Rebel's Revenge - Chapter 21

Chapter 21



They followed the young girl for what seemed like hours through the dry sewers, completely lost after the first dozen or so turns. They had no problem seeing their way because there were gaping holes in the sewer about every fifty feet or so. They finally came to what appeared to be the end of the sewer, a ragged opening overlooking the dry river bed. The girl turned to the right and continued quickly down the river bank. Shading their eyes from the bright sun, they quickly followed her. Ten minutes later they heard a muffled explosion in the distance and saw a smile light up the young girl's face. Monday looked at Grady with a knowing nod; someone had finally found the Captain. He hoped in the back of his mind that it had been the scummy biker Lieutenant and the Sarge.

Half an hour later they left the desert and entered the thick woods on the border of the circle. The girl was looking for signs of a trail as she walked paralleling the desert. She suddenly spotted something familiar and headed deeper into the woods. This time Monday's sixth sense gave him advanced warning of someone watching them, although the young girl continued as if no one was around. He signaled for Grady to stop.

"I know you're watching us," he said to the thick woods, "we mean you no harm, come on out."

Two men slowly emerged from the thick brush pointing automatic weapons at them. They wore ragged clothing but they appeared to be clean and both had shaved recently.

The girl's face lit up as she recognized one of the men. "Pa," she said, running to him.

"Who are you?" a man about Monday's age asked, still pointing the rifle at them.

"You're not going to believe us," Monday replied, "but we're originally from Mississippi and we're both U.S. Army."

"Thought there weren't any more people east of us, Mike?" the other, much younger man questioned.

"They saved me from the gang Pa Pa," the girl spoke up, "and they killed Captain Davis and maybe some more."

The older man lowered his rifle and signaled for the other to do so.

"Name's Mike Grace," he stated. "This here's Tony Boy. What you doing out this way?"

"A very long story," Monday stated. "Do you have a secure area where we can talk at length?"

The man again looked at him with suspicion then spoke. "Reckon if Marty vouches for you you're OK. Come on."

He headed deeper into the thick woods following an obviously well used trail. This wasn't something Monday would have done for anyone with a small amount of woodcraft would be able to track them with ease. After about a mile of following the trail they cut off to the right and walked through thick vegetation for a few hundred yards. Monday could smell wood smoke long before they entered the camp, which consisted of several poorly made lean-toos and a wide mouth cave. A small stream ran through the center of the camp and large granite boulders were scattered around the stream. From a professional viewpoint it was a very poor selection for a campsite especially for lack of security.

There were half a dozen people standing around a central fire tending something cooking in two large pots and the hind quarter of some medium sized animal was spitted over the fire. The man called Mike motioned for them to have a seat on a log by the fire. The young girl, whom Mike had called Marty, went to the hind quarter and tore off a piece of hot meat and begin to devour it with enthusiasm, flipping it from hand to hand to keep from burning herself. People begin to drift into the campsite from the surrounding shelters and woods, curious about having two strangers in their midst.

"Well mister," Mike said, "most everybody's here, you gonna tell us your story."

Monday counted around twenty people, a dozen adults, and seven or eight children of mixed ages. His scrutiny didn't miss Mike's attention.

"Was about fifty or sixty of us," Mike stated, "there's a few more men out hunting. The gang's been killing us off a little at a time."

In as short a time as possible Monday explained how he and Grady and the Americans had been transported to this world, the battle with the Tolec, the resettlement with the Tyberians and the battle which followed, their trek over the mountains, and of finally reaching their present settlement. He told of their allies the Ionar, the Tyberians who had joined them and the Tyberian slaves they listed among their friends. He then explained how they followed the trail of the kidnapped children and found the Vikings and Henri and the Nazi soldiers. He described their capture by the Allach, or green warriors, and how they came to be shot down. He then explained the reason for their reconnaissance south and their encounter with the gunmen and what led to their joining up with Marty.

"That is quite a story," Mike whistled, "and I thought we had a bad experience."

"It's obvious that we come from the same Earth," Monday stated, "but somehow we have different viewpoints on history. We are from the year 1992 and our history before that is nothing compared to yours. In our world Germany and Japan lost World War II and we had no World War III."

"I guess that space-time-warp or whatever you call it has the power to reach into any number of alternate probabilities," a middle aged sandy haired man stated, removing and cleaning his glasses.

"This is the Professor," Mike replied, "he's been kinda explaining what might have happened to us about a year ago when these woods suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Still can't understand it though."

"What about you people," Grady asked, "how did you wind up out in the woods?"

"When the A-Bombs fell two years ago," the Professor stated, "Albuquerque was one of the few cities considered to have no strategic value since there were no large military bases or scientific institutes here. Over half the population left to find their families in the areas where the bombs did fall, most never returned. For the first six months or so there was a lot of killing and suicides and rioting, and fires which cut the population down even more. One day, out of the blue, the bike gangs and criminals came pouring into town in one long convoy. They took over the National Guard Armory and started killing people indiscriminately, starting with the police and Guardsmen. We managed to kill at least half of them, but by then they far outnumbered us. We've been running and hiding ever since. We moved into the woods about a year ago when they suddenly appeared because the gang was becoming far too good at catching us in the sewers and suburbs. When we first came out here there were sixty five of us, now there are only twenty four left."

