Legend of Mace

by Daniel J. Williams

  Coming in from the side, Lisa penetrated the mass and it was instant chaos. Those fleeing Mace ran into the ones trying to get away from her and she accidentally slammed into a group of Plaguers as they suddenly switched directions. The buggy bounced hard off their bodies and she lost control. The buggy rolled end over end two times, jarring her wildly before it landed with a thud on its wheels.

  Strapped in tight, it only took Lisa a second to get her bearings back. Plaguers rushed towards the buggy, enraged at the intrusion, and she lifted the automatic weapon again, firing into their faces as they screamed, "Kill her!"

  The ones from behind jumped on the cage and she pushed her foot down on the gas, squealing the tires as she plowed through more and bounced over them as she barreled away.

  She suddenly saw the line of motorcycles rolling slowly through the fleeing crowd. An army of rough-looking men rode towards her. Most wore black motorcycle vests with guns strapped across their backs. Her heart beat faster as their speed increased.

  One raised his shotgun and fired. She swung the buggy hard left and a Plaguer crashed into her cage as the bullet plowed through his skull.

  Mace heard rounds of gunfire pass close by and turned quickly. Staring at a buxom brunette in a string-bikini riding a Harley towards him, he was momentarily stunned. Behind her were dozens more bikers. Most wore leather vests. She lifted a handgun and aimed it right at him. He ducked as she shot and the bullet whizzed by.

  “Shit,” he said, surprised. He sprayed a wide arc of gunfire in their direction, then reached down and struggled to pull the Cruiser back up. Hopping on, he fired it up as bullets clunked around him.

  Lisa suddenly barrelled through a group of Plaguers from the side, heading in his direction, and the buggy bounced from side to side as she tried to keep it upright. She passed within a few feet and yelled “Grenades!” to him as she flew by.

  He pulled one out, yanked out the pin, and tossed is straight towards the coming bikers. Those in front saw it coming but didn’t react. It blew right in front of them and they went down with their bikes. More moved around them.

  Mace suddenly rolled the throttle and his bike sped away. The roar of motorcycle engines filled the air as the gang took off after him.

  The Plaguers who'd survived the assault now ran after them, falling quickly behind but not slowing down at all. “Kill the witches!” they screamed.

  Racing through the abandoned streets of San Antonio, Mace knew they couldn’t head back towards the camp. They needed to draw the Plaguers out of the city. Lisa suddenly cranked her wheel hard right and skidded across the road, almost slamming into an abandoned car before the dune buggy shot forward down a side street. United in their thought process, she was going to try to lead them away.

  Mace immediately leaned the Cruiser into the opposite turn, the back tire momentarily screeching as he turned hard left and accelerated. If they split the Plaguers they might have a better chance of survival. The only thing that really mattered now was keeping the camp safe.

  The motorcycles split off at the intersection, half chasing Mace while half pursued Lisa. Mace leaned into the bike as a plan turned in his head. He needed some distance.

  He picked up speed as he spotted the dust cloud from Bowie’s group. They were pursuing the remaining Plaguers. Spotting the freeway onramp up ahead, Mace leaned into it. He’d lead them far away.

  CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

  On the roof of the chapel, Woody, Roger and Jade studied the clouds of dust and knew something was wrong. The hum of mechanical engines in the distance reinforced their fears.

  “What do you want to do?” Roger asked as he looked through binoculars. “That’s a whole lot of commotion.”

  “We need to lockdown the camp,” Woody said quietly, regretting having to say the words. There was no other choice.

  Jade nodded slowly in agreement. “Let’s get a posse ready. Camp comes first, though.” She felt her heart sink in her chest. Mace, Lisa and the boys were still out there.

  CHAPTER THIRTY THREE

  Lisa drove so fast the road looked distorted. Flying over any obstacle it came across, the buggy continued to keep pace ahead of the bikes. She needed enough time to lead them out of the area. She yelled out as a group of people suddenly appeared up ahead, walking in the middle of the road towards her. She turned the wheel hard left to try to avoid a teenage boy. He threw his hands up in defense as the buggy zoomed towards him.

