Book 2 Chapter 5: Detour

Book 2 Chapter 5: Detour

After Nico had helped herself to enough coffee to be satisfied, and Deux finished smoking enough to make my boat reek of tobacco and narcotics, they got onto the raft and went back to shore.

Nico paused before leaving. If you need help with anything, you can call on me.

I nodded. I know.

Deux piped up. And thank you for letting me sleep in your boat between trips. I truly appreciate it.

Stop doing that.

What? asked Deux as he began walking away, pretending not to hear me.

I sighed, and watched until the two of them were out of sight, then I moved back into the main cabin of the boat. In spite of the heavy amount of coffee Id drank, and the secondhand redeye smoke, I felt exhausted. I walked over to my bed and threw myself on it. I lay awake far longer than Id have preferred, but eventually the soft rocking of the boat allowed me to drift off to sleep.

I awoke a few hours later feeling physically rested, but still mentally tired from the last days events. It was unfortunate that my healing and stamina didnt help me at all with the kind of exhaustion that comes from a seemingly never ending series of conversations. I took some time to clean and service my guns, then went over my maps and notes to see if Id missed any updates Id meant to make. The mindless routine of it slowly cleared the strain I was feeling like steam leaking from a kettle. When I was done, I got my gear together, ate a small meal of dried goose-neck, and hopped off the side of my boat onto the raft. I didnt need to worry about feeding Gus for a while, which saved some time, as did the fact that Id just traded with Bill just a day ago.

I went over to my motorcycle and drew the tarp off of it. I sat down in the seat and turned the key. I had just enough gas to get to Fette, so I didnt bother re-fueling it myself, considering the Khans man assigned to my bike would be obligated to when I arrived. I revved the engine a bit, and took off.

It didnt take long to get onto the main road and once I was on it I had to keep my eyes and nose open for any threats. When I was a little over halfway to Fette, I heard gunfire. I slowed down to a stop and turned off my engine, listening. The fire was coming from less than a mile away from what I could tell, so I pushed my bike off the main road and hid it in a few bushes before making my way, slowly and carefully, toward the sound. It was dark out, so I wasnt too concerned about being seen in my black clothes.

Whatre you doing? I asked.

Aint no way Im gonna let myself get eaten by no filthy deadman.

I felt a strong urge to pull the trigger, but resisted. Id just spent valuable time and bullets saving these idiots, and as a former postman, the idea of people losing out on the packages and letters they were going to deliver was not something I could stomach as a professional. I settled on a savage beating instead.

I changed from freezing the shorter one to the taller one, and closed the distance between us, nailing him in the jaw with a left jab. The other one was surprised to have control return, and when he moved to fire on me, I threw his friend into him, knocking them both to the ground. From there I disarmed them, and kicked them while they were on the ground. I aimed for spots that would be painful, but wouldnt keep them from doing their jobs. A technique Id learned from my former master, and experienced first hand.

When I was done, I picked them up and placed them gently by their cart.

Im going to loot these raiders. When Im done, Ill put your guns over there, I pointed to a small patch of busted up concrete. Consider gratitude next time. Or at least, try to have the sense to know that a man that can kill six people to save you, can probably handle two more.

They groaned in response, which I took as enough of a sign that they heard me. I moved through the raiders, finding that most of their guns were actually in fairly decent condition, and a decent haul of ammo, some of which I could even use myself. Overall my little detour netted a slight profit. When I was done I placed the postmens guns down and started walking back to Betty. While I walked I pulled up my notifications.

Congratulations Citizen! You have earned a rank in Pistol! Good job exercising your 2nd amendment rights

Congratulations Citizen! You have earned a rank in Driving! From wagons moving us toward our manifest destiny to the model T, American progress is always driven forward!

Solid developments. My pistol hadnt been seeing as much use since Id gotten my rifle and shotgun, but it was important to keep sharp. I reached my motorcycle, turned it on, and started back on the road to Fette.