The Sheriff 3: A post-apocalyptic sci-fi western (Sheriff Duke) by M.R. Forbes

Author:M.R. Forbes [Forbes, M.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-01-10T16:00:00+00:00

29

Marcus

“We’re approaching Carcity now, sir,” Captain Schott said, glancing back over his shoulder at Marcus. A slightly overweight, older man with graying hair and a thick beard, the chopper pilot was a total contrast from Rogers in both his overall demeanor and willingness to talk.

After everything Marcus had been through since arriving in Sanisco, he was thankful for the quiet professionalism.

Marcus unstrapped himself from one of the two seats in the rear of the helicopter, getting to his feet and leaning out slightly through the open sides of the aircraft to get a better look at the landscape below. It took him a few seconds to spot the junkyard city. Its majority composition of rusted sheet metal blended with the drab browns of the arid ground it rested upon, helping to unintentionally camouflage it from the air.

He had been to Carcity with King once before, when he was nine years old. He still remembered the place, not so much for its unique anti-trife defensive structure, but rather for the way the mayor of the settlement had stared at him for the few minutes King had remained to demand fealty. He recalled how Pig had joked about the incestuous tendencies of the mayor, the comments generally in strong agreement for the way the man treated both his offspring and the people beneath him as a whole. There was one girl Marcus remembered distinctly from the other children. Casey. She had been pretty enough that even nine-year-old Marcus had noticed her, and the way the mayor’s hands had taken liberties with her during the interaction.

It made him sick to think about now.

“Bring us down close,” Marcus said to the pilot, leaning toward Schott’s shoulder so he could be heard. “Just ahead of the front gate.”

“Roger,” Schott replied.

The helicopter began to descend, dipping downward toward the small town. Marcus kept his eyes fixed to it, searching for signs of activity. He spotted a couple of people near the center of the settlement as they disappeared into the side of an old school bus. The only other proof of occupation came from a fire burning a few hundred meters beyond the eastern walls. With his enhanced vision, Marcus was able to discern the shapes of human bodies inside the flames. It had to be the corpses of the raiders who had been sent to harass the town.

Carcity’s gate remained open as the chopper touched down in front of it. Marcus hopped out and began walking toward the opening, his hands draped close to the pair of plasma blasters he had taken from the Custodian’s portable armory in Sanisco. While he had traded his damaged combat armor for more typical clothing—a dark shirt, dark jeans, black boots and a worn leather jacket—he had bolstered his defenses with a bodysuit beneath, making himself more resistant to small arms fire. He had come here to talk to the residents, not kill them. He hoped it was protection he wouldn’t need.

Nobody came out to greet Marcus as he passed through the open gates.

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