by Nathan Ward
“I am,” he replied, holding on to his rifle tightly.
“If we need your assistance I’ll radio in, we’re all connected via our wrist systems, and they channel our voices into our headgear, pretty nifty, huh?”
“Very nifty, captain. Very cool.” Enrique replied, trying to keep in with the times.
“Plus, no offense Joy, but I'd rather Enrique piloting the ship if it ever came to it...”
“Oh, none taken. My daughter used to have one of those radio controlled UFO toys, as soon as I got my hands on it… well, let’s just say she didn’t have one anymore, so I don’t blame you, I can’t fly for shit!” Joy chuckled.
On hearing her now jovial tone he felt a surge of relief, as the thought crossed his mind that he would never want to end up on the wrong side of Joy, let alone hurt her feelings...he thought briefly on exactly how relieved he was, then he was heading towards the signal with Joy in tow as she cast her sights cautiously from left to right not knowing what to expect, as Murdock trampled his way up the sandy slope with little resistance, eager to see what was on the other side.
As they rose to the highest point of the mound a vast array of debris became visible, twinkling against the sun rays. Murdock and Joy stood tall, soaking in the sight as well as the scorching heat against their uniforms. Murdock unfastened the lid of a pouch that was attached to his belt and carefully removed a small pair of binoculars, making sure not to drop them as the heat became an increasing problem, blurring his vision and throwing his balance ever so slightly.
He raised the compact device to the visor of his helmet and cast his sights through them, observing and analysing what seemed to look like the remains of machinery.
“What can you see?” Joy asked eager to know what was laid at the bottom of the dune.
“It’s him,” Murdock replied, “The lad...” he added as memories came flooding back to him.
“Who?” she asked, becoming more and more impatient, grasping on to Murdock's arm, “Who is it?”
“His name was Henry,” Murdock stated, lowering the binoculars to his side.
“Was? What do you mean was…you’re not telling me he’s dead, there was a life sign right there!” Joy yelled, pointing down towards the corpse of Henry which where they stood appeared as a bloody blur.
“Not any more, Joy. He’s gone…”
“Gone where?”
“To fucking Disney land! He’s dead, Joy… he’s been dead for what I can tell at least three days.”
“It didn’t take long for the crows to settle in…they must be starving too…” said Joy, pulling the binoculars from Murdock's grasp and taking a look for herself.
“I never liked the guy anyway,” Murdock told her, “He was too quiet and cowardly…I’m a good judge of character, I had only known him a few days but never have I wanted to punch a sack of shit so hard, I’m so glad it’s him and not Josh or Thomas.”
Joy lowered the binoculars and returned them to Murdock's pouch.
"I look forward to meeting these friends you speak so well of,” she replied, while pressing down the lid and looking up towards Murdock’s shielded face.
“Soon, Joy, soon,” Murdock replied as he set his sights towards the towering dark space across from where they stood.
“There’s still a problem…” Joy insisted, tapping her wrist computer. As Murdock looked down at it, the bright red blip continued to indicate up ahead, flashing up on the small computer screen, signaling a life force still in proximity - but the land was bare.
Joy and Murdock both turned their gaze towards the eerie looking town with its collapsed buildings that looked as it hung in decay and ruin much like a devils face, dark as a storm cloud and as thunderous as Murdock's rage.
“I don’t like the look of that place, not one bit,” Murdock claimed, edging himself a foot in front of Joy, who suddenly became overwhelmed by fear.
“Something is coming, something that’s been dwelling within the ruins, I’m so sorry, Murdock. I think your friends fell in to the very same trap,” she said nervously.
“I think you might be right...” he agreed, watching on as the blip slowly advanced towards their location, out of the shadows and into the light.
Chapter 29: Devils Town
Murdock and Joy frantically descended down the side of the mound, both misjudging their footing in the process and breaking in to a sharp tumble. Murdock was first to reach the bottom, pounding against the ground then throwing himself towards Henry's bloody corpse, which spooked the feasting crows causing them to take to the skies with their beaks dripping with thick crimson.
Murdock hurriedly patted down the revolting remains in hope of finding something they could salvage but there was nothing of any importance, just a bloody mess.
“Looks like they were having a field day down there…” Joy stated, crawling along the sand to arrive alongside Murdock who hadn’t batted an eyelid at the sight or the stench of the blood soaked ground.
“Huh?”
“There’s nothing left down there…he’s got no cock or balls!” Joy remarked, nodding towards the emptiness between the corpse's mutilated groin.
Murdock chuckled.
“Trust you to notice, Joy!”
“You’re telling me you didn’t?” she asked.
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s never had any balls. Now, we have a job to do,” he told her, pulling Joy to her feet and out of her comical state of mind - or so he thought - as they begun their venture towards the dark town that looked in the shadow like a grinning face of evil. It was then Joy spoke up again.
“I feel sorry for the crows,” she said, “They must have expected a bigger meal!”
