Knights of the Apocalypse (A Duck & Cover Adventure Post-Apocalyptic Series Book 2) (12 page)

“You’re kidding
me.”

“No. He also
ran the turkey leg hut, but mostly he played the king.”

Erica laughed
and it broke the frown on Brae’s face.

“So when the
world ended, they came out here and basically just kept it going.”

“Why here?”

“They always
spent their summer season in Colorado. That’s how they knew about the mine. And
if you’re going to be a king, you need gold, right? They settled in and
reopened the mines. Soon Elias had his own currency, his own economy and his
own honest to God kingdom. Make believe no more.”

“And everyone
was okay with this?”

Brae bobbed her
head. “About half. There was another king. He mostly worked the weekday shift
and wasn’t too big on losing his own fake crown.”

“What happened
to them?”

“He took his
crown and left. They started a kingdom to the south. That’s
who
the king was talking about. The princess is the other king’s daughter.”

“He actually
married off his daughter? Like the dark ages?”

Brae nodded.
“That’s how serious they take this.”
 

“So that’s why
Tommy does the accent.”

“No, he does
that because he’s an idiot.”

Erica laughed
and looked up at the buildings on the street. The banners flapped in the breeze
as far as she could see. The people’s clothes were so well kept they now
appeared like costumes. “This explains so much.”

“If you can
look past the pageantry,
it’s
really not that bad,”
Brae said. “He’s applied his turkey leg knowledge to an economy that works. He
was smart enough to lead everyone here, reopen the mines and keep things
running. So what if they like to have sword fights every now and then? It’s a
safe place.”

A group of
three women called to Brae from across the street. Each wore an expression of
disgust that looked as if they had spent an hour putting it on. Brae rushed
across the street and hugged each of them. Erica and Chewy crossed the street
behind as the women began talking.

“Yay,” the
tallest of the women said with no sign of actual joy. “A feast.”

A brunette in
the back of the group echoed the disappointment. “Yay. Can’t wait for that.
Bunch of drunken assholes.”

 
“So what?” Sandra, the tall one, said.
“Let them have their stupid party. We’ll have one of our own and we’ll have
ours first. We’ll be so hungover they won’t want to come near us.”

Brae proudly
introduced Erica to the group. “Girls, this is Jennifer. Jennifer, these are
the girls.”

They welcomed
her with smiles, hugs and compliments. She was gorgeous, they said. They loved
her hair. How did she keep it so beautiful in the wasteland? The kind words
were nice and Erica found herself liking these strangers. It was an odd feeling
to like strangers.

“So, it’s
decided,” Sandra wrapped up the conversation. “Go home and put on your best
dresses, girls, because tonight we’re going to party.”

There were more
hugs, more smiles and the group of women carried on their way.

“They seem
fun,” Erica said.

“They are the
best. You’re going to have so much fun tonight.”

“Oh, I don’t
think so,” Erica said.

“Don’t be
silly.”

Erica gave her
a playful pout. “What would I wear?”

“Not to worry.
I’ve got plenty of stuff back at my place that will fit you just fine.”

Erica smiled
her agreement. It had been an apocalypse since she had a girls’ night out. It
would do her some good to cut loose for once.

Brae smiled
back. “I have some things I have to do before tonight. Why don’t you take a
look around town and then meet me at my place.” Brae gave her the address and
walked away.

Erica shouted
after her. “Where should I go?”

“Why don’t you
pick out a house for you and … Mike.” Brae winked and hurried off.

ELEVEN

Their departure from Durango had been
delayed. Sir Dominic and three of the conscripts had gone to gather supplies
for the quest and, according to Sir Erik’s screaming, their tardiness had put
them behind schedule.

Jerry had envisioned a team of horses waiting
for them in Durango, as valiant steeds were the most appropriate mode of
transportation for rescuing a princess. He’d pictured the beasts draped in
purple and gold, of course, and chomping at the bit to begin the quest.

Oddly enough, this was the safest he’d ever
felt on a school bus. When did they get seat belts? Jerry remembered being
thrown from his seat every time his school bus went over a set of railroad
tracks. In fact, that was the game. This one had comfortable seats, safety
restraints and what looked like air-conditioning. In school, his bus had a
steel box and vent windows that opened from the top to ensure that there was
absolutely no relief from the heat.
 

Jerry held his hand up against the vent. Warm
air flowed around his fingers. The befuddlement must have shown on his face
because it drew Shane’s attention.

“Kids these days, right?” Shane said.

Jerry nodded. “They don’t know how easy
they’ve got it.”

“Not like when we were kids. We had it hard.”
He smiled.

Jerry chuckled and looked out the window. The
New Mexico desert just went on and on. The only color besides dehydrated brown
was the greenish blue of the Animas River that ran along highway 550 south of
Durango. Aside from that, there was nothing at all.

