Dying for Breath: Episode 2 - To make amends
#2 of Dying for breath
He was stood there, a warm plastic cup in his hand as he stood on the platform. Ocassionally he raised it to his lips, taking very light sips of the warm liquid; the taste of fresh tea and sugar gliding smoothly across his taste buds before slowly gulping it down. The male smiled, feeling that his day was made despite the fact that he had just missed his train back home. There'd be more and missing one wasn't such a big deal, a common mistake. What had him smiling though had bewildered a part of his mind, making him think on why he was smiling. Perhaps it was the clear day or small work schedule, or perhaps the warm sensation that his drink gave him. In any case, he was a very happy folf.
In seconds that changed as he turned his ears softly, instinctively picking up the sound of someone's voice amongst the banter of the crowds around him. However it wasn't a part of the banter...... It took seconds for his mind to register it but it was a scream; that of someone in panic. He and a majority of the train-users turned their heads in unison, facing the grand stairs that lead up to the ticket booths. With a shake of the earth, a sudden and thick smoke had spread down the stairs like a wildfire. Those who tried to run did little to save themselves before the shock wave hit the crowd hard; sending everyone off their feet and onto the ground. Matt was alone of the unlucky ones, having been shoved off the platform and onto the hard tracks with a pained yelp.
in seconds he had lost his tea which was held in one hand and his overcoat that was held in the other. His vision was blurred for a few panicked moments, staring at the ceiling of the station for what felt like an eternity in his mind. Before he'd let himself black out, his ears tuned in yet again to the sound of metal scraping against metal, making him look left along the rail and at a train speeding towards him. With a rush of adrenaline his hands gripped one of the metal rails below him before pushing hard; forcing himself to sit up. He had reached up to grab the edge of the platform but several people had quickly came to assist those who had fallen on the tracks; several pairs of hands grasping his arms before tugging up hard And dragging him back onto the platform. They laid him back just as the train passed the dazed crowd; flames pouring from the windows and doors of the modern locomotion. It passed in a second but everyone saw the burning passengers aboard; alive and panicking as flesh was ripped from their bones. After it was gone, all that remained was the echoing screams of those on board.
All of a sudden Matt fell back onto the platform, his eyes shutting fast as he passed out.
"Hey!" A voice yelled at him before a hand grasped at his shoulder and shook him slightly. "Wake up!" They urged him, their voice familiar yet unidentifyable. The folf gasped a deep breath before he sat up straight; panting and shaking a cold sweat from his body. His vision was irregular, a thin layer of glass changing it slightly as he looked around at the ruins that surrounded the street he sat upon. His gaze shifted left, spotting the hooded figure that 'relieved' him of his empty filter. Crossing his eyes, he looked to the end of his own mask to see the very top of a air filter; one that could've only been provided by the stranger.
His gaze went back up, seeing them stood there with a bolt-action rifle held in one hand whilst the other palm rested upon their hip in a cocky fashion. "Sweet dreams, fuzzbutt?" They asked, their tone still muffled slightly by the mask and their face still unseen in the shadows of the skyscrapers around them. Matt frowned, unsure if they could even see his own face to tell that he was frowning. He tried to raise his hands, just to help himself to his feet but he found that they were bound behind his back by what felt like a pair of handcuffs. Lightly he tugged, feeling the metal press around his wrists before he grumbled. "Screw...... You......" He coughed up, barely thankful that he was alive. The scavenger tutted a bit, offering a laugh as he tried to tug his hands free.
carefully they reached down, grasping what was a backpack tied securely to another Before the folf realised they were the bags he tried to search for a filter. His eyes glanced for a few moments, eyeing their body before he noticed two small details; the first being that the handgun he found moments before the encounter was now tucked into the side of their waistband. Seemingly they liked the addition of a firearm and were quite happy to steal from him. The second detail was a large scaly tail protruding from just above their rump, indicating that they were a dragon. They hoisted their bag onto their shoulders before letting the straps do their jobs as the scavenger grasped at the riflle with two hands.
"Walk." They ordered, motioning for him stand up which he actually did with a bit of trouble. Getting to his feet, the folf staggered and groaned for a few moments. Raising a hand, they pointed to what was a large hole in the side of the pavement, leading down into seemingly nowhere. "Get in there, I'll make sure we don't take a bullet." They spoke before patting him once on the back. He grumbled as step by step he began to walk, slowly walking up to the hole indicated to him before he gazed down into it. It was less of a hole and more of a slope where rubble caved in and allowed for people to go between the surface and the underground tunnels.