  As if in slow motion, Lisa saw the terror on his face as the buggy crushed into him and twisted. The two right wheels came off the ground and the buggy took air, tumbling over and over as it plowed through more members of the crowd. They were Plaguers, drawn to the area by the vibration of the others. More were coming from farther distances.

  The buggy tumbled to a stop on its side. Lisa was barely conscious in the cage, her head fuzzy and confused. Blood dripped from her hair to the concrete as she reached up with a shaking hand and undid the first safety strap. She unclipped the second one around her waist and clumsily pushed herself out, landing awkwardly on her back. Staring in a daze at the blue sky, motorcycles pulled up beside her. Her sight grew dim and the sky turned gray.

  She turned her head to the right and began to pass out. Her last memory before losing consciousness was of a boot stepping close to her head. She closed her eyes in surrender and heard the faint click of a gun hammer being pulled back.

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  After seven miles of crazy acceleration, Mace zoomed off a highway offramp and flew down the concrete grade. Hitting the bottom, the bike bounced and briefly took air again. Once he stabilized it, he carefully fished the last grenade out of his pocket. Motorcycles roared a hundred feet behind, the men riding them filled with an overwhelming thirst for his annihilation.

  Mace pulled the pin with his teeth and let the grenade drop. He didn’t bother to look back as it detonated a few seconds later. Exploding directly next to the first pursuing bike, it blew the rider clean off his motorcycle. Flying into the biker and Harley beside him, that Plaguer immediately toppled over. As the second rider hit the ground hard, the closest trailing motorcycle slammed into him and flipped over, bouncing end over end down the street. The rest of the bikes skidded or slowed down to avoid getting pulled into the wreck.

  Mace hit dizzying speeds as he raced through deserted streets, pulling away from the mayhem he’d created. Several sharp turns through industrial complexes eventually brought him back around to the previous freeway onramp. He raced up it. No Plaguer followed.

  CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE

  Woody ordered the gates opened as soon as he saw the dirt trail from Mace's Harley. Mace raced through the entrance and immediately jumped off the bike, letting it drop to the ground as everyone not on immediate guard duty rushed over to hear the outcome. The entire camp was on edge.

  Mace took a quick glance around. "Did Lisa make it back?"

  The look of uncertainty on Chelsea's face let him know she hadn’t. Standing with Maya and Kelly near the front gate, they all turned and searched for any sign of the buggy as the gate closed again. "Oh God," Chelsea said with a tremble in her voice. "Where's my mom?" Maya and Kelly both hugged her for support.

  "Shit," Mace replied. He moved quickly towards Woody, who approached quickly with Roger, Tom, and Jade beside him.

  "How bad?" Woody asked.

  "Bad. It's an army. I tried to draw them out of town, but they'll be back." Mace looked around again. "Bowie and the boys?"

  Woody shook his head. "Still out there. Any ideas?"

  "I'm going to shave. Disguise myself. Then I’m going back out. Try to influence them."

  "You sure?” asked Roger.

  “No, he’s not,” said Jade, clearly worried.

  Mace wouldn’t look at her. “We don’t have time to argue.”

  “What do you want us to do?" asked Roger, knowing better than to push the decision.

  Mace pointed towards the hotel. "We need snipers up there. You and
Tom take an ammo bag and load it with weapons and grenades. You may be there a while. Take one of the boys. You'll need to steer clear of the pipebombs."

  "How many Plaguers?" Jade asked. She looked worried.

  "Too many," Mace replied in all seriousness. "If things get real bad, escape out the back with the kids."

  "No can do," Jade answered as she checked her handgun. She made solid eye contact. "We're not losing another compound. We either all stay and fight or we all die. We're done running."

  Like them, Mace let it go. "Keep the kids in the infirmary, then. I need to head these fuckers off. They're gonna be fixed for blood."

  "So are we," Roger said as he tapped Tom's shoulder. "Let's get to the armory," he said before he stared at the roof of the hotel. "Then let's make a goddamn stand."

  Running towards Mace from the back of the compound, Jim yelled out, “There's more coming from the rear. It's just a dust cloud now, but it looks pretty large."

