Corl

'It's too damn cold out here...I should've taken that winter coat...' I thought to myself as I trudged through the ruined streets of an equally ruined city. My name is Corl...well it's a nickname, most marauders don't remember their names from before they turned. I'm not sure why I chose 'Corl' but it doesn't actually matter all that much.

So anyway there I was, duffel heavy as all hell with beans and beets from the latest raid on a human settlement. I didn't really do any raiding, I usually hang back and watch while my more violent brothers and sisters do the damage, then I go in and take things for myself. Such as beans and beets, about eight cans of each...ugh, it's only getting colder, and darker. I need to find a place to stay bef-Aha!

There, in the Mart! Campfire light…I need to be careful, mutants are usually on a 'Kill on Sight' basis.

I slowly crept up to the destroyed section of the wall, peering into the main floor. Sitting around the fire were what seemed to be a Slugger Descendant, a Stickman Descendant, and three Outcasts. What luck! I'm not going to kill them or anything, I don't have a gun and my chainsaw's engine froze up, I'm gonna have to get that fixed. It's just that Stickmen are nearly incapable of fighting, Sluggers are easy to fight even if they decide to become hostile, and Outcasts are generally non-combative.

Just then, I shivered, 'I'll need to get warm if I want to survive…' I cautiously approached the group. No sudden moves. One of the Outcasts noticed the snow crunching under my boots and turned to face me...

Ned

'Oh god...I'm so hungry…' My name is Ned, I'm an Outcast, me and some friends are taking shelter from a nearby mutant horde in the Mart. There's no way we're able to fight them, we heard from a traveler that they had eight crushers! Imagine that! They could lift up a car with ease! So anyway we were hanging out in a settlement in the suburbs...that is until word got out that there was a large mutant horde en route, we booked it as soon as we could, then got robbed, then got our food bag torched, and ended up here about eleven hours later.

So, here the five of us are...my friend Nifty, she's an Outcast like me, another Outcast who said his name was R.E.D it's supposed to stand for something...and he brought along two Descendants, a Slugger, and a Stickman, I didn't know their names. We're hungry, scared, and cold huddled around a small fire that R.E.D was somehow able to set up.

'How could things get any worse?' I thought to myself, then I felt as if someone was watching us…Snow crunched under boots to my left, towards the broken wall, and I saw it…

A RAD-IV Mutant Marauder. He was wearing black cargo pants, a torn, ragged short-sleeve shirt, combat boots, and duffel bag with bandoliers were over his shoulder. Although his hands didn't appear injured, he had bandages wrapped around the knuckles anyway. My eyes wandered to a small yellow handle sticking out over his left shoulder…'Is that a fucking chainsaw?!' Nifty noticed him too and gasped in shock. R.E.D drew a small, rusty knife and held it ready, the Descendants seemed to just sit back and accept their imminent demise. As for me...I just stared at him, too scared to move or to speak. It was lucky the mutant got the first word in, otherwise, we would've just stared at each other until one of us dropped dead.

"Hi."

Corl

I figured it would've made a better impression if I said something more positive or reassuring, but I said what I said and there's no turning back now. The Outcast in the middle of the other two felt for a weapon, but it wasn't there...as it turned out none of these people were armed, except a hooded Outcast near the back of the circle with a knife.

The wind howled and made me shiver, so, much to the people's discomfort and fear, I stepped further inside the building. The Outcast with a knife stood up and spoke.

"Stay back! Stay back, beast!" 'Beast? Ha, as if he's ever seen a RAD-8.'

With a small smirk I replied, "Marauders can smell fear." Blatantly untrue, but what did he know? Plus I saw him quivering anyway. He took my bluff and fell back onto his ass with a small "Holy shit."

I approached the fire and sat onto an overturned cart that was missing its wheels. The people cowered in fear and sat as far as they could away from me. They weren't running and screaming yet, so they knew I wasn't feral. I unslung my duffel and rooted around for a can of beans. I was about to open it up when one of the Outcasts approached.

Nifty

I watched in horror as the Marauder waltzed right in and took a seat like he owned the place. He hasn't proved to be a threat yet, but Marauders rarely travel alone and we have no way of defending ourselves.

I felt my stomach growl from deep in my bones when he took out the beans. I looked over to my companions, they had the same look and were clutching their own stomachs...You know what? He isn't feral, he hasn't even been mean. I'm starving, we're all starving. I figured 'What's the harm if I go ask for some food, hell I'll beg at this point, the worst that could happen is he kills me and I'm gonna die anyway if I don't eat something soon.'

I slowly got up, ignoring the whispered pleads of Ned and R.E.D to stay. walking around the fire, the Marauder looked up at me with his cold, pure black eyes. He relaxed his body yet I could tell that he was ready to spring up at a moment's notice, all of his attention was on me.

