74th of Glade 4622¤
The sound of horses drawing nearer on the horizon stirred Miki from the band. They were driving cattle back to the stead, tonight someone predicted a storm. Watching the lassos soar as they drove the cattle to the safe space of the barn, her attention was then turned back again to the band at her feet playing their music in the hard packed, dusty earth that was the Wastes claim. The band was playing a revenge ditty about someone's cheating husband; they had in their possession a harmonica, roughly hewn bass with one string, spoons, guitar, and drums created from pots and pans-- they were playing the best damn tribute to the classic song Miki had ever heard. Dressed in regalia fit for cowboy bards, leather strings swaying with beads as they hammered on their instruments, they were stark contrast to the usual dirty people one would see in the Badlands. To Miki they looked like Kings. The hats on their heads sat as crowns and all had emblazoned on its buckle a skull and crossbones in tarnished silver resting like the greatest jewel above their forehead. The crowd was dancing and making merry.
'The heat is starting to get to folks.'
Miki thought to herself, shaking her head, as she made eye contact with Izul, who was being chatted up by a sporty-looking tall woman. They were off buying more drinks as Miki made her way to buy some water herself. She wasn't interested in drinking tonight, or maybe she would later on. Right now though she wanted to listen to the band and find herself in their good company later mostly sober. She loved a grand tale and good story, it wouldn't do to be nearly as sloshed as the crowd currently was. In fact, the night hadn't even peeked its head. It was mid-afternoon. The band would surely take a break soon and maybe Miki could schmooze them then. Perhaps they would tell her a story where some riches were buried or a tale of somewhere well known she hadn't traveled to yet. For now she would find her way to the bar, not far from Izul and her purring friend. The duo made no notice to each other's presence and Miki left again for the porch, warm mug of water in hand, as the two women became entangled in each other's arms.
She found spot away from everyone, the travelers. Much like herself. She was at a bar in a small, dusty town, these sorts of places seemed to pull the wandering vagabond. Found here in the Wastes, usually castoff eccentrics. A woman danced with a dirt covered, poorly placed white wig on her head and fox mask askew on her face. A clear satire against the Entente who were said to rule this land, as the woman was raucous and babbling in her drunkenness'. Rule, not here. But around them, the outside, instead here they had their own personal bubble of hedonism and survival. Blood, sex, bullets, and metal. Miki liked it that way. Leaned against a pole which held up the awning above the porch to the bar, she went to light up a cigarette but found none. With that, she plucked a piece of grass from the ground and stuck it in her mouth to chew. The water wasn't cold but she didn't need it to be to quench her thirst. The band hadn't let up yet despite her earlier prediction that they would take a break. She and the band had a clear view of the sky from their vantage point, while the crowd danced in front of them. Completely oblivious to the sight in the sky.
The band raged on as Miki drummed her hands against her legs to the beat. Eyes at first closed she opened them in silent exhalation, peering above the tiny ovular sunglasses perched on her nose, right up into the sky. Something was falling. Her drum beats got slower and slower as she watched its descent to the planet. As she chewed her grass at first she thought her mind was playing tricks on her, she blinked, pushing up the glasses on her nose as the band hit a crescendo, everyone was yelling for an encore. Looking into her drink she wondered for a split second if someone had drugged her. That was when the object hit the dusty earth some leagues from them and exploded into dark tendrils which raced with malice across the sky. Mouth agape, the grass fell as the comet hit, causing Miki then flinch back, water spilling all over her body, from the explosion although it was far off from where they were by miles. The sky went black, the sun blotted out, everything had gone silent. Where there was a party, now there was a crypt. All watched with silent awe at the madness reaching out like creeping fingers and spilling all over the once blue sky. Someone broke the silence with a laugh, then a gunshot rang out, striking one of the bards.
Miki cried a single tear down her face in pure terror before the shot of the bullet and the man on the ground stirred her from her petrification. She screamed and dove under the porch as the earlier party ran away with itself into a massacre. Bullets were hailing the bar, Miki readied her gun and cried beneath the porch. Her thoughts once again brought back to those fateful hours with her husband. The last ones, the memories of her homeland and all its stories swallowed. By The One. The Outsider. He had found them and followed them here. Now their blight was returned to those souls on this planet. She screamed as a two pairs of feet came before her and am arm came down below to rip her from her hiding spot. With her rifle she let out a shot and struck her friend in the arm with a bullet. It pierced deep, coming out the other side of the meat. It was Izul's scream which met her ears as the two feet ran off from her spot under the porch. She climbed out as fast as she could after them, apologizing as bullets whizzed in her direction. They jumped onto their chariots, the woman was still with Izul and riding in back, then rode swiftly away from the impact and the chaos it caused.
They were unable to outride the encroaching darkness, indeed from its apex it snaked out quickly across the sky. They were able to make it to another tavern some odd forty-five minute ride away. It was all anyone could talk about, but at least here there was no killing. Miki then, in apology to Izul, left her alone and took to cleaning her gun. Using a twig and several dry rags she cleaned the barrel. After the soot and residue was freed she would oil and polish the gun. It looked like it had seen better days but truly was better off having been cleaned. Miki caught snippets of a conversation from her seat in the tavern.
"Apocalypse? That's crazy talk. This is just some... weird... weather."
They didn't sound completely sure and Miki shook her head to herself. Another piped up again.
"It's true! My great grandpappy said this day would come! The gods have been silent for too long! Surely this is their wrath, as he foretold."
This was when Miki stopped listening, she cared not for talks of religion. In fact she considered herself more of an atheist than anything, unless she met a god face to face she would never believe such drivel. Mere stories for those who had no direction in life, something to be told at bed time not base a lifestyle around. Whatever this phenomena Miki knew in her heart it was not good and only a sign of more trouble to come. Yet she would not be able to escape its wrath, she would have nowhere to flee. It felt like she was against the world now and she felt simply exposed. It was a wonder to her how Izul and that trollop could have such fun in the face of this, but to them it was just another day in the Badlands. With her gun now cleaned she had little reason to stay in the tavern's main den. She took to a room, her own, and ended the night stone cold sober. She wasn't in the mood to drink any longer.
Dreaming that night was the constant flashback of her children dying, replayed over and over through sadistic and vivid memories. She woke in the morning drenched in cold sweat, tears rolling down her face. To her little surprise, the black streaks still blot out the sun this day. She was scared and knew that something was coming... and it wouldn't be good.
