Wanted

by Jason Halstead

  “Shut up,” Carl growled. “Start praying I don’t put another bullet in you and dump you off this thing when I’m done with you.”

  Eddie’s nostrils flared and he struggled to keep his moans quiet as the golf cart rocked over pot holes and bumps in the rough roads. In a couple of minutes Jessie slammed on the brakes, causing Eddie to gasp in pain. Carl had already jumped free and, running a few steps to slow down, he raised his acquired AR-15 to point at the guard outside of the trailer.

  “Drop your shit and get out of my way,” Carl told him.

  “What? Who…Your Majesty! What-“ he was cut short by Carl’s rifle firing its final bullet into his skull. He slumped to the deck, leaving a trail of gore on the wall behind him.

  Carl tossed his spent AR-15 to the side and paused only to pick up the rifle that lay on the sun-beaten decking beside the guard. He looked at it and shook his head, then rifled through the man’s pockets to find three spare clips. “Jesus, Eddie, an M1 Carbine? Come on,” he muttered, pocketing the ammo and then standing up to kick the door open.

  It took two kicks, but inside a frightened Dustin stared at him until recognition dawned on him. “Carl!” he yelped, nearly running to embrace him.

  “Not now kid, get in the cart,” Carl said, glancing inside briefly then turning to follow him to his original seat in the back. He handed Dusty the pistol Jessie had acquired once they were seated, “Anybody with a gun looks at you funny, use this.”

  Dustin nodded and then nearly fell out of the cart as Jessie pulled it around in a circle under full acceleration to race back towards the north. “Now I know why somebody else always drove,” Carl muttered as Jessie rocked the cart repeatedly with bumps in the road and dodging around buildings and other road hazards.

  “I-666,” she said, recalling her starring role in one of her movies. She sounded downright happy. “I did my own stunts!”

  “Great,” he muttered, looking past her down the main stretch of town to see all the curious residents of Edland starting to explore and wonder what had happened. They raced through them, sending a few scampering back for cover, while the rest just watched in confusion. Carl flipped off a salute to Clarence as he passed, then turned his attention back to the front where the northern gate was fast approaching.

  “Dusty, you keep that pistol and your eyes on Eddie here. You hear anybody shoot, even me, you drop him like a bad habit,” Carl instructed while Jessie was forced to slow down.

  They came up to a stop while the guards, who were looking around in confusion, slowly reacted. They rushed out, guns pointed, but held their fire. “Open the gate and you get your boss back,” Carl told them while he was staring down the barrel of his .30 caliber vintage World War II carbine rifle. “If you don’t, either my sniper takes you out or I take you out. Either way, Eddie and you two get a dirt nap.”

  “Open the gate!” Eddie hissed, clutching his chest just inside his shoulder. His shirt was stained red with his blood but he seemed lucid enough.

  “My Lord, you’ve been shot,” one of them said.

  “Open the gate!” Eddie yelled again.

  Chastised properly, the man lowered his gun and rushed back to haul the gate open for the golf cart. The other guard kept his gun raised. Finally they had clearance enough and Jessie asked Carl if she could go.

  “You’ll get him back as soon as we’re clear,” Carl told them. “Jessie, let’s go.”

  They were off again and, in a matter of seconds, clear of the gate. This time Jessie’s acceleration was less spastic and everyone managed to remain in their seats. After a few hundred yards of travel Carl lowered his rifle and tapped Dusty on the leg, signaling the tense boy to lower the pistol as well. He looked at Carl and grinned, but the sweat on his scalp showed how tense he had been. Carl smiled back at him and then relaxed against the seat and gave Jessie directions on where to go.

  They drove another ten minutes in the cart, moving more slowly and carefully over uneven ground, and finally came to a stop in what appeared to be a dry lake bed with some scraggly bushes growing up through cracks in the dirt. Around them they were surrounded by low hills made of more dirt and rocks, with occasional grasses and small trees covering them. Movement from the hill to the south drew their attention. Attention that, a few moments later, revealed Tanya carrying a large rifle in her hands and another, slightly smaller one, strung across her shoulders.