A faint clap of footsteps echoed down the long gloomy streets as wind swept from alley to alley carrying a storm of vicious sand in its wake. The current swirled and danced its way up and down the dark streets, occasionally crashing against the walls of desolate shops and demolished homes. A wooden plaque screamed on its final hinge as it swung back and forth in the hellish breeze until suddenly it was tugged loose and flung through the air, followed by a sharp crunch and a squeal as it collided with the ground and launched itself towards the foot of a well groomed gentleman.
The sign had landed beside his worn in boots and his once expensive grubby suit flapped in the wind as he lowered his head. He had a scarf raised over his nose and mouth to protect him from the dangerous sand storm and his hair was thick with grease, slicked all the way back and covered by a tatty fedora which didn’t take long to catch adrift of the wind as it was pulled away from his head and hurtled in to the skies, but this didn’t seem to bother the man as he glanced down at the plaque which read 'The Jolly Tailor'.
On seeing these words, the thin man whose once fine suit had made him cut a dashing figure smiled beneath the scarf as it flapped about around his face.
“Ash! You’re leaving us behind, slow down a bit!”
On hearing that distant voice called from further down the street, the view of those behind him was obscured by fluttering sand and dust. He turned back expecting company but their absence came as relief, so he took his opportunity to flee a bad situation, suddenly darting off into the building. It had once been a shop but the walls no longer resembled that, instead they were black and brittle, they also stank of burning wood which was the first thing the man noticed as he entered the premises.
He carefully watched his step as he made his way over the result of carnage that still lay waiting to claim another victim, here pointed sharp nails and cruel shards of broken glass had lodged within cracks in the ground; it was quite a death trap, he concluded as he took one final stride over a fallen cabinet and found himself stood upon a pristine plot of land that seemed so oddly out of place amid the wreckage – it was like he had journeyed through a desert and had now found an oasis....
“Oh yes...just what I need...” he murmured, taking a moment to compose himself and knock away the dust from his tatty suit, he even took th
e liberty of adjusting his neck tie to inject a dose of normality in to his life, something he really needed to restore - it was as if he couldn’t come to terms with the new life he was living as he fell to his knees and begun to pull drawers away from the walls as if he was hunting for something particular, but he had no luck, everything was burnt to ash.
“This isn’t fair, this isn’t fair at all!” he said bitterly, slamming his fists against the drawer, which burst into a pile of wood chips. Then he felt a jolt of alarm, realising how much noise he had just made - he quickly turned his head to face the front of the shop, expecting to be met by the cold eyes of those he had chosen to hide from, but for now they were nowhere to be seen so he took a gamble and threw himself under the remains of the shop counter and pulled his body towards a crack in the crisp woodwork. The crack was big enough to peep through, so he kept a watchful eye over the doorway, waiting nervously for his pursuers to walk on by.
“I can’t help you, no. Not at all, I’m sorry...” he muttered to himself, pushing his eye ball closer to the crack.
Just a few meters from the shop front, two human looking figures emerged from the thick sand storm, grasping tightly to their firearms, with thick cotton balaclavas pulled over their faces and goggles concealing their eyes.
“Where did he go?” One of them asked, turning on the spot, trying to catch a glimpse of where the spindly man had disappeared to. The other figure shrugged its shoulders and nodded towards the demolished buildings.
“Perhaps he’s inside one of them? You know what he’s like…”
“I haven’t the slightest; he’s just extra man power for the band, but it would be a shame to let him slip through our fingers like this…” the other added as sand collected against their masks.
The two figures continued to advance along the street, remaining vigilant as they checked all the openings hoping to catch a glimpse of life as they passed, but all of the buildings were empty, or so it seemed as the thin suited figure remained hidden under the shop counter, watching on as the two figures slowly walked out of sight.
“Yes, yes, yes!” the man muttered under his breath, relieved to see the back of the two mysterious figures, then in celebration he rolled himself from under the counter, out into the light where something suddenly caught his eye standing like what he could only think of as a truly wonderful sight. He pushed his hands into the dirty, ash ridden floorboards and pushed himself up and on to his feet, with his sights still set on what seemed like a tall wardrobe wedged in the corner of a backroom. It was in very good condition considering what had happened here, he thought as he approached with caution, ever mindful of potential threats that could lurk unseen.
The wardrobe was almost good as new – the varnish had begun to wear away, but the elegant gold pattern was still visible underneath it and the doors were still intact and hanging from their brass hinges, which excited him greatly as he darted towards it like a kid approaching his prom date, full of curious nerves and excitement boiling from within.
“You are beautiful!” he exclaimed, running his hand along the exterior of the wardrobe, being as gentle as he possibly could but that proved to not matter so much he found out, it was built as solid as stone, which gave the man a boost of confidence urging him to give the handles a quick tug and so he did, opening it up and revealing what had been stored inside of the wardrobe for many years.
He reached in and unhooked one of the coat hangers from the pole that was suspended down the center; he carefully extracted the item from the shadows of the wardrobe and brought it into the murky light. He couldn’t believe his eyes; it felt just like Christmas day and he had just unwrapped his biggest and most expensive present but in this case, it was also by far the rarest. His eyes widened and he pulled away the scarf from around his mouth revealing a bright cheerful smile.
