The shrubbery began to thin and all that was left were vast sand dunes almost as far as the eye could see. The only break was the mountains to the west, capped with snow. It had been a long time since he'd seen snow. Maybe he could talk his superiors into sending him to inspect their holdings there.
He pulled the radio up from the table and keyed into the comm line. "This is far enough, conductor. Why don't you pull us to a stop?"
"Will do, Mr. Stone."
The train began to slow, gently at first to avoid damaging any of its cargo. Eventually, he could hear the brakes bear down on the wheels.
Stone jerked his hand out to keep his tea from sliding across his table until the train rolled to a complete stop.
Quite honestly, he had dreaded this part of the trip. The heat out there was scorching beyond words, but it was part of the deal he’d struck.
With real reluctance, he climbed out of the passenger car he rode in and kept an eye on the workers who had already begun to open the cargo cars at the far rear of the train.
He sighed and opened an umbrella to shield himself from the worst of the sun as he walked down the track.
These weren't people he enjoyed spending time with, but deals had been struck and they needed to be observed by a certified auditor of the New York Western Railroad Company.
The first one out of the cars was a large Excalibur mech. Unlike the others that he'd seen of the same model, this one had traded the rocket-powered hammer and ozone shield for an electrical spear. Abandoning defense for offense really did seem to fit Athena's type.
"Are you sure this is it?" she boomed through her mech’s external speakers as her men climbed out of the other three cars that they had been riding in.
"Of course. We at the New York Western Railroad company pride ourselves in mapping these abandoned areas," he stated and gestured with his hand across the barren landscape around them.
"Why did you help us? I thought you were on Hammerhand's side?"
"The New York Western Railroad Company takes no sides in internal power conflicts. We do, however, remember our friends and those who have helped us and assume the same courtesy will be extended in turn."
"Sure." Athena grunted and turned away. "We'll be sure to remember who helped us."
"Please do. Have a pleasant journey."
The Excalibur led the raiders away from the train and Stone let the fake smile slip from his lips as he turned to head to his car. Hopefully, they had increased the cooling inside to make up for the doors opening. Otherwise, he would need to have another chat with the train's conductor.
He climbed inside and keyed into the comm line. "We are ready to move again."
"Right away, Mr. Stone."
The train advanced once more.
The End
(For now)
The Story Continues
Bulletfoot Two from Marshall Rust is coming soon.
Author Note
From all of us behind Bulletfoot, we'd like to first express our gratitude to you for reading this. We hope you enjoyed it.
We get it. Times are hard, friends. But we believe people are tough. So we wanted to write a story about people who get over adversity with their friends - as we all do when things get rough. A tale that covers the hope and grit of people in tough situations that will fight for revival and recovery in a world that is well past that. We wanted to share with you our own hope in and for a better world, that people, no matter how much things go badly around them, are good--can be good.
That we believe all of us have the potential to overcome even the apocalypse.
So thank you for joining us on this journey. Stay tuned, and let's get through the harsh world of Bulletfoot - together.
- Rust, out.
About the Author
Marshal Rust was born in Boulder, Colorado, where he still resides to this day. His parents - both hard-working blue-collar folk - made sure he got a good education and ensured that included reading as many books as he possibly could. And it's no surprise he came to absolutely love science fiction and fantasy. He cut his teeth on the works of Heinlein, Asimov, Tolkien, and more. He later progressed to the works of Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, David Brin and Cormac McArthy, and many of their contemporaries through and over the years. He's worked in his father's trade as a welder, moonlighted as a delivery man, sold computer hardware, and done a brutal stint as an animal massage therapist (yes, it's a real job), and has even had to chase a goat that made off with his paper bagged lunch, but nothing makes him happier than clear skies and a blank sheet of paper to write on.
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