Several people were coming out of tents hearing the talking and they all froze for a second, then quickly woke the others in their tents. “I like you the way you are,” Ian stated proudly, and Jennifer curled up next to him.
Lance started explaining the rules as the others came out of tents. Many just pulled blankets around them to get a closer look at the skulls before they left. Then they realized the Wild Ones were asking them to join!
When Lance was finished, “Hold up,” Teddy said. “You mean we join as equals? Have to work just like everyone else, and get the same treatment as everyone regardless of how long they’ve been there?”
Unsure of the real question, Lance turned to the others but Lilly answered, “This isn’t a fraternity or gang. You aren’t going to get hazed. But once you accept, you must fight to defend the group you’re joining, the Wild Ones. You will be accepted on probation because if we find out one of you is a psychotic killer or rapist, then there will be a problem. Theft from others isn’t tolerated, and it won’t be tolerated against you. Everyone is equal and after you’ve proven you aren’t a spy or deviant killer or rapist, you’re part of the group. You can leave when you want but if you leave, you won’t be accepted back.”
“You mean, we could’ve been hazing everyone like in the Scouts?!” Lance cried out. “We should’ve filled Patrick’s bed with shaving cream!”
Teddy stepped closer. “Um, if you have shaving cream, you can put it in my sleeping bag,” Teddy volunteered as he scratched at his beard.
“We know someone who won’t be joining the Beard clan,” Lilly laughed.
“We’ll let you discuss this,” Lance said as a voice rang out from the throng of people.
“Can we keep our guns?”
Lance spun toward the group and everyone turned pointing, wanting to let the skull know they hadn’t said that. Following the fingers, Lance saw a fifteen-year-old boy. “You give up your guns, and I’ll cut your throat with a dull knife,” Lance threatened. “You give up your gun when someone pries it out of your cold, dead hands after digging you out of a mountain of empty brass!”
“I think that covers how we feel about staying armed,” Lilly nodded toward the group, making many laugh.
Lance held up his hands and the group stopped laughing. “Jarvis is over Bravo, and he does have rules. One is in the dining hall, you can’t have a round in the chamber. I want my gun ready at all times but that’s his area so when I eat there, I take the round out of the chamber. Even if you shoot someone by accident, you are held accountable. You can’t cry out, ‘It was an accident’ and just think you’ll be forgiven. Warning, you shoot at me, I’m shooting back. I don’t give a fuck if it’s during supper.” When Lance finished, everyone was nodding in agreement.
“Jarvis has another rule. If you’re drinking or on drugs, your weapon can’t even be loaded. No gun on your body can be loaded,” Lance clarified. “Now that rule I damn sure agree with, but I think people should be smart enough to figure that one out without a rule.”
“I know of three who weren’t that smart,” Jennifer chortled.
“Ian, control your girl,” Lance said.
“Screw that, I get smooches from her. I piss her off, I’m not smooching you.”
“If we don’t like it, in a few weeks can we leave?” someone asked.
“Yes,” Lilly answered. “This probation period is for you and us. I’m sorry, but if you get there and demand this and that, you’ll be asked to leave. If you pick your toenails at the food table after you’ve been asked not to, you’ll be asked to leave.”
“Basically, don’t be an asshole,” Lance clarified.
“You allow drugs?” another voice asked.
Shrugging, “As long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else and you do your work,” Ian answered. “Now, there are drugs there for the docs,” he said motioning to Lilly. “Those are for the group and you can’t have those unless they give them to you. Steal them, and you’ll be chased away by a battle bot.”
“You’re a doctor?!” a female cried out, moving to the front of the group.
“Holy shit, that looks uncomfortable,” Lance gasped at the very pregnant woman.
Lilly jumped up and ran over. “When are you due?” she asked feeling the woman’s abdomen.
“My due date was yesterday,” she replied.
Turning to Lance, “Get the track,” Lilly said, and Lance vanished with Ian. “Your babies aren’t turned.”
“Babies?!” Teddy cried out, and his wife hit his arm.
“I told you she had more than one in there,” his wife said, then Teddy turned to see his kids with his wife.
“I didn’t know all of you were up,” Teddy said as Lilly helped the woman over to one of the few chairs.
“Has your water broke?” Lilly asked checking the woman’s pulse.
