Chapter 38: Division, Pt 3
It's only a couple of hours past midnight by the time the patrol finishes its duties and returns to home base, with you in tow. Slinking behind all of you, perhaps a half dozen meters back and from the shadows, Noir follows along.
Though these people seem mostly trustworthy, the both of you decide that it's better to hide her existence from them for now. Particularly the fact that she's psionic, as well as your traveling companion.
Slivers of the future flash in your mind as your Foresight very feebly attempts to guide you, but at least it's enough to help you make your decision easier to make. And they tell you that remaining low-key is the best path forward.
All of you follow the road northwest, at least until it splits sharply northwards. And it's there at that northern split where the next township resides - the one you were planning to search ealier. Though you'll have to drop the scavenging portion of the plan.
You immediately note that this place doesn't have any kind of defenses at all. No barriers, no street blockages, no nothing. There's not much security, except for a half dozen pairs of people patrolling at all times.
This perhaps could be reasonable, considering where they are. They certainly don't have to deal with everything that the Watch had to, such as daily Crazed attacks or Crag incursions.
And this town is just slightly larger than the last. According to the sign welcoming you in, it had a population of 207 before the world had ended. This place is tiny to you, perhaps a fraction of a block back in the city.
But in this day and age, everything's the same and everyone's in ruins.
A quick pulse of your Scan reveals perhaps about a quarter of that remaining now, not including the guards. Most of them are clustered in an area in the center of town, sleeping rather soundly. Notably, you're able to pick out two or three psions from the group as well.
Of course, you're unable to tell just how strong their psionic energies are - right now they're moving and flowing to the beat of their dreams. Once they're awake, they'll definitely know you're here. There's no hiding from other psions - but you can tamp down your energies and mask them.
By capping yourself temporarily, you could give off the impression that you're far less capable than you really are. Not like you have anything to hide - you'd simply rather avoid calling attention to yourself and fly low.
Especially if Carl is anywhere near you.
You don't even have to ask Noir to follow suit - you sense her presence diminish vastly as she too goes into stealth mode. Thankfully, your Network keeps you two connected.
Other than the people, the buildings around you seem mostly fine. There's a few here that have been destroyed by crystalline spikes, just like in the previous township. Most buildings have been abandoned or looted, with every bit of resource drawn closer towards the center.
The streets are also rather overgrown with weeds peeking out from cracked cobble and concrete. Thick lengths of ivy have certainly burst their way through the ground and up numerous building facades. Some have been cut into, if only to get at the entrance behind.
There are zero street lights - for traffic or otherwise. At least, not the electric kind you're used to seeing. Street corners are littered with all kinds of the usual signs, from stops to cautions and everything in between. You assume they were enough to deal with traffic back in the day. You can't even imagine there being traffic here.
There are also street lamps, but you're certain none of them are electric. The fact that they're on, glowing softly, and flickering lightly tells you that they're gas powered. You seriously didn't think these existed any longer, but here they are proving you wrong.
Of course, not all of them are on - only the ones closest to the Town Square have been activated. As a whole, they emit a soft glow leading you and your party towards the center.
All in all, the town seems quaint and quiet just like the last one. It must have been idyllic to live in before the world stopped. Or hey, it's very likely still idyllic to live in even now. Why else would there still be so many living here, right?
"Got a nice place out here," you say.
"We try and do well for ourselves," Frank replies.
"You don't get attacked much do you? 'Coz we did where I came from."
"You said the City, right?" asks Janet. "We do get the occasional visitors from the city. Don't usually end well, though."
She makes quotes in the air with her fingers as she says 'visitors'. The forefront of her mind is filled with images of men wearing cheap fatigues and sports pads. Although they're shabbily dressed, they are lightly armored. In her imagination, they also have large weapons - guns and swords and axes.
"Yeah, we sometimes get gangers at our doorstep," Frank adds. "They say they're from the city, but I'm not so sure."
"Gangers?" you ask. "What, like street rats or something?"
The image that Frank conjures up is similar to Janet's, except their weapons are actually more reasonable - bats and makeshift clubs and machetes and so on. The occasional rifle or pistol.
Both their memories are relatively different from each other, but you assume the truth is somewhere in between. Together, they remind you of those people testing those frequencies on those Crags in the mall.
"Wait, I think I know who you're talking about," you continue, answering your own question. "And yeah, they're not from the city, but somewhere close to it."
