What the fire has to offer

You're too tired to try and push on into the darkness any more. The fire represents one last and rather **** hope - despite the risks. It's towards the fire that you begin to head, scrambling down from the pile of broken concrete and then carefully over the ruins of the once great city.

Carefully you approach the light, picking up a heavy iron bar as you go.

It takes a good 30 minutes before you can begin your final approach; sneaking up on the sheltered building inside the remains of what was once a mighty tower. Despite the great weight of tiredness you keep your wits about you and approach stealthily.

No one spots you.

Two people sit beside the fire, huddled together while the remains of a rad-rabbit slowly chars on a spit over the flames. They look to be a little older than you; perhaps both in the thirties. They look tired but healthy. Neither one seems to be injured. The male, with his arm around the female, looks to be the larger of the two.

"Who's there?" - it's the female who speaks first. She lifts her head up and looks around, "Harry! Some one's here..."

The man - who must be Harry - gets to his feet. He too has an iron bar, looks like he took it from the remains of one of the pre-virus vehicles that still pepper the landscape. "We can fight!"

"No... it's okay," you find yourself whispering before you can stop yourself. "I mean no harm."

Both faces turn to where you hide in the shadows. "Show yourself..." says Harry, the man.

... and you do. Dressed only in the ragged remains of your night skirt, bloody and torn from hours of crossing the ruined city in the dark, you step forward. "The mutants attacked my home..."

Even as you speak the terrible truth of what's happened to you and your family - all of who must be dead by now - crash down. Tears wet your eyes.

"There, there..." says the woman. "I'm Honey. Please.. don't cry. Come join us. Please don't cry.. mutants are good at hearing noises like that.. here; have some rad-rabbit!"

You step forward into the light. The weight of tears behind your eyes beginning to lift in the face of this kindness. "Thank you."

A few minutes later and you're feeling much better. You've had your share of rad-rabbit. It's not the best meat you've ever had but meat is a rare treat for you.

"Thank you..." you say again to the couple, smiling at them warmly. "I didn't think I'd survive the night."

"Oh," says Harry, "It's nothing. Don't thank us. We're happy to feed you up and keep you strong."

No sooner than he speaks than a pile of stones crashes down behind you. The wall which you hid behind less than five minutes ago crashes to the floor as a seven foot half-mutant staggers into view.

The half-mutant man is impressive. His body is muscled and powerful. His legs are slightly too small and his arms clearly much too long. The result suggests something like a walking and talking tank. His skin isn't pink, yellow or brown - it's a concrete grey colour that matches the buildings. His face is large and round. Long hair is patchy and messy. The mutant's large and wide smile is missing the teeth.

You back off towards the fire and reach for your iron bar cursing your luck as you recall how Honey took that from you and set it down at her feet just after you began to eat.

"This is Roy..." says Harry,

"He's our son..." says Honey, "and we want him to have a full human life. Yes; even though he's half-mutant." The woman stands up at her side of the fire even as the muscled mutant staggers towards you and the light.

"We want him to have all the human experiences," explains Harry, "We've taught him pride. We've taught him fear. He knows love. He knows pain. Now he needs to experience sex..."