Chapter 11: Suna's Squad
Luna, Sam, and Leni stood among a group of other volunteers on the fields outside of Liam's farm house. There were roughly twenty others like them, and nearly all of them were either in their teens or early twenties. They didn't see them at the mall though and wondered about that but couldn't think about it too long as their minds were still in a haze. They took a quick gaze to see if there was anyone they knew but couldn't find anyone. So they just decided to wait until something happened, and since Luna and Leni knew Liam to some degree they knew they wouldn't be waiting too long. Before long the trio was approached by a somewhat familiar group, though said group didn't know the three directly.
"Luna?" Asked a familiar voice.
Luna turned around to see Margo.
"Oh hey… I guess you're volunteering too?"
Margo nodded. "Is Lynn with you?" she asked.
Luna then hung her head as a melancholic demeanor washed over her body. She didn't even have to verbally answer the question in order for the Roller Derby team to realize what had happened.
"Oh my God…" Said Lainey beginning to tear up.
"B-but she's so strong…" Said Maddie in disbelief.
"That damned fallout!" Cursed Nadia.
"Luna…I…" Stammered Margo.
"Dudes…I don't wanna talk about it…" Said Luna.
Her late sister's friends then backed off and solemnly lowered their heads to have a moment of silence to honor Lynn. The rockstar then shifted her attention to her sister and girlfriend. Leni and Sam also shared in the solemn sentiment as they looked at the ground too. However this time instead of tears Luna noticed an unknown expression taking place on the latter's face. Sam was bombarded with thoughts of Simon and her mother, the former of which succumbed to the radiation. Normally the sadness of it would cause Sam to break down but instead something just clicked inside and a wave of strength overcame the girl. A few seconds later Sam rose her head back up with a look of determination.
"I think we shouldn't get caught up in all this." Said Sam.
"What do you mean?" Asked Luna.
"We've all been through a lot but we shouldn't let the grief consume us." Replied Sam.
"But they're our family…"
"I know but letting the sadness of it all take over would just kill us eventually."
Luna pondered that for a moment.
"Do you mean…"
"We're trying to survive, and I think our loved ones would want us to succeed."
"You're right, Lynn would want me to whoop some raider ass. I sure as hell know she'd be with us right now."
Leni then chimed in.
"And Lily would be proud that I helped too."
"I know Simon would be proud of me too." Added Sam.
The Roller Derby team overheard this and came back over to them.
"We're gonna do this for Lynn!" Said Margo.
"I'll also be doing it for Alice and my mom!" Said Lainey.
"I'll be doing it for my dad too!" Said Maddie.
"And I'll be doing it for Theo and my little sister!" Said Nadia.
After a while Liam's Meemaw came out and directed everyone to a makeshift training ground. It wasn't much, just some appropriated tackling sleds modified to resemble typical raiders. The sleds were also hooked to a rudimentary whack a mole style system allowing them to pop up at random. The idea was the volunteers would be given BB guns and would use that area for target practice, that way the live rounds would be saved for combating raiders. When it came time for Luna and the others to take their turn Luna took Liam's Meemaw aside for a private conversation.
"What is it?" Asked Liam's Meemaw.
"Uh well it's about Leni…" Answered Luna.
"Is she getting sick?" Asked Liam's Meemaw.
"No, you see I don't think she'll do well with target practice. She could really hurt herself." Said Luna.
Luna then pointed Liam's Meemaw to Leni who was talking to one of the unused dummies from the tackling sleds.
"Ah I remember now… Liam told me she can pick locks. Is that true?" Asked Liam's Meemaw.
"She can pick locks really well, in fact all she needs is a bobby pin." Answered Luna.
"Thats good, we could definitely use some of those talents. I'll go get her." Said Liam's Meemaw.
With that Luna went back in line while Leni was taken aside. Luna, Sam, and the Roller Derby team then proceeded to do well at target practice. Afterwards they were taken to a small obstacle course, which the Roller Derby team passed with flying colors. Luna and Sam also did pretty good as well, though the other girls did noticeably better given their athletic background. After that they were taken to a small camp set up behind the farm house.
"Y'all did great out there! I'm impressed." Said Liam's Meemaw.
"So I guess you're gonna lead us?" Asked Luna.
"No I'm just the organizer, Officer Schoffner's gonna take it from here." Answered Liam's Meemaw.
Officer Schoffner then walked over and greeted the girls after Liam's Meemaw left.
"Well ladies, I certainly am impressed. I think you'll make great defenders." Said Officer Schoffner.
"Not to toot my own horn but I am pretty tough." Said Luna.
"She's right, she once carried like five amps at once." Added Leni.
"So when do we get started?" Asked Sam.
"Tomorrow, you'll be patrolling the area around the High School." Answered Officer Schoffner.
