WebNovels

Chapter 17 - Favors

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb exit Tobin's building as they look at the giant nuke crater of Chicago.

Kyle: Jesus...this must've been where the Zeus Cannon struck.....

Cassandra spots Tobin's other tower across the crater.

Cassandra: Yeah and there's Tobin's other tower.

Sarah: Yeah, imagine how many people were here when Ryder destroyed this city.

Caleb: A man like Ryder doesn't have a conscience.....destroys a city full of innocent people just to prove a fucking point.....

Kyle: His point killed him in the end.

Caleb: Yeah, karma's a bitch....specially when you nuke a city of civilians.

Sarah: It's strange.....to think I actually survived the nuclear attack of my city.....when my Dad...

Caleb: Shit, Sarah.....I-I didn't mean to-

Sarah: It's okay....you didn't know.

Kyle spots a crate of ammo in a ruined car and approaches it, but suddenly, the car along with the ammo crumbles into the crater. Kyle groans.

Kyle: could've been worse.

Suddenly, ahead of them, a pack of Krens forces emerge from the ground via stalks.

Cassandra: Krens!

Kyle: Good! I'm in the mood to kill something not human!

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb engage the Krens drones in a brief fight, before continuing to the other tower.

Caleb: Jesus....no wonder he asked us to do this shit. This is a long ass walk.

Cassandra: And right through Krens territory.

Back at Tobin's primary tower, Woody is seen tied up with the two henchmen.

Woody: You know what; I would've preferred while I wait....a stripper and a nice cold beer in a my hand. It's a shame you wastelanders who stand on guard don't have any type of fuckin hoochie around these parts. Back when I was-

Tobin Henchman: Dude, for Christ sakes, shut the hell up.

Woody: You know; your boss; 

Woody whistles.

Woody: He underestimates Kyle. I've seen that boy kick in the faces of so many uglies. Oh-yeah! You boys wait. Once he gets back, it's going to fuckin on like Donkey Kong!

The two henchmen give confused looks.

Woody: Donkey Kong? It's a game? Seriously? Your Mom and Daddy must've told y'all about this shit when you were probably twelve or nine...

Woody sighs.

Woody: I'm thirsty. Do you have anything to drink?

Tobin Henchmen: For fuck's sake, man! Shut the fuck up, before I shut you up!

Woody: Nah, you won't...your boss'll kill you if you do....He'll fuck your cold turkeys if Kyle or the Condemned don't....just like your Mama's last night, fucko!

Tobin Henchmen stands up and prepares to strike Woody with the butt of his rifle, before the second Henchmen halts him.

Tobin Henchmen: Be cool, bro! You heard the boss!

In the ruins of Union City, Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb continue travelling to Tobin's other tower before entering an old subway station. Kyle notices a case of ammo hanging on the edge of a destroyed train track. However, a tremor under the subway station causes the ammo to fall into the crater.

Kyle: Goddamn it, man! Fuck!

Caleb: Hey, Kyle, don't worry bout it, man. There's other ammo around.

Kyle: I worry, Caleb.

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb approach Tobin's other tower.

Sarah: Well, we made it.

Kyle: Yeah and it looks like the cable cars are on the roof.

Cassandra: Well, no reason to just stand out here with our asses out. Let's get inside.

Caleb kicks the door into Tobin's other tower in that leads into the lobby with elevators as Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb cautiously enter.

Cassandra: Looks empty.....like no one's stayed in here for days.....weeks more or less.

Sarah: Yeah, it always does.

Caleb: Elevators are out.

Kyle: There's gotta be a generator around here somewhere.

Sarah: Kyle, you notice something?

Kyle looks around.

Kyle: Nothing.

Sarah: Exactly. No corpses. No signs of violence or forced entry.

Caleb: Well, Tobin did send a team here to retrieve his shipment. Hopefully, those bastards are still alive....and friendly.

Kyle: Let's just focus on finding for that generator and get the power to these elevators on. Otherwise; we got a long ass walk upstairs.

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb look around the lobby for the generator. After a brief moment, Kyle finds the room with the door labeled power. Kyle kicks the door open and locates the generator, activating the power with the electrical feature of his Zeus Corps machete.

Caleb: Oh, thank god. Something does right for once.

Kyle: yeah, but then shit goes wrong again.

Caleb: You had to kill the mood, dude.

Kyle presses the button to an elevator as it descends.

