The howling growl of the truck seemed like hammers pounding with every bump of the makeshift road as we made our way through the Carib Waste.

I didn’t complain, what choice did I have in the matter? I was in the goddamn Waste. This was as easy as it gets here, especially not travelling on foot, which was complete shit.

The miles we’d covered, let the little anxiety that had built up within my chest dissipate somewhat, but not enough to make me feel at ease, completely.

A day had passed since we’d left the Doasians dead in the ravines. In that short time, we’d lucked out by avoiding a few Ravagers but mostly due to finessing our way through the ravines Stryme for some reason knew intimately.

The funny thing is, Stryme didn’t even use any of the maps we’d commandeered from the Doasians. Hell, it seemed as though he was using them to avoid them as much as possible, something I wholeheartedly agreed with.

The truck hopped, lifting me from my seat for a half second. I snapped my head towards Stryme, who just ignored me. I wanted to complain because I know the bastard could’ve swerved and avoid the bump in the road, but I knew full well, that he didn’t give a damn about my thoughts on his driving, or his cooking skills.

I swallowed deeply for the eighth time, trying my best to wash away the salt from the soup he cooked last night. My tongue felt like a roller coaster of salt and dust, which made my tongue feel as though it was ready to wiggle off from my throat.

Not a good feeling I assumed, but I felt that’s where my body was heading. The frustrating part was, that I couldn’t afford to drink any more water…just in case something went wrong.

…and as I said, things usually go wrong, especially in the goddamn WASTE!

“Did your family own a restaurant?” I asked for the second time. Stryme squinted, turning to me as if I’d read his file, then puffed his cheeks out in frustration whilst turning his head.

“How the fuck do you know that?” He asked me, flustered.

“How else? Rook told me.”

“That mouthy bastard!” He hissed.

“Mouthy?”

“Yeah…Rook’s gotta mouth on ‘em, always spilling shit that’s not supposed to be spilt.”

“Right…” I said, rolling my eye. “But question Stryme, If your family owned a restaurant. Why the fuck are you such a shit cook?”

“Whoever said I handled cooking Cypher?”

“So you can’t even boil an egg, that soup was shit.”

“What the fuck does boiling an egg gotta do with SOUP!? Do you expect fine dining in the fucking Waste Cypher? Fuck man, no wonder Black thinks you’ve gotten soft. We’re in the FUCKING WASTE!”

“I haven’t gotten soft.” I lied, fighting the urge to grind my teeth.

After living in Bridge City and doing rudimentary mercenary jobs from CSS. I could honestly admit I was softer than when I was working for Dawn Light. “But since that shit was barely palatable,” I said firmly. “I’m handling the food from now on.”

“Fuck no, You’re ten times worst than me! The soup you made three days ago was inedible! Yet you have the GAWL to tell me about my soup being salty, but what about yours with its blandness?”

“I spiced it accordingly to memory.”

“Let me guess, some memory of an instruction video showing you how to ‘spice’.”

“Yeah…” I answered, feeling ashamed because it was clear, that Stryme knew what the fuck he was talking about.

“Guess what Cypher.” He said, “Those videos are just ways to advertise products to you. ‘light seasoning’ is never the way to go. WELL seasoned, if you want your product to have to taste. Remember that. The only reason the fucking soup tasted salty was that I forgot salt floats in the wind like mosquitoes harbours around water.”

“All because the earth’s crust opened up, and the world’s oceans and seas were swallowed within. The great Imbibe.” I said bitterly. “I see you want to change the topic. Fine. I’ll play along.” I grumbled, laughing bitterly.

I peered through the window in silence watching the dunes pass us by. It was like watching the desert paint before my eyes.

A sense of bitterness resonated in my mind, as I thought of when Shin-Lee crossed the desert whilst pregnant. I hated that she went through that, but it was that or stay in Latrina, alone.

I’d lost my body during the day when the sun was the hottest, something I always felt when I worked Water Hauling duty for CSS.

