Sooner Dead (Gamma World) - Mel Odom [53]
Pardot stomped up at that, but a glare from Stampede sent the man into clanking retreat.
“And there’s this.” Stampede handed DaBen an assault rifle, a pistol, and bandoliers of ammunition for both weapons. “I’m sorry we can’t do more.”
Tears glistened in the old man’s eyes. “You done enough, scout. It’ll be a long ride from here to Blossom Heat, but I’ll get these children there.”
Stampede smiled. “I know you will. When you get there, ask for Faust. Tell him Stampede and Hella sent you.”
“I’ll do that. If you don’t mind me asking, where are you headed?”
“Wherever that rock that came down last night ended up.”
A troubled expression appeared on DaBen’s features. “You’ll want to be careful over in that part of the mountains, then, my friend. I saw that rock come down. Looked like it landed in ’Chine territory.”
“That’s what I thought too. I hope we’re both wrong.” Stampede clapped the man on the shoulder. “Neither mischief nor murder, fellow traveler. May your ways only find mercy and mother’s milk on the trade roads.”
“I wish the same for you and yours, scout.” DaBen called the children to him then got them situated on the pack animal amid the rolls of food and water. He talked to them, already telling them stories as he led them back toward Blossom Heat. The two little girls waved to Daisy.
Riley joined Hella. “What is the ’Chine territory?”
Hella pulled herself up onto Daisy back and took up the reins. “A bad place to be. Let’s hope he’s wrong.”
CHAPTER 14
As they closed on the impact area, Hella surveyed the damage. The meteorite had come close enough to the ground on its trajectory to set the tops of trees on fire. Several of them had burned and blackened leaves and branches at the top.
She guided Daisy from the trade road and headed down toward the burn scar that ran in a straight line. The damage was only twenty meters across and grew steadily smaller.
“Whatever it was cooled as it went through the trees.” Hella ducked under a low-hanging branch. “Not completely but the damage is lessening.”
“Left plenty of sign for anyone that wanted to follow it.” Stampede sounded grouchy.
Hella knew part of her partner’s mood came from not being able to do more for DaBen and the three orphans the old man had taken on. If they reached Blossom Heat, Faust would take care of them. But Stampede and Hella wouldn’t know how that turned out for a long time. That was part of life on the road. So many events and incidents remained unknowable.
“Don’t tell me Pardot isn’t the only one convinced that we’re going to find this thing in one piece.” Hella guided Daisy around a thick tree where embers spilled down from coals still burning in the upper branches. Once she was away from the spill area, she took off her boonie hat and knocked the embers off the brim.
“You seen any fragments yet, Red?”
Hella didn’t think she had. “Might not know them if we did see them.”
“Out here? With all this rain? With all that heat?” Stampede snorted irritably. “We’d have found something. Since we haven’t found fragments, that means this thing has held together.”
“Did you see it come out of a ripple?”
“No.”
“Could be a satellite. Those things still fall now and again.” Hella guided Daisy to a parallel position beside the burn trail. They were into the wilderness again, and the going was slower despite Pardot’s wishes.
“Just got a head’s up from Riley.”
Two ATV motors revved behind Hella and briefly startled Daisy as two riders quickly caught up and passed them.
Hella grimaced in understanding and took a fresh grip on her rifle. “Pardot wanted to send his own scouts on ahead.”
“Yeah.”
“I guess he doesn’t care much about his scouts.”
“Riley wasn’t happy about doing it.”
Hella took a little comfort from that. At least Riley was getting trainable.
An hour farther on, the destruction got worse. The path narrowed to ten meters, and the trees