by Gavin Zanker
‘You have the wrong person.’
‘Fancy this, I’m out keeping an eye on the enlightened, rewarding those that still follow the honest beliefs,’ Travis threw a disdainful glance at the nearby doomsday crier, ‘and I run into a ghost. I assumed you died along with Kane and the rest of his Seekers during that Kiln Boy ambush years ago. What a crazy world, huh?’
‘I need to be going,’ Aiden said, pushing away the arm planted on his shoulder.
‘Come now, there’s no need to be shy. This is a cause for celebration. I thought you were dead, but here you stand reborn. A real miracle!’ Travis’ eyes gleamed dangerously. ‘You were one of Kane’s favourites weren’t you? Quite a capable fellow, as I remember. Well, you must come back to the compound with me and see some of the old faces.’ Travis glanced sideways at the three men who were with him and they stepped forward. ‘It’s been a long time and we have so much to catch up on together. Like that contract you signed, for instance.’
‘My contract was with the Seekers and Kane, not your church,’ Aiden growled, glancing towards the shop for any sign of Leigh or Hitch. ‘So unless you resurrected Kane-’
‘So it is you, I knew it! Anyway,’ Travis said, waving his hand, ‘the contract is just details. Believe me, I’m doing you a favour by bringing you back in to the fold. This entire city has fallen. You can taste it on the air, can’t you? Soon all of the thieves and murderers that live here will be brought to light, and you’ll want to be on the right side when that happens.’
Aiden thought he saw a flicker of doubt behind Travis’ eyes as their gazes locked, but before he could be sure, the church leader turned on his heel and strolled away.
‘Hey!’ Aiden protested as the three men flanked him and took his pistol from his holster.
‘You won’t need it,’ one of the men said, shoving him forward to follow Travis.
Snatching a look back, Aiden saw his pack still lying on the ground in the open. As he was led away from the market, he hoped Leigh would find it and stay safe until he could find his chance to escape.
A few moments later, Leigh came back out of the shop with Hitch. ‘Hey, you gave me enough to get six eggs, which I think the woman called half a dozen…’ She froze as she spotted Aiden’s pack lying on the ground and Aiden nowhere in sight. She began to panic, scanning the crowds and seeing no trace of him.
The border collie sniffed around the pack, then started barking. A few passers-by threw curious glances their way, but otherwise ignored the girl and her dog. Leigh picked up Aiden’s pack, struggling to lift the weight. She managed to get her arms through the straps, though it hurt her shoulders.
‘We’ve got to find Aiden,’ she said to Hitch. ‘Can you sniff him out?’
Hitch barked again and bounded off through the market in what Leigh hoped was the right direction. She hurried as fast as she could, trying to keep up with the dashing border collie, but the pack slowed her down and a moment later she realised she had been left behind.
She struggled through the sea of legs surrounding her, unable to see where she was going as people swarmed from every direction, jostling her this way and that. Tears welled in her eyes as helpless panic threatened to overwhelm her. Someone knocked her from behind and sent her sprawling to the floor.
Just as she was about to burst into tears, Hitch reappeared in front of her. She threw her arms around him and squeezed tight. ‘I thought you’d left me,’ she said, burying her face in his fur. ‘I thought I was alone.’
Hitch licked her face, then backed out of her hug. He barked again, and jumped in a circle on the spot.
‘Okay,’ Leigh said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. ‘You lead, I follow.’ She wrapped her fingers around the dog’s collar and held on tightly as he dragged her through the crowds and away from the market.
CHAPTER 13
‘SO YOU UNDERSTAND why this is necessary?’ Blanc said, scratching at the bandage on her head. The wound was healing, but it still itched leaving her constantly irritated.
The recruit, his hands bound above his head by the chain hanging from the ceiling, hesitated only slightly before nodding. He was trying to hide his fear of the coming pain, but his gaze flicking back and forth between Blanc and Adam gave it away.
‘Because I don’t want you to think I’m a monster,’ Blanc continued, pulling out the medicine bottle. She cracked the top open and swallowed another of the numbing blue pills. ‘This is just one of the requirements, that’s all. I can’t let just anyone join the Crimson Wolves. Especially not someone with all that… crap on their skin,’ she said, gesturing at the man’s crude chest tattoos.
