Champions of the Apocalypse

by Michael G. Thomas

  One of Khan’s lieutenants walked over and spoke to him for several minutes but the sound level was too low for Synne to hear whatever it was that they were discussing. Whilst the conversation continued, Synne watched what was going on. It was clear that the prisoners were from many different places. Some were members of the great Houses, most were simply workers or traders from the large flatlands that ran across the land. She couldn’t understand why there were so many of them, the Raiders were surely not this well organised, unless they were being helped of course. They must have huge numbers in the Wastelands to be able to carry out operations like this. She started to think about the rumours she and Ulric had discussed, when a loud whistle came from over the ridge. The guards moved along the prisoners and attached manacles to each person. A chain ran from one to the next that created a series of long lines of prisoners. As they started to move off towards the storage buildings, the carts moved in the opposite direction. Synne wondered to herself if they were going into storage or more likely back to the violence and confusion of the lands she had left to find more prisoners.

  “Hey, what are you looking at?” shouted one of the men as he struck Synne with a leather whip.

  The rough leather made her wince and gave her a red slash across her side that stung. She turned back ahead and followed the rest of the line as they snaked through the array of buildings. It was clear this was some kind of temporary storage area or depot, though where it was in relation to her own lands she had no idea. How long had she even been unconscious? They moved past the first few buildings, Synne could see wooden crates and stacked weapons, mainly spears and axes though at least one was stacked with crossbows. Another building was full of clothing, furs and skins. They walked around the corner to be greeted by dozens of people running about. Some were carrying goods on their shoulders whilst other groups were trading wares on a series of tables.

  The man that was walking behind Synne took a step closer and whispered to her.

  “This must be the Horizon Market. I’ve heard of this place, it’s where you can buy anything from what people say. Food, clothing, weapons, drugs, the lot.”

  “Horizon Market. I thought it had been closed down by the Brotherhood years ago in the attack a few seasons ago when we cleared large areas around here,” said Synne.

  “Doesn’t look like it, does it? Who told you that, the men of the Brotherhood and you believed them?” said the man with a chortle.

  The columns of prisoners continued shambling along with their Raider escort always staying close by. None of the traders or workers gave them a moment’s notice, they were obviously a common sight. They passed a long hut and then came to a raised stone platform that ran alongside a set of parallel iron rails. A great whistle came from further away and Synne was shocked to see a metal beast making slow progress along the rails. Some of the prisoners recoiled at the sight and sound but Synne was almost excited. She had read about this form of transport before but had never seen a picture of what it looked like. As the machine came closer, it slowed and then stopped with a great screeching of metal. A plume of steam hissed from the top and then it was still.

  The guards made them continue their movement up onto the long raised platform that ran alongside the tracks. From this position, Synne was able to get a good look at the machine. It looked as though it was fabricated from parts salvaged from many places, as it was different faded colours. Most of the machine was taken up with a great metal cylinder, the length of two or three carts. On top of this was a platform with several men stood carrying crossbows. A vertical cylinder pushed up several feet from the top and steam trickled from it. Behind this engine part of the train were four large sections, all of which were like long metal carts and open at the top. One carried many containers that were already being unloaded. Two carried open topped metal carts full of materials of some kind, presumably from the mines Khan had been describing. The final section carried a dozen cages that were empty. It was towards these that the guards moved the first line of prisoners. These were the ones selected for work in the mines. Synne watched them go but wasn’t sorry she hadn’t been selected. The fact that prisoners went one way and materials came back was not lost on her. The mine was obviously a one-way trip.

  As they stood watching, the guards relaxed a little and the prisoners were allowed to mingle a little, though they were still being watched carefully. Jonas moved slowly towards Synne and stopped next to her.

  “Are we travelling on that thing as well?” he asked quietly.

  Synne looked at the train in detail before replying.

  “I don’t think so, look at the space they have on it.”

  As she spoke, the guards walked over and called out to the prisoners. As the line moved along the pairs of prisoners were moved up to the carts that were loaded with what looked like black rocks. As each one was tipped down a ramp to waiting carts, the prisoners were lifted into the carts that were about the same size as the cage that Synne had been inside until recently. Each one took time as it took several minutes to scrape out the crumbling back rocks to make space for the prisoners.

  “What is that stuff?” asked Jonas.

  I think it’s coal, it looks too hard to be peat,” she replied.

  “Coal?” asked the other man.

  “Yes, it is mined from under the ground and is used for fuel. You can use it for heat or to power a machine like this one,” she said pointing to the noisy train.

  “Have you seen one of these machines before?” asked Jonas.

  “No, but I have read about them. According to some of our old books, these machines used to run from town to town across the land. It was a quick and safe way to move people and goods about. This isn’t one of those machines though, it has been built from scraps. Look, you can see steam escaping from the pipes and tubes. It is a rough copy of what somebody thought the old machines looked like.”

  Jonas looked at the train and the number of prisoners and guards moving around it.

  “Maybe that’s the way it used to be, doesn’t look that way now though, does it? From here it looks like an old rusting bathtub with steam coming out the top,” he said with a barely disguised hint or sarcasm.

