The next morning Blake woke to a knock on his door. Grumbling as he got up to answer. "Coming." Almost falling over before he reached the door in his half awake state.
Meeting Marta standing at the door with a man stood beside her. "I brought you Jacob, the traveler."
He shrunk under her gesturing toward him looking like a child brought to the principle. He was shorter than most with a completely shaved head. Thin as a twig suffering some sort of jittery tick. One arm randomly flexing its muscle to shut his hand closed. Another twitched half his face to tug his mouth as his eye squinted repeatedly.
"Oh, yeah, very good." Rubbing his face to wake up faster. "Let's go talk in the hall." gesturing in a point for them to head toward the large room. "Okay." he yawned when they were seated.
"You wanted to s-see me s-s-sir?" His voice stuttered along to his twitches.
"Yes, you used to travel outside? Can you take up the trips again?"
"Sure, but it'll take longer than before. S-s-since the truck broke down."
"How long?"
"About 3 and a half days. Here and back. That's if the trail hasn't been r-r-ruined by the storm."
"How long with a truck?"
"Only two hours."
"Is the truck fixable?"
"No, since i-i-its axle was shot by hitting a log. Knoth had it stripped for parts. E-e-engines almost gone."
"Fuckin- " Blake took a deep breath. "Okay, walking it is. Are you the only traveler left?"
"Yes, sir."
"What do you and I need to travel? Food, bandages, rope?"
"Mainly food and space to carry. What w-w-we need most though are weapons. Wildlife isn't the only problem. Heretics took over the east for a reason. I-i-i couldn't get past even if I wanted."
Waylon felt sick again. "I get that."
"Heretics are called goats now." Marta corrected.
Jacobs' extremely confused look cleared by Blake's explanation. "They're not heretics and it seemed wrong to keep calling them that. Goats sounded a lot better and less anxiety inducing. Since they might block our path, what if we bring Marta?"
"That would keep them away, but w-w-what about Temple Gate? Everyone knows the here- goats. Don't come 'cause of h-h-her."
"We'll have to take the risk. It's been a month since you've last gone. The generator must be running on fumes by now."
"Two months. We've only gotten the gas to last this long by disconnecting chunks of Temple Gate. B-b-but like you said, its reaching fumes. Some gallons will buy us a couple days, but to fill it f-f-for even a week we need a truck to haul it back."
"We got the cash to get a new truck. We get to town and from there we load up on what we need and travel back in a few hours. What do we need to travel?" Returning to the earlier question.
"A few meals each, the money, bandages for emergencies, some rope to climb over anything. Axes to chop firewood for camp. Warm clothing and something to sleep on."
"Okay. Best if we have James come along. We'll be buying seeds to get farming up and running again. What I also want most are more meds. Knoths "study aids", can you still get them?"
"Should be able. Doctor didn't say anything about leaving. He's gotta be w-w-wondering where his favorite patient is."
"Right, Wait here and I'll gather everything up." He stood, followed by Marta to fetch supplies and James for the journey.
Spreading the message of the renamed heretics earning Blake looks. like he was the crazy one in this town. Must be if I'm trying to run it. Goats, how fucking stupid. Could've named them something normal. Neighbors would have been easier. Guess the ridiculousness of it is working. Can't be too scared of a man eating group of "goats" on the mountain. Meeting up with James to pass along their plans. Scavenging the pantry for a few "meals" to pack. Rope coiled up in a bag along with bandages packed into Blake's vest. Blake packed as much money as he could into a backpack he found. Gathered back around Jacob he double checked what they packed for approval. Given the go ahead they readied to leave.
"Most of the journeys gonna be rough up and over the mountain. P-p-past that it's easier when we reach flat land." Jacob pointed in the direction they would head for.
They didn't make it out of town when John came running up. Looking like he had a rough night's sleep. "You're going outside? And you're taking Marta with you? Why, shouldn't she stay here? What about the heretics?! - Ah fuckin- goats, whatever!"
"We have to reach the outside. Three of us wouldn't last if we're swarmed by them."
"But the whole town will be swarmed instead. Take me instead."
"Why?"
"I've traveled all over there to hunt, back around when the goats broke off. I can sneak you by without any trouble and Marta can stay to keep the town safe. Is there really a point to this if you come back to all us strung up?"
