The Deathless

I've always heard stories about the one they call The Deathless. A being without the fear of dying. Everything that makes us human wrapped up inside a body that would never feel the touch of decay. No one understood it... not even himself. The tales that crossed my ear were tales of how he squandered his ability as a mercenary, offering his services to the highest bidder. Of course he was the best at what he did, he couldn't be killed. He was a stone-cold killer and was often hired by the crime kingpins and warlords of the wastes. In time his name was lost and he disappeared from recorded memory. Now he was just a legend, talked about in hushed tones by the wastelanders who found their way into the bar. How do I know all of this? I'm a dishwasher in the Waste's Bite Bar and Inn and I have plenty of time to overhear stories, especially of the Deathless. Those were my favourite. There came a day that completely changed my life and would change the course of history as we knew it. It was early morning, and rain clouds were rolling in, a rare sight to behold in the Wasteland. The bar was pretty busy as I was washing the counter. Then, in walked in a stranger I had never seen before. Most of these wastelanders made passes at the bar as their caravans made their way through, but this man I had never seen prior. He wore a cowboy hat with dark aviator sunglasses with his face shrouded by a bandanna painted with the lower half of a skull. He wore a beige trench coat over a buttoned shirt and scarf. High topped leather boots on his feet, and leather gloves with small iron studs on the knuckles. He approached the bar and without taking his glasses off, sat down. This surprised me as it was quite dim in the bar. He asked if a boy by the name of Isaac Howard resided here. That was my name... I grew nervous, hesitated, and swallowed hard. The man was obviously a bounty hunter, but who could possibly want me dead? "That.. that's me, sir," I answered. The room grew silent and the men in the room focused their gazes on us. The man stood up, removed his glasses and face mask to reveal a smug grin, and pale white eyes as the result of scars slashed through them. He was a gleefully unsettling sight. He'd be a handsome guy had he not been so mangled. My nerves grew evermore sensitive. This guy was packing heat: a 10-gauge shotgun, a AR-25 assault rifle, and dual custom-made eagle handguns. He drew the handguns with lightning quickness and pointed them right at me. I've searched for you for a long time, Isaac. Many of the wastelanders stood up but didn't want to get in this guys way for fear of their lives. I understood that conflict. I was petrified. "Anything you feel like uttering before I take your life, Howard?" I shook my head and prepared to die. The shots were fired and I closed my eyes. Wait, I was still alive? The bullets had been deflected off of my body. The bounty hunter blew the smoke from his guns, and holstered them. "Hehe, just as I thought." He remarked. I was shocked and confused as to what had just happened. "Wha... What just happened?" I managed to get out. "Mr. Howard, you'll be coming with me, there's someone who wants to meet you." "Wait! Why?! What's going on?" "Well Mr. Howard, you're quite the unique individual." "What do you mean?" I asked, completely terrified for my fate. He smiled again. "You, my dear boy, are The Deathless. I couldn't kill you, even if I wanted to... You can never die."