited than V himself.

"Let's go then," Ash took charge for the rest of the day and walked ahead as the two boys reached the campfire. Ash found that walking with two excitedly chattering children was more strenuous than he thought. The two were jumping back and forth the whole time, running up and down hills and doing all sorts of nonsense.

"Oh, look!" suddenly V pointed next to the little group, over to a giant, synthetic cornfield. "We could play hide and seek here!"

"Yes!" agreed Kaden to him. "The stalks are huge."