While my escort was focusing on the road ahead, and quiet, I pulled up the notifications I’d received after the fight.

Excellent work Marshall! You’ve successfully performed a secondary goal of your job ‘Combat’! You’ve earned 60 Patriot Points!

Excellent work Postman! You’ve successfully performed a secondary goal of your job ‘Protecting the Cargo’! You’ve earned 50 Patriot Points!

Congratulations Citizen! You have earned a rank in Long Guns! Good job exercising your 2nd amendment rights!

I was confused for a moment about what ‘cargo’ the system thought I was carrying before I remembered the bundle of letters in my pack. That was a welcome bonus, wish I’d thought of exploiting it sooner, but nothing could be done about it now. I reloaded my rifle, did an almost automatic check over my supplies, and from there tried to find a more comfortable position in the bed of the truck. It took some odd maneuvering, and I needed to brace myself using my legs, but once I was steady enough I pulled out a book and did some reading. Unfortunately, just as I was beginning to be absorbed into my book the convoy slowed to a crawl and we stopped moving.

The men began to move off of the truck and their bikes. Two of them got guns ready and started keeping watch of the convoy, while the rest removed gas cans from the truck and started refueling. I’d watched this process once or twice so far, but what was different about this time is that Angela got out of the truck, and climbed into the truck bed with me.

She lit a cigarette and slid an oil greased hand across her mohawk, pushing it back. She offered me one, but I held up a hand to decline. She shrugged, and took a long inhale. “I’m guessing you don’t know all the details about the patrol that’s gone missing?” she asked.

I closed my book and shook my head at her. “Just that it went missing near the black woods.”

“Not just near the black woods. In them.” She took another drag. “He tell you why this particular patrol is important?”

“No. I’d mostly assumed it was his way of cracking down on someone who’d acted independently of his authority.”

She smirked. “That too, but he never does anything for just one reason. He probably wanted to punish you and make sure to put the right man on the job.”

“Why would he think that I’m that man?” I asked.

She looked over her companions then back at me. “The Khan has eyes and ears in a lot of places. He acts like a hands off guy, but he can’t help but have his fingers in any mess across his territory. I’m sure he knew about you long before you showed up in Fette.”

Interesting, that wasn’t unlike how Pott’s Field liked to run things. “Alright. So, what is it that makes this patrol so special?”

She took a last drag and flicked the remaining embers of her cigarette at one of her men, who affectionately flipped her off in return. “Two things make it special. First is why it was there to begin with, and second is who was leading it.”

“Alright, I’ll bite.”

She raised an eyebrow and smirked again. “You’ll bite huh? Careful what you offer a lady.”

I just stared at her and waited for the response I actually wanted.

She sighed. “The patrol came out here because a monster attacked the closest settlement. Some kind of huge, black thing, with massive arms. It tore down a settlement’s wall and killed almost everyone there.”

“Freeport? I’d heard they’d had some kind of attack. It’s not like that kind of thing is unheard of though.”

She shook her head. “It wasn’t the attack itself that raised his interest. The creature was already wounded when it attacked. It was full of spears, arrows, and even a sword.”

“A sword?” I asked incredulously.

“Yeah, a sword. And we followed the creatures' trail back to the black woods.”

“So. People are living there. A wild settlement of some kind maybe?”

“Maybe. The point is that the Khan wanted to establish contact. If people live there, that means tribute, and territory.”

I squinted at her. “You’re a lot savvier than I expected.”

“What? I don’t look smart to you?”

“No, but I don’t think any humans look smart.”

She nodded. “Fair.”

“So, what makes the person in the patrol that’s missing so important?”

“She’s one of the Khan’s daughters for one.”

“His daughter?”

“His second oldest to be exact. Old enough to start leading patrols on her own.”

“I thought one’s place in the horde needed to be earned?”

“It does. And she did earn it. She’s risen further than any of his other children. She’s considered to be the one most likely to be the next Khan.”

“Why is he sending only me then? Why not send half his horde?”

“He can’t show that kind of favor. He’s let his children die before with little remorse. You offer him a way to take significant action and maintain his image.”

I raised my hand under my bandana and started to pick at my teeth. All these complications were starting to make them itch. I began considering just cutting and running. I could probably kill the rest of my escort without too much trouble. Make a run for the nearest deadzone on a bike and then travel by night to Pott’s.

Before I could think more on that possibility, the R.A.S. let me know it had different plans. A notification appeared in my vision, obscuring everything else.

Determine the source of the danger in the Black Woods and it’s cause

All PP and Job benefits will be lost permanently if this is not completed

Accept Y/N

“Fuck” I muttered, mentally selecting Y.

“Yeah, you’re not exactly in the best position,” said Angela, thinking I was speaking to her and not the fickle hand of fate.

“Being in a bad spot is what I’m used to. Why are you choosing now to share all this with me? We’ve been on the road awhile.”

“Well. I wouldn’t have mentioned it in Fette where the Khan would know I told you, and I didn’t care to tell you after that because I don’t like you.”

“Understandable,” I muttered.

“But when you helped us out in the ambush, I decided I liked you enough to at least let you know the pile of shit you’ve found yourself in.”

“Thanks…”

She nodded and jumped over the side of the truck bed, whistling and making a ‘wrap it up’ gesture as she did so. The men returned the fuel tanks to the truck and took their places back in the convoy. The engines all roared to life, and we were back on the road.

It was nearly nightfall when the treeline first came into sight. It looked almost like a sea of blackness, with waves being created by harsh winds tearing through the trees. When we reached them and stopped, the first thing I did was pull out my geiger counter and check the readings. They were low. It was like I’d been told before, the reason people went missing in the black woods wasn't radiation. At least not along the edges.

I looked around the treeline, and noticed an area with single rows of tracks and broken branches heading into the forest. I knelt down in front of it to take a closer look.

Angela approached me from behind. “This is where the patrol entered the forest.”

“Twenty people? Give or take three?” I asked.

“Uh, yeah. Twenty one.”

That was good. A large number of people and a clear track. I secured my pack and made sure I had all of my things. The other men on the convoy were eyeing the woods warily, clutching their guns and pacing. It occurred to me that they couldn’t see as clearly as I could in the dark. Easy to be afraid when everything around you is a mystery.

I started to step into the treeline.

“Whoa, you don’t want to wait until morning? We can pull away a bit from the treeline and let you take a rest first.”

I looked back at her. “I slept on the trip. Need to get started.” I tipped my hat in her direction. “Thanks for the ride.”

She nodded. “There will be patrols along the treeline. If you find anyone, bring them out here.”

I nodded and held up a hand as I walked into the forest. I was swallowed by the blackness of the trees, and on the way into a new host of unknowns. I was feeling an odd mix of excited, annoyed, and paranoid. Excited to be exploring something so uncharted, annoyed at the circumstances of it, and paranoid for the same reasons I was excited. I drew my machete and started following in the tracks of the missing patrol.