by Jake Bible
He did so and grinned slyly.
***
The Boss held his tile up for all to see. It was blank. He tossed it back in and handed the jar to Chunks who proceeded to collect all the blank tiles from the villagers. Those with marked tiles remained unmoving and June could see some of them struggle with their emotions. She looked at her own.
“What’s this mean?” June asked. She looked over at Olivia, who had tears in her eyes and then looked at Rebecca, who was busy staring down at her own marked tile. A tile with a red diamond.
“It means you fight,” Olivia choked.
***
The rotten smell grew stronger and the Rookie realized he wasn’t alone in the water. “Jay!” he yelled. “Jay! Where the fuck are you?”
The Rookie struggled against the noise of the rapids to hear a response. “Jay!”
He did hear a low growl directly behind him, but before he could turn he was slammed into a boulder by the current. His breath was knocked from him once again and he gulped water. His chest wound blazed with pain and he realized it had opened back up.
Oh shit, he thought. I’m leaving the deaders a trail right to me.
***
Masters forced the dead mech’s consciousness down, down, down until it was nothing but a dead end piece of code. His head hurt like hell and he was having trouble thinking straight.
“Keep it together, Pilot,” he scolded himself aloud. “This is no time for weakness.”
With the cockpit closed, Masters focused on getting the mech moving. The thing could take quite a beating, but with a cyclone heading towards him, he needed to get the hell out of there.
Stabbing pains shot through his skull, requiring all of his concentration to take one step. And then another. And another.
***
Putrid hands grabbed the Rookie about the shoulders and pushed him under. He blindly thrashed and fought against the deader and was able to get to the surface for another breath before more hands grabbed him.
He could feel them about him and he kicked out, his foot sliding through something soft. He tried to pull back, but his foot was caught. He swung his arms wildly, his chest wound screaming, hoping he could keep the things off of him, to keep them from biting.
The current slammed him against a boulder and another and another. Then all went dark.
***
Masters saw the boulder coming at him and he braced himself for the impact. The Hill Stomper shuddered as the waste storm drove the boulder into its right thigh. Masters’ concentration faltered and he almost succumbed to the blinding pain in his head, but he fought on, forcing the mech towards a near by mesa.
Masters realized his throat was raw from yelling, but the wind was so loud he couldn’t hear himself. He walked the mech up to the mesa as close as it would go, shielding the cockpit up against the cliff wall.
Then he promptly passed out.
***
Mathew stopped his mech at the edge of a bluff that overlooked Windy City and gasped.
“Sweet Jeezus. What the fuck happened here?” he whispered.
Before him, what was left of the city/state, burned and smoldered, a red hazy glow against an early night sky.
“Oh, that’s not good,” he muttered. He powered up his weapons systems and jumped his mech off the bluff, rolling into a crouch as he landed, his plasma cannon ready.
He checked his scanners, but the destruction was so great that he couldn’t get a clean reading. Cautiously, he walked towards the city/state, guns up.
***
“You see, dear Rachel,” the Boss started, seating himself between June and Olivia. “It’s simple supply and demand. When we run low on supplies, the people demand blood.”
“The people demand nothing,” Olivia muttered. “It’s you that wants blood.”
“Mother, mother,” the Boss said, wrapping a hand around the back of Olivia’s neck and squeezing. “You just don’t get me do you? I love my people.” He squeezed harder. “And my people love me…or else.”
He stood suddenly. “First two in the pit!”
“Green triangles!” Chunks called out. Two villagers, an older man and a young woman stood up.
***
Mathew walked his mech to the edge of the burning city/state. He tried his scanners again, but still no decent readings.
“Damn!” he swore. “What the fuck happened here?”
He thought he saw movement through the collapsed city/state walls and moved closer, opening all com channels.
“Attention! This is Mech Pilot Mathew Jespers. Can anyone hear me? Is anyone alive? I can offer assistance.” He was met with nothing but static.
Then, again, movement. He switched to loudspeakers. “Attention! This is Mech Pilot-” Mathew stopped short as the bulk of a dead mech stood up from the rubble.
“Ah, shit…”
***
The older man began to weep and looked up at the Boss. “Please, sir, please don’t make me do this,” he pleaded.
The young woman wasted no time, though, punching the man in the stomach, doubling him over. She immediately brought her knee up into his face, knocking him to the ground. With intense determination she brought her bare foot down on his face, again and again, until his features were nothing but pulp.
Chunks leapt into the pit and checked the man’s pulse. “Dead.”
The woman pulled a tooth from her heel then helped Chunks drag the body away.
***
The deader stood there, watching Mathew, a burnt corpse dangling from its fist, its cockpit open and zombie pilot thrashing inside. The deader ripped the corpse in half and tossed the torso into the cockpit. The zombie fed ravenously, bits of charred skin falling to the ground like fleshy crumbs.
Mathew watched for a moment then fired his plasma cannon. The zombie pilot disintegrated instantly. Mathew watched the dead mech stumble back, sway and then finally collapse to the ground.
“And that’s how you… do… that? …fuck me…”
Four more dead mechs revealed themselves, all in various stages of feeding.
