Chapter 17
The smoke still rose above Paris, and it could be seen well outside of the city. Fred didn't look back, and he almost ran through the next two towns they passed through. Nate was beginning to get annoyed when Iawn and Charles stopped dead in their tracks, and looked around the third town they entered.
"Stop," said Iawn, finally.
Nate and Fred stopped, Nate scanning the area with his rifle. Fred just seemed so upset, but he was still too shaken to want to head on alone. Charles brought up his hands, and made a strange sound similar to a small baby bird. There was silence for a while, just the sound of their heavier breathing.
Another small bird sound could be heard, and Iawn and Charles face lit up, smiling at some sort of butcher's shop nearby. Nate seemed confused, until Leo burst out of the shop and ran to them, embracing them.
"I thought I had LOST you GUYS!" yelled Leo, small tears in his eyes, "This whole situation is so… stressing. I want to go home!"
"Home? Screw home! This is AWSOME!" yelled Iawn, "You MISSED it, mate. Nate Flint, he went into the city all 'I'll be back, it's HAMMERTIME!' and he blew everything and the kitchen sink UP! It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen in me life!"
"He did what?" asked Shatner, who now emerged from the shop, along with Seth and Andy.
"Wow," said Nate, under his breath, "How did you do that? I mean… it was like you KNEW."
"There's things you learn, you know," said Charles, "We're all each other have. And us three… we're like brothers."
"Ha, No!" said Leo and Iawn together, taking a step back from Charles.
"Fred!" yelled Andy, a surprised smile on his face.
Seth smiled, and nodded at Nate.
"Why didn't you tell me you were going back? Especially for Fred?" he asked.
Nate shrugged, "I told you, I went back for my hat… I bumped into Fred along the way."
"This… lunatic," began Fred, walking past Nate and standing towards Shatner, "He's… he's a tool of PURE DESTRUCTION!"
"You have no idea," sighed Shatner, rubbing his forehead with his hand.
"Paris… is BURNING!" yelled Fred, getting into a frenzy, "It's just… Burning!"
"Why… am I not surprised," asked Shatner.
"What do we care?" said Seth, multiple agreements coming from the others.
"Aren't you afraid?" asked Fred, "Those Raiders are going to find us… they're going to GET us."
"I think we had to face that either way," said Shatner, "And though I disagree with the razzing of one of the world's most historic and monumental cities, I think it will keep them off our back long enough."
Fred lifted his finger, and he took more steps towards the others, "He blew up the Eifel Tower! The whole damn thing… GONE!"
This made Shatner's face change, and he shook his head, "Oh no… you didn't? You racists bastard."
"I'm not racists!" exclaimed Nate.
"French is a race," answered Shatner.
"French is a plague," answered Nate, "Besides, it wasn't my fault. One thing led to another… things were exploding everywhere. How do we know it was truly ME who did it? I mean… wow. Way to be thankful for me saving your ASS."
"Now… he may have a point," said Shatner, "That nut will want revenge for everything… you heard him talk."
"Oh, yes I did," said Nate, "I know what he said. 'I am Napoleon, I will show the world, Americans this… Americans that… oh-huh-huh, look at my mustache!' I can take him… he's not even SHORT. Frickin'…"
"Look, I'm glad you went back," said Shatner, "But now we need to make sure we keep moving. We can't stay here, it's dangerous. We need to move out, and fast."
"I agree," said Nate, "Let's keep going in that direction. Hey… where's Kevin?"
"He's out back," said Seth, motioning to the back of the butcher shop, "It's awesome, we found so much alcohol! You want some?"
Shatner made a motion with his hand, and Nate's face scrunched up.
"He… really doesn't drink," answered Shatner, while Nate shook his head.
"Yeah, but MAN can he sing," said Pandora, smiling and nodding, "And he is funny."
Nate shook his head, and he turned and started walking.
"Go get him, please… and let's go," said Nate, "Times wasting!"
"I agree," said Shatner, "The farther we are, the safer we'll be."
So, they headed off into an unknown direction, leaving the burning Paris behind. Kevin and Seth tried to stash as much beer and other forms of alcohol on them, but soon, they were unable to walk once more. They stumbled along, supporting each other, and laughing, telling stories, and singing small songs together.
