Youngster and Freckle put us up for another night, this time sharing our dinner with laughter and stories of the past rather than suspicion and threats. They still wanted us to keep their existence secret, though now they actually trusted us to do so. Hopefully, I said, with The Puller running things in New Brisbane they wouldn't need to hide out in the ruins any more. He shrugged, saying that was how they lived, they weren't about to change any time soon.
They had, Youngster told us, several enclaves like the one we knew of. All up they estimated about three hundred kids of varying ages, though most of the youngest were taken easily in the first few days. Trying to keep numbers in each enclave relatively small they kept in touch via their walkie-talkies and the leaders of each enclave meet up in person about once a week. Youngster said that he would bring up coming out from the ruins at the next meeting, but expected that they would likely stay anyway.
Tiny had disappeared, saying that she was going to try and find Jarhead. A few hours later she returned, slipping in through an upstairs window like a ghost. He had been relatively easy to find, as he had been resting at the pub the entire time. He was lucky enough to have woken about an hour before the rest of us were abducted and wandered down to the bar where he met a local girl who took him home for the rest of the night, which was how he managed to avoid being taken with the rest of us. Figuring that we would likely get back to him at the pub he decided to wait there. Tiny had given him the location of Viking's vehicle, saying that he was to meet up with us there tomorrow.
July 6th Year 1 A.Z.
morning
Youngster and Freckle guided us out of the ruins of Brisbane, leading us right to where Valkyrie waited, beside a large abandoned warehouse. “We've been keeping an eye on her ever since she got here,” Freckle told us. “She started the pacing yesterday. I think she might be a bit annoyed.” Viking winced in premonitory pain.
The blonde giant took a deep breath, gave me a look that told me this would likely not be pretty, then strode out openly, Valkyrie running up to him to throw her arms around him. Then she drew back her fist and laid him out. Jumping on him, she punched him again. Deciding that I had seen enough, I walked out. Valkyrie saw me and leaped to hug me, though thankfully she left it at that.
Standing, bleeding a little from a split eyebrow, Viking told her “I ran into this guy a few days after we arrived, he needed help taking out The Bosses.” Valkyrie, with a confused look, asked were we not seeking an alliance with these Bosses. I told her that I had my own reasons for doing it, though the rest of the emissaries from The School had seen the need soon enough. Valkyrie nodded, then asked where Apocalypse Girl was, with an expression that promised pain if I had allowed any harm to come to her. She relaxed a little when I told her she was safe.
Disciple came out, with Doctor, Tiny and The Twin, Youngster and Freckle following. Jarhead had caught up with them while Viking and I were greeting Valkyrie. The instant Disciple came into view Valkyrie went for the gun on her hip, Viking grabbing hold of her hand, saying that he was with us, at least for now.
“No! Fuck that, I am sick of you people treating me like shit!” Disciple shouted, his eye burning. “I was with a group, we did something that you lot think is wrong, get over it! There is no right or wrong any more, you idiots, there is only survival or Death!” He turned, walking away a few paces, then he turned back. “You might not like the way I did things after that, but The Followers were over five hundred strong before you killed off our fucking women!” He turned once more and stalked away, heading back to New Brisbane. I had a feeling I would probably see him again, though I hoped not too soon.
Viking spat in his direction, The Twin gave him the finger. Valkyrie pulled out her gun. By now, however, she couldn't get a clear shot, so she decided not to waste the bullet. Putting her weapon away, she opened the warehouse door, telling us to go on inside.
The vehicle that lay within was another monstrous hybrid idea courtesy of the warped minds of Stutter and Nutter, to be sure. The designers of The Nightmare had taken a Greyhound bus, removed most of the seating, throwing on some reinforced steel girders which supported what could only be described as a house, made from several caravan shells welded together and placed lengthwise along the back of the bus.
Valkyrie stood proudly by the door, telling me to go on inside and check it out for myself. The pair of Mech-Tech loonies back at The School had truly outdone themselves this time. The front of the bus now had a built-in heavy machine gun turret next to the driver's seat, which Viking claimed had a flamer as well, for when the Dead get too close.
The first caravan section was an armoury, walls decked with various guns, clubs, cricket bats, a couple of crowbars, golf clubs and a single, solitary chainsaw. Youngster let out a low whistle at the sight before him. A large box of grenades lay against one wall, across from it a box containing a small number of rocket launchers.
The second section was a medical facility, with a pair of individual med-bays, well stocked with everything you could imagine. I sensed Doctor's hand in this, looked over to my friend to see him smiling to himself slightly in pride.
In third part they had set up a small kitchen, though it was a little cramped. There was also a small ladder leading up to the roof of the vehicle which, Valkyrie explained, would aid in defending against a large group of the Dead. There were more machine gun turrets up there, too.
The fourth, largest, section was designed as sleeping quarters. Viking explained that you could fit ten people in with plenty of room to spare, or perhaps thirty if you crammed them in and slept in shifts. There was also a small, but fully functional and fully stocked bathroom.
