No Turning Back

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Trucker Dempsey

"And since when did you know about cars?" Dempsey enquired.

"I liked working on cars back home", I said shyly.

"Huh, so you're a mechanic too", Dempsey smiled in disbelief.

Primis shot me a look of intrigue before snapping out of it and returning to the task at hand. The intrigue around my automotive skills would have to be discussed at another time. I felt a little awkward as I quietly sat there whilst Primis carefully instructed Dempsey on how to safely remove the cabling and where to cut it with his knife.

"Now, after jou disconnect zhe battery zhere vill no longer be any power in zhe circuit. Jou vill be safe to use zhe knife und cut zhe cabling. Make sure to take more zhan jou vill need. Richtofen can cut it to size for zhe generator", Primis instructed.

Dempsey continued to look ahead out of the large windshield of the tanker as his grip of the steering wheel tightened. Even at this distance, we could still feel Richtofen's imposing glare seeping through into our very core. Dempsey knew that if he gave any indication that the cabin was occupied beyond himself; Richtofen would already be marching over - weapon in hand. With a sigh, the marine braced himself and finally relaxed his grip.

"Fuck, alright guys. Wish me luck", Dempsey whispered before he quietly got out the cabin and made his way to find the battery. 

Primis and I remained concealed in our hiding place as we both listened to the sound of Dempsey's boots crunching on the gravel. The marine made his way to the front of the oil tanker before fumbling around with the engine compartment. There was a loud jarring screech as Dempsey managed to pry open the truck's grill. The oil tanker swayed gently as we felt him rummaging around to find the battery.  

After a verbal assault of mumbled profanities from Dempsey - we finally heard two very satisfying clicks. Primis and I smiled at each other as we knew that Dempsey had disconnected both terminals. We then quickly focused back on Dempsey's movements upon hearing the sudden thump of him closing the engine compartment. I finally felt the heat of the moment suddenly creep up on me as Dempsey's apprehension radiated with blaring intensity.

I then head the marine shuffle through the debris towards the back of the truck cabin. He must have located the cables as he quickly got to work on detaching them. It felt like an eternity as Primis and I listened to the incessant sawing of Dempsey's knife as it chewed and wrestled with the thick copper wires. Finally, we felt a tug of the cables coming free as the cabin gently rocked once more.

"Ugh... fuckin' hell -- I've got it", Dempsey confirmed with a grumbling sigh.

The marine then came back into the cabin to inspect the lengths of cables and get Primis' verdict on their suitability.

"Ja, zhey vill do nicely", Primis whispered as his eyes traced along each cable.

"Great job Dempsey. Richtofen will do the rest", I reassured the marine with a smile.

"Heh, it was nothin' really", Dempsey replied bashfully. 

"Well, here we go", he announced as Primis and I watched Dempsey leave the cabin once more before returning to the increasingly impatient German.

"Oh, finally! I zhought I vas going to have to do it meinshelf!" Richtofen moaned irritatedly.

"Just take the fuckin cable already!" Dempsey insisted as he thrust them towards the ungrateful doctor.

Richtofen swiped the cables and proceeded to retreat into his mind. He quickly stalked back over to the generator - examining the cables as he went. Dempsey breathed a sigh of relief and left the group. He retrieved a packet of cigarettes from his pocket and eagerly popped one into his mouth before quickly lighting it.