Introduction and Chapter One

This introduces our hero, Bison, and the entirely first person perspective. I'll be using this as a plot overview as well for later chapters in case you need to catch up or get lost.

Prologue: Bison The Legend

When man reached out to the stars and found the universe empty; they took it upon themselves to fill the void. It was no easy task and soon Earth became a hollow shell of what it once was. Gleaming skyscrapers and empty homes were soon reclaimed by the land. It seemed that in the age of discovery and hiatus there was no time left for the lonesome blue marble. That is until the sickness began. A dastardly plague called The Zero Six Zero in reference to its survival rate (zero percent), the time a person had (six days), and that it marked a new age (one that is considered to start with the first outbreak or year zero). The Zero age; that forced those who had once abandoned their home to return.

For many years scientists worked and slaved in an effort to find a cure. As the years past numbers began to dwindle and when a cure was found it was almost too late. Remaining populations split themselves into four groups: those who wished to venture out again were called The Pilgrims and they claimed a small island that had suffered mushroom clouds, those who were determined to ensure humanity's resurrection were called Laborers and they occupied the land once home to those fond of hockey, finally there was The Madmen those who wished to see the planet simply burn and they took the land that belonged to a queen yet was ruled by elected officials.

Our story begins with a man who took solace in less than reputable company. His name has been passed down for many a generation and to this day the only thing people remember is that it ended with Bison.

Chapter One: When it Rains, it Pours.

In my life I had seen more than my fair share of dive bars and in those bars I found a few things to be inevitable: gambling, cheating, and alcohol. Fortunately enough I happened to be good at all those things. In fact, I was doing them right now while looking at the kind of face even a mother had to slap. That face had a name, Billy, and Billy was holding two aces of clubs. Another swig of liquid courage. Crack neck. Deep breath. Flip table. Cards flew and so did my punch. One solid sock to the jaw. Nice. Billy spat blood then let loose a pissed off howl and began his assault. Duck left. Duck right. Block nut shot. Uppercut that knocks a few fillings loose. Uh oh...knife. Sway back and forth. Follow blade closely. Here it comes......NOW! Twist wrist, break wrist, and finally (with much effort on my part) a nice judo flip. Ugly is down, ring bell, and crown the new champion.

“Nothing worse than a god damned cheat.” I said with all the bitterness I could muster (quite a bit really I had been working on that lately).

“Sept you plum missed one thang.” came a husky voice behind the bar.

“And what, pray tell, is that?”

“Tha my kin.”

“My condolences.”

“Prepare to die Mr.Fancy Words.”

“Don’t plan on it hay seed.”

Take a swig of liquid courage. Crack neck. Deep breath.

****

I awoke several hours later with a pounding headache. “UGLY SONS OF B*****S!” I yelled in the general direction of the dive bar...what was it’s name?...anyway....at the guys who beat the hell out of me. Barless, beaten, and sober as a saint. Not good. “About time I visited Sarah anyway.” I grumbled. With grunt I stood up and began what would most likely be a few hours journey. As I walked the list of things I needed from Sarah ran through my mind: bed, food, mix my coat, and a good clean fight. That last one surprises most people as women are mostly home bodies. Before you begin the witch hunt it’s because a female is a horrible thing to waste. So you let her have the easy jobs. One’s that don’t require much and allow her to take it easy a lot. That’s not to say they don’t pick up a hobby though. Most of the time it was shooting things to protect property or writing to protect history. Broad spectrum mind you but not like I understand them.

Despite my best efforts I can tell I won’t be making it to Sarah’s by nightfall. Oh well. I found a nice spot near a cliff and made camp. Pitch tent, open food packet, eat, and lay back. Hard to believe those balls of fire caused so much trouble. Such troubling thoughts were best left to those with a degree though. Eh. “Screw em’.” I pronounced to the night sky and on that note I drifted into a troubling sleep.

A little girl sits under a tree playing with a doll of some kind. It’s summer and the lush green grass is swaying with the wind. What a lovely place to play. Yet the shadows grow and the girl drops the doll. As it falls the girl begins to cry and hulking shadows drag her away. Must not let them take her. They can’t. They...NO...NO! Where is she?! I can’t find her! Damn it! Cackling the fires grow. Beautiful landscape is burnt to the ground. She is gone...God...how can she be gone? I looked so hard. I tried...I tried....

Click. Went the barrel of the gun I woke up to. Damn. “Get up.” demanded the gun. With obvious reluctance I obeyed its command. One quick look around said it all. I was surrounded by a gang called the Monsters of Mars. Freaks who can’t let the old myths go and cling to the idea that martians are out there. They were brutal and willing to do anything to spread the chaos craving everyone had nowadays. In other words: F***.

“Get up and start walking.” Said the gun.

“Can I at least get dressed?” I asked it.

“You slept in your clothes.” it replied sternly.

