Flight from the Dominion (The Gamma Earth Cycle Book 2)

by Craig Halloran

  “I hate this,” Cookie said with toothy smile. “But it makes my cooking taste a helluva lot better.” He offered the hose to Gabe. “Care to try it? It’ll put a spring in your step.”

  “No.” Squawk waddled over to Gabe’s side.

  Cookie’s eyes grew big. “Eh, you might want to take the little flamethrower away from here. One spark from him, and boom-boom.”

  “He won’t breathe on you.”

  “I hope not. I don’t think Trooper would handle the loss of any more men so well.” Cookie craned his neck, getting a better view of the man working outside. “Look at him. It makes my heart ache to see him suffering.”

  “Him?” Gabe didn’t see anything to suggest a change in Trooper’s iron demeanor. “I don’t think anything upsets him.”

  “No, he’s torn up about it. Trust me. Help me out, will you?” Cookie finished off all his tasks. Gabe carried the canisters back to the truck and loaded them into the bed. Trooper started securing the gear.

  “Moment of truth, Gabe,” Trooper said. “Are you and that dragon going to come peacefully or not?”

  “I don’t want anything to happen to Rann,” he said.

  “Good. Get in the truck.”

  CHAPTER 24

  Gabe and Rann rode in the front cabin of the truck. Cookie drove. The windows were down, and the back window was still busted out. The small shards of glass had been cleaned up and swept away. Rann sat by the window with half of her face in the wind and her eyes closed. Gabe studied the changing landscape. There were green leaves on the branches of the trees growing along the broken road.

  Cookie hummed. The flab under his arms jigged whenever he hit potholes and bumps that that he did a horrible job swerving to avoid. There were fingerless leather gloves on his hands. Using his right hand, he played with silvery buttons on the dashboard. There were glowing letters and numbers that showed bright blue. “That’s new to you, eh?” Cookie said to Gabe.

  He shrugged.

  “So you come from Dragon Town, eh? Newton? I’ve passed through there when they summoned us. Very boorish. Primitive. It’s no wonder this truck fascinates you.” He rapped on the roof a few times with the bottom of his fist. “My truck’s a beast. I call her Shirl. A fine lady.”

  “You named your truck?”

  “All land ships need a name.”

  “Ship?”

  “Boat, you know, a sail.” Cookie looked perplexed. “Well, I assume not. Maybe we’ll go by the ocean and see some. You never know with Trooper. He leads, we follow.” He poked at the gadgets on the dashboard. “This is a radio.” He did something that made a loud hissing. Gabe and Rann covered up their ears. “Awful, isn’t it?” he said, grinning ear-to-ear and speaking loudly. “Sometimes I hear music though! I scan for it! Not much else to do aside from watching the road, humming, and whistling.” He turned down the sound. “Brutal, eh?”

  “Please don’t do that again,” Rann pleaded.

  Cookie let out a cackling guffaw. “I tell you, it’s good to have company. I usually don’t have passengers, aside from that little grease mark, Jack. Not sure what Trooper sees in him. The both of you are more commendable.”

  “Where are we going?” Gabe asked.

  “Trooper leads, the Deathriders follow. We don’t ask. It’s all part of our pledge: death before disorder. Looks like death got the best of us today.” He giggled. “I tell you what. I’m happy to be alive!” The truck thumped hard over a pothole. “Wooooooo-whooooooo!”

  Gabe and Rann looked at each other. He knew they were both thinking the same thing. Cookie was a little nuts. “So,” Gabe said, “you don’t ever know where you are going?”

  “Nope! That’s part of the adventure. You see, I was like you once. I lived in a Dominion compound with no way out. I knew when I got older, I’d be scrapping at some crap job all of my days. As you can see, I’m not some strapping fellow either like the riders and hunters.” Cookie stuck his head out of the window and spit. “I didn’t want to pick in the fields all the day either, but I got an angle when I heard that I could take a piss job with the riders, cook for them, clean for them, and be the supply man. It might be crap but it was a way out, and here I am driving Shirl. I’ve seen places and things I never imagined. High risk, some reward, and the burnt wind in my face. Not too shabby for a flabby, eh?”

