"Alright there, Colonel? Comfortable?" Sam asks, sounding jittery and anxious.

"I'm fine," Colonel Sage replies politely.

"Cup of tea or anything? Twiglet? They're homemade."

"I'm fine," He repeats, less politely.

"Uh, right. Okay. Okay. So, thanks to the tracker Five and Peter planted on the Rider's big rig, me and Janine have been watching what they do over the past few days. Turns out they're surprisingly predictable. Um, I mean, for anarchists."

"Yeah," Jody agrees beside me. "They really are. That's why we found their caches of weapons in the tattoo parlor and that."

"And what have you learned on this occasion?" Colonel Sage asks, and I look over to Janine, since I have yet to have the pleasure of reading the reports.

"They make a stop at least once a day at Crips-Lane Services."

Jody nods. "And we've been talkin' to the ex-Riders from Fort Blackmoore, the castle. Turns out the Riders aren't just one big group. They keep absorbin' little tribes of biker gangs. So right now, there are two enemy groups inside the Riders, the Hogs and the Frogs."

I bite my lip to suppress a giggle at the rhyming, although it does little good when Sam speaks.

"Sounds like an Adult Swim cartoon which turns out to be a complicated metaphor about politics that I don't understand."

"The Hogs recently set fire to the Frogs' leader," Janine explains, ignoring the way my eyes widen. "The Frogs are consequently in a murderous mood."

"Hopping mad, in fact."

I choke on a laugh, and I can picture Sam beaming in the coms shack. Although maybe he's not, since Colonel Sage is there, and even though the man is only of average height and build, he gives off an extremely intimidating aura that might keep Sam from saying too many jokes. Shame. Sam's little added bits always make my runs better.

"Thank you," Janine says, her voice tittering on irritation. Whether it's about my laughter or Sam's words that brought it, I can't tell. "Runner Four, this intel will be of great help in carrying out Colonel Sage's plan. Colonel?"

He clears his throat. "Yes. Well, to my regret, I entered into an arrangement with the Riders. A marriage of necessity, as they possess a mobile oil refinery. I supplied them with crude oil, they refined it into petrol. Until they attacked my convoy." His voice drops an octave, and I flinch at the anger in his tone. It's gone the second it appeared. "So, we will steal their refinery and frame the Frogs."

She nods. "Time is of the essence. The Riders generate so much noise that zombies are never far behind. We must lure the bikers away and take the refinery before the horde catches up. Runner Four, Runner Five, this mission is ours. Let's run."

And we do, the gates of Abel already up, the few people that have stayed around watching as we run out and the gates lower, cutting them off from their glimpse of the outside. It's not that much of a view anyway, if I'm honest.

And we listen as Sam instructs us-well, more so me-where to go. Janine and Jody already know where Crips-Lane Services is, and I feel kind of bad that I didn't have much to give for this mission besides a pair of legs. Unlike Jody I haven't asked anything about the Blackmoore guys' time with the Riders. We're shared stories, but I never asked them about it. They like that. They like that I don't push them, that I don't interrogate them. That was their words, too. One guy, Dominic, told me that Janine scared him almost as much as the Riders did.

They like me because they can relate to me, just like how they can relate to Nicole. And for once I don't have to worry about these guys seeing me as a parent instead of peer, because that's how it's always been for those younger than me, even by a few years. After all, Milo is only three and a half years younger than me.

These guys see me as an equal, so if I were to try to ask them questions as if this were some sort of interview, it would destroy any progress I've made in becoming their friends.

But I am here, willing to do what I must. I'm more than happy to do something that comes with hurting the Last Riders. I'm still not over what they did at the rave, and neither are the ravers. Most of them have gone back to their respected settlements, but we've been calling to check up on them, and many are still dealing with the trauma that came from that. If this hurts the bastards that committed mass genocide for no reason other than they thought it'd be funny, then I'm all for it.

