Contact

Whole New World
Chapter 4
Contact

Dano swung his legs off of the side of the bed, and was a tad shocked by the lack of pain in his right thigh. Well it did have two weeks to heal. Dano slid a bit off the bed so he could take off the gauze around his leg. Using his knife Dano removed the dressing quickly and looked at his recovering wound.

The bite had scabbed up rather nicely, and there were no signs of infection. Dano stood and put weight on the recovering limb. There was a little pain, but it was bearable. He moved around the small room to see if he could walk, and found out that he had a small limp. Dano sighed and stopped walking. He placed most of his weight on his good leg and looked at the bite. You scar up real nice now, so I can impress all the ladies. Dano chuckled to himself before getting dressed.

His jeans were a little stiff, and his boots a little crunchy, but after walking around a bit the blood caked clothes regained their former elasticity and sound. Dano ate a large breakfast of beans and water, then left the hospital again. He still had fifteen more tents to inspect.

As Dano walked from the hospital to the parking garage he thought about his latest dream. ‘Journey will be long and difficult…’,’many lives depend on your success…’. For the second time in recent memory Dano felt like his life was some novel or story. But isn’t life just a story from your perspective? Dano stopped right in front of the entrance of the parking garage, stunned at his own train of thought. No. his conscious-self countered. Life is … life. His brain didn’t respond. Dano sighed and continued to his objective.

Dano could smell the decaying dogs when he reached the second floor, and was happy to not have to enter that tent again. Dano moved into the tent across from the one he was ambushed in, and saw a similar floor plan. Six bunks, three on each side. Dano went to work on the chests under the bunks, but as he pulled the first one out something tan caught his eye. He bent over and looked under the bunk, and saw a pair of boots and a small plastic container with a handle. Dano pulled the container out and looked inside. There was a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a roll of floss. Dano realized he hadn’t brushed his teeth since he was put into that tank. Gross.

He set the container aside, and pulled the boots out. Dano looked them over, and discovered that they were the same cut as the boots he wore now, and they were his size. What luck. Dano decided that a change of clothes was in order.

He scavenged through the chest he had removed earlier and pulled out some the same camouflage uniforms that were in the other tent. He quickly stripped down completely and put on his new duds. He wore long grey and brown camouflaged pants over light grey briefs. His feet were covered with black socks that reached over his ankle, and the tan boots he found were over them. His upper body was encased in a grey cotton t-shirt, and over that a camouflaged utility jacket. For some reason there wasn’t any markings on the jacket, just the velcro spots where they would be. Dano shrugged and stretched, testing the fabric. The synthetic fiber that made up the clothes was tough, but flexible. He liked the feel of it against his skin, and decided to load up when he finally found a back pack.

Dano scavenged through the other five chests in the room, and only found another tube of toothpaste. He left the tent and moved to the one to the right of the tent he searched yesterday. Instead of entering Dano just looked inside, and found the same set up as the other two explored tents. Dano decided not to waste time looking through each chest, so he closed the door and moved to the last tent in this arm of the cross. Same as the other three. Dano sighed and moved on.

Dano moved through the left arm of the cross, then the right. He found the same thing in each of the tents he inspected, cots and chests. Not until he got to the top arm of the cross did he find any change.

Standing in the intersection with his back to the stair well Dano contemplated going back to the hospital, chances were the last four tents were just like the other twelve. You never know. Dano shrugged and moved into the first tent on his left, and was met with a room lined with olive drab crates. They were about a foot and a half tall by a foot wide and three feet long. They were stacked six crates high, covering the entire wall from floor to ceiling. Dano moved into the tent he recognized as a storage room, and looked at the stack of crates to his immediate left. In yellow writing all six crates read ‘300, MRE’. Dano recognized the acronym as Meal, Ready to Eat. Good, I have food still.

Dano cruised around the room reading what was on the crates, some had more MREs, others had clothing and boots. Dano left the tent after inspecting it and crossed the hall to the opposite tent. Inside he found much of the same as the first storage tent. MREs and clothes. He quickly left the second storage room and moved to the tent to the right of the first storage room. Dano nearly had a heart attack when he saw what was inside.

