CH 4

The 'exclusion area' fence around Driftwood never came to be. Neither was the constant monitoring John and Cameron expected. Terminators were free to come and go from their base, and in town there were plenty of vehicles to carry them. Dressed as normal people, John send them to different states to learn who was PSR, then when he knew where the enemy was, he'd call all of them to act at the same time to remove this PSR organization all at once.

Just like the PSR had done to the properly elected officials.

Cameron had six computers set up now to perform the mass hacks she and John Henry were designing. Some were to reroute internet traffic, a couple were to gain control over satellites, and another was to seriously destroy all of China's remotely operated systems. In her investigating, Cameron had found the PSR was being financed by China to turn the US into a communist country, and China's puppet. She had all the information on China's systems to crash them hard. Military systems, banking systems, business systems, they were all connected to the CCP, and Cameron was connected to them. Even China's shipping as well as their fleet was now modernized to control everything by computer. Cameron was ready shove that up their ass.

The courses China's boats were to take to get to the US were laid in from their central control. Cameron made new courses for them into some very hazardous waters. Over shoals, into dead-end bays, and a coded course that would sent them at full steam into the Ross Ice shelf in Antarctica. That was beside the bombing missions she'd set up for their air force, and the week long furlough all Chinese soldiers would get a day before she sent their ships on their way then crashed all their systems.

Delilah walked into Cameron's computer room and stood beside her. "Cam, we're secure here in a hundred mile radius, I'm going to go see what's left in the lake, if anything. Water is a good shield against radiation, I'm going to down in the Mer's cave and see how many, if any have survived."

"Yes, we need to save them if we can." Cameron agreed. "The lake is becoming toxic, they will need another place to live."

"I'm thinking the big lake," Delilah said in a musing tone. "It's far enough away from ground zero, the radiation there should be low. This may take a couple days."

Cameron looked at her and nodded. "We're stable enough now, go ahead. Do what you can for the Mers. Did any alligators survive?"

"Unknown. I'll find out what's left in the lake when I'm down there. If anything is alive, it's probably deep," Delilah told her.

"Fifty feet or below," Cameron concluded. "Do what you can, we have 65 terminators not currently busy. Use who you have to."

.

Delilah chose a squad of 5 terminators to go with her. Three fit in the back seat and two more in the front of Christine with her, she drove to the remains of the Young house. Five more brought a transport truck with food and clean water. She had the terminators check the land area as she got her mermaid tail out of the truck and a pair of sealed flashlights.

The area stunk of rotting bodies. The lake surface was no longer clear, but covered in a green and brown slime. The algae covering the surface was sure to choke any water breathing animal to death, and by the smell, there was a lot of death. Her and there, larger bloated bodies partially floated on the surface. Just getting of into that disgusting water gave her chills along her spine. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

The human bodies had been buried. Three decaying mers were found by the clinic. Apparently they had come for help, and were unable to even get back in the water before they died. Delilah had them buried. She wasn't expecting to find anything alive here, but she had to look.

Delilah sent two pairs of terminators out to scan the mid lake for any living thing they could find, and another pair to search deeper out from around the cave below. With her tail on and her lights, one held in reserve, she led four terminators into the water off the dock. As she suspected, after she dove into the green mass (shudder), she found there was little light under the water. It was getting dark a mere ten feet down. The water itself felt like a tomb.

Delilah and her terminators used their blue colored eyes to help see in the shadowy darkness. Heading down and out to the deepest water, she found many corpses of fish free floating, slowly sinking as the flesh rotted away to let the skeletons drop to the bottom. This was truly an ecological disaster that made her want to cry.

When she got down to around 50 feet, she turned her flashlight on. No bright pairs of eyes reflected the beam like used to happen. She did find along the steep bank going down, another Mer rotting away on the bottom. It was so decomposed she couldn't tell if it was male or female. She kept going, searching for eyes looking back at her, or just movement that they weren't causing.

Getting down to the cave entrance, Delilah led the terminator group into the cave. She desperately searched for any form of movement. Coming up unto the cavern, she broke the surface and was happy to see some Mers look at her. "Yes!" some were still alive!

Her brief joy was quickly dulled as she looked at the survivors. All 14 of them, she saw were thin and a few others hadn't moved at all. They looked weak and starved, and they all begged for help. The survivors were here, mixed with the dead.

