The Post-Apocalyptic Society: A Nelson and Hyde Revolution

by Stephanie Kato

  Malcolm stepped around the corner of his refuge and aimed a shotgun at several terrorists. He fired one round after another, but the German man missed the bandits and struck their cargo instead. They scurried throughout the ghost town to find shelter.

  “We’re being attacked! Find your weapons!” one of the villains shouted.

  Another bandit pulled out a dart gun while he hid behind a bunch of boxes. “Nobody ambushes our headquarters and gets away with it! Kill the intruders!”

  Dusty heard the commotion from inside the inn. He grabbed a dart gun and lasso. “Something’s wrong. I need to see what’s going on.”

  One of Dusty’s minions peered around the brothel building. He spotted Beauregard behind some crates and aimed his dart gun. The bandit fired several darts, but the crates protected Beauregard.

  “I’m getting sick of those darts! Hopefully, my accelerated skills will help me out!” the French man griped.

  He stepped away from the crates and threw a knife at his attacker. The knife spun through the air and stabbed the bandit’s shoulder, causing him to fall down.

  The bandit crawled away. “No fair! Those body modifications give the Steampunks a huge advantage!”

  One of the terrorists snuck up behind Savannah. She whipped out Priscilla’s metal fan and attacked the bandit.

  “I can see why Priscilla likes these fans so much!” Savannah taunted the man, as she swiped at him.

  He dodged her attacks and stumbled backward. Then the terrorist turned around and fled from Savannah.

  “You’re crazy! The rest of my gang will find a way to kill you!” the thug hollered as he ran away.

  Gable dodged poisonous darts as he hurried across the ghost town. He hopped on a motorcycle and revved the engine. Gable blazed across the dirt and grabbed a bandit. The frightened man’s legs dangled slightly above the ground while Gable hung onto him.

  “Let me go!” the terrorist insisted.

  Gable laughed as they sped through the ghost town, then said, “With pleasure!”

  He tossed the bandit through the city hall’s door. The thug became disoriented as he tumbled across the floor.

  Reb pulled the sword out of her baton and attacked one of the bandits. She swung the blade at him several times. “You’re not so tough! Be a real man and fight me!”

  He held up a rifle to shield himself from her sword. Reb slashed at the rifle and chopped it in half. The results frightened the thug and he ran away from her. Reb followed him across the ghost town.

  “You’re a psychopath! Take the hostages and leave us alone!” the villain yelled.

  The entire event was a strange battle between Steampunks and Wild West bandits.

  Chapter 20

  Percy and Giles heard the sounds of violence while they were stranded in the cellar.

  “What the heck is going on?” Percy gruffly asked.

  “Those bandits are fighting someone. I wonder if the FBI found them?” Giles pondered out loud.

  Parker was intimidated by the sound of gunfire. “Don’t let them get me!”

  Giles looked at the boy. “I don’t want you to start panicking. It’s not going to help anyone. Do you have the nerve to stay brave?”

  Parker wearily nodded his head and said, “I can try.”

  Someone busted through the cellar door, prompting Parker to yelp. Priscilla entered the room and saw the trio of tied up males.

  “Priscilla, you escaped!” Percy gladly announced.

  “I got away at the right time! The entire ghost town is a war zone! Reb, and everybody else, found our location! Are you guys okay?” Priscilla asked.

  Giles stopped struggling with his restraints. “We’re fine, but it would be nice to get out of here.”

  Priscilla untied Parker first, and then she untied the two adults. Once they were free, Percy and Giles noticed the bloody bullet wound on Priscilla’s chest. They were embarrassed to say anything. Priscilla frowned when she saw them stare at her cleavage.

  “Yes, it’s a real bullet wound! It doesn’t help my ego if you continue staring!” Priscilla griped.

  Percy looked away. “My apologies.”

  “We should help the others,” Priscilla quickly said, changing the subject.

  “You’re right. I don’t want my wife and kids to face those thugs alone,” Percy bravely said.

  Giles turned his attention to Parker. “Listen to me carefully. This is a dangerous situation and I don’t want you to get hurt. I need you to stay in the cellar because you’re not enhanced yet. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

  “Yeah, but are you going to fight the bandits? I want you guys to be safe too,” Parker replied.

