After the meeting of Jack Winters, we'd temporarily forgotten about the fatigue and thirst.
But then we'd remembered again.
And, just to make everything worse, there was something new - hunger.
Oh, and another body to look after.
We must have been traveling for days, and it didn't seem like we were getting any closer to the old shack that was rumoured to be on the outskirts of Arizona.
That is, if it was even there.
Eventually, we just couldn't go on. So we all just collapsed right there, in the middle of a bleak desert wasteland that had once been a thriving state of America.
Not any more.
Then I spotted something on the horizon.
Something shiny and silver.
Something metallic...
Oh, no. Here we are again.
The robots marched, never slowing, ready to kill us. And Jack.
Suddenly the suffering went away, and we were poised and ready for action.
Even Jack, who had never battled alongside us before, suddenly got the sense that these were bad guys, and not giant little boys' toys.
Dianne got out her machine gun and loaded it.
I cracked my knuckles.
I think Jack tried to as well, but failed.
Nonetheless, we were ready for battle.
I began to throw my fist around. Dianne began to shoot her machine gun, aiming for the particular bunch of robots to my left.
Jack just seemed to... run.
Obviously he'd never experienced battle before.
I felt something really sharp scratch the side of my neck, and realised that these robots seemed worse than ever.
One battalion was armed with blades; another with machine guns, lighter and smaller than Dianne's, but still packing quite a punch.
And a commander with a laser gun.
In moments we were both down, with Jack nowhere to be seen. Dianne stifled a groan.
I just lay there, waiting for the right moment to get up, but I couldn't disguise the pain in my voice as I called out for Jack.
But he was nowhere to be seen.
Dianne was pinned down by two robots with machine guns, a third holding her own gun.
I couldn't find the strength to get up.
Was the war over before it had even begun?
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