Though it called to millions before the end
of the world, Jerry never understood the draw of the desert. Others found it
magical and enchanting. Jerry found it hot and thirsty. And the idea of the
sand made him itch. It made sense for those with allergies or arthritis, but it
had never been for him. Even the river outside the bus wasn’t wet enough to ebb
the dryness that arose in his throat just thinking about it.

Rocks and sand rolled by and blurred into a
boring tapestry that stretched mile after mile as the highway ran straight
forever. Every time it curved he questioned it. Why bother? Maybe even the
engineers got bored and cranked the wheel on the steamroller just for kicks.

The rescue party had shrunk. The train had
been full of knights. Now it was just the four that had traveled in the car
with the conscripts and a fifth to drive the bus. The four were stationed at
each corner of the bus. The prince and his Dog sat three rows behind the front
guard. The contingent of conscripts sat in the back.

The men quickly grew tired of the scenery and
began to chat. The conversation was dominated by talk of Aztecs.
 

Jerry was content to sit in silence and let
the desert views put him to sleep. Considering the breakdown, the fight, his
arrest, the train ride, the other train ride and fighting off the raiders, it
had been a full day already.

“Have you ever seen an Aztec?” Shane asked to
ruin the silence.

Jerry shrugged. “I’ve never heard of one. But
I guess that doesn’t mean I haven’t seen one. Every region has its particular
names for nightmares.”

“I’ve never seen one either. But I heard one.
That was enough for me. It was when we first came out west. We’d come across 40
from Tennessee. We stopped for the night just off the road. It got so damn dark
you couldn’t see a thing. Hell, once I went to pee and couldn’t find the car.
If it hadn’t have been for Brae flashing the lights, I’d still be out here
hoping I didn’t blindly step in my own puddle.

“But we felt safe in the car. We’d spent more
than a couple of nights like that. We figured if I couldn’t find the car after
a pee, no one was going to be sneaking up on us.

“But that night there was something out
there. It shrieked and wailed like nothing I’d ever heard. And I use to play in
a hair metal tribute band.”

This made Jerry smile, but he refused to open
his eyes and hoped Shane would notice.

“But this was worse than teen angst and
frustrated hormones. It was—it was a human scream mixed with a monster’s.
Like the voice was trying to get away from something terrible but that
something was itself.” Shane looked out the window. “They came from everywhere.
Not all at once.
One in front of us.
One behind us.
Then off in the distance.
And then one so close you were afraid to open your eyes in case it was just
standing there.

“We didn’t sleep that night. When we got to
Five Peaks, they explained what they were—men and women driven mad by
something that blew in after the end of the world. No one knows what it was.
But the Aztecs can’t think. They can’t function. They can’t open a can of food.
So they eat whatever they see.”

“More cannibals? Do all the local monsters
eat each other?”

“No, this is worse.”

“There’s a worse way to be eaten by another
person?” Jerry asked. “Seems it ends badly no matter what.”

“The men in the mountains … they have enough
decency to kill you first. They’ll kill you, cook you … hell, they may even
bury what’s left, I don’t know. But you’ll get nothing like that from the
Aztecs. They’re less than primitive. The only fire they see is caused by
lightning or victims setting themselves on fire to avoid their fate. They’re
not going to put you in some giant headhunters pot. They’re just going to dig
in whether you’re ready for dinner or not. All they do is wail and eat.”
 

The brakes squealed like a gremlin in the
works as the bus slowed. The driver cranked the wheel and set the bus sideways
across the road before engaging the parking brake.

Jerry opened his eyes. “Why are we stopping?”

“This is the edge of the kingdom,” Shane
said. “It’s where the reign of the Five Peaks ends and the Desert Kingdom
begins.”
 

“Another kingdom?” Jerry looked out the
window. “Why isn’t there a guard?”

“They don’t need one.”

“Why not?”

Shane tapped on the window indicating a road
sign. The sun, sand and nuclear fallout had rusted a good portion of it, but it
still served its purpose. Jerry read the faded paint.
Welcome to Aztec.
6378 friendly people & 6 old soreheads.
“Cute.”

“Get up, peasants! It’s time to earn your
king’s respect.” The knights kicked the conscripts to the front of the bus and
shoved them out the door where they gathered on the asphalt. The air was dry
and bit at their skin with cold and sand.

The prince stepped to the door and spoke. “It
would normally be beneath me to wish people like you luck. But for the sake of
my princess and my kingdom, I must.
So … good luck.
I
hope most of you don’t get eaten.” The bus door swooshed shut and the prince
disappeared.

“That was kind of sweet,” Jerry said. “Don’t
you think?”

“Enough out of you,” Sir Dominic shouted as
he handed out the rusty weapons from the duffel bag.

The conscripts groaned. “These again?”

