//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: A Break at Bartertown // Story: Sunset Over The Wasteland // by Thunder-Bolt //------------------------------// Sunset Over The Wasteland Written by: Thunder Bolt Chapter 7 Sunset was barely hanging off the edge of the speeding truck, as it drove away from the idle pursuit car that had stopped. She looked at Thunder as he drove her Mustang, which was following close behind, and noticed that he had his Auto Mag drawn. She put two and two together. She realised that while she had been taking cover, Thunder must’ve shot the warboys and driver. She smiled as she pulled herself back onto the flatbed of the transport, cradling her shotgun in her lap. A sudden weight of realization hit her. They had done it. They got the gas they needed. And they got away with it. They just robbed Immortan Sombra right from under his nose. At that thought, Sunset cracked a gigantic smirk. She felt really smug all of a sudden. Before, when she and Thunder had been robbing other wanderers for gas, it made the both of them feel horrible about themselves. Once, and only once, did they have to kill an innocent man to get away with the gas. It was a blow to the both of them emotionally. But this was different. Sombra and his cronies had ruled this side of the wasteland with an iron fist. They would never hesitate to kill to get what they wanted, Slash being an obvious exception. And stealing from such monsters was very satisfying. It had taken an incredible amount of luck. An even greater amount of skill, quick wit, and trusting instincts. But the deed had been done, and it felt GREAT. If not for Slash, she and Thunder probably wouldn’t have even gotten through the front gate. He had been imperative to the mission, she couldn’t forget that. But… that did leave the question… What now? Was Slash going to just leave them? After all they had been through together? It was what they had originally planned, for Slash to take a half gallon and go his own path. But that seemed a little… abrupt. For him to leave all of a sudden. Of course, they could sort it out when they got back to the camp, packed up, and headed for Bartertown. But then again, that did leave the question of what was to happen to the wives. … Wait a second, wives? Sunset looked around at the four women who had different levels of shock written on their faces. Violet Flower was staring out the entryway of the flatbed, the doors still creaking back and forth in the desert wind. Midnight Corsair was leaning up against the corner of the transport, arms crossed, brow flat. She looked to be thinking about something. Twilight had her hands planted on Sweet Breeze’s shoulders, who had a startled look on her face. Wives? Wives. Wives! Oh shit… Another, much less pleasant feeling wave of realization hit Sunset as if it were a bus. They had stolen the Immortans prized breeders! Now technically, they had really freed them from sex slavery. But it was best to look at it from Sombra’s point of view. Sunset’s eyes darted about the space in the transport’s flatbed as her mind raced on what to do next. But it came up blank. She hadn’t even thought about the possible consequences of doing something like that. She should have! Even with Twilight there, she have thought it through. And the reality of their situation came down on her even more when she realized someone had been thinking things through. Slash. He was thinking. He hadn’t made any rash decisions. She cringed at herself as his words echoed through her mind. “Do you have any idea how much trouble we’ll be in if the Immortan catches us?” Dumbstruck by reality, she stared straight ahead as the truck drove to the cliff so that Thunder could get his Challenger back. Immortan Sombra sat in his throne, staring at the large throne room door. His patience continued to dwindle, he was just barely containing his frustration. “What is keeping them!?” He shouted, rising out of the large chair. He was going to see what was the matter himself, but before he could… BING-BONG! He stared at the door on the other side of the room, the guards looking to it themselves. A voice came over the intercom next to the Immortans throne. “Sir!” A nervous sounding warboys voice crackled through the speaker. Sombra immediately pressed one large finger to the button. “Report!” He commanded. At first, there was nothing. But as Sombra was about to command him again, his voice was heard again. “S-sir… the wives! T-they, uh, they…” He stuttered over his words, trying to put the news un-angering as possible. “Dammit soldier, pick your words, and say them to me!” Sombra berated. He was not in the mood for this. “Sir! Your wives, they’ve been taken!” At first, Sombra let the words flow through his brain. He processed them. His wives. Were stolen. No. No! NO! “WHERE ARE THEIR GUARDS!?!?” He raged into the speaker. “Dead, sir.” The war boy replied simply. Sombra paused for a moment. He remembered that he still hadn’t heard anything about the ruffian who had tried to coax the war boys into following him. “What of the wanderer who fired at the wall?” He asked. “He wasn’t alone. We