Origins

along the rise. At a high point, a figure stood with a long rifle held aloft.

Of course. Lisa had sniped them all out.

I had no idea how I missed that one.

After she joined the rest of the group, we headed back to Bluff. Though the Imperials were all dead, that didn’t stop the fires they’d set from burning.

Chapter 7

It was evening. We had spent the rest of the day putting out what fires we could. Not just us, but every person that could be spared in Raider Bluff, slave or free. We worked hour after hour, throwing water gathered from the irrigation canals and river onto the stubborn flames. Often, it felt as if we were making no progress.

Finally, the last of the fires had burned out, leaving a good thirty percent of Raider Bluff’s farmland a smoking ruin.

Though I didn’t say anything about it, I wondered how Char felt about killing Rex. It was only a matter of time until the Empire came back. Next time, it would not be six men. It would probably be more like six thousand.

We stood in the clinic. Samuel had called this meeting to make an announcement. Makara had brought Lisa, for some reason. Char had come to hear what Samuel had to say; Anna was there because Char was there.

“We’re leaving tomorrow,” Samuel said.

He couldn’t be serious. He had been shot in the arm just yesterday. It was a while before anyone spoke.

“Absolutely not,” Makara said. “You need more time to recover.”

“I will have to recover on the road,” Samuel said. “This attack has convinced me. I will not be caught in Raider Bluff in a war. Moreover, Bunker One will be buried in snow if we wait until I recover. By then it will be too late. I will not be delayed any longer.”

Makara opened her mouth, but Char held a hand up.

“Listen here,” Char said. “I know you’re a tough guy, but this is nuts. You leave now, that thing will open up and get infected. You want to go through the Great Blight with an open wound like that? The Empire will be back, yes. But not tomorrow. Not even in one month.”

“I’ll do what I must to get those Black Files,” Samuel said. “Even at the risk of my own life.”

“Yes,” Char said, “but does your sister feel the same way?”

From the look in Makara’s eyes, it was clear that she didn’t. She took a step forward. “Samuel, you’re not thinking straight. Like Char said, the Empire won’t be here for months, probably, and…”

“I know,” Samuel said. “This is crazy. But this mission is happening, and it is happening tomorrow. The longer we stay here, the more things will fall apart. The Empire attacked Raider Bluff today, and who’s to say they don’t have an army camped a day’s march away?” He looked at each of us in turn. His brown eyes were fierce and determined. “No, it must be tomorrow, or it might never be at all. As soon as we can get outfitted, we’ll be out of here. As for my arm, it’s a risk we’ll have to take, because we’re not risking just my life here. We’re risking the fate of the world.”

Everyone was quiet as we thought about this turn of events. Samuel was our leader; wherever he decided to go, I would follow him. It was Makara I was worried about. She had a good point. Samuel was not one hundred percent. He was not even fifty.

“Then we’ll leave tomorrow,” Lisa said.

Everyone stared at her.

“Wait,” I said. “You’re coming?”

“Makara and I talked it over when you left. You guys will need me out there.”

“Yeah, you’re coming,” Makara said. “But not tomorrow. Sam isn’t…”

“Makara,” Samuel said. “I appreciate your concern, but as long as I don’t put stress on my arm, I should be fine.”

“Stress that is guaranteed to happen,” Makara said. “We can’t predict what will happen out there.”

“But we can predict what will happen if we stay here,” Samuel said. “An all-out siege by the Empire and no hope of making it to Bunker One. That’s all that matters.”

Makara sighed, clearly unhappy. “I’m not going to win this one, am I?”

“Makara…”

“No. It’s fine. You’re our fearless leader. We’ll follow you to Bunker One, even if it means you’ll probably kill yourself in the process. I just hope those Files are worth the price.”

“They will be,” Samuel said. “I’m sure of it.” His eyes turned to Lisa. “Are you sure about this? There’s a good chance we won’t make it back. We could sure use someone like you, but no one’s forcing you to do this.”

“When Makara told me about what you guys were doing, I wanted to help. I’ve been cooped up in that bar too long, and I’ve never been one to ignore the call to adventure. That’s why I became a Raider in the first place.”

“We have a mission to accomplish,” Samuel said. “As long as you know how serious this is, we’ll all get along fine.”

“I’ve been nothing but serious my whole life. I’m ready for this.”

Samuel’s and Lisa’s eyes met and locked for a moment. I wanted to smile. It was clear that they each liked what they saw. Turning away, Samuel cleared his throat.

“Anyway, we’ll head out tomorrow morning, before sunrise. I want to make it at least to the Boundless by tomorrow night, which shouldn’t be a problem, barring difficulties.”

“Great,” Lisa said. “I’ll get my stuff ready.”

Char shook his head. “I don’t like this, but I won’t be stopping you. You make some good points, Samuel, but it is my medical opinion that you should give the wound another week to heal. Another week and the chance of infection will go way down. You’re asking for trouble if you head out tomorrow.”

Samuel listened. I could tell that Char’s words carried a lot of weight, but Samuel remained resolute. “No. It’s now or never. I can feel it in my bones. I wish I could wait that long. But I can’t.”

Char nodded. “So be it.”

Anna, who had been quiet the whole time, looked between Char and Samuel. I wondered what she was thinking. If only she could come with us…I almost wanted to suggest it, only I knew Char would want to keep her in Raider Bluff. Besides, she and Makara had gotten off on the wrong foot.

“If there is anything you can’t find in the stores, come see me and I will supply it myself.”

With a nod, Char left the room, Anna in tow.

“I’ve already mapped our journey,” Samuel said. “I don’t know how long it will take, but I expect plenty of roadblocks along the way, especially once we make it to the Great Blight. You guys can spend the rest of the day figuring out what we need. Alex has all the batts to buy supplies– we just need plenty of cold weather gear, as well as ammunition. Maybe some spare guns, just in case. Makara, you’re good at that kind of thing, so you’re in charge. Take the batts and make sure we’re stocked for the journey. I’ll check on you guys later.”

“Lisa and I will take care of it,” she said.

“What can I do?” I asked.

“Get the Recon prepped. Have someone who knows what they’re doing take a look at it to make sure it won’t break down on us. Extra water might be good in case we can’t refill somewhere in the desert.”

“How much water?”

Samuel paused. “As much as you can fit in the back. Once you’re done with that, help out where you can.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “I’ll get started.”

“Take care out there,” Samuel said.

That was it. We were leaving tomorrow.