“Sonofabitch.” and I stood up to begin walking. I was about to ask which direction to go but they jabbed me to the left. It was clear this jam wasn’t going to be solved by hitting things so I began to think of a way out. First thing that comes to mind is fight but that won’t work...too many people. Well of course I could just...well...nah...where would I even get a giraffe that size? No I need to get a bit mischievous if I want to escape.

“Stop.” Came the voice of the gun that snapped me out of deep thought.

I stopped and was met with a sharp hit to the back of the kneecap.

“Keep down and stay quiet. Look at the ground. Look up, get shot. Got it.” informed the gun.

“Hey, I have rights you know. I will SO complain to the human resources manager.”

This witty comment was met with a sharp smack from that gun I keep on mentioning. Worth it. I grinned through the pain. Then it began to speak in a rich, almost soothing voice.

“I know where you’re going Bison.”

“Oh yeah? Just mind telling me where?’

“You were visiting Sarah.”

“Of course I was.”

He licked his lips “Oh yes. Sarah. Your...”

“Shut up.”

“Excuse me?”
“Shoot me or don’t but you say that name one more time and I’ll kill you.”

“You’re in no position to be making threats...Bison.” he said with extra venom.

At this point I don’t care about anything anymore. Killing the man in front of me is the only thing that matters. Time slowed and I charged. With a loud crack the gun went off. TurNOW! My arm is on fire but it doesn’t hit a major artery. Start with the gun. It’s the only thing he has. Twist wrist right. Grab gun as it falls with left and block the wild swing with right. Swing gun at low speed so he...ducks...perfect. Dislocate jaw with a hard knee. Break nose as he stumbles back with a hard kick. JUMP! Almost...there...damn! Twist to land in spring position and wait for him to stand. One...two...three...SPRING! Almost there...NO! My fist hit his hand hard. I swung with my right but it was already too late. His punch went deep into my gut and I flew backwards. Earth is never soft but it seemed like it had hardened for me as I landed.

“IDIOT! I have a bionic arm and Tiresias’ eye.”

I groaned internally. Tiresias eye’s were intended for space travelers to see no matter how bad the planet was. Unfortunately they were easily misused and soon you could win just about any fight by seeing the other guy’s movements so subtly you could practically read his mind.

“Yeah sure, take the easy way out. Know how I got Tiresias’ eyes?...Practice mother fuOFH!” My wind rushed out of my body from the solid kick to again the gut.

“Don’t use that kind of language around me you cretion!”

“You remind me of a nun I once knew. She screamed and screamed at everyone pretending to be oh so holy. I found her with at least five lbs of black star fragments. Point is...you’re not so great.”

He looked at me like I was a human sized crap in his cereal. Then started to pound my head. Each punch was iron and each kick was steel. After a few seconds I began to cough blood and after a minute or so Death was right on my heels.

“WHY! WON’T! YOU! DIE!?” He screamed.

“Be cause I hlf ur goon.”

“WHAT?!”

“Because I have your gun.”

“OH SHI!” Is all he could manage before I pulled the trigger. Within a brief period of time guts spilled exited his body in a hurry but I didn't stick around to find out. I was too busy gaping at the rest of the camp that had woken up from the sound of the fight. No time to think. I need to...then it hit me. The cliff. Take a deep breath. Rip shirt to cover up the gun shot wound. Build up speed. Scream.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!” Check.

Too bad I didn’t even check to see the sun was setting fast. The lake below was beautiful oranges, reds, and yellows.

“THIS IS A COOL WAY TO DIE!” I informed the water as it enveloped me.

If you ever find yourself falling from a rather stupid height into water below I can give you a few pieces of advice:

#1) It’s going to hurt like a mother F*****

#2) It’s going to hurt like a mother F*****

#3) You’re going to need to hit it in a somewhat decent position (I belly flopped)

and #4) If you’re being shot at, you’re going to need a plan B quick because you can only hold your breath so long.

My lungs screamed for air and as I emerged for the water the bullets came down pretty thick. Beside me a tree exploded and what was once a flower patch was also blown up. Just my luck that I ran into the one group of thugs who knew how to shooARGH! A bullet tore through the other arm. I already knew what little adrenaline I had left was going to wear off soon so I made a mad dash for the woods. At first it seemed like a good idea, plenty of places to hide and then I heard it. The massive roar of a fire gone out of control. I managed an: “OH COME ON!” as I made a 360 turn back to the water. Fortunately those previously mentioned thugs had emptied their clips. Pushing my limits and my muscles screamed at me until finally they gave way. Blackness consumed me and the fire was only getting closer. Wonder if that would kill me, maybe the Gang? No...the wounds...well...you know what they say: When it rains...it pours.

Author's Note

Please refer to the book description on editing. As for this chapter please tell me if it feels rushed, hard to follow or difficult to imagine.