Kohl massaged his temples. Keeping his eyes closed, he took slow, deep breaths.  He was seated in the shade with his back leaning comfortably against the side of one of their vehicles. He’d been told many times that this was the best way to relax, to relieve tension.

But it wasn’t working.

Not even close.

He lowered his hands and opened his eyes. Harmon was still standing there. Kohl looked him up and down again. His condition certainly hadn’t changed. If anything, he was starting to look worse. The man had the stub of an arrow sticking out of his upper arm. The blood from the wound had soaked through the cloth that had been wrapped around it. This made it match the blood soaked sleeve of his shirt. Dirt and dust were smeared across his broad, flat face. Kohl knew that had to hurt, but Harmon didn’t seem to be showing any signs.

“Why haven’t you gotten than taken care of yet?”  Kohl noted that his voice carried an unusual amount of exasperation in it.

Harmon shrugged out of reflex, and Kohl noticed the wince it induced on his face. “There’s a few others worse than me. I can handle it.”

“Handle it? You look like shit, Har.” Kohl waved toward the impromptu medical area the Rotars had setup after they had gotten far enough away from Shade’s Rest. “The last thing I need is my second-in-command dying too. We’ve lost enough men today.”

That caused Harmon to crouch down to Kohl’s level, which elicited a groan as well as another wince. “Yeah, about that.” Harmon lowered his voice, making sure the other gang members that were nearby would not hear a thing. “What are we going to do about…?” Harmon paused, unsure of what word to choose.

Kohl looked at him, his face twisting up into an annoyed expression. “About what, Har?”

Harmon gave an abbreviated shrug this time. “I… I don’t know. About-” Harmon gestured at the ad hoc camp the Rotars had made. “About this. And the rest of the camp.” He pointed back towards Shade’s Rest. “And what about them?”

Kohl stared back at him in disbelief. “How the hell should I know? We barely got away with our lives back there. Those bastards set a trap for us and we fell right into it. They damn near killed us all, Har.”

Harmon held up the hand from his good arm. “Hey, keep it down. The last thing anyone needs to hear is talk like that, especially from you. You got to get your shit together, Kohl, or we’re going to have some problems.”

Kohl didn’t like to hear those words. Inside he knew it but didn’t want to admit it. They had lost a lot of men, and plenty were wounded. Kohl thought he had enough force to make a second attack, and he was sure the people of Shade’s Rest couldn’t handle another assault. Surprise had been their biggest weapon, and they’d used it well, but Kohl knew they had little real defense.

But he still had doubts. Even though he’d seen little evidence of any heavy firepower, they’d have morale on their side. They’d beaten the Rotars once, and would likely feel they could do it again.

If his men didn’t succeed again and were forced to retreat, what waited for them back at the camp? Kohl didn’t think the others there would rebel, even if they knew they outnumbered his men. But it would be obvious they had lost the attack on Shade’s Rest, and with all that had happened lately, this might plant the seed of an idea in the workers to start a rebellion.

Kohl tried another deep breath. “You’re right. I’m okay,” he lied. “I’ll tell you one thing for sure. We’re not going to counterattack right away. We don’t have enough light, and we don’t know the layout of the town enough to get around in the dark.”

“You want to hit them at dawn, then?” Harmon asked.

Kohl hesitated. He still wasn’t sure if he wanted to hit them at all. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? Kohl, we’ve got to go back in there. Sure they forced us out, but we can’t let that stand. Those bastards have to go down.”

Kohl didn’t like Harmon’s attitude. He understood his motivation for revenge, but didn’t like the way he was pushing. Kohl wanted revenge too, and knew what was at stake, but there was a larger picture to consider. “I don’t want to think about that right now. There’s a lot to risk if we go back in there and lose again.”

Harmon’s eyes narrowed. “You better think about that right now. There’s a lot to risk if we don’t go back in there.”

“What do you mean?”

Harmon looked around at the other men. “They’re all behind you, Kohl. They support you, because they know you are a tough bastard and don’t take shit from anyone. If we back down now and slink back to camp, what the hell does that say about you?”

Kohl locked eyes with Harmon. “It says I know when to cut my losses. If we lose any more men and come back empty handed, we might be facing a revolution.”

Harmon’s eyes widened. “From the workers? Are you serious? They’re spineless, Kohl. The only one with any balls is behind the walls of that town. And we don’t need her anyway. This isn’t about her anymore. This is about that town. They defied us, hurt us, and now they damn well owe us.” Harmon stood up. “As far as I’m concerned, that town is ours and we need to take it back.”

Kohl noticed that Harmon had dropped the hushed tones he had earlier and the nearby men had picked up on it. He’s forcing my hand. I don’t have a choice now. Then a more sinister thought wormed its way into Kohl’s brain. No, he wants to run things. He wants me dead.

Kohl stood and looked Harmon in the eye. “You’re right. Thanks, buddy.” Kohl stood and turned to the men near him. “You heard Harmon. This isn’t about getting that woman and the girl back. And this isn’t about getting revenge on those two sons of bitches that killed our men, and this isn’t about getting Tim back, either.”

Kohl started to move around, to make sure more of the men heard what he had to say. “No, this is about showing these people who’s in charge. This is about teaching a lesson.” Kohl raised his voice. “They dare defy us? We just wanted to get back what was ours, and they said ‘no.’ They have to pay, and the price just went up. Their town is now the price we demand. The Rotars need a home. We need a final place to call our own, and guess what? Those bastards are in it! Well, they sure as hell won’t be there for long. They may think they’ve chased us away, but they only made us angrier. Come the morning, Shade’s Rest will be ours!”

Kohl looked over at Harmon.

Harmon smiled wide at Kohl.

Kohl returned the grin.

You son of a bitch.

