You are Cal Phoenix, the Freeway Warrior, champion and protector of Dallas Colony One. A murderous gang of HAVOC clansmen, led by the psychotic Mad Dog Michigan, are bent on destroying your fragile colony as it crosses the wastelands of Texas on the first stage of a life-or-death exodus to the California coast. These bike-riding clansmen are a formidable enemy: armed, cunning, and extremely dangerous, capable of launching a lightning raid at any time, day or night. You will need all your wits about you if you are to defend your people and reach your destination intact!
Joe Dever, the creator of the bestselling Lone Wolf adventure books and novels and the Freeway Warrior adventure books, has achieved world-wide recognition in three creative fields—as an award-winning author of international renown, as an acclaimed musician and composer, and as a games designer specialising in role-playing games.
On graduating from college in 1974, Joe Dever became a professional musician, and for several years, he worked in the music industry in Europe and the United States.
While working in Los Angeles in 1977 he discovered a then little-known game called ‘Dungeons & Dragons’. Although the game was in its infancy, Joe at once realised its huge potential and began designing his own role-playing games along similar conceptual lines. These first games were to form the basis of a fantasy world called Magnamund, which later became the setting for the Lone Wolf books.
Five years later, in 1982 at the Origins Game Fair, Joe won the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons World Championships in Baltimore, an event held before 16,000 people. Inspired and encouraged by his success at Origins, Joe decided to quit the music business and devote his time to writing and games design.
In 1983, after a brief spell at Games Workshop in London, he wrote Flight from the Dark—the first Lone Wolf interactive gamebook. His manuscript immediately attracted a frenzy of interest from three major London publishing companies, all of whom bid for world rights. Joe accepted an offer of publication from Hutchinson’s (later to become Century Hutchinson Ltd; now Random House UK) and Flight from the Dark was first published in 1984.
This first book sold more than 100,000 copies within its first month of publication, and overseas rights were snapped up by twelve countries (including the United States, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Sweden). The success of Joe’s first book laid the foundations for the future of the Lone Wolf series, which has sold millions of copies around the world.
Joe has continued to work in the games industry as script writer and games design consultant.
Melvyn Grant was born in London, England, and expressed a talent for art from a very early age. He became the only student to attend The Brassey Institute School of Fine Arts at the early age of twelve. Although his approach to painting is firmly rooted in traditional Fine Art, he finds much more excitement in the world of High-end Fantasy Illustration. Melvyn maintains a website showcasing his art.
Internet Edition published by Project Aon. This edition is intended to reflect the complete text of the original version. Where we have made minor corrections, they will be noted in the Errata.
Publication Date: 15 February 2018
Text copyright © 1988 Joe Dever.
Illustrations copyright © 1988 Melvyn Grant.
Distribution of this Internet Edition is restricted under the terms of the Project Aon License.
For Rus and Sue
‘I would be especially pleased if my granting of the rights to distribute my books in this way was seen as my “millennium gift” to all those devoted readers who have kept the Kai flag flying high, through all the good times, and the not-so-good. It would make me very proud indeed if this enterprise laid the foundations of a lasting legacy, securing the longevity of Lone Wolf by making my creation freely and readily accessible to current and future online generations. For them, for us, for Sommerlund and the Kai.…’ Joe Dever
Project Aon would first like to thank Joe Dever for making this generous offering of the books that we have all loved from the beginning. We are also grateful for the generosity of Rob Adams, Paul Bonner, Gary Chalk, Melvyn Grant, Richard Hook, Peter Andrew Jones, Cyril Julien, Peter Lyon, Ian Page, Graham Round, and Brian Williams for contributing their portions of the world of Magnamund to Project Aon. We would also like to acknowledge the following members of Project Aon for their diligent work:
You are Cal Phoenix, a survivor, born on Thanksgiving in the year 2000 AD. When you cast your mind back to the time before ‘The Day’, you recall your two brothers and your sister, your parents’ house in California, and summer vacations spent cruising the blue Pacific off Catalina Island aboard your father’s boat. They are your fondest memories, yet your most vivid recollections are of winter vacations, when the family would drive to Dallas to spend Christmas with Uncle Jonas and Aunt Betty-Ann. Of all your Texan Christmases, the 2011 visit was the most memorable. It was also the last time you saw your family alive.
Your parents had decided to cancel the trip to Dallas that year. The oil shortage had pushed up the price of gasolene to $30 a gallon, and only the rich could afford to drive long distances, even in cars equipped with solar-pacs. You were so disappointed when you heard the news that you decided to walk the 1300 miles to Dallas, and would have done so had your father not caught up with you three miles from home. Then, when Uncle Jonas and Aunt Betty-Ann got to hear of it, they fixed it with your parents so that you at least could spend Christmas with them at their ranch near Denton.
From the moment they met your charter flight at Addison Airport you knew it was going to be a vacation to remember. Uncle Jonas was an oilman. He had been one ever since he graduated from the University of Texas in ’95 with a degree in geology. Earlier that summer he had been put in charge of construction at a shale-oil mine near Austin, the very first of its kind in Texas, and as a special Christmas treat he promised to take you on a guided tour of the whole underground complex.
On New Year’s Day 2012, the three of you started out early on the road to your uncle’s mine, located on the Austin Chalk, over 200 miles south of Dallas. The trip would take at least two days, with an overnight stop in Waco, for, in an effort to conserve energy, the Federal government had imposed a speed restriction of fifteen miles per hour on all state highways. It was a slow journey, and despite the sombre radio bulletins that gave news of HAVOC’s latest threats, you can still remember your excitement at the thought of exploring those tunnels deep below the earth.
Your arrival at the mine was met by a military patrol, posted there by the World Defence League. The job of the patrol was to prevent sabotage; oil installations all over the world had become one of HAVOC’s primary targets in their campaign of terror. The mine was officially closed for the New Year’s recess but Uncle Jonas had right of access at all times and, after checking his papers, the patrol allowed you in. It was a massive complex and, for security reasons, it was totally self-supporting. A central shaft serviced the many working levels to which there were attached laboratories, workshops, and even refineries for processing the precious crude oil after it had been extracted from the rock. Uncle Jonas was explaining the function of these refineries, 300 feet below the surface, when it happened.
The ground shuddered when the shock waves from the first distant explosions reached the mine, and you remember thinking that it must be the start of an earthquake, the like of which you had experienced many times at home in California. But as the levels nearest the surface began to collapse and the central shaft filled with falling rubble, you realized the awful truth. The unthinkable had happened.
At first there was no way of telling the extent of the surface devastation. Below ground, the safety generators had automatically switched into operation when the main power supply failed, and the tremors faded quickly, encouraging your aunt and uncle to believe that the damage above was superficial. Uncle Jonas was confident that the military would mount a rescue operation and that you would be brought out within a few days—a week at the most. Aunt Betty-Ann was also optimistic. After all, there were emergency supplies, enough to feed 200 men for a whole month. Little did she know that the three of you would end up consuming all of those supplies, or that the mine would become your home, your shelter, and your prison for the next eight years of your lives.
It was a month after ‘The Day’ when the three of you accepted that there would never be a rescue operation. Many days had been spent in silence, hoping and praying for the sounds of excavation or a voice on the radio link to the surface. But all that could be heard was the static crackle of the gamma radiation which was blanketing the earth. Uncle Jonas proposed that an attempt be made to reach the surface by tunnelling through the blocked central shaft. It was an awesomely dangerous feat, to dig vertically through 300 feet of compressed concrete rubble and twisted steel girders, but there was no other way you could ever hope to escape from the mine. Progress was painfully slow but the work gave you all a sense of purpose, a reason to go on, even though you feared what could be awaiting you on the surface.
Those years spent in the mine taught you invaluable lessons in survival. Uncle Jonas showed you how to refine gasolene from crude oil to keep the generators alive; to coax fresh water from porous rock; to manufacture spare parts in order to maintain vital machinery. Aunt Betty-Ann, who had at one time been a nurse and a high school teacher in Denton County, attended to your education and made sure that you stayed fit and healthy. Their love and support enabled you to grow during those dark days underground despite the enormous sense of loss you felt for your parents, brothers, and sister. You vowed then that one day you would repay their kindness by protecting and caring for them.
It was early September in the year 2019 when finally you broke through to the surface. Aunt Betty-Ann was convinced that radiation levels would still be dangerously high, and at first she was against leaving the mine. But, during the last few months of your incarceration, the static that had always jammed the radio wavelengths had gradually cleared, and Uncle Jonas was able to persuade her that this meant it was now safe to live above ground.
When you first emerged from the mine, you thought you were on the surface of another planet. Surely this could not be Earth? Few structures had survived the blizzards and intense cold that had swept around the world in the years following ‘The Day’, and now, after the dust had settled and the sun returned, the once-fertile plains of Austin resembled little more than a desert of parched and broken rock, littered with the artefacts of an absent civilization. During the first few days, when you set out to explore this wilderness, it was easy to believe that you were the only survivors. But on the morning of the fifth day, Uncle Jonas made a chance radio contact with a family called Ewell who were living near the ruins of McKinney, thirty miles north of Dallas. They told him that they had been in touch with a handful of other groups who had managed somehow to survive the holocaust. Most were isolated, unable to move due to lack of fuel, food, or water. They had urged those who could travel to join them in McKinney, to start a new community, and some were already on their way. Your uncle and aunt also accepted their invitation. McKinney was not very far from Denton, and they were curious to see if anything remained of their ranch. They planned to return home, salvage whatever they could that might be of use, and then move on to McKinney. The Ewells were enthusiastic, but they warned that not everyone who had survived wanted to establish a new community. The ruins of Dallas and Fort Worth were controlled by gangs of criminals who fought with each other and terrorized anyone seeking to reestablish law and order. They advised you to avoid them at all costs when travelling north.
Interstate Freeway 35 was the only highway still intact amid the devastation that surrounded the mine. It offered a direct route home to Denton, if only transportation could be found, for Uncle Jonas considered conditions far too dangerous to attempt such a long journey on foot. It took more than a week to discover a vehicle that was still serviceable. It was an old school bus, one that had been parked in an underground lot and had survived the years of sub-zero blizzards. With a few new parts, a tankful of gas, and a lot of hard work it was eventually brought back to life.
Provisions, including a small generator, were hoisted out of the mine and stowed aboard before you began the journey back to the ranch. The noisy old bus bumped along the rock-strewn freeway that stretched northward across an empty sea of dust. It was a harrowing sight. Hardly a trace remained of what were once thriving communities, and the once-populous cities of Temple and Waco had barely enough buildings still standing to qualify as small towns.
It was not until you reached the outskirts of Fort Worth that you encountered signs of human habitation. The road ahead was blocked by a line of wrecked autos, and at your approach a group of hard faced men and women, clad in composite costumes of leather and rivetted steel, suddenly popped up from behind this barricade. Uncle Jonas was suspicious and slowed the bus almost to a halt. Suddenly they produced handguns and rifles and began to take aim at the windshield, and he knew it was not the time to stop to ask for directions! He told you and Aunt Betty-Ann to brace yourselves; then he stamped his foot on the gas and drove the bus straight through the wall of cars, scattering the punks like ten-pins in a strike. The bus was shot at many times as it sped through Fort Worth, but the street gangs had been caught out and you managed to escape from the ruined city before they could give chase.
When you got to Denton you discovered that the ranch, like all the other nearby dwellings, had been reduced to a heap of broken bricks and shattered timbers. The sight greatly upset your aunt, and Uncle Jonas felt it better not to stop but to continue overland to McKinney. It was easy to find where the Ewells lived, for their ranch was the only place in town that was still standing. It looked more like an old frontier post than a ranch, with its fortified perimeter wall, lookout posts, and stake-filled moat. But, after your brush with the citizens of Fort Worth, it was easy to understand the need for these defences.
‘Pop’ Ewell, the seventy-year-old grandfather of the Ewell family, was the leader of this small colony of survivors; it was he who had urged Uncle Jonas to join them when they had first made radio contact. The colony numbered less than a dozen at the time of your arrival, yet as the airwaves became clearer, soon this number had more than doubled to twenty-five. It was decided that a name was needed to identify the settlement. The name ‘Dallas Colony One’ was adopted—‘DC1’ for short—and from that day on everyone worked hard to make DC1 a secure haven for those seeking refuge from the hostile wastelands and marauding city gangs.
‘Cutter’ Jacks was one such refugee. Before the holocaust he had been chief mechanic at the International Grand Prix Circuit near Lake Dallas, and his incredible skill and knowledge of engines was soon to prove invaluable to the colony. He taught you how to drive, and from a pile of old wrecks that you helped him salvage from the circuit he built you a powerful, customized car. You used it to patrol the highways north of the city, keeping a lookout for gangs of city punks who frequently mounted raids to steal or destroy DC1’s supplies. ‘Cutter’ also taught you to shoot, and it was your prowess with a gun and your skill behind the wheel that was to earn you the begrudging respect of your enemies who took to calling you ‘Freeway Warrior’.
Six months after you arrived at DC1, the colony was faced with a major crisis. A heat wave was causing a drought that threatened to destroy the food supply. Crops were failing and the colony’s artesian well—its only source of uncontaminated water—was beginning to dry up. The drought was also provoking more attacks from the city punks who were desperate for food and water. Their common need united them and they posed a very real threat to the security of DC1.
It was the last day of May 2020 when Pop Ewell made radio contact with another colony who were based in the city of Big Spring, 300 miles west of McKinney. It appeared that their situation was completely the reverse of DC1’s: they had plenty of food and water but they were desperately short of fuel. They told of their contact with survivors in Tucson, Arizona, who were also without fuel. The Tucson colony reported that the territories west of the mountains of the Sierra Nevada had been spared the worst effects of the radioactive blizzards that had devastated the rest of the country and, miraculously, much of southern California was still widely populated. It had survived the last eight years virtually intact. When you heard the news you could hardly believe your ears. Perhaps your family were alive. You might be reunited after all!
Pop Ewell called for a meeting to decide how best to deal with the crisis now facing DC1. Everyone agreed that to stay at McKinney would lead to eventual death, either slowly from starvation or suddenly at the hands of the murderous city gangs. The only option open to DC1 was to try to reach California; only there lay any real hope for the future of the colony. Your decision was relayed to the survivors at Big Spring and a deal was struck to rendezvous with them as soon as possible. DC1 would exchange fuel for food and water, and together they would join up with the Tucson colony for the final journey to California.
Preparations began almost immediately. Morale was so high that a heady sense of adventure and optimism enveloped everyone. Few guessed just how fraught with danger the journey would be.
Before embarking on your adventure, you must first determine your personal characteristics and the weapons and provisions with which you are equipped. An Action Chart has been supplied on which to record and amend these details as the adventure unfolds.
Your personal characteristics comprise two basic attributes: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE. To discover your initial CLOSE COMBAT SKILL, take a pencil and, with your eyes closed, point the blunt end of it onto the Random Number Table. If you pick a 0 it counts as zero. Add 10 to the number you have picked and write the total in the CLOSE COMBAT SKILL section of your Action Chart (for example, if your pencil falls on the number 5 in the Random Number Table, you have a CLOSE COMBAT SKILL total of 15). When you fight an enemy in hand-to-hand combat, your CLOSE COMBAT SKILL will be measured against that of your enemy, so a high score in this section is desirable.
To discover your ENDURANCE level, repeat the process, but this time add 20 to the number you have picked from the Random Number Table. Write the total in the ENDURANCE section of your Action Chart (for example, if your pencil falls on the number 8 on the Random Number Table, you have a total ENDURANCE score of 28). If you are wounded in combat, or injured at any other time during your adventure, you will lose ENDURANCE points. If, at any time, your ENDURANCE points total falls to zero or below, you are dead and the adventure is over. You can regain lost ENDURANCE points during the course of the adventure, but your ENDURANCE level can never rise above your initial score.
Ever since the day you returned to the surface, you have endeavoured to develop your skills and natural instincts fully in order to best defend yourself and your colony.
Listed on your Action Chart are your five basic Survival Skills:
Your ability to control powered vehicles, such as cars, motorcycles, and trucks.
Your familiarity and experience in the use of missile weapons, such as pistols, machine pistols, shotguns, and rifles.
Your knowledge and experience of all aspects of outdoor survival.
Your physical fitness, the speed of your reflexes, and your dexterity.
Your intelligence, your ability to evaluate information, your education, and your mental alertness.
Your ability in each of these five individual skills is measured in skill points. You begin with 3 points per skill. Before starting the adventure, you may allocate an additional 4 skill points to your list of five Survival Skills. These 4 extra points can be used to improve one or more of your five skills. During your adventure, all five skills will be severely tested; therefore the higher the individual skill level, the better your chances of survival. You may allocate your 4 additional points entirely how you like.
When you have decided where to allocate your 4 additional skill points, make a note of the totals in the Survival Skills section of your Action Chart. (In your first adventure, your total number of skill points should be 19: five skills x 3 points each = 15, plus 4 additional skill points = 19 points.)
If you complete successfully the mission set in Book 1 of the Freeway Warrior series, you may add an additional 4 points to your Survival Skills in Book 2. These additional points, together with any equipment and provisions that you possess at the end of Book 1, may then be used in the next Freeway Warrior adventure, which is called Slaughter Mountain Run.
Apart from your clothing, a number of useful items form your basic equipment. These comprise a Backpack and a belt on which hang your Ammo Pouch, Medi-kit, Water Canteen, and Hunting Knife. In addition to these items, you possess a Map of Central Texas, which you carry tucked inside your leather jacket.
Up to ten separate items may be stored and carried in your Backpack at any time. However, if more than three items are carried, your Stealth level will be reduced by 1 point. If more than six items are carried, your Stealth level will be reduced by 2 points; and if you carry a full Backpack (containing ten items), your Stealth level will be reduced by 3 points.
In order to equip yourself for the task ahead, you may choose up to four items from the following list:
List the items you have chosen on your Action Chart. If you have picked four items, adjust your current Stealth level accordingly.
Opportunities may arise during your adventure for you to pick up useful items. These items will appear in the text in bold print and, unless you are instructed otherwise, they can be stored and carried in your Backpack.
You will need to eat regularly. If you do not possess any food when you are instructed to eat a Meal, you will lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Your Ammo Pouch is where you store any spare ammunition for firearms. It can hold a maximum of the following:
40 rounds of 9mm calibre Pistol/Machine Pistol ammunition
or
20 rounds of 7.62mm calibre Rifle ammunition
or
10 rounds of 12-gauge calibre Shotgun ammunition
When carrying mixed calibres of ammunition, use this equation to check how much space you have left in your Ammo Pouch:
4 x 9mm rounds = 2 x 7.62 rounds = 1 x 12 gauge round
Additional ammunition can be carried in your Backpack. Ammunition occupies one space for each quantity that is equal to (or less than) the maximum that can be carried in one Ammo Pouch.
A well-stocked Medi-kit can make all the difference to your chances of survival should you suffer injury in the field or as a result of combat. It contains useful first aid supplies, such as dressings, antiseptics, antibiotics, water purification tablets, sulfonamides, pain killers, potassium iodide tablets (to delay absorption of radioactivity), and sutures.
For convenience, these medical supplies are grouped into units. To find how many units you have in your Medi-kit, pick a number from the Random Number Table (0 equals 10) and add 2. Your total score equals the number of units with which you begin your adventure. To keep a record of them, circle the appropriate number of unit symbols in the Medi-kit section of your Action Chart. The maximum number of units you can carry in your Medi-kit is twelve.
You may use your Medi-kit units to restore lost ENDURANCE points; each unit used in this way restores 3 points. Units cannot be used to restore ENDURANCE points in lieu of a Meal or Water when instructed to eat or drink.
Water is essential to life, and your life will depend on having a sufficient, uncontaminated supply. You will need to drink regularly during your adventure. One drink is equivalent to half a pint and your canteen holds exactly two pints of water: enough for one day’s needs. When instructed to drink, be sure to tick off one box in the Water section of your Action Chart.
If you do not have any Water when instructed to drink, you must lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
These weapons aid you in hand-to-hand fighting. You begin your adventure armed with a Hunting Knife which, when used in close combat, adds 2 points to your CLOSE COMBAT SKILL. Note this Hunting Knife in the Close Combat Weapons section of your Action Chart.
If you find a close combat weapon during your adventure, you may pick it up and use it. Close combat weapons will appear in the text with a close combat skill number, for example, Machete (3). This number indicates how many points this weapon will add to your CLOSE COMBAT SKILL when used in a hand-to-hand fight.
The maximum number of close combat weapons you may carry is two, though you may only wield one at any time.
There are four types of missile weapon:
You begin your adventure armed with only one of these weapons. Make your choice and then record the weapon you have chosen, together with its calibre and rate of fire details, in the Missile Weapons section of your Action Chart.
In order to be able to use a missile weapon, you must have sufficient ammunition of the correct calibre. The following list shows the calibre of each weapon, the amount that is used every time the weapon is fired, and the number of rounds that you possess at the start of your adventure:
| Calibre | Rate of Fire | Initial No. of Rounds | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pistol | 9mm | 1 | 8 |
| Machine Pistol | 9mm | 61 | 30 |
| Shotgun | 12-gauge | 1 | 4 |
| Rifle | 7.62mm | 1 | 4 |
The initial number of rounds should be noted in the Ammo Pouch section of your Action Chart. Missile weapons cannot be used if you run out of ammunition or possess only rounds of the wrong calibre. However, the opportunity may arise for you to replenish your supply of ammunition and/or discover a weapon of the correct calibre.
You may carry a maximum of three missile weapons. However, for every missile weapon that you carry (excluding your initial choice), you must reduce your Stealth level by 1 point.
There will be occasions when you will have to fight an enemy in hand-to-hand combat. The enemy’s CLOSE COMBAT SKILL and ENDURANCE level will both be given in the text. Your aim in close combat is to kill the enemy by reducing his ENDURANCE points to zero or below while losing as few of your own ENDURANCE points as possible.
At the start of a close combat, enter both your own and your enemy’s ENDURANCE points in the appropriate boxes on the Close Combat Record section of your Action Chart. The sequence for close combat is as follows:
This procedure continues until the ENDURANCE points of either the enemy or Cal Phoenix are reduced to zero or below, at which point that combatant is declared dead. If Cal Phoenix is dead, the adventure is over. If the enemy is dead, Cal Phoenix proceeds but with his ENDURANCE points possibly reduced.
A Summary of the Close Combat Rules appears on the page after the Random Number Table.
During your adventure you may be given the chance to evade close combat. If you have already engaged in a round of close combat and decide to evade, calculate the combat for that round in the usual manner. All ENDURANCE points lost by the enemy as a result of that round are ignored; only Cal Phoenix may lose ENDURANCE points during that round, but that is the risk of running away! You may evade combat only if the text of the particular section allows you to do so.
After a week of careful preparation, the colony is ready to begin the long trek to Big Spring. Three vehicles have been picked to make up the convoy: the school bus, your customized roadster, and a gasolene tanker that was salvaged from an old drilling site at nearby Greenville. Cutter and your uncle have rigged up a square canvas canopy to hide the tanker’s tell-tale cylindrical body, which now holds over 5,000 gallons of petroleum, siphoned from the underground storage tanks at the Ewell ranch. In this fuel-starved world, gasolene is the most valuable of all commodities. If the city gangs were to discover that DC1 were transporting such a precious load they would stop at nothing to capture it.
Most of the colony will be travelling aboard the bus, which will be driven by your uncle. Cutter will drive the tanker and you, acting as scout, will drive your roadster at the head of the convoy. With the bus full of passengers, luggage is limited to essential supplies only; everything else will be destroyed before leaving McKinney. At dawn, on the day before the convoy is to set off, a thorough check is made of the vehicles and provisions. There is enough food and water to reach your destination but, apart from your personal weapons, the colony has very few firearms with which to defend itself.