  “I guess.” Gabe said to Rann, “Do you see Squawk?” The dragon had been flying above them. Gabe still sensed him, but he hadn’t seen him in a while.

  She poked her head out. “No.”

  Gabe called out to the dragon. There was scuffle on the roof. Squawk slunk down the front windshield.

  “Get him off of there. He’s scratching up my glass.” Cookie turned on his windshield wipers. Squawk hissed at them. His claws dug into the metal as he moved over the hood to the passenger side, crawled into the window, and onto Rann’s lap. Cookie eyed the dragon. “You behave, or I’ll cook you in a pot. It’s been a while since we’ve had chicken.”

  Squawk rattled his neck.

  Cookie shrank away. “I tell you what. Here’s a little something.” He pushed a button on the dashboard. Strange music pumped out of the speakers. “This is called rock!”

  Gabe had no idea what he was listening to. He liked it, and he didn’t.

  “Trooper calls this the Maiden. He traded good fuel for it!” Cookie drummed the steering wheel. “I like this song.”

  Men with shrieking voices sang inside the cabin. It sounded like they were all over.

  “That’s called a heavy metal guitar! And those are drums thundering!” Cookie bobbed his head. Squawk did too. “See, he likes it!”

  Gabe shrugged. It took a while, but he liked it. Before long, all of them were singing along to the Maiden. They drove a full day, camped in the night, and started new the next day. The city where he was supposed to meet Mabel was hundreds of miles away now. He’d never make it back. They drove through a long dark tunnel. On the other side was huge bridge that was still intact. They drove slowly over it. There were rivers below. Two rivers met with one. Gabe had never seen so much water before.

  “That riverbed you see used to be filled with water, the old ones told me. It’s barely a stream now, but it’s water, neck deep in most places.” Cookie coughed. “See those ships? Them is boats that have been beached. Big, aren’t they?”

  “Yep.” They crossed the bridge into another broken city much like that last one but larger in size. Not as many buildings stood. Most of it was piles of rubble and metal that appeared to have fallen outward. “So where is this?”

  “It’s another Dominion city. Been here before in my travels. They call it the Burg.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Huge metal doors in the middle of the road were cracked open, leading into the city. Much like Newton, this city had a wall made from rubble and waste. Cars were stacked up and crushed between large chunks of stone. Men guarded the wall, wearing royal-blue shirts or vests. Each of them carried a length of iron or brandished a weapon of some sort, like a club. Blue Guard. Gabe’s emotions were mixed. The Blue Guard weren’t friends, but minions of the Dominion. But he hungered for the familiar sounds of people and civilization. Trooper came to a halt a hundred yards short of the gates.

  Squawk squirmed in Rann’s lap. “Hey, Gabe. He’s trying to get out, I think.”

  Gabe put his hand on the dragon. Squawk was warm to the touch. He curled up in Gabe’s lap.

  Trooper rode alongside Cookie’s window. “We need to put the dragon in the cage. The Blue Guard will search us. I have to sell it.”

  “What do you mean, sell it?” Gabe asked.

  Cookie elbowed Gabe. “Don’t question the leader.”

  “He’s not my leader. I’m his prisoner.”

  Trooper gave Gabe a stern. “Would you rather I turned you right over to the Dominion? That can be arranged.”

  Gabe wasn’t confused about what Trooper said. He’d thought he was going to be turned over to the Dominion anyway. He
decided to play along. “Okay then, but the cage is busted.”

  “I can account for that,” Trooper said.

  Using a pair of pliers, the cage was sufficiently fixed, and Squawk was loaded inside. The Blue Guards at the entrance paid little notice to the dragon. Their eyes were more concerned with Trooper’s rifle. Gabe got the feeling that a lot more came in and out of the compound than what he was used to seeing in Newton. Once they were inside, the people were much like the ones in Newton. Hard-faced and grim, the citizens mostly wore robe-like garments. Most of their faces were covered, and they wore hats. They went about their work with long faces and sluggish strides. They cast their eyes away from Trooper and the fragment of remaining Deathriders. One woman shouted curses from a window at them. Aside from that, they didn’t marvel over the vehicles, just the foreboding men that rode them.

