Gas Mask Girls Issue #6
Emlynn Jones
Michael turned quickly to head to the front but then paused for a second, grabbing one of the pieces of bread and shoving it into his mouth.
“Wouldn’t want to waste it,” he explained to Gamble, his words barely distinguishable.
They headed quickly to the front gates, passing by several groups of adults herding children deeper into the mines. After reaching the outer courtyard, they climbed the ladder up the makeshift barrier looking down at the approach.
“Give me an update,” Michael commanded one of the observers.
“No sign yet,” answered a woman Gamble did not recognize. “Ramirez at scout location four reported that the convoy passed him by about three minutes ago. He seemed pretty scared. What are we…”
“How many did he see?” Michael interrupted, trying to stop the worry in the woman's question.
The air of near panic among the settlers was palatable. These weren’t warriors, Doze thought looking around her. Sure these people had known hardships, but it was clear they had escaped the worst of it, now safe in their little settlement.
Doze grabbed Gamble’s arm not waiting to hear the woman’s response, “C’mon! We gotta get out of here before the raiders arrive.”
“What?” Gamble cried out. “Doze, that would be insane! What if we run into them as we leave? We’re far better off fighting them here. I promise we’ll leave as soon as things are resolved. Either the raiders will attack or they will move on.”
“What if they surround the place and drive to starve them out?”
“What, like lay siege to the settlement?” Gamble asked. She had never thought of that.
“Sure, ‘lay siege’,” Doze was clearly rolling her eyes.”This could drag out for weeks.”
“I doubt that is going to happen, raiders aren’t exactly known for their patience. Look, chances are good the raiders are bluffing, this is a very defensible place.”
“Okay, then what if they do pass by us?” Doze asked. “We still risk running into them when we do leave. Maybe we can sneak out now while they are focused on this settlement. Why do you always get us caught up in these stupid situations?”
“I don’t know if that’s fair, “ Gamble replied.
“Santa Fe?” Doze began a list, clearly well rehearsed. “Mesquite?”
“Well in fairness Mesquite was just as much your fault as mine.”
Doze’s protest was interrupted as Michael approached them. “I’m sorry, I know you wanted to leave, but our sentries are saying they should be here any moment. We could really use your help. I’m assuming you won’t want to join us for a trip to Sacramento now. But help us out and we can supply you before you leave.”
Gamble looked over at Doze, but she just shrugged, as if to say, “Do we have any real choice.”
“We’ll help,” Gamble answered Michael. “How long do you think we have?”
“No time at all,” Michael responded. “Any moment now.”
As if on cue, a loud engine was heard over the ridge and a large truck crested the rise, several armed figures stood in the back. They had rigged up metal sheets to the side to give them some cover. Someone had even welded on a few spikes and Gamble was pretty sure she saw an impaled stuffed Garfield cat on one of the spikes. A few stenciled skulls on the plating added to the overall intimidation factor.
“Someone had fun with the truck,” Doze noted sarcastically. The driver, hidden by another metal sheet with a small area cut out, revved the engine and then hit the horn. They had obviously rigged the truck up to some kind of train horn because the blast was loud and clear, even from this distance.
Settlers from the mining community filled in the walls. Gamble looked around the walls and counted 5 rifles among the settlers and it seemed Jay had been accurate. It wasn’t much, but ultimately it would all depend on the raider’s true intentions. Did they have the ammo needed to storm the place? Did they have the will to do it? Gamble knew from sad experience that charging a defended fortification was a nerve-wracking experience.
Michael turned from them and began to call out orders, assigning certain members to take the rifles and prepare themselves. Gamble noticed Jay climbing the ladder to the top of the barricade. Michael immediately assigned him a rifle.
“Jay is one of our best shots,” he commented to Doze.
“Not that that’s saying much,” Jay mumbled as he took up a position next to Doze. “We never have enough ammo to justify practicing.”
Gamble watched as several ATVs pulled up on the ridge and multiple assailants hopped off, finding cover among the trees and boulders. She was pretty sure she could see a lot of shotguns, but only a couple of rifles.
“They’re going to have to get close to be much of a threat.”
“Oh,” Michael replied. “I think up close is definitely their plan.”
As several more figures appeared on the horizon, Gamble noticed a figure in the back of the truck raising a bullhorn to his mouth. A static burst emitted from the speaker.
“I’m disappointed with you Michael,” the man announced over the speaker. Michael looked surprised and a bit flustered that the raiders seemed to know his name. “I offered you a chance to join my community and what did you do? Hire guns to fight against me? How am I supposed to take that Michael?”
Gamble was able to make out a bit of the leader, the self-styled “Bloodstorm.” He seems surprisingly normal-looking from the distance, a short haircut and some type of uniform. It was impossible to tell from this distance if it was a true military uniform or some hunter camo.
Doze spoke up over the raider’s pause, “Ah man, I was hoping he would be wearing a hockey mask.” Jay snickered next to her. Michael glared at both of them before turning back to the raiders.
“I will give you 30 minutes, if you have not opened your gates, we will tear them down and we will leave no one alive,” the words echoed off the surrounding hills.
“He’s stalling,” Gamble noted to Michael. “I bet he’s waiting for Damien to do something to send a signal or open the doors. He has no intention of letting anyone here walk away. He doesn’t want to share the supplies, he wants them all.”
Michael nodded, “Agreed, but we have 5 rifles. I’m seeing at least 8 rifles and about 10 shotguns down there. I don’t suppose you can hit much from this distance?”, he asked Doze.
She shook her head. “No, I bet I could outshoot the shotguns, but not those…” She was cut off as the raiders opened fire.
