Easing out of their boots, the rest of the companions started slowly creeping toward the stairwell. Making a small detour around a crate, Dean reached out to snag the shoulder strap of the Armbrust rocket, then kept moving.
Turning off the preburner of his weapon, Ryan scowled at the action and promised he would have a stern talk with the boy about obeying orders in emergencies.
Crossing the few yards to the stairs seemed to take forever, every retarded motion excruciatingly slow. But finally they were inside the stairs, their socks patting on the hard steps as the men and women ascended at glacial speed. Finally reaching the ground floor, they risked moving faster and dashed across the damp floors, the yellowish moisture stinging their feet through the Army socks.
“Landing dock is closer,” Mildred suggested.
“Fuck that. We’d have to jump to the ground,” Ryan said harshly. “Use the stairs.”
Easing out the back door, they quickly traversed the stairs and through the gate in the fence to finally reach the parking lot. Not wasting a moment with their boots, the companions dashed around the building in their stocking feet and raced straight for the bikes pell-mell.
Standing near the collection of motorcycles, Doc arched an eyebrow at the companions’ unusual appearance.
“Salutations all!” he rumbled with a smile, then noticed the stern expressions on their faces. In remarkable speed, the old man was on his bike with the engine running, as the others arrived.
“Droids?” Doc asked, revving the engine.
“Sweaty dyno,” J.B. said, climbing onto his bike. “Tons of it.”
“Saints preserve us,” the old man muttered, as Jak climbed on behind him.
Rolling to the gate, Ryan slashed the rope holding it closed with his knife and the iron grille swung away to crash into the brick wall. The companions flinched at the noise, but when nothing happened, they rolled the bikes onto the street and drove toward the on ramp of the bypass.
“A little distance more and we’ll be safe,” Ryan said over the purring motor.
“Sure hate to leave those blasters,” Krysty griped, maneuvering around the maze of potholes. “But we had no choice.”
“None,” J.B. said, watching the ruins. Things darted about in the shadows, but none dared to emerge and challenge the norms on the street.
The entrance ramp proved to be clear of wrecked cars, and the motorcycles zoomed up the sloped concrete to the bypass without any trouble. Soon, the companions were streaking away at their best speed, the purrs of the engines rising to throaty growls.
“Gate open,” Jak said. “Muties recce warehouse.”
“Let them,” Ryan snapped, leaning into a turn. “The blast’ll only attract more muties and give us some breathing room.”
Bright light flashed behind the companions, and a rumbling roar grew to staggering proportions, then faded away. Seconds later smoking debris rained from the sky. A burning tire hit the roadway directly in front of the companions and rolled along with the bikes for a few yards before veering away and disappearing over the side of the elevated bypass.
“Now let’s go find that gateway,” Krysty shouted, her Army-issue socks pressed tight to the checkered rider pegs. The woman tried not to think what would happen if her unprotected foot slipped and brushed against the rushing surface of the roadway. “And get the hell off this island!”
Black hair streaming in the wind, Ryan shot her a look. “Agreed,” he muttered, sagging a little in his seat from the array of weaponry strapped across his body. “We’ll stop in a couple of miles, and look for a place to stop and check over our weapons.”
“And boots,” Jak added, shifting his bare feet on the floorboard of the fancy Harley.
“What about the spider?” Dean asked, the tube of the Armbrust rocket sticking over his shoulder like a samurai sword.
Keeping a tight grip on the handlebars, Ryan pumped the throttle. “Since we know where the bug is, we’ll take the off-ramp just before its web,” he said. “Then get back on the bypass after we go underneath.”
“Sounds good,” the boy agreed.
“And if not,” J.B. added grimly, “we got the blasters to chill a dozen of the big muties.”