Runner pulled her knees tighter to her chest as she looked on at the workers feverishly trying to put together a new gate. It really was nothing more than a bunch of the vehicles left over from the attack being moved in to fill the space. Some workers were rigging up what appeared to be miniature walls inside the vehicles. They wedged and hammered pieces of wood and metal into place.

Runner didn’t know if it would do any good. The other gate looked pretty strong before and the Rotars smashed right through it like it wasn’t there. The young girl was amazed at the destruction to the small town. She, along with the other children, had been kept safe from it, but seeing everything now made Runner even more afraid. She began to realize that since she and Maple had left the Rotars, she’d been afraid almost the entire time. Only when she’d gotten the jar of pickles had she felt happy.

And at the same time, she was confused. While with the Rotars Runner had felt safe, despite all the bad things Maple said about them. When they were with the Rotars, they never faced attacks from outsiders and they always had something to eat. She knew that some of them were mean. She’d seen some of the workers get beaten or even thrown in a cage for a while, but they had never threatened her. But now seeing what had happened here in Shade’s Rest, Runner wasn’t sure what to think about things.

Sighing, Runner stood up and made her way back to the town hall. That’s where Maple said they would all be if she needed to find them. The entire situation was confusing her. If the Rotars were truly as bad as Maple said they were, and it seemed like that was true even though it always seemed like a safe place to be, and places like Shade’s Rest that seemed to have nice (but strange) people in them weren’t safe from attack, where exactly was safe? Runner’s head was hurting from trying to sort everything out, so she decided she needed to find something to do to not think about it.

The town hall area seemed the worst to Runner. She’d already been through here once after the fighting was over. The things she had seen scared her and made her stomach sick. Runner locked her eyes straight at the building, refusing to look directly down at the gore and blood from the people who had fought here. In her peripheral vision, Runner could see enough of what she didn’t want to. She quickened her pace as she felt her heart begin to pound heavily in her chest.

She reached the doors to the hall and slid inside. It wasn’t too hard to find Maple. She was there with Essem, James, and a few other people. They were talking a lot, and some were raising their voices. Runner moved up quietly and found a shadow to stand in. Maple’s back was to her, and Essem and James were both looking at the woman who was talking.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Why on earth would we do that? You’re just asking to continue a battle that already has cost us dearly.”

James raised a hand to calm the woman. “Linda, let me explain.”

Linda cut him off. “No. No way. We don’t have the manpower or the weapons. Is this why you convinced me to take over for Bruce? Did you think you’d be able to influence me to get together a force and go attack them?”

James shook his head. “What? No? That’s not it at all.”

Linda threw her hands in the air. “Besides, we don’t even know where the hell they are.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Maple said. Runner noted how serious she sounded.

Linda turned toward her. “What does that mean?”

“They’re going to come back. Kohl isn’t dead. He doesn’t like to lose. You beat him, but now he’s going to want to beat you. No matter what it costs.” Runner knew that tone. It was how Maple spoke when she was really angry.

“How can you be so sure?”  One of the men with Linda was speaking now.

Maple stood. “How? Are you kidding me? Where the hell have you been the last few hours? When Runner and I escaped, he sent more than three men after us.” She gestured toward Essem and James. “They killed one and we took one captive. One got away and told Kohl what happened. And look what he did to your town, just to get two people back.” Maple took a step toward the man. “What the hell do you think he’s going to do to this town now that you’ve killed so many of his men?”

Essem placed a hand on Maple’s arm, and made her sit back down. “Easy, Maple.” Runner watched Maple shake her arm free. She shot Essem a glare that Runner knew meant that she was very mad. Maple seemed to stare at Essem with that look for a while. Runner’s eyes darted back and forth between the two. Essem was staring right back at Maple. Eventually, Maple looked away from him and  sat down on her own.

James coughed, then grunted. Runner could tell even from looking at his profile that he was in rough shape. “Maybe we need to take a different approach, then.”

Linda looked interested. “What do you mean?”

James continued. “I know that there’s bound to be almost no one here that would agree to bring the fight to the Rotars. Honestly, Linda, I wouldn’t blame any of them. The cost here was high. But a smaller force might be able to sneak into their camp and take out this Kohl. If you cut the head off a snake, you—“

Linda shook her head again. “And just who the hell is going to do that?”

Runner watched James struggle to stand. “I will.”

Runner gasped at the same time Maple did. She saw Essem stand and face his father. “No way! No way in hell, Dad. Look at you. You’re a mess.” Essem turned toward Linda. “He can’t do it… but I will.”

James put his hand on Essem’s should to try and make him sit back down. “Son, no. We’re not in this mess because of you. It’s because of me. I made the decision to keep Maple and Runner with us. I made the decision to come here and to stay. I’m not going to ask you to do this. It’s too dangerous.”

“Exactly. That’s why you’ll fail if you go. You can barely move, Dad.” Runner saw Essem look his father in the eye. “You have to let go on this one. I can handle it. I’m not stupid. I’ve got a much better chance at doing this than you. It’s time for you to just let it go.”

“He’s right.” Runner looked toward Linda. She had stood up and moved closer in. “If you go and get caught, it’s only going to make Kohl angrier. At least your son has a chance to kill him before being discovered.”

James started to speak, but Linda kept going. “I know where Bruce has some special equipment that might help to even the odds just a bit. But you’re not going to be able to do this alone.”

Essem nodded as he raised an eyebrow. “Special equipment?”

With Essem’s and Maple’s help, James pushed his way through the crowd of people gathered around Bruce. He had to know. You better be alive, damnit! James found himself feeling strangely concerned about the man. He knew he wanted, no needed Bruce to be alive if he ever expected he, Essem and the rest to leave Shade’s Rest alive, but he also found himself actually caring about Bruce’s well being. James had grown to respect the man in the time he had spent here. He may not always have agreed with him, but James acknowledged that Bruce was doing the best he could with what the world had given him. He finally cleared the final ring and looked down at the man.

