by J. G. Martin
He hated the idea of spending the night here. It violated Rule #14, never sleep in the open. They were too open to attack here; but the tech was right, the transporter would be an easy target on the open road at night. Even if they could call for backup; which they couldn’t since the radios didn’t have that kind of distance, the backup wouldn’t arrive for six hours. They were screwed either way, but at least here the wounded could shelter for the night.
“Okay.” He agreed. “But we need to move some junk to provide cover for us. We need to keep watch all night, I’ll take the first shift. You finish loading and then everyone needs to get some rest. We will leave at first light.”
The techs nodded and went back to working on the shuttle. After about an hour they gathered the two able soldiers and Derek to help winch the shuttle onto the transporter bed. It slid on with surprisingly little trouble and the techs gave each other a high five. He loved their enthusiasm, but they still had a long way to go and a night in the open to survive. He checked with Rora on the wounded. Her first aid skills were impressive and all three were stable and resting comfortably.
After a quick meal of MREs everyone but Derek lay down and tried to get some rest. The others had wanted to build a fire, but he had overruled them. While it may bring warmth, it would attract anyone or anything nearby; and even if they were going to break Rule #14 they needed to follow Rule #19 and not draw attention to themselves. It would also destroy their night vision and limit their visibility.
Derek did a quick patrol around the perimeter. They had dragged several large pieces of junk and stacked some debris around the disabled MRAP to provide some protection. It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing. All the weapons and ammo had been collected and parceled out amongst the survivors. He had replaced his destroyed M4 with one of the deceased soldiers’. He looked for the advanced missile launcher but it had disappeared, possibly taken by a fleeing cultist. The last thing they had done before going to sleep was to collect the bodies. They had wrapped them in plastic sheeting they found and secured the bodies onto the transporter to take back with them.
The night passed quietly until Rora’s shift began. Derek needed little sleep and he was still keyed up after the fight so he was resting his eyes but still awake. As he lay there trying to prepare himself for the journey back, he heard quiet sobbing. A quick listen confirmed it was a woman sobbing; and since Rora was the only female on the trip, it had to be her. He debated ignoring it, but she had become like a daughter to him and he didn’t want her in pain. So he slowly got up and moved over to join her.
“Do you want to talk about it?” He offered.
“I was thinking about Kevin…” She sobbed.
“Was that the young soldier you were talking to on the trip?” He asked, putting his arm around her.
“Yes. I really liked him, and he liked me. And now he’s dead…” She whispered between sobs.
He assumed it was her first crush or love or emotional attachment to someone other than her father. Then to see him viciously killed right in front of her. That had to be rough, but it was the way things were in the World After. Life was short, sometimes brutally so, and cheap out in the wasteland. Unfortunately Rora would have to get used to that.
“Not that it is comforting, but death is a constant companion in the wastelands.” Derek offered.
Rora gave him a dirty look. “Is that a rule?” She snapped.
He shrugged. “No. Just a fact of life.”
Any further conversation was cut short by a crackle in Derek’s ear that let him know the Voice was about to communicate with him. He gave Rora a short hug and stepped away to let her grieve.
“Major. You have company coming.” The Voice calmly informed him.
“The cultists are coming back?” Derek asked.
“No. There are vehicles coming at a fast rate from outside the graveyard. Raiders probably.” The Voice replied.
Derek cursed and started rousing the sleeping techs and soldiers. They scrambled into firing positions as he heard the high pitched whine of a small engine. That grew in volume as more vehicles approached. It wasn’t long before the headlights of the approaching vehicles came into view. The vehicles were small based on the size and location of the lights and single lights indicated possible motorcycles. Gunfire started before they were really in range and intensified as they grew closer.
It was difficult to see in the low light but Derek could pick out multiple attackers on ATVs and dirt bikes. The attackers began circling the perimeter around the MRAP and maintained a steady stream of fire. They stayed at a distance, weaving in and out of the parked airplanes making it hard to target them. The soldiers and the techs returned fire and the area was lit by the repeated muzzle flashes. Derek tried to target individual attackers, but even he was having trouble getting a shot lined up as the vehicles whizzed by.
After a few minutes of the attack he took stock of the situation. None of his people had been hit but it seemed like they hadn’t hit the attackers either. The attackers didn’t seem interested in getting any closer and his men couldn’t leave the protection of their perimeter. It was a maddening stalemate that seemed to serve no purpose. Then he heard the deep roar of a large vehicle engine starting and he realized what has happening.
“They’re hijacking the shuttle!” He called to the others. “Cover me.”
Derek started to leave the shelter of the barricades but the attackers saw him and concentrated fire on him. Changing tactics, one of the riders on an ATV threw a Molotov cocktail into the perimeter. It shattered on a pile of junk and sprayed liquid flame. A few more flaming bottles added their fire to the mix, setting the perimeter ablaze. That pushed the defenders back and made it even harder to see the attackers through the flickering flames.
