“Answer it! You might not get another chance!” Beauregard ordered.
Reb answered the phone. “Hello? Can you hear what I’m saying?”
Parker responded on the other end. “Reb, I’ve been trying to reach you all day long. Is everything okay?”
Reb looked at her claw. “You could say I’m feeling a little crabby. Parker, I’m really glad you called. My phone hasn’t been working for several hours.”
“I noticed that. After a while, I hacked the server and digitally infiltrated your phone. It wasn’t easy, but I found a way to make your phone work,” Parker explained.
The attorney laughed. “You’re such a brilliant kid! My father would love your computer skills! Listen to me, Parker. My family and I are in a lot of trouble. Somebody attacked us and now we’re stranded in West Virginia’s nuclear zone.”
Parker was shocked. “That’s one of the most radioactive places in America! Why can’t you guys get in your vehicle and leave?”
“A colony of psychopaths totaled our limo’s engine. Most of the vehicles here are too old and they’re just pieces of junk. Do me a favor and call the police. We probably need a rescue team,” Reb demanded.
“I’ll get a hold of them right away. Don’t worry, Reb. You’re going to leave that state alive,” Parker said in a reassuring tone.
Reb bit her lower lip. “I’m sure you’re right. Look, I want you to know a few things, you’re a very important part of my life, even though we’re not related. Giles and I really care about you. Our culture faces a lot of animosity from those who choose discrimination instead of acceptance. Never be ashamed of your identity. Carry the Steampunk image with pride and make a difference in the world.”
Parker remained optimistic. “Reb, you’re not dying. I’ll contact the police, but that means I have to hang up the phone. Keep your phone available and I’ll find another way to make contact. Be safe, Reb.”
“I’m trying. Thanks for everything. Bye, Parker,” Reb said, before she ended the call.
Malcolm was impatient. “What did he say? I hope he’s sending someone to rescue us!”
“He’s going to contact the authorities. It’s out of my hands now,” Reb replied.
“That’s good, but it could take hours or days for help to arrive. I’m not even sure if the police or military will send a rescue party into this nuclear zone. They might decide it’s too hazardous,” Giles explained.
“Why do you always have to be such a downer? I felt really good until you said that,” Beauregard muttered.
Giles defended his words “It’s the truth! We need to stop Lionel and find a way to escape from this town! It’s our only choice!”
“How are we going to fight him? That guy is harnessing the power of a nuclear reactor!” Malcolm argued.
Reb took control. “None of that matters! We can improvise! It seems to work for us every time terrorists go crazy! We have the option of waiting around while Lionel destroys West Virginia, or we can stop him! Even if help eventually arrives, we need to deal with Lionel first!”
The rest of the group looked at each other.
“I guess you’re right. We need to keep heading toward the power plant and figure out a way to stop that lunatic,” Beauregard admitted.
They marched toward the nuclear plant and Giles said, “It might look grim, but I feel confident that we’re going to make a big difference.”
“I just hope we’re going to leave as human beings,” Malcolm grumbled.
Reb pulled out a syringe. “You’re such a crybaby. At least you’re not seafood.”
She injected the serum into her shoulder, prompting a quick transformation that returned her arm to normal. Reb flexed her fingers and looked at her hand.
Giles was relieved by the results. “That’s much better. How are you feeling?”
“Fine. I just wanted to end the mutation before these guys started to say wisecracks,” Reb replied.
“Don’t look at me. I wasn’t going to joke about that lobster claw because it terrified me,” Malcolm said.
The group became distracted when two cannibals attacked them. One of the cannibals had a tire iron and the other one wielded a butcher knife.
“These guys won’t leave us alone!” Beauregard growled.
Reb held up her metal weapons and Giles drew his gun. She swung the crowbar at the knife-wielding cannibal. He clumsily hobbled out of the way. Reb knew she could easily hit the cannibal with her baton or crowbar, but she also knew the results could be fatal. Instead, she decided to only scare him away.
