by M. R. Forbes
“Not really.”
The door screamed closed behind them. Pine vanished into the suite’s pantry, while Grimly moved to stand in front of her.
“Me and my crew have been talking a bit about our situation,” he said, looming over her. Maybe she was wrong about which man was the better killer?
“Situation?” she asked.
“We lost half our squad in that trife attack and all but the transport and one other vehicle in the convoy. Plus your hump-buddy, Ghost. To be honest, if I hadn’t been here, I don’t think anyone would have survived.”
“You have a pretty high opinion of yourself.”
“For good reason. Be that as it may, we’re of a mind to head back to Sanisco and call it a massive failure. It wouldn’t be the first time a convoy didn’t make it out to Ports. Grepping King is out of his mind the way he keeps sending us out here to die.”
Pine emerged from the pantry carrying a bottle and four glasses. He put them down on the table beside the bed, opening the bottle and pouring a deep red liquid out.
“That leaves us with an interesting choice,” Grimly said as Pine handed him one of the glasses.
He offered it to Natalia, but she didn’t move.
“Take it!” he screamed, right in her face. Her body started to shake on its own as she reached out for the glass. He smiled. “Thank you.”
Pine handed him a second glass. Then the three Scrappers converged.
“Cheers,” Grimly said.
He clinked glasses with them, and then with her. She stood in one place, frightened and shocked, while they downed the liquid.
“You too, bitch,” Mable said. “It’ll make it all so much better for you.”
“What do you mean by interesting choice?” Natalia asked, keeping her eyes on Grimly. Were they all planning on attacking her?
“One the one hand,” he said, raising the empty glass while Pine refilled it. “We can do whatever we want to you, kill you, and leave you out near the scene of the attack, and King will never know what’s what.” He smiled like he had just offered her candy. “On the other hand, he might appreciate having you back enough that not hurting you will be worth it in the long run.”
Natalia’s heart thumped harder in her chest. She looked over at Mable. “How could you be part of this?” she asked.
“I don’t like you,” Mable said. “You made me look like an idiot back there. I want to humiliate you the way you humiliated me.”
“We’ve spent time with King’s Engineers before,” Grimly said. “They’re all so high and mighty. They think they know every little grepping thing about all the shit.”
“You’re just like them,” Mable said. “And I don’t care that much about the long run. Who’s to say we’ll even make it back to Sanisco alive?”
“Yeah,” Pine said, downing another glass of wine. “I’ve never seen trife like those before. Big greppers, they were. Grepping evolution. Let’s just get her clothes off. I’ve always wanted to put it to an Engineer.”
“Now, now,” Grimly said, putting up his free hand. “Let’s not be too quick to make a decision. Let’s give our guest a chance to convince us to let her go.”
Natalia stared at him. She had prepared herself for the likelihood the Oversergeant would rape her. She hadn’t been expecting them to decide to kill her and go back to King with the bad news. She closed her eyes, the tears welling up. She wasn’t going to get the vengeance she wanted. She wasn’t even going to survive the night.
“Aww, it’s okay, sweetie,” Grimly said. “We’ll be gentle.”
“No we won’t,” Mable said.
All three of them laughed.
Natalia couldn’t breathe. She wanted to drop dead so she wouldn’t have to experience whatever these monsters were planning. Why the hell did Ghost have to go and die?
“Does that mean we’ve made our decision?” Pine asked, putting the wine bottle down.
“I think it does,” Mable said.
“I would have brought you back to King,” Grimly said, leaning his face in close to hers. “But I guess I’m overruled.”
He reached up, putting a rough hand on the side of her face.
She needed to stay calm. If she could get to the door, if she could hold out long enough for it to open...
Then what?
She would run right into the rest of Grimly’s squad. Did she think they would help her? They’d probably prefer to watch.
If they were going to kill her, maybe she could make them kill her quickly.
