Tell it to a Deadman

Light. It is all I see as I crack open my eyes to another day in this hellhole. As I look at the sun, its dull light shining over my little spot of dirt I decided to sleep at. Breaking out of my trance, I notice something poking me in my side.

"Well, at least your still here old friend." I say with a smile as I pat my trusty revolver on my belt. Pulling it out, the familiar *click* of the cylinder popping out gives me a sense of security.

I look around in an attempt to see anything that might jump out at me at any moment. Nothing, so far so good. I look back down at the now open cylinder and count the rounds. As I am satisfied with a bullet in every chamber, with one swift flick of my wrist, the cylinder *snaps* back into place.

'Thirteen years' I think to myself 'thirteen goddamn years, and nothing is gonna change' I spot the rest of my equipment. A climbing pick, a duffel bag filled with food and water in case I can't find or hunt for any, and my trusty machete.

"Time to get up, I may be 24 but I ain't old yet." I say to myself while rising off the ground, getting rewarded with a few cracks from my back.

It's been like this for a long time. Waking up, moving, scavenging, trading, rinse and repeat. With the occasional animal/human attack here and there. I am known, as a walker of the waste or a scavenger of the apocalypse. But out of all these names, one stands out to me. Dead-man.

Some dead brush moves to my left. I instinctively draw my gun from it's holster. As I turn, I hear a low growl immediate from the the same direction of the movement. Right as I aim my gun in the direction of the noise, a mutated wolf-like creature jumps out of the brush. It stares at me with eyes intent to kill, another growl comes from its horrid, deformed throat. I recognized this beast, for I have encountered them many times in my travels.

Ankle Biters.

These things are cunning, ruthless, but most of all; always hungry. A memory comes to me of when I first faced them.

A teenage boy is traveling across a narrow dessert with plants scattered here and there. The night air leaving his breath as a cold mist. As he decides this would be a good place to make camp; he hears a howl erupt from the East. Then, more and more howls sound up around him. He was surrounded. Out of no where 7 hound-like shapes erupt from the darkness. Their eyes hunger for the blood of their pray. One jumps to the boy's left and tries to take a bite out of his ankle.

The boy notices and narrowly avoids by jumping to his right. As he succesfully does this, one of the vicious pack of hounds makes his move and tackles the boy to the ground. The boy struggles as the wolf struggle to get it's rabbid infested jaws around his neck. Some of the messy white foam falling onto the boy's.

The wolf slumps over as the boy gets up. A knife firmly implanted into the wolf's neck. Now the pack got ready as the boy yanked the knife from the throat. The bloody, gleaming blade cutting through cartilage and muscle tissue as it was pulled out.

The pack was getting ready to pounce. As they all figured that if they could pounce all at once, their prey will easily fall to them. At that very moment, almost as if someone was watching, a flare goes into the sky. It's red gleaming light lighting up the area in a dreaded red glow. The pack is frightened by this and retreats back to wasteland from wence they came.

"Well, well, look what we got here fellas" the voice made the blood from the boy's face run cold. "New meat boys!"

I come back to reality as the ankle biter growls again. The deep, almost menacing growl confused me. Usually, when these things are out hunting, they howl before they strike. But this one seemed to almost just try to scare me. It is at this realization, that I look back into the brush the ankle biter was hiding in, only to notice two pups watching their mother as she confronts me. So this was a den mother? I have always imagined them to be more mutated.

I take a step forward, only to have the Mother bark and take a step back. She probably was protective of the pups. With a sigh, I holster my revolver and go to collect my gear. The mother of the pups was watching my every move, bearing her teeth as I picked up my machete. With it in hand, I turn it left to right, gotta make sure it has no scratches. I look at the den mother, I smile.

"You hungry eh?" I say in a positive tone.

The only response I got was the mother growling again, except this time, she was getting ready to attack. I have to work fast. I open my bag, and pull out a old zip'lock bag. Or so it seems to the naked eye. One thing I loved about the old world, was the technology they used to create things like these.

I opened the bag, as cold mist rose out of it. I pulled out a raw piece of steak, a gift from a fellow walker of the waste in my travels. I cut open the bag with the edge of the machete. Cows are very rare, and hard to come by. Especially in this time of the month, so when he handed me this, I thought I could hopefully trade it for some supplies.

But it seems fate had other ideas for it. Turning around, the steak in my hand I tossed it to the mother of the two pups. As a instinctive reaction, she jumped back with a bark. Finally she looked down, and started to sniff the piece of meat that was thrown to her. She eventually after several minutes of sniffing, picked it up in her jaws and carried it over to her pups. Tiny, high-pitched barks erupted from the burned, dead brush.

