Wasteland Rules: Die Fighting (The World After Book 4) (29 page)

ADX Florence, Pueblo, Colorado

September 17, 2029

   “What about Sterling?” Rora asked Derek anxiously
as they flew away from the prison.

   “He’s dead. That monster killed him.” Derek replied
disgustedly. “Hopefully I got him when I blasted the prison entrance.”

   “Somehow I doubt it.” Rora said disappointedly. “He
always seems to find a way to survive. You have to respect that in some way.”

   Derek replied with a derisive grunt.

   “Do you think we can get to Anchorage before he
catches up?” Rora asked.

   “We’re going to need to refuel multiple times or
find another ride. Hopefully Deimos won’t be able to get a ride there first.”
Derek answered doubtfully.

   “I erased the location and all information about
the ARK from their servers once we had it.” The Voice interjected helpfully. “It
was kept behind a lot of security. It took both Sterling and I to break into
it, so I doubt Deimos would ever have accessed it and he certainly can’t now.”

   “Excellent work.” Derek said appreciatively. “Maybe
we can get there and retrieve the Ark without any interference.”

   “It won’t be that simple.” The Voice said
hesitantly.

   “What do you mean?” Rora asked uncertainly.

   “The ARK is being guarded by a large group of
Satanists.” The Voice informed them.

   “You have got to be kidding.” Derek stated in
disbelief. “When you told us it was in Alaska, Satanists would be the last
thing I was thinking of.”

   “Nevertheless, that is who is guarding the ARK.”
The Voice confirmed.

   “Why would a group of Satanists be guarding the
ARK?” Rora asked, curious.

   “Their leader was replaced with a Faceless during
the Collapse.” The Voice explained. “He has positioned it as their unholy duty
to Satan to prevent the minions of God from getting their hands on it.”

   “And they bought that?” Derek asked contemptuously.

   “The worship of Satan skyrocketed during the
Collapse and the Aftermath.” The Voice continued. “Charismatic Satanists used
the fall of society, which they pointed out was based on Judeo-Christian
values, as an example of the folly of mainstream religions. They won many
converts since the tenets of Satanism fit well with what it took to survive in
the World After.”

   “That kind of makes sense.” Rora agreed. “The Rules
themselves do fly somewhat against the teachings of the Bible.”

   “Maybe, but they don’t suggest anything about
worshipping Satan.” Derek argued.

   “Not to you. But many of the survivors would have
been seeking anything to hold on to and Satanists were offering the answers as
well as food and shelter.” The Voice offered. “And this group in particular,
The Church of the Black Flame, seems to have been very well organized.”

   “So the ARK is guarded by a bunch of zealots in a
frozen wasteland. Anything else?” Derek asked sarcastically.

   “They have orders to destroy the ARK if it looks
like someone is going to take it.” The Voice added calmly.

   “Wonderful. I guess my original plan of flying in
and laying waste to the place is out?” Derek said facetiously.

   “We’re going to have to sneak in and steal the
ARK.” Rora agreed, ignoring his sarcasm.

   “Yeah, since that has gone so well lately.” Derek
added wryly.

   “We don’t have a choice. We need to get the ARK.”
Rora insisted. “Who knows what they will do when they find out the Faceless Man
is dead.”

   “Records indicate the Faceless leading the
Satanists was one of the original clones and is very loyal.” The Voice informed
them. “He is likely to destroy the ARK when he finds out.”

   “Fine. We’ll sneak in.” Derek agreed reluctantly.
“First we have to figure out how to get there. We don’t have enough fuel to
even make it halfway.”

   “What about stopping in Deseret?” The Voice
proposed. “You could trade this chopper for a small plane and fuel.”

   “The Mormons don’t like Non-Mormons entering their
territory.” Derek pointed out. “They are likely to just shoot us down.”

   “I have a contact there we can reach out to.” The
Voice assured Derek. “I think they will listen. They need all the military
hardware they can get if they want to resist the U.S.T.G.”

   “See what you can do, but they have done a good job
of securing their borders.” Derek said dubiously.

   Amazingly, the Voice’s contact came through; and
two hours later they were touching down on a small airstrip at the edge of
Mormon territory. The Mormon’s controlled what they called Deseret. It
encompassed the area around Salt Lake City and Provo in Utah. During the
Collapse, the Mormons had been exceedingly well prepared thanks to the tenets
of their religion. They had seized control and exiled all non-Mormons. Once
they were in full control they had closed their territory off to everyone
except Mormons and done a good job of keeping it that way.

   So Derek was prepared for a possible fight, even
though the Voice’s contact had agreed to the deal. The Mormons were known to be
non-violent unless provoked but he wasn’t going to take any chances. Rule #10,
always watch your back. He clutched the grenade launcher tightly as they exited
the chopper and kept a wary eye out for an ambush. Two of the Mormon men
started climbing all over the chopper inspecting it as Derek and Rora walked
away.

   The Mormons were just as suspicious of him as he
was of them and stared at him with barely veiled distrust. There was a large
group of them there to greet Derek and Rora. All of them men dressed in black
pants, white shirts, black dusters, and black wide brimmed hats. Some had body
armor and all of them were armed with various assault rifles and submachine
guns. The modern weapons were an odd juxtaposition against the attire that
looked like it came straight out of 1880. Derek also noticed every man had a
well-trimmed beard.

   None of the Mormons spoke, they simply gestured
towards an old Cessna 400 that looked like it had seen better days. The
turboprop plane was a small passenger plane used primarily by businesses and
rich dilettantes. It was a very reliable model that had been made for over
fifty years. The wheels had been replaced with skis for landing in the wintry
environment that encompassed the northern parts of the U.S., which would be
perfect for landing in Alaska.