"So… so this guy, right, he's all like, 'Ey! What are you doin' with my bloody SHEEP!' and I, I stood up and puffed out my chest and said, 'You, sir, are a monster. Why is this sheep BLOODY!'," and Kevin began to laugh, Seth joining him.
"That's not even FUNNY!" yelled Leo from farther up, "You Welsh wouldn't know a good laugh if it slapped you in the face!"
Seth tried, poorly, to hold in a laugh before saying, "What's a joke doing slapping people in the face?"
This ignited drunken laughter from both Kevin and Seth, and the rest of the group rolled their eyes.
"So, why are you on this voyage?" Charles asked Andy, being careful as not to fall as he jumped from ruined car to ruined car on this highway-like road they were on.
"I wanted to leave home," said Andy, "I was so sick of California. You see, my dad used to be a mechanic, and a racecar driver before that, but after the war… he became somewhat of a scientist. He did a lot of experiments, studied anything and everything. Really helped build up our Californian colony."
"So… do you have a lot of refugees from the blast zone?" asked Shatner, getting a little serious about the question.
"No, not really," answered Andy, to Shatner's disappointment, "I mean, we got a few group way back in the beginning, and a few who were up North at the time, but after the bombs hit and the war, I don't believe anyone else really came. Not exactly sure why."
"Oh," said Shatner, looking away.
Nate spotted this, and he rubbed his chin. Nate was about to say something, but was glad when Leo picked up on it.
"What's wrong?" said Leo to Shatner, "You really liked Hollywood or something? Got family?"
Shatner hesitated, but eventually decided there was no harm in saying anything, "I lived there… before I went to DC to study. It was tough… life wasn't too good… I never really liked it, but it was home. I went to DC to study… but my family didn't."
They stopped that conversation right then. Everyone knew where it was going. No one wanted to go there.
"And… then I woke up, and I was in the water," said Kevin, walking slower now next to Seth, "And the boat… it was just… NOT THERE!"
"Oh no," said Seth.
"And… I figured out later that… comedian just… CRASHED it. Right into the French Coastline."
"Oh, what a shame," said Seth.
"It wasn't so BAD," said Nate, crossing his arms, "I'm gonna get him two bigger ones…"
"On the road again," sang Nate.
"Oh, GOD no!" yelled Shatner, shooting a glare back, "NOT SINGING! Play I spy or something, but NOT SINGING!"
"Fine… I spy…" said Nate, squinting his eyes and looked around the tundra, "With my little eye… A TANK!"
"What?" said Shatner.
"Defeats the purpose of the game," commented Pandora.
"No, look, a TANK!" said Nate again, pointing.
"NO!" answered Shatner, angrily.
"But… it's a TANK!" yelled Nate, "It's a Tank, Shat-"
"I KNOW, IT'S a TANK!" yelled Shatner, "I SWEAR to GOD!"
"It looks too damaged," murmured Kevin.
At this, Nate gasped in surprise, and ran off the road towards the tank. Sure enough, a light smoke was coming out of the other side, and Nate could spot that most of the side not facing him and clearly been blown away, melted, and turned to ash, rendering the armored vehicle useless.
Pandora and Iawn ran up next to him.
"Tough luck, mate," said Iawn.
"This could have been useful, too," said Pandora, patting Nate on the back and running back towards the group.
Nate had a slight tearing effect going on in his eyes, but he wiped them away, straightened up, and began to walk back towards the group.
"And then, he blew up the whole DAMN building down the street, and nearly blew everyone's eardrums!" finished Shatner.
"It's totally understandable," answered Fred, "Totally not the right way to handle the native survivors."
"Now, now, wait just a second," struck in Seth, "You're travelers, on a decent mission trying to save the world, right? And these little savages had a teammate surrounded and were obviously hostile. Doesn't it make sense to take all options available to insure your own survival?"
"THANK YOU!" said Nate, throwing his hands into the air.
"Plus, it was bad-ass," chimed in Leonard.
"Wait, aren't you three apart of this 'savage' group that attacked Brom?" asked Fred.
"Yeah, we were," said Charles.
"It was MY group," said Iawn, "I'm the leader, the Mighty Iawn."
"Can it, you twit," shot Leo, "You aren't fit to lead us anywhere except to EXTINCTION, besides… I'm the true leader."