As two little tiny ankle biters tore into the new piece of meat. They looked almost like coyotes, the difference is the ankle biters have less fur. Their tiny, razor sharp teeth ripping the piece of meat to chunks. Tiny trickles of blood flowed out of the meat, but, like I said, even if it's really raw. It's still valuable. As food or as an item of valuable trade.

As the mother and pups feast, I take the liberty to collect my things, and head off west. As I am walking I take out another one my small collection of old world relics. It is a small device I found in my younger days. I think I was 18 at the time, but this device had a collection of music from the old world. I even remember how I found out the name.

I walked into a rare sight in a town. It was called a library, though I have heard of them, I have never seen one in person, until now. I walk up to the building, inspecting the outside of it. Rusted pieces of metal for roof and walls. Held together by pieces of timber, and rotten wood. As I step into it, the first smell that hits my nose, is one of must, and maybe decay. A woman at a table looks up with a annoyed look. Which instantly changes to one of fear.

"H-how may I help you?" she said with that same fear in her voice. I look at her, then instead of talking, I show her the device.

She was a little taken back as I showed her the device. She immediately recognized it, and pulled out a book that looked as if it would fall apart at the seems. She hands it to me a little shakily. As I take it, I read the title of it.

Technology of Today!

It read in big, dark letters. I open it to the index and eventually found the page that had a picture of the device I had. Minus the dirt, and scratches to the case. The device was listed under a chapter called Apple. I found out the device was called an "I-Pod" and it was used to play music of the past.

I nodded with a little grin when I learned how to turn it on. The screen flash with a little grey apple that had a bite taken out of it. Out of no where, it started playing a song .

I smirked at the memory as the song started playing now. As I walked down a dirt road listening to the song, I looked around to get my bearings. Desert. Lots and lots of desert. I have lived most of my entire life in a place called the Dead-Lands. I walk past an old, decrepit skeleton with fire ants climbing over it trying to find any meat left on the bones.

Pretty much your average radiated, nuclear-apocalyptic wasteland. Filled with mutated plants, animals, and even the occasional human. Hate the plants the most though. Let's say I prefer eating them, instead of the other way around. Some even spit acid from one of my more recent encounters. I looked around North-West of my location. Nothing. With a sigh of defeat, I continue walking down the dirt road.

'At least today is going to be a boring one.' I thought to myself.

A few hours later

I sprint to a pile of rocks, hoping the predators that were watching me didn't see my new hiding place behind a pile of rocks.

"Damn! Why now?" I whispered to myself, trying to hide from the danger.

"Come on out Dead-man! All we want to do is talks to ya!" I hear a voice yell, as I here a *click-click* of a kind of pump accompanying it.

Shotgun. I would have to say double-barrel. Damn. I look out at my attackers I notice 4 of them. The one who I guess was the leader, was also the one with the shotgun.

"H-here deady, deady, dead-man! Come on out and play with Billy! I ain't gonna bite ya! Much!" another one of my attackers carrying nothing but a trash-can lid on his left arm and a hammer in his right yelled to nowhere in particular.

'bounty hunters.' I thought to myself. 'They never learn, if I kill 32 of them, that means I'm not worth $400 they put on me.' I think as I pull out the revolver that was concealed at my waist.

"Quit playing hide and seek you pussy!" another one, this one with a handgun yelled.

I have to act fast.

I come out of the cover of the rocks I was hiding in and fire 2 shots at the 4 hunters. One went down without making a sound. Another screamed in agony as one of my rounds made it into is thigh. He crumpled down to the ground dropping the hammer, screaming

"KYLE! KYLE! HE GOT MY LEG!" he yelled as he continued to scream in agony.

It's at this point I smiled. If he's screaming, then the leopard-snake poison that I coated my bullets with was working. A leopard snake is pretty much how it sounds. The only difference between it's venom and a regular viper is that the poison attacks the skin, and the blood. Making sure that who ever or what ever that has been hit with the poison, die a slow painful death.

"You piece of shit!" I'm guessing the leader, Kyle, yelled as he started unloading his shotgun shells into my rock of a cover.

Bits and pieces of rock were flying as I was pinned down. As it slowed down to a stop I took my chance and decided to charge. I exit my cover, sprinting towards my prey.The one named Kyle was busy reloading his weapon. While one of the one with the pistol decided to charge me with a old, rusted kitchen knife that he pulled out of his side pockets.

As we were about to meet, I took the liberty of unsheathing my machete on my back, and as our blades collided, using my other hand with my revolver, shot it point blank in his chest. The blood from his wound sprayed my clothing.

I wasn't done with him yet.

I grabbed the new dead weight just in time to use it as a shield. Just in time, more of the body's blood sprayed onto me as two shotgun shells were unloaded into my direction.

"I will give you one, and only one chance." I said in my most ruthless voice. "Leave now, and I'll let you live." I say.

