Dark Sentinel: Book one in the Sentinel Series

by Adam Matlow

  He proceeded out onto the uneven roads and into the somewhat unpredictable areas between towns. Not everyone lived in the settlements - many people had been forced out of them either banished for a crime, or in hiding. Out here there was a lot more exposure to radiation, and it was not uncommon for those who were born in these zones to have physical deformities, and of course they could expect to live shorter lives. This made them more dangerous, more unpredictable. He would no doubt bump into someone on this journey. He instinctively reached for his pistol, tucked into a hidden compartment beneath the steering wheel. It was illegal for anyone but members of the Legion to carry firearms, but he wasn’t about to get caught in the wilds with nothing to defend himself with.

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  He made good progress, only stopping when he needed to take a break or to shift some debris from the track he was using. He stuck to the route he was supposed to be taking for a long as possible before he deviated and headed towards the impact site. Legion patrols in this area were uncommon, but not unheard of. If they caught him out here with no good reason it might be the last thing he ever did. They were notorious for their brutality, carrying out their orders with no hesitation or sign of remorse. When one of the nearby settlements had refused to capitulate to him Davon sent in the Legion to make an example out of them. They massacred everyone, women and children included. None were left alive, and when they were finished the settlement was burned to the ground. Any resistance there might have been towards him from other settlements soon vanished after that.

  But after driving late into the night Marcus was exhausted. His eyes weighed heavily and on more than one occasion he was jolted awake as he drifted off the track and drifted off to sleep. So, when the ruins of an old factory came into view he drove the truck inside its crumbling remains and parked up. It would be hard to spot him from the roadside and in the dark, someone could walk right past where he was parked and wouldn’t see him.

  He got out of the truck and stretched his legs. In the distance, a faint orange glow and small pillars of smoke rose into the night sky. He checked his map with a small pocket flashlight and worked out his current position. He’d almost reached the impact site. The buildings ahead of him were cast in silhouette, lit by small fires probably started by the burning hot fragments of meteorite hitting the ground. It would be foolish to head down there in the dark, it’d be much safer in daylight. Besides, it wasn’t like the rocks were going anywhere and he needed rest.

  He climbed back into the truck, took the pistol from the hidden compartment and tucked it into his waistband, before trying to get comfortable for the night. He fell asleep almost immediately.

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  Marcus was startled awake by a sharp cracking noise. He jumped in his seat and looked around, rubbing his eyes, his mind dulled from sleep. Had he imagined it? It was still dark outside, but the first rays of sunlight were starting to poke their way above the horizon, warming his skin as they refracted through the windscreen.

  Another loud crack pierced the morning air and this time he recognised it at once as a gunshot. He pulled the pistol from his waistband, pushed the cylinder out to check it was fully loaded and snapped it back into place.

  Gingerly he climbed from the truck, taking care not to make any noise which might give away his position. He hugged the side of the vehicle and kept as low as possible while trying to get a better view of what was happening outside. He poked his head out of the door of the warehouse where he’d spent the night and strained his eyes against the darkness. Two figures in the distance were making their way through the ruins of the small town below him. The first and taller of the two, stalked their way across the foundations of a collapsed building, armed with a rifle. The second clumsily picked his way across a patch of open ground, while trying somewhat unsuccessfully to remain concealed. More gunshots followed, which caused Marcus to duck for cover, but he soon realised the shots were not aimed at him.

  The pair worked together to flush someone out. The figure shooting the rifle had somebody pinned down inside the empty shell of an old building. The clumsy one moved to try and flank whoever it was in there and squeezed his way through a gap in the structure. A few seconds later he reappeared, dragging someone behind him by the legs back towards his partner. The figure thrashed and screamed, trying to break free, but she was bound and gagged. Every so often the man would lose his grip on her, and she would try to squirm away, only to receive a boot to the torso for her trouble.