The only thing Delilah could think of was getting them all out of here as quickly as possible. She sent one Terminator to go back up and send down more Terminators to come and tow Mers back to the surface, and another to get food and water out for the Mer's arrival.

"Help come," Delilah told them. "Help come," she assured another group of six who were gathered by a female corpse. She knew she could get two at a time out, but holding two would slow her down. They had to get up and out fast. Being weak, she doubted they could hold their breath very long. The younger ones first, She set two terminators towing a young mer to go get back to the surface as quickly as possible. Delilah eased them into the water. Then the terminators came, she had the mer hold on, and the terminators swam back out and up. One at a time, she was getting mers up to the surface. Once the younger ones were all out, she tried to pick the healthiest ones next to get towed out and up. The last one who was able to move was taken out. Then Delilah studied the ones not moving. Three she found were dead, by the smell as well as lack of bodily functions.

An older male was too weak to move and had not good, but enough vital signs he could probably make the surface alive. Delilah explained she was going to have him taken up. She helped him take a few deep breaths, then when he held his breath, a terminator each held one of his arms and took off for the surface as fast as possible.

One female was sill alive, barely. Her breathing was very shallow. She would not survive a trip to the surface without help. Delilah got her in the water upright and breathed full breaths into her again and again until her eyes fluttered open.

"Help, up to top," Delilah told her. She nodded weakly. A couple more breaths, then Delilah wrapped her face with a cloth and had another pair of terminators tow her quickly back out of the cave and up to the land.

Delilah searched the ones left, looking for any life signs at all. She would not be coming back down here, so she wanted to ensure no living mers were left behind. She then left this tomb.

Getting out of the water was another YUCK! moment. The green shit on the surface clung to Delilah when she climbed out of the water. It was all over her. Thankfully, a terminator was using a garden hose to wash off everyone as they got up on land. He hosed her off, and her tail before she slipped out of it.

Mers were sitting on the back of the truck and around it, eating MRE's and each had a clean bottle of water to drink from. The older Merman was lying back, a younger female was helping him eat. The last female out that Delilah thought might die on the way up, was alive, and laying back cradled in a sitting terminator's arms as another helped her take a drink and gave her bit of food.

Delilah was happy she'd saved at least some of these people. The only question was, what to do with them. They were aquatic, yet there was no way they could return to this lake, not for a very long time. They would have to find another home for the mers. All she could do now was find a temporary place to put them. Wanting to get them away from the stenchy air and horrible scene around them, once they all had some food and clean drink, she had them loaded up into the transport truck, and they drove out to see what condition the big lake was in.

Before they left, Delilah talked to the mers on the transport and told them, "Some force attacked our home with a big weapon. It has killed many, many. All our old homes are no longer livable. No food, no comfort. We are looking for a new home, someplace that will be guarded carefully. The ones who attacked us, we are searching for, and we will find and remove them so this does not happen again."

One Mermaid with a prosthetic tail asked, "Did Bob die?"

Delilah shook her head. "Bob is searching for the ones who attacked us, as are the other pretty tails."

A Merman said, "Half our clan is gone. What can we do to help search for the attackers."

"The best you can help with now is to find and make a new home for the clan. A place to live and prosper. We will help as much as we can with that." Delilah explained.

"We thank pretty tails for saving us," he told her. "We will help you as you ask."

.

Major Kenny of the PSR in Austin has seen what was happening. When the thing that bore the form of General Hawthorn came in to call his officers together, then slaughtered them, he'd been late enough to watch from a distance. He fled. He had no idea what that was pretending to be his CO, but he did know he didn't want to get close to it. Gathering some men and a couple junior officers he knew were loyal, he escaped Austin. Searching for a safe place to go to, he and the hundred men he'd collected needed a place to make a small base so he could contact his superiors to let them know they had trouble.

He had fled west almost by accident. That was a good direction to go in, however. He knew the west coast states were not only pacified, but true patriots accepting the PSR. To go very far, his caravan would need gas and supplies. The quickest place to get to was Johnson City, but some rebel faction had already attacked and removed the PSR there. He needed supplies before he got into a firefight. From what he was learning, it looked like Texas was becoming over run with rebellious malcontents. For the moment, he needed to get supplies and flee to a safer place. Someplace where he would not find opposition, but supplies to move on. Once they were in a friendly area and reformed, they would come back and teach people what happened when they disobeyed the PSR!