  "Shit," Mace said again. "They're gonna surround us." He pointed towards the back of the compound. "I'm going to need you to defend it, and take out any that get even remotely close."

  "Yvette's getting weapons now. How many kids can you spare?"

  Chelsea spoke up from behind them. "We'll go," she said, volunteering herself and her friends. "Just get my mom back," she said shakily to Mace, as Herman crawled up her back. His head briefly popped up over her shoulder.

  Having nothing comforting to say, Mace just nodded.

  A short time later all the hair on Mace’s head and face was gone. "I'm going to try to convince them the threat is elsewhere," he said to Jade as he prepared to leave. He stopped for a brief moment and stared at her. "You are the best thing that ever happened to me."

  "Don't" she said, avoiding any emotion. "Don't you even say goodbye just yet. We've survived this long. This isn’t over yet.”

  She didn't know the full extent of what they were facing. He didn’t plan on making it back.

  CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

  Lisa screamed out in agony as the first nail pounded through her wrist. She tugged at her restraints, but they'd lashed her arms and legs securely to the beams. There was nothing she could do.

  The second blow struck and her mind exploded with rage. "I'm going to rip your throat out!" she screamed at the biker wielding the hammer.

  Joline stood over her, supervising the torture. "You are one of us, yet you chose to turn against us!" She spit as she yelled, "You damn Judas! There is no punishment harsh enough!"

  "You crazy bitch!" Lisa growled. "I'm going to cut your fucking heart out!" She was far from playing any type of mind game. She was consumed with thoughts of vengeance.

  The pain, although close to unbearable, still tingled something inside her. A part of it felt addicting. "Bring it on!" she yelled a second before the hammer fell again. Her screams filled the room.

  Inside the church rectory, Bowie and the Rangers remained silent as Lisa's screams continued. They all had their hands bound behind their backs. Once the guard moved a few feet away, they quietly tried to whisper a plan.

  "Crockett's still out there," Dolphin whispered. "We just need to hold on."

  "He could be dead.” Bowie looked at him with skepticism.

  "I saw him duck behind a debris pile. I think he escaped."

  "So what makes you think he'll come back?"

  Dolphin tried to keep his voice down despite his irritation over the question. "Because he's one of us!" he said a bit too loud.

  The biker guard moved back towards them. "Shut your mouths," the biker said gruffly, "or I'll slit your punk throats."

  "Better hope we don't get loose," Bowie stated, eyeballing him audaciously. "Or I'll show you how to slit one from ear to ear."

  The biker chuckled sarcastically, ignoring the threat, and walked back to his post. They heard the hammer pound a railroad spike into Lisa's other wrist, followed instantly by her agonizing screams. She refused to cry, instead yelling out as sweat poured off her face, "I am going to tear out your spleen, you Plaguer fuck!" Another blow brought on a crippling, prolonged shriek.

  "You're next," the biker uttered at Bowie, taunting him. "Be kind of hard to grip a knife with a spike pounded through your fucking wrist."

  From ten feet behind the biker, Crockett slowly rose from a broken window sill. No one noticed his careful movements. Everyone remained locked on the biker

  The boys suddenly jumped as an arrowhead burst through the bikers throat. The biker gurgled loudly as his hands grabbed for his neck, his eyes terror-filled and wide. He touched the arrowhead protruding four inches out of his neck and looked completely stunned.

  Crockett quickly scampered through the broken window, bow still in hand. "We gotta move!" he said quietly as the guard dropped to his knees. "They're everywhere." He stopped behind the biker and ripped the arrow back out, causing a spray of blood to cover his shirt. The biker toppled over as blood gushed from the opening.

  Moving quickly, Crockett cut the ropes that bound his friends hands.

  “How did you know where we were?” Bowie asked as he pulled his hands free and rubbed his wrists where they chafed.

  “I saw them bring you in. I had to wait until the coast was clear. We need to leave now.”

  “Not without Lisa,” Dolphin said forcefully. Another hammer stroke brought on another horrid scream from the courtyard.

  “Is that her?” Crockett’s jaw dropped.