In the rear, the fifth and final section held a small garage with a pair of dirt-bikes that were intended for scouting. The rear of the fifth section could fold down easily to be used as a ramp for the bikes.
noon
Youngster and Freckle left us, though I talked Viking and Valkyrie into allowing them to walk away with a few of our weapons. Tiny had decided that she wanted to come along with us, which The Twin was incredibly pleased about, and when Valkyrie asked us where we were headed, Viking looked to me before saying we were going wherever Apocalypse Girl was. Valkyrie nodded, saying that was fine, but she needed an actual destination to work with, so I told her to head for Coober Pedy.
While we ate, we pored over maps that they had acquired along the way on their journey north. Many of the local roads were impassable, and it turned out that the only way we were likely to leave was along the coastal route, past what remained of Sydney. Basically back the way they had come to begin with, though this time there would be less snow and a little more sunlight. In any event, it would be a long journey, especially in this Tortoise.
For now, the decision had been made. Sydney was the first step of the journey, though a fucking long one. Another fucking long one. Thinking about it, I had done more travelling in the few short months since the world ended than I had in my entire life before it. Being consistently in transit, either fleeing the Dead or seeking safety.
evening
I had been in contact with Apocalypse Girl for much of the afternoon, letting her know what had happened, that we were well on our way, though we might still be a while getting there. When I told her that Disciple had left us, her reply was simply Good! I could hardly blame her. Shortly afterwards, however, came another message. You should have killed the fucker. The rest of it was passing messages along between Valkyrie and Apocalypse Girl and the others that had been snugly tucked away in Dragon's Lair.
At one point I decided to climb up onto the roof, as The Tortoise was a lumbering beast, slow-moving and cumbersome. My footing was less than completely stable, but after a short while I got used to it. Glancing around, I saw that clouds still covered most of the sky, though the sun poked through from time to time, more than enough to make it a fairly bright day.
To the east lay the ocean, the first time I had seen it since our trek from Melbourne t
o Canberra. It seemed a black, boiling, seething mess, but occasionally I saw signs of Life. Tentacles flailing in the air, some tearing apart huge mutated fish, some seemingly flailing for the fun of it all.
All around was devastation, ruined buildings as far as the eye could see. The Dead had not done this, surely. We were still within the bounds of The Empire, so Dead were quite infrequent, other than in Ruined Brisbane itself, though I suspected there were quite a few similar places here and there.
Valkyrie turned The Tortoise sharply, or as sharply as something that bulky would allow and I was glad for the catwalk and exterior railing that Stutter and Nutter had installed. Had I been standing on bare caravan roofs with nothing to hang onto I might well have gone tumbling over the side and cracked my skull apart. After that incident I decided it might be better to go back inside.
July 7th Year 1 A.Z.
morning
True to its namesake, The Tortoise was fucking slow. It had the capability of going off-road when necessary, making getting around abandoned traffic jams fairly simple. In the event that the wheels are bogged in mud, tank tracks had been installed that the driver could deploy with a big red button on the dashboard. Viking was particularly proud of this new vehicular monstrosity that his men had come up with. It was impressive, to be sure, though the lack of speed made me want to scream. I needed to get back to Apocalypse Girl, and soon.
Talking things over with the others, we came to the realisation that even with the tank tracks, heading directly overland would be far more pain than it would be worth. The Tortoise would do well over plains, desert, crashing through any jungles that may remain on Earth, even. However, it was simply not a practical design for traversing mountains. So, we headed down the road. They had avoided Sydney, travelling as direct a route as they were able to manage from the remains of Melbourne up to Brisbane. They had already decided on taking the coastal route back home, scouting Sydney on their way at the request of The Principal.
The road ahead was clear, however, for hundreds of kilometres, thanks to The Empire's notion of making travel between the various settlements under her banner almost as easy as it had been before, so The Tortoise should have little difficulty making the journey by road.
noon
We passed someone who had set up a small kitchen along the road, signs up advertising their presence for several kilometres in each direction. He commented on the vehicle we had arrived in, though he pointed out that nothing could be considered 'normal' any more with a chuckle. He had access to a Meat-Beast, he told us, and he reckoned that it was only right for him to set up nearby and provide a hot meal for anybody that comes past.
He was more than happy to tell us the news that he had heard, from New Brisbane. Someone had offed The Bosses, he told us conspiratorially. Jarhead choked on a mouthful of Meat-Beast steak and the man patted him on the back solidly a couple of times to help dislodge it. Offering Jarhead a glass of water, the man continued, saying that apparently the assassins were being hunted and were suspected of having fled into the west. Viking and I shared a glance.
He went further, saying that the assassins had been under orders from a tyrannical woman with former military ties that had a secret base somewhere in the middle of the country. She was described as short, always wearing a military uniform, with a nasty scar across her face. This guy was talking about The Colonel! War was brewing, he told us, clearing up our empty plates and taking them out the back.