found that some gas was missing from the vault. We figure that whoever stole the gas took your breeders too.” The war boy answered. Upon hearing this, the Immortan leaned back from the intercom. He squinted his eyes, and massaged his temple while thinking things over. Stolen wives, missing gas, and armed looters who just got away with taking those things. He knew what to do. He pressed his finger back to the intercom. “Send out a scouting party, find out where they went.” He ordered. “Yes, sir.” The warboy answered. Meanwhile, the group successfully retrieved Thunder’s Challenger from the cliff. Sunset got in her own vehicle, and Slash continued to drive the military transport. When Thunder discovered that Jawsnapper had escaped, Sunset decided that they should go over their next course of action once they restocked on gas, food and water at Bartertown. Of course, she still had the issue of explaining to the rest that she and Twilight were from another dimension. With Thunder’s Charger traveling at the front, the transport in the middle, and Sunset’s Mustang bringing up the rear, in a single file line, the group pulled up next to the entrance of Bartertown. The town, as the name suggested, was fully reliant on the business it created with survivors of the nuclear apocalypse coming in and out to sell and trade their wares. The entire town itself was in between a long line of rocks which was connected to one big mountain. The town was tucked in between the two geological forms. The entrance was a long tunnel that had been used for mining. Inside, the place was made entirely of huts and tents that allowed individuals to sell whatever they had in exchange for whatever it was that they wanted. At the very center of Bartertown was a huge, caged dome made of iron rods that formed upwards at the center of the dome. And next to that was a bar in which all sorts of alcoholic drinks were sold. Albeit, at insanely huge prices. The Charger pulled up near the entrance of Bartertown. Thunder waited for the transport and Sunset to pull up and park alongside. He took a few moments to gather his thoughts. They had done it. They had ACTUALLY done it! They got the gas they needed and got away nearly unharmed. At least he did, he hadn’t gotten a very good look at Sunset who practically pulled him out of the car in the rush to switch vehicles. But he felt confident that she was alright. She was a tough girl, she had proven that throughout their travels in the Wasteland. And if there was someone driving the transport, it was safe to assume that Slash was alive as well. Though he didn’t feel nearly as uplifted at that truth, at least everyone was safe. And by the looks of the transport, they must’ve gotten their hands on all sorts of useful goods. They could probably even trade for even better supplies while they were here! The familiar rumble of car engines met his ears. He glanced to the right in time to see Sunset park next to him. She looked over at him, and smiled. Thunder smiled back. And next to Sunset’s Mustang, Slash parked the transport. Thunder could just barely see him through the window of the truck’s cabin, as the roof of Sunset’s car blocked some of the view. As soon as the transport was parked, Thunder got out of the car and walked up to Sunset’s car. She also got out of her vehicle. As she got out she looked up at Thunder who was standing two feet away from her. They gave each other a three-second long stare before Sunset spoke. “So… we did it.” “Yep.” Thunder replied. “Yeah…” She sighed. Her expression dropped slightly, and Thunder saw it immediately. “Hey.” He grabbed her shoulder as she tried walked by. “Something wrong?” She was about to say no, but knew it would be pointless since he would find out anyway. “Yeah… there is.” She answered honestly. “What? What is it?” Thunder asked, concern tainting his voice. “Well…” Sunset trailed off. “You should see for yourself.” “Uh, okay?” Thunder felt anxious. Did Slash do something? No, probably not. If that were the case, Sunset would’ve likely killed him. And he was still alive, climbing out of the transport’s cabin at this point. Sunset pulled Thunder by the hand away from their cars, and towards the transport. He swallowed on the spit lactating in his mouth. Sunset stood him in front of the double doors of the loading section of the transport. “Just… don’t freak out.” Sunset warned. Thunder flattened his brow as his concern grew. Sunset pulled open the doors, and what Thunder saw inside nearly made his jaw drop. Four women were sitting inside on double benches that lined the sides of the transport. Thunder’s mind raced, trying to figure out who they were. But then it hit him. The white clothes, the nearly untouched features of their bodies. There was only one person in the entire Wasteland who could keep someone in such prime condition. And that person just happened to be the ones they robbed from. “Did… did you steal… Immortan Sombra’s wives?” Thunder whispered slowly. Sunset cringed as she confirmed the dire reality. “Yeah, we did.” Thunder slowly clasped his hands around the back of his head. His eyes stared into