by Kyle West
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“You won’t believe this, but it isn’t over.”
“What isn’t?” Samuel asked.
“There were a group of Imperials camped out to the south. They’re torching the farms. Without that harvest, the city might starve come winter.”
“What do we need to do?” I asked.
“Char wants everyone at the front gates, pronto. You included, Alex.”
My heart pounded. Here I was, not even a Raider, about to go fight their war.
“Come on!” Anna said. “He wants us at the bottom of Bluff in ten.”
Anna shot out the door. I looked at Samuel.
“Don’t get yourself killed. Stay with Anna and don’t take any risks. Makara should be down there, too; find her and tell her the same. Our mission is greater.”
I nodded. “I know that. I’ll find a nice rock to hide behind.”
“Good boy.”
I walked out of the room, Anna frowned.
“You’re a Raider now,” she said. “You better fight like one.”
“I could compromise, I guess,” I said. “Take out a couple Imperials and then find a nice rock to hide behind.”
Anna shook her head. “The gate’s only a couple miles down the road. I suggest we run.”
As Anna took off, I shook my head.
“Great,” I said. “I love running.”
***
By the time we made it to the gates I was, unsurprisingly, out of breath. The fact that we went downhill the whole way worked in my favor, but still, two miles in ten minutes was not a good thing in my book. We had gone down countless switchbacks to get to the desert below. The whole time, smoke poured into the sky from the fires consuming the farms. There was still time to save the greater part of the crop, but a lot of damage had already been dealt. I guessed Rex had an ace up his sleeve after all.
At the bottom of the bluff, Anna and I ran to join a group of about twelve Raiders. Among them were Char, Makara, and Lisa. Lisa held a sniper rifle, complete with scope, in both hands, and wore a grim expression to match.
“Good, Anna’s here,” Char said. “Here’s the full situation. There are five or six Imperials trying to escape along the river. We outnumber them two to one, but there are still enough to do damage. It’s likely they’ll take cover and fire on us as we approach. You know the drill, so don’t do anything stupid. They’ve already killed several of the slaves who weren’t quick enough.” Char looked around at everyone. I wondered what “the drill” was, but was too afraid to ask. “Keep low, form a half-circle and flank them in. None of these Imperials need to make it home. Right, let’s go!”
Char turned and ran for the river. Everyone followed.
I ran beside Makara.
“Samuel told me to tell you not to die.”
Makara smiled. “I’ll try, Alex. Stick by me.”
We ran for at least a mile. As we got closer to the action, I could smell acrid smoke in the cold, dry air.
We ran up a small incline. Cresting the rise, we saw them beyond, waiting for us. There were five Imperials lying on the ground, rifles pointed at us. They fired.
Bullets whistled above and beside us. The Raider on my right fell, hard. As I collapsed beside him, I knew he would not be getting back up. He had been shot in the forehead; blood trickled down.
Makara pulled me behind a large rock.
“I thought you were supposed to stay alive.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Wasn’t expecting that.”
She stayed on her stomach and kept her head below the rim of the hill.
“Just wait here,” Makara said. “We can’t charge them or we’ll get killed.”
Every Raider was planted on the safe side of the ridge. The gunfire had faded, leaving only the wind and the sand in their interminable dance. The sand hit my face, collected on the windward side of my body. I imagined if I lay out here for a few hours I could collect a lot of it on that side. Because, from the way it looked, we were going to be here for hours.
And then...
Crack.
It was a single, distant shot reverberating through the desert. Whether it came from the north or south, east or west, I couldn’t tell.
I heard screams. At first, I thought they were on our side. It took me a moment to realize they were coming from the river.
Crack.
Another shot. More cries of panic.
Makara was looking toward the other Raiders. They were all lying in place, as before.
Char raised an arm. Silently, all the Raiders stood, then charged down the ridge.
I rushed to join them. Two dead Imperials lay at the bottom of the hill. The remaining three were running for the cold Colorado River.
The Raiders fired their guns, yelling, surrounding the Imperials on three sides. The Imperials ran into the water and started swimming. Even if they did have the strength to make it across, they would be so cold and exhausted that they would be dead by nightfall.
The Raiders didn’t want to take any chances. They aimed and fired into the water, downing two of the men. Their bodies floated downstream. The last made a dive, vanishing below the surface of the dark blue water. We waited for a good thirty seconds before he came back up. When he did, he appeared distant, about a quarter of the way across the river.
The Raiders took aim again. But before any could take a shot, another crack sounded in the air. The man stopped swimming, and floated downstream like the rest.
They were all dead. And I had no idea who had killed three of them. I saw all the Raiders looking northward along the rise. At a high point, a figure stood with a long rifle held aloft.
Of course. Lisa had sniped them all out.
I had no idea how I missed that one.
After she joined the rest of the group, we headed back to Bluff. Though the Imperials were all dead, that didn’t stop the fires they’d set from burning.
Chapter 7
It was evening. We had spent the rest of the day putting out what fires we could. Not just us, but every person that could be spared in Raider Bluff, slave or free. We worked hour after hour, throwing water gathered from the irrigation canals and river onto the stubborn flames. Often, it felt as if we were making no progress.