  “No one likes the Deathriders.” Cookie chewed the fingernails of one hand. “Deathriders get respect. They don’t care so much about the wheels, though. Lots more traffic in this city than where you come from.”

  Cookie was right. The people went crazy in Newton whenever a vehicle brought supplies. These people were different. Judging by other vehicles abandoned in the streets, they’d more than likely seen their fair share of motor vehicles.

  The fallen city was huge outside of the Burg’s compound, but the Burg within the wall was still a huge complex. Gabe was curious why there was even a wall. What did they really need protection from? Like Newton, he got the feeling that it was more about what was inside than out that mattered.

  There was a large, round concrete building that the city was centered around. It had a grooved concrete roof. The stone walls had deep cracks running through them. Ivy climbed those walls, seeking the sunlight that glazed the top. Flags hung down like banners from the buildings, flapping in the wind. They were gold, blue, black, and silver. The colors of the Dragon Games.

  “What’s that?” Gabe said.

  “Oh, that’s the arena. You know, for the games and such.” Cookie elbowed him. “I imagine you’ll be in there soon enough. That’s why we’re here—ain’t we?—to put your dragon against the other toughs? I hope I get to see it.”

  Trooper turned his motorcycle down a street. Dino followed on a four-wheeler with Cookie bringing up the rear. None of the street merchants hassled them as they passed. Blue Guards strolled the streets with clubs in hand. Finally, they parked at a dead-end road, where the people had thinned out. There were buildings, many stories tall, imposing with small windows with the glass still intact.

  “Coves,” Cookie said, “and places to eat and drink. You’ll like it here. They have music at night. Just don’t run off. No one can hide in the compound. The Dominion will get you.”

  Getting out of the truck, Rann said, “I don’t like it here.” She stared at the buildings that closed in around them. She hugged her shoulders. “I feel trapped.”

  “You are trapped,” Gabe said. He got in the back of the truck with Squawk. The dragon was curled up with his nose tucked underneath his wing. Gabe considered freeing the dragon, but he didn’t want Rann—or himself, for that matter—to get hurt.

  Trooper and Dino met Gabe at the truck. “I’ve got business with the Dominion. Dino is going to see to it you don’t do anything stupid like run off. If you get squirrely, Gabe, you’ll never see Rann again—or your dragon either. I know what happens when the likes of you gets separated from your dragon. The Dominion does too. Don’t let that dragon out. I’ll be back with a stronger cage.”

  “I need to feed him. He is used to hunting,” Gabe said.

  “Cookie will take care of that. You stay put.” Trooper slung his rifle over his sagging shoulder. “See you soon.”

  CHAPTER 26

  “Here, look. I got little Squawker some food.” Cookie had a dead rat in one hand and a bag of bugs in the other. “It’s a veritable buffet for his kind.”

  Gabe, Rann, and Dino were on the second floor of an apartment building. The room consisted of little more than four walls and a floor. There was only one chair, and Dino sat in it, cleaning his teeth with some floss.

  Rann’s face soured at the sight of the rat. She tucked her hands under her arms and scooted into the corner. “Squawk eats those things?”

  “He eats anything that moves, as far as I’ve seen. Bugs, rodents, you name it.” Gabe sprinkled the bugs into the top door of Squawk’s new cage and dropped the rat down inside as well. Squawk remained huddled up, unmoving. True to his word, Trooper hadn’t returned, but a new cage, with much thicker metal bars, was brought by the Blue Guard. Six of those watchmen remained posted outside the door and near the entrance from the road. It left an uneasy feeling squirming in Gabe’s gut. He reached in the cage. His fingers petted Squawk. “You need to eat.”

  “We all need to eat. I’ll fix something up. I got more supplies when I was out.” Cookie hummed, headed outside of the cove’s door, and brushed by a Blue Guard. “Excuse you.”

  Gabe closed the door. There was a window barely big enough to stick his head through. He headed to it and looked outside. The dead-end road, closed in by buildings, was stark in the night. He saw Cookie teeter out of the entrance and head to his truck. The Blue Guard slipped in behind him and stood close, watching every move. Cookie said something to one of the guards that Gabe didn’t understand. Unlike the guards in Newton, these men were different. Their clothing was cleaner, and they carried an air about them. They didn’t speak. Instead, they stood straight-backed in a very militant fashion. Nothing escaped their eyes.

