To Cross a Wasteland

by Phillip D Granath

  “We are leaving!” Kyle shouted in reply as his heart began pounding in his chest.

  “I just want to take some measurements and draw a quick diagram,” Miles protested.

  “You ran out of time! Where’s Juan?” Kyle demanded as the light flashed again behind them, much faster and the cave was going to have that rave effect that Coal had been hoping for.

  “I sent him back out for somethings, I don’t know what could be taking him so long…,” Miles began when he was cut off by a blood-chilling scream.

  “Juan!” Miles shouted and staggered away from the wall. The rest of them dropped their bundles and ran for the inner door. Just as the group entered the circle of daylight from the ceiling, the blue light flashed again. It was just bright enough to show Juan come through the narrow inner doorway, but he wasn’t alone. A man was with him, and he was holding a sword up to the boy’s neck. Coal didn’t need to see any more than that to know who it was.

  “Rory!” the half-breed shouted with glee.

  “Hello Coal,” the Ranger shouted back.

  “You finally got tired of living with that fucked up face of yours I see. Decided to track me down so I could punch your ticket then? That was thoughtful, saves me the trouble of finding you myself!” Coal shouted in reply.

  “You got nowhere to run to this time you half breed piece of shit,” Rory replied grinning as he stepped forward into the pool of light. He gripped Juan by a handful of hair and his other hand wedged the saber up under the boy's jaw. A fresh line of blood ran the length of the boy’s cheek.

  The blue light flashed again revealing that a second man had just stepped through the door behind the Ranger. Even in the blue light, Kyle could make out the tattered suit he wore and could see one of his arms was held in a sling. Anna took a full step backward at the sight of Councilman Murphy. The deposed Kingpin took a few steps forward just shy of the circle of light, and a half dozen more men stepped through the door behind him.

  “I should really thank you, Kyle, you and your little band of misfits here. I have to admit, I underestimated you and that I can see now was a mistake,” as Murphy spoke the men behind him spread out, clearly in an attempt to keep them from the door.

  Kyle glanced to his left and realized Coal hadn’t bothered to bring his rifle along with him. The Scavenger’s magnum was still in his shoulder holster but with only two rounds left it wouldn’t be much of a fight. The blue light flashed again, and at least from here it didn’t appear that any of Murphy’s men were carrying guns.

  “Please, just let the boy go!” Miles cried.

  Murphy shouted back. “Don’t interrupt!” and with a nod to Rory, the Ranger drew the saber across Juan’s other cheek leaving a matching streak of blood.

  The boy’s screams echoed off the walls and mixed with Rory’s laughter. Miles staggered forward and collapsed to his knees.

  “Please, I’ll do anything, please don’t!” Miles pleaded.

  “Then shut the fuck up and let me talk!” Murphy screamed back at him as Miles choked down a sob and then went quiet.

  “But after seeing this little…Shangri-Lai, you have out here in the desert. I think you made the bigger mistake. That’s the difference between us you see, men like me have the vision to see the way the world can be made better. Scavs like you and this broken old man just want to live off of its scraps,” the blue light flashed again, and the Councilman’s eyes darted up to the light for a moment, and he grinned.

  “This place is truly amazing. Thick walls, steel doors, security was definitely an issue at my last place, aren’t I right?” Murphy asked with a grin and then continued.

  “Then, of course, there is the water and…” Murphy looked down and ran his shoe through the soil and dead plant matter.

  “Looks to me like you may be even able to grow…something, down here,” he said with a grin and then looked back up at Kyle just as the blue lights flashed again.

  “You even have the power and lights working again, sort of. I’m assuming that’s how you got this old bastard to betray me. He does like to tinker,” Murphy said, and with a quick step, he kicked the still kneeling old man in the ribs, and Miles collapsed on to his side with a groan.

  “Sure, this place is a little out of the way, but that won’t matter much with my new car,” Murphy added with a grin.

  “Hey hold the phone buddy, that’s my fucking space car. You want to buy it or something, you come talk to me,” Coal said pointing at Murphy.

