I Survived 1000 Days of Nuclear War (NOT MINECRAFT)

I Survived 1000 Days of Nuclear War (NOT MINECRAFT)

I Survived 1000 Days of Nuclear War (NOT MINECRAFT)

An all-out WAR has been on the verge of erupting between the Iron Lady and the Aztecos, and now the final battle is here. Check out the epic season finale to Surving 1000 Days of Nuclear War, packed with actions, twists, and a surprise ending you didn’t see coming! Do you want more of this series? Let us know in the comments!

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Content

0.32 -> It was strange to be riding in a vehicle again after so long. What was it now, three years
4.89 -> since the end of the world? I could've never imagined I'd miss the feeling of tires on
9.17 -> asphalt.
10.17 -> I turned the flyer delivered by the US Air Force plane a day ago over and over in my
14.54 -> hand. There was so much happening all at once. The Iron Lady, war with the Aztecos, the genocide
19.93 -> at Indian Springs- and now the US government, making its presence known for the first time
24.849 -> since nuclear war began. The flyers promised a speech from the president himself in one
29.86 -> more day, broadcast across a multitude of AM frequencies.
33.57 -> None of us spoke much on the drive back to Farmbridge. Alexis was still processing the
37.55 -> shock of the genocide at Indian Springs, a genocide made possible by Ruslana sharing
42.68 -> supplies and intelligence on the settlement with the Iron lady. Yet another deal struck
47.73 -> with the devil, in the name of the 'greater good'. I wondered just how much 'good' was
52.14 -> left of any of us after three years of this hell. Well, any of us except Alexis. She was
57.5 -> the only one of us that hadn't betrayed her conscience in any way.
61 -> Annie had killed with me, and lied to the others about some of the things I did to the
64.909 -> raiders up in Big Bear to get intelligence. Lilith had never been quite the same after
69.15 -> she was taken by the same cannibals who killed Annie's brother. In another life she would've
73.47 -> probably been a streamer or something silly like that, and with her bubbly personality
77.22 -> she would've been a hit too. But in this world she'd taught herself how to kill. Determined
81.65 -> to never become a victim again.
83.72 -> Despite that, it was hard to suppress that happy personality. Since Indian Springs she
87.83 -> hadn't said a word though.
89.509 -> Watson rode in the bed of the truck, so he could keep an eye out on anyone approaching
92.94 -> he said. Truthfully, I think even he was having a hard time processing Indian Springs. In
98 -> typical Watson fashion, he retreated back into his inner fortress of solitude to process
102.32 -> his own emotions. If he wanted to share, he'd share. Otherwise you weren't getting a word
107 -> out of that man.
108 -> There wasn't much to say when we arrived home. We gave a report on the assault on Indian
112.45 -> Springs, which Ruslana listened to with pursed lips. If she felt remorse, guilt- anything
117.409 -> at all, she didn't let on. Her command mask was in place, it unnerved me how much it reminded
122.71 -> me of the Iron Lady.
124.039 -> The flyers had landed in Farmbridge too, and in the late afternoon most of the settlement
128.2 -> gathered to hear the President of the United States speak for the first time in nearly
131.87 -> three years.
132.87 -> “My fellow Americans.” The President's voice sounded strange to me after all this
136.87 -> time. It sounded strained at first, but quickly grew resolute. “My fellow survivors. You
141.66 -> have not been forgotten. The terrible war that has consumed so much of our beloved nation-
145.9 -> of our world- is finally at an end. Via one of the few surviving links to the Russian
150.43 -> and Chinese leadership, an unconditional peace has been reached. This war has no victors,
155.33 -> only losers. Despite this, we must rebuild. We will rebuild.
159.83 -> You who survive, from the ruins of Washington to the wastes of California- you are not forgotten.
165.26 -> I speak to you now from a secure location where your government has endured. Our armed
169.28 -> forces which survived conflict in the Asian and European theaters, and other flashpoints
173.44 -> abroad, have been recalled home. The United States Navy retains the capability to transport
178.29 -> many of our survivors home, others will have to wait and have been instructed to fortify
182.68 -> against the chaos of this new world and wait for rescue.
186.31 -> For you who survive in the homeland, your government has not abandoned you. From our
190.459 -> strong positions in the east, we will once more reestablish civilization, America will
195.18 -> rise from the ashes of this catastrophe as it arose from the ashes of our revolutionary
199.45 -> conflict which birthed this great nation, from the civil war that nearly tore it apart,
203.98 -> and from two world wars that threatened to swallow it up.
207.209 -> Soon, recovery assistance as well as reconnaissance and damage assessment teams will begin to
211.66 -> reach out to the largest of survivor settlements. I ask you that you welcome them and assist
216.27 -> them in the task of rebuilding this great nation. The days ahead will be tough, the
220.459 -> nights long. But there will be a new dawn, and together we will make America whole and
225.15 -> strong once more! God bless you, wherever you are, and God bless our great nation!”
229.459 ->
230.459 ->
231.459 -> Static hissed for a long time before anyone said anything.
233.709 -> “Wow.” Robby was the first to break the silence. “He didn't even say who started
237.92 -> this war.”
238.92 -> “Russia, no doubt!” Ruslana was unusually animated, spitting on the ground twice. “Losing
243.459 -> in Ukraine, back against the wall. What did anyone expect from them?”
246.89 -> I shook my head. “No way they'd be that suicidal.”
249.7 -> “That pilot we rescued up in Big Bear, the one from the crashed military plane- he said
254.29 -> the coasts got hit first.” Alexis was talking about Tomlin, the guy I rescued from a crashed
258.919 -> Osprey who had been in a coma up until he wasn't and inadvertently outed me as a liar
263.84 -> to all of Big Bear, leading to my exile. “But he wasn't really sure who hit first. It just
268.86 -> went on like that, tit for tat, one city for another.”
