Chapter Twenty Nine:
A hour later the hateful sun is out the desert heating up once more. After dining on crackers that were hard, we wait until sundown to check our clothes status. This heat and humidity is enough to dry them like brunt toast. The guys are forced retrieve the net off the van, and I'm sent to fetch the tent. Now we wait for everything to warm up even more.
The sun nearly at the western horizon. The gas hasn't even been used that much. We're still on the full line minus a meter or two. It was my turn to drive, I am nervous, but I had to night to prepare. Hopefully the lights work in the front.
"So I've been thinking. There eight of your other friends out here. We're going to need a bigger vehicle, if everyone going to fit." Curie mentions
"Hadn't thought of it, but you're right Curie." I reply to her really thinking of a way to fit them, and reach the Safe Haven. Cure ourselves and find the Right Arm. WICKED is likely to capture us once we're cured, but I've been thinking about way to ambush them. "I replied.
Three hours later and the clothes are dry and clean of grime and muck. Not perfect but it works. We each take turns getting dress. Jane had gone first then followed Elizabeth who looks beautiful in her clean clothes. She look proper and trim. Nyx was next and when he returned the purple streaks of hair have nearly faded, replaced by mostly black. I was finally dress as I took the driver's seat and waited to everyone was done to start her up.
I fix my rear view mirror but couldn't see out of it. When I notice a smudge obscures most of it. I turn around cleaning up the smudges which was had covered back window which allow sight into the back. I pulled it open and everyone jumped, not knowing about the window. "Alright I need a co-pilot. Who's coming up front."
Curie snatch the map from Soc and took the flashlight as she got in the passenger seat. Reading the map shows how we've nearly gone on right rigid path to Jorge lair. I started up the car, adjusting the headlights, but Curie slaps my hand away.
"No we're only going to put a target on our back, we need the cover of night."
"Fine!" I say getting the shift into drive. Thankfully the car automatic and I don't have to worry of the gears when it comes to speed. Gripping the staring wheel with both hands I put my foot on the pedal and the van starts to go.
It was scary at first. I did make a few short stops when it came to turning but after some time I eased into it. The meter read 75 miles per hour, I didn't want to exceed that speed in the darkness. We are on sand flats right after the rain. About four hours in, I could see a bright lights in the distance. It was straight ahead which is a relief. I speed down the ground to only fine something far off then I initially expected. I slammed on the breaks for just ahead the whole area was on fire. A building was laid to waste. What could of caused it?
There must of been an explosion, seeing yo be the only logical explanation. Jorge, I wonder if he got out? But who had the balls to do such a thing. Maybe it was Tesla, but as figures started getting closer to the van, I notice a helicopter above the area and on foot was WICKED operatives. To them we could be anyone. Suddenly I heard a errand gun fire, as the helicopter shine it's spot light down on the truck.
"Everyone cover yourself and stay low. Curie get under the seat. I'm getting us out of here."
"Ross, what happing?" Curie freighted wanting to know.
"Whos out there?" Nyx asks.
"It's WICKED. It's fucking WICKED, they took out Jorge place. They can't get us, they won't get us." I firmly let out.
Quickly I put the car in reverse and peeled out of here in a jiffy. Suddenly turning it back into drive as I head towards darkness ahead. I made had Curie pass me the compass which I place on the dashboard. I drive heading north, but the search light are once again upon us. I see ATVs chasing behind us. Luckily there a line of road which gives me the chance to go up to a hundred miles per hour. But to no avail the pursuit persist.
"Pull over and turn off your vehicle. The is the World In catastrophe killzone experiment department." A voice says from a loud speaker on the helicopter. The voice was too familiar and I knew the person behind it. Janson! He can't be allowed stop us. Knowing him, us having a vehicle is cheating. I'm not about to start walking again, time is against us and with our new party member, she can't be hiking up a mountain range.
"What should we do?" Jacob asked.
"We're not about to be captured like last time." Leon spoke with his utmost conviction. He too knew who we are against. Losing to Janson a second time isn't about to happen on his watch.
"Luckily for us the flashlight we found was military grade, meaning it can be used to temporarily blind a person. I just need to make a few adjustments. Curie took a hairpin she been saving and unlock the storge compartment of her seat. Out flew paperwork and wires and random junk. "Jackpot." She said sadistically.
"I'll use the flare gun at the copter." Leon got prepared to do just do such.
