Rose shifted in her seat above, “There’s three full jerry cans back here, reckon we’re good for a while yet, but with five of us on board going slow is the only option.”
“What she said,” Mercy pointed at Rose. “Tawny, cross the interstate, we’ll do a big loop north of here then head west.” She squinted at the map, “We’ll bypass Two Guns, it looks like a ghost town. We’ll close in on Twin Arrows towards nightfall. That was the agreed rendezvous. Hopefully we’ll catch up with Barns and the others there.”
Tawny gunned the engine and drove across the interstate. The desert loomed ahead, broad brushstrokes in the starlight. Mercy held onto the DPV’s frame to steady herself as they passed across the rough ground.
Do the opposite of what they expect. Keep one step ahead. That bitch looked like she knew what she was doing—
Tawny went slowly, keeping to five miles an hour. The engine was quiet and the ride tolerable for the passengers.
At least it’s better than walking—
Mercy picked up one of the dead men’s radios and flicked through the channels, pressing it to her ear. Static hissed for a minute then a man’s voice came through the tinny speaker.
“Rufus? Santos? What’s your sitrep, over? You in trouble or what? Send up a flare. We’re abandoning the search until morning, then we’ll use the drones. If your radio’s busted and you ain’t got no flares hang tight, we’ll find you with the drones, over—”
Mercy kept the channel open. She listened but was met with more static.
Tawny glanced at Mercy, “That was awful good of them to tell us they’ve got drones. Maybe they’re playing us by giving away too much information… to get us to make a mistake, like stop moving during daylight.”
Mercy pulled a face, “Then again, maybe they do have drones, especially if they’re from The National Guard’s Camp Navajo. After all, they’ve got this kind of kit,” Mercy said, tapping the Desert Patrol Vehicle.
“You’ve got a point, I guess. Yeah, they’ve probably got drones, so we should find a place to hide up. We can use that camo net in the back,” Tawny said.
Mercy took off her head torch and examined the map with it, using the red filter, “It says Hermann Wolf Grave here. Look, there’s a railroad and some old ruins. The railroad crosses the canyon. If we can get across that bridge we’ll get a clear run at Twin Arrows. It says here it used to be an old trading post—”
“So that’s it? That’s our objective before sunup?” Tawny said, her eyes on the monochrome desert terrain before them.
“Yeah,” Mercy responded.
Tawny nodded, “Well, you navigate and I’ll drive. I aim to please,”
An hour later they arrived at the railroad bridge over Canyon Diablo. Starlight illuminated the sides of the canyon. Tawny stopped the DPV beside the railroad tracks.
“OK, so that is one deep canyon,” Tawny said.
“Yeah, way deeper than those earlier canyons. What do you reckon about crossing that bridge? There’ll have been no maintenance on it since the Fall,” Mercy said.
“Hold on,” Rose replied, climbing out of her seat, “me and Annalise will scope it out.”
Rose and Annalise jumped off the vehicle and went over to the railroad track. They approached the bridge and looked down into the canyon. Rose started walking across the bridge.
Shit, Rose—
Mercy watched as her friend slowly made her way across the rusting bridge. The breeze strengthened, moaning through the bridge’s metal spine.
That’s creepy, come on Rose get back here for Christ’s sake—
Rose reached the far side of the bridge and spent a few minutes looking around. She retraced her steps, meeting Annalise half way. They were back at the vehicle five minutes later.
“It looks basically sound. There’s two holes in the bridge, one half way across, you can jump over that one, and then a larger hole on the far side. The rails span the gaps. You can walk across them but the DPV would have to cross the holes using the inside rail on one side—” Rose said.
“It’d be best if we all walked across, it’d make the vehicle lighter,” Annalise said.
“I reckon it’d take the vehicle but whoever’s driving needs to keep it dead straight and keep the outer wheels on that track,” Rose said.
Mercy looked at Tawny, “No pressure Tawny, say the word and we’ll abandon the vehicle.”
Tawny shrugged, “No sweat. You guys walk. I’ll drive. I’ll check out the holes first so I know what I’m dealing with. But it’ll be fine, all those video games I used to play gave me good hand eye co-ordination, it should be a piece of cake.”