Bruce was lying flat on his back. A large pool of blood was around his legs, while a smaller one formed around his head. A man and a woman knelt down around Bruce, attending to him. James blurted out, “Is he…?”

The man shook his head. “No. The shot to the leg went clean through, lucky bastard, and the shot to the head just grazed. He’s lost a good amount of blood, and he’s going to be in a hell of a lot of pain, but he’s alive.”

James felt himself exhale in relief. It was then he realized that he’d been holding his breath for… well he wasn’t sure how long. The pain in his chest told him it was longer than he probably should have. Good. Happiness seeped back through James’ body.

The woman didn’t bother to look up as she tried to make Bruce comfortable. “No thanks to you three.”

James felt the sting of the words, but chose to ignore them. He looked around. While a lot of the people of Shade’s Rest were standing around to check on their leader, many were wandering about in shock and not really sure what to do. He could hear the cries of the other wounded. They need focus, and now.

Steadying himself on his son and Maple, Bruce turned toward those closest to him. “You heard the man. Bruce will live. There’s no need to just stand here. It’s not going to help him any.” James made eye contact with a trio of citizens closest to him. “You three, go help those people over there. Get a check on all the people that are down. You need to find out who’s wounded and who’s dead. If they’re wounded, help them or grab someone to help them.” James watched as the trio seemed to take in his words but remained still. He pointed. “Go. Now!”

James continued the distribution of orders to all those around them. It took some coaxing, but one by one he got them all moving. Within ten minutes, the chaos that had reigned in the parking lot turned campground became a chaos with purpose. James turned his attention back to the pair caring for Bruce. “Do you think we can move him?”

The man was about to answer, but the woman cut him off. She kept her back toward James, and waved her hand as if to dismiss him. “What do you care?”

James blinked. He was surprised by the woman’s words. He couldn’t understand why she wasn’t feeling the same happiness. Certainly Bruce could have been in better shape, but his fate held promise. James just stared at the back of her head, unsure of how to answer.

His son didn’t seem to have that problem. “Care? Watch it, lady. If it wasn’t for my dad’s help, you people would be in a lot worse shape than you are now. It was him who came up with the defense at the gate.”

James watched as the woman finally turned her head and sneered at Essem. “We see how well that went.”

James felt his son twitch, then stop. He could tell Essem wanted to hurt her. He gripped his son harder. “Easy now. This isn’t help—“

Essem cut him off. “You shut your mouth! Who the hell do you think you are, anyway?”

The woman locked eyes with Essem. “I’m his sister, you asshole. So you just shut your mouth!” James watched as tears started to roll down her cheeks. They followed paths cut in the dust on her face by tears that had fallen previously.

James tried to jump in, but was cut off again, this time by the man kneeling across from Linda. “Hey! Can the two of you please just stop?” He turned toward James. “Yeah, I think we can move him. We need a stretcher though.”

James nodded. “Right.” He freed himself from Essem’s and Maple’s help, then looked at both of them. They stared blankly back. “Hey, I’m in no shape to do this. Get going.”

The pair moved off, and James slowly lowered himself down to the ground. The asphalt was hard, but James found himself in so much pain it actually brought some relief to not be standing. James looked at Linda. “I didn’t know Bruce had any family.”

Linda nodded. “Yeah, it’s just the two of us.” She looked down at Bruce’s bloodied body. “He’s all I have.” James watched as she moved her hand on top of the man across from her, helping to tend to Bruce. “Except for Asif, of course.” James saw the pair exchange smiles. Asif reached forward and brushed the tears from her cheeks. “He’ll make it, dear heart,” he said softly.

James sat back. The raw emotions of what he was witnessing hit him hard. He slumped slightly, trying to figure out what to do next, and he honestly wasn’t sure. This was new territory for him. When things had ever become heated in the past, James had always taken Essem away from the threat and moved on to safer ground.

But this time, James felt different. He found himself liking things here. He wasn’t sure why. He knew that in some way, he was to blame for the death and injuries that surrounded him. Yet he didn’t want to run. He wanted to help. Watching Linda and Asif over Bruce’s body, the picture started to clear a bit in James’ head. There was something different going on here. James broadened his view to include the rest of the scene around him. The people of Shade’s Rest were moving with purpose. He could see their hurt and fear, but they were now fighting a different battle to save their town.

And James realized that in getting these people to move, and coming to Bruce’s side he’d just done the same thing. James rubbed his hands over his head, coaxing forth an idea.

He looked toward Linda. “You’re his sister. Will these people listen to you?”

Linda looked at James. “What do you mean?”

James pointed to all those helping the wounded and dead. “I got them moving, but this won’t last forever. These people are scared right now. They need someone. They might have listened to me while they were in shock, but they sure won’t going forward.” James pointed toward the town hall of Shade’s Rest. “I know the Elders are in charge, but they’re going to move too slow. These people need someone to keep them focused.”

James’ words hung in the space between the two. He could tell that Linda was hearing what he was saying, but not believing it.

“Are you talking about me?”

James nodded, but it was her husband who spoke. “Yes, Linda. It has to be you.” Asif gestured back toward James. “He’s right. They listened now, but they won’t later. If anything, they’ll want to blame him. You’re a Block Boss. You’ll already have some support. The rest will fall in line.”

Linda shook her head and held up her hands. “No. No, no, no. I don’t even know where to begin. Look at this settlement. It’s a mess.”

James nodded. “And it needs a new leader to get it back in to shape.”

Linda stroked her brother’s hair, then looked at the two men. “And just where the hell should I start?”

“Well, there are plenty of folks that could use a doctor,” Asif began.

“And a gate that needs to be sealed before nightfall,” James added.

James watched as Linda lowered her head, looking at her brother. She continued to stroke his hair, then she sighed deeply. James was about to speak again, but stopped as she stood.

