Looking up at the hotel from the ground, his first thought was for Tom and Bowie. Another explosion blew out the wall of the room he’d just jumped from. He rolled away as a huge piece of concrete landed inches away from his head.
Scrambling to his feet, he tried to assess his injuries as he moved swiftly away from the hotel. He didn’t think anything was broken. “Tom!” he yelled out as the building started to pancake.
Rocked by the explosion, Tom fell to his knees as he tried to navigate quickly through the corridor. Struggling to get back to room 245, he didn’t want to risk entering a room wired with explosives. The floor beneath him began to give way and he tried to outrun it to no avail. He felt himself falling as the hotel shifted and the floors started toppling down on top of each other.
Free-falling, the world seemed to spin in circles as dust shot up from underneath him and covered him in its thick, suffocating blanket. He felt completely disoriented as he fell on something slanted and rolled continuously until he slammed against a large object. It was the hotel lobby desk. Having no idea which direction was up, he remained still as everything crashed around him. More explosions from upper floors shot debris outside in a wide arc.
Tom couldn’t breathe from all the dust that filled his lungs. As more wood, metal and concrete came crashing down, a small pocket developed around him. The thick lobby desk served as a buffer, saving his life for the moment.
As Jade ran guardedly towards the hotel, she jumped as the first explosion went off. Subsequent eruptions caused her jaw to drop as she witnessed the hotel start to crumble. Not knowing what else to do, she stood dumbfounded as a tidal wave of dust and debris flew rapidly towards her. All she could think of were the men inside as she dove for the ground and tried to cover herself up. Everything turned black and the dust cloud roared over and past her. Closing her eyes, she waited for the force of the dust to settle down.
Inside the camp, everyone was stunned as they watched or heard the hotel explosions. The ground shook under them as the building gave way and pancaked to the earth. Woody was on the radio immediately, continuously trying to reach Roger or Tom. Not expecting a response, he was completely surprised when Tom’s voice squawked over the Walkie-Talkie. “I’m buried somewhere in the rubble. I can’t tell how hurt I am.” In shock, he hadn’t yet felt the half- inch steel rod jammed through his side.
The radio crackled and Jade answered right back. “I’m almost there, Tom. I’ll find you. What happened to Roger and Bowie?”
There was a long pause. “I just don’t know,” Tom said quietly.
CHAPTER FIFTY EIGHT
Dawson’s wrists were bound tightly together in front of her. “Not so tight!” she complained as Mace finished the task. Standing directly in front of her, Mace got right in her face. “I should slit your throat right now. Shut your trap and do what you’re told.” He assumed she was the big biker’s girl and might prove useful if things got squirrelly. He also needed information and had the feeling she was a big talker.
“Start walking,” he growled.“I’m going to stay right behind you.” His eyes appeared ice-cold as she watched him. He didn’t like the look on her face. “You make any type of stupid move and I won’t hesitate to gut you, understand?”
As tough as Dawson was, the fight momentarily left her. She felt exhausted and weak. “I’m not gonna do anything,” she said in compliance. “Just don’t make me walk. Please. I could just ride behind you. I won’t do anything stupid.”
Mace glared at her. “You tried to kill me twice. Why should I trust you?”
“Hey man, you win. You killed my friends, shot off my tit, and it really fucking hurts!”
She thought seduction might soften him up. “I’ll do anything you want,” she said. “I could make you feel really good.” She gave him a seductive look and lightly licked her lips.“When was the last time you had your cock worshiped?”
The thought of sex instantly sent tingles through Mace. Despite his condition, he’d never thought of straying. He’d only come across a handful of women over the years, anyway. Despite her unfortunate boob accident, drug use, and nomadic lifestyle, out here Dawson was still an apocalyptic babe.
“Trust me,” he said, “You don’t want to go there.” He thought about how rough he could get with Jade. With someone new, he’d probably destroy them. He felt sick and turned on at the same time. It made him angry, close to furious. "Tempt me again and I swear you’ll regret it,” he growled.
