Snarling, Susanna tore at Eduardo’s shirt until it came free. It hung on the wire like a tattered banner.
She started walking toward the wall.
“TAKE ONE MORE STEP AND I WILL SHOOT!”
She looked up at the guard, the angry, frightened eyes, and the third eye, the dark eye of his rifle barrel, staring right at her. She kept walking forward.
“I want to see The Doctor. Now.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Annette looked out over the landscape as they ate up the distance. The mountains already appeared close. She’d been given a ride by Kevin and Rachel a few times before, usually to go hunt down one criminal or another, but she’d never gotten used to riding in a vehicle.
At least she didn’t get carsick. Jeb looked like he was ready to puke. She hoped he didn’t puke on Christina. He was liable to get a bullet in the belly if he did that. Despite her being annoying and a bit slow in obeying orders, Annette was glad she had asked Christina to come along. Not only was she a citizen, which helped give all this an official sanction, but she was a good shot and suspicious by nature. The woman made a perfect guard.
Not that she thought it was necessary. Jeb seemed glad to be away from the Righteous Horde. Who wouldn’t be? And he obviously longed to settle down in New City. Jeb had probably been decent enough before he got swept up in something far too big for him to control. Who’s to say what she would have done if The Pure One’s goons had taken her captive?
Annette gritted her teeth. She wouldn’t have been given the same options as Jeb. For her the choice would have been submission or death.
If all went well, no one would have to face those stark choices again. She’d assembled a good team. Tanya had been a scavenger all her life and was an expert tracker. She’d spent several years on the plains hunting game, so she’d be on familiar territory. Nguyen was a good shot and a good team player, and Jackson, well, Jackson was Jackson. Even though he was annoying and disruptive, after all they’d been through she knew she could trust him with her back.
It would have been nice to have brought Frank along too, but someone needed to keep order in the Burbs while she was gone. She’d given him deputizing powers in case things got out of hand, and with more refugees coming in every day, things probably would. The massacre that farmer had all but boasted about. . .what those scavengers had done to that woman. . .this was a hard world. Now that she had a bit of power, she would do her damnedest to rub some of the edges off. She’d get that woman justice if she could. The slaughtered machete men, on the other hand, well she’d just have to let that slide. No one was going to go after that farmer for what he did.
A lot of people have turned sour after the attack, and what the fuck is it with all this sudden Blame? Everyone’s shooting off about someone or another. It’s the attack that did it. Seeing an army with an ideology it wanted to shoot into us.
At least nobody was getting loud about it, just quiet grumblings, nasty looks. You had to get on a platform and shout it like Jackson did to get branded and exiled. In the Burbs all you could do was exile. There hadn’t been a branding since that riot five years back. The scavengers got to keep their opinions as long as they shut up about them when they were in town. Worked well until now. If the law against Blame stopped working, then what the hell were they going to do?
First thing’s first. Kill The Pure One. The world won’t be a better place until that army disintegrates, and from what Jeb says that man’s charisma is the only thing holding it together.
But then what?
“Jeb, what do you think will happen when I kill The Pure One?”
Jeb thought for a moment. “There’ll be a power struggle. His high priest will try to take over but I don’t think he’s got it in him. The bodyguards and the Elect will start fighting over whatever food they got left. There are all kinds of factions, rivalries. The Pure One keeps a lid on them but once he’s gone, damn, it will be one hell of a gunfight.”
“I’d like to see that,” Christina said.
Jeb surprised everyone by nodding and replying, “So would I.”
He means it,Annette thought.I’m not sure I buy him one hundred percent but he wants the Righteous Horde wiped out.
“You’ll still have a problem, though,” Jeb said. “You’ll have a bunch of little groups turning bandit all over the plains.”
“Hey, yeah,” Jackson said. “What about the farmsteads out there?”
“Not our responsibility,” Christina said.
“They’ve never done anything against us,” Jackson snapped.