He had his vehicles head for Driftwood. That area was dead, and there would be plenty of supplies there that the dead had left behind. He could get supplies in peace and be ready to head off and find friendly forces to join, and return in strength.

Knowing caution, instead of driving into the dead town with his whole caravan, he stopped 20 miles out and sent in a scout force to verify no one else had moved into the area. He also had a rear guard out just in case his troops were being followed.

His scouts came back with good news. Up ahead, the town of Dripping Springs was securely in their hands, a Captain Lambert was in charge, and welcomed him and his men into town. Kenny led his column into Dripping Springs to greed the Major.

"We were hoping for reinforcements!" Captain Lambert said happily and saluted him.

Major Kenny returned his salute. "At least someplace is still in our hands. I'm afraid there's trouble in Austin. I fear rebels are quickly gathering. I was hoping to go south and use Driftwood as a resupply stop."

Captain Lambert frowned and shook his head. "That is what I was hoping for reinforcements against. Someone is already there. We lost two vehicles and six men in an ambush on the way in. We've also see patrol aircraft in the area bearing Texas Guard markings. They are building up something there. We need a strong force to counter them." Waving a hand, he added, "The rebels in town were put down, but now, there's hardly anyone left. More flee into the countryside each day. We don't have enough men here to contain them."

Major Kenny let out a sigh. "And when enough gather in the hills, they will return to fight. Captain, the people here are wrong minded. We need to gather our forces farther west, then come back with a large enough army to force them to submit or die. This will not be as easy as our supreme leaders think it will be."

"I only have sixty troops," Captain Lambert complained. "We can't fight any solid action with so few."

"That is why we take everything we can as far as supplies, and head west," Major Kenny explained. "Make a solid guard picket to the south. Tonight, we'll sneak in to Driftwood and see what, or rather who is there."

.

Like the other places in the area, Delilah found no living people around the big lake, but there were plenty of corpses. When they were burying the dead in the town, no one had thought to come up here. It was obvious they needed to get burial parties started. Still, Delilah's immediate concern was the lake itself.

At the boat launch where hundreds got their boats in and out of the water, there were vehicles here and boats and corpses lying around, many around a first aide station away from the docks. The smell of dead bodies was heavy in the air. Walking onto the dock though, Delilah saw the water was clearer than normal. She went down on the boat ramp and walked in knee deep. She tasted a bit of water to analyze it. The PH was ok, no appreciable radiation or chemicals that would harm the Mers.

Going back to the transport, Delilah asked for Mers who were healthy enough to swim, to come help explore the lake. Many feeling better with food and getting good water to drink agreed to come. Delilah got her tail and the five Mermen and four mermaids were carried to the boat ramp each by a terminator. Delilah explained to them as she got her tail on.

"We don't need to explore the whole lake. We go straight out from the dock to the other side, then come back and explore shore line on the way back here. We look for fish, alive and dead, boats just floating around, see if anyone alive is on them. That should tell us if this lake will be a good enough place to live. One terminator escort for each Mer, just in case the Mer needs assistance. Terminators not coming, guard the other mers and see to their needs as well as you can. This should only take us a few hours."

Delilah hand walked into the water, the terminators just walked in, let the Mers swim from their grasps, then grew their tails and followed.

Underwater here was much better than the small lake now. With power boats not constantly churning up the bottom, water clarity had improved greatly. Delilah could see a fair distance. One thing she saw was a small school of fish. There was only eight individuals and not that big, but they were alive. Going deeper, she noted turtles and crayfish on the bottom that were picking apart fish corpses that had sunk down. In one place, the remains of a person was on the bottom, and a large pack of small fish, some turtles and a few crayfish were massed on it, ripping bits off.

The residual radiation from that bomb was miniscule. Delilah interrupted the feeding frenzy briefly to tear off the rest of one finger. Mouthing it to test it, she found there was in fact little residual radiation in it. OK, whoever that had been was now food to feed the wildlife here. There wasn't a danger of radiation poisoning. She moved on and saw a boat above, a Mer and a terminator were investigating. An anchor line was down, resting on the bottom. She saw the terminator lift up onto the boat. She went up and surfaced to see what was going on.

.

The young man and woman cowering in the front of the boat watched the human shaped whatever he was pull the spear gun spear out of his chest and eye them. Barney had seen him coming, and shot him. The man who used to have a tail, now had legs and came up on the boat and pulled the spear out of himself to glare down on him.

