Anarchy

Chapter One - Raid

Chapter One - Raid

Hayden

My shoulders shifted, readjusting the thick strap of the assault rifle that dug into my muscles while I walked. The metal of the gun was hot as it seared through my thin shirt to my skin, heated from recent use. Nobody gave the weapon slung across my shoulder a second glance as I passed; they were used to the sight.

I could hear the heavy crunching of my boots on the ground as I walked down the dirt path toward the raid building. A light breeze tickled at my hair, which was tied back in a bandana to keep it off my face. It really had got too long but I couldn't find enough in me to bother with a haircut. Of all things I had to worry about, a haircut was not one of them.

Faces flashed by as I walked, my pace brisk and purposeful. It was nearing dusk, and I wanted to get the raid on the way before darkness completely enveloped us all. My eyes scanned the crowd for the faces I was searching for, but they didn't appear. The dirt road I walked down was bordered on either side by makeshift huts that were made of things rummaged from the city. Scraps of wood, metal, and glass were thrown together to produce surprisingly sturdy buildings that served as people's homes. Trees stood tall around us, masking our wooded encampment from any prying, unwelcome eyes.

While everyone ignored the weapon draped over my arm, people of all ages watched me with a sense of awe as I walked by. My relatively young age made my rise to the top all the more impressive. I was only twenty-one, but somehow I had found myself in charge of these people. All these people, ranging from just little kids to those so old they could hardly walk, and I responsible for protecting them, providing for them; I was in charge of keeping them alive.

The weight of this responsibility didn't escape me, and I quickly found it taking over my thoughts as I ducked my head to enter the raid building. It was one of our sturdiest buildings, made entirely out of metal with actual locks on the doors as opposed to the simple sliding wood hatches we'd constructed in everyone's huts. There were, at all times, at least two people here to guard our supplies. As the keep for our weapons and ammunition, it was one of the most essential places in our entire settlement.

I nodded at the two in charge of guarding it now: a middle-aged man I recognised by face but not by name, and a boy of ten whom I knew very well. I sighed, wishing it were anyone but him on duty at the moment because I knew what would surely follow.

'Hi, Hayden!' he said cheerfully, jumping to his feet immediately and racing to my side. I glanced down at him before moving to one of the gun cases held in the building. Swinging the strap over my head, I removed the weapon to put it back to its rightful place. He looked just as haphazard as ever with a mop of hair falling in his eyes and clothes that were far too large for him. He was practically swimming in his T-shirt, and his jeans dragged along the floor whenever he took a step.

'Jett, you're supposed to be on duty,' I reminded him, raising an eyebrow. A look of concern flashed across his face before he erased the smile and put on a mock-serious expression.

'Yes sir, I know that—'

'Don't call me "sir",' I grumbled immediately. It was something a lot of people had started to do, especially the younger kids, and I hated it.

'Right, sorry si—, um, Hayden,' he said, almost repeating his mistake. I ignored him and pulled out an 8 mm handgun. After slipping the clip out, I discovered it to be half empty.

'So, um, I was wondering—'

'No,' I said flatly, already knowing what he was going to ask. I pulled some bullets out of the case to load into the gun.