271.639 -> Lilith stamped her foot down. “It doesn't matter. President's all the way in the east
275.26 -> somewhere in some fancy bunker, and he thinks what? We're just all going to pitch in and
279.199 -> rebuild the good ol' U S of A? Ha! Tell that to the Iron Bitch. Ask her to lay her weapons
284.509 -> down. See how that goes.”
285.87 -> Lilith had a point. The conversation went on all night, the people seeming to settle
289.68 -> into two different camps. One was optimistic about the idea of reforming our nation. The
294.12 -> other didn't see the point. We were on our own, and even if this great rebuilding took
298.65 -> place, it would take years for US forces to get all the way out here and make everything
302.59 -> secure.
303.59 -> I slowly backed out of the conversation and snuck away while everyone was engaged in debate.
307.889 -> It didn't matter much to me either way, the Fuego would take me long before there was
312.05 -> any kind of order being reestablished again. My only concern was doing the best I could
317.05 -> for the people I loved as long as I could, and I wasn't going to let anyone- Iron Lady
321.76 -> or the United States of America- get in the way.
324.621 -> The next few days Farmbridge was livelier than usual. It was preparing for war, but
328.569 -> the president's message had also sparked an ongoing debate and seemed to be all everyone
332.699 -> was talking about. Caravans came in daily bringing soldiers and supplies, as the new
337.259 -> Republic's army prepared for its first deployment. Something uncomfortable gnawed at me though,
342.259 -> thoughts I didn't quite want to put into words out of fear of making them true. I sought
346.54 -> out the only other person I knew would be having the same gnawing worry I was.
350.729 -> Watson had taken it upon himself to teach everyone survival skills, given his years
354.229 -> in the mountains he was a pro at it. He worked with small groups of our senior most soldiers,
359.02 -> honing their skills so they could teach others. Others may not have seen it, but I did- we
363.229 -> were at the earliest stages of creating a professional army, and professional armies
367.069 -> trumped thugs and raiders any day of the week.
369.699 -> I found him taking a break inside a small wood working workshop the community had built.
374.02 -> He was fond of the place, and though logs were pretty rare out in the desert, there
377.83 -> was all matter of salvaged wood from the ruins around us that could be reworked into something
382.479 -> useful.
383.479 -> “You feel it too, don't you? Something's not right with this- all of this.”
387.12 -> Watson grunted as he sanded a rough wooden horse. “You like it? It's for Alana. Thought
391.14 -> she might like it.”
392.14 -> Alana was in her late twenties, not a child anymore. “...you know what, I bet she will
396.281 -> like it.” I took a seat opposite Watson and let him work in silence for a few moments
400.34 -> longer. I always suspected Watson had lost a daughter back in the old world, though the
404.289 -> gruff mountain man had never mentioned it and I knew better than to ask. The small toy
408.55 -> he was making confirmed my suspicions. Whoever he lost, she had been young when it happened.
413.75 -> Watson cleared his throat before speaking. “You and I both spent months with the Iron
418.2 -> Lady, in her territory, with her people. Seems awful strange she's losing ground so rapidly,
422.94 -> don't it?”
423.94 -> “Aztecos are pretty fearsome. We've both seen them in battle. And there's a whole horde
427.819 -> of them attacking out of Arizona.”
429.33 -> “And yet, the Iron Lady's got vehicles, heavy weapons. Old military hardware- not
434.22 -> the best stuff, but enough. And she's losing this much territory this quickly?”
438.73 -> I knew what he was getting at, because it'd been eating me inside too. A small, gnawing
443.11 -> doubt growing into a black hole in the pit of my stomach. “We can't just tell Ruslana
447.14 -> to not send troops. She'll collapse for sure, and feed the best. By this time next year
451.849 -> we'll be facing an Azteco horde twice as big, and by ourselves.”
455.83 -> Watson nodded in agreement. “No, we can't. But we can keep our eyes and ears open when
460.55 -> we march east.”
461.55 -> “If our shared suspicion is true, we'll need a plan.”
464.139 -> “From what I've seen, the Army of the Dawn is like a rabid racoon. Its sick, infected
468.44 -> brain tells the body where to go, what to lash out at. Put a bullet in its head though
473.319 -> and it'll drop right dead.”
474.6 -> Now it was my turn to nod in agreement. “It won't be just her. There's a few others she
479.889 -> trusts, but only a few that are truly close to her. They'll need to go too.”
483.36 -> “Then we had better strike fast. And accurately.”
485.84 -> “You've been saying 'we' a lot old man, this mean you're going east too?”
490.4 -> Watson stopped, turning the wooden toy over and over in his hands. “It's the best way
494.43 -> to keep Clara and Alana safe. Even if it gets ugly.”
497.43 -> Watson went back to his sanding. After a minute, I stood up and left.
501.41 -> Outside I heard Robby calling out to me, he came rushing up a bit out of breath. “There
505.199 -> you are! Ruslana's looking for you. She wants to talk to you about something.”
508.77 -> “Alright, take me to her.”
510 -> “She's over at the firing range. Hey, there's some of the Iron Lady's people here. Liasons
514.039 -> or whatever, you know, for the march east. Ruslana doesn't trust them so she's got me
518.56 -> and a few others watching them twenty four seven.”
520.45 -> “Sounds smart.” And it did too, Ruslana was no fool. These 'liasons' were just as
525.69 -> likely soaking up as much intelligence on Farmbridge as possible during their stay.
529.89 -> “Yeah. She's smart, looking for spies. Anyways, they were talking about you a lot. You know
534.3 -> what they call you?”
535.3 -> I shook my head, I wasn't surprised they'd be talking about me given how much time I'd
539.26 -> spent alongside the Iron Lady over the last year and a half.
542.56 -> “The Scout. You know, cuz I guess you were a scout in the army or something? Anyways,
546.67 -> that's pretty cool nickname. I mean you could do better for a post-apocalypse nightmare
550.83 -> but, still cool!”
551.83 -> I laughed with Robby as he led me to Ruslana. He was right, I really could do better.