"Look at the size of that lorry!" Sam yells a few minutes later, and I squint at the unmoving vehicle in the distance. It is big, even from here. "It's like a train! A train that goes on the road."

"That, Mr. Yao, is a road train," Janine deadpans. "Half of its carriages are given over to the mobile refinery."

"And the other half are given over to the distillation of moonshine," Colonel Sage adds, and I cringe.

"Yeah, otherwise they'd sober up and start to think about what they're doing. Hey, Colonel Sage, did you say you supplied them with crude oil? Where'd you get the oil from in the first place?"

"My settlement is in the far northwest, not too far from where the Riders originated. We are situated on the coast, and on an offshore oil rig."

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Oh. Oh, wow. That's uh-I mean, that's pretty handy in an apocalypse."

"My colony has survived... and thrived, as has Abel, because we have resources to share with those who wish to live as we do. I regret the alliance with the Riders, however. It was they who originally occupied the refinery which was partner to our oil rig."

"Okay, so if we sort you out with this refinery, the whole country will be able to get petrol without dealing with the Riders," Sam states, a smile in his voice. "That seems good. Great. Uh, okay, Runners, the Riders are all drinking in the little chef. Five, Janine, you'll have to disable the road train's gun turrets so Jody can lure the Riders away safely. We're in a blind spot here, so just run straight and you should be alright. Ready?"

"Ready," I reply.

"Go!"

Our run turns into a sprint, since like Janine said, time is of the essence. The road train is still for now, but soon enough it will start up again. This may be our only chance to take this from them. Once we cause infighting, their schedule will most definitely change, and things will become even more complicated for us.

And seeing that we're still waiting for Veronica to tell us to bring that AI core, we are at a standstill when it comes to stopping the V-Types or receiving aid from her concerning the Last Riders.

She also has yet to send anything else regarding Van Ark's notes, or her ideas on what we could do in creating a cure. I doubt she'd be able to make it for us, even if she wasn't glitching. She's doing a thousand different things at once just trying to figure out the V-Types and Riders and fight off A.N.N.I.E. I can't expect her to be doing another thousand things that would be needed to make my cure.

Once she's given significant data on what we should do, I'm going to have to come clean. I'll have to tell either Maxine or Paula or one of the workers in the labs here in Abel. I dread the day, but it will happen eventually. It has to if I want to be mortal again.

And I do. I can't stand the thought of sitting here while everyone-everything-turns to dust around me. I know Peter feels the same way, even though he's never really said. He's not exactly subtle, and now that I know he's Simon, it's a lot easier for me to connect the dots. When I know what to look for, things are a lot easier to find.

Jody splits off from us as we get close to the road train, heading to get in position. Janine and I head onward, and once we reach the train we start climbing. Janine heads up first, I keep my eyes on my hands, not wanting to look down as familiar fear claws at my inside like a wild animal. It's not too high, so it isn't as terrible as it was when I was on that lorry that was hanging halfway off the side of a ravine, but it's still not the ground. And a fall from this road train would probably end with me getting a broken arm.

"That's great work," Sam praises, and I smile. "Jody's hiding in position. Callista, Janine, you haven't been seen climbing up on that road train. There should be a control panel somewhere. Can you see it?"

Janine's already heading to it as I scramble to get on top of the road train. "We see it."

"Okay. Open it up."

She does so, the metal lid clanking as I crouch down and pull out my pair of pliers.

"Good, now Five, cut the um... uh, red wire?"

I snip the red wire, and nearly shriek when the gun turrets start going off, bullets flying everywhere.

"Green wire! Green wire!" He shouts, and I nearly fall over in my haste to snip that wire. Instantly the hail of bullets at a random patch of trees stop as the gun turrets power down. The lack of gunshots is barely noticed by me since my blood is roaring in my ears.

"Jody, you're all set." Sam's voice shakes as he struggles to catch his breath. "Nip between the third and fourth carriages and the car park's right there."

