Wasteland Rules: Kill or Be Killed (The World After Book 1) (25 page)

  “The gas cans. They put a tracker inside one of
the cans.” He said as he mentally smacked himself.

  They wasted no time in emptying one of the cans.
Unfortunately there wasn’t a tracker in that one. Before he could pour out
another one Rora stopped him. She poured the full can into the empty one using
the now infamous pretty shirt as a strainer until they saw a small piece of
plastic get caught in the shirt. She went to smash it, but he stopped her.

  “Don’t destroy it. We can use it to ambush them.
Get back in the car and we can find a good spot.” He instructed. “Hey, Voice.
Is there a road heading east with an overpass up ahead anywhere.”

  There was a brief moment of silence before the
response. “Yes. Head south until you hit the next road. Then head ten miles
eastwards. A railroad track crosses over the road on a raised bed.”

  “Perfect.”

 They followed the Voice’s instructions and located
the overpass. Derek drove past it about three miles and then stopped to toss
the tracker out. Doubling back he parked behind the raised bed of the overpass
with the ram facing the roadway. He had Rora get out and go hide across the
road just below the tracks. He instructed her to watch for the Humvee and gave
her hand signals to use so she could let them know how close they were. She
jogged over and took her position. They readied their weapons and waited, Derek
keeping the engine running.

  It wasn’t long before she signaled him. He held
down the brake and shifted into drive. As they got closer he revved the engine
causing the tires to smoke and squeal as the car fought against the brakes. She
gave the final signal as the Humvee entered the overpass. Releasing the brake
Derek surged forward from behind the embankment the SUV almost leaping into the
air. The look of surprise on the gunner’s face was priceless as the SUV slammed
plow first into the side of the Humvee with an ear shattering clash of metal.

  He t-boned the other vehicle with incredible force
and it flipped over sideways and was pushed into the embankment by the charging
vehicle. Derek threw the SUV in park and charged the Humvee. He and Rora
finished off the stunned commandos with short bursts from their M-16s before
they could recover from the impact. The ambush was brief but brutally
effective. All four commandos were dead within seconds.

  The Humvee lay on its side light smoke drifting
from the engine. The side he had hit was crushed inwards and the front axle
looked broken. The gunner had been thrown free by the collision and lay dead
near Rora’s feet. The other three bodies were still tangled in the wreckage. He
and Rora unceremoniously began searching the bodies and looting the vehicle. It
might not be that long before more soldiers or commandos arrived, but there was
plenty of good stuff in the vehicle and Rules #8, 9, and 18 had to be followed.

  They collected all the weapons and ammo and
stashed it on the back seat of the SUV. There were even a small collection of
grenades, and much to Derek’s delight, one more LAW. He lashed the extra gas
cans from the Humvee onto the roof of their vehicle and they gathered all the
food, mostly rations, and water. A trauma kit and repair kit completed the
haul. Well, almost completed the haul. Derek still had one thing he wanted to
get from the Humvee, the machine gun. Mounted on their vehicle it would provide
a powerful deterrent against raiders and Reapers. Not to mention all the other
people trying to stop them.

  Together they managed to unbolt the machine gun
and muscle it into the cargo area of the SUV. Derek covered it with a blanket
they found in the Humvee. He smiled gleefully; he couldn’t wait to get that
mounted on top of their vehicle. Now he just needed to find a mechanic who
could do the body work. Really, the whole vehicle would need some serious
repairs and a few upgrades. The back of the SUV was all shot up, the frame was
slightly buckled, and the suspension probably needed to be replaced. Given what
the vehicle had been through in the last two days it was in pretty good shape.

  After collecting everything the commandos had to
offer, Derek and Rora got back on the road. The phone had updated the route map
to take them on secondary roads around Tallahassee and on to Jacksonville. It
would take a little longer, but it would be harder for any pursuers to find
them. They had enough gas so they wouldn’t have to stop and there might be U.S.T.G.
spies in the city. So the long way it was.

  The trip to Jacksonville was largely uneventful
except for a helicopter buzzing high above them heading East at one point. It
didn’t seem to notice them since it didn’t change direction and they never
encountered anyone else on the way to Jacksonville. This was odd since he had
expected to see some Reaper activity. He saw their tribal markings on the
highway signs indicating their territory, but no vehicles or Reapers.