“And they’ve never done anything for us,” Christina countered. “They’ll just have to take their chances. And their chances will be a lot better if the Righteous Horde is in a dozen pieces.”
Annette shook her head. Typical citizen thinking. New City first and screw everyone else. For all of Jackson’s gas, he was one of the few people she knew who actually cared about everyone. Hell, he even cared about the villagers on Toxic Bay. He was like the people who ran Radio Hope, someone who really wanted to make the world a better place for everyone, instead of just safer for himself and his friends. Too bad he was such an idiot about it.
Jeb said. “They’ll have a better chance, sure, but a lot of farmsteads are going to go down.”
“What do you care?” Christina asked.
Jeb turned to her and scowled.
“Because I’m sick of all this shit. Look, you’re getting rid of a huge problem only to get stuck with a big one. Who’s to say next season some of those new bandit groups don’t end up back in your territory?”
“And what should we do about it, machete man?” Christina asked.
“Nothing you can do with a force this size.”
Tanya spoke up for the first time. “I know some of the farmers on the plains. They’re decent folk. It would be a shame to just leave them to fend for themselves.”
“I’m not sure there’s anything we can do,” Annette said. “We’re already helping them by getting rid of The Pure One.”
Assuming my one bullet takes him out, she added silently.
“We could get The Doctor to send an expedition with enough guns to take them out one group at a time,” Tanya suggested.
“He’d never agree to that,” Annette said. “Too risky, and he won’t want to leave the city exposed.”
“But we can’t just leave them hanging!”
“What else can we do?” Annette sighed.
“Try to unify the farmers into an army to fight back?” Jackson suggested.
“They should be doing that on their own,” Christina snorted. “But you know farmers, they don’t look out for anyone but their own hamlet. That’s why they’ve always been such easy pickings for scumbags like this guy.”
She emphasized her point by jabbing her gun into Jeb’s ribs.
“Lay off him. He’s helping us,” Annette said.
Got to watch her. Don’t want her plugging the guide.
They trundled over the landscape in silence for a time. Annette was glad to see most of the farms had reopened. Men and women were breaking up the soil in their fields or cleaning out irrigation ditches or rebuilding fences. Come to think of it, she saw a lot of missing fences. After a minute she realized why—the Righteous Horde had probably used them for firewood.
She worried about the poisoned rain. It had been worse than usual, and the darkening horizon promised more. She hoped they’d get some clean rain to wash it away before springtime. If the farmers planted their crops with this stuff fouling up the soil, it was going to be another bad harvest.
“Hey Nguyen, what kind of gun is that?” Jeb asked.
“It’s a QBZ-95-1, one of the older-model Chinese weapons. Not as common as a Kalashnikov but even sturdier.”
“No shit?”
“You can immerse this puppy in water and it will still fire,” Nguyen said with obvious pride.
“What ammo does it use?”
“Well, that’s a
problem. It shoots 5.8×42mm DBP87 rounds. They were never made around here and they’re getting scarce.”
Great,Annette thought.Someone else with ammo trouble.
“It’s a lot like other assault rifles,” Nguyen went on. “A choice between single shot, three-round, and full auto, and it’s pretty stable on full auto. Much more accurate than the AK.”
“Yeah, but if you can’t find ammo what good is it?” Jeb asked.
“I have enough for the time being, plus I got a little bonus surprise,” Nguyen said, patting a satchel at his side.
Annette gave him a look and Nguyen shut up. After a glance between the two, Jeb was smart enough not to ask about what was obviously none of his business. What was in that satchel was one of the reasons she’d brought Nguyen along—he had three rifle grenades and some blank rounds to fire them with. That could come in handy. At least she hoped it would. Since he only had three, he’d never actually tried it out.
The four-by-four began to work its way up the main pass, marked by an old road closed in on both sides by slopes as it cut between the mountains. They jolted and bounced along as Rachel was forced to drive on the road.
