Post-Apocalypse Story

Post-Apocalypse Story

Robin Foale, 18/5/2013

Inside an overturned truck two men in heavy suits are sitting eating a mix of stale, out of date sandwiches when after five minutes of silence the taller and heavier one with 'Josh' written on his suit asks his companion who is thinner and shorter with the name 'Mac' on him...
"Remember Wimpy burger?" 
His companion halfway through what barely counts as a sandwich looks up. 
"Wimpy burger?"
"Yea Wimpy burger! The fast food joint that had a beefeater as its mascot named... oh what's its face... Mr Wimpy!"
"Such an original name..." Mac mutters before looking at his sandwich, the green contents not the most pleasing to look at, whatever it may be. "A beefeater you say? You mean like a fat guy who loves to eat a lot of beef?" 
"Close. He was this fat guy in a beefeater outfit." Josh says informatively before noticing the angle of his companion's head, clearly showing he doesn't understand. "It was the name for the guard at Big Ben you uncultured..."
"Big Ben?" Mac asks confused which earns him a stern look from Josh, even behind that mask he can tell he is giving him the evils.
"Kidding! Kidding! Of course I know good old broken Ben. Why this talk of a fat guy though?"
"Well the place itself wasn't anything special. In fact, it sucked. You could hardly find a joint around after the 90's. However, they used to do these great cheap breakfasts. They still tasted rubbish mind you, but it was a good start to the day. Pig bacon... real eggs... actual toasted fresh bread..." 
"Stop! Stop it there Josh! You're making my mouth water. Man I can't believe how good you are at psychological torture!" Mac chuckles before looking at the last bite in his hand inquisitively. "Still, I can't believe those rare foods used to be sold together daily. I can hardly even remember what those things look like. But the taste... my god. It's something you'll never forget that first taste of bacon. The saltiness, the flavour... Heck! I think I can even remember the smell now."
"Ok, now YOU stop there! I knew I shouldn't have brought it up!"
"And yet you did..."
"And yet I did! Come on... lets get this patrol finished ok?" Josh says as he heaves the backpack with a clatter back on his back.
"Fine... lead on Mr Wimpy!" 
Josh turns and looks down on Mac, his hand only just now on the door leading out.
"Screw you Mac."
"Love you too Josh." Mac says sarcastically before raising the rifle by his side to his waist.

