ICC- Kilrick Salvage Chapter 2- On the Road to NYC

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As he sat there thinking, Gally suddenly heard an engine sound in the distance.

"What the fuck... is this the day of jolly fools or something?", he muttered to himself as he stood up and tried to make out where the sound came from.

Seeing nothing at the moment he went over to check up on the woman. She had managed to turn around and sit up. The wound wasn't bleeding much, but she wasn't going to be able to stand up any time soon. She looked up on him, staring blankly.

"'Ere, have a swig. Might ease your pains a bit.", he offered her the pocket flask. She took the pocket flask and started quaffing. "Whoa! Not so much! The goodies aren't endless!", he swiped the flask back and put it in his pocket.

The engine sound was coming closer.

"I'm going to go check up on that sound.", Gally said.

He opened the shotgun, removed the empty shell and put a new one in its place.

As he started to make his way towards where he thought the sound emerged, a big, armed vehicle came rolling in from behind a building. Gally immediately heard that the engine didn't sound quite right. He also saw that the people in it didn't look quite right, they looked like trouble.

Two men and a woman, heavily armed, stepped out of the vehicle as it came to a stop, the engine still running. They started walking in his direction.

If they were trouble he would be shot either way, so he decided to take a chance. He held his shotgun high over his head and walked towards them.

When he was certain to be heard he yelled: "I know two things by just looking at ya! The first is that you are a fair bit more dangerous than me. The second is that you guys have a vehicle in need of repair, and I'm the best mechanic you've ever seen!"

Before anyone had time to reply the high pitched scream was heard.
 
Hearing that was enough for me to consider him as a recruit. It was the scream that sealed the deal.

"You're hired. Get your ass over here and I'll tell ya about the compensation package. Rama, check the woman. Eric and Edden- get those supplies fast. I don't want to stay here longer than we have to."

Rama ran down to where the woman lay while Edden and Eric went for the building. The newcomer moved a bit slowly, probably due to his gut, but it was fast enough.

"Reik pick him up and lets get the woman on board." I said.

Reik let the engine purr and off we went, braking the big rig to help out the newcomer. I held out a hand to help him on. "Kilrick, I run Kilrick salvage and we're here to pick some supplies to move on." I said.

"I'm Gally, just passing through. What the hell was that?" He said.

"Maggots probably. Under the street. We should be clear if we don't go under." I said, hauling him in as Reik hit the gas.

"Well that might be a problem then.." Began Gally.

Reik had brought the rig in and Rama was already tending to the woman's wounds.

"She's been shot by a rifle. Blood loss and muscle damage. She might walk again, but it will take time to heal." Said Rama, as he picked her up and carried her to the rig, dropping her inside and then climbing on.

The woman screamed in pain from the abrupt treatment. I was looking up at Position 1, at the edge of town. They were already on their way.

But from my vantage point I saw something they didn't. Someone had wheeled a vehicle in the way. Someone was setting traps for us.

"Reik, take us around the block and up the road a bit." I said.

"Got it."

The big rig ate up the street, part truck and part carrier, it was made for off roading. On these streets anything it didn't like it ran over.

"But what about Clara? The little ones?" She said

Rama was nearby her, showing more tenderness than I thought him capable of.

"Who is Clara? What little ones."

Reik had moved the car down the street and we could see who it was moving the vehicle.

They were smaller than a man, and wrapped in bandages and other tattered cloth, spun around their bodies. It was to keep out the light from their sensitive skin.

They saw us pull around and scattered even as I brought the .50 to bear. Rohan and Wolf were still coming down the road.

I fired a burst into the vehicle and the blocade. The .50 rounds tearing the car to shreds before my eyes. The bandaged creatures scattered in different directions into the buildings even as the car and blocade caught fire.

Rohan and Wolf went around the debris and continued to location 2.

"Reik, take us back to location 2. I don't want to leave those folks vulnerable."

How many of the maggots were moving in daylight?

Probably not too many or they would have hit us in force. But enough to set traps.

"Clara and the children.... They're still out there." The woman called out.

Rama looked up at me. "She says that the other women are still out there. Two of them at least, and about 4 kids."

"Make that three kids based on that scream." Said Reik.