Derek groaned in frustration as the attackers managed to keep them pinned. With the light from the flames, he could see that the attackers were indeed raiders. By his count there were three ATVs and four dirt bikes circling them. All of them had a driver and a rider behind them. The riders were firing submachine guns they had strapped to their shoulders continuously, only pausing to reload, and occasionally flinging another Molotov cocktail. Rounds sparked off the barricades and the disabled MRAP keeping the defenders pinned down. He could only assume this was another ploy by the Humek that had been chasing them to interfere with their plans. It was way too organized for a pack of raiders.
He could feel the ground rumble as the massive transporter pulled away slowly. The raiders circling them kept up their fire until the vehicle had left the airplane graveyard. Then they roared away, following after their stolen prize. Without a working vehicle Derek had no way to chase them. He needed to grab one of theirs. As the last raider pulled away, Derek jumped through the flames and ran after them. Clear of the flames, his vision improved and he had a clean shot. Stopping, Derek took aim at the last of the fleeing raiders.
The ATV was heading directly away from him meaning that he had a straight shot at the raiders. He fired the full clip into their backs, his strength enabling him to keep the recoil from moving his shots too much. The rider threw his hands up as the first rounds struck him and fell backwards off the escaping vehicle. The remainder of the clip struck the driver; he shook with the impacts and then slumped over the steering column. The ATV veered left and crashed slowly into a pile of junk. Derek gave a small yell of triumph. All was not yet lost.
“Rora!” He yelled. “Get on the ATV. You’re driving!”
She hustled out of the still burning perimeter and joined him at the ATV. Derek yanked the dead raider from the seat and they both jumped on. Rora took a minute to familiarize herself with the controls and then gunned the throttle. Derek held on with one arm and tried to steady the carbine with the other. He had reloaded while she was looking over the controls and he was ready to kill some more scum.
With the ATV at full speed they soon caught up with the stolen transporter and its escort. Derek opened fire as soon as they we
re in range and managed to kill two of the raiders on a dirt bike. His rounds hit the driver and the bike crashed at a high rate of speed cart-wheeling the rider through the air. He landed with a thud and didn’t move. Rora closed on a second bike and Derek emptied the rest of the clip. The bullets struck the gas tank and caused the bike to fireball killing both the driver and the passenger.
The fireball caused the others to realize they were being pursued and started to drive more evasively. They dropped back to engage their pursuer and protect their prize. The riders turned backwards and opened fire on the pursuing ATV. Rora was forced to start weaving as well to make a more difficult target to hit. Derek tried to reload the carbine, but they struck a rut and the ATV lurched up into the air. He was forced to let go of the M4 to hang on to Rora.
“Sorry!” She called back to him. “The terrain is getting tougher to handle.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He yelled in her ear as he pulled out his sawed off shotgun. “Just get us closer. Try to bring us in between them.”
In response she hit the throttle and they rocketed into the midst of the raider pack. Bullets whizzed around them as they closed in and Derek was struck several times, but nothing serious. He had hoped they would cease firing because they were afraid they would hit each other with the crossfire, but no such luck. The raiders were as dumb as they were vile. He pointed the shotgun one handed to their right and fired point blank with both barrels. There was no way he could miss at this distance.
The shotgun blast cleared the raiders off of one of the other ATVs and it slowly coasted to a stop. That left an ATV and two dirt bikes on their left and another bike on their right. There must have been more raiders on vehicles that hadn’t been circling the perimeter. The bike on their right peeled off and headed in a different direction. Not unexpected, most raiders were opportunistic cowards who didn’t like a standup fight. The others didn’t run though, and kept firing at them. This close they couldn’t miss.
Bullets struck the ATV and he took a few rounds to his left leg. He heard Rora gasp as a round tore through her and he quickly reloaded the shotgun. He snapped it open with one hand, the spent shells ejecting out, and then jammed it under his left armpit. Pulling shells from his belt he reloaded it one handed while still hanging onto Rora. Once the shells were in, he snapped it shut with a flourish and rested it across his left arm to aim at the raiders on their left.
A blast from both barrels turned the raiders on the ATV next to them into bloody messes and the now driverless ATV struck a hump and flipped. It bounced crazily throwing the dead raiders free. One of the bikes struck the wrecked ATV throwing the raiders forward over the front of the bike. They landed hard, bouncing through the weeds, and didn’t get up.
The remaining raiders on the dirt bike swerved wildly to avoid the crashing ATV and gave Derek time to reload. They tried to flee but a blast from his shotgun blew out their front tire causing them to suddenly flip over head first. They screamed as they flew through the air and also landed hard. He wasn’t sure if they were dead, but they were certainly out of the fight.
He slapped Rora on the shoulder and pointed ahead to the transporter. He felt her grimace as he hit her and worried that her wounds may be more serious then he realized. He might heal quickly but she didn’t. He needed to be more careful risking her in these situations. He had come to view her more and more as a partner and so he hadn’t even hesitated in taking her to chase the raiders.
She increased the throttle and they quickly moved up behind the massive transporter. It wasn’t designed to go off-road but it’s enormous solid rubber tires were having no trouble crushing their way across the wasteland. There were still several raiders on the transporter itself and they opened fire as Derek and Rora got closer. Covered by the metal frame of the vehicle Derek would have great difficulty hitting them, and he didn’t want to take a chance on damaging the shuttle.
