“Enough! You’re hurting him,” I yelled at Lucaz.
“Well, if roles were reversed, he’d have no problem hurting you.” I ignored his comments and moved to place the goggles back over the man’s eyes. His cries ended quickly. He stared at me as Lucaz and Valsa allowed him to sit up.
“Thank you. The sun is hard on our eyes.” His voice was high-pitched and did not match his sturdy frame.
“No!” the woman cried. “We have to take you to the Cradle. You don’t understand what is at stake.”
“What you don’t understand is that everything you heard about her is untrue. She didn’t kill Luther,” Jinn said.
“It doesn’t matter what is true,” the man spoke. “Our clan is dying. There is little food left and it will take months above ground to grow a new crop. Her bounty was the only way to pay for our clan’s salvation.” Even with the goggles covering their eyes and the cloth wrapped around their face, I could see their anguish. They weren’t necessarily evil; they were just pursuing me to survive. And I ruined that for them.
“I don’t understand. Why don’t you trade for food from the other clans?” Tuko asked.
“We don’t have anything to offer. Our mines are picked clean of gems, and we haven’t been able to find any new veins. You are our last resort,” the woman cried.
Great. I thought they were an enemy to hate, but all I felt was pity. They needed my bounty to survive. They weren’t trying to hurt me, just feed their clan. I couldn’t help them. Or could I?
“My name is Tuko — my father is part of council of the Armor clan. I can talk to him — get food to you and your clan.”
“Miner clan takes no handouts, and we have nothing to trade for,” the man said.
“You could work it off,” I offered, eyeing the boom crane that hung off the back of their truck. Great for lifting. “Can you move this tree off the road?”
* * *
“That didn’t take long,” Jinn said ten minutes later.
The Miner truck was behind us now, based on our agreement. They would tell their other vehicles and explain the arrangement. I had no idea if the others in the Miner clan were as reasonable as the two we had met, but I wanted no more violence. I wished other clans would be as willing to bargain. We exited the jungle. The threat of insects and clan attacks were behind us. But who knew what was ahead of us?
“Worried?” Jinn’s eyes were fixed on me, and I knew there was no sense in lying about my feelings.
“I’m that obvious, am I?” She nodded. “It was easier when I knew we were up against clans like Hunter and Chycle; they’re in it for themselves. Truth is inconvenient, and they look the other way if it suits them. It’s not the same with the Miners or Orphans. They’re sufferingand I’m not angry that they pursued me. My problems are minor compared to these clans fighting for survival.”
“What’s the answer, just give up? Give your freedom to the neediest clan and hope the bounty helps them? It would be a temporarily fix. The problems they face are still going to be there long after they spend your reward,” Jinn said. The boys were staying out of this conversation. They were scanning the land in front but listening to us.
“I know, but I’m allowed to feel bad. There is no ideal situation, but I can’t help but see what is wrong. Proving my innocence is trivial compared to what is going on around us.”
“So what do you want to do? Are you going to wave your wand and make all of our problems go away?” Frustration had crept into Jinn’s voice. “You can only control what is happening to you. You can’t change the world.”
“And if I try, I’d be dead like Luther. I only wish I knew what his big news was going to be.”
“I think I know,” Lucaz interrupted, and we all stared at him. “I think he figured out how to enter the Cradle.”
“What?” Jinn and I said in unison.
“Well, think about it. What could be more life-changing than solving the mystery of the beginning of our civilization?”
“But who wouldn’t want that for their clan?” Jinn said.
“Maybe a clan that benefits from keeping us in the dark ages? Who has been chasing Pene from the start?” Lucaz held out his hands, waiting for a response.
“Chycle clan! But I don’t think they have the brains to orchestrate all of this. There has to be someone else involved,” I said with more confidence than I actually felt.
An explosion rocked the ground behind us, causing the car to turn right. Tuko regained control and straightened the wheel.
“What the hell!” he cursed, and we all looked behind us.
