“That’s either really brave or really stupid,” Kat muttered.
“We’re fairly sure we can take him down,’ Nero added. “Between Nyx’s sword and my enchanted gun, we think we can do it.”
“You just might…” Cryptus agreed with them.
“Seriously?” Kat asked.
Runt’s eyes flicked between them all nervously as they talked.
“Alright, I’m in,” Cryptus said. “I’ve wanted to take the fight to the Whisperer for a while now.”
“Runt follow friends,” he agreed.
Kat looked between them, and then up at Nyx. “So, you’re hunting for the Whisperer?” she asked, the meaning hidden in her words clear.
“That’s the plan,” Nyx nodded back to Kat.
“Sure, why not. I’ve got nothing better to do.”
Nyx nodded and smiled at Kat, sharing a pregnant look with her.
“It’s decided, then,” Nero summed up. “Before we go, we need to bury your sister, though,” he added, speaking to Kat.
“I know,” she replied solemnly.
“We’ll help,” Nyx said, stepping up to Kat and putting her hand on her back.
“Thanks,” Kat answered, and they all started to make their way to Nero’s car, which was parked a short distance away, back on the main road into Midway City.
Reaching the vehicle, Nero stepped up and opened the rear door and looked inside at the corpse of the naked girl, slumped on the back seat.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and locked on him. They were bloodshot, milky, and filled with hunger.
“Fuck,” Nero cursed as the newly turned zombie suddenly lunged for him.
Chapter 2
Nyx
Nyx watched as the newly turned zombie shot over the back seat at Nero, who threw himself backwards, away from the zombie.
Kat was between her and Nero, and she reacted quickly, slashing through the air with her blade. The zombie’s head separated from its body and it dropped to the floor, unmoving.
“Everything okay, babe?” Nyx asked.
“Damnit, yeah, I’m fine. I should have known that would happen. Sorry, Kat,” Nero said.
“It’s okay. I’d kind of guessed this might happen. She’s at peace now; I am grateful for that.”
Nero nodded as he got himself up and stepped into Nyx’s waiting arms.
“You scared me there for a moment,” Nyx said to him.
“They won’t get me that easily,” Nero reassured her, and pulled her close.
For the next hour, they dug a relatively shallow grave and laid Tan’s body to rest within it. Once they were finished, they took a moment to stand in silence around the grave, before retreating and letting Kat have some time alone while the rest of them went to loot the remains of the queen's vehicles.
Cryptus moved in closer to Nyx and Nero as they left Kat by the grave.
“So, how do you plan to find the Whisperer? I doubt many people know where he resides.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Nyx said honestly. She’d been wondering about this ever since Latrix had given them this information, and there were very few avenues open to them. But one did stand out.
“We go back to the queen’s residence and look for clues or see if there’s anyone left in her retinue there that might know something.”
Cryptus nodded and shrugged his shoulders. “Sounds good,” he said. “Let’s hope our luck holds out.”
They syphoned off what fuel they could, gathering up any guns, ammunition, and any food they found. There were also some medical supplies and a few other useful items. It took them another hour before they were done, and by then, Kat was helping them; her mood lighter than Nyx would have thought possible. But she guessed she was just relieved that Tan didn’t have to deal with this world any more. Living in these wastes was tough, to say the least, and it was one less person Kat had to worry about.
A few more zombies did emerge from the wastes during this time, but they were quickly dealt with, and before long, they were speeding off back towards Midway City.
The ride along the highway had been uneventful. They weren’t far out from the city, but as they entered the ruined outskirts, the sky began to darken.
“What do you want to do?” Nyx asked. “It’ll be dark when we get there, and there’s bound to be a few of those daemon dogs running around there still.”
“I know,” Nero answered her as they snaked their way along the road, weaving between the rusted-out husks of cars and barricades. “How about we find a camp?”
“Sounds good,” Kat said from the back seat.
