8 Lines
She changes into rough clothing in the decrepit ladies room. She puts her torn jumpsuit inside her backpack and zips it up. Blood still coats her forehead, hair, and along her neck. The tacky feeling combined with the unpleasant humidity in the room stirs up her emotions as she looks back at herself in the mirror. Things really have not been going her way.
"Your name is mud on the streets," Sia jokes at her dirty reflection in the broken mirror.
She "bandaged" her arms, and, luckily, the machine did not prompt her body to heal any bruises along her waist or back. The mutated squirrel's grip left behind a few imprints on her body.
She closes her eyes before she takes a sip from her jug of water. Gulping it all down and shuddering afterward. Her repulsed expression is tripled across the cracked mirror.
"If they haven't died from cholera then I'm probably fine."
She licks salty lips.
"Probably."
'What are the chances of me getting cholera?' she thinks.
UNLIKELY
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER METHODICALLY SCANS SUBJECT 001 SUBJECT 001 IS MONITORED CONTINUOUSLY FOR ANY BIOLOGICAL CHANGES
"Oh."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After everyone made it back to the vehicles and Sia was confirmed to be alive, Eli decided it was better for them to get as far from the area as possible.
"No sense waiting for something else to come running at us."
They traveled for several hours before stopping at a broken-down rest stop area missing a ceiling. They stopped to refuel and Sia took that chance to look herself over. Raymond had offered assistance after the attack but after Sia told him she was fine, he backed off. Vanessa just eyed her with a sour look on her face before returning back to the vehicle. Greg seemed glad she was alright. The possible trade agreement meant a lot to their leaders. Sia going missing would put them in deep trouble.
~~~~
Sia leaves the bathroom with her backpack on, safety goggles on her head, and gloves on. Everyone is sitting outside their vehicles talking. As she passes by a group, she listens to their conversation.
"—- goner, but he just took Eli's gun. Opened the door, climbed up on the top of the car, looked through the scope and shot twice. It was amazing."
"That's why I don't mess around with those guys. They enjoy making kills from a distance."
"I heard Turner isn't that bad at hand-to-hand combat either."
"He isn't a slouch, but their leader is definitely a sniping god. I heard that he once shot a man in the chest from half a mile away while aiming his rifle in some other direction."
"You can't win against these guys."
"You'd need a couple meat shields to outrun a magical shot like that."
"What was the wind like? That's impossible."
"I'm telling you the guy aimed to the left and the bullet curved. Like some magnetic sh-"
One of the men raised his rifle and tries to imagine taking such a shot.
"I wanna see that crap live. Unbelievable."
"Ask Eli. I'm telling you."
"Yeah, ask Eli. He ain't ever lied."
Sia decides to go see Eli to thank him for saving her life. She spots the young man that wears a blue scar as she is searching for him. He is swinging his legs while sitting on the back of a truck.
"Hey, Kid. Where's Eli?"
"..."
The kid's goggled face turns to her and he stares back at her for several moments.
Sia opens her mouth to ask again, but the male decides to point her in the right direction before standing up and walking into the sitting compartment out of sight. Sia is tempted to see what he is doing in the back but changes her mind. She wrinkles her nose as she walks ahead to check the other vehicles. There is a rancid smell in the air.
She finds Eli with some men, planning to cook the meat they recently acquired. As she listens to them, she notices the squirrel corpse fastened to the top of their vehicle. Their vehicle isn't the same model as the other passenger/cargo trucks. She finally links the putrid smell with the carcass and hurls right along the side of the van.
"- bullet destroyed a lot of its skull. What sort of rounds is he—Heeeeey. What the f-"
The mercenary stops talking as he sees the woman vomiting on his truck. Eli has his hand pressing a bandana up against his nose. The heat has accelerated the bacteria growth on the squirrel remains and he was trying to explain to the men that it would be best to toss it before they attract some unfriendly pests. Eli follows up behind the yelling mercenary as he berates Sia.