The plains were vast, and from all directions plumes of exhaust rose into the air. I blinked twice, focusing my eyes on the incoming vehicles. They were hundreds, a hodgepodge of pursuers intent on capture. Although faces were barely recognizable at this distance, I could make out dozens of clans, their faces focused on one thing: our car.
“Gun it, Tuko! We’ve got dozens of clans intent on getting Pene before we reach the Cradle. Everyone wants the bounty, and I don’t think anyone is going to be as reasonable as the Miners,” yelled Jinn.
“How far to the Cradle?” I asked.
“Too far. At least ten clicks. Some of those vehicles are faster than this car. We aren’t going to outrun all of them,” Tuko said grimly as he floored the accelerator.
“We only have to outrun most of them. Look, Rustin’s vehicles have stopped.” Valsa pointed. We saw the Relic’s vehicles up ahead. They had turned around and were facing in the direction of our pursuers. Tuko drove past them. Rustin nodded and watched us go. Then his vehicles headed in the opposite direction. His group looked little like a school of minnows about to be swallowed by a pod of whales.
“He doesn’t have a chance, does he?” I asked without expecting an answer.
“Doesn’t matter. You earned his support. He will continue to do what is right, no matter what the consequences,” Valsa replied. “Besides, we have bigger problems. Look!”
Above the tide of vehicles, a lone machine hung in the air. It looked like a makeshift helicopter. I spied two occupants, an adult and a kid. The thing shook like it was going to break apart at any second. I hoped it wouldn’t self destruct right over our heads.
“Who is that? And are there more of those things?”
“I don’t think so. Pilot clan hasn’t been able to fly for years, except for hang gliders. They must have gotten their helicopter working. Lucky us,” replied Lucaz.
“Can you go any faster?” I begged Tuko.
“I could if I lost some weight. Anybody you want to get thrown off?” Sarcastic to the end.
“Get ready to defend yourself,” Valsa commanded. “We’re about to have company.”
The lead vehicles were motorcycles. I made out the Chycle insignia on the front of their bikes. They were so much faster than the other vehicles. One of the motorcycle riders had a chain hanging from his right hand. Visions of the stadium attack came to my mind.
“Drive over there!” Valsa pointed to a rocky outcropping. The plains had a few rolling hills, and this area would at least give us cover over the flat land. Tuko drove over a small hill and a motorcycle sailed over us to land on our left side. “They’re trying to herd us to the right, where they have more vehicles. Drive straight.”
I counted the motorcycles. Eight. I wondered what motivated them to chase us. My bounty? The prestige? Revenge for Dero? Or instructions from whoever killed Luther? Either way, I knew that they wanted my head.
A chain slammed into the ground near the back tire.
“Slow down, let them catch up,” Jinn barked.
“What?” Tuko looked confused but eased up on the gas. Our pursuer closed the distance and smirked as he was about to throw his chain again.
“Stop!” Jinn commanded, and Tuko slammed on the brakes. The Chycle member’s facial expression changed instantly as he realized as he was about to crash. He turned his front tire too quickly, and as the bike stopped, he kept going.
>
“Nice,” I said as Tuko gunned the engine again.
“Yes, but you can only try that once. The rest of the bikers are wary now and a whole lot closer,” Valsa said. He was right. We were going to have to be a whole lot more creative if we were going to escape this mess. Two more bikers were closing in, and they sped alongside. One jumped ahead of us, and I saw something in his hand. He tossed it, and it dropped into the seat below us. Without thinking, I grabbed it and tossed it at the other biker. The ground exploded in front of him sending him cartwheeling off his bike.
“They trying to kill us!” Lucaz yelled. “Either the bounty has changed to dead, or the Chycle clan is trying to prevent you from talking.” Before we could process this latest information, the helicopter dove low, and the man in the craft fired a weapon to take out our tire.
The sharp pole didn’t miss by much.
The biker looked up and threw his chain upward to hit the craft, but the helicopter pulled upward out of harm’s way. That gave me an idea.
“Tuko, you need to turn around.”
“What?” the others said in unison.
“We can’t outrun them, but the clans aren’t working together. They are working against each together to get at me. We can turn that to our advantage.”
