Gearing Up

by Daniel Schinhofen

  “Fuck,” Becky swore as she rubbed at her eyes, “that was way closer than I’ve ever been to a strike.”

  “I want to say it hit something up ahead,” Alvin said as he was finally able to clear his eyes. Slowing the Humvee even more, he peered through the curtain of rain to the side. Just ahead of them, a haul truck sat on a side road. “Jarvis, is there a mine out here?”

  “The map I’m looking at shows an open pit mine, sir, but I can’t find the name of it,” Jarvis replied.

  “Huh,” Alvin said as he let the Humvee come to a stop next to the truck. “I wonder what the mine is like?”

  “You promised me trees,” Becky reminded him. “Also, we’re supposed to hook back up with my Ruffian.”

  “Fine, but I’m going to remember this place. Maybe we’ll be back this way again,” Alvin said as he got the Humvee moving again.

  “At the moment, it’s going to be a giant hole filling with water,” Becky snickered. “Better to come back later anyway.”

  Keeping the Humvee at thirty, Alvin kept his focus on driving as the rain started to mix with slush. “Here comes the white stuff,” Alvin muttered.

  “You’re not even breathing heavy yet,” Becky snickered.

  “Always with the quips and puns,” Alvin replied with a smile.

  “Got to keep you on your toes,” Becky grinned.

  Before Alvin could reply, something streaked across the road. Slowing further, he watched as another few forms darted across the road ahead of them. “What the…?” Alvin said as he tried to get a better look at the figures.

  Another blurred shape streaked across the same point. Becky sat up straight, “Antelope?”

  “Pronghorn antelope,” Jarvis supplied.

  “Antelope don’t run that fast,” Alvin said firmly. “Unless that’s their mutation?”

  “I thought they could run fast before, but that was like Ruffian going all out,” Becky agreed.

  “Yeah,” Alvin said as he got the Humvee rolling again. “I hope they aren’t as aggressive as most of the other animals seem to be.”

  “They were running like something was after them,” Becky pointed out.

  “Cheerful thought,” Alvin said. Just ahead of them, he watched as water licked at the roadway where a wash was rushing by under it. “That is a lot of water.”

  “Right?” Becky said. “Good thing we’re going through now—I wonder if the road will even be here tomorrow?”

  “Point,” Alvin murmured as he drove over the rushing water.

  Not even a mile past that first stream, they came to another one, but this one had washed the road away. “Do we follow the water and try to find a better place to cross it?” Becky asked.

  “Can’t cross here,” Alvin said as he looked at the depth of the drop-off into the stream. Looking at the steel plate next to the shifter told him the operating speeds in the different gears. “I should put us into high-lock, but I want to see if the runes work as I thought they would.” Turning to the north, Alvin drove them off the road, staying well away from the bank as he followed the rushing water.

  Becky frowned as they went off the road. After a minute, she chuckled, “I’d say you broke it.”

  “Feels like we’re still on the road, doesn’t it?” Alvin snickered.

  “Yeah,” Becky agreed. “You think that’s the Impervious rune doing this?”

  “Yeah. It ignores environmental issues,” Alvin chuckled, “and I’d say mud is environmental.”

  “You know they’re going to fix that,” Becky said.

  “Fix what? My inventive use of game mechanics?” Alvin said innocently. “That would be a dick move, after all the grief they’ve pointed at me.”

  “You know that isn’t going to fly,” Becky said.

  “Meh, that’s my story,” Alvin deadpanned.

  Rolling her eyes, she looked out at the storm. The slush was turning into fat white flakes. “Let it snow?”

  “Looks like, it is August in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, after all.”

  “Think the ranch is up here somewhere?” Becky asked as Alvin followed the creek.

  “I hope so. I also hope to make it back to the road, eventually. If we had the snorkel kit on this, I’d just cross here, but we don’t, so no going under for us.”

  Alvin followed the water as it led them northwest. After a while, Alvin though he could make out some structures in the distance, though the flurries of snow. “Jarvis, is that Nine Mile Ranch?”

  “You are in about the right place for it, sir,” Jarvis said.

  Looking at the creek, Alvin grimaced. “Need to go further down before we try it.”

  “Are we going to go back to—” Becky began, but the crack of a gunshot reached them and she cut off.

  “I think it might be worthwhile,” Alvin said as he increased their speed. “Need to find a place to cross, first.”

  Less than a mile later, the creek forked, then forked again. Alvin was about to cross over when he saw where a dirt road had been. Taking that as the place to cross, Alvin hit it hard, creating a bow wave that was pushed ahead of the vehicle. Luckily, the water was only wheel deep when not being pushed by the Humvee. Crossing all three forks, Alvin got them onto the dirt road and pointed back toward the ranch.

  “Let’s call this hostile territory,” Alvin said. “But there might be non-aggressors, so make sure to verify before you pull the trigger. Jarvis, man the gun. Same rule for you.”

  “Yes, Hero.”

