Forsaken World (Book 5): Homecoming

by Watson, Thomas A.

  “They are too young to be that fucking wise,” Lilly gasped. “Shit, I wouldn’t have thought of that.”

  “No, Lance’s mom always tells him he was born old. I tell Ian, Lance’s old age rubbed off on him.”

  Scanning the camp, “I graduated high school with honors, was on the dean’s list every semester from undergrad to grad school in college, and came out with a 3.97 GPA. I was months from being a certified doctor of veterinary medicine-,” Lilly paused. “I want to see their birth certificates. They act older and wiser than anyone I know.”

  “Most of the time,” Jennifer corrected.

  “Jennifer, you show me a man that doesn’t act like a child at times, and I’ll show you a figment of your imagination. Just like you can’t show me a woman who doesn’t act like a bitch at times,” Lilly challenged. “Each sex has their downfall. I’m always amazed that we are compatible and the species has survived.”

  Scanning faces around the camp, Jennifer thought about that and couldn’t counter. “How much does that bong hold?” she wondered, watching boss suck on one of the pipes.

  Moving her scope, “It will be going awhile, that’s a big bong. Just guessing about half a pound,” Lilly answered and then moved her scope off, scanning faces.

  Taking her eyes off the binoculars and turning to Lilly, “How the hell do you know that?” Jennifer asked.

  “I had friends that toked. I couldn’t. Tried it twice. It gave me a migraine almost instantly, and I was famished for two days each time.”

  “Damn, that sucks,” Jennifer said, turning back to her binoculars. “I’ve only been around someone smoking a joint once. Since my dad was a prosecutor for the Attorney General, I was just tracing down a weird smell. When I saw the rolled up joint, I took off the other way. Daddy always said he would let me sit in jail if I messed with drugs.”

  Scanning the camp, Lilly stopped on a figure. “That guy is huffing again,” Lilly sighed. “Near the closest tent pavilion.”

  Having only seen that on TV until last night, Jennifer scanned over to see a young man of about twenty shake a can of spray paint and then spray it in the bag. Dropping the can, he pulled the bag to his face and breathed deep, collapsing the bag. “They have more drugs than a pharmacy down there and he’s sniffing paint,” Jennifer mumbled.

  “Fast high,” Lilly said, feeling George shift between them. Realizing George was just getting comfortable, “Maybe he doesn’t want to remember what they do,” she guessed.

  “We’ll take care of that for him,” Jennifer spouted like a public service announcement.

  Scanning around, Lilly froze and reached up to zoom the scope in. “Got cocksucker. Far pavilion in southwest corner.”

  Knowing that’s where most of the women and kids that didn’t leave stayed, Jennifer gave a groan. She didn’t like the fact that so many were about to die, but there was no avoiding it. Even if Lance and Ian had suggested, which they never would, she would’ve shut that shit down fast. The Pirates started this and were a threat, so they had to be dealt with.

  Granted, Jennifer thought the exploit was a bit much, but would never think of voicing her opinion. They had broken Ian and Lance’s toys. She had known them long enough to know that retribution was coming. “Boss is still toking away,” Jennifer said, looking at the boss.

  Grabbing her PTT, “Cocksucker is in tent pavilion at southwest corner. Boss still at picnic table,” she called out.

  “Copy. Turn on the bots,” Lance called back.

  Pulling a ghillie blanket out, Lilly covered up by draping the blanket over her head and heard Jennifer mumble, “Those things better not shoot me in the ass.”

  Opening the laptop and turning it on, Lilly turned on the tablets. Behind her, she heard the two gun bots wake up as electric servos came to life. Tapping one of the tablets, she saw a camera view of one of the gun bots. Hesitantly, she tapped the screen again and the view swung around to show the camp below, and Lilly could make out her and Jennifer’s forms in the camera field.

  With her finger hovering over a box that read ‘Scan’, Lilly took a deep breath and tapped it. Instantly, three red Xs appeared right in front of the camera laying on the ground. Two more Xs showed up at the left where Ian and Lance were at the guard house. Smaller boxes were all over the camp as the gun bot found any warm body. Seeing the bot would have no trouble firing over them at all the targets, she put the tablet down and did the same to the other tablet.

