Book 3 Chapter 60: Dead Presidents

Book 3 Chapter 60: Dead Presidents

I ran for my motorcycle, pausing only to gently run my hands along Gus side before ripping a chunk from him to eat as I ran. He wouldnt mind, Idve expected him to do the same had I been the one that died. My motorcycle was untouched, sitting under the tarp right where Id left it. I put in the key and turned it, the engines roar as it came to life cut off as I immediately gunned it. I didnt have my pack, my sword, or anything else, but they also wouldnt slow me down.

I considered that Mercy may have been lying. That this was yet another part of the myriad traps shed set for me, but I didnt think so. I couldve used my Lie Detector ability, but I didnt have the presence of mind to use it after Id been drowned, shot, smashed, and exploded. Still, I believed she was being honest, and even if she wasnt I didnt have much of a choice, but to head to Potts and do whatever I could to warn them. Id seen the crater the Remnants weapon had created at the bunker, it was the same as the beam that had created the Cut. If they hit Potts with it, everyone there would die instantly.

I chewed through the strip of meat Id torn from Gus, aware in my hindbrain that he was one of the most delicious things Id ever tasted. It made sense, Id fed him meat from across the wastes, and he lived in a particularly high rad zone. I was grateful to him, not only for the meal he was providing me with, which I sorely needed after the battle, but for saving me from Graves. Id been blown up, shot, stabbed, and hacked to pieces, but drowning may have worked on me.

I felt a brief sharp pang of loss in my gut as what had happened just hit me like a truck. The length of my drive gave me nothing to do aside from worry, and mourn. Id lost my home. A lifetime of work on maps, and journals. A library of books Id collected and bought, some of which I knew would never be replaced. The boat itself, the project of many hard years of hauling materials, repairing it, and making it my own. Gus, a silent companion with whom Id shared more time than almost anyone or anything else in the wasteland. Id created a little jewel for myself that was all my own, and it had been taken from me. I shook my head, trying to physically shake the sadness from it, and put my focus back on the road. I had to focus on saving Potts. On reaching Deux, Mama, Nix, and everyone else who was simply going through their day, none the wiser that soon their home would be wiped off the face of the earth.

I wove between old hollowed out cars, sped over ruined portions of road, and kept my attention fully on moving forward. Unfortunately, even as I watched everything fly by, I still felt as if I was going too slowly. I was too worried I wouldnt make it before midnight, when the polls would close and an official president would be decided. I pulled up the R.A.S. and moved over to the voting portion. On it was a breakdown of the vote so far.

Mama: 49.2%

Masters:48.8%

I ignored the remaining names on the list as their proportions were so minor that they didnt bear mentioning. Mama was in the lead. It looked like between Potts, the Horde, and maybe even the disaffected people in STAR territory she had a solid chance of winning. Masters desperation made sense. I hadnt met the man many times, but it was clear that he felt the presidency was something owed to him. Leahs words had confirmed as much, and the lengths hed been willing to go through to cement himself as the frontrunner showed hed be willing to pay or sacrifice anything to make it happen. In spite of all that hed done though, Mama was still in the lead. Hed overplayed his hand too much, been too separate from the wasteland he sought to claim, and now a true local was in the lead.

I twisted my handle, eking out a bit more power from my motor. If things looked too grim he may order his strike even sooner than Leah had told me it would arrive. When I was almost halfway to Potts, my engine began to sputter as I ran out of gas. I had a canister strapped to the side, but when I looked at it, I remembered I hadnt had a chance for a refill. Id foolishly put off the task for the next day.

As I slowed down, I began to hear other engines approaching, and doing so rapidly. I smelled blood, gunpowder, and tobacco. I smiled, it seemed like Id have a bit of luck today after all.

The raiders came into view quickly, just as my bike was slowing to a complete crawl. There was a truck that had clearly been stolen from the Iron Horde with a .50 cal in the trunk, and two smaller cars armored heavily and covered in ridiculous medal spikes. The raiders themselves had eyes nearly blood red from redeye use, and their muscles pulsed in the telltale sign of Blitz.

They whooped and hollered as they circled me, slowly closing in until they stopped and got out of their vehicles, approaching me. I let them, noticing that they were too high to think of simply gunning me down with the .50 cal.

