Meat Caravan

I had to say, Rook's fridge was anything a loner could ever ask for. Honestly, even in my bouts of depression, I knew to appreciate good quality junk food.

"Does he really have no chips?" Seamus muttered while looking through the cabinets. Technically we were only allowed to eat from the fridge but… what did it matter?

We brought the soda to the living room couch and a bunch of frozen dishes like bite-sized pizzas and more microwave goodness. As Termina didn't have any of these appliances, nevermind a supermarket to make use of them... I was the one in charge of manning the microwave.

"Dan! Get me some more of these…. Pizza rolls…" Hawk said after squinting to read a box label placed somewhere on the kitchen counter. I shrugged and returned to the kitchen, manning the microwave was serious business.

Just like that, night came and it was only then that Rook and Kaiser came home to a group of drunkards.

I looked at the only light in the room that emanated from the open door.

"A- Urgh…!" I myself was in a bad state. It was actually my first time drinking, legally anyway.

"M- My couch!!!" Rook screamed out dropping whatever it was that he was carrying. He hadn't even turned on the lights so once Kaiser finally flipped the switch he fell to his knees.

He seemed to want to strangle every single one of us but didn't know who to start with. The next morning I woke up faintly remembering the sobs of a young man whose monthly budget had been exceeded within a single night.

"You all ate into my savings" That was what Rook said in the morning. I was initially feeling guilty but once I found out he had savings everything changed. A person such as I needed to have extraordinary freeloading skills! ...though since I didn't have any friends I actually didn't have any such skills.

Nevertheless, it was never too late to start!

The next couple of days were surprisingly spent in this same playful uneventful manner. The main difference from the first day was that we would occasionally travel around the clean streets of Eden to get some fresh air. As much as a mutant wasteland could offer anyway.

It was during these habitual walks where I saw an amazing sight, or harrowing?

"What…" I subconsciously muttered in disbelief.

A bunch of military trucks passed by each lugging poorly concealed snake meat. To be fair, the pungent smell of blood couldn't be hidden anyway so why bother?

The vehicles continue to pass by like a caravan and I could only gulp nervously. In my mind, there was no need to be so open about this deed. Couldn't they transport these things in large fridges?

Given that this was a mutant society and that technology had not regressed I wouldn't believe anyone that told me that the proper technology did not exist. Making large fridges should have in the first place not been that big a deal.

Thinking about it for just a second would tell anyone that this wasn't any snake. If I remembered correctly from Rook the snake was a vile serpent. The giant one to be exact.

As the trucks continued to cruise on by I could feel goosebumps all over my skin. The dead meat somehow managed to still leave me with a lingering trace of fear. Something in me wanted to run.

A brief look around also told me I wasn't alone in this. The regular residents of Eden who would usually go about their mundane life as normal were forced to a fearful halt. The goosebumps that creased on the backs of people was real. That meant that so was the threat.

Just like that, I knew that my vacation was over. No, it wasn't that the future held incomprehensible challenges. Though likely true. The real reason I knew was that I was unwilling.

The dreadful feeling of powerlessness that crept up on me at the hands of a mere corpse… Not even a corpse, the transported bits of one!

Thinking about it again, I who had no aspirations told myself I'd become something in this world where strength mattered most. That was honestly… conceited. The brief feeling of power that sneaking around like a rat gave me was much more stimulation than I had ever before received.

This vacation, this cheery atmosphere… I wouldn't go as far as saying I don't deserve it since someone has to somehow pay me for my suffering but now wasn't the time!

I have not spent a single minute of my new life training. Ridiculous right? To go out into the wilderness not even knowing how to properly shoot a gun? It was so inane that I find myself questioning myself.

The entire group of us was taking things too lightly. With the caravan passing off towards the disquisition faction's headquarters, I made my way back to Rook's apartment.

"Dan, good morning" An elderly neighbor woman said as she watched me open the apartment door.

"Oh, Hello Granny…" I said awkwardly before finally opening the door. A noisy atmosphere invaded my ears and permeated the hallway. The granny laughed softly, perhaps reminiscing of her younger days.

"Sorry about this granny" I flashed her an apologetic smile to which she simply waved her hand with a warm smile. I was personally unaware of the granny's history but for some reason, she seemed lonely as I closed the apartment door behind me and entered Rook's living room.

"Dan! Get me some more of that… fizzy water!" Malcolm who was one of the first people I met said seeing me enter. I had to take a small detour into the kitchen and throw him a can of soda.

"Ouch…" He didn't catch it. Luckily altered were quite tough so though it hit him on the head it had hardly formed a bump.

I grabbed another for myself and stopped to think. It was odd.

Kaiser's goal was unknown but these untrained ruffians couldn't possibly bring it to fruition, could they? Thus I found myself asking why? Why did he insist on taking us here?

In theory that was to make us suitable but given that even out there we were only taught life lessons instead of combat techniques, it was a laughable notion. To me anyway.

"What are you thinking about?" Speaking of the devil, Kaiser came out of the bathroom and walked on over to me. This felt like my only opportunity to finally speak to him about my doubts but I found myself… hesitating…

"Kaiser… aren't we a sorry bunch?" Not knowing how to phrase it those were the words I uttered and that was the question I asked.

Kaiser made a self-deprecating smile. His lightly wrinkled face seemed especially somber before he spoke out.

"Dan, you are a smart lad" Kaiser told me before patting me on the back and attempting to leave but I grabbed his shoulder.

"That doesn't answer my question" I didn't let him off so easily. Bringing us to Eden… What was his plan? It couldn't have been as simple as making Lytton angry.

"I've got the support we need" Kaiser exhaled deeply before narrowing his eyes and whispering something into my ears.

"We've got a hit job, I'm hoping you'll deal the final blow" Was what he whispered in my ears. It didn't take a genius to know how this support was acquired... What form did it take? Well, that was beyond me. All I knew was that our return to Termina might be a bit volatile.