“Bandits are obsessed with the past, just like Steampunks. There’s an old ghost town that’s located northwest of here. It used to be a tourist attraction, but now everything is blocked from the public because the buildings were deemed unsafe. The ghost town is a terrific place for Wild West bandits. It’ll be a short ride if we take my turbo-charged Jeep,” Reb explained.
Gable liked her plan. “That’s a really good idea. Lead the way.”
The group quickly found Reb’s Jeep and entered the vehicle. Reb prepared to drive, while Savannah rode shotgun. The three men were crowded together in the backseat.
“Why can’t one of us sit in the front? We’re squished together like sardines,” Malcolm complained.
Savannah responded, “I have seniority.”
Reb turned over the engine. “All right. It’s time for us to find those bandits. I hope you guys are ready for a dangerous rescue mission. Those terrorists will react violently when they see us.”
She activated the turbo-charged combustion engine and sped toward the ghost town.
Somewhere on the prairie, Giles and Parker wandered under the hot sun.
“I’m getting tired of walking,” Parker complained.
Giles examined the navigational system. “You have to keep moving. We’re heading in the right direction. Besides, you don’t want to sit around in this heat.”
Parker took a swig of water. “I’m still nervous.”
“There’s no reason to be afraid. I’ll protect you. Reb and I know Oklahoma very well. Do you want to know something interesting? Reb and I survived on this terrain for quite a while after the Apocalypse destroyed America. We hunted for food, pitched tents, fought off raiders, and whatnot. The two of us became quite efficient at hunting bison. Sometimes, we brought extra bison meat to the shanty towns and bartered for supplies,” Giles explained.
“You seem like a really brave and cool guy. I don’t know enough about Reb though,” Parker admitted.
Giles tightened the satchel over his shoulder. “She might be braver than me. Reb is determined, classy, ambitious, and loyal. I have a lot of respect for her, and she’s exceptionally beautiful. She went through a lot of trauma and I’ve never seen anyone march forward like her.”
“If I’m your kid, will she love me?” Parker reluctantly asked.
Giles chuckled. “Reb already loves you. That’s why she feels so intimidated by the idea of having a child. If we really are your parents, the three of us are going to be a family. You’ll see.”
Meanwhile, Dusty dumped Percy in a makeshift laboratory. The small room had one table, chair, microscope, and a few more items.
“This is going to be your workshop for modifying gold. Once gold can be grafted in human bodies, its value will shoot through the sky,” Dusty stated.
Percy felt helpless. “You don’t get it. Nobody would be able to alter anything in this tiny studio. You don’t even have the right equipment. Besides, I’ve never modified metal before. It might not be safe to splice gold. We use metals that can bind safely to a human body with some modifications. Gold might be deadly, and I don’t want to find out the hard way.”
Dusty grew impatient. “You know what? Maybe you’re right. However, a man with your wealth and reputation will make a terrific bartering tool. People will pay top dollar to have the nation’s top computer tycoon.”
“You’re sick!” Percy stated.
Dusty disagreed with the Steampunk. “No, I’m just trying to survive in an unjust world. Before the Apocalypse happened, I used to be a normal guy. Afterward, I had to fight for survival. You think everything is better because America became a haven for Steampunks. Industrialization and steam power don’t make the world a better place. It didn’t help guys like me. You just made the scenery look different. So forgive me if I do immoral things to make a living.”
Dusty left the room and left Percy to fume about their argument.
Chapter 18
Nicklaus poured a drink for Priscilla as they sat in the saloon. She thought the old saloon was dirty and rundown.
He placed a glass on the table in front of her. “This is my favorite drink. Try it.”
“Like I have a choice,” Priscilla grumbled, as she picked up the drink.
She poured the clear alcohol in her mouth and then promptly spit it out.
Nicklaus was insulted. “That moonshine wasn’t cheap! Show a little gratitude!”
Priscilla coughed. “This stuff burns my mouth and tastes like kerosene!”
Nicklaus tapped his fingers on the table. “I forgot that rich and spoiled people don’t enjoy drinks like this.”
