"I have to admit, planning might not be my best attribute. Death has not been kind to my persuasion skills" YOU can plan the next prisoner rescue! So how the heck are we going to organize a rebellion when one look at me sends people to the exits"?
"Deodorant and mouthwash? A disguise"? Life asks humorously.
We are shaken from our thoughts by shouting.
"Hey!!! You two are bad-ass!!! Seriously, we saw what you did back there. You two could be weapons of mass destruction if guided in the right direction. Ghosts that kick butt! Freakin' unreal man"! These are the two men Life rescued from the church complex.
"I take it you are not afraid of us"? I ask.
"I'll admit you are scary, and since I haven't had a blunt since I got locked up. I am pretty sure you are real...although we were subjected to a lot of chemicals in the hole...maybe you ARE hallucinations". The tall one is doing all the talking. He is over 6' 6" tall, long dark hair, covered in body hair with thick angry looking eye brows. His hands are thick and show signs of many fist fights. The smaller guy looks like a smaller version of the chatty fellow, but he has a thin build and wild brown eyes that have trouble focusing on us. As we get closer, the tall one pokes both of us with his finger, watching in amazement as it goes through us.
My wife gives him a look that convinces him that if he were to stab his finger in her direction again, he would be counting fewer of them.
"Hey! Don't blame me for being curious! He says. People call me Fast Eddie and this is my brother Rodney". He offers his hand which we both look at as if it was the appendage of some squid-like alien from another galaxy. Eddie lowers his hand and offers, "We are members of the Michigan Militia. We are loosely associated with the American Resistance Forces movement. I would be honored if I could introduce you to our team".
Before we can respond, Fast Eddie hops on the ATV. "Rod, you stay with the freaks, I'm going to recruit those orange suited peeps before they get gunned down by the probes". Without waiting for a response, Eddie opens the throttle, leaving us in a shower of mud and stones. I see Eddie take the guns from the staging area, strip the guards and handcuff them to the stage supports before heading off in the direction most of the prisoners fled in.
The three of us slump down against a large sugar maple trunk. Passing time with a living person seems a wee bit awkward to me now. "Sooo, Rodney, I noticed you are rather quiet, is your brother always like that"? Rodney slowly begins to focus his gaze on my form,
"O Death, O Death, won't you spare me over for another year"? he sings. He looks at me closely, "Your eyes burn violet with the flames of revenge, but revenge is a weapon not a tool. You must become a tool, an idea, a principle or you might as well be the Grim Reaper".
Rodney falls silent and refuses to respond to my questions.
An hour or two passes when we hear a powerful engine and then see a large troop transport speeding in our direction. My wife and I do our best to hide Rodney, but the vehicle is heading directly for us. It suddenly grinds to a halt twenty feet away from us. Fast Eddie is sitting in the driver seat and about a dozen people in orange jump suits are seated behind him in the bay. "Check it out man! It's a RG33L Category II troop transport! Totally Bad-ass"!!! He waves us forward and we enter the vehicle. Rodney takes a seat, my wife and I stand near the entrance, and keep an eye on the horizon as Eddie closes the door and hits the gas.
"Should I ask how you acquired our transportation", I ask Eddie.
"Dude, someone just left it in the back of some old barn. Obviously they didn't want it anymore. Makes it a lot easier to seat our guests". he says.
I look back and notice them all averting their eyes whenever I glance upon them. I smile and in my most charming voice I fib,
"I did put on deodorant today. Please do not be alarmed."
Fast Eddie says, "Don't sweat it man, I already told them you were straight. They are all eager to join the team".
"Where are we going"?, I ask Eddie.
Eddie says, "We are heading to our secret headquarters. Those nobs have never been able to find it. When you see it you are going to laugh your way all the way back to the grave dude. Seriously bro, I couldn't of come up with a better symbol for sticking it to THE MAN"! Eddie snickers to himself as we whip through the farm fields and pasture land, heading West as fast as that RG33L will take us.