Cassandra: You know what I say if we didn't need the damn fuel, we go back and grab Woody. Force that bastard to give us the fuel.

After a short pause, eerie packs of growling are heard.

Caleb: You guys hear the growling too, right?

Cassandra: Yep.....which means the elevator is not empty.

The elevator reaches the lobby and as it opens, human Krens are revealed and burst out of the elevator, attacking Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb, who open fire on the human Krens.

Kyle: Shit! Human Krens!

Cassandra: It's not just Kinsmen then!

Sarah: That explains why their shipment never came back!

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb open fire on the human Krens, before finally disposing of the human Krens.

Kyle: Looks like we got em all.

Caleb: Yep and it looks like we're taking the stairs...this should be fun.

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb use the stairs to get to the upper floor, before reaching a manmade elevator outside.

Sarah: This should take us up.

Sarah presses down on the lever, but the elevator is having trouble moving with the ruined car as counter weights.

Kyle: This car right here's a counterweight. Won't move unless we get it off. Caleb, help me with this.

Caleb: Gotcha.

Kyle and Caleb push the ruined car off the elevator.

Kyle: Try it again, Sarah.

Sarah presses down on the lever as the elevator begins to ascend to the rooftop.

Cassandra: You know what I've been thinking; if they've turned into Krens right here in the city too, it really does look like the radioactive fluid is the cause.

Caleb: Wait, but hold up, we've been exposed to radioactive fluid for years.

Kyle: Not as badly as they were. These people ran a goddamned company off it.

Cassandra: Huh, no wonder Tobin stayed far away from this place.

Suddenly, a loud crash dents the roof of the elevator.

Caleb: What the fuck?!

Moments later, a Blubber bursts through the roof into the elevator.

Cassandra: Oh, shit! A Blubber!

Kyle: Watch out for the arm!

Dodging its attacks, Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb open fire on the Blubber, causing to eventually violently explode.

Caleb: What in God's name was that thing?!

Cassandra: A Blubber. We saw them in Hahnville, but not that close.

Caleb: Yeah, let's not run into those things.....ever!

The elevator reaches the top floor as Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb exit the elevator and travel through the rooftop, eventually locating the other cable car. Inside the cable car, they manage to find the fuel.

Kyle: Fuel's intact....ain't that something for once. Let's go.

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb enter the cable car as Kyle attempts to start it. As it starts, the cable car is apparently stuck. Caleb groans.

Caleb: It's not moving!

Sarah looks inside the opening of the building to notice the cable to the cable car is wired connected.

Sarah: Looks like the cable car is connected to the building.

Kyle: Then let's cut the wire lose so we can leave.

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb travel to the entrance of the roof to the inside of the building, before Kyle spots another ammo crate on top of a stack of containers and approaches it.

Kyle: Oh, this is going to be tricky.

Kyle kicks the containers and it seems that it will fall in his direction as he slightly smiles, but the container along with ammo crate falls off the rooftop.

Kyle: Come the fuck on!

Sarah: Well, we can't get them all.

Kyle: Honey, that did not help.

Sarah: It really wasn't meant to; it was just a statement.

Suddenly, human Krens are heard from inside the building.

Cassandra: Uh.....guys! More Human Krens!

Kyle: Ugh! This shit never ends!

Caleb: Tell me about it!

Human Krens attack from the inside as Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb fight their way to the cable wire as Caleb and Sarah slam the door shut, sealing themselves from the Human Krens.

Caleb: This door ain't gonna hold!

Kyle: Give us a moment!

Caleb shoots his assault rifle at the Human Krens attempting to get in from the other side while Kyle, Sarah and Cassandra try to figure out a way to cut the metal wire lose.

Kyle: Shit! We don't have any wire cutters, do we?!

Cassandra: We would if James was with us!

Sarah: We gotta find a way to cut this fast!

Caleb: Guys!

Kyle: Give us a minute, Caleb!

Caleb: We don't have a fucking minute, goddamn it! 

Human Krens claws at Caleb.

Caleb: Whoa, shit!

Cassandra: What about that Zeus Corps Machete, Kyle?!

Kyle: It has a shock system in it. What good is that going to do?

Cassandra: James and I studied it and tweaked it a little.....so it should have a heating system as well as a cooling system.

Sarah: Meaning?

Cassandra: It can get up to two-hundred degrees. Can burn through flesh as well as metal....and the freezing temperatures.