Long Jake Bannerman, a former roustabout from Gainsville, has volunteered to drive north and search for weapons and ammunition. His brother once owned a hardware store in Sherman and kept his stock of sporting guns locked in the basement. Although they may have to be dug out there is a good chance that they have survived intact. Everyone agrees that it is worth a try, and so Jake, equipped with a CB radio, a shovel, and a rusty revolver, sets out for Sherman in his beat-up old truck.
Two hours later he radios a message from Sherman. He has found rifles and ammunition, but his truck has broken down and he is now stranded in the town. He has also found a survivor—a teenage girl—and he requests that you come to pick them up as soon as possible. Uncle Jonas agrees. He tells him to sit tight and wait for you to arrive.
‘Trust Jake to go an’ maroon hi’self with a gal!’ grumbles Uncle Jonas, wryly. ‘Cal, you better git your body up to Sherman and haul ’em back here. An’ no messin’ with street punks on the way, y’hear!’
‘We’ll be back in time for breakfast!’ you reply, cheerily, as you slide behind the wheel of your roadster and fire up its throaty V-8 engine. Then, with a farewell wave, you power the car out of McKinney and speed northwards to Sherman along what remains of Highway 75.
You press your face against the metal stock of your machine pistol, take careful aim at the enemy sniper perched on the building opposite, and squeeze the trigger.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If your total score is now 10 or less, turn to 349.
If your total score is now 11 or more, turn to 229.
You are about to search the bodies for items that may help you survive when you hear the mob ascending the stairs. Immediately you abandon the idea and concentrate on making an escape. At the end of the corridor is an open window. Below is an alleyway that passes to the rear of the bar. Without a moment’s hesitation, you climb out onto the ledge and leap to the ground, landing with a jolt that leaves you breathless. Gasping for air, you stagger along the alley and out into a deserted street. The jump has robbed you of stamina but at least you didn’t break any bones.
Desperately you look for somewhere to hide while you recover. An old boarding house opposite seems to be the answer to your prayers, and you cross the street and enter before the mob reappears.
You recall that these letters are the chemical symbol for sodium chloride—common salt. You have stumbled upon a huge stockpile of a substance that is vital to human survival, yet one that is becoming harder to find with every passing day. In your excitement you let out a shout and can barely stop yourself from dancing around the crate in sheer delight.
You decide to take as many tubs of salt as you can carry and return to the convoy without delay.
You pull and release the bolt of your G-12 then level the barrel at the leading dog as it gets ready to make its leap. Hurriedly you squeeze off a burst of fire that rips through its chest and sends its lifeless body spinning backwards among the rest of the pack. The death of their brother—and the noise and fury of your weapon—brings the pack to a sudden halt.
Remember to deduct six rounds of 9mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.
A bullet clips you, drawing a crimson line across the top of your right forearm before it ricochets off the steering wheel: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.
You wince at the pain and curse your unseen attacker, but you do not lose control of your roadster. Stoically you staunch the bleeding and continue to lead the convoy on its detour around Westbrook.
Moonlight pours in through a large hole in the roof, illuminating the interior of the store. Judging by the nature of the debris littering the floor, this place was once a liquor store. Most of its stock was consumed by the Skulls when they first took over the town, but after a careful search, you discover a Bottle of Bourbon still intact.
If you decide to keep this item, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
To leave the store and continue, turn to 273.
You draw your pistol, take aim at the widest part of the clansman’s torso, and hold your breath as you get ready to fire.
Add your Shooting skill total to your current ENDURANCE points score.
If your total score is now 15 or less, turn to 96.
If your total score is now 16 or more, turn to 344.
Your bullet hits home, striking the machine gunner squarely in the chest and spinning him away from the window with the force of its impact. You breathe a little easier. Then a long burst of fire echoes from inside the building, causing you to duck involuntarily. But this time you are in no immediate danger. Your single shot proved fatal and, in the throes of death, your enemy has emptied a full magazine into the walls and shattered ceiling of the drugstore.
Remember to erase one 9mm round from your Ammo Pouch.
To continue, turn to 251.
You land heavily, slip, and lose your footing. Desperately you throw out your hands to stop yourself from falling, and you manage to grab the edge of the door itself. But your legs are now being dragged along the freeway at forty miles an hour: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table (0 = 10) and add to it your current ENDURANCE points score.
If your total is 14 or less, turn to 148.
If your total is 15 or more, turn to 272.
Your caution was well placed. As you focus on the town you count over twenty motorcycles parked at random along the highway. Their riders are looting the stores and houses nearby, and much of what they have found lies heaped beside their machines. Suddenly a pinpoint of light climbs into the sky and explodes with a brilliant white flash that illuminates the surrounding landscape.
‘What do you make of that?’ you say, as Cutter and Kate join you to find out what is wrong.
‘It’s a signal flare,’ replies Kate. ‘I think they’ve seen us.’
The climb is steep and tortuous but you manage to reach the top of the gully in one piece. Carefully, you pick your way around the edge until you happen upon a narrow path that ascends towards the flickering light on the mountainside above. As you draw closer, you see that the light is being cast by a small fire burning at the entrance to a cave. You approach with caution. As you draw level with the cave, you are greeted by a strange and curious sight.
A gnawing pain, brought on by the exertion of opening your backpack, stiffens your right hand. You grit your teeth and persist until your aching fingers locate the tip of your survival flare. With care you remove it from the pack and position it between the ropes that bind your body in such a way as to avoid burning yourself when you set it off.
Less than a dozen clanswomen and children are on the street when you decide to fire the flare. There is a flash of red light at your side as it erupts into life; then you are engulfed by a huge cloud of choking crimson smoke. The flare alerts the clanswomen who immediately raise the alarm while you struggle against your smouldering bonds.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 91.
If the number is 5–9, turn to 30.
You raise your hand and give the signal to stop. The tanker and the bus slow to a halt and, as you bring your own vehicle to a standstill, you switch off the ignition and reach for your gun.
If you are using a Pistol, turn to 101.
If you are using a Machine Pistol, turn to 131.
If you are using a Shotgun, turn to 72.
If you are using a Rifle, turn to 233.
As soon as you strike your killing blow, you raise your eyes, expecting to see the other clansman reloading, but instead he discards an empty magazine and turns to run back to his bike. He has exhausted his ammunition and has decided to make his escape before you have a chance to return fire. As he rides off, Kate reaches the top of the slope and suggests that you search the body of the one who did not get away.
You reach for a close combat weapon as the first of the pack reaches the highway and comes bounding towards you.
You have encountered rabid dogs before and know only too well that just one scratch from an infected beast will seal your doom. You must fight with speed and skill if you are to survive this deadly attack.
Rabid Dog: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 12 ENDURANCE 32
If you win and the fight lasts three rounds or less, turn to 113.
If you win the fight in four rounds or more, turn to 291.
It takes just four seconds for the clansman to pump thirty bullets into the side of your roadster. Several of the special armour-piercing loads pass straight through the thin metal sheeting that encases the driving compartment, and wound you in a line from your shoulder to your thigh. The force of their impact knocks you across the passenger seat and, as you fall, you pull the steering wheel and send the car veering wildly out of control. It careers off the road and rolls over and over until finally it explodes with a tremendous roar.
Tragically, your journey and your life end here on Interstate 20.
The moment you break cover, gunfire erupts from all sides. In the hope of making yourself a difficult target you zigzag towards the door, but your manoeuvre is anticipated and a stream of bullets tears up the ground ahead, dangerously close. Long Jake shouts encouragement, and you are within a few feet of the doorway when a sharp burning sensation lances your right forearm: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.
Gritting your teeth against the sudden pain of your wound, you force yourself forwards and fall headlong through the doorway.
Suddenly a starburst of pain explodes in your head and your mouth fills with a thick, hot liquid. You have been hit in the face by a sniper’s bullet, fired from a diner on the other side of the highway, and your wound is fatal. Death is instantaneous.
Tragically, your journey and your life end here at Westbrook.
The instant you tap the number 20 on the keypad,2 there is a sharp click and the steel door swings inwards to reveal the shelved walls of a strongroom beyond. You smile with satisfaction at having cracked the university’s door code: the number in the last column of each row is the sum of the numbers in the first two columns, minus the number in the third column.
Curious as to what lies within, you enter the strongroom and inspect its dusty shelves. This concrete vault contains the documentation of experiments and small quantities of what were once considered precious metals—gold, platinum, silver, and titanium. After a thorough search you find three items that you may be able to put to practical use:
If you wish to keep any of these items, amend your Action Chart accordingly.
To leave the strongroom and return to the convoy, turn to 29.
You react swiftly to the danger by pulling the steering wheel to the left and leaning with your car as it swerves across the freeway. A moment later you hear the metallic whine of the bullet as it ricochets off the edge of your windshield. Tiny fragments of the high-velocity bullet pepper your headrest but you survive the attack unscathed. Quickly you recover control of your car and signal to the others to accelerate. By the time the unknown sniper has reloaded his rifle, you and the convoy are speeding away from the bridge, obscured by a cloud of dust.
Obstructions are few on this stretch of Interstate 35. Most of the wrecks that once choked this route into Fort Worth now lie in dusty heaps at the side of the road, their bodies having been stripped of serviceable parts long ago by city gang scavengers. The piles of auto-shells steadily increase as you near the outskirts of Fort Worth, warning you of the increasing likelihood of ambush and prompting you to keep your eyes peeled for anything that could pose a threat to the convoy.
To your left, you can see the buildings of downtown Dallas perched precariously around the edge of a huge crater. These once-gleaming towers of mirrored glass and steel now lie black and broken, like a circle of charred bones. It is a chilling sight.
At a junction on the outskirts of Fort Worth, you decide to leave Interstate 35 and follow a safer route that will take you around the city. The remains of Interstate 820 serve your purpose well, until you reach another junction where the Jacksboro Highway crosses your path. In order for the convoy to connect with Interstate Freeway 20, the highway that leads all the way to Big Spring, you must traverse one major obstacle—the Trinity River.
You consult your map. There are two places where the convoy can cross the Trinity, both of them close by. Two miles further along Interstate 820 there is a bridge over Lake Worth. Two miles northwest, along the Jacksboro Highway, another bridge crosses the river at a place called Lakeside Village.
If you wish to check out the bridge at Lakeside Village, turn to 312.
If you decide to continue along Interstate 820 and attempt to cross the Trinity River at Lake Worth, turn to 149.
You squeeze the trigger and immediately the rider throws his hands to his face. He swoons, falls backwards, and then tumbles from the saddle. Before the sidecar rider can jump free, the speeding machine careers off the road into the wall of an office building, and explodes in a searing ball of flame. (Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.)
With grim satisfaction you stare at the burning wreckage, but your gaze is soon distracted by a column of motorcycles—the main body of the clan—as it rides into view. They are now less than a mile from the bridge. ‘C’mon you two!’ shouts Cutter. ‘It’s time to go.’ The tanker has made it across the platform and is now parked with the other vehicles on the far side of the river. Kate is running towards you from the factory, and as she reaches the bridge, you call out to her: ‘Set the bomb! I’ll cover you!’
Tensely you watch the clansmen as they gun their bikes along the freeway, and you glance repeatedly over your shoulder, praying for Kate to signal that the bomb is ready. Then the front line of bikers opens fire with their machine pistols, and suddenly the air is filled with the whine and whistle of bullets. ‘It’s ready!’ shouts Kate, and takes off across the bridge at a run.
Add together your current ENDURANCE points score and your Stealth skill total. (Note: If your ENDURANCE is low and you are heavily encumbered, it may be advisable to discard some of your Backpack Items in order to increase your Stealth skill level.)
If your total is 11 or less, turn to 324.
If your total is 12 or more, turn to 200.
You thumb back the switch and point the narrow beam of light at the ground. To your surprise you are standing on the edge of a deep gully, the remains of a dried-out stream that once gushed and tumbled down this rocky mountainside.
Carefully, you pick your way around the gully and follow a narrow path that ascends towards the flickering light. As you draw closer, you see that the light is being cast by a small fire burning at the entrance to a cave. You switch off your torch and approach with caution. As you draw level with the cave, you are greeted by a strange and curious sight.
You manage to unsheathe your weapon moments before the rattlesnake lunges at your legs.
Diamondback Rattlesnake: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 18 ENDURANCE 11
Owing to the speed of its attack, you have only one chance of killing the snake before it bites you. Conduct the first round of combat using the normal combat procedure.
If the snake loses the greater number of ENDURANCE points in the initial round, turn to 266.
If you lose the greater number of ENDURANCE points in the initial round, do not deduct them from your total, but instead turn to 157.
Silently you unsling your shotgun and trombone a 12-gauge shell into the breach. The machine gunner disappears from view, reappearing a moment later with his reloaded gun held at waist level, ready to fire.
In one swift, smooth movement you bring your gun to your shoulder and fire.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If the total is now 0–5, turn to 275.
If it is 6 or more, turn to 111.
You see the muzzle flash of his rifle and feel a red-hot pain cut across the top of your head as the bullet creases your scalp. In the next instant you feel a tremendous jolt as your roadster hits the rifleman and sends his broken body spinning through the air. You brace yourself against the wheel, but Kate is thrown forwards against the dashboard and gashes her forehead. At first you fear that she is badly injured, but she recovers quickly and, using dressings from her Medi-kit, she attends selflessly to your head wound before treating her own. As a result of her prompt treatment, you do not lose any ENDURANCE points.
As you unsling your rifle you glance at the breach, taking note of the red tag which indicates that a round is chambered ready to fire. Then swiftly you raise the gun to your shoulder, flick the safety, and take aim at the leading dog. You fire as it leaps and your bullet passes clean through its body, killing it instantly and wounding another in the pack behind.
Remember to deduct a round of 7.62mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.
If you wish to fire a second round at these rabid dogs and are able to do so, turn to 190.
If you have run out of ammunition, or if you choose not to fire a second round, turn to 64.
With your back bent beneath the combined weight of your equipment, fifty pounds of salt, and the thick roll of polythene sheeting that is slung around your shoulders, you slowly make your way back to the convoy. The sight of you staggering out of the campus, half-hidden beneath the mountain of items you have salvaged, provokes a loud roar of laughter from the bus. Cutter Jacks and Uncle Jonas come to your aid, both resisting the urge to poke fun at you. When they discover what you are carrying, their mouths drop open in amazement.
Word spreads and everyone is suddenly eager to congratulate you. You decide to keep one of the tubs (mark the Salt on your Action Chart as a Backpack Item—if you already carry the maximum number, you must discard another item in favour of this one). As soon as all your precious discoveries are loaded safely on the bus, you climb back into your roadster and lead the convoy along the southbound carriageway of Interstate 35.
The billowing smoke threatens to suffocate you before you have a chance to break free. Frantically you pull at the ropes until they give; then you stagger out of the smoke, coughing and retching violently: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.
No sooner have you recovered from the effects of the smoke than you are faced with another peril. An Indian clansman is running at you, holding a wide-bladed machete above his head. With a scream, he leaps forwards and takes a swipe at your neck.
Choctaw: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 28
If you win the combat, turn to 228.
You stoop to pick up one of the spent cartridges, an empty 7.62mm casing. As you are inspecting it, a heavy weight lands on your back, forcing you to your knees: you have been smothered by a large rope net thrown from the roof of the sheriff’s office.
The silence is shattered by a riot of noise as a dozen screaming clansmen surround your struggling form. Grasping hands snatch your weapons (erase all your missile and close combat weapons from your Action Chart) before they drag you—still ensnared in the net—through the entrance doors and along a narrow corridor. At the far end of the corridor, a pair of evil-smelling clansmen pull you out of the net and throw you head-first into an empty cell. As the heavy iron door clangs shut, you stagger wearily to your feet and survey your spartan surroundings.
If you possess either a File or a Flexible Saw, turn to 346.
If you possess neither of these items, turn to 294.
You glance over your left shoulder to see the biker hauling himself into a crouching position in readiness to leap into the seat beside you. Quickly you reach for your Hunting Knife and prepare to receive his attack.
Bronx: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 26
Owing to your need to remain in control of the roadster throughout the combat, reduce your CLOSE COMBAT SKILL by 3 points.
If you win and the fight lasts four rounds or less, turn to 187.
If you win the fight in five rounds or more, turn to 230.
Cutter and Kate leave the bus and come forward to find out what is wrong. ‘I’m not sure I like the look of this place,’ you say, pointing along the road towards Coahoma.
Cutter produces a pair of binoculars from a leather case slung over his shoulder, and presses them to his eyes. ‘Your senses are servin’ you right, Cal,’ he says, quietly, as he scans the town. ‘Here, take a look at this.’
You take the glasses and, when you focus on the town, you can see over twenty motorcycles parked along the highway. The riders are looting the stores and houses nearby, and much of what they have found lies heaped beside their machines. Suddenly a pinpoint of light climbs into the sky and explodes with a brilliant white flash that illuminates the surrounding landscape. ‘What do you make of that?’ you say, uneasily.
‘It’s a signal flare,’ replies Kate. ‘I think they know we’re here.’
The scratches that cover the walls of the trench indicate that it was excavated entirely by hand. You scan the surrounding landscape, hoping to find some clue as to the identity of the person who dug the trench. Almost immediately you notice a group advancing towards you from the north. Slowly you increase the magnification until the figures become clear: two scrawny-looking men are leading a pack of five Alsatian hounds in your direction.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table (0 equals zero).
If the number you have picked is less than or equal to your current Perception skill level, turn to 232.
If it is greater than your current Perception skill level, turn to 309.
A deafening roar fills the bar as both barrels of a Browning Citori GII shotgun are discharged almost simultaneously. The heavy loads rip through the front of the counter and hit you in the side, spinning your body with the numbing force of their impact, and dislodging most of the rickety shelves that line the wall. The last thing you see, as darkness descends, is a jumble of bottles and glasses cascading towards your face.
Your life and your journey end here in Cross Plains.
As you cruise along the deserted freeway you glance frequently to the north, on the lookout for a dust cloud that would herald the arrival of the Detroit Lions. But no matter how hard you try to concentrate on your role as convoy scout, you cannot seem to think of anything but your growing affection for Kate. An hour later, as you reach Colorado City, your romantic daydreaming is brought to an abrupt end as a serious problem looms into view.
The apex of the bridge that carries Interstate 20 across the Colorado River has collapsed, leaving a gap nearly eight feet wide. You stop the convoy and Cutter examines the damage. He returns to report that the bridge is not beyond repair. ‘It’s gonna take at least three hours, maybe four, to rig a ramp across that gap strong enough to support the tanker,’ he says, squinting at the bridge.
At length it is decided that you should scout along the river for another place to cross, while the colony sets to work building a ramp. Then, if your search proves fruitless, at least the repair of the bridge will be well underway.
If you wish to scout along the river to the north, turn to 161.
If you decide to scout along the river to the south, turn to 319.
‘You may not need these, but have ’em anyway,’ says Kate, holding out two 12-gauge cartridges.
‘Every little bit helps,’ you reply, gratefully, as you take them from her hand (remember to note these on your Ammo Pouch). You press the shells into your gun’s magazine and chance another look over the edge of the slope to fix the enemy’s position in your mind.
‘I’ll go left,’ whispers Cutter.
‘Whenever you’re ready,’ you reply, and tense your body in preparation for the run.
A 1960s Thunderbird convertible, its bodywork and chrome gleaming as if it were only a day old, glides towards you like something out of a dream. Behind the driver stands a tall figure with dark, hungry eyes. He is dressed as an Indian chief, with a lamella breastplate and a magnificent head-dress of eagle feathers which frames his stern face. The car draws to a halt and proudly the chief addresses the crowd that kneels before him.
‘We of the Nanoc are the chosen ones,’ he cries, his words drawing the reply ‘be it so’ from his clan. ‘By the strength of our faith have we been spared the great wrath of Hastsezini, god of fire. Now, the time has come for us to reclaim the land of our forefathers. I, Chief Drawoher, call upon Heng, the Thunder Spirit, to bring rains to quench the thirsty earth.’
On hearing his words, several of the clan get to their feet and begin to dance around the totem, chanting as they raise their faces to the sky. ‘This night Heng will hear our call,’ says the chief, excitedly. Then he points at you with his tomahawk and utters the chilling words. ‘This night shall we offer this soul as sacrifice to the spirit of thunder.’
Inside, the colony is huddled on the ground with their hands over their heads, waiting for the bridge to blow. A few seconds after you enter the church and take cover next to Kate, there is a tremendous flash, followed almost immediately by a deafening roar like a violent earthquake that shakes the walls and floor. Dust and debris fall from the rafters but miraculously no one is injured, and when finally the tremors cease and you go outside to survey the scene, all you can see is a vast cloud of dust hanging over the place where the Colorado City bridge once spanned the river.
You cradle your rifle in your left hand and, with your right, you work a round into the chamber. The moving shadow of your enemy half fills the window as you raise your weapon, flick back the safety catch, and take aim at his chest.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If the total is now 0–5, turn to 275.
If it is 6 or more, turn to 180.
You scream at your people to get away from the window as hurriedly you load, raise, and then aim your rifle at the rider’s chest.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your Shooting skill total.
If your total score is 13 or less, turn to 340.
If your total score is 14 or more, turn to 302.
The road to Cross Plains is virtually free of the craters and other hazards that have plagued your journey so far, enabling you to drive at speed at last. You are glad of the cooling breeze but you cannot shake off your presentiment that danger awaits you in Cross Plains. Tyre tracks in the dust, some no more than a few days old, indicate that this highway is used by other four-wheeled vehicles.
When the town appears in the distance, caution prompts you to stop your car at a derelict gas station. You park it under cover, inside an empty repair shop at the rear of the building, and then venture into Cross Plains on foot.
Tyre tracks zigzag the main street, but you can see no sign of the vehicles that made them. The place itself appears deserted and unremarkable, yet your mind warns you to stay alert. At a junction near the centre of the town you notice something unusual: a tall wooden pole, carved and painted in the fashion of an old Comanche totem, has been erected in the middle of the street.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table, and add to it your current Stealth and Perception skill totals.
If your total score is now 12 or less, turn to 300.
If your total score is now 13 or more, turn to 209.
You take hold of the crate, ready to wrench it open but, to your surprise, the wood is infested with dry rot and crumbles to dust under the slightest pressure. You strip away the flaky timbers to discover hundreds of square plastic tubs, held together by a sheet of clear polythene—just what your uncle wanted! Using your hunting knife, carefully you lay open the sheet, peeling it away from the tubs, and rolling it up for future use.
On the tubs themselves are blue and white labels that display the letters: N a C l.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Perception skill total.
If the total is now 7 or less, turn to 240.
If it is 8 or more, turn to 4.
With trembling hands, you rip open your Medi-kit and inspect the vaccines and serums that you are carrying. To your relief you discover that one of your kits contains an ampoule of Dysalomine, a synthetic anti-rabies vaccine. Quickly you break open the sealed top and expose the sterile tip of the hypodermic syringe that is fitted to the ampoule. Then you inject the half cubic inch of life-saving vaccine into your forearm.
Remember to erase one Medi-kit unit from your Action Chart.
A wave of relief washes over you when you discover that there is an ampoule of snake bite serum in your Medi-kit. Quickly you administer the injection and the pain slowly subsides (remember to erase one unit from your Action Chart). As the serum takes effect, it makes you nauseous, causing you to retch violently: lose 1 ENDURANCE point. Eventually these side effects disappear, but they leave you shaky and dehydrated.
You must now take two Drinks (or lose 6 ENDURANCE points) before you climb back into your roadster and return to the convoy.
You arrive at a ridge of high ground that overlooks the ruins of Denton. The place is familiar—you have stopped here many times over the past few months during your routine patrols of the area, to check that the town was not being used as a base by the gangs who were raiding McKinney. Although you cannot see anything out of the ordinary, you sense that something is wrong, that there is a hidden danger lurking in Denton. Your skin prickles at the thought of investigating the ruins lest your suspicions prove correct, but, on the other hand, the convoy must reach the freeway. You consider your options carefully.