  Giles handed his pocket watch to Parker. “We’ve already been through some difficult times. You can have my watch. Keep it close, like a good luck charm. Survival is part of our world. I’m used to it.”

  Parker looked at the vintage watch. “This is really cool. Thanks for the gift.”

  Giles patted Parker on the back. “You’re welcome. We’ll have plenty of time to socialize after those bandits are gone.”

  Percy rummaged through the cellar’s inventory. “Luckily, those jerks are stashing weapons down here.”

  “Let me see. I’m sure these bandits have some useful weaponry that will backfire against them,” Giles said, as he picked up a shotgun.

  The two men armed themselves with pump-action shotguns and ammunition.

  Priscilla peered through the doorway. “We need to hurry. The others probably need backup.”

  Percy finished arming his shotgun. “I’m in a seriously bad mood right now. Punishing those terrorists sounds like a great idea. Let’s go!”

  The three adults hurried out of the cellar and joined the battle.

  Reb found Savannah behind some boxes.

  “This wouldn’t be so difficult if the bandits weren’t armed with toxic darts,” Reb grumbled.

  Savannah agreed with her. “I find those darts awfully sophisticated for a bunch of bandits. They probably buy or trade merchandise for those weapons.”

  Before the two women could finish their discussion, one of the terrorists ambushed them. Savannah quickly kicked the bandit and sent him flying into a huge barrel.

  Reb was impressed by her mother’s reflexes and power. “Dang, people weren’t kidding when they said you had killer legs.”

  “And don’t forget it. Now, what’s the plan?” Savannah inquired, as she opened the metal fan.

  Reb peered around the boxes. “Let me think. It’s kind of tricky because those bandits are everywhere, and we don’t want to get hit with those poisonous darts.”

  Meanwhile, Percy hurried to the saloon and pressed his back against the wall. He caught sight of a pickup truck. The computer tycoon aimed his shotgun at the pickup’s open hood. “This should eliminate one of their getaway vehicles.”

  He fired the gun and punctured several hoses leading in and out of the truck’s engine. The vehicle exploded and frightened the bandits.

  “Screw this! I’m out of here!” one of the thugs yelled as he ran away.

  Another bandit hid behind a crate of ammunition. “Dusty isn’t paying me enough to fight these Steampunks! I’m staying out of the way until this battle is done!”

  Malcolm picked up another enemy and brutally slammed him against the general store’s wall. “Too bad your little dart guns can’t help you in physical combat!”

  The bandit landed on the ground and felt pain shooting through his torso. “Why do you have to be such a bully? Steampunks have greater strength than people like me! I don’t have a fighting chance!”

  “Are you serious? You guys attacked a train, kidnapped people, shot poisonous darts at civilians, and somehow I’m a bully?” Malcolm asked in disbelief.

  Gable climbed over a pile of boxes and tackled one of the bandits. He repeatedly punched the villain’s face. “Tell me what happened to my wife!”

  “I don’t know!” the thug protested.
r />   Gable knocked out his enemy. “In that case, you’re completely useless,” he said to the unconscious man.

  On another side of the ghost town, Giles tried to find refuge. A bandit spotted him and threw a bolo at his legs. Giles used his shotgun as a shield, allowing the bolo to wrap around the butt of the firearm. He unraveled the bolo and said, “These bandits are really pesky!”

  Giles swung the bolo above his head and threw it at the terrorist’s legs. The bandit fell on the dirt when he tried to move. “What gives? You shouldn’t be using my own weapon against me!”

  Dusty found Malcolm next to the general store. The bandit leader aimed his dart gun at the large German.

  “It’s nothing personal, but I can’t let you guys destroy my headquarters,” Dusty remarked.

  He fired the gun and nailed Malcolm in the chest. The Steampunk barely had a chance to react before he fell to the ground. Dusty reloaded his weapon and ran to a different section of the ghost town.

  Chapter 21

  During the onslaught, a bandit hopped on a motorcycle to flee from the ghost town.

