Micheal 1

Nothing moved in the hot southern sun. No breeze blew and no animal stirred. Only the sound of cicadas rang out over the cracked and crumbled pavement. Waves of heat rising from the remains of the broken shopping center.
A man stepped from the bushline running parallel to the road. He stood tall and straight even with the weight of his backpack and rifle. A beard covered his features and his hair sprouted in chaos.
He moved quickly in jeans and with a Baja slung over his pack.
He enter an old store front with the words "AL*MART" above. He strode past the broken and empty shelves to the back room to find a horse tied to an old equipment shelf, a worn saddle set beside it.
The raggedy cooed softly to the horse tracing up its head with his fingers and followed along its spine. He then began hooking his rucksack onto the horses back using a series of straps. When that was finished he hooked on the saddle put his rifle in the holster and began leading the horse out.
Outside, he climbed on and headed down the old country road. All around lay giant mounds of broken cars with vines covering them.
After many miles the man stopped suddenly and looked around intently. Grunting he unslung his rifle, urging the horse on slowly.
After only a few steps a blur of yellow smashed the man to the ground turned and jumped at the fleeing horse. The mountain lion missed it's mark and landed on the man's rucksack and tumbled to the ground.
A shot rang out and the lion fell back to the ground softly. The man limped slowly back to his steed. When he reached it he reached out and rubbed it's head whispering soothingly. When it settled, he climbed on grunting in pain.
He rode in silence for a long while the meandering ever closer the horizon. When it threatened to touch he stopped a shop called Bruno's Deli. He dismounted and unslung his rifle. After tying the horse to a parking meter, he limped into the store rifle at ready. Briefly eyeing behind the counter, he burst through an Employees Only door disappearing into darkness.
The wind blew the trees and vines gently, as the horse whinied nervously. The man came back out smiling a small piece of jerkey in hand, chewing obnoxiously. He then led the horse through the store to a freezer.
After tying the lead, he went in search of a well. Finding one behind an old residence he filled a painters bucket drank fully, refilled and returned to the store. He arrived just as the sun dipped below the horizon. He laid the bucket in front of the horizon letting it drink.
The man cracked open a chemical light and closed the freezer. He then moved over to the corner where a box sat and began loading bags of jerkey into his backpack. When he finished he sat back against the wall and drifted to sleep.

Beeping filled the freezer bouncing off its walls. The raggedy man woke to the pale green light washing through it. He clicked his watch silencing the beeping.
He stood and began stretching his leg, obviously moving better. Gathering his things he caught the horses lead and began outside.
Exiting the store he felt the nip of dew. Birds chirped and scattered at their approach.  The man led the horse to an old mall parking lot overgrown with grass and let the horse run and begin grazing.
He sat down and began building a small fire and once it was burning pulled a percolator from his pack and poured water from a bladder in it. After patting himself down momentarily he produced a bag of ground coffee, barely enough. He then pulled out two cups and set them down.
The man leaned back on one of his arms and lazily scanned the area. A while longer the coffee was finished and the man filled them both then leaned back again clearing the sleep from his mind.
When it was half way to noon the man stood up slowly, with a grunt. He reached down and poured out the other cup of coffee and began stowing his gear. With that finished he whistled and the horse came bounding over stopping next to its rider. For a long minute he laid his forehead on the horses head, brushing it's hair.
Finally they set out again into the broken roadways lying beneath slowly heating sun.
Many miles later the scenery changed from tree and vine and ruin to neat row after neat row of a waxy leaf plant. The horse whinied uncomfortably and the man brushed it soothingly.
A man's face appeared between one of the rows fear covering his face. Quickly though an embarrassed smiled washed over it and he whistled loudly. Other workers raised their heads from their hiding places to watch the stranger who had come.
Further on he came to a wall of cars with a wooden gate. Two men with rifles stood atop it. Their faces were windswept and sunburnt but soft. For a long while the two stared at one another, Sentry and Wanderer.
The sun grew hot and the cicadas rang loudly. Finally the silence was broken by a grunt from the rider. "And wha'town might'is be?"
"That depends on who you are rider."
The wanderer laugh a deep guttural laugh and the two sentries looked to each other uncertainly. "I am a Seeker of te'Truth, boys."
The sentries looked as if they were about to laugh when the gate opened before the rider. "It's him!" Rang a third voice from in the wall. The wanderer spurred his mare in slowly smiling widely.
"T'ank ya, gents."

The woman sprang forward from where she lay, sweat covering her dark body. Her pulse raced and her mind flew.
"He's in Pawtee.  He'll be here soon." She smiled. The man beside her grunted in confusion, his tattoos seeming to move on their own as he slowly sat up and lit a candle. The light from it brought evidence of the sweat soaked sheets and the true darkness of her skin. 
"What did you see?"
"He's here Jason. Micheal has returned."