"We're sorry," Patricia cried as she tried to hide behind Barney who was pressed into the front of the boat.

A blonde head appeared on the back of the boat. "What's up?" Delilah asked.

A grayish head with dark hair popped up on the side and pointed to the terminator and the couple cowering on the front of the boat. Her explanation was mostly moans and a few clicks.

Delilah nodded. "So you were spear fishing?" she asked.

Barney nodded and quickly said, "But I didn't mean to spear HIM!" he cried.

"OK, calm down," Delilah said. She jumped up on the back and swung to sit in the back seat. She waved to the gray headed woman thing. She took jumped up and when she swung in, she also had a long tail, not legs.

The terminator turned to Delilah. "We have found live humans," he stated.

"I see that," Delilah agreed. "So, who are you and where were you say, a week ago?"

Barney stared at the women with tails. "We've been scuba diving and fishing every day for out honeymoon. It was about a week ago, we were checking out a submerged house that fish were using as a ... that wasn't your house was it?" he asked.

"We saw a really bright light," Patricia said quickly. "I mean like someone put a spotlight on us. When we got back up to the surface, this big mushroom cloud was spreading out. We went back under and used up the rest of our air to keep from being radiated. Since then, everyone else had died! We just fish to feed ourselves. Our car is stuck in the lot and we're afraid to go anywhere because of the radiation."

"Calm down," Delilah told them with a smirk. "That was a neutron bomb we were hit with. It has very little residual radiation, if any. If you weren't killed by the blast, which I think being under water is what saved you, then you'll be fine."

"You got tails," Barney said, pointing.

Delilah flipped her fluke up. "Yup, I put mine on, but Uchia here, that's her real tail. She is a biological mermaid. I brought them here because they can no longer live in the lake they knew as home. I'm glad you two survived, come over to the boat dock and we'll see about getting your car free. If you find anyone else alive, have them come to the boat dock. OK?"

"Ahh sure," Barney said.

"OK we got things to do, see you there," Delilah said. She got up, crunched together and launched herself backwards off the boat to flip in the air and splash down head first in the water. The mermaid turned and dove back in the water. So did the terminator.

"Damn," Barney whispered.

Patricia grabbed Barney and shook him as she cried, "Did you see THAT! This lake really DOES have mermaids in it!"

.

From their short tour of the lake, Delilah was satisfied that it was fairly safe to let the mermaids find a place to live here now that there wasn't massive boat traffic running around. She was sure the fish population would improve also as long as there were no more fishermen. As far as shelter, another cabin cruiser was found already in the water and a pontoon boat that was more like a floating platform they found had a cover so Mers could rest. The Mers that had fishing spears had brought them.

Mers also found another form of food. Around the small lake, the invasive rat sized species known as Nutrina had never taken hold because of the things in the lake that ate them. Here, where there were no alligators, they flourished due to no predators and people thinking they were cute and feeding them. It was nothing for a Mer to swim up under them grab them in a crushing grip and pull them under to drown them. Peel the skin off and dinner was served.

The problem here was still all the dead bodies that needed to be buried. While the Mers got familiar with their new home, Delilah called for a burial party. With a backhoe they'd found, and another truck to run around and collect bodies, they dug a long trench and filled it with the dead.

Delilah stayed and waited for the human couple to get back to the boat ramp. Barney, due to Patricia's insistence, rowed the boat back instead of using their motor. She instilled on him how many Manatees in Florida were 'mutilated' by boat propellers, and didn't want any mermaids to suffer with getting hit with a boat prop. He begrudgingly agreed. While he rowed, Patricia watched the water, grinning widely every time she saw a head pop up, then disappear with the splash of a tail. She decided she wanted to live here.

The rowing boat was in sight when a terminator told Delilah, "Delilah, message from the northern lookouts. Men with guns approaching coming down the road. Six men, one woman with assorted rifles. They are a half mile from the ambush points."

"Alert the reserve troops. Have the guards stop them. If those men shoot, deploy the reserves, I'm on my way." She then turned and ran to Christine. "Christine, start up we got trouble!"

Christine was running, door open when Delilah ran up and jumped in. She took off down the road back to town.

.

Joe Hatcher led the small group who'd fled Dripping Springs south to look for people to help them against the bastards who'd came to Dripping springs and invaded their town. Martial law his ass! The para military group had jailed their Mayor, the Sheriff and his deputies, then set up curfews and announced 'redistribution of lands and invaded homes to steal guns, cell phones and computers and tell people they had to obey.

