I feel so tired and sick. However, I also feel liberated. I don’t have to face conformity or stupidity from the Steampunks in this nuclear zone. So many people tried to kill the Steampunks, but their methods weren’t good enough. It’s so simple. Why can’t we just eat them? Steampunks aren’t real people. They’re so plentiful, and eating them would be a great way to keep their population in check. Steampunks are the size of human beings and they’ll have plenty of meat on those metallic bones. I have more radiation burns today. Maybe that’s why I feel sick.
Priscilla found this passage disturbing. “This is repulsive. The radiation must be decomposing his brain.”
“It’s a pity. These men were probably brilliant scientists, with extremely high IQs and degrees from prestigious universities. Now they’re not much better than zombies,” Percy said.
The final page and most recent passage only repeated a single line:
Kill the Steampunks! Kill the Steampunks! Kill the Steampunks!
Kill the Steampunks! Kill the Steampunks! Kill the Steampunks!
Kill the Steampunks! Kill the Steampunks! Kill the Steampunks!
Savannah did not appreciate the last page. “Well, I think we’re in a lot of trouble. We need to find the rest of our group before they become dinner.”
Meanwhile, two cannibals armed with handguns walked through the town.
“I heard there’s a group of Steampunks who are stranded here. This is our chance to get a big supply of food,” one of the cannibals mentioned.
His companion responded, “I can’t wait to get one of them. My last kill was two weeks ago.”
The two criminals were surprised when they saw Beauregard’s mutated form step into view. He sniffed the air and growled at them.
One of the cannibals aimed his gun at the monster. “What is that creature? It looks like a wolf, except uglier!”
“It’s a lot bigger than a wolf too!” the second cannibal yelled.
Both of them fired their weapons, but the bullets ricocheted off the wolf’s grafted body. It barked and charged at them.
“Let’s get out of here!” one of the cannibals hollered. Then they ran away from the beast.
Beauregard chased them to the gas station. Both of the villains hid behind an old gas pump and waited for the wolf to come closer. The mutant sniffed the air and was uneasy from the scent of gasoline.
“It’s distracted! Shoot the darn thing!” one of the criminals ordered the other one.
The two cannibals fired their handguns at the monstrous wolf. Some of the bullets penetrated another gas pump and caused a massive explosion. The beast fled from the explosion but the two cannibals were incinerated.
Malcolm and Reb heard the explosion.
“Did you hear that?” Malcolm asked Reb.
Reb kept her baton and crowbar handy. “Yeah, that didn’t sound good. I hope my relatives aren’t getting into any trouble. We need to keep moving.”
After they walked a short distance, Reb started to feel lightheaded and she wobbled from one side to the other.
Malcolm grabbed her shoulder. “You seem unsteady.”
Reb’s arm began to mutate. She clutched her left arm while the muscles and bones shape-shifted. “Not again! I knew the radiation would trigger another mutation!”
Malcolm didn’t know how to help her. “Reb, I don’t have any serum! Those cannibals stole it from me when I was captured in the basement! That’s why I turned into a monster! Just hang in there! Maybe it will stop!”
Reb pulled out a syringe, but she was disappointed when she took a good look at it. “You’ve got to be kidding me! This syringe is only half full!”
“It’s better than nothing! Hang on, Reb!” Malcolm took the needle from her and then he injected the serum into her wrist.
Unfortunately, it didn’t stop the transformation.
“It’s not working! We needed a full dose!”
Reb’s arm suddenly transformed and became a large lobster claw. Malcolm was speechless when he saw the mutation.
She stared at her red claw. “Screw me!”
Chapter 16
Giles found a pile of clothes next to a tree. He immediately recognized them as Beauregard’s attire and then he thought about the hideous wolf. Ironically, Beauregard returned to the neighborhood in his mutated form right at that moment.
Giles backed away from the beast as he said, “Beau, I know it’s you. Stop and think about what you’re doing. I want to help you. There’s a cure for this mutation.”