  The Councilman turned to look at the half-breed. “Oh Coal, I don’t make deals with dead men, and that’s exactly what you’re going to be in a few minutes,” said Murphy letting out a long sigh.

  “Again though, such wasted opportunities. If I would have known you had that kind of pull with those savages, we’ll I can tell you I would have made you a hell of an offer. Perhaps I even would have made you an equal partner. It’s all just too bad really. The rumors are already starting in town, trade agreements, Indian’s on the council. It won’t last long though. Not when I have your little buggy and I’m raiding into their lands, killing their people, outrunning their ponies,” in the next blue flash Coal could see the reflection from Murphy’s toothy grin.

  “I wouldn’t have even been able to catch up to you here if it wasn’t for the fact that the car leaves rather obvious tracks,” Murphy said and turned to look directly at Anna.

  “Hello Doctor, I’m glad to see that you are well. As it so happens, I’m currently in the market for good medical care. I’m also going to need to replenish my stable of whores, so you see, now you’re doubly of value to me,” Murphy said casually, and Anna took another two steps back, she was visibly shaking. The blue light flashed again.

  “That does get annoying, but as I was saying. I’m thinking about opening a new kind of hospital you see. One where I take the patients chits. You take care of their injuries. Then they get to just take you. It adds a whole new meaning to the term, Service with a smile. I think we are going to be in business together for a long, long time,” Murphy was chuckling to himself as the blue light flashed again.

  Kyle was trembling with rage now, his heart beating wildly in his chest. The blue light flashed more insistently now seeming to keep pace with his pounding heart, but all he could see was red. He had heard enough; two rounds were all he had left. If he was lucky, he could take two of them with him. Just two before Murphy’s half-dozen men in the shadows fell upon him with knives and clubs. Miles was helpless in a fight without his pipe gun and wouldn’t raise a finger while Rory had the sword at Juan’s throat. Coal would fight like a devil, but he would no doubt have his hands full with Rory, who may actually be the Devil. The half breed’s hunting blade against the Ranger’s sword, this was going to be a bloody mess.

  It came to Kyle then, what he had to do and as the thought sprang into his mind tears began to roll down his face. He would take a shot at Murphy, kill the bastard for all that he had done to them and all that he planned to do. If he missed, that would be it. Because with his second round he would turn and shoot Anna. As his heart ached at the very thought, he knew he would have to do it. Better she die quickly now than live the life that Murphy had planned for her. Better that than for her to be forced to watch her husband being beaten to death while she stood by helpless. Kyle took a breath and reached for his magnum.

  Before Kyle’s hand could touch the weapon’s grip the cave was suddenly filled with a constant blue light. Everyone froze and looked at the glowing object on the wall behind Kyle. Even Murphy abandoned his current rant to stare at the light momentarily dumbfounded. The light in the cavern shifted yet again, it took Kyle a moment to realize that the circle of natural light they had stood in a moment ago was now gone. There was a quick movement to his right, and the Scavenger was looking down at his knotted length of rope, the one he had tied off to climb down through the hole in the roof. The Scavenger’s eyes shifted upward along with the rest of them, Kyle’s and Murphy’s men alike.


  The hole in the roof was gone, darkness filled the ceiling above them just beyond the reach of the glowing blue light. Then the light re-appeared, first as a narrow sliver and then wider. Something was blocking the opening, and as the object lowered further down, it started to become visible in the blue light of the cave. Four long slender steel spears descended from the shadows, they bit into the rock wall of the cavern easily reaching across the forty-foot gap. They moved in quick yet precise motions and as they bit into the rock. All four seemed to connect to a disc-shaped black steel body exactly 6 feet across and just two feet thick. From here Kyle could see another set of four, of what he now realized were legs still protruded up into the shadows. A moment later these detached themselves from the ceiling and the thing lowered itself down, shifting legs upon the rock walls and now resting just a few feet above their heads.

  “AAAHHHHhhhh…what?” Coal asked, summing up the feeling in the room pretty accurately.