Unfortunately, after the conclusion of the squirrel attack; when Eli had everyone go back to their rides; these idiots stayed behind to gut and tie up the squirrel. Then they caught up with the caravan. Leaving a trail of gore to lead any predators right for them.
He had been ordered to hire extra men for this supply run, but these imbeciles are getting on his last nerve. A mistake like this could jeopardize the entire mission.
"Sorry to interrupt this, but this is your last warning. Cut down that carcass or take it along with you out of here." Eli interjects.
Eli draws the mercenaries attention off of Sia and glowers at the cretin. Sia sees the mercenary's focus shift away from her, looks over at Eli gratefully, and dashes off while clasping her hands to her mouth.
"I told you. This mess is going to lead all kinds of predators around here. Even those flesh beetles are probably heading this way. We can't have that kind of notice on this cargo. Or are you guys ready to repay Dennis for a lost shipment?"
"No offense, but we've survived out here for just as long as you."
"In the wasteland zone?!"
"In the wastes and all over! There's nothing out here that could do more damage than we could do to them. That's why you hired us, isn't it?!"
Some of the mercenaries partners join in the conversation.
"Seems like you're trying to skip out on paying us. Is that what this is all about?"
Meanwhile, Sia is crouching beside her ride clearing her throat and spitting near the back wheel.
"Aaah, it came out my nose."
"Here ya go." Raymond holds out a damp cloth.
"Thanks."
Sia uses it to wipe her face and nose. She can't wait to come across some sort of water source. Also, she needs a way to boil her water. Maybe they have bazaars or some sort of trading camps like in the movies. She turns to Raymond with the dirty cloth but sees he has turned away and is speaking with Vanessa. She rolls it up, looks around, and grimaces as she shoves it into her pocket.
"Huh? I've heard of you types. Hire honest men, then make up something so you don't have to pay full price for their labor."
"You think we're fools. Damned good fighters like us, don't try no games now. Dennis will accept the cargo with or without you. Eli Shakes."
Eli presses a finger to his forehead in frustration after hearing his old nickname. He takes a deep breath and loudly sighs.
'Dumb bastard,' He thinks before calling out, "Turner!"
A shot rings out and the mercenary that called out the nickname staggers back into the truck beside him. A hole in his forehead spills blood onto his face. The other three mercenaries scatter and duck for cover.
"Now you can split it all 5 ways instead of 6. Take him and that carcass off somewhere, and if you lose sight of our trail don't worry about meeting up at Warts," Eli eyes each mercenary then walks back the other way, tucking his black bandana into his back pocket.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bang!
Everyone gets low to the ground and looks around for the reason for gunfire. Sia scrambles and goes underneath the truck.
"Squirrel!" she thinks.
Nothing happens for several minutes until Eli is seen stomping by.
"False alarm people. We're moving on now!"
He pauses and crouches low, smiling at Sia, "You good, Princess?"
Sia groans.
'Not you, too,' she thinks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cast-off mercenaries drive off along a different direction than the caravan.
"Damn it, Murphy. I told you the ass would get us killed. Now we're traveling the wastes alone."
"Shut up!"
"The ass is behind the wheel. Keep distracting him and watch what happens."
A figure is seen in the middle of the road. The lights of their truck illuminate the body when they get closer. It appears to be a woman. One of the men gets out with his gun raised.
"Broad! What you doing in the middle of the road? Move along and get lost!"
She's crying and ignoring the shouting man.
"Hey! Did you hear me you bit-"
The woman cries out louder. She groans and screams.
"What the hell?"
The man lowers his gun and backs up before turning and heading back to the car. He turns right into a chest.
"Murph-"
He is stabbed multiple times in the chest as the woman wails.
The truck rocks as the men inside see their fellow being overtaken by a large Savage. Murphy tries to move from the passenger side to the driver seat, but it's too late. The unlocked door is opened and a shadowed figure jumps in.
