FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

"Into The Woods"

By Lauren Rivers

Destroyed vehicles littered the roads between major settlements. Most of them were discarded when fuel became a limited resource in the years following the war. Those that survived the initial chaos following the collapse of the government were either damaged by raiders or became useless when obtaining gasoline became near impossible for all but the largest factions. The majority of them were simply left where they stopped and abandoned by their owners who had to find a way to survive in this world after the apocalypse.

Most scavengers knew better than to bother with them given that since then most of them had been picked clean. Either the original owners took everything of value when they left or people since then had broken the windows and taken anything left behind. Nevertheless, the first rule of survival was to always keep your eyes open. Given that there was little else to look at on the long stretches of road between one place and another, Sierra peeked inside the few that appears to be untouched by time and sentient life.

The first car she stopped to examine was empty except for an mp3 player left in one of the drink holders. By now it's power source was long since drained, but such pieces of old world technology were considered valuable if you could get someone to charge it for you. Emboldened by the possibility, she raised her handgun and smashed the glass inward. Once done, she cleared the shards with her weapon before reaching in to remove her prize.

"You know, once upon a time that would have been a crime," her companion said. The hyena, dressed in simple olive pants and a rust colored sleeveless shirt, could only smirk as she placed it in her bag.

"Are you going to report me?" she asked.

Kieran laughed. "Not this time," he said. "It looks in fairly good condition. We get somewhere with power you might be able to sell that for a good amount of money."

"As long as it nets us at least a week's worth of food I'll consider it well worth the effort," she replied. The female kinkajou smiled, brushing her dark brown hair out of her face with a rare display of femininity.

"At least it's easy to carry," Kieran remarked.

Both she and Kieran were salvagers. Moving from place to place they would explore prewar areas for technology that could be repaired, cannibalized, or otherwise used by the residents of the post war United States. Anything that looked in good enough condition could be traded or sold for food or other resources in the various population centers throughout the country. Both she and Kieran had significant experience in identifying and recovering prewar technology. Between the two of them they managed to eke out a reasonably comfortable living.

However, such a lifestyle came with certain conditions. Chief among them was a limitation on how much they could carry. At times when they had found a large enough score they had been forced to select what they would take for trade and what they would leave behind. If conditions were favorable sometimes they could make multiple trips, but word tended to travel quickly in the post war wilderness. Once word spread it was difficult to maintain control of a claim. More than once they had returned to find someone else had been there in the meantime.

Salvagers tended not to stay in one place for very long. After a while they would need to relocate to find fresh sources of the pre war technology that was their stock in trade. As a result they rarely were able to put down roots or form lasting relationships beyond those they had with their traveling companions. Some preferred the nomadic lifestyle, able to drift in and out of people's lives as they saw fit. For Sierra it was a means to an end as she sought something she knew would not be easy to find. Information. Specifically, information on the fate of her father.

During the day the war escalated to unsustainable levels, Sierra had been fortunate enough to make it to her family's bunker where her father had promised to meet her. When the nuclear shockwave hit she had been forced to close the hatch, having no idea if he survived. After the radiation had gone down enough that it was safe to emerge she could find no trace of him, not even at the base where he had been stationed. Since then she had searched for any clues as to his fate but so far she had found nothing other than the key she wore around her neck. It was the last gift he had given to her along with a note penned in his own handwriting. While it did not give any clues as to his whereabouts it gave her hope that he had survived the devastating war.

In addition to the logistical difficulties of their perpetual need for things to trade new hazards emerged in the years after the collapse of the old world. With the traditional method of law enforcement no longer in existence, raiders and other factions cropped up all over the vast expanse between settlements. One learned to be careful when out exploring as the only thing keeping you alive was your survival skills. Ambushes were common, especially near frequently traveled spots where people tended to stop for supplies. Staying alive meant keeping your gun loaded and your eyes open. Most people would not hesitate to kill you if they suspected you had something of value.

As if to illustrate her point she spotted a corpse of a salvager shot in the back on the side of the road. No doubt he had attempted to flee when he had encountered a hostile force and been killed for his trouble. The body of the coyote had been there for a while. She kept her distance from the corpse lifting her ears up to listen for any signs that whoever did this was still in the area.

No sooner had she gestured to point it out to Kieran than her attention was diverted by the sounds of shouting from ahead. Followed by gunshots the pair looked at each other before ducking behind a vehicle.

"Can you see where it's coming from?" he asked.

Sierra shook her head. "Up ahead somewhere, its pretty close."

Kieran moved ahead with his weapon drawn. She fell into step behind them as they stayed low, moving through cover to investigate. The pair stopped as they got close enough to see for themselves the source of the gunshots. Behind a car were a fennec fox and his young son, a single handgun between them. The young kit buried his head in his father's chest. His ears were flattened as his cries of fear only encouraged his father to fight harder. The elder fennec was unharmed, but it would not stay that way for much longer.

