Scattered Ashes: Freedom's Stand

By Chris Traister and Tanar Dial

This is the end. After narrowly escaping the clutches of Yuri's slave mines in Morocco, Nate and his rag-tag group desperately race back home to Texas with the hopes of building a machine that can stop the false Archan commander and restore the lives of him, Abe and newfound ally—Pelany. With the diary in hand, the group must face untold challenges as they travel across the desolate America in search of hope and freedom. With Yuri hot on their tail, the pressure builds and ends with the ultimate sacrifice being made. This explosive end to the Scattered Ashes series follows Nate through the ravaged, unfamiliar world to save the family and home he holds dear.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chris Traister
• Release date: Nov 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370528387

Chris Traister

Telling stories since the 2nd grade (most of them based on real characters),Chris is an aspiring advertiser who dabbles in writing, carpentry, and faux-gourmet meals. When he isn't reading comic books or destroying others at board games, he likes to daydream or scribble out thoughts on paper plates. Not the foam ones, they don't carry ink as well.You can find Chris on twitter @christraister or follow his blog (remember, he dabbles) ctraister.wordpress.comChris lives in Dallas, TX with his wife who is out of his league and their dog/child, Parker.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

Eddie didn’t want everyone to hate him. It’s just that everybody was too stupid to understand his genius. Like that moron Nate. He gets some super-blue powers and what does he do? Blows up a bar, melts a tigrilla and cleans up some Texas-sized train wreck. Dumbass.

If he had those powers, he’d be bangin’ every chick in town with his lightning dick while being supreme ruler of the world. Anyone who challenged him would get his balls blasted off. No questions asked. No one knows how to do anything in this world. No one except Eddie.

Unfortunately, Eddie was lying on a prison floor half a world away from his Texas home. A shattered nose surrounded by a busted body left him sick and goddamned tired. Tired-of-everything Nate, wheezy Abe, and that braindead Boe had gotten him into.

Eddie picked himself up off the prison floor. He wiped the blood and tears from his face and winced. A scorching pain ran from the top of his head to the bottom of his chin.

Fucking Boe. That oversized retard had smashed his face into the bars, ruining his once devastating good looks. Sure, he’d sold them out to Warden Faubetor. Sure, he’d been instrumental in getting that decrepit piece of firewood Uriah flambéed alive, but that’s what all those dumbasses got for not listening to him. No matter. He was right where he wanted to be now. Alone and in charge with no one in his way. He slicked his wet hands through his hair and dusted off his new Archa uniform. Nothing was going to stop him now.

A buzzsaw of gunfire echoed from outside. Bullets pinged against the wall, and Eddie threw himself inside the prison cell. The noise faded, but the shrieks and shouts took over. He snuck a peek out the prison windows.

Across the red dirt and down below, a prison riot raged. Mobs of pickaxe-wielding prisoners charged gun-toting guards. They were probably fighting for freedom and humanity and all of that bullshit. Eddie didn’t care. He only knew one thing: He was fucked if he stayed here. This place was burning down fast, and Faubetor with his sleepy-time magic wasn’t gonna save it.

He had to get the hell out. Fast. He peeled himself from his hiding spot, walked out through the open cell door and headed into the guard room. On the floor was the guard’s body, twisted in half. Corkscrewed by Boe. The thought of that oversized oaf made Eddie stop. Boe had every opportunity in the world, and did he ever thank his boss once? Of course not.

Uh, hey, Mr. Eddie, thanks for taking me from my parents so I wouldn’t have to drown in Florida. Hey, Mr. Eddie, thanks for making me so big and strong by letting me work eighteen hours a day. Hey, Mr. Eddie, you’re like a father to me, and I’ll never let you down or betray you. What a retard.

Eddie patted down the guard, but it looked like someone, probably Abe, had stripped him clean. Figured. Filthy fucking scavenger.

He checked the room and saw a laser rifle in the corner. Picking it up, he strapped it on his back. No one better fuck with him. He’d cut down anyone who tried. Abe. Boe. A thousand Abes and Boes. A thousand Abes and Boes riding a thousand tigrillas with a thousand Nates firing stupid little blue balls at—

Hey, fatso! Who the hell are you?

