Her Beasts' Purifier

KAIDA'S POV

The harsh desert sunlight penetrated through my meager tent; I rubbed my dry eyes tiredly and released a long yawn, stretching my arms above my head.

It was morning again, always a miracle how I survived each night without freezing to death and how my tent managed to stay up all night without succumbing to the harsh and wicked wind.

"Another day to survive, Kaida," I mutter to myself.

I sat up and looked outside my half-closed tent and saw the sun casting the shadow of the massive rock over my tent. I had built my tent behind the huge rock for refuge last night when I grew tired of trekking. When you live in my kind of world, you'll realize that you'll always have to be on the move.

No place was home.

I pull myself up and crawl out of my tent; using the word - tent, you might think it was one of those strong and reliable camping tents, no...it was just a makeshift tent I had constructed out of scattered rags and weak woods. At least, it sheltered me the whole night.

The cloud maintained its orange and reddish hues, a strong sign of the ever-degrading ozone layer.

I sigh as I quickly dismantle my tent and pack the rags into my backpack for my next stop.

The days were dangerous; hungry and greedy looters were always at a corner watching for when you'd become unconscious of your surroundings so they'd sneak in and steal your important belongings; everyone wanted to survive at all cost, even if it meant taking away the other person's life's support.

That was why I meticulously checked one by one for my belongings. I sighed in relief when everything was intact, especially my multi-tool, mini first-aid kit, headlamp, extra batteries, lighter, and the few energy bars I picked from a ruined mini-mart I came across yesterday. I used my thin and torn sleeping blanket to place over my supplies and zipped my backpack.

I was about to set off to my next journey when my tummy rumbled very aggressively, and I immediately thought about the two energy bars in my backpack but quickly discarded the thought; I'll leave them for when I'm in critical condition.

I decided to gather a few woods that were scattered around the area where my tent was built and set up a small fire, then went ahead to hunt for lizard...yes, lizard. I proceeded to roast it on the fire, the sweet, charred scent of the lizard's flesh wafted up, making my stomach growl with anticipation.

When it looked ready enough to eat, I wasted no time in tearing the skinny flesh into my salivating mouth. The lizard's flesh was a burst of sweet savory flavor on my tongue, a fleeting respite from my constant hunger pangs.

My world wasn't one of your flowers and rainbows world; this was a cruel dystopian, and to stave off hunger in a world where the ecosystem has completely collapsed, one had to eat whatever was available, even if it was as disgusting as a lizard.

I finished my 'meal' and took my water bottle to a Prickly Pear Cactus and squatted beside it, having the patience of a dog waiting for the fattest bone as I squeezed the water into my water bottle to replenish it, seeing an edible succulent plant didn't come by easily in a ruined and dilapidated environment. The pungent smell of the succulent filled the air as I squeezed the water into my bottle.

The world wasn't always like this, even though I was born after the spread of the dangerous virus that infected everyone and mutated their genes, turning them into animal gene carriers. This virus turned infected humans into beasts by morphing different parts of the animal's body with that of the human body.

Born into an environment like this, my first instincts were survival and adaptation, but my parents still made me understand that there once was a world filled with peace, love, and harmony.

But, as of today, their stories have become something I could only keep imagining inside my head. This world and the world my parents told me about were completely parallel to each other.

The spread of the dangerous virus had destroyed everything and turned everyone savage; everything malfunctioned, and resources became a scarce commodity; social order had long ago vanished with everyone's humanity, leaving the world a war front full of gory bloodshed where only the strongest and fittest men survived such a brutal living condition.

Women, unfortunately, were also categorized as one of the sacred commodities. Naturally being weaker than the opposite sex, our numbers dwindled due to the harsh living conditions and diseases, leaving only a scared number of us spread all across the globe, and because of this, it was safe to say that we were the most sought and coveted resources.

As I pack up my items which I had used to make fire and roast my protein...lizard. I think back to how my Mom had lost her life in the hands of the savage men who claimed to rule the dead world and how my father had lost everything he had in the struggle of survival and fighting off those corrupt men, but, in the end, everything led to his glorious downfall.

Ever since then, I promised myself never to become a victim of circumstance like my parents were, and to make sure that never happens; I started to dress and disguise myself as a man to escape the claws of the desperate men and to survive this barren and arid land.

In this desert, one did what they could to survive, including sharing vital information to get another; the desert was no man's land.

The harsh, formidable, and intimidating environment was a space where civilization no longer applied; this was a space that demanded adaptation and survival skills, and I sure possessed those skills.

Last night, I exchanged vital information in return for another, and that was how I got to know that there would be a battle happening at Factory 29. After each battle, there were always scattered supplies lying abandoned all over the area; their owners were either long dead or had gone into hiding from a more powerful opponent, which gave people like me the opportunity to scavenge and gather whatever we could from the sparsely littered supplies.

I quickly rummaged through my backpack, dragging out my multiple layers of thin materials, and walked behind the rock. I looked sharply from my left to my right, and when I was sure I saw or heard no one near me, I hurriedly pulled off my shirt, using the thin materials, I wrapped them tightly and firmly over and over again around my chest.

My chest felt constricted as I winced from the pain I got from straining the material too tight around me, but that didn't stop me; I had to make sure these breasts were never spotted. After I was satisfied with how flat my chest looked, I dressed in my overly big-sized shirt and Jean, using the first scarf to wrap my long black hair in place and the second one, which was black, to secure around my mouth and nose, firmly tying it behind my back

Ready to set off into the dangerous lands, I carried gears in my backpack and marched into the unknown, my destination, Factory 29...