"I'll mmhm." Curie mumbled as she held something in place between her teeth. She had ripped open a panel of the truck and attached wires she found to the circuit board of the flashlight. "Done. I join the flashlight to the headlights power source. If I wired this correctly, the flashlight should produce a strong enough light to permanently blind the retinas of the men on the ATVs. If not the headlights are going blow and so is the car battery."
"Damnit Curie, you're overly ambitious." Soc said worrying about getting capture by Janson.
"You're just scared of that beady eye prick in the helicopter. Whats worse he could do?" Leon turnt around to nag Soc.
"How about sending us back to the start." Nyx mention.
"Enough we have to do something. Curie take your creation and climb through the window to the back. Leon when I give her the signal you count to ten and fire all three rounds of the flare at the chopper."
"Alright." They both reply as she squirm her way to the back.
"Nyx I want you to open the back door and count the numbers of people on ground after us when I hark the horn. Jacob make sure no one or nothing falls out."
"Got it." They said in unison.
"Let's commence the operation." I said taking charge of the situation. We won't be defeated."
I let them give chase slowing down the truck in order to let them get In reach. Good they stood on pursuit. I honk the horn at full blast. That's when Nyx open the back door and counted. "Six."
"How close are they Soc?"
"At our current rate they should be reaching us in five seconds."
So I count. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. "Now Curie." It was the moment of truth. Sounds of crashing and cursing can be heard, I check the rearview mirror. Success. Now that was left was Leon's job.
"Burn in hell!" Leon screams taking the shot at the helicopter which misses and hits the tail. To high he's letting anger cloud his mind. He reloads taking the shot. This time it his the front window of the chopper. It sticks on it as the red smoke clouds up their view. But the blades blow away the smoke.
"I believe in you Leon, you've gotta make it inside their vehicle. It'll will force them to retreat. Curie evasive counter. Blind them, buy time for Leon."
"What of the battery?" She asks confused.
"There is never reward without risk. Besides I know you can get it running again if you must."
"Yeah. Leave them to me." She smirks
"I can do something." Jacob said.
"You've done you're share already, sit this one out." Nyx said reassuringly.
Curie light up the sky taking aim the the pilot. The person took action to sway out the way, lowering the altitude. Little did they know, she was baiting them right into Leon's trap.
"Last warning Right Arm, pull over." Janson screams from the mic.
"Eat shit!" Leon said firing the last flare. Just as planned the flare went off inside the interior of the heilci.
"The isn't over! Not by a long shot Right Arm.
"Sir its impossible to pursue with the fumes inside our ride." He said through shallow coughs.
The helicopter turn it's lights off and turn away heading back to where it came. For now we had beaten WICKED. If they think we are the Right Arm, they seen this truck. No matter what I have to drive throughout the night to put as much distance between us. Once again I took on speed as the door slammed shut everyone cheering along.
"I knew my faith in you all wasn't misplaced, you all deserve to sleep I'll see us through to morning." I commended my friends.
"Yay big bro." Chimed Elizabeth.
So the down the long rode in the vastness of the night, our next destination twenty miles away. The huge city on the map. But we're going to need a way across the baren seabed, for us to reach it. But that's something to worry about later. Our team work and skills are meshing together finely. I fear not Group B when I have them on my side.
As morning arrive I pulled over into a darken area still shady from the sun's warmth. I didn't have it jn me to keep driving. So I turn the engine off and covered the front windshield and sought after a well earned rest. But I lock the doors to make sure no one could get in our vehicle. Sleep came faster then the sun rose, and for a while we slept In peace.
Mid-afternoon I awoke to find myself stretch out on one on the couches. Nyx wasn't present neither was Jacob. Jane, Soc, Curie and Leon was there. Elizabeth was out cold on the other couch.
"Here you should eat." Curie said passing me last of the rat meat. It was mushy and cold and it felt so disgusting going down I had to fight to keep the bits down.
"Thanks." I said taking a sip of water from the can that Elizabeth brought.
"A bit of bad news Elizabeth has a fever." Leon said yawning.
"We need a certain type a fever reducer and antibiotics, we're all out.
"Alright then, it's our priority among food."
Another hour later we reach the long red suspension bridge leading to other side of city towering in the distance. Ever so close. A portion of the bridge was missing making the trip over nearly impossible to cross. There was no shoreline for us to drive across the seabed, without a direct plummit of around a hundred feet deep, one could climb down and out but a car wasn't possible.