  Now that both gun bots were up, she went to the computer and tapped the keyboard. The screen blinked and the camera showed a view from the SAW bot in the trailer. Using the trackball, she moved it off the trailer and headed to the gate.

  Stopping it at the gate, she tapped the keyboard and the camera view left the laptop and popped up on the other tablet. She was leaving the battle bot on the laptop. That was the one she wanted tight control over. With the tablets, she could do anything she could on the laptop, but it took longer.

  Typing on the keyboard, the view again came up from the trailer. When the battle bot moved, she saw its weight move the trailer as it rolled off.

  Watching the battle bot roll toward the gate, “That thing just looks pissed off,” Jennifer commented.

  Lilly gave a startle as a stinker stepped into view and was promptly run over. Seeing the camera bobble, she knew it had gone under a track. “That hurt,” Lilly smirked, continuing to the gate.

  ***

  Ian and Lance moved off the wall and down the stairs, pulling their ARs to their shoulders. The gate was a chain-link rolling gate like they had at the cabin, but with boards strapped to it so stinkers couldn’t see inside.

  Letting his AR hang, Lance undid the chain and slid the gate open slowly so it wouldn’t rattle. Seeing both bots outside, he gave a wave and stepped back. One by one they came inside, and Lance closed the gate back up. They had wanted to leave it open, but there were too many stinkers around the wall.

  Lilly tapped the computer and ‘Perimeter Detected’ appeared on the screen. Using the recon information, Lance had built a computer model using the walls as the perimeter, so the two bots had a defined area to operate.

  When the SAW bot detected the perimeter, Lilly grabbed her PTT. “All bots ready,” she called out nervously.

  “Copy, heading to target cocksucker,” Lance called back. Grabbing a tablet, Lilly used one of the turret cameras to watch the camp.

  Moving to the wall, Ian led Lance to the southwest corner. There were several women and kids awake, huddled in tight balls under blankets on cots as Pirates raped others in cots near them. Letting his AR hang and pulling his knife, Ian moved along the wall, passing muffled whimpers. Not able to see faces, Ian moved in the dark pavilion with Lance covering.

  A man was leaning over a woman as she cried. With his NVGs, Ian could see very well as he leaned over to look at the man’s face. Seeing it wasn’t cocksucker he moved along, the man none the wiser. Passing more defiling acts, Ian stopped and pointed at a figure holding a young girl down.

  Pulling out a Taser, Ian moved up and shoved it hard into cocksucker’s neck and pressed the button. Lance barely heard the electrical popping as the body stiffened violently and went limp as Ian put the Taser away. Rolling the body off, he lowered his face to the girl.

  In the darkness, the girl saw a vivid gray skull, wearing four tubes over the eyes, leaning over her. Paralyzed with fear, the girl fought not to gasp. “Don’t make a sound,” Ian whispered, and the girl gave a startle that the skull spoke.

  When Ian had cocksucker tied up, he pulled him to the wall. Leaving cocksucker, Ian moved back in the pavilion to the closest Pirate. Not even stabbing the kidney first, Ian buried his knife in the base of the young man’s skull.

  The woman under the man felt him suddenly go limp and opened her eyes to see a skull pulling the man off and dropping him to the floor. “Don’t make a sound,” the skull said, moving to the next cot with a Pirate.

  Ten minutes, and six more Pirates on the f
loor, Ian wiped his knife off and pulled his AR up as Lance whispered to a woman who sat up after seeing two shadows moving about. When one got close, she pulled her hand up to ward off the demon skull. “Anyone makes noise and you will die painfully,” the skull warned, then turned away. Many sat up as the two shadows moved toward the wall and disappeared into the darkness.

  Grabbing cocksucker, they pulled him to the gate before leaving him on the stairs. “Pavilion clear,” Lance called out, and headed into the camp. Seeing the group at the picnic table, Lance motioned with his hand and then he and Ian let their ARs hang as they pulled pistols.

  Watching on the screen, “That wasn’t part of the plan,” Lilly mumbled, watching Ian and Lance move toward the table. When they spotted their prey, they aimed. She saw Lance’s pistol flash three times and Ian’s twice. Five bodies dropped on and around the table as Lance stepped up, shoving something into boss’s neck. Boss gave a jerk and flopped back, falling to the ground.

