Reddened Wasteland

by Kyle Perkins

  “It is not going to be easy to do this while simultaneously being the most wanted man in the settlement, but, I guess I will just have to have faith,” he managed to mask his sarcasm as he walked beside Cinine.

  Chapter Eight

  The last few days had been a blur to Alerik, as he sailed through the sky with Lucius he finally had a moment to reflect on all that had happened. He hated himself for the fact that Velar had crossed his mind less and less, lately. He might have let her down, but she would be the last person on his list of failures. The future was a longshot, but if there was any chance at all, he was going to take it. He would avenge all of them, Bragog, Velar and the people of the mines. Fire burned behind his bright blue eyes as he stared off at the skyline of the Diamond District. Cinine had given him so much information… but how much of it could he use, and how much was the ravings of the religious? He wondered for a while like this as Lucius stared straight ahead, his usual smile was absent. In its place was a blank expression.

  “I’ll be in and out. Five minutes, tops,” Alerik said to Lucius as they pulled up to his apartment that was undoubtedly under watch.

  “I’ll be here,” Lucius said in a gloomy tone.

  Alerik pulled his leather jacket up over his neck in an attempt to disguise himself before hopping out of the vehicle. As he walked the balcony, approaching the front door, a flood of memories came back to him. Memories of him first coming to this place with Velar, and how excited they were. The sadness he felt was overcome by anger, boiling to the forefront of his mind. He opened the front door and stepped inside, immediately feeling the cold sting of steel pressed firmly against his neck. He was getting pretty familiar with the sensation.

  “I’d lower your weapon if I were you, today is not a good day,” he snapped.

  “Oh! It’s you!” a familiar voice shouted, sounding relieved.

  He felt the pressure of the weapon vanish and was immediately encircled by a pair of arms. He looked down to see Saskia smiling up at him. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, she had no idea how happy he was to see a friendly face.

  “You are a sight for sore eyes!” he laughed.

  “I could say the same. But, what are you doing here? Half of the settlement is out looking for you!” she lowered her voice.

  “I came back to get Velar’s backpack, and my pickaxe. I want a miner’s pickaxe to be the last thing seen by every Union soldier I encounter. Why are you here? This is— was my apartment, after all.”

  “Because I knew that they would be hunting me just as hard as they are you, and I didn’t know of anywhere else to go. I knew this would be the last place The Union would set foot. Mainly since they have it under surveillance. They knew you would come back, Alerik. We have to get out of here,” her voice grew nervous.

  “So, they planned an ambush… great. I guess I wouldn’t expect anything less from them. That is just what we need.” Alerik darted through the apartment, grabbing the pickaxe and backpack off of the counter. “Let’s go. I have so much to tell you,” he said, grabbing Saskia’s hand.

  The two made their way out onto the balcony where Lucius was waiting with the vehicle. Just as they reached the door, two Union vehicles descended from high up above the building. Alerik opened the car door and pushed Saskia in before diving into the vehicle after her.

  “Get us out of here, Lucius!” Alerik shouted as he kicked the seat.

  Lucius nodded in the rearview mirror, jetting off instantly. The acceleration threw Saskia and Alerik hard against the seat. The two vehicles kept a close tail on them, firing metallic bolts through the metal and glass, causing the shards to spray into the back seat.

  “Don’t worry, I will lose them,” Lucius reassured them as he maneuvered through the air, trying to outwit his pursuers.

  “We don’t have time, we need to deal with them quickly,” Saskia insisted. She didn’t pause for discussion, she just climbed through the back window and took out her gun to return fire. Alerik twisted in his seat and gripped her legs to help steady her.

  Lucius took the car far out of the city and into the slums, hanging low to the ground in an attempt to scare The Union soldiers into quitting. Saskia kept firing her weapon as metal bolts ripped through the vehicle. They were barely hanging on, when Saskia finally found her mark, blasting a driver of one of the vehicles in the face and causing his vehicle to take a nose dive.

