Provisions

The war hit hard and what remains is best described as a wasteland. Those that survived are spread far and thin, or so you think anyway. Provisions are scattered and incredibly hard to come by, people fight over them and this is a very dog eat dog social structure. Its everyone for themselves. [[>>]]

The sun is hot and the skies are clear, its days like these that are the worst. The heat makes the thirst even worse. Stepping out from your current shelter, you squint against the intruding light and weigh up your options for the day. [[You decide the heat is too much and you go look for water.]] [[You haven't eaten yet and you figure you should find food first.]]

You set off into the east of your shelter, you haven't checked this way for water in a while and sometimes you can find a leaking pipe or something. Anything at this point would be good. Its quiet out, it usually always is. You find your way into a ruined building and are grateful for the shade. A sound reaches you, dripping water. [[Thrilled, you race over, scrambling over rubble]] [[While you are delighted, you approach more slowly, wary.]]

Going west, you decide to scope out the ruined schoolground since you've had luck there in terms of food before. You travel fast but carefully, since its better to be careful. When the school comes into sight, you slip inside and are grateful to be out of the light and inside here is cool. The cafeteria is your target of choice. Entering the room, you sift through some rubble in the back kitchen. Its obviously been looted before but you manage to find some dented but unopened cans. [[Your hunger hits, you crack open one of the cans to eat immediately. There are more to pack away.]] [[While hungry, you know you could save them for later and keep looking, you store them in your pack.]]

You spot the source of the water, its dripping from a ruptured pipe into a small puddle. Its enough. Approaching the tap, you take the oppertunity to catch some drips in your mouth before fetching an empty bottle you have to fill up. The drips make it painfully slow to fill up and you don't like being out long. [[You reach up and grasp the pipe, tugging it to angle it better for more water.]] [[Deciding to deal with it, you wait it out.]]

Your approach is quiet, lower to the ground than before and you stop when you see the water pipe. Theres someone there already drinking from a small plastic scoop. [[You decide to let them finish, after all its only fair since they got there first.]] [[Theres not much water to spare, so you get up to approach them and get some as well.]]

Using a hunters knife, you crack open the lid and scrape out the inners of the can to eat by hand. Its cold and probably awful - but to you its amazing. You can barely help yourself as you finish the whole can, it leaves you feeling bloated and somewhat sluggish but you stash the other cans and see nothing else. As you head through the school grounds you hear a noise. [[It could be a survivor, you decide to head in that direction.]] [[Wary, you back off and go the opposite way.]]

You know that its smart to store them, cold canned food never sits well on your stomach anyway. Stashing them away in your bag, you make to leave. As you pick your way out of the destroyed cafeteria, you hear a sound that resembles hard claws on the tiles and you see a low shadow loping. [[You watch where the shadow went and slowly follow after it, curious.]] [[Too wary, you wait for a moment before slipping out the gap to leave.]]

After your first tug, you feel it give way and with a yell, you lurch back as the pipe snaps, the loose ceiling above it falling. Landing on your rear, you watch it all crumple and the access to water vanish. Cursing, you stand up and dust yourself off. Thankfully the small amount of water you managed to collect was not spilled. You go to sip before you hear a sound and you turn. A person is watching you, they are small and hooded and they gesture at your water. [[They look small, and you feel obligated to give them your water.]] [[No, you are thirsty as well and there is not much here. You stash the bottle and turn.]]

You wait, and filling the bottle takes an age but you manage to fill the entire thing which is more than you are used too. You take a sip, feeling that you can spare one mouthful for yourself and you turn to leave, stopping as you see a small person watching you and your water. [[You have enough water to share and the pipe is no longer dripping, you offer it to them.]] [[This is your water, you don't often find any. You turn away.]]

Settling in to wait, you examine the rest of the ruined room and you feel your thirst rise so you look back to where the person was drinking only to see them standing now. To your surprise, you see their face and see that they are a child. You stand slowly and step closer to the water and the child hears you in a startle of alarm before they run, vanishing. [[You give chase, wanting to make sure the child is okay and not alone.]] [[Seeing them go out of your sight, you go to inspect the water, you are very thirsty anyway.]]

You lick your dry lips and you approach the one at the water. Your shoe kicks a stone which makes a loud sound and it startles them. The person lurches up and stares at you in horror and fear, they are a child, no more than 8 at least. The child barely gives you a chance to respond before they run off, quick to vanish from your sight. [[You are worried, so you follow them, they are a child after all.]] [[While they are a child, you still need water. You go to the pipe.]]

Taking a breath you hold out the bottle, shaking it to show them that there is water inside. They only hesitate a bit before they come closer and when they are close enough you see that they are indeed a child. Letting them take the bottle, they stare up at you with rounded eyes before they startle at a loud sound and they run. You jolt as well but watch them leave. [[You follow after them, worried for the child.]] [[Knowing that that sound is bad news, you make to leave. The child is on their own.]]