  As Lance tied up boss, Ian scanned around while holding his pistol out. He saw a few look around with the suppressed shots, but none moved from where they were and soon went back to what they were doing.

  Dragging the boss back and dumping him beside cocksucker, they headed back into the camp. “What are they doing now?” Lilly whispered.

  “Like you said, an exploit is hands on and up close. I guess they are going to get up close and hands on,” Jennifer offered.

  They watched Lance and Ian move toward the RVs and campers, creeping in the shadows. They both jumped when the two lunged in with knives and killed two men sitting in lawn chairs. One of the women with a collar was kneeling beside the chair and never moved, staring at the two skulls pushing the bodies to the ground.

  Taking the leash off, Lance dropped it to the ground. “Move to the gate and stay there,” he said, and vanished. With shaking legs the woman did as she was told, so the demon wouldn’t get mad at her.

  On the hillside, Lilly and Jennifer watched as Lance and Ian found the other two women with collars and sent them to the gate. “What are they doing? They didn’t say anything about rescuing,” Jennifer hissed.

  “Think about it, Jennifer, they aren’t rescuing. Those women are slaves and were seen as prized possessions by all the pirates. Like a champion horse or luxury car. They are taking away their most valued possessions, along with their lives,” Lilly said.

  “They killed seven people to take their slaves?” Jennifer panted, feeling lightheaded.

  “Think like they do. It makes sense. They aren’t taking the slaves. They are letting them go, like tossing money out a window, and others will know it.”

  “Why in the fuck didn’t they tell us to watch for them?” Jennifer asked.

  “Now that, I have no idea,” Lilly answered as Lance came on the radio.

  “Arm,” Lance said with a quivering voice as he and Ian moved to the gate. “Mark southwest corner clear.”

  “Did they do that for me?” Jennifer asked.

  Tapping the keyboard, Lilly looked at the gun bot cameras and saw the southwest corner show up yellow. “Maybe, but I think they saw some things they didn’t like.”

  “We saw a seven-year-old girl raped last night, what can be worse than that?”

  Shaking her head as she typed, “I don’t want to know,” Lilly answered, biting her lip. Behind her, she could hear the gun bots moving like they were anxious. “There are still women and kids in the RVs and the barn.”

  “They try to save them, I’m activating the bots and shooting at their feet until they leave,” Jennifer warned.

  Jogging up the steps, Ian and Lance pulled out their Ruger pistols aiming down the wall. Shooting the stinkers near the gate and any they could hit; they changed magazines and holstered the pistols as they moved back down the stairs, getting on their ARs. The three slaves were huddled together at the gate like they’d been told, watching the skulls walk toward them.

  Raising his hand and pointing at a quad seat UTV, “There are weapons in there, leave and don’t get caught again,” Ian said. The three moved to the UTV, climbing in as Lance opened the gate. When the engine started the women drove past, and one gave a small wave with just a hint of a smile.

  “Move battle bot to position,” Lance called over the radio. Lilly hit enter and battle bot took off. Driving into the camp, the battle bot stopped near the picnic tables.

  Glancing at Ian and getting a nod, Lance keyed his radio. “Activate bots and bring the pain.”

  “Fuck Yeah!” Jennifer cried out, dropping the binoculars and getting behind the M14 as Lilly tapped the keyboard.

  Megaphones mounted to the battle bot broke the night with the voice of the Borg Queen blaring very loud. “You have angered the Wild Ones and they are here for their pound of flesh! Resistance is futile! They demand your blood and your blood they will have!”

  When the voice started, every person in the camp jumped up grabbing weapons and people started coming out of the barn. As the warning stopped, the gun bots opened up behind them and Lilly cringed, hearing the sonic crack of projectiles over her head. Every one to three seconds each gun bot was throwing a projectile. Since Lance let the bots aim for center mass and not headshots they were able to move from target to target faster.

  Bodies started exploding as one gun bot sighted on the door of the barn at a large group. With multiple targets in close proximity, it went full auto and Lilly’s mouth fell open, watching thirty people turn into exploding gore bags.