Kyle: English, girl! English!

Cassandra: Give me the damn machete!

Kyle pulls out his Zeus Corps Machete as Cassandra snatches it, before activating the machetes' inferno system, causing the blade to burst into fire and amazing Kyle, Sarah and Caleb.

Kyle: Whoa!

With the machetes' inferno system activated, Cassandra hacks and severs the wire, freeing the cable car. Sarah laughs.

Sarah: That's cool.

Cassandra disengages the Zeus Corps' machetes' inferno system, before handing it back to Kyle.

Cassandra: You're welcome and thank James when we see him.

Caleb: We've had a magic machete with us for the past five years?!

The Human Krens begin to burst through as Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb flee. Back at Tobins' primary tower, a loud bang is heard on the gate as TJ answers it.

TJ: Yeah, who is it?!

TJ answers the gate and is shocked when it turns out to be a squad of Condemned Drones and Guards, who immediately burst and begin slaughtering the Tobin Tower Inhabitants. TJ attempts to flee but is shot in the lower abdomen. Mortally wounded, he attempts to crawl away, but a Condemned drone catches up, pulling out his blade and hacking into TJs' back repeatedly before the back of his head. In Tobin's office, gunfire and screaming are heard outside the office, gaining everyone's' attention.

Tobin Tower Guard: What the hell is that?!

Tobin: Go check it out!

The Tobin Guard stands up and investigates, noticing Condemned Guards slaughtering and gunning down inhabitants. With this distraction, Woody grabs the Tobin Tower Guard's revolver and shoots him in the chest, before grabbing his cowboy hat. Tobin pulls out his pistol and shoots as Woody flees into the other room.

Tobin: Fuck!

Before Tobin Tower Guard can respond, he is suddenly impaled to the wall with an explosive arrow. After a few seconds, the arrow explodes, knocking Tobin down and destroying his office. Woody places his cowboy hat on his head, before freeing himself from his bonds. Woody sneaks around the carnage, before finally grabbing a radio, attempting to contact Kyle.

Woody: Kyle! Kyle! Come in!

At Tobins' other tower, Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb regroup at the cable car, finishing off the remaining Human Krens.

Kyle: Okay, let's get the hell out of here, before those things catch up with us!

Woody talks from Kyles' radio.

Woody: Kyle, do you hear me? This is Woody! Come in!

Caleb: What the hell? Did he escape somehow?

Kyle talks into his radio.

Kyle: Woody, thank God. We got the fuel and we're coming back to you!

Woody speaks through the radio.

Woody: You guys might want to hurry on then! We're in the shit! Condemned are here and they're killing everyone! Oh, shit! Mina just showed up with her big ass bug!

Mina, on her Queen Wasp creature, arrives on the scene and uses the creatures' heat blast to severely damage the Tobin Tower.

Cassandra: Oh, shit!

Kyle: We see it, Woody! Just hang on! Get to the roof if you can! We're on our way back!

Cassandra: Yeah, that bitch is so following us!

Mina with her Queen Wasp creature pulls out from the attack.

Sarah: Hey, looks like she's pulling back!

Kyle: Then let's go over there and help Woody!

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb enter the cable car and activate it as it proceeds to take them to Tobin Tower. At Tobin Tower, Woody heads towards the rooftop, using stealth to avoid Condemned Guards. As Woody hides, he turns and is surprised by Tobin, who aims his pistol at him.

Woody: Uh....hi.

Tobin: you.....you killed one of my men.

Woody: He had my hat.....Hey, just....just lower the gun, man, okay? I'm not your enemy, son. Those monsters are and they're killing your people.

Tobin: Yeah, because you and your asshole friends brought them here!

Woody: Look, just put the damn gun down, man! We'll have a better chance at surviving this if we work together.

As Tobin ponders, a short pause passes, before Condemned Guards attack, forcing Woody and Tobin to collide together to survive the attack.

Tobin: Fuck it! Alright, cowboy! Let's do this.

Woody: We'll have a better chance at the rooftop! C'mon!

Woody and Tobin fight their way to the rooftop while on the other Tobin Tower, the other cable car that Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb are on.

Caleb: Went through hell and back to get this fuel.

Sarah: Now let's hope that Tobin keeps his promise.

Cassandra: Oh, he damn well better.....for his sake.

Sarah: Let's just hope that Woody can hold out til we get there.

