It was then that the gunfire resumed. The officer in charge of the group had arrived with his troops. Martha’s sudden hope was crushed as she watched Griswolt fall to his knees. He was only twenty feet away, and started crawling towards Martha. Their eyes finally caught in the now bright moonlight. “Martha, I love you,” she could hear him gasping, still crawling. One more shot. Griswolt dropped, blood trickling and glistening from above his right eye in the moonlight.
“Noooooooooo! No, Griswolt! Griswolt!” Martha cried out, frantically trying to get away from Rebecca and Rachel to get to Griswolt. She had no strength. She knew it was over, but she couldn’t leave him. Not now.
They pulled her away, hard. A group of armed LERN members came running up from behind them, and started shooting into the area of the troopers. “Get out of here now! The boats must be released now or never. Go! Now!”
Rachel grabbed Martha and looked her hard in the eyes. “We are going to die here too! Do you want that?” She shook Martha’s body roughly, and then shoved her in the direction of river and screamed, “RUN!”
I have to run, Martha sobbed to herself, I have to stay alive — for Jan, and she started running, harder than she had in years. They were all carrying luggage and boxes, which did not help. When is Jan going to get here? Her thoughts were running as fast as her feet. Oh my God — Griswolt.
The river was less than a three-minute run away. When Martha and the girls got there, over half of the boats had already left, and the rest were being released. The explosion at the vaccine lab had the NOV on their highest alert, and they were covering everything. The NOV had not yet come to understand what was happening, but was getting information fast.
Rebecca exclaimed, “Look over there! There’s Buz! What’s he doing here?” They all turned to see.
Then Rachel said, “Oh, that’s it. Look at who he’s watching! It’s Tama! He must have followed her here.”
Martha was in no condition to care. With her timing distorted now, she asked, “When is Jan going to get here?”
Before anyone could answer, the ones organizing the departure came up and said, “What are you doing? The troopers are coming! Get on the boats now!”
Martha and the girls ran down and boarded one of the cargo boats, carrying what they had with them. The ones in charge were cutting the last of the boats loose. The armed ones who went to fight suddenly appeared, running back from the cemetery screaming, “Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!”
With everyone boarded on most of the boats, Jan’s group had not yet arrived. The able bodied went down below to help with the rowing to speed things up. They were holding up the last cargo boat for the vaccine lab equipment. Any other empty boats were cut loose to float downstream so the NOV could not follow. Gunfire was coming their way, and the armed LERN members returned the fire.
“We can’t wait for the vaccines! We’ve got to go now!” one of them said to Raspar, the one in charge now.
Raspar, the one who took over after Winoni’s valuable boat had departed, now said, shaking his head, “Well, at least we won’t give them the satisfaction of killing us.” He gave the signal, and the last boat was released.
Jan and company were only minutes away.
These people should have been on their way to freedom, but now found themselves on their way to a poisonous death. The word spread quickly among the boats. The river current was in their favor to distance themselves from the dock. The first NOV troopers on the scene were firing their weapons, but they did not have anything that would sink a boat from any kind of distance. The escapee’s on top of the boats could not resist, and they all start screaming, “Fuck you!” at the NOV troopers, along with other choice epithets.
Jan and his companions had been able to move quickly once they were outside of the city limits. Their relief was short lived however.
“Look! There are more police!” said Dom, twisting around to read Jan’s reaction. Jan was still sitting behind Dom, on the big metal box that was bolted onto the top of the stagecoach.
Jan had been noticing the same thing. “They should be thinning out this way,” he said to Dom, wondering about it.
They heard multiple cracks of gunfire in the distance in front of them. “Shit!” said a frightened Dom, “Did you hear that? That’s where we’re going! Shit!”
“It should be coming up anytime now.” Jan was referring to the road to the river. Once they were past the cemetery it would be only a couple more minutes to reach the river. “There it is!” he said, pointing ahead to the cemetery on the left. They slowly realized that there were a large number of police wagons there, and then Dom exclaimed in a horrified voice, “Do you see that?”
