Overkill

Chapter 9 An Old Friend

Noah watched as they passed the 'Welcome to Colorado' sign. Sam lay silently next to him, her eyes still closed. They only drove for about another hour before they came to a stop on a big city. Bad memories crept into Noah, but he stopped the car and opened the door without showing any signs of discomfort. Will parked his car behind Noah's on the side of a busy street. They go out and huddled between the two cars. 

"Why'd we stop?" Will asked, looking around the crowded street. 

"We're getting close. We need to prepare before we get there. I don't think we're gonna have a lot of access to food and drink once we go in to fight the Master's army."

Will nodded. "Good thinking."

Noah addressed the entire team, except Sam who was still asleep in the car. "We need as much food and water as we can get. As difficult as it will be, we need to steal as much as possible. Raven, you stay here a defend Sam, just in case something happens." Raven nodded. "We'll break into teams of two. Andrew and Will, you two get ammo for Andrew's guns and any special foods you want. Like energy drinks and crap. Billy and James, you two get money. Don't take to much from any one person, but get enough that we can pay for a little bit of what we get. Emma and David, food. Silus and I will get water."

They all broke off into their groups and traveled through the city. Finding something as simple as a supermarket proved more difficult than they thought. It took them almost an hour to track one down, and when they found it they weren't very pleased with what was waiting for them. 

They hadn't seen them at first, but once they did they attacked. Noah got hit first, produce jumping off the shelf and knocking him onto his face. Silus disappeared as a controller approached and stood over Noah. 

Noah waited until he knew the controller was near, then he turned onto his back and shot a ball of energy at him. The controller dodged it with a strong gust of wind pushing him to the side. More produce flew off the shelf and buried Noah. Noah expanded a wave of energy to throw the produce off him. He heard the screams of customers and he stood up. The controller glared at him and Noah returned it right back to him. 

The controller lifted his arm, produce floating up from shelves around Noah. The controller smiled, but it faded as Silus appeared behind him, his arm around the controllers throat. The produce dropped and Silus whispered in the controller's ear. "Why does the Master send so many of you weak-ass-pieces-of-crap?"

The controller raised his hands in surrender. "I-I'm not working with the Master."

"Then why did you attack us?" Noah asked. 

"You...you are enemies of the controllers. My leader has declared that if you were spotted in the city to bring you to him."

"Then why did you keep hitting me?"

"Because...I'd rather take you unconscious then risk you killing me on the way there."

"Who is your leader? What is his name?"

"I...don't know. He came to us a couple months ago. He didn't tell us who he was or where he had come from. He just declared that he was the new leader of the base and we would listen to him."

"And you just let him?" 

"Of course not. But he was a controller, so we let him talk with our original leader."

"And?"

"Well...he told him to either step down and put him in charge...or die."

"Did he kill him?"

"Almost...He showed him something that scared him so much that...well... he went crazy."

"Showed him?"