  He started the engine, complaining to anyone who would listen, “We’re losing! I’m getting out of here while I still have a chance!”

  Priscilla spotted him and aimed her revolver at the motorcycle. She shot at one of the tires as the bandit attempted to drive away. The back tire immediately popped and the terrorist lost control of his bike, falling off.

  “You’re not getting away! I have a grudge against you guys for kidnapping me!” Priscilla fumed.

  Malcolm stirred on the ground, trying to determine the poisonous dart’s location. He removed it from his grafted vest, and then flicked it away.

  “That was too close for comfort. It’s a good thing my clothes are grafted with wire mesh. That’s the only reason why I’m still alive,” Malcolm said as he stood up.

  Two of the bandits were armed with grenades and hid near the vacant armory.

  “These explosives should kill some of the Steampunks,” one of the terrorists commented.

  The other bandit took a grenade off his belt. “Yeah, let’s mash up some celebrities.”

  Beauregard overheard the two thugs and quickly knocked over a tower of boxes. The two villains shrieked as the boxes rained down on them and whacked them into the dirt. Both of them groaned until they passed out.

  “I’ve had enough explosions for one day. You guys can take a little nap while we apprehend the other bandits,” Beauregard said, as he pulled a pistol out of his holster.

  Giles found one of the terrorists and knocked him out with a single punch to the face. After the bandit collapsed, Giles stole his lasso. The Steampunk caught sight of another enemy, who ran through the ghost town. Giles swung the lasso overhead, then threw it at the bandit. The lasso successfully grabbed the thug around his waist and caused him to fall on the ground.

  “I always appreciate the irony of terrorists being defeated by their own weapons,” Giles gloated, as he dragged the villain to a safe place.

  He quickly tied up the bandit and left him next to the feed store.

  The thug writhed within his restraints. “No fair! This is cheating! We’re supposed to lasso you guys, not the other way around!”

  Dusty realized that most of his followers were defeated by the Nelsons and their companions. “Normally, I don’t like to run away, but it seems to be my only choice! I need to get out here to survive!”

  Reb followed him, although her limp slowed the pursuit. “Where are you going? I have a bone to pick with you! People like you are cowards!”

  Dusty briefly turned around and glared at her. “Stop following me! I don’t understand why you care so much about domination! Take your conquest and let me escape!”

  He turned around and headed toward a ladder that was located on the inn.

  Reb hobbled after him while she grumbled to herself, “Sometimes this limp gets in the way.”

  Dusty climbed the ladder and hoisted himself onto the roof. “Her bad leg won’t be very useful for climbing. Maybe I can pick off a few more Steampunks before leaving this ghost town. I have an overhead advantage.”

  He pulled out his dart gun and placed a sniper scope on it.

  Reb promptly climbed the ladder to follow Dusty. “No overhead shots allowed! That’s breaking the rules!”

  The bandit leader growled when he heard Reb’s voice. “Darn it! That woman is relentless!”

  She climbed on the roof and pulled the sword out of her baton. “You shouldn’t view me as helpless. It’s a deadly mistake. Steampunks are excellent climbers, even the crippled ones like me.”

  Reb used her sword to chop off part of Dusty’s gun. He grabbed a rope that was tied on a rain gutter, and turned it into a makeshift lasso.

  “Come and get me! Mutants like you don’t scare me!” Dusty shouted.

  The Steampunks and the remaining bandits stopped fighting when they saw Reb and Dusty on the roof.

  Gable stood next to Beauregard and asked, “What are they doing up there?”

  “I don’t know, but our gal needs to be careful,” Beauregard replied.

  Reb realized her footing wasn’t very steady on the roof. “It sounds like you’re getting desperate. You can surrender and nothing else needs to happen. Prison is probably a safer place than the Post-Apocalyptic terrain. You should think about it.”

  “I would rather die than rot in a jail cell!” Dusty growled, as he swung the rope through the air.