Linda nodded, then looked at her husband. “You stay here by Bruce.” She cast a stern look at James. “And you as well. At least for now.”

James nodded. “When my son comes back, we’ll get him inside.”

“Good. You’re right about the gate.” Linda started to walk away from the town hall towards the broken entrance to Shade’s Rest. She turned back toward James, and pointed at him. “Once I get things moving there, you and I need to talk.”

Maple walked carefully through the streets of Shade’s Rest. She wrung her hands and kept her head down. She heard all the shouts and cries from those lying nearby. Some were from pain, some were others looking for help, and some were simply in emotional anguish. Those cries burrowed into Maple’s mind the most. They clawed at her insides, filling her with guilt. Maple’s mind turned each of those cries into shouts of disgust, rage, and vengeance leveled directly at her. Maple knew, deep down, that every one of the people of Shade’s Rest wanted to inflict the pain they felt on her.

It’s all my fault.

Maple quickened her pace, feeling all those eyes upon her. Had she actually looked, she might have seen a very different picture.  Few of the residents of Shade’s Rest even noticed her passing, far too concerned in dealing with the aftermath of the attack.

As she turned down another street, Maple finally found what she’d been looking for. She saw Essem carefully assisting James. The older man had his arm around the younger’s shoulder and was limping. He was covered in dirt and blood. She ran toward the pair and positioned herself under James’ other arm.

“You look awful!” Maple looked toward Essem. “Is he okay?”

“I’m right here you know.”  James chuckled, then winced in pain. “I’m fine.” He winced again.

Essem shook his head. “He’s got a cracked rib or two, and he’s probably covered in bruises.”

James cut off Essem’s next words. “But I’ll be okay.” Maple felt James try to walk on his own, but he apparently thought better of it. Essem shook his head in what she thought was probably a mix of disgust and anger.

“Where are we going?” Maple asked as the trio limped along.

James pointed to the rising plumes of black smoke about three blocks over. “There. The town hall. I saw Bruce get shot.”

Maple gasped, and tried to quicken the pace. The fear she felt as she wandered through the town looking for James and Essem had ebbed once she found them, but now it was returning quickly and furiously. No. Not Bruce.  Maple hadn’t liked the man at first. She’d taken his attitude to be selfish, and felt he didn’t like her and the trouble she and Runner had brought. As the days passed, she realized that Bruce had really been looking out for the town. It was evident in the way he seemed to be involved in every little detail of its rebuilding, and in the way he treated everyone he met. Everyone received respect from Bruce. Those who needed it were encouraged. He even saw Bruce provide comfort in the way of kind words, and even a hug. A hug. From a leader. It was something Maple realized she’d only seen from her time before the Rotars.

When she learned that Bruce had made a stand against the Rotars, she entertained the thought that maybe there was some goodness in this world.

But it wasn’t universal. She heard the whispers as the town prepared for the Rotars arrival. Not everyone wanted to make the stand. Some wanted to run. Some wanted to turn all four of them over to the gang. That last one had been the seed that planted the fear she felt. Maple knew that if Bruce was dead, any good will or support for her, Runner, James, and Essem would quickly crumble.

“James. If Bruce is dead…” she began.

Maple knew James read the tone in her voice. “I know. I know. Don’t think about it.”

The trio rounded the corner on the street that led to the town hall. Maple gasped again as she surveyed the scene. Several vehicles were scattered around. Some were on fire, one had planted itself firmly in the side of a home, and another was even tipped on its side.

Cars weren’t the only thing on fire. Many of the makeshift tents and shelters were still ablaze.

And there were bodies everywhere.

Wounded or dead, Maple couldn’t be sure. Many were in the lot around the tents where the Rotars had made their stand. Others were next to the vehicles the Shade’s Rest defenders had taken down. Maple could tell for sure they were dead.

As the trio made their way through the carnage, something caught her eye, sending a jolt up her spine. It was the face on one of the Rotars soldiers. She recognized it. She knew him. She stopped in her tracks, prompting a protest from James. Ignoring it, she let go of her hold on the man, and went over to the body, drawn by something that she could not ignore.

Maple crouched down, staring at the dead ganger. Drake. Maple remembered his name well.

“What the hell?” Essem asked her, anger lacing his words. He and James had remained, watching her stand over the body.

“His name was Drake. He used to call himself ‘Dragon.’ Because he was so fierce.” Because he was so brutal, she said alone to herself. Memories of the pains she used to endure at his hands flooded Maple’s mind. The punches. The bruises. The taunts. She looked over at the body nearest Drake. It was another Rotar. Hector. Maple stood and moved around. Two more bodies. Two more names. Ed. Gary. Three more. Welsh. Mike. Jack. Maple felt her mind slip back to her time in the Rotars camp. All the faces brought her back to those times as a prisoner, a captive. Kohl and the others had always said she was free to leave, but she knew the truth. Maple could feel her heart racing. She felt trapped once again. Even in death, the Rotars surrounded her, imprisoning her, dominating her. She could feel a scream begin to build within her. She wanted to run again. Escape these revenants that she could feel swirling around her. Their cruel laughter and shouts filled her ears. Maple covered them with her hands, and could feel her legs begin to weaken and shake.

Then something broke through the chaos. It was faint at first, but quickly grew. As the spirits of the dead Rotars howled around her, she heard another voice. A voice that was shouting her name. It wasn’t a kind shout. It had a harsh edge to it, but yet felt safe. Inviting. An escape.

“Maple!”

The chaos stopped and Maple jerked her head toward the source of her name. Essem’s face was twisted in annoyance and anger. Maple stared blankly at him. His voice was laced with the same expression as his face.

“What the hell are you doing? Get over here and give me a hand!”