***
“Black circles,” Chunks announced.
“How many have to fight?” June asked, fingering the diamond on her tile over and over again.
“Four fights,” the Boss said. “That’s how many we need to die to live.”
“We could all just eat less,” Olivia said.
The Boss backhanded her across the face. “Or you could shut your fucking face!”
Two young men dropped into the pit.
“Oooh, now this looks like an even match. Should last a bit longer,” the Boss said, smiling.
The men greeted each other and embraced. “Boo! Get a shack!” the Boss joked, elbowing June in the ribs.
***
All weapons ready, Mathew backed away from what was left of Windy City. The dead mechs followed, walking through collapsed walls and broken buildings without a thought.
“Hey fellas, I was just passing by,” Mathew called over the loudspeaker. “Sorry about your friend there, it wasn’t anything personal.”
One of the deaders dropped its meal and picked up the pace towards Mathew.
“Whoa, there big fella! I wasn’t trying to interrupt your snack. You guys just carry on.”
The other dead mechs dropped their meals also.
“Okay, now you’re just making me feel bad.” Mathew eyed the deaders and fired.
***
“Commander, I’m picking up solid geothermal readings directly below this area,” Jethro said.
Capreze looked out onto the nighttime landscape, assessing the location. “Well, looks like as good a place any. Pilots? Any thoughts?”
“We’ve been awake for over 24 hours, so this looks fucking perfect,” Rachel answered over the com, yawning.
“Fine by me,” Harlow agreed.
“As long as I get first watch,” Bisby added.
“That means you’re on breakfast duty,” Capreze said
.
“Better me than Rachel,” Bisby joked.
“Hey!” Rachel responded good naturedly.
“Okay, then let’s set camp,” Capreze said, stopping the transport. “Biz, you set the perimeter.”
***
The villager that won the fight wept openly as he clambered from the pit. He strode past the circle and away from the rest of the villagers, his sobs slowly fading into the night.
“They were born the same day. They’ve been best friends since birth,” Olivia said. “I helped deliver them both.”
“Boo fucking hoo,” the Boss mocked. “Get on with it!”
Chunks waited until the body was removed from the pit then hollered, “Red Diamonds.”
June’s bladder nearly loosed. Without looking at her, Rebecca stood up and lowered herself into the pit.
“Pilot? You’re up,” the Boss chuckled.
***
A well directed missile strike took out both legs of one of the attacking deaders as Mathew tried to pilot his mech back into Windy City, hoping to use the crushed remains of the buildings as cover.
He could tell by their actions that none of the dead mechs he was dealing with were thinkers. But, that was little comfort as the three left standing charged him.
Unleashing a barrage of plasma fire, Mathew was able to slow two more down, but doubted he had put them completely out of commission.
One of them lifted its own cannon and fired.
***
“Are we set?” Capreze asked, getting up from his seat and stretching.
“Yes, Commander. I have the transport anchored,” Jethro responded typing at his tablet. “Ready to punch the hole.”
“Fire away, mechanic.”
Jethro tapped twice and a muffled ‘whump’ could be heard directly below the transport. “Hole punched, sir. Checking readings now.” Jethro studied his tablet for a minute. “Looks good. Dropping cable.”
A whirring sound kicked in. “Should only be a minute and we’ll have full power.”
Capreze patted Jethro on the shoulder, mindful of the mechanic’s discomfort. “Great job, Jethro. We’d be dead out here without you.”
***
“I don’t want to hurt you,” June pleaded to Rebecca as the two women faced off in the pit. “Please, don’t so this. If we refuse to fight-“
“Then we both get a bullet in the head,” Rebecca snapped. “Now get your fists up, girl, because I am going to kill you.”
June stared at Rebecca for a moment then nodded. “I am sorry.”
Rebecca laughed. “I’ve got forty pounds on you. You’ll have nothing to be sorry for. And neither will I when I crawl out of this shithole.”
“Shut the fuck up and fight already!” the Boss goaded.
***
Mathew easily dodged the deader’s wild shot, but in doing so he mistimed a step and stumbled on some of the city/state rubble. He saw the ground coming at him and put his mech’s hands out to stop his fall. Before he could right himself, two of the dead mechs were on him, pinning his mech to the ground.
“Fuck!” he swore aloud, realizing a rookie mistake was going to mean the death of him.
He thrashed about, trying to get his legs under him, but the deaders began to pummel the back of his mech relentlessly.
“Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!”
***
“And we have juice!” Jethro announced over the com.
“Great,” Bisby responded. “I’ll stick my schlong in it.”
“Biz!” Rachel scolded.
“What? Why do you hate that so much?” Bisby asked, unrolling a cable from his mech’s leg and pulling it over to the transport. “These cables have been called schlongs before you were born.”
“Yeah, but considering two of the three pilots here are women, maybe you should think of a new name,” Rachel responded.
“Speak for yourself, girly,” Harlow joined in. “I’m pretty sure if we whip ‘em out my dick’ll be bigger than Bisby’s.”
“Probably,” Bisby retorted.