“You want me to drive into the middle of dozens of vehicles?” he said in disbelief.
“She might be on to something. In a few minutes we are going to get picked off either by the Chycle or another clan. There are too many of them, and they are focused on getting us. But if you go in the middle of that,” Jinn pointed at the sea of vehicles, “they might fight each other to get at you.”
Another chain swung by the rear door. Four of the motorcycles were within striking distance.
“Anybody got a better idea?” I yelled.
“No. But running into the hands of our enemies doesn’t really work for me. Maybe I will get lucky and outrun them long enough until we reach the Cradle,” Tuko suggested.
“Objection noted. All those in favor of my plan, raise your hand.” Every hand but Tuko’s went up.
“Fine,” Tuko replied icily as he suddenly turned the wheel. One of the bikers was too close and slammed into a rock while trying to avoid the car.
We accelerated toward the mass of vehicles. It was a mishmash of cars, trucks, and bikes. I counted and stopped at fifty, realizing that I had only counted about a third of the mass. The dust behind them reached high into the sky. I saw hundreds of faces — some clans I recognized from the coliseum and from earlier attacks. Others were foreign to me.
“Be ready to be attacked,” Tuko yelled. Some faces of the clans were almost comical, as if our suicidal attack on them was beyond belief. Others looked more determined and readied whatever weapons they had. Tuko steered to the right toward a group of Zombie trucks. The driver of the lead vehicle smiled as if receiving an early birthday present. The adjoining clan members were in flashy cars like Tuko’s, and several tried to ram the Zombie vehicles. The two clans were focusing their energies on each other.
It was working, but there were hundreds of vehicles to go. One Zombie vehicle steered toward us, but Tuko was too fast, and it missed us and rammed into another clan’s car.
“Don’t get hemmed in,” Valsa screamed. “If everyone focuses on us, we’ll be trapped.” Tuko spun to the right, and several cars whizzed by us. The sounds of vehicle crashes were all around us. The plan was working. So far.
I was so focused on congratulating myself on the plan that I didn’t see my attacker, but I felt something grab my hair. I turned and saw a teenager flip from the cab of her truck into the back. She reached for Jinn next. The girl was my size but much stronger and wiry. It was like trying to grasp a piece of spaghetti. I couldn’t hold on to her.
“Help!” Jinn yelled as she was being pulled from our car.
“Grab her,” Tuko screamed and pulled one arm off the wheel to reach for her. The vehicle adjacent to us was pulling her away.
“Leave her alone. I’m the girl you want,” I yelled. The girl did a double take at the adjoining car. Jinn stood in the back seat and tried to punch but missed. As her momentum swung through, she was pulled into their car. Valsa grabbed for her but had his hands were smashed by another teenager. He pulled back in pain as Lucaz reached for Jinn but was too late. The car had pulled away.
“Get her!” Tuko yelled while swerving the car to avoid a head-on collision.
My plan was a bust, and I had just lost my best friend. Tuko spun the car around and advanced on the vehicle that had taken Jinn.
In the distance, I could see her swinging her fist at one of his captors, and it looked like she had given him a bloody nose. Awesome!
I knelt on the edge of the car, and before the boys could pull me back, I leapt into the back of their vehicle as it drove by. I fell hard and split my lip on the truck bed. As I tried to stand up, a teenage boy kicked at me. I ducked but fell hard on my knees.
Jinn was in the front seat, wrestling the same girl as another vehicle pulled adjacent to us. I evaded the teenage boy and reached for her. My hand grasped her shoulder before I was pulled back suddenly and slammed my head on truck. For several seconds I saw stars and almost felt like passing out. I felt the hot exhaust of another vehicle pulling away from us. I could see Jinn’s anguish as she fought for her life. Either they thought she was me or she was worth something as a daughter of Armor clan. The car drove away, and our eyes locked for a second before she had to defend herself. Then her vehicle disappeared into a dust cloud. I was left in the back of a truck with a clan I didn’t recognize.
Great. I had lost Jinn and allowed myself to be captured. Great plan.
