THE DAY WE FOUND SOME SODA, AMONG OTHER THINGS
Written by Everett Daughtry (Everett) , Casper Daughtry (Casper), and Jessica Harvey (Natalie)
EVERETT Entry ONe
The sky isn’t blue anymore. It’s more of a… murky redish color, tinged with orange, like rusted metal. The air isn’t safe anymore either, at least not here. I’ve heard of other places, safe zones, where the poison isn’t prevalent and the air is breathable. Here we wear face masks, which filter out the toxic stuff and gives us what we need. I feel funny when I sat the word we. It feels misleading, as if saying there is a band of us, of survivors. There isn’t. It’s just me, and Cass. I mean there are others out there just… not here. They pass by from time to time, the Friendlies tell us their stories, and we share our findings. On occasion we pick up a straggler, get them on their feet, but no one stays long. Survival of the fittest and all. Resources like food, and water are scarce. My brother and I plan to survive.
CASPER ENTRY TWO
I sat on the edge of a broken window. My leg dangling out over one side of the wall, my other set firmly on the floor. I watched Everett down on the streets, running from store front to store front, searching each building for supplies. I held the rifle firmly. Leveling it every now and then to be sure the weapon was clear. It was a pointless task. The streets were empty, they always were. Anyone who stumbled upon this place never lasted long. The air here wasn’t safe. My brother and I, we wore masks. They filtered the air, made it safe. Mine didn’t cover my eyes like Rett’s did, so I could aim clearly, and see through the scope. Poisons been getting in through my eyes though, I was getting sick. We’d trade, ever once and a while, but the toxins disintegrated Rett’s contacts in his eyes. He needed them to see. So I could endure a few more days. Once the buildings were cleared we’d move on.
Everett popped out of the door of a mini mart. His hand shot up, his body fallowed. I aimed my sights on him, shifting the focus until I could see clearly what was in his hand. A red can shimmered in the faint light of early dawn, the swirling white letters faded and barely visible. But I could read the label, and when I did the riffle almost shook in my hands. A grin spread beneath my mask, and Everett started toured our camp in the tallest building of this ruined town, the Coca Cola can held high as he ran.
Everett popped out of the door of a mini mart. His hand shot up, his body fallowed. I aimed my sights on him, shifting the focus until I could see clearly what was in his hand. A red can shimmered in the faint light of early dawn, the swirling white letters faded and barely visible. But I could read the label, and when I did the riffle almost shook in my hands. A grin spread beneath my mask, and Everett started toured our camp in the tallest building of this ruined town, the Coca Cola can held high as he ran.
Everett ENTRY THREE
Cass didn’t care that the air was toxic; he gulped down the can of coke like it were the food of the gods. I tried to contain my laughter. Laughing fogged up the eye mask and interrupted the rhythm of the filter. He pressed his mask to his face whenever he did draw a breath, but that wasn’t as often as it should have been.
“Slow down kid.” I finally said. He looked up from the drink.
“If I wait to long the toxins will seep into it and it’ll be wasted.” He pulled the mask away and took another long swig.
“I told you that you should have waited to open the thing.”
“What if it went flat?”
“I don’t think a few days would have made much of a difference, it’s been sitting for twenty years.”
“You don’t know that.”
His voice was so accusing, so serious, I couldn’t hold it back any longer. The chuckle bubbled out of my throat and the machine struggled to find a pattern in my breathing. I shook my head and stood from my place in the corner. The room didn’t have furniture, so we just sat on the floor. My things in one corner, his in the other. I had clear view of the door, he the window. That’s how it always was. He had eyes in the sky, me on the ground. He jumped from roof to roof. I skirted alleyways and hid under cars. That’s why I was the scavenger, he was my back up.
I found a place on the window ceil at the head of the building. It was wide enough to sit comfortably, but I wasn’t nearly as confident as Cass when it came to heights. The three story drop was dizzying, and he’d crawl out of this thing and hang by his finger tips when he got bored, at least before he started getting sick... I took up the rifle, some military issue thing we bought from a vender outside a small refuge a few years back. Didn’t know what it was called but Cass figured out the scope quickly enough, and ammo was relatively common. When things went to shit a lot of military bases were looted, but the production of ammunition hauled. We were smart about who deserved a bullet and who could deal with a blade.
I leveled the piece steady on my shoulder, looking through the scope. I zoomed in on the edge of the small city, clearly visible from my perch. Most of this place had been leveled into desert. At the end of the short crop of road were miles of sandy planes in either direction. The only for-sure way out of town was at the other end of the street, and we’d been sure to block that off with some land mines, and some warning signs. We had little to fear from the known. We knew what kind of things would come from down the road. It was the desert we were concerned about. The radiation had done some frightening things to the living… I avoided a shiver, and continued my inspection.