556.36 -> Ruslana was overseeing a new class at the firing range. These weren't our soldiers,
560.3 -> these were normal people staying behind. The Marines had a saying, every Marine a rifleman.
565.44 -> Ruslana had her own saying- today, everyone's a rifleman.
568.829 -> I waited until the class ended and the deafening roar of rifles ceased before joining Ruslana.
573.1 -> “Hey. Thank you for coming, sorry I made you wait. You have time to talk?” I nodded.
577.47 -> “Good, come with me.”
578.68 -> We walked to one of the cleaning benches where Ruslana began disassembling her rifle to clean
582.64 -> it. The rest of the class was on their own benches, cleaning their own rifles as well.
586.53 -> Ruslana ran a tight ship.
588.16 -> “I need to talk to you about Alexis.” My ears immediately pricked up. “She's...
592.51 -> talking. Telling people about Indian Springs. About what I- what we did. The cooperation
597.2 -> with the Iron Lady. The slaughter.”
599.01 -> I knew Alexis was upset about us giving the Army of the Dawn critical intelligence and
602.89 -> all the weapons and ammo they needed to take Indian Springs, resulting in the genocide
607.279 -> or enslavement of the entire settlement.
609.17 -> “She is saying it was wrong what we did. Others are agreeing. We... well, we are not
614.05 -> democracy. Not yet. One day I hope, but not yet. Still, I do not want to tell her to shut
619.38 -> up. Freedom of speech and all that. But she is making things difficult, and things are
623.41 -> about to be difficult enough, yes?”
625.42 -> I didn't say anything. “One day, talk, debate, these things are good. But maybe not today.
630.279 -> Not yet.”
631.279 -> I nodded, promised I'd speak with Alexis. What I'd say though, I had no clue.
635.94 -> Ruslana was right to be worried. Alexis had been talking, a lot. And a lot of people were
640.28 -> agreeing with her. Even people from other settlements. A wave of discontent was spreading
644.52 -> across the brand new Republic, people did not like the Faustian bargain we'd apparently
649.08 -> struck with the Iron Lady. I have to admit, I was surprised. Maybe not all wasteland survivors
653.91 -> were diehard pragmatists. Maybe there really was hope for Alexis' dream of what the Republic
658.92 -> could be.
659.96 -> But this discontent could also spell disaster right when the newly born Republic was facing
664.18 -> its first real test. It had taken a lot of hard work, a lot of sacrifices to get here.
669.37 -> Alexis and I lay in bed together, she the little spoon to my big spoon.
672.74 -> “Ruslana wanted me to talk to you.” I immediately felt her body stiffen, then slowly
676.95 -> relax again. Very slowly.
679.16 -> “Oh, and what do you have to say to me?”
680.8 -> I stayed quiet for a minute. I'd been thinking about this all day but I hadn't really decided
685.37 -> what I was going to say. “I know you're unhappy about what happened. I don't blame
689.22 -> you.”
690.22 -> “Ruslana wants to pretend her- our- hands are clean just because we didn't pull the
693.31 -> trigger ourselves. But we facilitated it. We made it possible.”
696.48 -> “You gotta see it from her point of view. She's got a whole settlement, hell, an entire
700.01 -> nation now to worry about. And those people weren't going to trade or share what they
704.63 -> had, and without it-”
705.92 -> “-so we just kill whoever is in our way. Sorry, no, we let other people do the killing
710.24 -> so we can say our hands are clean. All for the greater good, right?”
713.64 -> I was silent again. Longer than a minute this time. “No, you're right. You should keep
718.12 -> talking to people. Tell them the truth- just. I don't know, this is a difficult time, and
722.62 -> things might get even more difficult. The Republic needs to be united.”
726.79 -> Alexis sighed. One of her deep, soul-weary sighs that made me hurt inside because I never
732.38 -> wanted her to sigh like that again. But she did. They just kept coming. “Ok. I'll tone
737.29 -> down the rhetoric.”
738.3 -> She backed up an inch to press tighter against me. I rolled her over so she was facing me.
742.5 -> “I need you to know you're everything that's good in the world, you're all the best parts
746.339 -> of me. All of them.” Then I kissed her, a long, deep kiss.
749.57 -> “I don't want you coming east. Not this time.”
752.16 -> Alexis gave me a quick peck and then rolled back over so she was my little spoon again.
756.41 -> “I wasn't planning on it. Me and Lilith, we're staying behind. I never want to see
759.87 -> something... something like that again.”
762.38 -> And I would do everything in my power to make sure she never did.
765.28 -> “Just promise me you'll come back home.” She squeezed my hand as she settled her head
769.41 -> into the nook below my chin and closed her eyes. I grunted in response.
772.88 -> I didn't make promises I couldn't keep anymore.
776.06 -> Another week rolled by. Farmbridge's population grew exponentially as soldiers from each of
780.29 -> the settlements arrived. Farmbridge was already the biggest of the settlements in SoCal, but
784.68 -> its population grew by 50%, big enough that people were having to pitch tents outside
789.31 -> the protective walls. But nobody feared an attack, right now we had a greater concentration
793.779 -> of firepower than any place in California, I was willing to bet.
797.59 -> Clay showed up along with a group of his people, and I was glad to see a familiar face. It's
801.31 -> always nice to go to war with friends by your side. It was nicer when they brought friends
805.06 -> along who were largely hardened combat veterans from America's wars in the middle east. Clay's
809.5 -> people were mostly former soldiers, marines, and sailors- with a few airmen sprinkled in.
814.71 -> They were the Sparta to our Athens- they were the military superpower in the Republic, and
819.49 -> we were the cultural and political power. I hoped we wouldn't go to war with each other
823.61 -> anytime soon. So far, things looked optimistic- a welcome change of pace.
828.37 -> He introduced me to his girlfriend, who'd come along with a group of volunteers to set
831.94 -> up a logistics center at Farmbridge where the Republic could more easily funnel supplies
836.07 -> to its expeditionary army. They were a cute couple, had been together for years before
840.75 -> the war. I wondered why they'd never gotten married, but didn't' push the issue.