  The disc-shaped body looked something similar to that of a crab, only more streamlined, all smooth edges. The object started to produce a nearly imperceptible humming sound. After a moment the front edge of the disk clam shell slid away revealing an orb the size of a softball. The orb looked like an eye to Kyle, it was outlined by a ring of yellow light and had a blue dot of light at its center. The orb began to move in quick exaggerated movements as if turning to try to look at every part of the room at once. In contrast, the body sat perfectly still, it was unnerving and unnatural in its movements. Kyle found himself taking an unconscious step backward. A quick movement caught Kyle’s eye as Juan broke free of Rory’s grasp and darted out the door. The Ranger hadn’t even turned to watch the boy escape; his eyes were locked on the glowing orb.

  “Kyle, what the fuck is that?” Murphy demanded as he took a step backward himself.

  “I got nothing,” Kyle said with a shrug still staring at the thing.

  “Well, then what good are you to me? Kill him and the Indian, save the woman….”

  Murphy’s command was cut short as the orb focused on him for a moment. Then the whole body of the steel beast was illuminated by a blue light from deep inside. Just like the light on the cave wall, the steel seemed to almost become transparent. Then a bolt of blue energy shot from the orb nearly too fast for Kyle’s eyes to follow. The ball of blue light struck Murphy squarely in the chest. Before he had time to scream Murphy’s entire torso vaporized in a flash of white heat. His hips with legs still attached dropped straight to the ground trailing a string of severed and smoking intestines. His arms fell to either side the white bone of his shoulder blades visible and cut through cleanly. His head with severed neck still attached rolled back spurting blood. All that remained of his torso was an odd white dust that seemed to hang suspended in the air around the remains of the dead Kingpin.

  With Murphy’s death, the cavern exploded into motion with most of the councilman’s former henchmen running back towards the door. Kyle turned and ran towards Anna who was backing away from the monstrosity and towards the blue light on the wall. Coal, being Coal, drew his large bladed hunting knife and launched himself at Rory with fury. The Ranger barely had time to register the attack, tearing his eyes from the beast and bringing his blade up to defend himself. Miles began crawling furiously towards the doorway more concerned with getting to Juan than the arrival of the thing towering over them.

  The crab-like monstrosity glowing eye ticked mechanically around the room at a furious pace and then four of its eight legs simultaneously launched themselves out of the darkness. Kyle watched as a pointed leg skewered one of Murphy’s fleeing men through the stomach and pinned him to the wall. Another leg darted forward a split second later and punctured the flailing body more than a dozen times before tearing free. The lifeless corpse slumped to the ground and looked as if it had been racked by machine gun fire. Simultaneously another leg had speared one of the fleeing men through the leg. The injured man let out a horrified scream as the steel leg lifted him off the ground and then contemptuously flung him away. He disappeared into the shadows screaming as he flew. The sound ended a moment later with a wet smack as the man undoubtedly struck the rock wall on the far side of the cavern.

  Across the room, Coal was locked in the fight of his life as he leaped back again narrowly avoiding another of Rory’s murderous swings. He was younger than the Ranger and probably faster, but Rory’s blade had the reach on him, and the grizzled older man’s eyes burned with rage. The half-breed swung his knife in a low sweep, not as much intended to strike the Ranger’s leg as it was to draw him off balance. The ruse worked, sort of, Rory brought his blade down to his left blocking the knife. The clang of steel on steel sent a numbing shiver up Coal’s arm, but more importantly, he had drawn Rory in close. Coal reached up with his free arm to grab the Ranger and pull him down. The only problem, Rory was no longer there. As the wily killer had blocked the thrust he had also spun to his left, just as Coal realized what had happened the saber he had blocked pulled away, and the Indian staggered forward. Years of knife fighting in the Nation saved him then, on instinct the half-breed rolled forward just as a hot jet of pain sliced across his lower back.

  “First time fighting a man with a sword? Well there’s your first lesson, as always, paid for in blood,” Rory smirked and give the wounded Indian a quick bow.

