He was between waking and dreaming, trying to escape from the nightmare he was living through. He couldn't move. He was stuck in his mind. It wasn't possible to get away. This was the real him – he knew it. There was no way this was all real. And yet, here he was. His heart raced. His breaths quickened, as his body became consumed with fear. Collin woke up.
His body shuddered with fright. His chest heaved and sweat poured down his face, mixing with tears. He lay still for a moment, gathering himself. He wiped his forehead with his arm. What had brought him out to the outpost, working solo?
It was the aftermath of an apocalypse, maybe even the world's end. It was a place that, as far as Collin had observed, was no longer called Australia. Collin woke up just as the sun was rising. The desert heat would come fast, so he had to get as much as his chores finished before it got too hot. He fed the chickens, gathered eggs, checked the radio for communications, and made sure all of the essential supplies were ready in case people came to the outpost. He ate a quick breakfast, and made sure the solar panels and windmill were in working order.
He hadn't had any travelers for a month. Other than members of the tribe who lived out in the bush, Collin was alone. He was okay with that. He was still a kid when The Fall happened. It was a time of danger and chaos. If it wasn't for the army, Collin would have been lost. After the government collapsed and food became scarce, Collin signed up for the army in hope of getting a steady meal. He was still young, but he had been through a lot.
His training had been rigorous. It wasn't easy, but Collin liked it better than what he had grown up with. He was happy to serve his country and save lives....the ones he could save anyway. After a few years of that, Collin decided to leave and move out here. He could never really shake the feeling of being watched. With this new life, he seldom saw other soldiers. The tribe didn't bother him much either. They gave him friendship and came regularly for trade and medical care. There had been some flooding and a bit of a drought, but the entire world hadn't ended yet. Collin shivered lightly in the morning chill. He enjoyed the rough invigorating feeling of all of the unusual products that sustained life.
Collin had a plethora of items that a hoarder would have died for. Clothes, books, preserved food, and even toys, and videos. He had piles of other supplies now including guns and ammo. Weapons were only if absolutely needed, and first aid supplies were always at the ready. His favorite was his crossbow. If a traveler came to his outpost, he had a chance for trade. He had created this little safe haven for everyone who needed to trade. If someone came looking for trouble, Collin would defend himself.
Collin walked slowly into the forest to do his morning patrol. Strangers were the only part of the real world Collin had. They would come and go, never staying more than a day or two. Collin would get excited, but his contact with them was rare. Bartering for the things people had owned before the fall was his main money maker. The tribe always seemed to be there for some reason or another. They never had any problems with people coming through. They traded spare food, fire starters, and other resources. He made a few generous donations to the tribe from his stockpile. Collin had gotten his own rations after the army life.
At that moment, he had a flock of dingoes out in the desert. It was their mating season, and they were making plenty of noise, but it was not time to hunt. That afternoon, Collin put in his nightly prayers and gave thanks for what he had.
Collin ate his meal, he was finding himself more and more to be able to barter for things and services. Trust made it easier. He didn't have to go searching for money, since he was low on it. The group had promised to send Collin trade goods whenever the tribe traveled in different
Collin's relationship with the few strangers that had come to him was the only thing that kept him sane. It took a long time after The Fall for people to even faintly trust anyone, but some had become more comfortable and some had fallen into traps.
Collin was still young. He was just a kid when the fall happened. He was good at hunting, gathering, and fighting, but he needed more. Working solo had taken its toll on his mentality. At least he wasn't completely alone.
He looked around once more. The sun was starting to rise above the horizon, painting everything orange. He looked up at the sky. It was going to be a beautiful day. He wanted to watch the sun rising over the desert. It was the best view of the sunrise.
Collin walked down to the basement of the main house where he stayed. The house was relatively fortified. The basement would be a last resort. It contained a well-made bunker with two different tunnels for escape. He went to a small kennel in the corner of the basement. Digging around in a small bundle of blankets, he stroked some soft gray fur.
"Hey, Rudy." He said to the little kangaroo. "Ready to go outside?"
He couldn't take Rudy outside, but he couldn't leave the kangaroo shut in the basement all day. He made a bottle for Rudy, and let him hop on the bungalow porch. Collin had rescued Rudy a few months before. A female kangaroo had died after getting tangled on the wire fence of an old pasture space. Collin was going to take it to the village for the tribe to use but saw a little pink joey crawling out of the pouch. Taking care of a kangaroo at that stage was like taking care of a premature baby. He had a premature kangaroo. So here they were, Rudy on the porch, and Collin out in the woods patrolling. Finding a joey in a dead mother was perfectly normal, but Collin hadn't had any experience taking care of kangaroos before. It filled his extra time and gave him someone to care for. He had Rudy, and he had the tribe. He would save candy from his rations and trade food and give it to the kids. He visited the village regularly, bringing extra food and medicine. Everyone knew that he was kind of...solitary, distant. His hardened exterior hid a young man who needed to help others, no matter what. The tribe was the closest thing to a community that Collin had for the company. What happened at noon the next day would change everything. They day she wandered out of the desert.