OCC- ok so that's how they are setting traps. Again, keep the story going so the suspense stays high.
 
We stopped at location 2, waiting for the others to arrive.

-"They have some problems, we'll have to wait" - I said - "so what was in that building?"

-"Dead bodies. You don't need to know more" - his face became green and he stopped talking. Something that shiocked a medic must have been surely disgusting.

-"I think so, too. Wait here and I'm going on the top of that building to see if they're coming"

The building was a typical twin house. I opened the door to the right. It was quite dark and the odour was too hard to bear it. I grabbed the knife and reflected the light with its blade to see what's inside. Whole room was in some goo, there was also a human body followed by a stain of blood next to the stairs. "It's enough for me."

I closed the door and opened the another one.

Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with it. I went up the stairs trying to forget what I've seen, but the harder I was trying the more I reminded that. I would have been thinking forever but I looked through the top window and seen the truck going down the street to approach a car that little creatures were trying to push it on the truck's way.

The truck slowed down so I had time to grab the rifle and aim precisely. I haven't forget that picture quite enough yet, so my nerves made me miss the first shot, but the second bullet pierced through the maggot's head. The others left the wreckage on the road. The .50 fired and the road was clear again.
 
Edden couldn't help swallow her disgust. "THey ate the children?!" her amber eyes blazed with murder, for violence and death were on the brain. "Rama let's go... We gotta teach those children eaters a thing or three." As she stormed off, she stopped dead in her tracks.

Rama grabbed her shoulder and shuved her back. "Easy. This isn't a guns blazing situation. Cool down a bit, then we go in."

Her eyes were still hot. Rama returned the gaze with a colder one.

"Fine." She hissed. "Your the boss. Kilrick, what say you? We leave the pups?"
 
*Maggotville*

Edden was pissed and Eric didn't like it.

"Look, your anger is justified but going down into uncharted areas swarming with maggots is suicide. We have a job to do and we need to do it, the others are counting on us."

Eric pulled his Desert Eagle and did a quick checkup.

"Alright, I have no clue how these chuckleheads will react but I need to know you guys are ready if things get hot."
 
"Let's get this over with..." Rama sneered as he unchecked the safety switch on his AK-47. "If worst comes to worst, we'll make it a hard meal for those skinless bastards to earn." Rama walked ahead, Edden followed with Eric behind.

Time was running, and the trio needed to locate the children and get out as fast as they could from this rat hole.

Edden was still chewing on the fact she couldn't run into the shadows and light up the underworld. Of course, she'd have to be gainsaid for now. Whether she liked it or not.

There was a scurry and Edden without a word, as if moved by a higher power, tracked the shadow, cocked back the lever and let off hot lead.

There was a howl.

Whatever it was it flew back into the abyss from whence it came.

More scurrying and Stryfe let off a short burst. Same as before, some moaning, the rest where shouts of anger.

Eric gave a wary smile. "Umm, I guess the trouble came to us after all."

Rama said nothing as he and Edden stood side to side with their weapons facing the darkness that beheld many glowing eyes.

"No shit." Edden hissed. She cocked the shotgun once more, the red tipped .12guage slug hit the ground and was replaced with a fresh one.
 
Another scream. The same voice.

But the last had been long and fearful.

This one had been quick and had suddenly been cut short.

Different location.

Reik had brought the truck back in to the square, where Rohan and Wolf had unloaded. Both were uncertain of what to do. I saw Edden, Rama and Eric facing off infront of a dark building, preparing to draw.

Everything was starting to go to shit, and fast.

"Gally on the .50 but don't shoot. Reik bring us close to that building pronto." I said as I reached for my holstered weapon. A single shooter but it often did the trick. I quickly broke open the barrel and removed the cannister shot and replaced it with a more appropriate round.

As Reik pulled up to the building, the loud rig distracted the three in front, and they paused from firing. That gave me a chance to fire first.

As Reik braked heard and Gally chambered a round, I fired into the darkness.

A brilliant star shell broke the darkness. The light was brilliant white, and to look at it would cause momentary blindness so I looked away. Even so I could see the maggots scurry away, back into their holes.

The shell fired back into the building and lit the old wood afire, and in the dryness the fire quickly spread.