The hybrid ignored his lecture and howled. It raced toward Giles, prompting the attorney for run away from his attacker. Giles slid underneath a car but the wild animal quickly found him. Beauregard barked and growled as he clawed at the bottom of the vehicle. Giles lie very still as he waited for the creature to leave. The wolf lunged at the car and shook it with his massive weight. Giles realized the car would probably topple over. He crawled away from the car and ran further down the sidewalk. The monstrous wolf climbed on top of the car and then it leaped onto the pavement. Giles found a metal ladder that was propped against a house. He climbed the ladder to reach higher ground, but the deformed animal knocked it over. Giles fell on the lawn and looked directly up at his attacker. He quickly removed a syringe from his utility belt. The wolf pounced on Giles and the Steampunk injected the serum into the mutant’s neck.
Beauregard howled and stumbled away from Giles. The creature transformed into human form while his bones and muscles shifted. Giles got up and quickly hurried to fetch Beauregard’s clothes. He picked up the articles of clothing and ran back to Beauregard. The Frenchman completed his transformation to his normal form as he writhed on the lawn. Giles covered the artist with his clothes.
“The sun is so bright. Where am I?” Beauregard wondered out loud.
“We’re still in the nuclear zone. Do you remember coming here?” Giles inquired.
Beauregard sat up and starting dressing. “I remember this godforsaken town, but I’m not sure why I’m naked and lying on the lawn. By the way, I feel leery around people who wear gas masks in this neighborhood. Is that you, Giles? The accent sounds familiar.”
“I’m glad you recognize my accent and smooth baritone voice. You experienced one of those mutations. It was a crazy situation. You turned into a gruesome wolf. It didn’t seem like you had any control. I stopped you from attacking Percy and Gable. You chased me through this neighborhood,” Giles explained.
Beauregard finished putting on his clothes. “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. Truthfully, I don’t remember the mutation. Is everyone okay?”
Giles couldn’t give him a straight answer. “I’m not sure. You didn’t hurt anyone in my family, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t kill a few cannibals along the way. Not that I feel sorry for them.”
Beauregard put on his hat. “I don’t have any more serum. We should find the others before another transformation happens.”
“I agree. My supply is running low,” Giles replied.
The two Steampunks hurried off to search for the others.
*****
Meanwhile, Lionel contacted his followers through a communication device he wore on his wrist. He held the device close to his mouth and said, “Attention, gentleman. This is your leader, Lionel. A squad of Steampunks is invading our research area. I need you to kill the intruders before they disrupt my master plan. This should be a huge motivation for all of you because they’ll provide enough meat to last for months. So dispose of these enemies and enjoy your meals.”
The remaining cannibals heard Lionel’s message on their wristbands. All of them grabbed weapons and hunted for the Steampunks.
Elsewhere, Reb pouted about her new appendage. “This sucks! I’ve been turned into a lobster woman! Why couldn’t it be something cool like a lion or something? Those cannibals are going to boil me alive and serve me with drawn butter!”
“At least you’re partially human. Granted, it won’t last very long. We’re out of serum,�
�� Malcolm grumbled as they wandered through the town.
“Unfortunately, I had to waste a dose on you!” Reb argued.
Malcolm became angry. “That wasn’t my fault! I had my syringes until the cannibals stole them!”
Reb looked at her claw and snapped it a few times. “We’re wasting time. For once, I need you to think intelligently. Where do you think my family went?”
Malcolm shrugged. “They’ll probably go somewhere with shelter or supplies.”
“You know what? I have a feeling they’ll go to the shopping center or a business complex. Unfortunately, that’s on the other side of town. We need a quick way to get there. I think we need to hot-wire a vehicle,” Reb explained.
*****
As Reb predicted, Percy, Savannah, Gable, and Priscilla were approaching the town’s business complex.
“What do you think we’ll find here?” Gable asked.
“Hopefully, we’ll find a source of communication. These small businesses should have phone lines and computers with access to the internet,” Percy replied.
