NOVEL NEXT CHAPTER 109: Day Six End
As the fight wound down, Atlas gave Snedlie the order to throw some buckets of clean water on the hippies to calm them down and also to remove some of the urine smell.
‘Nothing like a good dousing to shock them into being quiet,‘ thought Atlas.
The tense atmosphere created by the aftermath of the attack was punctuated by the sudden appearance of the Red Fairy in the night sky, her voice ringing out across the camp. Hovering high for all to see, the Red Fairy was a Tinkerbell of doom.
“Well, I hope you folks have had a good evening,” she began with a mischievous lilt. “We're almost at the end of the week. Remember, we want to see you at eight points tomorrow. If you don’t get there, you won’t like my surprises.”
The fairy’s eyes gleamed with playful menace as she added, “Who wants to watch a fun fairy wipe?”
‘What’s a fairy wipe?‘ That was the main question in the minds of people all over the wasteland.
In her typical unhelpful manner, the Red Fairy gave no explanation.
Clark and Atlas knew what it was. It was gruesome. And it was coming.
The leaderboard was projected into the air again.
---
‘‘LEADERBOARD‘‘
‘‘TOP 10 SETTLEMENTS‘‘
1. Portal Crushers: Atlas – 9.1 points
2. Canucks: Wayne – 6 points
3. Cell Block 21: Liam – 6 points
4. The Coven Clique: Emma – 6 points
5. Faith: Kumar – 6 points
6. Belief: Oliver – 6 points
7. Cocoon: Amelia – 5 points
8. America First: Jed – 6 points
9. Blackstrike: Noah – 6 points
10. Help Everyone: Sophia – 5 points
‘‘CURRENT 10 LOWEST RANKED SETTLEMENTS‘‘
10. Don’t Kill Us: Samuel – 4 points
9. Please Help: Joh – 4 points
8. We Need Food: Knop – 4 points
7. People Are Dying: Amilii – 4 points
6. Please Forgive Us: Hillary – 4 points
5. Earth Bring Us Home: Billy – 4 points
4. Please, Please, Please: Nobody – 4 points
3. We Demand to Go Home: The Group – 3 points
2. Where is the Government: Voters – 2 points
1. This is a Dream: Fhhyr1346‘d – 2 points
---
Atlas sat by the campfire, the flames casting shadows on the tense faces around him. Alexander poked at the fire.
“You think the Red Fairy’s bluffing?”
“Doesn’t feel like a bluff,” Amber muttered. “That Red Fairy loves chaos.”
John nodded. “What if it’s some crazy wipe mechanic? We might lose everything.”
Barbara frowned. “Should we hit another camp? Just to be safe?”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine,” Atlas said. “And we can’t risk overextending.”
‘I really could explain the way the wipe was going to work, since I’ve lived through this before. But the first wipe was a baptism of the soul for new settlements, and the Portal Crushers need it. Glad these guys aren’t drilling me for details.‘
“Either way, we better be ready,” Isabella added, gripping her sword hilt.
“Sooo, what did you guys think about Snedlie,” asked Atlas.
There was an uncomfortable silence.
John broke the silence first. “You did the right thing, Atlas. Ronald betrayed us.”
Atlas nodded firmly. “He had to be made an example of. No room for traitors.”
Amber shifted uncomfortably. “I just… I don’t know. Maybe a trial would’ve been better?”
Isabella shrugged. “No one wanted this, but it’s not our fault.”
---
‘‘FLASHBACK: Afternoon – Earth’s Children’s Camp‘‘
The hunting group had returned from the hunt to see an abandoned camp. Signs of violence were everywhere, from abandoned items to a splattering of spilled Soylent: Green.
When Clark saw the abandoned camp, he said, “I told you all that Atlas would come and enslave us.”
“Wow. You were right,” agreed the hunters.
As Clark and his hunting team prepared to leave the abandoned camp, they moved quickly and silently, knowing time was against them. The realization that Atlas had actually attacked the Earth Children’s Settlement was a good thing for Clark. He had tried to warn them, but they hadn’t listened. Now, there was no need to set up a coup, as he had already taken over the useful hunters.
“We can’t stay here,” Clark said, scanning the chaotic scene around them. “Atlas is a fascist dictator, and he’s not going to stop until he controls everything. He has no desire to coexist or save the people of Earth. We need to get out of here before he or the demon dogs find us.”
“That cave we found while hunting—it’s our best bet,” one of the hunters said urgently. “But it’s far, and the trek won’t be easy.”
“Distance is our friend right now,” Clark replied decisively. “The farther we are from this camp, the safer we’ll be. Once the demon dogs catch our scent, they won’t stop tracking us.”
‘Once we get far enough, we can travel by foot to another settlement the next day. The next settlement is roughly 50 kilometers away. If we rest tonight, we could get there tomorrow. Hopefully the location of the settlements hasn’t changed since the last time I was here.‘
“I’ve got some scent neutralizer left,” another team member offered, pulling out a small bottle.
“Perfect,” Clark nodded. “We’ll move through the streams to mask our trail, then use the neutralizer before we reach the cave. Stay close and stay quiet. We move now.”
The team set off, the tension palpable. Every rustle of leaves and snap of a twig heightened their senses. They knew they were being hunted—not just by the demon dogs, but by the man called Atlas.
—
****
Teeny tiny chapter…..the next one is coming in a few hours