Giles aimed to shoot the tire iron out of the other cannibal’s hands. He was interrupted when the cannibal swung his tire iron. Giles stepped out of the way and avoided contact.
Malcolm grabbed the knife-wielding assailant. “You’re not going anywhere! Drop the knife!”
“You win! I should have known this wouldn’t work because we’re outnumbered!” the cannibal complained while he dropped the knife.
Beauregard thought about using his belt as a weapon, but the second cannibal began to behave in a strange manner.
“What going on? My vision is getting really blurry! I can barely see!” the cannibal hollered.
The Steampunks stayed back while the cannibal blindly swung the tire iron around in the air. He accidentally smacked the trunk of a radiated tree. The impact caused a dry branch to break and fall on his head. It landed with a thud and killed the cannibal instantly.
Beauregard looked at the dead assailant. “One down. Now we have to deal with the second cannibal.”
The remaining enemy also displayed odd behavior. “My heart rate is really fast! I don’t understand why this happening!”
Sensing a problem, Malcolm promptly stepped away from cannibal. “You guys might want to stay away from him. Something isn’t right with this one.”
The terrorist wobbled around until he collapsed. His heart pounded uncontrollably. “I feel like my chest is being ripped open! Somebody, make it stop! I can’t bear the pain!”
Without warning, the assailant’s chest exploded and popped his ribcage open. The four Steampunks were astounded by the dramatic death scene.
“These cannibals really know how to make an impression. I’ve seen more than one cannibal pop wide open today,” Reb mentioned.
“It must be a reaction from long-term use of the anti-radiation serum,” Giles logically said.
Beauregard said, “I certainly hope that won’t happen to us.”
“You don’t have to freak out. The serum was specifically made for Steampunks. We can handle a lot of things that would be fatal to regular humans. For example, atomic power doesn’t kill us. It might change us into animal hybrids, but we can survive. However, the serum could be toxic to non-grafted humans,” Reb speculated.
Malcolm checked the time on his pocket watch. “We need to reach that power plant soon. I don’t want to be here after the sun sets. This town is creepy enough during the day.”
“I second that,” Beauregard replied, while the group continued to walk forward.
Chapter 20
Percy and the other three exited the office building. They heard men talking to each other. The foursome hid around a corner and waited for potential enemies to appear.
“I need you guys to be quiet. Somebody is heading in this direction. Hopefully they won’t see us,” Percy explained.
After a few moments passed, the Nelsons saw two masked men walking. They were arguing with each other.
“Lionel wants us to kill this group of Steampunks, but I’m really hungry! Why can’t we go back to the fridge and fix something to eat?” one of the cannibal’s griped.
His companion impatiently responded, “We’re running out of food! This is a whole group of Steampunks! Do you have any idea how much meat we can get from them?”
The other cannibal’s stomach rumbled. “Screw this! Maybe I’ll eat you instead!”
His companion stepped back. “Wait a minute! I’m not a Steampunk
! Think about it!”
“Shut up! I can’t wait anymore!” the other cannibal hollered.
The hungry cannibal chased his partner away from the office building. Percy and his family sighed with relief. Their victory seemed overly brief as Percy suddenly collapsed to the ground. The patriarch’s muscles and bones shape-shifted as radiation affected his body. Savannah grabbed a syringe and injected the serum into his wrist. Percy’s transformation ceased and he stood up again.
“Thanks, honey. It’s a good thing you still had the antidote,” Percy said, still feeling a bit dazed.
“Unfortunately, that was my last dose. We need to find a supply of serum very soon if we don’t want to get into bigger trouble,” Savannah replied.
Gable looked at the sky. “The color of the sky is changing. I think the sun is going to set soon. We should leave this office building and search elsewhere.”
They left the office building and wandered into a different section of the town. Along the way, they encountered an old sedan.
Priscilla looked through the window. “Does anybody know how to hot-wire a car?”