“You want to be citizens? You want to be
knights? You fight like a knight.” Sir Dom handed Jerry a machete as he
explained the plan. “Our sources say the kidnappers ran with the princess down
the Animas. In town, there is the perfect place for an ambush. You will hide
and wait for the kidnappers there. When they show up, you kill them. Then
rescue the princess.”

“In Aztec?” The conscript’s voice broke with
fear.

“Yeah, in Aztec,” Dominic answered as he
shoved an ax into the man’s hands.

“But there’re Aztecs in … Aztec.”

Sir Dominic got in the man’s face and
whispered, “So think about how the princess must feel. Why are you making this
all about you?”

“That’s enough crying,” Sir Erik interjected.
“Get her and bring her back here. If you don’t save her, you might as well stay
and let the beasts eat you.”

Jerry rolled his eyes and started toward the
town.

Shane followed closely behind while the others
considered their options. The bus door opened once more and the man in black
snarled at them all. They rushed to catch up to the two men.

The bus had stopped short of a collapsed
bridge. The entire span had fallen into a dry ravine and a suspension bridge of
questionable engineering had been put up in its place. The fall wasn’t but a
few feet because the desert was as flat as it was boring. But the chasm was
enough to stop a bus. Each man crossed the bridge with careful steps and
continued on down the road.

It wasn’t long before boredom drove some of
them to talk. “This isn’t worth it. It isn’t worth it.”

“Why did I volunteer for this?”

“At least you volunteered for this. I’m going
to get eaten for nothing.”

“I heard they
can’t
be killed by man.”

“I heard the same thing. We should have sent
the women.”

“That’s not what I meant. I meant they’re
immortal.”

“That’s just stupid.”

“It is not. It makes perfect sense if you
think about it.”

“They’re mutants. How could being turned into
a monster make you immortal?”

“They’re not mutants. They’re demons. Big
difference.”

Jerry sighed and quickened his pace. The
faster he walked, the less bickering he would hear.

Shane kept pace with him and didn’t speak
until Jerry asked him a question.

“What’s all this Aztec nonsense?”

“The town isn’t far from something called the
Aztec ruins. It used to be a national monument. Some people—like these
morons behind us—say the war disturbed the ruins and awoke ancient Aztec
demons and that the men and women in town became possessed. They say the spirit
finds you when you sleep and possesses you through your dreams. You experience
visions of rage and murder before it consumes your body leaving your spirit
intact and powerless. They say that’s why they wail like men but kill like
animals.”

“What do you think?” Jerry asked.

“I think people are stupid.”

“So you don’t believe it then?”

Shane shook his head.

“Why not?”

“The ruins are Pueblo. And I’m not an expert,
but I’m pretty sure there aren’t a lot of Aztec demons in a Pueblo site.”

Jerry laughed. “So why do they call them the
Aztec ruins?”

“Because people have been stupid for a really
long time. The end of the world didn’t change that.”

Jerry laughed and nodded.

Shane continued. “We were getting dumber by
the day towards the end there. I blame the rise of electric house music. I mean
,
people were paying concert prices to see a man operate a
computer. If you ask me, I’d say we were just begging for extinction.”
 

The sun set behind the city of Aztec half an
hour later. The group approached with complete silence and scanned the shadows
and the fading light looking for any sign of movement.
 

“Of course we’d have to go into the spooky
ghost town inhabited by cannibals at dusk,” Shane said. “What do we do now?”

“We wait in the spooky ghost town,” Jerry
said. “And we try to be as quiet as possible.”

The wailing began an hour later. The screams
were unlike any he had ever heard. He had to give Shane credit; the man had
described them perfectly. They were screams of torment and pain—human and
animal alike. The bulk of the group hid from the possibility of discovery in a
dilapidated restaurant across from the bridge while another two kept watch from
the shadows of the overpass.

“This isn’t worth it.” The youngest conscript
began to pace the room. “I’d rather be in the mines. The mines are better than
this.”

Shane snapped at him. “You can go if you
want. No one is keeping you here.”

A long wail from an unseen Aztec came from
somewhere nearby.

“They’re keeping me here,” the conscript
said. “You’re trying to get me killed.”

“Stay or go,” Shane said. “I don’t care what
you do as long as you shut up while you do it.”

Another conscript laughed.

“What’s so funny, Cody?” Shane asked.

“You, Shane. All of a sudden you’re a tough
guy. You’ve been in the mines for months. Hardly said a word to any of us. Now
you’re best buds with the new guy. Makes me think you think you’re too good for
us. Is that it, Shane? You too good for all of us?’

“Not all of you, Cody. Just you.”
 

A few of the conscripts snickered.

“I’m going to be really surprised if you make
it back to the castle alive, Shane,” Cody said. “But I’ll be sure to tell Brae
how brave you were while I console her.”

Shane was on him before anyone could react.
He’d struck Cody three times in the face before Jerry could pull him off.
Cody’s nose was bloodied but he was still smiling.