Chapter 17Part II
Fictilibus used to be Clayton. But he had left that name behind. He had been on the Trail for several weeks now and was nearing home. His companions had come and gone as he had made his way north along the Appalachian Trail. Trying to get back to his family. Trying to get home.
Born in Southwestern, Pennsylvania, USA, in a dying town with an upbeat name, Fic met his future wife while hiking the Appalachian Trail. After getting married and having two kids, Fic joined the Army to learn a career and help provide for his young family.
His career was normal for an American Soldier in the world. He rose through the enlisted ranks. Being perfectly happy to stay enlisted. Being a non-com was good enough for him. He had no interest in accepting a commission and becoming an officer.
When the overthrow happened, Fic was almost done with a 20 year career. Having risen to the pay grade of Sargent First Class, he now led a small group of soldiers who guarded a secret location in the Virginia mountains. A place called Mt Weather, where the Washington DC leadership would retreat to, in the event of a catastrophe.
When the bombs dropped and the world went to shit, Fic and his squad were not at Mt Weather. They were 1000 miles south, undergoing some survival training. When they realized something horrible was happening, they tried to get back to their base. The roads had become clogged with abandoned cars and the enemy was all around, so they stayed in the mountains, away from the cities and used the Appalachian Trail to make their way back home.
Fic lost his crew and found other hikers. People like him, trying to get home or back to a place that wasn’t full of people trying to kill them. Some made it. Some didn’t.
Fic’s new crew call themselves The Party. They now number five. Each has their own special skill or ability. They work together to stay alive and continue to move north along the well-worn trail. Away from the towns and danger that lurks there.
This story picks up as The Party is walking the trail in central Virginia. Carefully crossing roads and finding food wherever they can. They are hungry and trail worn.
After meeting Kitsune and welcoming him into their Party, they continued on for a few more miles and decided to stop at a tent site that sat on a small saddle between two ridges. A creek was nearby, providing a nice, relaxing babble that soothed their tired bodies. They had been pushing hard for the last several days and the rationing of food had worn on them to a great degree. They set up, ate another meager meal, even with Kitsune’s additions and went to sleep after talking for a while over a small fire.