Savannah grabbed Percy’s left arm. “I hear footsteps. Somebody followed us here.”
Two cannibals stepped into their view. One of them was armed with a double-barreled shotgun and the second cannibal wielded a sledgehammer.
“Four Steampunks. I’ve never seen so much meat in one place,” the one holding the gun said.
Priscilla was insulted. “Who are you calling meat? At least call us something a little more tasteful.”
“I’m sure you’ll taste just fine. You might outnumber us, but we don’t have a choice. This is a rare opportunity and we’re literally starving in this town,” the other cannibal commented.
Percy looked at Savannah. “We can take the one who has a shotgun.”
Savannah nodded her head and said, “Definitely.”
Gable placed his hand on Priscilla’s shoulder. “I guess that means we’re taking the guy with a sledgehammer.”
“Why not? I can think of more frightening weapons,” Priscilla responded smugly.
The shotgun wielder fired two shots at Percy and Savannah, and successfully nailed them in the abdominal region. They fell on the ground, slightly stunned.
Savannah looked at the black soot on her outfit. “Sometimes, I forget how much these bullets hurt.”
Gable and Priscilla kept a close eye on the man with the hammer. Priscilla drew her signature fan, while Gable pulled a throwing knife out of his belt.
“This is your last chance to turn back,” Gable warned.
The cannibal raised his hammer in a menacing manner. “Shut up! I’m not going to run away from my primary food source! We’ve been killing Steampunks for a long time!”
“Yes, we noticed the mass grave,” Priscilla muttered.
The cannibal ran toward the couple and swung his hammer. Gable and Priscilla dodged the hammer’s blows. The thug slid across the dirt while he struggled to hold the heavy hammer. Gable threw one of his knives and injured the cannibal’s left bicep. The assailant looked at the knife that protruded from his arm.
“That’s not going to help you. I lost the feeling in my muscles weeks ago,” the cannibal gloated.
Gable raised his eyebrows. “Seriously?”
The cannibal charged at them again. This time, Gable and Priscilla ran closer to the business complex. After they got closer to the building, their attacker swung his hammer again and broke a window.
“You’re a pesky one. Maybe we can help you,” Priscilla said, then she held up her metal fan.
The cannibal coughed. “We’re beyond help at this point. Nobody can be exposed to this much atomic power without facing consequences.”
He swung his hammer at her, but she swiftly ran out of the way. The hammer slammed into a door and knocked it down. He chased the couple around the side of the building.
Gable pulled out another knife. “This one is going in your neck! You’ll be a dead man, even if you can’t feel anything!”
“We’ll see about that!” the assailant growled, and ran toward Gable, swinging his hammer.
The casino owner dove out of the way and the cannibal struck a power box with his sledgehammer. An electrical current surged through the masked man. He fell on the ground as steam emitted from his body.
Priscilla folded her fan. “I suppose it’s not bad for him to die from electrocution, considering he doesn’t feel anything.”
The shotgun wielder reloaded his weapon, and walked closer to Percy and Savannah.
“Look, you’re not going to kill us with that gun! We can handle bullets!” Percy argued.
Before the cannibal could say anything, he felt a splitting headache. He dropped the gun and clutched his head. “What’s going on? This is the worst headache ever! Make it stop!”
Percy and Savannah stood and stared at the cannibal.
“What’s wrong with him?” Savannah asked.
“All of these cannibals should have died when they were exposed to the radioactivity. Maybe he’s having a reaction to the serum,” Percy speculated.
The criminal collapsed to the ground and writhed in pain. He ripped the mask off and howled, “I can’t take it! Please, kill me!”
His eyeballs exploded and then he lie motionless on the ground.
Savannah was taken aback by the grisly sight. “That was super nasty.”
Gable and Priscilla caught up with them.
“What happened to this guy?” Priscilla asked.
“An unfortunate side effect of the anti-radiation serum,” Percy answered.
Gable was confused. “That doesn’t make any sense. Our eyeballs don’t explode when we use the antidote.”