  “True, true. It does appear to work though and that is impressive.”

  It took almost half an hour for all of the carts to be emptied before it came to Synne. As she was moved along the platform she was able to get a better look at the machine. As she had thought, it was roughly made from lumps of rusting iron and cylinders. What intrigued her more than the machine though was the mind behind it. There was much science in the design and construction of a steam power plant and even more to fit it inside a machine, that could move on metal tracks. The Raiders surely didn’t have the knowledge, skills or desire to create such an item. So who did?

  “Come on, get in!” shouted the nearest guard.

  Synne needed little encouragement however and pulled herself inside, quickly followed by her companion. As they sat down the guard lifted their chain to the side of the cart and padlocked it to a metal ring. With the prisoners secure, he jumped down and moved to the next pair. Synne turned to the man with her, she had spoken to him briefly before.

  “Look, I don’t know about you but I’m going to get out of here, you with me?” she asked him.

  The man sitting next to her needed little persuasion, he even looked a little excited.

  “Hell yes, I’m not working for these bastards. They killed most of the people they took from my village. Women, children, animals, they killed the lot. They even burned my farm,” he said with passion.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” said Synne as she thought back to her own town and family.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I’m not sure yet, I’ll think of something though. Just watch for my signal and don’t do anything to draw attention,” replied Synne reassuringly.

  There was much shouting and running about from the guards as they positioned themselves at
key locations on the train. With a whistle from the engine and a great gush of steam, the train started to move slowly from the raised platform. As it moved Synne could feel the clacketing sound through the floor as they passed over the joined sections of the old iron tracks. They started to build up speed and in minutes were moving at a pace that could easily equal a galloping horse through the countryside. The depot and market faded away to be replaced with the open plains and its small number of hills.

  “Where are we going?” asked the man.

  Synne looked ahead and strained her eyes. The light was fading but she was certain she could make out the shape of mountains. She thought back to the map, their father had shown her and Ulric. At the thought of home, she felt a sick ache in her stomach. Her father was dead, her brother missing and the rest of her friends were probably scattered to slavers and traders throughout the land. She turned her attention back to her current situation and looked at the line of mountains.

  “Mountains, I think we might be heading for the North of the Wastelands, those look like the Black Mountains to me.”

  “The Wastelands? I thought that was contaminated, we’ve been told to never go near the place or we’ll get the sickness,” explained the man as a look of panic spread over his face.

  “Yeah, I’ve heard exactly the same thing about the place though something tells me I think we’ve been lied to.”

  Synne looked off to the guards, trying to find any possible chance for escape. Each of the men had a rough, weary look to them but they also looked fit and very dangerous. They were not near enough to keep a close on on Synne, but they all carried projectile weapons and she had no doubt, that excessive noise or attempts to escape would be dealt with swiftly.

  “I don’t know about you but everything I’ve heard from that place is bad. We had at least two scouting parties go missing when they went to the Wastelands. We assumed it was from the sickness. If they are taking us there, I doubt we’ll see home again. Stay alert, I’ve got a plan,” said Synne mysteriously.

  She strained her shoulder as she twisted around, looking for Jonas. About eight people further down she could see him, still shackled to his own cart and looking directly at her. Synne gave him a signal and Jonas responded with a nod. She turned back and looked about the cart. There were two other pairs of people in there with them and they were doing their best to avoid eye contact. It was hardly surprising, they had no reason to trust her and probably a few days ago, they were working on their farms or workshops, only to be dragged away by these men.

  Her attention was drawn to the metal strip running along the top of the cart that the ring and padlock were fitted to. She slid forward a few inches so she could get a better look. The strip was held in place by eight thick brass screws that were pushed into the old wood. She lifted her hand to the surface and checked each of them, they were all firm apart from the last one that wiggled just a little.

  “Ah, got you!” she whispered to herself as she proceeded to remove the bolt.

  The other screws where firm however and it required a full ten minutes of digging around in her clothing and inside the cart before she found a coin pushed inside her jacket. It was damaged but perfect for this most important of tasks. The carriage continued to rattle as they travelled along the tracks and towards the mountains. As they moved on Synne worked tirelessly on the band until she had loosened and removed all but one of the screws. With a gentle pull, she could easily lift the band that held her manacles to the side of the cart. As she freed herself, one of the others in the cart spotted what she had done and made to move towards her. Synne raised her finger to her mouth to make him keep quiet.

  “Ssh, I will help you as well. Keep still, we can’t try to escape until it is completely dark,” she whispered.

  The man nodded and watched as Synne replaced one of the screws so it was held tight before leaning to the others in the cart.

  “Loosen the screws, don’t remove them yet though. When it is dark we’ll jump and head for the mountains. Okay?” she asked.

  The passengers all nodded in eagerness and waited patiently. Synne looked back further along the train to where Jonas was still watching. Synne looked to his side and indicted towards the metal band. Jonas wasn’t quite sure what she was trying to communicate but following his eyes her noticed the band on his own cart. Synne lifted her hand a little but not too much to draw attention. She showed Jonas the coin before moving it to the metal band and the screws. Jonas quickly saw what she was doing and started to look around for a tool he could use.