Shaking her head, “No, but it hurts. Nothing like my others did,” she answered.
“I’m Lilly, and…”
“Sorry, I’m Glynda,” she panted.
“How many kids do you have?” Lilly asked, then turned to the group. “I suggest if you’re coming to get your shit. I’m leaving with Glynda.”
The group sprinted away as Lilly and Jennifer talked to Glynda. Ten minutes later, the group did pause as two tracked vehicles drove over the lip and into the bowl, but only one drove up on the plateau. In half an hour, the group was packed up and Glynda was in the back of Ian’s track.
“Rhonda?” Lilly called out, and Rhonda came running. “You drive Lance with him on the gun. Ian, you’re driving and I want you to take it easy. I’m not in the mood to do a C section in the back of this track. Lance, call Bravo and tell them to get Stanley up and prep the clinic for a delivery.”
Pulling the tarp over the wire grate that surrounded the bed, Lilly turned the heater to high. Glancing back at the opening, she saw Lance standing there with wide eyes staring at Glynda. Just looking at Lance’s face she could tell he wanted to help, but his body posture was of a person who wanted to run away. “Sweetness, direct Ian to the gentlest route please, and kill anything that gets close. I can’t have Ian making evasive maneuvers,” she told him.
“I’ll lead Ian to the road in Mills and just follow it down to the parkway,” Lance mumbled, finally taking his eyes of Glynda’s huge belly. Lilly gave a shiver because that would lead them past two active gun bots, a roaming thunder bot, and two roaming battle bots. Since they didn’t have to worry about bots recharging now, an area was marked with posts that had RFID tags to set up the bots’ kill zone.
Nearly all roaming bots were set up on roads since stinkers used them. Battle bots roamed up and down a selected mile, but there was always a thunder bot near that could come. Many times the boys had stated the thunder bot was backup in case a large group of stinkers appeared, but Lilly knew the main reason was if something hurt a battle bot, the thunder bot would be rolling for payback. Even with all the work it took to build each one, the boys viewed the bots as disposable.
Lilly liked that and didn’t at the same time. She never compared the bots to a human life and there wasn’t any doubt that the bots had saved lives. What concerned her was if the boys started building them to just send out, killing everything. Now, any human wouldn’t be targeted because thanks to the new build area, all the roaming bots had thermal and could tell human from infected. That only changed if the bot took gunfire and then everything became a target. Or like Lance had said, ‘The bot is a hammer and everything that’s moving is a nail. Human, stinker, dog, deer, all the way down to animals the size of rabbits, all are nails’.
Around them she could hear ATVs cranking up, and hoped everyone had enough gas to get to Bimble. That was one thing that was starting to get in short supply, gasoline. They had diesel for days and were even making biodiesel now but gas, it was getting very scarce. Lilly had found out just three days ago that the boys were already addressing this because she’d been so busy being a doctor and vet.
Since they had the ‘speci
al batteries’ the boys had never really wanted to produce gasoline, but Heath and others had pointed out there were many things that used it and were already out there in the world so they wouldn’t have to build an electric one. She’d been blown away that the government had put out booklets for people on how to make synthetic gasoline in the early eighties. None were perfect, but they would work.
Feeling Jennifer move beside her, Lilly turned as Jennifer helped stuff blankets and jackets behind Glynda to prop her up. Jennifer seemed to really want to be a doctor and vet and acted like she loved the idea, but Lilly could see apprehension. Not on being a doctor, on delivering another baby. This was also part of Lilly’s plan to calm Jennifer’s hormones down, but Lilly wasn’t going to hold her breath.
Putting the first aid kit back on the other bench and sitting beside Lilly, “Lori’s going to be mad if we don’t get her to Bimble,” Jennifer said.
“She has algebra this morning,” Lilly said finally feeling the track move, and reached back to close the tarp flap over the rear opening.
“Glad I’ve done that already,” Jennifer moaned as she caressed Glynda’s filthy hair. “She looks uncomfortable,” Jennifer hinted.
Nodding, “I know she is, but I’m not willing to give her anything outside our zone. I need Glynda awake and alert for now,” Lilly told her. The track was moving slowly but gently over the rough ground. “Think Lance will get mad because I had Ian drive us?” Lilly asked, since Lance had driven out with Lilly in the turret and Rhonda in the front right passenger seat.
