Ryujin and the Tales of Heroes

It is something that should have never happened, yet it did. The world had experienced apocalypse, nuclear annihilation. It was something that never existed in our history books, yet it happened all the same.

It was easy to say that it was a beautiful day if it were not for the radiation. Thankfully even with the advances of nuclear weapons, even the most powerful atomic bombs and ballistic missiles didn’t carry the same radioactive fallout that the bombs of the past did. Nonetheless, one could look up to know the future was over. The present was dying, and all that was left was a rich past that was falling behind more and more.

About a few miles from the neighborhood that he lived in, Rex drove his motorcycle. Behind him was a woman that had her arms tightly wrapped around him to keep herself from falling off. They both wore makeshift clothing coupled together with various fittings and armor. The armor was lightly woven to ensure pockets of multiple sizes and shapes could hold whatever they needed. Kevlar woven onto leather and motorcycle vests showed him as a man that was used to the hostility of the environment. The woman behind him had a Ruger Mini 14 rifle that she had shouldered up to her back.

Rex drove down in his black Harley Davidson FLH Electra Glide 1980 motorcycle. The motorcycle was wearing down. He had to drive down the roads at a slow speed to avoid running into debris that lined the no longer managed highways and broken down vehicles that strewn the sides. Gas was never too much of an issue as the motorcycle did not need much gas to run, but there was a share of other problems. The bike had been modified with a holster that held Rex’s Franchi SPAS-12 shotgun. In a quick moment’s notice, he could pull the motorcycle over and pull it out fully loaded and ready to fire. The gun had its share of problems. In urban terrain such as where they were, the shotgun’s range made it useful, but in open environments, a rifle was more valuable. That is where his partner and her Ruger Mini came into play.

“We should pull over to this building on the right!” the woman called out to Rex behind him.

“I agree,” he replied as the motorcycle began to slow.

They were driving down Alpine Blvd after pulling off Kumeyaay Highway. Not far from their homes, they were scouting the various abandoned and wrecked homes after the blasts from months ago. While far away from the center of San Diego itself, Alpine was still a shell of what it once was. While never having a large population, to begin with, the small town was mostly abandoned now. The town bordered the nearby Native American reservations. However, with the aftermath of the nuclear Armageddon, all laws and rules were out the window now. The governments collapsed. Rex and the woman that accompanied him were in a semi-arid place perfect for the fall but hot during the summers. The site was littered with abandoned cars, wrecked and ransacked homes, dirt and sand, hilly terrain, and the various trees that littered the area. 

The motorcycle pulled over to a large house. It looked mostly abandoned, much like the rest of the homes. The town was a ghost town now but the threat of raiders, homesteaders that were trying to live a meager life with the little resources left, and whatever other threats were all but apparent.

“Estrella, be on your guard,” Rex told her. “We might be near our homes, but we haven’t been back in a week. Raiders might have checked in.”

“Of course,” Estrella replied as she unshouldered her rifle. She readied herself as she hopped off the bike and onto the pavement with her hard boots. Rex slapped the kickstand down. He already wore his backpack that made travel hard as it was with Estrella behind him in travels. He pulled the shotgun from the makeshift holster and began to unfold the stock.

Estrella was a woman in her twenties. She was a Latino that had long black hair that flowed down her shoulders. She looked like she was born in Mexico, but her accent was very faint. She was a woman that lived in the United States or what was for some time.

He was at the ready as they both marched forward to the house in front of them.

“Watch the windows……,” he directed her. Estrella’s eyes watched the home in front of them. She tried to stay quiet, but the coughing and hacking made it difficult.

Rex saw a stray dog that ran off upon seeing them. They walked side by side as they stepped closer to the home. The home itself was large but not significant. It was a two-story house with a pair of windows above and below the front. It looked abandoned and partially boarded up. One window had bullet holes on the side.

“What time is it again?” he asked out loud, looking at the sky. By the sun, it is around three or four o clock in the afternoon. He kept his eyes on the sides as Estrella looked around at the windows and the door. They walked up to the door.

“You think we should do the same as we did before?” she asked him.

“Shoot on sight if anybody is in there?.....” Rex thought out loud. “Hmmm…..yeah. We would only be doing them a favor since it is getting harder and harder to find food. Everyone is losing their minds now, and everyone is getting desperate.”