Finally, the last of the fires had burned out, leaving a good thirty percent of Raider Bluff’s farmland a smoking ruin.
Though I didn’t say anything about it, I wondered how Char felt about killing Rex. It was only a matter of time until the Empire came back. Next time, it would not be six men. It would probably be more like six thousand.
We stood in the clinic. Samuel had called this meeting to make an announcement. Makara had brought Lisa, for some reason. Char had come to hear what Samuel had to say; Anna was there because Char was there.
“We’re leaving tomorrow,” Samuel said.
He couldn’t be serious. He had been shot in the arm just yesterday. It was a while before anyone spoke.
“Absolutely not,” Makara said. “You need more time to recover.”
“I will have to recover on the road,” Samuel said. “This attack has convinced me. I will not be caught in Raider Bluff in a war. Moreover, Bunker One will be buried in snow if we wait until I recover. By then it will be too late. I will not be delayed any longer.”
Makara opened her mouth, but Char held a hand up.
“Listen here,” Char said. “I know you’re a tough guy, but this is nuts. You leave now, that thing will open up and get infected. You want to go through the Great Blight with an open wound like that? The Empire will be back, yes. But not tomorrow. Not even in one month.”
“I’ll do what I must to get those Black Files,” Samuel said. “Even at the risk of my own life.”
“Yes,” Char said, “but does your sister feel the same way?”
From the look in Makara’s eyes, it was clear that she didn’t. She took a step forward. “Samuel, you’re not thinking straight. Like Char said, the Empi
re won’t be here for months, probably, and...”
“I know,” Samuel said. “This is crazy. But this mission is happening, and it is happening tomorrow. The longer we stay here, the more things will fall apart. The Empire attacked Raider Bluff today, and who’s to say they don’t have an army camped a day’s march away?” He looked at each of us in turn. His brown eyes were fierce and determined. “No, it must be tomorrow, or it might never be at all. As soon as we can get outfitted, we’ll be out of here. As for my arm, it’s a risk we’ll have to take, because we’re not risking just my life here. We’re risking the fate of the world.”
Everyone was quiet as we thought about this turn of events. Samuel was our leader; wherever he decided to go, I would follow him. It was Makara I was worried about. She had a good point. Samuel was not one hundred percent. He was not even fifty.
“Then we’ll leave tomorrow,” Lisa said.
Everyone stared at her.
“Wait,” I said. “You’re coming?”
“Makara and I talked it over when you left. You guys will need me out there.”
“Yeah, you’re coming,” Makara said. “But not tomorrow. Sam isn’t...”
“Makara,” Samuel said. “I appreciate your concern, but as long as I don’t put stress on my arm, I should be fine.”
“Stress that is guaranteed to happen,” Makara said. “We can’t predict what will happen out there.”
“But we can predict what will happen if we stay here,” Samuel said. “An all-out siege by the Empire and no hope of making it to Bunker One. That’s all that matters.”
Makara sighed, clearly unhappy. “I’m not going to win this one, am I?”
“Makara...”
“No. It’s fine. You’re our fearless leader. We’ll follow you to Bunker One, even if it means you’ll probably kill yourself in the process. I just hope those Files are worth the price.”
“They will be,” Samuel said. “I’m sure of it.” His eyes turned to Lisa. “Are you sure about this? There’s a good chance we won’t make it back. We could sure use someone like you, but no one’s forcing you to do this.”
“When Makara told me about what you guys were doing, I wanted to help. I’ve been cooped up in that bar too long, and I’ve never been one to ignore the call to adventure. That’s why I became a Raider in the first place.”
“We have a mission to accomplish,” Samuel said. “As long as you know how serious this is, we’ll all get along fine.”
“I’ve been nothing but serious my whole life. I’m ready for this.”
Samuel’s and Lisa’s eyes met and locked for a moment. I wanted to smile. It was clear that they each liked what they saw. Turning away, Samuel cleared his throat.
“Anyway, we’ll head out tomorrow morning, before sunrise. I want to make it at least to the Boundless by tomorrow night, which shouldn’t be a problem, barring difficulties.”
“Great,” Lisa said. “I’ll get my stuff ready.”
Char shook his head. “I don’t like this, but I won’t be stopping you. You make some good points, Samuel, but it is my medical opinion that you should give the wound another week to heal. Another week and the chance of infection will go way down. You’re asking for trouble if you head out tomorrow.”
Samuel listened. I could tell that Char’s words carried a lot of weight, but Samuel remained resolute. “No. It’s now or never. I can feel it in my bones. I wish I could wait that long. But I can’t.”
Char nodded. “So be it.”
Anna, who had been quiet the whole time, looked between Char and Samuel. I wondered what she was thinking. If only she could come with us...I almost wanted to suggest it, only I knew Char would want to keep her in Raider Bluff. Besides, she and Makara had gotten off on the wrong foot.
“If there is anything you can’t find in the stores, come see me and I will supply it myself.”
With a nod, Char left the room, Anna in tow.
