Freeway Warrior Book 2: Slaughter Mountain Run
Part 2
Kate and I are speeding South on Highway 277, a pack of bikers on our heels. At the bridge on the South Concho river we run through - literally - a dogfight: two groups of men fighting packs of coyote and wagering on the outcome. I'm not given the option to slow down so we go straight through the dogs and end up with the surreal situation of one stuck halfway through my windscreen. I roll poorly, Kate can't get rid of it, so I have to brake and finish it off with my fire axe. The dogfighters (understandably) set the rest of the dogs on us but Kate covers us so we can escape.
By the time we reach El Dorado I'm shattered, so despite being chased we decide to pull over and rest and the Angelionos drive on past. Unfortunately, we meet them later strung out across the road in a line. This triggers a crazy pursuit / running battle to the Caverns of Sonora - this is a real place - which is populated by a bunch of people alluded to be First Nation Americans in animal skins and warpaint. My car by now is too badly damaged to continue and we're forced to duck into the caves as the cave people (as they're called) and the bikers fight it out. The fighting is brutal in close quarters, but the cave dwellers are victorious and we're able to slip away in the aftermath. I siphon fuel from the Angelinos' bikes but I don't have enough to reach Kent and things look glum. As we leave, Kate points out that the cave people aren't preparing a funeral pyre for the slain bikers but instead are cooking them...
It's a slow, long drive to Bakersfield the next day, during which I exhaust my water supplies. I can't heal damage from thirst using the medkit, so I use my supplies liberally to heal all other damage I've suffered, but I've now effectively reduced my maximum endurance. Kate and I are suffering from heat exhaustion when we reach Bakersfield and we have no choice but to look for fuel and water. All I find is a carton of cigarettes but Kate scavenges some food (I have plenty of this) and some dry white wine (this will not help our dehydrated state) for a romantic meal only slightly ruined by the library we shelter in catching alight (good job I kept that fire extinguisher!)
At Fort Stockton we're ambushed again, this time by three men in the remains of military uniform. It turns out this trio are marines out of Brownsville, heading to Fort Bliss near El Paso, but now stuck after losing their vehicle. They're friendly and friendlier still when I produce the map I stole from Mad Dog - not only does it show potential stops on the Freeway where we might be able to get fuel but also shows Mad Dog and Mekong Mike's plans to take over the East coast, showing the various clan strengths and pockets of resistance in detail. The marines leader, Sgt. Haskell, wants to get this to Fort Bliss and I offer to take the three of them to the rendezvous at Kent where they can join the convoy and we can all head there after.
By now we're really low on fuel and although we're tight for time we can only crawl down the Freeway to a fuel stop, running in fumes with the three marines sitting on the bonnet. At the fuel stop the only fuel available is in a tank secured with a bomb and code. It's not too hard to crack - there's a quick shootout with some clansmen whilst this is going on, but before long we have refueled and are en route to Kent, although I'm gradually dying of thirst.
At Kent we link back up with the convoy. Things don't look great - the Mavericks have been shadowing the convoy and moving ahead into the mountains, presumably to set up an ambush. Mad Dog has linked up with the Saints and now leads three clans our way from San Angelo, whilst an unknown Mexican clan has also crossed the border and is rampaging North. Our only choice is to head into the Apache Mountains and push for El Paso (this is the titular Slaughter Mountain Run) - the most direct route, but straight through the Mavericks.
A small skirmish aside, when we do encounter the Mavericks they're engaged in a pitch battle with the Mexicans. My awesome plan is to drive the convoy at speed through the warzone - which we accomplish with surprisingly little grief. In radio contact with Fort Bliss, they advise that they are also under siege, this time by the Mexicans. Scouting ahead, Haskell and I kill some Mexican clansmen who are looking to reinforce the siege and find a ground to air missile, but I don't take it as I don't wish to reduce my stealth score. Roughly two paragraphs later we arrive at the barricade and I'm forced to admit I didn't take the missile, meaning instead I have to sneak up to it and set off some explosives - this however is covered by a single stealth test. The barricade is destroyed and we make it tinot Fort Bliss - hurray! It's celebration time until our spirits are dampened by the arrival of Mad Dog, who has now recruited the Mexicans as well to form an army over 1000 strong to encircle the fort in a ring of steel....
That's book 2 complete. As per my other post, really enjoyed this although the ending felt both a bit anticlimactic and quite similar to the ending of book 1. The first part was definitely the best with various branching paths to getting to Kate - this one was a lot more linear with several 'false choices' where you arrive at the same location no matter which option you choose.
The bit at the end with the missile is a good example of how these books work - in a FF, not having the missile would be game over: here' it just makes the game harder (although I expected it to be a bit harder than a single stealth check: feels like the book needed to wrap up at that point). With the right stats this was overall easier than the first book and a lot easier than FF or WotT.
I'll do Sea of Blood next which is another brand new one for me.