Maple paused, then nodded. Taking one last moment, she looked down. Her wanderings had taken her back to where she started, standing over Drake’s body. The knife attached to his waist brought back another memory. She instinctively felt the scar where she remembered that knife cutting her thigh. Bending down, she loosened the belt and sheath and took it in her hands. Maple looked at Drake’s face as she stood. I win. She spat on the ground and ran toward Essem.

“Son of a bitch!” Kohl screamed as the telltale click from his pistol told him the clip was empty. Ducking down behind the wall that was built in the bed of his command truck, he reached around for his spare.

His hand grasped nothing but air. Damn it! Kohl was out of ammunition. As he took a quick look around, he realized he was also running out of options. Things had gone from great to shit very quickly in Kohl’s mind. They had blown through the meager defenses the people of Shade’s Rest had set up at their gate only to be lured into what was nothing but a trap. The tents Kohl thought empty had been filled with fighters. His men had these people outgunned, but they had him outnumbered. Their rapid assault had created enough of a shock that his Rotars were still trying to recover. Kohl at least took some solace in the fact that their ring of vehicles had not been penetrated yet.

But it was only a matter of time.

They needed to get out of this town, and they needed to get out now. They needed a distraction. Kohl looked desperately around for something, anything he could use.

He wasn’t finding anything.

Shit.

Kohl slammed on the back window of the truck cab. “Just get the hell out of here! Now!”

The Rotar soldier next to Kohl shouted, “they’re all around us. If we break ranks, they’ll tear us apart!”

Kohl snatched the gun out of his hand and locked eyes with the man. “They’ll tear us apart if we don’t.” Kohl slammed the back window again. “Go!” Rising up over the barricade, Kohl took a shot at the closest resident. The blast struck him square in the chest, dropping him. The truck lurched, and an arrow thunked into the wooden barricade protecting Kohl, just inches from his face. 

*  *  *

James watched from cover as the Rotars’ vehicles began to pull away. His eyes widened in shock as some of the defenders of Shade’s Rest that had surrounded the vehicle ring didn’t move fast enough and were caught underneath the fleeing cars and trucks. The shock turned to satisfaction as James saw that the violence of their departure did not stop the counterattack. Now with two sides to defend, the Rotar warriors couldn’t effectively guard both. This allowed for several fighters to jump the vehicles as they fled and the line became strung out.

It made for easy pickings for James and his squad. They had joined in the assault when it began, and even scored some hits. Now James wanted a larger piece. He wanted one of the trucks.

“We’re grabbing the lead one!” James shouted as he waved his men out from behind their cover toward the onrushing truck. It was the most heavily armored, and James was sure it held their leader. Cut off the head of the snake, James thought as he moved in the path of the truck, raised his shotgun and fired. The shot was too low and scraped the top of the truck’s already battered hood. Some of the shot punched the windshield, cracking it further. James went to cock the gun again, but the truck was too close. He would never be able to get a shot off quick enough. Seeing what the rest of his squad was doing, James changed plans. Angling himself and charging the oncoming vehicle, James shouted as he leapt on to the bed.

He hit the corner of the moving truck’s bed. James’ legs dangled off the side as he scrambled for a better hand hold. James had to sacrifice his grip on his shotgun. His heart sank as he saw the weapon skitter to the other side of the truck bed. He heard the other members of his squad shouting. As he slowly pulled himself up, James turned to see a trio of Rotars fighting with the two members of his squad who had made the jump.

The Rotars were winning the fight.

James dug his fingers in between two floorboards of the truck bed and pulled his entire body on. Getting into a crawl, James hurled himself to the shotgun, which was bouncing closer and closer to the edge of the bed. He reached out his hand.

Splinters shot into the air as the bullet ripped into the truck bed right next to James’ hand. As he looked to the source, he saw his shotgun bounce off the truck and hit the ground below, quickly vanishing as the truck turned and wound its way toward freedom. James turned and didn’t hesitate. He saw the younger man with the rifle in his hands and charged toward him. In his peripheral vision, he was sure he saw one of his men get thrown from the truck. He couldn’t tell what the other’s fate was.

The younger man was ready and met James’ tackle head on. James felt him give ground, then slam back up against the truck cab. James attempted to work some blows into the man’s midsection, but a sharp pain in his back forced him to his knees. He’s strong. Not smart, old man. James thought to himself as he winced from the pain. He felt another strike land on his back, and knew he had to do something fast. James took advantage of his position and grabbed the man around his legs tightly, then threw  his own body backward.

The man lost his balance and clumsily fell to the floor of the truck bed. James kicked himself back further and scrambled to his feet just in time to see the other two Rotar soldiers standing right in front of him. They pushed James backward. He stumbled and tried to keep his balance, but it was no use. James felt the truck vanish beneath his feet as he fell hard to the ground and rolled.

Pain coursed through his body as he opened his eyes. All he could see was darkness, but his senses were enough that he could taste and smell dirt. A rumble to his right started to grow louder and louder. He turned toward the sound and raised his hands to clear his eyes.

Something, or rather someone, slam hard into his body, pushing him backward. Rather than just being knocked over, James was dragged. He wasn’t sure where, though. The rumble passed by, along with several others. James felt the dragging stop and he was laid carefully back on the ground. As his hands went to clear his face, he felt someone beating him to the task. Flicking his eyes open, James stared into his son’s face.

Essem smiled as he scooped mud off his James’ face. “What the hell did you do?” Essem asked, concern lacing his voice.

James could feel the waves of pain from his bad decision to jump on the truck start to come back. “I think I’m getting too old.”

Essem stopped and stared at his father. His dark expression lightened then turned to a chuckle. “Getting?”

Hey Everyone…

First off, the story if not fading away. But there will be a short delay.

For the last several months, I’ve been bringing you weekly free fiction. Fiction I enjoy doing and a story I really enjoy and have been receiving fantastic feedback on.