"What do we do?" I asked.
"Give me the wheel, I'll get us across. I'm not scared." Leon said firmly.
"Your insane if you think you can do it alone, I'll need a bit to determine trajectory and speed factors. Soc said getting out writing down adjustments the more he examed. Curie follow suit inorder to take make sure the math was rounded up evenly. Jacob and Nyx got out did a inspection of the car. Jane and I used our speed to climb up the side of the bridge reaching the top effortlessly. The verge of the Scorch laid out. A Utopia of sand and death, it was seemly endless. It's astounding how life seem to fight just to adapt.
At the very top we scouted out how far we could go if we walked. It wasn't much and not everybody could climb or handle heights. Getting back down, we rush in the back taking our seats as Soc has written what we needed to clear such a jump.
Leon started by turning around by a few miles then stop by putting drive back in motion. He took off nearly reach a hundred and fifty miles per hour as we reach the beginning of the bridge him turning in between lanes and cars keeping the speed up. Faster the partition of the broken bridge came to. This was about timing and hitting the road that broken upward giving direct lift forward and over.
Moment of truth. The car skid across before lifting upward the dried ocean floor dircetly below. Shit shit shit. Everyone was saying as we had been declarating faster which wasn't a good sign. But I couldn't tell or guess at the math needed to equate such a stunt. The jump reaching the end, luckily the truck hit something underneath. The vehicle bump and vibrates as stuff is strown side to side people either getting fling out of seats. I bumped my head on the roof. Atlest Elizabeth was fine.
"Would you all stop whining!" Soc said.
"We did it, fuck yeah!" Leon cheers. As we drove off to our destination. Down the long sandy path the sun was still in the sky as we reached the outside of the city. We all parted in two groups. Leon keeping the truck ready to move as he would meet us at the edge of the opposite side of the city.
Curie and Myself went one direction. Jacob, Soc and Nyx took a different path towards a pharmacy in the distance. Jane decided to say with Elizabeth in the our sheet robes we walked towards the northern end of city. People walked and seemed more lively, just miserable. Children ran through the streets laughing. It was community at work. WICKED forgot about them. They don't appear infected for the most part and they had no problem with us.
"You wanna go play with the kids?" I lean over to Curie laughing.
"I will stab you. I'm not a kid!" She grunts pulling out her spear.
"Kidding, kidding." I said walking just a bit ahead of her.
I had the diamonds and yet I didn't know who or what to be looking for? Maybe a vendor or some black market dealer. Food and medical supplies just in case they can't find any.
I hope the guys were faring better then us. Maybe they'd find what we needed. On the other hand I couldn't not stop stressing about Elizabeth's health. Taking a huge look of the broken and tall skyscrapers, it's sad to see how something so huge and prominent be wiped out in a instant. The effects lasting untill the Earth heals and reclaims the land. A see overgrowing grass and vines, they will conquer and devour man's folly.
Nature will reclaim what's hers, long after the last man has taken its final breath. We find the Cure and heal the world, but the scars will remain. We can bid our time slowly but like the stars our species will one day burn out. It's so cynical wanting to see our planet back to its former glory, even if the human race won't be here to witness it.
I envy the ones who came before us, to live in a functional world for even a day would be wonderful. But our generation is just here to pick up the pieces so our progenitors can live secured. Is it so wrong to want a normal life? But if that was possible, I'd would of never met the wonderful people in my life.
"Over here." Curie calls me out of my thoughts.
"Whatcha find?"
"Up on the building is a supply drop, it has to be untouched."
"You're right, but that's pretty high up and part of the building is missing." I said fearing the climb.
"There is no reward without risk. It might just be what we needed to survive to the end." Curie said rather bold but said absolutely the truth.
"We would need the others. Right now we need to find some shade, the sun's light is reflecting off the street and windows of the buildings."
The two of us ran towards a little closed in area where a entrance to the building once stood. The rubble made for a good hiding spot.
We waited for an hour, before proceeding to walk again under the setting sun. Removing the robes allowing flesh to be greeted by a cool breeze of the evening, it was soothing. But still we had no idea where we could find help.
"Whatever happens don't wonder off or let us get separated, alright!" I say to Curie. It wasn't that I didn't trust people. It's just people can be mean and devious to get whatever they can.
"I know!" She replies stretching her arms behind her hand as we made our way more into the city.