Technomancer 31: West

*Guns, blood, guts, gore, death.*

The crunch of gravel beat beneath the cries of weeping women. Laughter from the bandits flowed through the mayhem, a devastating tune rising and falling in loud bursts. The occasional scream pierced the chaos, sending a chill down Masa's spine. Silence followed, tinged with the scent of smoke and tobacco. Her senses threatened to overwhelm her, and she fought back the urge to hurl, but that wasn't the worst of it. Mattias stood before the fire barrel. A ghost, frequenting her nightmares from their time in Mexico after the bombs fell. His old Mexican army uniform replaced with newer gear in dusty brown, designed to blend into the Texas desert. He was a danger to her and her child. Had her prayers fallen on deaf ears? She sent up yet another begging to survive what was about to unfold while struggling against the zip tie binding her hands in front of her.

Miguel placed his hand on her shoulder and pushed her forward. He called out, his gruff voice bringing about a silence amidst the men. "I found this one trying to escape. Her partner got away with one of the SUVs."

Masa felt all their eyes on her, judging her and hungering for her blood.

Mattias and the other man faced her, their eyes glowing orange from the fire.

A scar covered the right side of Mattias' face, disfiguring his appearance. Combined with the light of the fire, images invaded her mind of the night he beat Leron. His control over the people of the Monterrey Group and his willingness to beat a young man without fear of repercussions. Mattias' eyes shot towards her and widened. Narrowing, they filled with hunger like a predator having found its desired prey.

Masa's heart raced, pounding so hard it threatened to explode from her chest. She shrank back into Miguel, placing her hands in front of her belly, determined to protect her child at any cost. She tried to run.

Miguel pulled her back and held her in place. "Stop it!" he hissed. "Running will only get you killed."

Masa stopped struggling and worked to steady her breathing, letting the zipties cut into her and using the agony to focus. She waited for Mattias to speak up and move in for the kill. But for some reason, he chose to remain silent. Beside him, the other man at the fire barrel was tiny by comparison, the top of his head resting just below Mattias' shoulder. Cigar smoke escaped from below his long moustache and swirled outward across his military fatigues. He was every bit the picture of the dictators she saw on the news when she was younger. He made Mattias look like a brute, his eyes filled with a near-wicked intelligence. I guess we know who is in charge. Is this the Don Eros Leron told us of?

The smaller man smiled, gesturing for Miguel to bring her closer. "Very good. You have been a most valuable ally, Mr Santos." He inhaled and let loose another cloud.

"Will I get my payment?" Miguel demanded, hesitating mere feet from his boss.

"Yes, certainly. Once we return to the bridge."

"Good." Miguel pushed her forward, and Don Eros closed the distance between them, laughing and tapping the ash free from his stogie. "Ah, my dear, you are quite the looker. It's too bad you're already taken. I would have loved to have you as my own." He brushed his hand along her cheek.

She spat at him.

Don Eros grimaced and slapped her, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket with his free hand and wiping the spit from the chest of his fatigues. He gripped it in his fist and glared at her. "Take her around the back and shoot her. In her current condition, she is no good to any of the men. Miguel, would you do the favour?"

Miguel's grip on her shoulder tightened. The pressure on her bruise increased to a throbbing ache. She winced, struggling to hold still. The child within her moved, bringing a small relief to the fear threatening to overwhelm her. They were both about to die.

"Wait!" Mattias cried. "I want her."

Don Eros raised his furry black eyebrow and turned back towards the barrel. "You will take her as your reward instead of payment?"

"Yes."

Don Eros grinned and returned towards the fire. "It's a deal. She's yours."

Mattias approached, passing by him. They exchanged a silent nod. The satisfied smirk on Mattias' face renewed her fear.

Masa began searching her thoughts. Her bound hands prevented her from doing anything, but she could still speak. And words carried their own power. They brought change in the hearts and minds of those who heard them. Leron had once taken down Mattias with his words alone. They were his greatest weapon, and he used them to their fullest. Gazing at the men, she frowned. They would not turn on their master and defend her, but perhaps, she could turn them against each other. "Don Eros?" she yelled.

The small man turned back from the flames.

"Mattias has a habit of double-crossing his allies and overthrowing those in charge of him."

