“Yeah,” Jade said. “There is that. We had an argument the other night about ditching the horses once we reach LA. Travis says he’ll take us as far as Lake Mathews, we can use the Colorado River Aqueduct to get us that far… from near Palm Springs. There are sections where we’ll need to use the highway but there are good long stretches we can use the aqueduct maintenance roads. Travis won’t take us any further than Lake Mathews—”
Mercy pulled a face, “Which is fair enough, he only agreed to take us to LA. He’s got to get back to his people with his horses. We owe him a massive favour.”
A look passed over Jade’s face.
“What?” Mercy asked.
Jade glanced at the open door then leaned in towards Mercy, “It’s Tawny, she and Travis are… together.”
Mercy smiled, “Yeah, I saw they were getting close but it’s just a temporary thing, isn’t it—?”
Jade shook her head, “It’s looking pretty serious. Tawny more or less intimated she was going to stay with Travis when he drops us off at Lake Mathews.”
What—?
“What—?” Mercy said, shaking her head. “No, no, Tawny can’t leave us. Not Tawny. She’s been with us all the way from New York. She can’t—” Mercy stopped when she saw the look on Jade’s face. “Jesus, she’s gonna go with him, isn’t she? No, wait, she wants to get her biotech out just as much as me, Rose, Flynn, and Annalise. She’s not thinking straight. I’ll have a word with her. We’ll sort something out—”
Jade shook her head, “You should’ve heard her talking last night. Her mind seems made up. You best choose your moment carefully. Love is blind after all—”
“Has she even told Travis about our biotech?” Mercy asked.
“Yeah, well, after the stunt Tawny, Annalise, and Flynn pulled at the armory gates shielding the rest of us from those tropes, he knew something was up. Tawny told him everything, so yeah, he knows. And he’s OK with it,” Jade answered.
Shit—
“OK, I see. Yeah… I’ll need to choose my moment carefully. Still, Lake Mathews is a long way off, and a lot of shit can happen between here and there.” Mercy paused and turned back to the wall map, “We’re still gonna have to get from Lake Mathews to Point Mugu which is… a hundred and twenty miles plus change. Jesus, we could do that in a couple of hours in a car.” Mercy’s face hardened, “We’re gonna have to find us some alternative transport after Lake Mathews.”
Jade smiled, “Hey, how hard can it be? It’s a huge city after all, we’re bound to find something.”
How hard can it be? Now where have I heard that before—?
“Yeah, how hard can it be?” Mercy echoed Jade’s words.
A hundred and twenty miles… Jesus—
Chapter 30
C-4
Everyone was relieved to see Mercy up and about. She spent the rest of the day catching up with the others, reviewing the impressive array of weapons in the armory, and sharing guard duty with Flynn and Annalise on the roof. Mercy’s hunger pangs remained until late in the day. She left Annalise and Flynn on watch and went to join the others for the evening meal.
Jade handed Mercy a plate of food, “This is your… what? Sixth meal of the day? Boy, that biotech healing sure burns through calories. But it’s worth it, your bruises are almost gone. How are you feeling?”
Mercy nodded, “Yeah, good. My legs were a little shaky earlier on today, but I’m feeling better now, thanks.”
Travis looked up from his plate, “So, if you’ve all got these superpowers why do you want to get rid of the biotech? It seems to me it’s got serious advantages.”
Mercy glanced at Rose then Travis, “Well, you’re right, there are advantages, you’ve seen them first hand… but there are disadvantages. I get bad headaches, Rose here gets nightmares, Flynn nearly died the first time the NSA tried the biotech on him—”
“Annalise gets memory lapses,” Jade said. “Just little ones, she can lose whole hours… not days but hours. She’s worried it could get worse.”
Mercy raised her eyebrows.
Woah, that’s new. What? So, like dementia—?