Ah, don’t shoot! I’m a good guy. Eddie felt a little pee leak into his pants as he threw his hands up to face his attacker. A skinny kid in an Archan uniform trained a rifle at his face.

That wheezy old man and his dumbass retard friend did this. I was just going to hunt them down and elicit justice for Mother Archa and Father Yuri. Please don’t shoot me!

No time. Somnia Prison’s rioting. Everyone’s needed to quell the uprising. C’mon. The soldier turned around and Eddie shot him twice, the bullets going clean through.

How you like those fatso holes in your back, jackass? No one was telling Eddie what to do anymore. Smoke sizzled up from the holes in the kid’s spine. Eddie loved the smell of success.

He dug through the guard’s pockets, his years of digging through the ash making him an excellent scavenger. Even better than Abe or Nate. An ID card, a lighter, and…

Holy shit, this guy is loaded! A card with a digital display read 4,000 credits. That was a month’s pay back in Texas. He waddled back to the first guard and checked him again. A small plastic card in his suit pocket and Eddie was up to 4,700 credits. Drool formed at the edge of his lips.

He grabbed a gun bag from the corner and stumbled out of the prison. Alarms rang in the hallways. Eddie ignored them all as he made his way to the residential areas. With all of the soldiers out fighting, there’d be no one to look after their stuff. No one but Eddie.

He pushed into the stairwell and chugged down the stairs. His legs still burned from Abe’s idiotic plan to storm Faubetor’s building. That dumb idea ended up with them running from some freaky fucking zombie creatures who tried to eat their faces. Abe better watch out. Next time he saw him, he’d rip out his wheezy-ass lungs and slap him in the dick.

Eddie pushed through the stairwell door just as two fresh-faced soldiers charged his way. Eddie waved them forward.

What the fuck are you two idiots doing? The prison’s burning to the fucking ground and you two are jerking each other’s dicks! Move, move, move!

The soldiers gave each other confused glances but headed forward. Eddie sprayed them with gunfire as they passed and relieved them of their credits before the smell of flesh hit his nostrils. He skipped away from their lifeless bodies, dreaming of being King of Texas.

The residential hall held rows and rows of rooms, none any different than the other. Eddie opened the first door and went to work.

He pulled a pillow case from the first room and filled it with all the credits and valuables he could find. He ripped through all the rooms in no time. As the walls shook with explosions and klaxons blared all around him, he tallied up the money in his bag: nearly 200,000 credits. Once he got out of here, he’d own every idiot in Texas.

He tied off his bag and dragged it out into the hallway. Now he just needed to get the hell out of this goddamned building before those grimy prisoners made their way in here. Or the guards came back. Out there fighting some stupid goddamned war for that stupid goddamned Yuri…

Yuri! Eddie wiped his tongue across his lips, his mind flashing back to the interior of Yuri’s train back in Texas. The fancy fucking furniture. The electric ice-maker. He probably wiped his ass with diamonds. That guy was seriously fucking rich. With the money Eddie had now, he’d be loaded—but with Yuri’s dough, he’d own the whole goddamned America.

He hobbled down the hallway back to the stairway. Plaster and dust rained down on him as he huffed up the stairs. The faster those patriotic piss ants knocked each other off, the faster he could get out of here. Dumbasses.

His mind drifted to his reign as King of Texas. First thing he’d do is buy Wendy’s bar and turn it into a whorehouse. Load the trains with every girl in America and send them right to his doorway. Next, get everyone to dig up every piece of junk from the ground and use it to build a big fucking statue. A big fucking statue of him, right there in the middle of the town. And make those dickwads bow to it ten times a day. He’d finally get the appreciation he deserved from those worthless Texas hicks.

He pulled open the door to the top floor. A shining gold plaque at the end of the hallway read Office of Commander Yuri Xiao.

Hot fucking dog.

Just as Eddie stepped out, two massive Archan soldiers dragged some beaten up chick in a lab coat into Yuri’s office. Had it not been for Eddie’s lightning-fast reflexes and naturally slim build, they would’ve spotted him. Eddie didn’t care who she was or what happened to her. She probably deserved it. Eddie crept down the hallway until he heard a familiar voice shouting: Nate. The stupid little freak boy was whining about another thing. Pathetic.

