Zed finishes scavenging the body and turns around noticing J.C. is awake “Ah, you’re finally awake, have a nice nap? We have a new companion, his name is Ethan”

“you learn to live with it” Zed says double checking the dead girl isn’t J.C. who appears to be asleep in the sidecar cuddling Black
“Do you need a weapon Ethan?”

Zed stares at the man imploring the location of ammo and after hearing what sounds like gunfire and explosions he finally speak
“You could try scavenging what you can from whatever the hell that noise was, or, I guess join the convoy as we travel to Pennsylvania, if that’s your destination”

Zed goes and makes a makeshift bike for the new friend “Can you drive one of these Mr uhmm… sorry I didn’t catch your name”

“probably unlikely, as you can see me and my group are in a vehicle, have been for miles, second I’d remember stepping on something such as food. Say do you maybe want some water or a place to sleep?”

 

Zed and the gang pass by the barking human and his dead canine’s cadaver
curious he slows down
“need any help there Rover?”

“built this baby myself from just regular scrap, that’s one of the good things bout my old gang, we were really into cars and junk, some of us could fix vehicles so easily including the ones you see broken down on the road”

Black licks her face and Zed drives on the Road heading West
“this your first time in a motored vehicle like this?”

“I wouldn’t mind heading back home but anywhere is fine”
Zed hops on his bike and looks at his sidecar
“If ‘Rage’ can keep up you and black can fit in the sidecar”

Zed looks at her a little confused
“Wouldn’t it be West cuz i’m pretty sure New York is North East of Pennsylvania so we’d want to go West/South West to get back to PA”

Zed walks his motorbike with him
“Nope, biggest body of water I saw was the shore of the great lakes Erie back in my youth, believe it or not I was born in the next state over, Pennsylvania, you?”

Zed packs up his things and buys a drink for the road and a treat for Black
“should be good”
He makes sure he has everything essential on his person

“Dunno really, scavenging does should like a good idea mind if me and Black join you?”

Zed sees JC in the lobby “hey it’s you”
He walks over to her “where you headed?”

At the break of dawn Zed gets out of bed and takes a shot of whiskey
“Where to next boy” Zed asks Black

Zed wakes up in the middle of the night from a bad flashback dream
He could hear faint gunshots in the distance assuming it was a bandit raid
Black was sound asleep but his ears perked up hearing his master rustle

“Indeed, met him in a junkyard a few months after the gang disbanded and we’ve been together ever since”
Zed lets out a deep yawn
“well looks like its past both our bedtimes kiddo”

 

“Ex bandit, was the leader in fact, till it got out of hand, it went from just a group of friends fighting the government to a pack of animals, when they killed a whole village of survivors I had had enough, I told them it wasn’t what I wanted, so we disbanded, been years since I talked to em”

“I-I’m sorry, atleast it was how he wanted”
Zed takes a final shot
“my story is a little more… complicated. I was the child of two survivalists, Mom and Dad where real hippies, trade this for that, piece and love, all that bullshit. Well I didn’t like the idea of that, the peace and love shit, this is the wasteland not fucking Woodstock of… Read more

“ok then, Rage”
Zed takes a hit from his N2O inhaler
“how bout you tell me your story and i’ll tell you mine”

“ok then, want another soda?”
Zed buys the lone girl another soda
“what what would Mister…Rage have?”

Zed looks at her puzzled
“I doubt i’m that drunk but I don’t see anyone”

Zed looks at her puzzled
“I don’t i’m that drunk but I don’t see anyone”

“Oh is Rage your companion like my Black?”
Zed pets his animal companion

“I’m Zed, and my furry buddy here is Black Flag, or just Black”
Zed downs another shot and orders another
“This might be a stupid question in times like these but you have parents or family?”

Zed laughed at her
“Years of practice and alcoholism, which you lack experience in.”
Zed takes her drinks downs it and orders her a soda
“Maybe this’ll be more palatable for ya kid”

“So you say, but the bandit out there do despicable things, age or gender mean nothing to them”
Zed downs the hard liquor in one gulp and orders another
Black comes over and Zed orders him some morsels to snack on

Zed notices the young girl across the bar and approaches her
“You look like quite a young lady, mind if I buy you a drink?”
He orders the two drink and continues to talk
“The wasteland is a dangerous place for a little girl, especially on her own”

Zed parked outside the motel/bar and told Black to stand guard while he checks them in and gets a drink.

Few minutes after Zed comes back out with food for Black and the two retire into the bar.