space, as he walked back to his car in a dazed state. “Is he alright?” Twilight asked, standing from the bench. “Oh he’ll be fine… I just need to talk to him.” Sunset answered while looking at her partner. She turned, and spoke to Twilight directly. “I’ll talk to you in a moment.” Violet raised an eyebrow when Sunset walked off. “Do you know her?” She inquired to Twilight. “Yeah…” Twilight sighed and sat back down. “You could say that.” Thunder had slumped himself up against the bumper of the Charger and was staring off into space. Sunset approached him from his left, and knelt down beside him. “Thunder?” She called out. He didn’t answer, his eyes were glued to the sky. “Thunder, I know we’re in a bad situation. But we can work through it, we’ve done it bef-” She started, but Thunder sharply turned his towards her with a harsh glare. “What, in the actual shit, was going through your head when you decided to ‘rescue’ these people?” He asked bitterly. Sunset blinked. She had NOT been expecting such a strident response. However, before she could respond, he turned his eyes back up towards the sky. This time though, his brow was flat, and his mouth was scowling. “I-” Sunset tried to think of some sort of plausible reason. Something that would make Thunder believe why she did it. But her mind came up blank. She, under normal circumstances, had acted foolishly. She had put both of their lives at risk. But it was for someone she had known. But as Sunset’s mind raced, she realized something: she didn’t have to lie. The truth made the most sense. She had brought the wives because she knew one of them. That reason, the truth, put her mind at ease as she came to the conclusion that she wouldn’t have to fabricate some crazy story to justify a spur-of-the-moment action. She let out a relaxed sigh, and looked back at Thunder. “I know one of them.” She stated. He quickly turned towards her, with a sceptical look on his face. As if he hadn’t believed what he heard. “What?” “I-” She hesitated, realizing just how unbelievable she sounded. “-know one of them.” “What in the hell do you mean you know one of them?” Thunder squinted his eyelids, trying to comprehend what had just been said. “I just-” Sunset sighed and looked down at the sand in frustration. “-I just do.” “So what? Were you friends before the war?” Thunder questioned. “It’s… a bit more complicated than that.” She explained as best she could. “Complicated?” Thunder cocked an eyebrow. “Look, I’ll explain everything later. Right now, I need you to trust me. I need to head into Bartertown and get as much food and water as we can.” She stood up and looked down at Thunder, who was still sitting up against the bumper of the Charger. “Can you fill up the cars with the gas we got?” He looked up at his friend. Thunder had no idea what Sunset was getting at when she said ‘I’ll explain later’. Was there some sort of bigger picture he wasn’t getting? He was still questioning Sunset’s decision of rescuing the wives. But she was requesting him to trust her. They had been together in the Wasteland for so long, trusting her was second nature to him. But this was different, they had never been on the run from someone as powerful as Immortan Sombra. In this case, he felt conflicted. On one hand, he had to trust her. If he didn’t, what if they were locked in combat with the Immortan’s forces? If his trust wasn’t absolute in such a situation, it could get both he and Sunset, and maybe even Slash, killed. But on the other hand, how could he trust her to make smart decisions again? She had gone and done something as crazy as taking the Immortan’s WIVES for crying out loud! It was one of the craziest things anyone could do. He never thought Sunset would do something as STUPID as that. She did say she knew one of them… but was that really good enough of an excuse? But Thunder remembered that she said that she was going to explain her whole reasoning later, so… it looked like he was going to have to place his trust in her until that point. Yes, he would trust her. For now. He looked up at Sunset and looked her in the eye. “I’ll take care of it.” He replied. Sunset smiled. “Good, the gas is in the transport.” With that, she headed to her Mustang to grab whatever tradables she would need to get food, water and ammunition. Thunder watched her walk away before getting up himself, and headed for the transports flatbed to get the gas. As he walked up to the flatbed, he saw Slash in the cabin of the transport. It looked like he was making repairs or modifications of some sort, but Thunder was too far to see. He stopped in front of the entrance to the flatbed and paused. He laid his eyes on the wives for the second time, and honestly, he could see why they were so valuable to Immortan Sombra. These women were beautiful. He tried not to stare. But as he got a jerry can of fuel for the vehicles, he couldn’t help but linger a bit on the on the one with pinkish skin, and brown hair. He gave an awkward, half-hearted wave before heading off to refill the Mustang and Charger with gas. The four watched him walk away, before going back to just sitting in the