As Marcus runs down the last alleyway before reaching his shack, his mind is a cacophony of thoughts.
Mick and Alice are gone. While they weren't family, they were as close to family as Marcus could imagine. He knows that they wouldn't want him to cry for them, and to keep his head straight. After all there might be danger still lurking around. Even knowing that however, he can't stop the tears flowing down his face.
And what about the man he just killed not even 10 minutes ago? They were raiders that killed Alice, and were going to kill him, he should feel vindicated at avenging their victims. He should feel pride at this accomplishment.
Yet as he glances down at his body, covered in the blood and viscera of his victim, the sight and wretched stench makes him sick to his stomach. He can feel the bile and grub in his stomach turn and lurch at his throat, threatening to fly out.
He shakes his head. 'Now is not the time for this Marcus! Keep it together!' Marcus berates himself he keeps moving. He eventually gets to his shack, four walls and a roof made of scrap metal just big enough for him to stand and lay down in. The surroundings are surprisingly calm. A veritable shantey town of makeshift homes and sleeping hole's yet no signs of fighting, or fires. Then a thought occurs to him, of course they wouldn't be here. The raiders would prioritize the nicer part of town, even if they did come this way they wouldn't find much.
Marcus walks up to the right side of his shack then removes a sheet of metal. Crawling inside he sets Fang down, moves the flooring made of grass out of the way, and starts digging with his hands. After a minute or two of digging he spots his canvas sack he stashed.
Inside the sack is a hundred credits, and second set of clothes, a cloak, and a bottle of water. Marcus Strips down and uses the bottle of water, along with the sack to wipe the blood off of his hands, and face. He then puts on the new set of clothes and cloak. Marcus checks what's inside Alices, well his satchel.
Inside the satchel was the scope for Fang in it's box, two vacuum sealed bags labeled MRE, whatever that means, a compass, a pair of gloves, a ferrell rod for starting fires, two bottles of water, and a flask made out of a metal with a white tinge. The flask was cool to the touch, like it was just taken out of a freezer, yet it didn't freeze the other things in the satchel. Marcus decides not to open it, he'll ask Wolf about it later. He then picks up Fang and walks outside.
As Marcus steps outside, he notices two people waiting for him. It was the same two men who accosted him in the alleyway earlier in the afternoon.
"Whatd I'd tell ya Fred, I knew he's hiding somethin in that shack, we just kuddn find it."
When the two men start to walking towards him with a twisted smile on there faces, Marcus smirks. After what he just went through these two just looked like knuckleheads to him. Marcus points Fang at them.
"I've had a long day, as i'm sure everyone who is still alive here has. So how about you two walk away before I BLOW you away."
The two men pause, a frightened look on there face before one of them calms down.
"Don't try bluffin kid, yous don't know how to shoot that!" The man says with a confident look.
Marcus thinks back to what Alice did while they were both running to the south gate. Emulating here movements, Marcus shoulders the rifle, brings it to his cheeks, and wracking the lever, sending a round out the side.
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"Would you bet your life on that guess?"
"Eep!! Scatter Fred!!"
And with that said, the two goons ran in opposite directions. Marcus waits until he is sure they are gone, then he kneels down and picks up the ejected round off the floor. He looks at the round in his right hand, then at the rifle in his left, and finally pockets the round.
"Guess another thing to ask Wolf about is how to reload this thing."
Marcus turns around and starts heading north. As he leaves, a pair of eyes follow him from the shadows. Marcus's hairs stand on the back of his neck. He wheels around and looks at the shanty town behind him. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary Marcus shrugs and keeps walking.
About 15 minutes later he arrives at the north gate. The carnage of the raid is slowly being cleared by the survivors, two sets of bodies are being placed to the left side of the street, one set is respectfully placed in a line and has a few townsfolk crying over the various bodies. Marcus can see Tom and his family amongst the dead, as well as the other farm hands. The other set is a pile of bodies lit on fire, with a wheelbarrow to the side of it filled with weapons and gear stripped off them. To the right side is fifteen or so wounded being treated, some just have cuts, others a bullet wound, or broken limb.
All of these people Marcus recognizes, all of these people were quietly going about there day just a couple of hours ago, now more than half of them are dead. Marcus surely isn't the only one that is going to leave after this, and knowing the place he grew up in is going to become a ghost town makes him feel melancholic. Marcus finally spots a unique group of people just outside the gate.
They are all dressed similarly to Wolf with red scarfs around their necks, but they wore black coats with brass edges, with red berets on their heads. Compared to what he was used to, there clothes were all spotless. Marcus can see one man climbing out from under a truck after working on it, stand up, and brush himself off with not a single smudge, or stain on his clothes.
Other than their clothes, they are all carrying a variety of weapons. For firearms Marcus can see machine guns, rifles, smg's, and pistols all of various makes and models. Marcus even spots one woman holding a grenade launcher! Others seem to rely on melee weapons, like large blades, hammers, and axes. Why they would prefer melee weapons, and not guns Marcus wasn't sure.
The Red Scarfs have formed a perimeter around a convoy of 14 vehicles. Four large trucks that look like they can hold alot of people in them, four pickup trucks with large guns on the back of them, and six motorcycles. As Marcus was watching them all he spots Mick and Alice's bodies guarded by two men with rifles, Marcus starts to approach them, but is stopped by one of the mercs guarding the perimeter.
"Hold on their kid, you got business with us?"
"What are you doing with Mick and Alice?"
"You know them? Well, were taking them back to HQ for a proper burial."
"Can I see them?"
"No can do kid. Nobody but Red Scarfs in the perimeter."
"Why not?! They were my friends, and you won't even-"
"Its okay he's a New Blood."
Marcus turns to see Wolf, riding a motorcycle up behind them. The motorcycle looks like the others in the convoy but noticeably dirtier, and more beat up. All the mercs guarding the perimeter stands up ridgedly and puts their hands up against their foreheads, like they were keeping the sun from their eyes. The one Marcus was talking too then makes way to let Wolf and Marcus in. Marcus looks back at Wolf.
"Where'd you get the motorcycle?"
"This was Mick's bike, every Red Scarf vehicle has a tracker inside. Noticed a ping outside the south gate, so i thought i'd grab it."
"Ah, that's what me and Alice were going to escape on, I forgot to mention it."
Marcus and Wolf reached the two bodies. Alice's body is covered with a cloth up to her neck. Micks body isn't as damaged. Even so, cuts, stab wounds, and bullet holes litter his body. Marcus can feel himself choking up, but he forces himself not to.
"By what we can tell Mick killed at least twenty raiders before going down, two of them like that big guy from earlier. He held on until we arrived, before succumbing to his wounds."
Wolf kneels down next to Micks body and places his hand on Micks shoulder. He then stands up and shouts.
"ONCE A RED SCARF!"
Marcus then hears the entire company yell out in reply.
"ALWAYS A RED SCARF!"
"Damn straight! I want everyone to load up and ready for departure in five minutes! Let's head home everyone!"
As Marcus watches as one hundred mercs move with a purpose and conviction he had never seen, he thinks about how the path he chose might be filled with misery and terror like Mick said. If given the offer again, he would make the same choice.