‘And after this I’ll get a red band?’ the man asked, his voice coming fast.
‘That’s right,’ Blanc said, tapping the red cloth tied around her upper arm. ‘No one will mess with you again once you’re one of us. Ready to start?’
The man nodded, and Blanc signalled to Adam who placed a length of leather between the bound man’s teeth. ‘Bite,’ he ordered in a rumbling bass.
Blanc watched the anxiety play over the recruit’s face as Adam wheeled over the blowtorch and propane tank. He spun the valve and the torch hissed, roaring to life as he lit the gas. The screams began immediately as Adam set to work.
Blanc ignored them and took a seat on the counter. She twisted the silver ring on her finger as she glanced around her garage: the oil stains, the racks of greasy tools, the hanging chains. She usually enjoyed the industrial smells here, but now the stench of burning flesh was overpowering. Just as she was thinking of stepping outside, the side door leading into the street opened and a lanky woman appeared in the doorway. The easy roll of her shoulders showed a rare confidence as she stepped inside. Blanc recognised the coiled birthmark dominating the woman’s cheek.
‘Ah, Val I take it? Welcome to my town,’ Blanc said, struggling to be heard over the cries of pain.
The Viper leader stepped further into the garage, eyeing the corners warily and ignoring the chained man who fell silent as he slipped into unconsciousness from the pain. ‘The big bad Blanc,’ she said, her accent guttural, ‘calling for a meeting with me and my Vipers. I never thought I’d see this day.’
‘I figured it was time we had a chat,’ Blanc said, rubbing her aching jaw, realising she had been grinding her teeth again.
‘There’s always been bad blood between us.’ Val said suspiciously. ‘Why you want a meeting now?’
‘You’re direct aren’t you, Val? Can I call you Val?’ Blanc continued without waiting for a response. ‘I wouldn’t say bad blood myself. Apart from the occasional spat, we've largely left each other alone over the years. I have my territory, and you stay out of it.’
‘Not much need to visit this ruin of a town. Got ourselves a nice house up on Red Hill where we run our operations from these days.’
Blanc felt her eyes creasing into an amused smile. ‘Operations? Of course.’ She looked down and began spinning her ring again to compose herself.
‘So what do you want, red wolf?’ Val asked, scowling.
‘I’d like to offer you a job.’
Val snorted as she laughed. ‘Work for you? My Vipers don’t work for nobody except me.’
‘You know I can pay,’ Blanc said, looking around the garage in a bored fashion. She always hated the tedious inevitability of discussing money. ‘You can’t get many jobs that far out of town. I doubt many people come knocking to offer you work, at least no one who wants to keep their limbs attached and uncooked.’
A crooked smile crept across Val’s face, rippling the birthmark on her cheek. ‘Smells good in here,’ she said, nodding towards the man with burned flesh. ‘Maybe you should try him before making jokes. Tastier than pig or chicken. Easier to find too.’
Blanc failed to keep the revulsion from her face. ‘I’m not one to eat my own kind,’ she said with disgust. She waved her hand to change the subject. ‘Regardless, this job; it’s simple enough, and with the pay I’m offering you can buy a
ll the arses and elbows you like.’
‘I told you, my Vipers don’t work for anyone else. If that’s why you wanted to meet, then you wasted both our time.’
‘You wouldn’t become Crimson Wolves,’ Blanc said, irritated that the woman thought she would even be offered a position. ‘You would just be… independent contractors.’
Val looked at her with a slack jawed expression. Blanc blinked slowly and pinched the bridge of her nose, wondering why she was dealing with this moron. Berkley had told her that manpower was low lately with half of her men out on raiding runs in the south and the other half scanning the town for Aiden, but surely they could spare a few bodies instead of relying on this snake and her man-eating savages.
‘You’ll be paid for the work, but you’ll still be Vipers,’ Blanc said slowly. ‘You’d just be doing a job for me. Temporary employment.’
Val pursed her lips. ‘What’s the pay? Better be good. My men hate wolves.’