“Let’s go,” Mercy said, she climbed out of the DPV and walked to the crossing with the others.
Mercy shivered in the cool breeze as she stepped onto the bridge. Canyon Diablo stretched out below, intimidating in the dark.
I wouldn’t want to end up down there, that’s a serious drop—
Rose led the way and they edged out across the bridge in single file. Mercy watched her feet and kept an eye on Flynn in front of her. They reached the half way point and Rose pointed out the first hole under the tracks. Mercy inspected the damage.
How does that even happen? Lightning strike? Storm damage? What?
The hole was long and narrow and easily avoided on foot. Mercy told the others to go on, then she turned and beckoned at Tawny in the DPV. Tawny drove onto the tracks and edged across the bridge. Mercy waited at the hole and when Tawny was near she held a hand up. Tawny stopped, climbed out of the vehicle and joined Mercy to examine the damaged section.
“OK, got it, I’ll straddle the inside track. The sleepers look in good condition, they should support the outside wheels and my inside wheels will be OK here,” Tawny pointed to the rails at Mercy’s feet.
“You gonna go fast or slow?” Mercy asked.
“Oh, I don’t want to hang around here any longer than I have to, so I’ll be pretty quick,” Tawny replied, she turned back towards the DPV.
Mercy moved to the far end of the hole and waited as Tawny readied herself. Tawny positioned the DPV over the inside track and engaged gear. The DPV crept forwards, its outer tyres bobbing along the sleepers. Mercy held her breath and stepped away from the tracks.
Come on Tawny, it’s all good, it’s all—
One of the sleepers gave way and the DPV’s front right tyre dipped into dead space. Tawny gunned the engine and twisted the steering wheel. The rear wheel drive responded and the vehicle sprang forwards over the rotten sleeper.
Tawny pulled the vehicle up beside Mercy, “Hop in, take me to the next gap. We’ll have a look-see.”
Not rattled at all, are you Tawny? You actually look like you’re enjoying this shit—
Tawny drove carefully across the rest of the bridge and stopped short of the second, larger hole. They climbed out of the vehicle and inspected the broken section.
“OK, so this looks tricky,” Tawny said, “I’ll need to keep the outside tyres on the inner rails the whole time. I might need a little help with this one, and slow I think, is what’s required.”
Mercy nodded, “I’ll keep my eyes on the track and the front wheel. The front tyres are narrower than the rear ones, so if we can get your front across, the rear should look after itself.”
“Roger that,” Tawny replied. “Let’s go.”
Mercy glanced at the others who were waiting patiently on solid ground. They had established a perimeter and were keeping their eyes on the desert terrain beyond.
Good—
Mercy turned back to Tawny and the vehicle.
We could really use a harness and rope for Tawny, except we don’t have that kind of kit, nor the time. Concentrate, we can do this—
Mercy gritted her teeth and watched as Tawny mounted the inside rail with her outside wheels. The DPV tilted, its suspension taking the uneven load. Tawny paused then depressed the accelerator. The vehicle edged forwards. Mercy held both arms out and kept her eyes glued to
the vehicle’s front tyre. Tawny drove the DPV out over the gaping hole, creeping forward an inch at a time.
The inches turned to feet and a minute later the DPV was suspended over the hole, supported on one side by a single rail. Diesel fumes billowed around the vehicle as Tawny removed her foot from the accelerator half way across. She let the engine idle for a few seconds as she wiped sweat away from her eyes.
Christ Tawny, you need to be able to see—
Tawny gave the thumbs up then resumed her snail-like progress. Mercy signalled fine adjustments to Tawny, and four long minutes later the DPV pulled away from the exposed section.
Tawny patted the passenger seat, “Get in, we’ve got places to go, people to see.”
In the distance the sound of gunfire echoed across the desert.
Shit. And people to rescue—
Chapter 10
Twin Arrows
“Everyone back on board. We’ll stick to the plan,” Mercy said. “Take us in to Twin Arrows, it’s about nine klicks that way.” Mercy pointed south west.
“Those gunshots… do you think they’ve been caught?” Annalise asked, over the engine noise.