  “As you command, sir.”

  “Alright, let’s see what the ranch has to offer.”

  The drive to the ranch was short, with Alvin pushing the Humvee to fifty over the thick mud the dirt road had turned into. The heavy snowfall made it hard to know what was coming up, so he had little warning of the log fence that appeared before him. The gate couldn’t withstand the Humvee going full bore and shattered wood flew in all directions. To his immediate left was a pen of mutated cows that began to get upset at his sudden, noisy appearance.

  A woman dressed in torn lingerie came out of the snow just to the side of the road, and Alvin pulled the wheel to angle away from her. The bloody shoulder she clutched, along with her wide fearful eyes, gave Alvin the impression that she wasn’t the issue.

  A moment later, a man holding a rifle came into view. “Jarvis, end him,” Alvin commanded in a voice that matched the near blizzard swirling around the vehicle.

  The M240B fired a handful of shots, pulping the startled man as Alvin applied the brakes. Becky, feeling the Humvee coming to a stop, opened her door, jumping out to chase after the injured woman.

  “I can help you, wait!” Becky called out.

  Glancing over her shoulder at Becky, the injured woman took her eyes off her footing and went down with a cry of pain. Becky closed the distance before she could stand up again.

  “Easy,” Becky said, pulling out a medkit. “Just put this on your shoulder. We’re here to help. What is happening?”

  “Lister’s men, they shot him…” the woman sniffled, trying to hold back the tears. “They promised they wouldn’t if I… if I...” Breaking down into tears, the woman curled into a ball.

  Becky got close enough to put the medkit against the woman’s shoulder. “Lister’s men?” Becky’s eyes went wide, but the woman had passed out. “Hero, she said Lister’s men are here.”

  Alvin jumped out of the Humvee. “Guess his Settlement is close to here, then.” Bending down, he lifted the woman up and carried her to the Humvee. “Anything else we need to know?”

  “She said that they killed someone they’d promised not to, but she passed out when I applied the medkit.”

  “We need more info,” Alvin said as he knelt down and prodded the woman. “Hey, wake up.”

  With a groan, the woman blinked. “No… you promised.”

  “We’re not with Lister,” Alvin said firmly. “We need to know how many of them there are, and if anyone else is still alive.”

  “Dal
e, my husband. He’s been shot,” the woman began shuddering. “They promised to leave us alone if I just…”

  “Where are they holding your husband?” Alvin asked.

  “The barn. They shot him in the barn.”

  “How many of them are there?” Alvin’s voice was sharp as he tried to drag the information out of her.

  “Six.”

  “Gothy, get her settled in the Humvee,” Alvin said as he took a step back from the woman. “She would probably take it badly if I touched her right now.” Looking at the closest structure, which was the very definition of a barn, Alvin’s lips turned up in a vulpine smile. “Jarvis, if anyone shows up in any direction other than that barn, kill them.”

  Becky looked back at Alvin. “You’re not going without me.”

  “Shake a leg,” Alvin said as he summoned the Type 56 to his hand. “It’s hunting season, and we have five more to bag.”

  “Easy for you to say.” Becky grumbled. “She’s not my size, but she still weighs a fair bit.” Once Becky got the woman into the Humvee and had her Tommy gun in hand, Alvin and Becky started toward the barn.

  “What the fuck is taking him so long? And he better not have killed her, I haven’t had my turn yet.”

  “Oh, shut it, Stan. If you hadn’t shot her precious husband, we would still be spit-roasting the bitch. But you just couldn’t wait your fucking turn.”

  “Fuck you, Miguel. Just because I’m the newest guy on the crew doesn’t mean I should be last. I’m the best shot here and you fucking know it, asshole.”

  “Once Devon brings her back and she sees that he’s just injured, we might be able to convince her to keep going.”

  “You say that, but that was a lot of gunfire,” Stan snapped. “I think he killed her.”

  Alvin and Becky snuck up to the doorway, having heard the entire conversation. There were at least two people inside, plus the woman’s husband. Alvin tapped his chest and pointed right, before pointing at Becky and motioning left. Becky nodded as she put the Tommy on semi-auto. Alvin held out three fingers, then started counting down. When he finished, he rushed the door, which was open just wide enough for a single person to go through.

  Stepping into the barn, Alvin’s eyes swept the interior to the right of the door. Becky’s steps, right behind him, assured him that his back was safe. Alvin’s spotted a tough looking, weathered man, naked and hanging by his wrists, dripping blood from a single gunshot to the lower thigh.

  The sound of the Tommy being fired brought Alvin around, as he couldn’t find any targets in his field of view. Becky advanced on her victims, both of whom were on the ground screaming in pain. “Rapist bastards,” she snarled as she put more rounds into the two men.

  Getting himself focused back on his side of the barn, Alvin advanced on the hanging man. “Hey, you alive?”

  “Just let Vicki go,” the man wheezed.