They were outnumbered and outgunned. Four raiders moved in on them from behind a group of cars, their weapons drawn. Like most that preyed on those traveling between settlements they lacked organization and training, something that out here could make the difference between life and death.

The kinkajou and hyena did not even need to exchange words as they moved to either side of the approaching hostiles. Sierra would not abandon a fellow traveler as long as she was in a position to do something about it. At this distance her knife would be rather impractical, so she relied on her handgun and took careful aim. So far the raiders had not noticed their approach.

They had split into two even groups. Sierra could tell from here only one of them carried an assault rifle. The rest were armed with smaller handguns. She took aim, knowing she would only get one opportunity to disable them. Casting a glance to her right to confirm Kieran's position, he nodded once and both opened fire. Almost as soon as they had turned to see where the shots had come from, each fired again and the raiders fell to the ground.

Wasting no time, Sierra and Kieran moved in to check on the foxes. The kinkajou kicked the weapons away from the injured men. One of them she had shot through the heart and killed him instantly. The other was badly injured and was not likely to survive much longer. She turned to see her hyena companion approach with his weapon holstered.

"Are you two all right?" he asked, kneeling to look at the young fennec fox.

"We are, thanks to you," his father replied. "

Alan Lane," he said, by way of introduction.

"Kieran Reynolds." The hyena gestured towards her. "The lady here is my traveling companion, Sierra Walker."

"Sir," she said with a respectful nod.

The elder fennec embraced his son before standing to address the new arrivals. His clothes were torn and dirty. It was clear he had been out in the wasteland for some time, but he appeared to be in good health. He stood tall, breathing heavily as he struggled to calm himself from the battle moments before. "It's a good thing you two came along when you did. We probably wouldn't have lasted much longer."

"We were happy to help," Sierra replied. "We just happened to be in the right place at the right time."

"Fortunately for us," he said. "Thank you for intervening. I know most people out here would've left us to our fate."

"We're not most people," Kieran replied.

The fennec fox nodded with a half smile. "That much is obvious. What do I owe you for the rescue?" He shrugged. "I haven't got much but you're welcome to what I have with me."

Sierra held up a hand. "Please, keep it. You probably need it more than we do. We just wanted to help, that's all."

"Well, now, I haven't had a response like that since before the war. People are a lot less generous nowadays." He extended his paw. "It's appreciated, regardless."

The kinkajou offered a smile. "My father always believed in doing what you can because it's the right thing to do."

His eyes settled on her dog tags and he paused. "You military?"

"They're my father's. He left them with me on the day the bombs fell." She frowned. "I'm still hoping I'll find out what happened to him someday."

"Well, you can tell him for me I'm glad he raised his daughter to be kind and selfless," the fennec replied. "It's the kind of lesson I hope to teach my son someday."

Sierra knelt before the young boy and gave him a friendly grin. "Hello, kiddo, I hope you're doing okay. I know it must have been scary but it's okay now, we're friends."

The elder fennec gently nudged his boy with a paw. "Say hello, Jake."

"Hullo." He looked down at his feet paws, scraping the dirt with his claws. "Thanks for the rescue."

"You're welcome." She gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder before standing again to address his father. "So how did the two of you end up out here? This isn't exactly the safest stretch of road these days."

Alan sighed. "I know. We were making our way to San Francisco, hoping to meet up with some family there. My cousin has a big farm and could use some help. We thought if we could get out there we maybe could make a go of it. There were four of us when we started. My wife and I decided we were too vulnerable as a group so we split up and agreed to meet up later. We were on our way to the rendezvous point when the raiders attacked."

Kieran nodded. "This area has been thick with raiders for some time. Sometimes you get lucky but more often than not you'll find yourself being relieved of your property at the very least. I'm surprised you didn't take another route."

"Trust me, if I'd had another choice, I would have. We figured our best chance rested in getting through this area as fast as possible. This was the shortest route. My wife and I aren't fighters but we knew our children wouldn't be able to do a longer journey, so we did what we had to," Alan said.

Kieran nodded in understanding. "Of course. I meant no offense," he replied.

"None taken." The fennec shrugged. "Considering that we're already in your debt I wonder if we might impose on you for a while longer. The journey to the next settlement is rather long, and we could use the extra sets of eyes."

Sierra turned to Kieran and silently contemplated the proposal. At the moment they did not have anywhere in particular they needed to be. Scavengers always needed to keep on the move and there was not likely to be any major sources of old world tech out here. She knew their new companions would likely be in just as much danger as before if they left them here, so with a nod she reached out her paw. "Sounds like a plan."