In the center of the tent were three long metallic gun racks, all of them full. Dano recognized M16A3s, M4 Carbines, M249 SAWs and M9 pistols. He was practically salivating at the sight of all those weapons, but a group caught his eye. They were Mk 14 EBRs.

When Dano imagined himself as a soldier he would always be holding that weapon, in the designated marksman position. He had researched the rifle extensively, and found that he liked what he read. Selective fire, eight hundred yard plus effective range, and chambering the powerful 7.62x51 mm NATO round. Dano moved deeper into the room and picked up the rifle. It was light, made out of aluminum, and ergonomic. He liked the feel of the EBR in his hands, and Dano decided this would be the weapon he would use.

Problem was it didn’t have any bullets. A quick scan of the room showed Dano that surrounding this shrine to the gun gods were stacks of two crates that looked like the ones from the storage tents. Slinging the rifle over his shoulder Dano looked at the crates. The yellow lettering read ‘1000, 5.56x44mm NATO’. Knowing that bullet was too small Dano moved to the next stack. This pair held 7.62 NATO rounds, and Dano practically dove into the top crate.

Opening it he saw that there were smaller green metal containers that fit snuggly together. Pulling one out Dano and read the yellow writing on the side. It contained five twenty round box clips for the EBR. Dano pried the case open and pulled a clip out. He looked it over and gave a devilish smile, for he was now properly armed. Dano’s smile vanished when he remembered, I have no clue how to shoot this thing. He sighed and put the clip back in the box, the box back into the crate and stood. He looked around for a manual of some sort, and found a filing cabinet on the other side of the room.

Dano moved through the room and opened the top cabinet. Inside were stacks of small handbooks with an M16 and M4 on the cover, and some with the M9. Dano closed the top drawer, and opened the deeper bottom one. Inside were two different sized stacks of the same sized handbook. The larger stack had a SAW on the cover, while the smaller stack had a picture of the EBR on its cover. Dano pulled the book out, and thrust it into his back pocket, he would read it later.

Dano spent the next couple hours running around the second floor of the parking garage. In the last tent to be explored he found body armor, packs and tactical vests. Since he had a pack he began to load up for the next step of his plan, which he had yet to think of, but he might as well get ready anyway.

Dano walked away from the parking garage fully equipped for anything. He was wearing the clothes he had put on earlier, and over his jacket was a bullet proof vest that matched the camouflage of his uniform. Over that was a black tactical vest with each compartment filled with ammunition, and his Magnum holster straps went over the vest. Around his waist was a belt that was attached to suspenders that went under his vest and over his jacket. Attached to his belt was a fanny pack that held some medical supplies, a canteen on his left hip and a holster for a M9 pistol on his right. There were pockets on the front of the belt that were designed to hold pistol clips, and they were full. On Dano’s back was a small pack filled with some MREs, another canteen, more medical supplies and ammunition.

Despite the amount of clothing and armor on his body Dano was cool, the synthetic cloth being very breathable. The layers were also designed very well, allowing a full range of movement. The pack was strapped high on his back, over his shoulder blades, allowing Dano to twist and turn without worrying about it. The outfit was practical and, once Dano got used to it, downright effective.

Dano made his way through the hospital to his room, where he shed his pack, weapons, excluding the pistol strapped to his leg, and armor. He sat on his bed and thought about his next move. I need to get out of the city, so I’m going to need wheels. Dano nodded to himself. A truck would be best so you can bring as many supplies as you can. Dano nodded again. “Sounds like a plan.”

The sun was still going to be up for a few more hours, so Dano went to the cafeteria and finished off the beans. He brought the rest of the case of water back to his room, and filled his canteens. Each took about two bottles of water to fill. Dano looked over his equipment one last time before lying in bed an pulling the two manuals he took. One for his EBR and one for his M9, which he grabbed after he decided to carry the pistol.

The read was pretty boring, until Dano came to the part about cleaning the weapon. He had forgotten to look for cleaning equipment while he searched the parking garage. Dano cursed as he read that a weapon should be cleaned once a week, or after every time he fired it. Dano sighed and continued reading, after looking for a vehicle he would have to check the garage for a cleaning kit.