  Bowie nodded as he walked over to the biker, who lay on his side taking slow, shallow breaths. With each breath more blood spurted out of the wound. “You’re gonna die,” Bowie said as he leaned down to stare in the Plaguer’s face. “I’d slit your throat but you’ve already gotta big hole in it.” He stood up and addressed everyone as the biker choked on his own blood. “Let’s get Lisa and get the hell out of here.”

  In the church courtyard, Joline watched with pleasure as Lisa’s face contorted. “Soon you will be lifted up,” Joline said, “and you will experience real pain. Just when you think it can't get any worse we'll set the cross on fire. You're going to burn at the stake, witch." Joline smiled coldly, picturing the moment to come.

  Ready to explode, Lisa eyed the woman but remained quiet, her teeth tightly clenched. She didn’t dare squirm anymore. The pain increased with each tiny movement.

  Realizing she was going to die soon, Lisa closed her eyes. The agony she suffered was nothing compared to the thoughts that now raced through her mind. If the camp fell, they would torture and kill Chelsea as well. Chelsea was the one good thing she'd done with her life.

  Suddenly filled with regret, Lisa wished she'd hadn't been so hard on her daughter. It was the infection. It changed her.

  Thinking back on the years before the attacks, Lisa clung to the memory of Chelsea's birth. She'd marveled at her little bundle of joy as she'd held in her arms for the very first time. Chelsea had literally saved her life. Lonely and depressed, her daughter became the focal point of her world.

  Now, strapped to a cross and being crucified in some dark and foreign land, she longed intensely for the simple life of her past.

  Standing over Lisa, Joline smirked at the tears that leaked from Lisa's closed eyelids. "Do her feet next,” she commanded the biker yielding the hammer. “And get her ready to be hoisted up.” She leaned down and snarled at Lisa. “I’ll be back. We need to plan our next assault. All you witches must be destroyed.”

  Cracking the door from the church rectory, Bowie watched as Joline left. He motioned to Crockett, who loaded an arrow in the bow and stared at the door, waiting. Bowie swung it fully open and the biker with the hammer lifted his head at the motion. He saw the tip of the arrow for the briefest moment before it punched through his chest. He tumbled backwards without uttering anything louder than a grunt.

  The boys instantly surrounded Lisa, their faces registering horror at her predicament.

  “I don’t know how to move you,” Crockett said as he stared at the spikes embedded deep in
her wrists. Blood stained the wood around the wounds. Her arms and legs were thrashed tightly to the wooden beams.

  “Leave me,” Lisa said weakly, in obvious torment. “Just get back and keep everybody else safe.”

  “No way. Not yet.” Crockett answered, shaking his head. At only eleven-years old, he was shaping into a leader and hardened warrior. “We’re not leaving anybody behind. Hand me the hammer,” he said to Dolphin, who stood next to the fallen biker. Dolphin grabbed the hammer and handed it to him.

  “It doesn’t matter if you scream,” Crockett said nervously to Lisa. “They’ll just think we’re hammering your feet.”

  “I’m gonna totally kick your ass for this,” Lisa said as she glared at the hammer in his hand.

  “You can thank me later,” Crockett responded as he turned the hammer around, dropped to a knee by the beam, and pushed the claw into her wrist to hook under the spike. Lisa screamed out in pain.

  Crockett tried to hide the tremble in his voice. He felt nauseous. “Hold on. This is about to get a hell of a lot worse.”

  Placing a foot against the beam, Crockett yanked at the spike. Lisa screamed as pain rippled through her body and the spike tore loose. Her wrist lifted off the beam momentarily as the nail pulled through the flesh.

  “Holy shit.” Dolphin stared in shock at the hole the spike left. Blood filled the wound as her hand shook dramatically. The rest of her arm stayed firmly tied down.

  Lisa yelled out as she tried to deal with the pain. “I’m never cooking for you again you little shit!”

  “Once I get the other hand free,” Crockett said to the boys, ignoring her and trying to prepare himself to do it again, “we’ll cut her loose and wrap the wounds.” He positioned himself over her other arm. Right before he yanked on the second spike, he glanced at Lisa and smiled awkwardly. “You’d be doing me a favor. Your eggs are always runny as shit.”