She swung the arm holding the glass, hitting it against the footboard of the bed. It shattered in her hand, part of it cutting her palm but also leaving her with a sharp object. She lashed out at Grimly, but he caught her wrist easily.
“Oh, look at this,” Grimly said, laughing. “She’s got some real spirit.”
He pulled her arm to his face, taking the glass out of her hand with his teeth, so much stronger than her she couldn’t even move it to slice his lip. He spit it onto the floor, and then licked the blood from her wound.
“Mmmm,” he said. “Delicious.”
He shifted his grip, putting his arms under hers. He lifted her up and back, throwing her onto the bed like she was a doll. The tears sprang from her eyes, but she swore to herself she wouldn’t beg, and she wouldn’t make a sound.
Grimly climbed onto the bed after her, reaching for the clasps to her armor. He started unzipping it, spreading it aside. Pine got in her face, leaning in next to her and licking her cheek.
The tears rolled from her cheeks as Grimly’s massive hands reached for her undershirt. She shifted her eyes to the ceiling, gazing up past them, refusing to watch what they were going to do to her.
The door began to squeal, sliding open on its rusted tracks. All three of the Scrappers froze, turning their heads toward it.
“I thought I said privacy!” Grimly shouted.
Natalia lifted her head, trying to see past him. He was too big to look around.
She had to settle for watching a knife blossom from Mable’s throat.
“Shit,” Grimly said, rolling off her.
She looked at the doorway. Ghost was standing in it. His suit was torn and bloody, his hair ragged, his face tired.
But he was alive.
“I don’t remember giving you permission to touch her, Oversergeant,” Ghost said calmly, entering the room.
Undersergeant Pine slid off the bed, standing next to it. Mable finally collapsed, unable to breathe past the blade in her neck.
“You weren’t here,” Grimly replied. “It was an executive decision.”
“She’s under my protection,” Ghost said.
Pine’s hand was working its way toward the revolver still on his hip. Did Ghost see him?
“Yeah, I guess she is. Why couldn’t you just die out there like a good little bastard?”
“I was willing to believe you kicked me by accident,” Ghost said.
“That’s because you’re an idiot,” Grimly replied.
His hand moved for his hip, toward the gun there. Natalia barely saw Ghost move, but a moment later Grimly had a knife sticking through the palm of his hand. Pine made a similar move and suffered a worse fate. A blade sprouted in his chest, another in his stomach, and a third into his neck, sending blood spraying over Natalia and the bed.
She held back her nausea, watching as the big Oversergeant charged Ghost, pulling the knife from his hand as he did. It looked like a toothpick in his grip, and he swung it at the other man, who ducked low, turning and kicking out, hitting Grimly in the knee with a heavy clang.
Ghost seemed surprised by the result. Grimly laughed, throwing a hard fist at the Courier that almost took his head off. He sidestepped again, throwing a round of punches into the huge man’s ribs. Grimly ignored them, retaliating with another punch of his own.
Ghost ducked and backed away, maneuvering around the man. Natalia overcame her shock, looking to her right where Pine had fallen. His revolver was
on the floor next to him.
She scrambled off the bed, landing beside it at the same time Grimly rushed Ghost, managing to catch him with his shoulder. He was so big and strong the glancing blow sent the smaller man into the wall, a tree trunk leg angling for his face. He ducked beneath it in a wide split, producing another knife from his belt. Grimly’s leg hit the wall with enough force that it dented inward, dust spreading from the impact.
Ghost’s knife went up and into the soldier’s thigh, the tip breaking as it struck hard metal.
“Replacements,” Grimly said, his next kick catching Ghost in the stomach and lifting him a meter into the air. Ghost landed face down; the breath knocked out of him. “Grepping trife cut off both my legs the last time I made a run to Ports. It’s King’s twisted sense of humor to fix me up and send me back out this way.”
Ghost didn’t move. The Sergeant had probably cracked his ribs.