If you possess some Binoculars, turn to 339.
If you wish to return to the convoy and tell them to avoid Denton, turn to 198.
If you decide to ignore your fears and investigate the ruins, turn to 298.
You try to throw yourself to the ground but before you reach it you are hit in the side and spun out into the open. A starburst of pain explodes in your head and the taste of blood fills your mouth. You have been hit in the face by a tracer shell and death is virtually instantaneous.
Tragically, your journey and your life end here at Colorado City.
Consciousness returns slowly and painfully. With your head pounding fit to burst, you ease yourself into a sitting position and gaze upon your new surroundings. You are in a prison cell, empty save for a wooden bunk. A solitary open window, criss-crossed with pitted steel bars, provides the only source of light and ventilation, and a heavy steel door the only means of access. You no longer possess any weapons or backpack equipment (be sure to erase all your missile and close combat weapons, together with any items you were carrying in your Backpack) but you still possess your Medi-kit, Ammo Pouch, and Water Canteen.
Standing on the edge of the bunk, you are able to peer through the bars at an alleyway that runs along the rear of the building, which you recognize to be the sheriff’s office. However, without weapons, or any other means of dislodging the bars, you have no hope of escaping through the window.
An hour later you hear your captors laughing in the corridor outside. A key rattles in the lock and the cell door swings back to reveal a barrel-chested clansman, clad in a suit of black leather which is adorned with sharpened metal studs. He fixes you with his small bloodshot eyes and sneers contemptuously.
‘You scoutin’ for the Skulls, ain’t you, boy?’ he says, his hand caressing the butt of a pistol that is holstered on his hip. ‘That ’roach Alcatraz sent you here t’check us out, didn’t he?’ Resentful mutterings fill the corridor outside, urging the beady-eyed clansman to settle the matter by shooting you.
‘Do I look like a Skull?’ you ask defensively.
‘Maybe not,’ he growls, ‘but if you ain’t a Skull, what are you doing nosin’ around Albany?’
Choosing your words with care, you manage to convince the clansman and his cohorts that you are a loner, desperately short of food and water, who ran across the town by chance and decided to enter in search of supplies. The clansman, who calls himself Manhattan, seems impressed by your story and invites you to join his gang, who are known as the ‘Kickers’. You have little option but to accept his invitation in the hope that once you are released from the cell you will be able to escape.
‘Good!’ snarls Manhattan. He informs his men of your decision and orders them to make preparations for ‘the Rite’. When you ask what ‘the Rite’ is, he narrows his eyes and sniggers. ‘You must earn the right to become a Kicker,’ he explains, grimly. ‘You must prove to us that you are worthy.’
The biker beats you to the draw. His shot hits you in the left shoulder, passing clean through and knocking you flat on your back with the force of its impact: lose 6 ENDURANCE points.
You struggle to reach your shotgun and return fire, but before you can squeeze the trigger, a shot from the slope fells your assailant. The others rush quickly to your aid and tend to your wound with supplies brought from the bus. Your shoulder aches viciously, but no bones are broken and, as soon as you are bandaged, you go to help the others search the bodies of the three dead bikers.
Your return is met with great relief and joy that Maria is safe. Juan and Rosita—Maria’s parents—cannot thank you enough for finding their child, and the others, especially your uncle and aunt, heap you with praise. After the excitement has abated you venture out into the storm once more, this time with Cutter, to retrieve food and other vital supplies from the bus.
‘This is one heck of a blue norther,’ he says, as you climb aboard the bus. ‘Reckon it could hold us here for a day or two before it blows itself out.’
‘I sure hope you’re wrong,’ you reply, as you prise open the floor hatch that gives access to the luggage hold from inside the bus. ‘Take a look at this.’ A fetid smell rises from the compartment, the smell of rotten food.
‘Dadburn it! That’s all we need right now!’ exclaims Cutter, as he examines the swollen food parcels at arm’s length. ‘The heat’s put paid to these rations. Now we’re really in for a hard time.’
The colony reacts to the news of the spoiled food with silent disbelief. What little that can be saved is carefully shared out, but it amounts to barely a day’s ration per person. ‘If we don’t find some food to replace what we’ve lost,’ says Aunt Betty-Ann, as she distributes the last of the stone-hard bread, ‘it’ll be a convoy of skeletons that drives into Big Spring.’
‘Well, at least we’ve got enough water,’ replies Pop Ewell. ‘We can live for three weeks without food, but we’d all be dead in three days without water.’
Some people save their ration but you decide to eat yours before finally settling down to sleep (if you currently have food in your Backpack you must now erase it; all food, including personal supply, was pooled before distribution).
Quietly you creep around to the back of the diner and peer through the cracked window of the rear door. Two men are kneeling on either side of the open front doorway, their eyes fixed on your car. Carefully you test the handle of the door: it is unlocked.
If you possess a missile weapon, turn to 130.
If you do not possess a missile weapon, or if you do not have sufficient ammunition to use it, turn to 212.
You fight to control your car but you are powerless to prevent it from crashing through the parapet of the bridge. The shock of the impact, when it hits the surface of the lake thirty feet below, renders you unconscious. Slowly the toxic waters of Lake Worth fill your lungs and, painlessly, you drown.
Tragically, your life and your journey end here.
You are ten yards from your car when you hear a sound that makes you freeze in your tracks: it is the distinctive warning of a diamondback rattlesnake.
The snake is close to your left foot, its wide-headed body perfectly camouflaged by the surrounding rocks. Slowly it uncoils itself and bares its venomous fangs.
If you have a missile weapon and wish to use it, turn to 112.
If you wish to draw a close combat weapon to meet an attack by the snake, turn to 25.
If you decide to back away from the snake as slowly as you can, turn to 226.
All six bullets catch your enemy as he turns, hitting him in the side and lifting him into the air with the force of their deadly impact. He disappears from sight, and you hear him crash down upon the broken glass that carpets the floor of the drugstore.
Remember to erase six 9mm rounds from your Ammo Pouch.
To continue, turn to 251.
It is nearly dusk when the clansmen and their chief reappear. Slowly the shiny Thunderbird drives towards you, positioned at the head of a torchlit procession of men and women dressed in strange, ceremonial robes. Chief Drawoher brings the line to a halt before the totem and calls for silence. Then he extols the virtues of Heng, the Thunder Spirit, and asks that he grant their request for rain. The clansmen form a wide circle around you and, as their leader steps forwards, they chant loudly and hypnotically.
With a glint of madness in his eyes, the chief unsheathes the sacrificial dagger, a blade carved from the bone of a buffalo, and holds it above his head. ‘You die so that the land may live!’ he screams, his voice barely audible above the drone of his followers. In desperation, you remove your free hand from behind your back and attempt to grab his wrist as he brings the dagger down towards your heart.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Field Craft and Stealth skill totals.
If your total score is now 13 or less, turn to 241.
If it is 14 or more, turn to 256.
Painfully you drag yourself to your feet. You wait until the footfalls of the patrol have passed out of earshot and then venture out into the park once more. You manage to avoid another patrol before escaping from the amusement park and meeting up with Cutter at the truck depot. You are both relieved to discover that the place is empty and unguarded, and quickly you make your way to the stores building. You find the records office, but without electricity you cannot access the computer files to pinpoint the exact location of the spare you need. With horror you realize that in order to find a new steering linkage you will have to search every one of the 1,600 storage bays that occupy the building.
‘We’ll be here forever if we have to search the shelves,’ you whisper.
‘I guess you’re right,’ replies Cutter, ‘but I think I know a quicker way of finding what we need. Follow me.’
Intrigued by Cutter’s reply, you follow him out of the stores building, across a parking lot, and into another section of the depot that is marked:
After searching four of the dozen service bays, finally he discovers what he is looking for: a school bus. ‘Cal, you keep y’eyes open while I strip the linkage out o’ this baby. Give me an hour an’ we’ll be on our way.’
Nervously you stand guard at the door to the service bay while Cutter works. All is quiet until, forty minutes later, you see something moving among the vehicles on the far side of the parking lot: it is a drunken clansman. Slowly he staggers nearer, taking alternate gulps from bottles clutched in either hand. He is about to pass by when Cutter drops a spanner. The ringing noise pierces his drunken stupor and prompts him to investigate.
‘Trouble on its way!’ you whisper to Cutter, but your warning is too late. The clansman comes lumbering through the open door, brandishing his bottles like clubs. He sees you and screams an oath as he gets ready to launch his attack.
Chickamauga: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 28
If you win the combat, turn to 249.
There is another burst of fire, and the bullets whistle over your head as you run the last few yards to cover. Kate is in front of you. She dives, and you see her land safely behind the rocks just moments before you make your leap. The jagged stones skin your hands and knees, but your fear blocks out the pain, making you concentrate on finding a way out of the ambush.
Carefully, you raise your head and peer through the foliage. One of the clansmen is beginning to move around the edge of the hollow, while his partner kneels and waits to give covering fire. Your fear turns to indignation when you realize that he is going after your car.
If you possess a missile weapon and wish to use it, turn to 193.
If you do not possess a missile weapon, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 195.
As the rumbling sound of your gunfire rolls out across the lake bed, the figure throws his hands to his face, staggers drunkenly, and then falls heavily to the ground. His body remains still, convincing you that your shooting has proved deadly accurate.
Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.
If you wish to search the body, turn to 303.
If you decide to press on with the crossing, turn to 160.
You slip the extinguisher out of your pack and point its hose at the base of the fire. The trigger releases a stream of foam that quickly smothers the oily flames and brings the fire to an abrupt end.
You wait until Cutter reaches the safety of the alley before you set off towards the amusement park. Silently, like a cat, you pad across the open ground, before gaining entry to the park itself by wriggling under its rusty chain-link fence. The deserted rides look strange and scary in the moonlight. The shapes play tricks on your imagination, and when a patrol of Skull clansmen suddenly appears at the entrance to the park, you panic and dive for cover through the nearest doorway.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Stealth and Perception skill totals.
If your total score is now 12 or less, turn to 331.
If your total score is now 13 or more, turn to 218.
It is dusk before you are able to escape from Albany under cover of the failing light. With relief you discover that your roadster is still parked at the farm where you left it, and quickly you climb in and accelerate away.
When you reach Moran you find that the convoy is awaiting your return with trepidation. Because you are so long overdue, they feared that you had fallen foul of Mad Dog Michigan and his bikers. You tell them what happened to you in Albany, and everyone agrees that, with darkness less than an hour away, it is too dangerous to continue.
The night in Moran passes uneventfully and at first light the convoy sets off cross-country towards Abilene. The arid, stony bed of Hubbard Creek leads the convoy southwest, back towards Interstate 20. Shortly after midday you reach the freeway from which you can see the outskirts of Abilene less than five miles distant.
Over an ounce of lead shot hits the clansman in the chest, bringing him crashing to the ground. (Remember to deduct a round of 12-gauge ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.) As he disappears from sight, his partner unleashes a long burst of automatic fire that powders the scree above and behind you. When the firing stops, you raise your head and peer through the bushes, expecting to see your enemy reloading. Instead he discards his empty magazine and turns to run away. He has exhausted his ammunition and has decided to make his escape before you have a chance to return fire.
As soon as you are sure that the coast is clear, you rise cautiously and then help Kate to her feet. The sound of a motorcycle riding away into the distance reassures you that your ambusher has fled, and confidently you scramble up the slope and go to examine the body of the one who did not get away.
As you pull yourself free from beneath Copperhead’s body, the Flick Knife (2) drops from his lifeless hand. (If you decide to keep this weapon, remember to mark it on your Weapons List.)
Another burst of fire echoes from across the street, and once more Long Jake urges you to take cover in the store. With your pulse racing, you jump to your feet and sprint, head down, towards the darkened doorway.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Stealth skill total.
If the total is now 5 or less, turn to 18.
If it is 6 or more, turn to 329.
The dogs rush towards you, undaunted by your valiant attempts to stop them. As one pounces at your chest, you grab a close combat weapon and prepare to defend yourself as best you can.
Rabid Dog: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 12 ENDURANCE 32
If you win and the fight lasts three rounds or less, turn to 113.
If you win the fight in four rounds or more, turn to 291.
A bullet clips the flesh above your left elbow and spins you to the ground: lose 3 ENDURANCE points. You clutch your injured arm to feel warm blood oozing through your fingers as you crawl along the ground towards your car. A second shot passes over your head and you notice the muzzle flash of the sniper’s gun; he is hiding in the doorway of a diner on the other side of the highway. Two motorcycles are parked at the side of the building indicating that he is not alone.
If you possess a CB Radio, turn to 116.
If you do not possess this item, turn to 99.
The only items you find of practical value are a Fire Extinguisher and a first aid box. The box contains dressings and antiseptics sufficient for two Medi-kit units.
If you choose to keep either of these items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
The voice seems to be drifting from the east, so you change direction and head towards it. After a few minutes there is a lull in the storm and, as the dust settles, you are able to see the ruins of a candy store standing close to the school’s perimeter fence. Once more you call out her name and a voice replies, faintly, ‘Help me…I’m in here.’
If your current Perception skill total is 4 or less turn to 341.
If it is 5 or more, turn to 154.
You relay the message to the others and they begin to laugh. ‘I think the heat’s finally got to you, Cal!’ jokes Hammer Harlan. ‘Here, let me listen to those ’phones. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with my hearin’.’ You pass him the headphones, but before he has had a chance to put them on, the insect-like sound of a small engine draws all eyes to the west.
‘Well, I’ll be…!’ mutters Hammer, scarcely able to believe his eyes. High in the azure sky you see a tin flying machine with fragile, bat-shaped wings. Spellbound, the colony watches as the plane circles above the town and comes in to land on the stretch of freeway that approaches the bridge. Slowly the pilot extricates himself from the tiny, motorized hang glider, and gives a friendly wave as he strides towards the group.
‘The name’s Rickenbacker,’ he says, removing his goggles and shaking Uncle Jonas by the hand. ‘I’m from Big Spring. I saw y’all while I was scoutin’ the freeway and thought I’d drop by. Shame about the radio: ’fraid my set’s seen better days.’
Rickenbacker warns the colony that a large group of clansmen is riding towards the town from the east. They are less than five miles distant and closing fast. He also tells you about another gang of bikers, a clan called the ‘Mavericks’, who have been the bane of the Big Spring colony for the last six months. They control the city of Lubbock, 100 miles to the north, and their raiding parties are in the area foraging for food. ‘I know the next thirty miles ain’t gonna be easy for you folks, but there’s a big welcome waitin’ for y’all at Big Spring,’ he says, as he gets ready to take to the air once more. ‘Don’t delay now. We’re countin’ on you to make it through.’
As soon as he is airborne, the colony sets to work on the bridge with renewed vigour. The Lions are closer than anyone dared imagine and everyone is eager to get across the river before they show up. When Cutter announces that the bridge is safe, you drive the roadster across the platform and park it on the freeway ready for a fast getaway. The colony crosses over on foot, and Cutter drives the empty bus across the bridge. The platform creaks and shudders, but Cutter is able to cross safely to the far side. Together with Kate, the three of you return to help guide Uncle Jonas and the tanker across.
Just as the front wheels are about to mount the platform, Kate screams a warning: ‘The Lions are here!’
If you possess a missile weapon, turn to 135.
If you do not possess a missile weapon, or if you have exhausted your supply of ammunition, turn to 288.
A rush of adrenalin sharpens your senses, making you super-aware of the deadly situation. You react with lightning speed, steering your car out of the path of the oncoming wreck yet avoiding the myriad other obstacles that litter the bridge and threaten to send you to your doom. With consummate ease you overcome these dangers and resume your position in line behind the tanker.
You step over the dead body of your enemy and rush along the centre aisle to help defeat the other three Mavericks who are aboard. Your arrival inspires the colony, and swiftly they help you to overcome these brutal bikers.
You are helping to carry their bodies towards the door of the bus when you notice an orange light flickering outside the rear window. You decide to take a closer look and, when you peer through the glass, you are horrified to see that one of the Mavericks is holding a Molotov cocktail—a bottle filled with an inflammable mixture of oil and gasolene—fused with a gasolene-soaked rag. The rag is burning and, as he brings his motorcycle alongside the bus, he gets ready to hurl the bottle through the window.
If you possess a missile weapon, turn to 292.
If you do not possess a missile weapon, or if you do not have sufficient ammunition to use it, turn to 238.
One of the men places his weapon on the floor in order to take something from his pack, and you launch your attack. You fell the unarmed man with a crushing blow to his neck; then you turn to face his partner. Unfortunately, he is armed and his gun is pointing at your chest.
Add your current ENDURANCE points score to your Stealth skill total.
If your total score is now 14 or less, turn to 282.
If your total score is now 15 or more, turn to 306.
You flick the safety catch off and rest your shotgun across the rollbar of your roadster in order to steady your aim. At 200 yards, the figure appears little more than 1/16 inch high and, as you squeeze the trigger, you pray that your buckshot load will have enough power to reach that far.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total. Now decide how many rounds you wish to fire (minimum: one round; maximum: four rounds). For every round you fire, add one point to your current score.
If your total score is now 15 or less, turn to 164.
If it is 16 or more, turn to 58.
‘You’ll be needing one of these,’ says Pop Ewell, handing you a CB transceiver. ‘It’ll do no good if you find Maria but can’t find your way back here.’ You take the handset (mark this on your Action Chart as a CB Radio; if you already possess the maximum number of Backpack Items, you must discard one in favour of this item), thank him, and then join the others to decide on a search plan.
Before you set off for Mineral Wells, you consult with Cutter and Uncle Jonas and devise a plan of action. It is decided that after you have investigated the source of the radio transmission, you will drive south on the remains of Highway 281 and rendezvous with the others at Santo, the next town west along the freeway, where the convoy intends to make camp for the night.
If you possess a CB Radio, turn to 253.
If you do not, turn to 158.
As you emerge from the water, you notice that your boots are covered with mud and you stop to scrape them clean. Unfortunately, you are standing directly in front of a nest of scorpions, and it is not until you are stooping to pick up a stick that you spot the danger. Swiftly you withdraw your hand just in time to save yourself from their deadly sting.
Shaken by this close encounter, you must now take a Drink (or lose 3 ENDURANCE points) before you climb back into your roadster and return to the convoy.
You swerve to the left and then to the right to deter the rider from making a leap for it, but he is a brave and determined adversary. He makes his jump and lands with a crash on the trunk of your car, his outstretched hands grabbing at the rollbar to prevent himself from falling to his death. You try to dislodge him by braking heavily then accelerating away again, but still he remains glued to your car like a barnacle to a ship’s hull. The other bikers yell encouragement as he pulls himself slowly towards the driving compartment.
If you possess a Pistol,3 turn to 287.
If you do not possess this missile weapon, turn to 32.
At this range your bullet hits the clansman with devastating accuracy, passing through his heart and killing him instantly. (Remember to deduct a round of 7.62mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.) He throws his hands in the air and falls forward. As he disappears from sight, his partner unleashes a long burst of fire that powders the scree behind you. When the firing stops, you raise your head and peer through the bushes, expecting to see your enemy reloading. Instead he discards his empty magazine and turns to run away. He has exhausted his ammunition and has decided to make his escape before you have a chance to return fire.
As soon as you are sure that the coast is clear, you rise cautiously and help Kate to her feet. The sound of a motorcycle riding away into the distance reassures you that your ambusher has fled, and confidently you scramble up the slope and go to examine the body of the one who did not get away.
With a superhuman effort, you leap and dive across the hood of your roadster in an attempt to avoid being caught by the burst of automatic fire. Bullets follow you across the car, piercing the side and glancing noisily off the case-hardened rollbar. One of the hollow-tipped slugs creases your thigh, making you cry out loudly with the sudden pain: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Your scream convinces the biker that he has killed you, and he turns his attention elsewhere. You drag yourself into your car and start the engine without being seen, and swiftly you accelerate away, steering your roadster towards the tail-lights of the bus as it crashes through a group of bikers and escapes onto the freeway. A few random shots ricochet off the trunk as you follow the bus out of Santo, but within minutes you pass out of range and the gunfire ceases.
A searing wave of heat scorches your hands and face, forcing you to retreat from the flames. The sleeves of your jacket ignite and you suffer painful first and second degree burns before you can extinguish the fire: lose 6 ENDURANCE points.
If you are still alive after sustaining this injury, turn to 219.
You are within a few feet of the top when suddenly you lose your footing and plummet once more into the gully. This time the fall proves fatal; you crash head-first into the rocky base and shatter your skull. Death is instantaneous.
Your life and your journey end here.
The door is locked, but one swift kick is all that is needed to shatter its corroded bolt and gain entry to the warehouse. For a few seconds, as your eyes adapt to the darkness, you are blind: you have no idea of the layout of the building, and you fail to see the scar-faced clansman advancing towards you with a sharpened meat hook in his hand. Only the sound of glass breaking beneath his feet alerts you to his presence and saves you from his first, vicious swipe. Quickly you recover and reach for a close combat weapon as he makes his second attack.
Trans-am: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 24
If you win and the combat lasts three rounds or less, turn to 314.
If you win and the combat lasts four rounds or more, turn to 192.
‘OK, it’s worth a look,’ agrees Uncle Jonas, when you tell him you want to search the university campus before the convoy takes the freeway south. ‘See if you can rustle up some polythene sheeting. We’re mighty short an’ we’ll be needin’ some real bad as soon as we hit the desert. We’ll wait right here for you an’ keep an eye on the road. Any trouble then jus’ give a holler.’
With your uncle’s request in mind, you walk towards the centre of the campus in search of what was once the chemistry faculty. Most of the buildings are just burnt-out, rubble-filled shells, their contents either buried beyond reach or looted months ago by roving city gangs. A shattered sign indicates the entrance to the building you seek, and your hopes rise when you notice that it is the least damaged structure on the campus.
Inside, the sound of your footsteps echoes along the dusty corridors as you make your way down to the basement storage levels. To your disappointment you discover little remaining there of practical value.
If you wish to continue your search, turn to 184.
If you decide to call off your search and return to the convoy, turn to 315.
You dive to the ground, roll over, and then spring to your feet just in time to see the clansman casting aside his empty pistol in frustration. He shouts for help, calling to his partner to cut you down, but you are now too close for the other clansman to risk a burst of fire. With a yelp of surprise, the clansman reaches for a knife as you make your attack.
Electra-glide: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 25
Owing to the speed of your attack, add 2 points to your CLOSE COMBAT SKILL for the duration of the fight.
If you win the combat, turn to 15.
You take a deep breath and launch yourself at the exit. However, the stripy-faced youth, whom you encountered earlier wielding a lasso, appears at the doorway, blocking your escape. He reaches for his revolver, which is tucked into his belt, but before he can point and fire, you lash out with your foot and send it spinning from his hand. He screams with pain and anger as he lunges at your throat.
Mosquito: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 10 ENDURANCE 21
If you win the combat, turn to 215.
It takes you a few minutes to clear the rubble away from the engine compartment, but your efforts are not in vain. Some of the engine components are still serviceable and could prove useful as spares for the colony’s bus.
Below are listed the items worth salvaging from the wreck. You may take two from the list, all of which are Backpack Items:
If you decide to keep any of these spares, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
To return to the convoy, turn to 224.
From the window of a room on the second floor you watch as the mob floods out of the alley and into the street below. They divide into two groups and begin searching the adjoining streets, seemingly convinced that you are still out in the open. Silently you crouch by the window, awaiting the chance to slip out of Cross Plains unseen. While you are lying low, you must take a drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. It is dusk before you are able to escape from the town. With relief you discover that your roadster is still parked at the gas station, and quickly you climb in and accelerate away.
