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After they were done, they said nothing for five whole minutes.
Then Tom asked, “Who are these guys and why did we just kill them?”
“Ah,” said Ledger. “Call it us doing a much-needed public service.”
“What’s that mean?”
“It means that these boys are part of what is quickly becoming a real problem, and as you have probably noticed, we don’t need any more problems. Seven billion hungry corpses will pretty much fill my quota for crap I do not need. But the skull-riders are something new.”
“Skull-riders?”
“I know. Couldn’t be more of a cartoon name. If you go over and examine them, you’ll see that they all have some kind of skull tattoo.”
Tom shook his head. “I’ll take your word for it. Who and what are they?”
“Most of them were pretty ordinary. Some were even bikers, but not all of them. For the most part they’re predators who have found a cause. Something that motivates them, unites them, and inspires them.”
“Which is?”
“They capture kids. Boys and girls. Some young men and women, too. They have camps. Do you really need to know what goes on in those camps?”
Tom wanted to vomit. “You know this for a fact?”
“I do. I’ve closed down a couple of those camps.”
“Alone?”
Ledger shook his head. “I reconnected with a couple of my guys from the DMS. That’s a story in itself. And I’m always scouting for new talent. I want to form a kind of informal law out here. More law enforcement than anything else.”
“Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. I never cared much for bullies or any other kind of predator. Didn’t tolerate them much before the Fall, and I can’t say I’ve got the warm fuzzies for them now. Maybe less so now. The skull-riders are a bad, bad bunch. I’ve decided to make them my new hobby.”
“How many are there?”
“Not counting this pack of morons?” Ledger said, nodding to the bodies. “Maybe twenty-six, twenty-seven packs ranging from four to twenty riders.”
“And it’s you and a couple of other guys?”
“So far.”
“You’re nuts.”
“Been told that.”
“How many have you . . . ? You know?”
“Counting these guys, my boys have taken out fifty-seven. Men and women. I don’t cut breaks for gender when it comes to this stuff. Besides, one of the pack leaders is a woman. Mama Rat. Charming lady, from what I’ve heard. She and a few other packs have been working their way toward San Jose, which is where I’m heading. Figured Baskerville and I would have us some fun. And . . . I’m also looking for his brother. Damn dog got lost during a running fight, and I met someone who said they saw a dog that fits the description on the outskirts of San Jose. So . . . that’s where I’m heading.”
He turned and looked at Tom.
“What?” asked Tom.
“I . . . don’t suppose you’d like to join me?”
“I can’t. My little brother’s in Mountainside and—”
“So why are you out here, then?”