"Like Irish Balls you are!" yelled Iawn, getting upset.
"ENOUGH," said Shatner, cutting this old argument short.
"Besides, it was a TANK!" continued Nate, "Who knows when that would be helpful. It's armored, it moves, and it SHOOTS! It's perfect for travel now-a-days."
"Tanks suck down fuel, they attract a lot of attention, and you couldn't get it past most of the city without leaving a wake of crushed and destroyed items behind you," Shatner spat back.
"It's a TANK Shatner," said Nate, "I think the dead people will understand."
"UGH! You are such a CHILD!" said Shatner.
"Ok, stop," said Fred, "You two… everyone! You argue all the TIME! How do you get anything done when all you do is argue?"
"We DON'T! It's a part of our charm," answered Nate, "We fight, and we walk. That's all you really CAN do."
"And you two, you're supposed to be the leaders and whatnot," chimed in Andy.
"Ha, what?" said Charles, "They aren't our leaders… they're not MY leaders, anyway."
"We don't really have any 'leaders' I suppose," said Shatner, "Haven't really had any chance to draw that line, you know?"
"I'm the leader!" yelled Iawn and Leo at the same time, who glared at one another and continued saying, "No You're not, I AM!"
"OK!" said Shatner, throwing up his hands, "We may not know who the 'leader' is, but it sure as HELL isn't any of you three. And Pandora, you just aren't there yet."
"I don't want to be the leader," said Pandora, "I'm not ready, besides… I wouldn't know where to go or what to do. It's a lot of responsibility, you know."
The group grew silent, and they slowly came to a halt, standing around in a large group and looked from one to the other. Shatner sighed. He didn't want to be the leader… for that reason. Once you claimed yourself the head of the group, the one that makes the decisions… then you are responsible for that group. Their happiness, their sadness, their wealth and their shortcomings would all, in some respect, fall upon their leader. Shatner did not want that… at all.
"So…" said Andy, crossing his arms, "Why isn't comedian your leader?"
All together, the rest burst out laughing, causing Nate to flush red in a mixture of anger, embarrassment, and even a little amusement at the idea himself.
"Are you serious?" asked Shatner, "He crashed a PLANE!"
"And my boat," chimed in Kevin.
"And a tank," said Charles.
"That one wasn't-" started Nate.
"And he blew up half of Paris!" exclaimed Fred.
"And he wears that stupid hat," chuckled Seth.
"Ok, you know what, this hat-" Started Nate again.
"And, he's childish, he's clueless, he's ignorant," began Shatner, getting a little more serious and hostile with each statement and pointing towards Nate, "He's trigger happy, and he's the whole reason we are IN this MESS! Trouble follows him like fleas follow mammals. And… I just don't… GET it."
Nate seemed a little hurt, but he knew what Shatner said was true. Still, the new attacks on him made him defensive, and he straightened up and pointed at Shatner himself.
"And… what about YOU!" said Nate, "You… you are too careful, you don't take risks, you are scared to command, you are too easily contempt in whatever situation you are in, no matter how dire! And… and… Have you even FIRED your goddamned weapon the ENTIRE TIME I have been with you?"
"Yes," said Shatner, then he got a little uneasy as he thought about it, "I Did… I must've."
"And… You just have….no… HOPE!" continued Nate, then he turned to the group, "Why don't you guys SEE! It's not about every little bad thing that has happened. It's about… HOPE! I mean… UGH! The WORLD is DYING! Don't you see? Don't you get it? Everyone left alive in a civilized manner are dying off. Humanity… civilization… culture… it's all DYING! Look back there, you remember Paris? Raiders? Huh? It's all DEAD! That's our world. War… and more war… and raping, and looting, and fighting, and tough Raiders running this PLACE! That's what our world is, and it's only getting WORSE!"
There was silence, because everyone knew what was being said was true in some capacity. No one bothered to chime in anymore. Then Nate pointed at Iawn and Leo, then carried it over to Charles.
"England… it's gone… all of it. There's just a bunch of KIDS playing lost boys in the ruins. Staying up late, eating whatever they can scrounge… NO RULES, no order… no frickin' LEADER!" then Nate pointed at Kevin, "And in Wales is one of the best colonies on the earth, AND connected to the WWBC. What are they doing? They're ALONE! They just… sit there. They wouldn't even help us OUT!"
