Chapter 10
The Wasteland is brighter and hotter than I remember. The sand looks almost white, and the tribals are like shadows dancing on the ground. They come at us all at once, nearly blotting out the sun. It's a hard fight, harder than any I've been through before. Blood drips and splashes onto the ground, staining the sands all the way to the horizon. I try to stay close to Chuckles, but I lose him in the sea of struggling bodies. I don't have time to care as another group lunges at me. It feels good to fight again, to let my body flow through each attack, to feel my knife slide through and across flesh. It's a rush, and I lose myself in it. Before long, I'm completely covered in blood, and it's a hundred times better than any bath.
Suddenly, a hand grasps my shoulder from behind. Without hesitation, I spin around and plunge my knife into the assailant. He cries out in pain and surprise before dropping to the ground. The Wasteland goes quiet. That was the last one.
I wipe the red from my eyes. Chuckles looks up at me from the ground, his body battered and bleeding at my feet. I stare into his empty eyes in shock and horror. My stomach heaves - not from the gore, but from the guilt. He's dead. I killed him.
"Roman!" Three's harsh voice cuts through the sound of my heart hammering in my ear. I turn to see him standing there, close and far away at the same time. He gazes at me with an unreadable expression.
"I didn't mean to," I say, my panic rising. "I thought he was a… I… We can't go back to Anuket!"
The Cyclops reaches into his pocket and takes out his die. Without a word, he crouches and tosses it across the bloodied sand. The world slows down. The small, white cube bounces again and again, turning red where it collides with the ground. Finally, rolls to a stop. Three looks at the result for a moment, nods to himself, and returns the die to his pocket.
"What did it say?" I demand to know. The Road Warrior looks at me but doesn't answer. "Three, what did it tell you to do?"
"Sorry, Roman," he replies.
"Sorry for what? What are you going to do?"
He turns around and begins walking toward his vehicle.
"Answer me!" I shout after him. "Three!"
I call out again and again, but he never answers. My stomach goes cold. Fear. Is he going back to Anuket? What will he tell her? Will she send more Road Warriors after me? I don't know what to do. I don't know anything. What do I do? What do I do?!
Suddenly, my fear vanishes. Everything loses sound except the pounding in my ear. I feel calm - peaceful, even. I sheathe my knife and pull out my pistol. Then I take aim and shoot Three in the back. He shouts and goes down. Still alive. I walk over to him. He struggles to take out his gun. Without a word, I grab his hair with my free hand, pulling his head up. I jam my pistol into his one eye and shoot him through the head. He collapses back into the sand as I release his hair.
The wind picks up, cutting through the drumming in my ear. Storm coming. My hair blows into my face, obscuring my view of Three's corpse. I hardly notice.
"Roman! Roman!"
A voice calls out my name over the howl of the wind. I turn around and see Trace running towards me through the swirling sand. She's wearing that see-through uniform again, but this time there's something else on her arm. She smiles brightly, not seeming to notice the bodies or the blood. Maybe she doesn't care. As she nears me, I raise my gun. She stops, and her smile vanishes. Her eyes fill with fear and uncertainty.
"Roman, what are you doing?" she cries. "Are you okay? I brought you -"
"Are you here to kill me?" I interrupt, glaring at her.
"What? No, I… You left your scarf on the table. I thought you might want it, so -"
Song and dance.
"Stop lying," I command. "Anuket sent you to kill me, yeah?"
"Roman, stop talking like that! Look, your scarf. Please, just take it."
She begins untangling the yellow fabric from her arm. As she pulls her hand free, I see that she's grasping something. A weapon. A knife. I pull the trigger without another thought. Trace screams and falls to the ground. I close the distance between us. She's writhing in the dirt, clutching her stomach with one hand. Blood gushes through the gown and between her fingers. I point my pistol at her head. Then I notice her other hand. The knife lies close by.
Suddenly, it's not a knife anymore. It's a piece of paper wrapped around two pencils. I stare at it. Time slows down again. The drumming in my ear gets louder and louder, drowning out the roar of the rising storm and Trace's crying. Just when I think my skull's about to explode, it stops. My head clears, and I gasp, realizing I've been holding my breath.
"Roman…"
My eyes snap back to the Handmaiden's face. She's not squirming anymore, just staring up at me with those big, blue eyes. I holster my pistol and drop to my knees beside her.
"Trace, I'm… I can fix this," I stammer. "Just stay with me. Stay with me, yeah?"
