Chain Reaction (Rim Jumper Book 6) by Tim Rangnow

Author:Tim Rangnow [Rangnow, Tim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Vagabond Publishing
Published: 2022-09-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Kole raised a bandaged arm against the sudden wind that blew grit toward him when the dropship lifted from the planet with a strong burst from the thrusters. A spike of adrenaline shot through him when he realized one side of the building was entirely exposed. The opening was protected by a nearly invisible shimmering field of energy, though, which kept the oxygen from leaking out with the faint heat that had flowed out from the ship. He was shivering after only a few steps deeper into the building.

The hatch set into the floor of the small walled-off area was thrown open with a sudden bang, and Kole dropped into a crouch as he watched the dark opening warily. After several seconds, people began to climb out. There were four of them, slender men who looked malnourished under their filthy beige jumpsuits. Their left sleeves were slathered in something that left the material a rusty brown color, and Kole had a feeling they’d been “painted” with blood.

The men hurried toward Kole, and he breathed a sigh of relief that none of them looked familiar. That didn’t mean he hadn’t dragged them out of hiding to face justice at some point in the past, but it made the odds more favorable that he’d never met them before.

A boot kicked out against his shoulder, and the unexpected attack sent him sprawling onto his back. The attacker stood over him with a foot on his chest, while the other three looked around the interior of the building with growing confusion.

“There’s nothing here,” one of them said.

The man standing over Kole was angry. “They always drop supplies with the new blood. Always.”

“Yeah, but there’s nothing here,” the first one said again, waving his arms to indicate the empty building. He glanced toward Kole dismissively. “Only one scab, too. They usually leave at least three or four. Maybe that’s why there aren’t any supplies.”

The boot on his chest pressed down painfully as the man leaned over. “Where are the supplies, new blood?”

“They didn’t leave anything but me,” Kole said, wheezing as he tried to get air into his compressed lungs.

“See, I told you!” The first man gloated at being proven right, and the searchers converged around Kole. “It’s strange, though. How do they expect the scab to eat if they don’t leave him any supplies?”

Kole was starting to understand what was happening. On a normal prisoner drop, the shuttles must leave a crate of food for the new prisoners. The yearly supply drops would only include enough food for the prisoners already on the planet, and in Kole’s experience it would barely be enough for them to survive. These men were probably a sort of welcoming committee, assigned to steal the new supplies for whoever they worked for down in the Pit.

“They don’t like you much, do they?” the man with his boot on Kole’s chest said through a mocking smile. “You’re going to starve without food, and I’m not sharing any of mine.”

“Me, neither,” one of the others grumbled.

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