“So much for 30 minutes,” Gamble said, as the settlers ducked down below the makeshift barricade as a hail of bullets struck.
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“Wouldn’t want to waste it,” he explained to Gamble, his words barely distinguishable.
They headed quickly to the front gates, passing by several groups of adults herding children deeper into the mines. After reaching the outer courtyard, they climbed the ladder up the makeshift barrier looking down at the approach.
“Give me an update,” Michael commanded one of the observers.
“No sign yet,” answered a woman Gamble did not recognize. “Ramirez at scout location four reported that the convoy passed him by about three minutes ago. He seemed pretty scared. What are we…”
“How many did he see?” Michael interrupted, trying to stop the worry in the woman's question.
The air of near panic among the settlers was palatable. These weren’t warriors, Doze thought looking around her. Sure these people had known hardships, but it was clear they had escaped the worst of it, now safe in their little settlement.
Doze grabbed Gamble’s arm not waiting to hear the woman’s response, “C’mon! We gotta get out of here before the raiders arrive.”
“What?” Gamble cried out. “Doze, that would be insane! What if we run into them as we leave? We’re far better off fighting them here. I promise we’ll leave as soon as things are resolved. Either the raiders will attack or they will move on.”
“What if they surround the place and drive to starve them out?”
“What, like lay siege to the settlement?” Gamble asked. She had never thought of that.
“Sure, ‘lay siege’,” Doze was clearly rolling her eyes.”This could drag out for weeks.”
“I doubt that is going to happen, raiders aren’t exactly known for their patience. Look, chances are good the raiders are bluffing, this is a very defensible place.”
“Okay, then what if they do pass by us?” Doze asked. “We still risk running into them when we do leave. Maybe we can sneak out now while they are focused on this settlement. Why do you always get us caught up in these stupid situations?”
“I don’t know if that’s fair, “ Gamble replied.
“Santa Fe?” Doze began a list, clearly well rehearsed. “Mesquite?”
“Well in fairness Mesquite was just as much your fault as mine.”
Doze’s protest was interrupted as Michael approached them. “I’m sorry, I know you wanted to leave, but our sentries are saying they should be here any moment. We could really use your help. I’m assuming you won’t want to join us for a trip to Sacramento now. But help us out and we can supply you before you leave.”
Gamble looked over at Doze, but she just shrugged, as if to say, “Do we have any real choice.”
“We’ll help,” Gamble answered Michael. “How long do you think we have?”
“No time at all,” Michael responded. “Any moment now.”
As if on cue, a loud engine was heard over the ridge and a large truck crested the rise, several armed figures stood in the back. They had rigged up metal sheets to the side to give them some cover. Someone had even welded on a few spikes and Gamble was pretty sure she saw an impaled stuffed Garfield cat on one of the spikes. A few stenciled skulls on the plating added to the overall intimidation factor.
“Someone had fun with the truck,” Doze noted sarcastically. The driver, hidden by another metal sheet with a small area cut out, revved the engine and then hit the horn. They had obviously rigged the truck up to some kind of train horn because the blast was loud and clear, even from this distance.
Settlers from the mining community filled in the walls. Gamble looked around the walls and counted 5 rifles among the settlers and it seemed Jay had been accurate. It wasn’t much, but ultimately it would all depend on the raider’s true intentions. Did they have the ammo needed to storm the place? Did they have the will to do it? Gamble knew from sad experience that charging a defended fortification was a nerve-wracking experience.
Michael turned from them and began to call out orders, assigning certain members to take the rifles and prepare themselves. Gamble noticed Jay climbing the ladder to the top of the barricade. Michael immediately assigned him a rifle.
“Jay is one of our best shots,” he commented to Doze.
“Not that that’s saying much,” Jay mumbled as he took up a position next to Doze. “We never have enough ammo to justify practicing.”
Gamble watched as several ATVs pulled up on the ridge and multiple assailants hopped off, finding cover among the trees and boulders. She was pretty sure she could see a lot of shotguns, but only a couple of rifles.
“They’re going to have to get close to be much of a threat.”
“Oh,” Michael replied. “I think up close is definitely their plan.”
As several more figures appeared on the horizon, Gamble noticed a figure in the back of the truck raising a bullhorn to his mouth. A static burst emitted from the speaker.
“I’m disappointed with you Michael,” the man announced over the speaker. Michael looked surprised and a bit flustered that the raiders seemed to know his name. “I offered you a chance to join my community and what did you do? Hire guns to fight against me? How am I supposed to take that Michael?”
Gamble was able to make out a bit of the leader, the self-styled “Bloodstorm.” He seems surprisingly normal-looking from the distance, a short haircut and some type of uniform. It was impossible to tell from this distance if it was a true military uniform or some hunter camo.
Doze spoke up over the raider’s pause, “Ah man, I was hoping he would be wearing a hockey mask.” Jay snickered next to her. Michael glared at both of them before turning back to the raiders.
“I will give you 30 minutes, if you have not opened your gates, we will tear them down and we will leave no one alive,” the words echoed off the surrounding hills.
“He’s stalling,” Gamble noted to Michael. “I bet he’s waiting for Damien to do something to send a signal or open the doors. He has no intention of letting anyone here walk away. He doesn’t want to share the supplies, he wants them all.”
Michael nodded, “Agreed, but we have 5 rifles. I’m seeing at least 8 rifles and about 10 shotguns down there. I don’t suppose you can hit much from this distance?”, he asked Doze.
She shook her head. “No, I bet I could outshoot the shotguns, but not those…” She was cut off as the raiders opened fire.
“So much for 30 minutes,” Gamble said, as the settlers ducked down below the makeshift barricade as a hail of bullets struck.
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