At the end of the hallway, he pressed his ear against the door just as two explosions sounded from within. Eddie threw himself to the carpet and scrambled against the wall. No one could match his reflexes.

From his fortified listening space, he could just make out the words on the other side.

First Herschel and now Ojodomo. Does everyone you get close to die so horribly? Stick it to him, Yuri. And get the hell out of there so I can take your shit.

Eddie paused, waiting to hear the final moments of Nate, Abe and Boe being snuffed out. If only he could watch it himself. Eh. He’d just piss on their bodies afterward.

NOW!

Nate’s voice was drowned out by a volley of gunfire. Eddie dove in through the side door and hid in the darkness. More gunfire and then silence. He was going to need new pants before he escaped this place. He peered out from his hiding spot, watching the door.

Run. Now.

Nate, no. Eddie rolled his eyes. Abe’s such an asshole.

I have to do this. Go. NOW. Abe and Boe stumbled out of the door with that beaten-up chick between them. Eddie fumbled for his rifle, but his sack of money was in the way. Abe was lucky he’d let him get away. He heard them gallop to the end of the hallway, then head out. Eddie slipped back into the hall and put his hand on the handle to Yuri’s door. He’d creep in, take out Nate, and—

KABOOM!

The door to Yuri’s room exploded outward and smashed into him. It splintered across his face, and Eddie rolled like a greased-up bowling ball down the hallway. His ears rang and his head spun. Everything a blurry swirl. Somewhere in the haze, he could’ve sworn he saw Nate run by without any hands. Maybe he should spend his money on a fucking head surgeon.

Eddie pushed himself up and headed through the blown-up doorway to Yuri’s chambers. Ojodomo’s tattered body lay in the entryway. The two guys who had dragged that chick were missing some pieces. Specifically, the head and brain pieces. Some crazy-ass machine stood in the corner, chattering with purple sparks. Inside it of it was—

Oh, what in the holy dicks. An armless, hairless Yuri twitched inside the machine. Blood dribbled from his stumps as purple lightning sizzled across his body. Eddie could only gape and stare. And Yuri stared right back. Eddie peered real close.

Damn, Captain Crispy, you look like the world’s ugliest drumstick. That Nate finally stick it to you? Yuri’s coat was burned clean through, but on it sat that same stupid diary Abe had been chasing all through Somnia Prison.

Let’s just see what’s so important about this. He pulled it out and tucked it in his own jacket. Yuri never blinked.

I always thought you’d be the one to take him down. Look at you. Some super-duper military commander, and you’re dead while I’m still alive. Another dumbass. Eddie glanced around the room, scoping it out. You wanna tell me where the money is? Promise I’ll buy you a nice headstone.

Yuri’s eyes popped open. His face became of spasm of twitches as he twisted his lips into a snarl and let loose a demonic howl. Eddie scuttled backward, pressing himself against the wall, desperate to get away from the horror before him.

Yuri shambled to his feet. He charged toward Eddie and slammed his foot into his throat. Acrobatics that only Eddie was known for. He choked on his tongue.

Give me Nate!

The, that, he… Eddie’s brain fried. He couldn’t think. Yuri pressed harder with his boot.

NATE! The veins in Yuri’s left eye burst. It went blood-red as flecks of lightning skittered through his teeth like roaches. He pulled back his boot. Eddie sucked in air like it was covered in chocolate.

Yuri launched himself across the room and threw a hard kick against his bookcase. Paper and wood splintered through the air. He kicked harder and harder. Wham! Wham! Wham!

Eddie, not giving a fuck about Yuri’s hatred of literature, scrambled on hands and knees to the doorway. No way was he getting stuck with that freaky fucking totem pole.

Where are you going, Eddie? Eddie paddled forward, slipping in Ojodomo’s blood and falling to the ground. He pulled himself through the blood until Yuri planted his boot firmly in his spine.

Get up! Eddie pushed himself to his feet. Trembling.

Turn around! With eyes closed, he complied.