  In spite of the fatigue of carrying the heavy guns, she ran the last hundred yards to embrace her brother so tightly that he was afraid she might choke him to death. She gave Jessie a hug too, forgetting to blush at how scantily clad the woman was who hugged her back.

  “Wow,” Tanya said, once it was all over.

  Carl held up a hand to silence her. “Eddie, I’d like nothing more than to find a nice deep ravine to dump you in.”

  Eddie looked at him nervously. He was sweating profusely but the bleeding seemed to have stopped, at least. “I helped you,” he said hopefully, reminding Carl of his cooperation.

  “You did, you swine,” Carl admitted. “Let me see that hole you got.”

  Eddie leaned forward, grimacing a little as he did so, to make his wound available. Carl used his knife to cut the man’s bloodstained shirt away and then studied it for a moment before he gently put some pressure on it in a few places to gauge Eddie’s reaction. Finally satisfied he stepped back away from the man, who was sweating worse now from the pain that Carl had caused him.

  “You’ll live if you keep the infection out,” he said as though he was passing judgment on him. “Take your cart and go back to town, get it cleaned out and get some antibiotics. The bullet passed through but it clipped your collar bone and probably broke it.”

  “What, you’re letting me go?” Eddie asked.

  Carl nodded. “I got no use for you, Eddie. You deserve my boot up your ass but I wasted enough bullets today.”

  “So that’s it?” Jessie said, stepping forward and interrupting. “After all the shit this pig did you’re just going to let him go?”

  Carl looked at her and nodded. “You got something you need to do, go ahead and do it,” he said, then backed away and watched while Jessie stared at Eddie hatefully. Her fists clenched and unclenched while she stared silently at him. Eddie looked back, fearful but likewise silent. Carl knew that the man had done some horrible things to her and he probably expected her to cut him open and gut him like a fish.

  Finally, after whatever internal emotional war had come to a close within the former actress, she stepped over to where Carl had laid the M1 against the back seat of the cart. She worked the action enough to insure a bullet was seated in it, then flipped the safety off and raised it up to point at Eddie. Less than three feet away she stared down the barrel at the man, who stared right back in wide eyed terror.

  “Close your eyes,” Jessie whispered, her voice tight with emotion. He snapped them shut after a second, then opened them and quickly shut them again when he saw the barrel still pointing at him. “Every kick, every punch, every thrust of your chubby little dick,” she hissed at him, making him squint his eyes shut even harder. “This is for all the girls that never had this chance.”

  The rifle cracked out a sharp report which sent Eddie tumbling across the bench. He cried out in shock and pain, then opened his eyes when he realized he was not dead. He looked down at himself, amazed to see no new injuries. Carl saw his eyes widen as he realized the warm wet spot running down his leg was not blood but his urine. The former soldier bit his lip to keep from smirking while he watched.

  “You owe Carl your life today,” Jessie hissed at him. “I ever hear you hurt another girl and nobody, not you, not Carl, and not even Jesus can save you from what I’m going to do to you!”

  Carl walked over and gently, but firmly, took the historic rifle from Jessie’s hands. She glared at Eddie, not even seeming to notice Carl was there. “Go home and get that looked at Eddie,” Carl told him.

  Eddie nodded, wiping his tears fro
m his cheeks and sniffing self-consciously. He slid into the seat, grimacing in pain, then backed the cart up quickly before turning it around and heading back to what had been his idea of a slice of Heaven.

  “Carl,” Jessie said softly, turning to face him. He could see her shivering. The adrenaline and god only knew what else that had been done to her were making her shake so hard her teeth were chattering.

  “Yeah?” he asked, uncharacteristically soft for him, especially considering how he wanted to bury her himself not even a week ago.

  “For a few minutes shut up and pretend you don’t hate me,” she whispered, then followed it up with, “Please.”

  He nodded and let her hug him, then he returned the pressure of the hug and let her break down and sob into his chest.

