Twisted Inksoul - The Anthology of Inkwell

Part 1 Chapter 1: Young Adult Wasteland

"Is it me, or does the desert seem hotter than usual?"

"Negative. The environment around us has remained a consistent temperature for the past 87 days."

A pair of scavengers, piloting a run-down speeder pod, jetted across the sandy and rocky terrain. A cloudy trail of dust followed behind the pod, resembling a small sandstorm. The steady hum of the vehicle was the only noise that was heard. The scavengers, although they were a team, spoke little to one another. They both knew it was fine with one another. Besides, in the current situation the world was in, it was best to remain silent.

The scavengers approached their destination. Before them, in the midst of the hellish desert, was a titanic mass of scrap metal and cryptic technology. The metal parts, which were as tall as skyscrapers, dwarves the scavengers and their pod. The pilot of the pod started to feel uneasy. She felt as if the industrial remains were swallowing her whole. As the speeder pod progressed further through the wreckage, this feeling only sunk deeper into the pilot. Now within the wreckage, the fractured yet enclosed ceiling cloaked the scavengers in blinding darkness. Only thin rays of light poked through. The pilot wished her companion would say something to take her mind off her fear. Anything. The corridors got smaller and smaller. She needed to get out of there. Before her heart exploded out of her chest, she decided to speak first.

"So... I can't believe the resistance managed to shoot down a mothership. That was just a fantasy a few years ago."

"Affirmative. Our rebel forces have steadily increased the quantity of knowledge pertaining to the enemy. Said knowledge resulted in the steady defeat of the first mothership. In other words, you should believe it."

The pilot smiled under her protective garments. The autonomous responses her partner always gave provided a sense of comfort. Unfortunately, that sense quickly faded as the pilot looked ahead at the barricaded door to the control deck at the end of the hallway.

"Hey, do you mind getting that?" she asked her companion.

Without responding, her companion shifted in the seat behind her. He shifted his cloak and pulled out a heavy plasma rifle. Once it was loaded, the pilot's companion fired a bolt of concentrated plasma, which struck the door and caused it to melt. The pilot braked, slowing to a stop right in front of the new hole in their path.

The two cautiously entered the control deck, or what was left of it. Both turned on flashlights and stretched the light around the circular room. The pilot crouched down towards one of the control panels, searching for parts to salvage. Her companion stood guard, plasma rifle in hand. He looked around the expansive space suspiciously. Moments later, the pilot returned to her companion. "There's nothing here worth salvaging. I can't believe it. What a waste of time."

The pilot's companion did not respond. He lowered his rifle and started to investigate the control deck himself. The pilot watched him in confusion as he approached the main control pedestal. After further inspection, the pilot's companion turned around and concluded, "The fact no bodies of the enemy are present is illogical. My mainframe cannot compute an accurate scenario in which the lack of casualties is possible."

"They probably just used an early escape pod or something. Let's just get outta here," the pilot stated begrudgingly. Her companion began to follow her but halted once more. "Allow me to conduct a vitals search before we evacuate the wreckage," he stated. He pulled out a small sensor from out of his cloak and held it up above his head. After a moment of no input, he angled it towards the opposite end of the room. A faint beeping could be heard from the device. The companions stared at each other at this discovery. The noise got louder and more concentrated as the pilot's guard got closer to the end of the room. "There could be one of those things alive outside! Let's go!" the pilot exclaimed.

Upon navigating and exiting the destroyed mothership, the pilot accelerated the speeder pod as fast as possible towards the mysterious signal. A quarter of a mile from the wreckage, the speeder pod hopped over a sand dune. As it descended into the source of the signal, the pilot finally saw it. There was a large, primitive-looking machine submerged in the sand. It seemed to be there for ages, so the pilot didn't understand why vitals were allegedly coming from inside. The pilot stopped the speeder pod and hopped off along with her companion. They approached the ancient device with caution. The pilot placed her hand on the door of the device, wiping off the dusty glass. What appeared to be a face was inside. "There's a person in there! They're alive, help me open this!", the pilot demanded. Without hesitation, the two put all their might into opening the rusty door. After many minutes of brute strength, the door finally opened. They couldn't believe what they saw.

Inside the capsule was a young man with pointy ears and a messy head of blonde hair. He was wearing clothes that were incredibly too small as if they were a child's. He clutched a large blade in his arms as if he were hugging it. The man, the blade, and the entire interior of his resting place was covered in a black, gooey substance. His face muscles began to twitch and slowly opened his heavy eyelids. He blinked numerous times as he was facing a blinding light. The only source of protection from the light were two shadows of two figures. One was shorter than the other and was considerably thinner than the other. The other shadow was hulking and nearly twice the size of the other.

The man began to breathe slowly. As he was regaining his senses, he softly asked, "wh-wha-where am I? What's going on?"

The pilot reached inside the damp capsule for a helping hand. "Buddy, you're in the apocalypse. Welcome," she replied.