***Welcome everyone to my rework of "A New World." I'll still work on my older copy of this, so feel free to read both and let me know what you think. I recently went through and did a reread of "A New World" and I knew there were spelling errors and plot holes, but holy cow yeah, it's getting a much deserved rewrite, so it will be different. Tarn and Shadowrunner is still the main focus, but parts will change. Things will happen just be aware.
Ch. 1: Taken
The day started like any other, which was wanting to shoot the rooster at sunrise. Amber slowly mustered the strength to get up and walk over to her window and shout, "Buster Shut Up!"
Thankfully the bird got the hint and quieted down, but before she could duck back in a loud neigh stopped her in her tracks. Amber looked back down and seen her horse staring right back at her.
"Good morning Storm," she called down to the grulla mustang, "Can I sleep a little more?"
The stallion gave her a loud snort, which was a clear "No."
"Alright I'm coming," she said as she ducked back inside to get dressed. Putting on her usual blue jeans and tank top and headed down to grab her boots by the door. She was quickly greeted by the big mustang as she walked out the door.
"Good morning sleepy head," a cheerful voice called over. Amber looked up to see her mom and her old paint, Milo, walking over.
"Morning," she said with a smile as she rubbed the tornado-shaped blaze on Storm's face, "You seem a bid edgy this morning bud."
"Think I know why," her mom said sounding a bit concerned, "Come on and saddle up I'll show you."
"Ok," Amber said as she jumped on Storm's back, "Alright we're ready."
"Your fearless child, I'll give you that," her mother said with a small laugh as she told Milo to go.
It didn't take long for them to reach what had her mom so worried and it left Amber nearly speechless. A gabbing hole in the fence, it looked like someone had driven right through it. The wood was almost completely splintered into pieces.
"You've got to be kidding me," Amber finally spoke as she kept staring at the damage, "Who the hell would smash the fence like this?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," her mom said, "Whoever it was spooked the horses real good, if it wasn't for your mustang I wouldn't of gotten everyone into the stables."
"That's good," Amber said as she scanned the broken fence. It didn't seem busted from someone running through it, in fact it looked like someone crushed it from above.
"But what could of crushed it like this?" she thought to herself.
"There's still extra wood in the shed I could use, but I don't think I have enough nails to patch it," he mom said breaking her from her train of thought, "Would you mind running into town and getting some more?"
"Sure," Amber said, "Storm would probably love the run."
"Probably, but please saddle him first," her mom called after them as Amber turned Storm around and headed back. As soon as they got back she saddled Storm, grabbed a jacket and some change from the spare change jar in the kitchen, before heading to town.
Jasper, Nevada. A small little desert town, quiet and calm. Amber like it, no one ever got mad at her for riding Storm into town, not even when she was in still in school or even after she graduated.
Though this didn't feel like any other day, it felt off.
The ride into Jasper was usually a relaxing, but not this morning. In fact, the air felt tense with stillness. Storm kept his ears perked the entire time, especially when a red and white muscle car sped past followed by a bulky blue truck, barely missing them.
"I don't think that's the speed limit!" Amber couldn't help, but shout at the two vehicles. Storm suddenly jumped forward, but Amber quickly held him back, "Wow, easy. Not this time bud."
She gently patted the mustang's neck, "I know better than anyone you could out run them, but today's already starting out odd and I don't need you hurting yourself."
She felt Storm relax, but at the same time stay tense. It was a common trait in former wild horses to be cautious and alert. Odd vehicles went in and out of Jasper all the time, what made these two different.
It didn't take much longer for them to arrive to town. Thankfully being a Saturday morning not many cars were on the road yet. She didn't even see the odd vehicles that passed them on the way in.
Amber relaxed a little when they got to the small hardware store, just as it opened. As she went in leaving Storm outside she noticed he was still really alert. She couldn't put her finger on it, they had been in town numerous times together and he was never on this high of alert before.
"Thank you. Have a good day," she said as she exited the store, with a bag of nails in hand, "Alright bud, ready to go?"
