On top of the building, a man sat and looked out over the edge, over the grimy, rotting industrial infrastructure all around him. He was supposed to be watching the streets. He was new to the sentry post, though, and to tribe, and was not very attentive… which is why he jumped when Michael Bornheim, his partner on watch, returned to the rooftop after a few minutes’ absence.
“Food delivery came,” Michael said, holding up a twelve inch loaf of whole grain bread. “Eat fresh.”
“Bread?” the rookie sentry replied doubtfully. “That’s not a meal.”
“It fills you up,” Michael replied. “Gives you a bit of energy… but worry not, friend Stephen.”
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a flat paperboard package.
“I bring you… bacon!” Michael proclaimed.
Stephen seemed unimpressed.
“Microwaveable bacon?” Stephen said. “You got a microwave and a generator under there?”
“That just means it‘s pre-cooked,” Michael said. “Which makes it the perfect portable protein. As long as you don’t leave it out in the sun or something, you don’t even have to refrigerate it. It’s kind of hard to come by… I had to make a deal with some of the freegans who stake out the supermarket on 11th.”
“They stole it?” Stephen asked.
“No, the bacon was in the dumpster,” Michael said. “But, hey… it’s still in the package.”
“Why would the store just throw out bacon?” Stephen asked.
“It’s past the sell-by date,” Michael said.
“You mean it’s expired?”
“The date’s expired,” Michael said. “The food’s good. Look, I know it’s kind of an adjustment for you… but I can guarantee you’ll find yourself eating worse things than a bacon sandwich on genuine certified day-old fast food deli bread before the winter’s over. Do you want in? If not, I‘ll be happy to supersize my portion.”
“Yeah,” Stephen said with a heavy sigh that didn’t quite drown out the rumble of his stomach. “I want in… I‘m starving.”
“Not yet you’re not,” Michael replied cheerfully.
10 Responses
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First comment.
Excited to see the new story arc!
Just picked this up today, read through it, and just like Tales of MU, now all I want is more more more!
Fantastic.
Love you Ms. Erin. Post when you can. I still go back to web comics that ended suddenly 3 years ago to see if they started updating. a day or to on either of your stories isn’t going to keep me from enjoying them. just set me to jhonesing.
“the dates expired… the food’s good” …..I’ve been there… I like this new arc
I love it,but it scares me. I’m unemployed,have been for a couple months now. And it’s scary…
Heh. Reminds me of my fridge – food never seems to grow old in it. Maybe it’s just colder-than-required, or something, but still…it’s freaky.
mmmm, bacon
I’m having a problem viewing this chapter. When I click to see the latest update from the front page, I see 3.1. I have to click next from 3.1 to see 3.2. I’ve only just caught up with this story, so if this isn’t really a problem, sorry!
I think I’ve isolated the problem as being that this section is not filed under “Chapters” as well as “Arc 3.”
I may be incorrect… but if I am, what is the page I can view to see the latest update?
Thanks.
Whoops! You are correct in your diagnosis. I’ll fix it… thanks for the report and the troubleshooting.
@ kittae: worry not, dear heart. You’ll be a’right. Just don’t hesitate to ask for help from people around you… and don’t be too proud to apply for government assistance.
My bf of six years is a really brilliant developer… with a habit of being too honest for the corporate world. So, we go through feast and famine… we’ve had no reliable income for upwards of six months… and we always make it. You’ll be a’right.