"Get in." I told the others.

"The children?" Said Edden. I was momentarily suprised that she would care for some Tinker kids, but that's the thing about some folks. People suprise you, sometimes.

"If they were there, then their dead."

Eric was climbing on the truck, Rama followed but Edden delayed.

"That was a girl, that was probably her the second time. They got her, those fuckers. Maybe they're all dead." She said.

"We're not, and probably neither are they. So don't waste time." I said.

She noticed she was the last to get on the rig, and then quickly jumped in as the fire spread throughout the building. Reik quickly backed up and turned the truck back towards position 2.

Wolf was tending the wounded woman. She had lost strength as the blood pool under her had grown. She kept muttering, "the little ones, lost. Margie, Clara...."

Wolf looked up. "She's lost a lot of blood." He was saying. "I need to work on her. I think the bullet is near a major blood vessel and if we move to much the blood vessel will burst."

Edden was sitting down across from the woman. She didn't seem aware that her boot was in the fresh blood under her. Rama was talking to her in a soothing voice. "Who is Clara, margie?"

The woman's eyes were unfocused and pained. "Clara... my sister. Margie my little girl. I heard her screaming. Underground."

"We got to go after them." Said Edden.

"We got to get the parts. " I said.

Edden looked at me furiously.

"Those kids could be anywhere." Said Eric.

"Are you telling me you haven't seen children die before? They knew the risks." I said to Edden, my voice calm. "Besides, shooting up the town is more likely to make them run than come in."

"They could be underground." Said Edden.

"Then they're probably dead." I said. "Those things wiped out a squad of heavily armed grunts, and underground is their nest. If they went down there, they're gone."

"Are you afraid" Asked Edden.

I wasn't about to say how they probably would have missed their targets that were hidden in the dark, or how they could have hit any people who might have been in the building.

"Sometimes. but more importantly, I'm smart. We came for the parts not the people. Don't be distracted. If we can get the people too, great. But right now we are here for the parts."

Gally had been listening, "This is a big enough town. Take you all night to find them if they're hiding."

But Edden wasn't so much interested in finding the children as in killing Maggots, and that wasn't going to do much good for anyone.

Reik pulled to a stop. Wolf looked up. "I need to get this bullet out or we could lose her. Definitely can't move her for a couple of hours. "

I looked up at the sky. It was still mid-day, we had time.

"Alright, but not here. We'll need this truck to get the people in position 3. Eric, Gally and Rohan, we need those supplies. Check out the autoparts store and see if we can get what we need. Then back here. Reik, stay with the truck. Edden and Rama, security and help Wolf if he needs it. Rama, try to find out what you can about the other women and children."

Edden was still glaring at me.

"First the parts, then the people." I said.

Behind me the building had caught afire and smoke billowed out the window and large doors. A creak, and the house began to collapse in upon itself.
 
The four in the junkyard didn't hear the child's scream. They were too far away.

But moving through the mountains of crushed and derelict vehicles made Aaron feel as if he was walking throuhg a city of the dead. Once, before the great war, these vehicles had moved people now gone and turned to ash. The cars were wasting away and ruined, rust piles corroding away into nothing, piled high in mountains and canyons of bent and twisted metal.

The canyons of vehicles and trucks went this way and that, a maze of metal in which one could easily get lost. Shadows cast in corners were anything could lay.

Populating this city of wasted metal were legions of rats that scurried about as the four moved through the maze, looking for their treasure. Jake led followed by Deeds, than Aaron and finally Jasmin, taking up the rear. Aaron didn't know it but Jasmin was especially wound up tight. She had been here before and didn't like being back.

They moved quickly, covering their way. Barely enough time to check a corner before moving forward. Jasmin eager not to fall behind. Jake anxious to find the part and move.

Aaron moved past a corner and nearly past it when he thought he saw movement.

He stopped short and Jasmin ran into him, knocking him aside.

"What the hell?" Said Jasmin.

"I saw movement." Said Aaron.

"Where?" She said, bringing up her automatic weapon.

"Down there." Said Aaron pointing his shotgun down the corridor.

"Too much light. Maggots come out in the dark. Probably nothing." Said Jasmin.