  Jacksonville had been one of the cities first hit
by the leaderless and starving horde after they had been driven from Savannah.
Looking for food and ships to take them home, they had looted and ransacked the
city. Most of it had burned and desperate for food they had eaten some of the
population. Many horrible acts had been perpetrated by the foreign soldiers and
their complete decimation of the population had earned them their nickname of
the Reapers.

  It was still a hotspot for Reaper activity, at
least the last Derek had heard. There were rumored to be no less than four
tribes that called Jacksonville home, one of them very large. For there to be
no sign of them meant something very big had happened. Possible the CCA or U.S.T.G.
had launched a military operation to clear them out, but there should have been
some sign of military activity if that was the case. But besides the helicopter
they hadn’t seen anything.

  He continued to ponder that as they approached the
drop off point. The route was taking them to a small airfield, Cecil Field,
just outside Jacksonville. Derek assumed someone would fly in and meet them to
retrieve the device and to pay his reward. He could then hustle Rora down to
Cape Canaveral and then head off to his well-deserved retirement. Although the
last week or so had reminded him how much he enjoyed the action and the rush of
combat. Maybe he would get this SUV upgraded and tricked out and go back to
bounty hunting instead.

June 16, 2029

Outside Jacksonville, Florida

  The noon day sun was high in the sky as they
rolled through the abandoned gates of the airfield. Weeds poked through the
tarmac and the place looked completely deserted. There was only one small plane
parked at the far end of the runway near a small hangar, it looked like a
Cessna. As they headed towards it, they could see that the buildings were run
down and overgrown. The hangars were completely empty, stripped of everything
that wasn’t bolted down, and there wasn’t a single vehicle on or near the
field. When the Reapers had come, whoever had been here had taken everything
and fled.

  There wasn’t anyone around the plane, but it was
in good condition and he could see that it had recently arrived. Their contact
must have gone inside the hangar to wait for them. Derek slowly rolled the SUV
to a stop on an angle from the hangar with the passenger side shielded from the
hangar bay. Better to have cover in case they needed it. It was possible the
contact would just try to take the device. Everyone else had.

  He and Rora grabbed their rifles and got out,
starting towards the hangar before Derek noticed the swirl marks in the weeds
to the side of the hangar. Cursing, he raced back towards the cover of the SUV,
grabbing Rora and dragging her behind him. The plane exploded with a load boom
briefly stunning them and knocking them down. He managed to drag Rora behind
cover just as the fusillade of bullets came blazing out of the hangar. The
rounds peppered the vehicle as they kept their heads down and hid behind it.
From the sound of the gunfire; he figured three M-16s and something heavier,
probably a SAW.

  Another few assault rifles opened fire from other
concealed positions in other hangars lining the runway. He counted what sounded
like a total of eight weapons firing at them. They had probably come in the
helicopter that had passed over them and the ambushers were like a single
squad. That meant there was probably one more out there somewhere. Derek
scanned the buildings surrounding the airfield and detected movement in the
control tower. Of course, a sniper always seeks the highest vantage point.

  “We have to move!” He yelled to Rora over the
continuous roar of the gunfire.

  “Where can we go?”

  “The only way out of an ambush is to go right at
it.”

  “Are you insane? They’ll cut us to pieces.” She
yelled.

  “If we stay here and do nothing, that sniper in
the tower will get us. Provide some covering fire on the hangar across the
runway while I get something out of the truck.”

  She held the M-16 over the hood and fired her
entire clip at the hangar. The fire from inside the hangar ceased briefly as
they instinctively ducked. Derek opened the back passenger door and scrambled
into the vehicle. He scrounged about while trying to stay low, looking for the
LAW. Yanking it out of the back; he scrambled back outside the vehicle,
grabbing a couple of grenades on the way. He pushed Rora out of the way of the
back wash and took careful aim at the tower. It was a long shot, but he was
pretty familiar with this type of weapon.

  He fired and it raced away leaving a trail of
flame as it accelerated towards the tower. The rocket struck home and the tower
exploded into flame. The sniper was blown clear by the blast. He watched the
body of the sniper fall burning to the tarmac and smiled. Man, he was having
fun! He hadn’t realized how much he missed blowing stuff up.