transport. Twilight leaned up against the corner, Sweet Breeze tried to get in a more comfortable position while sitting upright. Midnight just flopped back on the bench and started to take a nap. Violet stared off into space for a little while, thinking. All of what had just happened in the past hour had been such a rush, she didn’t really have time to think about it all. But she realized that she and the other wives really weren’t accustomed at all to life out here. They had always been bathed, fed, clothed. They had been taken care of. Out here, it was a dog-eat-dog world. Merciless. She hoped that the people who saved them would at least teach them the ways of survival. They seemed like the types to do that anyways. Or was that just wishful thinking? Either way, she was certain that her fellow wives were probably thinking about the exact same things. Probably in their own way, since Midnight had hit the hay for a few minutes, and Breeze was awkwardly shuffling on the bench trying to get in a more comfortable position. And Twilight was leaned up against the corner But no matter what happened, Violet would look out for them. No matter what. She let out a sigh before looking around. She didn’t like just sitting around and doing nothing for who knows how long. She’d really like to know how long this stop was going to be. So she got up from her seat and started to head outside, but a voice met her ears from behind. “Where are you going?” Twilight asked. Violet turned towards her. “Just going to see how long the wait is going to be.” She turned and climbed out of the flatbed. “I think I’ll join you.” Twilight got up from the bench and followed after Violet. Sweet Breeze watched them leave. She glanced at Midnight, who was fast asleep. Sunset slammed the car door shut, and lugged her pack over her shoulder. She had collected a plethora of nonessentials for them that would be essential for someone else. With that she headed off to join the crowd of Wastelanders moving in and out of the entrance to Bartertown. Most people heading in and out had some manner of raggedy clothing on them. Almost all carried a bag, or a pack in which they carried their tradables. There was a foul stench in the air. One that made it clear that a lot of the people surrounding Sunset hadn’t had a bath in a long time. It had been some time since she had last come here. They had come here every once in a while to trade whatever they had stolen that wasn’t valuable to get something more useful. Of course, with the shortage of other survivors they had actually come across, they didn’t really have a need to come here. The feeling she had from coming back here wasn’t exactly nostalgia. That implied that it felt good to remember. That wasn’t the case here. It was just… familiar. Nothing more. As she entered the shade of the entrance to Bartertown, she eyed a series of metal bars that were lined across the tunnel, which were placed there as a wall to bar unwanted entry into the twon, and at the center was gate being manned by a heavy set man who was letting people into Bartertown. Beside the entrance gate, was an exit gate that only swung one way. The entrance gate was sort of a way to make sure that all of those entering the town weren’t going to disturb the peace. As Sunset waited in line to enter, she glanced to the right at two men standing by the rocky wall of the tunnel. They wore bullet proof vest, camouflage pants, and were armed with assault rifles. The one on the right held an AK-74, the left held an AR-15. Their bald heads had paint covering them in interesting patterns, possibly as a way to tell who was who. Sunset didn’t know. Those men were part of the police force maintaining the peace in Bartertown. Sunset had only seen them in action once, and that had been during she and Thunder Bolt’s second trip here. They had been called upon to break up a fight between two traders, and when one had pulled a gun, they quickly shot him down. Sunset had to assume that most of them were ex-military, like Thunder. All of a sudden she was next to walk up to fat man. She came up to him, as he stood behind a small podium, and beside the podium was a tray that was attached to the side of the podium. He wore glasses that looked like they were going to fall of the edge of his nose. Another Bartertown guard stood behind the fat man. The man eyed Sunset for a moment before looking down at her bag. “State your intentions.” The fat man said plainly. “To trade.” Sunset replied, looking the man in the eye. The man nodded. “I assume your tradables are located in that bag?” “Yes.” She answered. Again the man nodded. “Place any weapons you have in this tray.” He pointed to the tray attached to the podium. Sunset complied, pulling out her Beretta M9 pistol and knife. She placed them in the tray. Immediately, the guard took the tray off the podium and walked over to the left side of the tunnel. He opened a chute built into the rock and dumped the gun and knife inside. To the upper right of the chute was a small window with a sign above it that said “WEAPONS RETRIEVAL”. Beside the window was a locked door that was