Free The Apostates by Lars Teeney

in his calves and thighs. The incline leveled off as he reached the crest of the hill. He had always favored single speed bikes over that of geared fair. He thought that it gave a more intense workout by keeping the resistance constant no matter the angle of incline. No cheating on hills. He constantly drove himself even when it was time to relax. Letting one’s guard down and being complacent was a weakness to him. If he could forego sleep he would in a heartbeat. He rested on his bike for a moment surveying the view from the top of the hill. Beyond many rolling hills and tree patches, he could see the Great Lake stretched out on the horizon. He kicked off on his bike to gain momentum and launched down the hill.
    Rodrigo was an avid cyclist. He was dressed in a spandex L.O.V.E. jersey and biking shorts and donned clip in shoes. He loved pre-war bikes; he kept a collection of French bike frames in his quarters and would swap them out for rides periodically. He had always wanted to come out West and ride the fabled California hills. His love for biking overshadowed most other aspects of his life, except for his duty to the organization.
    Rodrigo reached the bottom of the hill
then turned hard and followed the old access road toward the rail depot. He
cranked hard on the pedals of his Mercier model road bike. When he came upon
the old parking lot of the rail depot, he hopped the back tire, locked his legs
and broke into a skid, stopping on a dime. He leaned his bike against a rusted
out propane tank. He walked in an awkward manner due to his clip in shoes.
Being dressed in his bike spandex and safety helmet gave him the air of an
adolescent, and not a trained killer. The Head Ranger, a man named Frank, was
approaching him.
    “Inquisitor Rodrigo, we have finished
conducting our investigation of the site. There are four dead at the scene.
Three had been shot outside and one dead inside. It doesn’t appear that
anything had been taken. We honestly do not know what the motive was,” Frank
reported while standing at attention.
    “Please take me to the bodies,” Rodrigo
requested.
    “Right this way, sir,” Head Ranger Frank
escorted the Inquisitor to the pair of bodies laying by the main entrance to
the central structure; a cavernous warehouse.
    Rodrigo examined the two bodies. He
checked the head wounds on each, then, looked off in a southerly direction. He
walked over to a woodpile due north of the bodies. He paced back and fourth in
front of the pile, then focused in on a hole in one of the pieces of wood. Rodrigo
shoved a finger into the hole, then, turned around to look south again.
    ‘Please show me the body on the roof,”
Rodrigo requested.
    “Yes, please follow me,” Head Ranger Frank
responded.
    The duo walked around the back of the
structure to the old, rusted ladder that stretched up to the roof. They
ascended to the roof. Frank led Rodrigo to the body. The head was gone and a
crimson spray extended for some feet to the north of where the head used to be.
Rodrigo knelt down to examine the body for a spell. He then stood up, and
turned to the south, and trained his eyes to a ridge roughly nearly a mile to
the southwest. Rodrigo walked over to the edge of the roof and stared at the
ridge. He stayed in that spot for roughly ten minutes.
    “Yes, of course,” he murmured to himself.
    “Sir?” Head Ranger Frank asked.
    “Head Ranger, please take me to the last
body,” Rodrigo ordered.
    “Yes sir, right this way. Down the
stairs,” Head Ranger Frank lead the way into the interior hall that connected
to the office block.
    They proceeded to the central office and
Rodrigo stood in the middle of the room. He quickly glanced around at the dated
and dusty office furniture. He trained in on the desk. He moved closer. Rodrigo
noticed that the central desk drawer was ajar.
    “This is the commanding officer’s desk,
correct?” Rodrigo asked suspiciously.
    “Yes sir,” Head Ranger Frank responded.
    “His encryption