“No,” Jennifer scoffed. “Nobody drives these tracks better than Ian, you’ve heard Lance say that. Even the Ladybugs said it, and that should be a crime in Ladybug World. Lance is the best at everything.”
Realizing Jennifer was correct on all accounts, Lilly pulled out her phone to see she had signal, great signal in fact. “My old cellphone never picked up this well,” she mumbled and texted Lori.
“You said she had algebra,” Jennifer smirked.
Putting her phone away, “She does, and has to decide if she wants to do it later,” Lilly answered.
Feeling the track level out, Lilly slid down the bench seat to peek outside and saw Ian was pulling up on the blacktop road. “Damn, that didn’t take long and wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” Lilly admitted. “You okay to watch her?” Lilly asked. “I’m going up top and man the turret.”
“Sure,” Jennifer said nervously, and was glad to be trusted like that.
Pulling the tarp back and opening the mesh hatch, Lilly climbed out to stand on the back of the track, then closed the tarp and hatch. Getting on her knees, she moved up to the turret and dropped in. Grabbing the headset, she put it on. “Ian, how long do you think?” Lily asked.
“Fifteen minutes or so unless you need to be there faster,” Ian answered.
Ahead, several hundred yards ahead, she could see Lance’s track with Rhonda in the turret. Suddenly, Lance’s track skidded to a stop then backed up, went forward, then backed up again, then moved forward. “Ian,” Lance’s voice came over the radio. “Keep your left track on the center line here, there’s a bump.”
“Copy,” Ian said, and Lance’s track sped off and Lilly watched again as Lance moved his track back and forth on the road repeatedly.
“Ian, hug the right shoulder here,” Lance called out, and Ian replied as Lance took off again.
“Wow, he took me very seriously,” Lilly gasped.
“The Scalf thunder bot is on standby,” Rhonda called out, and Lilly wondered why Rhonda had called it out over the radio. “The Walker and Scalf battle bots keep asking if I want to move them and they’re not giving me a standby choice.”
“Rhonda,” Lance sang out as he stopped and drove back and forth over a section of road near a bridge. “You have to say, ‘yes’ you want to move them, then it’ll give you the screen to ‘move them’ into standby.”
“Smart ass, you’d better be glad there’s a pregnant woman, otherwise I would kick your ass right now,” Rhonda snapped. “Battle bots on standby.”
“Ian, there isn’t a spot on this bridge to cross without bumping so crawl over the ends. The right side is better on the close end and the left side is better on the far end,” Lance called out.
“Copy,” Ian answered as Lance sped off, and Ian slowed down and literally crawled onto the bridge. Even moving at a crawl, Lilly could feel the track move over the bump and was thankful Lance was taking what she’d said so seriously. “Rhonda, not to be a pain, but is the gun bot in Walker on standby?” Ian asked, easing off the bridge.
“Ian!” Rhonda shouted over the radio. “Lance hasn’t told me to do that, so piss off! I know if you try and aren’t at a certain distance, the gun bot thinks you’re trying to hack and gives a false standby so it can kill you!”
“The distance is two miles and we’re inside of that,” Ian replied. “We’re identified, but I really don’t want the new people to get shot because the gun bot got trigger happy.”
“Damn it! Both of you have said they don’t get happy, they don’t get sad, they just operate!” Rhonda screamed, and Lilly could tell she was hyperventilating. “Gun bot at Walker is on standby,” Rhonda called out in a much calmer tone.
Lance called out a spot in the road for Ian to take and then his track took off, soon disappearing around a curve. Turning around, Lilly saw the new group in paired formation behind them. There were thirty-one ATVs composed of four-wheelers, side by sides, quad seat UTVs, and even one ancient three wheeler. Then there were two riders on dirt bikes. The group looked around as they rode along behind Ian. Half a mile behind the last riders, Lilly saw a stinker stumble out of the trees and turn to follow the procession.
“Yeah, come on,” Lilly smiled. “Death is only on standby for now.”
“Ian,” Lance called out, breathing hard. “Slow down some.”
Grabbing her PTT, “Lance, what’s wrong?” Lilly called out.