OPEN YOUR EYES! He cracked open one eye. Behind Yuri, the bookcase had been smashed clean through to reveal a secret room. Inside were rows of weapons and a robotic suit in the center.

Unless you want to spend your last moments as electrified goop, do what I say.

Sure, hey, sure, Yuri. I’ll give you a hand… oh.

Stop speaking! Yuri marched off to the secret room. Eddie stumbled behind him until he stood in the doorway.

Yuri stepped inside the robotic suit and pressed himself into the back.

Close it!

Eddie snapped the suit shut. Streams of purple light jumped across the front. A mess of wires streamed from the spine and connected to all the suit’s parts. Eddie didn’t know what the fuck they were, he just wanted to get the hell out of there.

Yuri tested his parts. The legs lifted, the torso twisted, but the arms didn’t move.

As long as you keep your clothes on, no one will notice. Yuri spun at the waist. The dangling arms slapped Eddie hard across the mouth.

Unplug the wires from the spine to the arms. Now! Eddie rubbed his swelling jaw as he yanked the wires free. The wire tips were three inch spikes that plugged into a spinal gearbox.

"Great. Now what?

Stab them into my neck.

Ex-fuck me?

Into my neck, you wretched peon. That was all the motivation he needed. Yuri was lucky Eddie didn’t kick him over and shit on his chest. If he hadn’t surprised him, Eddie would’ve fucked him up good. But if this guy wants a bunch of needles in his neck, who was he to say no?

Sparks burst from Yuri’s skin as Eddie plunged the needles in, right at the base of his neck. A piercing roar engulfed in electricity erupted from Yuri’s throat. The wall blasted outwards. An even bigger escape route.

Adios, fuck dick. Eddie ran for it and got three steps away before Yuri’s robotic arm caught him on the shoulder.

Not yet. He grabbed a small metal circle from the wall and slapped it into Eddie’s hand.

Yuri sunk his metal fingers into Eddie’s waist and blasted forward. The lone window in the office exploded with glassy fireworks as the two of them flew forward and up into the air. Purple jet streams exploded out of Yuri’s suit, flying them higher and higher through the clouds. At this point, Eddie was just a continuous stream of piss.

Yuri cut hard, down, skimming away from the prison riot below and around the docks. A ways out, Eddie watched as two figures firing red and blue bolts were chased by a horde of those Nightmares. At the docks, a crowd had gathered on the boat, waiting for the two figures to get on.

Holy shit. We’re flying toward that?

You will now have a front-row seat to the murder of Nathan and his miserable friends.

I appreciate the show, but maybe if you just set me down here—

Silence! When I’m done, I will decide if you are worth keeping alive. Eddie had been on the wrong side of that decision too many times. Maybe it’d be best to cut his losses now. Yuri just needed to get a little closer to the water…

Adios, ash-hole. Eddie slammed his elbow in Yuri’s face. The metal fingers released their grip, and Eddie began free-falling toward the water below. He flipped Yuri a pair of middle fingers as he plummeted downward.

Yuri burst into a shimmering purple ball and blasted across the clouds like a missile ready to annihilate the universe.

All Eddie had to do now was fall into the ocean like a raindrop, and he’d be home free.

Oh, shit!

Yuri’s momentum carried Eddie forward through the air. Forward toward the ship crowded with people.

Eddie smacked against the deck of the ship and rolled across, smashing into the railings like a bucket of sticky shit. He lay there, praying for death and hookers.

Oh my goodness. Are you… where did you…? An old white man in prison garb ran his way. Looked over Eddie’s battered body.

I was captured. Tortured. Eddie could taste the blood and lies in his mouth. It was good. Just help me up. The old man leaned down and wrapped his arm around Eddie’s bulbous frame. Eddie pushed himself up with the railing. Just when he was upright, he gripped the frame hard and hip-tossed the old man over the railing and down into the ocean.

Ojodomo sends his regards, you old fucker. The geezer’s body sank into the ocean.

Eddie limped across the deck. Ahead, all eyes were on Yuri fighting it out with Nate and some sickly kid. With no one paying attention to him, Eddie ducked down below deck, scampering to the cargo hold. A boom and thud above was followed by screaming. Eddie stumbled, nearly falling over, but regained his balance.

