Mercy looked back at the way they had come. “I don’t know Dimitri… maybe we should wait for Barnes.”
Dimitri trained his binoculars to the east, “There’s no way I’ll spot him, he’ll just blend in with the terrain at this distance.”
Tawny shrugged, “Well, we ain’t heard any gunfire, so that’s got to be a good sign.”
Good point Tawny—
“Yeah, Tawny’s right. OK, let’s get closer to the buildings, we can watch them until Barnes finds us. He won’t be too long I’m sure,” Mercy replied.
They stepped back from the crater rim and hiked along a rough path towards the buildings. Mercy glanced through fissures in the crater rim, catching glimpses of the huge piles of burnt tropes in the distance.
Sheer bloody carnage. Industrial killing. Christ. Well, it was either kill or be killed back then. It still is now—
The breeze shifted and the sweet scent of desert creosote bushes wafted through the air, lifting Mercy’s mood.
That smell is gorgeous, just sublime. What a contrast to what we’ve just seen, beauty and horror side by side. Contrast, wherever there’s darkness, light is never far away—
Dimitri raised a hand and dropped to one knee. Everyone stopped and followed suit. Mercy pulled out her binoculars and peered at the visitor centre two hundred yards away.
OK, so it’s bigger than I thought. The building’s dug into the slope, so it’s taller than it seems from this angle. Red brick, not many windows from this side, a viewing platform, and walkways down to more viewing points. No sign of life, at least not yet—
The breeze picked up, blowing dust around the crater rim. Mercy put her jacket on and hunkered between the rocks with Flynn and Annalise.
“I reckon it gets pretty windy out here, it’s definitely got that windswept, exposed vibe,” Annalise said.
“Yeah, everything just seems… bigger out here, the landscape, the sky, the weather. It sure is big country,” Flynn said.
“Well, we’re in the real Wild West now. We should be packing some big irons to fit in,” Mercy said.
“Big irons?” Annalise asked.
“Yeah, you know? Old style Wild West gunslinger revolvers, like the Colt .45 Peacemaker. John Wayne and all those old movies where they’d have shootouts in the saloon,” Mercy answered.
“Yeah, and they were single-action revolvers so the gunfighter had to fan the hammer like this,” Flynn said, miming the classic gunfighter technique.
“Smokin’…” Annalise said.
“Exactly… smokin’—” Mercy replied. She glanced at her watch; 11:30 am. She shifted her position and looked back towards the ranch. “Hurry up Barnes, you can come in from the cold now.”
“Yeah, he should be here by now,” Flynn said.
“He’ll be fine, he’s just thorough is all. Probably covering his tracks, all that good Navy SEAL stuff,” Annalise said.
Rose shifted her position and lifted her rifle to use the scope, “It’s Barnes, he’s coming in on our six just behind the crater rim, sixty yards out. He looks good, I can’t see anyone on his tail.”
Thank goodness—
Mercy sighed, “You know what? I was getting separation anxiety for that big, hairy arsed lump of lard. That’s a bad sign.”
“He does kind of grow on you after a while,” Rose commented.
“You make him sound like a rash… or a wart. Gross—” Tawny added.
Barnes zig-zagged along the base of the slope and reached them five minutes later. He crouched down beside Mercy and Flynn. Dimitri and the others gathered around.
Barnes eyed them all, “Good news is… the ranch was empty. The bad news is someone’s been using it as a base. There’s some food stores there and water. I left everything untouched. My guess is it’s some of the Judge’s people. We’re right slap bang in the middle of his territory, it makes sense. I’m hoping no one saw our plane come down, but we did pass over Winslow, so I figure we’ve been spotted.”
Dimitri waited for Barnes to finish then spoke, “The way I see it is, we either keep moving north to I-40 or we go west, cross country, away from any buildings and roads, and lose ourselves in the desert and lie low. Wait for any heat to die down.”
Mercy considered Dimitri’s words, “Look, we need to get west the safest way we can. We can’t afford to get lost out here, in this wilderness. Our safest and quickest way west is I-40. It’s a no brainer. Sure there’s bad guys out there, but there’s bad guys and tropes all over the place, it’s just a matter of time. If we’re careful and wait or hide around here for a bit, we may see what we’re dealing with before we commit to a route.”
