One Man's Trash

Chapter 2
Night had reached the wastelands. The calm, picturesque darkness concealed the ugly, drab colors of the dump, but it did not take away from the dangers that lurked the lands. If anything, it was even worse than daytime. Those who couldn't find a place to hide and rest, risked a chance to be attacked -and even killed- by bandits and rogues.

Shelly, however, had no need to worry. Deep, under mountains of trash, dirt and scrap, lay a small, cave-like room. A soft glow illumimated the room, a dirt bunker with a single tunnel leading into it. A fire calmly burned in the caves center, a bubbling pot above it cooking every part of the rat that could be eaten. She couldn't be picky. Not with chances like this.

Shelly quickly ate up her dinner. It was pretty bad, needed salt and about 10 other things to taste anywhere near decent, but it was the best she could do right now. She forced herself to eat everything, from its guts to its eyes to even its brains.

When the meal was over, she let out a deep sigh. This had probably been the best meal she had gotten in a while. And, most likely, the best she would get going forward. While the trap had caught something good, it was too much of a risk to rely on it. Especially with those fiends patrolling out there.

At least I know I can rely on my metabolism, Shelly mused. It was a mandatory thing out here. With food being a rarity, having a high metabolism was a death sentence. If you couldn't survive off of one meal a day, then you'd be buzzard food.

Shelly laughed a little. Just a few years ago, She thought, I would've despised my slow digestion. But now... her smile slowly faded.

It had been 3 years since the global apocalypse happened. The world had been on the verge of nuclear warfare, and it seems that the wealthier individuals of society had decided that the world wasn't worth saving. So, they decided to take to the skies, building floating empires while the rest of the world cowarded under the full force of thermonuclear weaponry.

Shelly shivered. It was terrible to think about. She remembered the events oh too well. She was 18, and had to evacuate from her home to a bunker with her family. As it turns out, they weren't the only ones looking for safety. As the walls shook with explosion after explosion, the panicking masses seperated her from her family, a river of people tearing her from her mother, father and two brothers. By the time the shelter was opened and people started leaving, Shelly had lost complete track over her parents. She... she never saw any of.... of them.....

Shelly shook herself from the flashbacks. She had to focus on now. That was what they would've wanted for her. Right? Right. She told herself. She had to keep on surviving. Whether they were out there or not.

She wrapped herself in the blankets she had scrounged from out there. She took one last look at the fire. As long as I burn on, She drowsed. As long as I burn on...