The Big Waste (After-Skirmish Book 1)

by C. W. Ashley

  I got a good idea of what that entailed.

  “But before that?” Iggy pressed.

  “Before that, I was a fucking full-time vampire, Dumb-ass.” Clarissa hissed bitterly. “I pounced on weak homesteaders and nomads who were stupid enough to wander the scrap yards after dark. Never a shortage of moron soft-necks out here.”

  Iggy picked up on this being a sensitive subject but he was curious, and Grady wasn’t here to glare at him for it. However dangerous she was, she was currently completely helpless in a backseat box protecting her from the lethal rays of the sun. Iggy felt confident to keep pushing.

  “But you stopped, you don’t do that anymore?”

  “I don’t drink blood these days, I still happily kill idiot humans who don’t watch themselves,” Clarissa growled with growing annoyance.

  “But how exactly does that work? Don’t vampires need blood to survive? How can you just ‘quit’ something that sustains you?”

  Iggy heard a sigh from the voice box.

  “I-I’m different. My genes are strong. Something to do with my parents, I don’t really fucking understand it.”

  “Genes? Different from other vampires?” Iggy asked.

  Clarissa paused for longer this time, exhaling long before responding. “Maybe...I don’t know. Never met many vampires….”

  Who is she really? That doesn’t seem right.

  Iggy’s mind was front-loaded with so many questions they didn’t come out right away. But he put his curiosity when he heard the loud buzz of a nearby engine.

  The first thing Iggy noticed was the healthy gargle of the vehicle. Not the same sound of perfection that came from his own Blockgain, but certainly a class B vehicle at the least. Peering to the west he could see it in the distance. It was a large-medium dark jeep covered in an array of hood ornaments and spikes. It was a custom model for all-purpose uses. Not something you’d see in a derby but a top pick for a death run’s obstacle course. It seemed too expensive to be a bandit vehicle but Iggy wasn’t sure what it was doing, speeding out in waste at such a speed.

  Peeling off cracked tarmac path, Iggy veered a little closer to get a better look at the vehicle and what it was up to. He noticed the 4×4 began to veer closer to him, making the waving driver just visible enough to Iggy in the glaring sunlight.

  “Ignition! I didn’t know you’d be leaving this early? Did Jake tell you about our big hunt?” The voice was unmistakable, it was Nails. Iggy assumed that the other hunter from their group, Malkin was in the passenger seat.

  Iggy rolled down his window and yelled to respond.

  “Yeah, Penoli told me it was a big payout, but I’m on a job for the Landlady.”

  “We are closing in on her now, Ignition!” Nails replied with excitement. “Malkin shot her with his crossbow. Blue Gecko poison-tipped bolts, means she can’t run too quick for long, probably behind one of these wrecked cabins.”

  She?

  “Why is the hunt such a big deal? Rare creature?”

  Nails heavily studded face pulled into a manic grin.

  “The rarest in the zone! Fenrir was all but a legend until she killed the last band that was hunting her, that plus her fur is invaluable.”

  “What kind of a name is Fenrir?”

  “Uhhh same grandpappy told me an ancient civilization had a giant Wolf-Monster that could kill a god named Fenrir, has a nice ring to it, I guess.”

  “Wolf Monster?”

  “Not as big as the old legend, but she’s easily the size of this car, and runs nearly as fast as it, been told she looks about eight feet on her hind legs, beautiful coat of silver fur too, never seen anything quite like it...you sure you don’t want to change your mind and get in on this hunt?”

  Silver fur? No…no way.

  Iggy paused a little before his next question.

  “She...Fenrir is close?”

  The 4×4 began to speed up and the Blockgain matched it easily.

  “Malkin tagged her about five minutes ago, with all these old structures she could be hiding or still running around cover, I know we are close though. What I’m driving here is the Dresden Dune. It’s a beautiful machine but it’s still a Class B, help us out and we’ll cut you in, Ignition.”