Barnes nodded, “Yeah, intel. Intel is everything.” He looked at the buildings in the distance. “I take it there’s been no activity over there?”
Dimitri grunted, “Quiet as a grave.”
“OK, so how about we conserve our energy, wait for dusk, then probe the perimeter? If it’s clear we can go in, see what’s what—” Barnes said.
Mercy blinked, “Yeah, I like it. There’s enough places to hide around that site, if we spot trouble we can slip away, use the darkness.”
Heads nodded. The decision was made.
I love it when a plan comes together. I hope it’s a good plan. Sometimes it’s better to run, sometimes it’s better to stay put and hide—
“Works for me,” Rose said.
Good, Rose is in—
They concealed themselves and took turns to watch the buildings and the land to the east. They rested and ate, conserving their water. The hours drifted by, the desert remained quiet, the sky glared down, bruised and moody. Mercy dozed when it was her turn to rest. She woke under an angry red sunset. The first stars began to show, she blinked and absorbed the majestic vista overhead.
Amazing—
Mercy shivered and pulled her jacket tight around her. Low murmurs came from Jade and Annalise’s direction. Mercy rolled over and crept towards them.
Annalise looked up and nodded, “Have a good sleep?”
Mercy stifled a yawn and grunted, “Damn right. Used to be a time when I found it difficult to sleep. I was always worrying about useless crap, now I can fall asleep anytime, anywhere, with my radar switched on.”
“Yeah, you get to develop a sixth sense, don’t you? I used to worry about useless crap too, back in the day; clothes, phones, what other people thought of me, social media. Now, I get to worry about staying alive… and food. The important stuff,” Annalise answered.
“It’s called context… and perspective. I don’t miss advertising and designer brands. How did people lose themselves in that stuff? Some of the billboards you still see, some of the magazines you find, people were worried about so much inconsequential bullshit. It seems crazy now. So, anything to report?” Mercy said, she pulled out her binoculars and looked at the visitor centre in the distance.
“Nada, not a sound. All quiet. Bone dead,” Jade said, shivering in the cool breeze.
“It’s getting cold out here,” Annalise commented, and I’m hungry again.
Mercy looked around, “Where’s Barnes?”
“He went walkabout, half an hour ago. Said he was going to scope out Meteor Crater Road, see if there’s any sign of recent use or fresh tracks. He wanted to do it before the sun disappeared. He should be back soon,” Jade said.
“OK, that’s good,” Mercy said. “Well, we’re rested and it’s cooler now, so if the buildings are deserted, great. We can stay there and decide on a plan, otherwise this is the ideal temperature to walk in, so we could cover a lot of ground on foot at night if need be. We could make it to the I-40, it’s only about eight or nine klicks to the north. We could get the lie of the land. If we have to, we could avoid the approach road and just skirt alongside it, keep within visual range—” Mercy said, pressing the binoculars to her face.
“Yeah, it’d be good to get moving again, we’ve got places to go and people to meet,” Jade said.
“OK, I see Barnes,
he’s coming back in from the east, keep your eyes open. I’ll go and wake the others,” Mercy said, packing her binoculars away.
Ten minutes later they were gathered around Barnes as he gave his report.
“I’m convinced the place is unoccupied, there’s no sign of recent activity. The place is boarded up, it’s been made into a defensive structure, probably back in the Fall. Looks like a kind of fort. I saw some blast damage and bullet holes in the walls but the place looks structurally sound. Reckon we can give it a try, we might find something useful in there, some intel at least. I’ll lead us in, everyone ready to go?” Barnes said, making eye contact with the group.
Everyone nodded.
“Rose, your good night vision is what we want up front, you’re with me. Tawny, you can smell live tropes and alphas, we’ll want you a close second. Mercy, you’ve got our six. No talking, keep noise to a minimum, sound travels easily in this kind of terrain. Let’s go—” Barnes said. He turned and set off towards the buildings.
