The Restoration Project

4.14 - Charley

"Open the gate!" Charley yelled, shoving Merrick forward. She took a little more pleasure when he stumbled than she should, considering she barely knew him. He didn't seem all that bad.

Ahead of them, a mass of Baldies stumbled into the shipping containers that blocked the entrance to Frankie's town. They weren't trying hard to get in, they were just there. An inconvenience at this point.

"Kinda hard lady!" A man shouted, appearing on top of one of the containers. He had a thick mustache that quivered when he spoke.

"You do know who this is, right?" Charley said, shoving Merrick again for good measure. She kept her pistol trained on him as well.

Mustache passed furtive glances between the collection of Baldies below and Merrick.

"This plan is stupid," Merrick muttered under his breath.

"Tell me that when we're inside," Charley replied, and then yanked Merrick's hair. It forced him to look up, giving Mustache a better view.

Mustache stepped back in surprise and nearly fell off the edge. "You're right. Boss will want to see him."

"Then get us inside," Charley replied.

"In case you can't tell, I can't open the gate," Mustache replied. "But..."

"But what?" Charley shouted.

Mustache disappeared, reappearing a second later with a rope ladder. "I can throw this over the side if you can climb. Will have to make sure those fuckers don't follow ya."

"We can manage that," Charley said, widening her grin. She holstered her gun, shifted her backpack to her side, and sifted through the pockets, pulling out a pair of Jammers. She activated one, creating a subtle, if not definite, twist in the way the N3s moved around them. It was like they were sticking to an invisible fence, albeit a fence much closer than she expected. The competing signal was strong.

"What're we gonna do when we get up there?" Merrick asked.

"Follow my lead," Charley said.

As they reached the back of the mass of Baldies, their movement slowed. The Jammer still repelled the Baldies, but they had no place to go. They were completely enveloped in Baldies before they reached the ladder, the Jammer being the only thing preventing the Baldies from attacking.

Merrick crawled up the ladder first. Charley shoved the Jammer in her pocket and followed closely after him. She got up a third of the way when something tugged at her leg. It was a Baldie, latching onto her ankle. There was an empty circle of space behind him, like the Baldies were avoiding an invisible bubble. Then she spotted the Jammer in the centre of that circle. It fell out of her pocket.

"Here!" Merrick said, handing her his Jammer.

Charley took it and held it as close to the ground as she could manage. The Baldie that latched onto her recoiled and she pulled herself up the rest of the way.

"That," Merrick said, taking in a lungful of air, "was close."

Charley nodded in agreement. Maybe she shouldn't have shoved him before. It made what she had to do next that much worse.

"Now get up," Mustache said. For a moment, Charley forgot he was there.

Merrick looked at him and then at Charley, waiting for her to initiate the next step in her plan. Except he wouldn't like that step.

"C'mon, get up I said," Mustache repeated, his gun still trained on Merrick.

Merrick shot Charley another glance. "You bitch," he said, resigned, when he realized she had no intention of helping him.