Anywhere But Here (CH 15) [Human(m)xHyenas(f)]

Anywhere But Here [human(m)xmultiple hyena(f),violence, femdom, smut, pseudo-penis, intersex, romance, drug use]
by Teether


Chapter 15


>You line up the papers and close the file before sliding it back into your belt
>You look over at the Sisters, saddling their mechanical beasts once more as they get into formation
>”Come on Twigs!” barks Riley waving you over as she sits awkwardly in the small sidecar
>You stand up and walk over to Eve’s bike as Tinker and Eve saddle up
”Hey Tinker!” you shout as Tinker kicks up the bike’s stand and Eve readjusts on the backseat
>Tinker looks over a you as she sets the stand back down, “What is it Twiggy?”
“Would you mind if you switched up with me? I am getting stir-crazy” you say standing beside the bike
>Tinker gives you a skeptical look, “Ain’t you kinda a shit driver Twiggy?”
>You brush off the insult, “Well, I AIN’T going to get better if you don’t let me drive. Besides, don’t you want some rest from riding?”
>Tinker nods back over her shoulder towards Eve as the sound of turning over engines fill the air, “That isn’t my call to make little Twiggy”
>You turn to Eve, the wells of her eyes filled with exhaustion, “Well?”
>Eve sighs with a grin, “Sure, but if you crash my bike I am not patching you up”
>Tinker shrugs and kicks the stand down before dismounting the bike
>She gives you a couple reassuring thumps on the back, “Good luck Twiggy, try not to get eaten by the asphalt”
>Tinker begins walking towards Dee,  “Yo! Dee! Guess who’s your new bitch!”
>You mount the bike, kicking up the stand and turning the engine over as two giant arms wrap around your midsection
>You feel Eve’s breath on your neck as her chest presses firmly into your back
>You feel her right arm tremble as it lightly holds you
>One by one the bikes take off down the windy strip as you awkwardly shift the bike’s gears
>”Take your time, be patient Twigs” you hear Eve mutter reassuringly into your right ear
>You take a deep breath, trying to release the anxiety building in your chest
>You settle down, falling into a zen like state as you manage to make your way to the back of the formation
>You look in your side mirror, the black hooded figure of Delilah cruising stealthily a couple motorcycle lengths behind you
>You drop your speed deliberately as the little black café racer drops in sync with you
>Delilah always rides at the back of group but you couldn’t shake the feeling the hyena was watching you, the feeling of emaciated eyes crawling over the back of your head
>You grip your knuckles tighter on the handlebars as your heart beats in your throat once more

>You get it now
>You understand the feeling of freedom that comes with riding
>The views along the highway as you cross along Northern California are stunning
>The wide-open road, surrounded by lush foliage
>The cities and towns, abandoned
>You try not to think about it
>Instead, you focus on the road, trying to clear the pestering thoughts from your head once more
>Your body grows weary from the ride as Eve slumps against you, her head resting lightly on your right shoulder
>You see the forest come to an abrupt end on the right side of the road as a giant, overgrown field of wooden crosses comes into view
>You slow the motorcycle down; falling away from the group as you pull into the graveyard, light showering over the field through the surrounding canopy
>Delilah zooms past you as you hear the high-pitched whine of her bike quickly surpass you
>You see the hooded head look back at you as she continues off down the road
>You pull over into a gravel patch, the tires skirting slightly as the heavy metal beast comes to a stop
>You try to sit up straight as you quickly realize you’ve been hunched over for the past couple hours, the massive hyena weighing you down
>You lightly elbow Eve, “Eve, come on. Snap out of it, I gotta take a piss”
>Eve sits up and rubs her eyes as you kick down the stand and dismount
>”mmmm…….where’s the rest of the gang Twigs?” says Eve climbing off the bike, its suspension giving a squeak of relief
“I dunno” you say walking over to a thick plank of weathered wood covered in hand painted letters reading, “Here lie some of the brave Sentient men and women who served in the defense of the East Coast, left and abandoned by their own government”
>You glance around at the neglected, weathered and eaten crosses littered in the open field of overgrown grass
>You notice that none of the crosses have names
>You walk back out of the graveyard to the side of the road to piss instead
>You hear yawning behind you as Eve stretches her arms over her head
>You finish up before heading back over to the tired hyena, leaning on one of the front posts marking the graveyard’s entrance
>”So where are we at? Its been a little while and-HEY!” said Eve as you run up behind her, grabbing the pistol from her side holster
>You flick off the safety and aim it at Eve’s chest as she turns around at you, her eyes growing wide, “Twigs…..what the hell do you think your doing!?’