  He tossed the makeshift lasso at Reb, but she rolled out of the way. Dusty was frustrated because the mounted rope had a limited reach. His opponent had a hard time standing up on the slanted roof. One of the bandits saw an opportunity and aimed a rifle at her. The terrorist took a shot at Reb and missed. However, the near miss startled her and caused her to trip. Reb tumbled down the roof but grabbed the rain gutter before falling off. The attorney looked down from where she hung precariously from the roof. Her sword and baton rolled down the roof and fell to the ground.

  “No!” Savannah shouted.

  “Reb, hold on!” Giles bellowed.

  Dusty laughed as he unsheathed a knife and walked toward Reb. “Grafted bones might be strong, but I can still slice your neck open. Good-bye, you annoying little woman!”

  The bandit leader got distracted when his left foot accidentally became entangled in the rope that was tied to the rain gutter. Dusty struggled with the rope and quickly lost his balance. The terrorist leader slid down the shingles and cried out before he fell off the roof. Ironically, the rope hung Dusty and snapped his neck.

  Reb glanced at her deceased enemy. “That’s a poetic way for a bandit to exit this world. Hung at the gallows.”

  Upon seeing their leader’s death, the remaining goons tossed their weapons aside and surrendered. The Nelsons and their friends were relieved that the gunfight had ended.

  “Do you need some help?” Percy asked Reb, as she dangled from the roof.

  She looked down again. “Well, I seem to be slipping.”

  Reb lost her grip and fell toward the ground. The Steampunks gasped at the site, but Giles hurried to rescue his wife. She landed safely in his arms and then the couple collapsed on the dirt.

  Giles laughed. “Even warrior princesses need to be rescued sometimes.”

  “That’s very cute. A fall like that wouldn’t kill me. My body is infused with metal, just like yours. Thanks for the heroics anyway. It’s nice to know you care enough to have my back in the worst situations,” Reb commented, as they remained tangled together on the ground.

  The Steampunks used rope to tie the remaining bandits’ hands together. The Nelsons, Malcolm, and Beauregard hijacked some of their vehicles, and herded the criminals toward justice. In a twist of ironic humor, the Steampunks kept their captives tied together like a chain gang. Reb slowly drove behind the humiliated bandits, in her Jeep, while Parker rode in the passenger seat.

  Savannah hugged Percy in the backseat of the Jeep. “I’m so gr
ateful that you’re okay. You’re not allowed to make me a widow yet.”

  “That’s not going to happen anytime soon. Come here and show me some love,” Percy said, as he held her closer.

  They kissed each other while Reb rolled her eyes.

  “Keep it appropriate. There’s a minor in this vehicle,” she lectured.

  Percy and Savannah ignored her while they remained affectionate in the backseat.

  Malcolm drove a pickup truck, while Giles analyzed his navigational tablet in the passenger seat.

  “How long will it take us to reach the next town?” Malcolm asked.

  Giles continued to look at the screen. “We’re moving very slowly. It could take a couple hours.

  Beauregard overheard the conversation as he rode in the truck’s bed. “A couple of hours? That’s too long! I have to pee!”

  “Dude, hold it in and shut up!” Malcolm grumbled.

  Gable drove a motorcycle, while Priscilla sat behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist.

  She rested her head on his shoulder. “It always makes me feel so loved and aroused when you rescue me from these situations.”

  Gable chuckled. “Nobody needs to rescue you. I’m pretty sure Dusty’s right hand man is the one who needed to be rescued. He’ll probably be glad to be in the safety of a jail cell.”

  “I still appreciate your chivalry. We have another long and complicated story to tell the kids. Oliver and Maggie will feel like they missed the action yet once again,” Priscilla replied.

  “Good. I want to shelter them from madness like this,” Gable muttered.

  Reb pulled out a rope and used it as a whip on the bandits. “Mush! Faster! At the rate you’re walking, it’s going to be midnight when we reach the next town!”

  Parker smiled at Reb. “I’m really starting to like you. The Nelsons can beat anyone. I would love to join your family. You kick serious butt!”

  “I’m sure we’ll learn to appreciate each other. Just remember that you’re going to have an intense life. That’s the way is works in my family,” Reb explained.

  “It’s okay. I’m just glad to have a really cool mom like you,” Parker said, leaning closer to her.