But, even as I do this free stuff, I also am looking for paid work, which I have found. And paid work has deadlines. And I’m facing down that deadline right now. So everything I am doing is focused on getting that paid project done and out the door. Once that happens, we can find out what happens to James, Essem, Maple, Runner and the rest of the game. Keep an eye out here or on my Facebook page for updates. But fear not, this Skies of Glass Tale will be told.

Thanks for your understanding, and we’ll see you soon.

Kohl stood on top of the car and shouted toward the entrance to the town hall. “Bruce! I know you’re in there! And I know you have my man in there. You going to come out so we can sort this out, or do I need to force you out? You don’t want to make this any worse for the town, do you?”

It hadn’t taken Kohl long to find the town hall. There were more than enough terrified residents of Shade’s Rest who were willing to tell them in exchange for their lives. The group had been left alone for the most part once they started moving in. A few sniping attacks had occurred, but once they’d taken down the house with the rocket launcher, serious resistance from Shade’s Rest had fallen apart.

Now they found themselves standing before the town hall. Kohl knew that it used to be an old store, and the parking lot laid out at the store’s front looked like it was serving as a temporary shelter for most of the residents. Makeshift tents and other shelters sat quietly in the lot. It made sense to Kohl. As the people of the town slowly built it back into living shape, rallying around the central building made sense. Kohl smiled, realizing that whatever remained of Shade’s Rest after they were through would probably be spending more time than they expected here.

Kohl was pleased with how things had gone since they’d stormed the gate to the town. The only serious fight they’d encountered was right inside in the gate. That was crushed easy enough, save for a few surprise attacks from some flaming pots.

Kohl had changed his plans since he arrived in the town. He came not only to get Tim, Maple, and the girl back, but also to humiliate Bruce. He didn’t want to kill him. He wanted to tear him down in front of his people. Show them that they weren’t safe. Leave them shaking in fear and, of course, respect for Kohl and the rest of the Rotars. Now after being inside, Kohl decided that perhaps this place would better serve him and his people. He decided to add another punishment for Bruce. Once he was humiliated, he was going to put Bruce on the most brutal work detail he could find. There were likely many latrines or graves that needed to be dug once he’d taken over. Kohl had to admit that the nomadic lifestyle was wearing thin on him. Shade’s Rest might prove to be a place worth keeping for his very own.

But first, he had to take care of its current leadership.

“I’m not going to wait forever, Bruce!”

*  *  *

Bruce looked out through the shutters of the window at Kohl and the circle of vehicles. The situation wasn’t great, but Bruce realized that he wasn’t as nervous as he thought he should be. There had been some serious damage done to the town, and several people were dead and even more wounded. The realization of this weighed heavy on him. Bruce knew he was their trusted leader. He’d steered them clear of similar scrapes in the past. In all of those times, there had never been any fighting, any bloodshed. Now this time there was. People were dead. Fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, and even his own friends. People Bruce would make sure he would help bury when the time came. Despite this, he still felt the right decision had been made. All those times they ran, they’d let others control their fate. Bruce realized he didn’t want that anymore. The people of Shade’s Rest had to start controlling their fate. If they didn’t, they would spend their lives on the move. No, they had to make their stand, because anything worth having was worth fighting and even dying for. Bruce hoped the Rotars wouldn’t have gotten this far into town, but they were here and now he just needed his plan to work.

Bruce looked behind him. Several guards stood around the town hall, but three were clustered around Tim, who sat bound in the hall’s center. The Elders were nowhere near the building, having been moved to safety some time ago. Maple and Runner were hopefully far from here as well, along with the rest who couldn’t or shouldn’t be fighting.

Bruce took a deep breath to steel himself. “I’m going out. Get ready to bring him.”

The guards nodded.

“He’s going to kill you.” Tim spoke with a sinister tone.

Bruce turned back toward the chained man. “No he won’t. He’s never going to get the chance.” Bruce turned back around, checked the pistol tucked into the back of his belt one last time, and made his way out the door.

Bruce saw the smile on Kohl’s face instantly as he stepped out and took a few steps toward Kohl and his men.

“Glad to see you’ve made the right choice, Bruce. Where’s my man?”

Bruce gestured back toward the entrance. “Back here.”

“What about the girls and those two travelers?” Kohl’s voice started to take a suspicious tone.

“They’re gone,” Bruce lied.

“Bullshit.” Kohl called his bluff.

Bruce shook his head, and his voice took on a more sullen tone. “I wish. After you showed up, they got spooked and took off in the middle of the night.” Bruce started to move slowly closer, keeping his hands where Kohl could see them. Bruce took note of the several other gangers he could see crouched in defensive positions behind the ring of vehicles. “We were set to let your man go, but he decided to take out some of his frustration on our citizens, so we had to lock him back up. We can’t let him go now. What purpose would that serve?”

Kohl laughed. “It’ll save your life for one thing. Turn him over now, Bruce.”

Bruce continued to walk forward. He shook his head again, opening his arms wide. “I’m not going to do that, Kohl. He stays.” Bruce stopped. He swallowed hard. He could feel his heart pounding rapidly. Fear made him tense slightly and he felt his face flush red. Bruce locked eyes with Kohl, and lowered his arms. “And you’re going to leave. Now.” Bruce raced for the pistol behind his back but was too slow. Kohl already had his own weapon raised and aimed by the time Bruce had clutched his. Bruce felt a cold tingle wash over his body as he realized he was, indeed about to die. Shit.

Something hot and fast sliced through Bruce’s thigh, and his ability to stand suddenly vanished. Bruce didn’t even hear the gunshot as he hit the ground. A howl of pain escaped his mouth. He felt another cut of pain rip across his skull. His vision flashed white with pain . Bruce struggled to take control and rise above the pain, but it was too intense. The white quickly turned dark, and Bruce could feel the blackness begin to envelop his consciousness.