“Who knows what that was? I’ll check the radio for any chatter. Tawny, keep your speed the same as before. I don’t want to bust an axle on this thing, not before we get to Twin Arrows anyway,” Mercy said. She picked up the radio and started scrolling through the channels.
The airwaves were full of static. Mercy threw the radio down in disgust, “We’ve been locked out. I reckon they know we’re out here, listening in. Assume the worst—”
“We’ll be at Twin Arrows in about an hour, we can hide the vehicle with the camo net and go in on foot. See what we can find,” Tawny said, her eyes on the desert ahead.
Mercy chewed her lip, “We’ve gotta be prepared for every eventuality. We should get the vehicle in as close as we can, we may need a quick getaway. We need intel, so yeah, after we’ve dumped the vehicle, we’ll go in on foot and scope the place out. The map says it’s some kind of hotel and casino, it may be abandoned or not. But we’re supposed to be meeting Barnes under the I-40 where it crosses the canyon there.” Mercy examined the map using her shielded head torch. “That’s about a klick west of the casino, so we may be able to avoid the casino completely.”
“No, I disagree, leave no stone unturned. We need to know what’s in front of us and what’s behind. I say we scope out the hotel and casino, even if it’s just to say it’s abandoned,” Rose called down from the gunner’s seat.
Mercy nodded, “Yeah, OK Rose. Agreed, you’re right, we’ll check it out, don’t worry.”
Fifty minutes later they drew near to the Twin Arrows site. A huge building stood silhouetted against the star studded sky. Tawny switched off the engine a hundred yards out and the DPV rolled to a halt. They clambered from the vehicle and fanned out, listening and watching, their senses alert.
No lights, no smoke, no noise, good so far—
Mercy approached Tawny, “Can you and Rose stay with the vehicle? If we need help you can drive in with Rose on the .50 cal up top. That’ll give us some support in case we’re rumbled. I’ll use this if we need you guys.” Mercy tapped the road flare in her webbing.
Tawny nodded, “Yeah, makes sense, use every asset to hand, and this vehicle sure is an asset. I’ll brief Rose.”
“OK… so me, Annalise, and Flynn will go in and take a closer look, see if there’s any sign of activity. If there’s nothing, we’re free to push on to Barnes’s rendezvous point,” Mercy said.
“I’ve got your back, don’t worry. We’ve also got this if we need it,” Tawny said, patting the M60 machine gun mounted in front of the passenger seat.
“Let’s hope we don’t need to use it,” Mercy said. She checked the time; 4:07 am.
It’ll be light in an hour or so. Get moving—
Mercy briefed Annalise and Flynn. They readied their weapons and crept forwards, their guns at the ready. Mercy stopped twenty yards out from the buildings, knelt down and looked through her binoculars. The casino seemed deserted. A few vehicles, all with flat tyres, lay abandoned in the large car park at the front of the casino.
OK, nothing out of the ordinary, so far so good—
Mercy stood up and moved nearer. The others followed close behind. They reached the centre of the carpark then moved towards the casino entrance. A set of vehicle headlights swerved around the corner of the casino on the left.
“Down,” Flynn hissed.
Mercy dropped to the ground and stared at the headlights, her hands gripping her AR-15. More headlights appeared. Three cars and a truck pulled up in front of the casino entrance twenty yards away. Mercy’s eyes narrowed.
Muscle cars, V8 engines, built for speed… and a military truck—
Two armed men got out of the second car and went to the lead car.
They’re talking, looks heated—
The lead car revved its engine and turned around. It sped off, disappearing around the corner of the casino.
We’re down to two cars and a truck—
A third man emerged from the last car and joined the other two men. They walked towards the truck.
So, three guys plus a truck driver and—?
The men went to the back of the truck and opened the tailgate.
“Get them out,” a harsh voice carried across the carpark.
A chill went down Mercy’s spine, she glanced at Flynn and Annalise.
I get a bad feeling about this—
Three hooded figures jumped down from the back of the truck. Their hands were tied behind their backs. The largest figure was chained by the neck to a long handling pole. A guard dropped down from the truck and grabbed the pole, yanking the prisoner toward the casino entrance.