  The sun poked up above the horizon, light spilling over the ruined town casting elongated shadows. In the light of the new day, Marcus saw the taller figure was a woman, who as well as being armed with a rifle, also carried a large, curved sword, sheathed on her back. Her dark skin shone in the morning light, her cropped black hair held in place with a white bandanna, stained with grime and dust.

  Judging by the way the woman carried herself, she was an Elite the most loyal of Davon’s soldiers, ready to die for him without hesitation. They almost never spoke and were rumoured to feel no pain or harbour no remorse. The man she was with was a regular. They were mainly used for less important duties, manning checkpoints and the day to day enforcement of the laws set down by Davon. Despite this, they were still not to be trifled with. Regulars were found in almost every major settlement and always seemed to have something to prove.

  The man walked back up a steep incline dragging his struggling prisoner along behind. At the top, the outline of an old military vehicle, a Humvee, stood in dark contrast against the morning sky. The prisoner, stumbled as they reached the top and fell to the ground. The Elite dragged the scrawny girl from the floor, pulled back her hood and peered in, before quickly covering her up. Apparently satisfied they had the right person.

  The prisoner was marched to the Humvee and bundled into the back of it. The two Legion soldiers climbed in the front of the vehicle and set off in a cloud of dust. Wherever they were going they were in a hurry.

  What the hell was the Legion doing this deep into the Badlands? And not just the Legion, but an Elite. They were a rare enough sight in normal circumstances, to find one out here was almost unheard of. Nothing about this situation screamed normal to Marcus.

  Should he have done something to help? He pushed the thought aside, there was no context for what he saw, for all he knew she was an escaped criminal and they were bringing her to justice. Still, something didn’t sit right with him about the whole scene. His mind wandered back to the people who’d been going missing. He’d suspected the Legion might have something to do with it, but there was no proof, nor any explanation as to why they would even want to kidnap civilians.

  Marcus tried to shake the thoughts and concentrated on the job at hand. In the now rapidly brightening morning the outline of a tall building became visible. Despite being half collapsed on one side and being held up by its neighbour, it appeared sturdy enough to climb. It would give him a good vantage point of the surrounding area. There was no way he was going down there until he was sure he wouldn’t be disturbed.

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  At the top of the building, Marcus was rewarded with a view which encompassed the entire area. A long, deep trench gouged out by the impact signposted the way to his target. He scanned the area below him, checking for any hint of movement. When he was satisfied there wasn’t going to be any surprises he climbed down and followed the trench. As he grew closer his Geiger counter sprung to life and hovered close to the danger zone. He wouldn’t be able to stay here long.

  He continued along the trench until he reached the object that had carved it. Piles of rock and twisted metal, still hot to the touch lay scattered around. The Geiger counter spiked, adding fresh impetus to his task. Almost at once it became obvious someone had been here before him. Recent footprints belonging to several different people were scattered around the site. Tire tracks crisscrossed the area and a large gouge in the dirt signified where a larger object had been dragged out and loaded onto a vehicle. With the ear
lier encounter still fresh in his mind it was a safe assumption who had been here first.

  Not wanting to spend any more time here than necessary Marcus collected the blackened meteorite fragments which easily stood apart from terrestrial rocks. He took care to leave any that were showing high levels of radiation, scanning each one with his Geiger counter. With the samples secured in his backpack, Marcus headed back to his truck and set off back to New Hope. Doc would be pleased with the haul.

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  Less than an hour passed before Marcus spotted the Humvee from earlier parked in the distance. They must have been going in the same direction as him but had stopped for some reason. He slowed, hoping to avoid being spotted. The battery-powered truck was quiet, despite its size, giving him an advantage.

  He pulled over a few hundred meters away, tucking the truck out of the line of sight behind an outcropping of rock. He made his way closer on foot and soon discovered the reason the Humvee had stopped. It lay beached on a large rock, fragments of glass and metal scattered nearby. The crash had immobilized it, and the vehicles back wheels span ineffectually in the air. The shorter man who was in the driver’s seat, lay unmoving, crumpled over the steering wheel, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead. The Elite and the prisoner were nowhere to be seen.

