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Chapter 15 - Freedom Vs Motorbikes

Shortly after, the survivors split up into small groups. Kyle, Shawn, James and Moses head to the lighthouse while Sarah and Cassandra head out to search for water and Marcus and Margaret head out to rescue the twins' slaves. Back at the Luxor Hotel, the twins make an announcement to the Ravagers.

Magna: Boys, we got some trespassers on our turf! This train gang! This train gang is led by a man with a scar on his face.

Starr: A legend. The legend himself, Kyle Desipich!

Magna: So, here's the deal to you all. Whoever captures Kyle Desipich or one of his people alive and brings them to us, specifically a woman, will be rewarded handsomely. So get on your bikes, but don't attack the train directly. Wait until their out in the open.

Starr: The fuck y'all standing around for?! Get to it!

Marcus and Margaret are en-route to rescue the slaves. The two drive in silence.

Margaret: Why are we doin this, Marcus? So the twins have slaves; shouldn't mean we should give a shit.

Marcus: We should....

Margaret looks in the distance as Marcus gives a look of concern.

Margaret: What?

Marcus: You know what. You know I've been where you're at.

Margaret: I know....

Marcus: I know you're thinking about Joseph.....but these people, Margaret—

Margaret: Stop...okay?

Marcus: You know he was a religious man....and if he saw this, what these twins are doing to these people, he would've wanted to save them.

Margaret looks off.

Margaret: Marcus....just please. I'm not you, okay?

Marcus folds your lips.

Marcus: I'm still your brother....and I'm going to say it. You need to hear this. Those people....who...who hurt him...you need to forgive them.

Margaret turns and furrows her eyebrows.

Margaret: Forgive them? Like you "forgave" Selene after she killed Vivian?

Marcus sighs.

Marcus: I know....I'm guilty....

Margaret: You're saying if you could do things different, you would've spared her?

Marcus: No....she needed to pay for what she did....but...I'm just wishing it wasn't me that did it....you know I'm right. We have to do better than this. We can be.

Margaret sighs. Meanwhile, Sarah and Cassandra find an abandoned house across from the post.

Sarah: Well, this looks like a good spot.

Cassandra: Well, shit....We can see a lot from right here.

Sarah uses some binoculars to scope out the area of Vegas.

Cassandra: Well, I guess what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Dad said that a lot.

Cassandra coughs.

Sarah: You ever been?

Cassandra: No...but....Mom and Dad spent their honeymoon here.

Sarah laughs.

Sarah: You fucking serious?

Cassandra: Yeah....Dad had lost almost two thousand dollars....Mom was fucking pissed.

Sarah laughs.

Sarah: My Dad was in Vegas once, too....he told me once he needed to get a few drinks after Mom told him he was pregnant with Nathan, before....He got shit-faced pretty hard.

Cassandra laughs.

Cassandra: Now, that's funny.

Sarah: Wonder what this place looked at before the nukes.

Cassandra coughs.

Cassandra: Probably like a lot of lights...in the middle of the desert.

Cassandra coughs again.

Sarah: Hey, you alright?

Cassandra: Yeah...just all this goddamn sand. Can't wait to get the hell out of here.

Elsewhere, Kyle, Shawn, James and Moses finally approach the lighthouse.

James: This it?

Moses: Yep.

Shawn: How the fuck do we get up there?

Kyle, Shawn, James and Moses step onto the raft as Moses pulls the lever, pulling the raft up.

Kyle: This is your place?

Moses: Yep.

Shawn: What a fucking shithole....

Moses: What can I say? My butler's on vacation.

Moses walks over to a workbench.

Moses: It's not a complete shithole. Look, I've even got a workbench.

Kyle: Hmm...

Moses: You know; for eight years nobody would come here, save for the Ravagers.

Kyle looks at James.

James: So, Moses, what do you know of the antennas near this lighthouse?

Moses: It used to be a Comms center, before the War. The facility has been abandoned...I went there after the war to look to scavenge, but found nothing.

Shawn: Hmmm....Abandoned!

Kyle: Well, we spared you, so could you help us?

Moses: Of course. I will help.

Kyle: James, what are we looking for when we get down there?

James: We have to find the archive, should be near the command center. We have to look for shots taken after the nuking, starting with the year 2009.

Shawn: The year everything started.

Kyle: Let's do it, then.

Elsewhere in Vegas, Marcus and Margaret spy on a broken boat, where they spot Ravagers forcing slaves inside the boat.

Marcus: That's where they keep the slaves.....

Margaret: Yeah....looks like it.

Marcus: Okay....here's the plan; I'll go in and clear the place, free the slaves.

Margaret: What?

Marcus: Before you start giving me shit, I need you to give me some cover from her. You've got your sniper rifle, right?

Margaret holds up her sniper rifle.

Marcus: Good....Hey...we got this.

Margaret: Okay....be careful, big bro.

Marcus uses a zip line to repel down to the broken boat, managing to sneak into the broken boat. Meanwhile, Sarah and Cassandra are in their hideout, searching the area, before a sniper scope reflection is seen by Sarah.

Sarah: What the hell?!

Cassandra: Isn't Margaret with Marcus? Do we have a sniper on the crane?

Sarah: We don't! It's not ours!

Cassandra: Shit!

A fire is shot before Sarah and Cassandra duck down, taking sniper fire. Back at the lighthouse, Kyle, Shawn, James and Moses walk down to the bunker, searching for the maps. James searches for the breaker, before turning on the power.

Shawn: The power's out.

Kyle: Is there anything that we should worry about down here?