>You reach a hand under your robe and pull the thick file out from your belt, tossing it onto the ground in front of her
“Explain” you say swiping the pistol down at the file
>Eve slowly bends down, keeping eye contact with you as she picks the file off the ground
>As soon as she opens the front cover, the professional atmosphere around her completely changes
“You killed them all didn’t you” you say
>”I didn’t kill anyone….I didn’t want to kill anyone” said Eve plucking the picture from the first page and looking it over reminiscingly
”Oh? Then what did you do? Because to me it looks like genocide of the entire human race” you say, your knuckles growing tighter around the pistols grip
>”That’s not what happened! I am not a murder! I was just doing my job!” said Eve with a slight growl
”Well then, enlighten me” you say
>Eve sighs, walking over to a small boulder and sitting down on it, “During the height of the war medical personnel were too few and far between, too many had died already and the risks were high. The Reaper project was an extremely small gathering of scientists, it had endlessly been put on the back burner and was kept very secret from the public.”
“Wait….how did you know about the project before coming on?” you say
>”I didn’t, all I knew about the job was that it paid very well and that they were looking for a sentient nurse. By that time in the war, all if not every Sentient had gone AWOL so I was like gold to them.” Said Eve as she braced her arms on her legs
“Why did they need a Sentient nurse?” you say
>”At the time I didn’t think much of that detail, but now looking back at it I am sure it was because they assumed Sentient test subjects would be more trusting of a Sentient nurse to administer shots and transfer test subjects……They were right” said Eve hanging her head
“Why did you do it? They were your people” you say with more pity than malice
>”They kept me in the dark about almost about everything…. Even the death of the of the test subjects were kept from me, constantly rotating in fresh bodies. They told me that test subjects were violent criminals and that the shots I was giving were for immunization against biological weapons. I hate to say that I accepted that answer till I met Delilah” said Eve picking up some pebbles and rolling them through her fingers
“Why Delilah?” you say
>”Delilah’s a loner, shy, quiet, not some cold-blooded killer. As soon as I met her I knew something was wrong. One of the requirements to my job was to not speak to the test subjects. When I first walked into her cell I saw this young hyena shivering in the corner, scared insane. As soon as she saw me, she clung to my apron and cried, happy to have finally found another hyena Sentient and hoping I’d help. She thought I was going to free her, put in a good word. She was wrong.” Said Eve, eyes growing distant
“What happened to her?” you say
>”My guard escort came into the cell and cracked her face bloody with the butt of her rifle. I still hear the agonizing scream that Delilah gave out, her hope being crushed out of her. After that I began to start digging around the station, knowing that if I were caught disobeying my orders I’d probably be put in jail or executed for treason. I am a sentient afterall.” Said Eve
”And?... What did you find?” you say lowering the gun a bit, your arms growing tired
>Eve lets out a loud sigh, “The entire project was a lie from the beginning, and even the official story amongst the scientists was nothing more than a cover”
“What? How?” you say
>”The story passed around the scientists was that the biological weapon they were developing was going to be used on Asiatic sentient troops. The United States government was never scared of enemy Sentients, they were worried about them within their own border.”