  “Nice shot!” Alerik shouted just as a bolt flew through Saskia’s shoulder, causing blood to spray onto the back of the driver’s seat. Alerik quickly yanked her into the car, taking her gun in the process. “Lay down! Put pressure on that shoulder!” he yelled as their vehicle shot upward to avoid one of the shacks. The pressure held Alerik to the seat and he struggled against it, trying to climb back up to see out of the back window. As soon as the vehicle was steady again, he peered out the window to see the last Union soldier was still tailing them.

  “This guy won’t give up!” Alerik shouted as he aimed the gun at the vehicle’s battery. He fired the shot and let out a relieved sigh as he watched sparks fly out of the front of The Union vehicle. It jerked forward a couple of times before slowing to a stop and falling out of the sky, crashing against the ground. It was a satisfying sight.

  “Are you going to be alright?” Alerik asked Saskia once he was sure no one else was coming. He helped her apply pressure to her wound, smiling apologetically when she winced.

  “I think I’m okay. Thanks to you,” her grimace shifted to a small smile.

  Alerik examined the injury, “It went clean through. Now, this next part is going to hurt.” He pointed the gun out the window and fired several times before pressing the hot barrel on her shoulder. Saskia screamed in pain and the smell of burning flesh filled the car.

  “What the fuck!” she managed to gasp.

  “Sorry… It’s not really over,” he said as he fired several more shots. He lifted her up and repeating the process on the exit wound. He handed her his flask, “You look like you could use a drink.”

  “You don’t fucking say,” she growled before taking a long swig. “Next time, a bit of warning?”

  “I didn’t have time to argue with you,” he pointed to the blood on the seat. “Anyway, it’s over and done now.”

  “Yeah, I guess it is… Thank you, again,” she gave him a weak smile.

  “Hate to break up the love fest, but we need to get out of this vehicle… fast,” Lucius said as the vehicle slowed. “Looks like the rest of our trip has to be on foot. Any ideas?”

  “Just land safely, we will stick to the shadows until nightfall,” Alerik said. Lucius steered the vehicle down to land.

  Saskia sat up in her seat and looked over at Alerik, “You know our faces are everywhere in the settlement, right?”

  “Then let’s work extra hard to make sure nobody sees them,” Alerik said as the vehicle came to a stop.

  ***

  Night fell upon the settlement just as Alerik’s group neared one of the caches Bragog had marked on the map. Luckily, most of the locations were within the slums that he was all too familiar with. Knowledge of the area was invaluable as they were trying to remain undetected.

  Union soldiers had been patrolling for most of the day, scouring every square inch of the settlement. They must have known that a war was imminent. As Alerik crept in the shadows, meticulously moving from shack to shack, he heard a radio playing in the distance. There was no happy music, just the sound of Aldain speaking about a settlement-wide curfew that would last indefinitely. Everyone was under complete lock and key, no one was to leave their houses after dark, which would make things very difficult for Alerik. He would stick out like a sore thumb if nobody else was out in the streets at night. Nevertheless, he had to find those pieces, and failure was not an option.

  “Stick close to the walls. We are less than a couple-hundred feet from the first piece,” Alerik whispered to his companions. The sound of footsteps could be heard in the distance.

  Saskia
nodded and tugged Lucius along. She was well-trained in this sort of thing, but Lucius was a bit rigid and didn’t really know the meaning of discretion. Every time Alerik looked over, Saskia was pushing Lucius’ head down or pulling him out of the light. He was a liability, but he was a friend, and the only one capable of putting the radio together.

  As they got closer to where the first location was marked on the map, Alerik came to the realization that it was in the bar he always frequented. Did Bragog really expect him to take the bar radio without anyone noticing? This was going to take a bit of finesse, and if that didn’t work, he figured he could always swing his pickaxe. He was thankful that the curfew probably cleared all of the bar regulars out already, but he wouldn’t put it past The Union soldiers to pillage the place while no one was around. He remained wary.

