Chapter 22: If You Want Peace

Ash stepped out of the van and admired the changes made to the gas station. Dunstan had arrived with Kiara, a small group of soldiers, and a few provisions a few hours earlier. Once everything had been unloaded from his van, Dunstan returned to fetch Ash, Sander, and the second shipment of soldiers and supplies. In that short period of time, Kiara had retrieved the supplies she had hidden in the ceiling and on the roof of the gas station. With the help of two men, water barrels were brought down into the main room and placed beside the other provisions.

The interior of the gas station had been completely transformed. The counter, behind which Ash had once hidden, had been turned into a kitchen prep station. The shelves behind the counter, which had long been empty, were replenished with cans and jars of preserves. Bags of mesquite flour rested atop wooden crates and waited to be made into bread dough. One of the soldiers was finishing the construction of a makeshift oven over their old fire pit. Another man began to stockpile firewood for cooking.

“Not bad, eh?” Kiara said, welcoming Ash to her combat headquarters. She led him into the backroom, where Ash had lingering memories of the three dead men he and his companions had killed. Kiara flipped open one of the metal locker lids and pulled out a rifle. “Scarlett was true to her word,” Kiara said, admiring the weapon before placing it back into its container. “That crate over there is full of grenades. She gave us a six-shooter, as promised, and even tossed in a bonus thumper.” Kiara sat on one of the crates. Her face radiated triumph.

“You think we’re going to win this battle?” Ash asked, looking at the weapons and thinking about how little they meant without trained men behind them. Kiara had handpicked her crew, but Ash had only vaguely trusted her process. Over the last week, she seemed to accept anyone willing to fight. She wanted numbers over skill.

“Think? I know we’re going to win,” Kiara replied.

Garrick entered the backroom, his body fully strapped with bullet-proof armour -- all of it was his own equipment. Beside him stood Chance, one of his mercenary buddies. Kiara had leapt at the opportunity to bring another well-trained soldier in her army. Together, the two men would lead the charge into the compound. The success of the entire operation rested on their shoulders.

“Kiara, that’s the last of the men. Chance and I have the Spearhead ready to go on your lead.”

“Spearhead?” Ash asked.

“Our high-octane battering ram,” Chance said with a sinister smirk. “Who’s this guy anyway?”

“Casper Brakes,” Kiara said, rising from her seat. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. None of us would be. Saved my skin in this very gas station.”

Chance huffed in disbelief. “So, if this fails, it’s on him, right?” He winked at Ash.

Ash felt his stomach crawl with personal disgust. He did not like Chance.

“If it fails, it’ll be on you two,” Kiara replied. “You’re the most important part of this attack. If you do your part, you’ll draw the compound to the front and allow me and a few others to slip through the back.”

“Yeah, yeah. And he’s part of your team, no doubt,” Chance said, sizing up Ash.

“That’s right,” Kiara affirmed with a nod. “Enough talk. We still have a lot of prep work before the assault tomorrow night.”

Ash followed the three of them outside. Men moved the boxes from the van, maneuvered them through the gas station, and placed them in the backroom. Others took some of the survival equipment and began to set camp around the gas station.

Garrick and Chance went to their vehicle to check its status. Dunstan refilled the machine with wheel-hooch. Ash noticed the cream-coloured station wagon resting among the other vehicles on the lot. Two sheets of welded metal reinforced the front of the vehicle with a heavy plough. The windshield, long destroyed, had three planks of wood in front of a metal mesh. Dunstan had made the upgrades himself. He promised that the vehicle would destroy anything it hits. The only question was a matter of speed. Luckily, the engine was the best Dunstan had at Invernstead.

“Spearhead!” Chance shouted back to Ash as he walked toward the station wagon. He slapped the hood with a rapid patter of his hands.

Kiara held Ash back with one hand on his shoulder. Ash turned to face her.

“Hey,” she said softly. “I just wanted to say thank you. Truly, if it wasn’t for you, none of this would be possible.” Her eyes seemed hold back tears. Ash couldn’t tell if those were happy tears.

