Blinded in Time

This reveal of the stranger that helped her only led to more questions than answers. She didn't have time for that, though! "I am Catherine. Most people call me Cat, however." She paused and pointed in a direction that didn't seem arbitrary; it was where she was heading. "They took Mike to the school. Or, I assume. I didn't see it in this storm. It's our best lead!"

With little of a better option, he gestured for her to press on. "Go ahead, I will follow. Though, you considered if he isn't here, right? What then? I do not know where he ran off to. The dog attack disoriented everyone. I merely observed it unfold. I got told by a wounded raider that this place was where he would be taken. Say they captured him."

She reluctantly turned herself around. John noted her appearance as he followed behind. She was rather short, both in stature and presence. Her hair was gingerly red, trimmed but clean. A brown tank top and brown pants, both a different shade entirely. Her boots were ragged and beyond worn. She looked like a perfect example of someone who just got robbed in the Wasteland and walked away from it.

Her lack of reply was a bit concerning, but he kept pace. He wondered if Jeff had made his way back here yet. He seemed like he was just insane enough to survive. It took much shorter than John expected to see the outline of the school, if only a bit. It loomed like a dark chunk in the storm's abyss. The sheer size alone was intimidating, with its darkened outline and ruined structure. It didn't look like it was intact anywhere. It all looked open, with no interior.

She stopped, just out of the distance, and turned back, slowly. Like part of her was expecting to get jumped from behind. "Do you have a gun?!" she asked, desperately.

He shook his head with a shrug under his garb. "No, I use sharpness and close quarters to deal with my foes. I'm never this blatant on an approach, you know!"

She placed her hands on her hips and cursed at the school itself. "Dammit! We will have to figure something out. This flimsy chunk of wood won't do anything!"

John only chunked and turned her direction to a secluded outcome on the side of the building. It led to the proper back of the school. "Why don't we use another entrance? Maybe we can bluff our way, though? The raiders aren't the brightest. I don't doubt they sent a few roaming parties to find you. Just keep that block of wood handy. It is, unfortunately. Better than nothing."

He led the charge this time. Making sure she followed. She was ready to smack someone with that thing. John only wished he knew the number of raiders that were here. Look at their odds from an outside perspective.

The lack of information had never stopped him before. There was an advantage to being in the dust storm. They could look into the various cracks and holes of the building itself, risking no potential alarm.

"Hey, Cat, come here," he whispered in her direction, beckoning her over. "Look through that hole in the wall. Is that Mike, down by the locker bottom floor?"

He had to make sure it was indeed him.

"Yes! God, what did they do to him? He's all bloody." She looked over at John, desperation in her eyes. "We have to do something!"

He reassured and calmed her. "Don't worry, I'm getting to that. I just wanted to make sure he was our man. I never got a good look at him before the dogs attacked." He paused, leaving the wall they were looking through. "I have a few ideas. I will let you choos-"

She stopped him with a physical grab, which he quickly pulled away from. "I don't want ideas, John! I want solutions!"

He snapped right back at her. "Solutions to our demise? You can't save him if you're dead!" he sighed. "Fine, cause a distraction. We are going to lure them out. One at a time. I'll wait here, along the wall. I can pull them, just like the one who tried to choke you. We can then take their gun and see what happens from there."

She considered it for a moment. There weren't many other options for what needed to be done. The large hole in the back of the school made for a good vantage point for them both. Plus, John was already in position. No matter which side the raider approached from; he would get them.

"Before we do anything. How many did you count? I saw 6, and 4 of those were patrolling."

He considered this himself. "7, there is, I assume, a sniper nested on the top floor. He was hidden. I only saw his foot. They have a perfect angle on this entrance. We will need to play this smart. I hope they made this building thick enough to stop bullets. From before the war."

She smiled at him. "Was that a joke? I didn't know you had it in you!"

John peeked over the wall. His hood made for excellent camouflage in the storm. He was watching for any sort of pattern, but the raiders had none. What filth, sorry excuse for life! He noted the piles of desks and the cage on the bottom floor. They must have been running this operation for a while.

"Make some noise. If all goes according to plan, someone will be sent to investigate what caused it."

She gave a nervous nod. This was it. "We're so dead!" she said, twirling the wooden chunk in her hand. She leaned herself back and swung in an uppercut formation right against an empty trash bin. It echoed and vibrated through the whole building. Not even the storm's raging winds masked that! Perfect!

End Chapter 3: