Author
Sam, Queen of the Gutter Rats, was a little annoyed at the Runt but honestly, it wasn’t his fault. She hadn’t told him exactly what the pharmacist would take in trade. The guy could be finicky, sometimes even downright cruel. The kid laid everything he had on the counter: every last coin and an old pocket watch.
He called himself “The Pharmacist,” but he didn’t care about healing anyone. His concoctions were mostly fakes, cheap mixtures that did more harm than good. If you died taking his medicine, that was on you. All he cared about was making trades and scamming the desperate, those trying to save someone they loved, or just escape their pain for a while.
The Runt was desperate to find medicine for Tony. The old mall was a wreck, broken down and barely holding together. No one went inside anymore, except the desperate or those with nothing left to lose. People said only the foolish or the ones with a death wish stepped through its doors. But Sam insisted it would be fine.
Marty, Gretchen, and Cecilia are on their way to the main library to research Tony’s condition. The library is in shambles, so finding useful resources will be a challenge. They also must pass through Central Bobcat territory, which isn’t ideal. With any luck, they’ll come back with some answers about how we can help him. In the meantime, people are sitting with Tony and doing their best to keep him comfortable.
Madie
We moved Tony from the basement up to a room in the admin hallway. He is not doing well. His left eye is badly bruised and his stomach is painful to the touch. He isn’t holding any food down, but we insist that he drink sips of water. People have been known to die from dehydration. We can’t afford to lose Tony. We need him.
Madie
While I was shopping at the market plaza, I overheard people talking about Xavier and his goons. They’re stirring up trouble all over town. The way they bully the other gangs is getting out of control. Xavier has way too much power, and he uses it to be cruel. People say he turned out this way because his father was always mean to him when he was a boy, especially when he lost a tournament. I don’t know if that’s true or just talk. What I do know is that Xavier likes hurting people.
Madie
I dreamt about being home last night. I swear I could almost feel and smell the clean sheets. It felt like a weekend. One of those mornings, when you had a great night’s sleep, a familiar smell wakes you. My mom was in the kitchen making her famous biscuits. I miss those biscuits. I miss the strawberry jam. I don’t know what woke me from my dream, but it was a letdown when I realized it wasn’t real.
Madie
I held a meeting with the residents of Bear Country to discuss what to do about the Central Bobcats and our missing fuel. Asking for the fuel back wasn’t an option, taking the fuel back wasn’t an option, although two people who shall remain nameless thought, we should storm Central and take it back. Can you say Matt and Jonas? We voted this down because of the possibility of casualties on our side. I asked for volunteers to travel to Wolf Valley to acquire more fuel. Pete has decided to increase the number of people on guard duty around campus. Our resources are few and we don’t need to lose anything else.
Madie
I ordered the Runt to stay put in the admin hallway and grabbed some muscle. When I say muscle, I am referring to Matt and Jonas. The three of us ran toward the basement. The basement was a mess, and Tony was on the floor bleeding from his head, and his left eye was swollen shut. Tony opened his good eye as soon as he heard us coming.
“I tried to reason with them.” Tony said as he spit out a mouth full of blood.
“They took all of our fuel.”
