Waking Up

My vision slow recovers. My body is burning and a strange sensation flares on my body. My head does not seem to be aching as bad anymore.

God, did I really decide to take on a lightning strike?

Sometimes, being close to death causes people to go crazy.

Picking myself up, I saw the burnt arches on my uniform, and a blade melted into the ground. I wonder how I survived that strike.

I take off the vest, as most of it now rendered useless by the lightning strike.

I start to notice my body had slimmed... Nothing else seemed to be off, but what caused my body to slimmed to the point where I had to tighten the belt by 1. Good thing I didn't get fully up yet.

I quickly recollect my gear

Food - enough for another 6 weeks

Water - enough for a week

Equipment:

Pistol with 6 spare clips, no 4. The lightning rendered 2 useless

Combat Knife

Hatchet

Swiss Army Knife

Map of the Eastern States

Various Survival Tools

Now what to do with the biggest issue of them all.

Radiation. Even if I survived that lightning strike I don't think I'm living for another week.

I pack everything into the bag and carry the tarp that covered it.

I look down the road, nothing in sight. I take out the map from my bag. The nearest city is close, I'll get to it in a day.

After walking a bit, I notice that my body seemed to be breathing something and it helps stave off the exhaustion built up from constant hiking.

The land looks like it's dying. Sunlight has yet to pierce the skies after nuke day.

When night approach I see the outline of a city in the distance. I don't want to enter during the night, thus I set up camp nearby and snacked on my MREs. I barely consumed water, it seems this amount of water will last me a few months at this rate. Maybe my body can absorb water vapors? Then again, I only snacked on the MREs so I also have enhanced fuel/food efficiency?

Somethings feels off, something definitely changed with this body. The burning sensation continued, but it's not that bad. I haven't had signs of radiation poisoning for the whole day.

Mutation. This could be good, this could be bad. So far, I believe it's been really good. But someone has told me, with every good thing in life a bad thing will occur. I really hope it's not bad. But if I could get to live another few years, I guess it's good enough.

What would be the penalties of having a body with reduced consumption and radiation immunity?