  Marcus cautiously made his way over to the crashed vehicle, keeping an eye out for the missing occupants. Upon reaching the Humvee he climbed into the passenger side and put his fingers to the drivers’ neck. He felt the faint rhythm of a pulse under his fingers. The blood from his head wound trickled down the steering column and congealed on the instrument panel below.

  Marcus searched the door panels and consoles inside the vehicle for any indication to what they were doing in the area. He opened the glove box and a well-worn map dropped into the footwell. He unfolded it. A thick red circle had been drawn around the meteorite impact site. At least that explained one thing, but it didn’t explain the prisoner.

  He spread the map on the bonnet of the Humvee and backtracked the route they had taken, indicated by a series of checkpoints. Probably a patrol route of some kind. It took him a moment to discover they were from the Forge. Great, thought Marcus, he didn’t want to get mixed up in this, it would only lead to trouble. He folded the map back up and replaced it where he found it and contemplated what to do about the driver. Without medical attention, he would be dead within a few hours. On the other hand, nobody knew Marcus was here. If he left now there would be no repercussions. He wasn’t supposed to be here anyway so perhaps it was best if he snuck away.

  He weighed his options. The safest thing would be to leave. There was nothing to be gained here. He felt a pang of guilt as he walked away, but he only managed to get a few steps away before a low moan from the injured man made him stop. He didn’t have to do much, did he? Just enough to keep him alive until the other one returned. It was likely she would return because there were no other settlements for miles around. The vehicle, even badly damaged, would be the only way out of here. Against his better judgement, Marcus returned to the Humvee and searched for a first aid kit or anything he could use to help the driver.

  It was then Marcus noticed the large object in the back. It was covered in a sheet and held in place by ropes. Curiosity got the better of him and he reached his hand through one corner of the sheet. He fumbled around, trying to get a feel of whatever it was hiding. He felt a cold smooth metallic surface and he pulled the sheet in an attempt to get a look at whatever was underneath.

  There was a scream in the distance. Marcus span his head in the direction of the cry. The blade-wielding Elite dragged her prisoner by the hair over the rough ground and was heading back towards the truck. Perhaps she managed to escape in the crash, though evidently, she hadn’t got very far.

  The girl struggled, desperate to break free but to no avail. The Elite woman was so busy trying to keep control of her prisoner she hadn’t spotted Marcus yet. Not wanting to be around when she returned, he ducked down the opposite side of the Humvee before sprinting several meters and diving into a small ditch along one side of the road. He pulled clumps of brown grass and branches over himself. It wasn’t much of a disguise, but hopefully, with her hands full, the Elite wouldn’t notice.

  The woman reached the Humvee and after kicking the unfortunate prisoner in the ribs, hoisted her and tossed her, with apparently no effort, onto the back. With a length of rope, she bound her hands tying one end off on vehicle’s chassis. The Elite checked the driver and when she discovered he was still unconscious pulled him out of the seat and sent him crashing to the ground with a sickening thud. He groaned and blood oozed from a fresh cut to his face, mixing with the thick dust.

  Out here, leaving him would be a death sentence. Either from exposure to the elements or when someone stumbled across him. The Legion had no friends out here and there were plenty of people who would love to extract revenge on anyone who associated themselves with Davon.

  The girl cowered in the back of the Humvee, her hood pulled back slightly, which gave him his first look at her face. She was young, perhaps in her early twenties, with long black hair matted with dust and patches of dried blood. Her face was thin, but not gaunt; skin smooth and unblemished, unlike many of the poor wretches which were forced to live out here. Her most striking feature however, was her eyes. A deep shade of purple, which glinted in the morning sun. Marcus had seen many deformities caused by the radiation in his life, but they usually resulted in hideous mutations. If this was a mutation she seemed to have fared much better than most.