Just as the teenage boy reached for me again, Lucaz came flying from our car and tackled him. He shoved him hard and the boy fell off the truck. The driver tried to close the window between the cab and truck bed, but I kicked at his fingers and felt a satisfying crunch. The truck slammed to a stop, and I crashed into the back section , knocking the air of me. I looked up and watched Lucaz pull the driver out of the vehicle and punch him in the mouth. He crumbled like he had a glass jaw.
“I’m driving,” he said as two oncoming cars approached.
“Move it.” I pointed to the car Jinn was in as it was swallowed by a mass of incoming vehicles. She disappeared in seconds. Our truck lurched forward, but it was getting hard to see with all the dust that was kicked up. I saw Tuko and Valsa ahead of us, and I knew he wouldn’t let Jinn get far.
“Follow Tuko.” I turned and barely ducked down in time as a man tried to grab me. He was tied to a pole as an extension off the back of his truck. His fingers grazed my knee. I had to focus on my surroundings or we’d never get the opportunity to find Jinn. The clan member’s face was covered with tattoos. Zombie clan was back. A grappling hook clanked off the back of their vehicle, and I stumbled as our truck pulled to the right.
“We’re being boarded!” I yelled.
“Do something about it,” Lucaz answered. “I have to drive.”
Thanks. You’re a big help. Another grappling hook stabbed the other side of the truck. The metal moaned, as if it was going to be pulled apart. The chains were pulling the truck’s back tires off the road. I kicked at the grappling hook and succeeded in embedding it farther into the metal body.
“I need a crowbar,” I yelled to Lucaz. His head turned in the cab as he searched. I noticed a piece of wood in the back that might work. I grabbed it and wedged it under the grappling hook. It moved slightly, but as I looked up I could see a Zombie clan boy shimming down the chain from his vehicle.
“Oh, no you don’t.” I got the usual nonverbal response. I wedged the wood as hard as I could, and the grappling hook went flying. The clan member tumbled into the dirt and the hook began to gouge into the ground.
One down.
Before I could turn, my arm was twisted behind me. His strength pushed me down. I ducked and sent my foot high and backward. When I heard a satisfying cry, I knew
I had hit home. I wriggled out of his grasp. The man was large but doubled over. I kicked his knee, and as he reached down in pain, I pushed him backward. He tumbled off the truck and bounced a few times off the ground. I didn’t feel any sympathy for him.
I pried the wood from under the second grappling hook, and after a couple of hits, it came loose. I kicked it and the chain to the ground. It ricocheted and embedded in the tire of the Zombie Clan car that was pursuing us. It came to an abrupt stop and smashed into another Zombie vehicle behind it. Love the karma.
“I can’t find Jinn or Tuko’s car. There are too many vehicles. It’s hard enough to avoid the other clans,” Lucaz yelled. My heart began to pump with panic. We had lost them, and it was all because of my great plan. We had no other choice now.
“Aim toward the Cradle. They must be heading in this direction. Can you find it?” I asked.
“You mean that?” Lucaz pointed. I strained my neck up to view the largest wall I had ever seen. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It wasn’t made of stone or wood. It looked almost organic from this distance, like huge waves of muscles. At the sight of the Cradle, the other clan’s vehicles immediately spread out. It was as if they were in awe of it and that my capture was less important than the majesty of the place. A horn beeped from behind us, and I saw Tuko driving erratically. Valsa’s shoulder was a bloody mess.
“Did you see where they went?” Tuko asked. I shook my head and tears filled my eyes. If she was hurt because of me, I would never forgive myself. “Don’t worry, she can take care of herself.”
“We should head there. You take the right side, we’ll take the left. One of us will see her,” offered Lucaz.
“No.” Tuko shook his head. “We have to stay together. We’re weaker if we separate. Besides, Valsa is hurt.” He had slumped down in the backseat and looked exhausted, as if the fight had been taken out of him. Tuko was right; we were minutes away from our destination. We’d have to find Jinn later.
Clan World (The World Series Book 2) Page 22