844.529 ->
845.529 ->
846.529 -> The days seemed to speed by, the entire settlement filled with the nervous energy of an army
849.12 -> about to deploy, and the pending heartbreak of its loved ones eagerly awaiting its return.
854.01 -> Some of them would get their wish, others would get nothing more than even more heartbreak.
858.79 -> Lucky had been extra clingy lately, though he was excited by all the new friends. That
862.621 -> dog could sense every time I was about to leave though, and stuck to me like a shadow
866.589 -> for the course of the week. For my part, I made sure to give him extra pets and hugs
870.61 -> every chance I could.
871.8 -> Robby seemed torn. He wanted to join the army and march with us, but Ruslana had instituted
876.44 -> a policy- no family would send their only son or daughter, and as Robby only had his
881.17 -> sister as surviving family, she decided that technically counted. The time would come when
886.25 -> everyone might have to give everything, but not yet. For now, Ruslana did not want any
890.451 -> family to bear such a complete, devastating burden. I agreed, it was sensible.
895.07 -> At last, the day to march came. 1,058 combat-ready troops. Well trained, well disciplined. Not
901.43 -> quite a professional army yet, but on its way. Everyone wore old US military fatigues
906.43 -> as well, a move strongly endorsed by Clay's people who had supplied the uniforms. Uniforms
911.43 -> meant uniformity, a shared identity. We were no longer ragtag groups of survivors banding
916.589 -> together and huddling in makeshift tents. We were- what did the president say? Ah, yes,
921.709 -> nation-builders. The California Republic was marching to war.
924.88 -> We all said our tearful goodbyes. Clara gave Watson a lock of her hair, which he immediately
929.35 -> kissed and tucked away in an inside pocket, like a lady from the middle ages saying farewell
934.02 -> to her knight. I hugged Alexis tight, breathing in the smell of her skin deeply so I could
938.56 -> capture it and hold it as a memory forever. Next to us, Annie hugged a sobbing and wailing
943.75 -> Lilith, who was apparently letting out all the emotion everyone else was keeping locked
947.84 -> inside.
948.84 -> Finally, I hugged Robby and Meg goodbye, Robby wishing me good luck. And turning on my heel,
954.089 -> joined the army on the march.
955.68 -> Once more the family was split apart, Annie, Watson, and myself shouldering our rifles
960.17 -> and walling up the aching pain in our hearts. I thought about Alexis. I thought about that
964.58 -> little cul-de-sac in Big Bear where we all could have our own house and live together.
969 -> I tried not to think about the slowly burning fire in my brain, growing stronger, louder
974.3 -> with every step east.
975.779 -> We had what was in effect a battalion of troops, split up into three oversized companies. Each
980.779 -> company had one heavy weapons platoon which typically consisted of two Strykers and two
985.18 -> dismounted squads with either a .50 cal machine gun or two M240s. The composition wasn't exactly
991.459 -> US Army standard, but we weren't exactly the US Army. The Strykers were old, stuff that
996.579 -> had been left in stock as the modern Army moved on to better vehicles, but they were
1000.779 -> a significant addition to our firepower- specially as one was of the mobile gun configuration.
1005.85 -> I doubted the Aztecos would be packing any sort of mobile firepower, but if they did
1010.779 -> it would come in handy.
1012.089 -> We deployed scouts to flank our main column just in case, but the Aztecos had never showed
1016.36 -> a real aptitude for tactics. The fact we were moving like a professional military force
1020.97 -> though made me feel a lot better about what was to come.
1024.179 -> When we crossed into the Iron Lady's territory she had an escort waiting for us. Watson and
1028.27 -> I immediately requested a meeting with Ruslana before stepping further into her lands.
1032.709 -> Ruslana had been busy dealing with various logistics and personnel issues. Morale was
1036.819 -> high, so interpersonal problems weren't really an issue. But anytime a military moves it
1041.699 -> suffers from a host of various random problems and hangups, soldiers get inadvertently injured
1046.69 -> or fall ill. It was a full time job being in command and I didn't envy her task. Finally
1051.741 -> though she had time to meet.
1052.88 -> We walked to the perimeter of our camp, out of earshot of the sentries on duty there.
1057.6 -> The nights weren't quite as dark as they'd been, the perpetual cloud cover had cleared
1061.799 -> somewhat letting a little bit of moon and starlight through.
1064.87 -> “Watson and I, we need to leave. Temporarily. We'll rejoin you guys in a few days.”
1069.34 -> Ruslana cocked an eyebrow at me. “What is this? Right when I need you two the most?”
1073.5 -> “Listen, darling.” Watson interrupted her with his mountain drawl. “Something
1076.919 -> 'aint shaking right here. The Iron Lady's territory is three times the size of ours,
1081 -> and she's been doing nothing but losing to the Aztecos this whole time? I ain't buying
1085.11 -> it.”
1086.11 -> She pursed her lips. A familiar crease formed on her brow, like it did everytime a new disaster
1090.01 -> reared its head, which seemed to be every other day since the world ended.
1093.62 -> “You think this is a trap?”
1094.71 -> I shook my head vigorously. “No. Not a chance, we're way too heavily armed. She's smarter
1099.83 -> than that, she knows taking this force out would cost her three, four times our number.
1104.4 -> She may have more men, but we're better trained and equipped and she knows it.”
1108.039 -> Watson spit on the ground. “Not a trap. But she's planning on us getting used up in
1112.04 -> the fighting. Getting weak.”
1113.04 -> “And when we're weak, we got a sneaking suspicion she's going to be sending a reserve
1117.04 -> force west across the border.”
1119.039 -> Ruslana thought for a moment. “What is your plan then?”
1121.91 -> “Watson and I know this territory well. We'll slink away, do some scouting. It's what
1126.11 -> I'm good at. Try and locate this reserve force. If nothing's there, all good. If not though...”
1131.549 -> Now Ruslana spit on the ground. “We are screwed.”