Alan's eyes brightened in gratitude and he gestured for them to follow him to a small area off the side of the road, where they found an isolated area of woods behind a disabled car. He set down his pack and began removing items. "Since it's getting about that time anyway, would you care to join us for a meal? We don't have much but maybe between the four of us we can cobble together something passable?"

Sierra gave a half smile and did the same, pulling out a few cans of food as well as a pawful of assorted goods. Once Kieran and the younger fennec had laid out all of their supplies they had a rather impressive spread. The kinkajou sat on a fallen log while her hyena companion began to start a small fire. It was early evening and it would be dangerous to travel at night anyway, so Sierra fished out her canteen and took a deep drink. The water quenched her thirst and refreshed her while she watched the others get comfortable. She offered her canteen to the young fennec who accepted it gratefully, drinking the rest of the water before passing it back.

Returning the cap to the canteen she placed it back in her bag. She watched as the two men fashioned together something that looked like a reasonable meal and handed out a portion to each of them. Out in the wasteland you learned how to improvise, so you ate whatever you could find on whatever you could obtain to serve it on. Sierra had gotten used to guessing what her food was most of the time. From what she could tell as she poked it with her fork, it was green beans and some sort of rice. The crackers were new though, likely supplied by their vulpine companions.

Testing a bite of it in her mouth she let the flavors mingle before deciding it was an acceptable offering. Life out here meant you got used to anything pretty quickly. Choosing what you wanted was generally a luxury few could afford. If you were fortunate enough the settlement might have what passed for a menu but unless you were a fairly large organization you ended up with whatever scraps were left behind. Canned food was a popular salvage item. Often the first thing looted from any stores they were a useful source of food for those trying to make a living out here. Of course it also meant that they were frequently the first thing most wanderers hit so the more centralized a place was the less likely it would contain viable supplies.

"This is pretty good," Sierra said.

"It's green beans and rice," Kieran replied.

Sierra shrugged. "It's better than those rations we bought at the last settlement."

"They weren't so bad," the hyena responded with a bit of indignation.

"They were pretty bad." Sierra smirked earning herself a glare from her companion. "All I can say is it's a good thing I was starving."

Kieran set his plate down on the ground. "Would you rather do the procurement next time?"

"I'm just saying," she said.

"Yeah, well, see how well you do with what I have to work with, and then we'll talk." He picked up his plate and ate a few bites.

Sierra was about to do the same when she realized their new companions were watching them. "You'll have to forgive us. We've been traveling together for a long time."

Alan laughed. "I can tell. You've got that kind of camaraderie that only comes from long hours facing everything together. Either you stay strong or you fall apart. I'm just glad to see not everyone out here is only interested in their own survival." He took another few bites. "I only wish more people felt that way."

After the war the world had become substantially different in a short period of time. Sierra had been prepared for it by her father, but many had not. Those that could do so adapted quickly. The people that did not tended to be grinded up by the new world and left to rot. Once people realized that the government was no longer functioning the weeks following were chaotic at best. Sierra had ridden out the worst of it in her family's bunker but she had listened to what had happened outside on her radio. It was not long before supplies ran low and people began to shed their morals and other things in order to survive.

Neighbors turned on each other when those that had prepared beforehand were met with the desperation of those who had expected life would always be the same. Battles over resources were common. The military did what it could to try and maintain order, but even they could not be everywhere. The cities soon became battlegrounds as those in power attempted to maintain control of whatever remained. Settlements popped up between cities and towns anywhere people found resources they could use.

Lakes and rivers were popular choices due to the availability of fresh water. While some chose to band together for survival, others chose to indulge in their baser instincts and prey on their fellow survivors. The smart ones knew how to tell the difference. Those who did not learned quickly, if they survived at all.

"My father always taught me to do the right thing," Sierra said. "I grew up around airmen. My father was my only parent so I spent a lot of time on the base learning how the military worked. More than a few of them spent their off hours taking care of me. From them I learned just about everything I know. Dad taught me the rest."

Kieran shrugged. "I just don't like bullies." He smiled and gave one of his crackers to the kid, who by now had cleaned his entire plate.

"Thanks, mister," he said.

"How old is he?" the hyena asked.

"He was born just before the war." The fennec fox frowned. "I was so happy when my wife got pregnant with him, but what kind of world is he going to inherit now?" He sighed. "Sometimes I think my elder son was the lucky one."

Sierra paused and raised her head. "What happened to him?" she asked.

"He was killed in a car accident a few years ago. I don't even think he saw the car that hit him. I used to think he was cheated out of a long full life, but maybe it was better he never saw what the world would become." The fennec ate another forkful of rice.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Kieran said. "But you mustn't give up hope. The world has hit a rough patch, that's for sure."