Viking, angry, hissed at me, saying that The Puller wasn't meant to be saying any of that sort of shit. The man came back out, wheeling a trolley with a pot of tea, a pot of coffee and several cups. We thanked him and he began talking once again. This time it was inconsequential nonsense about how nice the weather was lately.
evening
We kept on going after dusk, Valkyrie turning on massive floodlights that lit up the road ahead of us brighter than noon. It seemed prudent to keep going, even if we were being hunted to the west, rather than the south. Another day or two, Viking reasoned, would see us right. We would be in the clear and able to rest then. I had my doubts, personally, especially knowing that The Puller was now stirring up shit with The Colonel.
I sent a message to Apocalypse Girl, telling her that they might have issues from the east now, though judging from her response there were issues enough at Dragon's Lair. She was as incredulous as the rest of us at the thought of The Colonel being a power hungry dictator, who had executed an insane superior officer when he was needlessly throwing away the lives of his troops and considering an alliance with The Followers, based on their association with The Empire. The Colonel's idea of what was right and what was wrong was very clear-cut. The military was there to protect the people. That was not about to change.
I asked Apocalypse Girl if she could find a map of the train network between the different underground facilities, or better still, a map of the entire network. She said she would look, though she remembered that the AR 18 complex was a kind of hub, from seeing schematics at The Alice Facility. Not for the first time, I wondered about that place. There were other, more intimate messages, as well.
July 8th Year 1 A.Z.
morning
My turn driving this fucking monstrosity this morning, and I tell you, it fucking sucks to handle. It is slow, sluggish, bulky and horrible. On the other hand, somebody has to drive it and I have at least driven a Greyhound before, so that put me on the list of drivers straight away. I hated driving that Greyhound then, I hate driving this Tortoise now. I only despise driving The Tortoise far more.
Still, once I got it up to speed it wasn't too bad, as long as we continued in a straight line. Any time the road veered to either side I groaned inwardly before slowing down gradually enough to be able to take the corner. The whole experience just served to make me miss Apocalypse Girl even more, as she prided herself on her driving ability.
Still, we made good progress and before long we were driving past what remained of The Gold Coast, which looked rather bleak and grey these days. Valkyrie had initially wanted to stop, as she had come to Australia as a tourist barely a week before all of this shit started, and it had been one of the places she had planned to visit, but when it came into view, all of the buildings battered by months of winter and Dead roaming around, signs up warning citizens of The Empire not to enter lest they risk Death, she changed her mind.
Still, the hours began to drag, until I was almost ready to scream, when Viking came down from the roof, telling me to pull into the next truck stop that was coming up on the right hand side of the road. I did so with a sigh of gratitude, and as I drove as close as the enormous bulk of The Tortoise would allow to the petrol bowsers, I noticed several people milling about. Living, breathing people. As I turned the engine off, they turned to stare in wonder at the bizarre weapons platform on wheels before them.
noon
These particular people had formed a collective around this truck stop when they found the Meat-Beast that had once been a cow who had wandered inside the main building, getting trapped behind the counter, where it had grown. The flesh spilled over the counter, a knife and sharpening stone lay conveniently near. A sign saying 'go for it!' now hung from a hook on the wall next to the counter, an arrow pointing at the former cow.
One guy, who had stumbled upon this place before anyone else had arrived, told us that the Dead seemed to avoid the building itself, rather than just a metre or two around the Meat-Beast itself. A young girl suggested that it was because the cow had grown into the building and become a part of it, too. Everybody laughed, but I saw one or two faces that might have agreed with the kid.
Of course, since The Empire took over, things had changed somewhat. Every few days another patrol would come past, for the first couple of months, even through the winter. Then the patrols started coming weekly. So far, they hadn't seen one this month at all, in fact the last patrol they remembered seeing had been nearly six weeks ago. As such, they no longer considered themselves par
t of The Empire at all. They were just the mob that lived at Meat-Beast Truck Stop. One girl, about Apocalypse Girl's age, said that they had always considered themselves their own people anyway. The only reason they had joined up with The Empire was that they hadn't been given a choice.
evening
We left the Meat-Beast Truck Stop, several kilos wealthier in fresh flesh than we had been earlier. The people there had certainly been a refreshing change from the usual suspicious or outright hostile types that we often had to deal with. Tiny was behind the wheel now, which seemed sort of ridiculous, but she had prior experience and to be honest, she handled The Tortoise better than I did.
Again we chose to continue throughout the night, the floodlights again coming on just after dusk. Apocalypse Girl's phone jangled, the message that she sent me saying that AR 18 was indeed a general hub where every train line of every underground facility terminated. A moment later a second message saying that there was apparently another complex near Sydney, to the south-west of the city, a few dozen kilometres out. I sent her a message back, telling her that we were heading in that general direction anyway. A moment later a reply came. Just be careful. There's something there, remember.
Anno Zombus Year 1 (Book 7): July Page 3