Rabid Impurity

One - The Girl With a Gun

Adam Hart ran his elongated fingers over the wooden handle of his trusted boning knife. The roughness of the slightly splintered wood under his equally as weathered skin was an all too familiar sensation for him. The unsettling prospect of having to use it in self-defence was uncanny. Or at least, it would have been several months ago. The intended culinary tool was fitted in a homemade, leather sheath that swung loosely from the worn belt loops of his tatty, sun-bleached, denim shorts. His feet seared angrily with the pain that seemed to constantly shadow him as he walked determinedly through a once-clean suburban landscape. His small grey eyes moved feverishly through the over-grown street, alert and ready to react on the off chance that he saw a sign of unwanted movement. What would have once been considered a upper-middle class suburb was now littered with dangerous debris. Fallen power-lines and ramshackled carcasses of abandoned cars were strewn across the roads and footpaths. The streets had fallen to the natural elements. Mother Nature had claimed ownership of everything. She had warped the city of Brisbane into her own twisted kingdom, and the human race was only a minor contribution to her new world.  Adam's steps were swift yet cautious as he padded through the once well-kept lawns. His mind was focused on the task at hand. He was alert and ready. It was Adam's job to patrol the streets while his friends raided the surrounding houses for food and other supplies.

Food was seldom found now-a-day. Adam and his friends were usually able to scrape together some fresh produce from people's back yards. Tin cans and other substantual foods were harder to come by, but were the main objective. Most houses had already been looted. Some survivors were kind enough to paint red 'X's on the front doors, to mark the ones that had been searched, which accounted for almost all of the houses in in this particular street. Adam and his friends had learned from experience that that did not necessarily mean that they were not worth checking out. They almost always found something usefull, even if it wasn't food. Lots of houses in the suberbs of the city of Brisbane had vegitable and herb gardens that had thrived while the world around it went to shit.

Adam heard the slam of a door, then the loud, unmistakable sound of someone falling over, followed by a string of loud swear words. He turned in the direction of the commotion, only to see a young boy struggling with a long, heavy object. The boy winced as he pushed himself up from the ground, dusting off his hands and looking around nervously, checking to make sure no one else had seen him stumble. He spotted Adam and waved enthusiasticly.

'I've always wanted one of these!' The boy said, a cheesy grin etched across his round, youthful face as he swept the dirt off the back of his pants. Adam looked closer at what he was holding, and then walked over to where the boy was standing

'Do you even know how to play the guitar, Benji?' Adam asked with a kind laugh, taking the wooden acoustic guitar out of the boy's hands and inspecting it with mild curiousity. Benji pulled a small booklet from his bag, which was meant to be full of food, and showed it to Adam.

'"Guitars for Beginners"' Adam read out loud, grinning. 'I don't know, mate. You'll have to ask William.' William was the unofficial leader of Adam and Benji's little survival group. He called the shots. He looked after the other kids, but he was notorious for being painfully strict at times. Benji frowned.

'William will never say yes. He's so up-tight.' The boy muttered, scuffing his foot idly in the dirt.

'Leave the guitar out here and go find him and Cinder, see if they're ready to head back?' Adam suggested mildly. Benji nodded, carefully placing the guitar on the ground where he stood. The young boy frowned up at Adam.

'I didn't find any food.' He admitted, his voice wavered slightly as he looked down at the ground. Adam forced a smile that didn't quiet reach his eyes.