  He hugged the walls of a small shack as he came within view of the bar. It still had the street light out front, the one he used to meet Velar under. It seemed like just yesterday that they were both under that light and she was scolding him for his smoking habit. Alerik didn’t have much time to dwell on it… Saskia pulled out her pistol and shot out the light.

  “What did you do that for?” Alerik asked, offended even though he knew Saskia had no way of knowing that he was having a sentimental moment.

  “I don’t want to risk being spotted,” she explained.

  “So you’d rather be heard?” Alerik frowned, a puzzled look on his face. He checked out both sides of the street before moving.

  Everything was quiet as they crept towards the bar. Lucius crunched a shard of glass with his boot as they approached the front door to the bar. He mouthed, “I’m sorry,” in response to the scowls the other two gave him.

  Alerik shook his head at Lucius before trying to slide the door open. It was chained shut. Saskia pushed him out of the way and fired a bolt through the chain, causing it to ricochet around inside. It was like she wanted to be captured.

  “Really?” Alerik grumbled as he cracked the door and slid inside, pulling her along with him.

  Lucius was the last inside, he stepped in and shut the door behind him, “You really need to learn how to be quiet,” he snickered to Saskia.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” she said with her head cocked to Lucius.

  “Guys, come on, we don’t have a lot of time, and we still have one more piece to get to,” Alerik said over his shoulder as he moved towards the bar radio.

  “Hey… back at your apartment, you said that you had so much to tell me. Care to elaborate?” Saskia asked.

  “Yeah, sorry. I was just looking for the right…” Alerik trailed off as he reached the bar and found a man cowering behind it, clutching a crowbar. He motioned for Saskia to come around to where he was standing.

  Saskia cautiously walked over to the bar and peered over, “Stand up,” she trained her gun on the man.

  The man stood up and straightened his clothes. He was a fragile, elderly man with a dark skin complexion. He didn’t appear to be much of a threat and he looked absolutely terrified. At least until his eyes landed on Alerik’s face.

  “Alerik? Alerik Jacobs?!” a smile crept onto the man’s face.

  “You’ve made a mistake,” Alerik moved towards the man.

  “Wait!” the man said, putting his arm out, “I have no quarrel with you. You’re a hero!”

  “A hero?” Alerik frowned and paused to make sure he heard the man correctly. He was pretty sure he’d just called him a hero. “Wait… What?”

  The old man’s smile grew, “The whole settlement thinks it. You stood up to The Union! Truth be told, most of us hated you. We really thought you were one of their lackeys, but then your face was plastered across every television and radio, and this time they said you were an enemy, not their poster boy. You must’ve did something to really piss them off. Pissing off The Union? Well… That is something I can get behind.”

  “So… You’re not interested in the reward for capturing me?” Alerik arched a brow.

  “No, no. My reward is just meeting you. I don’t think anyone has ever had the balls to stand up to The Union the way you are. To be honest, everyone that comes in here raves about you and how you stuck it to them,” he said laughing, “You should hear some of the stories they’re telling about you. I hope they’re all true,” he let out a wheezy sort of laugh.

  “Well, there is a way you can help me out,” Alerik said as he put his pickaxe onto his back.

  “Anything!” the man bobbed his head.

  “That radio, there. I need it for something. Something that will really stick it to The Union,” Alerik grinned.

  “Take it, it’s yours,” the man said, smiling, “Can I offer you a drink?”

  “I’ll take you up on that… once this whole thing is over,” Alerik chuckled, then began rummaging through Velar’s backpack, “No hard feelings. It’s not that I don’t trust you or anything, I just have to be safe,” he explained as he pulled a chain from the bag.

  “Oh! You have to tie me up, I get it! Make it look good in case Union soldiers show up. No problem! It would be an honor,” the man eagerly thrusted his arms forward.

  “Yeah, sorry. Wish there were another way,” he looped the chains around the man’s arms, then around one of the bar supports.