“That’s a trick Reb and Giles know. I hope they’re okay,” Savannah answered.
Percy examined the vehicle. “Computers and electronics are my specialty. However, cars are a completely different matter.”
Gable was starting to feel uncomfortable and tired. “Guys, I feel weird.”
The casino mogul lifted his sleeve and saw veins bulging out of his skin. They moved and shifted, but he quickly injected the serum into his wrist. It stopped the mutation and his veins returned to normal.
Priscilla placed her hand on Gable’s back. “Are you okay? That happened to me in the office building. It’s really painful.”
“You got that right,” Gable agreed.
Savannah placed her hands on her hips. “It will be faster if we just walk to the power plant. I don’t think we should waste time trying to figure out how to hot-wire this car.”
“The power plant is too dangerous. We don’t have enough serum to enter the power plant without turning into monsters,” Percy said firmly.
Savannah was becoming frustrated. “Well, I think we need to do something.”
Percy sat on a nearby bench. “We can pray and wait for a miracle.”
The rest of his family sat on the bench with him. All of them were exhausted and were starting to feel hopeless.
“Is this the end?” Priscilla asked.
Gable held her hand. “We still need to maintain hope.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and help will arrive,” Savannah said feebly.
Percy wrapped his left arm around her. “Yeah, I hope that happens too.”
*****
Meanwhile, Lionel walked unsteadily through the power plant. He suffered from hallucinations that were being created by both the radiation and the anti-radiation serum. The power plant had minimal lighting, leaving the corridor relatively dark. He saw violent images of his fallen crew members. Lionel tried to ignore the haunting images. He saw blurry colors that waved and flowed like water. Lionel barely remembered why he had entered the power plant.
“Why am I here? This place looks vaguely familiar to me. I recognize some of these signs and rooms,” the cannibal muttered.
He finally remembered his master plan and headed down a corridor to reach the main reactor.
*****
Back in Dallas, Parker spoke to an officer at the police station.
“It’s the truth! I’m not making this up! The operator on the phone didn’t believe me either, but this is serious!” Parker argued.
The police officer tried to keep the boy calm. “Look, we’re not going to send a rescue team all the way to West Virginia. Even if your friends are trapped in the nuclear zone, it would be too dangerous to send someone there.”
“You’re going to leave the Nelson family to die? They’re the American royal family! The Nelsons are icons of Steampunk culture! How can you abandon them? Besides, human beings found a way to survive in the radiation! My friends were attacked by a colony of psychopaths! That means people are hiding in the town! You need to find a solution!” Parker complained.
The police officer rolled his eyes. “Let me speak with my captain. We might be able to figure out a plan, but I’m not making you any promises.”
Parker crossed his fingers. “This should work in your favor. You’ll get really good publicity if this works out.”
*****
Reb, Giles, Malcolm, and Beauregard finally reached the power plant.
Beauregard stared at the ominous facility. “This place looks creepy. I’m not sure if this is a good idea.”
“It’s a crazy idea, but we’re running out of options. I need a couple of people to keep watch near the entrance. Malcolm, you and Beau can guard the power plant while I find Lionel,” Giles suggested.
Malcolm nodded his head. “We’ll be okay. I’m a lot more worried about you guys.”
“Somebody needs to stop this psycho killer. He could create a second Apocalypse, and that’s not happening while I’m still alive,” Giles boldly stated.
Beauregard patted Giles on the back. “Come back in one piece. I don’t want to hire another agent.”
Giles turned his attention to Reb. “Truthfully, I would ask you to stay out of harm’s way, but that’s not your style. You appear to be dressed for battle.”
Reb tightened her gas mask. “I was victimized once during the Apocalypse. That’s how I got this nifty limp. I’m not going to be a victim anymore. Let’s go, tough guy. We need to catch Lionel and stop his plan.”
Giles placed his hand on her shoulder. “I agree with you. Thanks for being brave for me.”