The one named Kyle looked at his buddy, only to stare back at me as he saw the effects of the poison. I looked at his friend, to see that he wasn't breathing. The skin around the wound was turning a very dark shade of purple. Kyle took the liberty to drop his shotgun, and started running east. After dropping the dead weight for any animal or ankle biters to feed on. I looted the bodies of my attackers. I found four shotgun shells plus the shotgun, a M1911A1 handgun, which was in very, very poor condition. I also found some .45 caliber clips for the gun, though I fear I won't be using it if it falls apart.

And finally, a contract for any Dead-men to be brought back alive for $800 or dead for $400.

"Hmm. Wow, they are never gonna learn. He-he, stupid fucking bigots." I chuckle as I crumple up the piece of paper. After reloading my gun, I start walking along the dirt path, keeping my guard up in case I get surprised again. I start to notice something different in the sky. Dark storm clouds are appearing the closer I get to my destination. As I look up I realize that the clouds are a dark shade of purple, not a dark grey. Looks like its gonna be another quantum storm. I remember the tales of what happen to people in quantum storms. It isn't pretty.

I've heard the rain is acid-like, I remember one tale when I was in a settlement of how two people were found dead in the fields after a quantum storm, their skin singed off. I need to find shelter. I start looking along the road for a hill. Luckily about 30 km away, I spot one. Wasting no time, I run all the way there and to the top. I take out my pack with the rest of my equipment. I pull out a pair of binoculars that are damaged on one side, and a gas mask.

As I see through the damaged binoculars, I spy a small rundown house off in the distance. It'll have to do for now. After applying my gas mask, and thoroughly checking to make sure it works. I start my journey to the building. Praying to anyone listening that it will be abandoned

15 minutes later

'Almost there' I think to myself, for the past five minutes I've been running to my destination. The thunder started, and soon the toxic winds will blow, and the acidic rain will start falling. I look up at the dangerous storm right above me. Purple lightning flashing with a loud thunderous *boom* after each flash. I reach the front gate of the rundown house.

I look back to the east. One last look in case this is it. All my life I've walked these barren dangerous lands. I've been shunned, shot at, stabbed, bitten by more creatures then I could count. All these things, all could end in a toxic radiated thunderstorm.

'Focus, live first, recompense on past actions later' I think to myself.

I enter the building, being wary to watch where I step. The wooden floor boards were decayed and rotted, so any false step could be a death trap. I make my way around the house and find an old rotted door to what seems like a basement.

"Better than sleeping in toxic wind, rain, and thunder!" I yell to myself as the winds picked up only moments before. It was deafening. The wind howled at me from all direction as the thunder seemed to get louder as well. I slam the door shut then I run down the stairs, taking two steps at a time. I crouch low and look for any kind of paper or flammable material. As I find something, the entire house seems to rock back and forth. Sending me tumbling and turning on the ground.

"A fucking earthquake! You gotta be fu-" I never finished the sentence as another wave of violent rocking started. As I reached to grab hold of something, I accidentally pulled whatever I grabbed on top of me, sending objects sprawling to the ground. As I fall down as well, something hits me hard in the side of the head.

As the deafening noise starts to get more far away, I think to myself

'Well, no more running from those fucking snobby bigots.' as I blackout into a deep, dark sleep.

Location: Unknown

In some sort of eternal darkness realm, a certain draconquus sits upon a throne of what seems to be cotton candy. A look of boredom plastered on his face. After seeming like an eternity, the draconquus finally sighs in exasperation.

"uhhhhh... If there is a divine being up there that is watching? Can you PLEASE! cause just a little chaos?" As he says this, he conjures a glass of brown liquid known as chocolate milk. Instead of drinking the substance in the glass however, he drinks the glass containing the the dark, brown liquid. After downing it in one go, proceeds to throw the milk over his shoulder, with a loud sound of glass being shattered following after.

"I mean really? If I have to spend 2000 years in here, I think I'll get even MORE crazy than I already am." He says with another sigh.

If someone took pity, and was listening, a crack of white light appears in the realm of darkness. At the site of this, the draconquus gets a look of curiosity. Then, one of joy that only the most insane of beings can express.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Look out Equestria! Discord is BACK baby!"

After saying this, Discord flies through the crack of never ending light. One can only imagine what kind of evil intent one such being can create.

(Well now, first chapter is out, hope you all enjoy, if there are some problems, please notify me in the comments below, and I will do some ghost edits later. Also, on another note, this is my second fan-fiction, so please instead of criticizing me for bad grammar or 'not-so-good' beginning, I could use help. As well, don't make nasty comments on punctuation and grammar. Yes, I know lack of ponies in first chapter, just wait until the second chapter, thank you.