Shots ring out and voices yell. The truck ceases shaking.
The large bloody Savage walks over to the deranged woman and paws at her wispy hair on her balding head. She quiets down and stands.
"Your name is mud on the streets," Sia jokes at her dirty reflection in the broken mirror.
She "bandaged" her arms, and, luckily, the machine did not prompt her body to heal any bruises along her waist or back. The mutated squirrel's grip left behind a few imprints on her body.
She closes her eyes before she takes a sip from her jug of water. Gulping it all down and shuddering afterward. Her repulsed expression is tripled across the cracked mirror.
"If they haven't died from cholera then I'm probably fine."
She licks salty lips.
"Probably."
'What are the chances of me getting cholera?' she thinks.
UNLIKELY
SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPER METHODICALLY SCANS SUBJECT 001 SUBJECT 001 IS MONITORED CONTINUOUSLY FOR ANY BIOLOGICAL CHANGES
"Oh."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After everyone made it back to the vehicles and Sia was confirmed to be alive, Eli decided it was better for them to get as far from the area as possible.
"No sense waiting for something else to come running at us."
They traveled for several hours before stopping at a broken-down rest stop area missing a ceiling. They stopped to refuel and Sia took that chance to look herself over. Raymond had offered assistance after the attack but after Sia told him she was fine, he backed off. Vanessa just eyed her with a sour look on her face before returning back to the vehicle. Greg seemed glad she was alright. The possible trade agreement meant a lot to their leaders. Sia going missing would put them in deep trouble.
~~~~
Sia leaves the bathroom with her backpack on, safety goggles on her head, and gloves on. Everyone is sitting outside their vehicles talking. As she passes by a group, she listens to their conversation.
"—- goner, but he just took Eli's gun. Opened the door, climbed up on the top of the car, looked through the scope and shot twice. It was amazing."
"That's why I don't mess around with those guys. They enjoy making kills from a distance."
"I heard Turner isn't that bad at hand-to-hand combat either."
"He isn't a slouch, but their leader is definitely a sniping god. I heard that he once shot a man in the chest from half a mile away while aiming his rifle in some other direction."
"You can't win against these guys."
"You'd need a couple meat shields to outrun a magical shot like that."
"What was the wind like? That's impossible."
"I'm telling you the guy aimed to the left and the bullet curved. Like some magnetic sh-"
One of the men raised his rifle and tries to imagine taking such a shot.
"I wanna see that crap live. Unbelievable."
"Ask Eli. I'm telling you."
"Yeah, ask Eli. He ain't ever lied."
Sia decides to go see Eli to thank him for saving her life. She spots the young man that wears a blue scar as she is searching for him. He is swinging his legs while sitting on the back of a truck.
"Hey, Kid. Where's Eli?"
"..."
The kid's goggled face turns to her and he stares back at her for several moments.
Sia opens her mouth to ask again, but the male decides to point her in the right direction before standing up and walking into the sitting compartment out of sight. Sia is tempted to see what he is doing in the back but changes her mind. She wrinkles her nose as she walks ahead to check the other vehicles. There is a rancid smell in the air.
She finds Eli with some men, planning to cook the meat they recently acquired. As she listens to them, she notices the squirrel corpse fastened to the top of their vehicle. Their vehicle isn't the same model as the other passenger/cargo trucks. She finally links the putrid smell with the carcass and hurls right along the side of the van.
"- bullet destroyed a lot of its skull. What sort of rounds is he—Heeeeey. What the f-"
The mercenary stops talking as he sees the woman vomiting on his truck. Eli has his hand pressing a bandana up against his nose. The heat has accelerated the bacteria growth on the squirrel remains and he was trying to explain to the men that it would be best to toss it before they attract some unfriendly pests. Eli follows up behind the yelling mercenary as he berates Sia.
Unfortunately, after the conclusion of the squirrel attack; when Eli had everyone go back to their rides; these idiots stayed behind to gut and tie up the squirrel. Then they caught up with the caravan. Leaving a trail of gore to lead any predators right for them.