Goddammit, that’s Barnes, Dimitri, and Jade—
Mercy gripped her rifle, her mind whirling. She took a deep breath.
Don’t let them take our people inside. Once they’re inside you’ll never get them out, it’ll be a labyrinth in there. Best settle it out here in the open with the element of surprise. I can’t call on Tawny, Rose’s .50 cal would shred everyone—
“On me,” Mercy whispered to Flynn and Annalise. “Spread out and make every shot count. Don’t hit our people. I count at least five hostiles. The truck driver is still behind the wheel. ”
The men were engrossed in the task at hand and had surrounded the prisoners. Mercy advanced, using an abandoned SUV as cover. Flynn shadowed Mercy to the rear of the truck and Annalise broke off, running low towards the truck driver’s door.
Breathe—
Mercy ran forwards, up close behind the three car men. She knelt down and aimed, then fired at the men’s torsos. Flynn’s rounds slammed into their backs a second after Mercy’s. A short burst of gunfire came from the driver’s cab. Flynn dashed past Mercy towards Barnes, who was on his knees gasping. His tormentor ran towards the casino entrance, shouting. Flynn shot the fleeing man twice in the back.
Keys, get the keys—
Mercy searched the men’s bodies and found both car and handcuff keys. She threw the car keys at Flynn, “You and Annalise get the motors started, I’ll free the prisoners.”
Flynn caught the keys and ran to Annalise. They dashed over to the two muscle cars. Mercy rushed to the hooded prisoners.
“Guys, it’s me, Mercy. Hold still while I get you free,” Mercy bent down and started unlocking Jade’s handcuffs.
Lights sprang on inside the casino. Mercy jerked her head up.
Shit, the flare, the flare—
She fumbled at her webbing. Gunfire erupted from a first floor window, then from the casino lobby. Armed figures streamed out of the entrance, some dressed, others half-dressed.
Goddammit. Fuck—
Mercy dropped the keys as bullets slammed into the asphalt around her. Rounds hit the truck behind her, finding its fuel tank. Mercy threw herself on top of Jade as the truck exploded, sending a tongue of fire into the air. Searing
heat scorched Mercy from behind.
Keep on—
The unmistakable sound of a .50 calibre machine gun tore through the night as Tawny’s DPV hurtled across the carpark. Rose sprayed three hundred rounds into the casino foyer and first floor, putting a brutal end to the firefight. Mercy retrieved the handcuff keys and freed Jade and Dimitri. They removed their hoods and rushed over to Barnes.
“Help me with him, take the pressure off his neck,” Mercy said, pulling the hood off Barnes’s head. She recoiled on seeing his swollen face.
Keep on—
Flynn lifted Barnes, taking the pressure off his neck. Barnes gasped and struggled against his restraints.
“Hold still Commander, we’ll get you out of this,” Mercy found the correct key and unlocked Barnes’s neck restraint and handcuffs.
Flynn pulled up in the 1977 Pontiac Firebird Esprit, its 305 V8 two-barrel Chevy engine growling with power.
“Here, help me get him in the car,” Mercy said, taking Barnes by the arm.
Jade and Dimitri assisted Mercy, and between them they managed to get Barnes into the Pontiac’s passenger seat.
Annalise revved the Dodge Charger’s V8 engine and pulled up alongside Flynn.
Jesus, this is turning into a vintage car rally—
Mercy pushed Jade and Dimitri towards the Dodge Charger, “Annalise will take you guys. I’m going with Tawny.”
Mercy ran over to the DPV and climbed into the passenger seat. A burst of gunfire came from the casino roof and tore into an abandoned SUV a few feet away.
“Get us the hell out of here Tawny,” Mercy looked up at the roof.
Oh fuck, rocket launcher—
Back in the DPV Rose aimed the .50 calibre machine gun at the roof and sprayed the area. A huge explosion ripped through the casino, sending debris into the sky. Tawny pressed her foot on the accelerator and sped away from the casino entrance towards the exit sign. Flynn and Annalise, their V8 engines roaring, followed close behind.
Well, we got our people back, but now everyone, including the dead, will hear us from miles away—
The Survival Chronicles | Book 8 | Final Mercy Page 6