Rebuild, Renew: Chapter One: "Prologue"
#1 of Rebuild, Renew
"This is the People's Radio coming to you with the daily update. Today comrades, progress has been made with taking over the whole state of Nebraska! Our brave partisans have fought tooth and nail while destroying every fascist and conser-"
*Click*
The world as you know it has fallen into hell. Your country, the United States has collapsed into a conflict that surpasses any conflict known to anyone. Strife has arisen, people revolted and the very way of life has collapsed. Millions have died and yet the toll rises every day. But this was only just the first issue. The whole world has entire has also gone insane. Germany went back to the Reich, Russia restored the Soviet Union, and Britain established a new colonial empire as a way to, "Save the World". To make matters worse, the United Nations has been disbanded and collapsed due to nations not listening and complying with each other. This world continues to get worse and worse with no glimmer of hope in sight. But, not all things are bleak and grey..
At an old cottage house deep in the woods in the heartland of New England, there lays "Anonymous" or mostly known as, "Anon". A man of an unknown age who is trying to survive day and night in this hellish world that is the old United States of America. He was born in a small village in Massachusetts, but that all changed when the revolts happened. His old job, gone. His family, gone. And mostly, his chances of finding peace, dwindling. As Anon lays on the ground, moving around while shifting on the floor, his eye catches something old and dusty. He then gets up, cracking his back as he looks at the object, Anon finds out that the box is mostly in the closet in the room. Anon thinks to himself, "What can be in that box? Food? Water? Medication?" As he approaches the box, it appears to be a crate with black lettering spelled on the top, "US ARMY". Anon reaches for the top of the crate to remove the-
The...Oh, fuck..
It's stuck. The wooden top that opens the box is on there tight and it wouldn't move after any attempts to open it. Anon tries desperately to open it in many ways that he can. For example, hitting it with a bat, tapping on it with a hammer, and mostly trying to find if there are any screws on it holding the top on. Anon while flustered, thinks again. Then an idea comes in which he saw from a movie, he knew this would be cliche but it could work. Anon then leaves the room trying to figure out if he could find a crowbar to ply open the top of the crate so he can access whatever is in that wooden crate. As Anon explores the house, he finds images on the walls in frames. One of them shows an old man with his old pet and his anthropized wife smiling with him. Anon looks at the photo and smiles as he keeps it on the wall. Anon then reaches the door to the garage, upon entering, he finds an old car that is in normal condition with the keys on the wall on a nail. Anon wasn't there for the car, there he sees it.
The Crowbar.
Anon quickly grabs the crowbar and runs back to the room where the crate was. He knew this had to work, there is no way in hell it would fail. Anon positions the crowbar onto the crate and begins to pry it open. With the first attempt, there was no luck. He grunts as he tries again, and the top begins to come off. Anon drops the crowbar as it makes a loud **CLUNK** sound. He gets on his knees and sees that...a bolt-action rifle? Anon then sees a note inside of the crate as well. It reads in all uppercase letters,
"SPRINGFIELD M1903 BOLT ACTION RIFLE, MADE BY SPRINGFIELD ARMORY"
"Fucking hell.." Said Anon has he collects the ammo and slings the rifle on his back. He has never fired a rifle this big before since he is used to firing small pistols, but any gun is good in these dire times. Anon then leaves the house and into the sunny day, birds are chirping and nobody is around. It's quite quiet and tranquil. It's too quiet he thinks, he assumes something is going on but nothing is. As he shrugs it off, he resumes walking down the path in the woods, while walking he admires the trees and the bees, looking at every flower and cloud above. Everything is nice and peaceful until he sees a sign. As Anon walks over to the sign it reads, "TINTON 5 MILES". "Well that's new, I never saw this sign here before!" Anon says as he continues to walk down this path, maybe this town was one of those new settlements built once the old country collapsed. While walking down the path and taking several breaks to admire the countryside, he arrives at the guard post a mile out. As he approaches there, a female anthrofied bald eagle points her pistol at him and she says with a demanding tone,
"HALT, WHO THE FUCK GOES THERE?!"
Anon suddenly puts his hands up and says, "HEY WAIT IM JUST A DRIFTER, I HAVE NO HARM TO ATTEND!" The female eagle puts down her pistol and rubs her beak while saying, "Hmm..as you say. We just had over four people come here in the last hour with grenades that try to kill me. How the fuck can I think you're not one of them? I see that fancy rifle on your back, I bet you stole that off from one fancy merchant-"
Anon says as he shows her it, but not aiming at her, "I didn't kill anyone! I found it in a house five miles from here! Look can I know where Tinton is?!" The female eagle sighs as she gets off from her post. She approaches Anon and says as she puts a hand on her shoulder, saying, "Look, you seem innocent at first, but I have some news for you. The whole town is brand new and it is starting to rebuild after the collapse of the post-collapse nation. Were just a small group of people, including me, and right now I just want to keep you here. Plus, maybe I could teach you a few things with that rifle of yours..." Anon thinks and he nods, "Sure, I can spend some time here, but under one condition." The female eagle says, "No conditions, you either let me help you or fucking scram!" Anons sigh and don't even put up a fight. The female eagle smiles and then says, "Come over here, this tall tower could be good for a sniping position." As Anon walks over to the tall tower, he begins climbing up the latter, while trying not to look down. As Anon reaches for the top, he is surprised. It's big and enough room for a couch. But sadly, there is no roof so sunburn could be a thing. Anon and the female eagle sit down and wait.