“Nothing, moving dead stinkers off the road so Ian doesn’t have to drive over them,” Lance answered with a grunt. “Damn it, Rhonda! I have this, get back on the turret!” Lance yelled out, and Lilly realized Lance had his mic on voice activation.
“Lance, these tracks are heavy, Ian can roll over a few bodies and it won’t jar us much,” Lilly told him.
“DUUUUuuuhh,” Lance grunted out.
“Lilly, there’s a four foot wall across the valley floor of stinker bodies,” Rhonda informed her.
“I hate fat fucking stinkers!” Lance cried out.
“I can help!” Rhonda shouted, and Lance shouted back at her to stay put. “I’m so kicking your ass in hand-to-hand tomorrow,” Rhonda informed him.
“YOOOoou,” Lance grunted out, “haven’t yet.” Lilly couldn’t help but grin at that. Rhonda was the only girl the boys could spar with and not hold back. They treated Rhonda like a boy. Lilly had sparred with both and once, Lance had grabbed Lilly to throw over his hip but Lance’s arms had wrapped around her chest as his hands palmed her breasts. Realizing his hands was squishing her boobs, Lance had let the hold go and Lilly spun around, kicking his legs out from under him. Lilly had felt bad but saw Lance wasn’t mad, only embarrassed that he’d gotten two handfuls of boob.
Rhonda, neither boy cared and just sparred hard with her. It was hard not to touch Rhonda’s chest boulders, but neither became embarrassed or held back. Lilly didn’t mind wrestling and sparring with Rhonda, but that girl was strong as hell.
The track came around the curve and Ian slowed as Lilly did a double-take. “They weren’t here yesterday,” Lilly pointed out. Ahead, Lance was actually off the road, clearing a path in the grass along the shoulder.
“Swing down here, Ian. Gun bot has blown holes in the roadway,” Lance panted out hard, then broke out in a run back to his track and dove into the driver’s compartment.
With eyes watering and breathing shallow, Ian wanted to speed through but didn’t. Slowly, Ian drove off the road and Lilly saw where the
gun bots’ projectiles had impacted the roadway behind the line of stinker bodies. Holding her own breath, “Ian, you remember how many stinkers this gun bot had for a total yesterday?” Lilly asked, watching Lance just run over the four feet tall wall of bodies.
“It was under a hundred and fifty because we weren’t going to send the collection crew out,” Ian answered. As they drove through the gap Lance had cleared, Lilly was certain there had to be nearly a thousand bodies here. Finally able to breathe, “We’ll send the collection crew out or just get one of the battle bots to drive down here,” Ian said, gulping in air.
The small blade the battle bots used to use to clean up their area could now pivot to turn into a ramp. Driving slowly, stinker bodies were pushed up the ramp and into the spinning drums. Battle bots could now clean up mounds of bodies.
“Ian,” Jennifer called over the intercom. “One of the air masks back here? A strap is broken.”
“I know,” Ian replied. “The Ladybugs tried to get it on Dino yesterday and I told them they had to replace it. If you get mad, take it out on them.”
Glancing back at the others and seeing they were okay, Lilly spun the turret back ahead. “Ian, there are only a few on the outer boundary south of Walker. I’ve flattened them pretty good,” Lance called out. Reaching the boundary where the gun bot engaged, Lilly could see where Lance had pulled back and forth, flattening a few stinkers.
The stench was bad as always, but it didn’t take your breath away with only a few dozen bodies in the area. Behind the group, Teddy rode in wonder as they neared Dewitt to see the two battle bots. These hadn’t been upgraded so they were still operating in a box. One was pulled into the recharging station and the other was just parked in the middle of the box with its police lights flashing.
Nearing the parkway, Teddy noticed another line of stinker bodies and looked around for the gun bot, spotting it on a finger extending out over the valley floor. “Those things kill over a thousand yards away,” he mumbled in awe.
Off to the left they spotted a big something on the bridges, but couldn’t tell what it was or what it was doing. The only thing Teddy was certain of was the Wild Ones had built it, so it was dangerous and to be avoided at all costs. Coming to another pile of a dozen or so dead stinkers laid out in an arc, Teddy started looking and soon spotted another gun bot on a rise that stood guard over the small road they were on.
Forsaken World | Book 6 | Redemption Page 32