As I Walk These Broken Roads (12 page)

The stars rippled silently against their backdrop, while the bonfire glowed gently as it died. The earth ticked and chirped with the small noises of insects, while back down the hill a branch swayed in the breeze.
Raxx had gone into a fugue, waiting so long, silently, as the Hellhounds retired one by one and he waited for Wentworth to return. The moon glowed eerily.

Something began rising above the noise floor – rustling sounds.

He jolted out of his reverie as Wentworth slid in beside him.

“
Yeah, I know, they
’
ve all gone to sleep – except for those two. Anything else? Any of them take off?
”
He put his rifle down on the grass, and rubbed his hands together.

“
Uh, no, I–
”

“
Good. I took care of the one that left
earlier;
he was set up watching their Western arc for some reason. Never thought anyone would be coming from the East.
”

“
I didn
’
t hear any shooting–
”

“
One sec, it
’
s too open here. Back down the hill, then we talk.
”

Wentworth disappeared. Raxx rolled on his side. Pins and needles shot through his extremities, and a cool breeze washed over his chest as he backed down the hill. He smelled the tobacco before reaching the gulley. Wentworth was leaning back against the slope with a cigarette hidden in the palm of his hand.

“
Always try and smoke one before going in. You never know
if it
’
ll be your last
. If you
’
re going to light your own, just make sure to cover up the flame.
”

“
I
’
ll pass.
”

Raxx could hear the grin in his voice.
“
Used to know a guy that
’
d hide the cherry in the hollow of his rifle
’
s pistol-grip. Don
’
t think that
’
ll be necessary just now, though.
”
He took a heavy drag and blew the smoke upwards.

“
What happened with the guy that wandered off?
”

“
He was busy watching his arcs. Never heard me coming. Slit his throat. He tussled for a bit, but that was it. I had his mouth covered. Anything new on your end? I saw them all heading in when they decided to crash – that
’
s why I took so long. I watched them to make sure.
”

“
That was pretty much it. They left two guys on guard, and the rest went to sleep.
”

“
Then all we
’
ve got to worry about is their relief – but that s
houldn
’
t be for a few hours
. Okay, here
’
s what I got: the other side of the building
’
s free and clear. They
’
re all concentrated on this end, just inside that rolling door. The front
’
s nothing but a bunch of loading-bays; four of
‘
em.  Through
‘
em are some long parking stalls and equipment stations; good cover that the Hellhounds seem to be ignoring.

“
Now, just inside that rolling door you had your eyes on, is a pair of steel doors on the back wall. That
’
s where they were all going when they crashed. I think they
’
re sleeping just inside; it looked like a big room, and they seemed to be hanging out. You got that?
”

Raxx nodded.

“
They only put out the three guards, so they
’
re not expecting any trouble.  The two who
’
re playing cards are just there to keep an eye on the prisoners.  We got a major element of surprise. Think that C4 of yours will make it through steel?
”

Raxx took a second to catch up.
“
The double-doors are locked?
”

“
Nah, probably not. I just want to give them a wake-up call.
”

“
Uh, yeah – it should. I can form it so it
’
ll do that.
”

“
Alright – here, I
’
ll tell you the specifics, but all you
’
ve really got to remember is to follow my lead, and keep that buckshot going downrange.
”

They hashed out the details for a few more minutes, then he crushed his cigarette under his heel. 
“
Just remember: speed and aggression will get us through this.  Let
’
s move.
”

He led them on a path that circled around to the southern road. They darted across it, and stayed in the shadows as they approached the front gate.

The quads were lined up, blocking the entrance; enough to keep the cattle in, but easy
for them
to slip by. They rose from the roadside ditch and broke into a bent-knee
d
run. The gravel crunched under their feet as they moved towards the left-most bay door, harnesses and equipment jingling, hearts pounding. 

They reached it – out of the moonlight, into the black. Their footfalls slapped flatly against the concrete as they slid in and crouched behind one of the counters separating the bays.

Wentworth indicated for Raxx to stay still. His mouth felt thirsty, and he was hyper-aware of his magazine
’
s weight. Laying down by the edge, he darted his head out for a
moment
, then pulling back. When there was no response, he popped out again, and examined it in detail.

The warehouse was full of broken machinery. Trenches were cut out of the grease-stained floor, running under each parking stall, with steel walkways spanning them. Along the back – the wall with the sleeping quarter
’
s double-doors – were stacks upon stacks of yellow barrels. Wentworth had turned off his Datapad a while back, and was left wondering what his Geiger Counter would say about this. Through the western garage door came the sounds of the two guards,
laughing
over
their
card game. He spent a few moments re-examining of his plans, then pulled back into a kneeling position. He gave Raxx a nod, and they started moving; weapons ready, with careful steps.