barred from entry by two other guards. Immediately after the guard took the tray, the fat man looked at Sunset. “You may enter.” Sunset nodded, before a guard behind the gate opened it for her. Sunset walked by, nodding at the guard. All he returned was an intimidating stare. Sunset turned away and continued walking into Bartertown. Before she got inside, she could make out hints of chatter here and there. But as she exited the tunnel, and made her into the actual town, all of that changed. A cacophony of sound met her ears. People haggling, trades being made, live stock making their natural sounds. If one had gone inside for the first time, it was sure to be overwhelming. Fortunately for Sunset, this wasn’t the first time. She knew exactly where to go. Taking confident strides, she set off for the Guns n’ Ammo section of the town. Violet and Twilight stepped out of the rear of the transport, their bare feet making prints in the sand below. Violet being in front, walked alongside the truck until both she Twilight reached the cabin. Slash didn’t notice them, both his legs were hanging out the door. He was manipulating a wrench and screwdriver beneath the dashboard, making some kind adjustment or modification. Not knowing what else to do, Violet tugged on the cloth of the former warboys pants. He stopped working and looked at them with an annoyed look, as if he didn’t want to be bothered from his work. “Yeah?” He asked. Violet hesitated for a moment, noticing his disapproving look. But she answered anyway. “Is there anything we could be doing right now?” Slash went right back to working. “No.” He said monotonously. “If I were you, I’d get back into the transport right now. Sombra’s probably got his scouts out lookin’ for us. “But couldn’t we at least-” “No.” Slash replied a little louder to emphasize his point. Violet flared her nostrils, disappointed that she didn’t have anything useful to do. She and Twilight turned and walked back. “It does make sense. Sombra can’t be too happy about us escaping.” Twilight spoke up, as the two climbed into the flatbed. “It’s only for safety purposes.” Breeze glanced up at them as she lay on her side. “Yeah, I just wish I had something to do other than sit around.” Violet replied. “Then lie down, save your energy.” Midnight very suddenly suggested, her eyes still closed as she lay on the bench. “I guess that’s all we can really do.” Twilight accepted. She sat down on the same bench as Breeze, and leaned back until she was laid flat against the bench. Her feet were barely touching Breeze. Violet did the same, except she sat up against the wall the door to the cabin occupied. She propped her feet up on the bench, and tried to get some rest. A car rolled up to the right side of the entrance to Bartertown. It bore the markings of Immortan Sombra, and it had spikes and all sorts of nasty modifications made to it. It halted, allowing two warboys to jump out. One of the scouts turned back to the driver. “You keep the car runnin’ in case we don’t find anything. Every second of this search counts!” “You got it!” The driver obeyed, flashing a mock salute and a goofy grin. The warboy rolled his eyes. “Ugh, let’s go.” He ordered the other scout. And the two headed into entrance of the town. The driver leaned back, and started humming a tune as the engine grumbled, ready to do it’s job should the need arise. “There’s your water.” Sunset handed a half-filled bottle of water to the man whom she just received .44 magnum bullets from. She pocketed the ten rounds into her jacket pocket. Looking around at the booths that were trading for various types of weaponry and ammunition, she decided that she had gotten enough supplies to help with defense. She twisted and turned through the crowd, navigating the ever changing paths of the multitude of traders. And just when she reached the less crowded area in which the Thunderdome was located, a large dome shaped cage meant for holding fights, she laid her eyes on a sight that made her heart skip a beat. There, on the other side of the dome, were two warboys. It looked like they conversing with anyone who passed by. Holding out a piece of paper in their faces, it definitely looked like they were trying to find something… The wives. Taking in a long breath of air, and exhaling, she walked along the edge of the Thunderdome. She tried to take the way around the dome that wouldn’t make them come into her path, lest she risk that they recognize her. One of them, through the bars of the dome, made eye contact with her. She quickly looked away. She mentally kicked herself for looking at them for so long. She had to remain casual. Sunset kept walking until she was almost past the dome, then it would be a straight shot to the exit. “Hey!” Seemingly from nowhere, a hand grabbed Sunset’s shoulder and stopped her right then. She almost reverted to her instinct to draw her knife, but realized she had no weapons. Before she could turn around, the warboy who grabbed her shoulder walked around in front of Sunset. He held up a piece of paper in her face. “Have you seen these four women?” He asked urgently. The paper