You shake your head at the child and tuck the bottle away. You would die without this water and theres probably more in here. Turning to leave, so you don't have to look at the child again you make to leave. When you are outside you see that there is still time in your day left but you will stash the water first. [[Head back to the shelter]]

You follow where the child went, but you can't find them. They must be fast or they are very good at hiding. Sighing, you glance up and see the sun is heading down slowly and you refuse to be out at night. The child will have to be okay until tomorrow. [[Head back to the shelter]]

You back away quickly, those sorts of sounds are very bad news and you don't want to get involved with that at all. Hurrying quickly, you pick your way back through the building ruins to get outside, its not quite late yet but you want the safety of shelter. [[Head back to the shelter]]

You keep quiet but follow the sound to its source, seeing that it is a dog. A starving dog thats rooting around in the rubble in a hallway. You stop, the state of the dog invokes pity in you, but you also only have two cans left. [[You grab a can, open it and offer it to the dog, everyone needs to eat.]] [[The food is yours, you back off and leave, the dog will survive.]]

You don't want to get yourself involved in any trouble, you are hardly armed as it is. Glancing back warily, you make for the open air again and see that its starting to become later. [[Head back to the shelter]]

It didn't look very big, whatever it was, so you follow after it. It doesn't take you long to find the source and you are surprised to see a dog in the corridor. It looks hungry and tired but it could be aggressive as well. You remember the food in your bag. [[You grab a can, open it and offer it to the dog, everyone needs to eat.]] [[The food is yours, you back off and leave, the dog will survive.]]

You decide against it, not wanting to do with this at all. Waiting quietly you slip back out of the room. Once outside, you see that it is getting late and you have no desire to be here in the dark. [[Head back to the shelter]]

Racing out of the building, you try to spot the child but cannot see them anywhere. You curse and look around before checking the state of the sky to judge the time. You have day left [[Keep looking for the child]] [[Return inside to collect water]]

The pipe is dripping but it is lessening now. You hastily grab your bottle and try to fill it up as much as you can. The water barely manages to fill a quater of the bottle but it is better than nothing and the child got to drink. Tucking the bottle away, you pick your way back through the building, seeing its getting late. [[Head back to the shelter]]

You offer the bottle out, gesturing them forwards with a small smile and the child approaches you. Handing the bottle over you let them drink, going to say something as a sharp and very loud sound drowns you out, the ground shaking. The child screams and drops the bottle, water spilling as it rolls a bit. They run and leave you behind. [[You follow the child, they might need help]] [[You stoop to grab the bottle, you need the water too]]

You start walking before you can change your mind, you need this water and they will be able to find more in the building. For if one pipe here is ruptured then there will be more. Making it outside again, you go to look back and then freeze when a loud sound shatters your thoughts and strikes you with fear. You cannot linger. [[Head back to the shelter]]

End of part 1 Thank you!

By following them you are unable to find them at first though you spot their hiding form. Calling out to them and crouching you manage to coax the child from their hiding spot. You take their hand, offering them shelter and they accept your offer.You lead them from the building and outside. [[Head back to the shelter]]

When you approach the pipe, you see that the child managed to get most of the water that was left. However, you are able to fill at least a quarter of your bottle and it will have to be enough. As you turn to leave, you see the child watching you and you smile, seeing them wait for you to approach. When you are close enough you offer a hand, offering them a place to stay with you, they are just a child. They walk with you out of the building. [[Head back to the shelter]]

Tipping the cans contents onto the ground and you call to the dog, smiling as it approaches and starts to eat. When it is finished, it licks your hand and wags its tail. This is the first friendly contact you have had in a long time. As you pat the dog, you see outside through a gap in the wall and you see it is getting late. You need to leave now so you start to walk off. Surprised to see that the dog is following you. You don't complain, he is friendly. [[Head back to the shelter]]

You back away, the dog doesn't even turn and you have free passage to leave. Feeling calmer that you know what the shadow was, you leave the school not feeling as on edge. It is starting to get late and you are hungry now. [[Head back to the shelter]]

While you keep looking for the child, you turn up fruitless and now it is getting later in the day. By your rule you utterly refuse to be out in the dark. The child will have to be okay on their own. [[Head back to the shelter]]

Your return inside is much slower, since you were unable to find the child, you feel guilty about losing them. When you make it to the pipe, you see that it is losing momentum. Hastily you grab your bottle to try and fill it. You only manage to get a mere mouthful or so of water. Sighing, you see its getting late now and despite how little water you have, you head back outside. [[Head back to the shelter]]

You go to follow the child, the sound terrifying you as well so you can only imagine how the child is doing. However, you cannot see them when you reach the outside. You hear the sound again and you are ready to bolt, wanting safety. You pray the child is okay. [[Head back to the shelter]]

Thats a lot of water, you manage to grab the bottle before you lose it all. By now the child is long gone and you hear that sound again and fear shoots through you. You hope the child is okay but you need to get to cover. [[Head back to the shelter]]