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Chapter 172: Building
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FLUX Chapter 173: Scope
Tom awoke the next morning to find the train car empty. And by empty, he really meant empty. There were no people and most of the crates and supplies that had been crammed on were gone. He sat up, looked across the car out the sides. People milled around. Metal frames with tires were starting to take form under their diligent fingers. He stood and stretched. His stomach rumbled. He found his bag and ate an MRE quickly before he found walked down the stairs.He spotted Ellie who was directing a man on how to fasten the frame together. She shot him a smile and pointed over her shoulder. His gaze followed the direction of her finger which landed on Brooke. She was attending to a wounded woman's arm. He strode up to them."Good morning," he said."Morning," the woman said."You should be resting," Brooke said without looking up."I feel rested," he said."All finished. You should be fine to use your arm in a few days. Just don't overdo it," Brooke said and sent the woman on her way.
FLUX Chapter 174: Night Car
Tom laced his fingers with Brooke's hand as they sat around with a ring of people. One man sat telling a story of the how he battled a giant cockroach in a tunnel beneath the base one day. It was hard to tell if it was completely made up or had a little basis in truth.Brooke leaned over to him. "Are you ready?" She whispered.He squeezed her hand. "Of course.""Els got us a good spot. Nice and quiet. Well, not for long," she purred.Tom was glad for the dim lighting. He could feel the heat flood to his face. He thought he would be over this by now, but the thought of both Ellie and Brooke together was making his imagination run wild.Brooke faked a yawn, then stood and headed off into the dark. She shot a glance back over at him and raised her eyebrows. He stretched and stood up. Only a few heads turned in his direction. He smiled and nodded then followed after Brooke. The house they chose was on the outskirts of the neighborhood. The railway lay stretching out back to the east.
FLUX Chapter 175: Drive
Four days after the attack, the survivors set out just after sunset. They hauled the injured onto the newly made carts made from pieces of wooden crates and solar panels as roofs. The carts held all of their unpacked supplies to conserve space. Men took turns pushing the carts forward across the broken road. The caravan moved slowly as they rolled past the solar towers littering the desert. Ahead, a city rose before them. They angled northward where wind turbines dotted the mountain ranges.They walked onward through the night breaking at midnight for a meal then continued forward. The people remained silent, only whispering quietly on occasion. On they walked. The scenery changed. The hills rose and fell with them. At last, the sun rose and they found themselves in the midst of a valley between the mountains. Golden beams of sunlight illuminated the forming clouds overhead. The sun was still behind the mountains but the light reflecting overhead seemed to lighten the mood."Where sh
FLUX Chapter 176: Nighttime Raid/Shots Fired
Alex dreamt of a fast-moving pod that twisted and turned through the udder blackness of the speedway tubes deep below the ocean. It zipped at blinding speeds. She braced herself as the pod grew ever stronger around her. Her stomach churned and roiled bringing her to life in the real world with real nausea. She wiggled herself free of Lexi and Jimmy, pulled herself to the edge of the bouncing cart, and somersaulted out. She ran to the edge of the road and wretched, then heaved, then wretched some more. Someone came up behind her and patted her on the back."Are you okay?" A deep voice asked. It had that familiar ring of Jack's voice in it, but not quite the same tone."I will be," she answered in a hoarse whisper.Jimmy pulled a canteen over his shoulder from the strap then opened it and handed it to her.She accepted and drank in little sips. "Pods used to make me sick when I was little.""It's not like they're going very fast, but they are pretty bumpy."Alex took a long drink t
FLUX Chapter 177: Safe Night, Part 1
Three days had passed since the last attack. Tom sat in the cart while the sun beat down. Weylin and Ellie sat behind him chattering back and forth in some language that seemed familiar but was full of technical terms. The desert rolled by under the hot clouds. The solar tower dotted plains turned into golden rolling hills. The suburban houses gave way to bigger buildings. Large buildings lay ahead, giving way to an even larger city. The approach made him nervous. Images of the last big city where him, Brooke, and Ellie had escaped popped in his head. He hoped no one would get their hands broken this time. He stayed hyper-vigilant while he scoped the horizon. He searched the tall buildings and the dark shadows they cast as the carts crept along.They drew closer to the city as the sun sunk behind orange clouds. Tom continued to sweep the edges of the scope's vision until he saw small figures. Upon closer inspection, he saw snipers on the rooftops. He blasted a sharp whistle with his
FLUX Chapter 178: Safe Night, Part 2
Jimmy nodded. The men before him parted. Jimmy waved at the caravan to follow. Tom pressed the forward button, but the cart didn't move. The shadows from the buildings blocked the sun enough to keep them from getting charged. The other carts had the same problem. People scurried out and started pushing. Tom steered as the cart moved forward again.The white-eyed men walked to either side of the group, watching them from the corners of their eyes, or so Tom assumed. Tom directed the cart after Jimmy, who followed the leader. Alex walked at Jimmy's shoulder, her pistol still pointed at the ground a meter ahead of her. A few blocks later, a garage door opened to allow entrance to the cavern. Candles lined the edges and torches lit the center. It looked to have been a shopping mall long ago.Once the cart was parked, Tom stepped out and joined Alex and Jimmy. Both their eyes were trained on the men at the edges surrounding their people."We're like fish," Alex whispered."I'm well awar
FLUX Chapter 179: Loss
Alex slurped the rest of her soup and set her bowl down in front of her. Lexi already finished and was sitting quietly watching the people around them. Jimmy sat across from them looking grumpy while he ate. Seana sat at his elbow carrying on about how hot it had been that day.Jimmy's eyes lifted to Alex's as he listened to Seana. His eyes squinted like he had a headache. He cut Seana off and glared at Alex. "Hey hybrid, why don't you get a haircut? I'm sick of looking at you. You look like we pulled you out of a dumpster.""You kind of did," Alex said quietly.He furrowed his brow. "If you won't, then put your hat back on. You're making me depressed."Alex rolled her eyes and caught Lexi doing the same. She smiled as she looked over to her. Lexi's own blonde hair was growing out at the roots, giving her a two-toned look. Alex flipped out her knife and handed it to Lexi. "Would you like to do the honors?"Lexi lifted her navy blue eyes to her, reading her expression, then smiled.
FLUX Chapter 180: Asked to Leave
Alex woke to find Jimmy's arms draped around her. Her head lay on his chest. He snored softly with his head resting on hers. A blanket had been draped across them. Lexi lay curled up next to them under another. Alex's arm still hurt. She took shallow breaths to keep from aggravating her lungs. She eased away from Jimmy slowly, careful not to wake him, then tucked the blanket back around him. She checked that Lexi was snug, too, then tiptoed through the carts heading for the restroom area.The caravan had quieted down. Whispered conversations filled the open room. A few slept, probably happy to sleep without the motion of the carts beneath them. After Alex found the restroom, she came up the stairs to find one of the scaled men waiting for her. It was the leader, Gregor."You need to leave," Gregor said pointedly.Alex pointed to herself. "Me? Just me?"He shook his head. "All of you. If what your people told me is true, then the Alpha's are coming here and they won't just pass us b
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