“We were going to gas our own people?” you say with disbelief
>Eve lets out a sarcastic chuckle, “’Our own people’ you know Twigs, your one in a million, most humans, especially those in the government, don’t see it like that. What they saw was millions of troops go AWOL, we might as well have been Asiatic soldiers marching through the streets of DC. The government was desperate to squash any ‘Beast’ insurrection, real or imaginary”
“So you got revenge on humanity? Is that it?” you say squeezing the grip on the gun at your side as you readjust your weight
>Eve gives you a quick scowl before turning back to a frown, “That’s not what was supposed to happen…I managed to sneak into the lab, the security was much shittier than you would have expected, the facility itself was a rotting hulk. Once in the lab I tried manipulating the prototype as much as possible, hoping that I’d end up killing or neutralizing the Reaper”
>You loosen your grip on the pistol once more, “But that’s not what happened…”
>”No….instead I had accidentally set the Reaper to mutate….” said Eve pouring the pebbles from her hand back onto the ground
>Both of you stay still for a couple moments, the only sound is the wind rustling the leaves and the clacking of wooden crosses rocking loosely in the dirt
“You didn’t kill the scientists, did you?” you say
“No I didn’t…. After the immense failure of the project the government purged the facility, killing all the scientists and sentient test subjects before leveling the facility to the ground. A week before the purge I escaped with Delilah, fleeing west to California”
“You didn’t free the other test subjects?” you say
>Eve stands up, brushing her hands on her pants, “No, I was afraid of the government tracking me down. I still regret that decision every damn day.”
>You hear the high-pitched whine of a motorcycle coming north
>Eve walks up to you, getting within a couple inches, “Now are you going to shoot me or not Twigs?”
>You look over to see Delilah pull into the gravel patch
>You hand the pistol back to Eve as she quickly re-holsters it and takes a step back
“Sorry, I didn’t know...I just wanted answers…” you say lamely as Eve hands you back the folder
>”You don’t have many friends left Twigs….don’t go turning them into enemies” said Eve as she walks away towards Delilah
“Eve” you peep up past the wind
>Eve stops briefly but doesn’t turn around, “Yeah?”
“…am…..am I going to die?” you say
>”I don’t know Twigs. Nobody knows that answer. I’d just count your lucky stars your still alive and not one of those poor souls on a pike in Seattle” said Eve as she continues towards Delilah
>Eve says a couple words to Delilah before mounting the back of the small bike and zooming south back down the road
>A chorus of cries goes up as the wind rides through the rotten holes of the wooden crosses behind you
>You suddenly feel like thousands of eyes are watching you, judging, mournful, angry
>You take one more look at the folder in your hand before laying it down at the feet of the long-forgotten memorial sign
>You shiver, turning and walking back to Eve’s motorcycle, turning it over and heading out after the rest of the gang

>Your panic subsides as you eventually meet up with the rest of the gang at another gas station after about an hour of riding solo, just you and the empty road as night begins to fall
>The Sisters are standing in a circle, all with slumped shoulders heavy with exhaust around the pumps
>You pull up next to them and dismount the bike
>”Fucking hell Twigs! Eve said that you wanted to be alone. Is everything alright?” said Tinker in surprisingly concerned tone
“Yeah, I am alright. Just feeling a bit ill is all” you say without thinking
>Some of the Sisters look at each other with concern
>”Twigs, if anything gets worse you let us know. Your one of us now, remember? No secrets” says Riley
>You look swiftly over to Eve before glancing back to Riley, “Yeah….no secrets”
>Riley nods before looking around at the gang, “Alright everyone, we still got about ten more hours ahead of us until we reached home base. How’s everyone feeling?”