The fennec scoffed. "That's putting it mildly."

"We're still here," he replied. "That counts for something."

"Perhaps," he conceded. "After all, I suppose meeting the two of you was a fair bit of good fortune."

The conversation dwindled after that as the group mostly focused on eating the remains of their meal. No one left any food to go to waste. One thing you learned after the war was to eat whatever you had when you got the opportunity. You never knew if you would get another chance or where your next meal might come from. It resulted in a lot of times when Sierra would make certain she finished her plate just in case they were not fortunate enough to find a good place to bed down more nights than she would prefer. She knew they had enough food to last for a few days if necessary, but one always had an odd balance between conservation of resources and making sure what you did have was put to good use.

The kinkajou learned from her father all about survival in the world he knew would result if the war escalated. Thanks to him she knew more than most. Even still she would rather have him there beside her than the memory of his words at that moment. She watched the fennec fox and his son get comfortable while Kieran set up to watch over the group for their evening.

She and the others would take shifts watching the road for any approaching raiders. It was necessary they stay far enough away from it so as not to be caught unaware but close enough to ensure they could see any threats long before they reached their location.

Sierra began to maintain her weapons as the pair did every night. It was another piece of survival wisdom from her father. Always take care of your weapon and it will take care of you.

* * *

The following morning the group got an early start, packing up their belongings and resuming their journey before the sun rose over the horizon. It was still some distance to the next settlement but remaining out here any longer than necessary would only increase the likelihood they would run into more trouble than they could handle. While a larger group meant they had more gun hands to defend against any raiders who might see them as a soft target, at the same time it slowed them down and made them more vulnerable, especially with the fennec's young son.

Sierra and Kieran took the lead with the fox and his son watching their backs. The kinkajou kept her paw on her handgun listening carefully for any signs of something hostile approaching. Despite the apparent absence of anything living out here she knew better than to drop her guard. There were groups that would simply sit and wait for someone to get close enough to spring their trap.

Groups of cars were popular spots since they offered plenty of places to hide. Isolated gas stations or other places like that were often popular locations for an ambush. Keeping their distance from anything that looked like it could be a hiding spot for an attack they made steady progress towards the next safe haven.

Glancing over her shoulder she smiled as the elder fennec carried his son against his chest while keeping his other paw on his weapon. She silently dropped back to walk alongside him while still remaining alert for potential threats. "Are you doing all right?" she asked.

"Yes, thank you," the fennec replied. "I appreciate all your help. I don't know what we would have done if you hadn't come along. Traveling with a young son was hard enough before the war. Nowadays I think twice before even considering it."

Sierra nodded. "I can't say I blame you." She pointed ahead. "The next settlement is pretty much two days travel from here. Once we get out of raider territory it should be much easier for you and your family to make it to San Francisco."

"I only hope my wife and daughter have managed to get to the rendezvous without too much trouble." He cast his glance ahead. "They should have passed here a couple of days ago."

"They were going to meet you up ahead?" Sierra asked.

"That was the plan," he said. "Though there are a lot of..." He stopped suddenly and handed his young son over to her, barely giving her enough time to stretch out her arms when he bounded ahead past Kieran towards a long abandoned car.

The hyena shouted out to him to stop, but he ignored him and dashed forward towards the site of whatever had captured his attention. Both Sierra and Kieran followed as quickly as possible catching up to him a moment later as he stood beside the damaged vehicle clutching something in his paw. "What the hell was that?" Kieran asked. As if to answer he held up a torn olive scarf for them to see. "I don't understand."

"This belonged to my wife," he said. "They were here."

Sierra met Kieran's glance and handed him the young fennec while she examined the torn accessory. "Are you sure?"

"I know my wife's scarf. I gave it to her as a present before all this happened," he said, meaning the war. "She would never have taken it off willingly. Something must have happened to her."

"Well, I don't see any bodies," she began, "so at least we can assume for now they're still alive, wherever they are." The kinkajou continued to search the area for clues. "No signs of blood either."

"Thank goodness," Alan said.

"No shell casings." Sierra stood up. "Whatever happened, it was probably fast."

Alan flattened his ears. "They must have taken them by surprise. My wife wouldn't have fought them if she thought there was risk of Eve getting hurt."

Kieran nodded. "The next question is, who are 'they'?" he asked.

The most likely answer was raiders. Out here where there was little chance of running into someone with superior firepower one tended to encounter small groups only interested in their own self interest. The positive to this meant that they were generally unorganized and could be overcome with sufficient preparation and training, provided one saw the ambush coming. A single mother and her young daughter were not likely to fall into that category even if they were prepared.

Examining the area for signs of where they went she stopped when she found a makeshift weapon resting in the dirt. Picking it up, she presented it to Kieran. "Definitely raiders."