“Crazy that we say that,” Estrella commented as she sighed. “I suppose it is for the best then. Last person, we encountered tried to gun us down with that pistol of his. Good thing that he had some food in his home.”

“How much ammo do you have left?”

She sighed as she looked at her rifle. “I have about fourteen rounds left. I might have to ditch this gun if we can’t find anymore.”

“You should have done what I did before the fall. I had two full boxes of shotgun rounds. I stuffed my pockets before we left.”

“Was that before Jeremy?......,” she looked down as she felt that she regretted asking her question. “Sorry…..forget that I ask.”

Rex looked down and shook his head. “Yeah….it was before he died. He had plenty of ammo on him.”

“Now it’s just us…..,” she shook her head.

He refocused his attention around him. “Let’s check the home,” as they stepped up to the door.

Estrella was the first to check the door. It was locked when she put her hand on the door handle.

“Lockpick it?” she asked.

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

She shouldered her rifle as she went and fished one of her many pockets a small metal pick. She looked at it and then put it back as her hand began to pull another one out that was shaped differently. She nodded as she put the metal pick to the keyhole and began to work her magic in trying to unlock the door. Her attention was focused on the door and trying to get it open.

“Wonder if it is worth doing that anymore?” he asked out loud. “Encountering less and less people now. Doubt even making a lot of noise would really matter now.”

She displayed annoyance in her face as she stopped to look at him. “What about the others we have been encountering? You know……the non-humans we’ve seen since the fall?”

How could he forget? Ever since the bombs fell, it was like a new beginning arrived for humanity. Not only were humans slowly dying out or trying to live a meager existence, but now they started to encounter things that shouldn’t exist in the first place.

“Yeah…..we have to keep an eye out for the others we encounter,” he said as he shook his head. “If only humanity knew that the stories were true. At least they don’t go after us or at least seen us too closely to give a care.”

“What about the Ysa?”

“They shouldn’t be this far out, although……,” he sighed. “They continue to spread out to these areas. It’s crazy that they can live near dead center of ground zero and not be affected by the radiation.”

She continued to pick at the lock as the metal pin was working in and out of the keyhole. Rex kept his eye out but saw very little out there besides the rubble, debris, and remains of civilization out there and, of course, his bike.

“I don’t think they are human either,” Estrella commented. “We fought them once.”

“Who knew women would be the most dangerous gang and thugs California has ever seen. Hell, I have seen the women pregnant, and they still shoot at us.”

“I still remember shooting one square in the head. That bullet bounced off of her like it was nothing.”

He shook his head, “I think you missed. No person could survive getting shot in the head like that.”

“They kept shooting at me too…..,” she added. “They were aiming towards me and not you.”

Rex shrugged, “Me with a shotgun with them shooting from rooftops. They knew that I was less dangerous with my shotgun from their ranges. You were more of a threat with your rifle.”

“Whatever you say,” she said as the door clicked and unlocked.

She pulled her metal pick out and put it back into her pocket. She unshouldered her rifle and pulled the handle of the door as it opened.

“Good job. You are getting faster and faster with it,” he complimented to her. “I will take point since I am deadlier close range. You watch my back.”

“Si….” She told him in Spanish. He stepped forward in front of her as he kept her rifle at the ready. With his shotgun at the ready, he stepped inside the home. There was a horrible whiff that came from the house the moment the door was opened.

“Oh…..somebody died in there,” he waved his nose. “Fuck…..expected as usual. People would choose to die in their homes rather than go out there. I can’t blame them. Nothing but raiders like us fighting for scraps gutting each other for what’s left.”

Estrella was well aware of what he said. It was kill or be killed in this world. With what they were encountering, shooting on sight was usually recommended. Nobody could be trusted anymore. Only the fact that she was a close neighbor to him made him the only companion she could have in a nuclear apocalypse. Everyone else that she knew was most likely dead.

“You make sure you keep that anti-radiation medicine with you at all times,” he told her as he walked inside the home, trying to bare the smell. She did the same thing as she followed close behind him, closing the door. “It’s what’s keeping us alive right now. Once we run out, we will have no choice but to keep heading eastward away from the blast zones. Hopefully, the radioactive fallout will be less otherwise……..” he turned to look at her with reluctance, “we fuck till we die.”