Don Eros laughed. "No, no. Mattias will do whatever I want. You see, dear girl, I have ways of making sure my people obey me. I give them what they want, and if they don't behave, I remove body parts, don't I, Mattias?"

Mattias flinched, and Masa noticed he was missing three fingers on his left hand. He had already tried to double-cross Don Eros and been punished.

"But she is with child. You can't kill a woman with a child," argued Miguel.

"I don't see why not? It's not one of ours," said Don Eros.

"But..."

"Shall I have Juan remove your fingers?"

"No, please," Miguel begged.

A young man came rushing past them on a horse. It danced about as he slowed and stopped. "We've located the missing people."

"Oh?" asked Don Eros.

Masa's heart sank. Had they discovered those who escaped toward I-35?

"The men have them rounded up south of here. Do you want to handle it personally or give the order for execution?"

"Mattias can handle things here," Don Eros said. "I will come. We are still searching for the woman who led the attack. If she is with them, I want to take care of her." He turned to Mattias and began handing out instructions. The young man on the horse rode out of the settlement as fast as he came in.

Masa felt something long and sharp slip into her boot. "It's a knife. Don't let on," Miguel whispered in her ear. "I only wanted to get paid and live comfortably. I have no intention of killing a child. You were supposed to be taken back with the other women."

"Make sure she is dead when I return. Finish clearing the settlement and collect the injured," Don Eros finished.

"I will."

"Come with me!" Don Eros yelled towards the nearby men. He ran towards one of the SUVs with a few of his men in tow and disappeared with a rumble, the other vehicles following close behind.

Silence fell once again in the settlement as the vehicles disappeared across the grass and into the darkness. Her attempt to turn Don Eros against Mattias had failed, and the leader of the bandits had left her in the hands of her worst enemy. The panic rose within her once more. Mattias stared at her, his face rife with his intentions. He strode towards her.

Miguel stood in front of her, pulling his gun.

"Is there a problem?" Mattias asked, stopping feet from them.

"Don't you see she's with child? If you kill her, it will die with her. Put her with the other women, and we can dispose of her later."

"Go search the settlement for the injured," Mattias hissed.

"But..."

"I don't mind removing fingers either. The Don wants her dead, and I intend to follow through with it." Mattias lurched toward him, and Miguel ran. Mattias laughed for a time along with the remaining men in the settlement. When he was done, he turned his gaze on her. "Is that brat Richards'?".

Masa backed away, not answering. She tried to decide if she could outrun him. Not with that gun.

Mattias laughed heartily. "It is, isn't it? So he did take you after all. He kept watching you and never let you out of his sight. Pitting you two against each other was by far the most entertaining thing I've enjoyed since the end of the world."

Swallowing back her fear, Masa fought to stay calm and to buy herself more time. "H...how did you survive? We left you tied up in the desert." She continued backing away.

His brow creased as his countenance darkened. He moved about her, a predator circling. "Your precious Manuel must have forgotten. Some of the men were out on patrol when you and Richards attacked me. They waited while you played your pathetic little council game and freed me when you were gone." He grinned, wrapping his arma around her and kissing down the side of her neck. The urge to hurl threatened to overwhelm her. His lips brushed against her ear. "So, did you fall over willingly for Richards, or did you make him work for it?"

"That's none of your business," she yelled, pulling away. A long-forgotten memory entered her mind. She gasped as it resurfaced, trying to return it to its cage. Monterrey. Leron had left her in the basement of one of the ruined buildings and gone with others in search of food. She was sleeping from her long journey through the mountains when Mattias materialised out of the darkness, hovering over her and breathing heavily with a knife in his hand. No one stands up to me and gets away with it, he had whispered in her ear, holding the knife to her throat. She shivered. It was lucky, she slept with her gun. She pulled it on him and pressed it into his abdomen. He had run like a scared girl.

"We'll see about that. You don't have your gun this time."

Masa backed away and ran, desperately trying to free her hands.

Mattias caught the sleeve of her dress, pulling her back towards him. He grasped her hair and smelled it. "Mmm... you're so enticing." He ran his finger alongside her cheek.

She turned and bit it.

He cried out and threw her to the ground. Standing over her, he threw a punch. It connected with her chin. Pain. The world spun. The fire spinning around her, Mattias' distorted face, joining the mix in a whirlwind of colours. She could not make out anything other than the growing agony, spreading across her body, exploding in places like lightning strikes.