"What have you found?" Alan asked.

"A weapon." Kieran handed it over to the father. "Raiders tend to use whatever they can get their paws on. Sometimes its guns or knives, other times it's something a bit cruder like this."

"We have to find them before they hurt my family," he pleaded. "I know I have no business asking anything more of you but you're the only chance they've got. My son isn't old enough to fight and I can't fight them on my own. If you don't help me my family is as good as dead."

Kieran placed a paw on his shoulder. "We'll help you get them back. First, we need to find out where they went."

"Thank you so much," Alan said. "I know I can't ever repay you, but you have my gratitude nonetheless."

"Don't thank us yet," the hyena replied. "We've still got to find them."

Sierra knelt before some marks in the dirt. "It looks like based on these drag marks they headed that way. There aren't too many things in that direction so they must have a camp or a base somewhere in the area."

"When we encounter these guys, are you going to be joining us for the action?" Kieran asked.

Sierra knew an extra gun hand could make a significant difference especially if the raider group was sufficiently large. However, it would also mean leaving his son unprotected. Either way they would need to make a careful decision. "It's up to you," she said to the fennec.

He looked to his son and then took him back from Kieran. "You know how to hide like we showed you, right, Jake?"

"Yeah, dad," he replied. "I can hide."

"I'll come with you," Alan said. "I'm not going to ask you to save my wife and stay here."

Sierra nodded. "All right. We can use the help. Raiders tend to be the aggressive type so we'll need to be careful. Do you have any type of combat training?" she asked the fox.

"Some," he admitted. "I've had some time on the range and I've taken some self defense classes."

"It's better than nothing. When we get close I want you to back us up. Don't do anything unless Sierra or I tell you to, understood?" the hyena asked. The fennec nodded in response.

"No matter what happens, I'm not leaving without my wife," he said.

"I understand," Kieran replied. "I promise we'll do everything we can to get her out." He gave the elder fennec his best reassuring smile as they got moving after the trail left behind by the raiders. One thing about those types of groups was that they rarely traveled cleanly often leaving signs of their presence for those who knew what to look for. The footprints and marks in the sand showed where a woman had been dragged away, more than likely in restraints. The lack of matching prints suggested the younger daughter had been carried, either by her mother or one of the raiders.

Finding a hiding spot for Jake had slowed them down some, but they had been fortunate enough to locate a small public restroom along the road. It was relatively intact and possessed little of interest to passersby so it was unlikely he would be found here as long as he stayed put.

Once done, they resumed their journey towards the likely location of the raider camp. She took up the rear, watching the fennec as he walked. He remained silent for most of the journey while Sierra kept her attention on him. While raiders were known to attack people they rarely wanted to deal with survivors. She doubted he was involved but the possibility they had been roped into a trap had crossed her mind, though she had declined to mention it to Kieran so far.

When they began to approach the most likely place for the location of the raider campSierra pressed him up against the nearest car and leveled her pistol at his face. "So what are we going to find up there?" she asked. "Are some of your buddies waiting for us?"

"What are you talking about?" he replied. "I swear I don't know anything!"

Kieran whirled at the argument and stepped closer. "Sierra, what's going on?"

"I just want to make sure we're not walking into a trap. How do we know you're not with the raiders?" she asked. "He could be working with them."

"I swear, I'm not," he said when Sierra released the pressure on his chest. "I don't know how I can prove it to you but I swear I'm telling the truth."

Sierra kept her weapon aimed at him with her free paw. "Then why didn't they simply kill your wife?" She turned to Kieran. "Raiders don't like to deal with resistance. If they kept them alive they must think they have something of value or they wouldn't bother. If you're not working with them then what does she have that they want?" she asked.

"Can't you see how terrified he is?" Kieran asked. "I don't think he's working with the raiders."

Sierra relented and lowered her weapon. "Then start talking. There's something you're not telling us, isn't there?" she asked.

The fennec looked from one of them to the other before nodding affirmatively. "All right. You've proven I can trust you this far, I may as well tell you everything." He held his chest as he caught his breath. "It wasn't random that my wife and I chose this route. There were safer alternatives but none that would take us this close to the bunker."

"Bunker?" Kieran asked.

"My wife was part of a government contract to seed different parts of the country with weapons and advanced technology before the war in the event of a catastrophic event. In theory even if all of our military was wiped out we would still have resources and the necessary tools to rebuild the nation from zero." He shrugged. "I know that a few of them were completed before the project was cancelled."

Sierra leaned closer. "What happened?" she asked.