Ash was about to reply when Sander approached behind them. “Camp looks great! In another two hours, everything should be set up. Then, we only need to wait for the hour.” Sander threw his arms over both of their necks. Once he had committed himself to risk, his spirits lifted. He held nothing back. He just wanted this battle to start. “People might be a little tense for a bit, but, hopefully, we won’t have any in-fighting or deserters.”

Kiara peeled Sander’s arm from her neck. Sander spun from them and stood before them.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been part of something this big. “Reminds me of my first year in this place,” Sander said with a wide smile. “I could never have guessed that I’d be so excited. Go in -- bang! -- clear out the compound, save the enslaved, split the spoils…”

“We’re not looting the compound,” Kiara said firmly.

“What? How are you going to pay all these people? They’ll need compensation. Sure, they have their reasons, but wealth is the universal reason. People will want their share of the spoil. Dunstan is only helping us to access their motorbikes and anything else that moves.”

Kiara sighed. She knew Sander had a point.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“I’ll worry about that after the battle.”

“It’ll be too late by then.” Sander warned. “Still, keep things quiet. If people hear about a lack of payment, we’ll have a rebellion on our hands. People need fair compensation.”

Kiara ignored his comments and scanned the mass of people.

“Right now, my concern is keeping these men and women fed. We have some hunters looking for pronghorn and a few others setting snares for rabbits. One guy scooped up a desert turtle and plans to make soup out of the poor beast.”

“Seems like we’ll be fine. Plus, we brought plenty with ourselves.”

“An army marches on its stomach,” Kiara said snidely.

“We aren’t marching -- Oop!” Sander’s expression changed in an instant. “I’ll leave you two alone.” He quickly pivoted on his heels and made his way to the main campsite to help others settle into their temporary quarters.

“What’s wrong with him?” Kiara asked, turning behind her.

Ash followed her gaze to see Scarlett and Smiles approach them.

“How’s the weather?” Smiles asked with a sneer. Since officially joining the combat group, Smiles lived up to his name. The idea of participating in all-out combat with life-or-death stakes tickled his sense of humour. He was glad to get his hands on a gun rather than relying on his broken body. Years of hand-to-hand combat as a cage fighter had worn him down. Ash had added a puckered wound in his neck with a splintered pool cue, but it hardly disfigured the older man. His body had already been ravaged by scars and made lean through hard living.

Kiara looked into the sky. Only a few whisps of clouds were visible. “The weather seems to be on our side,” she said, taking the question seriously.

“Nah!” Smiles dismissed Kiara’s comment. “Don’t care about the weather. I’m ready to fight now!”

“You’ll have your time,” Scar said in an unemotive voice. “And you, are you ready?”

“I am.” Kiara replied with a single serious nod.

“Good. I’ve thrown my lot with yours because I think this operation has a high chance of success. My squad has gathered. We’re doing a few practice drills before we breach tomorrow. You’ve picked a sorry lot for me to reform in a short period of time.”

“They’ll do what you tell them to,” Kiara said.

“We’ll see. Regardless, when the bullets start flying, I want every gang member dead. No one frees a single captive unless absolutely necessary. I want to process all survivors in the camp.”

“I won’t let a single gang member escape.”

“Good,” Scar said. She squinted her eyes and assessed the camp site from afar.

“As for the captives, you won’t get to kill a single one of them.”

“Wasn’t my plan,” Scar said, “although, if I see a few familiar faces, I might need to change plans.”

“You won’t kill a single one of them.”

“We’ll see,” said Scar, walking away from the conversation. “We’re not in opposition, girl.”

Ash felt a heavy slap on his back. Smiles struck him with the flat of his hand in rough affection. “Who would’ve thunk it? Ol’ Jack ‘Smiles’ Gadshill with Caz Brakes, fighting side-by-side. Better make your father proud.” Smiles laughed and followed Scar.

“He’s a mangy dog,” Kiara said to Ash. “A lapdog gone sour.”

“I really don’t understand those two,” Ash said. He wasn’t sure if he was responding to Kiara or just speaking his thoughts out loud.