  Jennifer started squeezing the trigger and dropping anything she saw moving. Hitting a man in the gut, she moved to another target as the battle bot rolled forward and the shredders turned on. Again, the Borg Queen spoke. “You destroyed one of the Wild Ones army, but he is reborn! Phoenix is among you!”

  Changing magazines, “That’s some cold shit,” Jennifer chuckled, getting behind her scope.

  Lilly watched a pirate shooting as Phoenix sped toward him. Realizing bullets wouldn’t work, he tried running. As he turned Phoenix hit him, and the man screamed while falling into the shredders. The scream cut off as gore shot out the sides.

  “Arise Phoenix!” the Borg Queen cried out so loud, even Jennifer and Lilly cringed from the volume. Coming to a stop as the Borg Queen spoke, Phoenix was pointed at the barn and a stream of fire shot out, splashing against the barn. Rotating its tracks, Phoenix shot the stream inside and screams of pain filled the night. Everyone in the camp stopped shooting when the robot shot fire, and in the glow of the fire they saw what was among them. After fifteen seconds the stream stopped before Phoenix spun and charged some pirates that were running toward the RVs.

  On the hillside, Lilly saw Phoenix charging the group and heard a man scream very clearly, “We’re sorry!”

  At the front gate, Lance and Ian held their AR to their shoulders. Looking down at the two guards that were tied up, “You are the witness to our anger,” Ian told them. “You will watch the wrath of the Wild Ones.”

  In front of them, SAW bot cut loose as pirates started running for the gate. They watched the group fall from the impacts. “Damn, that was loud,” Lance admitted. “Maybe we should’ve suppressed it.”

  “Nope, we are ringing the dinner bell,” Ian said, just looking out over the camp as Phoenix let loose another stream of fire. Starting at the last RV it rotated, dragging the stream along the line.

  “The Phoenix is among you!” the Borg Queen shouted as the stream stopped, and Phoenix took off after several burning forms.

  One dove into the shredder and Phoenix got two more, then spun around to move to the houses and outbuildings. SAW bot cut loose again, but neither Lance nor Ian jumped while watching two men running for the gate get cut down. They could hear the sonic cracks of the gun bots, but couldn’t see where they were shooting. The only thing that gave it away was a body exploding.

  “That’s right, cock monkeys! Move so Phoenix can find and destroy you!” the Borg Queen laughed out, and a stream of fire shot out.

&
nbsp; After ten minutes the pirates got the message, if they stayed still, Phoenix and whatever was out there stopped shooting at them. “Please, we didn’t mean it!” a man shouted out, and Lance heard the sonic crack of the M14 and a blood-curdling scream.

  “That’s my girl,” Ian said proudly. Turning around, Lance saw a stinker coming across the field. Lifting his AR, he pulled the trigger just as a bot shot. The head jerked back and the chest exploded.

  “That was overkill,” Lance mumbled, grabbing his PTT. “Are we at goal?”

  “To be honest, I think we went over eighty percent,” Lilly admitted.

  “That’s why we took two early. Leave gun bots on till we are out. Empty Phoenix and send him and SAW bot to the trailer. Call when you two are ready,” he radioed, and headed to the wall with Ian following.

  They found boss and cocksucker staring wide-eyed at the blazing inferno that used to be their camp. Seeing the skulls coming, they started to flop around. “Hey, you heard the queen, don’t move unless we move you,” Lance warned.

  Pulling out canvas bags, Lance pulled them over their heads. “Should’ve put the bags on them earlier, so they had chips and an IR marker. Would’ve sucked to go through all that and gun bots just shoot them.”

  “Nah, they needed to see,” Ian said, grabbing cocksucker’s arm and pulling him to his feet. With only a foot of slack to walk with, cocksucker struggled to move as Ian guided him out the gate. “Want to get the ladder?”

  “Fuck no, I banged my knee on that thing going up,” Lance said, guiding boss as he struggled to speak through the duct tape over his mouth. “Shh,” Lance said calmly. “You’ll get your chance to talk.”

  Reaching the buggy, Lance pushed boss inside and then turned to see a man on the ground with his throat ripped out. “I told you we needed Dino,” Lance said, and looked over as Dino came out of the bush. “Good boy,” Lance said, patting Dino.