Travis nodded and reached out to touch Tawny’s hand, “Yes, Tawny told me she gets angry at times. Really angry. There are natural ways of dealing with all of these things. Have you considered non-surgical options? I’m not sure how safe medical facilities would be now. I mean, civilisation has collapsed… you saw those people out there. It’s a different world. It’s not as if they can call in a specialist to fix things. You may get a good surgeon of course but how often will they have removed NSA biotech before? And who knows how your body will react to being separated from the biotech now that it’s been in there for… months?”
Mercy’s jaw clenched.
I need to think before I say anything. Even better, let someone else speak first. You could blow it with the wrong words—
The room went quiet.
Rose shifted in her chair and pursed her lips, “It’s a fucking parasite Travis. A parasite. It’s in my liver, living in there, feeding off my body. It was put in there by force, without consent, as a solution to the NSA’s problem. They wanted to use us to infiltrate the tropes and kill off their alpha leaders and queens. The virus was evolving, leading to new behaviour in tropes… back then they were, and still are, showing signs of organisation which makes them even more difficult to defeat.”
Travis raised a hand, “I understand Rose. Thank you for explaining. I get it, I do. It’s just… sometimes the cure is riskier than the disease.” He squeezed Tawny’s arm and stood up, “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check on the horses.”
Tawny looked across the table at Mercy, “What?”
She looks miserable—
Mercy took a sip of water, “Nothing Tawny. Everyone here is free to do what they want. I can only speak for myself. I want rid of this parasite inside me. I’m willing to take the risk of surgery. I want my life back. I want my body back.”
Tawny’s eyes flashed. She started to speak then changed her mind and stood up, “I’m going to help Travis with the horses.” She turned and left the room.
OK, that went well—
Rose cleared her throat a few seconds later and turned to Barnes, “So, are you happy to blow this place to kingdom come?”
Barnes pushed his plate away and grunted, “Yeah, I can set the charges to detonate half an hour after we leave. It should be some show.”
“We’re good to go at first light then?” Mercy asked.
“Yeah,” Rose nodded. “The horses are well rested. We’ve got enough food for at least seven days. We’ll have enough water for a couple of days for us but we’ll need to source water along the way for the horses but Travis has that figured out. And we’ve got new guns and ammo.”
“And those fancy new EMP grenades,” Mercy added.
“Yeah, and those,” Rose agreed.
“Travis said we’d head south west from here to Yucca Valley, then we join Route 62. That’ll take us to I-10 just north of Palm Springs. If we push it we could reach the interstate by nightfall. It’ll be a long day but it’ll be good to put some distance between us and that psychopath out there.”
“I wonder why he’s called Tin Man,” Jade said.
“No heart probably,” Rose replied. “Ever notice all these idiots need some kind of nickname for their followers to latch onto?”
“People are suckers for a bit of mystery… and reputation is important in primitive societies,” Barnes said.
“That’s all we’ve ever been, a primitive society, except our leaders dressed up in suits and drove black limousines,” Jade added.
“There’s always hope,” Mercy said. “Never ever, ever, ring the bell on hope.”
Barnes smiled, “I’ve not heard that in a long time. Never ever, ever, ring the bell. Straight out of SEAL school. Where did you pick that up?”
“TV…” Mercy replied. “I repeat it to myself when you keep us all awake with your snoring Ba
rnes.”
Barnes laughed and the atmosphere lightened. Smiles broke out around the table.
The night passed without incident. Travis and Tawny woke everyone up at 4 am. Barnes placed the plastic explosive charges and set the timers on the detonators. They were ready to leave by 4:40 am. They filed out of the compound, their horses eager to be on the move again. Mercy shivered in the cold pre-dawn, her breath misting the air. Her eyes darted left and right.
They’ll be watching us, someone will report back to Tin Man. That’s OK, he’s had his hands full with all the tropes we released from this place. He’ll be wanting what’s inside the armory more than he wants us. Well, let him have it, with any luck he’ll be part of the big bang—
Travis led the way through the rest of the Marine Corps base. They entered the outskirts of Twentynine Palms, crossing large tracts of waste ground between secondary roads. They passed isolated homes on the way. Mercy peered into the gloom.
