Brian Steele - 4POCALYPSE - Four Tales of a Dark Future

Except for the wind, silence draped the camp like a halfhearted hand across the mouth of crying child. Jasmine stood, waiting, looking around for another guard to appear. She couldn’t remember if there were three or four, and, if it were four, did Toby lie about that as well. She looked over to the lean-to and the watched as the Harley burned. She mumbled, “Well, crap. There goes my ride…”

She then helped the little girl to her feet, pulled her close, and hugged her deeply. “Are you hurt, baby girl?” Jasmine said, nearly suffocating the child. “You didn’t get hit, did you?”

“No… I’m okay, but I want my mommy,” the girl answered, sobbing.

Jasmine looked around, waiting. When she felt safe, she holstered her Glock then picked up her cannon and shotgun and holstered the two weapons. She made a mental note to tell Tank the cannon was too heavy to control. Although she had practiced every day, the kick was horrendous when in motion, but she didn’t believe he designed it for the way she used it. It wasn’t meant to be slung around and literally used one-handedly in a firefight.

“What’s your name, baby girl?” Jasmine asked.

“Sara.”

“Let’s wait a moment, Sara,” Jasmine answered. She then reloaded her Glocks, and then her shotgun. She’d have to wait to load the cannon.

“Are you a real gypsy?” Sara asked. When Jasmine nodded, Sara continued, “You don’t act like a gypsy.”

“What do I act like?” Jasmine asked with a chuckle. She loved the reputation. Nearing the beginning of the twenty-second century and people still held ancient notions of what gypsies were like.

“I don’t know,” Sara answered. “But I’m glad you’re here.”

Jasmine hugged her again and then gently led Sara to walk behind her. They started in the direction where the women were kept and the other building her parents should be.

Sara stopped and looked at the building. “They keep the women in cages,” Sara said, looking at the door. “Most of them are hurt. The men beat them.”

“Let’s get your mother first,” Jasmine said in a tone that she hoped would help calm Sara, as well as her own rising anger. She’d be sure to kill every man in the camp and set the women free.

When they came around the building, Jasmine stopped. Something didn’t feel right. She shoved Sara against the building and covered her as two men dropped down on them from the roof. Jasmine slammed her palm in the nose of the first man, breaking it, dropping him to the ground in agony. The second one managed to grab Jasmine by the throat, choking her. She brought her knee up and slammed it into his groin but the kick didn’t faze him and he punched Jasmine in the face.

Jasmine saw a bright flash from the punch and fell back against the building and as the man drew back to punch her again, Jasmine desperately groped for her gun but found the knife instead. She slammed it into his forehead. When he fell back, Jasmine pulled her Glock and shot him between the eyes just beneath the knife.

Jasmine dropped to her knees. The pain was excruciating and she wondered if he broke her jaw. The first man moaned and began to sit up. Jasmine shot him.

Jasmine quickly turned to Sara and pulled her into her arms. “I’m so sorry you had to see that,” Jasmine soothed, gingerly rubbing her hand across Sara’s head as if smoothing down Sara’s hair. “Do you know if there are more men I need to worry about?”

Sara shook her head no.

“Walk behind me,” Jasmine said. They waked toward the back building. She saw the pistol in a split-second vision, pulled her Glock so quickly that Sara didn’t notice what was happening, and Jasmine shot the owner. After a beat, maybe two, the potential shooter fell out the window. “Any more?”

Sara shrugged. She was much too young and too frightened to know how many were at the camp.

Jasmine edged the door open.

Inside were Sara’s parents and brother, bound and gagged and sitting on the floor with their backs to each other. Both parents had been beaten, the son, about Jasmine’s age, even more so and looked to be unconscious.

Sara darted out from behind Jasmine to her mother and wrapped her arms around her, all the while screaming and sobbing.

Eyeing the father, Jasmine nodded, and the father replied by shifting his eyes to a door in the center of the room. Jasmine, with the speed of a frightened cat, pulled the cannon and fired her last round. The door and the room on the other side exploded. When the dust and debris settled, another guard lay in several pieces. Still clutched in his hand was an AK47. Damn it, Toby, Jasmine thought. I need to start using my senses…

Jasmine quickly untied the father, and while the father spun around to his wife, Jasmine untied Sara’s brother, and took in a quick gasp of air. She was stunned at how handsome the young man was. Even through bloodstains and bruises he was probably the most handsome man she had ever met. He had doe brown eyes that most women would kill for. Dooriya was right, Jasmine thought as the guy stood up slowly, and with much effort. Two inches taller than she was, Jasmine had to look up at him.

He tried to smile, but his busted lips made it difficult and painful. He then turned to his mother. She was hurt, but Jasmine didn’t believe it was serious. Jasmine then dropped her pack and removed her first aid kit. “I have a painkiller, that will help for a while at least,” Jasmine said, and then began examining her. “Looks like a little internal bruising but I think you’ll be okay.” While Jasmine shook out a pill the son handed her a canteen.

“I’m Eric,” Sara’s brother said. “I, I don’t know how to thank you. My father was on the menu tonight.”

“Jasmine,” Jasmine said with a nod while proffering her hand. While they shook hands, Jasmine, her eyes never leaving his, continued in an almost embarrassed fashion, “Is everyone else okay?” She’d have to give Dooriya hell whenever she next saw her. The last thing she needed was some love-struck guy.

“The name is Bill, Bill Cotter,” Bill said while nodding toward his wife, “This is my wife Evelyn and, yes, I believe we’re all okay, but we owe you our lives.”

Jasmine took a moment to clean the blood from Eric’s face, and then dabbed a salve on the cut beneath his gorgeous right eye. While lightly pinching the cut, she dabbed it with glue. “It’s a small laceration,” Jasmine said, smiling. “I’d be real surprised if it leaves a scar.” She shook out another painkiller into her palm and handed it to him.

“Thank you,” Eric said, “but I’m sure my dad could use it.”

Jasmine then turned and handed another to Bill. “These are fairly strong without any side affects. They’ll last twenty-four hours, hopefully long enough to get you to safety.”

After putting away her first aid kit, Jasmine loaded her last three shells into the cannon and returned it to her holster. She then pulled on her pack and, as she fastened it, she noticed Bill Cotter’s family was staring at her.

“Not much for words, I take it,” Bill said, holding back the slightest grin.

“What brings you here,” Evelyn asked.

“I’m on my way to Dallas and happened onto Toby… well… Toby happened on to me but he blinked, and then we were on our way to see Owen—“ Evelyn gasped. “No worries, I’m not one of his people. Anyway, I saw Sara and well, I had Toby bring me here.”

Jasmine turned, and started for the door, and as she reached it, Eric came up behind her. “I’d like to go with you.”

“And where am I going?”

“To release the women,” Eric answered.

Jasmine smiled. She had to admire his courage. It was obvious Eric never exercised a day in his life, and if it wasn’t for his good looks she didn’t think he’d ever have a date. Obviously meeting Eric was for other reasons that didn’t include a love affair. She nearly laughed and thought, Jim is safe for the moment. Other than those doe eyes there was nothing about Eric that attracted her.