"Really?" Asked Aaron. "You think?"

"Not at all." Said Jasmin.

They continued, hurrying to catch up to Jake and Deeds.

Further down into the canyons of ruined cars. Something clattered to the floor. Jake stopped, crouched down with shotgun ready.

Deeds bringing up his assault rifle. "What do you think?"

"Rats." Said Jake.

"Yeah." Said Deeds.

"I saw something behind us." Said Aaron.

"Rats?" Asked Jake.

"Bigger than rats" Said Aaron.

"Fuck. They are behind us and in front of us." Said Jasmin.

"But they aren't showing themselves yet." Said Deeds.

"When they do, then it's too late." Said Jasmin.

"Let's ease up on our spincters and find the damn part." Said Jake, trying to keep them focused.

"Right." Said Aaron.

Jake got up slowly and moved, now in a different direction.

A corner, then a long wider corridor, then another corner, and then they came to an opening. A wide square area. In the middle was the rusted remains of a crane and a small house. Next to it was a garage with a lift and next to that a large metal shed on a concrete platform. There were cars in a state of disrepair all about, but most importantly, there was a big rig tow truck.

"That'll work." Said Jake.

"Let's get it done." Said Deeds,

"And get the fuck out of here." Added Jasmin.

"I'll need help. Deeds, you're the strongest." Said Jake.

Deeds resisted for a moment, then thinking that getting the job down will get them out faster, nodded.

"Jasmin and Aaron, check out the house and garage." Said Jake, taking the role of second.

Deeds looked at Jake hard. "You ain't the boss here mate. Don't order her around."

"Shut up Deeds and get it done." Said Jasmin.

While Jasmin and Aaron began to inspect the buildings, Jake and Deeds, using a crowbar, were able to force open the hood of the tow truck. But most of the parts had corroded and the radiator had sprung a leak. It was useless.

"Ah Fuck it." Said Deeds.

"No worries, probably got a spare in that shed." Said Jake. Save us a job.

The two men went to the shed. The lock had been broken and shot through. Jake looked at the bullet hole. "This here was recent. See no rust or weather damage."

"Maybe it was the Tinkers?" Said Deeds.

Jake shrugged and lifted at the shed. It came up easily, flooding with light.

Movement.

A flurry of color in the back of the shed.

Deeds, quickly raising his rifle to fire.

Jake using his own to knock the rifle down as a Deeds began to fire a burst.

"What the fuck!" Shouted Deeds.

"Shut up." Said Jake. Then Jake turned back to the shed. "Come out. we won't hurt you."

Nothing.

"Come on now. We mean you no harm."

"You strangers." Said the voice, small but distinct.

"Yes, I guess we are, but we can be friends."

"What's friends?" Asked the voice.

"People you can trust."

"Pa and Grand pa." Said the voice.

"Yes we know about that." Said Jake.

"They dead?" Asked the voice.

"I'm afraid so."

Jake and Deeds waited a few moments, Deeds becoming increasingly impatient. Then a small pair of legs stepped out into the light. It stayed there a moment and then the rest of the little boy walked out.

"My name's Elroy." Said the little boy.
 
"Heh, seems like I got in with you people just as it was getting hot.", Gally said with a grin, looking at the burning wreck of the building.

Mostly everyone glared at him.

"Ah, sorry. I'm pretty damn good at saying the wrong things at the wrong time." He furiously scratched his beard in embarassment and then dismounted the .50.

He started to rustle through his backpack, mumbling under his breath. Rohan and Eric, already locked and loaded, looked at him impatiently.

"Just a minute people. Need to gear up a bit."

"Get a move on, will you! The faster we make way to the autoparts store the quicker we will be getting out of here and less the chance of us encountering any more critters.", Eric yelled.

"Yeah, yeah, where's the fi...", he started clawing his beard again while stocking his pockets with shotgun ammo from somewhere in the mess that was his backpack. He also produced a couple of flares.

"Ah, thought I had a few. Might help if we run into any more of those creepers.", he said as he made way for the other two.

He arrived and took a mouthful from his pocket flask.

"Well, what's ya waiting for? Gally's right behind ya."

