by Han Yang
Roma said, “He doesn’t know.”
“Thank you for bandaging my... feet. And Roma is right, I have no idea, I’m just happy to be alive and spending time with all of you. As for what’s next, I still need to talk to Hariet. She is the only one who has a slim chance of actually being alive. That and she is supposed to be a badass soldier in her old life,” I said.
“Wait? Hariet might be alive,” Yilissa said.
“Unknown and doubtful.”
Lillo looked at me with skepticism. “Did you hear anything about me?” she asked.
“No, but I can ask,” I lied. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t feel like telling her she was an adult reliving her life. “Do you really want to know?”
“I’m seven and don’t like being treated like a baby,” she said with a pout.
“Fine, I’ll ask. You’ll have to wait,” I said. “Can I take him, Roma, or do you want to go back down for a sleep?”
“I got him. Go talk to Hariet, she deserves to at least hear you out,” Roma said.
I smiled and left them to catch up on some sleep. Honestly, I still felt like shit myself and decided I may go down for a nap later. As much as I liked being a superhero type of guy, my body was super pissed off.
I tried to find Hariet and Eric, not seeing them in the common areas. Gregory pointed me to the first floor. Our cooking station was at the landing spot with the coal and carts. I walked up the incline, wishing the wall held a rail.
When I reached the spot, I noticed a small fire burning under a stew pot. The flames ejected tendrils of smoke that went up toward the entrance. I found the way they snaked between the piled carts, wood, and coal, mesmerizing.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” Eric asked, breaking me from my fixation.
“Tired,” I said, hobbling forward to sit in a chair. “I’m glad we stole all the furniture from Lornsto.”
“Yeah, it was worth the effort,” Hariet said. “Thanks for the tireless work yesterday, but we need to talk. You know, I could have run with you. I wouldn’t have slowed you down.”
“I’m coming to terms with accepting that others are just as capable as I am. However, I’m one person. If two of us left, then that’s one less gun defending the children. Speaking of which, you're in charge when I’m gone,” I said to Hariet.
She pointed at her chest in confusion. When she glanced at Eric her red ponytail whipped with her jerky movement. The brown eyes darted between him and me, as if he were in on my decision. “I’m confused.”
“As am I,” Eric added. “I have no idea why he’s picking you.”
“I have it from a good source to trust you. Now that the world has reached the end of days, you will start to shine, as foretold by the Goddess,” I said with a smirk.
“I’m going to shine, like glow?” Hariet asked.
“Uh, no. Just kick ass and kill narocks while keeping people alive. Also, you will be a great mom, assuming you have kids,” I said.
“I’m single,” she countered. “However, I killed two narocks from a distance while you were saving the boy. The shooting felt natural. I found myself volunteering to scout the mine too. So, I agree, I think I can rise to the occasion and help out more with the fighting. Assuming you show me some things.”
The duo had paused their work of attaching spears to sticks. A big pile revealed they’d been at this for some time, and we’d be out of daggers soon. I couldn’t help but worry things would get boring.
“Sure, let's start with the revolvers,” I said and Hariet left her seat for a pile of gear.
She dropped a sack of revolvers at my feet, and I smiled, thinking about Zed. I wasn’t sure how best to store the weapons, but a sack seemed… wrong.
“You have a single action revolver and a double action revolver,” I told them, fishing out the two types in the bag. “For heaven's sake!” I complained. “Help me unload all these and don’t toss a bag with loaded weapons down. Back to the lesson. Do you know the difference between single and double action?”
“I do not,” Hariet said, slowly working each revolver one at a time to empty the ammo.
“Great. Well, the single action means the trigger will never cock back the hammer. You push this back then pull the trigger.” I demonstrated. “Basically, it's a safety mechanism. Lillo can’t fire this thinking it’s a toy without pulling the hammer back first. This means the trigger only does a single action, allowing the hammer to fall down.”
“Oh, I know this, I just didn’t know the terms. Pa had revolvers. His were single action. You dual-fire, so yours must be double action,” Hariet said with a wide smile, connecting the dots.
“Exactly. Always treat a weapon as if it is loaded. Always. Never squeeze a trigger unless you intend to shoot. Sorry if this is basic stuff. Alright, ballistics. This varies by weapon, caliber, angle, wind, and more. The more you practice fire, the more you start to see this in principle instead of concept. There are some common elements though to help understand where to aim.
“In a rifle, as the round leaves the barrel it tends to climb, hit a peak point, and descend. If your target is close, aim down a smidge. If it is far, aim up a smidge to a lot. Practice on the specific rifle with the exact caliber type will help immensely with this.
“This trajectory matters less with revolvers because you tend to shoot at close range. Gravity will pull the round down the further your target is. With these .43 shooters, aim down the iron sights, line up your target, exhale in a controlled manner, and gently squeeze until the bullet zips out. The narocks are big and only going to get bigger, meaning it should almost always be a hit if you take your time,” I said.
“Ah, that is why I had to adjust my aim with the rifle even though my target was in the middle of the scope. It took some deductive reasoning to figure it out,” Hariet said.