Jan’s attention was riveted on them. His slowing heart rate immediately reversed itself. “Just keep going, slow down a bit when you pass them. There are other people on the road here too. We don’t look like love-lovers.”
“Like what?” Dom was stiff as a board. Sitting at attention, he drove the stagecoach past the troopers. The few troopers there were standing and talking, waiting for their next orders. A couple of the troopers stared at the stagecoach as Jan and Dom passed. They both gave a sigh of relief as they passed without a problem. Once they were past the troopers, Lep yelled from down below, “What was that all about?”
“Pipe down,” Jan said towards his feet. He looked at the police wagons lined up, with few police or troopers. “Where are the troopers for all these vehicles?” he asked himself. They heard more gunfire. This time, he was sure it was from behind the cemetery, towards the river.
“Hey you!” called a voice from behind, and it was one of the troopers. “Stop!”
“Shit — we’re gonna die!” squeaked Dom, who was frozen again. He stopped the contisses.
Jan made his way to the back of the stagecoach’s cargo top, and heard much more gunfire now, still coming from behind the graveyard.
Two troopers came up, hands on their guns. “What are you boys doing out here tonight?”
“Oh,” said Jan, “We’re moving our stuff to a new apartment.” He paused. “Why were all those guns going off?”
“You mean you haven’t heard about the vaccine lab?” the other trooper queried.
Jan looked at him, and said, “What — no! What happened?”
The trooper looked like he did not believe Jan. Lep was not making a peep inside. Dom was still frozen, looking straight ahead.
“What do you have here?” the first trooper asked, walking slowly along the side of the stagecoach now. He bent over, and looked at the unusual undercarriage. “Strange,” he commented, reaching out his hand to touch it. They were relaxing because these kids were obviously going to be no trouble, especially if they were love-lovers. The other trooper walked along the other side, and since the windows were sealed and blinded, could not see anything inside.
Jan followed them along the top as they slowly walked up to the front of the stagecoach. Oh God, they’re going to talk to Dom.
“What’s your name?” the trooper on the left side of the stagecoach asked Dom.
Dom opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He looked as if someone just shoved a huge snowball down his pants, and simply stared at the trooper with his mouth open.
All of a sudden, there was a sound to the rear of the stagecoach. The vaccine module was releasing some pressure inside the interior cargo space.
Both troopers went back to see what it was, and Dom found his voice. “Yah! Yah! Yah!” he bellowed at the contisses, cracking his whip, and Jan blurted, “Fuck!” and ducked, because he knew what was coming next. Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! The guns went off, and one of the troopers ran back to get a wagon.
Dom was over half speed within thirty seconds, driving the contisses hard. The first police wagon had taken off after them, with others to follow.
The stagecoach was bouncing now, and Jan abruptly shouted, “Turn left!” Dom cried “Whoa!” and the contisses were able to slow down enough to barely make
the turn, tilting on the right two wheels, and bouncing it’s right rear off of the parked police wagon stationed at the corner.
Two officers jumped out of it, then back in again, and started after them.
“Yah! Yah!” cried Dom again, cracking the whip, and they were headed full steam ahead for the river.
The sky was staying clear now, and they could see as they headed down to the dock that there were more police wagons ahead. Dom had the contisses running on full steam, and couldn’t turn back even if he wanted to.
“Where are the boats?” Jan yelled, as they saw nothing sitting by the docks on the river.
“They must have had to leave already,” Dom shouted back.
“The boats are gone?” Lep shrieked from underneath. “What the hell’s going on out there?”
“What are you going to do?” Jan yelled to Dom. The road was becoming rougher and everything on the stagecoach was rattling or banging.
“There’s a road up ahead, if we can make it past them,” Dom hollered back.
Two police wagons were closing in behind them now, with more following. They were smaller, and they only had two contisses each. The bumpy road made their weapons useless as they fired. They would have to get closer.
Jan saw them, and said, “Can we go any faster?”