   Anchorage had once had a somewhat moderate climate
with mild summers where the snow melted completely. But the weather changes of
the Aftermath had dropped the average temperatures significantly and now the
snow and ice never melted. The folks who lived in Alaska were a much more
rugged and individualistic bunch and they had survived the Collapse okay, but
the Aftermath was a different story. Massive storms had rolled up the coasts
and covered Anchorage in ice several feet thick. Since the temperature now
never rose above twenty degrees, everything stayed frozen. It was said to be
quite beautiful.

   The new climate had forced even the hardiest souls
to abandon the state. It was hard to function when everything was covered with
two feet of ice and then several feet of snow. Few survived the storms and the
trek out. Now the state was completely empty, even the natives had left. Which
made it the perfect place to hide something.

   “That plane doesn’t have enough fuel to make it to
Anchorage.” Derek pointed out to the Voice.

   “There are extra fuel cans in the plane. You might
have to refuel once, but you should have enough to make it there and get out.”
The Voice replied reassuringly. “I would fill up the cans if you get a chance
along the way. They also put cold weather gear including snow shoes in there
for you.”

   “What’s with the staring?” Derek asked as he
scanned all the angry looking men. “Is it because we aren’t Mormon?”

   The Voice actually laughed. “It’s because they
think you are sinful heathens.”

   “Well, we are, so…” Derek chuckled in reply.

   The laugh drew even more intense stares. “Let’s
go.” Derek urged Rora, leading her towards their new ride.

   “Yeah, these guys are creeping me out.” She agreed.

   They quickly boarded the plane and Derek took off
as soon as the engines was warmed up. They flew west to stay below Collective
territory and then headed north northwest towards Anchorage once they were far
enough out over the Pacific Ocean. The Voice was able to use the newly
reactivated weather satellites to keep them from the worst of the wild weather
that haunted the Pacific. They were forced to make a stop along the way in a
remote area to refuel from the cans. They couldn’t find any source of fuel to
refuel the cans and Derek was worried their return trip might be impossible.
But Rora insisted they continue on, retrieving the ARK was that important.

   Once they neared Alaska, the storm began to
intensify. Driving snow and wind buffeted the small plane despite the Voice’s
best efforts. Just when Derek was starting to think they were going to be
forced down, they burst out of the storm front and were treated to an amazing
sight. In front of them was the city of Anchorage covered in a solid sheet of
ice. Sunlight glistened off the icy spires of buildings and the whole city
seemed to sparkle. It was indeed an amazing sight.

   Derek quickly took the plane down and landed as
close as he thought possible to their location. Their destination was near the
airport which would have made landing easier; but since Alaska was completely
abandoned, even a small plane would draw attention. This part of the mission
would require stealth so they could retrieve the ARK without the Satanists destroying
it. Once they had the ARK, Derek would be free to unleash hell to escape. He
was looking forward to that part.

   “Any sign of the Satanists?” Derek asked the Voice
as the disembarked from the plane.

   “I am not detecting any signals or heat sources,
but the ice would block any of that.” The Voice replied.

   “What was the location originally?” Derek asked.

   “Believe it or not, it was Anchorage’s largest
church.” The Voice informed them wryly.

   “I believe it.” Derek stated. “It would fit their
twisted logic to want to defile something that was once holy.”

   “I didn’t peg you as a religious person Derek.”
Rora interjected.

   “I’m not really, but it’s amazing what sticks with
you from your childhood.” Derek replied with a shrug.

   “It is indeed.” Rora murmured in reply. “Let’s go
get the ARK and then get out of here. It’s freezing.”

   Derek nodded and pulled his face mask up to ward off
the cold. The weather was clear for the moment, but that storm was likely to
come in eventually. Better to be gone from this frozen hell by the time it
arrived. He had no desire to become a popsicle. Once this was over, maybe he
would take a trip down to South America. It was supposedly warmer there,
although allegedly it was swarming with cannibals. Well, you couldn’t have
everything.

   Putting those thoughts aside, he focused on the
task at hand. Using the phone as a GPS they made their way into the city, or
rather over the city. Most of it was buried beneath the snow that covered the
ice. They walked through the tops of the tall buildings at the city center as
they approached the frozen church. It was slow going as they slogged across the
thick snow. Without the snow shoes they would have been hopelessly stuck, or
worse fallen into the snow and become stuck like it was quicksand.

   Even with the snowshoes they had to be careful.
Several times they barely avoided crevasses in the ice and snow hidden by
drifts. There was an oddly serene beauty to the whole city though. There were
no sounds other than the whirring of the wind and nothing moved except eddies
of blown snow. The city looked clean and pristine, like a display in a museum;
but untouched by man. If it wasn’t so unbelievably cold, Derek might have
considered staying. But after a couple of hours, all he wanted to do was get
out of the wind. They were taking a break when the Voice suddenly spoke to him.

   “I’m detecting a heat signature heading your way.”
The Voice informed him. “The glare off the snow and ice makes the satellite
image difficult to make out, but it looks like a snowmobile.”

   Listening carefully Derek could barely make out the
sound of a small engine. “I hear it.” He told the Voice as he gestured for Rora
to take cover.

   The blowing snow had covered their tracks and Derek
had concealed the plane so he wasn’t worried about being discovered, but the
snowmobile might present an opportunity. It could only belong to the Satanists
since nothing else was here. If they took the snow mobile and captured its
riders they might have an easier time getting into the church.

   “How long before they get here?” He asked the
Voice.

   “A couple of minutes at most.” The Voice replied
quickly.

   “Show me where they will likely pass by.” Derek
ordered the Voice.

   “Here is the projected path.” The Voice told him as
the phone displayed a graphic.