• 3. Where rogues call home

    We hit a stretch of road that, I guess, was used as a one way road and we start to walk south on it. I look around checking out the surroundings. “this area
    Looks pretty nice. I’m surprised there aren’t to many places left like this.” I say to no one in general. “yea.” Ace starts “that’s why we picked it.” I turn to him. “picked for what?” “you’ll see.” he says slyly.
    We hit a four way intersection when I hear bits of concrete fall and little traces of hissing. “hey guys I have to take a leak I’ll be right back.”
    “got ya man.” I got back and I start walking towards the place I heard the falling ‘crete .
    I walk though a blown out door and look up I see two Morder soldiers setting up watching the squad. I pull out my combat knife and hide behind a low wall. One gets up and walks towards my wall and I sit quietly then spring up stabbing the thing right between the eyes. I bring it down softly and pull up my carbine. “bye b***h.” I say pulling the trigger.
    Three shots burst through its head leaving its body hanging out of a window sill. I walk down the way I came and met up with the rest of the group. “you ok?” snake asks. “yup.” I say “never better just a run in with some friendly neighbors.” they all kinda just look at each other and move on. I walk out and look around scanning for anymore hostile movement,
    We reach an area that’s looks as if a group had been living in it for awhile but abandoned it. “here it is.” ace says. “Our home.” I look around in it. It wasn’t that bad the area was covered by sensors and had turrets and a armory. “stock up guys we have a long road ahead.” ace says grabbing food and water and putting it in a crate. “where are we going?” I ask walking over to a pile of carbine mags. “last hope.” he says “I’m hoping to get some recruits for our journey.” “journey?” I ask. “ yea we are going to take back the towns ,or at least fire off the missiles, and we need some help to do so… or at least some bigger weapons.” “oh” I say intrigued. “may I help?” “yea me too.” Nell chips in. “yea the more help the better.” ace says picking up the crate and heading out a side door. I pick up one more mag and walk out with him.
    “holy s**t!” I yell seeing what we were going to be taking there. “its snakes baby.” ace says. “We found it about a mile up and had to drag it back here. Took him 5 months but got it to work like new. Added a few features like a turret, lights, a spike bump, and larger amount of space so we can hold more.” “damn.” I say walking around the vehicle. It was pretty damn nice looked like a normal Humvee but with a longer back end and more lights.
    The rest of the people get into the “garage” and pile into the vehicle. Snake takes the drivers seat, ace in passenger, and Gallentine as the gunner. The rest piled in the back with me.
    Snake opens up the door via remote and then flies out of the garage going at least 50. He takes a sharp turn and then we are on a main road to last hope. I look towards the front and see a clock 12:33. Seven hours till black out the term used for night now-a-days. Since there is not much light left in the world it is pitch black out so that’s why they call it black out. I stare out the window and watch as blasted buildings fly past and I listen to the group having fun playing an eye spy game, which is not hard to play since the area is basically all blown up buildings. We reach a block not even ten minutes into the trip and have to turn a different way and find another route. I turn and take a final scan of the car then I look out the window again and slowly doze off.
    I feel a bump and it jogs me awake but I think nothing of it and fall into a light sleep. I hear glass break and the car skids to a halt and I open my eyes, not much of a difference, I must have slept till black out hours. I reach down my leg and feel cold metal braced in my hand. I upholster the pistol and bring it out and check for the light. I click it on and look around. The front of the window is broken and the seats all have blood on them I don’t see any bodies so I know it wasn’t Morder workings. I look around and try to find my carbine which has the bigger flash light on it but no luck. I think it isn’t in here any more.
