Naught and the Circle

Chapter 3 - The house of the Baron

Wings in the sand.
An unmovable sword.
He has been walking for days
across the barren wasteland.
He imagines himself a pawn.
A pawn placed in the path of a mighty queen.

Strawberries woke up. The wind blew harshly against her face. She carefully opened her eyes. The endless desert moving fast beneath them.

From the sidecar, she watched as Shelby dutifully rode the scout bike. The goggles and black scarf covering his face. Still, it was easy to make out his grumpy expression.

It had been two days since she pulled him out of the oil barrel. The shabby fool was pale and disoriented, and she had thrown quite the fit over him demanding to drive. They had spent most of yesterday just getting the damn thing running. It was only meant for short trips. To scout out nearby locations and report back. Now it had the much more important task of being their only ticket home.

It was a rusty pile of garbage, and Shelby could barely stand, let alone fix a motorcycle. She cursed herself for how much time they had wasted. Stubborn old buffoon, she thought. She would have gotten them here sooner.

The rest of the men were dead. The only trace they had left was blood. Dragged away into the darkness by greedy hands and ferocious appetites. She shuddered. Just the thought of the creatures sent shivers down her spine. Beasts that feel no emotions. They had struck like a tumbling rock. Without anger, nor mercy. All the friendly faces she had worked with, and now they were all gone.

"We're almost there." Shelby pointed across the desert.

There, a small raggedy town lay in the distance: their home.

"And it's starting to rain, just our luck."

She felt the warm water kiss her lips. The raindrops tapped on the metal tank on the motorcycle, darkening the landscape.

"You think them boys are okay?" She asked. "Oliver?"

"Sure." He replied. "Let's just find Jonny and get to the Baron, and I'm sure we can figure this out."

The point at which the wasteland ended and the Outskirts began was not much of a border. It was more of a slow fade into civilization; A waterhole here, a shed there, wild dogs trying to survive. People were smart enough to live close together.

The rain now poured from the dark skies above. A cacophony of drum-hits against the windshield. Strawberries yanked her hoodie further down her face and pretended she would live inside it forever. It rarely rained out here. When it did, it was an occasion to celebrate.

Now, however, it felt like a wake.

She looked at Shelby; His face hardened as he removed his goggles and pulled down his scarf. At the slow speed they rolled into town, it would be a miracle if they remained unnoticed.

As if on cue, a man in a leather coat and a large bush hat walked out in front of them. He was carrying a shotgun, aiming it to the side to show them he was serious. Shelby turned off the ignition. Then, away from keen eyes, switched off the safety on his revolver.

"The representative of the House of the Pact wants to see ya two." Declared the rough face under the bush hat. "Throw down ya guns, step off ya bike, and follow me."

"The kid helped me into town." Shelby lied. "I've never seen her before."

"Oh, shut ya trap, Shelby!" He replied, "I know ya both! Now get to the going!"

Shelby discreetly flicked the safety back on before throwing his weapons on the ground.

They both placed their hands on their heads and began following the Bush Hat Man towards the Baron's house. Strawberries noticed the curtains on every window closing as they walked past.