A pickup truck rode down an empty road with a moving van following close behind, going at a steady speed of 50 mph. Casey turned and looked out the window of the truck and watched the landscape as it slowly drifted away from them as they proceeded down the asphalt. He was a man of average height and rather thin for a thirty year old. Being cramped in this truck wasn t what he had in mind today.
It had been 20 days since our baseball player turned to banditry and this was his first big break. He lamented on the current score and aftermath of the fight. 26 deaths including his own crew, but the payoff was worth it. For the whole time Casey was rolling with the bandit clan, they had only made petty robberies and murders. But today, by chance, they intercepted a squad of mercenaries transporting a huge cache of stolen weapons and military equipment.
With only four men left, Ritutu, the acting leader, thought it d be best to split them in teams of two. Casey rode in the passenger seat of the main truck, acting as Ritutu s gunner as the leader drove. In the moving van with the loot were the other two thugs, Ursise and Viper. Casey was silent for most of the ride until they were only three minutes away from home when Ritutu struck up a conversation.
You re quiet, he said, looking briefly over at the baseball player, I mean, we just made it through one hell of a fight and you haven t said anything since we got in the truck.
There's not much to talk about, Casey replied, We lost a lot of men, but still got a lot of weapons. So maybe Roger won t shoot us in the head. Just take our stuff. Put us on guard duty.
Casey put his arm up next to the window and lightly tapped the glass. Even with the aid of firearms, they still lost about eleven men in the fight.
Now I know you haven t been around him that long, Ritutu started, pulling down on his cap, But trust me, he wouldn t do that just yet. You gotta fuck up to the extreme before he does something like that.
Casey ignored him and proceeded to roll down the window, allowing a burst of cold air tear into his face.
Alright fine, don t say anything. Ritutu slowed down at an intersection, turning onto the road back to camp.
Casey sighed and tugged on his goggles. These might not have been the best idea.
Along with a kevlar vest and a combat helmet, he took only a single MP7 from the crates. He preferred to stay light on his feet, while keeping in close combat. The other members, except for Viper mainly only took one piece of armour and gun.
Ritutu used to roll with private military contractors, which heavily influenced his choice in attire. Strapping a padded vest over his ripped up grey overcoat was enough to make him content. The pants and shoes he d been wearing were just as ratty, even to the point where the boots had large gashes on the sides that could give him blisters. The only real thing that remained presentable on him was his field cap covering his skull.
Casey s clothes were in better shape, but not too much. His sneakers lacked any real visible damage, excluding the soles which flopped with every step. It was annoying at best and stressful at worst. He had a fear of running, knowing that it wouldn t take much to make them fall off. Combine this with his dirt coated white shirt and khakis, he was desperate for some new clothes. But at the time, suiting up in a vest was more important.
Ritutu smiled at the sight of a strip mall came into sight on the side. He pulled into the parking lot where a number of other vehicles laid stationary. The strip mall was littered with trash and makeshift barricades, set up by the bandits after settling here. Ritutu stopped in front of a pharmacy while the moving van behind pulled up next to them.
Casey got out, grabbing his new rifle. Ritutu walked up to the store with Casey following him close behind. A small group of five bandits gathered around the moving van as its driver side door open. A heavily armoured man hopped out, holding an UZI in each hand. He was known as Viper and had taken more than his fair share already.
You three, He ordered the outlaws, Unload this stuff. The rest of you, follow me. We re gonna get the other truck.
The bandits obeyed and headed around the side of the van, while the others looked over Viper s new loadout.
Look at you, loaded to the teeth, one of them said, Hope you left some things for us.
Viper's face was hidden by a plain-looking ballistic mask. A padded bulletproof vest covered his chest, along with the belts holding his ammo pouches on his back. Even his black bandana tying the bottom of the mask to his face was a new addition. That, combined with the dual UZI s by his side, made him confusable with an actual soldier.
Maybe next time you ll get your share. Now follow me.
With that, Viper walked over to the pickup truck and hopped into the driver side.