Joshua Moore's Story

The Bar wasn't all that much to look at. But it was a bar, and that was something. Joshua in all his travels had not once encountered a genuine Bar. There were plenty of places he'd divulged in the old worlds mind numbing delicacies, but they did not pretend to be establishments of any kind. They shared more in common with a crack house than anything, and the company within was what one might suspect. On more than one occasion, hiding in a location such as those, Josh almost met his end. Drugs were a powerful thing, and now that they were all the more scarce, people were willing to do some horrible things to get at more. Not that Joshua was ever in possession of many, if any, of these substances; all it took was a night of boozing or dosing, and a sneaking suspicion that the new guy might be holding out. That was all it took to get the urge to stick a knife in his gullet and rummage through his belongings. Freedom Incarnate was not one of these places, and Josh very much doubted he'd be getting into any sort of dire trouble. All things considered, Sanctuary was one of the safest places he'd been in the past decade.

Or such was his first impression, the walls looked sturdy enough for something constructed in this age, and the sentries a top provided him with an ample sense of security. Not so much that he trusted their marksmanship, only that they would certainly alert the town to any sort of danger, providing for him time enough to hide himself or sneak away. If it came to that, there were rumors that Sanctuary truly embodied the word. Numerous attacks had already been attempted on the settlement by all manner of ill mannered ilk from the desert and beaten off. While Joshua could not deduce a clear and concise truth of these attacks, he knew without a doubt they took place, and there were at least upwards of forty bandits in one raid, and it was quite possible there were other attacks of greater magnitude. It was hard to know for certain however, as much of Joshua's information came from one township or the other, all scattered across the Mojave.

At any rate, Sanctuary was the biggest and best shot at reclaiming a sense of dignity and prominence for man kind, in as far as Joshua had so far seen. It gave him hope, that there were other settlements out there, of equal or perhaps greater size, and that man was not reduced to huddling a dozen strong in various nooks and crannies of past civilization, waiting to be picked off or to starve. And Sanctuary had a bar, a genuine bar. With a smile Joshua mounted the steps leading into Freedom Incarnate and gently swung open the door. He had just arrived in town not ten minutes past, and after some wandering around, note taking on the number and general quality of the majority of structures, he found himself at Freedom Incarnate. Inside it was musty, and most of the furnishings were covered in dust. Something that was common in the desert, he took a seat at the bar proper, resting his weary feet from travel, and placed his note book on the counter. He wondered what would happen next, and was almost giddy with excitement. Not for a decade had he been involved in anything that resembled an old world transaction. Would he be asked for money? He had some, american currency, while it wasn't typically regarded with much esteem anymore, there were some who horded it. Perhaps, Joshua thought, the owner of a business might still be rooted in the past. If not, he was sure he could do some labor for a drink, maybe even in exchange for some lodging, as was his initial hope on seeing the stature of the building. That was a much more common system of barter these days, if you didn't have anything valuable to trade, you could trade your body, work on this or that for something agreed before hand.

A few of the early birds had come in, scattered among a few of the tables. Most weren't even drinking anything, they just enjoyed spending their time at Freedom Incarnate. Gary waved and smiled; the ever loving host. A slim, bearded figure carrying a green rucksack walked into the bar. Gary recognized him as a newbie to the settlement. The man had come to Sanctuary in the current calendar year of 2023. He prided himself on remembering most people's names, but he couldn't recall this man one-hundred percent. Maybe he was staying off the radar of most of the townspeople. A smart man was one to be watched.

He looked across the room, holding his hand up in greeting. "James is it? Sorry if that's wrong, newer faces can be a bit hard to knock out until I become more familiar with them. Want a drink on the house?" Gary had a little flexibility with the rations as always, and it was a good move to be welcoming to the newer folk. From what he had gathered the man was a scholar of some sort. That was a skill that could come in handy. Without functioning libraries and dignitaries, who else was there to chronicle the events that went down? If the human race won this war in the end, having an accurate record of events could be vital.

While talking he grabbed a fresh rag and wiped the bar down. He hoped the heavier town gossips would pop in soon so he could learn Callum, Yolanda, and the rest of the settlement's business without having to put any effort into it. Luckily Gary had found a variety of people willing to tend bar, or learn to tend par, so that he could get out of Incarnate when needed. A man named Felix would be taking over in a few hours, giving Gary time to get out and about.

