Settlement

Sorry about the blackout. Had to relocate from the mayor's house due to looters. The problem with being a long gunman is the fact that you don't have a lot of backup. Too bad I had to leave the generator, but I am still alive and the computer still has some battery left, and I was able to rig up an antenna (the techie died in the firefight, rest in peace Mike).

I remember Alex well. Before the fires, I had a bit of crush on her. But, she was the kind of a girl that was born with a boyfriend in her hand, along with two replacements. I tried to date her with no avail, and so I preferred anonymity, living my life and trying to finish my career.

And here she was, sleeping besides me; I can't say I wasn't tempted, but I chose instead to doing guard and take a look at the rifle I took from the soldier, instead. I had no idea where to start, but I first started with getting familiar with the basic functions: Where the safety function was, how to remove the magazine, that kind of stuff.
I got a bit away from her, as not to wake her up with the noise, but close enough to keep an eye on her and the supplies. I heard the noises of the soldiers looking for us, but we were safe enough. I saw one of my dogs cuddling with Alex, while the other, slightly older, walked near me and slumped beside me, giving out a tiresome nose exhalation, the dog's version of a sigh.

The next morning, we took a light breakfast: Fruit salad and tuna. Three cans less, and two cans left. I was seriously thinking on what to do next. As the day went on, I gave Alex a quick guide on how to shoot, but I made a suppressor with some junk I found. It wasn't much, and it took several hours (five, to be honest) and several try-outs, but I did it. It wasn't going to last much, but it was better than anything. I placed it on Alex's gun, and we headed out to look for the other girls.

The trail was easy to find, unfortunately. I did see the soldier's footprints as well, so we moved quickly, but trying to keep to the shadows. We moved north, away from the main boulevard, but close to another major street, from what used to be the restaurants, bars, and a night club or two. We stopped quickly in a drug store, and took what we could: Some bandages, a bottle of antibiotics, and several bottles of Mebendazole (sold by the name of Vermox in Mexico), I also took a book that had the name of the active ingredients in medicines as well as most commercial names both here in the US (this would prove useful later on, not only when scavenging pharmacies and hospitals, but for anyone who's a chemist with extensive knowledge in pharmaceuticals will thank you). Then, we finally saw a group of dead soldiers; I did recognize some of them, the others must've been in the compound, I also found Kathy, with a rather nasty gunshot wound in her back. Who shot the soldiers, though? We were gonna find out soon.

Right where used to be a public hospital, there was several makeshift shacks, as well as concrete barricades and military cars. Not this shit again.

This time, however, were not welcomed at gun point, at least not as aggresively. These were not soldiers from the outside the country, forced to serve in a desertic area, these were home-grown men and women who knew the place and the people. However, I hid the Xiuhcoatl, as I know how soldiers are with their equipment. We found the rest of the girls, along with several more people, including a doctor that was friends with my dad. I talked with him for a while, and I told him what happened to my parents.

I stayed in the night there. For the first time I slept in a bed, with both my dogs with me. I did not had to worry where my next meal was gonna go, and for a moment, I felt like I was back in civilization.

Next morning, I spoke with several soldiers. The concensus was clear: They were gonna relocate, too many criminals and rogue soldiers were starting to get in the city, trying to carve a turf for their own, especially in the areas that used to be for rich people, while the grunts occupied the rest.

I felt that it wasn't a good idea, but I wasn't gonna go bitching about it. I asked the doctor for a few basic med supplies, and some water and food. I said goodbye to the girls, and was on my way back to my house, to bury my parents.