"Budget cuts," the fennec fox said. "It was determined that the money would be better spent towards things like the Sanctuary project and the prototype airship being developed by the army. When the war started to heat up stowing things away with the hope they would never be used seemed an inefficient allocation of resources. The ones that were completed were abandoned and intended to be cleared of their entire inventory but then the war ramped up and there just wasn't time to remove the contents."

Kieran raised an eyebrow. "So you're saying that somewhere out there is a bunker full of weapons, supplies, things like that?"

"Exactly, and my family knows how to get into it. My wife stole the combination thinking it would be a place we could hide if things got bad. While I don't fancy using it as a shelter there's enough weapons and equipment in there to make it more than worth the trip," he said. "If you help me save her you can have anything you want in there."

Sierra held up her paw. "We need a moment." Turning towards Kieran while still keeping an eye on the fennec she shrugged. "At least we know why they didn't kill her now."

"They're hoping she'll lead them to the bunker." Kieran folded his arms. "This just got a lot more dangerous. Even if they haven't gotten into it they're not going to let her go without a fight."

The kinkajou let out a deep breath. "Maybe not, but either way we can't just leave her to her fate."

"Agreed," he said.

The pair returned to the waiting fennec. "You've got a deal," Sierra said, "though we're not doing it for the reward."

"Even so, the offer still stands." He looked down humbly. "You've more than earned it."

Sierra gestured towards the direction of the raider camp. "The plan is the same. We scout out the place, go in and get her, and get out. Stay together. I don't want us getting separated. You see a hostile, you shoot to kill. They certainly will."

"Lead the way," the fennec replied.

* * *

The raider camp was little more than a series of RV's in a circle connected by crossover bridges made of sheet metal. Crude but effective, it provided a good vantage point to any defending hostiles and provided a reasonable fortification in the event of an assault. Protected from view Sierra stood ready with Alan who chambered a round as they waited for Kieran to return. The distance between them and the camp was short, but there was no cover between here and the raider defenses. Kieran had managed to find a blind spot for his approach and with a little luck had managed to get close enough to scout out the area.

Sierra let out a deep breath when he slid into cover next to them. "What did you see?" she asked.

Kieran held up a paw as he caught his breath. "Six total. Four are inside the camp and two lookouts on top. They're armed with assorted small arms, but they could have a larger cache somewhere. From what I can tell they're not particularly organized but they look like they've had some experience."

"Did you see my wife and daughter?" he asked.

The hyena shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Wherever they are they're being kept out of sight. Based on what you told us they want from them I'm not surprised. They don't want to risk them getting away."

"More than likely they're inside one of the trailers," Sierra said.

"So what's the plan?" Alan asked.

Sierra cast a glance towards the raider camp as her companions looked to her. "Given the lack of cover the only idea I have is going in hard and fast. We get as close as we can before we start taking as many of these raiders out as possible. Kieran and I will handle the ones keeping watch. You search the trailers, but make sure to be careful and watch your back. They could have more people inside them."

"Right," he replied.

"Once the closest lookout goes past his checkpoint we move in. Once we find your family we pull out, understood?" she asked. Both men nodded their agreement. "All right, get ready." Sierra looked up and watched the tall figure walk past their position and pull out a pair of binoculars. She ducked behind cover and waited a few moments until she was certain he had moved on before taking an exploratory peek. Once she had confirmed it was clear, she darted forward and sprinted towards the circle of RV's.

It did not take long for the raiders to react. The two lookouts sounded the alarm within seconds of seeing the trio approach, but those seconds had given Sierra enough time to get close enough to fire off a shot. The bullet ripped through the tall lookout dropping him out of sight. Immediately afterwards the second lookout was felled by Kieran's own weapon.

Sierra moved to the right and shot the first raider she encountered. A bullet from her right missed her by inches forcing her back into cover. She glanced out to see a wolf with a rifle that wasted no time opening fire again. She had lost sight of both Kieran and Alan but she could hear the fox calling out for his wife. The kinkajou grabbed the ladder on the rear of the RV and pulled herself up to the roof where she listened carefully for the sounds of the raider who hunted her down below. She inched closer to the edge and spotted him moving towards her former position, sending a bullet through the back of his head.

She knelt and took stock of the situation below her. Kieran had already killed another one of the raiders and two of the trailers were now open. She moved along the perimeter until she caught sight of a tall muscular iguana who was clearly the group's leader.

Standing with his only remaining subordinate he clutched to his chest a female fennec with a weapon in his other arm. Both Kieran and Alan stood still as they took in the situation before them. Alan froze while Kieran kept his weapon leveled. He and Sierra had encountered raiders enough times to know that lowering one's weapon was not an option if you expected to live. No matter what they told you surrendering your only protection was a death sentence. Honor was a luxury not everyone in the post apocalyptic world observed.

Alan held up his weapon and looked at the iguana. "Let my wife go."