“Jackpot!” he yelled, at once overwhelmed with emotion, just by chance he had managed to find the perfect replacement jacket and it was practically brand new, just with a few blotches of dust here and there.
“You’re perfect!” he added joyfully, knocking away the dust and holding up against himself for size. In that moment, all the hell around him seemed to fade away as he cherished the much needed moment of normality.
“Bloody marvellous...” he murmured to himself.
Still on the hunt, the two figures continued to traipse up the street, advancing against the strong sand storm winds.
“I think we’ve lost him, he could be anywhere by now” one of them called, making sure they were heard over the sound of wind howling past their heads.
“I think we should head back, he might be hiding in one of the buildings,” the other suggested, coming to a halt.
“Agreed, lets turn back.”
They both begun to shift their bodies around, turning their back to the wind current when suddenly two figures appeared in front of them, emerging through the sand and dust. All four figures rapidly drew their weapons and begun to look down their sights, all ready to pull the trigger at the first hint of hostility.
“Identify yourself!” shouted Murdock before advancing a little closer, “We located you on our scanners, we’re here to help” he added, remaining cautious at gun point.
“Lower your weapons!” the hooded figure on the right yelled, and the other matched his action, lowering their guns at once.
“We don’t need any help,” the hooded figure stated.
“What about the other one?” Murdock asked, taking note that he was now reading four other life signs, including Joy who was stood beside him.
“The other one? How did you know?”
“Scanner, we’ve been tracking you,” said Murdock, sharing the screen of his wrist device to the strangers.
“Where did you get that?” asked the hooded man.
“Now that’s classified,” Murdock stated with a hint of charm that seemed lost on the hooded figure and his companion, “We were in the area and thought we’d make sure everything was okay…We’re looking for a friend, a few friends, in fact,” he added, trying to calm the situation as the mysterious figures showed no sign of backing down.
“We are also looking for a friend, the other one you have been tracking. Where is he?” asked the figure who stood beside the hooded man, and that question and that tone of voice seemed to carry a darker undercurrent – it was one that drew his attention right away as Murdock realised, who ever was out there was certainly no friend of these two looters...he responded carefully to the question, aware it was likely a life was in danger.
“Why don’t we take you to them? How about that?” he asked, knowing that behind her helmet, Joy would be giving him a devilish glare right about now.
“No, give us his location…we can attend to his safety ourselves.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t feel comfortable doing that…” Murdock replied cautiously. “Just tell them, Murdock! Then lets get out of here!” Joy yelled in frustration as Murdock turned to meet her gaze.
“Fine, four sectors back, building on your right…”
Immediately Murdock felt a flurry of guilt and sickness, not knowing what was actually happening but as suspected, Joy confirmed the worst.
“It’s none of our business what they do, you always have to go poking your nose in don’t you!”
“Excuse me?” Murdock asked angrily, turning his back to the gun wielding figures.
“You always have to go that one step further, no one ever asks for your help…”
“Because no one ever has to, not any more, you don’t know me, Joy. You don’t know what I’ve done!” he yelled, trying to relieve his frustration.
“Maybe because you don’t tell me shit…”
“Maybe because I owe you noth…Okay, you can quit with the act now,” Murdock told her, glancing back to see the two figures walking away
“It worked a treat though, right? They must have felt so bloody awkward…” “They’ve gone on their way and we don’t have bullets in our bac
ks so yeah I think it worked, top work!”
“Thank you, Captain,” Joy said warmly, checking over Murdock's shoulder to see where the two mysterious figures were headed.
“Do you really think I’m nosy?” Murdock added, compelled by curiosity.
“Maybe, no of course not…You have a heart of gold, I've told you that before I’m sure - and I admire it. You were just looking out for them…even though they’re probably now going to kill the other guy and loot him!”
The two figures approached the entrance to the Jolly Tailor with their guns held at arms length and fingers resting against the triggers. They didn’t waste any time entering the store, barging through the debris, kicking aside the rotten sheets of wood and rusty scrap metal.
“We know you’re in here, Ash. You might as well come out, wherever you’re hiding!” one of the figures shouted, lurking around the corner of the counter where Ash had been hiding, “Careful, there’s glass all over the ground,” he added. “Understood,” the other replied, advancing towards the back of the store, becoming more wary of the surroundings, especially the walls that were bursting at the seams – it would be too easy to become impaled on one of those deadly shards. They made their way to the back room where the magnificent wardrobe stood but it’s doors were now firmly closed, so without hesitation one of the masked figures marched up to it and pulled it open sharply with quite a vicious force that almost tore the brass hinges from the wood - but there was nothing inside, which came as quite a surprise.
“How is that possible? We would have seen him if he escaped…”
Suddenly Ash sprung to life, bursting through a thin sheet of wood that had been loosely held up against the wall, he begun to sprint towards the exit of the store but the two masked figures followed in rapid pursuit.
“Get back here, Ash!”One of them yelled, just before Ash made a leap through the doorway and crashed with a thud in to the street.
