Ashes - Standoff In The Ashes Part 13

' 'This crazy form of government now in power. It really doesn't have a name. In some ways it's unique. The bottom line is totalitarian . . .

but on the fringes, all around the edges, it's something else."

"It sucks!"

Ben started laughing once again. Even though the laughing hurt hisbruised ribs, the expression on Lara's face was priceless.

"d.a.m.n, Ben!" Lara stamped a boot and stood facing him, hands on her hips.

That broke Ben up even more. G.o.d knows, he needed a good laugh, and now he was getting one. He finally managed to contain his laughter, and held up a hand. "I'm sorry. I wasn't laughing at you ... more at the situation, I suppose."

"You had me worried there for a few moments."

Ben wiped his eyes and said, "Let's tuck these vehicles out of sight and prowl this little village. While we're doing that, you can tell me how we're going to travel the final miles to our destination."

They found parts of a garage and lean-to still standing to hide the Broncos, and then began walking what was left 117.

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of die silent village. There was nothing left of any value diat immediately met the eye. Punks and thugs and odier people who could best be described as human trash had picked over the town many times, leaving nothing of value behind them.

"How many times have you seen this?" Lara asked, waving a hand at the looted buildings.

"More than I care to remember, over die long years," Ben replied. "It began within hours, perhaps moments, after die fall of government. When I recovered from the illness, it had already spread all over die nation."*

"I remember it well. I was just out of college, and home for a few weeks before I started a new job. I stepped out of the house one morning, looked around, and thought die air smelled funny. Then I don't remember anything else for a couple of days. Sure didn't take long for the whole d.a.m.n world to fall apart," she added sofdy.

"No, it sure as h.e.l.l didn't."

Ben c.o.c.ked his head to one side and listened for a few seconds. "We've got company coming, Lara. Let's find us a good ambush spot. And do it quickly."

"d.a.m.n! You take the woods to the left. I'll take die right. That's about die best I can do on die spur of die moment."

"See you later, darlin'," Ben drawled, and took off for die timber.

*Out Of The Ashes 118.

Ben made it to the edge of a building and bellied down in some brush. He smiled when he saw the first vehicle approach-a beat-up old pickup truck. For a fact, the visitors were not soldiers or the police.

The second vehicle was a car of nearly ancient vintage, and the thirdvehicle was a Jeep that looked as though it might be from the World War Two era.

Three people in the pickup, four in the car, three in the Jeep.

"Only five to one odds," Ben muttered. "Things are definitely looking up."

The three-car caravan stopped, and eight men and two women got out to stand and stretch in the street. The women looked as rough as the men.

They were all armed with rifles or shotguns, and Ben suspected that under their jackets they all carried pistols. These did not appear to be average law-abiding citizen 119.

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types. Ben suspected they were bounty hunters, probably sanctioned by the government.

"He ain't here, Red," one of the men said, his voice carrying clearly to Ben.

"You don't know that for a fact, Johnny."

"Son of a b.i.t.c.h could be anywhere," one of the women said. "Maybe hooked up with one of the survivalist or militia groups around here."

"h.e.l.l, most of them are busted up and scattered," another of the men said. "Or dead or in prison."

"For a fact," another man piped up. "We don't have to worry none about those people anymore."

"Don't make a mistake and sell Ben Raines short," the man called Johnny said, taking a slow look around him. "b.a.s.t.a.r.d's got more lives than a sack full of cats, and more luck than anybody I know."

"And diat wh.o.r.e with him," die other woman in the bunch. "Don't forget about her. She's a top leader in die militia movement. She won't be no piece of cake."

"No," anodier man said with a laugh. "You're right about that, Jean.

Just a prime piece!"

"Get your mind off p.u.s.s.y, Mack," the woman said.

"Why?" Mack questioned.

"Knock it off!" Johnny ordered. "There's a reward out for the woman, too. And don't forget, if we take them alive they're worth more."

"Oh, I intend to take Lara Walden alive," Mack said. "I got plans for her."

Both women looked disgustedly at him, but said nothing.

"You really want to screw some militia wh.o.r.e?" a man asked. "She's probably got some horrible disease."Mack looked at him. "Jeff, you've got s.h.i.+t for brains, you know that?"

"Why?" Jeff demanded. "How come you to say something like that, Mack?"

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"Because you're stupid, that's why. Isn't that right, Pete? He's dumb as a post, isn't he?"