“See anything?” Cass asked after a moment, crushing the can into the floor and standing. He had the mask strapped back around his head, but his shoulders were a little hunched, his back a little arched. He was getting worse.
“No.” I said, looking back out. “Nothing but dirt.”
“Sand.”
“Whatever.”
He smirked, I couldn’t see it in his mouth, that was covered by bulking tubes, no but his eyes always squinted when he laughed, or smiled. The same way mine did. I stood, slamming the gun lightly into his chest. He tilted his head, taking it willfully and stepping out onto the ledge of the window. He stood fearlessly, holding the gun with one hand and the top of the ceil with the other. He leaned out, hanging again, by fingertips.
“Show off.”
He leveled the gun. “And who would I be showing off to my dear brother.”
I mocked him, and had a half mind to push him out. I thought better of it and searched for the corn chips I stashed in my bag.
“Rett.”
“What.” I muttered, a frown setting in. I could have sworn I put them under my pants.
“Everett.” His voice was insistent.
“What is it?” I asked. He dropped down from the window, holding out the gun. "What?”
“Look.” I took it, taking his place in front of the window. “Near the edge by the end of the road.”
I fallowed his pointed finger. The image was blurry, the focus off, I tried to adjust it, screwing it up worse before making it better. I finally saw what he pointed to. A girl. She was young, no older than us. She looked frightened, half starved, and completely unaware that the town she was walking through would poison her lungs and have her dead in a matter of minutes.
“She came out of the desert.” Cass whispered, hanging close to my side.
“Damn it,” I sighed, pulling away from the window. “Get the spare mask, we’re going to help her pass.”
With a stiff nod Casper dashed to his pack, tossed me the mask and headed out the door and up the stairs to the roof. I went down. He’d get to her before I did; warn her not to breathe too much, but he needed two hands, and had no place to hook the mask. Hopefully I could get to her fast enough. Dying of this stuff wasn’t pretty, nor was it something I wanted to see again.
“Slow down kid.” I finally said. He looked up from the drink.
“If I wait to long the toxins will seep into it and it’ll be wasted.” He pulled the mask away and took another long swig.
“I told you that you should have waited to open the thing.”
“What if it went flat?”
“I don’t think a few days would have made much of a difference, it’s been sitting for twenty years.”
“You don’t know that.”
His voice was so accusing, so serious, I couldn’t hold it back any longer. The chuckle bubbled out of my throat and the machine struggled to find a pattern in my breathing. I shook my head and stood from my place in the corner. The room didn’t have furniture, so we just sat on the floor. My things in one corner, his in the other. I had clear view of the door, he the window. That’s how it always was. He had eyes in the sky, me on the ground. He jumped from roof to roof. I skirted alleyways and hid under cars. That’s why I was the scavenger, he was my back up.
I found a place on the window ceil at the head of the building. It was wide enough to sit comfortably, but I wasn’t nearly as confident as Cass when it came to heights. The three story drop was dizzying, and he’d crawl out of this thing and hang by his finger tips when he got bored, at least before he started getting sick... I took up the rifle, some military issue thing we bought from a vender outside a small refuge a few years back. Didn’t know what it was called but Cass figured out the scope quickly enough, and ammo was relatively common. When things went to shit a lot of military bases were looted, but the production of ammunition hauled. We were smart about who deserved a bullet and who could deal with a blade.
I leveled the piece steady on my shoulder, looking through the scope. I zoomed in on the edge of the small city, clearly visible from my perch. Most of this place had been leveled into desert. At the end of the short crop of road were miles of sandy planes in either direction. The only for-sure way out of town was at the other end of the street, and we’d been sure to block that off with some land mines, and some warning signs. We had little to fear from the known. We knew what kind of things would come from down the road. It was the desert we were concerned about. The radiation had done some frightening things to the living… I avoided a shiver, and continued my inspection.
“See anything?” Cass asked after a moment, crushing the can into the floor and standing. He had the mask strapped back around his head, but his shoulders were a little hunched, his back a little arched. He was getting worse.
“No.” I said, looking back out. “Nothing but dirt.”
“Sand.”
“Whatever.”
He smirked, I couldn’t see it in his mouth, that was covered by bulking tubes, no but his eyes always squinted when he laughed, or smiled. The same way mine did. I stood, slamming the gun lightly into his chest. He tilted his head, taking it willfully and stepping out onto the ledge of the window. He stood fearlessly, holding the gun with one hand and the top of the ceil with the other. He leaned out, hanging again, by fingertips.
“Show off.”
He leveled the gun. “And who would I be showing off to my dear brother.”
I mocked him, and had a half mind to push him out. I thought better of it and searched for the corn chips I stashed in my bag.
