Tales of the Wastelander Ch. 07

"Hold up. Before we continue, let's get our Thunderers and strip down these bastards," Ben told the older man named Donus.

"I'm loath to disturb the dead, but these... I will gladly defile their rest," Donus replied, earning a nod from Arenia, the woman whose virtue Ben had saved.

The three of them worked, stripping down the bodies of anything useful, even clothing. This added to the pile of weapons, armor, implements, and clothing that was loaded onto the carts. Ben then directed them to pile the bodies in the remnants of the oil puddle, making an impromptu cairn of bodies. Ylva walked over and saw Arenia hand Ben a bottle of oil that had been recovered from the raiders' camp.

"Ben, what are you doing?" Ylva asked.

"Sending a message," Ben stated.

He soaked the bodies with the flask of oil, before he lit a torch, tossing it on the bodies. The bodies flared up in a blaze, the stench of burning meat bathing the immediate area. Ylva's eyes widened as she understood the message Ben was sending. She then smirked as her mind whirled, having an inkling of what Ben was trying to do. Without another word, the four of them turned back to the carts and their rescues, heading back to the town.

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One of the scouts for another party of raiders, this group hiding just off the western road, spotted the smoke. They thought to themselves that maybe the mayor had been stupid enough to send another rider. He scoffed, but smiled, thinking that maybe said rider was another woman. He hoped they would all have a turn with her before sending her off to the main camp.

Then the wind shifted, sending the smoke and the smell of it towards them. The stench of burning meat was on the air and the column of smoke just got larger. Seeing and smelling this concerned the scout, as something like that was never good. Thinking it was the herald of grave news, he abandoned his post and ran back into the forest, to report what he saw and smelled, hoping that the other party was still OK.

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And this is where chapter 7 ends! The plot thickens as raiders threaten the town and appear to have planned for resistance! Lots more to happen with Ben and his new friends, as with Samara and her search for the man she loves! What will be coming with the next chapter? Stay tuned to find out!

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please feel free to rate and comment on my work down below. If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share, though your views, ratings and comments are quite enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!