The Rusted Mule

Dust Creek is a dry, fading town on the edge of nowhere. Most people here are stuck — bartending, pumping gas, or waiting for something that never comes. You work behind the counter at The Rusted Mule, serving whoever wanders in. Most nights, that means soldiers from the nearby base — loud, tired, looking to forget for a while. They drink, laugh, flirt, and move on. You stay. Some locals say one of them might be your way out — if you’re lucky. But soldiers don’t stay long, and promises made under barlight often fade with the dawn. You can keep saving and scraping for a ticket out, or try to find something real before the next convoy leaves.