“It was specifically made for us. Regular humans can’t handle the combination of radiation and serum. It appears to create an unstable reaction in their bodies,” Percy explained.
“Well, they had it coming. What should we do next?” Gable said in an unsympathetic tone.
Savannah looked at the business complex. “Let’s finish our task and explore this office building. I just hope we won’t see more of those cannibals.”
Chapter 17
Reb broke a car window with her claw and then opened the driver’s side door. “Have you ever hot-wired a car before?’
Malcolm shook his head. “No, I never had the pleasure.”
“That’s very disappointing. You were such a troublemaker when we were teenagers. Why didn’t you have the balls to steal a car?” Reb grumbled.
“I was too busy getting high and playing football. You know that,” Malcolm bluntly said.
Reb clumsily tried to hot-wire the vehicle with her right hand. She held up one of the wires. “Hold onto this wire. I’m going to cross the circuit.”
“Sure,” Malcolm replied as he took the wire.
Reb used her good hand to grab another wire and crossed it with the one Malcolm held. The engine turned over, delighting the two Steampunks.
“Yes! Sometimes, a little teamwork pays off!” Reb declared.
Malcolm looked at her claw. “Obviously, I have to drive. Hop in the passenger seat and we can head to the other side of town.”
Reb hurried to the passenger side and entered the car. “Fine with me. I need you to floor it because we’re out of serum. Believe it or not, the day could get much worse.”
Malcolm put the car in reverse. “I agree with that.”
He pulled out of the driveway and the pair quickly drove down the street.
Giles and Beauregard were in another suburb where they examined one of the grafted pillars that was fastened to a home’s roof. They grabbed a metal ladder, carried it to one of the houses, and propped it up against the roof.
Giles climbed up the ladder and said, “Those pillars are Steampunk technology. I have a feeling they’re responsible for our communication problems.”
“Why do you think that?” Beauregard asked.
Giles reached the roof and looked at the iron pillar. “Those cannibals
might be mindless freaks now, but they were research scientists at one point. I recognize grafted metal. Like many of our enemies, they’re using Steampunk technology against us. There’s a reason why those maniacs want the pillars to be indestructible. If they disrupt the phone lines, people like us won’t be able to call for help.”
Beauregard kept the ladder steady. “Maybe we can knock them down.”
“I’m going to try,” Giles said, as he gripped the pillar with his hands.
He pulled on the pillar, but it didn’t move. Giles pulled much harder, but the ladder swayed from his effort.
“Careful! You don’t want to fall over!” Beauregard warned.
Giles sighed in frustration. “I’m going to try pushing the pillar instead.”
He pushed the metal pillar, but it remained completely still. In a final effort, Giles pulled out his Steampunk pistol and fired a bullet at the pillar. Naturally, the bullet bounced off the pillar.
“This isn’t working. We probably need bigger tools,” Beauregard suggested.
Giles climbed down the ladder. “I think we need something more specialized. Regular tools or weapons won’t help. We also need to find more serum to keep the radiation in check. Let’s keep searching the town and hopefully we’ll get some results.”
The two men hurried away from the house to search for answers.
*****
Meanwhile, Lionel and two of his minions walked toward the nearby power plant. His crew members complained during their trek.
“It’s too hot! Why couldn’t we take a vehicle?” one of the cannibals whined.
Lionel unsympathetically answered, “The Steampunks might see us if we drive around. You’ll just have to tough it out.”
The other cannibal pulled off his gas mask and wiped sweat off his mangled face. “I’m tired, hungry, and sick. When are we going to find a cure for our problems?”
“We can’t worry about that until the Steampunks are toast. I thought the anti-radiation serum would keep us healthy, but it seems to be damaging our bodies,” Lionel lectured.
One of the cannibals pushed his companion. “You shouldn’t complain about hunger! I always remember you being a pig and stealing most of the meat!”
The Post-Apocalyptic Society: A Nelson and Hyde Vendetta Page 9