Chapter 4
The van carrying Richard was speeding down the highway. The roads were clear, as they had been for months. The sun was setting as the blacked out van hit the halfway point on its route to the border. Without their masks and hoods the officers in the front area of the van looked less ominous. The driver of the truck was getting sleepy from all the constant calmness of the open road. The divider lines on the freeway lanes began to lull him to sleep. He set the van to self drive, but still liked to be alert when behind the wheel. He yawned and shook his head in effort to wake himself up. Drowsy, he told the officer riding shotgun that they would have to switch soon.
The passenger shouted, “Turn on the radio then!” in protest with his foreign accent.
“Good idea. You lazy bum.”
The driver set the radio to a conservative talk radio station. It was broadcasting the latest economic news
“Great! Now I’m gonna fall asleep,” the passenger crossed his arms turned to the side and closed his eyes.”
“So you’re not just lazy, eh? you’re stupid to?”
“Home Shope inc. has made a significant climb up the financial market, putting it at the top of the list of most successful businesses of the year. Zeal Industries, the parent company has long been a leader in the financial market and now Zeal Rutherford is on track to becoming the world’s first trillionaire.
Virtual Protest have erupted all across the country, people deactivating all of their digital accounts, including social media and entertainment. Large boycotts of Home Shope deliveries have not affected the company’s total earnings. ”
“Did you hear that shit?” the driver said as he punched the other officer awake
“Ey! …. Yeah I heard him. Major Charles D’etat is not gonna like that. And dont touch me!”
Up ahead in the brush a man was hiding, he was wearing a stolen government issued Zeal Refracting Jumpsuit. He didn’t have the face mask or hood on, but was still difficult to spot in the brush. Waiting calmly, he looked through his binoculars and saw the van was getting close. Ragged with visible dirt on his face, the long greasy hair pushed behind his ears showcased his cold stern eyes. His scraggly beard tied into a braid concealed his lip’s chapped flakes. As the van got closer, he prepared.
He had a spike strip in his hands, and moved his arm up and down to get a good feel for the weight of it. He tossed it onto the road just as the van was approaching. The van plowed into it and a loud pop shook the driver awake as he tried to gain control of the wheel. He slammed on the brakes and yelled. A streak of smoke and burned rubber followed the truck before it finally came to a stop. The driver took a deep breath feeling relieved he had survived.
Suddenly, there was an explosion of glass as the windows busted open. The men in the truck gathered their senses, their faces bloody from the glass shards. They reached for their guns and kicked open the doors. The brush man pulled a blow dart from his belt and aimed it, waiting for the driver to exit the truck. The driver stepped outside and squinted his eyes, unable to find anything, he shouted.
“Come out you prick!” He felt a sharp pain in his neck and fell to the ground unconscious. The second guard called for him but heard only silence.
“shit.” he said in a quiet voice.
He made his way back to the van to get his mask but fell victim to a dart on his way.
There were 2 more men in the back of the van with Richard. They kicked the doors open and sprawled out with heavy auto rifles. Scanning the scene and listening for any indication of movement they noticed their dead associates on the ground. Before the shock wore off the officers, the brush man, hiding on top of the van, hit his first target with a dart. The second officer however, had time to get his face mask and hood on. The camera sensors on his face mask picked up the body heat from the brush man and the officer aimed his rifle at him.
“Freeze!” he said in a robotic voice as he disappeared into the air.
He pointed his gun at the top of the van and opened fire. The brush man ran back to the front of the van and turned it on. He floored the gas pedal and took off forward as the officer foolishly chased behind him. The brush man couldn’t see the officer but figured he was close behind and slammed on the brakes. The officer smashed into the van and fell back. His mask had smashed against his face and split his mouth open. He bled out profusely inside the mask and started to choke on his own blood. The refracting jumpsuit began to glitch and the brush man could see him again. The brush man put the truck in reverse and tranquilized the guard the old fashion way.
He walked into the brush and pulled a tarp off a truck he was hiding, it had a giant Meat Co. logo on the side of it. He pulled up next to the van and moved Richard from the van to the back of his pickup truck. Before leaving he turned on the van’s auto drive feature on, propped up one of the unconscious officers behind the wheel and turned up the music. The van left down the road as the pickup truck left off the beaten path.
***
Excerpt from the Intercepted Private Email of Dr. Whump
Hello Mother,
We have found a way to spread the vaccine from person to person, anytime there is an outbreak of a disease we can make an entire population immune with in weeks!.
You will be proud of me,
Dr. Whump
Daniel Amenero 