"City or not don't matter anyway," interjects Carl. "They tried to get at us, so we shot 'em in return to get 'em outta our town. Keep coming back by anyhow."
"And we'll keep downing 'em to show 'em we mean business," says Frank.
"You kill them?" you ask. "Doesn't that make a mess?"
"Only one or two, just enough to get 'em to stop getting closer," Frank tells you. "Usually more than enough every time. They usually run off with their dead, back to wherever they came from. Best for everyone involved."
"What do they even want?"
"Who even damn cares?" interjects Carl.
"First time they demanded half the township's food," says Janet. "Surrounded them with all our guards, then threw 'em out right after. I don't think they'd ever seen so many guns before, they were all wide-eyed."
"What about Crazed?" you ask.
"A what now?" Steve butts in.
"Crazed. Uh. A wild psionic that kills people using their powers. They're uh, a bit like a rabid dog."
"Nothin' like that," Frank answers. "At least not yet. I'd heard of 'em at least. Random trader here and there would talk about them, sometimes. Heard they're a real problem in the cities."
"That's good, you wouldn't wanna deal with them," you say.
"You're right, I don't. But that's what Joel and Trish are for. Well, Joel anyway. He's the Telekinetic I think it's called. Trish just does card readings and other horseshit. But she can almost usually tell when someone's gonna attack. Anyway, it's them two that's tasked with dealing with things like that. If it ever comes up."
The whole group eventually comes to Town Square, which is like most of the rest of the town itself. The streets are the most beautifully cobbled here, and all converge into a large circle at the very center of the Square. There's a fountain in the middle of it all, though it clearly hasn't run in years.
Numerous shops line both the east and west sides of the square, most of which are for various sundries and groceries. There's a tool shop, a bookstore, and a bakery all in a row. Plenty others, too, but you're not exactly all that interested in them.
Houses line the southern edge, where you emerge from. In fact, almost every building between the entrance to now has been housing. Only now, they're actually occupied.
On the northern side of the Square sits a rather majestic Town Hall. Not only is it the largest building around, but also the most kept and most maintained. Its front is supported and decorated by four white pillars, which adds significantly to the stately atmosphere.
You don't particularly feel overawed by such a building, but you can sense its presence affect the people around you. Frank, Carl, Janet, Steve - all seem to have their fatigue lift slightly, along with their worries. The very sight of it lightens them.
All of you stop at the bottom of the steps, as though to regroup one final time. Frank in particular turns to the other three with a deeply thankful look on his face.
"Great work tonight, all of you," he tells them. "Make sure to register whatever scavenge with Miss Kate's ledger, or we're all in trouble in the morning. Afterwards, no need to find me for a check out. Just tag your time and get some rest."
Everyone congratulates each other for a good patrol, then they head up into Town Hall. They even greet you good night before they part ways. Well, not Carl. He gives you the side eye before heading off.
Frank then leads you to the northeastern corner of the Square, towards what looks to be a rather cozy two-story lodge.
It honestly looks like one of the other houses at the southern end of town, except somewhat larger. Practically a mansion in comparison. But instead of a grand entrance into a larger home, there's a rather large and comfortable reception area.
There's a large leather couch in the center, with a number of single seats facing and flanking it. All face towards the center, where a coffee table sits.
Off to the side, just to the left of the entrance is a reception desk, though no-one's exactly manning it.
Most surfaces are relatively dusty, though some have been disturbed. You imagine someone had wiped them as though to use that section of table or couch for whatever they needed to. The far corners certainly have dust piled up, though where you're walking now seems relatively well-worn.
"Any visitors we get usually stay here," says Frank. "Traders and Nomads, mostly. Certainly a nice luxury for someone like yourself, no doubt."
"Definitely been a while since I've laid my head on an actual pillow, if that's what you mean," you reply.
"Yeah, I'd say that counts."
Frank shows you to your room - it's on the first floor and closest to the entrance. The door to it isn't exactly locked, and he just opens it up unimpeded.
"Can stay here as long as you're doing your trading," he says. "Same as the others, I suppose."
"You get a lot of people coming in to trade?" you ask.
"A couple regulars - we trade with some folks a dozen klicks noreast. But there's also a couple irregulars - folks like you. I'd say, I dunno, every few months or so?"
"So, pretty good, then."