But Storm just twitched his ear to show acknowledgment of her presents, his focus was elsewhere. She looked in the direction the horse was staring and she felt chills run up her spine.
Down the way, parked was a pair of dark green muscle cars with blacked out windows. Even at a distance she could see the vibrations of the vehicles, showing they were running.
"I know bud. I know," she said as she slid the small bag into one of his saddle bags, "I don't like them either."
After a little pull of the reins Amber finally got Storm to turn to make their way back. The sound of active engines made Amber look back to see the two cars started to move and follow. Storm suddenly jump forward and began to trot and turned the corner and darted across the street towards the alley.
"Storm," Amber said, but the mustang didn't stop, but with good reason. When Amber looked back she felt icy ping of shock, when she seen the muscle cars turn into the alley. After seeing the cars turn, she finally gave in and gave Storm the light tap he'd been waiting for. She hoped the sound of Storm's hooves would gain some attention and someone would step in.
"Where are the police when you need them?" she though as the sound of the cars behind them got closer. With the pair riding so close, they barely had time to stop at streets to keep from being hit.
"This can't be happening," she shouted as the cars gained ground an idea popped into her head, "Sorry mom."
She managed to reach back and grab the brown bag out of her saddle bag and tore it open then dropping it behind them. A loud pop echoed followed by a loud crash singling that the cars had stopped for now, but she didn't stop.
"Someone's got to of noticed that," she thought as they came to the end of the block.
As if it read her mind as they exited the next alley they came nose to nose with a strange police car, which thankfully stopped. Instead of a traditional black and white paint job, it sported a black and purple one. Not to mention appearing slightly more bulky then a normal one.
It took her a moment to realize the vehicle had it turn signal on and seemed to be waiting for her and Storm to move. She as happy to oblige and quickly got Storm to move. A look back showed what she confirmed the police car turned down the alley that they just left.
"Let's go home bud," Amber said as she watched the car glide down the alley towards the other cars.
Despite the couple block run on concrete, Storm wasn't slowing his pace. He was starting pushing forward a little harder as they reached the town limits and back to open road. They were halfway home, but Amber suddenly stopped the big horse, coming down the highway, Amber seen to her horror a trio of green cars that just like chased them.
"What the hell is going on?" she said out loud before turning Storm towards the open ground and gave him the signal to run, "Let's take a short cut."
The mustang took off, but to her horror the cars followed. She tried to turn him to head back to town, but was quickly cut off, leaving them no choice but to head straight towards the canyons.
Storm had no problem out pacing them, but they managed to stay close, too close. Amber didn't need to put the pieces together to know they were trying tire Storm out. She did the only thing she could thing of a headed into the canyons. It was a place they knew well, Amber just hopped that whoever was driving those cars didn't.
As the first of many canyon walls came into view, she seen a small hole in the wall that they could slip though. But before they could reach it something flew past her head and hit the side of the wall.
"What the hell?" she shouted. Storm immediately took off along the wall, almost getting hit by one of the cars. They quickly found another hole and made a sharp turn, the only bad thing one the cars could easily fit too. The only thing that stopped the cars was a steep slop.
The shadows and echoes of the canyon made it hard to know where the vehicles would appear next. Amber didn't know if the engine sounds she was hearing was still the ones behind them or if there were more a head, waiting.
Then suddenly silence, not a sound except the sound of Storm's hooves against the ground and his heavy breathing.
"Where are they?" Amber said to herself.
Suddenly here was a loud bang, followed by a shearing hot pain in her side. Followed by a second bang and Storm suddenly stumbling and falling, landing with a hard thud.
Amber heard shouting and car engines filling the air as darkness over took her vision.
***Thank you all for reading. Do let me know what you think, since this is a rewrite. I will take this as a good time to note that I will be posting this story on another site as well called: Archive of Our Own. My name on there is Shadowrunner2916. I just wanted to mention this, that way no one things that it was stolen or copied from here, I'm just posting now on two different sites.