  I have to know.

  Iggy rolled back down his window quickly and leaned into his voice box to speak to Clarissa.

  “Slight detour, Landlady. Just gonna see if I can spot a monster for these guys, we are still basically on course anyway.” Iggy tried to explain.

  “Who the fuck is paying you, Crasher? You’re on an escort job with my time limit, you can buy your drinking buddies around after you come back.” Clarissa stated with annoyance.

  Iggy felt the pressure, but there was no way he was going to change his mind, he gulped his fear and responded with a cold conviction.

  “I can take 10 minutes to help these two and we will still get to Maim-creek with time to spare. If you want to get out and sunbathe while I do that, be my guest.”

  Clarissa grumbled under her breath, while Iggy exhaled his bold bluff energy as quietly as possible. “Ten minutes Crasher, I’m setting my watch.”

  Holy shit.

  Rolling the window back down, he shouted back to the other car.

  “Okay I’m in, I’ll help you spot. I’ll pull ahead on the west flank of this row of road shacks.”

  Nails nodded enthusiastically and Malkin leaned over past him, brandishing his crossbow for Iggy to see.

  “Good to be hunting with you Ignition. You point ‘er out and I won’t miss!” Malkin yelled happily as if he was celebrating a birthday.

  The Blockgain Chaser accelerated past the 4×4 and shifted off the worn path to the cracked bumpy soil of the off-road. The suspension balanced the vehicle easily, and the Chaser’s all-purpose tires clung to the ground reliably. The area they were in looked to be some sort of very old pre-skirmish farm town, just based on the mostly wooden half structures that were in immediate vision. Iggy slowed down to begin scanning the area once he got to the angle that covered the widest field of view.

  The high sun created narrow but thick shadows behind some of the larger wood structures which Iggy was diligently checking for movement or sounds. The old town was getting harder to drive through as he got towards the heart of it. Large barns and wells became obstacles to veer around and Iggy worried there were too many hiding spots for him to check from the car at any speed, knowing he couldn’t risk leaving it.

  Not keeping his eyes in front of him, the Blockgain smashed into a small wooden sign that read: ‘Welcome to Carnaby’ that bounced off the car. Iggy thought nothing of it, but Clarissa spoke up.

  “I heard a yelping sound. Southeast I think,” she said with a tone of flat indifference.

  “You sure? I’ll spin around,” Iggy said with haste.

  “Take all the damn time in the world. Crasher.”

  Iggy ignored her quip and braked into a near 180 spin, kicking up a healthy amount of dirt in the skid. And then he saw it, almost as a stream of silver.

  At least 7 feet in length and 5 feet in height on all fours, the majestic beauty of the creature came into view from a side angle of its rear as it ran. Its glossy bright coat hung tightly over a network of thick complex muscles that seemed the most heavily woven at the upper legs and back. Its light grey tail looked like a stream of glistening smoke, only adding to its fascinating appearance. Iggy felt drawn to it immediately and slammed on the gas to chase it, its silver-grey coat keeping it in clear vision against the dull brown of the waste landscape.

  There was no more time to weave through the cabins. Luckily for Iggy, the Blockgain was more than strong enough to plow through old wooden houses as if they were made of stiff cardboard. But the impact was still felt by Clarissa who was feeling the fierce turbulence in the backseat. Iggy fought through the obstacles to get alongside the darting ‘Fenrir’, gaining steadily and surely. The screaming buzz of the Dresden Dune engine tore into the atmosphere as it broke thr
ough an old corral gate to join the chase, approaching its top speed.

  “IGNITION! Too much cover for me to get a clear shot with the crossbow! Hit her with your harpoon, or just knock into her, we can clean the coat after and still get a good price!” Malkin yelled from the approaching vehicle.

  The surroundings began to blur, both cars and the Fenrir were approaching breakneck speeds, only hindered by the semi careful navigation of some of the more solid-looking structures in their immediate path. Iggy rolled his window halfway to respond.