Joe was lucky, he'd found out quick enough what happened that he'd tried to gather a resistance group and to fight back. They'd been caught and in a short fire fight, he'd lost four neighbors, but they had killed all six 'soldiers' who'd found them. With only six of them, the ran south to gather more support.

Frank's wife, Donna asked, "Joe, we should probably get off the road. The could be coming after us." Frank had died, but at least he'd shot two soldiers before they got him.

Joe shook his head. "Yeah, we could hide better, but that won't do any good if we can't find someone to help us. We need to tell people what those bastards are doing."

"Think anyone else got away?" Billy asked.

"Hope so," his brother Dave said. "I did see the Lupin place get raided, and there was shooting. That alerted us to get the fuck out of town. Heard all kinds of strange things about Driftwood. If half of it's true, we can get some help there."

"We're hoping so." Joe agreed. He then noticed up ahead, a man came from the side and stood in the road. The man wore a Texas Guard uniform. Joe was expecting to see a gun, but the man didn't have one. "Hey Fella!" he called and waved.

The man stood stock still and returned his wave. When they got closer, the man raised a hand and said in a flat tone, "Stop, identify yourselves."

Joe and his group did. "I'm Joe Hatcher, we're coming from Dripping town was taken over by this PSR military group, we managed to get away. Can you call the real army and get us some help?"

"It is being done," the man said in monotone. "Delilah Connor is on her way with reinforcements."

"Got any food?" Billy asked.

"Assistance is coming. Please, follow me," the man said in monotone. He then turned and walked back off the side of the road.

Joe and his group followed the man to the side behind a rise to see the back side of the rise was dug out and shaped into a bench. There were two large coolers and a case of MRE's. The man pointed to them. "Food and water. Sit and relax. Delilah and help is on it's way. How many PSR soldiers did you encounter?"

The refugees went for the bottled water in the coolers first.

"A mess of them," Joe told him. "Some chased us, we kill'em, but they got a few of us too. Make no mistake, they're a nasty bunch. Off hand, I'd say there's about a hundred of-em."

The blank faced man said, "Information sent. Have the PSR moved south to come after you?"

"We don't know. We're hoping not" Joe told him.

"Aerial recon is in progress. A strike force is in progress." the man stated in his flat tone. He then turned to look down the road.

The oldest car Joe had seen in a long time came up the road. It looked like something out of the fifties. Behind it, a pair of tanks followed. He smiled.

The red and white car pulled off to the side near them. The busty blonde driver got out, four more soldiers in the Texas guard also piled out of the car. None of them had weapons. The blonde called, "deploy to the sides, fifty yards apart. Get the tanks behind some hillocks, set watch to the north!"

Wordlessly, the troops obeyed.

Joe frowned at them. "Ah, Ma'am, didn't you bring any guns?" he asked.

She looked at him and grinned. "We don't need guns. You are from Dripping Springs?"

Joe nodded. "That's right. I have to tell you, those guys that invaded our town are serious. They got assault rifles and I saw a truck with a machine gun on it too. They will kill anyone who doesn't do as they say."

"I heard they are a nasty lot," Delilah agreed. "We're nastier. I'm Delilah Connor. If you would, please come back to Dripping Springs with us when we go. We will need to identify who is and is not PSR."

Joe watched one of the sharply angled tanks with dual barrels drive off the road behind them. "Ma'am, Delilah, These guys do shoot people. Those tanks are a welcome sight, but you and your men need to arm yourselves up."

"Don't worry about us, we're ready," she assured him.

One of the men turned to her. "Delilah, Cameron is sending forces to block off any escape or reinforcement from Dripping Springs. They will be passing by to our right overland. You are to hold until the word is given to advance."

"Thank you," Delilah told him.

A track came up the road and let off 20 more weaponless soldiers. As soon as they were off, it drove back the way it came. Delilah had them spread out to the sides father, fifty yards apart.

Joe was sure the PSR was going to come and slaughter them.

Joe had Billy keep watch peeking over the rise. If those bastards came, his small group was still the only armed force they had. "Delilah, Ma'am?" he said. "I gotta tell ya, I'm nervous here with none of you having guns."

"Then stay here, under cover. We'll take care of the PSR. You should get some rest while you can."

