-1 Prologue

2035

Brook, New Cinalia

"Here, over here! I saw them run off the highway!" a Savage proclaims while pointing to the sign that displays the towns' name. "They have to be hiding somewhere there!"

"Find them!" a shrill voice screams.

The Savage leader sent forth dozens of followers to search the town. Their clothing is ripped and filthy with some combination of blood, food, and soil. Their heads are either barely covered with stringy hair or completely bald with red pockmarked, burnt and torn skin. A short, metallic spear is held over a grimy shoulder alongside a mess of dirty alabaster hair as the wielder urges his men on. His stern gaze follows the sprinting mass of manic warriors.

Their mouths gape open as they dash over and through obstacles. The large hunting party separates into groups of predatory members that race to overtake their enemies with an unhinged look in their eyes. They are fueled by avarice, and the desire to be uplifted from the nameless faces of their companions. To be honored by not only their robust commander but the other lords of the Wastes.

The Savages tear through the streets, kicking in apartment doors, and breaking store windows with rusted metal poles. Three of them are holding chains attached to malnourished dogs. They cackle before releasing the hounds into an apartment building. One of them follows the dogs inside in search of prey.

Another of the Savages runs into a convenience store. Her foot gets caught on a strong piece of wire, sending her body crashing into an empty shelf. The pressure on the wire detonates the explosives set up behind the cashier counter.

There is a blinding light and an earth-shattering boom as the concrete beneath the linoleum flooring is revealed. Glass, metal, and human flesh bury the entrance.

Dilapidated post office walls shake as the people within grab for their weapons, medical materials, and backpacks. Dirty figures in mismatched clothing pace back and forth grabbing items and urging each other to go faster. Sid drinks from his jug of water and barely gets the lid on top before he drops it onto a counter. He sweeps his gaze across the room as he makes his way to the entrance.

Parents haul small children along behind them. Their small, grimy faces can't decide what to focus on the most; the people rushing to the left or the people rushing to the right. Their parents wrench their arms forward when they lag behind. People grab soiled blankets off the messy floor, shove them into torn bags, or roll the material into balls to be held underneath an arm.

"We'll have to leave it!.... Leave it!" a rusted portable grill crashes to the ground.

The owner crouches in front of the grill and shoves bits of coal into their pockets before rushing outside. Sid steps over the grill before stepping through the shattered glass entrance. The shards crunch under his boots. He sidesteps a pair that is huddled together talking in hushed tones on the stairs.

Their foreheads are touching. They have the same unkempt look as the rest of the group. Their torn clothing are layered under ragged hoodies with tattered sleeves. The edges of their pants are coated with the mud that is caked over their worn shoes.

Sid's long sleeve shirt protects him from the chill in the air. It's a stained, faded green wool shirt. He rubs his palms together while he surveys the area. In the distance, smoke rises into the sky toward the epicenter of the town. Around him, civilians rush past and scurry off toward the other side of the building.

When he continues down the slanted steps he avoids the muddy holes along the sidewalk. He narrowly avoids stepping into a puddle and pauses to look back at the post office's crumbling facade before hearing shouts in the distance.

He follows the shouting to the parking lot where a muscular man stands among shuffling bodies. The man's short, peppered hair clashes with his bright blue jacket.

"Civilians, grab only what you can run with and move on," the large man yells."We won't come back for you if you lag behind. You have 10 minutes!"

Sid walks over to the man and motions him over to where the rest of the team is stationed. Huge chunks of debris riddle the street and obstruct the road. Several dark clothed individuals lounge on the stranded cars parked in front of the post office. A black bag is open on the hood of a white vehicle with ammunition stacked inside.

Sid walks over to the center of the meeting area and claps his hands a few times. The large man jogs over to listen.

"Looks like Carla's booby-trap idea bought us some sorely needed time," Sid says before turning to the rest of the team. "Let's go! Dan is going to stay behind and ferry these people to route 296. We need 10 minutes. Start the clock!"

