If this was “more appropriate,” then I really didn’t want to see what was inappropriate.
“You kept the vest, I see,” I joked.
“Of course I did.” Natalie shook her head. “I don’t go anywhere without this thing. It’s been my signature look since I was a teenager. But enough about our fashion choices… Did you get the supplies?”
“I’ve got everything we could need right here in the bag,” I explained. “How about you?”
Without saying another word, Natalie made a sudden motion and then flipped a large gun attached to a strap around her body and into her hands.
I recognized it instantly as an AK-47. Its stock, handguard, and pistol grip were made out of wood that was surprisingly still sturdy, considering the condition of the rest of the world, but then again, AKs were known for being indestructible.
“You tell me,” Natalie teased as she looked the gun over. “This thing may be old as shit, but it’ll get the job done.”
“That’s funny,” I mused, “because from where I come from, that’s one of the models, some armies still use.”
“Seriously?” the blonde woman questioned. “I just assumed you came from the same time period as me, just on a different timeline.”
“What year is it here?” I questioned.
“We quit counting a few years after Doomsday,” Natalie explained nonchalantly. “What year is it where you’re from?”
“Two-thousand and twenty,” I admitted with a shrug. “Karla said this timeline and dimension was just a few months ahead of mine.”
“Huh.” Natalie grinned. “I wonder how old you are in this universe?”
“In this universe, I’m probably dead,” I laughed. “If I even exist in this universe. The people who sent me here really didn’t explain the whole ‘parallel universe’ concept very well.”
“That’s a shame,” Natalie chuckled as she threw the AK back over her shoulder. “Because I have a million questions I want to ask.”
“And I have approximately zero answers,” I sighed.
Then Natalie pulled the backpack over her shoulder, unzipped it, and produced a black Beretta M9. She flipped the gun in her hands so she was holding it by the barrel and held it out for me to take.
“For you.” She nodded. “I figured I’d start you out small, and then we’ll see what you can handle from there.”
“Wow,” I teased as I took the pistol from her, “you are aware I was the one who fought off all the mutants with the minigun, right?”
“I am.” Natalie shrugged. “But it is much easier to kill your targets when they’re huddled into a crowd, and with a gun that fires six-thousand rounds per minute. That isn’t always going to be the case, Hunter.”
“I know that,” I admitted. “I’m just saying you should have a little more faith in me. I used to go to the firing range back home all the time, so I kinda know my way around a pistol.”
“A firing range?” the blonde woman questioned.
“Oh… I guess you probably don’t have too many of those out here, huh?” I laughed awkwardly. “It’s a place where people can go to test out all sorts of guns on stationary, non-living targets.”
Suddenly, Natalie burst out laughing.
“You’re pulling my chain, right?” she guffawed. “What good does that do you? How many enemies do you have who just stand there motionless and let you shoot at them?”
“It’s better than nothing,” I argued.
Natalie recomposed herself and then nodded.
“I’ll give you that,” the blonde woman relented. “If we come across any stationary targets, I’ll let you handle them. You’re the expert, after all.”
Were my ears deceiving me, or was Natalie… flirting with me?
“Will do.” I saluted back to the Scavenger. “Though, I will admit, I usually only hit the outer edges of the outline… ”
“I suppose that’s good enough for now.” She shrugged. “Normally, I’d ask William and Harrison to come along, but I don’t think they’re going to be doing anybody any good in their current states of inebriation.”
I glanced over toward the roaring fire at the center of the camp and saw the distant outlines of the two loyal Scavengers. William and Harrison had locked arms and were stumbling around as they tried to dance and sing a merry song.
Yeah… If this mission required stealth, they probably weren’t the right ones to bring along.
“You sure?” I chuckled softly. “They’d definitely help lighten the mood.”
“They’d get in the way,” Natalie stated matter-of-factly. “Even if they somehow were sobered up by morning, they’d be far too hungover to be of any benefit. As much as I hate to go off with just the two of us, it’ll have to do for now.”
“Did you snatch up anything else from the armory?” I questioned. “Or do you think this is all we can carry?”
“This will be important.” Natalie rustled around inside of the backpack and then came back up with a small black leather holster covered with metal studs. “Here.”
I took the holster from the Scavenger, fastened the clips to my waistband, and then slid the Beretta inside.
“Is there anything else that you-” I began, but Natalie cut me off with the wave of her hand.
“I picked up another pistol and holster for myself,” the blonde woman explained, “but, other than that, it’s all ammo. I wasn’t sure what you could handle, so I just stuck with the Beretta.”
“Can’t we just go back and grab a shotgun or another AK or something?” I questioned.
“No time.” Natalie shook her head. “How did you do on supplies?”
“Just call me Survivorman,” I chuckled and patted the bag. “Because the things in this bag are going to help us through whatever we run into out there in the wilderness.”
“Then we should be on our ways.” Natalie nodded firmly. “The night is young, and we still need a vehicle.”
The Scavenger tossed the bag onto her back and then headed toward the far end of the encampment. When we finally got to the pier where the nautical transport was located, she threw up her hand and silently ordered me to stop.
In the moonlight, I could see there were two men stationed at the edge of the boat’s stern. Both of them were dressed in long black trench coats and brandished shotguns in their arms, and more importantly, they both looked like dudes we didn’t want to be messing with.
This might not be as easy as I had hoped.
Chapter 9
“What do we do here?” I questioned under my breath. “Should we try to sneak out into the water and swim around them?”
“Swim?” Natalie gasped. “In this lake? Do you have any idea what sort of mutated, horrific creatures live down in its depths? They make the Rubberfaces look tame by comparison.”
“Okayyyyy… ” I noted. “Then do we try to knock them out?”
“Just follow my lead.” The blonde woman rolled her eyes. “And let me do the talking. I don’t even know if those guys know who you are yet.”
The Scavenger woman stood from our hiding spot, brushed herself off, and then marched toward the pier.
I was right behind her, but my heart was hammering in my chest as we approached the two men and their deadly weapons. Then I heard the shotgun rack, and I froze in place.
“Identify yourselves,” a cold, emotionless voice demanded.
“It’s just me.” Natalie raised both her hands into the air. “Natalie Carr.”
“And him?” the guard grunted and motioned toward me.
“This is Hunter,” she explained. “He’s the survivor I picked up in the Fallen Lands.”
The man on the left didn’t seem relieved to hear my identity.
“This guy, heh?” he slurred in a nasally voice, and I realized these guys were slightly drunk. “John was one of my best pals, you know… He died saving a punk like you?”