“The M240B would have done that,” Becky snickered.
“Okay, Jarvis, tell me where to turn,” Alvin said.
“I will, sir, no worries,” Jarvis replied. “By the way, sir, I’m parked on the outskirts of the town. Once you get here, it will be easy to meet without giving away that the car doesn’t have a driver.”
“Good to know,” Alvin chuckled. “Seen many people?”
“I cannot say, sir,” Jarvis apologized.
“It’s fine, Jarvis,” Alvin replied. “Any word from on high about us being the ones constantly behind the eight-ball?”
“Not at this time, sir,” Jarvis said.
Less than a mile down the road, Jarvis had Alvin turn onto a dirt road labeled NF-045. “This is going to be fun, isn’t it?” Alvin said.
“You wanted to stay away from cities and large towns,” Jarvis reminded Alvin. “This road will take you to Bridgeport without seeing a single structure. Most of the trip out of Bridgeport to the forest will be in slightly better condition than this.”
“Fair enough,” Alvin said. “Give us some music for the road, Jarvis.”
“Enjoy these selections,” Jarvis intone dryly.
A moment later, “Curvy Girls” started, making both of them laugh. The following selections spanned several musical genres, and kept them entertained. At one point, Alvin had to cross a mostly frozen wash that gave way under the Humvee, splashing slushy water up the sides of the vehicle.
The surrounding countryside was coated with a dusting of snow as Alvin continued the slow crawl they’d been at since turning on the dirt road. He ended up crossing the same wash twice more as they went.
Becky looked up at the grey clouds hanging over the mountains. “I think more snow is likely, Hero.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Alvin said, seeing some of the short scrub growing up as the road started to climb. “Look, greenery. Now we can go back to Beatty.”
Becky shook her head. “Trees? Bah, those are barely bushes.”
“Ah, well,” Alvin chuckled, “I tried.”
Alvin suddenly stopped the Humvee. Just ahead of them, the road dipped into another wash that was full of snow and ice like the road before. Unlike before, the road didn’t reappear for over two hundred feet.
“Well, this looks like it might be fun,” Becky said.
“Let’s see what this baby can do,” Alvin said as he rolled out into the wash. The front wheel broke the thin ice, dropping them into the partly frozen slush. Powering on, the Humvee became a miniature ice-breaker, creating a path through the freezing runoff.
Climbing up the path on the other side, Alvin frowned. “It strikes me that I don’t know how easy this would be without the Impervious rune or the Tires rune.”
“That is a good point,” Becky agreed.
“At least it seems to be working for us right now,” Alvin chuckled.
Not far past that section of road, Alvin was forced to a crawl again as the road ran right next to the runoff channel. Navigating carefully, Alvin was able to keep the Humvee from sliding down into the slush again. That section was maybe a mile long, but they travelled at barely more than an idle.
The road finally split away from the channel as they crossed over the summit and started downhill. Very shortly, the four feet of snow that covered the ground and road became their next problem. Alvin was ready for that, though. He put the Humvee into high-lock and just pushed right through the drifts, but quickly realized that he didn’t know where the road was.
“Well, fuck,” Alvin sighed as he pushed through another drift. “Jarvis, any help?”
“I can’t tell you where the road is, sir. I am sorry,” Jarvis said.
“Hero, I see the road,” Becky said. “I can see the edge of it just outside my window. I hate to say it, but if you go slow, I can probably keep us on it.”
“That’s easy to do, but I think we’re well past that estimated hour by now.”
Slowing to a crawl again, Becky kept them on the road, even when it took a couple of sharp turns. The crawl turned out to be beneficial, as they found another runoff channel to cross before the road straightened out.
Pulling the Humvee out of high-lock, Alvin let out a deep breath. “Jarvis, this path helped us test out the Humvee, but I’m not sure the Mustang could make it.”
“It is just as well that you asked me to stay on this side of the range, sir. I should also welcome you to California.” The snow began to fall at that moment.
“Seems the state wants to welcome me as well,” Alvin snorted. “At least the worst of it is behind us.”
Becky winced. “Hero… really?”
“We made it over the summit,” Alvin said.
Becky pointed ahead of them where a flat stretch of road started climbing again into the next mountain range. “The first one, maybe.”
“Oh. Well, that might change things.”
Alvin was not happy when they found an avalanche covering the road a few miles later. Grumbling the entire time, he let the Humvee climb the snowpack. When they found the road again, Becky touched his shoulder.
“Hero, we’re making it just fine. Calm down some. I can drive if you need me to.”
Shaking his head, Alvin glanced at her. “No, it’s fine. Just annoyed that the road was this bad. Maybe driving through the smaller towns would be okay.”
“Goldfield is a small town. In fact, I’m not sure they get much smaller,” Becky pointed out.