"That's enough!" Johnny said. "Good G.o.d. Knock it off. If you want to f.u.c.k that wh.o.r.e, Mack, fine with me. But first we've got to take them alive. So let's start looking and knock off all the jabber."

"I agree," Jean said.

"Who the h.e.l.l asked you?" Mack challenged.

Ben lifted his CAR and gave the knot of bounty hunters half a magazine.

A second later, Lara opened fire from across the street. Four bounty hunters went down, spinning and jerking from the impact of .223 rounds.

The others. .h.i.t the ground and scrambled behind their vehicles for cover.

"Harry!" Johnny yelled. "See if you can get to the grenades in the Jeep."

The man called Harry jumped up and tried to make the Jeep. Ben and Lara's CARs spat together, and Harry went down in a b.l.o.o.d.y heap.

"Any other bright ideas?" Jean called.

Johnny said nothing.

"They're on both sides of the street," Sally said, her voice carrying clearly to Ben and Lara. "And we can't move."

"I say we give it up," Pete called. "It's better than stayin' here and dyin.' "

"And if we do, you think Ben Raines is just gonna let us go?" Johnny asked. "Don't be a fool. That man's as coldblooded as a d.a.m.n snake."

"Johnny's right," Sally said. "We've got to fight our way out of here."

"OK," Jeff said. "I'll sure go along with Sally on that. But how do we do it?"

No one had a ready reply to that question. Ben and Lara waited, neither of them making a sound.

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"Help me!" one of the wounded men called. "My belly's on fire. I'm hurt bad. Help me."

"He's gut-shot," Jeff said. "I seen him take the slugs. We can't do nothin' for him."

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!" the wounded man groaned. "You're just gonna let me die, ain't you?""Can't none of us get to you, Cal," Sally called. "I'm sorry. But that's the way it is."

"We would if we could," Jean added. "You know that."

"All right," Cal moaned. "But try to kill that son of a b.i.t.c.h who shot me, will you?"

"You bet we will,"Jean called. "You can count on that."

Both Ben and Lara held their fire as they listened to the conversation.

"Red, you're closest. How 'bout Benny?" Johnny called.

"He's dead. I seen him take a round in the head like to have blowed one side of his head clean off. It was an awful thing to see."

Ben could see part of what he thought was a man lying behind a truck tire. He lifted his CAR and gave the man a quick squirt of lead.

"Oh, Sweet Jesus!" the man hollered. Then he was still.

"Mack?" Jean called. "Mack! Answer me."

"He can't, not now or ever," Jeff called. "That burst of lead took him in the top of the shoulder and must have traveled on to his heart or something. He hollered once, and then was still and quiet. He's gone."

"s.h.i.+t!" Johnny said. "Raines? You hear me, Raines? Is that you?"

Ben said nothing.

"You on the other side of the street!" Johnny yelled. "Whoever you are.

Answer me."

Lara said nothing.

"G.o.dd.a.m.n 'em to h.e.l.l," Johnny cussed.

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"It's Raines and the wh.o.r.e," Sally said. "Has to be. Who else could it be?"

"G.o.dd.a.m.n militia people, is who," Jeff said. "Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds hate us, you know that."

"Or survivalists," Red opined.

"Listen to me!" Johnny yelled. "You people shooting at us. Let's talk about a deal here. How about it?"

Neither Ben nor Lara replied.

"They ain't gonna deal, Johnny," Jean said. "They got us cold, and they know it."

"Where the h.e.l.l is Red? Red?" Johnny called. "Red! You answer me, now. Red!"

Red could not utter a sound, now or ever again. He was dying with twobullets to the head. One of them had shattered his jaw. The other had struck him in the back of the head and mangled his brain.

"Red's layin' in a pool of blood," Pete called. "I can just make him out from where I am. He ain't movin', don't look like to me."

"b.a.s.t.a.r.ds have pretty well cut us down," Johnny said, his words just audible.

"Hey, you Rebels!" Sally yelled, startling those around her. "Talk to us. What do you want to let us live?"

Silence from both sides of the street.

"You sons of b.i.t.c.hes!" Sally squalled. "Back-shooting, cowardly sc.u.m."

"That kind of talk ain't likely to help us none, Sally," Jeff cautioned the woman.

"To h.e.l.l with it, Jeff," Sally came right back. "If we're gonna live, we've got to fight our way out of this mess. They won't deal."

"I'm sure open to suggestion," Jean called.

"Pete?" Johnny called. "What the h.e.l.l are you doing?"