Moses: No infected or Skinners....there are crawlers, though.

Shawn: Crawlers?

Moses: Spider-like creatures that fear the light.

Kyle and Shawn share a look.

Kyle: Great.

Shawn: What's the play?

Kyle: Okay....James and I will go get the maps down there.

Kyle turns to Shawn.

Kyle: Shawn, you and Moses stay up here and keep the lights on. If these things fear the light, then it'll give us an advantage.

Moses: Sure. Be careful down there.

Kyle and James step onto the elevator as Moses presses onto a lever, lowering Kyle and James down to the lower levels. Cobwebs surround the area as Shawn uses a lighter to burn them away.

James: Big ass cobwebs, dude....

As the elevator reaches the lower floors, the crawlers, spider-like creatures dig into the sand as the lights turn on.

Kyle: These fucking things really are afraid of light...

As the elevator finally descends, Kyle and Shawn step out with their lights out. Meanwhile, Sarah and Cassandra continue taking sniper fire from the crane across from them.

Sarah: Son of a bitch!

Cassandra equips a sniper rifle and returns fire.

Cassandra: Shit! This sniper's a fucking pro!

On the broken boat, Marcus searches around for the slaves, finding them in the middle of the boat.

Marcus: Fuck....

Marcus spots several Ravagers socializing with each other.

Ravager: Four aces in one, motherfucker!

Slave: Please! I'm thirsty!

Ravager: Shut the fuck up!

One of the Ravagers throws a beer bottle at the Slaves cage. Marcus uses his knife and silenced gun to take out several of the Ravagers. Eventually, Marcus reaches a lever set up at the bridge of the broken ship. Marcus then quickly pulls on the lever, setting the slaves free.

Ravager: Shit! Who the fuck did that?!

Before the Ravagers can deal with the escaping slaves, Marcus opens fire onto the Ravagers while Margaret open fires with her sniper rifle. Eventually, the two siblings finish off the Ravagers while Sarah and Cassandra finally kill the sniper on the crane across from them. In the bunker, Kyle and James travel through the bunker, shining their light on the crawlers, burning them and at one point, allowing James to stab several crawlers in the heart.

James: Fuck! These things are persistent!

Kyle: You're telling me!

Kyle and James eventually reach the bunker command center, with James and Kyle looking over the maps starting with the year 2009 all the way to 2030.

Kyle: Shit...

James: Goddammit...find anything?

Kyle: No, you?

James: Goddammit! Fuck!

Kyle: Fuck....shit! There's gotta be something!

James: Wait, Kyle....I think I got it! This is it!

James pulls out a map, revealing highly radioactive areas.

James: Yes!

Kyle: This is it! Alright, let's get back to Shawn and Moses!

With the maps around James' waist, Kyle and Shawn prepare to head back when suddenly, James notices a door open. James then walks over and looks inside to find a decayed corpse of a woman sitting in a chair.

James: Kyle.....

Kyle: James....we don't have time for it! Come on!

Kyle and James then sprint back to the elevator, fighting through the crawlers with light or their weapon, eventually making it back up to the elevator. The elevator reaches the top, where they reunite with Shawn and Moses.

Shawn: Please tell me you guys got the maps!

James: Sure as shit do.

Moses: Then let's go! The power's starting to die down here!

With the power on limited energy, the lights start to flicker as Kyle, Shawn, James and Moses sprint to the main elevator and take it up to the entrance. Kyle, Shawn, James and Moses then exit the elevator.

Kyle: Let's get back to the train, then talk with the others. Come up with a plan.

Back at the Luxor Hotel, the twins are berating the Ravagers on their lacking of capturing or killing Kyle's crew.

Magna: Y'all some dumbass motherfuckers! Every last one of you!

Starr: Y'all let our best sniper get killed by these fuckers! Y'all lost a lot of our slaves! You better fix this shit and fast!

Magna: Y'all get on it! Make sure they don't fuck with anymore of our operations! Y'all got us?!

 The Ravagers nod. Magna eyes a young Caucasian-American girl with pink hair.

Magna: You! Betty! You killed anyone yet?

Betty: N-no.

Starr: Well, girl...

Starr hands Betty a revolver.

Starr: You start today.

 Later on, nightfall, in the small house, Kyle, Shawn, James, Sarah, Cassandra and Moses discuss the matter of escaping and the Ravagers.

Kyle: Okay, we have the maps. Now, we have find a way out of this place...and that's the hard part.

Shawn: The hard part is how the fuck do we get past these crazy biker twins and their gang.

Cassandra: We still need water, for the Myrmidon and the crew. Some of us are starting to get dehydrated.

Sarah: But we also need fuel....and the Ravagers have it all.

Cassandra: We could try negotiating with those twins...

Kyle: Absolutely not. Their terms are proven to be...unacceptable.

Moses: I know where you guys can get water. There is a well, east from here, but it is guarded. I've reconed the area and you can achieve your water stealthily.

Kyle: Alright, then that's our goal.

Kyle turns to Shawn.

Kyle: Shawn, you and I are going to achieve the water and bring it to the Myrmidon.

Moses: Kyle, if you can....the Ravagers that are guarding the well. They're young men and women there....teenagers...if you can, spare them. They're Ravagers....but they're new to the crew and scared kids....like me.

Kyle and Shawn stare at each other before back at Moses.

Kyle: If we can, we'll try.

Shawn: Alright. Let's get that water while it's dark, then.

Kyle: You read my mind.

After saying goodbye Sarah and Jenny goodbye, Kyle and Shawn head out and make their way to the well.

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