"Okey-dokey, here goes nothin'," She says, and we watch as she heads for the car park. She puts on her helmet that one of the ex-Riders gave her. It's a bright green, with big eyes and odd ears. "Deep breath. Here goes. I can do this."

"Wow. That is quite the helmet, Jodes. Really does look like a-"

"Frogs rule; Hogs suck! Bacon is salty and delicious!" She screams, before pushing over the bikes that are lined up. They fall like dominoes, and me and Janine duck and shuffle back when Riders start running out of the building, shouting curses in anger.

"Jody, grab one of the bikes and head off. They've left the keys in most of them."

"Good thing Ed taught me a few bike tricks. I'll lead them a dance, just like we planned," She says, and I can just barely see her get onto a motorcycle and start the engine. Janine and I are already sliding down the ladder on the road train.

"Colonel De Luca, Runner Five, you cannot allow yourself to be seen," Colonel Sage stresses, and I purse my lips. He says this as if we aren't currently about to run and hide. "The Riders must believe this to be the work of a rebellious Frog. Head up the hill to the tree line. Run!"

I roll my eyes once my feet hit the ground, but thankfully Janine doesn't see it. She seems to really like Colonel Sage, and she probably wouldn't care for my disrespect.

So silently and quickly, we head for the tree line. It's easy to take cover here. Any sounds we could have made are overpowered by the motorcycles that the Riders are picking up and hopping onto. They shout and holler and scream like angry children, although some of them might actually be so. I can see a few who are my age, some younger. They may just have baby faces, but if the Riders were accepting teenagers into their ranks beforehand, I can't see why they'd suddenly stop now.

"Okay, the Hogs are all on Jody's tail," Sam states. "The road train is unprotected. Five, Janine, the coast's clear. Run down from the trees and steal the road train." An excited laugh leaves his lips. "Oh, this heist stuff really is fun. I-oh."

The road train's engine starts, a low rumble hitting the air that steadily grows louder. Seconds later it's moving-slowly but picking up speed.

"Mr. Yao, the road train is moving," Janine says, her pitch rising in slight panic.

"So it is," He squeaks. "Uh, let me just check... Ah. You know those zombies that follow the Last Riders around?"

We scan our surrounding until we see the spots on the horizon, moving together in one direction. There must be 100 of them, all heading this way towards the noise, towards what they know must be humans.

"We see them," Janine says. "And so does the train's driver."

"Uh, here's something to think about," I pipe up. "That's a big horde, and a horde that big has some large chances of having a-

"V-Type," Colonel Sage finishes. "I've been reading your reports on them with grim interest, De Luca."

"Yep. And you won't know a V-Type until you shoot it in the face and it keeps moving," Sam says, and by his tone I can tell he's internally groaning, because things had to just get worse. "Five, Janine, catch up with the road train and keep away from that horde. Run!"

•

"Great running there, guys," Sam says, but I can't give a reply. I'm already breathing hard and sweating profusely from the sprint. "You're catching up to the road train and losing the horde. Just keep going down that slip road. How are you getting along, Jody?"

The first thing I hear when she patches in is her squealing laughter. "Whoohoo! Frogs are the best!"

Sam laughs. "Jody, you're really good on that bike. I-Did you just do a wheelie?"

"Yeah!" She shouts. "This is quite fun, actually. Apart from the bit where I might die."

"You'll be okay if you keep the route we've practiced. Wow, so many of the Riders chacing you are so young. I mean, I did some stupid stuff in my teens before the apocalypse. Got pretty heavily into Bacardi Breezeers, if I'm honest. But why would you want to join that bunch?"

"I've chatted to some of the people from the castle about that. Um, it's a mixture of stuff. A lot of them had lost everyone. Parents, their brothers and sisters. They just felt like there was no hope, so you might as well smash everythin' up, mightn't you?"

