James Axler – Deathlands 35 – Skydark

The other pit workers kept their distance and said nothing. Occasionally one of them shot the companions a hateful look.

When the overseer was a good way off, J.B. spoke up. “What are we supposed to be doing here?” he asked the slaves.

They didn’t reply right away. They just looked at one another. After a bit the mutie who was their leader stepped forward and answered. It was tall and thin, and its head was wrapped in a long strip of dirty rag. Except for a slit for the eyes, its whole head was hidden by the cloth.

“Ain’t no ‘we* here,” it said. “There’s us, and there’s you.”

“But we’re all in the same boat,” J.B. replied. “Baron’s going to work us to death.”

The raghead leaned on the shovel handle. “You’re wrong both times,” it said. “You norms got your boat, which is sinking. We got our boat, which is gonna sail away.” ,

“Huzzah,” one of the slaves said.

“You’re going to escape? How?”

The slave leader laughed. “Oh, yeah, just ask me and I’ll tell you everything. I’m nothing but a dumb mutie, after all.”

“Listen,” Mildred said, “we’re not from around here. We don’t even know the baron. We never did you people any harm.”

“You’re norms, aren’t you?”

“What difference does that make?”

“Try living with the face I got hidden under these wraps, and you’ll see.” The mutie pointed a finger at her nose. “You norms are outnumbered, and your days are just about over.”

The other slaves quickly moved in, encircling J.B., Doc and Mildred. The companions shifted into back-to-back defensive positions as the muties raised their shovels to strike.

“No,” the leader said, “it ain’t time for that yet. We don’t want to tip our hand to the boss man.” The mutie

looked at each of the newcomers in turn. “None of us ever chilled any norms before,” it said. “We’re gonna enjoy chillin’ you.”

When the slaves moved back to their side of the pit, J.B. said, “Why do I get the feeling that these guys are expecting some help to come along soon?”

“Our friend Kaa?” Doc said.

“Looks like,” J.B. agreed.

“Sounds like, too,” Mildred added. “For a second, bandage boy was talking Kaa’s kind of talk. Can’t really blame the slaves for wanting to get even with the baron.”

“Kaa seems to have rather more extravagant aspirations than that,” Doc said.

“Point is,” Mildred went on, “what are we going to do?”

“Pretend to dig, for a start,” J.B. said.

The overseer had turned and was looking their way. As they hacked at the earth at the edge of the pit, J.B. said, “We can’t stay out here. If the stickies come, we’re dead meat. We’ve got to get back inside the berm. If we get our blasters, mebbe we can free Ryan, Krysty and Jak.”

“How about these?” Mildred asked, holding up her ankle chain.

“That’s the easy part.” J.B. fished around in his pants pocket and produced the short piece of steel wire. “We’re going to lose these cuffs right now.”

J.B. worked quickly, unlocking the shackles.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the raghead

asked as J.B., Doc and Mildred hopped up out of the pit “Overseer’s gonna run you down and beat the skin off you!”

When the slaves started yelling for the boss man, the trio took off across the flat, heading for a big, smooth rock in the distance.

“What now?” Mildred asked as they huddled momentarily behind the stone.

“Look for a way in,” J.B. replied.

They moved low and fast, keeping parallel to the berm and about a quarter mile out. Every once in a while they looked back to see if the overseer was in pursuit. If he was, he was too far behind to make out. North of the cultivated area was riverbed scrubland. There were no dwellings and no people. The terrain sloped gently away from the Willie ville boundary, then dropped off in a low, eroded ridge. Over the top of the berm wall, they could see the roller coaster’s framework and the rim of the Ferns wheel. At the foot of the berm, the sun flared off the chrome bumper of a buried truck.