"Hey. Everything alright?"
"Yeah."
"Don't worry. I'm with you no matter what."
"I know, I know. It's just."
"We don't have to live just to survive, we can find new love, build a new home from the ashes. You know. I got your back."
"Thanks, buddy. I got your back too."
"I go to sleep, it's been a long night."
"Or day. I wonder about the others."
Marcel smiles.
"Don't worry about them, Sebastian is much stronger than he looks, I'm sure they are OK. Carsten is also a fighter, so is Hannes. I'm sure they will survive this one way or other, Sebastian specially."
"I hope it too. It's quite late, I come with you, hold on."
"Okay. I wait for you."
Romeo took a last sips of home brew tea that had cooled down, gave bar tender the money for it and followed Marcel to the maze of hallways to their room in a fallout bunker under the night club "Metroo", where they worked for as artists that night. It was Romeo who saw the first bombs fall down and directed most of the people inside.
Oliver sneaked out of his bedroom at midnight and stepped in to the water pump room, where many large motors pump water to the old plumbing constantly, holding part of the underground city alive. He takes out a large containers from his secret stash behind the last filter and fills it with water, then smuggles the water canisters out into one of the dilapidated apartment buildings. Broken glass crunch under his feet as he slowly walks in darkness to one of the unlocked apartment and hides the backpacks with water canisters into the bathtub and covers it with curtain that had fallen down from the holder. He stops as the wind howls through the broken windows was too similar with the howl of the nosaleses, holding breath.
"Oh god damn wind. That scared me."
They met next evening at the meeting place away from most of activity and climbed up the ladder into smaller tunnel high enough only to crawl through. Oliver is first to enter the basement, his AK-47 with the flashlight taped onto the handle, ready to attack any mutant that dared to lurk inside the moist dark room. Only fluorescent tubes glitter on the ceiling. One of the lights hang on the cable and they walk around it.
"Shit brakes down after so many years of neglect. Be careful not to fall."
"Okay. I keep it in mind." Sebastian smiles and looks up. Dim moonlight shines through the cracks in the wall.
"Clear." Said Oliver after checking the hallways. They walk up the stairs and in from the apartment he used as hideout earlier.
"Okay, here's a deal. We only went to scout the area and found some food we gathered all. That is the official story, learn it. Also be careful, this may be a trap so be ready to run or fight with far more people than us."
"Okay, we are ready." Said Carsten with confidence even Sebastian is surprised of.
"Alrighty then. Grab your bag and let's go then."
They walk out of the apartment and back down the stairs, out of the front door and down the street to the railway. Rails are rusted, but semaphores still glow blue and red, shining creepy light in the decay and darkness. Suddenly a spotlight shines into their faces.
"Stop. Show me your hands."
"Enough, Dmitri, mutants don't stop walking. Turn that light off German, they are humans. You three, come forward."
Massive door opens and they walk into room lit by few LED retrofit light bulbs dangling on wires. Five armed guards stand with their guns down, there's a machine gun pit at the other side of the room. They enter and the door is closed behind them again.
"This is a free market station. Mind the rules and we can get along fine. Are you here to pass by or to trade?"
"Trade."
"Market is open until 0600. Ask the supervisor for any more aid. Now go on."
There is three orange-white trains inside the marketplace outer walls, two of it has been rebuilt into stores and third is a diner. Many market stalls surround the trains and living quarters against the main building wall, the original fluorescent lights on the awning lighting the "street" between. There's more living quarters inside the building.
"Hey! You made it!"
"Hey-howdy! So do we have a deal?"
"Yeah, sure, come follow me."
They walk in from what once was a large store, now it is turned into a storage. Narrow passages go between rows of shelves, crates and sacks. Accountant manages the store with his dusty laptop behind the table in the corner.
"So what we have here?"
"Water, filtered. From 400 meter drill well."
"Oh, that's good, let's test it then."
He brings out two apparatus from the shelf, first he measures radiation that wasn't higher than background, then measures the pH level. Then pours a small sample into his cup and tastes it.
"Good. You can get a pack per liter. Jaanus. Jaanus!"
"Yes?"
"15 packs."
"Right away."
A tall strong guy goes to the back of the room and brings back boxes of pasta, dried mushrooms and packs of tea. They pull out the canisters with water and put the stuff into their backpacks as much as possible. Some packs of tea didn't fit in and accountant gives them a plastic bag to carry it.
"Come back soon and have a nice day."
"Good day to you too."
On a way out Carsten runs into Marcel.
"Dude! You're alive!"
"You too! Where have you been?"
"Below the night club."
"Hey, Sebastian, look who's here."
"Hey you're alive. Awesome."
"Romeo is also with me. We came to here with others to buy some stuff. So where have you guys been?"
"We have a place on Tulika street. Quite large place to be honest."
"Yeah. I think there is like five basements and a base connected with tunnels."
"Has anyone seen Hannes yet?"
"I haven't seen him since the show."
"Damn. Me neither."
"Hey Oliver, wanna join with us to see their place?"
"Of course."
"Okay, so let's go then. Romeo is already waiting."
They walk to the other exit also lit by LED bulbs, passing another machine gun pit and armed guards let them out of the massive door. Wide street is littered with debris, rusting and burnt car and bus wrecks. Plants grow between the large cracks in the tarmac, overgrown park now resembles forest with some street lights still left behind.
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