I walk down the dusty road. How things have changed. Pulling the sleeves over my hands as I hold the gun. Now a days there is danger around every corner.
I can remember when things had been different, when the world hadn’t gone completely to hell. When the sun didn’t burn you so easily, when you didn’t need a gun to simply walk down the street in search of food.
“Find anything?” a male voice came over my radio, nearly scaring me half to death, though I’d tell no one that
“Not even a damn rat” I replied
The streets were disserted. They’d been that way for years now. Ever since it happened, no one really knows how or who did it, but our country was left in ruin and then the rest of the world followed suit. DC had been completely whipped off the map, and my beloved NYC was not too far behind it.
“Return to base” our leader George told me, he’d given me a home, well the best I could have under the circumstances. “I don’t like you being out there by your self” I knew it wasn’t because I was a girl, I was our best marksman. It was because of how dangerous it was, savages around every corner. People willing to kill for a slice of human flesh.
Yes things had gotten that bad
When I finally returned, several people looked at me in hope. I hated letting them down
I stripped my self of my M-16 and then of my sunglasses and bandanna
“Raccoon eyes!” my friend Paul called
“Shut up!” I smiled shoving hard against his chest
He’d kept me going this whole time, kept me from falling apart. He was probably the soul reason why I’m still alive
“What are we going to do, where nearly completely out of food?” George sighed as we all stood around the table, the five us. My only remaining brother Eric, George, Vass, Paul and my self we all play big parts of the Alliance in NY.
The Alliance was started shortly before the first Nuke hit America, or what had been an American torn by a civil war/revolution. We were the remainders of the Freemasons, founded by the last member. The government started assenting them.
“I don’t know” I said quietly, none of us did. We were all hungry and tired. Our faces burnt or tan and dieing for a shower. One most of us hadn’t had in months if not years.

“You’re not going to eat? It is our day” Paul said sitting next to me with a mental flat bowl with what looked like rat or possible a reminder of a dog or cat, with bread.
“No, it’ll save more for someone else who needs it. I’m not hungry” I wasn’t trying to be all heroic and self-sacrificing, I just preferred it if someone had the food, not me.
“Here, I’ll share with you”
“No, no.” but my stomach protested with a viscous growl as if it could it would eat me alive if I didn’t comply “Fine, I’ll have a piece of the bread”
As we eat we surfed through the empty radio waves just like always, sometime we caught ghost music, or cries for help even a place to find food.
After days of running dangerously low Paul had discovered a food volt on near by Long Island
But that hadn’t gone as planned, we’d run into the remainder of the Bloods and had an all out gunfight with them. We’d won it but in the posses I’d been shot in the arm. And like always, when I’d been shot or hurt, Paul tended to me.
I refused to eat or get blood, even a saline solution, Paul, George and Eric weren’t to happy about that, but others worse off would need it.
“Here have my bread” Paul said sitting next to me as usual
“No I’m not hungry”
“You need to eat”
But I ignored him and rested my head on his shoulder closing my eyes, feeling the pounding in my arm. It no longer burned with fury; instead it just beat like my heart did.
Paul went through the channels as always, but I had learned long ago, while waiting for mine and Eric’s older brother to come home, which he never did. To stop hoping. It was useless. Same with praying. Why pray to a God that was no longer lessening to his children.
But Paul had never given up Hope or on God.
“Why bother” I finally asked “There's no one out there”
“You never know” he whispered and kissed my head “Maybe one day one of the other governments will get them selves together and save us”
Yea one day, I thought. Meaning years in the future. But not today or tomorrow. Not anytime soon.

A small team of myself, Paul, Eric and Vass were sent to meat up with a group of refugee near NJ’s border but it had been a trap, I’d been the bait and got hit hard. The next thing I knew I was lying on my back, back at base and Paul was holding my hand and standing over me
“Hey guess what sleeping beauty? The British are on their way”

I stood by the water, the pear had long been abounded, and the ships docked there were all but in disarray. George and Eric were in the shadows, probably watching me with a sniper scope. I saw a vast metal ship approaching. It reminded me of an old WWII battle ship.
I wondered what was going through the British minds aboard that ship, where they surprised to see our situation? Was just as bad in Europe? Worse? They must have their government back together, but where they really here to help us?
Suddenly what sounded like fighter jets blew past me, stealing my breath away. I smiled as I turned to watch them pass by me, they turned and headed back in my direction. I turned to look at the ship
“God, I hope their friendly,” I said into my radio, but I couldn’t hide my smile
“So do we, sis. So do we.”
I touched my SW1911PD in the back of my pants, I had nine shots just incase and another clip in my boot.
Finally a man in a blue uniform stepped off the docked battle ship and approached me
“Are you the one that answered our radio message?” he said in a British accent, I hide my smile
“Yes sir. That would be my Alliance.”
“I am 2 Lieutenant Albert of the Royal Marines, British Military” he offered me his hand
“I’m Aurora, 3rd in command of the Alliance in New York City. Welcome to the United States of America. Or what once was” I took it “Guess they changed the uniforms”
“Nice to meat you Aurora. They did after the war. You look like hell”
“Thanks. I feel like it”
“Don’t worry. My country is here to help, not do anymore harm”
I smiled and breathed a silent breathe of relief. I knew we couldn’t fight them off even if they didn’t claim to be friendly. But then again our founding fathers had. The original Freemasons. Maybe we could too…
Maybe there was still a God lessening….
Maybe Paul was right to not give up hope…