Chapter Text
It takes an hour to find a place dry enough to start a fire. The journey to an incinerator is too dangerous now and they can’t risk backtracking through MULE territory. But Cross assures him they have the right tools, they just have to start everything.
They lay the wrapped bodies out side-by-side, one so much smaller than the other. Sam tries not to focus on the difference and distracts himself by rearranging cargo in the truck while Cross gathers the tools they need. Special oil is poured over both bodies first, from head to toe and on the ground around them in a tight circle. Cross takes a few minutes extra to gather decently sized stones and a couple old cargo cases to line the circle, digging up fresh wet dirt to create a barrier between the bodies and forest undergrowth.
“You got a mask? Don’t wanna breathe this stuff in once the fire starts,” Cross asks, gesturing to their own oxygen mask. Sam had meant to save his own for the next trip up to the Mountaineer but this seemed… slightly more pressing. He shows it to Cross, who nods grimly.
“Right… I’m so sorry Marc. I didn’t think this would happen. Hope you see your family soon,” Cross starts, taking their flask from their thigh holster. They take one long swig and then pour the rest out for the poor Porter.
“And god rest the poor kid. I didn’t even know his name. I pray there’s no more suffering for you.”
It only takes a flick with a lighter for the blaze to start, roaring up as the oil feeds it quickly. The oxygen masks go up as black smoke starts to curl upward and choke the air, the smell of burning flesh making its way through the filters. Cross finds a log to sit on and only watches the fire, the flames dancing off the copper colored visor and betraying nothing.
“It never gets easier, having to burn bodies. Even before I joined BRIDGEs, it sucked,” Cross finally says, their voice muffled from the mask. Sam awkwardly decides to join Cross on the log, perched on the far side of the log.
“Freelance doctor I’m guessing?”
“Not… really. It was a little more complicated than that. But I was one of the few people left who had medical training and didn’t hole up in a city. I made some really stupid decisions though. You’d be surprised how hard medicine is to come by out in the wild. Lot of people can’t afford the stuff BRIDGES makes anyway, so they die from preventable illnesses or can’t get the treatment they need. Not everyone has a cushy prepper home.”
They sit like that for a while, watching fire eat away until the air is thick with black smoke while the sound of crackling flame fills the clearing. It’s all Sam can hear, drowning out the sounds of Lou and the soft snap of a twig behind him. His odradek chirps a moment too late, spinning just as the butt of a rifle smashes into the side of his head.
Yelling explodes above him as Sam lands face first in the dirt, his head spinning while black dots dance before his eyes. Cross yells but they’re cut off by another sickening clash of metal and glass. Sam doesn’t get a chance to get his bearings before someone grabs the back of his suit, ungraciously hauling him up and choking him in the process. His arms are yanked tight behind his back, the BRIDGES cuff cutting uncomfortably into his skin as rope winds it way over his wrists. He catches sight of dirtied yellow before he’s pushed to kneel in the dirt, Cross next to him and wheezing hard. Their oxygen mask was cracked, one large piece missing to expose an already red and swollen eye. Someone reaches around to pull at Sam’s own mask, ignoring his attempt to lean away. The air is even more rancid without a filter, making his stomach roll uncomfortably and threaten to flee his stomach. He can practically taste the charcoal on his tongue already.
“You’ve got some balls to show your face around here Cross. And look here, the legendary Porter himself, Sam Bridges. You two are reaaaaal high on the hit list you know?” A voice drawls, accompanied by a pair of boots casually striding up to Sam and Cross. The face is almost indistinguishable behind a tightly wound face cover and yellow hood. All Sam can make out is a pair of angry brown eyes and skin streaked with soot.
“Caroline. Thought you died already, you hateful witch,” Cross drawls back, only to get a swift boot to their stomach. There’s a crunch and another wheeze from Cross as they double over.
“Still running your mouth as if it won’t get you in trouble. Not even getting cuffed by BRIDGEs has tempered that hot head of yours. Careful, we don’t want this to be any messier than it needs to be. I’m sure your friend would love to see tomorrow.”
The tip of her gun finds it way under Sam’s chin, the metal freezing against his skin. She forces him to look up just slightly, enough that his throat meets open air and he feels the vulnerability of their situation fully. MULEs were rarely competent enough to get the drop on him.
“It’s a shame really, Cross. You were one of the best drug runners I had. You never messed up one delivery- you probably could have been a fine Porter yourself. Well, if you weren’t such a bleeding heart martyr and prideful to boot”
The corners of Caroline’s eyes crinkle as she catches sight of Sam’s confused expression, his eyes darting between her and Cross.
“Oh you didn’t know? Cross here, well they were so desperate to help the ailing people but just couldn’t get the medicine themselves. It’s a rare commodity these days, only produced by one entity: BRIDGES. They don’t exactly sell it to med school dropouts with no medical license so they came to me. I used to work for BRIDGES myself you know. Figured out all their supply routes but I just never had the one thing I needed: an untraceable carrier.”
The tip of her gun leaves Sam’s chin and she moves to Cross, one hand gently prying off the cracked mask. Cross doesn’t meet her leering gaze, only grit their teeth and spit a glob of frothy blood at her feet.
“Cross used to be freelance and wasn’t monitored. So I let Cross have all the stolen meds they wanted for their patients, so long as they delivered all the… less than legal product for me. It was a perfect partnership, up until they had one bad run-in with BRIDGES. Guess I shouldn’t have expected loyalty from such a cretin,” Caroline sighed, cupping Cross’ chin.
“You really shouldn’t have stepped foot near my territory sweetie.”
Two MULEs have to hold Sam back as Caroline punches Cross, adding another swift kick to their stomach as they fall over. Cross chokes on air, sputtering and gasping for breath as blood drips from their cracked lips.
“I should have shot you the moment your scrawny ass came crawling my way. You were a sniveling coward then and you are now. Turning to BRIDGES just because you got caught? You belong in the ground!”
Another boot finds its way into Cross’ stomach, followed by a harsh snap and Cross barely biting back a strangled scream. She grabs at their hair, drawing them back up just for another sucker punch to the jaw. Two teeth fall to the ground, a small pool of blood forming as Cross coughs. She draws them back by the hair again, but pauses to pull down her face cover to expose scarred lips.
“I am going to enjoy watching life leave your eyes. Consider it your last job,” Caroline whispers, her lips brushing gently against the shell of Cross’ ear. Her free hand reaches for her holster to draw a wicked looking dagger, the blade long and thin with serrated edges.
“No!”
Caroline ignores Sam’s cry to sink the dagger deep into Cross, twisting the handle as they gurgle. She lets go of both Cross and the dagger, watching with glee filled eyes as they flop over and twitch on the ground. Blood wells up and starts to flow around the dagger, painting over dried blood with a fresh layer of vibrant red.
Then Caroline looks up to the sky and frowns, tugging her face cover back up.
“Hm. I was going to kill you too Sam Porter Bridges… but I think I’ll let the local nuisances do that,” she grumbles, almost disappointed. She gestures to the MULEs and they step away from Sam and CRoss, turning to disappear back into the woods.
“I’ll leave the truck for you, just in case. I’d love to play around some other time. Have fun,” Caroline coos, brushing against Sam’s shoulder as she leaves. He looks up at the sky, squinting against fading sunlight just in time to catch sight of an upside down rainbow, missing one blue stripe.