As fast as I would push those thoughts away, re-entering the Waste would always feel my body shear itself, especially when the sun’s rays hit my body. Well…at least the sun is better than a bullet or grenade, I mused bitterly. Everything’s better than those two.

“Why did you join up with Black?” I asked Stryme.

“Why not?” He said, smiling from ear to ear.

I groaned a sigh, shaking my head as I felt another bump in the dead coral road. “That’s what I’m asking.”

“Well…why are you asking Cypher?”

My lips curled into a smile, and for the hundredth time. I shook my head. I guess defiance is what he was made of, that’s OK. He doesn’t have to trust or like me…but if we’re to work together, I need to understand his mindset better.

“I don’t believe because you’re parents' restaurant went under that was enough for you to join up with a guy like him.”

“Wait stop, Since when has my parents' restaurant gone under?! What crock shit is on you on Cypher?”

“It didn’t?” I asked confused.

“FUCK no, My parents are better off after leaving that piece of the shit city known as Bridge City.”

“I guess Rook heard it wrong.”

“Of course he did, the little runt, when I get back imma beat his ass into the ground..”

“Why?…cause he told me about your family?”

“Of course! You don’t hear me talking about that sister of his now do you?”

“Would he want to beat your ass for bringing her up?”

“…No, he wouldn’t, but that’s not the fucking point! I don’t like people talking about my family with my say. Fuck, I don’t even know you.”

“Heh, you’re right.”

“I always am.” He said, eyeing me from the corner of his eyes.

“Good to know. Guess we’ll see who’s more right than the other between you and me eh?” I said firmly.

Stryme harrumphed and turned up his nose at me, not bothering to answer. We then sat in silence for minutes straight without saying a word.

The Truck hopped again, and he fought to stabilise the wheel. My eyes still peered at him without change. He didn’t turn to me, but I held my gaze for five more minutes without notice, on his part.

A steep hill appeared in the short distance, and Stryme stalled the truck for a moment. He gripped the steering wheel with uncertainty. “Fuck.” He said sharply.

“What?” I asked.

“Beyond that hill is a valley that’ll last for miles. Heading there could expose us unless we double back to the mountain range.”

“Which way is faster?”

“The valley.”

“We’ll let's go then.”

“We don’t know if Ravagers or Doasians are hiding in the plains Cypher.”

“You’re right, I’ll check.”

I pulled the door open, sliding off my chair and pulling my dust cloak free. I wrapped around myself like a blanket and covered my face in the process and began walking up the steep hill.

The hill was two hundred and thirty meters off in the short distance. The craggy and crusted surroundings, made the distance seem longer, especially with how hot the sun was beating down from the sky. In reality, this heat was the bare minimum you were expected to experience when dead coral and sand were around you in abundance.

My left foot sunk into the sand, pulling me to my left. I balanced myself, by forcing my weight right, then felt my right foot seep into the sand.

I gritted my teeth in annoyance, and then made another step. It was a balanced step this time, as I quickly adapted to this piece of shit stamp.

After two minutes of assaulting, I made it to the base of the hill, then huffed it up the hill in a few seconds. It was as craggy as to be expected, but I ignored the pain from the stones I’d stepped on.

The silence of the wind brushed past me as I looked down the hill on the opposing side.

I was met with the sight of a valley which looked more like a mammoth snake, snaking its way through the plains as if it were giant.

The stalactites and Stalagmites were visible, despite how far they were. I zoomed in on the distance, taking note of how far the chasm was. My Cybernetic eye registered the distance at roughly 3.8 kilometres.

The snake chasm was around six hundred meters in width and over five miles long. In the background of the valley, the Mountains stood firm or was it dunes?

I zoomed in trying my best to get a better view, but the zoom in my Cybernetic eye was at its max, forcing my SMB to tingle across my brain like a worm wiggling across my brain. “Damn it…I can’t see shit, why the fuck is the sun not reaching beyond the chasm?” I huffed.

A large mist formed up, fluttering and puffing aggressively in our direction. I tried re-adjusting the lens of my cybernetic eye trying to fixate on what was happening, but then it hit me.

It’s a fucking HABOOB!