“I won’t. I promise,” Dawson said as she stared at the look on his face. A moment later she couldn't keep her mouth shut. “So, if you’re not into pussy, that mean you're into dudes?"
Mace lifted up one of the Harleys and climbed aboard, firing it up and ignoring her. “Get on behind me,” he said, “and pray you don’t fall off.”
“Honey,” she replied as she climbed on behind him, “I ride dicks for a living. One thing I can do is keep my balance with something wedged between my legs.”
Mace felt a rush of sexual excitement and wanted to shut her up before he lost control. He jolted the bike forward, expecting her to fall off, but her words held true. Her thighs gripped the seat like a pro.
Halfway towards camp the explosions started at the hotel. Mace squealed the bike to a stop when the building started to crumble. “Holy shit,” he said, staring at it in shock.
“Maybe you lost some friends, too?” Dawson whispered seductively in his ear. “All this death just makes me want to fuck.” She continued to play the only card she knew despite the warning.
A slew of emotions overtook Mace and his head spun with thoughts of lust and violence. He could feel her one breast rubbing against his back. She was almost fully naked, and the dirt that covered her body stimulated his senses. He knew what needed to be done.
He rolled the throttle hard on the Harley and the front wheel briefly left the ground as the bike shot forward. Dawson immediately tumbled off the rear of the bike, smacking her head solidly against the ground. Mace stopped the bike and looked back.
Dawson twisted around as she tried to recover from the impact. She let out a low moan.
“I told you not to tempt me,” Mace said angrily from the bike. “I am an honorable man.” As soon as the words left his lips, they felt like a lie. The rage burned inside.
“Honorable man?” Dawson chuckled through gritted teeth. She bit her lip to keep from showing him pain. “You’re a fucking psycho killer.” Looking up at him, her eyes appeared cold but playful. “I know you want to fuck me or it wouldn’t bother you so much.”
“What I want and what I’m willing to do are two completely different things.” Mace said gruffly, his features unreadable. “And it looks like you’ve now got a long fucking walk ahead of you.”
“Shit,” she mumbled. “You call this being honorable?”
“I’ve got one thing left to hold onto in this life,” Mace said angrily, “and I’d slit your throat before I let you get close to it.” He glared at her through hardened eyes. His family was his only redemption. Without them, Dawson was right: He was just a fucking psycho killer.
“Fine,” Dawson said as she looked away. “I know your type. You’d rather kill than fuck. You’re all as good a dead anyway. It doesn’t matter how tough you think you are.”
“You forget about one thing,” Mace said, sneering. “We have you.”
“They don’t give a shit about me,” Dawson replied, trying to hide the hurt behind her eyes. Looking down at her left breast, she cringed. She looked up at him spitefully. “You’re an idiot if you think they’re going to risk their lives for some lopsided hooker.”
“I assumed it wasn’t your sparkling personality that kept you in their good graces,” Mace said flatly.
“Fuck you, dickwad,” Dawson replied indignantly as she looked away again. “I’ve done what I’ve had to do to survive. Don’t fucking judge me. You just shot my tit off.”
“Sorry. Was aiming for your heart. The size of your girls th
rew me off.”
Dawson couldn’t help but chuckle sarcastically. “I’d be better off if you had. Now I’m just a sideshow freak.”
“Something tells me the boys you travel with would take one breast over none. Now start moving. We’ve still got a ways to go.”
“I can’t walk that far,” Dawson complained again. “I just can’t. I fucking hurt!”
Mace shut off the bike’s engine. “Every piece of information you give me buys you riding time. Interested?”
“Doesn’t matter,” she said flatly. “You’re all dead anyway. It won’t matter if I’m with you. I told you, my life doesn’t mean shit to them.”
“Well then, what can it hurt? If you want a ride back to our compound, I suggest you start talking. What makes them so dangerous?”
Dawson was done walking. She started spilling everything she knew. "You mean besides their numbers? That’s a trained army. They’ve got weapons you could only dream of.”
Mace eyed her carefully, watching for any signs of deception. “Go on.”