Eric and Rohan looked at each other and shaked their heads, maybe not quite trusting the crazy-looking semi-alcoholic just yet.

The group started walking for the autoparts store...
 
In the Junkyard---

"Well Elroy, I guess you're coming with us. You know where the others are hiding out?" Asked Jake, softly trying to get the boy to speak.

When Elroy spoke it was like a torrent of words. "I don't know nothin. I heard the shootin and all and we scampered here. Ma put me in here and told me to hush up and here I stayin, tho it's all dark and such. Ma said I'd be safe here"

Jake nodded. The shed did seem safe from Maggots.

"So you think you're Ma is here?" Asked Jake.

"Don't know about that. She put me here a while ago, it seems."

"Seen anyone else, Elroy?" Asked Jake.

"No, when we heard all the shootin we ran. I think Grandma got shot, but we figured there'd be a lot more, so Ma ran here with me. I think Margie went down into the sewar though we told her not to. Bobby and Meg..... I don't know. And that Angie... no. She could be anywhere."

"Alright then. I got to look for some parts, so does that other fellow, but we could use you keeping an eye on our backs. Can you do that?" Asked Jake..

Ellroy nodded his head solemnly.

Deeds called out, "Jasmin, Aaron, we found us a boy here. One of the Tinker kids. His mom's around somewhere. Maybe more kids."

Aaron and Jasmin were making their way to the house, carefully watching for any danger. Both were already spooked and Deeds sudden voice just made them more jumpy.

"Fuckin' Deeds." Muttered Aaron.

"Yeah, but he's steady in a fight." Said Jasmin. "We need to check that house. But be careful."

"Got it. But now we got to watch for civilians too."

Both neared the front door, moving to either side. Aaron nodded, and Jasmin poked opened the door and then poked her head in. Darkness.

"Can't see nothin'" She said.

"Flare." Said Aaron, who had put his gun down to light up a flare.

Jasmin nodded and Aaron tossed in a light that fell into the middle of the dark room. As soon as the flare had gone in, Jasmin followed, taking a position near the entrance and to the left. Aaron followed a second later.

Jasmin's eyes were still adjusting to the light when she thought she heard a scurry on the stairs going up, the landing of which had become illuminated in the flare's glow.

"We got movement going upstairs." Said Jasmin.

"On it." Said Aaron who moved towards the stairs. He had taken two steps when he realized that the floor was wet and soggy.

He didn't realize the significance of that until he had taken another two steps, and then it was too late.

Suddenly the floor broke through and Aaron fell through the floor down to the basement. It was a brief fall, but he landed hard on the concrete floor.

_____________________

Rama was talking to the woman trying to get the names, but she had lost so much blood that she could barely make intelligable sentences.

"Ellroy, that's my grandson. He's a good 'un. I saw him with Clara...." She said to Rama.

Wolf said quickly, "Get what you have to quick, I need to put her under before I can work. "

"Who else and where are they?" Said Rama, in a soothing voice.

The woman was blinking rapidly but her eyes were out of focus. "Margie... Oh I told her not to go near the sewar drains, but I think she went there to hide.... I told her not to go... I told her the boogie man would get her there.... I told her, I swear it..."

"It's ok. We'll get her." Lied Rama, who knew the girl was beyond hope. "The others, we need to find them."

"Meg ran away..." Said the woman. "to that building over yonder, parts and such. They said they would sell them quick.... turn a quick credit and maybe get some plasma before they would get here.... Angie..... "

"What about Angie." Asked Rama.

"Don't like.... another woman..... trouble.... dangerous...." She said. "She killed our men."

Gally was still looking for a usable flare, the first two proving too damn to use, and overheard the woman. "When I showed up they were fighting over a woman best I could tell." Said Gally, "Old fella shot her cause she got in the way. Woman was a fine looking thing. As I see it, the men killed themselves."

Rama nodded and focused back on the woman. "What about Bobby?"

"Bobby always was trying to protect Margie.... Good boy.. My angel. Oh Margie.... Don't go down there girl." Said the woman who began to mutter something incomprehensible to herself.

"I got to put her under." said Wolf.

Rama stepped back.

"Do it." I said.

"Probably the boy and the girl went underground. One girl ran off with the one woman, and one boy ran off with the other." Said Rama.

