The Starvationist

Under the warped trees, Rudy Gibbs took the bullets out of the pistol and counted them,

as he did every day. One, two, three. One, two, three.

You never know when you’ll need them.

Back Before (or rather, before Before), Rudy had volunteered as a test subject because of

his absolute desperation for money. That didn’t end as well as he had hoped though.

“What are you doing?!” the woman in the Big Brand lab coat yelled at Rudy when she

entered the testing chamber. He had just finished inhaling the pungent air surrounding a

mushroom covered with what looked like pimples.

“Breathing this in? Like I’m being paid to do?”

“Who told you that? You’re supposed to eat it!”

Since then, the voice in his head hadn’t gone away.

At least I’m pragmatic, unlike your companions.

That event also marked the beginning of his signature look.

He had only joined the group because even he knew there was safety in numbers. When

he first stumbled upon Mary and Sara, he’d had a heck of a time getting them to trust the man in

the gas mask; in fact, it wasn’t until Ben joined the group that things had evened out.

He must be hiding something. Nobody’s that nice unless they have something to hide.

Even back before Before, though, Rudy had always been a suspicious one – watching the

TV shows about prepping, listening to the radio show about alien encounters. He had taught

himself to shoot a firearm Before, but never actually thought he’d be in the position to use that

knowledge. So when he stumbled upon the pistol...

Alert!

Rudy jumped at the crunching of footsteps and scrambled to tuck the pistol into his pack.

“Hey,” Ben said, appearing in the twilight as it shone through the barren branches.

“Something wrong?”

“No, no, everything’s fine.”

Ben squinted at Rudy, who managed not to squirm. After a moment, though, Ben smiled

and continued, “Mary and Sara are right behind me.”

Rudy nodded.

“Right.”

Ben shifted his pack, opened it.

“You sure everything’s fine?” he asked as he rummaged through his things.

“Yes, geez.”

Ben grabbed a Big Brand nutrition bar and took a bite. Rudy twitched.

“Want a bite?” Ben asked.

“Nope.” Rudy shook his head like a dog with fleas. “Not even close.”

“You know,” Ben said through the mouth full of nutrition bar, “you can’t go on like that

forev-“

“Hey!” Sara called as she and Mary crested the hill. “We’re here; sorry for the hold-up.”

Rudy twitched once more.

“Ready to keep going?” Ben asked.

“Yes, yes, come on,” Rudy replied, shoving his way past Ben.

Don’t worry just yet – everything’s fine at this moment.

“Quiet, you,” Rudy muttered as Mary pulled up alongside him.

“Did you say something?” she asked.

“No. No, I did not.”

Mary pulled ahead. Rudy shook his head, but the voice continued.

Now imagine if you had actually eaten the mushroom.

Survivor: Rudy Gibbs

Age: Unknown

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 130 lbs

Before: Volunteered as a test subject. Wasn’t the same afterward.

Now: Trusts no one except himself. And even that depends on the day.