    THUD! The whole vehicle shakes. I check my mag and sit hoping it was just my imagination. THUD! The vehicle shakes again and I start hearing animal clicking noises. BAM! I jump something slammed into my window. I slowly draw my pistol up to the window. As the light shines over the bottom half of the window I see blood streaming down. I stop. I start to hyper ventilate. I move it up to the center of the window at a fast past and jump cause there slamming against the window is Ace’s blooded face swaying back and forth knocking into the window slowly. There is a screech and his body flops hard against the window and is drug up to the roof. I stair out for a few seconds when I hear a crash behind me and I feel a sharp pain in my shoulder. I slowly turn my head and see the hammerhead face shape of a creeper. The thing starts pulling at me trying to get me out I twist then put the gun towards its head. It swats it away and continues dragging me, but then I hear a wailing cry of pain and my shoulder no longer hurts. I turn my head and find my shoulder had about fifty spikes coming out of it and into the head of the creeper. I push its body to the side and kick open the humvee’s door. I look around and I can see like it is daytime out. I turn my attention away from my new found ability to see and look at the humvee’s top which has two creepers on it. One looks at me and screeches, jumping while doing so. I pull my hand back instinctively and jab forward, I hear a whine and the creepers head is shiscabobed onto my arm and its body is swinging back and forth slowly. I point my arm down and the body slides off. The arm I have is a blade now maybe 3 feet in length both sides edged. I look up to see the other creeper above me screeching and point my arm to the sky and it changes again. It now looks like a blaster with spikes coming off the middle. I think about pulling a trigger and 5 spikes fly out of my arm gun and impale the creeper creature. Its falls to the ground with a loud thump and I smirk. “stupid animal.” then I feel hot sticky stuff running down my chest and I’m finding it hard to breath. I collapse and end up facing the sky. I taste an iron tinge in my mouth and feel it rushing down my throat. I see a looming dark figure walk over me. it’s a creeper. I try to bring my arm up to block it from biting my face but my arm is frozen. The creeper rears back and…
    The car bumps again and I hear its engine roaring and the voices of my comrades having a good time. I sigh. “only a dream.” then there was a pain in my neck. I wonder. If it was just a damn dream why did it feel so real. I pull myself away from my resting place and check the time 4:01. Three hours until black out. I lean back heavy and stare up at the ceiling trying to make sense of all the dreams. I rub my eyes, yawn, and shake my head. Way to much thought. I look back to the outside world listening to the guys reminisce about the days before 2019 and watch as we pass another old forgotten city,
    I must have dosed again cause I feel the car slow down, but this time the front doors open and snake and ace get out. I shift over and look out the dusty, dirty front window to see an old beaten up humvee. I open my door and join the group looking at the damage. The hood was caved in the front windshield busted open there were soldiers laying scattered around the vehicles with chunks missing out of them in various places. There was a soldier in the turret bent in a way no man could do. I walked up and investigated closer and found two large indents in his shoulders. “hellions.” I mutter under my breath. “the only damn things that could have done this.” I look into the vehicle and only see the passenger who has had his throat ripped out. After we are done we check for ammo and take all the tags of the soldiers there and put them in a special folder to be given to the colonel. We drive off not trying to think of that happening to us.
    We drive another few miles and run into a sign saying “last hope 45 miles” we look at the clock. “o s**t!” I say “look at the time.” it was 30 minutes till black out. So we pulled over right then and started building fires to keep the creepers away. Everyone settles down and I ran my hand down my leg and un-holstered my pistol and laid it next to me. Sleep was very quick to take me but when I fell I wasn’t afraid of any Morder or creeper I was afraid of the dreams that would possibly come to me.
    I wake to a blistering bright sun and look around. I was surprised to find I didn’t have any dreams last night. So I stretched an cracked my back and gathered my things and put them back into the jeep. One by one everyone woke and repeated my process.
    We all pile back into the car same spots and snake turns around. “ok everyone next stop Last Hope.” we all smile wearily and he turns and starts driving. I turned my attention to the window and the cityscape that slowly disappeared as we transferred from city landscape to desert then eventually last hope.
    I could tell we had to be getting close cause there was a giant metal was visible from like 25 miles away. Before we got any closer Snake slams on the breaks and jumps out of the car. We all sat and looked at each other confused and then one by one we piled out of the car. In no time Snake was back with two soldiers. One a tall girl with short blond hair. a katana on her back and a sniper on her side. The other a short male with short black hair and a blaster rifle. Snake introduces them as Nina and Zed. He said they are part of his family and hasn’t seen them in years. We all piled back into the car and started on our way to last hope.
    Nina started to tell us a story of how they have been rogues out in the desert for most of their military career and that in between them they have killed over 1000 Morder troops.
    “they wont expect us not with all these guys in here” a hiss says buzzing through my head. “Renz shall be pleased when we bring him their heads.” “no!” the hiss yells. “they are heading into the city we can get the leader and Renz will definitely be pleased with us.” they both laugh. “yes great Idea we shall continue to play them.”
    “STOP THE CAR!” I yell and Snake slams on the breaks. I slam open the door and trip/run out. I grip my head and everyone stairs at me ,as I stagger around, thinking I’ve gone crazy.
    “Nina, Zed, HERE NOW!” I yell. They run over to me and stand at attention. I pull out my pistol and aim it at both of them.
    “I suspect you both of being Morder troops!” I yell out. “They are not!” snake yells and then steps forward as does Biggn’s and Nell. “what’s going on?” a hiss asks. “shh I think one can hear us.” another says.
    I swing my pistol back and forth rapidly. My head hurt and I was getting a splitting head ache. I closed my eyes but still continued to aim. I thought about everything that has happened and opened my eyes now knowing what to do.
    I aimed at Nina and then at Zed I swung my aim again and shot then I moved quick and shot a second time. The two shots were quick killing shots. Their bodies dropped to the ground and snakes eyes widened as he turned and watched their bodies fall. immediately they turn back into Morder shifters. I lower my weapon and the group stares at me. “why… why?” snake starts but can’t seem to finish his sentence I guess still freaking over what happened. I walk past Nina, Zed, then snake whose mouth was still wide open, ace was sitting next to the front door and he just stare at me. Gallentine was still on the 50 cal. , He hadn’t moved an inch.
    I get into the humvee and just sit there waiting for everyone else to follow. Then one by one they started to pile into the humvee and we drove off leaving Nell and Biggn’s bodies to rot in the desert.