“Rett.”
“What.” I muttered, a frown setting in. I could have sworn I put them under my pants.
“Everett.” His voice was insistent.
“What is it?” I asked. He dropped down from the window, holding out the gun. "What?”
“Look.” I took it, taking his place in front of the window. “Near the edge by the end of the road.”
I fallowed his pointed finger. The image was blurry, the focus off, I tried to adjust it, screwing it up worse before making it better. I finally saw what he pointed to. A girl. She was young, no older than us. She looked frightened, half starved, and completely unaware that the town she was walking through would poison her lungs and have her dead in a matter of minutes.
“She came out of the desert.” Cass whispered, hanging close to my side.
“Damn it,” I sighed, pulling away from the window. “Get the spare mask, we’re going to help her pass.”
With a stiff nod Casper dashed to his pack, tossed me the mask and headed out the door and up the stairs to the roof. I went down. He’d get to her before I did; warn her not to breathe too much, but he needed two hands, and had no place to hook the mask. Hopefully I could get to her fast enough. Dying of this stuff wasn’t pretty, nor was it something I wanted to see again.
CASPER Entry four
I tucked my legs after the leap, charging through the air. I rolled as I hit the roof to defuse the impact then jumped to my feet and started running again. My mask didn’t much like all the stunts I threw; I had to stop to make sure it remained over my mouth every now and then. Over the past few years I’d learned to work with it, and it wasn’t as much of a burden anymore. The real trouble was my weakened limbs. The sickness from the toxic air was getting worse, my hair was getting thin, my skin pale. I couldn’t trust my limbs as much as I wanted to. So I stuck to the basics.
The girl walked unwittingly just outside of the city, her eyes scanning the area as she moved. She was covered in the dust she’d come out of, and her skin had a dark tan. I couldn’t see her to well from here but I could see the poison hadn’t started to affect her yet. Once it did she’d start to cough, her lungs would burn, quite literally, and blood would flow from her mouth as it filled her lungs… her eyes would bulge as her head filled with a stabbing sort of pressure, as if her brain were being squeezed by a tight fist. She wouldn’t be able to stand for long. Her legs would give out as the pain took over. She’d probably go into shock, start to sweat, start to shake real bad. She’d get really cold, but the pain would ease. She’d get really tired. Breathing would become a useless task, her lungs so full of her own blood that there was no room for oxygen. She’d drown in it long before the poison could reach her heart, or her brain, to do any actual damage. It would feel like she breathed in a million little glass shards, and with each breath, they would dig deeper into her flesh. Like fingernails scraping against her insides. I’ve felt it before. I’ve been that close to death. I’ve seen it more times then I’d care to remember. Ev has to. It scares me. Being in places like this. I don’t let is scare me now.
I pushed of the edge of another roof, the distance between the two was only a few feet so I landed right side up. I closed in on the girl, knowing Everett was only a few yards behind me. I saw her silhouette in the distance, and next chance I got, I slipped through a window, running through a building to the next window. I made my way down. Once close enough to the ground I jumped out a window directly in front of her, and I heard her scream. I didn’t take the time to explain myself; I tackled her to the ground clamping my hand around her mouth, staring into her frightened green eyes. In the calmest voice I could manage, I huffed for her not to breath. She tried to anyway. And I groaned loudly, my voice sounding like Dark Vader while the mask filtered the air. I waited until I heard Everett’s footsteps before standing, pulling her up. She looked weak, like she was about to pass out. At least she wasn’t gagging, about to die.
The girl walked unwittingly just outside of the city, her eyes scanning the area as she moved. She was covered in the dust she’d come out of, and her skin had a dark tan. I couldn’t see her to well from here but I could see the poison hadn’t started to affect her yet. Once it did she’d start to cough, her lungs would burn, quite literally, and blood would flow from her mouth as it filled her lungs… her eyes would bulge as her head filled with a stabbing sort of pressure, as if her brain were being squeezed by a tight fist. She wouldn’t be able to stand for long. Her legs would give out as the pain took over. She’d probably go into shock, start to sweat, start to shake real bad. She’d get really cold, but the pain would ease. She’d get really tired. Breathing would become a useless task, her lungs so full of her own blood that there was no room for oxygen. She’d drown in it long before the poison could reach her heart, or her brain, to do any actual damage. It would feel like she breathed in a million little glass shards, and with each breath, they would dig deeper into her flesh. Like fingernails scraping against her insides. I’ve felt it before. I’ve been that close to death. I’ve seen it more times then I’d care to remember. Ev has to. It scares me. Being in places like this. I don’t let is scare me now.