>A chorus of tired mutters and mumbles whine forth from the group
>Riley lets out a sigh, “That’s about what I thought. We need to stay strong and cover as much distance between us and Seattle as we can. We’re gonna have to ride through the night”
>The group stays silent, realizing the truth in Riley’s words
>”Well, I might have a solution” said Tyler pulling a small baggy from her pocket
>You can’t see the baggy in the dark but you already know that its drugs
>”Meth? Really? Isn’t that going a little overboard for a ten hour ride?” said Eve crossing her arms
>”What other choice do we have? Were all exhausted and its not like most of us here haven’t taken a pinch or two” said Dee shrugging with a frown
>Before anyone could discuss any further, Tyler was busy crushing the baggy on the side of the pump
>Tyler takes a bump before handing it off to you
>Without hesitation you take a rounded key bump, quickly snorting the little pile of shards
>You hand the bag off to Eve as she reluctantly takes a small bump before handing it off
>The baggy quickly makes the rounds before coming back to Tyler who finishes it off
>The sounds of sniffling and coughing fill the air as you go back to Eve’s bike to fill the tank
>You finish off the tank as you notice the nozzle trembling slightly in your hand
>”Thank you Twigs” you hear Eve say as she puts a hand on your shoulder
>”Your welcome” you mutter awkwardly as you begin to feel and energetic jitteriness in your bones
>”I’ll take her from here, why don’t you hop back on with Dee, I bet she’d love to get some time away from Tinker” said Eve mounting the bike
>”Yeah” you say dreamily as you walk off back to Dee mounting her motorcycle
>You ask her if you can ride with her as Dee gives you that familiar motherly smile, “Sure darling, I think me and Tinker need some time apart anyway. She can be…well… a little much”
>Dee helps hoist you up onto the behemoth as she turns the engine over
>Without further hesitation and high wired, the gang rides off once more into the pitch-black abyss


>Ten hours flew by in the blink of an eye
>You fidgeted the whole way with nothing to keep you occupied
>You held yourself close to Dee as she guided the bike cleanly around holes in the darkness covered road
>Before you knew it, the sun rose over the horizon, the landscape appearing completely different than the day before
>The Sisters eventually left the highway, riding out into what felt like the middle of nowhere
>Everywhere felt like the middle of nowhere to you now
>The gang pulls up to a long, large, rancher style building with a separate warehouse garage completely surrounded by a tall chain link fence and sandbag barricades
>A large, crooked, bullet-hole riddled metal sign tied to the fence with wires reads, “No trespassing” as the gang drives through the main gate
>The Sisters dismount the bikes in front of the house and head up to the front door
>The dented, boot marked covered door is made out of thick steel with multiple deadlocks
>Riley pulls a ring of keys and smoothly unlocks them all with ease
>She tries to push on the door but finds it stuck
>She lines up a heavy boot and kicks the front door open, breaking a thick seal of dust and dirt
>”GODS DAMN ITS GOOD TO BE HOME!” shouts Tyler running through the open door with her arms over her head as Tinker follows quickly after
>The rest of the Sisters follow through, as you’re the last to go inside, still feeling like a trespassing outsider
>The air hangs heavy with the smell of stale dust and hyena, the dust clouds float visibly in the air from a mix of neglect and absence
>The house is one giant room filled with trinkets and pictures of previous adventures over the years, all coated with a thick layer of dust
>You look over at the far side of the room to see a ginormously long table with eight chairs of varying shapes and sizes around it, the words “SoCal Sisters” etched into its wooden length
>”Ahhh good to be home” you hear Riley say with a sigh of relief as she flops down into a tall throne-like leather chair at the head of the table
>”Alright everyone, gather round” says Riley as the other Sisters sit in their seats minus the two twins who weren’t anywhere to be seen
>Riley snorts with frustration before stomping the floor causing it to echo and rattle throughout the entire building
>The twins run out from rooms down a long hallway at the back of the building
>”Sorry mom” they both say energetically in unison as they hop down onto their chairs, both sniffling
>Your left standing alone, away from the table, feeling more distant with every moment
>”Come on Twigs, sit down” says Riley motioning over to two empty seats on the right side of the table
>One of the seats is a worn in cloth recliner with cigarillo burns on the arm rests while the other is a scratched up old metal folding chair
>You choose the cloth recliner, clouds of dust and ash kicking up as you plop down in its comfy, well-worn embrace
>Your nostrils are filled with the stench of long ago smoked swishers and hyena stink
>You feel a knot in your gut
>You look over at the scratched up folding chair next to you
>You see an “M” crudely etched into the back of it with a claw
>”Ok well, I know we’re all probably still itching from the meth but we all got here in one piece, is everyone feeling ok?”
