AN: Sorry for the delay in updating, I got busy with real-life stuff. Irishbrneyes, Chibiboku, Kalaong, and Rainbor123 thank you for the shiny and chrome reviews. Now on with this update!
Chapter 6: Mourning
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The Ripsaw falls back behind the rig and Immortan Joe pounds furiously on the steering wheel. As he continues to drive, the War Boy who was on the rig comes up to the driver's side window.
"Immortan. If I get on the Rig, there's a way inside." He says quickly.
Immortan Joe looks over and studies the War Boy. "What is your name?"
"It's Nux." He says while bowing his head. "I'll pike her in the spine. Keep her breathing for you." He says as he holds up an ice pick in his left hand to show Immortan Joe his seriousness.
"No. Put a bullet in her skull. Stop the Rig, return my treasures to me...and I, myself, will carry you...to the Gates...of Valhalla." Immortan Joe says as he hands the boy one of his shiny chrome revolvers.
Nun's eyes go wide with all that he has been told. "Am I awaited?" He asks reverently.
"You will ride eternal...shiny and chrome." Immortan Joe responds while spraying the metallic substance on to the boys mouth. Nux looks as if he could cry he's so happy.
"Rictus! Help him aboard!" Immortan calls to Rictus in the back.
Nux moves to the back of the Ripsaw and Rictus grabs him by his trousers. "Ready?" Rictus asks. Nux nods he is. "Here we go!" Rictus says as he throws the War Boy on to the back of the rig.
Immortan Joe watches as the War Boy lands on the back of the rig. As the War Boy begins to run to the front though, the chain attached to his hand catches on the metal grating, sending him flying over the side of the rig… the pistol falling to the ground below.
"Aah! Mediocre!" Immortan Joe yells as he drives ahead.
XXX
River's POV
"You're almost there. One more push and the head will be out." The girl says to Angharad as the baby's head begins to crown.
Capable and Cheedo each hold one of Angharad's hands, their hands going white as she squeezes tightly and pushes. She can see the baby's head.
"You're almost there. Just a little longer." The girl says as she gets ready to catch the newborn.
Tears stream down Angharad's face. "I can't." She says between sobs.
"Come on Angharad, you can do this." Cheedo says next to her.
Capable wipes sweat and tears from Angharad's face. "It's almost over."
XXX
Max's POV
I'm struggling to get the rig into the next gear with all the twists of the road. I hear the engine of the car in pursuit rev and look out the passenger side. It's coming up fast, and uses the small rocky hill next to the road to jump in front of the rig.
It doesn't stay there for long and begins to slow to get next to the driver side. We start to fire at the vehicle, and manage to take out one of the men on the back, but our shots ricochet off the car and don't hit the driver. The car slows again, and before I realize what's happened, the harpoon gun from the other vehicle has embedded itself into the dash of the rig, through the steering wheel.
I fight to maintain my grip on the wheel, but with the next curve the torque of the harpoon snaps it off, and my hand catches in the wheel as it gets stuck on the door.
The one armed woman tries to help me pull the wheel off of the door to no avail, and the two in the back open the back door. I watch as the darker one gets out of the vehicle and the blonde passes her the bolt cutters. She steadies herself on the edge of the rig, but it takes both of them to cut through the harpoon chain.
The steering wheel falls away with the rest of the harpoon when they cut the chain, and the one armed woman is quick to secure a wrench to the drive shaft so that we can still steer.
But as we both look up, we are headed straight for a boulder, and the woman in the back is still dangling out of the cab. It takes everything we have to steer the rig enough so that we just graze the rocks, and as we pass them I look back hoping that she managed to avoid them.
As the dust settles, her face peaks from around the corner of the rig, and I give her a small thumbs up before turning my attention back to the road.
But as the other girl re-opens the door for her to re-enter the cab, I hear the unmistakable snap of rusted metal, and turn in horror as the door falls away from the cab, along with the blonde.
"NO!" The one outside the cab yells frantically as she manages to catch the other one by the arm. But the momentum of her fall is too great, and they are both pulled away from the rig.
I watch in horror as they both go under the wheels of the car behind us before it swerves to avoid them and rolls over and crashes. I don't stop.
The woman next to me already has tears running down her face. "Did you see it?" She asks solemnly.
"They went under the wheels." I say without slowing down. She doesn't need me to tell her twice and sits back in her seat.
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River's POV
With one final scream and one final push, the rest of the baby follows. The girl catches the baby as it slips out, gently patting its back and letting the fluid drain from it's mouth. After a moment, it announces it's presence with a shrill cry.
The moment the baby's cry is heard tears spring to her eyes. "Congratulations. A boy." She says as she cleans the baby the best she can before moving to lay the baby against Angharad's skin.
Angharad is crying, but they are no longer tears of pain… they are of joy, and the two others are quick to follow suit.
Capable kisses Angharad's head. "You did it Angharad."
"He's beautiful, just like you." Cheedo coos softly.