His eyes were alive, scouring for booby traps, pitfalls, and obstacles. They made it to the double-door without incident. He looked sharply at the Mechanic then took a step forward, kneeling and putting a defensive bead on the
eastern exit
.

Raxx placed his shotgun on the dusty floor, and unslung his bag. Searching through its contents he laid out the C4, Det cord, and timer. A mélange of caution and urgency left his movements ragged as he molded the explosive. He squeezed the clay-like substance with his fingers, applying a gentle pressure. His apprehension grew by the second. Ears straining as he imagined someone on the side, preparing to exit.

He reached down, scrambling with his hand, until he found the Det cord. He pressed the knots deep into each block, and knotted the lines together. His fingers were cold, greasy with the plastic material. The primer next – then the timing cord; thirty seconds worth. Explosives set, he reshouldered his backpack and tapped Wentworth
’
s shoulder. The man looked back, and Raxx nodded.

Raxx pulled out his lighter, flicking it on the end of the timer. A whiff of sulphur filled the air
as it caught
. He retrieved his shotgun and began counting.
“
One… Two…
”
Wentworth had taken up a new position by the Garage door, half kneeling. Raxx approached from behind and put a hand on his shoulder.
“
…Eighteen…Nineteen…Twenty!
”
He squeezed.

Wentworth
’
s chest tightened, and he stepped outside. Cold moonlight washed over him as his weapon drew a bead. Behind him the heavy footfalls of the Mechanic. Moving forward, he squeezed down on the trigger.

The crack shattered hours of silence. Shock registered on one card-player
’
s face as he lurched
in pain
. Raxx
’
s shotgun boomed and the other died instant
ly, as his collar bone exploded
in gristle. A double crack from Wentworth put the other one down, jerking him back, then forward as blood and bone chips blew out the back of his head. The bodies collapsed into puddles, and the partners stopped moving.

Silence – then a confused, terrified wail began from the caged villagers out back.

Without a word, they remustered by the garage door–

The C4
’
s blast shook the earth, flashed the warehouse with light, and made them flinch as the sonic impact washed over them.

“
Now! Move!
”

Wentworth rushed forward into the ringing dust cloud, trusting the Mechanic to follow. The warehouse was dark, the sleeping quarters pitch; any candles had been blown out by the explosion. He gritted his teeth as he approached the maw, willing his irises wider.

The Mechanic
’
s footsteps thudded behind him.

Flipping the fire selector onto Automatic, he stepped through the door. Concrete dust floated in the air, and the punch drunk-raiders were yelling. The darkness congealed into a moving form, and he squeezed the trigger. The burst hammered back at his shoulder, its echo banging against his ear drums. He moved over to the next target, the one he
’
d seen in his weapon
’
s flash, as Raxx entered and unleashed a volley from his shotgun. The blast bounced from the far end of the room, and back again, as the pellets tinkled against the wall. Wentworth clattered another burst. Their individual weapon sounds began to merge into an ongoing sonic assault.

He was shooting by instinct. Yelling and recoil merged into a continual impact on his senses. His weapon kept panning left, a split second before the confirmed kills registered in his mind. The room strobed with the light, twisting the Hellhounds into broken marionettes. A yell from Raxx, a reload, then the shotgun blasts came again at a steady beat. His own instinct vibrated as his magazine ran low.

The bolt locked back with a dull thud. He dropped into a crouch, yelling
“
Spent Mag!
”
His eyes were adjusting. He reached into his pocket. At the far end of the room a grey form was rising. The empty mag had slipped from his weapon, clattering against the floor, and the f
resh one was in his hand
. The form was taking aim as his new magazine locked into the housing. He thumbed the release and the bolt slammed forward. He took aim. Too slow–

A dual burst of light as the raider
’
s muzzle, then his, flashed white

The scream of pellet on steel.

The raider fell.
His world went silent
.
It spun

He lived in
d
arkness
.

“
Wentworth!  Snap out of it, man!
”

His world slowed from its wild spin and his vision came back in dark splotches.

“
They
’
re dead. We got
‘
em!
”

A wave of nausea swept over him as he reached up to feel his head. His hand met something hard – his helmet. He was wearing his helmet. His fingers traced along a slick groove dug into its side, a channel cut by the raider
’
s bullet…

Raxx was still yelling, shaking his shoulder.
“
It
’
s okay – Raxx, I
’
m alright,
”
but he wasn
’
t; something was niggling, just beyond the nausea. The close call had shook him, the bullet had left him concussed, but his senses hadn
’
t stopped recording. Something was wrong… the body-count! It was too low,
“
Raxx–
”

At the far end of the room a door was kicked open. Something clattered onto the concrete.

“
Get down!
”

He tackled the Mechanic, and they fell to the floor as a burst of light polarized his goggles. Hot bile burned against his throat.

Raxx was howling, his shotgun clattered to the ground as he covered his eyes.