"Pretty good, yeah. Listen, Nomad, you mind staying here and not walking around town? At least, not until after you've talked with the Mayor. You're new to the town and all, and it'd be strange for the others to suddenly have you there, if you know what I mean."
"I get it, no problem. Can I at least walk around in here? Or maybe around the Square?"
"In here's not a problem - pretty sure no-one else is staying the night right now. The Town Square… I dunno. Best just wait for the Mayor."
You nod in compliance. It's night out, you're new and no-one knows who you are. Best avoid any incidents.
"I'll come back by prolly late morning to pick you up," Frank says as he heads out. "See ya then."
He gives you a wave as he walks away, out of the inn and into the night.
You shut the door to your room, though you note that it doesn't have a lock. The only thing it has is a privacy bar, which you hook shut. You quickly walk over to the windows opposite the door and open them up to get a slight breeze going.
The room itself is somewhat musty, and looks pretty much like any motel would. There's a relatively stiff bed in one corner that's been well folded and prepared. If not for a thin layer of dust, the sheets would be perfectly clean.
Opposite the bed is a small desk with a wooden chair tucked under it. Next to the desk is a long and voluminous chest of drawers. There's nothing in them except for a practically untouched old book in the bottom.
It's religious, so it's useless to you and you leave it where it is.
Off to the side near the door is a small washroom with a stand-up shower, toilet, and sink. There's a nicely folded towel on a rack, but sadly no travel size soaps or shampoo. Of course, there's no water either. Not that you're expecting it anyway.
You're tempted to take a seat, but you're hardly tired. Your body right now is primed to still be hiking and has plenty of energy left for the day. Instead, you sigh out loud then unload your burden layer after layer. By the end, you have a pile of your things on the dresser, covered up nicely by your poncho and conical hat.
As you do so, Noir hops in through the open window, and then immediately up on the bed. You can sense her purr in satisfaction, most likely due to how comfortable the bed is for her.
This place is quiet, she tells you. Think we can trust them?
They haven't seemed to want to kill us so far, you reply. Should be good enough proof for now, no?
Was the same with the Chimera.
Fair point... You find anything out there?
Nothing at all. But I haven't exactly started looking, either. Just got the lay of the town.
Keep on it, but I don't think we've got much to worry about regardless. I'm thinking we stay here a day or two, see what we can trade for water. Or maybe find a source of water. Then we move on.
Chapter 39: Division, Pt 4
Although you're tempted to go explore the small lodge, you instead force yourself to take a nap. You figure it's all you can really do at this time without exerting yourself too much. You're not exactly keen on meeting anyone new while half-tired. Especially if they represent an entire community of people.
You also decide to switch to your last batch of clean clothing. Though you can't shower and thoroughly scrub your body, you do your best to clean yourself up as much as possible. Mostly you wipe yourself down and get whatever excess dirt and dried blood off you.
So when Frank comes by to wake you and meet the town's Mayor, you find yourself incredibly refreshed.
The mid-morning sun presses down, its heat already oppressive even this early in the day. Despite that, there are still a number of people out and about doing their business. Some of them even greet you jovially as you walk over to Town Hall, as though it isn't a million degrees out here.
You can practically feel yourself cooking under the sun's direct gaze, especially without your hat and poncho to protect you. Thankfully, the walk is incredibly short and you're back in the shade in no time.
Frank leads you upstairs, down a short hallway, and through a pair of stately doors that are halfway ajar. He greets the Mayor inside, who's seated at her desk and is engrossed in what you presume is mayorly paperwork.
She flashes you a wide smile and bids you to come closer, even as Frank hops off to go do whatever it is he does.
You step into the Mayor's office, and take a seat at one of the chairs in front of her desk. Neither of you have to speak to understand that the both of you are psionic. You had felt her energies the moment you stepped into the building itself, and she has likely felt yours in return.
"Chief Frank tells me you're called Nomad," she tells you.
"That's me," you reply. "Pleased to meet you."
"Everyone calls me Mayor Lisa, and I hope you do as well."
You nod in response.
"Welcome to our town," she continues. "Frank also tells me that you're here because you wish to start a trade relationship with the town, yes?"
"Eh, yes and no. I'm actually just passing through, and could maybe have something to trade, specifically for some water. I'm not part of another town looking to continue trading or anything like that. Assuming that's what you mean."
"Ah, I see, I see."
The Mayor leans back in her chair as she re-appraises you. You however get the sense that she isn't reassessing how useful you are as a trader, but rather as a psion. You can almost feel her energies poke and prod at you, as though to test your capabilities.