‘400 tokens. Half now, the rest in a month when the job’s complete.’
Val nodded slowly. ‘What job takes a month?’
‘Simple guard duty.’
‘Ah,’ Val smiled again showing stained teeth, ‘this wouldn’t be that old world door we saw you red wolves sniffing around lately?’
‘That’s right,’ Blanc said, glossing over her irritation. She had already visited the bunker, but Project Solace wasn’t functional. The computer kept spouting something about a missing decoder. No doubt Aiden’s doing when he broke inside. ‘You guard the place,’ she continued, ‘make sure no one gets inside. Which includes both you and your men.’ Blanc emphasised the point with a long pause. ‘If anyone gets inside who isn’t wearing one of these,’ she pointed to the red band around her arm, ‘then you don’t get paid.’
‘Sounds easy enough,’ Val said. ‘Just one month?’
‘That’s right. I doubt it’ll take any longer than that. If it does, you’ll be reimbursed for the time.’
‘How many bodies do you need?’
‘As many as you’ve got. I want the place guarded 24 hours a day. It’s right on your doorstep so I don’t consider it to be a problem for you.’
Val bit the inside of her cheek. She pointed to the bandage on Blanc’s head. ‘How’d you get that? Someone take a bite out of you?’
Blanc’s anger rose at Val’s conversational tone, but she forced herself to swallow it. She could always shoot the savage after she had served her purpose. ‘I ran into an old friend,’ Blanc said in a level tone. ‘We disagreed.’
‘Hah. Seems trouble is going around lately. Someone broke into the house while I was out hunting a few days ago. Even took off with some of my property.’
‘That sounds familiar,’ Blanc said. ‘So the job. You’ll take it?’
Val narrowed her eyes. ‘Make it 500 tokens.’
Blanc nodded, already anticipating Val’s clumsy attempts to raise the price and factoring them into her proposal. ‘500 tokens it is.’
‘Easy money,’ Val said with a shrug.
‘Good, don’t make me regret this. I’m paying you a lot of money so I expect results.’ Blanc had little faith in Val and her cannibal thugs, but they only had to keep out one man and a small girl. Even they should be able to manage that.
‘No one will mess with your hole in the ground while my Vipers guard it.’
Blanc rose from her perch on the counter. ‘Stop by the bar down the road on your way out,’ she said pointing out to the street. ‘Berkley will be there, the man with the oversized lip rug. Tell him you accepted the job and he’ll pay you half the money now. You’ll get the other half when the job is done.’
Val nodded and extended her hand towards Blanc.
Blanc stared at it. ‘I didn’t think cannibals had manners. I suppose you learn something new every day.’ She shook the hand, catching sight of the scrambler bike leaning against the wall outside the doorway. ‘Nice bike you’ve got,’ she said.
‘Manners and a bike,’ Val said flashing her brown teeth again. ‘Maybe this cannibal is more civilised than you, eh?’
As Val left, disappearing back out into the street, the main garage door rattled up. Daylight streamed into the lantern lit space, and Blanc’s armoured SUV pulled inside. The roaring engine shut off, and two red bands climbed out. One moved to close the garage door, but Blanc called him back and shook her head. She was glad of the breeze after choking on burned flesh. Besides, no one around here would be brave enough to investigate the garage.
‘What have you got for me then?’ Blanc asked, addressing the new arrivals.
The driver threw a nervous glance at the unconscious man hanging from a chain before speaking. ‘Sorry, boss, it was a bust. The old geezer knew nothing. Even ripped off a few fingernails, but we got nothing out of him. We just found an old military uniform and a few dusty car manuals lying around his flat, but that was it.’
‘Nothing, huh?’ Blanc said, raising an eyebrow. ‘Well then?’
‘Er, well… what?’ the man said unsurely.
‘Well, don’t you think you should head back out and find me something?’
‘We just thought…’
‘You just thought you would come back empty handed and drown yourselves in booze and girls?’ Blanc said, her tone sharp. ‘You think you’ve earned that, do you?’
The idiot flapped his mouth but no words came out. Across the garage, Adam shut off the blowtorch and stepped back from the unconscious recruit.