>A chorus of yeses echo from around the table
>”My ass is sore” whines Tyler
>Tinker punches her sisters arm, “Then maybe you shouldn’t take so much dick”
>The twins start bantering back and forth before Riley slams a weighty fist down on the thick wooden table
>Silence fills the room
>”Stop your bickering girls, you might not like what I got to say next” says Riley giving the twins a quick side eye, “We’re going to have to lay low for a couple weeks, at least until we’re sure that the Seattle militia isn’t trying to hunt us down”
>A round of mumbles comes from around the table with the twins giving the most exaggerated and dramatic of them all
>”So were going to coop ourselves up for the next bit? Do we even have enough supplies to do that again?” said Tinker with crossed arms
>”It should all be there just like how we left it, better safe than dead Tinker” said Riley
>”Awwww I hate that shitty old bomb shelter food, do we have to?” moaned Tyler
>”Riley’s right, its best to keep our heads down, it might not be fun but if we wanna wake up without looking over our shouler everyday its what we gotta do” said Dee
>The rest of the Sisters nodded in agreement, the twins reluctantly going along as they slump in their seats
”But….what about L.A.?”
>The room falls silent
>”We can’t go to L.A. Twigs, not until we’re out of the clear with the Seattle militia”
”But….but…you promised”
>”We can’t risk it Twigs, give it a month and then we’ll talk” says Riley
*”But I might not have a month”
”But..”
>”My decision is final Twigs, please respect that” says Riley firmly
>You feel an on rush of hopelessness, the walls of the building growing smaller and smaller
”O-ok…..I’ll wait” you say through a tight throat
>Riley nods and wraps a knuckle on the table, “Ok, meeting dismissed everyone”
>You look over to your left as Dee gets up from her chair, “Dee? Is there a bed anywhere I can use?” you say shakily
>Dee smiles at you and holds out her hand, “Come with me child, I’ll show you”
>You rock yourself out of the recliner and take Dee’s hand as she leads you to the back of the building
>You see the hallway where the twins came from earlier, both sides of the hall lined with five rooms on either side
>Dee leads you down the low-lit hall to end, each door wearing an accompanying name or with various junk on the outside to identify whose room was whose
>You come to the very end of the hall to two rooms
>The door to your right is has every square inch of its wooden body methodically covered in white paint runes
>The other is a plain wood door with a single capital “M” faintly scratched into it
>You look back at Dee with a concerned look
>”They’d want you have them…to be more at home” said Dee softly
>You nod before turning back to the doors
>You reach your hand out towards the rune door, remembering the soft comfy recliner
>As you fingertips touched the cold doorknob you feel a shiver run up your spine
>You turn back towards the door on the left and twist the knob
>The door creaks open with difficulty, its joints filled with dust and decay
>The early light from the window at the far end casts a ray across the room, clouds of stale air spinning slowly in the light
>The room is as barebones as it could possibly be
>Off to the side of the window is a “bed” more reminiscent of a bare cot with a pillow then anything for sleeping
>On the middle edge of the bed you can see a heavy indent on an otherwise unused mattress
>At the foot of the bed is a dented, metal, army green trunk with the padlocks busted off
>Opposite the cot are a couple loaded magazines and a kerosene lamp on a short waist level dresser that’s seen better days
>That’s it
>Nothing on the walls
>Nothing on the cot
>Nothing on the floor
>You stare at the indent on the cot once more
>Dee puts a hand on your shoulder, “You going to be alright darling?”