Natalia picked up Pine’s revolver. It was slick with his blood, but she managed to grip it in both hands, raising it in front of her face the way Hayden taught her.
Grimly noticed the motion, turning his head to look at her. He smiled.
“I’ll be with you in one second, sweetie.”
He reached down, grabbing Ghost by the neck and lifting, easily powering him up and off the ground.
“I didn’t just lose my legs, asshole,” Grimly said. “And they don’t make replacement cocks. King cost me my manhood. I’m going to take his favorite Courier in payment.”
Ghost’s eyes shifted to Natalia. She held the gun steady. She should wait for the man to die and then shoot and be rid of both of them. Then again, how many of Grimly’s squad were still outside.
“Grimly,” Natalia said, getting his attention.
“What is it, sweetie?” Grimly asked, looking back at her again.
She pulled the trigger. The first round hit him square in the chest. So did the second, the third, and the fourth. Ghost fell from his grip, and he stumbled back. The fifth round hit in him the shoulder. The sixth and final shot took him in the head.
He bounced against the wall and crumpled to the ground.
“My husband was a fucking Sheriff,” she said, dropping the weapon on the floor.
She reached down and closed her armor before rising and walking over to Ghost. Her whole body was shaking and weak, her legs like rubber. He looked at her as neared, a smile creasing his face.
“I was supposed to save you,” he said.
She fell to her knees beside him, grabbing one of his knives from his belt. She held it up to her face, and then reached out, placing the blade against his neck.
“Wait,” Ghost said. “Natalia, wait.”
“I should kill you,” she said, her shock rapidly shifting to a fresh round of anger.
“You need me,” he said.
“For what?” she asked.
“To get us out of here. To keep you alive. Grimly’s Scrappers are dead. All of them, between the trife and me. We’re between Sanisco and Ports. You can’t make it on your own.” He coughed, spitting out blood. “Right now, neither can I.”
“I’ll take my chances with the trife,” she said.
“Will you? You’ll die for sure. You can’t kill King if you’re dead.”
“You said you would stop me if I tried.”
“A deal,” he replied. “You spare my life, and I’ll give you one chance. I won’t help you, but I won’t stop you.”
“You can’t be trusted. None of you can be trusted.”
“You have my word. That’s all I can offer.”
Natalia stared at him. Into his eyes, searching for the truth. If he truly believed King was a god, then there was no way she could kill him anyway. What was the harm in letting her try? He was right, anyway. She couldn’t survive out here alone. He had made it through the trife and into the bunker. He had proven he was a survivor.
“I can kill you right now,” she said. “If you’re a god, how is that possible?”
He tried to laugh but wound up coughing more. “Define god, Natalia.”
“Can you walk?” she asked, instead.
“I’ll be ready to go by daybreak. I need to bandage my ribs and get some rest. Those trife were mean.”
“Are we safe here?”
He nodded. “Yes. I have no desire to harm you. If you want to clean up, there’s a shower in the back.”
“I saw it.”
He nodded. “You’re a deadly angel, Natalia Duke.”
“Thank you for saving my life,” she replied.
“Do we have a deal then?”
She had a feeling she would regret it, but she nodded.
“Yes. We have a deal.”
She dropped the knife on the floor in front of him, stood up, and walked away.
25
NATALIA ONLY STAYED in King’s suite long enough to shower, remaining under the heated water for a long time while she let her mind work through the experience of almost being attacked, and then killing a man. She didn’t regret doing it. Grimly was rotten to the core. But Hayden had spoken to her multiple times about his emotions when he accidentally killed Frank Harris, and using the gun on the Oversergeant had given her new insight into how it made him feel.
She put the light armor back on after she finished the shower, finding a clean, oversized shirt in the room to wear beneath it. It took some time to smooth it out so it wouldn’t chafe, but it was preferable to her torn and bloody undershirt. It was bad enough the armor had a blood stain on it from Pine’s wound. A stain that would probably never come out.