“I’ve already mapped our journey,” Samuel said. “I don’t know how long it will take, but I expect plenty of roadblocks along the way, especially once we make it to the Great Blight. You guys can spend the rest of the day figuring out what we need. Alex has all the batts to buy supplies– we just need plenty of cold weather gear, as well as ammunition. Maybe some spare guns, just in case. Makara, you’re good at that kind of thing, so you’re in charge. Take the batts and make sure we’re stocked for the journey. I’ll check on you guys later.”
“Lisa and I will take care of it,” she said.
“What can I do?” I asked.
“Get the Recon prepped. Have someone who knows what they’re doing take a look at it to make sure it won’t break down on us. Extra water might be good in case we can’t refill somewhere in the desert.”
“How much water?”
Samuel paused. “As much as you can fit in the back. Once you’re done with that, help out where you can.”
“Sounds good,” I said. “I’ll get started.”
“Take care out there,” Samuel said.
That was it. We were leaving tomorrow.
***
The next morning hadn’t even dawned, but we all stood in the courtyard in the dry cold, making last-minute preparations on the Recon. I stood bleary-eyed, grumpy, cold, and hungry, every bone and muscle aching in my body. It was a bad combination. I had spent half the night making sure Khloe was working fine, as well as helping Makara and Lisa pack everything away. After that, we triple-checked that we had everything we needed. We weren’t coming back for anything.
After asking around a bit, I had found a guy named Tony, the Alpha Compound’s garage head. He checked the hydrogen fuel cell and pressure tank, the thick all-terrain tires, the engine – everything that could be checked in the limited time we had. He didn’t mind staying up late; he was just glad to get the chance to peek under the hood of a vehicle he had only heard of, and never seen. Tony made recommendations for spare parts and, once Makara returned from shopping, showed her how to replace these parts in case they broke down.
Besides the Recon, we had stocked food for a month, 250 gallons of water (mostly for refueling), cold weather gear including snow boots and thick clothing, face masks, medicine and bandages, cooking equipment, a few extra rifles, and plenty of ammunition. We had spent every last batt to get all these things. Makara had been right, out in the Wasteland. A few batts could go a long way.
Fifteen minutes after reconvening, we had crossed out everything on the checklist. We were ready to leave.
We had been in Raider Bluff only a few days, yet so much had happened in that time. I looked for Anna among the small group of Raiders gathered to see us off. I was a little disappointed that she wasn’t there.
Char stood before Makara. At first, they grabbed each other’s forearms with both hands – a typical Raider gesture, I guess. Char broke and hugged Makara tightly.
“Be safe out there, kid,” he said. “Come back in one piece.”
“I’ll try, Char. Believe me.”
Char pulled back, and we got in the Recon. Makara settled behind the wheel, already turning the key.
The engine roared to life and the needle on the dash climbed as pressure built in the hydrogen tank. For some reason, that familiar hum that came from the cargo bay was comforting.
The wheels moved, and we drove to the gates of the compound. We were finally off.
No one said anything as we navigated the city’s dirt roads. In a matter of weeks, maybe days, we would be in Bunker One – assuming we didn’t die before that. I couldn’t think about that, though. Not now.
We had brought antibiotics in case Samuel’s wound acted up. So far he had given no signs of distress. I didn’t know if it was because he was truly okay, or because he was hiding the pain. Probably the second one. His left arm would be in that sling for a while, but his right hand could still aim and shoot.
We were on the bottom level of Bluff. The streets were mostly empty.
“Oh no,” Makara s
aid.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s...her!”
I looked out the windshield. It was Anna, standing in front of the city gates with her katana drawn.
Chapter 8
Makara stepped on the accelerator.
“Makara, what are you doing?” I asked.
“She is not coming with us.”
“Well, she definitely won’t if you kill her.”
“Makara, stop!” Samuel said.
The words went unheeded. Anna stood her ground, staring defiantly at the oncoming Recon. Makara was not slowing down. In fact, she sped for the open gates.
At the last moment, when it looked as if Anna was going to get run over, Makara slammed on the brakes. Still, Anna stood firm.
The vehicle skidded to the right, nearing the cliff edge. Finally, at the last possible moment, Anna jumped out of the way. The Recon was about to fall off the cliff and into the desert below.
Makara regained control, flooring it. The gates of Raider Bluff were left behind as we sped down the narrow road.
“Slow down, Makara!” Samuel said. “You’re going to kill us all!”
“Thought she could stop us,” Makara said. “I guess I proved her wrong.”
“Makara, that’s enough,” Samuel said.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “It’s done.”
“You really don’t like her, huh?” I asked.
My question went unanswered when I heard the roar of an engine behind us. A single headlight materialized in the dawn darkness.
Clearly, it wasn’t done yet.
“She’s following us,” Makara said.
Makara flipped on the LCD screen in the center of the dashboard. It revealed the dirt road behind us, and a single headlight, growing larger and brighter. The shape of a motorcycle appeared, and the shadowy form of its rider: a woman with black hair blowing in the wind.
“When we get to the bottom, I’m gunning it,” Makara said. “We’ll leave her in our dust.”
“Makara, just stop the car,” I said. “That thing can go faster than us, and you know it. She might have something important to say.”
“She wants to come with us,” Makara said. “I’m not having it.”