Chương 47: The Worst Raiders Ever

Elsewhere in the wasteland, Marlin was having a terrible day. He had only been on the road for half a day, yet he had already run into someone trying to rob him. Around noon, tired from walking, Marlin found a shaded spot and stopped to eat before continuing on his way. He had just started untying the ropes around his handcart when he noticed someone approaching. Two men soon appeared from behind a nearby ruin and hurried toward him. From the way they were coming, they clearly weren't here to chat.

They stopped several steps away. One had an old cloth wrapped around the lower half of his face. He was of average build, perhaps even a little thin. The iron pipe in his hand was trembling, though he was doing his best to look threatening. The other was tall and broad but carried no weapon. He stood beside his companion with a stiff expression, trying just as hard to look dangerous. The masked man cleared his throat and lowered his voice.

"We're raiders." Marlin had been a little nervous, but the declaration caught him off guard. The masked man seemed to realize he hadn't sounded threatening enough. He quickly waved the iron pipe.

"Hand… hand over all your supplies, and we might let you live." Marlin said nothing. He narrowed his eyes and looked them over. The larger man noticed and immediately straightened his back. He tried to look fierce, but the longer he held the expression, the less convincing he became. Instead of dangerous, he only looked harmless. The masked man nudged him with an elbow.

"Look meaner," he whispered. The larger man lowered his voice.

"Bro, this is as mean as I can look." The masked man was about to reply, but Marlin had seen enough.

"All right. Stop pretending." Both men froze.

"You're just hungry and looking for something to eat, aren't you?" Marlin said.

"Come on." The larger man turned to his companion.

"Bro, was it really that obvious?" The masked man stiffened, too embarrassed to answer. Marlin couldn't help laughing.

"All right, come over here." He waved the two men over, then returned to the handcart and pulled two cans of beef and two bottles of water from one of the supply bags. Their eyes immediately locked onto the food. After exchanging a quick glance, they hurried over. Marlin sat down in the shade and motioned for them to join him. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"Sit." The two men hesitated, but hunger soon won out. Once they were seated, Marlin handed each of them a can of beef and a bottle of water. The masked man stared at the food in front of him, then looked up at Marlin.

"This… this is for us?" Marlin nodded.

"Eat first. We'll talk afterward." The masked man remained silent for a moment before quietly saying, "Thank you."

"Thank you," the larger man quickly added. They picked up the water bottles and took a few small sips before opening the cans. The smell of beef immediately filled the air. The larger man swallowed and tried a small piece. His eyes widened the moment he tasted it. The masked man took a bite as well, and the wariness on his face quickly turned to surprise.

"It's… delicious." The larger man nodded hard. Despite how hungry they were, neither of them ate quickly. They took small bites and chewed each one slowly, unwilling to finish the beef too soon. Marlin smiled and took out his own food. He had already finished eating by the time the two men made it halfway through their cans.

"Go on," Marlin said.

"Finish eating, then tell me about yourselves." They finally began to eat faster. When they were done, they scraped the cans clean and drank every last drop of broth. The masked man set down his empty can and removed the cloth covering his face.

"I'm Gordon," he said, looking a little embarrassed.

"This is my younger brother, Harvey." Marlin nodded.

"I'm Marlin. I'm a merchant." Gordon told Marlin about their situation. The brothers lived alone in a small settlement they had built nearby. Gordon spent most of his time collecting scrap from the ruins, bringing back anything he thought might be useful. Harvey was strong, so he handled the heavy lifting and carried everything Gordon found back to their settlement. The brothers survived by searching the ruins for supplies. Life wasn't easy, but they had always managed to get by.

Recently, however, things had grown much worse. The animals in the wasteland had become more active, making many ruins too dangerous to enter. Raiders were appearing more often as well. A few days ago, the brothers had finally found some food, only to have it stolen before they could bring it home. They had been hungry for days. With no other choice, Gordon had come up with the idea of pretending to be raiders and robbing travelers for supplies. Marlin had seen through them on their very first attempt.

The smile slowly disappeared from Marlin's face as he listened. What had happened to the brothers, along with the earlier appearance of Valkyrie's group, was enough to show that the fire had truly spread to this part of the wasteland.

"Would you two like some work?" Marlin asked. Gordon paused.

"What kind of work?"

"Building a settlement," Marlin said.

"If you're willing to work, each of you will get one can of beef, one bottle of drinking water, and three potatoes a day. You'll have to handle your own meals, though." Gordon immediately became wary.

"You're really offering that much? How do we know this isn't a trick?" Marlin didn't take offense. He opened the bags on his handcart and showed them the supplies Jack had given him. Both brothers stared.

"This is what I was paid," Marlin said.

"All he asked me to do was deliver a message to the nearby settlements, and he gave me this much. Do you really think he needs to trick either of you?" Gordon had no answer, but Harvey was less cautious than his brother.

"We'll really get canned beef and water every day?"

"And three potatoes," Marlin reminded him. Harvey looked at Gordon.

"Bro, I want to go."

"I never said we weren't going," Gordon replied, shooting him a look. He turned back to Marlin.

"What kind of work would we be doing?"

"There's plenty that needs to be done," Marlin said.

"Someone will tell you what to do once we get there." Gordon thought it over for a moment, then nodded.

"All right. We'll go." Marlin packed the supplies away, got to his feet, and brushed the sand from his clothes.

"I still have a few more settlements to visit. You can come with me, or we can agree on a time and place to meet later."

"We'll come with you," Gordon said after a moment.

"This area isn't safe, and we don't know where the convenience store is."

"Then let's go together." Marlin took hold of the handcart and continued toward the next settlement. Gordon picked up the iron pipe he had used during their failed robbery, and the brothers followed. After walking for a while, Harvey leaned closer to Gordon.

"Bro, were we really that bad at pretending?" Gordon's steps faltered, while Marlin's shoulders shook ahead of them.

"Shut up and keep walking," Gordon said with a dark expression. The three continued across the wasteland toward the next settlement. Back at the convenience store, Jack had finished his bread and canned beef. Now that he was full, he couldn't think of anything else to do. He sat on the folding cot and looked around the store until his gaze settled on the rows of metal shelves Susan and Ray had emptied. Looking at the bare shelves, Jack suddenly had an idea. Since things were already like this, why not…