Consideration to deny the stranger had crossed his mind but the sudden press of a palm against his back told him otherwise. "Move." They growled at him before the furred male slowly walked down the slope; hopping down onto the track below. The stranger followed, standing behind him as they began to walk along the large tunnel that would undoubtedly lead to a station; making Matt hope that they were more merciful than the person he was with.
"I'm sorry." they spoke quietly to him, moving their gun back to just one hand as to carry it. He blinked a few times before turning his head to look at them. "The fuck.....?" He started to ask something before simply shaking his head and looking forward again. "Just feel your cuffs." They teased a bit, letting out a light laugh before his fingers began to feel at the cuffs for a few moments until he finally found what they must've been on about. Right in the lock of the cuffs was the key; something the folf would've discovered if felt them instead of simply tugging.
His cheeks turned a bit red as he turned the key, waiting a few moments until he heard the soft 'click' of the cuffs unlocking. The scavenger did nothing to stop him, simply walking forward as the folf continued to undo the cuffs before stuffing them and the key into his pocket. "The point of that is--" The male came close to asking something before the tunnel ahead of them suddenly lit up with bright lights. He groaned as both he and the stranger covered their visors for a few seconds before the lights began to dim a bit. "It's Vick! She's back!" Someone shouted from behind a small and apparent wall of sandbags now illuminated by the floodlights. Another dragon and a tiger stood there with guns in their hands. The folf was thankful he didn't stumble down here on his usual runs as he probably would've been filled with lead from those two automatic rifles that the guards held.
"S-She?" The folf finally answered before he looked back to the person he was walked with; their hood now down to reveal long and brown silky hair. The next thing she did was remove her mask, the young dragoness smiling a bit as she looked at Matt. "Name's Victoria....... Not like the Queen though." she teased before taking steady steps towards the barricade. "Guys, set up a good meal for this guy? He deserves it." she laughed a bit before gesturing for the folf to step closer. As he removed his mask he took a few steps a forward, following the strange female into the encampment.
After about an hour, Victoria lead lead him around what was a small station made into a living environment for six people including the hooded female. They were an organised bunch; made up of four guys and two girls with sleeping, dining and armoury arrangements. There were two entrances to the station, the first being where Vicky had lead him and the second being the main ticket areas which was just as defended as the first entrance. All other entrances were either blocked up or inaccessible ever since the 'incident' that reduced a lot of the place to ruins. One part of the station contained nine rugged mattresses sprawled across the floor; making up for the sleeping area. Another section contained several tables and generator-powered refrigeration units and made up for the dining area if anyone ever got hungry. One final area had several locked cabinets and weapons scattered about; a small array of weaponry made to fend off zombie and furry alike. In the remaining end of the station was merely a blank space, containing little more than a locked door that read 'security personnel only' that seemingly no one had the key to.
"So.... it's just there? Can't get in it?" He asked, the folf laid back on a mattress as he gazed at Victoria. "Just there." she repeated to him. "No one found the key to it and I doubt that we ever will if I'm honest..... We can dream though. Pray there's filters in there....." The dragoness smiled happily in thought, giving a soft sigh before closing her eyes for a few moments. "Anyway, the people...... I'm Vicky. The dragon is Gavin. The tiger is David. We have a Wolf named Jason..... He is out on his supply run. Then we have cheetah and another tiger. James and Alice. Alice and David are siblings, heh." giggles the female, laying back Into her mattress. "Anyway........ I saw that you had a trading map in your bag...... Whilst you were out, of course. You're on the move, I'll assume but everyone needs somewhere to stay......." She offered a smile, adding to her part of the invitation that she was offering.
Matt blinked a few times in surprise before looked over to Vicky, staring at her softly for a few moments before he smiled in return. "I....... I'd be happy....... As long as someone doesn't rob my filters and leaves me breathless." he laughed a bit, to which Vicky rolled her eyes and giggled. "Yeah, yeah...... Shut it, fuzzbutt." she teased him before the folf smirked slightly. "Alright...... Scalebum."