  “Hasn’t she already been shot? You said she would slow down!!”

  The wolf turned to Iggy’s car as they reached parallel formation as if to respond to him. The first thing he saw was the eyes, ice-cold white, almost otherworldly. A handsome face of a powerful wolf; bearing a set of jagged fangs with a mouth being pulled back by the sheer speed of movement. Around its neck was a neat mane of cobalt grey-blue and a piece of fabric that caused immediate déjà-vu.

  It… can't be! No!!

  The cloth was a light brown blanket that fit snugly below the wolf’s neck below the mane. But around a humanoid’s neck, it would most likely fit like a loose poncho.

  The icy eyes fixed on Iggy, there was no discernible emotion aside from that of recognition, familiarity, and slight surprise. Iggy’s stare was broken when the Blockgain smashed into another unknown wooden piece of debris. Slowing the car down a little.

  “Ignition! She’s fast but she’s limping, the poison will work! We gotta get her now while she’s still a beast. If she dies after shifting, we won’t get paid!”

  A cold ache hit Iggy’s stomach like a fist made of solid ice. The feeling raced up his chest and thumped into his head.

  “Malkin, what do you mean shift?”

  Please, please don’t say it.

  “Fenrir is a shifter! It’s only occasionally in beast form, apparently, she sometimes turns back to a more human shape when she weakens…never mind I’ve got a clear shot. Get on her flank.”

  It’s her.

  Flashes of Sil’s bright eyes appeared in Iggy’s mind like floodlights revealing the truth. He felt her hot breath, her mouth over his leg wounds, her insides as she took hold of him in passion. The memories swirled around him like a cyclone. His trip down memory lane broke when he saw a crossbow-wielding Malkin leaning out of the Dresden lining up his shot.

  I’m sorry fellas...I’m truly sorry.

  The Blockgain Chaser swerved heavily into the 4×4. Despite it being slightly smaller, the weighty impact slammed it into a brief fishtail and nearly caused Malkin to spill out of the window. Nails had to pull some hard counter-steering not to spin out.

  “What the fuck Ignition? Watch where you’re going, buddy!” Nails yelled in confusion.

  The voice box flared up with Clarissa’s disapproving tone.

  “Crasher, this isn’t a derby, why the hell are you ramming cars!? Get back on track, this hunt is over.”

  Iggy ignored Clarissa, knowing that there would be a lot of explaining to do later. As Nails drove back up in position for the now visibly banged up Malkin to take another shot, Iggy began to notice the Fenrir slowing down. Every 4th step was like a hopping motion. The poison was taking effect.

  “Nails, Malkin, abort this hunt! You can’t kill her!”

  “Her!?” Clarissa barked from the back.

  There was a look of shock on Malkin’s face as if he heard a new language for the first time.

  “We can kill her, Ignition. It’ll just take another shot or two, Penoli told you how much we would make, right? We are so close!” Malkin explained desperately.

  “I... I know, but as Nails says, this is a shifter that is a person, we can’t kill that person for money, it isn’t an animal.”

  Malkin’s face dropped into a blank state of disbelief. Nails yelled in his place.

  “Person!? This is the fucking Big Waste you silver-spoon Citi-boy! We, you, everyone kills people for money all the time! I don’t know what powder you snorted in the morning, but we are collecting this hunt, and if you ain't going to help, then you need to back the fuck off!”

  The Dresden Dune screeched into an aggressive turn and banged against the Blockgain as a warning. The jolt sent knocked Iggy upwards knocking his head into his car roof with minor impact. He knew there was no turning back. He took a deep breath, ignoring the heavy stream of cursing from the voice box and rolled up his window. Nails did the same. Minds were made up, there was no turning back.

