Life. What was the meaning for it all? To simply survive, to exist, to live? People would wither away into nothing, almost turn to dust before ones eyes. To most living was a day to day struggle that was worth all the heartache, pain and slow decay. If there was no enjoyment, no joy why do they continue? Why does the human race fight even if all hope is lost? Maybe, because to lie down like a dog and give up was too much to ask, too easy to do. To give into the staggering odds was something many were incapable of. It is not in their nature to give in. Pride, instinct, self preservation, greed, malice, insanity. The list of reasons continues to grow but one thing is for certain. They will fight, they will suffer and...they will die.
Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky ~ Rabindranath Tagore
The sun rose slow that day, it's lazy rise to sit upon its throne in the sky set a low shadow down on the city it hung over. Clouds rolled in just as sluggish, not a hint of haste in their migrating movement. Time seemed so still. As the days light shined it fell upon the heart of one who rejected the rust and rot of the 'living world'. This world was a dead one and to survive most darkened their color, dimmed their light and became something that would be unrecognizable to their past selves. This was life and it was a place with far fewer joys than one would come believe. "Guess it's huntin' time," said a voice, darkened by hate and cruelty. "Yeah. Lets do our morning rounds so we can get a head start on the others. Hell if we bag enough loot we'll be able to sit on our asses for the rest of the night," remarked another, coldly. Even so, even if life had far fewer joys now it didn't mean life should hold such little meaning. Caden was a scavenger but of the more clever kind. He'd steal from those who'd done deeds of the wicked to supply himself with gear and food. He wanted to do more than steal from them and occasionally punish them for their cruelty but there were two things that were true that he'd have to live with. One was that there was an exceptional amount of them, easily out numbering him. Then there was the obvious, he survived off the things they did. It was shameful but he set up a code for himself so that the burden on him would be less. Children were not allowed to be harmed, this much these raiders knew. Caden ever caught wind of them murdering a child, ten of their men would suddenly all go missing over night. Then be returned stripped and burned to the bone like they did to their victims. It was a message to them that he wasn't going to allow it. Second was women. He couldn't stop them from killing them, he knew this much. But if their deaths came quickly and there was no act of violation involved the raiders wouldn't get a surprise visit from Caden. Third was their actions. If they were going to raid he couldn't stop them, they would continue regardless. This was the only way they knew how to survive. If their actions were done so swiftly there was no punishment involved. But if they beat a person slowly to death out of simple enjoyment then Caden would be ready for his night shift and take the bastard out. They all knew of him and he to them but as for knowing exactly what he looks like or who he was they weren't entirely sure. There was a time they'd seek him out to kill him themselves so they'd no longer have to tip-toe around. But they were given a rude awakening when they found out Caden was the better hunter at night.
During the day he raided their hide out. Slipping in when he could and taking what was needed. This was his current task. "Alright well lets get goin' then, I'm already tired thinkin' about it," was all that was said before the door was shut and the two had left the room. Up just above the room was a fair sized hole that gaped through the roof. Caden knew where their supplies were and being able to climb like he could made accessing their treasure trove almost child's play, almost. Half of the group would stay, a quarter of the others would patrol and the rest would guard their base. It was rare Caden had to kill any of them and he avoided doing so as often as he could. It saved on time, bloodshed and trouble for him. If he didn't have to kill them then it wasn't worth his efforts to do so. To most this passive way of living would be seen as weak or cowardice but Caden simply disliked killing others. It was that simple. Avoid it when he could but do it without hesitation if the situation would arise. The punishments were a form of justice to him and when he was angered it made dirtying his hands easier. Was it justified, no, even he was aware. But did they pay for what they had done, he'd like to think so. Doing this gave these people a consequence to their actions and this world was swirling about without order, which it desperately needed. It was a crude way of law but these were crude individuals, they would respond to nothing else. Caden listened intently for a time while he was crouched down on the roof top. His body moved cautiously as he loomed over the makeshift entrance. Once he was satisfied with the low level of activity he slid off the roof and clung onto the edge of the hole. Muscles ripped and tightened at his slow descend, his body sticking out in the middle of the room. As he lowered himself he let a hiss of breath out quietly and finally reached the floor with his boots. The moment he made contact with the ground he lowered himself and put an ear to the floor.