“My sister-in-law is no stranger to moonshine. It’s one of her nicknames. However, she would recoil in horror at this cheap liquor,” Priscilla taunted.
The villain grabbed her left wrist roughly. “Obviously, this part of our date isn’t going very well. So let’s move to the good part.”
Priscilla slammed her right fist on the table, cracking in the wood in several places. “I’m not going to let you manipulate me forever! Don’t forget, I could snap your neck! Steampunks are more powerful than normal humans!”
Nicklaus pulled a dart out of his pocket. “That’s why I brought a couple of these toxic darts. I thought they might give you some motivation to cooperate.”
Priscilla looked away from her tormentor and hissed, “Bandits always rely on dirty tricks.”
“That’s the only way we can survive. Let’s go to my private chambers. I have plans for you,” Nicklaus threatened.
Reb parked her Jeep a quarter mile away from the ghost town. The three men were relieved to exit the vehicle.
Savannah stepped on the ground and stared at the ghost town at a distance. “How do you know this is the right location?”
Reb snatched her baton as she exited the Jeep. “It makes more sense than anything else. The bandits need to hide somewhere with all of their weapons and vehicles. Bandits are also notorious for hoarding stolen merchandise. They make most of their money by selling items on the black market. It’s also a zone that’s closed to the public, and that means they’ll have plenty of privacy.”
“Can’t we park closer? This will be a long walk,” Beauregard complained.
“I don’t think it will be safe. We don’t want those terrorists to see us,” Gable logically said.
Malcolm handed a pistol to Gable. “Well, I hope you guys are ready for a gunfight. These bandits are bringing back elements from the Wild West. I’m sure they love shooting at people like us.”
Savannah looked at her daughter. “This is your territory. What’s the plan?”
“I’m winging it,” Reb honestly answered.
Savannah was not amused. “Maybe I should remind you that people could die today, including all of us.”
Reb checked the bullets in her pistol. “I realize that, but nothing can prepare us for this type of scenario. We just have to be resilient and show those bandits who’s in charge. If you have an earpiece, use it. That might be our best means of communication.”
Gable pulled tiny items out of his pocket. “Luckily for you, I have some spare earpieces. I keep them on my body at all times because my business associates have to reach me regularly.”
“Excellent. They’ll come in handy,” Reb said, as she took one of the items.
Beauregard sighed. “I guess there’s no way to avoid this conflict. Let’s grab our weapons and head to the ghost town.”
The Nelsons and their companions loaded up weapons and ammunition before they walked to Dusty’s hideout.
Meanwhile, Giles used an old water pump to refill his canteen.
Parker was curious. “Why is this water pump still here?”
Giles took a big gulp of fluid before he added more water to the canteen. “Steampunks have an appreciation for old things. It’s an element that makes our culture unique. You should be glad to see this water pump. It might save our lives. People can die from dehydration in this type of environme
nt.”
“I see what you mean. Will it take much longer to reach town?” Parker wondered out loud.
Giles handed the canteen to the boy. “That’s a good question. Judging from the map, it might take all day. In fact, we probably won’t reach town until tomorrow morning. We might need to camp out. “
Parker sipped on the water. “But we don’t have anything for camping.”
Giles pulled some beef jerky out of his satchel. “We’ll have to rough it. Do you want some jerky? We can sit under this small tree for a few minutes before leaving again.”
They sat under the tiny tree and nibbled on the dried meat.
“This isn’t fun at all,” Parker said, through a mouthful of jerky.
“What are you talking about? You’re learning a lot about our landscape and weather. If we get stuck out here overnight, we can check out the constellations, and sleep under the stars. I still have my gun. Tomorrow morning, we might be able to hunt for food. This could be a very exciting and memorable journey for you,” Giles explained.
Parker shrugged. “I guess that makes sense.”
Giles noticed an unfamiliar Jeep driving in their direction. “Maybe that vehicle is being driven by local residents. We might be done with this situation very soon.”
“Awesome! I’m getting tired of this heat!” Parker declared.