But as she backs away to give the three women room, she feels it. Feels the dread and sorrow… feels the aching pain in their broken bodies. Her pulse begins to race and she quickly crawls back to the front of the rig. To the now empty back seat.
Images of Jessie, Sprog, and Glory flood her mind… their pain… along with the agony that Dag and Toast are feeling as they slowly slip away invade her senses. It's too much. She needs to get out. Needs to breathe.
As the exit the canyon onto the plains she finally speaks up. "We need to stop." The girl says as she chokes back tears.
No one says anything though, and he doesn't stop. She grabs one of the remaining pistols with ammo still in the barrel and points it at his head. "We need to stop!"
He holds his hands up in surrender and slowly downshifts the rig and brings it to a stop. She's quick to jump through the gaping whole where the door had been. As her feet touch the sand her knees buckle and she falls over on to her hands. She throws up shortly after.
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Max's POV
The one armed woman grabs a canister of water from the back of the cab and exits the rig to add water to the now steaming engine. I watch as she leaves and then look back at the ghost. She's doubled over and puking into the sand. Her entire body seems to shake. I open the door and jump down to walk over to her. She's still throwing up when I get to her, and I gather up her matted hair away from her face.
"What's going on." A voice calls from the cab behind me.
I turn and see the redhead and brunette; looks of worry plastered on their faces.
"Where are the others?" The redhead asks as she looks around for the missing women.
The one-armed woman walks to the driver's side. "Gone." She says simply.
"What?" The two women exclaim as one of them rushes back into the cab, and presumably to fetch the other one. "What do you mean gone?" The redhead asks as she jumps down from the rig.
The questions seem to aggravate the ghost, and she throws up again.
"I'm sorry." The one-armed woman says as her arm snake around the redhead and pull her into a tight embrace as the redhead lets out a loud wail.
"No…no." A weak voice from the cab calls out.
I look up and see the other blonde, tears streaming down her face, holding a small bundle in her arms that's wailing itself. The brunette is crying into her shoulder loudly.
I'm surrounded by crying women who just lost two of their friends… and I have no clue what I'm supposed to do.
XXX
River's POV
The sun is setting in the West as they continue on. Furiosa sits in the passenger seat going through the last of the ammo, as the girl drives. The raggedy man sits in the middle of them, while the three wives are in the back with the baby.
They drive in silence… mourning quietly for their fallen. The only sounds that fill the cab are the soft noises of the baby in Angharad's arms and the dirt beneath the War Rig's wheels. Even their minds are silent, with the exception of her own.
She cannot help but think that their blood is on her hands. That she could have saved them… that she should have been there. What use was it being a weapon if she couldn't save them? A few tears still stream down her face, and she wipes them away.
Furiosa is the first to speak. "We've got four rounds left for the rifle." She says as she tucks it behind her and in the back seat, before grabbing her tools. "I'm gonna go and do some repairs."
"We need someone down the back." Furiosa says as she opens the door.
She means he should be down in the back, but it's Capable that answers. "I'll go."
"No. I want you to stay together." Furiosa objects.
But the girl knows that Capable just needs to be alone. "She can do it." She says and glances over her shoulder. Capable gives her a small smile before climbing out the side towards the back.
XXX
Capable walks to the back of the rig slowly, holding on to anything that looks sturdy to steady herself as she goes. When she gets to the back turret mount, she sits down and raises the binoculars that hang around her head and looks back into the distance for any sign of the furious vexation. All she sees is sand.
She hears something next to her and turns to her right. She's startled at first to see the War Boy they threw out earlier. But the murderous look from earlier is long gone, replaced by one of despair. It looks as if he's been crying.
"What are you doing here?" She asks softly.
"He saw it. He saw it all…My own Blood Bag driving the Rig that killed them." The War Boy responds before starting to bash his head against the metal grating he's laying on.
"Stop doing that." Capable says as she reaches out to still his head. "Shh. Shh, shh, shh. Stop." He finally seems to settle a little.
"Three times the gates were open to me." The War Boy says out loud, but more to himself.
Capable looks quizzically at him. "What gates?"
"I was awaited in Valhalla. They were calling my name. I should be walking with the Immorta. McFeasting with the heroes of all time."
Capable sighs. She knows all of Joe's propaganda, and knows how he twists it to use people. She leans down so she is laying down face to face with him. "I'd say it was your manifest destiny not to."
"I thought I was being spared for something great. I got to drive a pursuit vehicle…For a while even Larry and Barry stopped chewing on my windpipe." The War Boy says with a small chuckle.
"Who are Larry and Barry?"
"My mates. Larry and Barry." The War Boy says as he touches two protruding tumors on his neck, each with a small smiley face on them. "If they don't get me, then the Night Fevers will."
Capable's heart breaks just a little for the broken War Boy and she touches his cheek lightly.
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AN: So anyone want to throw baby names out? Leave suggestions in your review, because I'm still having trouble finding a good one. Until next time, stay shiny. ;)