1133.909 -> “You cut the head off a rabid racoon and the body'll die, sure as shit.” Watson had
1138.679 -> steel in his eyes. There was an edge to him that hadn't been there before he got married.
1143.179 -> Ruslana thought long and hard. I had a feeling I knew most of the thoughts going through
1147.17 -> her mind. An assassination, even if it was cutting the head off a poisonous snake- not
1151.54 -> an auspicious start to a new Republic. “I can't be involved in any way. Alexis has made
1156.69 -> things... difficult back home. You two do what you need to do, I don't want to know
1161.03 -> details. Just let me know if you find this reserve force out there.”
1163.88 -> Ruslana left without a further word, leaving Watson and I to contemplate our next move
1167.919 -> in the dark.
1168.919 -> I told Annie I had to go, but I'd be back. She didn't question me. Merely gave me a long
1173.179 -> look before nodding. Somehow that was even worse.
1176.7 -> Watson and I easily slipped past the sentries and out into the night. We were dressed in
1180.37 -> civilian clothing and carrying regular rifles so as to look like a pair of regular survivors.
1185.14 -> Our knowledge of the Army of the Dawn let us easily get through any checkpoints or patrols
1189.02 -> that we encountered. To my surprise, I was recognized a few times. I guess that was the
1193.27 -> price to pay for having spent so much time as the Iron Lady's special 'guest'. I didn't
1197.789 -> even want to know what wild rumors were floating around about her and I, but I could guess.
1202.87 -> We had to move fast. In four days our forces would arrive at the front, and if I was missing
1207.12 -> the Iron Lady would get suspicious. Luckily I had a good idea of where to head.
1211.82 -> Havasu City was the capital of the Iron Lady's empire. Not only had it survived the war,
1216.539 -> but it was built right on the shores of Lake Havasu, and the Colorado River fed directly
1220.929 -> into it. No place had truly safe drinking water anymore, but with filters at least you
1225.721 -> wouldn't die as fast.
1227.33 -> On the south end of the Lake, near where the Colorado outflowed and went south to Mexico,
1231.69 -> were the 'Pens'. This was where most of the surrounding area's, and all of the Iron Lady's
1235.54 -> military forces, had its livestock processed. The river carried the steady stream of blood,
1240.61 -> guts, and animal filth downstream and out of the local drinking channels.
1244.929 -> The Pens was a sprawling compound at least a quarter mile big. I heard similar butcheries
1249.29 -> had been set up back in the middle ages for big population centers. Not all animals here
1253.75 -> were killed right away, only a select amount every day. Without refrigeration, fresh meat
1258.799 -> had a very short shelf life.
1260.789 -> And not all animals here were actually 'animals'. The Iron Lady had at least decreed that the
1265.52 -> human livestock be kept separate from the animals. Not for humane reasons, but to prevent
1270.549 -> spread of animal-to-human diseases. The entire miserable complex was like the exposed heart
1275.62 -> of the Army of the Dawn itself. I wished I could burn it all to the ground.
1279.24 -> It didn't take long to corner one of the slaves working at the butchery. The animal side of
1283.31 -> the butchery that is. Slaves were taught to be obedient to all free folk, and anyone was
1287.669 -> free to punish a slave that was out of line. It was shocking how quickly the world had
1291.62 -> turned modern average people into subservient slaves or outright monsters. The guy looking
1296.84 -> up at me with fear in his eyes as I ushered him into a corner of one of the work shacks
1301.02 -> could have been my bank teller three years ago.
1303.63 -> “I'm not going to hurt you, unless you lie to me or waste my time. Understand?” I could
1307.66 -> feel the fuego warm in my brain. Just the tease of violence was enough to rouse it from
1312.12 -> its slumber. The slave eagerly nodded his head. I was confident he wouldn't lie. The
1316.549 -> penalty for lying was the loss of one or more limbs. And if that meant you were no longer
1320.64 -> useful, then it was off to the Pens with you.
1323.169 -> “Food shipments. Not east, to the fighting. Somewhere else. Big ones. You see or hear
1327.26 -> anything?”
1328.26 -> The slave looked confused. “Sir- I, we process large shipments for local settlements outside
1332.52 -> Havasu all the time.”
1333.73 -> I shook my head. “No, this would be recent, in the last two months or so.”
1338.01 -> The slave thought hard, which was made more difficult everytime he looked up at Watson.
1342.83 -> Watson wasn't trying to be intimidating, he was just being Watson- but the man had a face
1347.179 -> as hard as a mountain, and I'd only ever seen Alana and Clara crack a smile from that weathered
1351.87 -> granite.
1352.87 -> “I.. I mean, Sir, yes. For the army, but I'm sorry I don't know where it's going, just
1357.549 -> somewhere north!”
1359.01 -> Watson and I exchanged a quick glance. Our suspicions had been confirmed. Wish I could
1363.02 -> say I was surprised, but nothing surprised me about the Iron Lady anymore. I was glad
1367.09 -> I was at least keeping up with her schemes though. I was learning.
1370.09 -> Suddenly, one of the foremen walked into the shack. He was wielding a large club and looked
1374.309 -> angry. “Hey now, you can't be harassing my workers and you'd better not have been
1378.42 -> in here abusin' it either, I need it in working con- Hey! You're that scout fellow. The one
1383.29 -> that got the medal and the lashes.”
1385.01 -> Fire roared to life in my brain. Maybe it had been the tease with the slave. Maybe it
1389.74 -> was the deep hate of this place that had only grown since stepping inside this house of
1393.81 -> misery. Maybe I was just starting to lose it, like Vaquero had warned before I blew
1398.179 -> his brains out.
1399.279 -> I lashed out with a right hook, catching the foreman completely by surprise. He staggered
1403.409 -> backwards and I followed it with a knee straight to his gut, doubling him over. I spotted the
1407.409 -> large knife on a leather sheathe on his belt. Moments later I buried it in the man's spine.