When you reach Rising Star you find that the convoy is awaiting your return with trepidation. Because you are so long overdue, they feared that you had fallen foul of Mad Dog Michigan and his bikers. You tell them what happened to you in Cross Plains and everyone agrees that, with darkness almost upon you, it is too dangerous to continue.
The night at Rising Star passes uneventfully and at first light the convoy sets off cross-country towards Abilene. The arid, stony bed of Pecan Bayou provides excellent cover from the surrounding high ground and leads the convoy northwest, back towards Interstate 20. Shortly after midday you reach the freeway, from which you can see the outskirts of Abilene less than five miles distant.
Holding your breath to steady your nerves, you stare along the barrel of your shotgun and focus your aim on the driver’s crash helmet.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If your total score is now 11 or less, turn to 172.
If your total score is now 12 or more, turn to 23.
With practised ease you cup your pistol in both hands, thumb back the safety catch, and take aim at the shadow that fills half the window frame. The machine gunner is levelling his reloaded weapon to fire again when you squeeze off your first shot.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If the total is now 0–7, turn to 275.
If it is 8 or more, turn to 9.
The glare of a dozen motorcycle headlights follows in the wake of the convoy. The Mavericks who survived your brief but devastating visit to Coahoma are now in pursuit, and they are closing the gap swiftly. Shots are fired from the back of the bus, bringing down two of the leading bikes, but they do not prevent the others from moving alongside. Anxiously you watch in your rear-view mirror as the pillion riders risk their lives to jump aboard. The few who survive the leap without falling under the wheels gain entry by kicking their way through the windows.
Suddenly the bus loses speed. You sense that something is seriously amiss and you fall back to find out what is wrong. You wave the tanker on then slow almost to a standstill in order to allow Cutter to catch up. As he draws nearer you see that a running battle is taking place on board. You accelerate, bringing your roadster alongside the boarding door; then you tell Kate to move over into the driving seat and take the wheel. As soon as she has control of the car, you coil yourself like a spring and leap towards the door of the bus.
Add your current ENDURANCE points score to your Stealth skill level, and make a note of the total in the margin of your Action Chart. Now, pick a number from the Random Number Table and add it to your total.
If the total is 22 or less, turn to 10.
If the total is 23 or more, turn to 313.
Slowly the two figures shamble to the edge of the highway and stare at you with vacant eyes. Your spirited dispatch of their dogs has not worried them in the slightest; neither do they appear unduly concerned for their own safety. You stand your ground, challenging them to attack if they dare. They laugh. It is a pitiful, thin sound, which makes your flesh crawl. You return their empty stares, noting with disgust the ulcer-like sores that cover their pale, greyish skins, their almost complete lack of hair, and their teeth, black with decay. Your disgust turns to pity, however, when suddenly you realize why they show no fear: they are both afflicted with terminal radiation sickness. Death is already their companion.
‘Where are you from?’ you call, anxious to discover if there is a hot spot—a zone of radioactivity—nearby.
‘Cisco,’ comes the reply.
You take some dressings from your Medi-kit and place them on the ground in front of you (erase one Medi-kit unit from your Action Chart); then you turn and walk back to your roadster. The dressings may be of little comfort to these two Rad-vics (the name your colony gives to victims of high-dosage radioactivity), but they may know others who will benefit from them.4
You break free and stagger out of the smoke, coughing and retching: lose 1 ENDURANCE point. With streaming eyes, you consider the two routes that offer a chance of escape. You can either run east along the main street and back towards your car, retracing the route by which you entered Cross Plains; or you can run in the opposite direction and attempt to hide in the maze of alleys that once serviced the town stores.
If you wish to run east, turn to 110.
If you decide to run west, turn to 321.
You grab a blanket and rush forward to fight the blaze. Several members of the colony follow your example and, although you suffer from burns and toxic smoke, you manage eventually to quash the flames.
To find out the extent of the injuries you suffered whilst fighting the fire, pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–3, lose 2 ENDURANCE points. If it is 4–6, lose 3 ENDURANCE points. If it is 7–9, lose 4 ENDURANCE points. Make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart.
To continue, turn to 188.
The colony is divided in opinion. Roughly half urges an investigation of the signal; the other half believes, like you, that it would be foolish to risk walking into an ambush on the dubious merits of such a patchy broadcast.
A vote decides the course of action in your favour, and the convoy prepares for the next stage of its journey to Santo. You lead the way along Interstate 20 and, as you pass by the outskirts of a town called Brock, the sun dips reluctantly below the horizon. A full moon brightens the twilight and the temperature drops rapidly until you find yourself shivering in the cold night wind.
It takes forty minutes to reach Santo, and another twenty to find a site on which to set up camp overnight. Uncle Jonas orders that the vehicles be drawn into a circle, like a ring of wagons in the Wild West, to offer the best protection against the threat of a night raid. Lots are drawn to see who will stand the first watch; unfortunately, you pick the shortest straw.
It is an hour after midnight when you see a cluster of lights in the middle distance. They are less than a mile away to the east, and approaching at speed. With only a few minutes at most before the bikers reach the camp, you sound the alarm.
Like a pack of screaming demons the marauding bikers descend on the convoy, shooting wildly as they weave in and out of the circle. One of the bikers guns his machine towards you, forcing you to dive aside to avoid being ridden down. You are staggering to your feet when another attacks you from behind.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Stealth skill total.
If your total is now 8 or less, turn to 265.
If your total is 9 or more, turn to 289.
The lake occupies the centre of a saucer-like depression and, as you bring your roadster to a halt at the edge of this rocky rim and stare down at the shimmering water below, you are heartened to see that clumps of vegetation are growing close by: a sure sign that the water is not contaminated.
The sides of the depression are steep and covered with loose shale. Rather than risk a fall, you suggest to Kate that perhaps you should go down to the lake alone. When you reach it, she could throw the containers to you, and then help you with them when you climb back out. The idea does not impress her. ‘It’s been so long, I can’t remember the last time I took a dip in some real water. I’m sick a’ washin’ in sand. If you think I’m gonna hang around up here while you splash about down there, you’ve got another think comin’, buster!’
With that she grabs two of the plastic containers and lowers herself over the edge. Seconds later you hear her scream and you rush forward to see her tumbling head-over-heels towards the lake. She hits the water with a loud splash and disappears from view. Briefly she surfaces, thrashing her arms and shouting: ‘Help, Cal! I can’t swim!’
If you possess a Rope, turn to 181.
If you do not possess this item, turn to 246.
The tyres shriek in protest as you slam on the brakes and wrench the steering wheel hard over to the right simultaneously. The suspension shudders under the strain as the car veers away violently from the ambulance, missing the twisted shell by a few inches. Your driving skill and quick reactions have saved you from certain death.
Quickly you recover control of your roadster and accelerate towards the distant ridge. The bikers soon lose interest in the chase and peel away to return to the town, pausing only to curse and fire a few ill-aimed shots at your back as you make your escape.
Your gunfire fails to bring down the clansman, but it passes close enough to make him veer away from the edge of the slope. (Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.) Cursing your luck, you shoulder your weapon and turn to Kate.
‘I’ve got to stop him before he reaches the roadster,’ you say. Kate protests, but you are determined to save your car, and reluctantly she agrees to cover you as best she can with a tiny Derringer pistol that she carries in her boot.
‘I call it “Chihuahua”,’ she quips, as she cocks the double-hammers and gets ready to fire. ‘It don’t look much but it makes one helluva noise!’
You scan the slope. When you have picked out the best place to make your climb, you break cover and zigzag along the shore towards it. Immediately, the machine gunner opens up on you. Kate replies with a single shot, and he diverts his fire back to the rocks and bushes. Swiftly you claw your way to the top of the slope and run straight at the clansman, grimly determined to intercept him before he can do any damage. He sees you approaching, draws a pistol, and empties it at your chest.
Add your Stealth skill total to your current ENDURANCE points score.
If your total is 9 or less, turn to 258.
If it is 10 or more, turn to 83.
Gingerly, you examine the wounds sustained during your fight. Most were caused when you hit the hard surface of the road, but several of the cuts and scratches that criss-cross your arms were made by the teeth and claws of the dog. Fear knots your stomach as you realize that you must have been infected with the rabies virus.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.5
If the number you have picked is 0–4, turn to 283.
If it is 5–9, turn to 44.
The moment you tap the correct number on the keypad,6 there is a loud click and the steel door creaks inwards to reveal the shelved walls of a strongroom beyond. You smile with satisfaction at having cracked the university’s door code: the number of the last column of each row is the sum of the number of the first two columns, minus the number in the third column.
Intrigued by what lies within, you enter the strongroom and peer along the dusty shelves. The vault contains the documentation of experiments and quantities of what were once considered precious metals—gold, platinum, silver, and titanium. After a thorough search, you find three items that may be put to practical use:
If you wish to keep any of these items, amend your Action Chart accordingly.
To leave the strongroom and return to the convoy, turn to 315.
The convoy is too far away to see that you need help, and you dare not stand up and signal to them for fear of being hit. Two more bullets smack the side of your car and then you hear the sound of a rifle bolt being worked frantically back and forth: the sniper’s gun has jammed. While he is trying to clear it, you dash across the highway and take cover behind the two motorcycles. You stop there just long enough to sabotage their engines; then you advance along the side of the diner towards an open window.
If you possess an HE Grenade, turn to 276.
If you do not possess this item, turn to 311.
Much of Abilene lies in the shadow of a bank of cloud, which has darkened the land since mid-morning. At first the unexpected arrival of this cloud cover cheers the colony, for it brings with it a welcome respite from the burning heat and promises a possible end to the drought. Unfortunately, these initial hopes are soon shattered.
As you approach the city a fierce wind arises. It sweeps down from the north and lashes the convoy, not with rain, but with blinding clouds of grit and sand. Within the space of half an hour the colony is engulfed in a ferocious duststorm that threatens to bury you all without trace. At the first opportunity you signal to the others to pull off the elevated freeway and seek shelter from the storm. The danger of grit finding its way into the engines of the convoy vehicles, causing them irreparable damage, is uppermost in your mind, and anxiously you search for shelter.
A signpost looms out of the swirling dust, pointing to what was once a high school. You signal to Cutter to follow you into the school yard, but the storm is reaching its peak and you are forced to halt before you can see the school itself. Quickly the colony disembarks and blindly you lead them in single file, heads bowed against the stinging wind, until you reach the school building. Fortunately, it still has a roof and four walls, and offers adequate protection from the storm. Once inside, Aunt Betty-Ann decides to take a roll call to make sure everyone is present. She is about to begin when Rosita Rodriguez cries out in anguish, ‘Maria! Where is my Maria? She is not here!’
A check of the school reveals that Rosita’s little six-year-old girl is missing. She was with the family when they left the bus and must still be close by, but with the storm now at its peak, everyone knows that her chances of survival outside are slim. Uncle Jonas calls for three volunteers to search for Maria, and immediately you step forward, as do Cutter and Kate.
If you possess a CB Radio, turn to 304.
If you do not possess this item, turn to 73.
Using the rollbar of your roadster to steady your hand, you level your pistol and take aim at the distant figure. At 200 yards, your target appears little more than 1/16 inch high. It will take a great deal of skill and considerable luck to hit such a small target, using a pistol.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total. Now decide how many rounds you will fire at the target (minimum: one round; maximum: six rounds). For every round you fire add one point to your current score.
If your total score is now 12 or less, turn to 164.
If it is 13 or more, turn to 58.
You rest the magazine of your G-12 on the side of the auto wreck and, as the enemy vehicle speeds nearer, you pull back the firing bolt and focus your aim at the driver’s head.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If your total score is now 10 or less, turn to 172.
If your total score is now 11 or more, turn to 23.
Cutter pats you on the shoulder: it is the signal to move. Silently, like a snake, you crawl across the open ground on your stomach, inching your way nearer to the entrance of the alley, which is sandwiched between two mounds of stinking garbage. A clansman appears from the shadows and you freeze in your tracks. With bated breath you watch as he dumps a sack of rubbish onto one of the mounds before turning around and disappearing into the dark.
By the time you reach the alley it is deserted. Cautiously you advance along it, your knife held ready just in case you are forced to silence one of the town’s inhabitants. The alley ends near the centre of the mall, where the remains of a huge marble fountain lie scattered across the tiled floor. The shop-lined avenues appear empty, so you enter the mall and make your way towards the truck depot. You have just turned a corner when you see a patrol of four Skull clansmen.
Instantly you dive through the doorway of a store to your right and crouch in the shadows. The patrol swaggers past the store without noticing you, and soon its footfalls have passed out of earshot.
If you wish to search the store, turn to 7.
If you decide to leave the store and continue, turn to 273.
You pull the wheel hard over to the left in the desperate hope that your move will spoil the sniper’s aim. A moment later you hear the metallic whine of his bullet as it ricochets off the edge of your windshield. Tiny fragments of the high-velocity bullet pepper your neck and shoulder (lose 3 ENDURANCE points), but the sudden pain does not cause you to lose control of your vehicle. You recover quickly and signal to the others to accelerate. By the time the unknown sniper has reloaded his rifle, you and the convoy are speeding away from the bridge, obscured by a cloud of dust.
You bury the bodies of the three dead bikers—along with their motorcycles—in the gully, and then take stock of your surroundings. Traces of a paved road that disappears towards the west are found, and Cutter Jacks, who lived only a few miles from Lake Lewisville before ‘The Day’, identifies it as the remains of State Highway 407.
‘This’ll get us back on course,’ he says, confidently. ‘Follow this baby and we’ll make Interstate 35 in under an hour.’
Twenty minutes later, you can make out Interstate 35 in the distance, its long, concrete body bleached and quaking beneath the fiery sun. The road you are following passes beneath it but, as you draw closer, you notice a ramp coiling away to your right giving access to the freeway.
A few hundred yards beyond the ramp you see another. It leads to the ruins of a once prestigious group of buildings—the North Texas State University.
If you wish to search the university, turn to 82.
If you decide to lead the convoy onto Interstate 35, turn to 22.
Frantically you search your Medi-kit for an ampoule of snake bite serum, but to your horror you discover that it is the one medicament that you do not possess. The pain in your leg begins to fade, to be replaced by a numbness that spreads rapidly throughout your lower body. Soon you are paralysed from the chest down and unable to drag yourself out of the blazing sun. In less than an hour you fall victim to heatstroke and lapse into an unconsciousness from which you never awaken.
Tragically, your journey and your life end here at Lake Thomas.
Instinctively you reach for your gun as the first of the pack reaches the highway and come bounding towards you. You have encountered rabid dogs before and know only too well that just one scratch from an infected beast will seal your doom. You must shoot fast and accurately if you are to survive this encounter.
If you are using a Pistol, turn to 261.
If you are using a Shotgun, turn to 320.
If you are using a Rifle, turn to 28.
If you are using a Machine Pistol, turn to 5.
You shout at your people to get away from the window as hurriedly you raise your pistol, take aim at the rider’s chest, and squeeze the trigger.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your Shooting skill total.
If your total score is 9 or less, turn to 340.
If your total score is 10 or more, turn to 302.
You vault over the trunk and land feet-first in the driving seat, your hand poised to switch on the ignition. The engine growls, but before you can shift gears and speed away, there is another burst of gunfire. It shatters the windshield and forces you to throw yourself across the passenger seat to avoid being caught in a deadly crossfire. Then a savage voice screams a command and the firing ceases. You chance a glance over the dashboard and see, to your astonishment, a leather-clad punk come running towards you from out of the ruins. Long Jake takes aim. He fires, missing by a hand’s breadth. Undeterred, the grim-faced renegade leaps into the car beside you, cackling like a maniac as he lunges for your throat with his flick knife.
Copperhead: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 24
Owing to the surprise of the attack, you must fight the first round of combat unarmed.
If you win, turn to 63.
One by one the clansmen appear in the street, emerging from stores and other buildings. They advance towards you, brandishing knives and axes, and you are forced to run for your life.
As you run past the entrance to a bar, a large group appears on the sidewalk less than twenty yards ahead. Shots ring out, forcing you to dive for cover inside the bar. Fortunately the place is deserted, but the angry screams of the mob grow louder as they near the bar. Quickly your eyes scan the gloomy interior, searching for a way out or for a place to hide. Two possibilities present themselves: the staircase to the first floor, and the counter at the rear of the bar.
If you wish to ascend the stairs to the first floor, turn to 286.
If you wish to hide behind the counter, turn to 118.
Your shotgun roars and spits out a deadly cloud of buckshot, catching the ambusher full in the chest. Briefly you see him thrown backwards through the air before his lifeless body crashes down upon the rubbish-strewn floor of the derelict drugstore. You eject the spent shell but keep your gun trained on the window in case he was not alone. After a minute of silence you lower your weapon and begin to breathe a little easier.
Remember to erase one 12-gauge round from your Ammo Pouch.
To continue, turn to 251.
Slowly you unshoulder your gun, slip the safety catch, and lower the barrel towards the ground. The rattlesnake darts its head forward and attempts to bury its fangs in your ankle. Its attack is all over, though, the moment you squeeze the trigger: at such close range your gunfire rips the snake apart (remember to erase the appropriate amount of ammunition from your Ammo Pouch).
You must now take a Drink (or lose 3 ENDURANCE points) before you climb back into your roadster and return to the convoy.
You sidestep the dead dog as it falls limply to the ground, anxious to avoid the deadly virus that still thrives within its foaming saliva. To your relief the other dogs halt in their tracks. Turning, they run away, scattering in all directions as they leave the highway.
If during your close combat with the rabid dog you lost 4 or more ENDURANCE points, turn to 97.
If you lost 3 or less ENDURANCE points, turn to 245.
You see Kate dive safely into cover and are about to follow her when suddenly the dust erupts around your feet and you feel a sharp pain cut across the back of your right calf: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.
You hobble the last few yards to cover, your wound making you grit your teeth. Another burst of fire cuts through the bushes within inches of your skull. Fear blocks out the pain, making you concentrate on finding a way out of the ambush.
Carefully, you raise your head and peer through the foliage. One of the clansmen is beginning to move around the edge of the hollow, while his partner kneels and waits to give covering fire. Your fear turns to indignation when you realize that he is going after your car.
If you possess a missile weapon and wish to use it, turn to 193.
If you do not possess a missile weapon, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 195.
Making full use of the broken ground and heaps of wreckage as cover, you circle the mysterious observer and creep up on him from behind. So that you can find out why he is spying on the convoy you decide to try to overpower him. However, he hears you approaching and spins around to face you, his hand reaching for a dagger concealed in his boot.
Stake-out: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 26
If you win the combat, turn to 303.
You pull the transceiver out of your Backpack, flick the power switch on, and key in the frequency that Pop Ewell monitors aboard the bus. ‘Red Phoenix to DC1,’ you say, using your emergency call sign. ‘I’m pinned down by sniper fire. It’s coming from the diner across the street. Suspect two clansmen. Request assistance.’
The tiny speaker crackles into life and you hear Cutter’s voice reply: ‘Hang in there, Cal. I’ll circle ’round the back and flush ’em out.’
A minute later you see Cutter jump down from the bus and scurry across the rock-strewn ground behind the diner, cradling a shotgun, which he loads as he runs. He disappears behind the building; then a few moments later you hear a burst of gunfire and see a swarthy-faced man, dressed in western clothes, come running out of the front door with a pistol in his hand.
If you possess a missile weapon, turn to 143.
If you do not possess a missile weapon, or if you do not have sufficient ammunition to use it, turn to 183.
You have taken fewer than a dozen steps when suddenly the ground disappears beneath your feet. With a yelp of horror, you scrabble at the air as you fall head-first into a steep-sided gully.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table (0 equals 10). The number you pick is equal to the number of ENDURANCE points you lose as a result of your fall.
If you are still alive, adjust your ENDURANCE points total and turn to 242.
You fling yourself over the counter, landing heavily on a floor carpeted with broken glass and pools of stale liquor. Your knees and elbows bleed freely (lose 3 ENDURANCE points) from the deep cuts you sustain, and you cannot prevent a scream of agony from escaping your lips. Your cry is answered by a malicious laugh, and you hear a shotgun being cocked ready to fire.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If your Stealth skill total is 4 or more, add 1 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 0–2, turn to 35.
If it is 3–6, turn to 334.
If it is 7–10, turn to 279.
Suddenly Cutter appears, his face lined with worry. He soon relaxes when he sees that you are alive. ‘I reckon these guys were members of the Maverick gang that Rickenbacker warned us about,’ he says. ‘Seems that the Lions ain’t the only ones we gotta look out for.’
Cutter helps you search the bodies and the diner. You discover the following items:
If you wish to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
As soon as your flat tyre has been repaired, and the highway swept clear of spikes, you climb back into your roadster and lead the convoy on towards Big Spring.
Once the convoy is clear of the bridge, Cutter pulls over to the side of the highway and you stop in line behind him and the tanker. Uncle Jonas jumps down from his cab and together you run forward to check the damage to the bus. The front and sides are riddled with bullet holes, many of which have penetrated the engine and passenger compartments, yet, miraculously, no one has been killed or seriously injured. Aunt Betty-Ann appears at a window and reports that four members of the colony have been hit. She says not to worry—they have minor wounds and she is sure they will pull through.
The radiator is leaking coolant but Cutter is confident that he can have it fixed within an hour. ‘It’s a real shame we’ve got so few guns aboard,’ grumbles Cutter, as he sets to work sealing the perforated radiator mesh. ‘It ain’t no fun being the target for them punks when you don’t get a chance to shoot back.’
A hundred yards along the highway you see a sign that points to a road leading off to the east. It says:
If you wish to investigate the base while Cutter finishes his repairs, turn to 342.
If you decide to stay with the convoy, turn to 295.
Suddenly your windshield shatters and you feel something burn deep into your chest. The broken glass spins before your eyes and a terrifying numbness spreads from your chest to your limbs. Kate screams in terror; then silence engulfs you as your roadster slams into the side of a derelict gas station and explodes in a brilliant ball of orange flame.
Tragically, your journey and your life end here in Coahoma.
As you near the centre of the corral, you throw yourself forward and reach out for the knife. Your fingers close around the hilt, but your enemy grabs your wrist and twists it, forcing you to drop the blade: lose 2 ENDURANCE points. Gasping at the sudden pain, you stagger back, allowing him to pick up the fallen knife. With an evil guttural laugh, he raises the blade above his head and comes stalking towards you.
Meltdown: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 25
If you win the combat, turn to 163.
You climb into your roadster and leave the air force base, arriving back at the convoy minutes later, just as Cutter completes his repairs. You have little to show for your search of Carswell but, as Uncle Jonas is fond of saying, every little bit helps.
You raise your pistol with both hands, draw a breath through clenched teeth, and then take careful aim at the enemy sniper perched on the building opposite.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If your total score is now 14 or less, turn to 349.
If your total score is now 15 or more, turn to 229.
With a cotton bandana tied around your nose and mouth, and the collar of your leather jacket pulled close to your face, you set off into the storm. With visibility less than five yards, you must rely on your sense of hearing for some indication of the child’s position. Repeatedly you call her name, hoping she will reply, yet all you hear is the incessant howling of the wind.
You reach the edge of the school grounds and find a hole in the perimeter fence. A few feet beyond it stands the side wall of a derelict candy store. Once more you call out her name and a faint voice replies: ‘Help me…I’m in here.’
If your current Perception skill total is 3 or less, turn to 341.
If it is 4 or more, turn to 154.
With your pulse racing you jump to your feet and spring, head down, towards the darkened doorway.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Stealth skill total.
If the total is now 7 or less, turn to 18.
If it is 8 or more, turn to 329.
You pull over in order to check the battle damage and allow the rest of the convoy to catch up with you. Fortunately the vital rear sections of your roadster—the fuel tank, axle, and tyres—are still intact. Most of the damage has been absorbed by the trunk and the fender, but the incident makes you sorely aware of the need for better protection, and you make a mental note to ask Cutter to help you reinforce the bodywork at the first opportunity.