The cargo hold held hundreds of square metal boxes stacked one on top of the other. He looked around for a hiding spot. One way or another, this ship was headed out of this shithole and back to America, and he was going to be on it.

Flashes of red, blue and purple light caught his eye. He pressed his face to port window.

JOHNNY, NO!

A massive explosion filled the air. Red filled the room, and the boat lurched backward. Eddie flew through the air, smashed against the metal boxes. Everything went black.

CHAPTER 1

The rhythmic churning of the Epimetheus’s engines were the only sound Nate could hear. The room had gone dead silent after he’d uttered one fateful word.

War.

At the head of the long, rectangular conference table, Nate rubbed his palms together. They were suddenly cold. Clammy. Living in the humid heat of Huntsville his whole life, he never could get used to the cold. Made him think of death. Of his body shutting down. His light going out. Nothing he needed now.

The conference room seemed tighter than when they’d first gathered around this table. Covering the walls were ocean charts and maps of lands Nate had never seen. His crew, his friends and his family all stood, sat or leaned around the table, still chewing on the three-letter word Nate unleashed on them.

War.

On the other side of his table, Abe rubbed his hands through his scraggly beard. Flecks of dried blood and red dirt snowed out and sprinkled on the table. He rubbed his eyes until they were just as red. Nate had never seen him so exhausted, so bedraggled, so old in his life. This was supposed to be his salvation, and instead, he’d been fighting for his life—and Nate’s—every second since they set sail. After all Nate had put him through, he couldn’t reward him or make his life easier. Nate had only one thing to give him.

War.

We're dead where we float. Abe’s voice croaked out, hoarse from yelling his way through Somnia Prison. It had a tone to it Nate had never heard before. In Texas, Abe had always been the one making plans, plotting courses, picking dig sites. He always knew what to do next. Now, his voice seemed as adrift as the very ship they sailed in.

We’ve got Yuri behind us and pirates ahead of us. We’ve got nowhere to go that doesn’t get us killed. A deep sigh escaped his lips. We should get as far away from all this as we can. Abe didn’t even look up. Nate wished he would. Wished he’d glance up with that twinkle in his eye. The one Nate saw when Abe found the car lot back in Texas. The one that said I know something you don’t know. Instead, Abe’s body slumped over, voice wavering, head in his hands. It meant he was only thinking about one thing.

War.

Boe and Moira stayed quiet. Moira’s slender arms intertwined Boe’s battering-ram-size ones. Holding onto each other for dear life. He longed for the same feeling with Pelany. Turning her way, he saw her golden eyes darting back and forth, working out some formula to get them out of this mess. But it seemed every equation she put together always had the same answer.

War.

We can't return to Archadia. Pelany’s voice tremored. If they didn’t believe us before, they certainly won’t now.

Why not? McGraw rose from his spot against the wall and moved to the table.

We don’t have any proof. We didn’t have the diary before, and all we’ve got is a stolen ship and—

A stolen ship filled with prisoners from an illegal slave camp. McGraw grab an oceanic map and flattened it out on the table. If we head too far out to sea, we’re bound to get attacked by pirates, but if we steer this ship north, we’ll hit the Archan patrols.

Nate jumped up. We’ll have an entire crew of people who can back up our story.

One person can be crazy, but one hundred? They’ll have to believe us. Pelany’s eyes brightened as she stood. If they don’t, we can head to Boston. Talk to the American government and—

No. Abe’s voice croaked out from behind his hands. Me, Boe and Nate have run from one side of the world to the other, and all we’ve gotten for it was a lot of dead friends and a lot of new scars. He rose, gingerly. His body now realizing all the pain and suffering he’d been through. With one hand on the table, he moved to Nate. We came across the world for a better life. I came through hell to get you back. I’m done fighting. It’s time we got away from all this death.

McGraw scoffed. You wanna hide? Stick our heads up our ashes and—

Not what I’m saying at all. Abe growled. What I’m saying is we get to Archa, we show ’em what happened and who’s doing it, then we walk away. We let them take care of it instead of getting blown away by Yuri. We’ve done our part.