"Why there?" Asked Luna.
"It's just what we planned." Said Officer Schoffner.
"So what weapons are we gonna get?" Asked Margo.
"Just a few shot guns." Replied Officer Schoffner before she then turned to Leni, "Not you though, you'll be picking any locks you come across."
"So I choose the locks we bring back?" Asked Leni.
"No dude, remember what you do with the bobby pin?" Asked Luna.
It took a minute but Leni finally put two and two together.
"Ah now I remember." Said Leni.
"So do we get to practice with the real guns?" Asked Luna.
"We gotta save the live rounds, they're hard to come by now." Answered Officer Schoffner.
"But they have a kick the BB guns don't have." Said Maddie.
"Wait really?" Asked Margo.
"How do you know that?" Asked Lainey.
"My uncle let me try skeet shooting once, the kick from the gun nearly knocked me down." Replied Maddie.
"It should be fine really." Said Officer Schoffner, "I mean you'll only be using them if you encounter a raider."
Silence befell the group as an obvious question began to make the rounds in their brains.
"So are we all gonna make it back after we're done?" Asked Leni.
Officer Schoffner hesitated. Luna interpreted it as her not understanding Leni's question.
"I think she's asking if we'll all be alive when we come back tomorrow night." Said Luna.
"Oh, well you are risking armed combat." Answered Officer Schoffner, "I mean it's foolish to assume this is totally safe."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take." Said Sam.
"Me too." Said the others in unison.
"But if you want to increase your odds of survival keep your wits about you." Said Officer Schoffner, "Pay attention to your surroundings."
Luna then looked over at Leni.
"Yeah I'm not leaving her alone." Luna thought to herself.
"Anyway before I go pick your tents and I recommend getting to bed early, we get up at dawn." Said Officer Schoffner.
She then left the girls to themselves. Most of the girls picked a tent to share with one of their friends, which was the case for most of the Roller Derby team. Luna and Leni shared a tent while Sam was by herself as there was an odd number of girls. When night fell they all settled in and went to sleep, well most of them. Leni went out like a light but Luna just couldn't get to sleep, the risk of her upcoming task just keep resonating in her mind. Not just to her life but to Leni's, she knew how easily distracted her sister is. Meanwhile in Sam's tent the same thing was also happening, while she said with gusto that she'd accept the risks involved her evolutionarily built in survival instincts were just too stubborn for the partially dyed blonde to ignore.
Luna stepped out of the tent and sat down a few feet away, only guided by the light of the full moon. She just wanted to sit and think for a while but as soon as she found her spot she saw Sam coming towards the same area. They see each other and begin to talk.
"Oh hey…" Said Luna.
"Can't sleep either huh?" Asked Sam
Luna nodded.
"Well this is probably gonna be the most dangerous thing we ever do." Said Sam.
"Yeah, I know I volunteered for this, and your pep talk earlier got me even more on board but…" Trailed Luna.
"Yeah, we… we could…" Said Sam unable to finish the sentence.
"I know…" Said Luna.
"…and the risk…" Said Sam
"I mean if it's for the greater good I'm willing to do what it takes." Said Luna.
"Me too." Said Sam, "It's still pretty scary though…"
"Truth be told I'm actually more worried about Leni." Said Luna.
"Yeah… I can see why…" Said Sam.
"I don't want to sound mean but once the escalator at the mall stopped while she was on it and she was stuck there for three hours." Said Luna.
"I mean it's a genuine thing for you to worry about." Said Sam.
"I know I'm gonna watch her like a hawk though." Said Luna.
"Yeah I think I'll help you out with that." Said Sam.
"Thanks, I appreciate that…" Said Luna.
They then look at each other and begin to blush as an awkward silence set in. Sam then got closer to Luna in an attempt to speak with her in a more hushed tone.
"So…uh…Luna…" Said Sam.
"Yeah?" Asked Luna.
"S-since we could d-die tomorrow…" Stammered Sam.
"Yeah?" Asked Luna.
Sam tried to speak to Luna but couldn't bring out the words. So instead she just nudged her head in the direction of her tent. Luna figured out what she was implying and nodded in response. They both made their way to Sam's tent and when they got in they made sure it was zipped up. After a couple hours Luna reopened the tent and made her way back to her and Leni's tent but not before kissing Sam one more time. Luna then wiped her hands off on her tent and then went inside and fell asleep.
The next day the girls got up at dawn and waited for Officer Schoffner to show up. After a few minutes she made her way to the group with guns in hand.
"Alright, off to the tractor. I'll be taking you to your assigned area."
After an hour or so the girls were dropped off a few blocks away from the High School and Officer Schoffner let them take it from there. Almost immediately after she left confusion made the rounds around the girls.