“Sorry about the rough ride. The shock absorbers on this baby aren’t what they used to be,” Rachel said, grinning from ear to ear.
A particularly bad pothole made them all bounce high enough for their heads to hit the ceiling.
“Christina, stow your pistol,” Annette said. “I don’t want you firing by accident.”
“I have my finger outside the trigger guard.”
“Stow it anyway.”
Christina grumbled but did what she was told. Jeb looked relieved until Christina pulled out a Bowie knife and held that up to him instead. Annette shook her head and turned away. Probably best to keep him a bit scared.
Rachel slowed the vehicle to a crawl as she maneuvered her way around a recent landslide. As she got around the heap of dirt and stones, she had to make a hard turn to avoid a washout in the road that would have sent them toppling into a gully.
“That rainstorm really hammered the road,” Rachel said. “Every year it gets worse and worse. Need to talk to The Doctor about sending a work party up here.”
Another jolt stopped her from what she was going to say next.
“Take your time, Rach,” Tanya said.
“And don’t risk the four-by-four,” Christina said. “If the road gets too dangerous we can walk.”
Rachel shook her head. “You might not catch up to them if I don’t get you to the top of the pass. Don’t worry, we’ll make it.”
In mocking response, a light rain began to patter the windshield.
“Aw, crap,” Rachel said. “That’s going to make the road slippery.”
They rounded a turn and came out from between two steep slopes. While the left side of the road hugged the mountain, the right opened up into a deep, steep-sided valley at the bottom of which a shallow stream flowed over smooth stones. The edge of the road had weathered and cracked until half of it had disappeared. The slope down to the stream was littered with slabs of concrete. The road took a hard turn to the left and up a steep incline. Rachel set her shoulders, shifted gears, and took the hill as slowly as she could. The rain increased in force and the wind whistled outside. Everyone inside the vehicle fell silent.
The four-by-four trundled over potholes and fissures. A cracking sound behind them made Annette turn just in time to see a piece of pavement shear off and get tossed by the back wheel into the ravine.
Rachel hit the gas and the back tire spun in mud.
“Erosion’s undercut the road,” Rachel shouted over the whine of the tires.
They gained traction and lurched forward. Rachel eased off the gas and they crawled up the slope as the wind and rain grew in strength. After a few feet they came to a stretch of pavement in good condition, a smooth rise glistening with a sheet of running water. They edged up it as the vehicle swayed from a sudden side wind.
Another loud crack sounded underneath the vehicle. The four-by-four shuddered, tires spinning. Mud and grit flew up behind it, showing the weathered pavement had broken through again.
Rain drummed on the windshield and the road tuned into a blurry gray curtain. A gale slammed into the side of the vehicle, pushing it to the side, the back tire losing its grip. Annette’s stomach clenched as the vehicle jerked to one side and spun almost completely around.
“Shit!” Rachel shouted.
Slamming on the brakes did nothing. The wind and the water were against her and the vehicle skidded down the slope. Annette peered out the windshield and couldn’t see the road anymore.
A moment later she realized why—they were at the edge of the slope.
Rachel ground the gears and brought it into reverse. The four-by-four slammed to a stop. The front tires spun, a shotgun blast of gravel and dirt flying up before them. They edged backwards up the slope. One foot. Two feet.
Then a horrible crunching sound came from beneath them and they felt themselves sink. The entire lip of the slope crumbled under their weight and a moment later they were racing down at the center of an avalanche.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Jeb screamed as vehicle tipped forward and bounced down the steep slope of the valley. The tires spun but gained no purchase as the earth and gravel shifted underneath.
A sudden jolt made him hit his head on the roof. A hot pain raked across his side. He clutched at his ribs but didn’t look down.
His eyes were locked on the view outside the windshield.
Through the driving rain he could see slope of the valley side, and the river at the bottom coming up way too fast. A semicircle of tumbling earth and stones and pieces of the road preceded them. They were part of an avalanche, heading at sickening speed for the jumble of rocks below.