"After you killed almost all of my men?" he asked. "You think I'm just going to let bygones be bygones?" He squeezed her tight enough to elicit a painful yelp. "I should kill you all just for the sake of doing it."

Kieran kept his weapon pointed at the iguana's head. "I wouldn't if I were you." His ears rotated around and from his careful twitch she knew he was aware she was above them. "Now your men didn't give us much of a choice, but I'm willing to let you and your man go provided you give us the woman you're holding right there."

"Nah," he replied. "No deal. She's got something way too valuable to give up and I won't hand her over under any circumstances."

The hyena nodded. "Well, now, that doesn't change the landscape at all." He kept his aim steady while the other raider twitched nervously.

Sierra took careful aim at the iguana and watched from her perch above them. She knew she would only get one chance to get this right. Kieran looked at the young woman and nodded.

Understanding his meaning, she dropped down just as Sierra opened fire. The bullet ripped through the iguana's head and his mouth dropped open in mid breath seconds before his body hit the floor. Before his companion could react, Kieran shot him twice in the chest, walking closer to be sure both of them were dead.

Alan rushed forward to embrace his wife with both arms. "Molly! Thank god you're here."

"I was so afraid! They were going to kill me until I told them about the bunker." She breathed heavily and held him close. "I'm so sorry, I had to give them something or they would have killed us." She then noticed her other rescuers and paused. "Who are they?"

"Friends," he said. "They helped me rescue you and bailed Jake and I out of a little trouble."

"Where is he?" she asked.

"Not far." He gave her a reassuring squeeze before releasing her. "This is Sierra Walker and Kieran Reynolds."

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am." He extended a paw which she shook before nodding at the kinkajou as she dropped to the ground.

A young fennec burst out of the nearest trailer and leapt into her father's arms. "Daddy!"

"Evie! Oh, my sweet little Eve, thank goodness you're all right," he said. "Thank you so much for helping me," he said to Sierra and Kieran.

"You're very welcome," Sierra replied. "We shouldn't stay here though. There could be more of them."

"Quite right, let's go. I promised them some of the spoils from the bunker as a thank you for helping me," he told his wife.

She nodded in understanding. "Fair enough. You've more than earned it after what you've done for my family."

"Follow me," Alan said, leading the group away from the raider camp.

SANCTUARY SUPPLY BUNKER

LOCATION UNKNOWN

Well concealed from the world beneath the emptiest patch of nowhere sat a large metal door at the end of a short cylindrical passage. Access from the surface had consisted of an apparent manhole cover leading to a long ladder stretching a few dozen meters below the surface. The journey here had been simple due to the navigational aid of the Lane family. Had they simply been wandering this way on their own it was likely Sierra would have walked right by it.

From what they could tell such was the intention. Those who knew what rested inside would have the means to find it and retrieve the contents, but anyone else would see nothing of interest and investigate no further.

Sierra watched as the father approached the lighted control panel on the right side of the door. Glowing with electrical power it waited for input. The elder fennec fox knelt beside his daughter giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"Daddy needs to borrow your doll for a minute, sweetheart." He gently removed the doll from her reluctant grasp and unzipped the back. Hidden inside was a small piece of paper which he handed to his wife before returning the doll to his young daughter. "Thanks, pumpkin."

The little girl clutched the doll once again while her mother stepped up to the panel and entered the access code into the panel. Once she had confirmed her entry the response was immediate. Within the door mechanism she could hear the sounds of parts moving and locks undoing themselves. Seconds later, the massive door slowly swung open and the lights inside came on sequentially from the entrance on back. Once all of the lights had finished activating, the group stood in the doorway for a long moment taking in all that they had found.

Contained inside were food, medical supplies, ammunition, weapons, and various other prewar technologies that were essential to survival in the world after the war but so difficult to find especially in such good condition. Meeting Kieran's glance the two followed the Lane family inside the bunker to get a closer look at the massive contents of the supply cache.

"Look at all this," Sierra said.

Kieran nodded his agreement. "They were certainly prepared."

"As we promised, you may take whatever you can carry. There's more than enough here to compensate you for all you've done for us." Alan embraced Sierra one more time and smiled. "It may as well do someone good, and I'd rather it be in your hands than anyone else's."

"It's appreciated," Kieran replied, already stocking medical supplies and some food into his satchel.

Sierra walked along the aisles until she located the ammunition stores. Laid out before her was every kind of conventional ammo known to sentient life and even a few kinds she didn't recognize. As much as she wished she could take it all she judiciously selected enough of the types both she and Kieran preferred and placed them in her bag. Once she had filled her pockets with a few more she noticed Molly's approach with her young daughter in tow.

"I hope you've found everything you needed," she said.

