I was born. 

The world is in a apocalyptic state food and water we're considered a thing of the past. The ancient inhabitants promised that there would no longer be any scarcity of our necessities in the near future, but promises we're meant to be broken. 

These researchers conducted a way of creating a pill, if consumed the person would no longer feel any sensation of thirst and hunger. Because of this, the price of food and water dropped into an all time low and workers stopped producing these things leaving them to rot. 

What made matters worse, is because of the halt on harvesting food and water the poor individuals had no way of obtaining these resources. Some of these people lost their jobs, and worse... some starved to death and resorted to cannibalism. 

This too resulted into an all out rebellion among these people, they formed alliances to battle the researchers. These rebels were called Scavengers—they got the name from eating corpses in order to survive. They tried to protest that they'd give the pill to the people in need for free, but all that was in the researchers' minds we're nothing more than just cash; and everything resulted into a violent end. 

Numerous casualties we're exchanged by both sides, the Scavengers having a internal conflict which soon resulted into numerous factions. More conflicts were created due to these factions and humanity was in the brink of extinction. There was no hope left. 

I was sickly as a child, I couldn't move an inch of my body and I was sensitive to sunlight. The sun would be blazing for long periods, sometimes days without the moon would go for weeks or in rare occasions, would last for months. The tent's fabric were too thin that the sun would sometimes burn my skin as I haplessly laid down on the hot sand. 

Due to this, I sometimes heard conversations between my mother and father discussing if they should ditch me and leave me to be eaten by the Hyenas or the Hounds—they were groups once part of the scavengers but now, they work on their separate beliefs. 

My parents and I would travel across the barren wasteland only during the night—due to me only being able to budge when the moon was shining upon me. It doesn't mean that walking was easy for me, but due to my fragile body I would only crawl my way to the direction my parents we're heading. 

But during the day, I would be tied up to a rope attached to my father's back and I would be dragged across the floor as they walked, to this vast wasteland devoid of life. I was starting to think if we were the only ones left in this world, or there was no world after all. 

Was there ever a god, do we truly believe in a god or do we only have what it takes believe because we don't have someone to blame for our hardships? If there was someone, it might have left us to rot already. 

One night, I heard a conversation between my parents from outside the tent after they'd finished copulating beside me they didn't even consider me as a living being I was but a food in case of emergencies, and due to an unfortunate case, that night so happened to be an emergency. 

"We're out of flesh, what now?" asked my father in a trembling tone. 

"We still have those pills we snatched from those bandits right?" asked mother, as I heard the rustling of metal from outside the tent. It was clear that he was trying to search for something in one of the bags we carried. 

"Agathe can't just waste those pills!" Father shouted angrily. 

After those words, it was silent for a while so silent you could hear the cold breeze burst through the tent's fabric dragging it gently throughout the room. The time was now, it was clear that they were discussing on whether it was time to eat their own child or not. I was only but a walking livestock to them ever since the day I was born. 

I wasn't treated good due to my uselessness but they tried their best to keep me alive, just for some damn meat! I was ready to escape that night. While they were discussing, I pulled myself together with every fiber of will in me just so I could finally move an inch. 

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Slowly and painfully, I gripped onto the sand as I crawled my way outside the tent feeling the gentle fabric slid through my back as I crawled painfully outside trying to hold back my voice while I was gritting my teeth. It felt like a eternity yet finally, I was able to walk my way out. 

I felt the need to crawl farther and crawl far I did, the skin from my knees we're peeling off as I dragged myself by the rough basalt terrain as my wounds began to sting piercing deep and due to the pain, I stopped screaming in pain as my voice echoed through the empty terrain. 

This was my end, until I felt hard footsteps walking towards me hearing the soft metallic jingles synchronizing with each step. He turned my face towards him as he looked into my eyes, placing two of his metallic fingers on my neck as if he was checking a pulse. 