*  *  *

James and his squad moved carefully between two houses with purpose. Across the street, he could see the tent-filled lot with the town hall sitting squat behind. The Rotars’ vehicles stood in a dark circle. From this angle, James saw someone standing on the top of one of the cars. Others were crouched down, guarded, but almost all facing the front of the building. It looked like the standing man might be talking to someone, but James couldn’t be sure. Taking the time to make sure that the few that did face toward his side were not looking their way, James motioned his men forward toward a better attack angle. James knew his tiny group had no chance in a stand-up fight, but all they needed to do was cause enough disruption to the Rotars to get them to move. If the man standing was their leader, killing him alone might be just enough.

As they cut across the lawn of one house toward a grove of bushes at another, James kept an eye locked on the situation. The other man came into view and James’ eyes widened when he realized who it was. Bruce stood there alone, talking with the other man who must be Kohl, the Rotars’ leader. What the hell is Bruce doing?

Bruce never detailed all the plans for defense to James. In fact, James realized that Bruce hadn’t really told him anything that might happen if the Rotars got beyond the gate. ‘We’ll be ready for them’ and ‘Make sure they get to the town hall’ was all that was said.

As James and his squad took their cover positions, James watched in horror as he saw Bruce reaching for something only to be beaten to the draw by Kohl. It was like a punch to the gut to see Bruce hit the ground, but James didn’t have much time to digest it as the tents filling the lot erupted into action. People poured out from every corner, firing guns, bows or throwing rocks.

James let out a chuckle as chaos erupted in front of the town hall. Not bad, Bruce.

James didn’t hesitate. “Let’s go!” He shouted and he charged through the bushes toward the battle.

Essem pulled himself back to his feet and looked in the direction of the explosion. He knew right away what it was. A house further in had been the target of some sort of heavy weapon. Smoke and flames shot into the sky. Essem spotted a trio of bodies rolling on the ground. One was in obvious pain, and the other two were on fire. His heart sank at the sight, as he knew they were Shade’s Rest citizens.

Essem couldn’t tell where the weapon was fired from, but it didn’t really matter. The aftermath of the explosion came hard and fast as Rotars soldiers poured deeper into Shade’s Rest on foot and in the vehicles.

Essem dropped down next to Kelly’s motionless form. The gangers who had him in their sights just moments ago had turned their attention toward the explosion and were now moving with their fellows. Essem exhaled in satisfaction over his luck then took a closer look at Kelly. She was still breathing. Essem carefully searched her body and found the entrance wound, but could not find an exit hole.

Kelly’s eyes opened with a start as Essem poked around. “Ahhhh!” she rasped.

“Sorry,” Essem mumbled as he placed pressure on the wound.

Kelly moved his hands away, shaking her head. “Don’t bother. I know it’s pretty bad.” Her voice wasn’t much above a whisper and her eyes wandered as she tried to speak. Essem looked at her helplessly. “Kelly, I…” he began, but stopped when he realized it was pointless for him to say anything.

Engine roars and gunfire cracked deeper into Shade’s Rest. Essem knew he couldn’t stay here any longer. The fight was moving and he had to do something. Carefully, he removed the quiver on Kelly’s back, but the effort still brought forth grunts of protest from the dying woman. Securing it on his back and grabbing her bow, Essem checked to make sure it was safe to move then turned back to Kelly one last time. She was looking at him through half-closed eyes. Slowly, she lifted her arm. Essem reached out and took her hand gently, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

He studied her face intently as it twitched involuntary at the pain of death creeping in. Kelly muttered something but Essem couldn’t make out. He leaned in to ask her again, but Kelly simply smiled. Essem froze for a second then found himself smiling back. He brushed his free hand across Kelly’s forehead as her eyes closed. Essem felt his heart sink further, and a tear roll down his cheek. I didn’t even know you.

When he realized that she was indeed gone, Essem placed her lifeless hand across her chest, stood, and then carefully lowered himself to the ground. Essem quickly inspected the dead gangers nearby and grunted in satisfaction as he secured another pistol and a sub-machine gun from two of the burnt bodies. Looking toward the sound of the engines, Essem began his pursuit, being careful to stay close to houses or other cover. Even if he was the only one, he had to do something. Then he stopped, frozen in place as he crouched by a patch of overgrowth. A chill raced down his spine and Essem turned and looked back toward the gate. The chill he felt was replaced with a flush of heat of regret. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten.

Dad!

* * *

James pressed himself up against the side of the house and peered around the corner. The Rotars’ rough oval shaped formation moved slowly through the streets of Shade’s Rest in a deliberate march. Gunfire was scattered as defenders darted in and out of the homes and behind cover to take shots at the Rotars. Sadly, those shots consisted mostly of rocks and the occasional arrow. Bruce had told James that the town didn’t have a large supply of weapons, and the majority of those were placed at the front gate where Bruce thought they would be needed the most.

James now found himself behind the advancing gang. He had a small band of defenders with him. He felt a twinge of guilt for having pulled away from the gate, but he knew it meant death to stay there. It took all he could to convince those with him to leave, but once the gang had burst through and opened fire, they realized the old man had been right.

From there, they’d been darting in and out of houses, picking off the Rotars when they could. James thought they might have aggravated the Rotars enough to turn around when they picked off two drivers, but that’s when James saw them take out the heavy weaponry. He didn’t know what it was; he just knew it was big and thus dangerous. He and his makeshift squad ran like hell to get clear, and almost everyone made it before the house they hid behind was turned to tinder in a massive explosion.

James knew at that point they had to drive these killers off  quickly. “How many firebombs we have left?” he barked to the five men behind him.