I make a face. I know what it's like to feel like there's no hope, to feel like there's nothing left of you besides a bitter, angry, broken shell of what you used to be. I know what that's like, but I still wouldn't willingly choose to hurt people. I didn't willingly choose to hurt people. And I tell Jody that.

"Yeah, but you could have left, right?" She asks.

"Not really."

"Maybe that's how they felt then. But the Riders seemed like they knew what they were doin'. If you joined up with them, you could feel superior to all the people tryin' to build things up again. The Riders said there's no point, those people are idiots. Uh, it's a pretty convincin' idea."

"Yeah, the idea is convincing, but believing people are dumb for wanting to keep the world going and killing them because of it are two very different things," I say with a frown.

"Yeah, but-" Tires squeal, and Jody lets out a shout. "Whoa! One of them just threw a flamin' chain at me! Five, Janine, is there anythin' you can do to help me get some distance?"

"I, for one, would like to see the famous McShell Maneuver in action," Colonel Sage says.

"Good shout, Sage!" Sam says. "Uh, Colonel Sage. Sorry. Please don't do that thing with your eyebrows."

"If there are V-Types in that horde, you should know a McShell won't work on them," I say, swallowing thickly, and Sam sighs.

"I know, but it's really the only idea we've got right now. Okay, road train's taking the next exit. It's one of those roads that sort of loop around for ages, so we can help Jody and still catch up with it."

"Okay." I nod, hoping he can't hear my uncertainty. "I trust you."

He hums happily. "Five, Janine, switch on your noisemakers and lure the hordes..." He mutters quietly to himself, "northwest. Then we'll McShell the zoms between Jody and the Riders. But keep your distance, okay?"

"I don't plan on dying today," I reply, pulling out my noisemaker. I switch it on, cringing at the loud noise that blares from it, like a siren from a police car.

"I don't plan on you dying today either. Now run!"

We turn, holding our noisemakers high into the air. The sound it emits is loud and painful and annoying, and now as the horde is getting ever closer, I pray that no V-Type is in the group. I can only imagine how things would be if we pulled a McShell and a V-Type kept going after us, or turned to go after Jody.

But I suppose we're working with it as we go along. We have no other available plan besides the McShell, and Jody's life matters more than anything else. If the Riders catch her, who knows what they'd do to her. And even if we are seen, I doubt they'll make any connection to us and her. They'll probably think we're just a couple of Abel runners trying to get away from some zombies.

But the zombies are closer now, following behind us. Sam keeps warning us to make sure they don't get too close, to keep a distance. I don't necessarily like that he's worried, but it is sweet to see how much he cares.

"Okay, guys, Jody and the bikers are coming in from the right. Look at them all! It's proper Mad Max stuff, isn't it? 'Witness me!'"

"Mr. Yao!" Janine and Colonel Sage shout in disapproval, and I'm glad I'm able to hold back my laugh and instead just smile fondly.

"Sorry. Carried away," He says sheepishly. "Do not witness me. In fact, concentrate on your own jobs. Five, Janine, you'll have to slow down a little, let the horde get closer. Not too close. And Jody, more throttle. We need a gap between you and the Riders to McShell the zoms into."

"Got you!" She replies, and he sighs through his nose.

"A lot of fuss over a Frog, isn't it? Thought anarchists didn't have any rules."

"To take a leadership position is often to abandon your principles, Mr. Yao," Colonel Sage says.

"Right, yeah. Like you working with the Riders."

My face scrunches up. I wonder if Sam realizes how much of a blow that is to say it so casually.

"Doing what is necessary and acting according to your principles are so often at odds," Janine says, and I grimace. Necessary. Such a simple word, but so often it is used to justify unjust deeds.

"Precisely," Sage agrees. "To lead is to make a series of impossible decisions. No one should want that. The only reason to lead is because you know that you can. Then it is your duty."

"Wow! Yeah, Colonel Sage, I'd love to talk to you about that sometime," Jody says hopefully. "But okay, can we focus on the McShell now? I can smell the breath of the Rider nearest to me."