“It came natural?” I asked. She nodded. “I may be wasting my time teaching you the basics. Pretty much there’s -”
Lenny ran up the ramp with a huff. “Miss Hariet. Silva was wondering if you could watch Terrance while she gives the others a school lesson on letters.”
“In a few minutes, keeping everyone alive is more important,” Hariet said.
I pointed to Eric before thumbing for him to go. He didn’t argue. The man hated guns and was eager to escape our lesson. I did learn a valuable bit of insight from that interaction.
Hariet was a fighter when the situation called for it. She had that switch where the need to fight and protect outweighed the need to smother children. Could she be both, the mother and the warrior? For most of the time, I thought that yes, yes, she could.
But if she became pregnant, she’d struggle to run as fast as if she weren’t pregnant. When she gave birth, she’d need to recover. And so, I started to look at her as an indispensable asset. While I felt bad for judging her fighting prowess over maternal abilities, I did exactly that.
I also couldn’t help but realize that Roma was being a stand in mom while we were discussing weapons. Roma was sweet, caring, understanding, and fun to be around, a fact that hit me hard in that moment.
“Please continue,” Hariet said. “I want to be the best soldier I can. If you sit long enough without talking, you’ll hear the narocks on the other side of this jam. They’re out there, and no one is going to stop them besides us.”
“I agree. Let’s turn you into a badass and you can help me bring up the shooting skills of the others. One day at a time,” I said with an enthusiastic tone.
I spent the next few hours going over every little bit of firearm knowledge I could. When I finished, I headed down and found Roma missing from her room. I scooped up her things and moved them into my space before going down for a nap.
I figured that would send the message across clearly to Roma. I had made up my mind and was willing to try a relationship.
27
Snagglewood Day 28
Lornsto Mines
“I’m so excited,” I said with an eager tone.
“Relax, will ya?” Hariet sat at my side. “Sheesh, I thought you were an unemotional rock.”
“You should see him get all lovely feely when Zachary stopped crying from the pain,” Roma teased.
We positioned ourselves behind the crew that was removing all the blockage deeper into the mine. Eric passed with a table, and I could finally see up the tunnel.
“You’ll have to crawl,” Eric said.
“Yeah, yeah. Just seal it up the moment we’re gone. And, Eric,” I said in a stern voice, ensuring I had his attention.
“Yea, Theo?”
“If I come running back, needing a quick reentry, and you went to the basement to shit, I’m not going to be forgiving,” I told him.
He rolled his eyes before pausing once he saw I was dead serious.
Yilissa said, “Roma is watching. She’ll not let you die trying to get back to her.”
Hariet had heard enough, leaving through the upper tunnel in the blockade. Yilissa went next, forcing me to hurry along.
Roma and I shared a sweet kiss of goodbye before I followed the other gals through the blockade.
After a week of hiding in the mine, the rain had stopped, the ground had hardened, and we needed information on Lornsto as well as the steamboat named Apple. I kept checking my points, seeing I had slipped back to second. Me and the first-place guy or gal kept leapfrogging each other, and all I was doing was hiding.
My quests never changed except for decreasing my reward to leave the mine as I stayed longer. Exploring the Apple went from 2500 points to 1000 by the time we set out. At the same time, bringing fresh food increased in rewards, so it was a mixed bag. I received penalties for delays and incentives for fixing critical issues.
I finished crawling through the opening and found myself staring up at sunlight reflecting into the mine. A few more steps, and I’d be free. I had to internally admit I was a bit nervous.
“Coming, coming. Kayla is such a worrier,” Craig said, shimmying out of the opening and climbing down.
The tunnel was stuffed shut, and the four of us spared a moment to acknowledge we were on our own.
“Alright, quick weapons checks,” I said, assessing Yilissa. She carried a unicorn under her left armpit and a lever action .38. “Weapons are good. Bandolier is ready to go. I see your knife and fire starter survived the crawl.”
“Yes, and you have both dragons and Henry. This strap on your bag came free,” Yilissa said, coming close to fix the dangling strap. “Good to go.”
“We’re good,” said Hariet.
“Alright. A week to a narock is a hell of a long time. Unfortunately, Opo fed them, and then there were animals -”
Yilissa rolled her eyes and said, “We know. We had the briefing a hundred times. Lead the way, Hero.”
I shouldered Henry, wanting any surprise at the lip of the mine to be greeted by a hell of a bang. Each step up the incline left me nervous, and I could smell the nasty aroma of feces from up ahead.
I raced forward on the last few steps and… found a few piles of narock shit.
Sunning on the ramp, though, an adult prog’narock snoozed. We had to ditch the bodies during our hasty retreat into the mine, meaning that for seven days the swarm was able to eat our offerings and move on.
The prog’narock basked peacefully, not smelling or hearing me. Instead of blasting it right away, I proceeded to the lip of the mine’s entrance.
Ever so slowly, I poked my head out, scanning around the pit. I saw a whole lot of nastiness left behind, but only one living monster.
I hefted Henry to my shoulder and felt a hand on my back.
“May we?” Yilissa asked with an assertive whisper.
Ever since Hariet and I started training, Craig and Yilissa joined. We decided the four-member team would work the best. Hariet raised a rifle along with Craig.