  Coal came up from his roll and spun to face the Ranger his knife up at the ready again. He could feel the warm flow of blood trickling down his lower back. He didn’t dare take a moment to check the wound or Rory would kill him on the spot.

  “What’s wrong Rory? Not used to stabbing at people that actually fight back?” Coal mocked the older man as the two began to circle each other just outside of a sword length. Behind them, the cave was filled with screams as the pair ignored the beast engaged in slaughter.

  “We rode most of the night to catch up to you boy, tends to take more out of you as you get along in years. I don’t suspect you’ll ever get a chance to find out what that’s like,” Rory mocked.

  “Did I mention I’m hungover as shit?” Coal replied.

  “That’s too bad. I hope you can still concentrate because here comes another lesson,” Rory laughed as he attacked.

  The Ranger leader shifted his weight forward and unleashed a high slash aimed directly at Coal’s face. The half-breed launched himself backward fighting the impulse to throw his hands up protectively and risk losing one. His right foot refused to budge, and he fell backwards on to his ass. The moment he landed Coal knew exactly what had happened. Rory had stepped on his foot as he had slashed, pinning it and in the next heartbeat the Ranger would reverse his swing and come back around to finish him. The problem was, Coal had used the same trick before and had learned to counter it, or so he hoped. Without missing a beat and with no time to turn his head to look the Indian slashed blindly out a few feet above his pinned foot. He felt the blade strike flesh and then grind against bone as the Ranger screamed in pain and then staggered backward. Rory slashed at him blindly as he retreated, wild, desperate cuts that Coal barely managed to duck.

  “What’s that lesson called? How to get your fucking kneecap cut off?” Coal shouted after him as he regained his feet.

  Kyle and Anna clung to each other directly under the glaring blue light as they watched Coal and Rory do their best to kill one another. The steel monster took another series of causal steps forward, walking on the four legs it wasn’t currently using to murder with. As Kyle watched another one of Murphy’s goons made it through the doorway, only to have one of the steel legs thrust right through after him. Then a moment later drag the man screaming back into the room, he was skewered through the thigh. The leg attempted to try and throw him off as it had done to its previous victim. Only as the steel leg whipped out the wounded man stayed attached, the screaming man gripping desperately to his killer. As if confused the killing machine paused and held the leg with its attached prey up for the orb to see. The three remaining legs had stopped their killing spr
ee as if distracted by the scene themselves. The beast seemed to consider for a moment and then slammed the leg with the wounded man to the ground. A flurry of motion ensued as the three remaining legs stabbed the area around the trapped leg in a furious display of strength and speed. Splatters of blood, pulverized tissue and bits of bone went flying. The trapped leg came free easily, and with an almost contemptuous motion, it flung what was left of its victim aside.

  Miles crawled forward as fast as his leg would allow him, trying his best to avoid the monster and stay low as he made his way steadily towards the door. He knew Juan was out there, he wasn’t sure if any of Murphy’s men had survived long enough to escape themselves, but if they did, he had no doubt that they would take out their revenge on the boy. From where he lay the old man could see the remaining pair of Murphy’s men had scrambled back towards the far corner of the cavern. Quite unexpectedly the beast took another few steps forward as if to pursue the men, one of its legs slammed into the soft soil just a foot to Miles’s left. The old man risked a glance above him and found the steel body of the monster directly overhead. He crawled even faster, the primal urge to escape a dominant predator outweighing the pain in his leg. His eyes were still on the monster as he crawled head first into the twisted, bloody mound that had been Murphy’s legs and intestines.

  In Mile’s desperate scramble he put one hand followed by the other through the bloody intestines and started to drag them forward the hips and legs trailing awkwardly behind like a gruesome marionette. He tore his eyes from the monster long enough to figure out what he had tangled himself in and began to immediately retch violently. He was already covered from head to toe in the dead man’s blood and bile. The steel beast froze in place and then took a tentative step backward. It tilted its body to allow the orb to focus directly underneath. In one last desperate attempt to escape Miles rolled hard to his left. He only managed to wrap the bloody intestines around him and ended up lying on his back with Murphy’s severed hips and legs lying nearly on top of him.