While waiting, the female eagle says, "You can call me Jane, I came here around a few weeks ago with Paul, the mayor of the town and the leader. We're just the remains of a faction called, "Mass Grants". Mostly, trying to rebuild town by town, but failed due to communists. Those damn commies own Boston and they made a huge wall surrounding it like the fucking Berlin Wall, nobody can get in there. And I bet your bottom dollar those damn fucking SOVIETS did it." Anon looks at her while she rants, he then says, "Well um...you can call me Anon, I guess. I can tell you hate the reds much as I do. I remember when this whole collapse happened, they went to town and town taking out people one out a time and shooting them if they don't agree." Jane gulps and says, "God I remember when.." Anon says as he sighs, "Killed that baby as a ransom to the governor? I remember that it reminds me-"
Suddenly, Jane and Anon can hear a voice yell at them, "WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT EAGLE WHO KILLED MY SISTERS?!" Anon takes out his rifle and looks down, there he sees a female anthrofied deer holding a grenade launcher. She looks at Anon and says, "WAS IT YOU WHO FUCKING KILLED THEM YOU FUCKING MONKEY? I SWEAR ALL OF YOU HUMANS NEED TO DIE!" Jane looks at Anon with a serious look and says to him, "Show me what you got.." Aim them moves while aiming at the female deer with his iron sights. He breathes steadily, calmly...
**Click*
**BANG**
In one shot, the female deer's head exploded into bits and mostly collapses on the ground. Jane suddenly gets down onto the ground and scavenges the body for equipment. She giggles like a girl as she picks up the launcher, saying, "HOLY SHITBALLS, THIS IS A FUCKING GOLDMINE!" Anon comes down and sees the jacket she has in her hands, Jane gives Anon the jacket and says, "Wear this, you'll get cold at night." Anon then puts on the jacket, it feels rugged and mostly firm, just the way he likes it. While Anon puts on his jacket, Jane moves towards the body and throws it into the ditch...where other bodies are. Anon doesn't even want to bring it up, he asks Jane, "Uh..can we go now?" Jane nods as she taps her beak, she then leads Anon towards the town, Anon doesn't even look back.
As Jane and Anon enter the town, he seems tired. After all of that walking and now fighting, Anon just wants only one thing. Sleep, but Jane doesn't stop. She keeps walking and passing people who are trying to find a home here. One woman is arguing with a male anthrofied goat over ammo, another male and female human were talking about their own lives before the collapse. Tinton was just a small hub, but it felt natural to Anon. Suddenly Jane stops and looks. She then looks back at Anon and says, "There's Paul. Try to act normal, okay?" Anon shrugs as Jane walks up to Paul. Paul is a human male who wears glasses and wears a jacket with long pants with a newsboy cap. Paul suddenly looks at Anon and says, "Finally, a human for once. Who are you?" Anon sticks his hand out to shake Paul's hand and says, "I'm Anon, I'm from...well not around here. You?" Paul looks at Anon and says, "I'm Paul, leader and mayor of Tinton. Welcome home. Do you need anything?" Anon thinks for a moment and says, "Well..not really, I just need a place to rest." Paul nods and points to an empty store. Paul says, "You can have that home, well store, but its just empty. You know what I mean?" Anon nods, Jane then interjects and says to Paul, "Paul wait! Wasn't that Alex's old-" Paul puts his hand up and says, "It doesn't matter, Anon is gonna be there if you like it or not. Alex is dead, there is nothing we can do."
Jane sighs as she mostly hears that comment, she looks over to Anon and says, "Fine, if you're going to be living in that old store, then I am going to move in with him!" Paul shrugs and says, "Do whatever you want, you don't even have a home, Jane." Paul then walks off with his clipboard and Jane looks at Anon and motions him to follow her. As Anon and Jane enter the storefront, Anon notices that the store is rundown on the inside and needed repairs badly. Jane scoffs and says to herself, "Unfucking believable.." Anon looks at a box filled with food and says to Jane, "Hey look there is-" Jane snaps and says, "SHUT IT!" Anon sulks as Jane walks behind the counter and pulls out a box filled with photos of the old store. She sighs as she looks at them and says, "Alex...what did they do to you?.." Anon walks over to Jane while mostly scratching his chin, he asks, "Who is this Alex fellow you keep talking about?" Jane looks at him and sighs, "He was one of our best people here. He helped a lot and mostly made sure nobody got hurt...until those communists from Boston killed him...they gutted him and mostly hung his body on the huge wall, as a reminder to outsiders never to fuck with them...bastards.." Anon can see that Jane is nearly holding back tears. Anon sighs and puts down his bag, Jane notices this and says, "...Can you give me some time and go upstairs?.." Anon nods and begins to walk up the stairs into the main house as Jane sobs quietly. Hoping that one day, Alex's spirit can come back to her.
End of Chapter One.