There was a slight chuckle from her. He was right. If the end of the world was upon everyone and nothing could be done to avoid oblivion, then it was best to enjoy the time together as much as possible both in happiness and in bed.

“God damn that smell,” he practically gagged. He scanned everything in front of him. “Doubt we need to keep our guard up. People would have a hard time living with that even if they were trying to bare it.”

She practically choked as well. They scanned the inside of the home. They could see a set of stairs that led upward and the small hallway that went to the kitchen and living room. The living room was closest to them as they headed towards it. The home was ransacked with furniture and belongings that were thrown about. Picture frames were still on the wall that depicted the happy families of once were. As they stepped into the living room, it was here the smell was the strongest as they covered their mouths and noses. On the couch was a corpse of a man with a pistol in hand.

They reached the stairs as Rex lifted and aimed his shotgun upwards as they walked carefully up. They left behind the living room as they arrived at a series of rooms upstairs. It consisted of two bedrooms and a large bathroom. It was less trashed upstairs, and the smell went down.

They split in two to open the doors to each bedroom. Both were empty with the exception of the beds and various variety of furniture inside. Rex could see the window that allowed one to see below to the street where his motorcycle was parked.

“Find anything?” he called out to her.

“No, this room looks like it is the guest room. It is barely touched.”

“The room I am in looks like it was the main bedroom. Belonged to the guy or at least used.”

“I am going to check the bathroom,” she said as she walked out of the guest room and back to the hallway that led to a nearby bathroom. Rex was left to his thoughts as he had a brief respite to himself.

“One month……almost one month since the bombs fell,” he said to himself as he walked up to the window to look outside. “What the fuck is wrong with humanity? We shot ourselves in the foot. In what?......two more months, most of humankind will be dead that isn’t already dying. What’s left will be nothing but marauders and thugs preying on the weak. Even we have resorted to it…..why did it come to this? Then the weird shit begins to happen. Things that shouldn’t exist come to life. Two weeks in, a dragon flies over…….a fucking dragon. Maybe the radiation is truly getting to me even though Estrella saw it too.”

His gaze befell his motorcycle as he shook his head. “I shouldn’t have left the bike there. Rex you idiot, I left the bike for anyone to see. I hope it does not come to bite us in the ass.”

He turned away from the window as he pulled the window up. The open window allowed fresh air to flood from outside as he walked over to the cabinets to take a look. The first and second cabinets were layered with various clothing. However, as he pulled the clothes back, he found a box of ammunition.

“Hmmmm…..9mm rounds for the pistol. Looks like there are about 12 rounds in the box. Might be able to use it. Hey, Estrella, did you find anything?”

“Yeah, I found some medicine, not much, but I will take what I can get,” she said as she came walking into the bedroom with a couple of bottles of pills.

“Go ahead and close the door behind you. Looks like it can be locked. We will rest here for now. We need to eat anyway, and my pack weighs a ton.”

“Of course,” she said as she handed the pills to him. He looked at the bottles, which consisted of Tylenol and antibiotics.

“Good work,” he replied as he set aside the bottles to the cabinet.

Estrella nodded as she turned around and turned the latch to lock the door. They were safe and secure in their room together. She took her rifle and set it on the floor by the window. They were at a good vantage point looking down at the motorcycle and street below. Ahead of them was the highway that led back to leveled San Diego or eastward away from urban civilization.

Rex took his shotgun and also rested it to the wall next to the window. He then took his heavy backpack and slapped it on the carpet by the bed. Estrella looked like she was salivating as she looked at the backpack.

“Eh…..remember the rules when we find a firearm,” he told her.

She sighed, “Of course,” she said as she pulled out the pistol and took a look at it.

“Here,” he said as he handed her the box of ammo. “Always make sure you have all the guns fully loaded before eating or sleeping. Just in case of ambush at night or during sleep.”

“I know,” she said quietly as she released the magazine to look at the rounds left. “He had two rounds left in the magazine. All he needed was one, what was he worried about?”

She went and took the box of rounds as she began to load each round into the magazine. The magazine itself could hold fourteen altogether, so she ended up emptying her box. Meanwhile, Rex unzipped the bag and pulled out three cans.

“Let’s see here,” he said. “Looks like we have canned peaches, canned beans, and….” He looked hard at the label. “Hmmm….canned mixed vegetables.”