  Synne moved backwards and looked ahead, watching for signs of trouble from the guards. So far, it was clear they were obviously far more interested in watching the horizon than the beaten and dejected prisoners. The mountains were getting closer and Synne could see the train track followed a winding course that disappeared up into their craggy heights. The sun was getting lower now and the shadows from the mountains cast long, dark shapes across the open plains. She thought back to the map and tried to work out roughly where they might be. This track was too far north for it to be the tracks they had come across during previous operations against the Raiders. Unless of course the tracks turned away at some point, and travelled parallel to the mountains rather than heading between them. Either way it didn’t matter. The sun was setting to the left and that was the west so she was heading away from home. Her plan was simple, escape to the mountains and find shelter. Then work out a way back home, find her brother and seek vengeance on those that had caused so much death and misery. It was beginning to look like it would be time soon enough.

  Synne looked along the train to Jonas who lifted something metal and nodded to her. She couldn’t make out what it was but the important thing was that he had removed his metal bands the same as Synne. With just a few twists, she removed the one on her own cart and with a tug it pulled away, the chains from the six prisoners clattered to the ground. Synne’s heart fluttered as she worried they would be heard. It shouldn’t have concerned her though, nobody could hear with the noise coming from the tracks.

  Are you ready?” she asked the others with her.

  “Now, when we’re moving? Shouldn’t we wait till we’ve stopped?” asked one of them, scared by the speed they were travelling.

  “No, that would be the death of us all. If we wait and try to escape when the train is still we will be easily spotted and they will hunt us down and kill us. They are fit, strong and well equipped with weapons. Do you think you can escape them and their crossbows? No, we have to jump, and fast, before we hit the rocks or it will kill us anyway.”

  Synne checked the others, noting each of them was waiting for the word. She turned back to the obviously frightened man.

  “It is dangerous but I’m willing to risk it. Are you?”

  The man said nothing, he just sat there looking terrified.

  “It’s up to you, I’m going. Ready?” she asked the others.

  They nodded once more and readied themselves to go. Synne signalled to Jonas and he started to move about, hopefully making himself ready to jump. Synne gave one last look to the side of the train to check the ground, it was dark but this looked like the last stretch of grass before they reached the rocks and mountainside.

  “Now!” she shouted.

  With great effort, the six passengers lifted themselves up to the side of the cart. The ground below hurtled past at a frightening speed. It didn’t stop Synne though who jumped first, quickly followed by the other four. As they hit the ground and disappeared into the darkness a small group from Jonas’s cart did the same. Synne hit the ground hard but did her best to roll and she tumbled along the grass until coming to a halt. The rest seemed unscathed apart from Jenson who was howling in pain on the floor. Synne lifted herself up quickly and moved over to check him. As she moved, she heard shouting from the train. As it moved away, she spotted the man who had refused to jump. He was standing up on cart, presumably too scared to jump but waving his arms and drawing attention
to them and himself.

  “Stupid moron, he’ll get us caught!” cried Jonas who was jogging back towards the group.

  A flash of smoke came from one of the guards on the train and the man tumbled in agony from the train and hit the ground hard. Synne ran over to him, followed by two of the others. When she reached him he was already dead, his neck or back must have been broken because he was completely still, killed outright.

  “Look, his stomach,” said one of the escaped prisoners.

  A pool of dark blood was forming on the man’s stomach and more dripped from behind him.

  “What kind of weapon could do that?” asked Jonas.

  “I think I know,” answered Synne.

  Several more flashes came from the train and the whistle and whine of crossbow bolts and metal rounds flew past them to thud into the ground. The oncoming fire forced the group to scatter and try to find immediate shelter in the open ground. A scream of metal came from the tracks along with shouting. The train was slowing and alongside the wheels, great orange sparks sprayed like a great display. A horrifying scream from the grinding metal of the wheels in the tracks was all the signal the group needed to know their escape had been detected.

  “You idiot!” shouted Synne, as she looked down at the man who had blown their opportunity,

  “Come on, they’ll be here any second!” shouted Jonas.

  Synne nodded and joined them as they turned and ran from the tracks and towards the rocks leading to the mountains. Synne and Jonas rushed over to Jenson who was still groaning as the rest moved ahead.

  “Move it, Jenson, we need to go!” shouted Synne.

  Jonas and Synne grabbed him about the arms and lifted him up. He howled but did his best to keep moving as they followed the rest as they made their way to mountains. Eleven prisoners were running as fast as they could, but the distance between the base of the mountains seemed to be just as far by the time the train had stopped. They kept moving though even though Synne felt her lungs would burst at the exertion. A flicker of light and smoke came from the dark train and another volley of ammunition blasted around them. It did nothing of note other than to give them all encouragement to keep moving. A dozen guards were now on the ground and running towards them. Every few seconds one would stop and fire his crossbows as they went.