I grab the scarf from the ground and press it against the hole in her stomach. It turns red in an instant, covering my drying hands with fresh blood.
"I don't know what happened," I say, raising my voice to be heard over the screaming wind. "Something… something's wrong with me. I killed both of them, and now I -"
"I just wanted to… to teach you how to write your… your name." She cuts in, heartbroken. Her voice is soft, but somehow I can hear her perfectly over the storm. It's like she's speaking in my mind. "I… I thought you were different. How could you do this? How could…"
The life drains from her eyes. The fear, the pain, and the innocence are replaced by nothing at all. I stare at her corpse, unable to move or even think. The storm rages around us, but the sand doesn't cover her body. Nature itself refuses to touch her, to cover her over and erase her from existence. So I stay there, looking into her lifeless eyes, wishing the madness would take me again so I could feel nothing.
"Hey, Roman," a rough, monotone voice calls from behind me. "Get up."
I whirl around to see Three. His skin has turned a sickly, pale green, already starting to rot away. His eyepatch is gone, and both of his empty eye sockets are gushing red. He doesn't seem to care. He stares at me without eyes, completely emotionless. In his hands is his shotgun, aimed right at my head. Anuket steps out from behind him, seeming impossibly tall. She towers over me, baring her white teeth is a horrific smile of triumph. Her sharp, green eyes burn into my skull. She puts a hand on Three's shoulder, her nails painted with blood. My heart feels like it stops. I struggle to breathe, to stand, to run, to do anything. But it's too late.
"Time to go," Three says as he pulls the trigger.
I gasp and sit up, looking around wildly. The sand and corpses are gone, replaced by a stone floor and too much furniture. Eden. Anuket's palace. Guest room. My hand is at my waist, grasping for a pistol that isn't there. Blind, undead Three vanishes, revealing Three the Cyclops standing in the doorway. Beside the old man are Chuckles and the pale, redheaded Handmaiden. I gaze at them with wide eyes, trying to catch my breath as the nightmare fades away. Three doesn't react to my awakening; in all his days as a Road Warrior, I'm sure he's suffered far worse visions in the night. Chuckles looks excited, ignoring my panicked state as he struggles to maintain the frown on his face. The Handmaiden simply watches me with the same placid, innocent expression of her peers.
"Sir, there is no time to sleep when there is glory waiting for us on the Fury Road!" Chuckles says with childlike enthusiasm.
"Is there anything last minute you require of me, Road Warrior?" the Handmaiden asks politely.
"No," I mumble, suddenly feeling embarrassed. I don't look like much of a brave Road Warrior right now. "I'm fine."
I scramble to get out of bed, trying to push away the still-vivid nightmare from my mind. I haven't had a dream that bad since right after Simon and Cord died. As I get to my feet, I feel the stitches pulling against the skin of my thigh. Trace told me she'd check on them in the morning, but she's not here. I feel strangely relieved. I don't really want to see her again after last night. Three might catch on that something happened, and I don't want him doubting me right before our mission. I could ask this Handmaiden to take a look at the wound, but I'd rather just get out of here as soon as possible. Long as I'm careful, the stitches should hold. I hurry to put on my boots, jacket, and scarf.
"All right," I say, nodding at Three and Chuckles. "Let's go."
Three returns the nod - the Wasteland sign of understanding or respect. In this case, I'm sure it's the former. Chuckles scampers down the hallway, unable to wait any longer. Three and I follow as the Handmaiden tails us. I glance over at the old Road Warrior as we go. The purple underneath his eye is even darker. I wonder if he slept at all. He looks a little on edge, too. Most men would fear going up against the unknown; Three looks mildly stressed, and Chuckles looks eager. I'm somewhere in the middle - glad to be getting out of the palace but afraid of what might happen out there. What if I lose myself, like in the dream?
The walk down the now familiar hallway seems much shorter this time. As we enter the throne room, a wave of damp, fragrant air once again washes over us. I still don't recognize the smell. Maybe it's from one of the flowers I've never seen until coming here. I scan the room. Anuket and the other Handmaidens are nowhere in sight. Guess the Goddess doesn't think it worth her time to see us off. That's fine by me; I'm in no hurry to see her again.
"Godspeed, Road Warriors," the redheaded Handmaiden says with reverence.
Chuckles halts and turns around to face her. Three and I follow suit.
"We hope to see your return," she concludes, standing at the entrance of the hall.