  Alvin looked at the rope going up to the rafters, but it ran right next to the loft. “Gothy, you clear?”

  “Clear, Hero. A couple of XP tokens, and that’s it,” Becky said.

  “Eat them, I have to go cut this guy down. Bring a medkit over here, he needs one.” Alvin found the ladder to the loft and started climbing up. Once he was next to the rope, he discovered an issue—he didn’t have a knife on him. “Fuck,” Alvin sighed. Looking around, he found an older blade stuck into one of the posts. Shrugging, he grabbed it and sawed at the rope with the dull edge until it finally parted.

  “I got him,” Becky said as she lowered the guy to the ground. Applying the medkit as Alvin came back down, she started to ask, “Weren’t there supp—”

  The sound of the M240B firing brought them both running to the door. The snow had lessened just enough to see the house in the distance, and three unmoving shapes sprawled in pools of crimson.

  “Well done, Jarvis,” Alvin chuckled. “You want to go grab the loot from them and the first guy? I’ll see if our friend here is going to wake up.”

  “Sure,” Becky said, stealing a quick kiss.

  Alvin found a burlap sack to cover the unconscious, naked man. Kneeling down, Alvin tapped the man’s cheek. “Hey, wake up. Vicki is safe and waiting for you.”

  Eyes snapping open wild and unfocused, the guy lashed out and caught Alvin on the chin with his bound hands. “I’ll kill you!”

  Shocked at being hit, Alvin was just able to grab the rope that was still on the man’s wrists and secure him. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to be mean.”

  Eyes slowly gaining intelligence, the man blinked. “What did you do to her?”

  “Your wife is passed out in our vehicle. We found her being chased by these guys, and killed them. You are Dale, right?”

  “Yes,” Dale said as he started to shiver. “She’s safe? My Vicki is safe?”

  “You’re going to catch hypothermia,” Alvin said as he stood, pulling Dale to his feet. “Come on, we’ll get you into your house.”

  “There are more of them,” Dale said quickly.

  “No, all six are dead,” Alvin said, leading Dale by the rope like a horse. “Now come on.” Shaking his head, Alvin sighed again. “Jarvis, bring the Humvee to the front door of the farmhouse.”

  Dale stumbled along behind Alvin. “Can you untie me?”

  “Once we get you to the house, yeah. I would rather not get hit again, so until we get there, you’re staying like this.”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  By the time Alvin and Becky had the couple in their home, Dale was almost incoherent and blue, while Vicki was unresponsive, but breathing. Propping them both on the sofa, and covering Dale in blankets, the pair wondered what else they could do. The fireplace had a fire going in it, and the three dead men had obviously been enjoying themselves, judging by the assortment of alcohol bottles littering the coffee and end tables.

  “You want to look around, or watch them?” Alvin asked Becky.

  “I’ll look around,” Becky decided. “I think they both need something other than medkits.”

  “I think he’s got hypothermia,” Alvin replied. “Not sure what else we can do, besides trying to warm him up.”

  “There was something in the store that cured abnormal status effects,” Becky reminded him. “Maybe grab one and test it out on him? She might need one as well. She’s breathing fine, but isn’t responding to any stimuli.”

  “I’ll go grab one, you check through the house. Since we’re using XP on them, I’d like to walk away with something.”

  “Jarvis,” Alvin said as he got into the Humvee, “pad me.”

  Taking the glowing pad from the air, Alvin found it open to the medical area. “Panacea cures all abnormal status effects, but costs ten thousand XP. That’s a bit much,” Alvin muttered as he perused the list. “Antivenom, for three thousand, nice but they aren’t poisoned. Smelling salts, used to remove stun effects, up to and including shock, also three thousand XP—that might work for Vicki.” Alvin added the item to the cart and kept looking. “Still need something for hypothermia. Survival pack, cures heat and cold body conditions, three thousand XP.” Alvin’s finger hovered over the button, “Jarvis, will that cure hypothermia?”

  “It will, sir. It will also cure heat stroke, dehydration, frostbite, and similar conditions,” Jarvis replied.

  “Works for now,” Alvin said, adding it to the cart. “How much XP do I have? Hmm, a little over fourteen K. They better be worth the expense.” He bought both and headed back inside.

  Becky wasn’t in the living room with the couple, so Alvin figured she was still searching the house. Vicki was still unresponsive, even when he pinched her cheek hard. Dale was mumbling and shivering under the blanket, even with a fire going a few feet away.

  “If I cure them both now, then Gothy will have issues searching the rest of the house. If I don’t cure Dale, though, he might run into more complications,” Alvin muttered as he debated whether to at least cure Dale right now.

  Becky appeared at the top of the stair
s. “They have a small wall safe that’s locked tight with a combination spinner, looks pretty old. Other than that, they have a gun safe upstairs. Only a handful of jewelry, and nothing else of note.”

  “Well since you’re done with the look, I guess I’ll cure them and we can see how grateful they are.”

  “Should we remove his ropes first?” Becky asked.