Silhouettes

Observed strange new tribe-

I was outside the city proper last night; one of the areas that wasn't ruined. It was late, later than anyone had any right to be out, but I'd spent most of the night with an old friend and lost track of time. You know how it is.

Two or three rubber trash cans sat at the curb of each house. It blew my mind that still, in this world, there would be something as civilized as a weekly garbage pickup. But why not? There are still working cars. There is still gasoline.

After five minutes on the street, my danger sense went crazy, and I threw myself into a bush. Something up the street caught my eye, and I saw Them- white as ghosts, on either side of a strange vehicle (it looked like a car, but its back end looked like that of a pickup truck). One stood on the driver's side, door open, keeping a lookout, half in the car, ready to slam the door and peel off. The other was a monster, six feet tall and four feet wide. He, unassisted, lifted what looked like a full size oven, and set it in the back of the car/truck. They each got in and cruised down the street, away from yours truly, moving at a crawl, looking for more treasures in the refuse.

My gluttony for information won out, and I followed them, sneaking from porch to porch, staying in the shadows. We ended at a park, where they met with more of their tribe. Eight groups in total.

Fascinated, I crept as close as I dared, observing from hiding. I couldn't get close enough to hear (thankfully?).

Picture a separate race of people, white as alabaster. See the women, tall and sleek; every one of a natural runner, having evolved into perfect scouts. The men are unkempt and burly, bearlike. One knows by looking, they are warriors all.

They travel in male/female pairs, each in a vehicle (which vary, but are equally suited to carrying a heavy assortment of treasures). From what I can tell, they roam in a caravan until finding an area ripe with plunder, then split into groups and scavenge what they can.

They seemed benign, and I'd nearly convinced myself to approach them when, a straggling van pulled out of a side street, a man wearing a bathrobe tied to their roof rack. The owners of the van parked, ignoring the thrashing of their unwilling passenger. The group discussed him (probably) for a some time. I couldn't begin to guess what they were saying, but at one point they all erupted with laughter, pointing at the poor fool.

Not long after, they each got in their rides and drove off in a single line, the man still tied to roof.

Who are these ghosts in the night, these luminous silhouettes standing in contrast to the dark city street? Is this perhaps where the old people got their legends of the Vampire?

Interesting.