  Chapter 14

  Carl returned from where he had stashed the extra guns and equipment, carrying his pack and the load of guns. He distributed them to the others, keeping his trusty M4 for himself. He paused to look at Jessie. She was still dressed in her barely-there string bikini and high heels, which caused him to smirk.

  “I know,” she said, hugging her arms over her chest not out of modesty but because she had the chills, “I forgot to accessorize.”

  In spite of himself, Carl chuckled. He shook his head and looked at her heels. “Them ain’t gonna work,” he said.

  She nodded. “Got any spare boots in that pack of yours?”

  He shook his head. “Barefoot ain’t no good either, you’ll be bleeding and leaving a trail. We got to move, that asshole merc got away.”

  “He was being chased by all of Eddie’s guards!” Jessie protested.

  “And he could kill every one of Eddie’s boys if he stopped to bother with them,” Carl said. “I seen him. He knows how to move and how to fight. He got away from me this time, but I’ll get him the next time he shows up.”

  “You’re coming with us?” Tanya asked, sounding surprised and hopeful. She held the sniper rifle still, keeping it clear of the ground or any brush in a protective way.

  “Just cuz you know how to shoot now don’t mean you kids got a chance out here,” he grumbled.

  Jessie took the opportunity to sit down on a rock, which caused her to wince as some of the rough edges on it bit into the sensitive flesh of her bottom. She took off one high heel and grabbed the heel in one hand and the shoe in the other. A grunt and a twist later and the heel was broken off. She repeated the process with the other then put the flat shoes back on.

  “There,” she said, taking a few experimental steps. “I won’t be walking down any runways in these, but until something better comes along they’ll do.”

  Carl grunted again, nodding in approval. He caught himself, scowled, and turned back to the others. “Come on, we got some miles to put behind us.”

  “Where are we going?” Jessie asked, hurrying after him. “Eddie said something about a family of cannibals out here somewhere.”

  Carl pointed to the setting sun, which was on their left. “That means we’re headed North, Northwest. The Diggers are east of us.”

  “Mexicali is south,” Jessie said. “Why are we going north?”

  “Eddie is south too,” he pointed out. “You want to find out how generous he might be if we tried to head back through there? Especially now that he’s got a new enemy with a chopper?”

  “Oh,” Jessie said, quieting down. Her eyes fell to the ground, picking her path over the often treacherous terrain carefully.

  They fell silent as they walked, saving their strength for the rough pace Carl set for them all. His limping came and went, and before long Jessie was limping as well from blisters and twisted ankles caused by her modified footwear. Of them all, Dustin seemed to be holding up the best simply because he was the most rested due to his forced confinement in the trailer. He tried to talk to his sister a few times, wondering what had happened after he and Jessie had been caught and repeatedly asking how she learned to shoot the sniper rifle she still carried proudly. She shushed him though, focusing instead on their path and the growing discomfort each step caused her. She still wore the lawnmower blade wrapped tightly to her back, but it had slipped amongst all the walking and was biting into her flesh.

  Nearly two arduous hours later Carl called a halt. The terrain had grown increasingly hilly as they climbed. Numerous trees and bushes dotted the landscape as well, offering cover and occasional breaks from the wind that grew worse as the sun set. Jessie was sweating and occasionally moaning, the pain in her feet was largely unnoticed due to the misery of once again having withdrawal being forced upon her.

  “No fire,” he told them, which was not argued but was cause for some angry looks. “I’ll watch first. Tanya you get the second. Dusty and Jessie, you’re on third.”

  “Why together?” Dusty asked, feeling as though Carl didn’t trust him. “I can do it Carl, come on. Don’t treat me like some stupid kid.”

  Carl stared off into the distance, which was limited by the rapidly approaching darkness, and then said, “Ain’t you I’m worried about.”

  Dusty stared at him, then slowly turned and looked at Jessie. She was in her own world, shivering and sweating as she clung her arms to herself. The heat radiating from the sun baked ground was nearly gone. The darkness and the wind were taking their toll on all of them, but most especially on her. When Dusty turned back, Carl had already dropped his pack and started off to circle the camp to familiarize himself with the terrain.

