Sooner Dead (Gamma World) - Mel Odom [88]
“That little girl isn’t your problem. She isn’t our problem. There are some things we can’t do anything about.”
“You say that, but it seems to me you and Faust went out of your way to help another kid not so long ago.”
Stampede didn’t say anything for a while. “Get some sleep. We’re going to have a long day tomorrow, and when we head into the Amichi Mountains, we’re going to have to be at our best.”
Hella rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes. As wound up as she was, she expected sleep to come hard. Instead it came for her in a rush and carried her away almost at once.
For three days, Hella rode point on Daisy and almost grew bored. If it hadn’t been for Riley’s insistence that Colleen Trammell’s precog visions were coming faster and stronger, she would have thought they were wasting their time. Usually she thought that anyway despite Riley’s news.
She occupied some of her time hunting fresh meat for her and Stampede. Game was plentiful and she had a selection of deer, quail, squirrel, and rabbit. At least hunting gave her something to do that focused all of her attention for a time and she didn’t have to think about anything else.
Since the night in the tent, Colleen hadn’t gone out of her way to speak to Hella. The woman seemed happy to know that Stampede and Hella continued to guide them and didn’t want to jinx the arrangement. Or maybe the precog visions were taking their toll. Or maybe Pardot was watching her more closely. Hella had had to admit it could have been any of those things.
Scatter also kept his distance. The fractoid remained talkative to Pardot for the most part, but not anyone else. Scatter’s interest in the new world around him even seemed to wane.
On the next day, they cut an unmarked trail at the foothills of the Amichi Mountains.
When she saw the clearing snaking through the wilderness ahead of her in the early evening of the next day, Hella reined Daisy in. “Have Riley hold up his troops.” She formed a weapon of her right hand as she stepped down out of the saddle and told the mountain boomer to stay.
“What’s wrong?”
“I just cut a trail someone’s been using a lot lately. I’m going to give it a look.”
“I’m coming to you.”
Hella eased through the brush and stayed low. Her passage didn’t even disturb the foliage around her. Her rifle hung down her back, and she remained cognizant that a sniper up in the foothills could take her out in a heartbeat.
The narrow trail held tracks through the heart of it. Judging from the tread and wear, horses as well as motorcycles used the route regularly.
“Too far off the trade roads to be used by traders.” Stampede suddenly stood in the trees only a short distance away. He surveyed the hillside covered with trees and brush ahead of them.
“Not too far for highwaymen. They like little bolt holes like this to run to after they take out a caravan.” Hella tracked cardinals and bluebirds flying along the hillside in front of them. The birds were a good sign. They meant that no one lay in hiding in front of them. If someone were up there, all the birds would have left the immediate area.
“I know.” Stampede scratched the underside of his chin, and his ears twitched. “We make an attractive target.”
“Not to mention we’re practically delivering ourselves to their doorsteps if this is a run for highwaymen.”
“Riley says Colleen Trammel’s precog is pulling her straight through this.” Stampede scanned the surrounding countryside. “This is the easiest way of going. We know that.”
Hella nodded. “Have you ever heard of a precog having a vision of something happening then not living long enough to see it come true?”
“No.”
“Do you think it could happen?”
Stampede shifted his big rifle and kept it at the ready. “Anything can happen. We just need to make sure it doesn’t happen to us.”
“The trail goes up into the mountains along the same general route we’re taking.”
“I see that. Taking the