A few minutes later the convoy arrives. Having passed the burning remains of your adversaries the others are relieved to find you still in one piece. You inform them that the bikers were Detroit Lions, probably scouts, and that you suspect that the clan is no more than thirty miles away. ‘Well, at least those two you ran into won’t be reporting our position to Mad Dog, or anyone else for that matter,’ says Cutter, wryly.
‘Even so,’ says Uncle Jonas, ‘we daren’t afford t’ stop too long in any one place. We gotta keep ahead o’ that pack all the way to Big Spring.’
The next town on the freeway is Sweetwater. Most of the buildings are still standing, although few have roofs as a result of yesterday’s storm. Except for a few hungry coyote that have come down from the hills looking for jack rabbits, the place is deserted.
Cutter signals for you to stop. The engine of the bus is overheating and, despite the risk of a clan attack, it must be allowed to cool down. The others take the opportunity to search the town for food, and you busy yourself by refuelling your roadster. ‘What do you make of that, Cal?’ says Uncle Jonas, as you finish rewinding the tanker’s fuel pipe. He is standing on the cab of the tanker, pointing at a shimmering ribbon of light to the south of the town. You climb up beside him and immediately you see that it is the sun reflecting off the surface of a small lake. ‘Water!’ you both exclaim, excitedly.
The chance of replenishing the colony’s depleted water supply is too good an opportunity to miss. Uncle Jonas helps you load some empty plastic containers onto your roadster, and Kate volunteers to come with you to help fill and carry them. As soon as she is aboard, you start the engine and drive off towards the distant lake.
A pack of five dogs suddenly appears at the side of the road, their stealthy approach concealed by the mound of loose earth excavated from the highway trench. At first glance they look like Alsatians, but you soon see that these dogs are much larger and fiercer. They fix you hungrily with their feral eyes, their mouths slavering and foaming as they stalk forward. Then two figures come into view behind them, gaunt and pale despite the desert sun. With a rasping scream, they command the dogs to attack and immediately the pack obeys.
If you possess a missile weapon and wish to use it, turn to 107.
If you do not possess a missile weapon, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 16.
You are within a few yards of the bus when something heavy hits you squarely in the back, slamming you to the ground. Gasping for breath, you fight to free yourself from the steely clutches of a biker who has pounced on you. Desperately you struggle as he tightens his claw-like hands around your throat.
Kroon: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 25
Owing to the surprise of the attack, you are unable to draw a close combat weapon until the start of the second round of combat.
If you win the combat, turn to 166.
One of the men places his weapon on the floor in order to take something from his pack and you launch your attack. You burst through the door and fire your gun at the armed man, killing him instantly. You turn to face his partner, but his reflexes are far quicker than you expected. He hurls a wooden club at your head and you are forced to use your gun to bat it aside. Before you recover your aim, he leaps at you and wrestles you to the ground.
Belushi: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 26
Owing to the ferocity of his attack, you are unable to draw a close combat weapon until the start of the second round of the fight.
If you win the combat, turn to 119.
You pull the bolt of your G-12, priming it to fire, and then rest its stubby barrel on the rollbar of your roadster to steady your aim. At 200 yards your target appears little more than 1/16 inch high. It will demand great skill and considerable luck to hit such a small target with a machine pistol.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill level. Now decide how many bursts of fire you intend to launch at the target (minimum: one burst; maximum: five bursts). For every burst, add one point to your current score.
If your total score is now 11 or less, turn to 164.
If it is 12 or more, turn to 58.
You draw your gun, take aim, and kill the Maverick machine gunner with a shot to the head. As he falls, you turn your weapon on the remaining biker, but he is using Kate as a shield and you dare not fire for fear of hitting her. With anger and fear welling up inside you, you reluctantly lower your gun.
Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.
You take the food out of your Backpack and hurl it down into the trench. As soon as the dogs scent the aroma of the food, they switch their attention to the hollow and leap in feet-first. Then the two men appear. They shamble to the edge of the trench and stare at you with vacant eyes. The skilful way in which you distracted their dogs does not seem to have antagonized them in the slightest, nor do they appear unduly concerned for their own safety. You stand your ground, challenging them to attack if they dare. They laugh. It is a pitiful, thin sound that makes your flesh crawl. You return their empty stares, noting with disgust the ulcer-like sores that cover their pale, greyish skins; their almost complete lack of hair; and their teeth, black with decay. Your disgust turns to pity, however, when suddenly you realize why they show no fear: they are both afflicted with terminal radiation sickness. Death is already their companion.
‘Where are you from?’ you call, anxious to discover if there is a hot spot—a zone of radioactivity—nearby.
‘Cisco,’ comes the reply.
You take some dressings from your Medi-kit and place them on the ground in front of you (erase one Medi-kit unit from your Action Chart), before turning and walking back to your roadster. The dressings may be of little comfort to these two Rad-vics (the name your colony gives to the victims of high-dosage radioactivity), but they may know others who will benefit from them.
These plastic containers are quite unlike anything you have seen before, and you are curious but suspicious: why have they been left untouched when everything else has been either looted or destroyed? Rather than risk opening what may turn out to be a bowlful of dangerous chemicals, you step away from the crate and quickly leave the basement.
To return to the convoy, turn to 144.
You see a cloud of dust approaching; then the roar of 100 motorcycle engines fills the air as the Detroit Lions come racing along the freeway into Colorado City. ‘You gotta hold ’em off until we’ve got this baby across,’ shouts Cutter, as he waves frantic signals to Uncle Jonas, who is having to fight to keep the tanker in a straight line. The sight of the makeshift platform sagging under the weight of the heavy vehicle makes your stomach churn.
‘Count on us!’ you shout in reply; then you turn and follow Kate as she runs back towards the town.
As you reach the end of the bridge you notice two ideal defensive positions. One is a three-storey factory that overlooks the freeway; the other is an auto wreck overturned on the approach ramp to the bridge.
If you wish to hide behind the auto wreck, turn to 332.
If you decide to take cover inside the factory, turn to 243.
The dying screams of their chief dispel the trance into which the clansmen have fallen, but before they can act, you jump into the Thunderbird and twist the ignition key. The moment the antique engine growls into life, you stamp on the gas pedal and accelerate away from the crowd. In a cloud of dust and blue smoke you leave Cross Plains and return to the gas station where you parked your roadster. Before ditching the Thunderbird you search it thoroughly and discover that the trunk contains a Pistol and three rounds of 9mm ammunition. Then, with night drawing in, you climb into your own car and drive away at top speed.
When you reach Rising Star you find that the convoy is awaiting your return with trepidation. Because you are so long overdue, they feared that you had fallen foul of Mad Dog Michigan and his bikers. You tell them what happened to you in Cross Plains and everyone agrees that, with darkness almost upon you, it is too dangerous to continue.
The night at Rising Star passes uneventfully and at first light the convoy sets off cross-country towards Abilene. The arid, stony bed of Pecan Bayou provides excellent cover from the surrounding high ground and leads the convoy northwest, back towards Interstate 20. It is shortly after midday when you reach the freeway, from which you can see the outskirts of Abilene less than five miles distant.
The journey southwest to Lake Lewisville is a slow and arduous trek across rough terrain, but one that cannot be avoided as you skirt around Denton. When finally you sight the dry lake, it is clear that crossing it will be a dangerous business as the convoy will make an easy target to anyone occupying the surrounding high ground. You must get the convoy across in the shortest time possible.
The bed of the lake is littered with rusted car wrecks and old household machinery. Between these heaps of twisted scrap are avenues covered with slabs of broken earth that jut upwards at all angles, their sharp edges baked hard by months in the furnace-like heat. The bus and the tanker, both heavily laden, are soon reduced to a snail’s pace for fear of shredding their tyres, and you are forced to stay close in case they break down or fall victim to an ambush.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–6, turn to 281.
If it is 7–9, turn to 160.
You throw yourself to the ground. Your speedy reactions save you from being cut in half by the deadly tracer shells. The air is alive with bullet fragments and pieces of twisted metal, and you dare not raise your head for fear of being hit. Out of the corner of your eye you see Kate aiming her rifle from the window of the factory. She shoots and immediately the machine gun fire ceases. You look up to see the rider clutching his face with both hands. He swoons, falls backwards, and then tumbles from the saddle. Before the sidecar rider can jump free, the speeding machine careers off the road into the wall of an office building, and explodes in a searing ball of flame.
With a smile you signal a thumbs-up to Kate and she returns your salute with a wave. A few minutes later a column of motorcycles—the main body of the clan—rides into view. They are now less than a mile from the bridge. ‘C’mon you two!’ shouts Cutter. ‘It’s time to go.’ The tanker has made it across the platform and is now parked with the other vehicles on the far side of the river. Kate is running towards you from the factory and, as she reaches the bridge, you call out to her: ‘Set the bomb! I’ll cover you!’
Tensely you watch the clansmen as they gun their bikes along the freeway, and you glance repeatedly over your shoulder, praying for Kate to signal that the bomb is ready. Then the front line of bikers open fire with their machine pistols, and suddenly the air is filled with the whine and whistle of bullets. ‘It’s ready!’ shouts Kate, and takes off across the bridge at a run.
Add together your current ENDURANCE points score and your Stealth skill total. (Note: If your ENDURANCE score is low and you are heavily encumbered, it may be advisable to discard some of your Backpack Items in order to increase your Stealth skill level.)
If your total is 11 or less, turn to 324.
If your total is 12 or more, turn to 200.
You are sure that the old hermit is bluffing and that he will say anything to cadge a ride with the colony. ‘Sorry, old timer,’ you say, as you make ready to leave the cave, ‘the bus is full an’ we’re short o’ food. Anyway, you’d be safer to stay here than come with us. There’s a whole heap o’ trouble on our tail.’
‘I ain’t afraid o’ trouble,’ retorts the hermit proudly, ‘an’ I promise I’ll be no burden to y’all. I’m rightly useful when it comes to huntin’ an’ findin’ water. An’ besides, if you want that bus o’ yours back on the road, you need me to tell you where to find a new steering linkage.’
It seems that you have no choice but to take the hermit with you. If he is bluffing about the replacement part, both he and the bus will not be going anywhere. Reluctantly you agree to his proposition and tell him to collect his things.
You glance at your magazine, checking that there are sufficient rounds for a burst of fire, and then pull and release the bolt. The metal stock feels hot against your cheek as you take aim at the clansman’s chest and squeeze the trigger.
Add your Shooting skill total to your current ENDURANCE points score.
If your total score is now 10 or less, turn to 96.
If your total score is now 11 or more, turn to 153.
With fear in your heart you spring towards the centre of the corral and dive with both your hands outstretched. The instant your fingers close around the hilt, you roll aside, avoiding by inches the vicious kick that your adversary aims at your head. Swiftly you find your feet and move on to the attack as your enemy falters.
Meltdown: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 25
If you win the combat, turn to 163.
Grabbing the rollbar that protects the driving compartment, you pull yourself feet-first into the driving seat and reach out for the ignition. The engine growls responsively, but its powerful roar is all but drowned by a sudden eruption of gunfire. Bullets shatter the windshield, forcing you to throw yourself across the passenger seat to avoid being caught in a deadly crossfire. Then a savage voice screams a command and the shooting ceases. You stay down and make a grab for the gear shift, but before you can speed away, a leather-clad punk leaps into the car beside you, cackling like a maniac as he draws his knife.
Copperhead: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 24
Owing to the speed of his attack, reduce your CLOSE COMBAT SKILL by 2 for the first round of this combat.
If you win the combat, turn to 63.
The fleeing man sees you and fires twice, but his aim is awry and the bullets pass high above your head. You raise your gun and order him to stop but he ignores your call. He shoots again and you return fire, killing him cleanly with a shot to the heart. (Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.)
Cutter appears and beckons you over to the diner. Inside the doorway lies the body of another man, a rifle resting across his bloodstained chest. ‘I reckon these two were from that Maverick gang that Rickenbacker warned us about,’ says Cutter, as he searches through the dead man’s pockets. ‘Seems like the Lions ain’t the only ones we gotta look out for.’
You help Cutter search the bodies and the diner. You discover the following items:
If you wish to keep any of the items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
As soon as your flat tyre has been repaired and the highway swept clear of spikes, you climb back into your roadster and lead the convoy on towards Big Spring.
With the bulky roll of polythene sheeting slung over your shoulder, you hurry back to the convoy as quickly as you can. Uncle Jonas greets you with a broad grin and offers to help you stow your find aboard the bus. ‘That’ll come in right useful if we run short o’ water,’ he says, as he slams shut the stowage door. ‘We can use it to rig up a solar still.’
Once everyone is aboard, you start the roadster and lead the convoy in single file onto the southbound carriageway of Interstate 35.
Swiftly you bring your rifle to your shoulder, draw a breath through clenched teeth, and then take careful aim at the enemy sniper perched on the building opposite.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If your total score is now 9 or less, turn to 349.
If your total score is now 10 or more, turn to 229.
You dispatch the last of the attacking rats and wait until the others have disappeared before you get down from the counter. Still shivering with the shock of your horrific encounter, you search the store in case Maria is here. You are almost relieved to discover no trace of her; at least she has been spared the terrifying experience that you have just endured. You are about to leave to continue your search when your transceiver crackles into life. It is Kate, and she has good news: she has found Maria and she is on her way back to the school. You acknowledge her call; then you tune your handset to Uncle Jonas’ signal, using it to guide you back to base.
The walls of this trench bear no marks made by picks or shovels, leading you to suspect that the hollow was excavated entirely by hand. You are wondering who on earth would undertake such a task, when you hear a chilling sound: the baying of hounds.
The city gangs of Fort Worth keep packs of vicious pit bull terriers, many of whom you have encountered and laid to rest. But nothing you have met in the past has prepared you for the horror that faces you now.
You fight to maintain your grip, but the injuries sustained by your legs as you are dragged along the freeway sap the very last of your strength. Your grip fails and you fall beneath the rear wheels of the bus: death is instantaneous.
Tragically, your journey and your life end here.
For a mile beyond the junction, the highway passes through a corridor of petrified trees, the pitiful remains of a fertile city park that thrived before the holocaust. Then it crests a ridge of high ground that overlooks the sickly, tainted waters of Lake Worth. The bridge ahead is blocked by a manned barricade, and you slow to a halt, signalling to the others to pull off the road to avoid being seen.
Cutter is the first to join you, his eagle eyes fixed on the barricade as silently he assesses its strength. Uncle Jonas and Hammer Harlan are the next to arrive and they are quick to ask Cutter for his opinion. ‘Ain’t nothing fancy down there,’ he says, almost casually. ‘They got a few cars strung out in a line, that’s all. I figure if we was to hit ’em hard enough, you can bet yer boots we’d bust through their centre like a bull through a wicker fence.’
‘We can’t risk damaging a vehicle,’ says Hammer, wiping the sweat from his brow. ‘If we smash a rad or rip a tyre, we can kiss goodbye to our hopes o’ seein’ Big Spring.’
‘True enough,’ replies Cutter, stroking his stubbly chin. ‘But I’ve got an idea that’ll give us a better-than-evens chance o’ cuttin’ through without a scratch.’
It is not until you reach the town of Trent, seven miles beyond the bridge, that you consider it safe to slow down and allow the convoy to resume its cruising speed. The sniper attack and the burning midday sun have left you shaking and streaming with sweat. You must now take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
The battered houses and stores of this Texan town slip past and once again a featureless plain of broken, sun-baked earth stretches before you. Your pulse has just returned to normal when you notice, out of the corner of your eye, something that sets it racing once more. Less than a mile to the north a small cloud of dust is moving across the plain parallel to the freeway. Slowly it draws nearer until you can hear the sound of two motorcycles and glimpse the ugly faces of their riders. They are both standing to help balance their bouncing machines, and as they approach the freeway, they open their throttles and lift their front wheels in a display of bravado. They draw level with your roadster, one on either side, and you notice the symbol that is painted on the sides of their fuel tanks. It is the head of a lion with its teeth bared: the symbol of the Detroit Lions clan.
The clansman to your right shouts something but the rush of wind steals his words. You sense something land in the car, and when you turn to look, you are horrified to see a live grenade lying on the passenger seat beside you.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table, and add to it your Driving and Stealth skill totals.
If your total score is now 11 or less, turn to 236.
If your total score is now 12 or more, turn to 165.
Suddenly a starburst of pain explodes in your head and your mouth fills with a thick, hot liquid. You have been hit in the face by three of the sniper’s bullets. Your wounds are fatal; death is instantaneous.
Tragically, your journey and your life end here at Colorado City.
The heavy steel door is held shut by an electronic lock. At first you suspect that the lock has jammed, its power having run down long ago, but as soon as you touch the keypad, a blue LED display glows into life above it.
Eleven numbers appear, arranged in three rows. There are four numbers on the top row, four on the second, and three on the third:
| 2 | 12 | 5 | 9 |
| 4 | 20 | 7 | 17 |
| 12 | 12 | 4 | — |
You study the rows of numbers carefully, looking for a pattern. By tapping on the keypad the number that is missing from the last row, you will release the lock and open the door.
When you think you know the missing number, turn to the entry that bears that number.7
If you cannot work out the correct answer, turn to 171.
Your short burst of fire catches the clansman across the midriff and doubles him over as he runs. As he crashes to the ground, his partner panics and begins to fire wildly, powdering the scree behind you. When the firing stops, you raise your head and peer through the bushes, expecting to see your enemy reloading. Instead he discards his empty magazine and turns to run away. He has exhausted his ammunition and has decided to make his escape while he still can.
As soon as you are sure that the coast is clear, you rise and help Kate to her feet. The sound of a motorcycle riding away into the distance reassures you that your ambusher has fled, and confidently you scramble up the slope and walk over to examine the body of the one who did not get away.
Remember to deduct six rounds of 9mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.
Your instincts tell you that something is wrong. There is no trace of fear in the voice, neither does it sound like Maria. She comes from a Mexican family, and although she has been raised among the English-speaking people of DC1, she has picked up her mother’s strong Spanish accent.
Cautiously you approach the store and peer through a crack in the door. Inside you see two bearded men, armed with clubs, waiting to ambush you the moment you enter. There is no sign of Maria, so quickly you turn around and hurry away to resume your search of the school grounds.
A few minutes later your transceiver crackles into life. It is Kate, and she has good news: she has found Maria and she is on her way back to the school. You acknowledge her call; then you tune your handset to Uncle Jonas’ signal, using it to guide you back to base.
You bring your roadster to a halt on a ridge that overlooks the ruins of Denton. The place is familiar—you have stopped here many times in the past few months during the routine patrols of the area, to check that the town was not being used as a base by the gangs who were raiding McKinney. The ruins look deserted but you decide to check them anyway just to make sure.
Having driven through the town and seen nothing unusual, you are turning around to return to the convoy when you hear the sound of motorcycle engines being kicked into life. Three bikes burst out of a building in the centre of the town and come racing after you, their riders whooping like Red Indians. All three machines are carrying pillion passengers, who are armed with an assortment of weapons. As the first bike draws level, its passenger gets ready to leap into the seat beside you.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table, and add to this number your current Driving skill total.
If your total is now 0–9, turn to 76.
If it is 10 or more, turn to 244.
Fifty miles of broken highway lie between you and the town of Albany. By mid-afternoon the temperature has climbed above 110° Fahrenheit, and the combined effects of the scorching heat and the poor road surface begin to take its toll on those travelling aboard the crowded bus. As you approach the outskirts of a small town called Moran, Cutter signals for you to stop. ‘We’ve got six people down with heat exhaustion and four more on the brink,’ he says, his face awash with sweat. ‘We’ve got to get ’em out of this travelling oven and let ’em rest awhile in the shade.’
You suggest that the convoy waits in Moran while you go on ahead to make sure that Albany is safe to enter. By the time you have checked it out and returned, the worst of the afternoon heat will have passed and the colony will be better able to continue. Before you leave for Albany you must take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. Unless you possess a tub of Salt, you must reduce your current ENDURANCE score by 4 points, due to excessive salt loss.
You cry out in pain as the poison courses up your leg. You clutch the wound and strike a second blow at the snake, but it retreats swiftly, disappearing among the rocks.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it the number of Medi-kit units you possess.
If your total score is now 12 or less, turn to 106.
If your total score is now 13 or more, turn to 45.
‘You had better take this with you,’ says Pop Ewell, reaching into a satchel that he carries over his shoulder. He removes a hand-held transceiver and offers it to you. ‘It’s tuned to 153 megahertz. I’ll be listenin’ out for you the whole time you’re away.’
You take the CB Radio (mark this on your Action Chart as a Backpack Item—you must discard another item in its favour if you already carry the maximum quota of items), check the setting, and make sure there is sufficient power left in its miniaturized solar-pac before you walk to your roadster.
‘Good luck, Cal,’ says Uncle Jonas, as you switch on your ignition and check your instrumentation. ‘Don’t take no unnecessary risks, y’hear!’
With a wave, you bid him farewell, before accelerating the roadster along the highway that leads to Mineral Wells.
As you raise your shotgun, you shout at your people to get away from the window. Their screams of terror fill your ears as you take aim at the rider’s chest and squeeze the trigger.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your Shooting skill total.
If your total score is 7 or less, turn to 340.
If your total score is 8 or more, turn to 302.
Two miles and two hours later you reach the opposite side of the lake. Half an hour further on, the convoy makes a rest stop and takes stock of its surroundings. Traces of a paved road that disappears towards the west are found, and Cutter Jacks, who lived only a few miles from Lake Lewisville before ‘The Day’, identifies it as the remains of State Highway 407. ‘This’ll get us back on course,’ he says confidently. ‘Follow this baby and we’ll make Interstate 35 in under an hour.’
Twenty minutes later, Interstate 35 appears in the distance, its long, concrete body lying bleached and quaking beneath the fiery sun. The road you are following passes beneath it but, as you draw closer, you notice a ramp coiling away to your right, giving access to the freeway.
A few hundred yards beyond the ramp you see another. It leads to the ruins of a once prestigious building—the North Texas State University.
If you wish to search the university, turn to 82.
If you decide to lead the convoy onto Interstate 35, turn to 22.
Using your map of central Texas as your guide, you leave Colorado City and follow the remains of State Highway 208 north towards Lake Thomas. You are hoping that the dam marked there on your map is still intact, for most dams have a service road running across the top.
An hour later you arrive at Lake Thomas to find that the dam is still standing. Excitedly you stop the car and start walking towards it. As you get nearer you see that the service road is no wider than a garden path: the bus and the tanker will never be able to cross the river here. Sadly you return to your car.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table, and add to it your Field Craft and Perception skill totals.
If your total score is now 10 or less, turn to 274.
If your total score is now 11 or more, turn to 53.
You park beside the control tower, switch off the engine, and then wait. Only when you are sure that the area is deserted do you leave your vehicle and enter the derelict building. A spiral staircase leads to the main control room where once-sophisticated technology now lies scorched and twisted beyond recognition. You open a service hatch to find yourself staring at the skeletal remains of an air force sergeant.
You regain your composure quickly and move to close the hatch. Then you notice that a holster and an ammunition pouch are still attached to the dead soldier’s belt, and your scavenger’s instincts get the better of you.
The holster contains a Pistol and the pouch holds twelve rounds of 9mm ammunition. If you decide to keep either of these items, amend your Weapons List and Ammo Pouch accordingly.
To leave the control tower, turn to 123.
You step away from Meltdown’s body and turn to face the cheering crowd. Manhattan comes striding towards you, his face beaming, delighted that you have disposed of his would-be rival. ‘Nice work, kid. I knew y’was a Kicker when I first set eyes on you,’ he says glibly. Then he calls to one of his sidekicks and says something to him that you cannot hear. ‘Follow Tweet,’ he says, nodding to his grimy, one-eyed helper. ‘He’ll give you some chow and make sure you get some new equipment. Come see me in an hour—I’ve got a special job for you.’