  He turned to Rora. “I’m going to throw these
grenades to provide some cover. When they start to go off get in the SUV and
grab the wheel. Drive straight at the hangar and then swing around right before
we get there.”

  He saw her start to say something, but then she
got a determined look on her face and just nodded. He nodded back and then
started pulling the pins and throwing grenades over the vehicle and into the
hangar. They ended up more in the middle of the hangar before exploding. They
probably didn’t do much damage, but the volume of fire from the building
slackened tremendously. He followed Rora into the SUV and climbed into the back
as she started it up. The volume of fire increased as their opponents tried to
prevent them from leaving.

  Only they weren’t leaving, and as Rora drove
towards the hangar Derek readied the fifty caliber machine gun. He wrestled it
atop a makeshift mount of gear and sat with it between his legs. The sound of
bullets hitting the SUV sounded like a violent thunderstorm and he felt a
number of rounds impact in the seat behind him. When she swung the vehicle
around, he kicked the back gate open creating an open field of fire. He could
see the distinctive uniforms of Federal Police commandos on the men hiding in
the hangar.

  Derek thumbed the trigger on the machine gun and
unleashed a withering hail of gunfire into the hangar. The thin metal walls
were no protection against the heavy rounds from the machine gun. The rounds
punched through walls, crates, and body armor shredding the four men inside. He
whooped as he cut them down mercilessly. The Federal Police were fascist thugs
and the commandos were the worst of the lot. The world was better off without
them.

  Rora yelled something at him, but he couldn’t make
it out over the roar of the machine gun. He looked towards her and she pointed
frantically to another hangar to their right. More commandos were emerging from
that hangar and firing on the vehicle. The rounds mostly bounced off the
seemingly indestructible plow, but a few were getting through and he could see
blood on her arm where she had taken a round. He gestured for her to turn again
so they could bring the machine gun to bear.

  But before she could get turned around; one of the
commandos started firing an automatic grenade launcher at them. His aim wasn’t
too accurate since he was firing on the move, but since the grenade launcher is
an area effect weapon he didn’t need to be. Successive blasts took out the
front passenger side wheel and sent the SUV spinning. Derek was thrown around
in the back as the vehicle bucked and swerved; the machine flying up and
smacking him the face. Miraculously, Rora managed to maintain some control and
they swerved into the hangar and crashed through the back wall before grinding
to a halt.

  The commandos chased after them firing as they
came through the hole in the back wall of the hangar. He tried to fire the
machine gun but it was jammed. He rolled over into the second set of seats and
grabbed an M-16 from the pile. He leapt out the driver side and methodically
fired at the oncoming commandos. An accurate burst knocked down one man and
caused the others to find cover. Taking advantage of the lull, he moved to
check on Rora. She was barely conscious; it looked like she had smacked her
head when they went through the wall.

  He pulled her out of the SUV as a grenade came
through the open back gate. The blast knocked both of them to the ground.
Recovering quickly, he dragged her around to the front of the vehicle so they
could use the plow for cover. Gunfire from the commandos bounced off the tarmac
around them and he could hear it smacking into the vehicle, but the plow was
keeping them safe for the moment. Then he noticed the smell of gasoline and
risked a glance around the plow.

  Gasoline was pooling under the SUV, the gas line
had been severe in either the grenade explosion or when the crashed through the
sheet metal wall. The back of the vehicle was burning and it wouldn’t be long
before the whole thing blew up. With all the ammo and ordnance in the back it
would probably be huge.

  Risking the gunfire, Derek raced back around and
jumped into the back seat. He grabbed their packs and his original weapons and
leapt back out. He felt a few rounds graze him, but he didn’t slow until he
slid back in front of the SUV. Rora was starting to come around and he shoved a
pistol and a pack into her hands. He pulled on his over shoulder holster with
the shotgun and the machete and strapped on his pistol and knife.

  “This thing is going to blow. We need to be moving
when it does. Stay low and keep your mouth open to diminish the effects of the
blast. Are you with me?” He asked.

  She grimaced in pain, but nodded her
acknowledgement. “Which way do we run?”

  “Straight away from the SUV. When you feel the
blast behind you just fall to the ground.”

