Righteous Sacrifice by Timothy Van Sickel

Author:Timothy Van Sickel [Van Sickel, Timothy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-12-17T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 23, Trading

McNally Bridge

10/9

A cold steady drizzle is coming down, not quite rain, too heavy to be called fog. A slight breeze along with the heavy dampness makes the fifty degree temperature feel much colder. Standing on the high bridge, five-hundred feet over the Stoneycreek river valley gives the whole scene an even more surreal atmosphere. The north end of the bridge where the road rises steadily to Richland is barely visible.

“Nine o’clock, General,” states Captain Devers, who is in charge of logistics for our militia. “Do you think they will show?”

“They’ll show,” says one of Colonel Fisher’s lieutenants. She is in charge of fuel supplies. “They contacted us, they need food more than we need fuel. They’ll show.”

Just then, the dim headlights of four vehicles appear out of the mist at the far end of the bridge. “Game on people,” I state. Our security detail goes into an even higher sense of awareness.

Two sets of lights head out onto the four lane bridge. They stop fifty feet from us, two vintage cars. Four gang bangers peel out of the lead car and set up their own security detail. They all have M16A2’s, so I know they have munitions and arms from the airport. But I am secure in knowing that every one of these punks has two rifles trained on them.

The bangers leader, Big Paulie, gets out of the trail car, with two aides. They walk towards us through the heavy mist. They stop in the middle of the wide bridge, twenty feet from us.

“So I gets to meet the gimp general,” states the large black man. “I heard a lot about you general. Thought it was all fairytale. But here you are, stump leg and everything. I hear you clubbed a man to death with one of those crutches. Hope you don’t mind if we talk from here.”

“You can stand where you are Paulie. I didn’t come here to kill you. If that was my intention you wouldn’t have made it onto the bridge. Herc, from Moxham, sends his regards.” This brings a bit of surprise to Paulie’s expression, throwing him a bit out of kilter. My man Herc, having killed Paulie’s brother right after the EMP attack.

I continue, “But, that’s all water under the bridge now. Your people says you want to trade with our people. What does a gang of thugs and hoodlums have that we might want?”

“I got a city full of stuff, dude!” Paulie exclaims. “I got shit you’re gonna need. First off, I got gas. Them farm trucks and tractors need fuel and I know the few stations out your way have gotta be about tapped. ‘Sides that I got other things too. Tires, oil, brakes. What else do you need? Whatever it is, I got it,” Paulie says confidently.

“But you ain’t got no food,” I state bluntly. “We can live without gas, you can’t live without food. You’re a murderer and a thug. We don’t need the things you’re offering.” I turn my back on him.

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