Tweet takes you to a motel near the centre of town, where he offers you enough food for one Meal, enough water for two Drinks, and a choice of the following weapons, ammunition, and equipment:
(You may take only one of the three weapons listed above. You also reclaim your Hunting Knife.)
(You may take any number of the above Backpack Items.)
After you have eaten and re-equipped yourself, you ask to be allowed to visit the latrine. Tweet points to a restroom in the Motel’s lobby and tells you to be quick: Manhattan does not like to be kept waiting. Once inside, you discover what you were hoping to find: a window. The small window overlooks an old parking lot, and seconds later, you jump down into it.
You have been gone less than a few minutes when Tweet raises the alarm. Soon the town is swarming with clansmen searching for you. In desperation you hide in an old timber yard, where you wait patiently for the chance to slip out of Albany unseen. While you are lying low, you must take a drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 61.
The hollow sound of your gunfire echoes across the dry lake bed and for a moment your target is obscured by smoke. As the cloud thins, you see that your efforts were in vain. The black figure is now running away from the tree towards a motorcycle that is lying on its side. Frantically he pulls the machine upright, kicks it into life, and makes a speedy escape.
Helpless to prevent him from getting away, you signal once more to the others to restart their engines and continue with the difficult crossing.
Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.
With terror gnawing at your insides you reach down and take hold of the grenade. In the next instant you hurl it out of the car and slam your foot down on the gas pedal. Seconds later there is a dull thud, and in your rear-view mirror you see the biker to your left disappear in a ball of orange flame as the grenade explodes underneath his motorcycle and ignites the fuel tank.
Cutter sounds the bus’s horn to alert you to the position of the remaining clansman. He is coming up fast on your blind side and, as he draws level, he jerks a machine pistol from his saddle-bag, cocks the bolt with his teeth, and opens fire.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–1, turn to 17.
If it is 2–5, turn to 317.
If it is 6–9, turn to 217.
You push away the lifeless body of your enemy and spring like a tiger towards the boarding door of the bus. Inside, chaos reigns. Behind the driver’s seat, Kate and Uncle Jonas are grappling with a fat clansman in a desperate attempt to prise a vicious machete from his hand. Meanwhile, the central aisle is blocked by a running battle as Hammer Harlan and Juan Rodriguez fight to defend the women and children from two fur-clad bikers. Their screams of terror merge with the curses of the clansmen, filling the bus with a chilling cacophony of noise. You act swiftly and decisively, plunging your hunting knife into the backs of the two bikers, and dispatching the third with a thrust to his heart.
Suddenly the sound of a horn echoes from the other side of the camp, and you see the tanker, with Cutter at the wheel, start to move away. ‘Quick, Cal!’ shouts your uncle. ‘Get back to your roadster an’ follow Cutter. We’re breakin’ out o’ here right now!’
You leap from the bus and sprint towards your car as fast as your aching legs will allow. One of the bikers, dressed in a riding suit of tattered red leather, sees you running and stops his machine in order to draw his machine pistol. He is the leader of the clan and he intends to add you to the long list of those he has killed.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table, and add to this your current Stealth skill total.
If your total is now 0–5, turn to 301.
If it is 6–10, turn to 78.
If it is 11 or more, turn to 213.
The fatigue of your journey and the glare of the afternoon sun prevent you from noticing the shiny metal spikes that lay strewn across the highway. As you enter the town, there is a loud bang and your steering wheel shudders violently. You pull over to the side of the road and give an emergency signal to the convoy to stop immediately and not to follow you into Westbrook.
The tyre on the right-side front wheel is completely flat. Wearily you climb out of the driving seat and go to inspect the damage. As you stoop to remove the spike, a shot rings out.
Add your current ENDURANCE points score to your Stealth skill total.
If your total score is now 8 or less, turn to 19.
If your total is now 9–14, turn to 65.
If your total is 15 or more, turn to 248.
You lift your gun and squeeze the trigger, trusting your aim to instinct alone. At the same time, the double muzzle flash of your enemy’s weapon lights up the gloomy interior, making you cry out in anticipation of being caught by its deadly blast. But luck is with you. The shotgun spits its cloud of lead away to your right and you survive unscathed. Your enemy is not so lucky. Your gunfire hits him squarely in the chest, killing him instantly.
Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.
Using what scraps of cloth are available, you cover your nose and mouth before setting off into the storm. You pass the colony’s vehicles and walk out onto the main street. With visibility less than five yards, you must rely solely on your sense of hearing for some indication of the child’s location. Repeatedly you call her name, hoping she will reply, yet all you hear is the incessant howling of the dust-storm.
As you cross the street, you catch what sounds like a young girl’s voice drifting on the wind. You shout her name and a voice answers faintly: ‘Help me…I’m here!’
If you possess a pair of Goggles, turn to 223.
If you do not possess this item, turn to 252.
‘We won’t be a’ skirtin’ ’round this place,’ says Cutter, casting a critical eye over the surrounding landscape. ‘The land here’s too craggy. The bus and the tanker’d not get a hunnerd yards. Nope, our only chance is to hit ’em before they get muled up. If we go now we could cut straight through that lil’ ol’ town and be on our way to Big Spring before they know what’s happened!’
The plan is put to Uncle Jonas and he agrees that it is the colony’s best chance of reaching Big Spring before nightfall. Kate volunteers to ride shotgun with you at the head of the convoy. Uncle Jonas will follow in the tanker and Cutter will close up behind with the bus, enabling those with guns to man the back window and keep any pursuers at bay.
Within a few minutes the plan is relayed to the colony and the vehicles are drawn up in line, ready to run the Coahoma gauntlet.
You tap in several numbers at random, in the hope that you will be lucky enough to hit upon the correct one. Unfortunately, after your sixth unsuccessful attempt, the lock deactivates, making further attempts at opening the door useless.
Conscious of the amount of time you have spent in the basement, you decide to return to the colony without further delay.
You have aimed too high: your gunfire passes over the driver’s head, alerting his partner to your position. (Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.) He returns fire, sending a hail of bullets into the wreckage that shields you. They strike with devastating effect, the deadly tracer shells blowing the rusty metal to pieces.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Stealth skill total.
If your total score is 7 or less, turn to 47.
If your total score is 8 or more, turn to 138.
Breathlessly you climb the iron staircase to the roof. Three times your foot plunges through the rust-weakened steps and three times you nearly fall, but each time you manage to recover your footing and drive yourself onwards. Shots ring out and bullets fly, drawing sparks as they slam into the ironwork; the manic shouts of the angry mob echo loudly in the alley below.
After what seems like an eternity you reach the top of the fire escape and stagger onto the warehouse roof. You are feeling light-headed and nauseous due to the combined effects of heat, exertion, and fear. Your vision swims in and out of focus and you are finding it difficult to concentrate.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If your current ENDURANCE points score is 19 or more, add 2 to the number you have picked.
If your total score is now 0–4, turn to 225.
If it is 5 or more, turn to 202.
You hear your enemy scream and catch a brief glimpse of him in your rear-view mirror when his body hits the dusty ground behind your speeding car. The other bikers lose interest and soon give up the chase. They peel away, cursing and firing ill-aimed shots at your back as you make your escape from Denton.
Remember to deduct the relevant number of 9mm rounds from your Ammo Pouch.
You turn out the pockets of the dead clansman and empty the leather satchel that he carried over his shoulder. Among his personal effects you discover the following items:
You are sifting through his possessions, trying to decide which ones to keep (remember to adjust your Action Chart if you keep any of the items), when you hear Kate calling to you to come and look at the dead man’s motorcycle. Its fuel tank bears the same lion’s head symbol as those of the two scouts you encountered on the freeway, but it is what Kate has found inside the saddle-bag that is of greater interest.
You spring to your feet and run at the exit. However, the stripy-faced youth, whom you encountered earlier wielding a lasso, suddenly appears in the doorway, blocking your escape. As he reaches for a revolver, which is tucked into his waistband, you lower your shotgun and fire. Only one barrel discharges—the other misfires—but the blast is great enough to lift your adversary off his feet and send him cartwheeling out of the door.
You leap over his body and run along an alley that leads into a side street. You hear the mob yell out when they find the body, and you know that they will press their pursuit, so frantically you search for somewhere safe to hide. An old boarding house on the corner of the street looks like the answer to your prayers. You enter before the mob reaches the end of the alley.
‘Let’s go!’ says Cutter, and simultaneously you leap into action. Your sudden appearance draws a volley of shots from a shallow gully situated twenty yards ahead, and a wave of fear knots your stomach as the bullets whistle past your head. Then Kate and the others open fire and force the bikers to duck behind their parapet of earth.
On the far side, Cutter races across the rocky ground as fast as his skinny legs will carry him. A biker pops out of the gully like a jack-in-the-box and fires his pistol at your friend’s lanky form, missing him by inches. Cutter fires back, a snap shot from the hip that hits the biker full in the chest, sending him spinning backwards into the trench. Three more bikers appear, panicked by the death of their confederate. One falls victim to covering fire; the second is felled by Cutter’s second barrel; but the third escapes the crossfire and comes running out of the gully straight at you. He yelps with horror as he sees you, skids to a halt, and levels his pistol at your face.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting and Stealth skill totals.
If the total is now 0–9, turn to 49.
If it is 10 or more, turn to 348.
You awake ten hours later in a schoolroom bathed in bright sunlight. The storm has passed during the night and the sun has returned, bringing with it the oppressive heat. ‘Ninety-two degrees already,’ says Cutter, tapping at an old mercuric thermometer that hangs on the wall. ‘And it’s not yet eight o’clock. Today’s a day for fryin’ eggs on the sidewalk…if we had any eggs, that is.’
Soon the colony is busy making preparations to leave. After clearing away the dust you check your roadster thoroughly, making sure that the fuel is clean and that the engine runs as smoothly as ever. Meanwhile, Cutter oversees a group who are working on the bus and Uncle Jonas heads another team who are servicing the tanker. The others, led by Kate, search the school for anything that could be useful on the road ahead. By mid-morning the convoy is back on the road, following Interstate 20 away from the dust-blown ruins of Abilene on the next stage of the journey west.
You have been driving for little over an hour when you see a bridge in the distance and notice a glint of sunlight bouncing off a point near the centre of the parapet. Not until you are within 100 yards of the bridge do you realize what is causing the reflection: it is the telescopic sight of a sniper’s rifle and it is aimed directly at you.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table, and add it to your Driving and Stealth skill totals.
If your total score is now 7 or less, turn to 326.
If your total is now 8–13, turn to 104.
If your total is now 14 or more, turn to 21.
At the first opportunity, you pull the roadster over to the side of the freeway and wait for the convoy to catch up. You must now take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
A few minutes later the tanker and the bus come thundering out of Coahoma. Apart from a few extra bullet holes, they both appear to have survived the run intact. You restart your engine and accelerate away, confident that the colony will reach Big Spring before sunset, but when you glance in your rear-view mirror you spot something that sets your pulse racing.
You squeeze the trigger and feel the butt of your rifle kick your shoulder. Your enemy has no time to cry out as the bullet finds its mark with deadly accuracy. It passes straight through his heart, killing him instantly.
Remember to erase one 7.62mm round from your Ammo Pouch.
To continue, turn to 251.
Quickly you tear open your Backpack and remove the Rope. You slide down the slope, riding the shale feet-first, and, as you near the bottom, get ready to throw Kate your line. Twice you cast it across the water to no avail. Then, on the third attempt, she manages to grab it and you are able to pull her, breathless and bedraggled, onto the muddy shore.
The twin beams of your headlights cast a white corridor of light along Interstate 20 as you overtake and pull in to take your place at the head of the convoy. With the memory of the bikers’ raid still fresh in your mind, you cast frequent glances in your rear-view mirror to make sure that the clansmen are not on your tail.
The road climbs steadily for several miles as it approaches the mountains of Erath County. A signpost reflects the glare of your lights, announcing your entry to the town of Thurber, which once had a population of 5,006. You contemplate that figure, wondering how many, if any, inhabitants are still alive, when you are distracted by a light flashing in your mirror. It is the bus: Uncle Jonas is signalling for you to stop.
You reach the bus soon after Cutter and hear him asking what is wrong. Uncle Jonas says nothing. He simply tugs at the steering wheel and watches in dismay as it spins freely on the hub. ‘Looks like we’ve got ourselves a big problem,’ says Cutter, peering under the front wheel arch. ‘The steering linkage has sheared clean in two. I’d guess that rough ride out o’ Santo did for it good and proper.’
‘Can you fix it?’ asks Uncle Jonas.
‘Not without welding gear, or a replacement part,’ he replies, dejectedly. ‘I guess we’d better stop here for the night. Looks like we won’t get much further in this ol’ bus, anyhow.’
An uneasy silence descends on the colony once news of the breakdown spreads. Cutter continues to inspect the bus but you decide to return to your roadster and snatch a few hours sleep. You are staring at the surrounding mountains, lost in thought, when you see a pinpoint of light flickering in the darkness. With your pulse racing, you grab your gun and set off to take a closer look.
As the man hurries towards your car, he sees you crouching behind the engine and panics, shooting wildly. He empties his pistol and then, in frustrated anger, he leaps across the hood of your roadster and jumps on you, wielding the butt of his gun like a cosh.
Six-pac: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 27
Owing to the ferocity of his attack, you are unable to draw a close combat weapon until the start of the second round of the fight.
If you win the combat, turn to 119.
Eventually you enter the last storage room: it contains two objects that stir your curiosity. The first is a large wooden crate, seemingly overlooked by whoever looted the other basement rooms, and the second is a reinforced steel door that is set into the far wall.
If you wish to take a closer look at the crate, turn to 336.
If you wish to investigate the steel door, turn to 255.
If you choose to examine neither the crate nor the door, you can return to the convoy; turn to 315.
On your arrival at Colorado City you discover that the colony has been busy during your absence. Using materials salvaged from the ruins of nearby factories, they have managed to put down a platform that spans the gap in the middle of the bridge. Now Cutter is supervising the strengthening of this platform to ensure that it will withstand the weight of the loaded tanker, the heaviest of the convoy vehicles.
You tell everyone that you were unable to find an alternative way across the river, expecting the news to be met with disappointment. But most of the colony greets your scouting report with a nod of approval, a reaction that baffles you until Kate offers an explanation. ‘That explosive we found at Lake Sweetwater is now under the bridge,’ she says, pointing towards the newly-laid platform. ‘Once we’re all on the other side, I’ll trigger the timer and two minutes later…boom! No bridge! It might not stop the Lions chasing us but it should keep ’em off our backs until we reach Big Spring.’
You are about to take a closer look when Pop Ewell calls everyone to the bus. He has made radio contact with Big Spring. ‘Here, Cal,’ he says, handing you the headphones, ‘your ears are younger than mine. See if you can figure out what they’re saying.’
You slip on the headphones and listen to a voice that is almost completely obscured by the hiss and crackle of static. You close your eyes and concentrate as hard as you can in an effort to understand what is being said. ‘The guy says he’s going to pay us a visit,’ you say, hesitantly, suspecting that you have not heard the message correctly. Then the static fades and clearly you hear the words: ‘Be with you soon. Watch the skies!’
The whole of your right arm aches painfully from the exertion of opening your pack, but you ignore the pain and persist until your fingers locate the loops of your flexible wire saw. With care you remove it, slip it around the ropes that bind you, and slowly work it back and forth until they part. Less than a dozen clanswomen and children are on the street, but you bide your time, waiting for the right moment to make your move.
Carefully you consider the two escape routes that appear open to you. You can either run east along the main street and back towards your car, retracing the route by which you entered Cross Plains; or you can run in the opposite direction and attempt to hide in the maze of alleys that once serviced the town stores.
If you wish to run east, turn to 110.
If you decide to run west, turn to 321.
The biker screams as your killing blow pierces his heart. He throws his arms wide and tumbles backwards out of the car, his lifeless body falling directly beneath the front wheel of his partner’s motorcycle and causing his friend to somersault over the handlebars. The other bikers lose interest in you and soon give up the chase, allowing you to escape from Denton.
‘Yahoo! There she is!’ screams Cutter, pointing excitedly at a fortified settlement that has just appeared in the distance. ‘Big Spring! We’ve made it!’
All the hardships that have been suffered en route are instantly forgotten when the members of the colony look upon their destination. Suddenly the bus is filled with laughing, crying, cheering people as everyone reaffirms their hope that this journey is the first step towards the civilization they once knew.
A green flare climbs into the darkening sky and bursts over the town, signalling that the Big Spring colony has seen you approaching. Pop Ewell makes radio contact, and passes on their welcome. ‘They say the freeway gate is open. All we got t’ do is drive straight in.’
The Mavericks seemed to give up the chase as soon as they saw the flare, and now the freeway looks deserted. You join Cutter at the front of the bus and scan the landscape for some sign of your roadster, but the only other vehicle you can see is the tanker, trundling along a few hundred yards ahead.
A few minutes later you see your car in the distance, parked at the side of the freeway. As you draw nearer you get ready to wave to Kate. Your heart almost stops when, with horror, you see that two motorcycles are parked alongside, and Kate is embroiled in a desperate hand-to-hand struggle with their riders. ‘Stop the bus, Cutter!’ you shout. ‘It’s Kate; she’s in trouble.’
Cutter slows the bus and you leap out onto the freeway and run towards Kate. ‘Help me, Cal!’ she screams, as the Mavericks try to bundle her, kicking and punching, into a sidecar attached to one of their machines. A blow to the back of her head with the stock of a machine pistol brings an end to her resistance. Then, as you approach, the biker turns and fires a long burst from the hip.
Add your current ENDURANCE points score to your Stealth skill total.
If you total is 8 or less, turn to 221.
If your total is 9 or more, turn to 290.
‘Strawn is held by a gang o’ renegades,’ says Mountain Goat, looking west along the freeway in the direction of the town. ‘There’s ’bout forty of them. They was kicked out o’ San Angelo six months ago after they tried to take over the Angelo clan from Mekong Mike. He sure whomped ’em real good. Those that got away came north an’ settled here. They’re known as “the Skulls” on account o’ their shaved heads, an’ their leader is a real mean dude called Alcatraz. He an’ his gang have got Strawn sewn up like a genuine fortress, just in case Mekong Mike should ever get the idea to come an’ pay ’em a surprise visit.’
Dangerous though it would be, a raid on Strawn must be attempted. Cutter proposes that you and he should be the ones to go: he can identify the part that is needed, and you are by far the fittest member of the colony. You swallow your fear and agree to go with him at first light.
Your gunfire brings down another of the slavering dogs and the others halt in their tracks. Turning, they run away, scattering in all directions as they flee the highway.
Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.
Raising your weapon, you trust to instinct alone as you point it at the intruder and squeeze the trigger. (Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.) At the same time, the double muzzle flash of his shotgun lights up the gloomy interior, and you cry out in pain as birdshot peppers your right arm and shoulder: lose 8 ENDURANCE points.
You stagger backwards and lean against the wall in order to stay on your feet. Your enemy is not so fortunate. Your gunfire has hit him full in the chest, killing him instantly.
Remember to make the necessary adjustments to your Action Chart.
To continue, turn to 220.
As your enemy collapses dead at your feet, a starburst of pain explodes in your head and darkness engulfs your vision. You have been struck from behind with the butt of a shotgun, which knocks you unconscious.
You keep your eyes focused on the clansman as you unshoulder your weapon. He is now less than 100 yards from the roadster and drawing closer with every passing second.
If the weapon you are using is a Pistol, turn to 8.
If it is a Machine Pistol, turn to 140.
If it is a Shotgun, turn to 310.
If it is a Rifle, turn to 264.
You try tapping in several numbers at random, in the hope that you will be lucky and hit the correct number by chance. Unfortunately, after your sixth try, the lock deactivates, making any further attempts to open the door useless.
If you wish to examine the crate, turn to 43.
If you choose to leave the basement and return to the convoy, turn to 315.
‘One of them’s heading for the roadster,’ you say, watching anxiously as the clansman scurries around the rim. ‘I’m going to stop him before he gets there!’ Kate protests, but you are determined to save your car, and reluctantly she agrees to cover you as best she can with the tiny Derringer pistol that she carries in her boot.
‘I call it “Chihuahua”,’ she quips, as she cocks the double-hammers and gets ready to fire. ‘It don’t look much but it makes one helluva noise!’
You scan the slope. When you have picked out the best place to make your climb, you break cover and zigzag along the shore towards it. Immediately, the machine gunner opens up on you. Kate replies with a single shot and he diverts his fire back to the rocks and bushes. Swiftly you claw your way to the top of the slope and run straight at the clansman, grimly determined to intercept him before he can do any damage to your roadster. He sees you approaching, draws a pistol, and, still running, empties it at your chest.
Add your Stealth skill total to your current ENDURANCE points score.
If your total is 9 or less, turn to 258.
If it is 10 or more, turn to 83.
The success of your daring night raid is applauded by the colony. Mountain Goat is especially pleased that you found the part needed to fix the bus, and he is quick to remind everyone that without his help the mission would not have been possible.
After a few hours’ rest, you help Cutter and Uncle Jonas install the new steering linkage. Then you fill your roadster’s fuel tank with gasolene piped from the tanker and prepare to lead the convoy on the next stage of the long journey west.
You leave Interstate 20 and travel cross-country in order to give Strawn wide berth. Later in the afternoon you rejoin the highway as it approaches Lake Leon and the town of Eastland. You are two miles from Eastland when you spot an obstruction in the far distance that appears to be blocking the entire road. However, you are aware that the constant heat haze can play strange tricks on your vision, so you signal to the convoy to halt while you scout ahead.
A mile along the highway you discover that the obstruction is in fact a trench that has been dug diagonally across the road. It is sufficiently deep along its whole length to wreck any vehicle attempting to cross it at speed. You bring your car to a halt and step out onto the sun-scorched asphalt in order to take a closer look at this curious excavation.
If you possess a Telescope or Binoculars, turn to 34.
If you possess neither of these items, turn to 147.
Instinctively, you turn your back to the blast and cover your face and hands. The burning liquid splashes your leather jacket and sets it alight, but you are able to extinguish the flames before your back is badly burned: lose 2 ENDURANCE points.
On your speedy return to the convoy, Uncle Jonas tells you that a moving cloud of dust was sighted to the north soon after you left to scout Denton. Judging by the short time it took to cross the horizon, he suspects that it could only have been made by a large gang of bikers on the move. ‘We’d best swing aroun’ Denton by the southwest,’ he says, squinting at a tattered old route map that he has spread across the hood of your roadster, ‘just in case it was some o’ them Yankees you tumped in Sherman.’
You gaze at the now-empty horizon and nod in agreement. ‘You take point, Cal,’ he says, as he folds his map and goes off to pass word of the detour to Cutter and the others. You see fear and uncertainty in their eyes as Uncle Jonas explains the sudden change of plan. As soon as he is back behind the wheel of the bus, you start your engine and lead the convoy away to the southwest, towards a parched bowl of cracked and barren land that was once the bed of Lake Lewisville.
You must now take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 137.
The voice seems to be coming from directly ahead. Slowly you advance until the dark outline of a toy store looms out of the storm. You approach and, as you reach its open door, you are relieved to see little Maria sitting cross-legged in the middle of the store. She is playing happily with a large furry bear, totally oblivious to the panic her disappearance has caused.
You radio the good news to Cutter and Kate, and tell them to return to the colony. Then you gather up Maria and her new playmate in your arms, cover her head to protect her from the storm, and switch your transceiver to Uncle Jonas’ signal to guide you back to the school.
You spring to your feet and run towards the platform, weaving back and forth in order to present the Lions with a difficult target. Kate and Cutter are screaming encouragement, inspiring you to greater effort when you reach the centre of the bridge. Bullets are flying everywhere: whistling, singing, smacking into the asphalt on either side of your feet as you sprint the last few yards. As you pass the tanker, Cutter steps in front of you and grabs your jacket to slow you down. He points to the ruins of a nearby church and tells you to follow him there.