1412.46 -> Next thing I knew, Watson was hurling me forward as we both ran out of the Pens. When we were
1416.53 -> in the clear, we finally stopped to catch my breath. I had no idea what had happened.
1420.82 -> Did someone spot us? All I remember was the knife in the spine and then running.
1424.66 -> Did I kill that slave?
1426.5 -> Watson turned around and slapped me across the face, hard. “The hell is wrong with
1429.47 -> you, boy?! You done lost your damn mind?!”
1431.64 -> I didn't even flinch from the slap. The fuego made you fast and strong, but it also dulled
1435.929 -> pain. I concentrated on the burning, willed it away. Willed the flames to quench. When
1441.02 -> I was sure I wouldn't murder Watson too, I finally talked.
1443.799 -> I told him everything. About the arena, the fuego. About murdering Vaquero.
1447.62 -> “Nobody knows. Not even Annie.”
1449.41 -> “That's a tough break, kid. I liked you.” Watson reshouldered his rifle and started
1453.49 -> walking away.
1454.49 -> I was stunned, then rushed to catch up. “That's all you've got to say?!”
1457.74 -> “The hell you want me to say? You know your fate, 'aint no word I say gonna change that
1461.779 -> or matter one lick. At least you're trying to do something meaningful first, I respect
1465.98 -> that.”
1466.98 -> We both walked in silence for a bit. “Thanks. I guess.”
1470.149 -> Watson mm'hmmed his approval. “Just one thing- if the Lord sees fit to let us cross
1474.22 -> that border home again, I ever think you're a threat to the family, I'll kill you.”
1478.179 -> “Honestly... I wouldn't expect or want anything less. But I plan on being gone before that.”
1483.87 -> Watson mmm'hmmed one more time, and we moved, putting as much distance between us and the
1488.24 -> Pens as possible.
1489.279 -> The good thing about living in a post-apocalyptic raider-punk alternate reality is that murders
1493.63 -> are common enough, nobody investigates much. It was illegal, per the Iron Lady's rules,
1498.539 -> but unless you got caught in the act nobody was really going to make a huge fuss about
1502.309 -> it. We left Havasu City and marched south east.
1504.809 -> It wasn't hard to guess where the fighting was, a steady stream of supply convoys left
1508.559 -> Havasu for the front every day. An army marches on its stomach and is in constant need of
1513.299 -> resupply of everything from bullets to underwear.
1515.73 -> I'll say this about the Iron Lady- she'd made the roads safe again in her territory. That
1520.49 -> was an incredible achievement, something the Republic struggled with to this day. This
1524.151 -> allowed us to make good time, and we didn't even have to set a watch at night as we camped.
1528.46 -> The night before we were due in camp we managed to catch up, sharing the news with Ruslana.
1532.95 -> She'd invited all of her commanders into the briefing, along with Annie. The group discussed
1536.47 -> plans amongst themselves. They couldn't just turn around and march back now, the Army of
1540.79 -> the Dawn would assume we were either reneging on our deal or trying to surprise attack Havasu.
1545.51 -> Either way, we were deep in enemy territory and surrounded on all sides.
1549.38 -> But Ruslana told them about our plan. The assembled commanders agreed, but just in case
1553.799 -> they'd dispatch messengers back home at double speed to let them know to expect a possible
1558.169 -> surprise attack. The Republic could still muster a significance defense force, but the
1562.35 -> fighting would be brutal and costly, and there was no guarantee of victory
1566.13 -> It quickly became clear that everything rested on my ability to get close to the Iron Lady
1570.74 -> when she was vulnerable, no matter the cost.
1572.96 -> “Don't worry, I'll keep your secret. Again.” Annie was tossing her boots off in our shared
1577.75 -> tent. Watson was out somewhere, leaving just us two. She finished taking her boots off
1582.21 -> and then bent down to open up my sleeping bag and slide in. She lay there with her back
1586 -> pressed to me. We did this often when we traveled together- it wasn't sexual or romantic. It
1591.409 -> had started out as a necessity during the cold up in Big Bear, but we kept doing it.
1595.09 -> It was like sleeping next to a sibling, and it was comforting.
1597.74 -> It was the only times in the years I'd known her that Annie had ever dropped her guard
1601.76 -> and talked about her life back home. Or her dead brother.
1604.71 -> “I honestly wish there was another way. I really want to do things Alexis' way. Honestly.”
1609.1 -> “Yeah. I think I believe you.”
1610.72 -> Annie didn't say another word all night. And it stung.
1613.75 -> There were wounded everywhere. The rearmost areas of any front is where casualties and
1617.98 -> equipment were sorted. If the Iron Lady had enough manpower to take this many casualties
1622.52 -> while holding off the Aztecos and hide an invasion force, she had a hell of a lot more
1627.49 -> of it at her disposal than I'd given her credit for. Tents full of cots stretched for a hundred
1632.33 -> meters in both directions as we made our way through the camp.
1635.52 -> Her command post had a row of trenches dug around it about five meters wide and fifteen
1640.409 -> deep. It was basically a moat that you had to cross by wooden bridge. Shed learned a
1644.53 -> lot after the first assassination attempt by the Aztecos. One of two times I'd saved
1649.09 -> her life.
1650.09 -> “You're ahead of schedule, excellent.” She met us coming out of her tent. Despite
1653.71 -> being at the front, she was dressed in her traditional uniform, and like always, looked
1657.429 -> immaculate. Not even a hair out of place. She smiled as she saw me. “I'd like to request
1662.159 -> that he act as liason between our two forces. He knows your people and he knows my people.
1666.97 -> It's an easy fit.”
1667.97 -> Ruslana nodded her approval. I hadn't even thought about her need for a liason between
1671.86 -> the two groups. It made perfect sense, it was basic human resources 101. And just like
1676.62 -> that I had all the access I would need.
1678.95 -> We discussed the front, and where best to place our various assets. The Republic's forces
1683.07 -> would remain intact, Ruslana insisted. It was only natural, neither side truly trusted
1688.47 -> the other, and Eben agreed. We would be responsible for shoring up the southern flank. Eben warned
1693.57 -> us that that's exactly where we'd get hit the hardest in the coming attack, but her
1697.2 -> people had been bleeding for months and needed a breather.
