Meet Me by the Railroad Tracks (Patreon)
It had been about two hundred years since the first False Dawn, but even with all that time things still weren't back to normal. Of course no one really knew what 'normal' was anymore, a few generations had passed since the Last World War. Now everyone only knew the hardships that came with trying to build a burgeoning society, which became ever more difficult with the constant threat of raiders and mutants.
This was one of the nicer regions, it had fresh plant life and trees that weren't all gnarled up and stunted like what was most often the case. Houses and shacks were built out of whatever could be scrounged, and a small military force had been erected to act as the police and used as defense. All males were drafted into the service when they came of age, it was just how they had to do to keep their numbers up enough to repel any invaders.
One such soldier was having his doubts about the city's current situation. It wasn't much of a population to protect, probably about ten thousand, but losing even one trained individual was like a kick to the balls of the government. Good. Recently there had been an election, and the governor that was elected into the new office was weak and irresponsible. He thought it best to cut further funding to the military in these trying times, now of all when good relations had been fostered with the nearby Roothscamp and Reedsburg. The governor was going to fuck everything up and he didn't want to be there when it all came down.
There was one last goodbye though, one that no matter what, had to be said before he left. The man was a tall, statuesque Jackal named Ethan. His body was sculpted through rigorous survival training provided by the government that he was now looking to escape from. Though fit and strong on the outside, he often doubted himself and had trouble with holding grudges. He wore a pair of glasses on the bridge of his nose, and his long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail.
Over his form he was adorned in camouflage fatigues that were remiss of a woodland terrain and various small packs that hung from shoulder straps, carrying various survival gear and medical supplies. From around his neck dangled his trusted laser rifle, and strapped to his hip was a plasma pistol. A hefty backpack carried everything else, include two weeks worth of provisions that he had been saving for this particular trip.
As he waited, he watched the sun begin to set. As the hours wore on and the sky turned from blue to crimson, he began to doubt that his urgent message had been received. How awkward it would be to hunt down his friend to say goodbye, and leaving without as such was out of the question. Ethan glanced once more at the train tracks that were just a few feet away. Back in the day these metal rails had bisected the city, but since that form of transportation had fallen out of favor centuries ago they had been all but removed or covered. In this small stretch of meadow towards the outskirts of the city was the only place where you could see them anymore.
A soft sigh slipped from the dog's lips and he lifted a paw to rub at the back of his head. He was mere seconds from trudging back into town when a figure appeared in the distance walking straight for him. The size and shape of the newcomer was unmistakable, and a big smile stretched over Ethan's face. He lifted his arm and gave a friendly wave, of which was returned. When the other person got closer, more details were revealed.
Sean, as he was known, was a rather small guy. Where Ethan was tall and athletic, he was about ten inches shorter and considerably more scrawny. The only reason he was able to make it through military training was because he was strong enough to lift his own body weight and that he was actually pretty quick and agile. But what he lacked in size and strength he seemed to more than make up with as a marksman. He easily out shot every other candidate of his class and was even able to show up the weapon instructors. Hitting something with a bolt of plasma from a mile out was an impressive thing to do, more so without a scope.
Being his unique shape and size afforded some interesting situations though. From the back he might have even been mistaken for a girl, which had been the case a time or two when Ethan had gotten drunk and thought to hit on the cute girl with a nice butt at the bar. Oddly enough, it never bothered the jackal when he found out that Sean was the one receiving all the nice compliments and naughty remarks. Sean was a chocolate labrador, and now of all times it was easy to see his fur since he wasn't nearly as dressed up as his larger friend, his casual attire being more his preference. He wasn't on rotation duty this week so he was allowed to relax for the time being.
"Thank you for coming out here, Sean," the large dog said sheepishly. The labrador kept a friendly mask but as he came close enough to see what the other canine was wearing, his face instantly contorted with anger.
"So you're really going through with it?" Sean said furiously with clenched fists at his sides. His voice was still young sounding, like a boy that hadn't gone through puberty, which gave it a rather cute edge in most cases. Ethan was taken aback by the sudden confrontation.
"Come on now, you know how I feel about Wessburn, he's weak! He'll bring this city down during his term!" the jackal growled and averted his gaze. He couldn't afford to let the other dog's pleading eyes turn his mind, if there ever was a time and place to remain stern, it was here and now.
Read the full story here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/meet-me-by-13366546