HUMANITY: A Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Novel by Edward Brody

he inspected himself. The cream colored linens and brown leather boots weren’t his best look, and his hair was still tangled and matted from since he woke up in the Salvager’s ship.
    When he arrived downstairs, two guards eyed Mich suspiciously, but did not say anything as he passed by. When he reached to the street, he started walking left on the sidewalk randomly, as he had no idea where he was heading.
    He walked for several minutes, taking in his surroundings. It didn’t feel much different from earth other than the futuristic buildings, bluish-hued horizon and strange, floating cars. Most buildings and streets were unmarked, and he suddenly wished he had paid more attention when Candy was pointing out landmarks to him. The humans that passed by seemed caught up in whatever task they had at hand and didn’t give Mich a second glance.
    Mich felt a bit at ease seeing that most of the creatures around him were humans. He would see the occasional alor or other creature ride by on hovering motorcycles or floating vehicles, but for the most part, he judged the majority of the occupants on Rashada were humans like him.
    He soon found himself in the area that he passed earlier on the way to his room, where everyone was wearing worn or tattered clothes and children were walking the streets alone. He turned a corner and found himself in a small, darkened residential alleyway with tall buildings on each side. The shadows and grimy surfaces gave the alley a dangerous appearance, but curiosity got the best of Mich, and he wandered inside.
    As he walked down the alley, he noticed people standing on their small balconies looking down at him with curiosity. A large woman appeared out of a side door to his right and tossed a pale of greasy looking liquid out into the walkway. Mich stepped over and around, trying to avoid the strange substance. An animal the size of a cat, but with the appearance of a lizard ran by.
    “Hey handsome man!” a voice to his left rang out. “You looking for some action?”
    Mich turned his head to his left, and a long, brown-haired girl peeked her head out of another door. She was wearing a torn cloth shirt that was cut just below her sagging breasts. She licked her lips slightly and tilted her head back quickly in an indication for Mich to come inside.
    Mich smiled and put his palms up. “Oh, no thanks. I’m just having a walk.”
    “C’mon,” she insisted. “We’ve got lots of girls inside–young ones,” she continued. “Only 3 credits for 30 minutes. We’ll make it worth your while.”
    Mich shook his head no and continued down the alley. The girl continued to cry out “Two girls for 5 credits! Are ya gay? We can get ya a boy too if that’s what ya like!”
    Mich scurried away, ignoring girl’s calls.
    Laying on the sidewalk was an old man, his skin, clothes, and hair covered in dirt. Mich couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive, but a small begging jar sitting next to his body was a promising indicator that he was still living–if only slightly.
    As he passed the old man, he felt a slight tug at the back of his shirt. When he turned around, a small, shirtless girl who couldn’t have been more than 10 years old looked up at him with big, blue eyes and a face covered in streaks of dirt. She held out both of her palms to Mich but did not say a word.
    “I’m sorry little girl. I don’t have any money,” Mich said apologetically.
    She continued to hold her palms out as if she didn’t understand, and stared up at Mich’s face with sadness and desperation.
    He realized then that he needed to cut his little adventure short. No matter how much he wanted to help the little girl, he couldn’t as he really had no money at all. And although he’d like to get his hair cut and charge his phone, it was unlikely he’d be able to do any of that without Carl’s help due to his lack of funds.
    Mich started to head back the way that he came, and the little girl followed alongside with her hands