‘Good work Adam,’ Blanc said studying the recruit’s burned flesh where the tattoos used to be. ‘You never fail me, unlike some people.’
Adam nodded, then wheeled the blowtorch back into the corner.
Blanc looked back to the two red bands. ‘You’re still here,’ she said matter of factly.
The man looked to his friend who was busy melting into the background, eyes fixed on the floor. ‘It’s just we were on the road for a while, and we were looking forward to a break. Maybe if you give us more to go on we could do better?’
‘More to go on,’ Blanc repeated. ‘I told you to find me anything military. Hardware, documents, anything at all. And you ask me for more to go on? Useless. Why do I bother sending monkeys like you?’ Blanc sighed and rubbed her temples. ‘Fine. Get out of my sight then. Take this recruit to the bar with you. Patch him up, pour some spirits on his burn. When he comes around, show him the ropes and put him to work.’
The driver nodded and hurried back towards the truck while his friend was already clambering inside.
‘No, leave the truck,’ Blanc ordered. ‘You’ve already wasted enough of my fuel today. You can carry him.’
The two men unchained the unconscious recruit and hauled him out into the street. Blanc watched them go, then turned to Adam. ‘I don’t know how much longer I can put up with these idiots,’ she said, shaking her head. ‘Useless parasites, all of them. If we don’t find a way to deal with them soon, I might just lose the last of my sanity.’
Adam watched her with his usual blank expression.
‘Ah you don’t care, do you?’ Blanc said, a slight smile touching her lips. ‘Nothing bothers you. Come on, let’s head back to the bar. You hungry? I’ll fix the rest of that chicken with some thyme and potatoes.’
Adam’s expression perked up at the mention of food and he followed her out into the street. With the garage now empty, he rattled the door down and locked it shut, then they set off towards the bar. In the distance, the headless rider statue rose up over the market. Blanc hated that statue. Every time she looked at it, it stirred up memories of her time in the Kiln Boys, back when she was weak and easily pushed around. One day soon she was going to tear the thing down and grind it into dust.
CHAPTER 14
TRAVIS LED AIDEN and his escorting guards over the maze of suspended bridges that connected the two sides of the canyon. They emerged on the south side, coming to the Rusts, the poorest residential area of the city. As they neared a crowd gathering outside a burn
ing building, Aiden caught a glimpse of police officers wielding batons aggressively to keep the people back. Furniture and belongings sailed out of the windows, crashing and splintering on the street as the crowd railed in anger. Aiden considered making a break for it in the chaos, but as if reading his mind, one of the Dawnist escorts shook his head as he caught Aiden’s eye.
Leaving the agitated mob behind, Travis led them onwards, cutting a short path through the Rusts until they arrived at the Dawnist compound. The chain-link gate rattled open and Aiden was taken inside. Greeting him were more Dawnist guards with shaved heads who searched him and took away the rest of his belongings.
‘I’m going to be wanting those back,’ Aiden said, eyeing his knives and pistol as they were dropped into a plastic bag and sealed shut.
Travis turned to one of the silent guards. ‘Take him to readjustment,’ he said, then continued on into the compound without a backwards glance.
Then Aiden was marched through the strangely empty compound, a stark contrast to his time here previously as part of the Seekers security force. Coming to a stop by the Zenith Gate, the heavy studded door set into the southern cliff face, a blindfold was slipped over his head and his arms were grasped firmly on each side. The act actually gave him some measure of relief. The Dawnists wouldn’t bother trying to hide anything from him if they were intending to kill him.
Aiden heard a loud metallic clanking as the door was unlocked and swung open. He could see nothing through the darkness of the blindfold. As he was led forward, hearing only the sound of boots thudding over the tiled floor, the smell of disinfectant stung his nostrils, the stringent odour reminding him of a hospital.
He tried to memorise the path they were taking so he could find his way back out, but after multiple turns, he had lost all sense of direction. They finally came to a stop, and he heard the sound of another door opening. He was pushed through and thrust into a chair, his arms still grasped tightly on both sides.
‘Who’s this? I don’t have anyone scheduled,’ a woman said.
