“You’re going to have to tell me about all these things,” I whistled. “I bet each one has a story.”
“You bet your arse they do, mate,” William slurred as he drunkenly put his arm around my shoulders and cackled. “I bet ya Tundra folk don’t get much ink up in your parts, eh?”
“I can’t say we do,” I admitted, and then I pointed to the “S” on his shoulder. “I really want to know about that one. I’ve seen it before, but I have no idea what it means.”
That was probably the most honest thing I’d said to these people since I first arrived.
“This?” William pulled back and gasped. “Why… Ya better know this one if you wanna be a Scavenger! This is our mark, ya bogan.”
No way…
“Oh, so that’s what it means,” I couldn’t contain my amusement. “I’ll definitely have to get one of those.”
“Damn straight, ya better.” The Scavenger grinned and then poked me in the chest. “I bet it’d look good right on your pec there. If ya did that, Natalie here’d get ta see it every time she saw you in the nuddy.”
“It looks like William here has already started the festivities,” Natalie interjected as her face turned bright red.
William turned to the woman, tilted his head, and threw out his arms dramatically.
“Well, I had ta crack open a cold one for our boy Johnny.” The drunk Scavenger hung his head somberly. “But then one turned into two, and then two turned inta six. But the night’s still young, ya know! I think Harrison said they were planning a Remembrance in a few minutes here.”
“Oh, I don’t know if Hunter should take part in that yet,” Natalie warned, “he’s still somewhat new to—”
“Nonsense!” William interrupted. “We want him to stick around and become part of the team, right? What better way than to throw him straight into the fire?”
Natalie glanced over at me, but I just shrugged.
“I’m totally down for whatever,” I chuckled. “I’m not going anywhere else right now.”
“That’s the spirit!” William put his arm around me again, and then he began to lead me off toward the center of the camp.
I heard Natalie sigh behind me, but then her footsteps plodded through the sand as she followed us.
At the very center of the encampment was a fire nearly two stories high and at least ten feet wide. All of the Scavengers stood around it, and they chatted merrily as they watched the flames growing larger and larger.
Finally, once we arrived at the scene, William found Harrison, and the three of us slipped into the circle beside him. The second we stopped, though, I noticed William’s entire demeanor changed.
He stood up straight and took a deep gulp before he stared off into the flames and went as silent as the very night around us. Then William’s smile faded into a somber expression as he folded his arms across his chest and waited.
Finally, one of the other Scavengers spoke up.
“Thank you for joining us today, my brothers and sisters,” the man said.
This guy was shirtless, as well, though he wore a black leather jacket over his torso. His hair was dyed a deep green, but it was also shaved down to little more than stubble.
“We don’t have to stay if you don’t want to,” Natalie whispered.
“It’s fine,” I reassured her, “I want to pay my respects. Johnny saved my life, too, after all.”
The blonde woman frowned, but then gave me a slow nod.
You haven’t checked in for a while, Hunter, Karla’s voice rang in my ears. Is everything alright?
“Fine,” I whispered as softly as possible. “I’m kinda in the middle of a funeral service here, so maybe call back in an hour?”
Funeral service? the woman scoffed. Don’t tell me you’re actually starting to make friends with these people.
“They’re good people,” I hissed back, and then went silent when I noticed William was shooting daggers in my direction.
Fine, Karla’s voice huffed. Just remember the mission. Kill the mutants and get the Wayfarer to come with you. Everything else is a waste of time.
“Noted,” I grumbled.
“Brothers and Sisters, we are here on this night because we have lost one of our own… ” the man with the buzzcut continued. “Johnny Darkowzki was slain in battle today while traveling through the Fallen Lands. He was a great warrior, a good friend, and, most importantly, one hell of a Scavenger.”
“Hear, hear!” William called out, and everyone else in the circle followed suit.
“He may be gone now, but his life will always be remembered,” the man announced. “His sacrifice will always be remembered and, just like those who fell before him… he will live on through us. Jessica? Will you be the first to expel his spirit from our land?”
Expel his spirit? What, did they think this guy was going to come back and haunt everyone?
A skinny woman with a full-on, spiked pink mohawk and a bull ring in her nose approached the fire with a tarp in her hands. She kissed it softly, looked up at the roaring flames, and then tossed the tarp into the fire.
It sizzled and cracked as it was engulfed and then burned by the dancing blaze.
“What are they doing?” I leaned over and whispered to Natalie.
“Burning Johnny’s stuff,” she sighed. “It’s how we show our respects to the dead around here.”
“Maybe I’m just culturally insensitive,” I noted, “but that doesn’t sound very respectful to me.”
“You have to look at it from our point of view, Hunter,” the blonde woman continued. “To a Scavenger, the possessions we snatch up are everything. They’re our personality in physical form. So, to ensure nobody else takes our ‘spirit’ after we’re gone, the rest of the group burns everything in our tent.”
Huh. Sure, it was a somewhat strange ritual, but I supposed that if it helped them to cope with the loss of their fallen brother, who was I to judge.
I watched as a few more Scavengers brought items from Johnny’s tent, said a few words, and then threw them into the inferno. Once they were done, the man with the green buzzcut stepped forward once more.
“Before we move on, would anyone like to say a few words?” He asked.
“Oi.” William raised his hand as he stepped forward. “I’ve got somethin’ I wanna say… Johnny was a good bloke. I fought with him in the Fallen Lands several times, and he was one-a the best gunners I’d ever met. He’ll be missed dearly.”
“Hear, hear!” the rest of the Scavengers called out.
“Anybody else?” the man asked again.
This time, there was a long, awkward silence, and I could feel all eyes were now pointed toward Natalie.
The blonde woman squirmed under her brethrens’ gazes, but she didn’t say a word. Her body just tensed up as she stared off into the fire and remained silent.
“Anyone at all?” another Scavenger prompted.
“I’ll say something,” I spoke up to ease the tension. “Look, I may be new to this whole thing. You guys probably don’t know me yet, and I don’t really know you. Hell… I didn’t even know Johnny for that long. But one thing I do know is he saved my life. If not for him and Natalie here, I’d be lying dead in the streets right now. And for that, I thank him. Wherever the hell he is right now. He was a good man, and I hope he’s now found rest.”
“Hear, hear!” the rest of the Scavengers cheered.
“Anyone else?” the master of ceremonies announced, and there was another long silence. Finally, he shook his head. “Alright, then we get to move on to the second phase of the Remembrance… ”