"He didn't tell me you're a psion," she continues.
"He didn't ask," you reply. "And this isn't exactly the kind of thing lone travelers like me talk about freely. Anyone who does, I imagine, is liable to… get taken advantage of."
"That's fair to assume. Who knows what's out there, right?"
"Exactly."
You glance at the room around you, particularly at the town's seal emblazoned on the wall behind the Mayor. It, and she, are flanked by flags, specifically that of the nation this whole place used to belong to. Before things collapsed, anyway.
You find it incredibly tacky and distasteful, though you certainly keep this thought tamped down and far from the surface. Whatever pride the Mayor wishes to revel in is none of your business, no matter how foolish or wasteful it seems.
"I suppose it don't much matter if you're here to trade once or lotsa times," the Mayor eventually says. "The whole town's looking to gear up and move anyhow."
"That's a surprise," you reply. "Frank gave me the impression that you're all well and settled, with livestock and farm plots and whatnot."
"Oh, we're certainly settled, just not fully. This place works well for us, sure. But we also ain't growing as a community, if you know what I mean."
You're not exactly sure what she's talking about - her community appears to be thriving. There's commerce, there's food, there's leadership. They seem to have a thriving future ahead of them. And then it dawns on you that she's perhaps talking about birth rates. You haven't seen anyone young in the town.
Not that you've seen every part of the town, anyway.
"Our youngest couple is post-menopausal," the Mayor continues, confirming your realization. "And that bodes real bad for the community. No new babies, no new kids… Means no real future for the town."
"Why're you telling me this?" you ask. "Hope you're not going to ask me to stay or anything. Not interested in any of that."
The Mayor laughs lightly.
"I just meant," she begins to say, but never finishes. Instead, she fishes around in one of her drawers and pulls out a little pin. She puts it on the edge of her desk right in front of you, then invites you to pick it up and put it on.
The pin itself is nothing special - just a smaller version of the town's seal.
"Anyone who wears that's free to trade with anyone else in town," she continues. "All it is, is a sign that we've had a chat, and that you've been okayed. Just keep in mind that if you do come back at some point in the future, we might not be here at all."
You pick up the pin and affix it to your shirt's breast pocket.
"You all thinking of moving or something?" you ask absentmindedly.
"Maybe. We're a bit divided on what to do," the Mayor replies. "But we'll work it out eventually."
The Mayor gets up once your pin is in place, then walks around to where you're sitting.
"Has anyone given you a tour of the town yet?" she asks, to which you shake your head in the negative. "In that case, follow me."
She leads the both of you out, though she stops at a hat rack before leaving the building altogether. She puts on one of the wide-brimmed straw hats that hang there, and hands you one of the others. You happily accept it and place it on your head just as you step outside.
It's not quite as rigid as your conical hat, but it does a good enough job of keeping the sun off you, of keeping you in its shade.
"You always give random visitors a tour of your town?" you ask.
"It's a small town and there's not always a lot to do," she replies. "And besides, I wouldn't be much of a Mayor if I didn't treat visitors well. It's part of my job, after all."
She leads you down one corner of Town Square first, pointing out the lodge that you're staying in. She claims it is as old as Town Hall itself, along with a handful of buildings around the Square. They've changed walls and roofs and windows and doors countless times since the beginning of it all, but their spirit still remains. At least, according to her.
You don't exactly distrust her - there's no reason to lie about a building's history in the end. It's just that you're not terribly interested. Still, you show her a modicum of politeness in what she's showing you.
The Mayor mostly shows you the numerous shops that are around Town Square first, then the handful of other shops in the streets beyond.
Of course, they're far from busy. This is a small town, after all. They aren't going to have a great amount of commerce during any old day like today. Instead, you see the shopkeeps either idling away in their stores, or tidying up for the 100th time, or engaged in something other than shopkeeping. Such as playing solitaire on the counter, that sort of thing.
The Mayor introduces you to every shopkeep by name, and makes sure to show off the fact that you're wearing a town trader pin. You're certainly excited to meet with everyone, and this kind of introduction is already giving you ideas as to which shops to visit first, at least once you're done with the tour
Beyond the shops, the Mayor leads you through town and imparts whatever historical significance happens to be in front of the two of you. For the most part, the town is well-put together and laid out somewhat logically. Most of the houses are south of Town Square, with most everything else north of it.