No sign of life. This area feels like a ghost town. Not even a barking dog. Back in the day every one of these homesteads would’ve had at least one dog—
Travis and Barnes stopped forty minutes later and turned to look back towards the armory. Mercy stopped her horse and turned in her saddle. She checked the time; 5:20 am.
OK, let’s hope—
She started counting and stared into the dark.
“Come on, come on, come on,” Rose said nearby, her voice tense.
Come on, come—
A bright light lit up the dark as, three kilometres away, the blast ripped through the armory. The sound of the explosion took Mercy by surprise.
Jesus, that’s… that’s impressive. I wonder how much C-4 Barnes used—
“That’s a beautiful sight,” Rose said. “Like the fourth of July.”
“Let’s hope Tin Man and his crew got caught in the explosion,” Annalise said.
Bright orange flames flared into the sky from the armory.
“That sucker’s gonna burn for quite a while,” Rose said. “It’ll draw tropes. I hope they bring their barbeque sauce.”
Jesus, Rose—
Travis and Barnes turned their backs on the conflagration and resumed their plod across the city’s outskirts. Dawn light appeared over the eastern horizon an hour later. Mercy glanced at the twinkling dew drops on the rocky ground. Glittering spiders’ webs laced the low desert scrub. The sight brought a smile to her face.
Such beauty amid such devastation. A new day for me and the others. A new day is always a bonus—
Mercy allowed her thoughts to drift as they made progress across the empty desert. Travis picked his way through a low set of hills and they joined Route 62 an hour later. Travis found water for the horses at an old ranch well.
“This guy’s got a sixth sense for finding water,” Jade said.
“Well, it’s not quite water divining is it? I mean most of these homesteads have windmill pumps, rain barrels, or wells so the odds are we’ll find something,” Rose replied.
“Yeah, but still, it is a desert, isn’t it? So, I’m still impressed even if you’re not,” Jade fired back.
“Yeah, I guess. OK, you win,” Rose conceded. “I wish he could divine some cigars for us. I could use a nice Cohiba right about now.”
“I could use some rum and raisin ice cream right about now,” Annalise said.
“Pistachio for me,” Flynn said, joining in.
“Enough already. Will you guys stop talking about food?” Mercy said. She stood up and looked towards the western horizon. “Hey, Rose you see that peak in the distance? I reckon that’s San Gorgonio Mountain.”
Rose pulled out a map she had found at one of their stops and examined it. She looked up after a few moments, “I concur Ms Dawes. Which means…”
“Yes, you’re right,” Travis said, overhearing their conversation. “We’re almost at Yucca Valley, so roughly half-way for today’s trek. We’ll have to have an easier day tomorrow but yeah, the going’s been good, and we’ve found enough water. I’m fairly confident we’ll reach North Palm Springs and the I-10 by nightfall.”
“That works for me,” Rose said.
Dig deep and hell yeah—
“Funny, but has anyone else noticed? I’m not as stiff from the riding as I was. Guess I’ve earned my spurs,” Flynn said.
“At long last,” Mercy replied, standing up.
Travis called time on their break. He walked over to his horse accompanied by Tawny. Mercy watched as Travis adjusted the saddle’s cinch strap, he said something and Tawny laughed. Mercy smiled.
Damn, they look good together—
Mercy caught Rose’s eye.
Rose glanced at Travis and Tawny, and frowned, “Yeah, I know, I know. Tawny’s moving on, isn’t she?”
Mercy shrugged, “It’s what people do Rose. Nothing ever stays the same. All that Zen stuff is true; the only constant thing is change.”
Rose frowned and spat on the ground, “I must’ve missed that movie.”
“It’s all good Rose, it’s all good. It’ll work out in the end,” Mercy replied.
Rose pulled a face, “That’s what I’m worried about.”
They stopped at 6:30 pm. Travis pointed at a roadside diner. A sign saying BOB’S BIG EATS squeaked in the breeze outside the abandoned building.
“We’ll overnight in there. I’ve used it once before. There’s a good view from the roof and a garage out back for the horses. We’re just west of North Palm Springs. The I-10 is half a click that way,” Travis said, pointing south. “We did about forty klicks today, so not bad going, well done everyone.”
