Wasteland (Overwatch)

Chapter One

I was only two years old when the whole shebang happened. I don't remember a whole lot, just a noise that was louder that anything I've ever heard, and probably ever will, in my life. When that robot making place blew up, (Omnium I think it was called?), it changed a lot of stuff. Such as myself. I could've been normal, but hey, where's the fun in that?

"Jamie's cheating mom!" I was playing football with my friends, and Elliot was getting upset with how many goals I was scoring. Usually I would be cheating, but this was one of the odd occasions where I wouldn't.
"He looks fine to me, Elliot," replied his mother, who returned back to her conversation with her friends.
"Well you're not looking," he crossed his arms and made a pouting face.
"I'm not cheating Elliot. I'm just having a good day! Do you want to stop playing?" he wouldn't look at me. Even if he was only eight, my friend could be very childish sometimes. I put a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine, buddy. I wasn't meaning to be mean," still nothing. "Well, I'm going to go for a walk, do you wanna come?" he shook his head. "Okay, I'll be back in a bit."
         I started to wander off, just letting my feet carry me. Both my parents died in the explosion, so I didn't have to worry about them worrying. But sometimes I missed what little I could remember about them. Back when I had a safe place to sleep every night, and food that I wasn't worried about killing me. Now I just bounce from place to place in Junkertown, trying to stay alive.
Thanks to the high amount of radiation, I was small. It affected everyone differently, Elliot had twelve toes instead of ten, but I always looked a year or two younger than I really was. I was small, but smart. I was always much more intelligent than any of the other kids, and even some of the adults. I liked to figure out how things worked and taking everything apart. Parents usually tell their children how everything works, but I had to figure out everything myself. Like it isn't okay to punch people or curse at them when you're mad.
         Something scurrying in front of me snapped me back to reality. It was a Kookaburra. It's bright blue spots were unmistakable. The traders paid good money for their feathers and beaks, I might be able to get a good dinner out of this thing. I had a few pieces of grain left in my backpack, and I sat cross-legged, and laid a bit of the grain out in front of me. I slowed down my breathing and sat still and waited for the bird to appear. I made a few noises to attract it, and almost a little skeptically, it started pecking at its free meal. I waited until it was a little more comfortable, and then I pounced, grabbing a mound of terrified feathers.
          "What are you doing?" said a deep, raspy voice. I froze, and looked up slowly. It was the all famous Roadhog. I heard Elliot's mother tell horror stories about him. She says he only comes out at night, and the last thing you'll ever see is his odd pig-like mask.
           "H-hunting?" I said quietly, eyeing the hook shimmering in the sunlight at his side.
           "You need to kill your victim to hunt it," he grabbed the Kookaburra with his ginormous hands, and snapped it's neck like it was a toothpick. I tried my hardest to suppress a shiver. He put the limp creature back in my hands. "Remember that for next time," he walked past me towards town, and I stood frozen, looking at him, and then down at the dead Kookaburra. I had just seen THE Roadhog, and lived. That's so cool!!! But I knew what had to happen first. I threw my backpack on the ground and rummaged through it for my knife. An old man outside the Take Away shop had taught me how to skin animals. It was a pretty useful tool to have. I had some brown paper I had collected from everywhere to wrap what meat I could find for later. I had a small baggie for the feathers and beak, and I went running back into town to trade them in for what I could get. Right beside the Take Away shop was the little Trading Centre Junkertown had set up. It was a good way to make money, or find things you needed. I ran through the small crowd of people and put the bag of feathers on the table. I was on my tippy toes just to get my head over it. Fergus was the 'Trader Man'. He had a rough face that looked like it had been through every sandstorm in Australia. The shade of his skin matched the brown-red dirt quite well, in fact. He searched through the bag's contents.
          "They're Kookaburra feathers," I explained, but he only nodded and said nothing.
         "Did you catch this yourself?"
         "Sure did," I said proudly. "Not that long ago either, they're still fresh."
        "I'll give ya two bucks for 'em."
        "Really?! I'll take it," he pulled my money from behind the counter. I rarely ever got actual money, so it was treasured. "Thank you Fergus! Buh bye!" I turned to leave, but saw something on the shelves that caught my eye. It was a little sparkling rock. "Ooo, shiny," as I examined the object further, a young man behind me answered all my questions.
         "That's a diamond, or so they say. You can get 'em from deep underground. Surprised the Queen's not got it napped up, those things are her specialty," I had heard Elliot's mother talk about 'The Queen' before, but when I asked what it was, she avoided the question.
         "Who's the Queen?"
         "Why the lady who rules over us and makes up the law of course," law meant rules, I remembered.
         "I don't like rules."
         "Not many do, but I'd rather follow them then get snatched up by her royal guards!" he made snatching motions with his hands. "They say those who walk away with them never come back."
          "I'm not afraid of them!"
          "You should be, kiddo," he ruffled my hair, to my distaste.
         I continued my way back to Elliot's house to tell him about Roadhog. I knocked on the door impatiently, and his mother let me in without a word. I was almost like a son to her at this point.
          "Elliot! Elliot!! Guess who I saw!!!"