“Yeah” you say meekly
>Dee pats your shoulder and heads off back down the hall to the common room
>You take a step inside and shut the door behind you
>You pull out the old rusty zippo from your pocket and light the old charred wick on the lantern for a little more light
>It catches as you check the abused dresser for blankets
>You check every draw as the smell of clean burning kerosene fills the dusty room
>Every drawer is empty
>You walk over to the trunk and swing its busted hinges open
>You pull out what you think are blankets but as soon as they unravel your met with a rough sergeant’s emblem
>You look at the arm, the old United States flag with the three slashes for Beast Division
>You slowly fold the uniform and place it gently backs with the rest
>The only other thing you see in the trunk is a bunch of cigarette cartons
>You take a pack from one of the cartons and close the lid of the trunk
>You rip off the pack’s cellophane and sit down on the cot to the left of the indent
>You quickly place a cigarette between your lips and light it with the rusty zippo
>You breathe in the heavenly fumes as you feel a calm wash over you, your shoulders slumping forward with release
>A glint catches the corner of your left eye
>You look to your left at the untouched pillow next to you
>You see a glossy slip poking out from underneath its corner
>You lift the pillow up and pull a picture out from underneath it
>The edges of the picture are tattered and worn, its borders heavily smudged
>The picture shows the inside of a low-lit dodgy bar, its walls covered with sighs in some sort of foreign language
>In the middle of the picture you see a short young man, skinny and awkward, his helmet crooked and his sleeves rolled up his boney arms
>Behind him and several heads taller you see Mace, her arms wrapped around the young man, their fingers intertwined
>Both of them are drunk and blushing
>You glance back at the indent on the cot
>You take another drag on the cigarette
>You space out into the photo for what feels like hours
>Your cigarette singes your fingers as you accidentally drop it to the floor
>You try to crush it out with your boot but the still embering butt rolls underneath the cot
>You curse to yourself as you try to dive under the cot to grab it
>You catch the butt and quickly squash it out like a bothersome spider
>You see a large black duffle bag pushed to the far end under the cot
>You grab the bags strap and pull the heavy monster with all your strength
>With a couple more tugs the jet-black bag slides sluggishly to the middle of the room
>Before you even open it you can already guess what’s inside
>Guns, lots of them
>The bag is filled to the brim with various guns, grenades and magazines
>On the very top of everything is a bulletproof vest with a pair of keys clipped to one of its straps
>You pull out the vest and unclip the keys staring at the markings on its side
>Scratched into the side of one key is the word, “bike 1” and on the other “bike 2”
*bike 2?
>You think back to the large warehouse off of the main building you saw when you came in
>The rest of the keys on the ring were blank but looked oddly similar to the keys Riley had
>You sigh as you lay down on the cot, mulling over the plans laid before you as an imaginary clock ticks down inside your skull
>You hold up the picture in front of your face once more as you drift off
*He really does look a lot like me….

>You swear you can hear a voice calling to you
>Everything looks dark as an icy cold blast comes over you like a rogue wave
>You feel you limbs being fused to your body as the inky blackness crawls into your mouth
>It chews away at your innards, starting with the lungs and scraping outward in all directions like a million tiny claws
>You try to scream but the darkness chokes you out
>You awaken from the nightmare, coughing loudly as the voice calling to you fades off into the distance
>You look around the dark room, nothing but the faint flickering of the dying kerosene lamp on the dresser
>You hear the voice come rushing back into your mind
*”DO IT NOW, IT HAS TO BE NOW!”