Dano finished the two small manuals right before the sun set. He put the two thin books on his night stand with the usual accessories, and removed his new boots. Dano curled up in bed, a little excitement running through him. I’m going out on the town tomorrow.

Dano awoke to the sun in his face, again. After confirming it was in fact around ten thirty in the morning, like usual, he got ready for the day. It only took him a few minutes to open and eat a full MRE, which tasted bland by the way. Once he had eaten he went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. The military toothpaste tasted horrible, but it did its job.

Dano returned to his room and strapped everything on. He stretched, bending at his waist and rolling his shoulders, and tested everything. Sure nothing would fall off Dano left his room.

When Dano left the hospital he walked straight on, and not to his right like usual. He found himself standing in the middle of an intersection in front of the hospital. He could go straight, left or right. Dano looked down each route and decided with a shrug to go straight.

Dano walked for a couple hours around the crumbling city. Staying on the same road, and only looking down other ones so he didn’t get lost in the maze of decay. Dano eventually came to an intersection with a wrecked truck sitting parallel with the crosswalk, its front facing to the right. The truck strangely looked familiar to Dano, and he moved in to investigate.

From what was left of the paint Dano could tell it was once red, and the dull, rusted chrome words on the side identified the vehicle as a Dodge Ram 1500. Dano remembered his father drove a truck just like this one. He dismissed the thought, there were millions of trucks like his fathers.

Dano circled the truck and found out why it was perpendicular with the road it rested on. The front left wheel well was smashed, and the wheel trusted into the engine block. Something hit that truck, turned it ninety degrees and totaled it. Dano whistled, wondering how much force or weight was needed to crunch a vehicle like that and still continue, since no other vehicles were seen in the immediate area. Maybe a tank, or a big rig? Dano physically shrugged and continued on.

After another hour of walking Dano happened to stumble upon another truck, this one silver, that rested on the sidewalk on a road turning right off of the street he had been walking on. The bed was facing Dano, and was only a couple dozen feet down the side road.

Dano looked around cautiously, and didn’t pick anything up. He trotted over to the truck and looked inside the bed. Right up against the cab was a bed box that Dano ignored at first, he would search it later. Inside of the bed against the bed box was three large plastic gas cans. Dano shook the one closest to him and it weighed and sounded full. There was a divider between the gas cans and the rest of the bed, which was filled with, to Dano’s eyes, junk. Pieces of engines and motors as well as other crap. Dano was about to check the cab when a voice came from behind him.

“Well lookie what we got here, brother of mine.”

Dano spun around to see a man, his hair slicked back over his head. Dano had to double take on the hair, because it was red with a single white highlight. He wore dirty jeans, and a slightly clean blue and white vertically stripped vest over a long sleeved white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His black boots had grime all over them, and a small revolver hung off his right hip.

“Looks like we got a little thief.” The man’s voice had a bit of a sing-song tone to it.

Dano heard a tap behind him and he turned his head to see a man who liked exactly the same, but had a moustache that matched his hair color.

“I wasn’t trying to steal anything guys.”

Dano tried his best to sound sincere through the rising fear in his voice.

“A likely story from a thief.” The moustache less man said as he took a step toward Dano.

“What do you think Flam?”

“Sounds like a lie Flim.”

Dano was confused. Flim and Flam? What weird names.

Flam walked around the bed of the truck and stood to the immediate right of Dano while Flim stood right in front of him. The two began to approach Dano, a little scowl contorting their faces and anger blazed in their matching green eyes. Dano squirmed to his left, and managed to get his back away from the truck and the two brothers in front of him.

“Let’s just calm down guys. We can work this out.” Dano pleaded as he retreated, his hands held in a nonthreatening pose.

“We don’t make deals with thieves.” Flam spat.

Dano tried to change the subject.

“What are you two doing out here anyway?”

The two brothers stopped advancing and smiled.

“Well, my brother Flam and I go around and sell junk to people.”

