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And so, as the world slowly died, everything that made life easy slowly broke down too. The internet died first. Electricity was next, then the running water. The generators died when the petrol ran out, and when the batteries died, all we had left was wind up flashlights and those little solar-powered garden lights. We were lucky, and thanks to some wind turbines I managed to keep the lights on, the water hot, and the ice solid, at least for the most part.
The next ten years went by without too much to note. Vic and I were always amiable to each other, but we never grew all that close. I appreciated him for putting a roof over my head, for feeding me, for giving me safety in these crazy times, but he always seemed angry, not with me, but because of that hole in his life. He lost his wife; she died during childbirth, then he lost his son thanks to The Bronch. We shared that hole our lost families caused. We also shared that anger.
Our lives rolled on. Priority number one was fortifying the dump. With my engineering skills, the mountains of crap, and Vic’s help, we made the place pretty much impenetrable to the vampires. We also had Ace and Bowser on our side.
We alternated taking one of the mutts with us on food and medicine runs. Vampires would try their luck with us in the early days, but the jaws of Ace and Bowser ripped the vampires to shreds, and they tended to leave us be unless they were really hungry.
Over the course of ten years and tens of attempts to take us, we soon learned these vampires weren’t like those in the media. They were not allergic to garlic. They didn’t burst into flame when a wooden stake was thrust through their heart. They didn’t scream in unbearable pain when coming into contact with Christian paraphernalia. They were very human; they could be killed just the same as you and me. They did have a heightened healing factor, they were stronger and faster than the average, and of course, they had their silver eyes. Eyes that could see through the Smog. Eyes they used to get the drop on Vic during one food run. Vic came back in a bad shape; he’d badly sprained an ankle during the chase. He only made it back thanks to Bowser; the dog fought off many vampires, allowing Vic to escape. Bowser never returned, we don’t know what happened to him, but Vic thinks they overpowered the robot in numbers and pulled it to bits.
We never found out where the vampires came from or why they spouted up overnight. But I would. Later.
When I wasn’t off scavenging or working on keeping us safe, I was still striving for sunshine. Sunshine for all. That's what I wanted. There was room at the dump for me to get a new workshop in place. Once it was up and running, I started to turn my eyes to science, trying to find a way to clear the Smog. I started by trying to make bigger, more effective masks, but it didn’t work. I was good with tools and building things but when it came to fixing the world's problems, I fell short, and I became angry and withdrawn. I became so addicted to the fix I ended up forgetting to wear my mask. I'd be forever taking it off, inspecting it, looking for a new angle to use. The only thing I found was The Bronch.