My weapon was already dialed in, and we had a stationary target at fifty yards. This made for a great training exercise and not a waste of limited bullets.
“Yes, I’ll countdown.” I waited for Yilissa to get in her stance, aiming like the others. “Three, exhale, steady, and fire.”
Boom! Crack! Boom!
One shot smacked the wall behind the beast while two tore into its midsection. One round burst out while the other stayed inside the beast.
The prog’narock struggled, flopping around. We retreated into the mouth of the mine while the trio reloaded. I watched carefully, curious to see if the wails of despair from this monster brought its friends.
Those cries of help stopped when the beast succumbed to its wounds, and still we waited.
“Ugh, I so don’t want to eat it,” Craig grumbled.
Hariet tensed, raising a finger to her lips and I immediately flipped Henry up.
Swoosh!
A blur of motion slammed down in front of the entrance.
“Got you,” I said, squeezing the trigger.
Boom!
The head erupted and the body sagged before collapsing. I stepped behind the recovering trio to reload.
I had no idea how Hariet knew, but she knew. I’d scold her later about not bracing for a fight and picking to reprimand Craig.
I walked back down to the barricade, popping my ears as I descended.
When I reached the wall of junk I said, “I need a hook, and a butcher’s knife.”
“How is it out there? Can we let the kids get some sun?” Roma asked.
I could barely hear her through the ringing.
“I really need some ear protection at some point,” I grumbled.
“Can we come out!?” Roma shouted. “We want to see the sun.”
“I can hear you. Uh… Maybe. I think that’d be great for them. Killed two so far,” I said.
Roma hesitated. “Better than a dozen.”
The table moved out of the way, and Eric climbed out. The man may hate guns, but he was never a slouch when there was work to be done. Mark came with him a moment later. They left the path home open for the moment, and I didn’t argue with their judgment.
Some of this was learning what worked best and blocking our retreat might be stupid. Especially if we moved people in and out like it was a gate.
Based on the angle of the sun, it was early morning and perfect weather for sunbathing.
While Craig, Hariet, and Yilissa pulled guard, we dragged the dead narock until it rested before the feces. I couldn’t help but admire the fact it was missing half of its face. I really had nailed a crack shot when it dropped down.
The next twenty minutes resulted in the quick and bloody dismemberment of the monster. Pails of water and a push broom came after, and we cleaned the entrance to our home of both blood and the nasty narock droppings.
During this time, we received no more surprise visitors. Once the butcher teams tucked back into our home, I raced out and into the sun.
I wanted to do that hero type tuck and roll in case something attacked, but instead I swung Henry around the lip above us.
This region couldn’t support infinite life, but that didn’t mean some weren’t starving in the area. I raced by the dead narock on the ramp and slowed when I neared the edge. When I peered out, the desert greeted me.
Extra vibrant bushes sprouted new growth. Gusts of wind swayed leaves and I could feel the bright sun baking out the moisture the ground desperately tried to cling to. The sporadic boulder and occasional tree could have hidden foes behind them, but I saw no activity.
Not one to leave life to chance. I trotted out a hundred yards and circled around the mine. I cleared every nook and nearby cranny, finding the area clear of threats.
I did check my quests since I knew nothing was going to attack before I could react.
Quests selected.
Quests:
Quest: Reach Bisben.
Reward: 200,000 points, plus 5000 points per survivor, plus 10 points per supplies brought.
Ultimate Quest: Create new life. Humanity must continue.
Reward:
5000 reward points. Limit - one reward per Citizen.
Quest 2: Investigate Apple the steamboat.
Reward: 1000 points.
Quest 3: You are my sunshine, and you make me happy. Improve morale by allowing your residents to enjoy some sunshine.
Reward: 750 points if everyone suns for three hours.
Quest 4: Sow your oats of a different kind. Plant oats. Literally.
Reward: 500 points per area seeded. Bonus 3000 points if you harvest the oats at full maturation.
I turned off the ultimate quest again. Having sex in the mine, with two kids nearby, wasn’t exactly ideal. Roma and I had used the last week to bond on a relationship level. We already knew each other fairly well, and I really enjoyed getting closer to her.
I closed my linker, ran a second loop, and again came up empty on threats. I widened the perimeter, seeing my fighting team joining me above the mine. I scurried up a boulder and spied Lornsto.
“Wowzers,” I muttered. I glanced over my shoulder at the sound of approaching footsteps. “Hey, Craig. I could do this every morning. By thunder, it’s great to be outside.”
“You want to kill narocks every day?”
“It’ll be good for us. I’m sure we can find some ammo in Opo,” I said. “Assuming we get to the steamboat today.”
“The trip to the Apple on hold?” he asked in confusion.
“For now, yes,” I said with a smile. “I think we should secure Lornsto and loot it first since it's easy to collect rubble.”
“Rubble?”
“Just a guess, but the lobo’narock bulldozed the buildings because they’re flat. Which is great,” I said, waving over Yilissa and Hariet. “It’ll make collecting wood to improve our home that much better.”
When the others arrived, I filled them in on the plan to secure Lornsto.
“But not the docks,” Hariet said. “I’m confused. It makes sense to keep going.”
