Revelation by Kyle West Read Free Book Online

help.”
    Silence from the other end.
    “Mike, I can’t just let thirty men pass without being cleared by the Boss. That’s just not done.”
    “Trust me,” Michael said. “Besides, we don’t have time for clearance. With the Blighters about, I don’t think they’d be safe out here. They need to be behind walls.”
    The man Franco sighed from the other end of the line. “No one goes behind the walls that’s not already cleared by one of the gangs. You know that as well as I do. Anyone who is not a citizen can camp outside, no more.”
    “I’ll talk to the Boss about it later.” Michael paused. “I’m letting them cross.”
    “Fine,” Franco said. “It’s your ass, though. If I get asked about this, I’m pointing your way.”
    “That’s fine.”
    Michael put the radio back, breaking into a smile again. “I still can’t believe it.”
    I smiled back. “You don’t even know the half. Wait until you see how we’re going to cross.”
    Michael frowned in confusion.
    “Come on,” I said. “We’ll show you.”
    ***
    We led Michael up the snaking trail, a man whom I had thought dead. I had not seen him once in my escape from Bunker 108, but somehow he had managed to save his wife and kid and find himself here. Suddenly, I felt a lot less alone. I was not the only one to have survived Bunker 108. Even if it wasn’t my father, even if it wasn’t Khloe, it was someone who shared my story, someone who knew my past.
    “Did anyone else make it that you know of?” I asked, halfway up the cliff.
    Michael shook his head. “No. I thought me and my family were all that was left.”
    “Well, there’s a few more of us, at least.” I pointed to Makara. “Makara is from Bunker One.”
    “Really?” Michael asked.
    “It was long ago,” Makara said, cutting the conversation short.
    I shrugged. A minute later, we crested the rise. We were greeted by expansive red desert and dune, and a crumbling highway curving to the southeast. About five hundred feet ahead was the Odin .
    “Whoa!” Michael said. “What is that thing?”
    “Meet the Odin,” I said, proudly. “It’s one of four spaceships that survived Ragnarok. It’s the property of the New Angels now.”
    He shook his head, his smile never breaking. He turned to me, squinting one eye. “The New Angels?”
    “I’ll have to tell you about that, too.”
    Samuel, Anna, and the Exiles walked forward to greet us, awaiting news. Then they noticed Michael.
    “This is Michael Sanchez,” Makara said. “He is a representative of the Dragon gang out of Vegas. He has cleared us all to pass.”
    Several whoops came from the crowd of men. Michael frowned slightly.
    “Didn’t expect there to be a spaceship,” he said. “That might complicate things.”
    “You’re in trouble now, huh?”
    Michael nodded. “Yep. At best, I’m going to get the chewing-out of my life. At worst...well, let’s not think of that.”
    “You’re one of us, now,” I said. “We’ve got your back.”
    Makara spun around. “Not so fast. I’m in charge of the Angels, and I decide who joins us.”
    “Why wouldn’t you accept Michael?” I asked. “He’s a good fighter.”
    Before Makara could answer, Michael held up his hands. “Alright. I wasn’t going to accept, anyway.”
    “Why not?” I asked.
    He pulled back the sleeve of his gray tee shirt, revealing an intricate, tattooed dragon, breathing flame.
    “This is why,” he said. “I’m a Dragon, now. My place is here. I owe the gang my life. I’m not going to turn my back on that.”
    “We need to get rolling,” Makara said. “Where is this Sunset Gate?”
    “It’s on the south entrance of town, set up on the highway. There are some turrets there that can provide cover fire, in case the Blighters get feisty.”
    “Blighters?” I asked.
    Michael looked at me, confused. “Surely you’ve seen them. The big scorpion reptile things with the pearly eyes?”
    “Yeah, I know them. Just never heard that term