I look back at the zombies behind us, then at the gap between Jody and the Riders just ahead.

The gap is big enough. It'll be fine. Jody will be fine. And there's a chance there's not a V-Type in the horde, and even if they are, they might continue to go with the zombies because they're in a horde. It was a single V-Type the last time I tried it with Amelia, and maybe that's why it didn't work. Plus that V-Type has my scent. So maybe it'll be okay this time.

My reasoning is mediocre at best, but it's enough to keep me from looking back and facing what's behind me.

"Okay, here we go. Janine, go left. Five, break right. Run!"

I turn so sharply for a second I nearly lose my balance and fall, but I'm able to catch myself and sprint off. I manage to keep pace with Janine. Straining to look over my shoulders, I sigh in relief as I see the zoms-all of them-keep going forward. Either there are no V-Types or they're going the way of the horde because it's a lot of trouble to try to fight through them to get to one target.

Either way, it's working!

The Riders try to ride around, but even with their bikes, they're unable to get to Jody, who's riding off as far from the zoms as she can manage. With the amount of noise the Riders are making, the zoms are going towards them, mouths open and hungry. And after we turn our noisemakers off, all the attention is solely on the motorcycles and the people on them.

The Riders try to plow over them, and some even manage to do so, but that's not going to get them out. They'll have to fight, and even if they do make it out alive, they'll never catch up to Jody, and they haven't even seen us.

I don't know if I should feel bad about the fact that I don't feel bad for them. Some of those people on the motorbikes are young, some even younger than me, but that doesn't excuse their bad actions. I understand that more than anyone. It doesn't matter what my age was when I did things for the Torrencers. People were still hurt. People still died because of me.

The fact that I was a child doesn't erase the pain I caused or bring back the lives I took. The same goes for these kids who joined up with the Last Riders. I don't think they should have been exposed to this, but that doesn't mean their choices are excused because of their age.

"Well, Colonel, an impressive technique, I must say," Colonel Sage says, sounding surprised, which I'm unsure if I should feel offended by or not. Did he expect us to fail? "I'll begin training my own operatives in it at once. But with your permission, of course."

"Yeah, the McShell worked like a treat," Sam agrees. "The Riders are stuck inside that horde of zoms, and they've lost Jody completely. Okay, the road train's still going around that exit. Like trying to get a twelve-seat sofa over a spiral staircase."

"So there's still a chance we can catch up to it?" I ask hopefully.

"If you're fast enough, yeah. And you are fast enough."

"'Course I am," I say with cockiness, and I'm sure it earns me an eyeroll from my husband.

"You just love having your ego stroked, don't you? Anyway, Five, Janine, meet on the flyover. You can jump off the railing and land on the driver's carriage."

"What?" I choke, my eyes going wide.

"Not so cocky now, huh?"

"Sam!"

"You'll be fine," He assures. "You did it not too long ago, and it was your idea that time."

"Pretty sure this jump is higher."

"You'll be fine," He says again, but I still let out a noise of uncertainty. "Jody, get off on the next junction and circle back around. Oh, damn. Uh, Callista, there's some zoms breaking off from the horde to follow you. They look like normal zombies, but pick up the pace just in case, okay? Run."

•

There's a loud thunk as I land on top of the driver's carriage, and I swear I feel my bones rattle from the aggressive impact.

"Nice superhero landing, Five!" Sam cheers. "Told you you could do it."

"Yeah," I say with a small smile. "But I'd rather not do it again, if that's alright with you."

"I can't make any promises."

"I'll deal with the driver," Janine says, crouching down and reaching into the window that's rolled down. She unlocks the door, then grabs the handle and opens it before pulling herself inside.

I lean around to watch as the driver notices the woman climbing in.

"What the-" She starts, but Janine grabs her shoulder and throws her out of the vehicle. She slams into the ground hard and rolls, and I click my tongue.

"Should've worn her seatbelt."