Blake didn't have a chance to answer. Marta interrupted with an alert he never wanted to hear. "Val's here."
"What?!" Looking up at the women tall enough to gaze over the obstructions beside them. "Where?!" After she pointed he ran down the line of blockages to see for himself. Not having the eagle vision Marta had it took him longer to spot Val. Catching the speck of her golden hair at the tree line. Standing to watch the town with her head turning back and forth between its ends. He couldn't see anyone else with her, yet they could have just been hiding back in the thick shrubbery. At the appearance of Marta stepping into the open, Val locked her gaze on her. Stepping back to disappear between the trees.
"See?! She's already looking at how to take this place down!" Shifting his stiff shoulders the more frantic he turned.
Blake heard John shouting, but hardly took in the words. Mind racing on its options. Val would see who left the town. If Marta stayed, Temple Gate would be safe, but he would be an easy target. Despite John's earlier offering to navigate the land by sneaking. Marta may scare them off, but he preferred they all run. Marta's limp coming to the front as a problem causer. Harder to run, defend, and move over rough terrain. If Blake was going to take care of this town he had to make sure everyone stayed safe. "Marta will stay here. We'll sneak by the mountain."
John looked relieved by his answer. "Thank you, sir."
Marta stomped on the conversation. "You sure about that? Can he really get you by?"
"Town has to stay safe and you call too much attention. Yeah I'm sure." Looking to the rest. "Now let's hurry. I rather disappear before Val notices we're leaving."
One last look given to Temple Gates town sign as they passed. Out of town the sky was filled by gray clouds. Rain falling over them before their journey got anywhere out of Templegates view. "Well." James started. "Gonna be a lot harder to follow our tracks." Rain filling them with water. Mini streams flowing down hill sweeping away the rest.
"No bears will sniff us out either." Jacob added.
"There are bears here?" Blake's concern rising.
"N-n-not for a long while. Haven't seen anything bigger than fat raccoon's."
John grabbed onto a log to help hoist the others up. "If only they were actually fat. Would be a good meal, but it's all fluff."
"A scrawny meals better than nothin'. Though I'd love to have steak a-a-again. Wouldn't care if I had to chew on it like leather."
"Best I can do is a squirrel around here. Gotta beat the things to make the stringiness less of a chew."
James grumbled at the two of them. "Can you both stop talkin' 'bout food. Least not 'till after we've caught some."
"That's a ways away, old man." John joked.
Blake after being helped up next glanced back down hill toward the engorged river rushing by. "Hey, we won't have any trouble with the river will we?"
"Shouldn't, we won't be crossing it f-f-from here on. Most we have to worry about is catching a sickness in this weather."
"Hope it won't rain the entire way."
"Heh, don't know how good y-y-your luck is. Mine's shit, heh."
"And you're the one leading?"
"Not at all. That's John's job for the first few miles. If we die you can b-b-blame him. Heh."
"Fuck off." John smiled at Jacob. "We won't die long as-" He went quiet at the loud sound of crackling. Head shooting up to watch the tops of distant trees. One by one they sloped down as the loud snapping approached them. Blake, catching movement out of the corner of his eye, turned to see the mountain side sloping away. Whole adult trees that were on their path rode down on moving earth. Those same trees collapsing down on each other to loudly snap themselves to pieces. Grinded down into the earth to make a blended mud sludge. "Run that way!" John pointed toward a more stable land.
Each of them bolted off toward a part not sliding out from under their feet. Clambering over everything that was also on the move. Avoiding trees collapsing in a massive wave of mud. They leapt off a log to a safer part of land, however Blake didn't have the same luck. The whole log shoved away by the mudslide he slipped to almost roll off it. He was forced to claw into the log free floating down the mountain. His traveling companions shrank in the distance, unable to keep up. Unable to see them anymore he turned to where the log was going. All the land flying off a cliff edge to slam down into the violent rapids flushed by the heavy rain. He flinched when it was his turn next. When the log hit it spun under the water to toss Blake off into the wild stream. Disoriented, he tried figuring out where the surface was. Spinning uncontrollably in the rapids below the surface. Water pitch black from mud not helped by the many logs rolling around. Bashing into the rocky river bed the air escaped his lungs. Knocked over debris one after another he somehow managed to be knocked to the surface. Clawing into a soaken slick log for dear life. Hacking painfully for air until he was spun back under. Tossed in and out repeatedly he was losing the energy to fight.