  The Blockgain pitched a hard right towards its new enemy. But there was less impact than Iggy had hoped, not enough room for a full charge side swipe. The 4×4 recoiled and swung back, bashing Iggy and Clarissa around their respective seats. The weight difference between was real, and the town obstacles and uneven ground gave little opportunity for free swerving. Iggy was reminded of the regional Derby qualifiers in the dirt arena on his 25th birthday, a brutal run.

  An ancient horse carriage was obliterated as Iggy unknowingly plowed into it, splintering wood flying off around him and the crunching sound whetting his appetite for vehicular impact. He hastily tried another shunt, but lost speed as the Blockgain’s left tire hit a bump, causing him to miss. He was now at the Dresden Dunes’ rear and saw a bloodied Malkin lean out again with his crossbow. Fenrir was dashing valiantly but was visibly in no shape for any agile maneuvers. Iggy knew she was an easy target for a veteran hunter like Malkin.

  It’s not happening, not today!

  Iggy slammed the gas pedal and grit his teeth, purely focused 4×4 like a homing missile. The Blockgain’s engine screamed in sync with its driver’s raw determination. It peeled through the dusty air closing in on the hunters.

  There was a thwip sound followed by a heavy clunk, and then an ear-piercing squeal.

  Malkin had managed to get off one shot with his poison-tipped weapon before being rammed by Iggy’s Blockgain roughly. The squeal came from the Fenrir when the bolt meant for her head slammed into her back leg instead. Dark red blood began to spurt from the leg of the speeding wolf, splattering all over the windows of both cars.

  “She’s gonna die! I’m out of time!” Iggy growled in helpless anger.

  He heard the majestic wolf cry in what could only be pure agony. She was pushing herself beyond any normal limits to outrun a Class B vehicle, while her weakening system was gripped by whatever powerful venom, she just got a double dose of. Iggy skid out of the way of a stone well only to hit at a broken outhouse. The Blockgain lost more speed and fell further behind the charging hunters. Malkin appeared out of the window once again, lining up another shot.

  Iggy desperately scanned everything around him, as his experience estimated the time and distance. He knew he couldn’t speed up enough to interrupt this next shot. His ringing ears went into overdrive, and finally began to tune-in Clarissa’s constant threats and rants from the voice box; catching the tail end of one sentence.

  “I didn’t buy you those upgrades for this shit!!”

  Upgrades...not the engine……

  He spotted it immediately, the console on his dashboard that was out of place. He took no notice of it until now. A grey panel with a large yellow switch, with two functions for up and down: ‘LAUNCH’’ and ‘RETRACT’. It was currently set to retract. Iggy had never seen or used it before.

  Harpoon is on the roof; I need them square in front of me….

  Veering a little to the right he managed to pull behind the 4×4 until he was mostly in the slipstream. He hit another bump that knocked him out of line just a little. His head seemed to be pumping with its own heartbeat. All he could taste was metal. He placed his hand on the switch and gulped cold mucus.

  NOW!!

  The sound of the Harpoon-blast was like an imploding flak-cannon mixed with an old shotgun. Iggy could even feel his car being pushed back slightly by the recoil. The ‘claw’ of the harpoon was a nasty looking instrument that looked like a giant fish hook made to catch a Landshark. It propelled through the dust-fil
led air and smashed right through the trunk of the 4×4, snagging the interior with its sharp prongs and clinging to it securely. Malkin fired his crossbow, but the new impact was just enough to make him shoot wide and miss Fenrir by a half foot. The hunter almost fell out of the window once again. But with steely refusal to give in, he began to string another bolt to his bow.

  Iggy was morbidly impressed with how determined these hunters were, it’s as if they were willing to die as long as they could see the death of this creature to the end. He resolved that their passion for this couldn’t be too different from his own all or nothing attitude towards the demolition of car combat.

  All or nothing.

  With the harpoon affixed to the back of the 4×4 Iggy buzzed through options of what to do next. He wondered if he could try and drag the car away like an angry Dogbull on a leash, maybe a hard break to stop it in the tracks.