The couple entered the power plant while Malcolm and Beauregard waited outside.
“Do you think they’re going to make it out alive?” Beauregard asked.
“Not a chance,” Malcolm said in a somber tone.
Chapter 21
Reb hooked the crowbar onto her belt and then she held Giles’ hand. She tried to be confident, even though it was a nerve-racking experience. Luckily, the mask conveniently hid her facial expression.
They walked slowly and quietly though the power plant’s corridor. It was an old building that was nearly falling apart. Some of the doors were dusty, while others were coated with rust. A few of the offices and laboratories were exposed because the doors had come unhinged several years prior. The air was odorless, but it was stuffy and muggy, with a thick layer of heat. Reb and Giles saw several emblems on the walls and doors, including radiation symbols.
“I guess we need to find the main reactor. If Lionel is going to create a nation full of mutants, he’ll need a massive amount of atomic power,” Giles mentioned.
“That sounds like a logical explanation. I’m not going to lie about this face off. We’ve seen a lot of adventures and a lot of danger, but this environment is freaky,” Reb explained.
Giles squeezed her hand. “You don’t like to be vulnerable. The radioactivity puts all Steampunks in a vulnerable situation.”
Soon, they reached a fork in the corridor. It split into two hallways that went to the right and left.
“Great. Now there are two options. We should probably split up to save time, but I’m really worried about that,” Reb muttered.
Giles tried to be sensible. “Me too. There’s a lot more at stake than our individual lives. We need to do the right thing for this particular issue.”
Reb pulled out her crowbar. “Yeah, I guess that means we need to head in separate directions. I’ll take the right corridor and you can head to the left.”
Suddenly, they heard Lionel cackle on an intercom. “You’re a very cute couple. It’s too bad that you’ll mutate into hideous monsters. You won’t be able to save anyone. My plan is going to work and then West Virginia will plunge into chaos!”
“How can you see us? Surrender now, before we find you!” Giles demanded.
“I have surv
eillance monitors scattered throughout the town. How do you think I was able to stay ahead of you this entire time? Actually, I’m glad that you’re pursuing me. It makes me feel like an enemy worthy of being feared,” Lionel said in a menacing tone.
Reb became angry. “Steampunks are the dominant species on this plant. You’re just not getting the hint! Do you really think cannibals are going to inherit the earth? We just need to prove that you’re another pathetic and power hungry jerk!”
“I like your spunk. Come and get me. It should be very interesting,” Lionel replied.
The intercom went silent.
Giles furrowed his eyebrows. “This guy is becoming more unstable by the minute. I’ll catch up with you when this is over. Before we part ways, I want to get a little bit of reassurance. I really love you, but it’s difficult for me to show at times. So, I just want you to know that my feelings are real.”
Reb wasn’t sure how to respond to his confession. “Of course I know that you love me. I never disputed that. Look, I’m wearing a gas mask. This is a terrible way to have a final declaration of love. You should save the romance for when I look a bit more presentable. I know you’re a really strong and courageous man. If you see Lionel, I feel confident that you’ll finish the job. I’ll see you when this ordeal is done.”
Giles nodded his head. “All right, I’ll take that response. Be careful, Reb.”
They entered their respective corridors and hunted for Lionel.
Reb hobbled down the hallway and quickly caught sight of her enemy. She tried to pursue him, but her limp was a hindrance. Lionel hurried ahead and pulled a handgun out of his holster. He turned around and pointed the firearm at Reb.
“So, you’re the one who’s going to face me? I was hoping it would be your husband,” Lionel taunted.
He fired several bullets into Reb’s torso. The bullets pierced her clothes and became wedged in the grafted mesh.
Reb looked down at the bullet holes. “You’re going to attack me with bullets? That’s not a very effective way to fight a Steampunk.”
The Post-Apocalyptic Society: A Nelson and Hyde Vendetta Page 11