The Conversion Bureau: Immunity

After several hours of darkness, the blazing sun began its ascent across the sky once more, signaling the start of a new day. Owls and other creatures of the night scurried back to their dens to make way for the day. The first early birds began to sing, their high pitched melodies reverberating through the forest.

As if on cue, a lone creature began crawling out of a darkened tree stump on the forest floor. That creature's name was Kayden, sole survivor of the now destroyed 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team.

“What a crazy nightmare” I  thought. I was still suffering from intense dehydration and hunger. Only my will to survive kept me from collapsing. But a will to live only gets you so far.

Waking up hadn't been a pleasant affair. The first thing I was confronted with was a chest filled with mosquito bites. I ended up scratching my chest so much that it started bleeding. I had gotten so thirsty over the past few days that I had considered drinking my own blood.

Wiping the sleep out from my eyes, I took a moment to survey my immediate surroundings. Struggling to see farther, I saw an opening in the trees that lead to a small neighborhood. “Maybe there are some supplies in those houses.” I mumbled to myself. I had been talking to myself a lot lately. Who else is there to talk to when you spend what may be your final days on earth alone? I faltered. The last two times I had gone into a house, I was promptly chased out by ponies. Capture was not an option. I cursed my luck. I needed weapons. The first pony who tried to convert me stripped me of all my armaments.  I was immune to their conversion serum. But without even a handgun to help me, how could I hope to attack them successfully?

While these thoughts occupied me, I didn’t realize that I had walked all the way out of the forest and to an old crosswalk with long dormant streetlights. Acting on pure instinct, I began crossing the street, looking both ways to make sure no cars were coming my way. Then I froze in my tracks in the middle of the road. “Idiot. There are no fucking cars anymore.” Mentally chastising myself for such idiocy, I continued crossing the road. Upon reaching the other side, I could see a car dealer. My eyes lit up. If I could get a car, it would make my life a hell of alot easier. Blinds had been drawn over the huge glass windows. I stopped. I didn’t know what was inside. “You can’t afford miss this opportunity.” I told myself.

Surprisingly enough, the door wasn’t locked. Slowly opening it, I peered inside. It was dark except for the few rays of sunlight that trickled through the blinds. Looking around, I nearly giggled with excitement at what I saw. Staring back at me me was a bright red Ferrari, in sterling condition. Making my way to the nearest office, I went into the room labeled “Manager”. I stopped dead in my tracks. Lying in the office chair behind the desk, was a dead man. He was still gripping the handgun he had used to off himself in his lifeless hand. Making sure to avoid touching the dead man, I slowly pulled the handgun out from his hand and placed it in my empty holster. Searching his pockets, I found a pair of keys with a bright red Ferrari symbol on it. “I guess it’s my lucky day” I mumbled flatly. Retracing my steps, I made my way back to the Ferrari. I looked at the large glass panes and grinned evilly. “That’s how” .

Leaving the shattered glass of what used to be the front of the car dealer behind, I began driving down the road in a random direction. I glanced at the front dashboard of the car. There was a GPS, a radio and a cupholder. Switching on the GPS, it wasn’t long before a generic female voice was informing me that it couldn’t find a signal. Frustrated, I turned the GPS off before turning my attention to the radio. After trying about fifty different frequencies on both AM and FM, I gave up. “How long have I been alone?” I thought silently.

I glanced below me to the gun in my holster. “No” I said. “Don’t even fucking think about it!” Wrenching my attention back to the road in front of me, I could see a grocery store. Parking the car in abandoned parking lot, I walked inside. My eyes lit up. Food. Aisle upon aisle of wonderful, beautiful food. Going for the first thing I could get my hands on, a large box of chocolate chip cookies, I ripped it open and stuffed my mouth before washing it down with a half a liter of water. “I guess they were all in such a hurry to leave they didn't bother with taking the food.” I must have gorged myself in their for half an hour. It had been so long since I had eaten. After satisfying my hunger for now, I got up and made several trips to the car and back, loading the trunk and the backseat with all the non-perishable food I could fit in.

As I closed the trunk of my car, I saw a mint-green blur run behind a large tree trunk. I instinctively pulled my handgun out of my holster and pointed it at the tree. “Fantastic. Another pony to ruin my day.” Before I could take another step, mint green pony jumped out from behind the tree trunk, sobbing. It took all my willpower not to just shoot her right then and there.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I got separated from my group while looking for you! Don’t kill me!”

I remained silent for a moment. Was this a trap, or was this pony telling the truth? Stepping closer, I managed to get a closer look.

Judging by her softer face, the pony appeared to be female. Her body was all mint green with the exception of a single white streak running through her mane and tail. On either side of her body, there were saddlebags filled to the brim with books. Her eyes were a light shade of brown.

Against my instinct, I lowered my gun. If this pony could give me the whereabouts of her comrades, I may be able to cause some damage. She was still sobbing. I had to shut her up before she attracted some unwanted attention.

Cautiously walking forward, I spoke to the young pony.

“I’m not going to do anything to you. Just be quiet and get in the car."

She obviously had not expected to live this long, much less be spared by the enemy.

She faltered for a moment, “I...ok” she whimpered.

Making my way back to the car, careful to keep an eye on the lone pony, I felt something that I had not felt for a long time. It was a warm feeling, mixed with melancholy. I took me a moment to recognize what this foreign emotion was. It was sympathy.