"We can find them." Said Edden.

"Yes, but not by shootin up the place." I said. "And we need to keep this together. This place is crawling with maggots."

Each of us had that feeling. In each building, in each dark place, we could feel them watching us.

"Got one!" said Gally finally finding a usuable flare, dry and ready.

I nodded and went to join them by the building. "Gally, toss in the flare, Rohan and Eric, follow me in ready but don't shoot. Might have friendlies inside. Gally follow up in the rear. Remember get the supplies and out."

Leadership means leading. I opened the door as soon as Gally had the flare lit. He tossed it in, and in I went, shotgun ready. I went in straight and to the left. Rohan and Eric followed, taking positions to the right and Gally followed, also to the left.

We went in expecting resistance. But we found something else.

I wasn't ready for what I saw.

Hanging by a rope in the middle of the room was a girl, somewhere between 5 and 8 years old. She was hung up by her feet and was swinging back and forth by the breeze that blew through the windows.

No one said a word. All we could hear was the strain of the rope holding up the girl's body against the wind, and the slow drip of blood falling from her slit throat to the pool of blood that had formed below her.

We had found Meg.
 
*Maggotville*

"We go in, get the parts, and we get out. I don't mind negotiating but I have a feeling these chuckleheads don't like us very much"".

As the trio arrived at the auto parts store, Eric motioned for everyone to stop.

"Alright. Rohan, I want you to cover our six. If you see anything that remotely looks like trouble, you give a loud whistle. Gally, I want you to swing around the back to make sure the tinkers don't have any nasty surprises waiting. Any questions?"

The other two shrugged but showed sign of being unsure.

"If you guys have a better idea then speak up now. If not, lets get ready to do business."
 
"Well, I guess that ends the search, eh?" Edden said as she grabbed a cigarette from hher pack and lit up.
 
Eric, Rohan and Gally were looking at the body of the girl, swinging from a rope tied around her feet and the blood that dripped from her slashed throat to the newspaper strewn floor.

Rama and Edden had also stopped to look.

It was all getting to distracting.

"We're on the clock. Let's get those parts and then we can find the others." I said.

"Maggots?" Asked Gally.

"I don't think so." I replied. "Rama and Edden stay close. Watch for maggots and people. Gally, cut her down. Eric, Rohan, be careful."

I followed Eric and Rohan into the store and helped them find the missing parts. We moved slowly but cautiously into the store, using flares to light our way.

Eric was about to go upstaris when I heard Gally. "She's still warm."

Gally had said there were three women and four children. At that time, I didn't know that Jake and the junkyard group had found one, perhaps two of the missing people. We had found one woman, and figured two kids were dead. Had we known there was at least one woman and a child around maybe things would have gone differently.

Outside, Rama and Edden were near the truck scanning the buildings. Reik was behind the wheel and said to Rama, "Could use a gunner on the .50."

Edden was still pissed off that we hadn't gone after the kids and wanted to kick ass. She had moved down the road a ways to watch one of the adjacent streets, worried that someone or something might cross the road and hit the building from the side. Despite the years, Maggotville had held up against the elements, but that limited her line of sight, and that made her feel vulnerable.

She had walked a good 50 paces away from the truck and had nearly turned a corner when she heard the small voice whisper to her from a sewar drain. "Help me. Won't you help me.... I'm scared."
 
“Done” – I said out loud.

“And?” – Asked Rama.

“We wait. Had to work in the damaged tissue, took the bullet out, injected in something to prevent lead poisoning and radiation, patched her up… Next few hours are critical; she has lost a lot of blood. We just have to wait and see if it was too much.”

“How about stimpacks?”
“In her condition it would kill her. She’s too weak for something strong as a stimpack…. It’s all up to her”

I got out of the truck… need to get some fresh hair…and smoke a ciggie. Long time since I operated, I was nervous, scared of bollixing all bloody up! But luckily for her, all those years in the field were hard to forget…

Watching the road ahead I noticed Edden leaning down into the ground…
 
*Maggotville*

Eric gave a quick thumbs up to Kilrick and started moving upstairs.

