Free Radio Hope (Toxic World Book 1) by Sean McLachlan

than I’ve ever seen in my life, even here. Some had guns. Nothing heavy that I saw, just rifles and pistols and some shotguns. The rest had machetes or clubs with nails stuck through them. Whole crowds of them had spears made from tying old steel knives on the end of sticks.”
    “Did you see their leader?” The Doctor asked.
    The scavenger nodded, trembling a little as he remembered. “Once they had us lined up he stepped forward. A young guy with long hair and wearing a white robe, like he was trying to look like Jesus. Sure as hell didn’t talk like him. I’m a Christian and nutcases like that give religion a bad name.”
    “What did he say?” Marcus asked.
    “Gave us a long speech filled with nonsense about how they were going to make the world clean again. Take all the toxins away. Said to do that first they had to purify humanity.” The scavenger’s face darkened. “Then he pointed at Diane. She’d come across a leaking chemical container and got a rash something terrible. A couple of his men grabbed her and told us that unclean people weren’t permitted to live. They cut her down with their machetes right in front of our eyes!”
    Marcus and The Doctor glanced at each other. The scavenger went on.
    “After that they made us join the column and carry their gear. They had a whole bunch of prisoners. We were made to do all the heavy work. If anyone stepped out of line they were cut down without a thought. The young women were taken by the leader’s bodyguards. ‘Married to the faith’, that’s what they called it.”
    “Which way were they headed?” Clyde asked.
    “South. We stayed in the area for a couple of days as they swept it clean, then we headed south.”
    “ Toward the southern pass?”
    The scavenger shrugged. “I don’t know. They didn’t tell us nothing. Hardly fed us anything either. Anyone who dropped by the wayside exhausted got cut down.”
    “Did they look hungry?” Clyde asked.
    “Half starved, the lot of them. Well, except for that Jesus imitator and his bodyguards. Th ey looked as well fed as you do.”
    “How did you escape?” Marcus asked.
    “Slipped away. I knew none of us would last so I lit out in the dead of night. Made it out of camp but one of the sentries spotted me. Gave me this gash on the arm with his machete. I smacked him upside the head with a rock and ran. Just ran.”
    The scavenger’s eyes stared off into space, seeing visions that Marcus hoped he’d never see.
    “Anything else?” Clyde asked.
    “Ain’t that enough?” the scavenger whispered.
    The Doctor fished into his pocket and pulled out a little packet of folded paper. Opening it he revealed some fresh marijuana buds. Tearing off a couple, he handed them to the scavenger.
    “For the pain,” he told him.
    “Gee, thanks!”
    Marcus cocked an eyebrow. Maybe Doc really did eat today.
    Walking back to the gate, Marcus was silent. Every time he talked to a scavenger he was grateful for living in something that resembled the old civilization. That m an had seen horrible things, yet accepted it with despondent resignation. This probably wasn’t the first time he had lost all his companions. Anyone who lasted out in the wildlands was a survivor, but it took them all sooner or later.
    Clyde was fretting as usual.
    “We need more ammunition. If we’re facing that many we need more ammunition. The scavengers aren’t trading any, though. They’re scared and want to keep it for themselves, even when they don’t have guns. Probably waiting until the last minute to trade it to us at a higher rate!”
    “We don’t have to kill every cultist to make them retreat,” The Doctor said.
    “Don’t be so sure,” Clyde said. “This isn’t your usual bandit group. The Skullsplitters we could deal with, same with the other bandits.”
    Marcus nodded. Most bands were too small to threaten New City and contented themselves with raiding the outlying farms. Clyde’s patrols sent them back to the wildlands