Restless

Fighting Fire

Things went from bad to worse when Zach threw the first punch.

His fist struck Kane in the cheek and Kane didn't wait to fight back. Kane had a size advantage by two inches at most. He tackled Zach to the ground the struck him in the jaw. I couldn't do anything from where I was.

"Stop it!!!" I yelled from inside the glass. I didn't want to break it because I knew it would set off an alarm. That was the last thing we needed. Zach kicked Kane off balance and stood back up. I was glad that neither of them had their guns. Zach grabbed Kane by the throat and drug him to the ground. Kane struggled to escape Zach's grip but he was grasping to tight.

"Take it back!!" Zach yelled in Kane's face. Kane was turning blue when he head butt Zach in the face. Zach fell back and held his nose. It was bleeding through his fingers. They both were recovering on the ground as I tried to force the door open. I pushed hard with my shoulder but it wouldn't budge. I looked around for another way out but found nothing.

"Hey man I didn't know she was yours. I'm sorry." Kane finally said to Zach. Zach stood up and walked over to Kane. Kane flinched and held his hands up. Zach grabbed one of them and helped him up.

"One things for sure," Zach said shaking Kane's hand. "You owe me."

"Yes, sir." Kane replied.

"Can I get some help, now?!" I yelled to them. They both moved the vending machine blocking the door and let me out.

"So, now that everyone's friends, can we get out of here?" Zach asked.

"Like you read my mind." I said to him.

"If anyone asks, we fought sandmen." Zach said to me, with blood still coming out of his nose. Him and Kane were both beat up pretty bad.

"You hit hard, red." Kane said rubbing his face, as I reentered the store and grabbed all the medical supplies there were.

"Uh, Dray?! I think it's time to hit the road!!" I heard Zach yell from outside. I bolted back outside to see what he meant to find myself looking at three pickup trucks with men with guns pointed at us, blocking our escape. One man jumped out of the truck. He wore a red bandana over his face.

"You believe you can outrun us?!" He asked in a Russian accent. He pulled the bandana down to reveal his face. It was Victor and the Rippers. "You killed four of my men. What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"Victor please, we protected ourselves. You saw that. I have an offer." I said reaching into my pocket and pulling out my revolver. Victor's men yelled and threatened to shoot. I slowly bent down and set it on the ground.

"What is your offer?" Victor asked me. I stood back up and looked at my friends beside me.

"How many men do you have?" I asked.

"Eleven, now." He said to me.

"Come with us." I said simply.

"Stand down, Drayton." Zach said grabbing my arm. I pulled away.

"What do you mean?" Victor asked me confused.

"We're from Missouri. We're on our way to link up with another group of survivors in California. Together we could be the biggest resistance in the country." I explained. He did not speak, but thought.

"We have heard this from other travelers as well. They have spoke of being with them but were casted out by the Piranhas. I warn you now. They will not accept you unless you prove that your team is worthy." Victor said as if he had explained this before. I didn't understand what he meant by "prove we were worthy".

"How can we prove we are worthy?" Zach asked victor. He shrugged at first, then looked like a lightbulb just turned on in his head.

"You just need to fight the sandmen in front of them. A lot of them. Do that and they'll let you in." Victor said simply.

"Oh, that sounds easy, Vic. Let's just go start a damn war." I said angrily. Victor looked back at his men then back to us.

"What if we helped you?" Victor asked. Some of his men groaned and protested.

"You would do that for us?" Zach asked. "What's the catch?"

"The catch is we come with you with the Piranhas. If we fight for you, we want to come." Victor said to us.

"I have to talk to my team about it, Vic." I said to him. He crossed his arms then sighed.

"Go. Talk to your friends. You have ten minutes." He said to us.

"Thank you.." Zach said relieved. We walked past Victors men and towards our group.

"Are we really going to do this?! It's suicide!!" Kane asked me. He had a point.. The reason we came on this trip was to guarantee our safety. By fighting this army, we were putting everyone's lives at risk. Everyone noticed Zach and Kane's wounds.

"What happened to you guys?" Parker asked the two. They ignored the question and I spoke aloud.

"Everyone, gather over here!! I need to know something." I said to my group. Once everyone was listening, I took a deep breath and started to explain. "Guys we aren't taking the long way to get to San Fran. We're going to fight our way through those bastards."

"Are you nuts?! We'll die if we try to fight them!!" Big Ben said angrily.

"It's the only way the Piranhas will accept us." I added.

"What do you mean? How do you know that?" Cailey asked me.

"Because I asked someone who knows." I said easily.

"Who's that?!" Elizabeth asked.

"Me." Victor cut in from behind us. Everyone turned to him and gasped. Some drew a weapon.

"Victor and his men are going to be fighting alongside us against the sandmen. With our courage and their strength, the Awake and the Rippers can make it through this. They think they can stop us. But together we are stronger then them. We attack tomorrow, at noon. Remember, whatever happens tomorrow, we do face it together!!!" I yelled to my team and the Rippers. The crowd cheered and I walked over to Victor and shook his hand.

"Your people, they fight well?" He asked me over the noise.

"Better than well, Vic. Do yours?" I asked him.

"Together, we'll be Unstoppable." Victor said patting my shoulder. I left Victor and went straight to Cailey, who was watching Madison fix up Emilie's wounds.

"Cailey we need to prepare for tomorrow. Can you get stuff ready?" I asked her. She smiled and nodded.

"Consider it done."