  “Oh, no need to apologize. I am just happy that I was able to help THE Alerik Jacobs!” he smiled as he watched Alerik secure the chains.

  “Well, thank you for all of the help. I really appreciate it,” Alerik hurried over to the radio, and as he lifted it off of the counter, something fell loose from the bottom. He set the radio down and picked up the foreign object. It was another component, though he had no idea what the function was. He shoved both objects into the backpack, next to the piece that he found on the counter in his apartment before The Union attack. He hoped nothing would break with all the moving around they were doing. He stared at them for a minute, trying to figure out how the hell they were going to put them together.

  Saskia sighed, “So are we done here? You yourself said we need to keep moving.”

  “Yeah, sorry. Just trying to figure out how these pieces go together,”

  “Surely there will be a better time to do it,” she rolled her eyes.

  “You know what? You’re right. Thanks, mom,” Alerik grumbled. He looked at the old man chained to the bar. “In a few hours, someone will stop in. In the meantime, just sit tight.”

  “I didn’t plan on going anywhere,” the man chuckled as he looked down at the chains.

  “Right,” Alerik nodded. He zipped up the backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and picked up his pickaxe before walking to the door. He glanced over the bar one last time before slipping back out into the darkened street.

  ***

  The rest of the trip was interesting, Alerik and his friends moved from shack to shack with great haste. People caught them outside their shacks left and right— It was obvious that they weren’t experts of stealth, after all— but instead of turning the group in, the people would help them along their way, however they could. He was genuinely surprised by the support of everyone he encountered. It seemed Alerik had gained quite the reputation in a short amount of time, the complete opposite of what he experienced when he was broadcasted as The Union’s hero.

  Whenever Union soldiers approached, clicks and whistles were heard off in the distance alerting the group to their presence. People were even offering water and Life Bars to them as they passed. It warmed Alerik’s heart to be loved by his people again, no matter how short-lived it would be. He had no delusions about his abilities. Sure, he was strong, and good with a pickaxe, but The Union soldiers were trained for combat for their entire lives. Plus, they had guns. One pickaxe versus thousands of rifles? The odds were… not good. If he made it through this ordeal alive, he might start believing in fate like Cinine and her flock.

  Eventually, their group made it to the edge of the junkyard, miles from the Children of Old. This was the last stop on
their map. Alerik had an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, everything had just been too easy thus far. Even with the help from the settlers, their task should’ve been more of a challenge. He wondered if The Union was slipping on their game. It was obvious they were losing control of the people, nearly every shack he had passed back in the mining district had symbols from Liberty’s Hammer etched into the sides. A lot had changed since his last trip there. The people were angry, uneasy, and out for blood. Anarchy hung heavy in the air.

  Alerik turned to Lucius, “Wait here, and keep a lookout. If you hear anything, just make a lot of noise.”

  “Will do,” Lucius said, staring off into the distance toward the mining district.

  Saskia and Alerik moved quickly through the shadows, scanning the area for danger as they searched for the spot on the map. After a short time, they found a small clearing with a large pit in the center, used for burning materials that cannot be recycled. Alerik and Saskia separated, moving slowly around the pit, searching for anything that could have been left by Bragog.

  “Anything?” Alerik shouted.

  “Not yet,” she called back.

  Alerik walked a few more steps before finding the control box for the pit, where the operator could adjust airflow and manipulate the temperature of the flames. He ran his hands carefully along the sides until he felt something out of place, a small panel over the metal siding. He tried tugging on it to loosen it, but there was a spring holding it in place. He thought to call Saskia over to use her gun, but didn’t want the bolt to fire straight through and damage whatever was inside. Running out of patience, he pulled his pickaxe off of his back and gave it a heavy swing. It smashed into the side of the control box, knocking the small panel on the side open. The crash echoed through the junk yard.

  “Well Alerik, if they didn’t know we were here before, they do now,” Saskia said, shaking her head as she walked over, “So what did you find?”