“Yeeeee-HAWWWWW!”
Rachel shouted with pure joy as she gripped the steering wheel, knuckles white. She cut hard to the left. The four-by-four lurched at an angle, nearly getting overturned by the force of the avalanche before Rachel evened out and cut hard to the right. The vehicle almost tipped over again, but at the last moment she cut hard back in the other direction.
Gripping his side, his hand wet with what he presumed to be blood, Jeb fought the urge to puke as Rachel performed the maneuver again and again with sickening speed. Every time she turned she came close to rolling the vehicle, but it slowed them down. Jeb saw a cascade of earth and stones hit the stream with a splash. They were almost there.
“Hold on!” Rachel shouted.
She evened out the four-by-four and they shot down the rest of the slope. Another jolt slammed their heads against the ceiling again. Jeb braced himself and still got lifted off his seat with the next bump. Then he was getting shaken every which way—smashing into Christina, the door, the ceiling, the seat in front. Water foamed up to either side of the vehicle.
The next moment they were heading up the opposite side of the valley. Rachel hit the brakes and they came to a stop. Jeb was just about to breathe again when the four-by-four started sliding backwards. Rachel spun the wheel, swung them around so they faced the stream they’d splashed through, and eased them down to park at the edge of the water.
For a moment everyone sat in stunned silence. Then, one by one, they all fumbled for the doors. It didn’t matter that there was a stinking downpour of toxins outside; they had to get out.
Jeb fiddled with the handle a second, managed to open it, and staggered a few steps on unsteady legs. Annette was not far off, rubbing her neck. Rachel got out next, did a quick circle around the vehicle and spotting no obvious damage other than a few new dents, raised her fists to the air and let out a triumphant bellow.
And suddenly Jeb was laughing. Once he started he couldn’t stop. Rachel looked at him and started laughing too.
Jeb let out a bellow that rivaled Rachel’s and then cackled. He caught a note of hysteria in his voice but didn’t care. It felt good to laugh.
“You
New City people are crazy!” he managed to say between laughs.
“The craziest!” Rachel replied, dancing through the stream.
Annette stood by, still rubbing her neck but joining in their laughter. The others came out of the vehicle too, all grinning, even Nguyen, although he had a big red welt on his forehead.
“You OK, buddy?” Jeb asked, still laughing.
“Yeah. Oh shit! Are you?” Nguyen replied, pointing to Jeb’s side.
Jeb looked down. A long, shallow cut on his side oozed blood.
He stared at it dumbly for a moment. “Ow.”
“How did you get that?” Nguyen asked.
Jeb turned to Christina, who put her hands up to her cheeks in horror.
That set him off into uncontrollable laughter again.
“Oh shit, I am so sorry,” Christina said, blushing.
That only made Jeb laugh harder, doubling over with one hand holding his wound and the other his belly.
Everyone joined in except Christina, who looked mortified.
“We got to get that tended to,” Annette managed to say between chuckles.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Jeb said, still laughing. “First let’s get out of here before the creek swells from the rain. This isn’t so bad.”
They were all soaked and their noses wrinkled at the foul smell from the tainted rainfall. Rachel went over to the four-by-four and put her hand on a coil of chain at the front.
“This will do the trick.”
“What is it?” Nguyen said, rubbing his forehead.
“A power winch. We uncoil this chain and hook here, fasten it to something strong at the top of the slope, and it will pull us right up,” Rachel said.
“Really?” Jeb said. He had figured they’d be walking.
“Pretty basic tech from the Old Times,” Jackson said. “My dad taught me about all this stuff.”
“He was one of the best mechanics back in North Cape, from what I hear,” Rachel said. “I’ll get behind the wheel. Jackson, you unwind the cable and find a big rock or something to loop it around. The rest of you are going to have to walk up the slope. Sorry, but I got to reduce the weight as much as I can.”
Refugees from the Righteous Horde (Toxic World Book 2) Page 19