He wore a black leather hat, a brown jacket, and a alluminum mask covering his entire face while having strapped numerous weapons and ammunition on his body. If there were ever a gun fight I'd doubt that this guy would run out of weapons. His body was hollow covered in metal parts but it was clear that the man was human. 

"You alive kid?"  The man asked in a distorted voice. 

Not having the strength to speak, I nodded to him in reponse to his question. 

"You got family?" He asked for a second time

"They tried to eat me." I replied in a raspy tone. 

"I see." The man muttered. 

In a few moments, I felt another person's presence rushing towards our direction. 

"Petro! Where are you?!" The voice shouted from afar. 

"Doc, I'm over here!"

"There's this kid over here, and he's still breathing!" He shouted! 

"I'm heading over!" The voice shouted from afar. 

In a moment, another man wearing a black coat and a dark balaclava wrapped around his face as he ran to our direction as jars filled with dust fell from his open backpack. 

"Hey, you're dropping the medicine!" The gunslinger shouted angrily.'

"Save that for later, it's not like I'll loose those jars in a empty place like this." The doctor replied in a carefree manner. 

"Now let's see what do we have here..." The doctor stared at my me for a while flashing his light on my pupils. 

The doctor turned off his light, and I could feel his heartbeat rapidly increasing as he looked at the gunslinger for a moment. I couldn't get a glimpse of his expression but I could feel that something was up with these people. 

They walked away from me and they began whispering to eachother for a moment and heard a soft phrase from the doctor, "Let's keep our distance from him, it's clear he has a good ear." he said, as they walked farther leaving a trail of jar to mark my direction. 

I could still see them from a distance wavering their hands back and forth, the most notable one being the doctor. The gunslinger just stood still and after a while, the both nodded at eachother walking back at my direction. 

"Kid, were taking you in." The gunslinger said. 

The doctor took a rope from his bag tying me tightly to the gunslinger's back and slowly, I began to black out

. 

. 

. 

"You're awake! How are you feeling?" The doctor ecstatically intoned. 

"Oh wait-" He stood up, rushing outside

Fully regaining my consciousness I noticed I was laid down under some sort of cave, I could feel the cloth wrapped around my body next to a burning campfire blazing from the numerous amount of ripped cloth fueling the flame.

Where'd that guy go... After a few moments, the doctor suddenly rushed back carrying a tray filled with dust and to my shock, a glass of water—after the earth dried out long ago, water was deemed unobtainable the only obtainable sources of hydration were either blood or if you're lucky, rain water. 

My eyes dialated seeing such a clear liquid through the glass, not one of those bubbly waters made from saliva and definitely not blood drained from the deceased corpses but water. 

"Where did you—" while trying to speak, I felt a lingering sensation on my throat as my body instinctively coughed violently as I covered my mouth; small drops of blood stained my cold frail hands. 

"Don't ask, just drink it." The doctor said, passing me the glass, I could feel him emmiting a faint smile from under his mask just by looking at the man's eyes. 

I'm not in the position to ask if they're acts of "kindness" were that of genuine kindness, after all people would want something in exchange for their deeds; and most importantly, I feel something off about this man... 

Reluctantly, I took a sip from the cold glass; just by holding the glass and feeling the bland aroma of water, my chest widened as the faint breeze of the night removed the boundless weight from my chest and suddenly, my throat felt as clearer than it ever been. 

"So, how does it taste?" The man asked with an ecstatic tone. 

"What kind of medicine is this?" my eyes, glimmering with shock as I placed down the glass onto the rough surface of the cave. 

"It's just water." 

After drinking the glass, I felt my body suddenly give me the strength to sit up straight and for the first time in years I did just that. 

"Doctor, where do you get this... clean... water?" 

The doctor, intrigued by the question just silent stared at me; for a few moments my ears began ringing violently as my back slowly loosens, and before I knew it I fell to the soft pillow from the mattress I was laying at. 

Before my mind blacked out completely, I saw two mirrors positioned by the side—who even in the right mind would use mirrors in a situation like this...