Crystal escorted Tabs and Kyto next door into the council room. Spread across the large tabletop were a multitude of maps. It appeared they had a map for every area in the east, looking at the number that covered the table. Kyto looked on in awe at the maps, knowing how valuable they would be in the right hands. One of Crystal's trusted stood by the table and turned to look at them, signalling to Crystal. Crystal walked over to him, and they moved out of earshot to the far end of the room. Crystal came back a minute later, followed by the man.
“This is TJ,” Crystal said, introducing the man who glowered at them both. “He does not agree with me showing you the maps we have, but as I have reminded him, I am the boss, and it is my final decision, especially considering that you are family.”
TJ sighed, looking at Crystal, but did not respond.
“He hates my openness,” she said, smiling.
Kyto approached the table's edge and looked down at the maps. He scanned the details and discovered that they were currently in a town called Portsmouth. It was marked with a blue circle, and Kyto could see several other blue circles across the regions. He assumed they must be the locations they stayed in, considering their geographic location within each main region. He had never seen a complete map of the land before and could now understand the discussed east and west sides and the reason for the travel times considering the distances they covered. Also covering the maps were many red circles with figures written next to them. Some numbers have been altered and amended.
“What are the numbers for?” Kyto asked.
“Number of people,” TJ replied sharply. He did not look happy that Kyto was being allowed to see the information.
A golden circle was also annotated on the map, and Kyto could read the name of Wheeler and scribbled next to it was ‘Scarshot’. New Talisia was also clearly marked on the map; it had by far the largest population, with a figure of 7,800. It was marked in the north near an old city called Detroit. He supposed it made sense that New Talisia was so large, considering it was the trading capital of the East. He had heard that you could purchase anything there if you had the stacks. Most townships had between 70 and 150 people, although there were a couple of larger ones with figures between 300 and 400. A few black circles were also marked on the maps with no other details. Kyto did not push to ask what they meant.
“Have you ever been to New Talisia?” he asked Crystal.
“A couple of times, yes, but we never stay long; we only ever go when we need something specific, such as a truck or when we have issues with the radio, etc. They do not look kindly on raiders, and even though we try not to stand out every time we have been, the rumours soon start about who we are and what we do. The authorities up there think very poorly of raiders and have as much chance of locking you up as allowing you to trade, so it is always a fleeting visit, usually no more than a day at most,” she replied.
Kyto made a mental note of the maps as best he could, as it had been so long since he had last seen one. He was not surprised his directions had been off track. Virtually every road shown on the map was scrubbed through, he guessed, as they were unfit to travel. He could see why what on the map looked like a short journey to Scarshot could easily take two weeks, depending upon the weather and the available route. They would have to follow the river south to a place called Proctorville to be able to find a bridge that would allow them to cross the river and then head east and follow what looked like a main road in a loop towards the old city of Pittsburgh, but many of the sections of this road were crossed off.
"They are pretty amazing,” he said to TJ.
TJ did not respond and just continued to mark out a route and write notes on his pad.
Lars entered the room through the double doors as the four stood by the table. Kyto intently surveyed the details and pointed out areas he believed he had visited himself to Tabs. He was carrying the backpacks they had left in the trailer park.
Kyto looked up, noticing them. “How did you know?” he stammered.
“I mentioned it to Crystal.” Tabs said as Lars placed them both on the floor by the table.
“Thank you, Lars.” Tabs said to him.
He smiled and nodded his head at her.
“While I remember, here you go.” Crystal handed Kyto his multitool back and gave Tabs a proper knife, unlike the kitchen one she had brought from the house.
“Thank you. You said you had a radio, Crystal?” Kyto asked.
“Yeah, it is near the other wing where we set the mast up outside,” she responded then turned to Lars. “Lars, could you show Kyto the radio room, please?”
He again nodded and indicated for Kyto to follow him. Kyto could not move quickly, even though his legs were okay. The muscle movement and pain across his stomach made him take short steps only. Lars slowed his pace to allow Kyto to keep up with him as he followed him through the hospital corridors. Much of the building was not used at all, and where it was uninhabited, they had not bothered providing any lighting, and the halls were virtually pitch black. Lars seemed to have no trouble seeing where he was going, and thankfully, going at Kyto’s pace, he was not worried about bumping into anything in the near darkness.
They eventually reached another lit area and walked into a large room with a set of doors leading outside and large windows. Kyto watched the heavy snow falling as they entered. The temperature in the room was much colder than where they had been in the hospital, and he was glad he had the new jacket on. The giant radio was positioned on a crate at the end of the room with its cables and antennae running out of the doors to the large mast Kyto could see through the window. The mast must have stood nearly 50 feet high and was made from long wooden sections that seemed to slot into each other. It was being held upright by guy ropes, and the footprint it covered was significant. He slowly walked over to the radio. The operator sat at the radio, turned as they had entered, and gave Kyto a frowning look as Lars escorted him in. “Hey, Lars,” he said.
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Lars nodded and indicated towards Kyto.
“Hi, I am Kyto,” Kyto said to the raider.
“Drew,” he replied.
Kyto offered his hand, but the raider did not take it, ignoring him.
“I am guessing Crystal gave him permission,” Drew said.
Again, Lars just nodded at the man.
“Not much I can do about it then,” Drew stated, grunting.