“Ever heard of a Suitcase-Nuke? That’s what Razor calls them. They picked up seven of them in New Mexico. Some abandoned government facility out in the middle of nowhere. Area something-or-other. He said they could blow the shit out of anything.”
Doing his best to read her, he didn’t think she was lying, although they could have also just been feeding her stories. “Where do they keep them?”
“They keep them in an ambulance for protection. They’re locked in a crate.”
“Ambulance?” Mace asked, his eyebrows lifting.
“Yeah, it keeps the Goons from attacking. Razor said it makes them more stupid than they already are.”
“There are no more Goons,” Mace said, using her term. “Where is the ambulance?” If he could figure out how to switch it with the one they'd hidden, it might give them the upper hand.
“Oh, there are still Goons. It’s probably what they’ll send in next.”
Confused, Mace shook his head. “What are you talking about?”
“They’ve got a whole semi packed with them. They used the ambulance to capture them, then stuck them in the trailer.”
For the first time in years, the hairs on the back of Mace’s neck stood on end. It felt amazing. “So why didn’t those Goons die?”
“I don’t really know. Razor says once you lock them in the dark, they stay fresh.”
Thinking back on the airport hanger, tingles covered Mace’s body. The ones left in the dark remained in a state of hibernation. Once freed, the toxin flowed strongly once again. The bikers had figured the whole thing out.
CHAPTER FIFTY NINE
Roger stumbled backwards, stunned by the hotel collapse. Everything remained dark gray as dust swirled around the hotel. He felt disoriented as he squinted at the massive pile of broken concrete that loomed a few feet away through the thick haze. Lifting his shirt over his mouth to try to filter out some of the dust, he could barely breath.
Hearing a noise, he listened closely as someone crunched over the debris in boots. They were moving in his direction. His first thoughts centered around Tom, but he kept quiet as the crunching-noise drew closer. He needed to be certain.
Making out a human form in the distance, he squatted low to the ground. It was too large for Tom. He reached for his weapon and realized it was gone.
Staying completely still, Roger made out Razor’s features as the biker drew closer. The biker looked fearsome. Razor would spot him any moment.
Razor suddenly stopped, looking intently in his direction. Roger remained completely still as adrenaline shot through his veins. He could tell that Razor wasn’t sure what he was.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Roger suddenly pushed off the ground and sprinted directly towards Razor. Razor took a step back in surprise and reached for his holster. Roger pushed off his left leg and thrust his right leg up as Razor pulled his gun free. In mid-air, Roger turned his body to the side as his right leg straightened. His heel crushed into the middle of Razor’s chest as Razor lifted his weapon. The gun discharged on contact; the bullet hitting dirt as Razor flew backwards from the impact.
Roger rose quickly to his feet and rushed at Razor again as the big biker scrambled to rise. Razor was almost to a standing position when Roger’s foot smashed into the side of his head from a stinging roundhouse kick.
Razor went down hard again and the gun flew out of his hand and bounced into the dust pile. Roger immediately turned and chased after it. Coughing heavily as he ran, the increase in heartrate forced more dust into his lungs. He suddenly couldn’t catch his breath and fell to one knee, gasping as he tried to breathe.
He looked back for Razor, but Razor was gone. Slowly collapsing onto his back as his chest grew tighter, Roger wheezed, struggling for breath. He held his chest as his airways started to close.
CHAPTER SIXTY
Jade heard the gunshot and ran deeper into the dust cloud. She couldn’t see clearly through the scope so she slung the rifle across her shoulder and pulled her Glock. Slowly making her away around the huge pile of debris, she could barely see. Footsteps sounded in the distance and she tried to move a little more quickly as the footsteps proceeded swiftly in the opposite direction.
She was almost directly on top of Roger when she heard him wheeze lightly. Looking down, she could barely make out his form through the grime.
“Roger?” she asked. He wheezed again. Leaning over him, she tried to carefully check him for wounds. She didn’t want to move him.