1699.789 -> Ruslana and I had expected as much. Naturally she'd put us where the heaviest fighting would
1704.14 -> be to weaken us. But after seeing the scope of her casualties, maybe they really did need
1708.62 -> the relief. Ruslana agreed and set off with Annie to speak to her commanders. Annie gave
1713.13 -> me one of her typical brief looks as she left the tent.
1716.05 -> The Iron Lady sighed deeply once we were alone, and sat on a chair in front of her map table.
1720.69 -> “You know what's good for keeping an army of psycopaths and maniacs together?”
1724.47 -> “What?”
1725.47 -> “An even bigger army of even bigger psychopaths and maniacs at your border.”
1728.99 -> “Has the fighting been rough?”
1730.45 -> “They've threw bodies at us for two months straight at our previous position. Had to
1734.13 -> fall back to here. This is our fifth retreat.”
1736.42 -> “They have that many numbers?”
1738.09 -> “Thirty to fifty thousand when this started.”
1740.38 -> Despite myself my jaw dropped open slightly. “How is that possible?”
1744.57 -> “South of the border didn't get hit by many nukes. Polar jet stream got all messed up,
1748.76 -> blew most of the rads from up here down south. Then you had disease and chaos. But all in
1753.45 -> all, they made out a lot better than us.”
1755.13 -> “How many you think they got left?”
1756.76 -> Eben seemed to do some quick calculations in her head.
1759.309 -> “Another twenty thousand? Most of them all jacked up on the fuego. Even bigger doses
1763.89 -> than you.”
1764.89 -> I was stunned into silence again. “How did you know?”
1767.179 -> “You mean nobody else been able to tell from that growing red rim around your eyes?
1771.529 -> Probably thought you were tired. Also, sweetheart, you should know by now. I have people everywhere.”
1775.789 -> “So then you know what's going to happen.”
1778.29 -> “I do. You're a tough one though. Physically, but mentally- that's more important. It's
1782.031 -> a battle of will between you and the fuego. Some people last a few weeks, others a few
1786.12 -> years. I got faith in you.”
1787.96 -> She looked up and smiled at me. A genuine smile. “That's why I'm going to ask you
1791.559 -> to defect and join me. You can bring your woman, and your friends if you want. You'll
1795.309 -> have your own place. Safe.”
1796.659 -> I reeled as if I'd been physically shoved. “What?”
1799.87 -> “Defect. Join me. Work with me. Use that little gift of yours to make the world a better
1804.33 -> place, while you can. You know they won't accept you back east, not when it becomes
1807.73 -> obvious.” Eben stopped for a moment, thinking. “No- you were planning on doing something
1812.039 -> incredibly reckless before then. Something stupid. Don't. Work with me instead.”
1816.45 -> Why did she make so much damn sense sometimes?
1819.37 -> The sound of the distant horde was feint. A mass of drug-fueled maniacs that would soon
1823.769 -> make the earth tremble from its numbers alone. The sound of the drums and various other instruments
1828.33 -> they used for their various black magic rituals drifted to us in the wind. It was primal,
1833.34 -> shamanic magic from ancient Aztec history and the depths of the jungles both. Combined
1838.44 -> with the powerful Fuego and other psychedelic drugs it filled the horde with courage, strength,
1843.63 -> an insatiable hunger for ultraviolence.
1846.13 -> I felt my own fuego rise up in my brain, almost as if in response to the distant rituals.
1851.21 -> And then the instruments died and instead there was the roaring of thousands of maniacs.
1855.429 -> “Now, they come.” The Iron Lady surveilled the distant plain through night vision. In
1860.2 -> her command trench was myself, The Iron Lady, a few assistants, and her personal guards.
1865.29 -> Ruslana and her own people, including Watson and Annie as guards, shared the opposite side
1869.47 -> of the trench. We were located just off the center, south and closer to Republic forces,
1874.59 -> on a slight hill that gave us excellent view of the battlefield and our lines of defense
1878.72 -> both.
1879.72 -> Ruslana turned to one of the men with her, an older man I suspected was one of Clay's
1883.13 -> people, he had the look of a seasoned professional soldier. The man nodded to her, then reached
1887.659 -> for a battery powered radio. Despite the screaming of thousands of psycopaths about to flood
1892.049 -> our position, he spoke in a calm, almost bored tone. “Alright, boys. Let's give 'em some
1897.289 -> of that boom boom.”
1898.48 -> Order relayed, he looked up at the battlefield, finally showing some excitement. “This is
1902.859 -> my favorite part.”
1903.96 -> At first there was nothing. Then, just as the horde was beginning to materialize in
1908.02 -> the darkness, several voices shouted from somewhere behind us. “Hang it!” A moment
1913.32 -> later, “Fire!”.
1914.6 -> Several sharp cracks sounded. Already there were shouts of “Hang it!” repeating behind
1918.53 -> us. The old veteran grinned from ear to ear. “Wish
1920.99 -> we had some proper scouts with radios out there. We could've been working them for last
1924.72 -> ten minutes. But with visibility this limited, no point chucking long range rounds around
1929.52 -> when they're already in short supply.”
1931.269 -> A series of explosions lit up the landscape from above. 120mm mortar rounds exploded above
1936.909 -> the enemy, scattering thousands of anti-personnel sub munitions. The resulting mini explosions
1941.66 -> on the ground reminded me of popcorn going off. If the old vet grinned any harder he'd
1946.72 -> split his skull in two. “Anti-personnel. Not as satisfying as HE, but definitely the
1951.87 -> best show.”