You recognize at once the chemical symbol for sodium chloride—common salt: you have stumbled upon a huge stockpile of a substance that is vital to human survival, yet one that is becoming harder to find with every passing day. In your excitement you give a shout and can barely stop yourself from dancing around the crate in sheer delight.
If you wish to take as many tubs of salt as you can carry and then return to the convoy, turn to 29.
If you wish to investigate the steel door before leaving the basement, turn to 152.
You force yourself to breathe deeply, giving your blood the oxygen it craves. As your pulse steadies and your vision clears, you see a second fire escape that services the far side of the building. Slowly you make your way towards it, taking care to avoid the many holes that puncture the roof; then you race down the steps and escape along a deserted passage that leads to a derelict timber yard. There, behind a stack of rotting fencing posts, you crouch, waiting for a chance to escape from Albany. While you are lying low, you must take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 61.
Silently you creep along the side of the diner and peer around the corner. The front door is open and you can make out the shadowy shapes of the two men as they move about inside. Patiently you wait for the best moment to strike.
If you possess a missile weapon, turn to 130.
If you do not possess a missile weapon, or if you do not have sufficient ammunition to use it, turn to 71.
The road stretches before you, empty and silent, shimmering beneath the early morning sun. With the temperature already in the mid-nineties, you are grateful for the cool breeze that whips through your hair as you speed across the barren flats. The tracks made by Long Jake’s tyres are still fresh in the dust that blankets the highway, and you trail them all the way to the outskirts of Sherman, where you discover his pick-up abandoned near an old gas station.
A line of footprints disappears towards the centre of the town, and, as you follow them along the main street, you catch sight of Long Jake, a rifle in his hand, waving at you from the doorway of his brother’s store. Behind him stands a girl. She looks eighteen, maybe younger. Judging by the state of her clothing she must have been through a pretty rough time. You bring your roadster to a halt in front of the store and, nervously, Long Jake motions you to enter. ‘Quick, Cal!’ he hisses. ‘Get over here!’
You are barely out of the driving seat when a burst of machine gun fire rings out across the street. Bullets hit the ground near your feet and a number of holes appear, stitched in a jagged row across the trunk of your car.
If you wish to get back into your roadster and try to escape this ambush, turn to 109.
If you wish to dive to the ground and take cover, turn to 307.
The foul smell of their unwashed bodies dissuades you from searching through the pockets of your two attackers. However, their clubs lie on the ground nearby and you may keep one if you wish (record it on your Weapons List as a Club (2)).
A search of the store reveals no trace of Maria, and you are about to leave to look elsewhere when your transceiver crackles into life. It is Kate, and she has good news: she has found Maria and she is on her way back to the school. You acknowledge her call; then you tune your handset to Uncle Jonas’ signal and use it to guide you back to base.
You raise your gun and take aim at the moving figures, but in the poor light it is difficult to separate the bikers from your own people. You hesitate, and in that split second your weapon is kicked from your grasp. (Erase this weapon from your Action Chart.) A burly clansman, his head shaved and tattooed, drags you from under the tanker and attempts to choke you to death with his bare hands.
Cuttisark: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16 ENDURANCE 27
Owing to the surprise of the attack, you are unable to draw a close combat weapon until the start of the second round of combat.
If you win the combat, turn to 166.
You wade out of the water, your boots heavy with cloying river mud, and stop to scrape away the muck. Unfortunately, you are standing directly over a nest of scorpions, and when you stoop to pick up a stick, you receive a painful sting on the palm of your hand.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it the number of Medi-kit units you currently possess.
If your total score is now 11 or less, turn to 330.
If your total score is now 12 or more, turn to 234.
‘Here Cal, take this,’ says Uncle Jonas, offering you his sawn-off shotgun. ‘When you git in close you won’t need to be too fussy where you point this beauty.’
You take the gun and check that both barrels are loaded. ‘I’ll go left,’ whispers Cutter.
‘Whenever you’re ready,’ you reply, tensing your body in preparation for the run.
Add the Shotgun to your Action Chart.
A sudden sound to your left betrays the hiding place of a would-be ambusher. You spin on your heel, drawing your hunting knife and tensing yourself in expectation of an attack. Lurking in the doorway is a scrawny youth dressed in tattered buckskin. His clothes, and the coloured stripes that mark his face, remind you of books you read when you were young; books with pictures of Red Indian braves, who fought the cowboys of the old West. The youth screams a curse and casts a rope lasso around your shoulders, but before he can draw it tight, you sever it with one sweep of your razor-sharp blade. His scream echoes across the street and draws forth others of his kind, all of them dressed in similar Red Indian costumes. They advance towards you, brandishing knives and axes, and you turn and run in fear for your life.
As you run past the entrance to a small bar, another group appears on the sidewalk less than twenty yards ahead. Shots ring out, forcing you to dive for cover inside the bar. Fortunately the place is deserted, but the angry screams of the mob grow louder by the second. Quickly you scan the gloomy interior, searching for a way out or a place to hide. Two possibilities present themselves: the staircase to the first floor,8 and the counter at the rear of the bar.
If you wish to ascend the stairs to the first floor, turn to 286.
If you wish to hide behind the counter, turn to 118.
You check your rear-view mirror and see both Cutter and Uncle Jonas giving you a thumbs up. ‘Hold on tight,’ you shout to Kate, your voice almost lost as you rev your engine. ‘Here we go!’
You move away, keeping an eye on your mirror to make sure that you do not outdistance the rest of the convoy. Then, as you approach the outskirts of the town, Kate raises her shotgun and gets ready to greet the Maverick clansmen who are brave, or foolish, enough to stand in your way. Gunfire erupts from the windows of the nearby buildings and bullets whistle past, fired from all directions. Kate opens up in reply, empty cartridge cases spewing from her gun as she picks off the renegade bikers with chilling accuracy. Then the first of the obstacles appears and you stamp your foot to the floor. The force of your car’s acceleration hits you like a kick in the back. The car screams through the town, scattering motorcycles and riders, its rear wheels trailing a blue haze of friction-burnt rubber.
The last few buildings are flashing past on either side when you see a solitary figure standing in the middle of the highway ahead. As you scream towards him, coolly he raises a rifle and takes aim at your windshield.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–2, turn to 27.
If it is 3–8, turn to 328.
If it is 9, turn to 121.
The familiar outline of McKinney appears on the horizon and you increase speed. You are keen to return as quickly as you can and warn the colony of the danger now approaching from the north. Your return is met with mixed feelings: all are upset to hear that Long Jake is dead, and many are disappointed that you could not save the cache of rifles and ammunition that he found. However, all, without exception, are thankful that you are still alive and, despite the threat of a revenge attack by Mad Dog Michigan, they welcome Kate to the colony with open arms.
In the light of this new threat to your safety it is decided that the colony should not wait until tomorrow to begin its long journey west. With all the major preparations already completed, the convoy is loaded and ready to move off within the hour. All that remains to do, once the convoy is at a safe distance, is to set fire to the ranch. This will destroy the supplies you are forced to leave behind, preventing them from falling into the hands of either Mad Dog Michigan, or the murderous city gangs of Dallas and Fort Worth.
Once the Ewell ranch is ablaze, you lead the convoy cross-country towards Denton. There you hope to pick up Interstate 35 and follow it south on the first stage of your journey to Big Spring. Two miles outside Denton, you signal to the others to halt while you go ahead and make sure that the town is empty and the freeway is clear of obstructions.
Add together your current levels of Field Craft and Perception. Now, pick a number from the Random Number Table (0 = zero) and add this to your score.
If your total is now 6–12, turn to 155.
If it is 13 or more, turn to 46.
You slip inside the diner and use the overturned tables and chairs for cover. One of the men places his weapon on the floor in order to take a home-made cigar from his pack, and when the other man strikes a match and offers it to him, you launch your attack. You fell the man holding the match with a crushing blow to his neck; then you turn to face his partner, but his reflexes are far quicker than you expected. He hurls his lighted cigar at your face and you are forced to slap it aside with the back of your hand. Before you recover, he leaps at you and wrestles you to the ground.
Belushi: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 26
Owing to the ferocity of his attack, you are unable to draw any close combat weapons until the start of the second round of the fight.
If you win the combat, turn to 119.
With a tremendous effort, you leap and dive across the hood of your roadster to avoid being caught by the burst of automatic fire. Bullets follow you across the car, piercing the side and glancing noisily off the case-hardened rollbar, but your swift reflexes save you from being hit.
As soon as you are safely under cover you let out a scream that convinces your enemy that he has killed you. He turns his attention elsewhere, and you are able to pull yourself into the car and start the engine without being seen. Swiftly you accelerate away, steering your roadster towards the tail-lights of the bus as it crashes through a group of bikers and escapes onto the freeway. A few random shots ricochet off the trunk as you follow the bus out of Santo, but within minutes you pass out of range and the gunfire ceases.
Hurriedly you bring your shotgun to your shoulder, draw a breath through clenched teeth, and take aim at the enemy sniper perched on the building opposite.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If your total score is now 11 or less, turn to 349.
If your total score is now 12 or more, turn to 229.
You step over your dead enemy and look around for his revolver. Just then you hear the angry screams of the mob as it draws closer, and you abandon your search, slamming shut the door and bracing it with a piece of scrap wood. It is a desperate measure and the wood will not hold them for long, but it could buy you the precious seconds you need to get away.
A back alley leads into a side street where, frantically, you search for somewhere safe to hide. An old boarding house opposite looks like the answer to your prayers, and quickly you cross the empty street and enter the building.
The dead bikers sport snake tattoos around their throats, marking them as members of the Arlington Vipers gang. Your colony has encountered many from this gang during the past few months; they often led night raids on the DC1 settlement at McKinney.
In addition to three pistols and a shotgun, which are given to some of the colonists aboard the bus who have no weapons, a search of the bikes and bodies reveals the following items:
If you decide to keep any of these items, remember to amend your Action Chart accordingly. After your exertion, you must now take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 105.
You accelerate a split second before the angry clansman empties his machine pistol into your car in one long burst of fire. The special armour-piercing loads penetrate the rear, many of them passing clean through the trunk and out the far side. Miraculously, you escape with just a grazed rib, the bullet having been stopped by the thickness of your driving seat (lose 2 ENDURANCE points). Had it travelled two inches further it would have severed your spine!
Beyond the door lies a mass of heavy machinery: an engine that once powered a thrilling space ride, which was the biggest attraction of this provincial town park. You glimpse the obsolete engine as you dive and manage to twist aside at the last moment. Although you graze your shoulder (lose 2 ENDURANCE points), you save yourself from crashing head-first against its stainless-steel casing.
As you recover, your hand locates the sharp implement that caused your wound. It is a Crowbar (2). If you wish to keep this item, record it on your Weapons List as a close combat weapon.
All those whose clothes have been set alight by splashes of the burning gasolene-and-oil mixture are dragged away from the blaze and smothered with blankets. Miraculously, nobody is seriously burnt, but the bus itself is still ablaze and the flames and fumes are beginning to spread rapidly towards the front.
If you possess a Fire Extinguisher, turn to 59.
If you do not possess this item, turn to 92.
‘We gotta get out…’ you say, turning towards Long Jake. But your words of warning stick in your throat when you catch sight of him lying on the floor, unmoving, his chest wet with blood. You reach for a Medi-kit and rush to his side, but it is too late; he caught the worst of the shotgun blast and nothing can be done to help him now.
‘Watch the street,’ shouts the girl, as she moves forward to search the body of Long Jake’s killer. ‘This dude you’ve wasted has some real mean kin. They’ll soon get to wonderin’ what’s hap’ning in here and’ll come to check us out.’ She pockets some cartridges, snatches up the killer’s shotgun, and hurriedly reloads it as she moves towards the door. From out of the ruins opposite step three punks armed with pistols. Slowly they advance, their movements stiff with caution.
‘Make a run for the car,’ she says. ‘I’ll cover you.’ You nod in agreement and take a deep breath before launching yourself out of the doorway. The punks stop and shoot wildly at your moving form, but their nerve deserts them when the girl opens fire, and they soon melt away into the ruins. You reach your roadster, start the engine, and then beckon to the girl to follow. The moment she is safely aboard, you drop the clutch and stamp your foot on the gas pedal. The engine roars and the back wheels spin, sending up great clouds of dust and loose stones, but the car does not move forwards. Panic knots your stomach as you feel the rear end snaking sideways—you are losing control. Then the tyres grip the road and you are thrown back in your seat as you screech away, accelerating like a rocket along the main street that leads out of Sherman.
You try to dodge the swathe of bullets, but your reactions are dulled by fatigue and injury and you cannot avoid being hit in the chest and arm: lose 7 ENDURANCE points.
If you are still alive after this grievous wounding, turn to 262.
Despite your anxiety you manage to get a few hours’ sleep before dawn. As the sky brightens, Uncle Jonas voices his fear that the vehicles are far too exposed out on the highway, where they can easily be spotted and will be sure to attract another raid like the one you endured last night at Santo. Cutter agrees, so before you set off for Strawn he fixes a line to the back of the tanker and tows the bus into a nearby gully.
There, Uncle Jonas and the others set to work dismantling the broken steering linkage, while Mountain Goat draws a map of Strawn, showing the location of the truck depot. He hands the sketch to Cutter, and you and he check your equipment and bid farewell to the others before setting off.
Two hours later you catch sight of the fortified town. It is perched on a ridge of high ground and enjoys an unobstructed view over the surrounding land. You note its perimeter wall, constructed of rubble and old cars, and the crudely built watchtowers that command its freeway approaches. It seems to you that it would be impossible for a large group, or even a single vehicle, to approach this town undetected, yet the rocky terrain that surrounds it enables you and Cutter to crawl to within a few hundred yards of the perimeter wall without being seen.
Patiently you observe the inhabitants of Strawn while waiting for night to fall. During your long vigil you must eat a Meal (or lose 3 ENDURANCE points) and take two Drinks (or lose 3 ENDURANCE points per drink missed). You identify two weak links in the defensive wall: one is an alley that services an old shopping mall; the other is a chain-link fence that surrounds a derelict amusement park at the edge of town. Cutter suggests that you enter Strawn separately in order to minimize the risk of being seen then meet at the depot itself. He offers you first choice of approach.
If you wish to enter Strawn via the alley, turn to 103.
If you decide to enter the town via the amusement park, turn to 60.
With your goggles on you are able to discern the dark outline of a toy store directly ahead. You approach and, as you reach its open door, you are relieved to see little Maria sitting cross-legged in the middle of the store. She is playing happily with a large furry bear, totally oblivious to the panic her disappearance has caused.
You radio the good news to Cutter and Kate, and tell them to return to the colony. Then you gather up Maria and her new playmate in your arms, cover her head to protect her from the storm, and switch your transceiver to Uncle Jonas’ signal to guide you back to the school.
You return to the convoy and tell the others the disappointing news that the bridge at Lakeside Village is out. There is only one alternative—the bridge across Lake Worth. As you take your place at the head of the column and lead the convoy along Interstate 820, you can only pray that it has not suffered a similar fate.
In your weakened condition you fail to notice that you are standing at the edge of a gaping hole and, as you shuffle forwards, you tumble straight into it. Automatically you throw out your hands to grasp at anything that will arrest your fall, but before your fingers find purchase, your head glances a supporting beam and you are knocked unconscious.
You fight to control your fear as slowly, inch by inch, you back away from the deadly rattlesnake. You have made a wise move: the snake is terrified and only too eager to escape a confrontation. As soon as it sees you retreating, it too backs off.
As you watch the snake slither away you breathe a deep sigh of relief. You must now take a Drink (or lose 3 ENDURANCE points) before you climb back into your roadster and return to the convoy.
Cutter points to the side of the highway, where a length of crash barrier lies curled and twisted like a petrified metal snake. ‘We could rig that piece to the front of the bus,’ he says, indicating a v-shaped section shorter than the rest, ‘and use it like one o’ those ol’ fashioned batterin’ rams. It’ll protect the engine an’ wheels an’ pack one heck of a punch.’
Uncle Jonas looks sideways at Cutter, his eyes narrowed, his face drawn and serious. Then his expression softens and he starts to laugh. ‘Why, you sly old son of a gun. Trust you to figure out a way.’
Fifteen minutes later, the barrier is firmly roped and braced to the front of the bus. Cutter volunteers to take the wheel and lead the attack, with Uncle Jonas driving the tanker and you bringing up the rear in your roadster. If all goes to plan, the bus will smash through the barricade, leaving a gap wide enough for both the tanker and you to follow in its wake.
As soon as everyone is in position, Cutter gives the signal to move. Fortunately, the bridge is below you, at the bottom of a steep hill, enabling the bus to build up a good speed. Your heart quickens as the convoy gathers pace, and nervously you watch as your speedometer needle moves further around the dial.
The bus is fifty yards from the barricade when the defenders open fire, their automatic weapons filling the air with wave upon wave of lead. The vast bulk of the tanker shields you from this hail of death, but your heart goes out to those aboard the bus who must be bearing the brunt of this withering fire. Then you hear a tremendous crash as the bus slams into the barricade, and moments later you see the tanker shudder as it widens the gap that Cutter has made. It ploughs through with ease, but in doing so, it catches and spins the torn wreckage directly into your path. A cold chill runs down your spine as the twisted wreck of a car comes hurtling towards your windshield.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Driving and Perception skill totals.
If your total is now 0–10, turn to 323.
If your total is now 11–14, turn to 263.
If your total is now 15 or more, turn to 69.
The clansman screams his death-cry and crashes to the ground. Quickly you prise the Machete (3) from his hand and scan the street in search of an escape route. (Remember to record the Machete on your Action Chart.)
Carefully you consider the only two routes that appear open to you. You can either run east along the main street, and back towards your car, retracing the route by which you entered Cross Plains; or you can run in the opposite direction and attempt to hide in the maze of alleys that once serviced the town stores.
If you wish to run east, turn to 110.
If you decide to run west, turn to 321.
You fire and immediately the sniper clutches his chest. (Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.) He gives a loud scream and then tumbles over the parapet, landing with a thud on the sidewalk below. With grim satisfaction you stare at his body, but your gaze is distracted when a column of motorcycles—the main body of the clan—rides into view. They are now less than a mile from the bridge. ‘C’mon, you two!’ shouts Cutter. ‘It’s time to go.’
The tanker has made it across the platform and is now parked with the other vehicles on the far side of the river. You leave the factory and run back towards the bridge. When you reach the position that Kate is defending, you say breathlessly: ‘Set the bomb…I’ll stay here and cover you!’
Tensely you watch the clansmen as they gun their bikes along the freeway, and you glance repeatedly over your shoulder, praying for Kate to signal that the bomb is ready. Then the front line of bikers opens fire with their machine pistols, and suddenly the air is filled with the whine and whistle of bullets. ‘It’s ready!’ shouts Kate and takes off across the bridge at a run.
Add together your current ENDURANCE points score and your Stealth skill total. (Note: If your ENDURANCE score is low and you are heavily encumbered, it may be advisable to discard some of your Backpack Items in order to increase your Stealth skill level).
If your total is 11 or less, turn to 324.
If your total is 12 or more, turn to 200.
Your attacker screams and falls backwards out of the car, disappearing into the cloud of dust that is being kicked up by your heavy-duty racing tyres. But no sooner has one danger passed than another looms into view. The combat has distracted your attention from the land ahead and, as you regain full control of the roadster, you find yourself hurtling straight towards the overturned wreck of an ambulance.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Driving skill total.
If your total is now 3–8, turn to 345.
If it is 9 or more, turn to 95.
Debris from the explosion lies scattered across the ground for hundreds of yards. Cutter is worried that the vehicles may have been wrecked, but after a thorough check the damage is found to be superficial. As soon as the colony is back on board the bus, you slip behind the wheel of your roadster and lead them away from Colorado City. You must now take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
You have been driving for no more than twenty minutes when you see in the distance a small cluster of weathered buildings shimmering in the heat. A sign informs you that you are now approaching the town of Westbrook.
Add your current ENDURANCE points score to your Perception skill total.
If your total score is now 20 or less, turn to 167.
If your total score is now 21 or more, turn to 338.
You watch carefully as the group draws closer, noticing several things that make you feel uneasy. The dogs look much larger than ordinary Alsatians, and flecks of white foam drip from their mouths as they tug and snap repeatedly at their heavy chain leashes. By contrast, the two handlers appear painfully thin and gaunt, the skin on their faces unnaturally pale despite the burning desert sun.
Rather than await their arrival, you decide to return to your roadster and leave, but you have taken barely a dozen steps towards your car when the dogs emit blood-curdling howls and come racing across the rocky ground towards you.
If you possess enough food for three Meals, turn to 133.
If you do not possess this much food, turn to 322.
You grab your rifle, pull back its bolt, and let it spring forward to chamber a round. With the safety off and the tangent sight set at 200 yards, you rest the barrel across the rollbar of your roadster and take aim at your distant target. At this range the figure in black appears little more than 1/16 inch high, but this does not cause you any worries. You are used to hitting targets up to half a mile away, using this rifle.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total. Now decide how many rounds you wish to fire (minimum: one round; maximum: four rounds). For every round you fire, add one point to your current score.
If your total score is now 7 or less, turn to 164.
If it is 8 or more, turn to 58.
You breathe a sigh of relief when you discover that there is an ampoule of anti-toxin in your Medi-kit. Quickly you administer the injection and the pain slowly subsides. As the anti-toxin takes effect, it makes you nauseous, causing you to retch violently: lose 1 ENDURANCE point. Eventually these side effects disappear, but they leave you shaky and dehydrated.
You must now take two Drinks (or lose 6 ENDURANCE points) before you climb back into your roadster and return to the convoy.
The broken ground is illuminated by the full moon but, after a short while, the shadow of Washout Mountain intrudes across your path and soon you find yourself in pitch darkness.
If you possess a Solar Torch, turn to 24.
If you do not possess this item, turn to 117.
Frantically you fumble for the grenade, but in your panic you knock it off the seat and it rolls into the passenger foot well, beyond the reach of your outstretched hand. Suddenly there is a tremendous flash and you are thrown into the air. Then darkness engulfs you and you cease to think or feel or be.
Your journey and your life end here.
You glance over the wing of your car just long enough to pinpoint the muzzle flash; then you duck back and wait for a break in the firing. There is a sudden silence. You chance a second glance and spot a shadowy figure, silhouetted in the window, withdrawing an empty magazine.
If you are using a Pistol, turn to 88.
If you are using a Machine Pistol, turn to 333.
If you are using a Shotgun, turn to 26.
If you are using a Rifle, turn to 40.
You shout at your people to get away from the window as the Maverick hurls his fire-bomb. Their screams of terror fill your ears as they scramble across the seats in a desperate attempt to escape the blast. You hear a sharp crack as the bottle strikes the glass; then there is a brilliant flash of orange and yellow light as it smashes through the window and bursts into flames.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–2, turn to 79.
If the number is 3–9, turn to 197.
The chief smiles as the colour drains from your face; then he motions to his driver who slowly drives him away. The clan continues to dance around you for nearly an hour before dispersing to prepare for your sacrifice. During this time you manage to free one hand, and furtively you work at undoing the buckles of your Backpack.
If you possess a Flexible Saw, turn to 186.
If you possess a Signal Flare, turn to 13.
If you possess neither of these items, turn to 55.
The white plastic tubs are unlike any container you have seen before. You are curious but suspicious: why should they have escaped untouched when everything else in the university has either been looted or destroyed? Rather than risk opening what may turn out to be a tub of hazardous or poisonous chemical, you back away from the crate and leave the basement quickly.
To return to the convoy, turn to 144.