They made their way over to the diner, everyone split into pairs and set about preparing camp for the night. Barnes and Flynn secured the building, set sound traps, then went up to the roof to keep watch. Travis and Tawny saw to the horses. Jade and Annalise prepared the food for the evening meal.
Rose and Mercy went to fetch water from a nearby property.
“Travis was saying it’s possible for horses to walk up to fifty kilometres a day,” Rose said, pulling her almost full plastic bottle from the rain barrel they had found. “You learn something every day don’t you? What did you learn today, Dawes?”
Mercy pushed her bottle down into the water and looked up at the roof, “Well, he also said that cavalry could ride their horses fifty to sixty miles in a day… that’s about eighty to a hundred kilometres isn’t it?”
“That’s insane, things were different back in the day,” Rose replied.
Mercy shook her head, “Well, we’re not far off from what it was like back then. Without electricity we might as well be back in the 1800s. Storm lamps and candles, wind up pocket watches and… big sideburns for men.”
“And moustaches… what was it about facial hair back then?” Rose said.
“Grooming for the masses becomes easier with electricity,” Mercy said, hauling her bottle out of the barrel. “I like a bit of stubble but I’m not big on the weirdy beardy look…”
“Flynn’s looking a bit ragged around the edges. You ought to have a word with him about those sideburns he’s got going,” Rose said, laughing.
“My guy’s grooming is none of your business, Rose. But yeah, I take your point, he’s looking distinctly Spaghetti Western-ish,” Mercy replied.
They walked back to the diner in silence, the setting sun on their backs. Long evening shadows stretched out before them. The water was heavy and they stopped to rest their arms. Mercy looked up at the diner roof. Barnes and Flynn were standing together at the edge of the roof using their binoculars.
“Wonder what they’re looking at?” Rose said, looking around.
Mercy turned to face west. A chill crept through her spine. “My god, what the hell is that?”
An orange glow lit up the distant horizon.
Rose lifted a hand to her forehead, “That’s the San Bernardino National Forest. San Gorgonio Mountain is in there, remember we saw it earlier on today?”
Mercy suck
ed air in through her teeth, “Jesus, you mean that’s a forest fire?”
“Looks like it, don’t it? We’re in the California fire season now ain’t we? This time of year and all. They used to show the fires on TV. Shit, that’s gotta be a big one, we must be forty klicks away from there.”
“It just goes on and on, look… it stretches north and south. What the hell is going on?” Mercy said.
“Climate change hasn’t stopped just because man has stopped. We went beyond the point of no return decades ago. Jesus, if the virus doesn’t get you, the climate will,” Rose added.
“Could’ve been started by lightning strikes or else some asshole’s been careless,” Mercy said.
“A firebug, you mean? An arsonist,” Rose asked.
“No, I prefer asshole,” Mercy said, sighing. She picked up her water bottles. “Come on Rose, this water ain’t gonna carry itself.”
Rose whistled, “Those fires can burn for days, weeks even. And there’s no one to stop them now, they’ll just keep burning. Remember those pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge and the smoke over San Francisco? What if we get to the Naval Base and it’s all toast?”
Mercy shrugged, “It’s right on the sea, Rose. They’ll have a plan. They’ll be fine, now come on, Jade and Annalise will be cursing us for taking so long.”
Night fell quickly. The orange glow continued in the western sky. Travis frowned throughout the evening meal, obviously unhappy.
“What’s with the long face, Travis?” Jade said, eventually.
Travis shook his head, “Horses and fire don’t go well together. They are flight animals and have a fine sense of smell. They’ll know if we’re headed towards fire. I can control my horse but you guys may have problems with yours if we get too near the fires.”
“Well, I’m hoping we can avoid the fire completely,” Flynn said.
“It’s miles away and we’re safe out here, we’re still in the desert. But we’ll have to be prepared to adjust our route if needs be,” Travis answered. “Maybe even take a longer route if it’s safer.”
The Survival Chronicles | Book 8 | Final Mercy Page 20