One of them approached, closer than the others, wearing heavily dusted goggles and smiling in a way that displayed four well rotted teeth.

Now whats a Deadman doing with a bike like th-Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

I activated mass freeze and stopped him and the others dead in their tracks. I stepped forward and pulled his pistol from his waist and calmly gunned down each of them with a single bullet to the head. I didnt have time to enjoy myself. I hopped into the truck, and checked to find that it had a nearly full tank of gas. I got out and hopped into the bed. I tore the .50 cal out of it with a screech of metal and tossed it to the side. I then threw my bike into it, turned the ignition on the truck, and slammed my foot onto the gas, shooting it forward.

I looked at all of them. The Remnants are planning to destroy Potts. They have a weapon, of the same kind that created the Cut. Theyre going to fire it the second the election is over, maybe sooner.

Mama took a moment. Just moment to consider my words. A momentof silence from her and the crowd, as she appraised the state I was in and absorbed everything Id just said. She looked into my eyes. Go to Deux. Hes at his station. I think most of the city is tuned in to listen to his commentary. Have him get the word out as soon as possible. She turned to a nearby undertaker. The children, get them to safety NOW! She turned to Solomon, but he had already moved to a White Robe and started giving orders. She nodded then started going to anyone in authority and giving more commands. Kit yelled to a few clothed in green to go and empty out the food storehouse and Bloodmanes. Julian hollered to a white robe to follow him into his lab to save what data they could.

I didnt wait around to hear any more, instead making my way toward Deuxs house. I hadnt been there since the last time I needed to steal coffee back from him. It had an additional dome built on top of the original one, with a ladder leading up to it, and a massive tower of metal on top of that. At the top of all of it flew a Radiation Revolution Radio flag, high and proud. I leapt up the ladder, climbing it two rungs at a time, and threw his door open.

He jumped in his seat, spilling hot coffee on himself as he stood and pulled a pistol on me. Jesus Donovan, Im way too high right now for people to sneak up on me. He shook his head. Wait, Donovan? What the fuck!? Why are you here?

Deux. The Remnants are going to destroy Potts when the election is over. Send out a warning, NOW!

Deux didnt even hesitate. The smile dropped from his lips for the first time Id ever seen in a long long time, he quickly and calmly turned off the music, removing a record, and bringing his mouth to the microphone, while flipping a switch. Everyone, LISTEN UP! The Remnants are planning to fire on Potts Field imminently and destroy it. Please evacuate. Dont grab anything but the people you love. GO!

He flipped the switch back, and his voice began speaking, giving the same message he just said on repeat. He looked up at me. Lets go. We can move house to house to clear people out. I checked the time, we were down to less than forty five minutes.

We hopped out of Deuxs studio, and both leapt to the ground rather than wasting time with the ladder. We began moving house to house in a simple pattern. Most people we encountered had heard the message from either the broadcast or someone else and were already on their way out. As we moved we slowly became separated from one another. Deux knew a number of people who had difficulty moving who he wanted to prioritize helping, and I used my nose to locate those who seemed isolated or immobile.

I had to resort to threats and screaming a number of times to get people moving. Even literally throwing people from their homes in several cases, but once they were out and saw others moving, they tended to get a move on. All along I was keeping my eyes on the countdown, watching it tick down to less than thirty minutes, then twenty, then fifteen, then ten I took a deep inhale, and could tell that the majority of people had made their way out, but I still smelled Deux. I wasnt sure how far wed need to get to avoid the blast, so I ran for him following my nose.

I found him running through an alley near the edge of the north end of the Potts. He looked at me, but didnt stop running.

Miss Tasha is over this way. She can't walk. If we reach her, I can carry her out.

I nodded, falling in line behind him, I could smell the woman, she seemed to be the only one left in the city. We had less than five minutes left.

I felt an odd kind of pressure in the air, and Deux and I stopped in our tracks. There was the scent of Ozone and a slight red tinge to the air around us.

He looked at me and shook his head. Well. I guess were not making it to Tasha. He smiled, looking at me and throwing up devil horns with his hand. I love you Donny, rock on for me.

I leapt at him desperately, trying to cover him with my body, then we were struck by the hammer of god.