***
Mathew could hear the metal of his mech protesting against the weight of the beating it was taking. He fought and fought, but the other dead mech joined in and he was easily overpowered.
Many thoughts ran through his head as the protesting of metal became the ripping of metal. He was glad he recorded a good bye message to Rachel, but doubted if she would ever hear it. Shit, he didn’t even know if she was still alive. Or if anyone at the base was.
When his mech’s left arm was torn form it’s frame, he began to pray.
***
Rebecca was right, she did have forty pounds on June, but she didn’t have the training June had and even with all of the abuse she had endured over the past couple days, June knew it wasn’t going to be a contest.
“I’ll leave!” June yelled, easily dodging Rebecca’s clumsy swipes. “Just set me out into the wasteland. I don’t need food or water.”
“Dear, dear Rachel,” the Boss answered from the side of the pit. “You don’t get it. It’s not about one less in number. It’s also about one more for the larder.”
He chuckled. “It’s simple math.”
***
Capreze set the perimeter poles several yards out from the transport and mechs, his carbine slung over his shoulder. He watched the pilots jack their cables into the transport’s power junction, joking back and forth.
He laughed to himself, thinking back to when Rachel was born and how he would never have bet she’d end up a mech head like her old man. He shut that thought loop down, quickly, though, leaving that for his late night sub-conscious to deal with.
Capreze set the last pole and turned to look out into the wasteland.
“Perimeter set, Jethro. Fire it up.”
***
The hydraulics on Mathew’s mech’s left leg exploded as a deader stomped down hard.
Mathew undid the clasp on his side arm’s holster and sighed. He pulled the pistol out and held it up to his face.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he said aloud. “I wish I could be with you right now. I guess we’re all meant to go out in the same way, though, alone.”
He pulled back the slide, forcing a shell into the chamber. Thumbing the safety, he put the gun to his head.
A thousand shots echoed about him and Mathew, confused, looked at his pistol.
***
June ducked another of Rebecca’s swings and sighed. “I really am sorry.”
“Shut up and fight, you spoiled brat,” Rebecca growled, her hair matted with sweat already even though she hadn’t landed one punch.
“I’ll make it quick,” June promised.
She waited for another of Rebecca’s wild swipes and as the woman over extended herself, June stepped to the side, reached out and took a hold of Rebecca’s head in both of her hands and twisted.
The snap of Rebecca’s neck echoed in the pit. She could hear Olivia’s wail of sorrow immediately.
“Excellent,” the Boss smirked. “Alright! Last fight!”
***
Mathew put the safety back on and re-holstered his side arm as more gunfire erupted. His mech’s systems were dead so he couldn’t check scanners. He was blind and helpless while something unseen opened fire with what sounded like 50mms.
His mech shifted as the weight of the deaders was lifted, their attention now on the new attacker. Mathew un-strapped, grabbed his survival pack and carbine and reached for the emergency hatch release. Even with his mech face down, the hatch was supposed to separate enough for him to squeeze out. He yanked hard.
Nothing.
Mathew’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
***
The Boss offered June a hand out of the pit, but she slapped it away and dug her fingers into the earth, pulling herself out. She turned away from him and looked for Olivia, but she was gone, her bench seat empty. In fact, most of the seats were empty, except for a few friends and family of the last two fighters.
&nbs
p; June felt the Boss’s arm slide across her shoulders, turning her back to the pit and to him.
“That was a nice move down there,” he whispered in her ear. “Don’t even think of trying it on me.”
***
Mathew could hear the battle around him and he focused on the sounds, trying to piece together the fight in his head.
He heard the blast of a plasma cannon and the resulting explosion as the blast hit its target.
The 50mm guns never stopped firing and the sound of metal being pierced and torn was near deafening.
Two more explosions shook his mech and then one of the deaders slammed to the ground right next to him. Mathew put his hands out to brace himself as he was shaken by the impact.
And like that, it all went silent.
***
Every time June turned her head from the last fight, the Boss grabbed her chin and forced her to look.
“I’ll slice your eyelids off, so don’t even think of closing those pretty peepers of yours,” he growled. “I want you to see how the rest of the world lives and dies.”
The fight was finished quickly, as a small girl was put down brutally by a well muscled middle aged man. June could swear the man enjoyed himself as he crushed the girl’s skull with his boot.
“Well,” the Boss said. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving!”
***
Mathew held tight as his mech was flipped onto its back and the cockpit hatch ripped off.
Stock still, he stared up into the battle scarred features of a new dead mech. He was positive this one wasn’t with the others.
He tried to reach over for his carbine, although he knew the rifle would be ineffective against the war machine. Immediately the deader lifted its right arm and shoved its glowing plasma cannon at him. Mathew slowly pulled his arm back.
He heard loud footfalls and his jaw dropped as he watched mini-mech One stand next to the deader.
Chapter Seven
Part One- Of Skinners & Shiner
Commander Capreze could hear the pilots joking and ribbing each other, a sound that always made him feel at ease, no matter the situation. He approached the outer rim of light the mechs shone over the camp when he heard a sound behind him, like shifting pebbles.