Nyx nodded in agreement. She was not keen on walking back into the queen’s residence while it was dark, and a good night’s rest sounded like a great plan after the day's insanity.
Ahead of them, scattered lights could be seen throughout the city skyline. Including in the high-rise buildings in the far distance. They were camps. Small enclaves of survivors who had carved out a home for themselves amidst the ruins of the city.
“How about this one,” Nero suggested, pointing off to the left up ahead. Nyx craned her neck to see what Nero was pointing at and saw the nearby set of lights he was talking about.
“Go for it.”
They were still in the outer suburbs, and out here, there were still large patches of desert between collections of buildings, most of which were clearly abandoned. But this collection of structures had been fortified with walls of metal sheeting. It stood out because someone on the wall was wielding a flamethrower and blasting it down the outer edge of the encampment wall, lighting up the small knot of zombies that were attempting to get inside.
It wasn’t a major attack, but if they took them out, it was a way for them to curry some favour with the camp.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Nyx asked.
Nero pulled the car off the roadway and made for the camp with a smile. “Time to score some points,” he answered with a smile.
Nyx smiled back as the car accelerated towards the small group of undead. “Leave some for me,” she added as she reached for her sword, tracing her fingers over its handle.
For years, that sword was her only link to her mother. She knew little else about her other than the fact that Rex, her former captor, had stolen her mother’s swords and melted them down into this single huge blade that she carried with her now.
Rex had taunted her with this information for years, but it seemed that he wanted Nyx to be more than just a plaything for him, he wanted her to be one of his protectors. His bodyguard. So, he’d had her trained in its use.
She loved it, and she always felt close to her mother whenever she held the weapon in her hands. Nyx held on tight as the Charger barrelled forward, it’s lights illuminating the cluster of shambling, rotting bodies as they approached. Some of them turned to look at the oncoming car, but they didn’t try to get out the way.
The next moment, the Charger slammed into the crowd, sending bodies bouncing off the hood, knocking several up into the air while others were crushed under the oversized wheels.
Blood splattered over the armoured windscreen, and then they were through, and Nero brought the car to a skidding halt as he jammed on the handbrake. Nyx had already opened the door before the car had stopped and leapt out, yanking her sword from its holder on the inside of the door.
Nyx walked around the side of the car, whipping the sword once around her as she approached the first undead monster.
I’ll never get bored of this, she thought as she started to cut her way through the smattering of still moving zombies. She cut them down in turn, decapitating them or stabbing them in the head whenever possible.
To her left and just behind her, Nero also climbed out the Charger and fired his shotgun. That thing was lethal, and now that it was apparently enchanted, it really was invaluable. She noticed that Kat stayed in the car. She wasn’t surprised, she was still hurting from the chase with Latrix’s goons, who had taken her captive be
fore their car had crashed. Nyx had wanted to ride with Nero alone so they could talk about Cryptus, but with Kat in the car, the conversation had been minimal and not terribly deep.
She’d get time with him later, she guessed.
Kat seemed like an honourable woman and had apparently saved Nero from being captured before working with him to get back into the compound and free both herself and Tan.
Nyx felt sorry for Kat that Tan had not made it. She wasn’t sure how to deal with that or what to say to Kat. Nyx’s life had been filled with her fair share of hardships, but she hadn’t had a sister she’d grown up with, only to see her imprisoned, used as a sex slave, and then have her throat slit.
She’d need time, Nyx knew. And yet, although Kat was quiet, she wasn’t crying or anything. Everyone deals with these things in their own way, she guessed.
Within moments, Nero and herself had killed the last of the zombies outside the camp and stood in the middle of the carnage, looking up at the small group of people on the settlement walls.
“Thank you,” one of them called down. “That was impressive work.”
“No problem,” Nero answered them.
Nyx smiled. Nero was a man of few words, and often not terribly forthright. “All in a day’s work for the Road Knights,” Nyx answered as Cryptus’s monster truck rolled up to the camp as well. “Don’t worry, he’s with us,” she said, waving at the truck.