Unfortunately, they were met by unfriendly denizens. Two bandits exited the Jeep and aimed their dart guns at Giles and Parker.
“It looks like we have a couple of trespassers in our territory,” one of the goons snarled.
The other bandit replied, “Yeah, we can bring these wanderers to our boss. Stand up and lose the weapons!”
Giles obediently stood up and dropped his satchel. Then the attorney tossed his belt and weapons aside. Giles raised his arms in the air and prompted Parker, “I think we should follow their orders. We don’t want to mess with their darts guns.”
Parker groaned. “This is too much drama.”
A few minutes later, the Nelsons and their friends reached the ghost town’s perimeter. Malcolm and Beauregard hid behind some cartons of stolen merchandise. Savannah and Gable took cover behind a broken pickup truck. Reb squatted behind a barrel of gunpowder.
The attorney tapped her earpiece. “Can anyone see the bandits? I don’t have a good view from my location.”
Malcolm slowly peeked around one of the boxes. “There are definitely minions keeping an eye on the town. I would recognize those dart guns anywhere.”
Gable saw more bandits through one of the truck’s mirrors. “Some of them have lassos and grenades too. I assume they take intrusions seriously.”
“Earlier today, one of the terrorists attacked me with a bolo. We should watch out for that too,” Beauregard mentioned.
“These bandits are definitely armed and dangerous. Be careful and don’t forget that stealth is your best friend. All right everyone, let’s pop some psychopaths,” Reb said, as she prepared for an infiltration.
Chapter 19
The bandits tied Giles and Parker to a couple of chairs in the cellar.
“Dusty will be happy to see you guys. For some reason, Steampunks can have high trade value. Make yourselves comfortable. We’ll be back to check on you later,” one of the thugs commented, before leaving the basement.
Giles tried to wiggle his arms. “This has been a really frustrating day.”
“You’re telling me. How did you guys wind up here?” Giles heard a familiar voice and looked to the left. He was surprised to see Percy, who was also tied to a chair.
“I think we took the wrong train,” Parker replied.
“You missed a lot of the action. I think the train may have derailed. I jumped off the train with Parker. The two of us were stranded on the prairie and unfortunately we ran into bandits who they brought us here,” Giles explained.
Percy was alarmed by the news. “I saw the train crash. Is everybody else okay?”
“I don’t know. Parker and I landed on the ground before the train stopped. Let’s try to stay optimistic. Steampunks can survive disastrous crashes,” Giles responded.
“It’s good to see you, Grandpa. Why did the bad guys kidnap you?” Parker inquired.
Percy tried to break his restraints. “Apparently, the bandit leader wants me to modify gold so it can be grafted into human bodies. I told him that isn’t my field of expertise, but he doesn’t care. The bandits are hiding tons of gold in this ghost town. I guess they thought it might be valuable in the Post-Apocalyptic era. This entire fiasco is all about money.”
Giles rolled his eyes. “Bandits always want money. They’re a bunch of idiots.”
“The bandit leader has tunnel vision,” Percy commented.
Parker gave credit to the bandits. “They had some effective weapons, so maybe they’re not completely dumb.”
“They’re just ignorant. Sadly, we’re in a lot of trouble being trapped down here,” Percy replied.
Giles tried to escape his ties. “We need to find a way out of this cellar. Give me some time. Eventually, I’ll get out of these restraints.”
Percy was becoming anxious. “Don’t take too long. I don’t want to find out what will happen when those bandits come back to check on us.”
The two bandits who captured Giles found Dusty in his headquarters.
“Boss, we have some good news!” one of the thugs said with excitement.
Dusty brushed some dirt off his hat. “I hope you’re talking about supplies. We’re running short on food and alcohol.”
“Actually, we’ve got two hostages. The adult male is definitely a Steampunk,” the other bandit mentioned.
Dusty was not impressed with their news. “That’s all? I would be happier if you simply killed them. However, criminals will pay good money to take Steampunks.”
“That part confuses me. Why do regular people enjoy kidnapping Steampunks?” a villain asked.