“Forget them. I have something for you.” Kiara pulled a fresh packet of cigarettes from her jacket. “I plan to survive this ordeal, but, if not, it’ll be nice to have something fresh.” Ash felt his heart leap in his chest. He had been struggling in his attempt to go tobacco-free, sneaking cigarettes during breaks from his work with Simon, but he hadn’t managed to quit the habit.

“After this,” he said, “no more. Then I quit for real.”

He and Kiara walked away from the camp and up the dry slopes near the gas station. They sat on a clear patch of ground. Kiara handed him a cigarette. Ash lit hers before lighting his own. They both exhaled a plume of smoke.

“You should be proud of yourself,” Ash said, looking over the horizon. From their height and distance, the entire force seemed like a colony of ants roving over the dirt. “It takes a lot of coordination to make this happen.”

“Nothing has happened yet,” Kiara replied. With him, she decided to be honest. With him, she could share her worries and concerns. “This whole ordeal could backfire. All of us could end up dead, or worse.”

“Worse?”

“You have no idea what happened to me when I was in that camp. Those were terrible days. I had enough. That’s why I killed their leader. Slit his throat in the middle of the night and escaped at night. It might only be an hour or two drive by motorcycle, but it took me three days to walk from their camp to this gas station. Maybe, longer. I don’t remember. I walked as long as I could, trying to find a place to hide from anyone looking for me. I needed to escape. To find somewhere safe.”

“And you did,” Ash said.

“And I did.” Kiara placed her hand over his and squeezed it slightly.

Ash began to blush at the feeling. He pulled his hand away and adjusted the cigarette in his mouth. He was flustered by his emotions. Just a few nights ago, he had struggled with the realities of this world. He had wrestled with accepting this world as his own, of deciding whether this virtual landscape could be his new life. In the real world, life went on. His parents and siblings continued on their daily routines. He thought they might save their money to bring him back into the real world, but he had no confirmation. What if something happened to them? What if they decided to give up on him? What if they moved on? Or forgot? He would be stuck in this world for the rest of his conscious life. Sander had lived in this world for five years. What if Ash had another five years? Another ten? Had everyone forgotten about Sander? Would he stay here forever? Ash almost promised himself that, if returned home, he would find the money to pull Sander from this fake world and back into reality. Reality was better than fiction. It had to be, for its own sake.

But was it?

Ash thought about how much he had learned and grown in this world. It wasn’t real, but the changes to his sense of self were real. He had grown. He had become a new man. Plus, Casper Brakes seemed better than Ash Clearly in almost every regard. Sure, Caz had a troubled past, but the future felt bright. Aside from this tobacco habit, Ash felt more confident as Caz. He was stronger and faster. He seemed more attractive and more skilled. If Ash returned to the real world, who would he be? If he had his old body back, it would feel like a downgrade.

In this world, he had Sander and Kiara. He had community and responsibility. He had excitement and freedom in a way that seemed impossible in the real world. If reality confined him and fiction set him free, was not freedom better?

Perhaps it wasn’t the world, but the frame of mind. He could have taken risks in the real world. As far as he knew, permanent death might be true in the Wasteland. He had no way of knowing. Wasn’t it the same in the real world? He hadn’t died. He didn’t know what the afterlife, the real afterlife, looked like. He knew that when people died, they didn’t respawn somewhere else in his metropolis. Yet, maybe, they went to another place, another world -- perhaps better, perhaps worse. The only way to know would be to experience it. But death was scary. In this world, in this Wasteland, he could risk everything. He was risking his consciousness for digital phantoms. Despite this risk, he felt happy. He felt the risk was worth it.

Ash adjusted his cigarette. He looked at the camp below him. When he turned to face Kiara, they made eye contact. His heart fluttered. Reality or not, his feelings seemed real. Was he falling for Kiara? Or was it simply strange to spend so much time with a woman? He had never done so in the real world, except with the women in his family. School and work were segregated by gender.

Kiara said nothing.

Ash looked back at the camp.

“We should go back,” he said. He felt a ripple of confidence that he associated with his avatar. Ash appreciated the points he had put into charisma.

“Yeah,” Kiara said. Ash thought her words held a hint of disappointment. “We have a big day tomorrow.”

Ash snubbed his cigarette into the semi-arid ground and followed Kiara back to camp.