There he could hear muffled voices and conversation throughout the building. He figured there was at least ten to a dozen still within the buildings thin walls but he wouldn't have much trouble getting past them. This was their home, their hide out, they were comfortable here and this meant that their guard was down. Complacency can kill. This was what kept Caden on high alert and it is also something that had saved his life more times he dared to count. Pulling his head from the cold surface of the floor he leaned against the wall and softly pulled open the door. It seemed no one thought to keep an eye on the top floor, lucky him. The next room over was vacant and looked to have some items he could use at his disposal later. A half a bottle of gin, partly used nail file, a box of shotgun ammo and three old candy bars. Caden took what he found and stuffed it away into his pack. The next couple of floors were guarded which demanded caution. When it came to stealth Caden was exceptional and quite literally soundless. When he reached the hall to the stair well he pulled out his machete and proceeded to make his way down. Like a shadow cast on the wall he silently passed by the few guards standing at the door way, this backs turned toward the stair well. These guys feel way too at ease here. Caden easily passed the two without detection and hurried to the next room available. However when he got in he became aware that he wasn't alone. The snoring of a slumbering raider filled the small make shift bed room, his arms wrapped around his shotgun tightly. That'd be useful but might not be worth the risk right now. Another weapon would be great but he would have an opportunity where it was more ideal. For now the man could keep what he held so dear. But that didn't mean the rest of his belongs weren't up for grabs. There wasn't much but the few thing he did gather would be more than helpful. Bandages, a bottle of alcohol, medical scissors, and a couple more clips of ammo for his gun were found. Top it off there was some literature he could read while he spent some time in his own hide out. For the time being he didn't bother reading the titles, simply took them up and eased on into the hall to listen for any others that maybe on this floor.
There were three others but they were farther down and Caden wasn't going to chance his luck for the day. As for the bottom floor there was the most and he knew the reason why. Most of their good findings were stored in the basement and it was rare he could get in and actually browse the selection before grabbing. Today wasn't going to be a day were he could take what he wanted at his leisure. Most days he couldn't even get in their vault of goodies without some form of confrontation. It looked to be that today was going to be another one of those days for him. Part of him grunted in annoyance and unwillingness but he knew if he hadn't made this stop he'd likely starve. He HAD to eat today. Caden was on three days without food and a couple candy bars wasn't going to cut it as a whole hearty meal. Main floor had at least eight men wandering about and they all were in inconvenient areas. Three were relaxing on warn furniture that was posted right in front of the front door. It's obvious that won't be an accessible escape route, not that it really was an option from the start. The next two wandered the halls and stopped to mingle with one another every now and again, pointless jabber among scoundrels. Two were outside pacing back and forth from the front of the building to the back keeping up on patrol and the last one was out of sight. Caden didn't like that. He felt more comfortable knowing where all his targets were before acting. Should there be a moment he slipped up and found himself in the company of an alert raider, with enough fire power to make a sloppy wet mess out of his head, could easily write off the very last day of Cadens life. So the question was, kill and barrel through the numbers as quickly as possible, alerting the others above. Or do his best to sneak past but have a high probability of being caught and have to evade a full on assault onto his person. Death seemed to always be in the equation, regardless if it were himself or them. It hung above his head like a dark cloud, a omen that constantly reminded him that bloodshed wasn't far behind.
