Earth Warriors (Undergoing Revision)

Chapter 56 - We Are Not the Same

September 19th, 2026. 01:01

In the near shadowed lands of Desert Center, the only sights other than feather grasses are torn down tires from abandoned and demolished vehicles, and the illuminated roads from the headlights of a yellow Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 bus. Only the roaring engine sounds are heard amidst the silent darkness, away from any fire or scream, away from any line of soldiers or prisoners, and away from even the faintest stars in the sky, even without ships that shroud it as a whole. The sound of tires on the asphalt becomes louder with every passing second.

Inside, there are twenty people, seventeen adults and three children on board. Some have fair skin or tan skin, thin or wide eyes, resting or awake with a rifle and gun at hand observing the surroundings. Some wear sleeveless tops of varying colors, others plain shirts with body armors strapped in. Their stances are as frozen as the coldest rivers as they sit without anything else to bother them.  The female driver with tan skin is wearing headphones over her ears to drown out the sound of the speeding vehicle and ignore her thoughts, her mind too occupied with the task at hand.  She keeps driving without giving thought to how she was able to make it this far with no stoplights.

One dark-skinned individual in the last row of seats leans against the door with his head hanging down slightly and his legs stretched out, with eyelids nearly open, one with a vertical scar to show a fully white eye. Alongside him are all occupied with a few people sitting on their knees and others with their heads on the laps of others. Three men stand near the front, watching their surroundings without fail. They wear armor covered with blood and soot with bullet holes and marks on it. All with the same faces as the others, with the same demeanor, but their eyes are not as dull as the others. They are more alert because they have to be. At least when the Zlocu are concerned.

The bus stops abruptly, making everyone jump in surprise and fall backward onto the floor. With a loud screeching noise it begins accelerating again. It continues for another minute before stopping right in front of a black van stationed in front of them. The driver gets up without saying a word and opens the passenger side door, revealing a familiar figure wearing a black jacket standing at the door and holding a long blade in his right arm. He doesn't even bother looking back to see if anyone got off and walks past the driver. He glances at the drive, a particularly blonde woman with an eye patch on her left eye. Boris and Jeanette seem to be up for a particular task it seems.

"Who are you? What do you want?" the driver asks to Boris, who only looks with a frozen expression on his face as she trembles a bit from the sight of his arm blade. A sight not expected on empty roads in a desert, much less those in the middle of California.

"We heard of a certain 'stolen' vehicle being spotted on the road for Desert Center, the bus matching the one that was reported to be stolen back in San Diego," Boris says as Jeanette gets off the black van. "Do you intend to reach somewhere with them? Hmm? Young lady?" Jeanette only shakes her head. She can't speak since she's busy inspecting every passenger on the bus.

"I don't think I've heard of that incident before..." the driver mumbles under her breath, "and you're definitely not wearing any uniform like what the UEF normally use." Boris chuckles in response, still with the long smirk on his face as she steps away from him.

"Quite frankly young lady, I believe that when it comes to every escape, one must always watch their backs every day, even on the eve of the night. You know it's like with any criminal; you never quite know when he'll strike next. But if you're here with a stolen bus, then we're in business. And business is important." Boris continues. The driver remains quiet for a while, thinking it over and realizing the obvious point of what he just said and nodded slightly in understanding.

"We-we just want to reach a safe zone, it's only a few minutes away as we were driving since the afternoon. That's enough for you...right?" Boris crosses his arms in response, glancing at Jeanette as she heads back to the side door.