The King of The Wastes

They were right behind us. I could see the dust they kicked up, an angry cloud that drew nearer as the sun scorched our escape. My brain was rattling around my skull as the our buggy screamed through the wastes, with nothing but a thin scarf filtering the dust from my face, and goggles protecting my tired eyes.

“Please dear God protect me in my hour of need,” Tony pleaded from the back seat, a loaded handgun between his knees.

“We need to go faster!” I shouted.

Omar slammed his fist into the steering wheel “Hadn’t thought of that!”

I slumped back into the passengers seat and loaded my gun, dropping bullets as my hands shook. I whispered a prayer to any god that would listen as the killers pulled behind us. They were on us now, their bloodthirsty screams breaking over the sound of the engines. A pop sounded as the first bullet slammed into the side of our car, a customized land cruiser with no roof. It was followed by ten more. Tony was screaming in the back, curled into the fetal position with his hands on his ears, his loaded handgun laying on the floor.

Omar glanced to his right, sizing up the nearest buggy. “Mikey they’re gonna board us! Mikey!” My heart skipped a beat. They weren’t going to kill us, they were going to take us for slaves. So far I’d been hidden in the passengers seat, but suddenly I popped over the side and took aim at the nearest thing I thought I could hit. A middle aged woman, hanging off the side of the buggy as it drove her close enough to jump into our cruiser. Her eyes went wide as she saw me, but it was too late. I squeezed two rounds into her chest, and she fell off the buggy immediately, spraying blood onto the sand. I watched as she helplessly slid under the tires of another buggy following close behind.

Omar made a sharp turn, causing me to fall from my seat. The bloodhounds followed.I grabbed the handgun that was lying on the floor and threw it onto Tony’s lap.

“Shoot somebody!” I roared. The bandits were trying a different strategy now, approaching from both sides at once. Fear seemed to leave my body, there was only time for survival. I popped over the side of the car again, firing at the driver of the buggy this time instead of the jumper. A lucky shot took off his hand, and the buggy went careening into the dunes. Tony wasn’t so lucky as the jumper was too close.The Jumper waited until the buggy was right next to us and then he made his move, leaping into the car and swinging a lead pipe. It took Tony hard, denting his skull with a thud.

Author's Note

Work in progress! Nowhere near done, just sharing what I have so far.