"Yes, thank you. You're very generous," the kinkajou replied.

She picked up her daughter in her arms and bounced her gently while she continued to speak to Sierra. "I don't pretend to know what made you help my family but all I can say is that I hope you keep doing it. The world out there has become a lot harsher since the war and heaven knows most of the time people are just struggling for survival. You've got your own problems and even so you helped a family you didn't know with no expectation of a reward and possibly even endangering your own life. I could say thank you a few more times but it seems hardly adequate to express how much I regard you and your friend."

"I just did what was right," Sierra responded.

"And that is what makes you special, Sierra Walker. Because even in this world we call the apocalypse you still hold on to that goodness inside you. You may not think it's a big deal but it is. What you do matters. What all of us do matters. Whatever your reasons for helping my family I can only extend my admiration to them as well." Molly smiled, walking beside Sierra as they made their way back towards the entrance.

Sierra held her dog tags in her paws. "My father taught me everything I know. He made me who I am. Without him I don't know if I would have even survived the first day of the world after the war. I don't know if he's alive or if he is where he might be out there. All I know is I'm never going to give up looking for him, and if I find him I want him to be proud of the person I've become. I couldn't face him if I did anything less."

"Well, when you do find him, tell him he's got one hell of a little girl." She embraced Sierra gently with her free arm before holding up her daughter. "My little Eve here wanted to thank you personally for everything you did before you left us."

The young fennec girl yipped at Kieran and Sierra while her mother placed her on the ground. She embraced Kieran's leg and then Sierra's, smiling all the while. "Thank you for helping my mom."

"You're very welcome, sweetheart," she said.

"Will we see you again?" Eve asked.

Sierra and Kieran exchanged glances and shrugged. "I don't know, sweetheart. We move around a lot but if we do I promise we'll stop by and say hi." The kinkajou gave the little girl a hug before stopping to pet her rag doll. From the looks of it the doll had survived a lot more than the war in that little girl's arms. Sierra stood and gave the Lane family one final nod before they set back out on their collective journey. From here it would only be a short while further before the Lane family was safe with family, and from there she and Kieran would continue to wander.

_ I hope you're out there somewhere, dad._

FOUR DAYS LATER

Rack could not believe his good fortune. The Doberman had found what might be his biggest score yet. Following the kinkajou and the hyena to the spot in the middle of nowhere had been a risk, especially with so few places to hide, but he had persisted and kept his distance. After seeing them take out the raider camp he knew better than to engage them directly. Staying well out of sight he had tracked them to a location no one would ever think was worth the time of day. When he caught up with them they had disappeared, or so he thought.

Retreating for the time being he observed the area until he once again saw the group emerge from a hole in the ground. Once they were clear he descended to see what they had found so interesting, and then he discovered it. A massive metal door laid buried deep underground in a position so concealed it would be impossible to find by accident.

Uncertain what waited behind it he deemed it worth the attempt to gain access to the spoils beyond. It had taken him all that time and every bit of technical knowledge he possessed, but on the fourth day he had been rewarded by a satisfying electronic click and the whir of mechanical components as the door unlocked and swung open, revealing the most bountiful supply of pre war salvage he had ever seen.

Guns, ammo, food, medical supplies, and everything in between greeted him as he greedily picked up everything he could carry. Managed properly this place could support him for the rest of his life, whether he chose to sell its contents or keep it for himself. It would take days and several dozen trips but this was worth it. Once he had taken all the items he personally wanted for himself, he set foot back out into the wasteland and arrived at the nearest settlement.

Feeling he had earned himself a drink he ordered the most expensive liquor in the house. Pleased with himself, he threw a few back until he noticed a female rabbit standing in his light. Irritated he slammed the glass down on the table.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to celebrate here," Rack said.

The female rabbit smiled and sat down across from him. "Don't let me stop you," she replied. "Your friends over there say you've recently come into a fair amount of good fortune." His eyes darted to her chest where he noticed a name tag that said 'Gray'.

"You could say that," he replied.

The rabbit brushed a stray blonde hair from her face and smiled. "My friends and I could use what you've found in there." Behind her he noticed a pair of men dressed in military style outfits, both of them armed with rifles.

"Well, you'll just have to get in line, because I'm the only one who knows where to find it." As if to illustrate his point the canine set a brand new pistol down on the table.

Wordlessly she gestured behind her. The guard on the left fired a shot through his leg. Rack screamed and clutched his thigh as blood poured out of the wound onto the floor of the filthy bar. "Allow me to make a counteroffer." She held up her paw again. The guard raised his weapon towards his other leg.

"Wait!" he shouted. She raised her paw to halt the guard. "What do you want?"

"I told you," she said. "I'm interested in more of this equipment. You're going to tell me where you got it."