“How can we thank you?” One of the camp residents called out.
“We only request some food and lodgings for the night,” Nero said.
“With pleasure, but you’ll need to surrender your guns while you’re in here, but you can keep your blades.”
Nero looked over at her. Nyx nodded. It was a fairly standard request when entering a camp for the night.
“Done,” Nero answered.
They were soon inside the modest camp and were assigned two rooms in an outbuilding to one side, which looked like it was regularly used for visitors such as them.
Food was served, which consisted mainly of cooked meats of indeterminate origin. There were fried insects on offer as well. They looked horrific, but were somewhat crunchy, and always nutritious. There were also a few vegetables served up. Nyx took what she could, and while Nero went to talk with the elders about what they could trade, Nyx decided to wander around the camp. It wasn’t huge, and she was able to climb up to the ledge at the top of the wall to get a better look at it.
The camp was divided into several sections, the main two being what looked like a main living area, where they were currently, and a farming area. Nyx spotted the tops of the usual water condensers that had been sunk into the ground in there. She also saw a basic irrigation system that was soaking part of the earth where various plants were growing, including cacti, a couple of date palms, a peach tree, olive plants, figs, and some crops, too. Elsewhere, a pen to one side held a couple of goats, which were likely used for milk. There was probably other stuff growing in there that she couldn’t see, such as mushrooms in one of the side sheds, but it was clear this camp was doing alright.
Nyx settled down on a bench and looked out from her perch atop the wall at the city in the distance. Scattered buildings, most of them dark and forbidding, littered the landscape, receding into the distance before rising up into a knot of towers at the centre of Midway City.
The light from campfires burnt from several scattered points in these ruins, and she wondered how many of them had been loyal to the self-styled Queen Latrix. She guessed that most probably didn’t care too much for her, although most probably bartered with her, or maybe even paid some kind of fealty to her out of fear of the queen’s daemon’s dogs, and ultimately, fear of the Night Lord, the Whisperer.
Well, they were free now. For the time being, at least.
~Lucia…~ hissed a voice on the wind. Nyx gave a start and looked around, wondering who had spoken, but she was alone, with no one nearby.
“What?” Nyx said under her breath.
~Lucia. My dear Lucia…~
“Who is this?” Nyx asked.
~Is it not obvious?~ the hissing voice asked.
Nyx narrowed her eyes and looked around her, but still, she saw no one close by. Looking out over the landscape, she started to put a few things together.
“The Whisperer?” she asked.
~See, that wasn’t so hard,~ the voice chuckled.
“What are you doing in my head?” she asked, guessing that no one else could hear the voice.
~You have done well, young Lucia. Very well. Yourself and Nero are truly making a name for yourself. I’m impressed.~
“Are you? I wonder if you’ll still be impressed when I ram my sword through you?” Nyx asked.
~My dear, there really is no need for that. I’m sure we can work together. Come to an agreement, perhaps?~
“There will be no agreement,” Nyx hissed. “I’ll find you, and I will kill you.”
~No, you won’t find me, and even if you did, I think you’ll find I’m harder to kill than a random zombie.~
“We’ll see.”
~I’ll speak to you soon, Lucia Nyx, daughter of Dani Nyx.~
“What?” Nyx asked, but no answer came.
“Whisperer? Whisperer! What do you know of my mother?”
But the Whisperer didn’t speak again, and Nyx had the feeling that the entity was no longer with her. She cursed and banged her sword against the floor in frustration.
“Everything okay?”
Nyx looked up to see Kat had climbed up to the ledge and stood a short distance away. She was looking a bit better now. “You look well,” Nyx said.
Kat smiled. “They had some medicine here and let me have some. I feel better already.”
“Good,” Nyx said, her mind still on the bizarre conversation she’d just had this a disembodied voice.