They fell into place behind him, their senses heightened under the star studded sky. Mercy took up the rear, cradling her AR-15. A distant, mournful howl made her turn.
What the hell was that? A coyote?
Flynn glanced over his shoulder, peering into the distance.
So, you heard it too?
The others kept moving forwards.
Keep at it, we’re committed now. This is where tactical headsets would be useful, but we ain’t got none—
Mercy turned around again. The desert was not revealing its secrets.
Do coyotes hunt at night? I guess it makes sense, everything comes out at night—
Mercy quickened her step and caught up with the others.
Chapter 7
Sanctuary
Mercy shivered, her breath misted the air. The stars glittered in the endless night sky.
God, it sure is cold out here—
Barnes climbed the visitor centre steps and stopped short of the glass fronted entrance. Everyone peered at the darkened windows, their senses on high alert. Barnes signalled at the others to fan out, he drew near to the entrance. Tawny approached the door and Barnes whispered a few words to her. She opened the door and waited a moment. She stepped inside the building then beckoned the others forwards. They filed into the entrance foyer, guns at the ready.
“It’s OK, we’re alone,” Tawny sighed. “There’s nothing new here, just old death is all.”
The tension evaporated and Mercy’s shoulders relaxed, “Let’s do a search. Flynn, Tawny, see if you can secure these doors. Barnes, Dimitri, can you find a way up to the roof and make sure it’s secure? We’ll need eyes up there all night. Annalise, Jade, can you find a back way out in case we need to bail? Me and Rose will check the basement, and the rest of the building. Oh, and hey… torches should be OK, there don’t seem to be many windows in here. But be careful and switch off your light if you come across a window. We don’t want anyone to know we’re in here.” She checked her watch, “Meet back here in twenty minutes. All good?”
Everyone nodded and headed off on their assigned tasks. Mercy went to the rear of the foyer to the lift area and internal stairs. She switched on her head torch and selected its red filter to preserve her night vision.
“You good to cover me Rose?” Mercy asked.
“Be my guest,” Rose gestured at Mercy to take the lead.
Here goes nothing—
Mercy opened the stair door and peered into darkness.
I hate doing stairwells in the dark, but here we are again—
She descended the stairs, disturbing a layer of thick dust.
Always the dust—
Her red beam stabbed through the dark, opening up a path. She descended two levels, ignoring the first level exit.
Work from the bottom up—
The basement level revealed a boiler room and utility areas. Maintenance material was much in evidence. A long corridor extended from the rear of the basement.
“Want to go down there?” Mercy asked.
“Yeah, leave no stone unturned, never know what you might find,” Rose answered.
“OK, let’s make it quick, the clock’s ticking,” Mercy said.
They made their way down the corridor and found a set of double fire doors at the end. Mercy glanced at Rose then put a shoulder to the door and pressed the panic bar gently. The door opened and desert scented air wafted in. Mercy stuck her head outside.
OK, so it opens onto a viewing platform—
She switched off her head torch and stepped out into the night. Starlight bathed the crater below in ghostly monochrome.
“Jesus, that’s quite something, ain’t it?” Rose stepped through the doors and joined Mercy.
“Yeah, quite something,” Mercy agreed, her voice filled with wonder.
“If this is blowing my mind I’d hate to think what the Grand Canyon would do to me,” Rose murmured.
Mercy scanned the area, “See… there’s a gate there, and a path running down into the crater. Hang on, there’s a tourist information panel.”
Mercy strode over to the handrail beside the gate and examined the plaque. “See this Rose? The path dips down into the crater and splits off here, contours around a bit and rises again to join the crater rim half a kilometre away, towards the west.”
“Good to know, like you always say; keep your eye on the exit,” Rose replied.
“Yeah, someone a long time ago told me that and I’ve never forgotten it. It applies to life too. Come on, let’s get back to the others, we’ve still got the level above this to check out.”
The next level was an exhibit storage and restoration area. Signs of post-Fall occupation were evident; graffiti on the walls and the scattered detritus of human habitation.