Mattias took hold of her dress and pulled her to face him. Her vision blurred and she could barely make out his face. "Where is he?"

"Somewhere you'll never get to him," Masa hissed and laughed. She spat out the blood in his face.

He glared at her and threw her back to the ground. He began beating and kicking her again. This time, she curled into a ball, trying to protect her child and face from his attacks. Her thoughts finally cleared, and she remembered the knife. She reached towards it, took hold of its hilt and slashed him across the throat. He collapsed on top of her, blood covering everything. Gunfire. The world spun again, and everything went black.

Flash.

Pain. It felt like her insides were being torn apart. Felipe shifted Mattias' body from on top of her. He began checking her. Her mother appeared shortly after; she felt her touch and saw the look of fear as her hand came away covered in blood. "It's okay, Mama. It's not mine," she croaked and winced from the agony. The world was spinning around her, and she struggled to focus. The smoke drifted in a fascinating swirl towards the sky, and the sound of gunshots became the ticking of a clock. Why weren't her prayers answered? What of her child....? Everything went black.

Flash.

Softness caressed her back. She hurt everywhere. Her vision cleared long enough to make out the padded grey roof of a vehicles interior. Her mother's worried face stared at the window, her hands stroking her hair. Outside, the concrete pillars of I-35 drift by one of the other as they caught the light of the vehicles behind them. The stinging in her abdomen continued to throb, her face felt swollen, and she could taste blood. Was the baby okay? Hot tears escaped her eyes and drifted down her cheeks. She tried to speak, but her face was too swollen.

Her mother looked down at her and smiled with knowing eyes. "Loretta says the baby appears fine. You're going to be okay. Sleep."

How had she known?

Her mother began singing Estrelita, and Masa drifted off.

Flash.

The sharp pungent stench of grease brought her awake. Masa opened her eyes and saw her mother's mechanics shop. The members of the Monterrey group moved about. Cots had been built and set up against one wall where many of the women tended to the injured. Others moved about, loading sacks of grain and more into trailers, and others listened to her mother bark orders while working on the vehicles.

A sharp pain from her hand felt fresh compared to her remaining wounds and bruises. Her eyes drifted downwards. An IV was stuck into the back of her hand. She groaned, trying to stretch her stiff muscles, but struggled to move. Everything still hurt. She was hungry and thirsty, and her head ached.

Loretta appeared beside her, checking the IV. "Oh, good. You're awake." Masa felt the woman’s hand enclose hers. "Keep resting. We will be headed west once we have what we need. You'll have to wait for food. I'm not sure you can handle it yet."

Masa smiled and nodded.

"Do you have the coordinates? We need to get an idea of the distance," Loretta said. "I wouldn't ask, but it's urgent."

Masa cleared her burning throat. "Book in bag," she croaked. "Phone too. Leron."

Loretta nodded and disappeared, returning with her father's leather-bound journal and her phone.

"Is this it?"

Masa nodded. "Page 23." She saw the phone and whimpered. The screen was cracked; her only line of communication to her husband, gone. Tears escaped her eyes, and she tried to move to wipe them away, but it hurt too much to move.

Loretta wiped them with a cool cloth. "I'm sorry."

Her mother sat beside Loretta. "She's awake again?" she said, excitedly and paused. Her voice softened. "Why is she crying?"

"Her phone was destroyed."

Her mother brushed her hair. She smiled, "I'll drive back to San Antonio to meet with Father Ambrose once we get everyone to safety. He can find Leron. I know how important he is to you."

More tears came to her eyes. Tears of Joy. Her mother had offered to help reconnect her to Leron, despite her dislike for him. "Thanks," she whispered.

"And then we can start over out west and be a family. All four of us."

West. Masa smiled, her heart leaping for joy with excitement. If she weren't unable to move, she would have wrapped her mother in a hug. The child moved within her, and her worry gave way. She would still get to hold it. It was time for the fighting to end. The rhythm of her life had almost brought her to the point of death. Someone had once said, to live by the sword meant to die by it. Now that she was going to be a mother, dying away from her child terrified her. She wanted peace and to raise her family far away from the violence. Relaxing into the mattress, she closed her eyes once more. The morning would bring with it a new life.