Corl

The Outcast was a few feet away from me at this point, she walked slowly with her head down but here eyes peered up towards me, she looked frail and weak, but if she had a concealed knife on her I'd be next to powerless as she killed me. Then I saw her eyes track down to the can of beans in my hands, she lifted her head and spoke softly, in an almost pleading tone.

"Excuse me, but...m-my friends a-and I haven't eaten in nearly a day, and we've been on the run for the rest of the time...c-could you spare s-some food? P-please?"

Well fuck, maybe these were some of the peeps at the latest raid? It didn't matter much to me if they were there or not. I weighed my options.

I could give them some food, I had plenty of cans on me and more at camp, it would be a fair deal, food for fire….I had the option not to though, they were powerless against me and if I wanted to, I could kill them all...I looked back at the Outcast in front of me, to her eyes and her weak appearance, then to her friends, they looked equally weak, the Stickman more than others, of course. All their attention was on us though...Ehhhhh fuck it, they can have some food.

The Outcast's eyes lit up as I wordlessly tossed her the beans, and dug around my duffel for some others I was willing to part with. She went back to her friends to deliver the two cans of beans and two cans of beets I had given her, as well as an opener.

They all happily yet cautiously moved back near the fire and ate, with two Outcasts gorging themselves on beans and the hooded Outcast spoon-feeding the Descendants beets. As well as his own can of beets.

They thought I couldn't tell, that I was too busy with my own food and couldn't tell that they were stealing glances at me, I decided to humor them and appear distracted long enough for them to study me, they watched my every move and flinched when I stretched or reached down into my duffel for a minute. It's not like I hated the attention, 'Is this what a RAD-8 feels like? Surrounded by weaker creatures amazed by you..?'

'Hm, this is getting boring…' It wouldn't be like that forever though, the people shrieked and scurried for cover when someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind. I turned around, there, staring at me dumbly, was a RAD-VII Crusher.

"Corl."

"What?"

"Shogun sent me to find you." 'ugh, what does that prick want?'

"Tell him to fuck off."

"Hoki...are you going to kill them? Can I?" The Crusher said while pointing to the terrified people.

"Uh, no. Now go away." I said, more annoyed.

"Shogun wants you, Corl." The Crusher replied blankly.

"Alright fine, I'll bite. What does Shogun want?" Just then, about two dozen Marauders, seven Crushers, countless Hitmen, Leachers and Creepers trudged down the street, towards the Strip Mall. I heard a quiet "Holy Jesus." from behind me. The Crusher kept staring.

"He wants to know if you're coming."

"Where are we headed?"

"Motel."

"Yeah, yeah. Tell him I'll make my way over once I finish eating."

"Hoki." The Crusher said as he walked off.

As the Crusher turned back to rejoin the group I thanked whoever was watching over that he didn't scream for blood at the sight of the people. The peeps in question slowly rose from their hiding places, and back to their food. They had looks of shock and terror painted all over their faces. It seemed the hooded one was praying, what with his hands clasped together whispering under his breath.

I turned towards the group, taking out some food, water and a lantern with about a day of battery life on it left. As I handed the items to the group who gratefully accepted them. I spoke.

"You guys should probably leave, and get very far away, that crusher will talk."

One of the Outcasts choked out a 'yes' and nodded, then walked towards me.

Ned

I don't like mutants.

Nobody does.

In fact, most people hate them with all their hearts and souls.

But if I wasn't willing to accept the fact that mine and my friend's lives were more or less saved by the marauder eating beans and relaxing by a campfire…

I'd be an idiot.

As the sun rose over this godforsaken valley to greet another day in hell, we parted ways. The parting affair was small, we thanked him for his help and supplies, he thanked us for letting him stay.

So that was that. The marauder who I soon realized that I'd never gotten the name of walked away into the alleys of Boulder Cove. I toyed with the idea of trying to find him and ask, but I figured it'd be pointless. So my friends and I, walking back to the suburbs to scrounge through the pieces of the settlement.

Thus begins a new day in Lake Mead, Arizona Wasteland.

Corl

My chainsaw thawed, it'll need some oil and fuel, but otherwise in working order. I found an old respirator and put it on for no other reason besides that it looked cool.

'Welp, time to rejoin the horde…'

A/N

Henlo peeps of the [ATF] Fan Fics server and [ATF] Biomass server. Got inspired by an RP with a slugger Descendant who was so scared of my IV 'Corl' that they ran into the lake. Then I saw them later warning some humans of "A marauder with a chainsaw around BC." Frankly, I was offended.

So anyway that's it. That makes three completed works out of eleven I'll never finish.

Good...day/night