  Marcus froze. She was staring right back at him, her eyes fixed on his. His mind raced. Would she give him away? Cry for help? He felt for the gun in his waistband, running his fingers over the grip. If the Elite came at him he needed to be prepared to use it. He swallowed hard. His aim wasn’t great, could he take her down before she made mincemeat out of him with that sword? He forced himself to look away, breaking the girls gaze. Don’t be stupid, he thought, whatever the Legion want her for it’s none of your business. Just stay out of it.

  The Elite was distracted. The bonnet of the vehicle was up as she tried to get the engine started. Something must have been damaged in the crash and she wasn’t going anywhere until it was fixed. The prisoner hadn’t taken her eyes off him. People had been going missing and here he lay witnessing a possible kidnapping. He had to do something, perhaps the girl knew what was going on. He swallowed hard and glanced around. They were alone. If he was going to do something, it was now or never.

  “Shit,” he exclaimed under his breath and edged towards the prisoner. Staying low, and using the vehicle as cover, he slid along the side until he was parallel with her. He raised his head slightly and checked he’d remained concealed. The Elite grunted as she yanked something from the engine and tossed it aside with a clatter. She hadn’t seen him yet.

  Marcus pulled a small knife from a sheath on his belt. The girl flinched, her eyes wide with fear at the glint of the blade. He put his fingers to his lips and waved his hand to show he meant her no harm. She nodded and flashed her rope-bound wrists. The knife made short work of her bonds, and Marcus tossed them to one side. Quietly he helped her climb down from the back and took her hand to lead her back the way he’d come. She moved with surprising speed and grace, her feet leaving only the lightest of traces in the thick dust. It wasn’t long before they reached his truck.

  Marcus jumped into the driver’s side and started it up. The girl stood by the passenger side door, glancing around as if she was trying to decide what to do.

  “Get in,” he whispered. He waited a few seconds before repeating himself. “Come on, get in. Unless you want to be left out here, cause’ I’m sure as hell not sticking around.”

  She studied Marcus. She probably didn’t trust him. He’d assumed freeing her would have answered that question for her, but he knew trust was a commodity in short supply. Even though he understood her hesitation, he wasn’t willing to be caught by the Legion help
ing someone they wanted, to escape. He’d already stuck his neck out further than he should or normally would have. There was something about her that bothered him. Like an itch in the back of his mind he couldn’t quite scratch. Something was going on here, and for some reason, he felt compelled to help her, but not at the cost of his own life.

  “Fine, have it your way,” grunted Marcus. “Head south,” he gestured in the approximate direction as he spoke, “There are a few small towns down there that you should be able to hide out in. At least for now.” He reached over to pull the door shut, but as he did she grabbed the frame, and swung herself inside, closing the door behind her.

  “Well alright then,” said Marcus, slamming the Truck into reverse.

  “I’m Marcus,” he said. “Time for pleasantries later, right now we need to put as much distance between us and your friend out there as possible.”

  The screech of metal being dragged across stone broke the morning silence. In the distance, the Humvee heaved itself from the rock it had beached itself on and crashed to the ground. Its suspension creaked as it struggled to cope with the manoeuvre. The driver gunned the engine as shards of rock spewed from underneath the spinning wheels. The downed guard - still unconscious, was unable to shield himself from the onslaught. If he wasn’t dead already, he would be now.

  “Ah crap,” said Marcus, “What the hell have I gotten myself into. Hold on.”

  He spun the truck around and took off at full speed back the way he had come. The Humvee closed rapidly, it was much faster than his truck, which was built more for endurance than speed. Smoke billowed from the bonnet of the Humvee as it grew closer. The driver willing to destroy the engine in an attempt to catch up to them. Marcus knew his only chance was if her engine gave out before she reached them.

  Sparks flew off the bodywork of the truck as bullets ricocheted off the chassis and Marcus made a mental note to thank Doc for adding the extra layer of armour. Behind them, their pursuer had her arm through the driver’s side window and shot at them with a semi-automatic handgun. It was probably all she could manage to do whilst driving.