Dom yelled, “Not once we start uphill!”
The troopers already at the dock were not yet aware of the stagecoach coming their way — they were busy firing down the river at the escaping boats.
Dom bore to the right as they approached the river water. They sped past the police wagons at the dock, and in seconds, the troopers down there saw them, and were firing upon the boys as well. Jan saw an old gravel road to the right of the dock, going up along the edge of the hill it followed and said, “Oh no.”
That was exactly where Dom was now heading. “Hold on,” he yelled, “Yah, Yah, Yah!” and with another crack, they hit the first ruts in the narrow old road. It went up steeply and was close enough to the edge of the cliff in parts to see the river below to the left.
“What the hell is going on out there? I’m taking the blinds down!” Lep yelled from below.
“Knock yourself out!” Jan yelled down to Lep. We’re fucked, anyway. He was busy now trying to keep things from bouncing off the stagecoach. Where are we going?” he yelled to Dom.
“I don’t know yet!” shouted Dom.
“Well, they’re catching up to us,” Jan hollered back. There were four wagons coming after them now. The stagecoach took a really big bounce, and when it landed, the front wheels both broke off, leaving the front dragging.
“Shit!” yelled Dom. “I knew I should have bought factory!” The contisses kept rolling. The gunfire was a great motivator.
They were bouncing more than ever, and as they approached the crest of the hill, there was another huge bounce, and Jan yelled, “The back wheels broke off,” as he watched the wheels rolling back towards their pursuers. The road came close to the edge of the cliff, and Jan could see the river a quarter mile down below them now. He could see the boats up ahead. “I can see the boats!” he yelled to Dom.
“Damn!” Dom bitched. “Do you see those mounted troopers over there to our right? I don’t think we can outrun them!” Then he said, “Jan! Unlatch all of the latches on that box you’re sitting on!”
Jan yelled, “What is this?”
Dom screamed, “Just do it!”
Jan started unlatching the heavy latches on the box.
“Leave the middle one latched!” Dom yelled. “Shit! Shit, shit, shit!”
All of a sudden, mounted troopers on contisses appeared in front of them coming from the opposite direction from over the peak of the hill. A bullet went through a box of syringes from the right, and others were whizzing by or hitting the side of the stagecoach. Jan looked to the right and the mounted troopers numbers had increased, now coming even closer.
Dom saw them too. “Unlatch that last latch, and hold on!” Dom yelled, and when Jan did, he was knocked backwards onto his back by what came out.
“What the hell is that?” Jan yelled while still on his back, as the box’s contents were expelled from their container.
“I said hold on!” screamed Dom.
Jan’s next question was an incredulous, “What are you doing?” as he felt the stagecoach make a hard left at full speed toward the edge of the cliff, with a multitude of bullets hitting the stagecoach and whizzing by as well.
Then there was nothing. Nothing but weightlessness, as Jan lay on his back looking at the sky — and very aware of the side of the cliff rushing by in the wrong direction. The weightlessness was accompanied by terror, as they were now in a free fall.
Lep was screaming like a little girl down below. As Jan rose and held onto the big latches of the anchored metal box, Dom was still guiding the screeching contisses, and they had their leg shrouds stretched out, starting to glide in the air. This was causing the back of the stagecoach to drop, and boxes started falling off. Then the thing that came out of the box completely opened up above. It looked to Jan like a humungous, rectangular leathercloth umbrella. It caught the air, the stagecoach lurched upwards, and suddenly Jan could feel his weight again.
“We’re flying!” he cheerfully yelled to Dom.
Dom hollered back, “Actually, we are gliding!” Dom then shouted, “Come up here, and grab the contisses and guide them the best you can!”
Jan jumped up and took over the reins. Then Dom went back to the gliding device he had made. He grabbed the weighted ropes dangling from each side of it, and headed for the boats. “We just might be able to land this thing!” Dom yelled.
“Where?” Jan hollered.
“On a boat!” Dom shouted.