Another soldiers announced, "PSR deploying a mile north, spreading to the sides. Assault rifles only, one vehicle, parked on the road. They are finding static positions. Targeting their positions."

"Keep an eye on them and stay under cover until we get word to move," Delilah told him. "How far off the road are they going?"

"A hundred yards to each side. Fifty men."

"Delilah, air recon reports seven trucks departing Dripping Springs heading south. ETA 8PM. Suspect they will be arriving right after sun down."

"Tell Cameron to let them run into us, we can catch them all on the road," Delilah replied.

"But you don't have any guns!" Joe cried.

Delilah grinned at him again. "Eat, drink relax and watch the show," she replied.

Joe shook his head. These people were crazy!

While Delilah talked to her soldiers, Joe was making an escape plan for when the PSR came. It was hard to believe not a singe soldier here had a gun. Although those tanks would be able to do damage, there was only two of them.

Billy came down from the top of the rise and said, "Joe, they're coming, down the road, a line of trucks."

Joe thought hard. "OK let's get up and peek over the top. We shoot their tires out then run for it."

Delilah came over and said, "Guys! If you go up on the top, stay low. Aim, but no one fires until I say so," she said firmly. "We'll all shoot at once."

"K," Joe agreed. but he had no idea what she planned on shooting.

Joe and his group went up and crawled onto the summit of the rise. A line of headlights were coming. From beside Donna, Dalilah stood up and announced, "Aim!"

It looked like something grew out of her arms, Instead of hands, she had metal tubes on the ends of her arms. She lifted them up at the trucks. When the trucks were only 50 yards away, Delilah yelled, "FIRE!"

The dark landscape flashed into brightness as bright bolts shot from Delilah's arms, and from every other soldier on her line. The lightning fast bolts hit the trucks, blowing them apart. Explosions from ruined gas tanks filled the air along with pieces of truck. Joe gaped at the destruction. In no time at all, the line of trucks were now scattered, burning remains.

"Keep fire on their picket line!" Delilah announced.

Now the bright streaks of destruction were racing off in the distance. Clouds of dirt and debris rose up from where they landed. After a couple minutes of this, Delilah called, "All troops forward!"

All Joe could do was stare as Delilah and her few troops, who also now had arms ending in canons, ran ahead at full speed. A couple more shots into the scattered burning debris on the road incinerated a few wounded men trying to flee.

"YEAH!" Billy screamed and got up to run after Delilah and her men.

Behind them, the old car started up and drove up the road. Joe looked, no one was behind the wheel.

"Holy shit," Joe whispered.

"Yeah BABY!" Donna cried, and jumped up to run.

Joe realized if he didn't move, he'd be here by himself. He got up and ran as fast as he could just to keep people in sight. On the road, only pieces of burning truck and some burning bodies were left. The old car drove through the mess, bouncing larger debris aside.

Running ahead, plasma bolts fire here and there. Up ahead, someone shouted. a figure got up and ran away briefly before another bolt hit him and burning pieces of him fell to the ground. Joe became exhausted quickly and slowed to a jog, then a walk. He got on the road to pant along with a couple others. Ahead of him, he saw the old car had stopped. As they approached the passenger side door opened.

Joe walked up and tried the driver's door. It was locked.

Billy looked in the car. "I ahh, think it's offering us a ride." He got in and slid over to the middle. "Well come on!" he told the others.

Joe got in the back with Donna and Dan. "Someone's driving by remote?" he asked.

"Guess so."

They got in, the passenger door shut and the car drove on. Joe watched the steering wheel and gas pedal move on their own. "I don't see any remote controls." Joe noted.

"Me either," Billy noted.

"Ahh guys, Fred said. "I think I recognize this car from a crypto report. It's called Christine, a 1958 Plymouth. The report said it's possesed. It's reported to have killed several people and even if it is crushed, it comes back."

The radio suddenly came on.

riding along in my automobile

My date beside me at the wheel

crusin along and going slow

with no particular place to go

They all stared at the radio as the song played.

"Billy, you mess with that?" Donna asked.

"No, it just came on by itself."

Dan said, "Well I heard some strange things about Driftwood, and that's where this car is from."

Billy patted the dash, "Thanks for the ride, ahh, Christine. We appreciate it."

Up ahead, the bright light of plasma bolts flashed here and there.

Donna pumped a fist, "Those bastards won't stand a chance now!"

Joe had the feeling she was right.

.