>You can feel your mind racing as you jump out of the cot
>You grab the oversized bulletproof vest and slip it on
>You rummage through the gun bag and take a pistol, and a couple magazines
>You roll the keys through your fingers as you kill the lamp before heading over to the trunk
>You open the trunk and wrap the photo in the uniform, giving it a couple pats before closing the lid
>You carefully sneak out into the hall, closing the door behind you before heading down the hall
>You immediately let up the sneaking act as the overwhelming chorus of snoring drowns out anything you do
>You casually walk to the front door and begin trying the blank keys
>After your third key it hits home
>You push with all your weight, swinging the heavy slab of metal open as you make your way outside
>You look around at the quiet plain, everything glowing an alien blue from the moonlight
>Peaceful except from the snoring pouring out from the house into the open wilderness
>You push with all your weight, closing the door and relocking everything, unsure if you could even get the thing back open if you tried
>You walk over to the imposing but dilapidated warehouse off to the side of the house
>The front of the warehouse has two large sliding doors on the front and a small regular door on the side with its windows smashed out
>You try to move the sliding doors with little luck as your feet skirt in the dirt
>You walk over to the small door and try to fiddle with the keys before noticing it’s unlocked
>You flick your rusty zippo and head on inside
>All around you can make out hundreds of bikes, all in various states of repair and dismemberment
>Tools, parts and rags litter the floor as the smell of motor oil fills your nose
>As you get closer to the main doors you see rows of bikes perfectly cleaned and ready to head out at a moments notice
>You try the “bike 2” key in all of the bikes until you come across a small dark green sport bike
>The key fits snuggly home
>A smile crosses your face as you mount the bike
>You check that the tank is full
>You turn the key as the engine struggles before turning over and screaming to life
>The entire warehouse fills with the whine of the engine
>You dismount the bike and unlatch one of the main doors, swinging it out just enough to fit the motorcycle through
>You turn off the bike and push it out through main door and out down the property to the main road
>You remount the bike and turn it over
*Just a quick look around, I’ll be there and back before anyone notices
>You peel off down the road, glancing back over your shoulder
>For a brief second you see a tall figure standing outside the house staring in your direction
>You try to shake the image from your head as you twist the accelerator, soaring down the road towards Los Angeles

>The morning light rises as you come upon the edges of LA
>In the earlier golden rays you thought you could see the city bustling, skyscrapers shining, breathing and vibrant
>Initially you hoped for the bustling metropolis you saw glimpses of in your dreams
>People…humans walking about, carrying on like they had before the war maimed the life out of everything
>With each turn of an intersection, telling yourself “Just one more turn…they gotta be…”
>As you came into downtown you couldn’t deny it anymore
>You weren’t in a city
>You’re in a battlefield
>Every shiny skyscraper, bombed out
>Every corner store, cratered to rubble
>Every hospital, school, and home; a morgue
>Human parts and pieces littered the streets, either shriveled or eaten to the bone by feral animals
>There were endless human bodies strewn through every street and alleyway
>All of them had weapons, all had either been shot or lying on the ground, eyes and mouth crusted with the same black tarry liquid
>The more you explored, the more you began to notice a single word spray painted on everything
>”Cursed”
>You drive to the airport; all the planes turned inside out by air fire, bodies cover the tarmac
>”Cursed”
>You drive to ports; all the ships filled with shelling and waterlogged, flies coat the inner windows
>”Cursed”
>A shiver goes up your spine as you sit on your bike in the middle of downtown, surrounded by the empty skyscrapers, the only sound is wind whistling through their smashed out windows
>You look around, surrounded by scattered fortifications and the mountains of the dead, all seemingly killed in one giant battle
>You dismount the bike, walking to the center of the gory final monument left by man
>You shout out a hello, echoing off the hallow innards of the dead city
>No reply
>You pull out your painkillers and swallow the last couple of pills, dropping the empty bottle onto the ground
>You take a deep breath as you get down on your knees, drawing the pistol from your holster
>Your fingers grow numb as you flip the safety off and press the barrel under your chin
>You take another deep breath as your finger graces over the trigger
>The wind picks up as the buildings bellow out a surrounding wail
>As the wailing dies down you hear the sound of motorcycles coming closer
>You tighten your grip on the gun
>Eventually the air behind you is filled with the roar of bikes
>Your hands begin to tremble, fingers growing numb
>”Everything ok Twigs?” you hear Riley say behind you in cautious tone, as the sounds of motors die one by one
>You stand up, your legs feeling like jelly as you turn to face her
>A round of shock comes from the Sisters
>”Come on man…please put the gun down….please” you hear Tyler try to say in her most calm tone
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” you yell out through rapidly numbing teeth
>Silence comes over the group as mountain of bodies surrounding you watches on
”Why did you lie to me?”