Lep had just climbed up from the back, holding on to everything for dear life. “What the fuck?” What? What’s happening?” He was in shock, and looked delirious.
“Just relax, buddy, it’s all downhill now,” said Dom, grinning, luxuriating in the wind rushing by them.
They were coming upon the group of boats now, and Jan spotted one of the empty ones that were floating freely. It was spinning very slowly behind the rest as it followed the current. He called out to Dom about it, and Dom agreed to aim for it.
“This is the greatest moment of my life!” Dom beamed, as he continued to steer the gliding hulk towards the boat.
Jan and Lep looked at each other. Neither was convinced completely, yet. The contisses were screeching their lungs out.
As they made their approach, they noticed two things. One was the roar of the crowds on the boats as they greeted their arrival. The other thing was the realization of just how fast they were really going as they approached the boat. The boat, being unguided, had a slow rotation to it, greatly complicating Dom’s inexperience. As they came within fifty feet, Dom swiftly pulled down hard and far on the ropes, and the glide stalled, but the momentum and lift that the contisses provided caused the forward travel to continue.
Jan pulled back on the reins. For an instant, they had a perfect hover above the boat, and dropped down onto it, in an oblong orientation.
Lep was sitting, wide eyed, beyond speech. Dom was grinning from ear to ear, and the crowds on the boats were cheering a cheer that nobody had ever heard before. It was the cheer from free people, for something wonderful.
The boat was leaning slightly to the Jan’s right. Dom didn’t seem to be concerned, until the left side of the boat unfortunately bumped hard, into a big rock abutment. Jan was watching Dom as his smile faded along with the level of the boat. The river current was pulling down on the right side of the boat.
“Hold on!” Jan yelled. The stagecoach tilted and skidded to the right, and along with the boat, conspired to tip the boat acutely to the right and spill the whole stagecoach and team into the river. The contisses were screeching again, but quickly gained their rhythm, and began paddling quite efficiently. While Lep was screaming again, Dom seemed quite composed as the stagecoach
leveled out.
Lep looked at Dom with astonishment, “This thing floats?”
Dom said, “Hey, I like to plan.” He started laughing, and then decided to jump up and do a quick jig. Jan laughed, and Lep managed a grunt. Then Jan and Lep sat down just because they simply had to. Lep sat up front with Dom, and Jan headed to the back of the stagecoach/boat…flying thing.
The contisses were paddling furiously. Dom guided them towards the other boats they were fast approaching.
Jan was sitting on the back of stagecoach now, arms propped behind him, legs spread, leaning back far enough that his tail came out perfectly between his legs. It reached almost to his feet, as he studied it, still catching his breath. Then he looked up. He was not facing forward, at the boats of cheering people in front of them. He was looking backwards, up river. Nobody is going to follow us where we are going. We are free. He listened a moment. It’s going to be quiet out here, he realized. No city lights. No NOV.
Neither Dom nor Lep were talking now either. They were all feeling rather knocked out, exhausted, thankful, and now, finally, they had a chance to soak it all in.
Chapter Eighteen
Closure River
A
small crew took control of one of the least damaged vacant boats that were floating freely behind the others, and secured it beside an outlying flattish rock formation on the left, (eastern,) river’s side. Dom was able to direct the contisses to drag the
stagecoach “boat” ashore at that point. From there, they unloaded all the vaccine equipment and supplies from the stagecoach and carried them onto the awaiting cargo boat. As they did this, the other boats slowed down to wait for them.
They brought the contisses on last of all. Dom had mentioned his concerns regarding them, primarily the fact that eventually the contisses were going to get hungry. Contisses preferred to eat blogs or tacks, but fish would have to do for now. Two of the boats ahead had already begun casting nets to catch fish, and more were setting up their own nets. Altogether, over two hundred contisses had been loaded onto the boats. The escapees did bring ample food, but it was prudent to use as much wild food as possible, and preserve their stores.
Dystopyum (The D-ot Hexalogy Book 1) Page 24