"We shall return victorious, covered in the blood of Lady Anuket's enemies!" Chuckles exclaims, pounding his chest with one hand. "And shall live to see many more battles!"
"I would hope so, former Blackthumb," the woman replies pleasantly. "Tell me, what is your name?"
"Chuckles, ma'am." He holds his head high proudly.
"Upon your success, Chuckles, I shall grant you your Warrior name. Is that acceptable?"
Chuckles takes a knee. He makes the sign of the V8 over his head, meshing the fingers of both hands together and pointing the fingers toward the ceiling.
"It would be more than an honor, ma'am!"
"Excellent. Now go make Lady Anuket proud."
Chuckles jumps up and darts down the stairs before the woman even finishes speaking. Three simply nods and grunts at the Handmaiden before turning to follow the young Road Warrior. I say nothing and head after them. We travel down the stairs and exit the palace, trading the electric glow and moss for harsh sunlight and rock. It's early morning, but the Wasteland is already completely bathed in light and heating up fast. Outside the palace entrance, the same Crocodiles from yesterday return our belongings. They glare coldly and silently at us as we arm ourselves. Again, Chuckles dashes ahead as soon as possible, running through the lush upper city and down steep stairs. We hurry after him, taking no time to admire the greenery this time.
We return to the cages. The Blackthumbs stay out of our way, but I see several of them staring at Chuckles and elbowing each other. Their frowns make me think they're angry that he was chosen by the Goddess for this mission, but they're probably just hiding their jealousy. As devoted as they may be to their Goddess, I can't imagine they love being slaves.
Chuckles disappears into a garage on the far side of the cages. Three jumps in his truck; moments later, the engine roars to life. Despite my nerves, I'm excited to see his ride in action. Maybe I can learn a few things.
I head to my car, which looks the same as it did yesterday. No more thieves tried to make off with it, or the Blackthumbs would be clamoring for more bloodshed. The dog is lying underneath the vehicle, avoiding the light of the rising sun. As I approach, he gets up and wags his tail at me.
"No more food yet," I say to the dog as I untie his leash from the mirror. "Gotta get through this job first, yeah?"
I open the door, motioning for the animal to get inside. He jumps over the driver seat and gets into the back, panting in the heat. He doesn't seem like much of a fighter, and he's too scrawny to be intimidating. He did try to bite my hand yesterday, though, so maybe there's hope for him. As he curls up on the floor of the car, I reach for the chicken wire I got from the merchant Yale yesterday. I hastily string it up over the busted windows, bending and twisting it around the door frames and cutting off the extra with wire cutters from the thief's toolset. It's not much, but it might be enough to make someone think twice before trying to jump inside. I should be able to knock it out easily enough if I need to get out of the window in a hurry for some reason. As for the barbed wire, I do my best to stretch it over the top of my ride. It's nowhere near the amount Three has covering his truck, but it's a start.
I get into the vehicle and shut the door, patting the dash fondly as I settle into the driver seat. Feels good to be back behind the wheel. I start the engine with a smile, but that fades away when I see Chuckles. The rookie Road Warrior rolls out of the garage on a rusty motorcycle that looks like it's barely holding itself together. His only weapons are his small pistol and a metal bat sticking out of a saddlebag strapped precariously to the vehicle. He again struggles to keep his signature scowl in place as the bike's engine sputters and finally catches. He looks like he's could ditch the vehicle at any moment and dance his way into battle.
"I'm so dead," I sigh under my breath. The vision of his mangled corpse appears in my mind again, this time torn apart by savages he was no match for. I blink the image away. Focus.
"Everyone ready?" Chuckles calls, reaching into his bag and pulling out a baseball cap with barbed wire wrapped around the brim. I resist the urge to roll my eyes as he places it over his bald, tanned head. I simply nod when he looks my way.
"As I'll ever be," Three mutters, barely audible over the engines.
"Good, let's go! I'll lead the way to the site!" Chuckles proclaims, adjusting his cap before taking off down the small hill.
Time to get this show on the Road.
Author's Note: Happy April Fool's Day, everyone! I doubt any of you were truly fooled by that dream sequence, but Roman sure was. Thanks to everyone for reading this story so far. Special thanks this week to SirReaper56 for the review. All thoughts and constructive criticism are always welcome here, whether in a review or a PM. Coming up next: we finally get out of Eden, and a dangerous mystery begins. Stay tuned.