Drifter Chapter 10:
we surviving the apocalypse with this one, boys 🫡
Calico Desert was in turmoil. And for once, it wasn’t related to the apocalypse. A sandstorm was raging through as Drifter and Sandy trudged through the dunes. They weren’t as bad as those in larger deserts, but both still wore goggles, scarves pulled up over their noses and mouths. Drifter’s hood kept most of it out, but every time it flew back he could feel particles rooting in his scalp.
“So…you made a deal with the eldritch casino guy and now you’re out here killing unkillable bugs. Also I’m here for some reason. Doesn’t quite match what you’d expect, huh?” Sandy’s voice was muffled by her scarf, leaving her basically shouting against the wind to be heard.
“I don’t expect anything these days. Things just happen.” He also yelled as they reached the stand of palm trees surrounding the entrance to the Skull Cavern. He turned back for a moment, making sure she made it and checking the visibility. In the distance, he could just barely make out a group of people walking east along the road.
People didn’t usually travel in groups. In the early days there had been more nomadic groups, who thought themselves tough for having a bus or a van that they could ride around, but they forgot that gas isn’t eternal. Big groups attracted zombies, so you had to be really confident to travel with more than three. Or really foolish.
He turned back, breathing a sigh of relief as they entered the first level of the cave. It was slightly buried in sand, but they could still get down into the caverns below. They went down a couple floors before finding an Armored Bug, and Sandy gawked a bit at the scale of some of the tunnels and creatures. She had dealt in the riches of the caverns, but never gone very deep inside.
It was ironic how he’d had to learn about the cavern himself. The whole reason he had come to the desert on that fateful day was his wife’s promise to teach him to conquer the caves one day. She told him he was finally ready with a proud smile he desperately wished he could have seen again. They had so much bliss then, even in the danger. And then they had been forcibly ripped apart.
Drifter gently laid the poisoned bird along the path of a meandering bug before running back to where Sandy was sitting by a pile of rocks. She kept eyeing the serpents above them–for good reason. Those things certainly packed a punch, and had left Drifter unable to mine for a bit earlier in the year. Those had been some of the scarier weeks of this lifestyle, when he wasn’t sure if he could defend himself. Not being able to rely on people as much made this all so much harder. He was lucky to have Sandy here.
Finally, the pink bug noticed the meat, landing to inspect it before using its large mandibles to tear out chunks. It was a sort of gruesome sight–he knew all too well that those bites tore and hurt. Both of the watchers recoiled a bit as it snapped down the last piece.
And flew away.
Drifter groaned, leaning back against the cave wall. That had been his only lead. What was he supposed to do now? He just got the strength to face what he might see, but if he waited too much longer it might falter again.
“Wait, look!” Sandy called, and he peeked out from behind his hands to see the bug teetering in the air before crashing to the ground. It took a few moments for it to stop twitching, but finally, finally it was over.
The pair left the caves with heads and the corpse held high. They were doing it, they were really doing it! They called for Qi in the casino, presenting the rather gross fruits of their labor.
“Congratulations, I’m impressed. You could at least have removed the body, though.” He pulled the carapace off it in a fluid motion, dropping the rest in Sandy’s hands. She gagged, tossing it to the side. “Your deal is done! It’s been a pleasure working with you.” He bowed with a flourish and turned to leave.
Drifter clenched his fists. “Qi! What about your side of the deal? Where is my wife’s zombie?”
Qi looked back with a fake innocent smile. “Oh, right, that. Of course, of course, her zombie!” He smiled with far too many teeth before breaking Drifter’s worldview forever.
“She doesn’t have one.”
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