1952.87 -> The sound of our heavy weapons opening up now made any future conversation a shouting
1957.07 -> match. Our side unleashed hell on earth on the advancing horde as more anti-personnel
1961.64 -> mortars exploded on them from above. Yet they kept coming, running through the metal storm
1966.63 -> even after losing limbs. These were captives, slaves, the sick or unwanted. All expendable
1972.33 -> and turned into vicious, fearless killers by the power of the fuego. Their job was to
1976.73 -> soak up our fire, run us out of ammunition for the regular forces that followed in their
1981.5 -> wake.
1982.5 -> It was beautiful in a sick way. Tracers from our rapid fire weapons turned into laser-like
1987.07 -> streams in the night, cutting into a swathe of humanity and bathing the night with blood.
1991.82 -> The tracers from individual rifles were miniature shooting stars, tearing and ripping their
1996.049 -> way through a wall of flesh.
1997.86 -> My vision was running red, I fired with my rifle at the horde but it wasn't enough. It
2002.57 -> took everything I had to stop myself from climbing out of the trench and start running
2006.1 -> at the enemy with nothing but a knife and gnashing teeth.
2009.299 -> The orgy of violence lasted for hours. Their arqueros, regular riflemen, followed on the
2014.24 -> heels of the screaming horde. But the horde had failed to break our line. Our 120mm mortars
2019.519 -> and all the firepower we brought to bear finally tipped the balance against the Aztecos for
2023.47 -> the first time in months. Besides, their arqueros weren't nearly as good shots as our guys,
2028.07 -> and they didn't have the benefit of defensive trenches.
2030.779 -> The Aztecos seemed surprised at our arrival, they hadn't brought any of the heavy firepower
2035.049 -> I knew they had. Or maybe this was just a probing attack, even the few thousand we'd
2039.72 -> killed over the night were expendable to an empire built on human flesh. Eventually, the
2044.39 -> sun began to rise, and with its first few rays the Aztecos withdrew. A cheer went up
2049.1 -> from our ranks. Victory had been costly, but for the first time in weeks the Aztecos had
2053.54 -> bled worse than our side.
2055.37 -> Skipping out on the congratulatory cheering, the Iron Lady retreated to her tent with me
2059.23 -> in tow. She entered, heading straight for the wash bin. She began washing the grime
2063.13 -> from her face. She didn't say anything, but she felt tired yet relieved to me. She'd never
2068.22 -> admit it of course.
2069.589 -> She continued washing her face, speaking between splashes of water. “We wouldn't have had
2073.552 -> a snowball's chance in hell of holding off the next attack if we'd taken the casualties
2077.579 -> we took in the last one, before your people got here. Your guns made all the difference.”
2081.8 -> She turned, wiping her face dry, to face me and my gun- leveled at her chest. She instinctively
2086.99 -> reached for her own firearm, but stopped- knowing she'd never get it out in time.
2090.98 -> The Iron Lady was one of the most manipulative, cunning minds I'd ever met. She knew when
2095.24 -> she was beat. “I guess this means you've declined my offer.”
2097.77 -> “I told you, a while ago. You're not always wrong. But you're not always right either.”
2102.2 -> Eben nodded sadly. It pushed the fuego away. I buried the surprising grief I felt rise
2107.31 -> up inside me. “You're too dangerous. What you've built out here, and what you were planning
2111.32 -> on doing with it next. I can't let that happen. I can't let that be what we become.”
2115.839 -> Eben grinned. “She got to you, huh? Beat me to it. C'mon, don't look confused. I knew
2120.28 -> this was a tug of war the whole time. I was just hoping you'd see reason. We could've
2123.87 -> done great things together.”
2125.05 -> “I know about the reserves. We already sent messengers to prepare.”
2128.23 -> “Of course you figured it out. You're a bright boy. You know how rare that is out
2131.74 -> here?”
2132.74 -> “Stop it!”
2133.74 -> “I mean it. Don't get angry at me for stating the obvious. We could have done great things.
2137.07 -> You know it. But you made your choice.”
2139.4 -> She motioned to one of the chests by her cot. “Let me give you one last piece of advice.
2143.78 -> Don't use that gun. It'll be a dead giveaway. Go, in there.”
2147.26 -> Warily and with the gun leveled at her I toed open the chest, then with my free hand lifted
2151.31 -> out a small wrist-mounted crossbow. The type that Azteco assassins use.
2155.49 -> “Use that. My last gift to you.”
2157.49 -> I lowered my gun and raised the crossbow, cocking the bolt into position.
2161.18 -> “Remember what I told you though. Remember what'll happen if nobody's at the reins of
2165.28 -> this group of psychopaths.”
2166.74 -> I nodded slowly. She was right. As usual.
2169.67 -> “Oh, one more gift. I have people, in your camp. Robby. When he learns what happened
2173.89 -> here, he'll kill your family. Those were his instructions.”
2176.68 -> My eyes widened despite myself, throwing off my aim slightly as I pulled the trigger on
2181.14 -> the crossbow. The bolt still managed to punch through her skull, piercing her brain and
2185.29 -> granting her a mercifully quick death.
2187.75 -> Tears streamed from my eyes as I ripped my way out of the tent and into the rising sun.
2191.369 -> I didn't know if they were from grief or rage as I thought about Robby.
2195.15 -> “She's dead. The Iron Lady is dead!”. My shouts sent the camp into an uproar. None
2199.95 -> of her commanders responded though. They had been dealt with by Watson and the other men
2203.859 -> with the necessary skills to discretely kill in the middle of an enemy camp.
2207.5 -> There would be nobody to challenge me.
2209.5 -> I held aloft the Azteco crossbow as her body was carried out and the crows around the tent
2214.5 -> grew. “Azteco assassins!”
2216.52 -> A hundred cannibals, raiders, and slavers howled with grief and anger. I stoked that
2221.23 -> rage into a burning fury. “They tried to cut us off at the head! They killed our Lady!”
2226.099 -> The roar grew to challenge the best the Aztecos had thrown at us.
2229.42 -> “And I plan on making them pay! Who is with me?!”
2232.67 -> Now go find out how this epic story all began with I Survived 100 Days of Nuclear War, or
2238.33 -> click this other link instead!

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_IJJJVrRow