“Pull up behind it.” He said in Rora’s ear as he shoved the shotgun back into its sheath. “I’m going to climb on board.”
“What?” She yelled back. “Are you crazy?”
“Just do it!” He ordered.
She shook her head and did as requested. The gunfire directed at them stopped as they got close. The raiders on the side of the vehicle couldn’t get a shot on them as they were blocked by the bulk of the vehicle itself. The ATV rattled and bounced wildly as Rora tried to get closer. The ruts torn by the massive tires were making it difficult for her to maintain control and the dirt and rocks sprayed back at them were making it hard to see.
Derek braved the steady stream of debris and climbed over her onto the front of the ATV. With one final burst of speed she got close enough and he jumped for it. He almost didn’t make it, but he managed to get one hand onto the frame. He was dragged for a brief second and ate a mouthful of dirt, but he pulled himself up. Rora dropped back as soon as he was off and watched as he climbed up onto the transporter. He gave her a quick wave to let her know he was okay and started making his way forward.
The massive vehicle was surprisingly stable even moving at a high rate of speed. The incredible weight of the transporter and the shuttle kept it from bouncing too much and its large size and wide base kept it from shifting too much. It still had the occasional shimmy as they crossed over a particularly rough patch of ground, but was otherwise fairly easy to navigate. Derek moved forward, ducking under the shuttle for cover. There was no gunfire from the raiders on board and he supposed they couldn’t believe anyone could have jumped on. Moving slowly and quietly he was on top of the first raider before the dirty thug dressed in worn jeans and a black jacket was aware of him.
The man barely had time to gasp as Derek leapt onto him. A quick strike with the blade of Derek’s hand to the throat left the scumbag breathless and choking. Derek kicked the hapless man off the transporter. He struck with a thump and bounced limply a few times. Derek turned to see another raider coming towards him with a pistol in hand. He rushed along the edge of the transporter straight at the startled raider. The pistol spat lead, but Derek’s vest absorbed the rounds and he barely slowed.
They met in a crash of bodies and Derek bowled the raider over. Landing on top of the filthy man, he smashed the raider’s head into the metal frame until the man stopped moving. Then he tossed the body off the side like a piece of trash. Normally he would collect the tattoos for the bounty, but he had a bigger mission to fulfill. There were certainly more raiders on board, but he wasn’t sure how many. More important was stopping the transporter before it got much further away. Derek didn’t want to run into the Humek and his drones or a larger raider group.
He moved along the transporter towards the giant cab. As he reached the gap between the cab and the trailer a raider lunged at him with a knife. Derek stepped back and narrowly avoided the strike. As he went to grapple with the man, another raider dropped down on him from above. The new opponent grabbed Derek’s arms and tried to hold him for the other raider to stick him. A classic maneuver, one he had seen a thousand times. He didn’t hesitate and smashed his head backwards into the raider’s nose and then powered forward breaking his grip.
The knife wielding raider’s grin turned to a look of terror as Derek barreled into him and gave him a hard shove. The raider dropped the knife and tried to catch himself, but stumbled and fell into the gap. The wheels didn’t even jump slightly as the rolled over him and crushed him. Derek felt the second raider crash into him from behind and twisted around to engage him. The raider’s knife slid off Derek’s vest and cut his jacket. He pulled back for another strike, but Derek didn’t give him any room.
He surged forward and wrapped his left arm around the arm holding the knife and pulled it tight against his body neutralizing the raider. Then he smashed his forearm into the already bloody face of the raider in front of him. The man’s nose was already broken and blood sprayed out when Derek struck it again. The man howled in pain and slumped backward. Derek released his hold on the arm and gave the scum
bag a shove off the side of the transporter. The raider fell with a scream that cut short when he impacted the ground.
With all the raiders on the outside of the transporter neutralized, Derek climbed onto the vehicle cab. He moved forward and yanked the driver side door open. He narrowly dodged backwards to avoid a shotgun blast from inside the cab. The raider driving racked the slide and waited for Derek to appear again. This posed a problem for Derek. He couldn’t shoot the driver and risk damaging the controls or the wounded driver wrecking the vehicle. But he was running out of time. The longer this went on the closer they got to whatever rendezvous the raiders had set up.
He decided to take a risk and feinted moving forward. The driver fired into the empty space but quickly realized his mistake. He frantically tried to rack the slide to reload the shotgun, but Derek lunged inside and grabbed the barrel of the shotgun. The heat of the barrel burned the flesh of his hand, but he ignored the pain and ripped the shotgun from the raider’s hand. He flung the shotgun off the vehicle and grabbed hold of the hand grips on the side of the door.
Bracing himself on the hand grips, Derek launched himself into the cab feet first. He struck the raider, a long haired young man with yellow teeth, with all of his weight and knocked him across the cab. The transporter swerved wildly as the raider lost his grip on the steering wheel. He struck the other door and was momentarily stunned, but recovered quickly. The dirtbag frantically grabbed for the gun in his waistband, but he was too slow. Derek was on top of him in a flash and placed his hands over the raiders when he gripped the gun. A brief struggle for the gun ensued and ended with Derek pulling the trigger while the gun was still in the man’s waistband.