  “Quit blocking the breeze,” Jack said. He huddled in his own separate corner, playing with a set of colorful cards. “Idiot.”

  “There isn’t a breeze.” Gabe remained in his spot, watching Cookie gather up more gear. “And you’re the idiot, Jack.”

  “Huh, we’ll see. You know that you’re going to die here, don’t you, Gabe? This place, the Burg, will be the final resting place for you and that dragon.”

  “Will you shut up?” Rann raised her voice. “All you do is spew hatred.”

  “I spew the truth.” Jack flicked a card at Rann. “You spew stupid. Besides, Trooper told me so. Gabe will go into the arenas and die. They all do. That’s what Deathriders do. They gather up contestants for the arena and feed them to the dragons. Or whatever.”

  “You’re just making that up!” Rann’s fists balled up. She hit the floor. “I wish the chewbas would have eaten you.”

  “Yes, but they didn’t.” Jack smirked at her. “But I bet you get eaten too.”

  “Shut up!” Rann screamed.

  Hour after hour, Jack pecked away at them with his little jabs. The only way to escape was to sleep. Cookie fed all of them a bland mix of oats and water as they huddled around the fire of a lantern.

  Jack rambled on about the Dragon Games again, speaking with a mouthful. “They pull you apart and eat you. Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! The crowd goes into a blood-mad frenzy demanding more.”

  “Is that true, Cookie?” Rann asked.

  "You can’t believe a word he says. Do you really think Trooper would confide in him?” Cookie scraped more oats out of the pot. “He doesn’t even confide in us. Right, Dino?”

  The stocky Deathrider grunted. He hadn’t said much of anything at all. He ate little and kept rubbing his hands. His forehead dripped with sweat that he continued to wipe with a rag. His riding garb was shredded in several places from where he’d fought the chewba. There were bloodstains on them.

  “You don’t look so well, Dino? Are you sick?” Cookie asked.

  “No,” Dino murmured. “I’m fine. Just leave me be.”

  “You’d better eat and drink. That scruff with the chewba might have given you the fever. Here.” Cookie reached across the floor, grabbed a blanket, and put it over Dino’s shoulders. “Go sweat it out. I’ll watch them.”

  Dino scooted back and lay down. He trembled, and he coughed from time to time. It ended up being a long night for all of them. Gabe sl
ept on and off with Rann cozying up to him. He liked it, but it made him uncomfortable too. She’d become a liability, as callous as that was to think. Ever since he’d rolled into the Burg, he’d plotted an escape. Squawk would be easy. He could fly away. Gabe was confident he could blend in, find a pipe to hide in, and cross the wall. He’d find a way. The world was even bigger than he’d imagined. Taking Rann would be ten times harder, and he didn’t want another death on his hands. Saul’s was bad enough.

  Just let it play out. Saul’s words echoed in his mind. He’d told Gabe to work toward something but not to force it. You can’t always make things happen, but sometimes they come to you. When that chance comes, trust your gut. You’ll know when. Gabe’s eyes watered. He missed his father more than anything. Vengeance stirred in his belly.

  Traveling alone on the broken road, he’d had time to think about things. He’d come to the conclusion that the Dominion killed his father. The Count, Angela, had pulled the trigger, but the Dominion made her do it. The new world was built on lies and falsehoods. Saul and Mabel fought against it, and they weren’t the only ones. There was the Resistance. New America. Gabe wasn’t entirely certain what it all meant, but he’d find out. So far as he was concerned, he was part of that resistance now.

  A moment of wisdom came. He needed to know his enemy. It wasn’t only Trooper and the Deathriders. It was who they worked for. It was people like Angela and her husband, Oscar, and his daughter, Mandy. They were the problem. He dozed off in the middle of sifting through his thoughts. He awoke to a scuffle. With blurry eyes, he looked up.

  Dino loomed over top of him and Rann. The weathered rider had the wild look of a hungry animal in his eyes. He frothed at the mouth, glared down at Gabe, and with an axe in his hand he said, “Die!”

  CHAPTER 27