The next morning hadn’t even dawned, but we all stood in the courtyard in the dry cold, making last-minute preparations on the Recon. I stood bleary-eyed, grumpy, cold, and hungry, every bone and muscle aching in my body. It was a bad combination. I had spent half the night making sure Khloe was working fine, as well as helping Makara and Lisa pack everything away. After that, we triple-checked that we had everything we needed. We weren’t coming back for anything.
After asking around a bit, I had found a guy named Tony, the Alpha Compound’s garage head. He checked the hydrogen fuel cell and pressure tank, the thick all-terrain tires, the engine — everything that could be checked in the limited time we had. He didn’t mind staying up late; he was just glad to get the chance to peek under the hood of a vehicle he had only heard of, and never seen. Tony made recommendations for spare parts and, once Makara returned from shopping, showed her how to replace these parts in case they broke down.
Besides the Recon, we had stocked food for a month, 250 gallons of water (mostly for refueling), cold weather gear including snow boots and thick clothing, face masks, medicine and bandages, cooking equipment, a few extra rifles, and plenty of ammunition. We had spent every last batt to get all these things. Makara had been right, out in the Wasteland. A few batts could go a long way.
Fifteen minutes after reconvening, we had crossed out everything on the checklist. We were ready to leave.
We had been in Raider Bluff only a few days, yet so much had happened in that time. I looked for Anna among the small group of Raiders gathered to see us off. I was a little disappointed that she wasn’t there.
Char stood before Makara. At first, they grabbed each other’s forearms with both hands — a typical Raider gesture, I guess. Char broke and hugged Makara tightly.
“Be safe out there, kid,” he said. “Come back in one piece.”
“I’ll try, Char. Believe me.”
Char pulled back, and we got in the Recon. Makara settled behind the wheel, already turning the key.
The engine roared to life and the needle on the dash climbed as pressure built in the hydrogen tank. For some reason, that familiar hum that came from the cargo bay was comforting.
The wheels moved, and we drove to the gates of the compound. We were finally off.
No one said anything as we navigated the city’s dirt roads. In a matter of weeks, maybe days, we would be in Bunker One — assuming we didn’t die before that. I couldn’t think about that, though. Not now.
We had brought antibiotics in case Samuel’s wound acted up. So far he had given no signs of distress. I didn’t know if it was because he was truly okay, or because he was hiding the pain. Probably the second one. His left arm would be in that sling for a while, but his right hand could still aim and shoot.
We were on the bottom level of Bluff. The streets were mostly empty.
“Oh no,” Makara said.
“What?” I asked.
“It’s…
I looked out the windshield. It was Anna, standing in front of the city gates with her katana drawn.
Chapter 8
Makara stepped on the accelerator.
“Makara, what are you doing?” I asked.
“She is
“Well, she definitely won’t if you
“Makara, stop!” Samuel said.
The words went unheeded. Anna stood her ground, staring defiantly at the oncoming Recon. Makara was not slowing down. In fact, she sped for the open gates.
At the last moment, when it looked as if Anna was going to get run over, Makara slammed on the brakes. Still, Anna stood firm.
The vehicle skidded to the right, nearing the cliff edge. Finally, at the last possible moment, Anna jumped out of the way. The Recon was about to fall off the cliff and into the desert below.
Makara regained control, flooring it. The gates of Raider Bluff were left behind as we sped down the narrow road.
“Slow down, Makara!” Samuel said. “You’re going to kill us all!”
“Thought she could stop us,” Makara said. “I guess I proved her wrong.”
“Makara, that’s enough,” Samuel said.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “It’s done.”
“You really don’t like her, huh?” I asked.
My question went unanswered when I heard the roar of an engine behind us. A single headlight materialized in the dawn darkness.
Clearly, it wasn’t done yet.
“She’s following us,” Makara said.
Makara flipped on the LCD screen in the center of the dashboard. It revealed the dirt road behind us, and a single headlight, growing larger and brighter. The shape of a motorcycle appeared, and the shadowy form of its rider: a woman with black hair blowing in the wind.
“When we get to the bottom, I’m gunning it,” Makara said. “We’ll leave her in our dust.”
“Makara, just stop the car,” I said. “That thing can go faster than us, and you know it. She might have something important to say.”
“She wants to come with us,” Makara said. “I’m not having it.”
“I don’t get it. She’d be useful. You saw what she did with that sword.”
She ignored me as the two vehicles kept an even distance. We snaked back and forth down the mesa. When we reached the bottom, Makara sped up, heading due east toward a brightening crimson sky. Anna matched our pace. That motorcycle could go faster than us, easy. But still, Makara pressed the accelerator until the Recon’s engine was roaring, until the hydrogen fuel tank gave a miserable high whine. The pressure needle climbed and climbed, into the red. She was going to make the thing explode.
“Makara, pull over!” Samuel said.
“No.”
“Pull over, goddamn it! She’s coming with us whether you like it or not!”
Makara slammed on the brakes, causing us all to rock forward in our seats. The seatbelt pressed into my neck, constricting my breathing. On the LCD screen, the headlight grew brighter and brighter.
Anna was going to crash into us.
Anna veered off and flashed by the Recon’s right side in a speedy whir. She circled around to the Recon’s driver’s side and halted, shutting off the engine. Her face was calm and implacable. To her, a couple brushes with death in ten minutes’ time were all in a day’s work.
Samuel and I got out of the Recon, but Makara and Lisa stayed in. Outside, the air was sharp and dry. The sun had lit the land dull red from behind the equally red clouds. The mountains towered in the distance to the east, and the desert of rock and sand stretched flat to meet them. Behind us, Raider Bluff sat on its cliff, dark and brooding in the early hour.
“I’m coming with you,” Anna said simply.
Her eyes flicked up to meet mine. In them I saw determination, and the unwillingness to take no as an answer.
“You know,” I said, “if you wanted to come with us, all you had to do was ask. You didn’t have to audition or anything.”
“Did Char send you?” Samuel asked. “Makara will give me hell if I let you into the Recon.”
“No, Char did not send me. That’s why I met you at the gate. He wouldn’t want me to come. But Char is selfish, and you guys need me. The terrain is dangerous, and I’m the only one in Bluff who can lead you to the Great Blight.”