“I couldn’t tell you anything about it. Maybe they harvest bones and organs. They might just eat Steampunks like cannibals. The world is full of crazy people. You can sell them to our next buyer. Leave Percy Nelson in the cellar though. I want high rollers for him. People will be thrilled to have his knowledge and skills,” Dusty explained.
“No problem. We’ll keep an eye out for potential merchants,” a bandit said.
Nicklaus forcibly took Priscilla to his bedroom. He quickly tied the southern belle’s hands behind her back.
“This is going to be a lot of fun,” Nicklaus whispered in Priscilla’s ear.
Priscilla felt angry. “Go screw yourself!”
Nicklaus shoved her on his bed. “No, you’re going to do that.”
He got on the bed and began to unravel the string on her corset. Priscilla kicked Nicklaus and knocked him off the bed.
“Stay off me!” she bellowed.
The bandit stood up and unbuckled his belt. “I like feisty women. It makes the experience more enjoyable.”
“This little victory is only an illusion. You’ll pay soon enough,” Priscilla warned.
Nicklaus rubbed his crotch, then yelled, “Shut up! You’re distracting me!”
Priscilla glared at him. “What’s the matter? From here, it looks like you can’t get it up.”
“Stop making fun of me! It makes me feel nervous!” Nicklaus complained in embarrassment.
He turned around to find a solution to his problem. Priscilla took the opportunity to wiggle her hands out of the rope. She swiftly pulled out a revolver from her garter belt, got off the bed, and aimed the gun at her assailant. Nicklaus heard Priscilla cock the weapon.
“Take a good look at me, you little creep!” she gloated.
The bandit turned around and saw her aim a vintage revolver at him. “You’ve got to be kidding me? Why didn’t you use that gun on me earlier?”
“Somebody needed to rescue Percy. Why should men be the only heroes?” Priscilla taunted.
Nicklaus grabbed a hammer from the table
and swatted the gun out of her hands. Both of them dove for the revolver, but Nicklaus snatched the weapon and aimed it directly at Priscilla. She slowly backed away as he stood up.
“I’m done with you! I’ll find a more cooperative woman! Nobody turns on me and lives to tell anyone about it!” Nicklaus ranted.
He fired the revolver and the bullet struck Priscilla’s chest plate. Due to her grafted bones, the bullet wedged in the middle of her cleavage, only piercing the skin.
“Dang it! That really hurts! How dare you blemish my perfect figure! I’m going to pummel you senseless!” Priscilla vengefully screamed.
She attacked Nicklaus, causing him to drop the gun as he tried to get away from her. Priscilla punched Nicklaus’ face several times, and then she socked him in the belly. The impact winded the terrorist so badly he fell to his knees. Priscilla kicked his side multiple times and then she picked him up by the shirt collar. She slammed his face on the table and broke the article of furniture into several pieces.
The thug rolled over, looking up at her with a bloody face. “Don’t kill me! You can leave! I think Dusty locked Percy in the cellar! It’s next to the city hall! Just get the heck out of my life!”
Priscilla picked up the revolver and then plucked the bullet out of her skin. She flicked the bullet across the room. “So, your boss has a name. There’s just one more thing I need to finish.”
Nicklaus wiped some blood from his face. “What are you talking about?”
Priscilla shot his left hand. Nicklaus howled in pain and clutched his hand.
“I wanted to give you a little bit of humiliation,” Priscilla said, as she put away her revolver.
“You didn’t have to shoot me! I was letting you go!” Nicklaus yelled in agony.
“It’s a safety precaution. I don’t want you to pick up one of those dart guns. Anyway, I feel a lot better now. Have a lovely day,” Priscilla said, then exited the bedroom.
Elsewhere in the ghost town, Reb waited for a bandit to pass in front of her. One of the thugs walked past the barrel she was hiding behind and then she immediately stood up. She whacked the bandit’s head with her baton and knocked him out.
The Post-Apocalyptic Society: A Nelson and Hyde Revolution Page 32