“Lungs,” he gasped weakly as he tried to take shallow, steady breaths.
“Let’s get you out of here,” she said as she bent down and put his arm around her shoulder. “C’mon,” she said, “I’m going to help you stand.”
Dragging him to his feet, she grunted, “Let’s just move slowly until we can get you away from the thickest dust.”
He barely nodded as she slowly moved them forward.
“Tom,” he panted, lifting his head.
Jade looked back at the pile of rubble and shook her head. “He’s stuck in there somewhere. It doesn’t look good.”
CHAPTER SIXTY ONE
Dawson stumbled as she walked towards the compound. She was exhausted, wounded, and in pain. Her chest and side hurt from the impact of the bullet and she had a good-sized knot on the back of her head. She couldn't keep her mouth shut long enough to make it to the camp on the back of the bike.
Razor hid behind a small debris pile and watched as Mace pulled her along, a piece of rope leading from the back of his bike to her bound wrists. She stumbled as she tried to keep up. “Please,” she pleaded as she struggled to keep up. “I’m going to fall!” They were close to the gate.
Mace stopped the bike and looked back. “Shut up and keep walking,” he said roughly. The gate opened and Woody, Crockett, and the girls moved out to greet them.
As soon as Mace untied the rope, Dawson moved past him towards the camp, sticking her tongue out as she went. "You're no fun," she said sarcastically.
Crockett’s mouth dropped open at the sight of her. He’d never seen a naked boob before.
Kelly rolled her eyes at the sight. “Close your mouth, pervert, before you choke on a bug.”
Crockett quickly shut his mouth. “What?”
As hurt and defeated as Dawson felt, she still couldn’t help but chuckle at Crockett’s expression. “I see movement down there, young man,” she said playfully, staring at his shorts as she walked close. “If you’re not careful you just might get your pickle dipped.”
Crockett turned bright red as she chuckled and moved passed.
“Take her to the jail and keep guard,” Woody said to Crockett, winking, "and don’t get your pickle dipped.” Woody turned to greet Mace, who rumbled slowly forward on the bike. “See the others?”
Assuming he was talking about Roger and Tom, Mace said, "You really expect somebody to survive that?” Taking a quick glance towards what remained of the hotel,
he shook his head.
“Tom’s still alive. He’s somewhere in that rubble. Jade’s out there as well. She just found Roger. We’re just not sure about Bowie.”
“What?” Maced asked, immediately turning back. “When did Jade go out?”
“She’s got a sniper rifle. She’s on the ground. She’s okay.”
“Keep Fonda Cox there tied up and away from any of the boys,” Mace said, motioning towards Dawson. “She’ll be out of here in twenty minutes if you leave her with Crockett. Have the girls watch her.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Go help Jade.”
“I see them!” JB yelled from atop the wall. He pointed behind Mace. Two dark figures walked towards them from a distance. Covered in dust, they were barely identifiable as their companions.
Mace fired the hog back up and rolled swiftly out to greet them. “What happened?” he asked as he pulled to a stop a few feet in front.
“One got away,” Jade answered as she helped Roger. “They know where the compound is.”
Roger started coughing and Jade patted him on the back. Glancing at Mace, she said, “His lungs are filled with dust.”
Mace took a quick glance around, missing Razor watching them carefully from behind a debris pile. Roger dropped to a knee, locked briefly in a coughing spasm. “Let’s get back and get ready,” Mace said with some urgency. “This one’s gonna get bloody. I’ve got a lot to tell you.”
CHAPTER SIXTY TWO
Crockett stood at the far end of the jail trying to avoid eye contact with Dawson, who continued to badger him. Holding a machete by his side, he swung it nervously back and forth.
“C’mon honey, if you come over here I’ll let you touch it,” she said, rubbing her naked breast as she smiled coyly. “I’ll even let you touch me between my legs. It’s really warm.” When Crockett didn’t respond, she continued working on him. “I know you want to know what it’s like. You're missing out on something really special. I love the young ones. You’re so enthusiastic.”
Legend of Mace Page 18