I remember pain. Searing pain all over, but mostly in my back. That's what I came back to, after blackness.
After the pain, there were voices, urgent, nearly frantic at first, then calmer. Flickers of light, the sky, a fire. It was all muddled for a little while, but after a little while, it started to clear up. I tried to sit up, but the agony came back and I lost myself for a while.
The next I remember, it's dark, with a flickering fire, barely big enough to heat coffee. Except, we didn't have coffee, I remembered. It'd been a month since the last of it ran out. I didn't try to sit up this time, just turned my head. The pain flared again, but not enough to put me out this time. My eyes focused, and I found myself looking at the slack-jawed face of Tex, laid out on his bedroll next to me. His throat was still bandaged, and he was drooling, but even in the firelight I could tell that his color was much better. I turned my head again, bracing for the pain, and found Chasity and Doc, their murmured conversations stilled, staring at me across the tiny fire.
"Welcome back, you old geezer," Chasity said with a grin. I didn't answer at first, just looked her over, trying to recall what had happened. I saw the heavy bandages around her forearm, and it all came back to me. The beast in the ruins, with the acid spray. It'd gotten Chasity first, and then... Nothing. I couldn't dredge up the last bits, other than some vague recollection about the antenna.
"I got some bad news, gramps," said Doc, his voice grave. I let my eyes focus on him, searching his expression. He'd pulled something out of his pack, and held it in his lap. After a moment, he lifted it up, letting the faint light from the fire shine through it. "Your duster didn't make it. I figured you might want to say a few words before we bury it."