Trash, garbage, human waste… same old same old. Hang on, what’s this?
Mercy shone her torch on the open plan, gallery wall. She froze. Rose gasped beside her. The torch flickered.
“Tell me that’s not what I think it is,” Rose’s voice echoed in the still room. “Tell me it’s just some left over exhibit from the museum.”
A row of six heads impaled on wall spikes stared out vacantly across the room.
“Christ almighty,” the words tumbled form Mercy’s lips, spilling into the dead air.
Rose pointed at the scrawled writing under the heads.
Mercy tilted her head and read the words out aloud: JUSTICE. VENGENCE. REVENGE. YOU SOW WHAT YOU REAP. HELL AWAITS ALL TRAITORS. BY ORDER OF THE JUDGE.
A chill went down Mercy’s spine.
The Judge’s handiwork—
“I wonder what those poor bastards did to piss him off.” Rose’s voice sounded small in the vault like room.
“Looks like the work of yet another self-righteous prick,” Mercy said.
“God, their eyes are missing. Jesus.” Rose said, leaning forwards. “This Judge is one sick fuck.”
“That there, that’s exactly why I always keep one bullet for personal use,” Mercy said. She turned around and walked away.
Always keep your eye on the exit—
They met the others back in the foyer.
“Front door’s secure,” Flynn said. “It’s hardened glass but won’t stop a bullet.”
“Which is why I’ve set up a frag trap just inside the door,” Tawny said, her voice matter-of-fact.
“Nice touch,” Mercy said.
“Roof’s clear, there’s a good view over the crater and to the north. We should post a watch up there. What about you guys? What’s downstairs?” Barnes eyed Mercy and Rose.
“Basement floors are clear, we found a corridor which leads out to a viewing platform overlooking the crater. There’s a path from there which leads down into the crater with a branch splitting off going west—” Rose answered.
“Good to know,” Barnes said.
“Yeah, there’s also something else; the floor below this, there’s six human heads on spikes, and graffiti. Looks like the J
udge’s work, seems like he was in a bad mood. The graffiti mentions revenge and vengeance, that kind of shit. Standard fear and intimidation. Not someone we want to tangle with if we can help it—” Mercy said.
“Beheading is a thing with bad guys, ain’t it?” Barnes stroked his beard.
“It’s what happens before the beheading that’s the thing,” Rose pulled a face, her hand brushing against her thigh holster.
“What about you two?” Mercy turned to Annalise and Jade.
“We found exhibits, a huge meteor fragment, and lots of local geology and ecology stuff. There’s also a huge wall map of the area, which looks useful. You should check it out, it’s back there,” Annalise pointed to the rear of the exhibit area.
“I will,” Mercy replied. “Anything else? Anything useful? Food? Water?”
“Yeah, there’s water, in a couple of tanks out back, looks like rain water run-off from the roof so we can fill our water bottles. Otherwise, some offices and staff areas behind the exhibit hall but no food. Looks like it was used as a base of operations some time ago, lots of trash around the place. Could be people passing through, refugees, or the Judge’s people,” Jade replied.
“Yeah, well, a place like this would be on his radar, so let’s get some rest, check our gear, and set up watch on the roof. Our strategy should be to evade any hostiles, avoid contact, try and move west under their radar if possible. Agreed?” Mercy made eye contact with everyone.
“Yeah, we’re on their turf here. And you can’t negotiate with a psychopath anyway, so we need to be ghosts,” Barnes said.
“What he said,” Tawny pointed at Barnes.
Rose nodded, “Ditto that.”
“OK, it’s settled. Me and Rose will take first watch on the roof. We’ll buddy up and do two hours each. That’ll get us through to the morning. Everyone happy?” Mercy cast her eyes around the group.
“Ecstatic,” Tawny said. “I bags that sofa thing over there, it’s got my name written all over it.” She wandered over to the couch and dropped her gear onto it.
Mercy turned to Rose, “Hey, Rose? I’ll meet you up on the roof. I just want to check out the area map back there. You OK with that?”
The Survival Chronicles | Book 8 | Final Mercy Page 4
