The Boy on the Bridge by Carey M. R

Author:Carey, M. R. [Carey, M. R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction / Science Fiction / Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic, Fiction / Science Fiction / Action & Adventure, Fiction / Dystopian, Fiction / Action & Adventure, Science Fiction, Horror
ISBN: 9780316300339
Amazon: 0316300330
Goodreads: 31554413
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2013-07-30T07:00:00+00:00

30

The land east of the A82 is rugged and broken, with a topography that changes from mile to mile. Rosie makes indifferent speed even with full daylight. As the sun drops and the shadows lengthen, she slows to a crawl.

The poker session is equally desultory. Brendan Lutes’ ghost hovers over it, making the usual raucous banter seem like a slap in his ectoplasmic face. Finally, the game dribbles to a halt.

McQueen strolls out to the mid-section to oil his gun. And to brood, something that he feels is best done alone. He is unused to giving way to his emotions, or at least—he corrects himself wryly—to being aware that he is doing it. It sits badly with him, like most things that have happened since Invercrae.

He admitted he was wrong to fire the flamethrower. The colonel had a chance to admit, in his turn, that—orders or no orders—McQueen pulled all their arses out of the fire. He didn’t do that. They could have met in the middle but they didn’t, so they have retired to their corners instead.

At some point, the bell is going to ring for round two.

In the meantime, they’ve got someone on their tail and McQueen knows in his gut that it’s the exact same bastards who killed Lutes. Said bastards have cars or—his best guess—bikes, and they know enough to stay out of the range of the infra-red scopes. Wouldn’t have been hard to slip down some back crack out here in the fucked-up wilderness and flank them. Find a good spot to dig in and wait for fireworks.

So leaving the road was pretty much the stupidest thing they could have done. It makes them a little bit harder to track, sure, but they’re the only thing moving out here so how hard can it be? And the slower they go, the more chance the Invercrae posse have to get ahead of them again.

Tonight, tomorrow or the next day—soon, anyway—they are going to find themselves in the middle of another surprise party, probably a lot wilder than the last one. When that happens, they’re going to need him. Need him on the big guns, up in the turret, laying down serious hurt. And he will do his duty, as per the oath he swore when he joined up. He’ll do whatever has to be done to keep them all alive.

Even if that means putting a bullet in the colonel’s head and assuming command himself.

While he is musing on these matters with the rifle completely disassembled, the Robot comes tripping through from the crew quarters, heading for the lab. McQueen snaps out a warning, but the kid steps nimbly between the components and the grease rags. Doesn’t touch a spring or a bolt. McQueen finds this irritating without being able to say why.

“This is delicate equipment,” he says sternly. “Each of these little bits and pieces has got a job to do, sunshine. Don’t mess them up.”

Greaves turns around and faces him. Well, that’s probably stretching it a little; the Robot keeps his eyes on the ground the way he always does.

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