Chapter 7.
Into the lions den.
We walked on through the ruined streets in a bitter silence. In truth, bradly did have a good reason to hate me. Our last job didn't go so well. It was my idea to accept it and it ended with a steel chair to my face, an angry nun with a shotgun, and an entire building burning to the ground. With us inside. I managed to escape, but only by abandoning my partner, bradly. Not one of my most heroic moments, but, then again, where karma is concerned, bradly is more bankrupt than I am.
"So," I asked as I stumbled over a chair in the middle of the road. "What does mafia want with me?"
"How should I know? I'm still trying to figure out why they'd want a wuss lke you."
"Wuss?" I repeated in mock offense. "would a wuss come into a city controled by the people who want him dead?"
"Well, a crazy wuss, but a wuss none the less."
I was about to tell him off, when we arrived at a large, dilapidated building. On the front side was a large banner, sporting the wasteland mafia insignia.
"This is it?" I asked.
"In." Bradly said as he shoved me through the door.
I took a deep breath and entered the building.
My time was running out.
.
"Welcome, carter flayde." Came a booming, familiar voice, as I entered a crowded room. There were at least thirty people in gee, ask armed, all ready to kill me. "Welcome to mafia headquaters."
"Jackson." I said suddenly bold. "I love what you've done with the place. I see you got rid of the shrunken heads."
"Funny. Very funny. Never mind the fact that you're in a building filled with people who would very much like to see you dead."
I looked around the room as though I'd just noticed the room full of armed, glaring men and women. One woman stuck out in particular, a tall, thin woman. She was glaring at me like I was a disgusting insect invading her home.
I turned to a specific guy in the corner of the room, with a scar across his neck. "Hey Jeremy." I said. He growled and slapped his gun.
"Enough," Jackson said as he stepped out of the shadows. He was a tall, muscular man, with scars down his arms and an EBR strapped across his back. "You know what you're here for." He approached me slowly, ominously. "You either join us our we kill you right here right now."
It was about this time that I started getting nervous. He'd already thrown it out there: join us or die. And I didn't even have a plan yet.
Until I saw the bright flash of a rifle scope in the window of a bombed out building across the street.
Suddenly, I knew what I had to do.
"Gee, that's a tempting offer, but I'm gonna go with c, none of the above."
"There are only two options 's no way you can refuse us without dying."
I laughed, trying to buy some time. "Jackson, come on. How many times have I escaped you? I'm pretty sure I can get out of this one."
"So sure, are you. Look around you. You're alone in enemy territory. You really think you're gonna get out of this?"
I saw the flash again.
I sighed as though accepting the inevitable. "Well there is no way I'm going against my nature. I'm a lone wolf, and I intend to stay that way."
I knew there was only one shot at this, and my timing would have to be perfect.
"Are you sure? A pretty major price to pay to keep out of a gang." I remained silent. I needed to be focused for this to work. "Ok then."He leveled his revolver at my head. "Nothing personal, flayde. Just can't have any loose cannons."
Another flash from the window. Now or never. I rolled to the right as the window behind Jackson shattered. An explosion of blood ruptured from Jackson's left shoulder, as I brought my fist up into the chin of the guard to my right. Another blast of sniper fire took out another guard across the room. I couldn't see Jackson anywhere, and it was chaos all around me. I took cover behind a large desk as EBR fire erupted behind me. I got to cover just in time. Unfortunately a guard had the the same idea as me, as he attempted to avoid the sniper fire. As he me, he brought up a shotgun, about to fire. His head exploded in a shower of blood. After I recovered from the initial shock, I picked up the shotgun, aimed down the sight, and blasted, taking off another guards arm.
Suddenly, a loud report of automatic fire sounded from outside and a guard stumbled in from outside, bleeding from the stump that was his arm.
I looked outside the nearby window and saw Billy's old truck, a mounted machine gun in the back. Johnny was busy blasting away at the guards as they retreated inside. I knew I had to get to the truck. I took a breath to steady my nerves, then made a break for it.
I flinched as several shots went past, barely missing my head. Christine was yelling,urging me to hurry. Finally I made it to the truck and dove into the bed.
"He's in!" Johnny called.
"Hang on." Christine urged as she floored it.
Within minutes we had put the mafia headquarters miles behind us.
"You okay?" Came Tom's voice from the front passenger seat.
"Yeah thanks." I said, catching my breath. "How'd you guys find me?"
"Johnny has connections in the wasteland mafia." Christine replied. "Once we realized you were taken by the mafia, we immediately organized a rescue party. We had Dominick in the building across the street sniping. We going to go pick him up. Climb up into the cab. Don't need you out in the open."
"Guys!" Johnny called. We got company."
The loud roar of motorcycles came from behind us as several bikes sped into the alley, expertly avoiding the debris scattered all over the concrete.
"Great" Christine muttered. "Carter, take this EBR. Let's see if we can't outrun the mafia."
To be continued...