Kyle: He survived worse like Scorcher, but if something happens to him, Tobin's going to get a big fuckin blade to his throat.

Caleb looks over the edge of the cable car.

Caleb: Hey, Kyle, it's a long way down. Is this rusty piece of shit going to hold?

Kyle: What? Are you afraid of heights, boy?

Caleb: No, just.....really don't wanna die screaming to my death.

Sarah: We'd have a better chance without those fucking barges on our ass!

Two Condemned barges close in on the cable car as Kyle and Sarah suppress from the left side while Caleb and Cassandra suppress from the right.

Sarah: Barge on our right!

Caleb: Barge on our left!

Sarah: Shit! We're surrounded!

Kyle: Hold them off til we get to the Tower!

After a long shootout, the two Condemned barges cease their attack on the cable car and pull out.

Caleb: They're pulling out!

Sarah: Kyle, this cable car doesn't lead to the rooftop. Look ahead! We're coming up three stories down!

Kyle: Then we fight our way to Woody!

The Cable Car parks into the slot of the seventh floor of Tobin Towers as Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb depart, noticing Condemned Guards slaughtering Tobin Tower Inhabitants.

Caleb: Looks like Mina left some of those damned advanced guards!

Sarah: Jesus! They're killing everybody!

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb engage the Condemned Guards while proceeding through while Tobin and Woody are seen pinned down on the rooftop by Condemned Guards with Tobin using his Zeus Corps Staff to shoot projectiles at the guards, killing a few.

Tobin: Shit! Goddamn it!

Woody walks into the radio.

Woody: Kyle! Kyle, where are you?! We're twelve feet deep in the shit! Me and Tobin here! We're on our own!

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb fight to the eight floor as they witness a fleeing Tobin Tower Inhabitant killed via inferno grenade.

Caleb: Fuck!

Cassandra: Oh, my god!

Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb fight their way to the rooftop as Kyle reports to Woody.

Kyle: Woody! We're on the rooftop! Just hang on!

Woody talks into his radio.

Woody: We're trying, Kyle! There's too many of them!

Caleb: Hold on, Woody!

Just as Condemned Guards close in on Woody and Tobin's position, Kyle, Sarah, Cassandra and Caleb arrive in the nick of time to finish off the Condemned Guards, rescuing the two. Woody laughs.

Woody: I knew you'd make it, Kyle! Saved my ass, son!

Kyle hugs Woody in relief, before confronting Tobin.

Kyle: Okay, Tobin, we got your goddamned fuel. We're done here.

Tobin: Wha-you're done? You're done?! They're dead! They're fucking dead! All my people are dead! We survived nuclear strikes, the raddies and the Condemned then I do the Christian thing to let y'all in and y'all fuck up! You show up and fucking lose every goddamn body! You fucking outsider bastards! I swear; you all are the same, man! Every last one of you causing death, pain and grief and not giving a shit for who gets killed along the way, you bitch ass motherfuckers! Tell me something, Desipich, when's the last time you ever lost anybody you love? When's the last time you watched someone under your watch die? When's the last time you actually gave a fuck?!

Enraged, Kyle grabs Tobin by the throat.

Kyle: I just lost my FUCKING BROTHER, YOU ASSHOLE! You hear that, bitch?! My fucking blood brother died saving me and everyone you see standing here, so I can save a low-life piece of shit like you! So, you, your people, your company and all the goddamned radioactive fluid can fuck off!

Sarah walks up to Kyle.

Sarah: Kyle...

After a short pause, Kyle releases Tobin, who falls to knees coughing and gasping. Tobin stands up to his feet and stumbles back.

Tobin: This ain't over, Desipich. I ever see you again; I'ma put a fucking bullet on your head. I promise that.

Tobin walks off to his cable car, before Kyle calls out and follows.

Kyle: Hey, Tobin.....one more thing.

Tobin: What?

Kyle punches Tobin in the jaw.

Kyle: That's for calling my wife a bitch.

Tobin spits out blood, before giving Kyle a dirty look and nodding.

Tobin: Okay, okay...

Tobin enters his cable car and activating it.

Tobin: get my people killed, disrespect me and punched me? Bitch ass motherfucker. I'm kill this mother-goddamn it.

Tobin leaves in his cable car, before flipping off Kyle.

Caleb: Please let me shoot this asshole's cable car.

Kyle: No...he ain't worth it.

Sarah: C'mon. We still got a job to do.

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