The road started down a noticeable decline, and Alvin felt a smile tug at his lips. “Fair enough, Gothy. On the plus side, we’re going downhill again.”
The road ended up going between two ridges of the mountain, which limited their field of view to a small sliver directly in front of them. The snow started to recede as they went further down in elevation. Eventually, the road let them out of the canyon and before them, a small town stretched out about a mile away.
“Sir, I suggest turning on the road to your left,” Jarvis said. “It will take you to a small milk farm that will take you into the town from a different angle.”
“Okay,” Alvin said, taking the side road. In the back of his mind, Alvin wondered why it would matter what direction they came into town from. Pushing the thought from his head, Alvin focused on the road, and what they would find in the town run by Lister.
Chapter Twenty-eight
“Sir, I’m going to suggest detouring even further south,” Jarvis explained as they came upon the burnt remnants of a milk farm. “It will take you past the hot springs and bring you to US 395 south of town. I can meet you there so one of you can take the Mustang.”
“I’ll drive her,” Becky said quickly.
“This is making me think that Bridgeport is going to be an issue, Jarvis,” Alvin said.
“You killed Lister’s men in Hawthorne, sir. If you come from that direction in a military vehicle, it might raise questions.”
“That is a good point,” Alvin agreed. “Fine. Lead us to the route you think makes the most sense.”
The road Jarvis led them to was barely a trail, and not well maintained at all. It was a bouncy ride until they finally hit a paved road. “Thank gods. That was getting a little unpleasant,” Becky said, rubbing her tits briefly.
“There will be a couple more of those trails,” Jarvis told her.
“Great,” Becky said as she dropped her hands from her chest.
Following the pavement brought them to a cul-de-sac where a few trails split off, leading to the hot springs. “Jarvis, I don’t see a road,” Alvin said.
“That is correct, sir,” Jarvis replied. “You will need to go off road for a bit. Drive off the back, near the green building. Follow the runoff channel until you find an ATV trail, then follow that.”
“Ugh,” Becky said, putting her hands back over her tits to stop them from bouncing so much.
Alvin chuckled, “Here we go.”
Following the trail, Jarvis eventually got them onto Mountainview Drive. The
ground held traces of snow, but nothing like they had encountered in the mountains. Taking the right turn Jarvis directed them towards brought them to a ruined neighborhood. All that remained of most of the buildings were a few charred beams.
“Looks like this place was fun when the Rapture happened,” Alvin said.
“Burning the buildings seems to have been a popular method for a lot of people,” Becky said.
“I wonder if they did it to make sure the bodies were destroyed, or just for the ease of making sure the zombies inside didn’t get out?” Alvin muttered.
They passed a couple dozen former homes before they reached US 395. Ruffian sat just off the side of the road. Alvin came to a stop beside the Mustang.
“I’ll follow you,” Becky said, getting a kiss before she got out of the Humvee.
As Alvin watched her go, a small pang in his gut made him frown. “I’m not that clingy,” he muttered. “It’s just worry that something might happen.”
“I don’t know where the kiosk is in the town, sir,” Jarvis said. “You’ll have to ask someone.”
“Great. I’m sure this can’t possibly go wrong,” Alvin said, getting the Humvee moving again.
A few miles down the road, Alvin came up to a man-made roadblock, forcing them into the parking lot of the Bridgeport Ranger Office. As he rolled into the lot, two men dressed in police uniforms and carrying shotguns came out of the building and waved him to stop.
Alvin was briefly conflicted between stopping, killing the men, or just continuing to drive. He stopped, since he needed information about Lister and the location of the kiosk in town. “Jarvis, if they so much as twitch aggressively, you are free to engage.”
“Understood, sir,” Jarvis replied.
One of the uniformed men came around to Alvin’s side of the Humvee, while the other walked back toward Becky. Sliding the window open as far as it could go, Alvin gave the armed man a nod. “How can we help you?”
“I think that’s my line,” the officer chuckled. “Who are you, where did you come from, and where are you going?”
“Al, south, and maybe north,” Alvin replied blandly. “Frankly, we’re just happy to maybe find a safe place to rest. Is that possible here?”
The officer pursed his lips. “It is entirely possible, but we have some rules that everyone has to follow.”
“I’m all ears,” Alvin said, his eyes going to the mirror to check on Becky.
“If you wish to stay in town, you have to stay at the Bridgeport Inn. To conduct any business in town, you have to pay the fee before you use the kiosk or conduct any other private business with anyone inside the town limits. The last rule is to stay away from the Indians to the north of town.” The officer had been all business until he said stated the last rule, when his voice became angry.
“Stay at the inn, pay the fee, and no natives. Is that it?” Alvin asked.
“Basically. The obvious rules of no killing and such still apply,” the officer stated.
“Got it,” Alvin gave the officer a false smile. “So where is the inn, where is the kiosk, and who do I pay the fee to so I can use it?”