He had been ordered to hire extra men for this supply run, but these imbeciles are getting on his last nerve. A mistake like this could jeopardize the entire mission.
"Sorry to interrupt this, but this is your last warning. Cut down that carcass or take it along with you out of here." Eli interjects.
Eli draws the mercenaries attention off of Sia and glowers at the cretin. Sia sees the mercenary's focus shift away from her, looks over at Eli gratefully, and dashes off while clasping her hands to her mouth.
"I told you. This mess is going to lead all kinds of predators around here. Even those flesh beetles are probably heading this way. We can't have that kind of notice on this cargo. Or are you guys ready to repay Dennis for a lost shipment?"
"No offense, but we've survived out here for just as long as you."
"In the wasteland zone?!"
"In the wastes and all over! There's nothing out here that could do more damage than we could do to them. That's why you hired us, isn't it?!"
Some of the mercenaries partners join in the conversation.
"Seems like you're trying to skip out on paying us. Is that what this is all about?"
Meanwhile, Sia is crouching beside her ride clearing her throat and spitting near the back wheel.
"Aaah, it came out my nose."
"Here ya go." Raymond holds out a damp cloth.
"Thanks."
Sia uses it to wipe her face and nose. She can't wait to come across some sort of water source. Also, she needs a way to boil her water. Maybe they have bazaars or some sort of trading camps like in the movies. She turns to Raymond with the dirty cloth but sees he has turned away and is speaking with Vanessa. She rolls it up, looks around, and grimaces as she shoves it into her pocket.
"Huh? I've heard of you types. Hire honest men, then make up something so you don't have to pay full price for their labor."
"You think we're fools. Damned good fighters like us, don't try no games now. Dennis will accept the cargo with or without you. Eli Shakes."
Eli presses a finger to his forehead in frustration after hearing his old nickname. He takes a deep breath and loudly sighs.
'Dumb bastard,' He thinks before calling out, "Turner!"
A shot rings out and the mercenary that called out the nickname staggers back into the truck beside him. A hole in his forehead spills blood onto his face. The other three mercenaries scatter and duck for cover.
"Now you can split it all 5 ways instead of 6. Take him and that carcass off somewhere, and if you lose sight of our trail don't worry about meeting up at Warts," Eli eyes each mercenary then walks back the other way, tucking his black bandana into his back pocket.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bang!
Everyone gets low to the ground and looks around for the reason for gunfire. Sia scrambles and goes underneath the truck.
"Squirrel!" she thinks.
Nothing happens for several minutes until Eli is seen stomping by.
"False alarm people. We're moving on now!"
He pauses and crouches low, smiling at Sia, "You good, Princess?"
Sia groans.
'Not you, too,' she thinks.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cast-off mercenaries drive off along a different direction than the caravan.
"Damn it, Murphy. I told you the ass would get us killed. Now we're traveling the wastes alone."
"Shut up!"
"The ass is behind the wheel. Keep distracting him and watch what happens."
A figure is seen in the middle of the road. The lights of their truck illuminate the body when they get closer. It appears to be a woman. One of the men gets out with his gun raised.
"Broad! What you doing in the middle of the road? Move along and get lost!"
She's crying and ignoring the shouting man.
"Hey! Did you hear me you bit-"
The woman cries out louder. She groans and screams.
"What the hell?"
The man lowers his gun and backs up before turning and heading back to the car. He turns right into a chest.
"Murph-"
He is stabbed multiple times in the chest as the woman wails.
The truck rocks as the men inside see their fellow being overtaken by a large Savage. Murphy tries to move from the passenger side to the driver seat, but it's too late. The unlocked door is opened and a shadowed figure jumps in.
Shots ring out and voices yell. The truck ceases shaking.
The large bloody Savage walks over to the deranged woman and paws at her wispy hair on her balding head. She quiets down and stands.
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