Hacking his lungs out on another log while the stream settled. Knocked around more by piling debris rather than rapids at this point. Closing in on a rocky shore line he clawed his way across multiple logs. Reaching land he struggled to get further up on it slipping under him. Its angle extra cruel on his battered body crawling up it to a flat ridge. He laid wheezing in the mud too tired to rise. Shivering soaking wet he shut his eyes meaning to do it briefly. Waking instead what seemed like hours later. Beaten almost to death he was tempted to go back to sleep. Rising enough to wipe his glasses clear he moved to stand. Feeling immense pain from his leg he looked back. A large chunk of a branch speared down the side of his lower leg.
"Fucking, shit. My fucking luck." Reaching back for it at first then swiftly retracting his hand. "can't yank it out. Can I keep it in though?" His blood pouring from the wound had him look away. Prepared for the pain he forced himself up. Growling through grit teeth he leaned against a nearby tree to recover. Searching for some-sort of recognizable marker. He couldn't see Temple Gate anymore and the mountains all looked the same. No idea where the others were he was left alone. "Fuck me." He cursed again. Reaching into his vest for a roll of gauze. "Better than nothing I guess." Wrapping up his bleeding wound. Trying to at least slow it despite the branch sticking out. Okay. Checking around without a clue on what to do.
"John?" He shouted and waited for an answer. Nothing, he shouted again. Hacking out his stinging lungs he almost vomited. Managing to keep everything down he held off on more shouting. Maybe I can get some place high and find a land marker? Limping forward he forced himself up the steep hillside. A lot farther than what he expected to make on his leg. Resting on a flat area he regretted committing to this. His leg felt both on fire and numb. This is worse than when I was actually on fire. Leaning over to catch up on his energy. Pushing on to make it up a scraggly cliff area he feared slipping off of. One tumble and I might end up back in the river. Or shredded on those rocks. Adjusting his soaken backpack full of cash to stay secure the further up he went.
Resting again at another flat top covered in soaked grass. Patch becoming extremely tempting as a place to fall asleep again. Hearing the underbrush rustling he shot up straight. "John?" Locking up at the sight of a stranger staring wide eyed at Blake's appearance. He was tall and covered by crossing scars. Black Hair cut neatly short parted by more scarring. A big dip marking half his lower jaw like a chunk was ripped away. His vibrant green eyes stood out from the dark circles surrounding them. What was most alarming was his covering of clay and leafage for camouflage. This was definitely a heretic and that meant Val wouldn't be far. The stranger looked away back down his path before finding Blake. Whipping their attention back toward him, locking an intense stare. Body stiffened with both hands tightened to fists. Pure rage filled his eyes moments before he ran out to slam into Blake.
"Fuck! Get off me!" Blake shouted in trying to shove the other off after having the wind knocked out of him. Kicking the other in the gut he fought the stunned other back to their feet. Punches traded between the two until Blake was slammed into a boulder. Swearing he felt something crack his body locked up in pain. Yanked around to be slammed back into the dirt he thrashed to get away. Clawing into the others arms choking him into the dirt. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Was what Blake's mind repeated. Unable to think much else on the lack of air.
"What are you doing?!" He heard a voice shout out of view. It distracted the other enough for Blake to hoist his legs up. Shocked that he managed to throw them both off a cliff edge he didn't realize was so close. Their fall short, down onto the rocks below. Last thing Blake experienced was hearing a thwack at the bottom then darkness.
A pulse in his head drumming along to a thumping migraine was his wake up greeting. Tuning in on someone roaring a bunch of words. "- TO STAY ALIVE! NOW LOOK AT HIM!" Blake squinted an eye open. He was laying on his side at the bottom of the short cliff area. Surrounded by rocks, some coated red in blood. Two blurry forms coming to focus. One had another slammed up against the cliff side. Verbally ripping into them by their scolding shouts. "- YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!" He heard them seethe through their teeth. Shoving the other down. "Pick him up, we're taking him to the cave." When they turned toward Blake his vision cleared enough to see who it was before him.
VAL?! His mind screamed. His eyes shooting open yanked her attention toward him. Caught off guard by him suddenly waking, she didn't have a chance to give orders. He jumped up from his laying position. Someone must've been leaning over him, because when he did he slammed his head into someone's jaw. The clack of their teeth together rattled down through his skull. Knocking whoever it was back into others nearby. Shoving the rest of himself up he ran back down the hillside he worked so hard to climb.