"Judging from the appearance of Albuquerque there's not much left to go back to," Grady stated, "why don't you simply head off into these woods, find yourselves a little valley, and go back to pioneering?"

"Ain't none of us farmers," Mike replied. "Most of us left were plain factory workers, one retired cop, and the Professor. We been living off what can goods we could find in town and every once in a while one of the men will get a deer or wild pig."

"I'm surprised the gang hasn't caught you here in the woods," Monday stated, it was apparent he did not approve of their campsite.

"For some reason they never come into the woods," the Professor stated, "most of our losses have been when we were trying to find food in town."

"I reckon their kind would make pretty lousy woodsmen at that," Grady said, "most of them probably spent the majority of their disgusting lives behind bars."

"The gunman called Captain Davis said there were around two hundred men left in town under the command of a Colonel Dig, does that sound about right?"

"That's about right," replied the man called Tony Boy, "I reckon maybe a few more than that."

"You could join us," Monday stated, "It's a good five or six weeks travel from here but your families would be safe in the settlement."

"Don't know as how we got much to look forward to around here Mike," another young man stated. "I'd feel a whole lot better knowing Jessie and Bo were somewhere where they's people to help."

Most of the people nodded their heads in agreement.

"There are rules by which we live," Monday replied, "and not everyone agrees with them."

"What rules," Marty blurted her mouth still full of meat.

Monday explained the rules of the settlement in detail, especially the ones about school for the children, cleanliness, working, and the legal codes. When he finished they smiled at one another.

"Hell mister," Mike said, "after what we been through we wouldn't settle for less. Sounds like heaven to us."

"Let's have something to eat, gather your things, and we'll be on our way," Monday stated, "Grady and I have finished our business here now that we know what that major force consists of and the sooner we get back the better."

"What about Colonel Dig's men," Mike asked, "do you think they'll follow us?"

"Based on what I know of the mentality of the punk and pervert," Monday replied, "I doubt it. Our main worry is to get this information back to my people so they know what we're up against in that army of so called General Snake. After we've settled that problem we can return to Albuquerque and take care of Colonel Dig. I imagine there are a lot of treasures in books and things here we'll want to recover, especially at the University of New Mexico, I assume it is in this Albuquerque?"

"Yes," the Professor replied, "as far as I know the criminals have never even visited the campus."

While they were eating two other men returned to the camp, both having had no success during their hunting expeditions. The meat provided by the people proved to be stringy and on the rancid side. It wasn't quite spoiled but so close that neither Monday nor Grady could stomach it. They ate the slices of Gahn meat they had stuffed into their pockets instead. After lunch the group was eager to depart.

"We'll travel in single file," Monday stated. "I'll take the point and Grady will take the rear. We'll stay in the woods and circle around to the point where Grady and I entered the desert area. Please try to keep the children as quiet as possible and refrain from talking and coughing. The gang may not venture into the woods, but then again, after the episode with Captain Davis, they may get bold. Any questions?"

"Yeah," a young woman holding a small child asked, "what we going to eat on this here trip?"

"You'll be provided with food," Monday replied, noticing the heavy sack strung over her back. It was evidently stuffed with can goods from the bulges they made.

They walked for three hours, stopping ten minutes out of each hour for a short break. A few minutes into the fourth hour Monday recognized the terrain as that through which he and Grady had passed in their original recon. He called a halt after noticing several of the women and children were becoming exhausted. He joined Grady next to a shady tree.

"Got some good ones here," Grady remarked, as he sat down.

"True," Monday replied. "We have a few deadbeats also.

"Yeah. Spotted them already. Woman over there and man standing next to her."

"Been thinking Top," Grady continued, "We have a long haul back to the land of the Vikings. Best I figure it we traveled about three hundred miles after we left the Viking village, maybe another hundred after we were captured, and at least two hundred before the birds were shot down. All together maybe six hundred miles. With this bunch it'll take us at least six weeks to get back to the settlement through a lot of unknown territory. Maybe even more."

"That sounds about right," Monday replied, "what else you have on your mind?"

"Well, I was thinking of them Getmees the Captain spoke of. Reckon they have any of them left down there?"

"You mean among Colonel Dig's command?"

"Yeah. Couple of them would get us back a hell of a lot faster."

Monday looked at Grady with a wide grin on his face. "You aren't paid to think," he chided, "but it sounds like a damn good idea to me." He signaled for the group's leader Mike to come over.

"We're going to stop here for the night," he stated, pointing for Mike to sit down.

"Why?" Mike asked.

"There are a few things we forgot to get down there," he continued. "Grady and I will go down under cover of darkness and find those things."

"That's pretty dangerous."

"Don't worry, Grady and I have been trained in guerrilla operations and we're particularly good at night time infiltration."

"What you want us to do?"

"About a mile back that way," Monday pointed, "you'll find a small stream. Take your group there and set up camp. No fires and no noise if you can manage it. When Grady and I have finished our mission we'll meet you there."

"How long's that gonna be?

"Not sure, but we'll be back sometime before daybreak."

"And what if you don't come back?"

"Take your group due northwest. You'll be spotted by my two nephews. They'll give you instructions from there?"

"Good luck," Mike said.

"We'll be back Mike," Monday replied, "just keep your people concealed and quiet."

"Let's circle back around in the woods and enter the city at a better angle," Monday said to Grady, pointing off to the right.