“Akli, point me in the most dangerous direction,” Horo said.
“Are you crazy…no, why the fuck would you ask me that?” Akli replied.
“We’re gonna kill a man, that’s the only way Ben can be saved.”
“Does the kid know that?”
“Which one…?”
“Fine, take the off road in five minutes, danger is that way…”
“You’re rather cooperative…”
“I just want your nasally voice to shut up so I can rest,” Akli groaned as he turned over, covering himself with a blanket.
The truck began to clunk and clank, in a few seconds it stopped all together.
“Damn…we’re stalled!” Horo slammed his hands against the wheel. “Fuck!”
“Quiet down, let’s go check it out,” Akli wobbled out, turning to the engine. Horo followed, unsure what he was supposed to be looking at.
“You know what to do?” Horo asked.
“Nah, I usually let Dushyanta handle this…” Akli said dryly.
Shit…I knew I should’ve taken Dushyanta. All I know is how to change the damn oil. What should I do…?
“Quit stressin’, I can already see yer greys. Let’s wait it out. It’s still night, let’s sleep it off…”
“Is that what your eyes see…can you see us getting out of this?” Horo asked.
“Nope…we’re fucked beyond belief. You wanted the most dangerous direction, here it is.”
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Horo held onto a ghastly expression as he returned back to the wheel. His hands shaken with fear. Akli leaned back, closing his eyes as he snored away. Ben continued his sobbing groans of pain. Whispers of the wind scratched and pushed the truck, the navy sky kept Horo’s eyes open to possible dangers around. By morning’s light he had not slept, rather exhausted from thought and constant vigilance.
“Alrighty, let’s try to start it up again…” Akli said as he stretched his arms. Turning the key without a word, Horo couldn’t even look pleased with the truck rumbling. Pushing on the gas, the truck smoothly went on its way. Hours went by, and nothing but sand marked their way. By the highest high, the sun cooking, in the horizon they saw it. Silver towers with broad streaks of wire cables and radio rods poked from every spire.
“We made it, but we never ran into the healer, nor the adversary…” Horo muttered.
“Horo, stop the car…we’re surrounded. And they ain’t easy either,” Akli said as he busted open the door into a barrel roll. Slowly rising from the sand were five, then ten, then sixteen, in mere seconds they were surrounded by a hoarded horde of crimson cladded sabre-men. With old blood dying their robes, they unsheathed their blades, and in swift motion scattered the sand away.
Horo pulled out his pistol, his back pressed up against the truck. Akli soon did the same, his feet shifting to the door where Ben rested behind.
“Horo, you know how to use that thing?!”
They all must’ve known… “No better time to learn…”
“Haha, and I thought you were the cleaner type. Knew you were a bit rough, but not so much of fucking twat! Say it with your chest that you’re gonna blow these fuckers’ brains out!”
“As you assumed, I am clean, not so crude as to disrespect another; even if they aim for my life!”
“Y’know, this is a lovely chat, but you’d think these guys would start coming at us by now,” Akli said with concern.
“Agreed,” Horo said, not aiming just yet.
“How long do you think we can hold this for?”
“I don’t know how many bullets this thing carries, but we’ll last until it empties I presume.”
“A loser's mentality…” Akli muttered. “Let’s surrender, they don’t want us dead yet.”
Horo stuffed the pistol back into his pants. Raising his arms up, he brought his knees towards the ground. Akli similarly did the same. At the top of the dune rode down a warrior of some sort with crimson steel flapping against his body. The steam driven horse purred at its stoppage. When off the saddle the man’s feet left depressions six feet wide. Tapping the truck cubed into small chunks. With a quick step through the dismantled frame, he caught Ben. Carrying him up into a nursing carriage born from the sand.
What is going on? Akli and Horo thought.
