(I do not own Mad Max or any of the characters/story related to it.)
Chapter 1
Heat. In this world, this Wasteland there was nothing but heat. Fox licked her lips. In this hot and thirsty desert her lips were always cracked and bleeding. She wished for water, the thought of it making her body ache with want. Fox knew it was no good to think about things you want and couldn't have, it's thoughts like that that drive you mad; and she had more pressing matters at hand.
Standing up squinting against the unrelenting sun, she pulled her goggles over her eyes and a scarf over her mouth. She knew those clouds in the distance, knew the implications of wall of sand approaching. Her stomach muscles clench with fear as she through a look over her shoulder. The big black rig she stole sat out in the open of the sand for all to see. Fox growled to herself. She wished she was as gifted with machines as some of the others were. If Gear were here she would have that big rig up and running in no time, but Gear was not here and she was alone in this Wasteland. Fox shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. 'Don't waste thoughts on things you want, but can't have' she thought to herself. Night was coming and with it a sandstorm, and she had a truck full of cargo and some very angry men on her tail.
Scanning the horizon she found her first ray of hope. Out in the distance were giant pillars of rock, 'they would provide cover at least, maybe, if I'm lucking a cave big enough for everything'. She squinted against the sun again, trying to judge the distance. Could she make it there in time with the cargo in tow? She wasn't sure; the long flat sand did strange things to your perception of sight. She shook her head again, a nervous tick she developed over the years in the Wasteland. Throwing another look towards the encroaching sand wall, she turned toward the ruined rig and started to run, Fox had made her up her mind.
As she walked the sound of water filled her mind, the sounds of rivers and something larger and salty that she barley remembered. Her face was hot and her breathing was labored. She imagined cool water running over her limbs and face, imagined what it would feel like on her tongue. She shook her head. Looking behind her she saw many pairs of feet shuffling at a slow pace. Anxiety filled her, they were going too slow. If she was judging the distance correctly they had about thirty more minutes before they reached the rock. "We must hurry," she yelled for the thousandth time. Groans filled her good ear in response, the sounds soft sobbing tugged at her heart. She wondered if she made the right decision. Fox and her companions had planned this heist for weeks, she could only imagine what Gear will say when she finds out what Fox did. They had studied the moves of the slavers for weeks; tried to anticipate every move, have an answer for every situation. But Mother Earth had different ideas. Fox had waited in position like she was meant to, but two days before they planned to strike a sand storm hit. The slavers had scrambled when they saw the wall of sand approaching. What Fox haven't counted on was that they would have a buyer lined up so quickly. She knew that if she allowed these children to be sold, they would be lost to her forever. So Fox did the only thing she could think to do. Two full days before they planned, and with no backup in sight Fox struck.
The rig she stole had only made it about half of a day before it stopped and wouldn't go again. The sand wall and slavers at her back she had no choice but to move forward. Only another day and her backup would arrive. They would only have to make it a day. Fox closed her eyes and listened to the sound of chains clicking together. Images flashed in her mind and when she looked down she saw metal cuffs on her own wrists. She shook her head and looked again, they were gone.
They slowed as they reached the end of the rock pillar. Fox stopped, the hairs in the back of her neck stood up. Suddenly she fell to the ground, pulling the children down with her. Someone was out there, Fox could feel it. Pulling her goggles up over her eyes she studied the rocks carefully, eyes straining to see any movement. She pulled herself up into a seated position "you all need to stay here, I will be back in a little bit." As she went to stand she felt many pairs of small hands pulling her down. "You promised not to leave us. If you go the bad men will come." Said the little boy with the missing arm. Fox shook her head, and shushed them best she could. "You must all stay here, out of sight. If I do not come back stay here and my friends will come after the next sunrise." She turned toward the boy with the missing arm, "what is your name?" The boy looked confused for a moment, "they called me 23." Fox winced. "Do you know how to whistle 23?" The boy nodded. "Show me." She encouraged, and smiled in satisfaction when she heard him. "My friends will know to come to you if you know a secret whistle, I will teach it to you and you must remember to do it right. Can you do that?" The little boy nodded and Fox showed him the whistle and mad him practice it until she was satisfied. She scanned the faces of the nine children in front of her, commuting each to memory. "You must remain out of sight, and I will come back for you." Fox said as a farewell. She stood up tall and scanned the horizon once more before tasking off toward the rocks.
She slowed down as she approached. Scanning the sand she looked for any sign that anyone was near. The rocks were out of the way, and provided good cover from sand storms, there was a good chance that someone had claimed them already. She walked quickly and quietly, straining with her good ear for any noise she could head. It was deathly quite. As she walked into the shadow of the tall pillars of rock, she saw something that made her heart freeze. Tire tracks. The breeze had blown them again in the sand, but they were faint still in the silt in the small canyon that the rocks formed around. Dropping to her knees she ran her fingers over the tracks. It was hard to tell how long ago they had been made, but it looked to only be one vehicle. She looked around, scanning the tall rocky pecks that surrounded her. An eery feeling filled her and she felt like she was being watched. She shook her head and pressed head. If someone was here they poised a threat to her and the children. She took off her jacket and drug it on the ground behind her to cover her foot prints. She looked around and found a rocky ledge the could easily climb up to that offered a bit of concealment. Once safely on top she drew her gun, and check the chamber. Only one bullet left. She settle in and cocked her gun, and waited.