“We will split the beans fifty-fifty,” as she kept pushing more and more rounds into the magazine. “Take your pick of which can you want, and I will take the other.”

“Alright…..fine,” Rex replied. He lifted the can as he inspected it in his hand. He decided to get the peaches and handed the other can to her. He then reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a small can opener. “I don’t know how many times this little can opener has helped us,” he joked. “Never go into the apocalypse without a can opener.”

She finished loading the magazine as she inserted it into the pistol and made it ready. She then set it aside by the rifle as she got by the bed. Rex was kind as he opened her can first. The little can opener cut the metal lid as he pried it open and handed it to her. She was so hungry that she put the can to her mouth as she began to scarf down the vegetables.

“Slow down,” he told her as he cut into the next can. “There is such a thing as eating too fast, you know?”

She put the can down as she closed her eyes. “Sorry…..I guess I was hungrier than I thought.”

“Me too……sometimes I wonder if we should have a night where we just go like wild animals all night and end it like that man downstairs did it. How many people have we shot and killed? How many did we rob? How……..”

She ate more of the vegetables in the can as she quickly swallowed it. “How many people are doing the same thing we are doing? Look at what we are doing right now. If we didn’t break into this home, someone else’s home, how long before we keep searching for a place for food before we wander into someone else’s territory to watch the whole damn thing happen again. How long before someone else would have done what we have breaking into this man’s home? The world is fucked, and so are we.”

Rex looked at the canned peaches as he cut the lid open. He then pried the lid open as he began to scarf down the sweet-tasting fruit, drinking the liquid and all. It was a drink and nourishment all in one. He closed his eyes, admiring the taste.

“It won’t be filling, but it will do,” he said quietly enough for her to hear.

“Mmmm….” She said with her can of vegetables. “We need to go hunting again to get some meat. There have to be some lakes around here where we can go fishing that at least hasn’t been radiated yet.”

“You know, if you were not with me, I think I would have ended it. You are practically one of the only reasons that I am still going.”

Estrella kept eating from her can as she looked at him. She looked at her can as she looked at him. She nodded. “Same here, ever since my sister Estella died……my family gone….you and Jeremy were all I had for family. If you go, then I go too.”

“Heh….” He commented as he continued to eat from his can. He set it down on his lap as he smacked his lips. “Funny….hearing that from a woman that is a lesbian such as yourself to have feelings for me.”

“Bisexual, not a lesbian,” pointing her finger at him with a stern look. “My sister and I might share those feelings, but I like both.”

“Yeah…..but I think you are more of a lesbian than anything else. I still remember all the women that came to you and your sister’s house. I know what you women were doing.”

She shook her head. “No…..come on. We didn’t…..,” she looked flustered. “Must of them were just friends that came over. That isn’t fair. I mean, it would be like accusing you and Jeremy of…..well just because he came over to your house.”

“No, I didn’t think that way towards Jeremy,” Rex said sternly. “He was just a friend and nothing more.”

“Ugh……” she went and lifted the can high eating the last of the various vegetables down to the last pea and carrot, even tapping the can where she finally put it aside in a random spot in the room. “That is what I get for sharing things that I shouldn’t to a man.”

“See told you,” he said as he ate from his can slowly before putting it back down. “That hatred towards man comment. You like women more than men. It’s alright. I don’t care, really.”

“No….,” she shook her head. “You do care. You get off on it. I can tell when we do it. Perhaps I should tell you my sexual encounters with other women next time we do it.”

He shook his head as he ate the last of the can, drinking the contents before he tossed the can aside by hers. He thought about the sex they would have. It was more of nonromantic sex than anything else really just to relieve each other’s desires, stresses, and help eliminate the bleakness of the sad environment.

Rex grabbed the can of beans as he began to cut into the lid.

“You know…..,” she commented, seeing the can of beans being cut open. “There was something I never told you about Jeremy that I need to tell you before he died.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“He obviously knew that we were……well…..he looked at me once, and I could see a sense of sadness in his eyes like he was jealous. I spoke to him once about it, and he told me that he wanted to have one night with me.”

“Really?” he asked as he fully cut the lid of the can. He looked at her and sighed. “Poor Jeremy…..he caught on pretty quickly. He knew that you were a way to relieve the stress of everything. I can’t blame him.”