“Who were you talking to?” Kat asked.
She’d heard her talking. Nyx pressed her lips together in frustration. “No one,” she answered under her breath.
Kat didn’t answer for a moment. Then she moved and came to sit next to her, putting her arm around Nyx’s shoulders. “We’ll find her,” she said.
Nyx nodded. So, she did hear Latrix reveal the location of her mother. “I hope so, I’m scared for her.”
“She’ll be fine. I think you need to worry about yourself more than your mother.”
“How do you mean?”
“You’re no good to her dead. I know you want to find her, but you need to make sure you can actually get to her. I’m happy to help.”
“You’re offering to ride with us? Are you sure?” Nyx asked, looking up. She’d been wondering what Kat wanted to do now that she was free of the queen’s hold over her.
Kat smiled at her. “Of course. I mean, I don’t have anything else out there, waiting for me. I don’t have any family that I know of, and Tan is dead, so, if you’ll have me…”
Nyx smiled, feeling warmth and gratitude towards this lost soul. “Thank you, that means a lot.”
Kat nodded, looking into her eyes. After a moment, Kat leaned into her and kissed her on the lips.
For a moment, Nyx sat there in shock, not really sure what she should do.
It wasn’t the first time she’d been kissed by a woman. In fact, she’d had some very close and intimate relations with some of the girls at Rex’s Watchtower. No, it was just a bizarre thing to happen. Nyx pulled away after a second of hesitation and frowned at Kat.
“What the…” Nyx exclaimed a little forcefully.
“Sorry…” Kat said, looking sheepish. “I just…”
She looked hurt, and Nyx suddenly felt bad. Had her reaction been a little strong? “It’s okay. Honestly, it was just… Unexpected, that’s all. And you know I’m with Nero, right?”
Kat nodded.
Nyx pressed her lips together in a thin smile and nodded, too.
“Why did you lie to Cryptus?”
Oh, boy, she thought. She’d wondered if t
his would come up, and now it had. “Lie to him?” she said, claiming ignorance.
“You didn’t tell him about your mother. That’s the real reason you want to find the Whisperer, right?”
It wasn’t a question. Nyx knew that even if Kat had framed it that way.
“It is,” she admitted. Kat didn’t say anything. Instead, she just waited. Nyx looked up at her. What was she doing, she wondered? Did she think she had a hold over her? Nyx sighed. “It was Nero’s idea. I guess he wants to keep it to himself, for now. I’m sure Cryptus will find out eventually.”
“Oh,” Kat answered.
“Why don’t you ask Nero?”
“Maybe…” Kat answered.
“I’m sure he’d tell you.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Nyx nodded and felt tired. She needed to get some rest, and as she looked out over the camp, she spotted Nero walking away from the campfire down there towards their rooms.
Nyx turned back to Kat. “I’m gonna turn in. I’ll see you in the morning, alright?”
“Sure,” Kat answered, looking out over the vista of the city.
Nyx nodded and stood up. She made her way down off the wall and crossed the main camp area, noting that both Cryptus and Runt were still sitting at the campfire with the residents.
She soon made it to their room and wandered inside, closing the door behind her. Nero crouched in one corner, having just finished lighting an oil burning lamp. Nyx had once asked Nero where the oil and gas for their car came from, given the state of the world. Apparently, there were still working oil rigs out in the dried-up ocean that served as major settlements and continued to bring oil up from under the ground. She wondered if she’d see one of these sometime?
Oil and gasoline were two of the most precious commodities of the wastes, and people killed for it every day.
“Hey,” Nero said as she wandered in and placed her sword down beside the mattress they had in here.
“Hey yourself,” she said with a smile, removing her coat as well.
“Everything okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Nyx smiled and shrugged. “I didn’t see one, but I might have spoken to one,” she answered cryptically as she pulled her boots off.
Wasteland Road Knights Trilogy Page 33
