The Rider (Complete)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

With a laser-intense focus, Kade hobbled toward his bike.

"Hold it right there!" a voice shouted.

Kade turned and saw a scav aiming a gun at him.

Raising his hands to show that he was unarmed, Kade said, "Your leader is dead."

"Shut up!"

"I didn't kill him. It was the women. They stabbed him a few blocks away."

"I said shut up. Get on the ground, now!" the scav commanded.

"It's okay, you're free," Kade said. "You no longer have to live in fear."

As the scav processed what Kade had told him, he lost a sliver of focus. Kade took advantage of this moment and lunged forward, grabbing the barrel of the gun. A shot was fired, but was diverted away. As the struggle ensued, another shot rang out. Again, it narrowly missed. It was as if they were dancing. 

Kade threw all his weight into a punch that knocked the scav's helmet clean off. Kade then rip the gun out of the scav's hand. The scav was now on the ground, his head was rattled, and he was desperately searching for his helmet, which Kade was now standing over. Kade now had the gun and all the power. He aimed it at the scav, but didn't have the heart to pull the trigger. A young face stared up at him in desperation. The scav was just a kid, no more than seventeen. He was holding his breath, pleading with his eyes for Kade to show mercy.

The last breath of the boy was held in his puffed cheeks. Each passing second invoked even more panic as his body absorbed the oxygen. Instead of shooting the boy, Kade kicked his helmet in one direction while running in the opposite. With his last bit of energy, the boy quickly scrambled toward the helmet and shoved it back on his head.

By now, Kade had a sizable gap between him and the scav, and he was now armed. He tucked his arm and head through the strap of the gun, which now hung by his waist, and was making his way toward his bike. Just then, he felt something press against his shin and immediately stopped dead in his tracks. He had inadvertently tripped a wire. 

Before he had time to react, a series of mechanisms were set in motion. Buried beneath the soot was a metal wire that sprang up like a cobra, wrapped around his leg and took his feet from underneath of him. In one fluid motion, Kade was swept off his feet and hauled high in the air. The force whipped him up so fast that it ripped his loose-fitted helmet right off his face. Kade was completely caught off guard, but had the wherewithal to take a deep breath.

Kade dangled upside down by both legs by a steel cable that stretched from one end of the street to the other. He felt like a fly trapped in a spider web. His arms, hair, and clothes stretched toward the ground. His view, now upside down, he saw the young scav approach. He looked down and saw the gun, which was now laying on the ground ten feet beneath him. 

While still holding his breath, Kade reached for his knife, fumbled with it, but then gripped it firmly. With an aggressive sawing motion, Kade desperately tried to cut himself free, but it was no use. His knife was no match for the steel cable.

While he could hold his breath for a little over two minutes, he was already starting to slip. He estimated he had another thirty seconds or so before the last ounce of air burst from his lungs as he would instinctively inhale the toxic air.

Blood rushed to Kade's head, making him feel like he was going to pass out at any moment. His face turned a shade of purple and thick veins protruded from his face and neck. With his eyes barely open, he saw the boy standing underneath him. They made eye contact, but no words were spoken. Kade desperately wanted to beg the boy to spare his life, but he couldn't open his mouth.

That was it, he was down to his final ten seconds of life on Earth. A valiant effort making it this far post-apocalypse, but ultimately a life that meant very little. He would die a nobody, without making any meaningful contribution or impact. The world would carry on without notice.

Kade came to terms with death once again and said a silent prayer to his mother. As the final seconds counted down, he suddenly fell to the ground, slamming into a thick pile of ash that helped break his fall. Standing over him was the boy. His arm was stretched out and he was holding Kade's helmet. It was an offering. Without hesitation, Kade slipped the helmet on and inhaled a deep, life-saving breath.

"Thank you," Kade said. "You saved my life."

"And you saved mine. I think that makes us even. Go on, get out of here."

Kade saw the bike and ran to it before more scavs showed up. He struggled to lift it up, but eventually mounted it. He looked back at the scav, who was standing twenty-feet away, wearing his helmet. Kade gave him a nod as if to thank him once again. Without wasting a second thought, Kade accelerated so fast that the rear tire dug into the loose dirt until it found traction. A plume of dust shot up as Kade tucked his head and raced away.

Like a man with a new lease on life, he decided to escape while he still could. Given the circumstance, locating and retrieving the package was far too risky. Like a stealth panther, Kade made it through the city undetected. Once he reached the city limits, he looked back to see if he was being followed. He was not.