I pushed of the edge of another roof, the distance between the two was only a few feet so I landed right side up. I closed in on the girl, knowing Everett was only a few yards behind me. I saw her silhouette in the distance, and next chance I got, I slipped through a window, running through a building to the next window. I made my way down. Once close enough to the ground I jumped out a window directly in front of her, and I heard her scream. I didn’t take the time to explain myself; I tackled her to the ground clamping my hand around her mouth, staring into her frightened green eyes. In the calmest voice I could manage, I huffed for her not to breath. She tried to anyway. And I groaned loudly, my voice sounding like Dark Vader while the mask filtered the air. I waited until I heard Everett’s footsteps before standing, pulling her up. She looked weak, like she was about to pass out. At least she wasn’t gagging, about to die.
NATALIE Entry five
The crazy man pulled me to my feet, his callused hand still pressed against my face. I had half a mind to bite his figure off, but there was something about his frantic eyes, his hurried warning not to breath, that gave me pause. Another one came into view just as the first let me up, in his hand he held another one of those masks they wore. He passed it off to the other and he moved his hand away, slamming the thing onto my mouth with unnecessary force.
“I told you to warn her, not strangle her.” The second one said.
“There wasn’t enough time.” Said the first. I watched their exchanged with confusion I’m sure registered on my face. Their voices… they were exactly the same.
“Well you scared her half to death ass-hole, she probably pissed herself.”
“Did not.”
I wasn’t sure why that was the only thing I could think to say. It was enough to halt their bickering a moment, and bring their attention to me. The fist one sighed, which sounded like a machine letting free pressurized air coming out of the mask. He approached with an outstretched hand, the same one he’d clamped around my mouth.
“I apologize for scaring you.” He said kindly. “But the air is toxic here, had I not you would have died.”
“A very horrible, very painful death.” The other added.
“My name is Casper.” Said the first. “You can call me Cass.”
“Or Ass works to.” Spat the other. “My names Everett. You can call me Everett.”
Cass punched Everett’s arm and re-offered his hand. Reluctantly I took it, but otherwise said nothing.
“This would be where you tell use your name and why we shouldn't take that mask and let you die.”
“I would.” I sputtered, holding both arms tight against my stomach. They were right about the air being toxic, my lungs were burning, but that may be from the minutes without breathing a few seconds earlier. “I can’t remember it at the moment.”
“See!” Everett growled. “You done scared her stupid.”
“Did you just say done” Cass asked with a giggle.
“Oh shut up.”
“Natalie.” I said the moment the name returned to my scattered brain. “My name is Natalie, You can um… you can call me Nat if you want.”
“Sounds like a bug.” Cass said, his eyes squinting up. “I’m smiling by the way, you can’t see it but I am.”
“You sound like your five.” Everett grumbled.
“At least I don’t sound like a forty year old living in the deep south.”
“Bite me.”
“Gladly.”
Casper lunged at who I assumed was his brother, and Everett quickly took him to the ground. I stood in mute shock. These kids were f***ing crazy
“I told you to warn her, not strangle her.” The second one said.
“There wasn’t enough time.” Said the first. I watched their exchanged with confusion I’m sure registered on my face. Their voices… they were exactly the same.
“Well you scared her half to death ass-hole, she probably pissed herself.”
“Did not.”
I wasn’t sure why that was the only thing I could think to say. It was enough to halt their bickering a moment, and bring their attention to me. The fist one sighed, which sounded like a machine letting free pressurized air coming out of the mask. He approached with an outstretched hand, the same one he’d clamped around my mouth.
“I apologize for scaring you.” He said kindly. “But the air is toxic here, had I not you would have died.”
“A very horrible, very painful death.” The other added.
“My name is Casper.” Said the first. “You can call me Cass.”
“Or Ass works to.” Spat the other. “My names Everett. You can call me Everett.”
Cass punched Everett’s arm and re-offered his hand. Reluctantly I took it, but otherwise said nothing.
“This would be where you tell use your name and why we shouldn't take that mask and let you die.”
“I would.” I sputtered, holding both arms tight against my stomach. They were right about the air being toxic, my lungs were burning, but that may be from the minutes without breathing a few seconds earlier. “I can’t remember it at the moment.”
“See!” Everett growled. “You done scared her stupid.”
“Did you just say done” Cass asked with a giggle.
“Oh shut up.”
“Natalie.” I said the moment the name returned to my scattered brain. “My name is Natalie, You can um… you can call me Nat if you want.”
“Sounds like a bug.” Cass said, his eyes squinting up. “I’m smiling by the way, you can’t see it but I am.”
“You sound like your five.” Everett grumbled.
“At least I don’t sound like a forty year old living in the deep south.”
“Bite me.”
“Gladly.”
Casper lunged at who I assumed was his brother, and Everett quickly took him to the ground. I stood in mute shock. These kids were f***ing crazy