They continued for perhaps eight or nine miles, headed south. The Desert King's men did not pursue them -- with Steckler dead, and the settlement itself being overrun by zombies, they presumably had more important matters to attend to.
Some of them were wounded. One of the girls had been shot in the calf, and Eldon was suffering from a nasty gash which ran horizontally across his chest. Eldon's wound was deep enough, and serious enough, that Stu felt obliged to use his Protector skill to heal him -- he put his hand on the younger man's bare shoulder, which allowed Eldon to access his Regeneration skill. He didn't want the kid getting suspicious, though, so he withdrew from him before the skill had finished healing him completely.
This was a very useful skill, and even better, it did not appear to have any significant limitations -- he could use the skill as often as he wanted. It was also different from almost every other skill, in that it allowed him to affect another person -- most of the ICON system's skills, like Sniffer, Strong Arm, Chainsaw Ballet, and everything else were only applicable to him.
So they stitched themselves up as best they could. Berly, after wrapping a makeshift bandage around the wounded woman's leg, turned to Stu, who was sitting beside her in the back of the truck. "Your turn."
"I'm not hurt."
"I saw Steckler slash you up a dozen times."
"I'm not hurt," he repeated. He lifted his bloody shirt to display his torso. "See?"
She poked at him with her index finger, looking for wounds, but of course she found none. "How is that possible?"
"And how did you do all that with the chainsaw?" Eldon asked. "Throwing it up into the air and catching it like that...that was incredible. And you were moving so fast. I knew you were tough, after seeing you kill all those zombies bare-handed, but...are you even human?"
He shrugged. "Does it matter?"
He snorted. "I guess not. Thanks. Thanks for getting me out of there."
"No sweat. Too bad about Carmine, though."
He lowered his eyes. "Yeah. Too bad."
Berly thanked him as well, but she was looking at him carefully, her eyes sparkling with interest. He had seen that expression on the other Berly, his Berly, many times before, and he had an idea of what it might mean.
They finally stopped at an old ghost town in the middle of nowhere, to take stock of themselves and the situation. Stu conferred privately with Luna, Lucky, and Millie.
"Everyone in one piece?" Luna asked.
"We're okay," Lucky said. "But what about you?" He pointed to the front of her slinky, silky gown, which was covered in blood. "Is that your blood?"
"Yes, but..." She threw a glance at Stu. "It's a long story."
"What is that you're wearing?" Millie asked. "It looks like underwear."
"Don't ask." She looked around. "I wonder if there's some spare clothes around here."
They started searching the town, talking as they picked their way through it. Lucky told them his story, which was brief: "They put me in this big camp, with a bunch of other people," he explained. "They were doing all kinds of work there -- sewing up old clothes, fixing cars, reloading ammunition. I mostly just slacked off until Millie showed up. What about you?"
"Had to fight a bunch of zombies," Stu said. He gestured to his clothes, which were stiff with dried blood; Luna wasn't the only one looking for a change of outfit. "As you can see."
"No bites, though?"
"No bites."
"Where did you meet her?" Luna asked, lifting her chin in Berly's direction. There was the tiniest hint of suspicion in her voice.
"I spoke with her before I met Steckler. I--"
"Hey, wait a minute," Lucky suddenly broke in. "I thought I recognized her. That's the girl from that newspaper ad you showed me, back in Meku City -- the actress, the one you said was your girlfriend."
Luna blinked in surprise. "Your girlfriend?"
"It's a long story," he tried.
"Oh, no," she said. "You're not getting out of this that easily. Who is she?"
He sighed. "Berly was my ex-girlfriend," he admitted, "on my Earth. That woman over there...she looks just like her, and she has the same name. I guess she's some kind of double, this world's version of the Berly I knew back home."
"You were dating an actress?" Millie inquired.
"She wasn't an actress in my world."
"I guess that explains why you went out of your way for her," Luna said. "She reminded you of your girlfriend."
"Ex-girlfriend," he clarified.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"So does everyone in our world have a double in your world?" Millie asked.
"I don't know," Stu replied. "Maybe. I haven't seen any other familiar faces here, but...well, I guess it's possible." Did Lucky, Luna, and Millie have doppelgangers in his world, he wondered? Maybe. And he wondered, again, whether there had been a Stuart Brakely in this world, and if there had been, what might have happened to him. He was probably dead, if he had even existed -- one of the many millions of people who had perished during the outbreak. It was a shame; Stu would have liked to have met his counterpart.
The ghost town turned out to have a small discount store, and while most of the valuable items had been looted out of it long ago, there was still some clothing on the racks. It was musty and moth-ridden, but Stu didn't care; anything was better than the filthy, blood-soaked garments he was wearing now. He found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that fit, although it was a bit baggy, while Luna discovered a pair of shorts and a top. Some of the other women managed to assemble new outfits as well. Lucky searched for Nandies, but found none.
They were all hungry, and especially thirsty, but there was no food or water to be found anywhere in town. Some of their supplies were still in the backseat of the glider, but Steckler's men had stolen all of the PrestoMeat and bottled water.
"Well, that sucks," Lucky commented.
"They took almost everything," Millie said. "I did find these, though, in the garage where they were keeping the glider." She reached into the backseat and removed two items which Stu was very happy to see: the Midnighter pistol and the Excalibur baseball bat. "I thought you might want them back. I couldn't find your ammo, but at least you've got the gun, and there's a full clip in there."