"What?! No, I'm going with y'all. You know this area much better than us," Dan begins to negotiate, "I'll lead the-"

"I know this area much better than all of you," Sid cut him off, "so I should be the one distracting them. You'll get lost without me. Plus, if any people lag behind, I can't muscle them to go faster. That's your job. Go do your job, Dan."

Sid tugs a gun from the waistband of his black cargo pants and checks the cartridge. Satisfied with its condition, he nods and grabs a few extra from the ammunition pile.

"If I don't see the signal, I'm leaving them all behind," Dan mutters.

"If I don't see the signal, I'm leaving them all behind!" Carla mimics at Dan's back as he stomps away.

Sid glances over to Carla and smirks before turning to the other nine people.

"Carla and you three, go to the area with the broken traffic light and kill off as many as you can. Turner, you and the rest situate yourselves in the houses along that road, so we can kill off anyone that follows them during their retreat," Sid checks to make sure his boots are tight before jogging off.

His orders spur them into immediate action, and they set off to their positions. They know Sid has the worst part of the entire plan. Leading the deranged Savages from the detonated convenience store and down the appropriate road will take an even larger explosion. Carla has already set the charges. Sid has to get there, trigger it, escape the chaos, and meet back up at the rendezvous point.

His jog gradually increases speed until he is sprinting through the streets. He ducks and uses wrecked cars as cover, but he refuses to slow down until he begins to hear cries of rage and savagery. He skids to a stop and crouches beside an overturned vehicle. The smell of burnt flesh is overwhelming. Sid steps over charred remains and large chunks of cement to peak past the flipped bumper.

"Don't cower, you fools! Find them! Find them! Find them!" the Savage Leader screams as he kicks a burning Savage that is scrambling along the sidewalk.

The Savage is crawling along the sidewalk under the deranged glare of their leader. He tries to rise to his feet, but his injured legs are weak. The Savage collapses back onto the ground. Dissatisfied with their weak attempts to stand up, the Savage leader pulls a gun from his waistband and uses a long pale finger to undo the safety. Without hesitation, he aims for the quivering form and fires a round into the back of their head.

"MOVE ON!" The Savage leader roars at the other Savages that scramble to their feet to continue their search.

Sid sees that the alley a few meters from him is empty and takes a deep breath.

"Move on!!" Sid yells toward the disgusting being, "Yea, move yourselves into that fire pit for me!"

The Savages hear the familiar voice and trip over themselves to get outside, ready to attack their enemy. In the blink of an eye, Sid runs into the alley and slams into the fire escape ladder. The chilled, rusty metal bites into his calloused palms as he climbs to the roof. When he gets to the roof, he runs straight to the vent stacks. He rushes around the square units and over to a long silver pipe that runs along the side of the roof. Beside the pipe is a thick, white cylinder and there sits a muddy backpack. It's plump and damp from the rain. Sid snatches the bag off the ground. When he shoves the zipper aside to look at the contents inside he sees blinking lights and wires. The triggering device is just as Carla left it. Perfect.

"Goooo! Get him!", the Savage Leader can be heard screaming and seen pushing Savages to follow their prey up onto the roof.

It's too late. Sid tightens the gun straps across his chest, pulls the trigger from the backpack, and flips the switches all at once.

BARROOM BOOOOOOOSH BWOOOOOOOOOM! BA BA BA BA BOOOOSH!

The Savage leader jumps at the first explosion down the street and almost falls onto the surrounding corpses during the second explosion. Relying on instincts, he runs off at top speed; sprinting off to what he assumes is safety. His wild white hair streams behind him as he escapes.

Sid sees this before feeling the blasts for the lower level of the apartment building go off. He turns to the next building, backs up a few feet, and jumps off his building to the next. Just after his feet take off, the building crumbles and flames lick out at the air.

He grabs the edge of the building, then releases himself, bending his knees when the fire escape makes contact with his feet. He grabs the metal railing of the fire escape, curses, and tosses himself off. As he falls, glass windows shatter and debris flies through the air. As he blinks at the approaching ground a chunk of cement makes contact with his head.

He cries out and groans as blood flows into his face. His consciousness deteriorates as the muddled descent makes contact with the rubble below.

BA BA BA BA BWOOOOOOOM!