Well, my part’s not over. McGraw moved around the table toward Abe. I didn’t play lap dog to Yuri’s guards so I could sit back and watch someone else win this war without me. I’ve got a country to fight for.

A country that forgot about you first and sold you into slavery last. I’m not fighting for them or anyone else but me and my boy. Abe crossed his arms and set his jaw.

You and your boy are in this no matter what. We all are. And if we don’t fight… He nodded to Nate. If we don’t use the one thing we got to beat back Yuri, then we might as well steer this ship right into the ocean because it’s the only place Yuri won’t control after this is all over.

Nate’s body prickled with nervous energy. He took a deep breath and glanced around the room. We head for Archa and show them what we have. What we do afterward, we’ll figure out then, okay?

The group nodded. Abe and McGraw exchanged steely glances, then headed off in separate directions. Before he could get out the door, Moira stepped in McGraw’s way, checking him with her shoulder.

Oi, what’s yer name. She jabbed him right in the Archa patch on his uniform. Just cuz yer on our ship don’t mean I’ll forget which side o’ the fence you were on in Somnia. She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up to her burned face. Got me eye on you. Best be on yer loveliest behavior now.

Moira pushed past him. Boe stepped up to McGraw, and the old soldier flinched. Good to see you again. He lumbered off behind her. McGraw adjusted his collar and caught Nate watching.

Nice crew you got here, Nate.

She kept Abe alive. She’s good in my book.

I did too, you know. He turned and headed out the door. Nate sank down in his chair next to Pelany.

You did what you could. Pelany put her hand on his shoulder. We need help. We need backup. Nate reached for her hand but pulled it back. He frowned. We can’t do this alone.

But can we do it with anyone else?

CHAPTER 2

Nate and Pelany left the conference room and reached the top of the deck. Open ocean still fascinated Nate. The wet, salty air. The cloudy, endless sky. The cool breeze. It felt like he was the only person on Earth.

He scanned the deck and saw the crew standing to one side, staring across the waters. Dozens of bloodied and dust-covered men leaned against the starboard railing. In between chattering, they stared out into the ocean, pointing at… something. It was important enough that Abe, Boe, Moira and McGraw had joined the crowd, too.

Nate turned to Pelany. Did we miss something?

I don't know, but let's find out.

Before they got to the edge, a crewmate ran up to them.

Sir. He looked at Pelany, who motioned to Nate with his head. The crewman snapped his feet together and looked at Nate. Sir, we are being set upon. And they are closing fast.

Nate and Pelany exchanged glances. Yuri.

Pelany shook her head. It would be impossible for him to—

Nate let a bolt of electricity crackle across his hand. Impossible isn’t impossible anymore. Who else would it be?

The crewman held out a long tube, which Nate promptly took as he walked with purpose to the edge of the boat . He put the tube up to his eye.

It looks like a tiny speck. I can barely see anything.

Pelany chuckled. You're holding it the wrong way, doofus.

Oh. Nate spun it around and looked again. Through the circle he could make out the shape of a boat clearly pointed toward them.

It could just be a local fisherman out on a pleasure cruise? Wait, now it looks like an enormous hairy hand.

Hearing a cough to his right, Nate looked away to find McGraw next to him, his hand in front of the spyglass. Maybe let an actual soldier take a look?

Nate sheepishly handed over the tool. McGraw took a long look, then broke out in a wide grin.

Ha! Ha ha! He slapped Nate across the shoulder. Ah ha ha ha ha ha!

Uh. McGraw? Buddy? Everything all right? Nate reached for McGraw’s sleeve. McGraw spun the spyglass like a six shooter and holstered it in his pocket.

And for my next trick, I’ll pull a choo-choo train from my sleeve.

Nate leaned over to Boe. I think he’s gone mad. I may need you to restrain him.

Yeah. Okay. Boe moved toward McGraw, but McGraw jumped backward and ran toward the crewmen.

What's your name?

Babak, sir.

Babak, I need you to tell the new captain to floor it.

He got a blank stare.

Tell him to make the boat go as fast as he can. He waved his hand toward the speck on the water. Toward that.

A look of acknowledgement shot across his face as he turned toward the bridge and made a