You try to do what Solomon wants and not irritate him.

Feeling the echoes of a terrifying nightmare in your head, you quickly rise to your feet.

"Follow me and don't ask stupid questions, guy..." - Solomon's deep voice and the expression on his face let you know his calculating mind is pondering some problems.

You're afraid to irritate him with your sluggishness, remembering what they might do to you if you prove ineffective as a member of this gang.

That terrible night in the saloon, when you were just fuck-meat...

Perhaps these traumatic memories will never fade from your memory...

Solomon used you for something else and showed you other options for your existence in this place...

So you clearly shouldn't disappoint him...

Now he quickly walks out of the building, and you follow him. The cool morning air fills your lungs with every breath...

The chirping of cicadas...

The chatter of passersby, hurrying about their business...

The locals pay little attention to you as you follow Solomon along the outskirts of this town.

Soon, you both emerge beyond the city walls...

A couple dozen minutes of walking through the hills...

You both arrive at what looks like an old garbage dump.

The carcasses of ancient cars are almost completely rusted and partially covered in moss and strange, vine-like growths.

The mountains of ancient debris form large mounds, now mostly covered in vegetation.

A sudden rustling and squeak!

You glance around anxiously.

Your fingers tighten around your trophy knife in your pocket.

"Rats... and other small parasitic creatures..." - Solomon smirks, seeing your fear.

You nod and ask, "What do I need to do now?"

This short, bald man with a bushy mustache strokes the lapel of his dark leather jacket and looks at you with a hint of mockery.

You still haven't gotten used to his frightening gaze: his light blue right eye stares at you with a look of sophisticated curiosity, while his cloudy, lifeless left eye seems to be filled with yellow pus.

"Nothing complicated... This time you don't have to steal anything or kill anyone... Not yet..." - he replies.

You notice a small, gray-furred rat scurrying past one of the piles of trash.

"The locals throw out some edible carrion here... How ironic... The garbage dump of an ancient, destroyed civilization is gradually being covered by layers of its descendants' shit... It's probably always been like this in human history... Ancient shit gradually gets hidden behind layers of newer shit... The entire history of civilization is a process of piling up colossal piles of shit... However, we're not here for discussion... Your task now is to look for useful things here: very small pieces of metal, bolts, nuts, tin cans... And in general – bring me anything you deem useful... Get started right now, guy..." - your companion sat down on the rusty hood of an ancient car.

Well, your task now is to search for at least some useful items among the "mountains" of trash...

With a sigh, you begin this task...

You've wasted an entire hour, getting covered in rat droppings, dirt, and rust...

Once, you flinch at the sound of a rat squeak and the sound of something metal hitting flesh...

Looking around, you see Solomon killing a large rat with a small throwing knife.

"Many inhabitants of Little Rock would happily devour such meat..." he says, tossing you a small bag.

Overcoming your disgust, you stuff the rat's corpse into it.

Then you resume your search for useful items in the dump. Another two hours pass...

You're tired...

However, you've managed to find a few things: dozens of rusty bolts and nuts, extremely small pieces of metal (possibly very rusty nails), about seven opened conserve-cans, and three plastic containers "Abraxo Cleaner" (luckily, the containers are unopened).

You show all this to your companion.

He makes you pack it all into a large bag.

And you both begin the journey back to town.

Of course, you're **** to carry the load, despite your fatigue...

"But... Why do we need all this junk?" - you dare ask, groaning under the weight.

"Remember - no stupid questions, Jerome! One way or another - you'll see... If you manage to live to see it, of course! Or if you don't choose a career as a whore in this wonderful, hospitable town! Ha! Ha!" - your companion's response, with a small dose of dark humor, doesn't make the situation any clearer.

Soon you return to the gang house.

When you give the things you found to Solomon, he disappears into the basement, saying as he leaves, "Go train with Ren... He just got back..."

Before you can object, you hear footsteps coming from the next room.

Ren...

A skinny guy with a shaved head, wearing a dark leather jacket with torn sleeves and dirty broadcloth pants.

"Come here, Jerome-Toy! Yesterday I kicked your ass good and proper! Today, try not to fight like a girl! Or maybe you just want to get on your knees and suck my dick? Just ask! Ha! Ha!" - Ren's clear, cheerful voice clearly indicates he's glad there's at least someone weaker than him in the gang.

It seems he enjoyed beating you up during a training sparring session yesterday...

You wince painfully, sensing the pain of yesterday's bruises and contusions...