After that, she gathered the belt from Pine’s corpse, and the revolver from Grimly’s hip. Ghost had every chance to take the weapon, but he had left it. Intentionally.
She found another three dozen or so bullets to feed the weapon stuffed into the Scrapper’s pockets, along with some scraps of paper with the eagle and star logo stamped on the side. She shoved all of it into storage areas on the armor, and then finally made her way out into the bunker.
The smell was bad, and it was getting worse by the minute. It was immediately obvious why. Dead Scrappers lined the corridor to the barracks, more in the garage, and a few more in the mess. There had to be fifteen in all. Not every Scrapper was dead. She passed five or six soldiers, the ones who had greeted them when they entered, carrying mops and working to collect the dead. They didn’t even look up at her when she walked by, no doubt wanting to stay on Ghost’s good side.
She could hardly believe one man had done this much damage, and that was after already having seen Ghost fight. It wasn’t only the Scrappers inside. He had gotten through the mass of trife to enter the place. Why wouldn’t he leave her a gun? It wasn’t as though it gave her an edge over him. Besides, they had come to an understanding. For now.
Then she returned to the barracks. Each room had four bunks in it. The first one she opened was unoccupied, so she entered, pulling a storage crate in front of the door before laying down on one of the bunks. The mattresses and blankets were old and worn and had a musty smell she didn’t like. It didn’t matter. She was tired enough to sleep through anything.
She took the revolver out of its holster and placed it on the mattress beside her. The crate would give her early warning if someone tried to enter. She didn’t think anyone would. Not with Ghost around.
It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.
Ghost was sitting on the bunk opposite her when she woke. He looked refreshed, his hair freshly cut, his suit mended. Or maybe he had a spare already stored here? He smiled when he saw her looking.
“Good morning, Natalia,” he said. “Did you sleep well?”
“I guess so,” she replied. “How long?”
“Six hours. It’s daytime, though it’s raining today.”
She pushed herself up, collecting the revolver and putting it back in its holster. “You didn’t trip over the crate,” she said.
He smiled. “I don’t rush into places without looking. But it was a
good idea. Most people do. Are you hungry?”
She realized she was. She nodded.
“Good. I’ve got food waiting. There’s a toilet down the hall if you need. Did you find the mess?”
She nodded again.
“I’ll be waiting for you there.”
He stood up, trying to hide the pain of the motion from her and almost managing. He took a few steps toward the door before stopping and looking back at her.
“I’m sorry about Grimly.”
“It wasn’t your fault. King’s maybe, but not yours.”
He didn’t respond, leaving the room.
She got up and followed him out. She was immediately surprised to find the hallway had been cleared of corpses, scrubbed and cleaned. It even had a fresh scent to it that made it not feel like a military bunker at all.
She found the toilet before heading back to the mess. Like the barracks, the entire place had been cleaned, the bodies removed. To where? Did it matter? She entered the mess, immediately noticing the smell of cooking meat. Ghost was sitting at one of the tables. A plate had already been set out for her. She didn’t recognize anything on it.
She sat down. “What is this?” she asked, pointing at the plate.
He smiled. “You really don’t know, do you? What do you eat, on the Pilgrim?”
“Nutrient bars, mostly. Made from filtered waste, mixed with complex proteins, carbs, and minerals stored in huge vats near Engineering. We can grow meat from stem cells, but it’s a delicacy reserved for the upper class.”
“I imagine being an Engineer makes you upper class?”
“Yes. Being the wife of a Sheriff does the same.”
“All of this must be quite a change for you.”
“You have no idea.”
“There are some benefits to being part of the world again.” He motioned to the plate. “Fresh eggs laid this morning. Bacon. Bread. Eat it slowly. I’m not sure how your system will handle real food.”
She picked up her fork and stabbed the eggs, lifting them to her nose. “The smell is interesting.” She put them in her mouth. The taste was interesting, too. She was so used to bland, the amount of flavor was nearly overwhelming.