Recording № 512.
Day 1735 since I left Hare Bay.
I changed the settings of this recorder. If I don’t enter the password at the exact time of Jade’s death three days in a row, everything will be erased. If my time comes, all I know will come along with me. I owe nothing to this joke of a world.
A lot happened last night. First, the lights above Jaw Hill. Weird stuff. Definitely man-made, as impossible as it sounds. Beautiful, though. I almost smiled. My lucky night, I thought. There was somebody stupid enough to reveal their location to every desperate scavenger and low-life thug in a thirty mile radius. Not to mention the bloodthirsty beasts of the wastelands.
I had to get there first. Deliver some justice.
But I never rush things. I've lived long enough to know better.
As usual, I started preparing my gear and planning the best route. I was adjusting the string of my crossbow, when I heard something moving quietly behind me. My muscle memory kicked in. I turned around and unsheathed my knife before even I knew it. I may be ugly, but I’ve got the moves, as old Whitey used to say.
A man was standing less than three feet away from me, near the entrance of my cave. He sure put up a fight, this one. Strong fellow. They would pay big money for him in The Pit, but I had more than enough reasons to kill him on the spot. So I did, but not before he stabbed me in the shoulder.
That was a close one. Another moment of inattention and I would’ve been a little less chatty and a lot more dead.
I did my stitches like a master of tapestry. The bourbon helped as always.
One question bothers me. How did that bastard manage to get past the sensors I set up around my hideout? They were supposed to alert me if anything bigger than a spider entered the perimeter. That’s what happens when you trust a piece of junk. A piece of junk I paid a fortune for... I should’ve asked before I killed the guy, though he didn’t really seem like the talkative type.
I hadn’t forgotten about the lights, but I had to take care of my new friend. Pay my respects to the departed and all that.
He was full of surprises. First, I got a new leather coat. It fits perfectly and I could finally say goodbye to the rag I used to call my old jacket. Second, the guy was obviously into blades. His sword is pretty badass. The blade is wide, thick, double-edged and surprisingly light. Made for reaping. I’ll see what Pistol Pete is willing to give me for it, but I’d rather keep it. The other knives I found on the body – a total of six – are all for sale.
Oddly enough, my assassin had no guns and not a single gadget of any kind. Sure, The Age of Technology ended some time ago, but this is beyond weird. If he has a secret stash somewhere, I have to find it, and fast. I bet he was a wealthy man.
Finally, I submitted his body to the deeps. The waves claimed him hungrily. Farewell Mr. Blades, I said. Sleep now, sleep with the fishes.
The strange lights above Jaw Hill were gone, so I hit the road. The plan was simple. Step one: approach the Hill unnoticed. Step two: find out who was responsible for the light show. Step three: kill them and take their stuff. That’s wasteland economics in action alright.
I took my usual route, using the cover of the Pointy Rocks near the shore. The sea was angry and the night was dark. Everything was working in my favor and I was at the foot of the Hill in no time.
Half way up I sensed something wrong. I stood still for a minute, then swerved to the right, where the thorny vegetation was more dense. Did I hear a low humming sound up ahead? I guess I did. Then I felt a sudden pressure on my temple and I was out.
Darkness consumed me. I was falling apart like a house of cards. It was a woman’s voice that got the pieces of my mind back together. It wasn’t Jade though.
I couldn't understand a thing, but I was eager to do whatever she wanted me to. That voice… so soft and sweet, but also insistent. Through her voice I saw her beauty. I only wanted to listen and follow her lead. At the edge of understanding, a kick in my stomach brought me back to reality.
And what an ugly reality it was. For a minute that felt like an eternity, there was only pain. Severe, throbbing pain, piercing my brain. Slowly, I overcame it. I could hear two people whispering nearby. Sadly, they noticed I was awake too soon.
“How’s your head, maggot?”
I was having serious trouble getting my eyes to focus, but I could tell my new friends were both female. One, tall and blonde was leaning on a big round object nearby, the other – dark and muscular – was towering over me. My body was completely immobilized, so yeah, I was in deep shit. I had to act smart.
“Fuck you.” was the best answer I could think of.
The missus gave me another kick, then joined her girlfriend. I could’t hear what the bitches were whispering to each other, so I focused on regaining control over my body and figuring out what that metallic spherical object was. Something was telling me it was the source of the lights. Also, those girls had no idea what they were doing. It looked like they were trying to open it. After I observed their efforts for some time, my curiosity prevailed.
“Need help with that?” I did my best to sound friendly. Like I wouldn't even think of hurting them the second I got free of the ropes.
The blonde turned her head towards me, acknowledging my presence for the first time. “Shut your mouth, scum. Enjoy your last sunrise and keep quiet.”
I was still trying to think of a witty response when the other wench got up, raising her assault rifle. “Let’s destroy it, then kill fuckface and head back.”
“Maybe we should take him to Amala.”
Rifle girl glimpsed at me. “Maybe. But we must scrap this hellish machine. It makes me sick.”
Oh man, what happened next was... justice delivered. The dark-haired one fired at the orb. Her attack did no visible damage, but it activated the sphere. Too quick for a human mind to perceive, a small panel swung open, shot two needlelike darts at the girls, then shut close. My captors dropped like flies.
That was my cue – it was time for me to get the hell out of there. I was tied up tight, so my best bet was to reach the blonde’s knife and cut through the ropes. I did my best, but it still took me ages to get free.
Once done, my first job was to take a closer look at the sphere, then check the bodies. Too bad, I didn’t get the chance to do either. A few moments after I broke free, I heard something approaching and by the sound of it, it wasn’t alone.
I knew that a second encounter would probably not end in my favor, so I threw one last look at the sphere, grabbed the brunette’s rifle and took the hard way down the cliff. I may be curious, but I am far more cautious. I have to live another day to solve last night’s mysteries, after all.
I managed to get back home without any incidents. I was tired as fuck, so I secured the place and fell asleep instantly. I woke up an hour ago. My gut tells me that sphere marks the beginning of something big. It fell from above, that much I know. And I wonder what part of the old legends about people living among the stars is actually true.
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