displayed four detailed drawings of the Immortans wives Sunset blinked, before realizing what he was saying. She sidestepped quickly and gave a rushed “No.” Picking up the pace on her walking, she headed back into the cave, this time to exit. She neared the exit gate, a lone guard standing by it. As she neared it, the guard opened it for her silently. As Sunset passed through, she gave the guard a nod as a ‘thank you’. The guard didn’t reply in the least bit. As fast as she could go without drawing attention, she went for the window in the rock wall to retrieve her weapons. She came to a stop in front of it. Inside was a older man wearing a hard scowl. Right behind him was a large stand on which several rifles were resting. Handguns were strewn about on the shelf just below the stand, and on the far right of the room was where the knives were kept in sheaths on another specially made shelf. “You picking up?” The scowling man asked in a gravely voice. “Yeah, I had a 9 millimeter Beretta, and a bayonet knife.” Sunset answered quickly. “Gimme a second.” The man headed off to get the knife first. Sunset waited anxiously, glancing through the bars of the make-shift wall at the warboys holding up the pictures. She really hoped nobody had seen the wives as they had gone in. Because if they did, Sunset and the others were in deep shit. “There you go, one Beretta and one bayonet.” The man placed the weapons firmly onto the stone counter before Sunset. Without hesitation, Sunset grabbed her weapons and hurried back to the others. “You need any help?” Thunder asked, walking up to Slash as he was still working on the dashboard of the transport. “No.” He replied monotonously, annoyed at the unwanted attention. Especially after he had just told Violet and Twilight he didn’t need any help. “Okay.” Thunder Bolt leaned up against the side of the transports cabin, right next to the door where Slash’s legs were still hanging out. He glanced at the former warboy in curiosity. “What are you working on?” “Uh…” Slash didn’t answer at first as he was finishing connecting two wires. “Gas pedal lock.” “A what-now?” Thunder looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “It locks the pedal in the accelerating position without the need for a foot. It’s handy if said driver gets caught in a squabble.” “Huh, cool.” Thunder relaxed against the side of the truck before he heard the sound of running footsteps. He looked to his right to see Sunset running towards them with a panicked look on her face. Immediately knowing something was wrong, he stopped leaning and walked towards her as she ran to him. “What’s wron-” He began but Sunset cut him off. “We have to leave NOW!” Sunset ordered before taking off for her Mustang. “What? Wait, what?” Thunder stammered. He ran after her and caught up with her as they came up to her car. “What do you-” “I saw Sombra’s scouts in Bartertown.” She stated as she threw all of what she had gotten into the passenger seat of the Mustang. Thunder immediately understood. “Oh shit.” He muttered to himself. He ran up to the rear of the transport where the wives were all (trying) to get some rest. “Listen up!” He shouted. His voice carried such urgency that he immediately gained the attention of all of the wives. “Sunset just spotted Sombra’s scouts in Bartown. We gotta go!” He then slammed the transport doors shut before they could say anything. Inside the transport, the women looked amongst themselves in confusion. “Uhh…” Midnight was first to speak. “Okay, I guess nap time is over.” Thunder then ran up the side of the transport where Slash was working and shook his legs. “What’re you-” He started, but Thunder shut him up. “We need to move. Sunset just ran into Sombra’s scouts in Bartertown.” As Thunder ran off to get his Charger started up, Slash took a second to process what was just said. But it only took a second, as he was already packing away his tools. Thunder made sure the M-60 and his Sako hunting rifle were stowed away in the trunk. He looked up at Sunset who was making sure she had her shotgun and pistol. “You good?” He asked hurriedly. It took Sunset a moment to respond, but she finally did. “Yeah, I have everything. Let’s get outta here.” She slid across the hood of her car and practically dove into the driver’s side. Thunder did the same. Sunset and Thunder made last minute checks to make sure everything was in place. Sunset looked up in time to see that Slash had already started the engine on the transport. The engine let out a mighty roar as it’s inner parts began to work together. Sunset did the same for her car, turning the key. As did Thunder. Now with all three vehicles ready to roll out, Sunset honked her horn as a way of saying she was going first. Since the vehicles were parked right outside the entrance to Bartertown, a few wanderers heading inside the stone entryway were startled by the sudden noise. But Sunset, Thunder, nor Slash cared. Their engines roared as they pulled away from the town towards the open desert. Sunset in the lead, Thunder second, and Slash’s transport last. The vehicles accelerated away. Leaving the town in the dust.