“Three,” one of the men answered. It wasn’t a lot, but it might be enough. James looked back. Only three of the men in the group, himself included, had an actual firearm. The rest had bows or spears and a few rocks. “Make sure you bowmen have the fire. We need to get moving if we’re ever going to catch up. You better hope Bruce has the defenses set up.” He stepped out into the street, signaling the men to follow. “Once they get there, it’s going to get real ugly, real fast!”

As they moved through the streets, James took a look back towards the gate. The carnage was obvious and brutal. It was going to a long time for Shade’s Rest to recover from this. The guilt he felt surfaced once again. James couldn’t look at the destroyed gate, a flaming building or a wounded body without feeling responsible. James cursed himself for getting too involved. He wanted desperately to just leave with Essem and never look back. Essem. His eyes wandered up toward the wall where he knew Essem was supposed to be. He was too far away to make out any details, but the distinct lack of activity of any kind around the entrance to the town sent a clear signal. James wanted to turn right around and search for his son, but he knew any more hesitation could mean even more death. Please, Essem. Just stay alive. When this is done, we’re leaving.

In the distance, James heard the roar of engines die down. “They must have made it to the town hall.” James knew Bruce was there, along with the man they’d brought in.

They were out of time.

Essem pointed toward the end of the house. “Hal, cover us.” He moved his finger toward a portion of the roof that wasn’t on fire, then looked at Kelly. “Can you make that?” Essem was indicating the distance to jump from the ledge of the outer wall to the roof.

Kelly nodded.

“I think so.”

Essem took a breath and backed up as far as he could. The distance was a little over three meters, but the pair would have a running start. Essem knew they had to slow the Rotars’ initial thrust beyond the gate. If the gang managed to establish a foothold , they’d be able to pour in unopposed. Already he saw small squads of gangers trying to move beyond the perimeter that was being set up. And they seemed to be doing it with little resistance. Either the Shade’s Rest defenders weren’t putting up much of a fight or they simply weren’t there. Essem didn’t like that last option at all. James was down there somewhere. His old man wasn’t one to give up easy, though. Essem knew his dad wasn’t stupid either. If hiding meant that he would live, Essem was sure James would do it.

Essem looked back at Hal one last time. “Once we get into position, you worry about anyone else trying to get in.” He jerked a thumb back toward the outer wall. “And don’t forget to use those rocks.” Essem gave a quick glance to the pile of fist-sized stones lying near Hal. “Let’s go!” Essem barked before taking two powerful steps and leaping off the ledge.

He landed with a loud thump, and quickly threw himself forward to avoid rolling over backwards and off the roof. Essem turned and waved Kelly forward. She hesitated at first, then found the courage. Her jump wasn’t as powerful as Essem’s, but it got the job done. She landed closer to the roof’s edgeand quickly scrambled into position. Essem held out a hand, which she used to pull in closer. Both heard a shout from Hal.

Essem looked up to see Hal taking aim and letting fly with an arrow somewhere behind him. With his hand still holding Kelly, he yanked her forward and let go. Spinning, Essem dropped down into a crouch as a short spear whizzed just overhead. Bringing his pistol to bear, he steadied his aim with his other hand and quickly assessed the scene.

Two Rotars had come around the side of the house. A third was on the ground clutching his leg where Hal’s arrow had struck home. Essem couldn’t tell how the other two were armed and he didn’t wait to find out. He squeezed off one round from the pistol and the bullet impacted in the ground just in between both men. Damn it! Essem cursed to himself as both men split away. One readied another spear , while the other opted instead for a pistol of his own.

Essem tried to track the man but he kept darting back and forth. The ganger’s progress was quickly stopped as another arrow thunked into the ground right in the man’s path. He hesitated long enough to give Essem another chance. He took aim, squinted and fired. The round clipped the man in the shoulder, blowing free flesh and bone. The man howled as he dropped his weapon and hit the ground.

A deep thud struck right near Essem’s foot as the other man’s spear hit. Essem jerked to the side and started to scramble up the roof. He saw the man move away as Kelly and Hal both sent arrows in his direction.

“C’mon!” Essem shouted to Kelly as he completed his scramble to the top of the roof. She followed as Hal sent one final arrow toward the fleeing ganger.

Essem and Kelly laid flat on the rooftop and peered over the edge. He could see that the Rotars had not only pushed through the gate but were close to establishing perimeter. The remaining vehicles had moved in and were huddled close to the entrance, waiting to get inside.

It was then that Essem realized that the gunfire had subsided and that he and Kelly were the only defenders from Shade’s Rest still around. Essem wasn’t sure if everyone else had fled, died or both. He looked at Kelly, while he signaled to Hal.

“Looks like it’s just us. Get out your firebomb.” Essem pulled his free and secured his sparker. He looked up and saw that Hal was crouched and staring at him. Essem mouthed the words, ‘stay down’ and followed it up with a hand gesture.

Moving quickly, he lit the cloth fuses on both pieces of pottery. He pointed toward where he wanted Kelly to throw. She nodded.

“Once we throw these, we need to get the hell out of here.”

Kelly nodded again.

Then Hal screamed.

Essem stole a quick glance and saw that Hal had slumped against the wall. Looking back, he saw close to ten gangers around the house’s edge. Without hesitation, Essem switched targets and hurled his firebomb toward the group while shouting to Kelly to throw hers.

Essem’s hit the ground with a burst of flame that caught three of the Rotars in its radius. The others moved but took aim at the pair and fired. Bullets punched through the shingles and into the wood below, sending splinters toward Essem’s face. Standing his ground, he returned fire, catching one of the ganger square in the chest, dropping him to the ground. Somewhere on the other side of the house, Essem could hear screaming. Good shot, Kelly.

“Back to the wall!” Essem shouted as he grabbed Kelly’s hand to take her with. He jerked suddenly when she didn’t follow. Looking back, he saw a pool of blood rapidly expanding from her midsection.

“Shit.” Essem said as he let go of her hand.

Then the explosion hit.