"So what exactly is the plan?" Asked Margo.
"She just wants us to scout the area." Answered Sam.
"Didn't that seem a little vague to you?" Asked Nadia.
"Yeah she didn't really tell us what to look for." Said Lainey.
"She did say they usually promote themselves with graffiti." Said Luna.
"Uh…there's graffiti all around us…" Said Maddie.
She then pointed at a nearby wall covered with graffiti, most of which were tagging styled names, crudely drawn penises, and the Stussy S.
"Yeah that's been there forever." Said Sam.
"I think I remember them saying something about Hazeltucky when Mayor Davis mentioned it at the mall." Said Luna.
"Wait they're the raiders?" Asked Margo.
"Looks like it." Answered Sam.
"This is taking the sports rivalry to a new level." Said Margo.
"Well what do you expect from a bunch of brutish rednecks?" Asked Lainey.
"Wait their necks don't look red…" Said Leni.
"I'll explain later." Said Luna.
"So I guess we'll keep an eye out for Hazeltucky insignia?" Asked Margo.
"That's probably our best bet." Said Sam.
The girls then proceeded towards the school while keeping an eye out for any signs of raiders. Not much was going on in the area, as all forms of traffic had simply ceased to exist by this point. The silence was almost unearthly, the only things the girls heard was the sound of dust crunching under their feet and a slight breeze in the distance. The only things around them was the occasional disabled vehicle as well as a nearly endless sea of recently abandoned homes and shopping centers. Like how Maddie pointed out before most of these buildings now serve as graffiti canvasses.
"Now this seems new." Said Maddie.
"I don't understand how someone would go out and do something like that after what happened…" Commented Sam.
"Eh I saw quite a few jerks like that in school, especially the lockers around the remedial classrooms." Said Luna.
"Yeah they'll jump at the first excuse to do it." Added Margo.
"Anyway I don't see any signs of Hazeltucky yet." Said Sam.
"Is there even any confirmation of them being around here?" Asked Margo.
"Mayor Davis brought it up at the last town meeting." Said Luna.
"Plus I overheard Officer Schoffner saying that the High School may be either their next target or their base of operation." Added Sam.
"I don't remember hearing that from her." Said Leni.
"Me neither." Said Lainey
"Why didn't she tell us that?" Asked Margo.
Sam then started to answer but then stopped. She then scratched her head as she tried to think over her recollection of the encounter. Before she could say anything Luna chimed in.
"She could have just forgot." Said Luna.
"Yeah she does have a lot to manage right now." Said Sam in agreement.
They then continued their way to the school while also keeping an eye on their surroundings. However suspicion began to fester within her mind. She though about the vague nature of their assignment and the omission of the stuff she overheard. She even thought back at some of the hesitation Officer Schoffner showed when the risk questions were brought up. However she ultimately put those thoughts aside as she rationalized it by figuring out the potential for coincidences.
Meanwhile back at the farm Officer Schoffner was meeting up with the remnants of the actual police force as well as members of the corpse removal team. They made sure that Liam's Meemaw was away first as they knew she wouldn't approve of what they would be bringing up.
"Alright, I got those Roller Derby kids and a few extra on their way to the High School." Said Officer Schoffner.
"I got those skateboarders making their way to the trailer park." Said one of her fellow officers.
"And I got those chess club kids making their way to Dairy Land." Said the leader of the corpse removal team.
"Well that takes care of the bases we know of." Said the other officer.
"Do you think we have enough of them to have the raiders drain their ammo?" Asked Officer Schoffner.
"Well we made them think they're hunting them down, so they're not exactly sitting ducks." Said the other officer, "The raiders should run out of ammo just trying to gun them down."
"Then we'll send in our real guys to finish them off." Said the corpse removal leader and then whispered, "Also to recover the first wave's bodies…"
Officer Schoffner then took her hat off and massaged her temples.
"I still don't feel right sending those kids to their death…" She said.
"They were gonna die anyway, anyone who walked to those mall meetings got a lethal dose by the time they got there." Rebutted the corpse removal leader.
"I know but…" Said Officer Schoffner before being interrupted.
"He's got a point, I mean the really bad symptoms are gonna kick in for them any day now." Said the other officer, "Would you rather they die painfully over the next month or just have them be cannon fodder today and put them out of their misery?"
Officer Schoffner then thought for a moment.
"And you're positive that National Guard company is on their way?" She asked, "Because without them it's a bust, besides us there's only like 7 other cops."
"I'm positive, I talked with them on Grouse's ham radio last week." Said the other officer, "I tried again yesterday but I got nothing. But radio silence is a strategy of there's so I'm not worried."
Officer Schoffner then put her hat back on and stood back up.
"Damn this war…"