Stunned, Jasmine didn’t know what to say.
“You do realize that Tank is madly in love with you and will move mountains to be with you? So you better get that skinny butt of yours back there or I’ll kill you myself,” Angela continued, laughing at Jasmine’s expression.
“But he… he and I… we never… I didn’t…”
“Oh, but he would if you’d get your head out of that pansy’s ass you been dating,” Angela said with a chuckle and smirk. “Someone told me you were psychic, but I’m not so sure I believe that if you can’t tell that a man as huge as Tank, who drops everything he’s doing to help you, isn’t in love with you. Either you’re blind or your psychic skills suck.”
Embarrassed, Jasmine didn’t know what to say. She watched as Angela cranked over her rocket and nodded in the direction they would head. They took off into the night. The roar of the rockets overrode the roar of a new tornado that skipped up and down past the camp.
Little did Angela know, she would become the commander of the first outpost and the movement to push the government to come out of their shell, the safe haven they called the City of… The prison in which she was kept would soon become the Outpost of Kansas-Oklahoma barrens.
Chapter 13
Jasmine led the race across the Kansas-Oklahoma barrens at over one hundred miles an hour on a roadway that somehow managed to stay somewhat smooth and clear of debris. The superbike was a thrilling ride, even under dark skies and the brown-fogged mist that hung in the air she could feel the rush of being alive. It was as if she did not have a worry in the world. Maybe knowing she was going to die made living even that much more enjoyable. Maybe knowing she was going to die, she didn’t care if she took unnecessary chances. Or, it could have been just knowing she was getting closer to the Last Pharmacist kept her pumped up. Whatever it was it was thrilling.
She heard Angela come up beside her and slowed until they were beside each other. Then Jasmine fell in behind her. After about fifteen minutes, Angela swept off to the right and pulled up behind a cement wall that was once a supporting wall for a bridge that had one time stretched across the road they were using. Angela switched off the bike, dropped the stand, and dismounted.
Jasmine pulled up. “What’s up?”
Angela nodded to the bike and Jasmine switched it off.
“Get your rifle,” Angela said.
“Shit,” Jasmine cursed. “I take it, Tank told you about my sniper rifle.” Angela nodded. “Remind me to give him a piece of my mind when I see him.”
Angela laughed. “He and I are very close, and neither one of us ever believed you and I would ever meet.” Angela started across the road. “On top of that wall is a perfect spot to see Owen’s little community, and if my stomach is right it’s getting close to dinner time. We’ll be able to see who is who and you might be able to take the son of bitch out from here. After that, we go in and kill every fucker who is one of Owen’s finest, take a couple of pictures, and do whatever else you need to do to prove you killed him. We then let everyone else out and I’ll take them on to Oklahoma.”
Jasmine followed Angela up the hill. About two feet from the top of the hill was a cement platform that supported the bridge before it crumbled and was then swept away with one of thousands of tornadoes.
“And you saw this, how?” Jasmine asked with a bit of skepticism in her voice.
“Don’t freak,” Angela answered. “Owen had the hots for me for a while until he realized I wasn’t an easy fuck, and they dragged me back and forth between his and Toby’s camp.”
“Toby’s camp?” Jasmine asked, surprised. There was no way that imbecile ran the camp., she thought.
“Believe it or not. He was the dumbest fuck there but Owen trusted him, and he protected me, never knowing if Owen would change his mind or not—” she chuckled, “it pays to be blond and have big tits… even after the impact some men never learned to look past what a woman looks like and care more for their safety.” Angela walked onto the platform. “This road leads into Owen’s camp and once when I tried to escape I made it this far—” she laughed, “I thought I could hide here…” She looked at Jasmine’s expression. “What? I said I was blond and have big tits. I didn’t say I was smart. If I was smart I wouldn’t be here.”
Jasmine laughed as she knelt against the dirt wall. She pulled her binoculars up, dropped her goggles around her neck, and then peered at the camp. Angela was right. There was a gathering of about thirty men or more, lining up for dinner and being served by several women.
The sun peeked out between the dusty golden-brown haze and shone down on the group as they stood in line like a gathering at a buffet table with no worries in the world. Jasmine looked up and, for one brief moment, missed living in Garland, Texas. She was young, around six or so, but she could remember standing in line at a Luby’s cafeteria with her father, fighting over the chocolate pudding.
“Crap. How many?” Jasmine asked, amazed at the sheer number. She didn’t have a clue that Owen’s little army was as large as it appeared.
“Christ. Didn’t Commander Herne tell you…?” Jasmine shook her head no. “Owen has around a hundred men. They’re all around this fucking place and everyone of them are crazier than hell.”
Jasmine put her binoculars on the hill, put her goggles back on, and then opened her pack and removed several pieces of equipment and gently laid them down next to her pack. Then one by one, she assembled her BMG 50 caliber sniper’s rifle. “How far away are we?” She asked as she lifted the rifle, gently placed it on the hill, and then looked through the scope. After a moment, she slowly twisted dials until the camp came into clear focus. Even through the golden-brown haze, she could see everything perfectly. If I make it back, I’m going to marry Tank, Jasmine thought.
Angela lay beside her, peering through Jasmine’s binoculars, now becoming her spotter. “Exactly a half a mile,” Angela answered. “See that fat fuck sitting up on his throne, that’s Owen.”
Jasmine looked up, then around, looking for something to measure wind and direction. She dropped her goggles, and then with her binoculars, she slowly looked around the camp. Then she saw it. One of the women who were serving the men wore a face scarf and just behind the knot, one of the ends was billowing.
She handed Angela the binoculars. “See the woman, her scarf?”
“Yes,” Angela answered.
Jasmine went back to her scope and found her. She then trained the rifle on Owen. “Be my spotter. I need to know when everything is calm… oh, and do me a favor, just whisper the word calm, when the conditions are right.”
After several minutes, Angela whispered, “Calm,” and through her binoculars, Angela watched as Owen’s head exploded. Then she watched as Owen’s guards fell one by one, and then watched as a truck exploded, and then another, and then a third one. Chaos reigned as Jasmine slowly unloaded her clip. However, what impressed Angela more than anything did, not one bullet went wasted. Jasmine took out the major guards and vehicles, and set the men running in sheer confusion. Uncle Baul was right, Jasmine thought. Killing Owen would cause his army to collapse.
“Remind me when I get back to rip off Tank’s clothes,” Jasmine said as she loaded a new clip.
“He’ll have a heart attack,” Angela answered. “The tower.” Jasmine nodded her acknowledgement. “Believe it or not, that’s their fuel storage.” Two seconds after Jasmine had heard the word fuel the tower exploded. The repercussion sent buildings, vehicles, and unfortunately some of the people they wanted to save, flying in every direction. “Damn…” Angela whispered. “I didn’t have a clue…”