He heard Val shouting orders not far behind him. "Grab him!" Sounds of separating plants catching up behind him.
"Fuck, fuck, shit!" He let out a chain of panicked curses. Coughing again worsened his wheezing. Hating that his leg was burning and now his lungs were too. Can't stop, can't stop! Mind repeating simple thoughts of escape. Half tempted to jump back into the river where Val couldn't follow. He certainly couldn't out run her with how injured he was. Weighing his chances he headed for the river. Prepared to jump in when he heard a familiar terrifying sound. A howling yell from a raging Marta. Blake, out of old reflex, almost fled back. Forcing himself to rush forward in knowing it was now something safe. When they saw her appear up the bank. Blake collapsed down into an exhausted heap past her. Catching sight of Val slamming herself back into the dirt to stop before Marta. Ripping up the loose dirt under her heels in the process. Scrambling back up away from Marta moving in on her. The other heretics scurried away in various directions. When they were out of sight Marta turned to check on Blake.
"Are you well?"
Blake wheezed, unable to answer from his seated position. Everything catching up he hacked until he vomited what liquid was in his stomach. Fighting to not black out as Marta stood guard over him. "How?" He breathed out.
"I was watching you pass the mountain until the mudslide took you away. When those idiots separated to search I didn't trust them to find you. Came upon Val shouting so much he must've caught you."
He still couldn't speak, merely nodding to show he heard.
"What happened to your leg?"
He looked down, fearful that he messed it up worse in all that sudden running. Taken aback by his leg having been treated. The branch gone, his wound packed over by a dark green poultice then wrapped in clean gauze. Checking his vest he found another bundle of gauze missing. They fixed my leg? Guess they just wanted all of me to make it back. My dead body wouldn't be too fun to keep prisoner. "Mudslide." Was his best answer for now.
"Blake?" He heard a familiar voice. John approached down along the river. "What happened, are you okay?!"
"Damned goats almost got him." Marta answered for him.
"Ugh, can we please call them something else." Mumbling up to the two. "What about his leg?"
"Mudslide."
"Can you get up at all?"
Blake shook his head. Marta continued to speak for him. "I wouldn't force him up for a few hours. Maybe not 'till tomorrow."
"Okay, that's for the best just by lookin' at you. I'm gonna go back out and find the boys. If I don't, I'll return to set us up a camp."
"Watch out for goats." Marta warned, smirking at the ridiculous label. Blake would've chuckled if he had the spare air to.
"Can we please call them something else." John whined again.
Blake thought a bit harder for a name. Remembering a certain book he read that fit the heretics' views. Going against religious suppression and wanting freedom. "Voltaire's?" Catching his breath again. "Big author, argued for freedom against church." He surprisingly wheezed out in one go. Was also a really good band. He thought back to his school days listening to their music.
"Good enough." John went off to search.
A few hours passed by the time he returned with the others. Able to get up on his feet they walked Blake from the area. Expecting the Voltaire's to make a night visit if they stuck around. A campfire was made with everyone popping open a can of food for dinner.
"Good news is we got far today. We're already on the other side of Voltaire mountain." John spooned out some more chili.
"Not far enough, still gotta cross the rest of the mountain range. That'll take m-m-most the day for us. We won't make it outside 'till nightfall. We'll have to wait for stores to open next morning if its t-t-too late."
"If we manage to get a truck the return journey won't be as long at least. You think the doctors still around?"
"Didn't hear anything about him leaving last I was there."
"Where is he? Down a back alley?"
Jacob shook his head. "He's in a small doctors office. All legally set up, for the most part. When you go in you say you have a prescription and h-h-hand a piece with our symbol scribbled on it." Flashing a small bit of tanned hide with the cross entwined by circles branded on. "Doctor takes us in back for business."
Blake continued to ask questions. Wanting to know how everything would go down. How the doctor himself acted. Whether or not he seemed to be a real doctor at all or a scam artist in a white coat. What he was told by Jacob settled his worry's. The doctor has an honest-ish job. A legal place with all the proper paperwork to back it up if inspectors came knocking. He was just greedy for money and saw more business selling pills out back. Done talking for now they rested down against their bags. Marta stayed up to guard until morning.