-Adept Remembers
Always look for the smoke. Eyes made sure that was deeply ground into my mind during my growing years. Where there was smoke, usually there was something to find. Sometimes it was danger, but we were clever and avoided that. When it was wreckage, we knew we were in business. If you knew how to make, or change, you could find a pile of success.
When I was on my own, all but once it saved my life and kept me going, following the smoke. I guess that one time, if you look at it another ways, it still saved my life. In some way everything has such a roundabout way in this world, if it ent direct like living and death.
The hardest part was clothes. I never hoarded anything so much in my life as clothes. When the Farlanders ended up with me, they found I could cut and sew, make new out of old. Maybe that's why they kept me. I was so used to it, it never seemed like anything special. I knew it since as far back as I can remember. All I can remember from my first life.
But always I look for smoke. Bridger knows it too, anyone who survives out here for long has figured that out.
It wasn't long ago, maybe 43 days back, Bridger and I followed some. It was big, and black. It had been a very recent incident, was my guess. We followed the tracks, keeping to lower ground to not be seen. The car was a complete mess - couldn’t tell what it even was. It was torn to pieces. Whoever it was who drove it we couldn’t tell either what they were. The body was pinned to the front, like they had been dragged out and put there purposely. Eight crossbow bolts held the body, which was cut all over with symbols, the face mangled and burned mostly.
“Do you know those markings?” Bridger asked me. I didn’t know, so I said nothing. I shrugged and in my way responded with “five gallons of guzzoline” as I pulled the crossbow bolts off of the car, wiping off the gore. I can use, and make new. We pulled everything of use we could carry. Especially anything we could fix, or change to work, and anything off the body we could make new. Whoever it was had a matching pair of gloves. Invaluable currency. They were mostly whole.
When we finished we left it all as was, no use lingering. Someone else was going to see the smoke and be along soon too. No use getting wrapped up in an awkward situation. We drove back in silence, I kept the gloves close to me, clutched in my pocket. Best thing I had found in a while. Haven’t found another since.
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