  “Okay, we’re done marching, now tell me what happened!” Dustin demanded of his sister once they had arranged a few rocks and their meager belongings to provide some minimal comfort. Jessie had tried to do the same, but seemed sluggish and clumsy, so they had helped her as well.

  “Get some sleep, you’re going to need it,” she told him.

  “Damn it Tanya! Why’s it such a big secret?”

  “Darrin… Dusty, let your sister be,” Jessie said. She sighed deeply in hopes of catching her breath, but found it was hardly satisfying. “When she wants to talk about it, she will. Tanya… good shooting, Thanks.”

  Tanya smiled faintly. “Thanks,” she said softly, then tried to reach back and adjust the splint that had become more of a hindrance then a benefit.

  Jessie missed it, caught up in her own misery again. She slipped into the small hollow they had made for her, padded with short grasses and weeds, and passed out before she could realize just how cold it was. Dustin, annoyed but forced to oblige, found sleep came quickly to him as well. Only Tanya took a few extra minutes before she could relax enough to sleep, the metal was digging into her back until her exhaustion overpowered it.

  * * * *

  “Tanya,” Carl whispered, touching her shin gently. She stirred slowly. As realization came to her, she sat up and looked at him. A grimace reminded her of the misplaced shim.

  “Can you fix this thing?” she asked him, using her thumb to point at her back.

  Carl nodded and motioned for her to follow him. She did, climbing to her feet and grabbing the M24, then stepping over to where he had moved. The wind had died down some, but it was growing more and more chilly. Carl gestured for her to turn around then he untied the bandage and unraveled it from around her chest as soon as she removed the shirt she had worn over it.

  “Oh wow, it feels good to breathe normal again,” she said as the last of the bandage was free. The chilly of the night set in quickly, causing goose bumps on her skin and likewise twisting her nipples into hard buds.

  “You did a good job today,” Carl told her, gently touching her spine with his fingers to check on her recovery.

  Unseen to him she blushed. “Carl…” she trailed off, stammering a little. She shivered as his fingers tickled her neck, though it was far from intentional on his part. “I liked it,” she gushed out, admitting her guilty sin.

  “You liked it?” he asked her, pushing a little harder to check her spine.

  “Yeah… not that I was killing people. I mean that’s… well…
that’s wrong, right?” She asked him.

  Carl chuckled darkly. “I done a lot of wrong in my life. You saved my ass, your brothers, and Jessie’s. Ain’t nothing wrong about that.”

  She nodded. “I know, but it just seems like I should feel worse than I do.”

  Carl shrugged behind her, then gave her a pat on the back. “You must not have been that bad.”

  “Oh, I missed at least three times,” she said, misunderstanding him. “I had to reload once too. We’re running out of bullets.”

  “No, I mean your back must not have been that bad. I don’t think the bones were broken, just a slipped disc or something. I can’t find anything wrong with it now,” he told her.

  “Oh… you mean?” She turned around slowly and faced him. “I don’t have to wear that stupid lawnmower blade anymore?”

  He smiled. “No more blade,” he said, tossing it off to the side.

  Tanya threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. After a moment she realized she was topless and she let go of him, blushing furiously. “Sorry,” she stammered, quickly pulling her shirt back on.

  Carl blushed a little too, but the darkness hid it from her. “It’s okay,” he grumbled. “Been a while since I had a naked girl throw herself at me. I ain’t complaining.”

  Blushing furiously, Tanya could not help but laugh. “Try coming out of the desert more often. You’re not so bad once you get to know you.”

  He smiled but let the matter drop. “How many rounds you got left?”

  “21,” she said. “Any chance we can find more?”

  He nodded. “It’s a .308 Winchester round, lots of people in the parts have hunting rifles chambered to that. Just got to find one is all.”

  She shook her head. “It’s scary, how much you know about all this.”

  “All this?” he asked her.

  “Yeah, about guns and survival and…and… killing.”