A diversion however would work splendidly. Most of the windows were broken so it wouldn't prove to be too difficult to throw something and alert those in his way to go else where. Slipping down he snuck over to a large oval desk the inhabited the back of the room, closest to the stair well. It was convenient but didn't suffice as proper cover if he was found out. The pillars of the building were go places to temperately hide for a moments time to move through the room. But his choice of clothing didn't quite blend him into the scenery and because of his bulk, the size of his body would be a treacherous task for the foundation of that building to hide. So their only purpose was to hide him for only but a passing moment while he attempts to move about the large room. Looking behind the desk he rummaged around searching for anything he could find to throw out of sight to lure those in the room out. He gathered up a few empty bullet shells, bits and chucks of rubble along with a tiny toy car. It was time to see if his plan would work. Caden wasted little time after checking where the raiders were to start. His first throw bolted out the window closest to the three lounging about. The metallic clink of the bullet casing bounced off the wall of the neighboring building, his throw whipped too quickly to know where the trajectory was from. "What the hell was that," questioned one as the other two blankly stared out the window trying to get a glimpse of any movement. Now it was time for the second throw. While they were watching else where Caden used the toy car to make another sound, one different for the previous to alert them once more. Again they all looked, this time taking up their arms or resting their hand easily over their weapon of choice, "Ok, you heard that right?" "Yeah I heard that one, lets go check it out," suggested one as he stood up to investigate. Then a third was launched and it was enough to make them all stand up with tense expressions and aggravated nerves, "Spread out! I'll check outside from where the first sound went off, you two check the third. Someone wants our attention, we're gonna give it to them."
The two both nodded to the first as they went their separate ways. Caden waited for them to be a fair length apart before headed for the back side of the first. He seemed to be the ring leader so if he were to be taken out maybe it was unnerve the other two, making them easier to sneak up on and eliminate. While the duo were occupied Caden made his way dangerously close to the lead, his foot falls uttering not a single sound in their wake. Finally he stood directly behind the unaware male and gripped him with fierce force. The thick girth of his arm closed around the front of his neck and was then jerked harshly against his throat. He struggled for air and gasped while his arms flailed about uselessly to stop Caden from choking him out. But soon enough his vision had faded and he grown limp against Cadens muscular form. Setting his now slumbering body on the ground Caden moved back inside and headed for the halls, ignoring the clumsy duo outside. The other set of raiders were still chit chatting, paying no mind to the activity that was transpiring. Caden knew it was only a matter of time for the guards outside to find the passed out man and blow his cover. Finding a quick solution Caden repeated his previous tactic and hurled a stone down the hall way to get them both to turn their heads. When they had Caden was quite literal on them, crashing their skulls together with a harsh thrust of his right leg. The one that took the initial hit was knock out cold, or dead, Caden couldn't really tell. The only thing that was certain was that he was no longer a threat. His friend however hadn't gone down as quickly as he did but was dizzy and disorientated by the sudden surprise attack. When he glanced up to finally lay eyes on who was attacking them he was met with the sight of the end of a dark colored boot before it was lights out for him as well. Cadens quick acting rewarded him with some time and all he was worried about was that X factor, the lone male that he couldn't locate before hand. When he made his advance to the basement he was soon met with the last member of the group he would have to incapacitate. Unfortunately for Caden he was alerted by the sound of his buddies beatings and charged Caden immediately, slamming him against the cold brick wall.
His breath was instantly kicked right out of his lungs when he was charged, not expecting the assault to come so swiftly. Then he was given a few rough punches to the torso, face and gut before regaining control over the situation. With both hands he grabbed the mans head and slammed his own cranium against his foes, stunning him monumentally. A good shove made him stumble, almost tumbling to the ground. But he gathered himself enough to see Caden was ready for him as took a defensive stance. Because naturally a defensive stance looks un-intimidating to an inexperienced opponent, only those familiar with a skilled style of fighting would know that this wasn't a stance to take lightly. Judging by the cocky grin that pulled at his enemies lips he had little to no idea what Cadens next move would be. This was a good thing. He came for him a second time but Caden was far too prepared for him this time around. Cadens left foot slipped back then, his right hand reached out and twisted the wrist of his opponents left arm. With a single strong spin of the hand he was whirling in the air and quickly meeting the concrete of the rough basement floor. His body crashed with a loud thud and Caden stomped on his face to silence him, stopping any cry of pain that might have come. Again Caden was left to wonder if he had killed him or simply knock him unconscious but having no time on hand to check. Wasting no more of this precious time he gathered up several cans of food and stored them away into his pack, filling it at least half of the way. That should last him for the rest of the week, he wouldn't have to do this again until he got low again. The window to the basement was large enough for him to slip through and once he watched for the patrolling guard to pass he made his move and hastily escaped the small base camp. Taking to the buildings he climbed the towering establishments and reach the roof top of vacant office building. He took a breath and relaxed, sitting down to check through his pack to examine his findings. Just another day in paradise.