Dano’s curiosity peaked. To people?

“We sell the highest quality junk this side of the Mississippi.” Flam finished the sales pitch.

Dano felt like he was in the clear, so he let his hands drop slightly. The two looked at each other then back at Dano.

“You’re not going anywhere buddy.” The two brothers spoke in unison.

Dano swallowed, and prepared himself. The two brothers fanned out a bit, their hands hovering over their pieces. Dano let his hand slowly drop to his pistol, and pulled the securing strap off with a faint pop.

Dano knew he was out numbered, and hoped his armor would catch some of their rounds. He wished he had his rifle out instead of slung over his shoulder when they jumped him, he could use the fire power.

Time slowed as the three combatants stared at each other, Flim to Dano’s left, Flam to his right. Hands hovering over their pistols. Dano’s eyes darted between the two brothers, waiting for movement. Flim made the first move and quick drew his weapon, followed by Dano then Flam. Three shots rang out milliseconds apart, and if you were watching you wouldn’t be able to tell who shot first. Dano knew though, the world moved slowly as he heard Flim’s revolver spew a bullet, then Flam’s. Dano was slow on the draw and paid for it. He felt Flam’s bullet impact on his chest, and watched Flam take his round right above the collar bone, piercing his trachea. As Dano twisted and fell from the momentum of Flam’s shot, Flim’s round whizzed in front of Dano. The shot was off and impacted on the side of Dano’s M9, knocking it out of his hand. Dano reacted as he fell backward and quick drew his Magnum and fired just as Flim fired his second shot. The .44 round smacked right into Flim’s sternum and knocked him off his feet while Flim’s shot hit Dano right in the gut.

The world returned to normal speed when Dano hit the ground. He quickly patted himself, and released a relieved sigh when he didn’t find any blood. Dano sat up with a little pain where the rounds had hit him and looked at the revolver in his hand. When he fired it the recoil was immense. His entire body shook down to the bone. Dano smiled at the Magnum and mumbled, “Most powerful hand gun in the world.”

Dano stood up and holstered his revolver, and looked over the two dead salesmen. Flam laid on his back, his limbs outstretched as blood ran out of his throat. Flim, also on his back, looked worse than his brother. His entire chest had caved a bit from the powerful round, and blood rushed out of the large hole in his sternum.

Dano sighed, he didn’t want to kill them. If this was how all of his first encounters were going to be he might as well stay in the hospital. Dano pushed the doubt away, and checked the pockets of the now deceased men for the truck keys. They were in Flim’s front pocket, and it made sense to Dano. Flim seemed to be the one who ran the whole operation. Dano shrugged and moved to the truck. He dropped the tailgate, climbed into the bed, and pushed all of the junk out. Once cleared Dano jumped out of the bed and hoped into the driver’s seat. As he thrust the keys into the ignition Dano remembered that he lost his pistol. He thought about it then shrugged, there were dozens more back at the parking garage.

Dano backed the truck onto the street he had been walking on and turned the vehicle toward home. It only took him a half an hour to get back to the hospital, even with his slow speed and dodging piles of rubble or cars. Dano parked the truck in front of the hospital, shut it off and locked it.

Dano got out of the cab and walked to the bed of the truck. After fiddling with some latches he opened the bed box to find some straps and random hand tools. Dano closed the box and sighed. He had hoped for something along the lines of helping, like maps or directions.

Dano spent the rest of his day replacing the cracked ceramic plate in his body armor, getting a new M9, finding cleaning supplies, cleaning his Magnum, eating and brushing his teeth. He went to bed content and a little exited, tomorrow he would leave the city in search for the people the brothers had referred to. Dano fell asleep with a smile on his face, and hope in his heart.

thanks for reading guys and gals
just to let you know
i pumped out these first 4 chapters quickly because it was the weekend
and now classes start tomorrow
so the chapters will probably slow down a bit
i know
im sorry
but i gotta graduate
or my momma would kill me
anyway
i will keep working on the story when im not working on school stuff
and hey
i have a week off after this one
so it shouldn't be so bad
dont forget to comment
that is all
kthanxbai