"Wow. That driver is... dealt with," Sam says in shock.

"Needs must," Janine replies. "Runner Five, climb into the cab alongside me. Runner Four, continue to drive alongside."

She shuts the door while I scramble to the passenger's side. I bite the inside of my cheek as I reach down and grab the door handle to open the door. I climb inside and shut the door, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Mr. Yao, where to?"

"Sage, uh, Colonel Sage says there's an abandoned railway tunnel up ahead, so make for that."

"Are we clear of the Riders, Mr. Yao?"

"Uh, should be, yeah. They're putting up a hell of a fight with the horde though. One's jousting the zoms with a flaming spear thing. Makes you wish they were on our side. Although if they were on our side, they'd probably set fire to it." He pauses as we drive towards the tunnel. There's something coming out-another vehicle. "Is that a tanker truck?"

"That is our ringer. Proceed into the tunnel," Sage says, and I raise a brow. Why do we need that? I watch as it drives past us and we head into the tunnel. "Excellent! Now all that remains is to cover the entrance to the tunnel in foliage. My driver has prepared some for you."

"Very thorough, isn't he? Five, Janine, once you park inside the tunnel, go get that foliage and cover up the entrance."

"Yes, sir, " I reply as Janine slows the road train to a stop. I open the door and hop out, wincing slightly at the soreness that comes on impact. That smack from before still seems to have settled deep into my bones. I suppose there's no healing to be done, since no damage was done. No bones were broken, just knocked about a bit more than usual.

I head over and start grabbing the foliage nearby and start to cover up the entrance. Janine climbs around the sides of the tunnel to add foliage there, and once Jody drives in she helps out as well. It only takes a few minutes before Janine is taking a step back and resting her hands on her hips.

"That is sufficient camouflage. Excellent work. Well, that was quite the plan, Colonel. The Riders believe the Frogs responsible for the heist, so we've cut off the bikers from their petrol and sparked a civil war in their ranks while we're about it. All in all-" Her eyes widen at the sound of a nearby explosion. "Mr. Yao, what was that?"

"That was our ringer, Colonel," Sage replies before Sam can. "The tanker truck was rigged to explode."

My lips part when it hits me. The tanker truck was a decoy, so the Riders would think the explosion was from the road train and wouldn't try to look for it. Sam seems to understand it the same time I do because he lets out a joyous laugh.

"Wow! This is a victory! An actual, unqualified victory! Come on home, Runners."

"Just a sec," Jody says, a grin on her face. "We've got a refinery half full of moonshine behind us.  Five, want to help me take a barrel back to Abel?"

"Hell yeah!" I cheer, and Janine frowns.

"I don't think..." She trails off when she sees the excited expressions Jody and I both wear. "Well, maybe just a little. Very well. This portion of the road train is the refinery."

We head to one of the cars and open the door, and I frown at the crates stacked about, along with some weird tables and plastic buckets with lids on them. The buckets are an off-white, opaque color, and whatever was in them was obviously dark, seeing that it's stained the inside. I can see it as the lights up in here shine on it.

"I, uh," Jody coughs. "Wow. That does not look like any moonshine distillery any boyfriend of mine ever rigged up in my college bedroom."

"No, it does not," She agrees, her brows furrowing together. She steps inside and grabs a nearby crowbar. "Look here. I don't believe these boxes contain alcohol."

She uses the crowbar to rip off the top of the crate, and my hand clamps over my mouth when I see dozens of white oblong pills with the Rider insignia.

"Oh God!" Jody gasps. "Those are the fake ecstasy tablets they were givin' out at that rave!"

"We have taken more than we thought from them. We have taken their weapon of terrorism!" Janine gives Jody and I an approving look. "This is a major victory, runners. You should feel very proud. At last, there is hope that we can defeat the Last Riders."

A/N: Here you go, guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It is dedicated to queenof9realms Please be sure to vote and comment! Thank you and have a blessed day!