Kyto looked over the radio; it was like one he had repaired previously, although it seemed a little more advanced with what appeared to be a more sophisticated tuning system. Looking at the frequency setting on the radio, he noted the value as he heard a message from the small speaker sitting on top of it. “Falcons, Hounds, Rippers, and Blood Fangs confirmed. Buyers on route. Expected start date in 20 days.” The message said.
From the information he had gleaned from Crystal earlier, Kyto assumed that the message was from Scarshot mentioning the expected start time for the auction. He looked around the radio, asking the operator several questions, and was intrigued by their mobile antennae setup. Still, the operator was unable to answer his questions with any knowledge. It seemed to Kyto that he just listened and passed messages on and did not have a technical understanding of how radios operated.
“Let’s head back. I will let Crystal know about the message,” Kyto said.
Lars nodded, and they slowly journeyed back to the council area. On returning to the council chamber, Kyto informed Crystal of the message he had heard over the radio.
“20 days to the start is cutting it fine. It will take us two days to clear down fully, and then, with the road journey, it will be nearly two weeks to reach Scarshot,” Crystal said. All the council members were in attendance now, and Crystal addressed her trusted.
“Let’s prepare the group to move. All teams are to pull back and prepare for the journey. Make them aware we are moving as a group and that no one is staying behind, so we need a complete close of the site,” she said.
Kyto walked over to the backpack that Lars had brought and opened the top of it, carefully removing his portable radio and placing it on the tabletop.
“What is that?” TJ asked, looking at the small gadget.
“It is his radio,” Tabs replied.
“Radio? That small,” TJ stated.
“Yeah, but it only receives. It does not transmit.” Kyto answered. He wound the handle before changing the frequency to that which he had noted from the radio room. The radio crackled to life, and the usual static and white noise came from it.
“Nice,” TJ said with the first sign of respect he had shown since they had arrived.
He left the radio on the table, and after about an hour, the same message he had heard in the radio room came through the speaker, confirming the news that he had passed on to Crystal.
The council members had all agreed to the plans, and the message was sent out across the group that they were to tear down. The whole area turned into a hive of activity, and both Tabs and Kyto were impressed with the efficiency and organisation shown by the members. Everything was slowly stripped from the building and carefully packed into crates and boxes before they were transferred into the vehicles the group owned. By the time it reached the end of the second day, you would not have thought that anyone had been staying there.
Tabs and Kyto were not involved in the clean-up, although Tabs had offered to help. Kyto was still in no fit state to be able to complete any physical labour due to his injuries. The swelling around his eye had begun to subside, and he could open his eye again slightly with continual application of the salve. His neck and abdomen were slowly healing. Tabs, even though she had been beaten, had no injuries that seemed to affect her ability to move, and Kyto had been amazed at how resilient she was. He knew she had been through beatings before, but it did not seem to have affected her physically. Kyto’s display had by the end of the second day begun to change colour again, slowly fading from the deep red to a lighter red colour where his worst injuries were, and he was grateful to have the opportunity to rest and recuperate while the raiders had been actively packing around the site. He still thought it would be a few weeks before his injuries subsided.
The following morning, both Tabs and Kyto were awoken by Crystal and told it was time to go. They walked out in front of the medical centre to see all the trucks waiting to go. The captives, as they were known, were being loaded into the back of two of them. This was the first time they had seen the prisoners, and compared to the slaves Kyto had seen at the factory, they all looked remarkably well-kept and even well-fed. They even had blankets around their shoulders, protecting them from the bitter winter cold. He could not stand watching them being loaded, though, and felt anger at their position, having to witness the scene unfold. One of the captives tried to make a run for it once they were led outside but only made it a dozen feet before being taken down by one of the raiders. The man was swiftly cudgelled, and his unconscious body was dragged to the back of one of the vehicles before he was unceremoniously dumped inside.
Kyto had grimaced as the scene unfolded and had to hold back from saying anything as they walked past the vehicle he was to ride in with Crystal and Tabs. It was a large vehicle with big, chunky wheels that looked too large for the frame of the vehicle. It had space for eight people but there were only five in total, the three of them, Lars and TJ. Lars was loading their backpacks into the rear of the vehicle's large open back. Kyto smiled at Lars, who gave him a greeting nod and then said, “Morning, TJ,” as they approached the vehicle.
TJ mumbled an incoherent response and climbed into the passenger seat. Crystal climbed into the driving seat, Tabs and Kyto were in the middle, and Lars climbed into the rear seat. They had not been paying attention previously, but the raiding group had several firearms. TJ always carried a pistol in a holster on his waist. He had seen a couple of rifles carried by others, and he now saw Lars with a gun. He had not seen one before and was intrigued as to what it was.
“What type of gun is that.” He asked Crystal.
“Pump action. It sprays buckshot when fired,” Crystal replied.
“Buckshot?” he questioned.
“Small pellets which cover a wide area.” She said, adjusting the seat in the vehicle. “Damn Lars, why, whenever you drive the truck, do you leave the seat like this.” Shuffling the seat forward so she could reach the vehicle's pedals. Lars just chuckled.
“Ok, TJ, are we ready?” she asked.
“Yep, all set. The last vehicle just flashed.” He replied, looking back down the line of trucks.
“Ok, let’s head out,” Crystal said. She whistled out the window and waved her hand; engines started, and the convoy moved off.