After the fourth step, Eric quickly noticed the muffled sounds of movement in one of the rooms above. He decided to move back down to inform the others.

"I heard some movement upstairs fellas, maybe the same person/s who hurt the girl. I'll take point but I want some backup before further exploration. So whos going with me?
 
Outside on the street, Edden peered down into the sewer drain, but couldn't see anything. "Try to be quiet. We'll get you."

From inside she heard a child's voice. "Mommy? Mommy?"

"We'll get you to your mommy soon." Said Edden.

"I'm sacred. Help me Mommy."

But Edden couldn't see anything. Nearby was a lid near an access pipe into the sewers below.

Wolf was watching, "What is she up to?" He asked.

Rama turned to see what Edden was doing as she walked towards the lid, moving around the corner and out of view.

Inside the auto parts store-

I reloaded my single barrel, popping open the breach loader and driving home the cannister before returning it to the fashioned holster. "Gally, when you are done, help out Rohan. I'll go up with you."

Gally had cut the body down and had lowered her to the floor. "Could be them maggot fuckers did this?"

"Why would they leave the body?" Asked Rohan.

"Watch your backs and keep on the parts." I said.

Eric has already begun to go upstairs as I took out my six shooter.

We moved quickly from room to room. Like many of the houses in Maggotville, it had stood well against the ravages of time, but had begun to show the waste. The bottom floor had been the main shop area and there was probably a basement warehouse. The top floor had been used as a residence. Although the ground floor was still largely intact, the roof had begun to give, letting in the elements.

Whatever we had heard from below, it had stopped moving.

At the end of the hall Eric reached for the last unopened door. I took a position opposite of him. We had moved as quietly as we could, but the weight of our bodies had forced creaks from the floor boards, an uncomfortably audible sound.

He looked at me, holding his weapon in one hand and reaching for the door knob with the other. I nodded.

As he turned the door knob, it began to creak.

Perhaps Eric didn't hear it, but I did. The bone chilling sound of a shotgun being chambered is unmistakable.

There was no time, so I pushed him hard, away from the door.

Their was a boom, and hole, the size of a hand blew through the door and into the wall across from it.

Another round, and another boom. It hit the door, higher and closer to Eric. I could see him mouthing the words "Fuck" when the third round went off, blowing through the wall, even closer time him. Eric was back stepping and practically stubbling as the fourth blast went through the wall near where he had just been. The Fifth, sixth and seventh rounds chased him down the hall.

"Shit" I heard a woman's voice from inside, and then the sounds of her desperately.

I rushed into the room, six shooter outstretched.

She was still reloading as I came in, and looked up at me. The pistol was only a foot from her pretty head when she looked up wat me with frightened eyes.

She was a pretty woman, long curly hair of blond and red, freckles and bright clear eyes. It was the eyes and their clarity that stood out, not the dirt or weariness, or the tremble in her fingers around the shotgun shells.

I pulled back the hammer on my pistol.

"You going to kill me like you did the little one?" She asked.

I stopped squeezing the trigger and stood there, my pistol pointed at her head, uncertain of what to do, as Eric and the others came in.
 
In the Junkyard,

Aaron's saw only blackness at first, and he thought he might be unconscious or even dead. The hard fall through the floor and surprised him and the landing had hit him hard. He could already feel a pain in his leg, perhaps a twist or sprained ankel, perhaps something worse.

But if the fall had caught him, the landing had suprised the others inside the cellar.

He could hear them scattering. They raced to different corners of the room, then moved again. They rustled up the papers and rubbage that lay on the floor of the cellar. And they moved very quickly.

Aaron, looked around, but his eyes were slow to adjust, but he quickly brought his gun up. Finger on the trigger he didn't fire, trying to hold the moment.

They were moving, around him, about him. Many.

THey would be upon him as soon as he fired, and they would finish him just as quick.

Jasmin had been thinking too much. The terrible night. How she had come back to section one's position after stepping out a moment to find them all dead. As if a terrible hand had come through and wiped them out in a blink.

The metal box she had hidden in, and how they had tried to force their way in. How she had held down the lid as they tried desperately to get at her.

She remembered how they had scratched at the box.

When Aaron had fallen she had been so frightened she almost could not move.

But she did.