  He heard the gasoline pool catch fire and pushed
her away from the vehicle. She took off running, slightly unsteady from the
blow to her head. Derek was right behind her, but he dropped to the ground
facing the vehicle a short distance from the SUV while she continued to run. He
waited, what he hoped was a safe distance away, for the vehicle to blow up. It
wasn’t long before the gas tank blew and launched the vehicle into the air. He
glanced behind him and saw Rora drop from the blast and cover her head.

  The vehicle landed with a crash and continued to
burn, black smoke billowing out from the ruined SUV. Derek got to his feet and
ran back towards the vehicle, keeping it between him and the commandos. The
ammo, grenades, and extra gas cans inside the vehicle starting to go off; the
fire causing them to explode and sending rounds and fragments in every
direction. He could feel his vest absorb a couple of rounds or fragments as he
ran by. The smoke and the secondary explosions provided excellent cover as he
had expected they would.

  Emerging from the smoke at a full run he caught
the commandos by surprise. Unloading his clip he cut down two of them before
they could react, leaving only the man with the grenade launcher. Derek was on
the commando in seconds, using his rifle to direct the launcher away from him.
The man fired two grenades before Derek slammed knee up into his groin. To his
credit, the commando didn’t go down but he was slowed. He tried to pull a
pistol but Derek grabbed his wrist with an iron grip.

  With a swift elbow to the face, Derek stunned the
man. A blow from the rifle butt rendered him unconscious. Derek looked back to
check on Rora. Neither of the grenades had hit her and she was moving so he
figured she would probably be ok. The SUV and all the extra gear and weapons
they had accumulated were toast though. A couple of final secondary blasts
punctuated that as the remaining ammo cooked off. He zip tied the unconscious
commando and went to get Rora.

  He found her still on her stomach, slowly crawling
away from the burning vehicle. He rolled her over and checked her out for
wounds. She was bleeding in multiple places and had a huge knot on her forehead
that was already swelling up and bruised. Nothing looked too serious so he
picked her up and carried her back to the hangar and put her down next to his
prisoner. She struggled with him as he tried to bandage her.

  “Sit still. I’m trying to fix you up.” He ordered.

  “I’m fine, just leave me alone. My head hurts.”
She moaned as she tried to bat his hands away.

  “You are not fine, you got shot and you probably
have a concussion. I need to patch you up. Now be quiet and let me fix this or
your pretty face will have a scar.”

  “You don’t look so hot yourself Derek. But it
might be an improvement…”

  A joke. That was a good sign. That meant the
concussion might not be too severe. But what was she talking about. He felt his
face and his hand came away bloody when he touched his forehead. One of the
side view mirrors had been knocked off when they came through the wall and he
picked it up. Holding it to his face he could see he had a huge gash on his
forehead where the machine gun and hit him during their attempted flight. It
was already scabbing over so he just wiped it with an antiseptic wipe and
quickly slapped a bandage on it. It would scar; but that was ok, chicks dig
scars.

  Rora’s wounds on the other hand were a little more
severe. He patched up her bullet wounds and bandaged her head. None of the
rounds had hit anything vital which was good and she hadn’t lost a ton of
blood, but she would be weak and the concussion would definitely slow her down.
He gave her a canteen of water that he had taken from one of the commandos and
ordered her to drink it. He left her propped up against the back wall of the
hangar while he searched the bodies of the commandos for something useful.

  He probably didn’t have much time. The chopper
would return at some point so he needed to be ready for them. Having lost yet
another vehicle, that chopper would have to be their ride out. The commandos
all had the same things; their standard issue weapons, uniforms, body armor,
helmets, water, ration bars, and a radio. Normally he wouldn’t want the
uniforms because people were more likely to shoot a commando first in the
wasteland then ask questions, but he only needed them temporarily.

  He stripped two of the dead commandos’ uniforms
off. Both were covered in blood but that was perfect for what he needed. He
hastily pulled one of the uniforms on and then he dressed Rora in the other.
She struggled a bit, but he managed to convince her to go along with him. Then
he turned to the still unconscious prisoner. Derek grabbed another canteen and
awakened the man by pouring water over his head.

  The man spluttered to life and groaned as the pain
from his broken nose hit him. Then, suddenly aware of his surroundings he tried
to get up and was stymied by the zip ties. He struggled briefly before he
looked up and saw Derek standing over him with a shotgun pointed at his face.