Josh walked up to the bar, laying his rucksack on the counter-top. "Sure, I'll take a freebie."

Gary poured him a screwdriver, a bit on the light side. No one needed to be liquored up too early in the day. The writer sipped at it, then consumed half of it. He grimaced a bit at the taste.

Lane laughed, "Not exactly Skyy Vodka like back in the day, but it does its work. I can throw in a bit of grenadine or sweet juice to help it go down easier, but those goods are in short supply. I try to save them for special occasions." Gary stared at his pack, noting that the clasps were open. He started to reach for it, "Mind if I take a look at what you put down in there?" Josh snapped out of his friendly demeanor, grabbing the bag to his chest. Gary threw his hands up apologetically, though really it was an act. He wanted to test his new friend's limits.

"I'm sorry Mr. Lane, it isn't that I won't share what is in here, but when it is in the rough form I'd rather not. I could orate it for you, but I don't want someone reading inside it."

"What is it you are putting in there? Are you truly chronicling all this," He waved his arms about in a ballerina spin, ". . . wonderland?" He smiled wide like the Cheshire cat. Lane was actually interested, in fact, other than sliding into bed with Suzie this man could be the most interesting thing in town.

"Yes. Sanctuary is perhaps the most significant human stronghold left, other than the Partisans that is. They aren't exactly welcoming people in with open arms, but someday maybe." Gary rubbed his chin thoughtfully at the notion.

"Actually I would bet that if you have actual skill, they would take you in. The military is all about official reports. They may cramp your style a bit though, force you to only use the third person or some shit." Josh watched him astutely.

"I take it you were in the military?" Damn, this guy paid good attention.

"Yeah, a lifetime ago. If you aren't already chronicling peoples' journeys to Sanctuary here, I would recommend it. My story is quite the adventure." And that was just the part he was willing to tell. "Plus, if you come in and pry some lips when the liquor has loosened them, it could help people be more open. If you and I keep an open line of communication, I might even be able to tip you off when certain people are here. Lets say the Sheriff comes in, which is a rare occasion I admit. Getting that stoic man to melt down and tell some stories would make for one hell of a journal entry." Gary looked up as another patron entered the bar. He was waiting for the day that Callum or Suzie's mom came in to try and shake him down. The problem they had was absolutely no proof. Sanctuary could think want they want, but no one could put Gary in a corner. Not right now while he was at the top of his game.

Josh stared off in the distance, thinking of the proposition. "That sounds like a great idea. Any catches?"

Again, Gary smiled as if flies never buzzed around his shit. "Well, wouldn't anyone love a favorable outlook on themselves in the history books? I'm sure you've heard some rumors about me, rest assured, those are rumors." Josh finished the drink and Gary poured him another.

"This one will be my last, I'm not much of a drinker."

Gary ignored him, continuing on. "You see, we don't have TV anymore. There is no Facebook, Twitter, or mass media. Hell, we barely have many books these days. People need to entertain themselves by creating myths and legends. How else do you think shit like dragons were thought up?" Josh butted in.

"If we have aliens upon us right now, don't you think dragons and serpents were a possibility?"

"Only in Dungeons and Dragons kid." Josh went ahead and downed this drink whole, Gary took the glass once he sat it down and proceeded to wash it in the sink. "I am this town's dragon. Give them time and all their woes will be my fault. Oh look, Mr. Lane up there in that cave of danger. There must be treasure hoarded up there. The man spews fire from his mouth, and his talons are oh so sharp."

"A matter of time before they take up the pitch forks, huh?" Josh smiled at the notion.

Gary only smiled back. "This town doesn't realize I'm it's Jack O'Kent."

"Jack O'Kent, who is that?"

"O'Kent is a folk hero back where I'm from in Britain. You see, Kent dealt with the Devil, but he always out-tricked him. I'll tell you more about that later though, I better tend to some of the others." Gary came out from behind the bar to survey the small crowds' needs.

The man lightly touched his shoulder, causing Gary to turn. "Yes?"

"Do you know many myths and legends? I'd like to record some of them. Even if they become a bit twisted from the original source, the world can always look to these stories for imagination. Imagination and wonder that is." Gary nodded, and set off to resume his duties.