And one motion followed another. She moved towards where the flare had fallen and reached for another she had kept on her belt.

But by the time she had kicked the flare on the floor into the hole through which Aaron had fallen, and other was shot into the hole.

From the stairs a woman with a flaregun had fired one down to where Aaron had fallen.

In the cellar, the first flare flew past Aaron, inches away. Then another came through and he had to roll away from it or be burnt.

It was too quick.

He could hear them shuffle about violently, the sounds they made, the wierd clicking sound.

The burning flares momentarily blinded him.

He looked about, and but for a flash of angry red eyes, there and then suddenly gone. Then he could see nothing of them.

"Aaron, you ok." Said Jasmin, standing above the hole, another flare, lit, in her hand.

"Get me the fuck out of here. This place is crawling with the fuckers." He called up as he kicked the flares out, illuminating a larger perimeter.

"Did you hurt yourself." She called again.

"My leg hurts, maybe sprained. "

"We'll come down to get you." Jasmin said.

"This way. We've got to be fast, before those flares burn out. They won't let him escape if they can." Said the woman who had reloaded her flaregun and was moving towards a doorway.
 
*Maggotville, Autoparts Store*

"You crazy bitch, you damn near killed me. Did you ever once think that we may not have been one of those idiot chucklefucks out there?"

Realising the situation was under control, Eric went to disarm the girl. As he removed the shotgun and shells from the girls trembling hands, he noticed welts and bruises all over her arm.

"Goddamn, what type of a person would do this to a girl", Eric muttered

"Alright lady, I am going to tell you now we came here to trade for equipment, and thats it. We obviously are not the people responsiblle for what happened to the poor girl below".

As if succumbing to many years of abuse, the girl broke down and began to cry.

Eric walked up to Kilrick and whispered into his ear.

"I think there is more to this girl than meets the eye. We won't get any info on her at this moment but we might be able to interrogate her later. For now, I suggest we finish grabbing the parts. If we still have time after everythings retrieved, we can question her again".
 
Shoot her.

Squeeze the trigger and put a bullet in her fucking head.

Shoot her and save yourself the trouble later.

Do it.

Sometimes it's hard to get the words out of your head. My instincts are strong, sometimes stronger than my will to control them.

I eased up on the hammer after Eric had disarmed the girl and half listened to what he had said.

This is all fucking distraction.

I should be thinking about the junkyard.

"Alright, get her out of here and keep an eye on her. Let's get the parts and get the fuck out of here."
 
Gally and Rohan continued looking for the parts as Eric and Kilrick headed upstairs.

"This here shit is mighty fucked up", Gally said as he put a some hoses and a filter in his scavenging bag and then took several chugs from his flask.

"Yeah, tell me about it.", Rohan replied.

The two continued rustling about for parts and general maintenance equipment, keeping some, discarding other.

Suddenly Rohan looked alert. "Did you hear that? Sounded like it came from beneath us."

"Hear wha...", Gally started saying when a shot was heard, from above. And another. Seven all in all.

Gally cursed and started carefully walking up the stairs, Rohan just behind him. As he reached the peak, gun first, he saw Eric enter a door at the end of the hallway.

"Everything alright!?", Gally shouted.

"Yeah, just come on up!", Eric shouted back.

As Gally and Rohan entered the room they saw a crying woman, and of course, Eric and Kilrick.

"We heard shots.", Gally said.

"Was her", Kilrick nodded at the woman. "It is taken care of now."

"Ok. I think we have scavenged most of what is usable in here anyways. Maybe we should move on boss?"

"Sure. You take point Gally. Eric, with the girl in the back. Rohan, behind me."

They started decending the stairs. When they were about halfway, a sudden scurrying was heard.

"What was that?", Gally said squinting down the shadowy stairs.

Quicker than anybody could react something jumped out of the shadows. Gally got off a shot, but it was to late. He fell over, the critter by his throat. As Gally was struggling with it another shot was heard and the thing went limp. Gally threw it down the stairs with all the power he could muster. A wailing, of many non human voices where heard along with a scurrying of a great many feet. Gally stood up and looked back, where Kilrick stood, smoking gun in hand.

"Seems like we're trapped boss."
 
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