“Follow 395, which turns into Main Street. The inn is on the left. The general store, which has the kiosk, is across the street kitty-corner to the inn. Gary should be at the store, he’ll walk you through the process there.”
“Well then, we’ll head into town if there’s nothing else, officer.”
“Just mind yourselves, and remember you’re the outsiders here. We will favor those of us who have survived this bullshit over anyone else.”
“I get it,” Alvin said. “Have a good day.”
The officer stepped back and waved him through. Alvin took his time getting the window secured again. Glancing back, Alvin could see the second officer still at the Mustang, so he waited.
The officer Alvin had been talking to shook his head and advanced on the second one. A brief discussion followed before they both stepped away from the Mustang and Becky was waved past. Once she was moving again, Alvin got the Humvee rolling, Becky following along behind.
The center of Bridgeport looked mostly intact. A sign indicated where a Burger Barn had been, and the Walker River Lodge was gone. In their places stood all the original Settlement buildings. As Alvin drove slowly past, all eyes went to the two car convoy, as they were the only vehicles in sight.
Alvin spotted the sign for the Bridgeport General Store and parked just outside. His attention was brought to a large concrete structure just across the street. It had fixed gun emplacements on the roof, and fifteen-foot-high walls surrounding it.
“I bet you’re Lister’s place,” Alvin murmured as he got out.
Becky pulled in behind him, a disgruntled look on her face. “I swear to god, if another idiot tries to pick me up, I’m going to shoot him.”
Snickering, Alvin smirked. “Hey there, good looking. Want to get a room?”
Becky rolled her eyes. “Well, obviously it doesn’t count if you do it.”
“Figured,” Alvin said. “Let’s sell this stuff off, see what we can pick up here in town information-wise, then we can decide what to do from there.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Becky said as she walked beside him. “That officer didn’t act like one. Something to keep in mind, if we have to deal with them again.”
“Sounds like a plan. First, we need to talk to a Gary, who should be here, to pay for the privilege of selling items in town.”
“Tax baron,” Becky snorted.
“Likely,” Alvin agreed as he opened the door for her.
The jingle of a bell accompanied the door opening, announcing them to the inside of the store. An elderly man greeted them, “Welcome to the store. Are you the two that Trevill was sending my way?”
Noting the CB on the back counter, Alvin nodded. “Gary, right? We just rolled into town and wanted to sell some stuff. The officer said that we had to pay a fee to do so, and then some kind of kiosk.” Alvin gave the older man his best bewildered look.
“You haven’t used a kiosk before?” Gary asked puzzled.
“We’ve been off the grid since just before things...changed,” Alvin lied. “This is the first town we’ve seen that isn’t overrun with zombies. How did you all manage to survive?”
Gary’s face clouded for a moment before he put on a professional smile. “We got lucky there. Lister showed up and got people organized. He set up the kiosk and explained what had happened to the rest of us. A few folks didn’t believe him…” Gary trailed off with a shake of his head. “Lister is the one in charge here in Bridgeport now.”
“If it’s not much to ask,” Alvin said, “can you show me how this all works? I don’t have any cash on me but I have a watch I can pay with, if need be.” Alvin pushed the sleeve of his duster back to show the gold Rolex.
Gary chuckled. “We only take XP in payment, though that watch might fetch you some. It’s been a week since I’ve explained this to someone, so let me walk you through it.” Stepping out from behind the counter, Gary led Alvin over to where the Exchange Orb and kiosk sat against the far wall.
“First thing we need to do is transfer the one thousand XP fee to buy and sell via the Orb. Touch the kiosk there and ask for your XP total so we can be sure you have enough, then touch the Orb and agree to the transfer.”
Alvin played along, doing as he was told and keeping a straight face at Gary’s whistle. “Is eleven thousand two hundred thirty XP a lot?” Alvin asked innocently.
“Only Lister and his men carry that kind of balance nowadays,” Gary said, eyeing Alvin warily.
“Let me try it,” Becky said, stepping over and doing the same. “I only have seven thousand, five hundred and fifty XP. What the fuck? I should have just as much as you.”
“Until recently, if you weren’t part of a group, you got XP based on what you helped kill. Now, you need to be part of the party that kills the zombie or mutant to get XP.” Gary said, trying to explain the hows and whys of the
world to Becky.
“I have enough XP to use the kiosk then, right?” Alvin asked.
“Yes, we’ll use the Orb here for you to give me one thousand XP,” Gary said. “Lister will collect it from me later in the week.”
“I see,” Alvin said as he exchanged the XP with Gary, followed by Becky. “I wonder why we both have to pay, though? I mean, she’s with me,” Alvin asked.
“That is just the way Lister wants it done,” Gary said stiffly. “I don’t question his rules, and I would advise you not to either.”
“Can I use this thing to sell our junk now?” Alvin asked, shifting topics.
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