>”We didn-“ says Eve
>“Shut up! You all knew there weren’t any more humans. Didn’t you! You knew LA was trashed and you kept on letting me believe I’d find my kind”
>”No we di-“ said Tinker
”SHUT UP!” you shout as tears start to pour from your eyes
>Riley takes a step forward, arms crossed and face stern, “We did know, we just didn’t know it would be like this…we just wanted to keep your hopes up Twigs”
“What?” you say as your exhausted mind races
>”We left our home base about a year ago to escape to the Midwest, just as fighting started to pick up here” said Riley taking another step forward
“Fighting?”
>”The Seattle militia and a ton of grass roots Sentient gangs started sparring with the human’s in LA. We left when their main assault on the city was just ramping up”
”But….why…?” you mumble
>”I don’t know Twigs but if I had to swing a guess Graham saw LA as the government’s last secret bastion and wanted it gone. Rumor can be enough reason to kill for some folks”
>Your hands begin to steady
>”But…what about me? I am just going to end up like them” you say pointing to a body next to you, black liquid pouring from its bird pecked eye sockets
>Silence comes over the group as a gust of fly filled wind flows over the scattered barricades
>”We don’t know that….” You hear Delilah’s faint voice whisper as she peers from around Eve
>”She’s right you know, mutations could exist” says Eve in her dry professional tone
> You feel a stinging in your chest as you let out a ring of chesty cough into your left hand
>You bring your hand up to your eyes
>Its covered in black tarry specks
>Your mind is filled with images of you taking care of your mother before her death
>All day and night consumed by racking cough, which eventually took her life, her hands spattered with black, tarry specks
>You fasten your grip on the gun as you close your eyes and begin to pull down on the trigger
>The gun goes off with an ear shattering bang
>You open your eyes
>Dee stands in front of you, gripping the barrel of your pistol with her right hand
>You look to your left to see the smoking barrel off to your side, pushed away just in time
>”No more…no more….” mutters Dee as she lets go of the gun’s barrel and embraces you in a hug
>The pistol drops from your hand onto the ground as you begin to break down into a blubbering mess
“I am sorry….I am so sorry Dee”
>Dee shushes you as she gently rocks you back and forth, “There ain’t nothing to be sorry for little one.”
“Sorry….sorry….” you dribble
>”We might not be human but you know we can still be a family, right Darling?”
>You look around slowly at the motley of hyena misfits and nod your head, “Yeah... you guys are the most family I’ve ever had…”
>A round of warm smiles greets you along with the Twins hooting and hollering
>You raise your left hand once again, brushing the specks with your thumb as they smear across your palm
>Instead of oily tar you see streaks of dirt
>Your breath becomes faint as your numb legs give out from under you
>Dee scoops you up in her arms as you let out another stream of tears
>”Don’t worry about a thing little one, we’ve got you” says Dee
>Suddenly, the screaming echo of a helicopter pounds off the skyscrapers like a demon being summoned from the depths of hell
>You look over to see a large military copter with the letters SM on the side as it sweeps along the fringe of the concrete jungle
>You hear Riley curse as everyone rushes back to their bikes
>Dee sits you in front of her on the large motorcycle as everyone turns over their engines
>The bellowing sound of heavy trucks can be heard in stampeding in the distance, coming closer every minute
>”Where the fuck are we going to go Riley!? We can’t go back to HQ!” screams Tinker over the roar of the engines

>”Anywhere…Anywhere but here”