The two have to shield their eyes even with their helmets on against the bright rays of the sun which hit them. It takes a few seconds to readjust, but they soon see the usual sight. Burnt car wreckage lays everywhere on the uneven and slanted bits of road that poke out at various angles. Strange green clouds of smoke steam out of certain crevasses. Half a truck hangs off a broken bridge a hundred feet away and the tail end of a plane sticks out of the swamp that used to be a river. But it's the buildings that always get the two's attention. All of which lay in rubble, bent in an assortment of proportions and black as coal. As the two proceed on their patrol each foot step causes dust to float into the air, so much so that the two constantly have to stop to wipe their visors. After a good ten minutes as they walk across the remains of a motorway Josh decides to break the silence as he pulls up Mac onto a raised area of tarmac. 
"Hey Mac?" Josh groans as he pulls up his companion onto the surface.  
"Yes Josh?" Mac pants before looking up at him, trying to get his breath back.
"How do we get into these situations?"
"What do you mean?" Mac says confused as he gets up and proceeds to take point, lifting up his rifle and checking the corner of a nearby broken ambulance.
"I mean... never mind. Just forget I said anything." Josh sighs as he walks past the gun wielder, his back pack clattering with goods as he kicks a bent can ahead of him.  
 Mac sighs and shakes his head.
"Oh come on! You don't really expect me to end it there do you?"
Josh stops and without looking at him stares at the destroyed block of apartments in front of him.
"Well... how come whenever you do something bad I'm always dragged into patrol duty as well?"
"Huh? No you're not!"
"Yes I am."
"No you're not!"
"Yes I am!" Josh says turning around now facing Mac who had crept up on him without him realising it.
Josh hides the fact that he was startled with a forced cough.
"Remember when you started that uprising in the mess hall?"
"Uprising!? That was nothing more than a fun, food fight!"
"You were throwing bowls of boiling soup!"
"Ok... I admit that was taking things a biiiiit too far..."
"Or how about that time when you used the communication room inappropriately?"    
"Inappropriately!? I merely decided to play a little good ol rock and roll in order to raise everyone's morale!"
"You call heavy metal at full blast a 'little'!? You practically deafened everyone on level 5."
"I confused the low volume for the high volume, I hold my hands up to that!" Mac justifies by actually raising his arms before continuing. "Besides, you were caught red handed keeping the exit open so I don't know why you're blaming me."
"That's because I was trying to get you to leave, remember!?"
"Huh... oh yea! Good times!" Mac chuckles before hopping down onto another section of road leading to the destroyed flats in front of them.
"Good times!? Honestly Mac I don't know why I even bother sometimes."
"Because without me your life would be boring."
"And without me you would be dead!" Josh says annoyed before carefully lowering himself down onto a more even surface, trying to keep the goods in his bag protected.
"If you say so..." Mac mumbles as he approaches a ledge and looks out towards the overgrown river.
"I do say so!" Josh yells angrily as he walks up to him from behind. "Honestly! Sometimes I wish the ground would just swallow you whole!"
And as if cuing some sick joke the unstable surface underneath Mac gives way. As he realises this he tries to turn around only for his flailing arms to cause him to lean forward. Josh reaches for him only for Mac to fall through the floor under him and slide down the edge of a cliff. He gets halfway down before losing his balance and rolling onto his side which causes him to land flat in the dirt below, causing a great dust cloud to form from both him landing and his descent. Josh watches as he waits for Mac to get up. Only he doesn't. 
"Mac? MAC!"  Josh yells frantically as he proceeds to take a rope out of his back pack and tie it to the steadiest support he can. After finding such a thing he slowly abseils down, dust rising from every footstep. Still silence from his comrade.  
When Josh finally reaches the bottom he quickly rushes to Mac and turns him over. 
"Are you ok Mac? Speak to me! Say something!" Josh says in a panic.
For a moment there is only silence, then finally after what seems like an eternity for Josh Mac begins to cough. 
"Whoa. Since when did you have power over the Earth?"
Relieved Josh give Mac a shove. 
"Geez Mac. Now is not the time to be laughing. You're lucky to have survived that fall. Heck! If your suit had broken then it would have been more merciful if you had died than breathe in the gasses down here."
"You know, you really have to work on your bed side manners Josh..." Mac stops when something in the distance gets his attention. "Wait... what’s that?" Mac flashes a light in the direction of the thing which is overshadowed by the bridge.
Getting up Mac proceeds forward, limping slightly from bumps and bruises on his side. 
"Whoa be careful! You survived death once today. Don't tempt him a second time." Josh calls out from afar as Mac gets halfway towards the thing of interest. 
"Relax! I'm just going to have a look that's all." Mac calls as he reaches what appears to be the tip of some sort of round storage device, which is sticking out of the ground.
"Mac. Mac!" Josh hisses from afar.
Ignoring him Mac wipes away the dust on the submerged device and gazes at his find. Flashing his light on it reveals a name which fills his eyes with excitement. 
"Josh... You’re not going to believe what I've found!"
"What? Some semblance of wanting to stay alive?"
"Close... At least something we can barter with that will help us live in comfort for the rest of our lives!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Smiling behind his helmet Mac puts a foot on top of the thing. 
"I'm talking about a surviving geno pod! Perhaps with enough power to bring life back to our area, if not the whole country!" Mac announces excitedly to a stunned Josh.
"You can't be serious!" Josh cries out unable to tell whether he is lying or not before running up to the thing to inspect it for himself. 
Sure enough the once white pod glistens under Mac's flashlight. Written on the side in green letters is 'Geno Pod 2.1-Aplha'. 
Josh stares in awe, unable to believe that they have found a beacon of hope in this otherwise hell hole. He feels a hand press down on his shoulder and hears the familiar sound of Mac chuckling.   
"Josh... We’re going to be eating bacon for the rest of our happy lives!"