"You stole one of our boats!" said Kevin, "No wonder why we didn't help you. We couldn't TRUST you."
"We gave you MEDICINE! We were heroes!" countered Nate, "Besides, we didn't steal it. You were the only one friendly enough to try and help us."
"And you CRASHED my boat," said Kevin.
"I'm SORRY, ok? God… keep beating THAT horse why don't you?" answered Nate, crossing his arms.
Everyone was quiet, each thinking of what had been said. Pandora picked up some pebbles, and began throwing them at a nearby sign. No one wanted to say anything. Seth sipped nervously at a flask, but a glare from Fred and Andy made him put it away.
"Sorry," said Andy, turning back, "For bringing it up."
"It's fine," said Shatner, "We're just all under a lot of stress. There… there is no leader. Let's leave it at that."
One of Pandora's rocks hit the sign, creating a loud crash, making a lot of people jump. Everyone turned, and he shrugged in an apology. Nate sighed, and pointed towards the sign.
"So… where are we heading, Shatner?" asked Nate, "You can read Frenchy."
"That's not French," said Shatner, sighing, then he thought about it, and looked at the sign, "That's not French. That's a different language."
"How can it not be French?" asked Nate.
"It's… it's…" stuttered Shatner, then he turned around to the group, "I think it's German."
"German? How can it be German," exclaimed Nate.
"Well… we must've entered Germany at one point," said Shatner, looking around, "We've been walking for quiet a long time, you know?"
"Shouldn't there been some sort of toll booth… border guard… something like that?" said Kevin, "Or a sign? Something that said 'Welcome to Germany' or something?"
"HA!" Nate laughed, smiling, "There is no such sign in France, dude. The French are not welcome in Germany. Besides, there's no point having a sign like that for the French. All the roads from France to Germany are one way."
This inspired a chuckle from some of the group, but Fred crossed his arms.
"So, now what?" he said, "Head in that direction? We now know we were going in an easterly direction. So… head to the Mediterranean?"
"It's not a good idea, we still are not sure if we're being followed or not," said Shatner.
"The odds of that? Unlikely," said Seth.
"With our luck? I'm not willing to take that chance," said Shatner, "Now; I think we can make our way to a fishing depot located somewhere near Athens."
"Athens? Greece?" said Nate, "Really? That far?"
"Well," answered Shatner, "There's a colony there, one of the few others in the WWBC. We can get help there from them. One of the guys owes me a favor. Sure, we'll owe him after this, but the favor might be big enough to get them to consider helping us, at least into Africa."
"I don't like it," said Nate, crossing his arms, "But how much choice to we have exactly? None."
"Alright," said Shatner, "We can change route when we are sure we are not being followed, but until then we do not have any other way of knowing."
"Alright," said Nate, "Better then nothing. So, where are we going for a map or something."
Shatner pointed at the sign, "Well… its original writing is really bad… but the stuff scratched into it says something along the lines of, 'Ruhrgebiet ahead, stay clear'. A warning?"
"For the French, maybe," said Nate.
"Or any unwanted guests, they might want to keep Raiders and Looters away," answered Pandora.
"Good thinking," said Fred, "So, we should go around."
"We need food and some more supplies," said Nate, "We can't afford to go around, and we have little idea about where we are. So… we MUST do this."
"We really don't," said Fred, again getting angry, "Look, we're here because of a FAVOR. Now our team is dead, and our plane splatter all over France. I don't have time to argue with your stupidity, comedian."
"Ok, and let me tell you this," said Nate, "I don't have time for a whiny little pretty-boy from Cally coming up with a way to get us all KILLED because he's having a crisis. Got it? Life sucks, crap happened, now we need to DEAL with it."
"Pretty-Boy?" questioned Fred, getting quite offended.
"He's got a point," agreed Shatner, "We need some maps, and definitely some more updated ones then the ones we were going off of before. The best place to find that is close to a city or town, where old vehicles are somewhat plentiful."
"Sounds like a plan," said Kevin, nodding.
"I'm still not sure," said Seth, but then he nodded and smiled, "I've gotten into enough tight spots back in the States to teach me that sometimes what you are not sure of is the best bet. Let's GO!"