It's divided similarly to the previous town, where people live and work in separate sections of town itself. There are a few shops or garages or homes in the 'wrong' part of town, but they're outliers and rather rare. Not that they're even in use, so it hardly matters what they're classified as in the end.
One of the larger buildings at the eastern edge of town has been repurposed into what seems to be a barn. Or, perhaps more accurately, whatever building it was has been emptied out and torn down. In its place is a kit barn, which the residents no doubt worked together to build.
Though you don't get to go inside, you do see a number of townsfolk tending happily to the few animals inside. You can see clear through to the open back, which leads out to a fenced grassy area where a couple dozen chickens seem to be roaming.
Beyond the chickens there are also a handful of goats as well. They too are out in the grassy open area, doing whatever it is goats do. Romping or wandering or grazing or whatever. You have no idea.
Flanking the barn is a fenced field where rows and rows of corn stalks seem to be growing. They seem to be tall and fat, and happily soak up the excessive amounts of heat surrounding them. There's another field beyond that one, but you can't make out what crop it is. It's definitely not more corn.
You recall Frank telling you that they're also growing green beans, so you safely assume that's what's out there.
It's noon by the time you and the Mayor get back to Town Square, and the heat begins to climb ever higher as a result. But instead of going straight back to Town Hall, the Mayor instead leads you to the southwestern corner of the Square, exactly opposite of the lodge where you're staying.
This is also a relatively large building, at least in comparison to the shops flanking it. But instead of a lodge, it looks more like a theater to you. More than that, it's the classical kind with a stage rather than just a screen.
And judging by how incredibly busy it is outside, you assume that everyone in town comes here for their noontime break. The townsfolk are clustered around the entrance, both inside and outside, where they chat with each other in little groups.
They all greet the Mayor as she passes, as well as yourself considering your proximity to her. Everyone seems rather genial, except perhaps for a few groups that seem to carry more anger than the rest. You note that Carl is among these disgruntled groups.
Not that you give them any attention whatsoever, and simply follow after the Mayor. Once inside, she veers to the side and up the steps to the second floor, where she leads you to box seats. She settles herself into one of the comfortable chairs inside, and welcomes you to take one of the others. You do so happily.
"Are we about to watch a show or something?" you ask. "You all don't put one on for every visitor, right?"
The Mayor grins at you.
"Naw, 'course not," she says. "But we meet in here every noontime to listen to the Sheriff. He's broadcastin' from the far South, and well, some of us likes what he's got to say. Have a listen, maybe you'll like what you hear, too."
A ton of questions suddenly hits you - who this person is, and why they're broadcasting. You even begin to wonder how they're broadcasting in the first place. After all, most power stations are pretty much dead these days.
You decide to hold your questions for later, and instead focus your attention on what's happening on stage.
There, someone's setting up some radio reception equipment. From what you can tell, it's basically a cobbled-together group of radio equipment, from CB to home system type stuff. They all seem to be linked together to the same power circuit, as well as an array of various speakers.
Another person adjusts those speakers individually, pointing them at various sections of the audience. They all emit a kind of a squelch, along with what sounds like triumphant, martial-sounding music. That seems to be the signal that some broadcast is about to start, which causes the two technicians to speed up their work. They tweak their final calibrations, then run off the stage.
At the same time, more people come and file in below, taking whatever seat they want.
About a minute later, a relatively calm, but very stern voice comes on the air through the speakers. They clearly sound authoritative and knowledgeable. But it's not because of what they say, not particularly.
No, you realize that whoever this person is, they're using their psionics, and transporting it through radio waves. Somehow. The very fact that it's happening alarms you greatly.
It's not a lot of psionic energy, and are merely traces of it. In fact, they're too miniscule for you to tell exactly what those energies are doing. Or perhaps you're simply not knowledgeable and experienced enough to tell.
"Well met, Survivors," says the voice. "It's the Sheriff again, coming at you from the Southern Fortress, the only safe bastion left for humanity. And today, I wanna talk to you about all the deranged things assaulting our future, our traditional ways. And of course, I wanna talk about how we can fight back against it all."
The crowds beneath you are mixed in response - some audibly groan at the Sheriff's words, clearly tired of what he's saying. Perhaps rightfully so. But most simply don't react negatively at all. Many seem rather eager to hear more. In fact, there are a few who practically cheer on the broadcast, and you note that Carl is among them.
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