"Thanks, Millie. You're the best."
While Lucky was out looking for more loot, and while Luna was inspecting her glider for any signs of damage, Berly approached Stu. She had found a new outfit for herself, and though obviously a little bedraggled, she looked very pretty in this light, and he was struck, again, by how completely similar she looked to the Berly he knew. He also became aware, abruptly, of the "Looking for Love: Berly" quest message, which was still waiting there in his vision, waiting for him to tap either the yes or no button.
"Nice morning," Stu greeted, rather lamely.
"Nice," she agreed. After a moment she said, "I didn't think you could do it, but you did. You got us out of there."
"Not all of you," he said, thinking about the women who had elected to remain behind, and about the others who had disappeared in the chaos. "But I did the best I could."
"You did. What are your plans now?"
"My friends and I are going to Lon Halos."
"What the hell for?"
"There's someone there I have to meet."
She frowned. "I was thinking I might go with you," she said. "There's something special about you, and I feel like...it's strange, but I feel like I've known you for a long time."
"Is that so?"
"But if you're going to Lon Halos..." She shook her head. "I'm afraid this is where we part ways. Lon Halos has been totally taken over by the zombies, and if the Dread is as bad as everyone says..."
"I understand. You've been through enough. But where will you go? You and the others?"
"Eldon's offered to give us a ride to Sharkhead. That's the nearest Rider outpost. We can probably find some kind of work there. The Riders can get pretty rowdy, but they're nothing like Steckler." She regarded him thoughtfully. "Do you really have to go to Lon Halos?"
"Unfortunately."
"Will I ever see you again?"
"Probably not."
"Well, in that case..." She stepped up to him, leaned forward, and kissed him on the cheek. "For luck," she told him. "So long, Stu."
"Goodbye, Berly."
"Beverly," she corrected. And she turned and walked away.
Stu watched her go, and then, after a moment's thought, brought up the "Looking for Love: Berly" quest message. His finger hovered over it for several seconds, but he finally tapped the "no" button, dismissing the message. He wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship with this world's Beverly, nor indeed with his own Berly; it was time to move on. He was a different person now than he had been when he had arrived in this world, and he realized, now, that there was something pathetic about his having spent so much time clinging to the hope that he might eventually get back together with her.
Luna had seen part of the exchange -- the part which included the kiss. After Berly had left, she made her way over to Stu, rather hesitantly, and said, "She's pretty."
"I guess."
"She likes you, doesn't she?"
"It's possible."
"You seem to have a way with women. The Researcher fell in love with you right away, too."
"That was different. I..." But he stopped himself; he didn't want to tell her about the Don Juan skill. "The Researcher was crazy."
"Love does that, I suppose," she muttered. "Where do we go from here?"
"Berly and the others are going to Sharkhead with Eldon. They're taking the truck."
"Probably for the best." She paused, and opened her mouth as if she wished to say something more, but finally just sighed.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
It took her a moment to find the words. "I was shot last night. I should be dead. I guess I'm finding it a little hard to get over."
"Ah." He remembered that moment -- remembered the panic he had felt when he realized she had been shot, and the relief he had felt when his Regeneration had healed her. He remembered, too, that Berly had been running alongside him, and that it could have just as easily been her who was shot. And yet, he had instinctively reached for Luna. "I know that feeling."
"What do you suppose we'll find in Lon Halos? This Dr. Snowe...do you think he'll be able to explain all this? About how you can do all these amazing things?"
"I hope so. But everyone we've talked to says Lon Halos is a dangerous warzone, full of zombies and ruled by the Dread. And Dr. Snowe might be dead." He paused. "I'd understand if you wanted to go with Eldon and the others, to Sharkhead. You'd be safer there than with me."
"If I was that worried about my safety I never would have agreed to take you to Lon Halos in the first place," she snorted. "I would have stayed in Meku." Her tone softened. "No, I'm seeing this through to the end. I have my own questions about who you are and where you came from, and I'm not about to turn back now. Besides...we still have some things to settle, you and I."
"Some things to...settle?"
"We'll talk later." She glanced at Berly. "I don't like seeing other girls kiss you. I hope you'll keep that in mind from now on."
"I...sure," he said awkwardly.
And with that, she went back to working on her glider.
* * *
They parted with Eldon and the others less than an hour later. Stu shook hands with the young Rider, who thanked him again for helping him escape. "I wish you'd come with us," he said. "I'm sure Marshal Vorn would like to meet you. You sure you're not interested in joining the Riders?"
"I've never ridden a motorcycle in my life."
"I could teach you."
"Nah. But thanks for the offer."
He shrugged. "I tried. So long, everyone." He waved goodbye to them, and then, with Berly and the other women in tow, he drove off in the truck, headed east, leaving Stu, Luna, Lucky, and Millie. They watched the truck disappear into the distance, kicking up a cloud of desert-dust.
"We'll probably never see him again," Lucky commented, a little morosely. "Eldon, I mean."
"You never know," Luna said. She gestured to the glider. "But we should get moving, too. Hop in."
They climbed into the glider. Luna activated the dynamo, kicked on the turbines, and spun the glider around, turning it west. In a moment they were once again flying through the high desert -- the sun at their backs, the wind in their faces.
Stu took a deep breath. It wouldn't be long now.