You grab his wrist but you have mistimed your action and you cannot maintain your grip. He breaks free and, with a maniacal scream, plunges the dagger deep into your unprotected chest. Red hot pain fills your body, but the agony is soon replaced by a terrifying numbness. The last thing you see is the triumphant smile fixed on your killer’s face.
Your life and your journey end here.
You are winded by your fall and lie for several minutes staring helplessly at the starry sky. Gradually you recover your senses and manage to pull yourself unsteadily to your feet. A cursory check of your equipment reveals that your CB Radio is smashed to pieces, together with the second Backpack Item listed on your Action Chart (erase both of these items from your list).
As your strength returns, you resolve to climb out of the gully as quickly as you can.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Stealth and Field Craft skill totals.
If your total score is now 10 or less, turn to 80.
If your total score is now 11 or more, turn to 12.
You enter the derelict factory and take up your position at a top floor window that overlooks both the freeway and the bridge. Below you can see Kate. She is crouching behind the auto wreck with a rifle in her hands. Nervously you count the passing seconds, your eyes fixed on the road.
The first of the Lions appears: it is a motorcycle and sidecar. A lion’s head flag flutters from an aerial fixed to the rider’s saddle, and a heavy-calibre machine gun is mounted in front of his partner’s chair. As soon as they see the tanker they open fire, sending a stream of tracer bullets arcing towards the bridge. The fiery shells tear great holes in the asphalt and riddle Kate’s position, but bravely she holds her ground. You rest your weapon on the window ledge and watch the enemy vehicle through your gunsight as it speeds towards the bridge. You are about to fire when a single shot echoes along the street, and you see the rider throw his hands up to his face. Seconds later the speeding machine careers off the road, slams into the wall of an office building, and explodes in a searing ball of flame.
With grim satisfaction you stare at the burning wreckage, but your gaze is soon distracted by something moving across the roof of the building opposite. It is a clansman, dressed wholly in black leather and wearing a visored crash helmet. He stops at the corner, unslings a rifle, and takes careful aim at the bridge. Your pulse quickens when you see that the barrel of his gun is pointing directly at Kate.
If the gun you are holding is a Pistol, turn to 124.
If it is a Machine Pistol, turn to 2.
If it is a Rifle, turn to 145.
If it is a Shotgun, turn to 214.
You wait until the man is about to jump; then you brake heavily and swerve towards the motorcycle. The rider senses your move and stamps on the rear brake, locking his back wheel and slewing his machine sideways along the road. The passenger is sent flying. He hurtles through the air like a rock from a catapult, and crashes against the trunk of your car with a sickening thud. You hear him groan and catch a glimpse of his body in your rear-view mirror, lying broken on the stony ground as you accelerate away towards the ridge. The other bikers lose interest and soon give up the chase. They return to the town, pausing only to curse and fire a few ill-aimed shots at your back as you make your escape.
Fortunately, the injuries you sustained during your fight with the rabid dog were caused by rough contact with the road surface, and not by contact with the animal’s infected fangs. You check yourself carefully, cutting away any parts of your clothing that show traces of the deadly saliva.
You drop your containers and slide down the slope, riding the loose shale feet-first. As you near the bottom you dig in your heels, using the speed of your descent to lever you forwards into a perfect dive. You reach Kate in a matter of seconds, but she is struggling so fiercely that it takes many minutes before you are able to get hold of her and swim towards the shallows. Eventually, breathless and bedraggled, you crawl out of the water and collapse side by side on the muddy shore.
‘The hell you will!’ shouts Cutter in reply, and looses off a round from his old Colt .45 to reinforce his answer. You glance over the top of the slope and try to estimate the enemy’s strength. The punks are well hidden but three motorcycles are visible in the distance. ‘It’s a bluff’, you whisper. ‘I reckon there can only be six of them at most.’
The muffled sounds of crying can be heard aboard the bus as the children take fright at the unexpected sound of gunfire. Uncle Jonas and Harvey Harlan, known affectionately as ‘Hammer Harlan’ by the rest of DC1, jump out of the boarding door and run towards you, both of them cradling loaded shotguns. Hurriedly you make a plan: Uncle Jonas, Kate, and Hammer will stay here and give covering fire while you and Cutter circle around behind the punks’ positions and attempt to flush them out into the open. It is a bold move but one that must be attempted. If the punks manage to pin you down until more of their gang arrive, the fate of the convoy will be sealed.
If you possess a Shotgun, turn to 37.
If you do not possess this missile weapon, turn to 208.
Instantly you drop to the ground and take cover behind the engine compartment of your car. A glance over the hood invites another shot; it passes within inches of your scalp and makes you duck, but not before you notice the muzzle flash of the sniper’s gun. The ambusher is hiding in the doorway of a diner on the other side of the highway. Two motorcycles are parked at the side of the building, indicating that he is not alone.
If you possess a CB Radio, turn to 116.
If you do not possess this item, turn to 99.
Cutter helps you to hide the clansman’s body in the trunk before returning to the front of the bus to finish his work. Meanwhile, you search inside and find an old tool bag that looks ideal for transporting the heavy linkage. Cutter completes the job and stows the linkage in the bag. Together you carry it out of the service bay and across the parking lot towards the exit.
Weighed down by the heavy load, you find it impossible to move quickly and your escape from Strawn takes several hours to accomplish. You manage to avoid the Skull clan’s perimeter patrols, but it is not until mid-morning of the following day that eventually you arrive back at the colony.
As you close in on them, the machine gunner unsheathes a hunting knife and runs forward to meet your advance. He curses vilely as he sweeps the blade through an arc towards your throat. You back away and avoid its razor-sharp tip, but the Maverick follows up his advantage and lunges at your heart.
Warhol: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 26
If you win the combat, turn to 350.
An eerie silence is broken by Long Jake, who shouts out, ‘ ’Taint over yet, Cal. There’s more of them damn peckerwoods hidin’ out there somewhere!’ As if to prove his point, two single shots ring out, almost simultaneously, and ricochet off the storehouse wall. ‘Watch your sides,’ Jake yells. ‘Don’t let ’em circle you.’
You sense someone, or something, moving among the ruined shops away to your right. They are trying to get into a position where they will have a clear shot at you. If you are to survive this ambush you had better find somewhere less exposed.
If you wish to make a dash for the store, turn to 126.
If you decide to jump into your roadster and take off along the main street, turn to 142.
A violent gust blows you off your feet and rolls you along the ground. Wearily you rise to your knees and radio Cutter for assistance, telling him what you have heard. He replies that it was probably a trick of the storm, and that you must continue the search or, if the wind is too strong in your area, abandon it and return to the school. Less than a minute later you hear the voice again, and desperately you try to pinpoint its source.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Perception skill total.
If your total score is now 10 or less, turn to 67.
If your total score is now 11 or more, turn to 199.
‘Better set up your transceiver before you go, Cal,’ says Pop Ewell, ‘so’s you can call us if you get in a fix.’
‘Use the 153 megahertz band,’ says Cutter. ‘We’ll have someone here listenin’ out for you the whole time you’re away.’
You set your radio to the chosen frequency and make sure there is sufficient power left in its miniaturized solar-pac before you get ready to leave.
‘Good luck, boy,’ says Uncle Jonas, as you switch on your ignition and check your instrumentation. ‘Don’t take no unnecessary risks, y’hear!’
With a wave, you bid him farewell, before accelerating the roadster along the highway that leads to Mineral Wells.
You draw back the bolt of your G-12 and shout at your people to get away from the window as you hurriedly take aim at the rider’s chest.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your Shooting skill total.
If your total score is 8 or less, turn to 340.
If your total score is 9 or more, turn to 302.
The steel door appears to be held shut by an electronic lock. You suspect it to be jammed, its power source run down long ago, but as soon as you run your fingers over the keypad, an LED display glows into life above it.
Eleven numbers appear, arranged in three horizontal rows. There are four numbers on the top row, four on the second, and three on the third:
| 8 | 7 | 9 | 6 |
| 94 | 20 | 37 | 77 |
| 52 | 57 | 11 | — |
You study the rows of numbers carefully, looking for a pattern. By tapping on the keypad the number that is missing from the last row, you will release the lock and open the door.
When you think you know the missing number turn to the entry that bears that number.9
If you cannot work out the correct answer, turn to 194.
As your fingers close around the chief’s wrist, you twist his hand aside with all the strength you can muster. He screams in frustration and tries to counter your unexpected move by grabbing at your throat with his free hand. In the desperate struggle the blade passes within an inch of your chest. He tightens his grip until you can no longer breathe, but you fight tenaciously to maintain your hold. The tip of the dagger wavers, dangerously close, and then jerks upwards and cuts through your bonds. Instinctively you lash out with your freed hand and knock the chief down with a forceful punch to the jaw. By the time he has recovered and staggered to his feet, you have stripped away the remaining ropes and freed yourself from the totem. He still holds the dagger, but he is alone—his clansmen are deeply entranced and oblivious to the struggle that is taking place before them.
‘Heng will be appeased!’ screams the chief, and lunges once more at your heart.
Chief Drawoher: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 28
If you win the combat, turn to 136.
‘You’ll never regret this,’ he says, excitedly, and scurries away to the rear of the cave to collect his meagre belongings. He reappears a few minutes later with a tattered rucksack on his back, and offers to lead the way down the steep hill. During the descent he tells you that Strawn is the next town due northwest. Before ‘The Day’, a large service depot that repaired buses and trucks was located there. If the part you need still exists, the service depot at Strawn is the place where you are most likely to find it.
Upon reaching the bus, you find that the reaction of the colony to Mountain Goat is less than enthusiastic. Most, especially the women, are horrified at the thought of having to share the bus with a smelly, flea-ridden hermit, and angrily they voice their protest.
Not until they have heard how he can help to get the bus moving again do they change their minds.
‘Where is this depot?’ asks Cutter.
‘It’s six miles northwest o’ here,’ pipes Mountain Goat, eager to appear helpful.
‘Good. At first light, Cal can drive us there and you can help locate the part we need.’
‘Mmmm…OK,’ replies Mountain Goat, hesitantly, ‘but first I think there’s something y’all should know.’
You attempt to dodge the gunfire, but your legs are too weak to propel you quickly enough. Three of the six shots hit you in the body, wounding you fatally. As your life’s blood ebbs away and darkness encroaches, you see the flash of the explosion that destroys your roadster.
Tragically, your journey and your life end here at Lake Sweetwater.
Suddenly your fingers go numb as the biker lashes out at your hand with the heel of his boot, sending your pistol spinning high into the air. You curse the loss of a good weapon (remember to delete this Pistol from your list of missile weapons), and fumble for your Hunting Knife as your attacker gets ready to leap into the seat beside you.
Bronx: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 26
Because of your numb hand and your need to remain in control of the roadster throughout this combat, reduce your CLOSE COMBAT SKILL by 4 points for the duration of the fight.
If you win and the fight lasts four rounds or less, turn to 187.
If you win and the fight lasts five rounds or more, turn to 230.
Instinctively you dive away from the window, your speedy reactions saving you from being cut down by the swathe of bullets. Then you hear a man scream and abruptly the firing ceases. You chance a glance out of the window to see the sniper falling from the parapet, clutching at his chest as he crashes to the sidewalk below. With a smile you signal a thumbs-up to Kate and she returns your thanks with a wave of her rifle.
A few minutes later a column of motorcycles—the main body of the clan—rides into view. They are now less than a mile from the bridge, ‘C’mon you two!’ shouts Cutter. ‘It’s time to go.’
The tanker has made it across the platform and is now parked with the other vehicles on the far side of the river. You leave the factory and run back towards the bridge. When you reach the position that Kate is defending, you say breathlessly: ‘Set the bomb…I’ll stay here and cover you!’
Tensely you watch the clansmen as they gun their bikes along the freeway, and you glance repeatedly over your shoulder, praying for Kate to signal that the bomb is ready. Then the front line of bikers opens fire with their machine pistols, and suddenly the air is filled with the whine and whistle of bullets. ‘It’s ready!’ shouts Kate and takes off across the bridge at a run.
Add together your current ENDURANCE points score and your stealth skill total. (Note: if your ENDURANCE score is low and you are heavily encumbered, it may be advisable to discard some of your Backpack Items in order to increase your Stealth skill level.)
If your total is 11 or less, turn to 324.
If your total is 12 or more, turn to 200.
You snatch your Beretta 92 from its holster and flick back the safety as you level it at the leading dog. You take aim between its wild, feral eyes, but as you squeeze the trigger it leaps up and your bullet strikes low, catching it in the throat. (Remember to deduct a round of 9mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.) The dog crashes to the ground, mortally wounded, yet the others continue to advance, undeterred. They leap across the body of their injured brother and hurl themselves at your chest.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total. Now decide how many rounds you wish to fire at the remaining dogs (minimum: one round; maximum: five rounds. Remember to deduct this number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch). For every round you fire, add 1 point to your score.
If your total score is now 10 or less, turn to 64.
If your total score is now 11 or more, turn to 190.
You stagger forwards, grimly determined to prevent them from abducting Kate, despite the agony of your wounds.
If you possess a missile weapon, turn to 132.
If you do not possess a missile weapon, or if you do not have sufficient ammunition to use it, turn to 250.
You scream as you pull on the wheel in the desperate hope of avoiding the wreck that is now spinning towards your car. There is a violent jolt, and you are flung against the dashboard as the wreck clips the side of your vehicle and cartwheels into the lake: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.
Dazed and bloodied by the injury to your face, you fight to regain control of your car as it veers wildly from side to side.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Driving skill total.
If the total is now 6 or less, turn to 52.
If the total is now 7 or more, turn to 278.
Carefully, you push the barrel of your rifle through the bush and flick the adjustable rear sight to a range setting of sixty yards. The wooden stock feels uncomfortably warm against your cheek as you take aim at the running clansman. Holding your breath, slowly you squeeze the trigger.
Add your Shooting skill total to your current ENDURANCE points score.
If your total score is now 7 or less, turn to 96.
If your total score is now 8 or more, turn to 77.
You try to dodge aside but the front wheel of the motorcycle runs over your right calf, forcing you to the ground with a painful jolt: lose 4 ENDURANCE points.
Gritting your teeth against the pain, you manage to roll under the tanker and crouch beside the rear axle.
In the flickering light of the campfire you see two bikers skid to a halt, and then hurriedly step away from their machines. Both draw knives as they run towards the open door of the bus.
If you wish to unshoulder a weapon and open fire on the bikers, turn to 206.10
If you choose to leap to your feet and try to intercept them before they enter the bus, turn to 129.
Your quick, defensive action has saved you from a venomous bite. Your blow causes the rattlesnake to fall limply to the ground, unconscious. Before it revives, you move forward and finish it with a crushing blow to the head; then you step back and wipe the sweat from your forehead with the back of your hand.
You must now take a Drink (or lose 3 ENDURANCE points) before you climb back into your roadster and return to the convoy.
‘What is it?’ you ask, curiously.
‘The guy you killed back there in the store, the one who wasted Long Jake, well, his name was Stinger,’ she replies, as if the name should mean something to you.
‘So, what of it?’ you say, quizzically.
‘Well…he was Mad Dog Michigan’s brother. When the others report what has happened to him, Mad Dog’s gonna be after us for sure. The guy’s a psycho. Believe me; I know. He’ll stop at nothing to get even.’
You draw a breath through clenched teeth, check that the safety catch is off, and then focus your aim near the centre of the driver’s crash helmet.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If your total score is now 9 or less, turn to 172.
If your total score is now 10 or more, turn to 23.
Unfortunately, the stores show signs of having been looted recently. Lockers, drums, and crates that were once full of spares and munitions lie discarded in heaps on the floor. You climb across the debris, searching among the empty ammunition lockers. After nearly an hour of painstaking work, you manage to find just three rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, and a Hammer (2).
If you wish to keep these items, amend your Weapons List and Ammo Pouch accordingly.
To leave the stores, turn to 123.
You lead the convoy along the split and cratered surface of State Highway 571, across a wasteland of bleached hills and scorched scrub. In the distance you see mountains—the twin summits of Caddo Peaks and the craggy outline of Spring Mesa—standing sharp and clear against the backdrop of a cloudless sky. By mid-afternoon the temperature has climbed to 110° Fahrenheit, and the combined effects of the heat and poor road surface begin to take their toll. Two miles inside Comanche County, the tanker is forced to halt with an overheated engine. Luckily, the breakdown occurs within sight of the Sabana River, now little more than a torpid stream, and enough water is soon collected to enable the tanker to continue. (If you wish, you can refill your Water Canteen at the river at the cost of one Medi-kit unit.)
Gradually the road turns westwards and climbs towards high plains country. Then, as you approach the outskirts of a town called Rising Star, Cutter signals to you to stop. ‘We’ve got six people down with heat exhaustion, and four more on the brink,’ he says, his face awash with sweat. ‘We’ve got to get ’em out of this travelling oven and let ’em rest awhile in the shade.’
You suggest that the convoy waits in Rising Star while you go on ahead to make sure that Cross Plains is safe to enter. By the time you have checked it out and returned, the worst of the afternoon heat will have passed and the colony will be in better shape to continue. Before you leave for Cross Plains you must take a drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. Unless you possess a tub of Salt, you must reduce your current ENDURANCE total by 4 points, due to excessive salt loss.
After two hours of painfully slow driving, the convoy reaches the far side of the lake, only to discover a hostile reception awaiting it. Just as you had suspected, the spy you saw earlier was a city gang member, one of a group of bikers out foraging for food. He has alerted the others in his group and now they lie in ambush, like a pack of hungry jackals, waiting for the convoy to come within range of their guns.
You have just cleared the top of the slope that marks the old shoreline of Lake Lewisville when the bikers make their presence felt. A volley of shots ricochets off the hood and side of your roadster, forcing you to swerve to a halt. Grabbing your gun, you leap out of the car and scream a warning to the others as you take cover at the edge of the lake. Cutter and Kate come running up the slope to join you but, just as they reach your side, a harsh voice yells out: ‘There are more than thirty of us here and we’re armed to the teeth. You don’t stand a chance. Throw down your weapons and surrender and we’ll spare your lives!’
You summon every ounce of your strength to save yourself from falling under the wheels of the bus. Painfully, you pull yourself aboard and, as you stagger up the short flight of steps towards the driver’s seat, you see Cutter locked in a vicious struggle with a blond-haired Maverick, who is trying desperately to wrestle the wheel from his hands.
As you approach, the Maverick releases Cutter and tries to grab you by the throat.
Emteevee: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 25
If you win the combat, turn to 70.
You manage to avoid two more patrols before escaping from the mall and meeting up with Cutter at the truck depot. You are both relieved to discover the place empty and unguarded, and quickly you make your way to the stores building. You find the records office, but without electricity you cannot access the computer files to pinpoint the exact location of the spare you need. With mounting fear you realize that in order to find a new steering linkage you will have to search every one of the 1,600 storage bays that occupy the building.
‘We’ll be here forever if we have to search the shelves,’ you whisper.
‘I guess you’re right,’ replies Cutter, ‘but I think I know a quicker way of finding what we need. Follow me.’
Intrigued by Cutter’s reply, you follow him out of the stores building, across a parking lot and into another section of the depot that is marked:
After searching four of the dozen service bays, finally he discovers what he is looking for: a school bus. ‘Cal, you keep y’eyes open while I strip the linkage out o’ this baby. Give me an hour an’ we’ll be on our way.’
Nervously you stand guard at the door to the service bay while Cutter works. All is quiet until, forty minutes later, you see something moving among the vehicles on the far side of the parking lot: it is a drunken clansman. Slowly he staggers nearer, taking alternating gulps from the bottles clutched in either hand. He is about to pass on his way when Cutter drops a spanner. The ringing noise pierces his drunken stupor and prompts him to investigate.
‘Trouble on its way!’ you whisper to Cutter, but your warning is too late. A moment later, the clansman comes lurching through the open door, brandishing his bottles like clubs. He sees you and screams an oath as he gets ready to launch his attack.
Chickamauga: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 28
If you win the combat, turn to 249.
As you are walking back to your roadster, you fail to hear the warning rattle of a diamondback rattlesnake that is lying coiled among the rocks immediately in your path. When you step on its perfectly camouflaged body, it lunges, sinks its fangs into your left leg, and then slips away before you have a chance to retaliate.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it the number of Medi-kit units you currently possess.
If your total score is now 11 or less, turn to 106.
If your total score is now 12 or more, turn to 45.
Your enemy’s reactions are lightning fast. He throws himself down behind the window and your gunfire passes harmlessly through the now empty frame. (Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.) An instant later, the unexpected sound of running feet makes you spin on your heel. A leather-clad punk, his skull shaved and sprayed with rings of metallic brown paint, is charging at you from the ruins with a knife held high in his hand. You raise your weapon, but before you can squeeze the trigger, he dives full length and catches you in the chest with the crown of his head. His attack slams you backwards to the ground and, gasping for breath, you struggle to grab hold of his wrist before he can make use of his deadly blade.
Copperhead: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 24
Owing to the suddenness of his attack, you must fight the first two rounds of combat unarmed and with your CLOSE COMBAT SKILL reduced by 2 points. If you are still alive at the start of the third combat round, you will then be able to draw your Hunting Knife.
If you win the fight, turn to 63.
You pull the pin and hurl your grenade through the open window. It bounces noisily on the tiled floor of the diner, startling the men and causing them to cry out in surprise. Moments later their cries are lost amid the deafening roar of an explosion. Silence follows but you wait for the acrid smoke to clear before venturing inside to see what remains of your would-be killers.
You are about to pick up and inspect one of the empty cartridge cases when you hear something moving above you. Immediately you dive to your left, acting purely on instinct, a reflex that saves you from being caught beneath a heavy rope net dropped from the roof to the sheriff’s office by two thin-faced punks. It falls, smothering the ground where, only seconds before, you were standing.
The silence is shattered by a riot of noise as a dozen clansmen rush out of the surrounding buildings, screaming and brandishing an assortment of weapons. Escape is your only thought as they start to close in, and swiftly you jump to your feet and race towards an alley that runs alongside the sheriff’s office. Bullets ricochet off the wall as you turn the corner, urging you to quicken your pace, but you are brought to a sudden halt when you see that the alley is a dead end. With a howling, bloodthirsty mob in hot pursuit, you search desperately for a way out.
You can see only two routes that offer an exit from this alley. One is an iron staircase—the rusty remains of an old fire escape—that leads to the roof of a warehouse; the other is a door at ground level that leads into the same building.
If you wish to climb the staircase to the roof, turn to 173.
If you decide to enter the door at ground level, turn to 81.
The rear of your car judders as it scrapes along the parapet of the bridge, yet, despite the rough ride and the stinging pain of your facial wounds, you manage to regain control of the roadster and steer it towards the rear of the convoy.
Two shots are fired almost simultaneously, filling the bar with a deafening explosion of noise. They rip open the front of the counter less than five feet from where you are crouching, bringing down most of the rickety shelves that line the back wall. Amid a cascade of bottles and glasses, you scurry towards the end of the counter, your eyes fixed on a door situated beneath the staircase. Above it, an unlit sign reads:
‘I reckon this constitutes an emergency,’ you mutter, as you get ready to break cover and run towards the door. Just as you are about to leave your hand brushes against the stock of a sawn-off shotgun that is lying on a shelf beneath the counter. Both hammers are cocked and the chamber tags show that both barrels are loaded.
If you wish to take this weapon, turn to 176.
If you decide to ignore it, turn to 84.
You return to the school in time to see Kate handing little Maria back to her parents. Juan and Rosita Rodriguez cannot thank her enough, and everyone else, including yourself, is full of praise for her. As the excitement begins to wane, Cutter approaches and asks you to brave the storm once more, this time to retrieve food and other vital supplies from the bus. Willingly you agree.
‘This is one heck of a blue norther,’ he says, as you climb aboard the bus. ‘Reckon it could hold us here for a day or two before it blows itself out.’ ‘I sure hope you’re wrong,’ you reply, as you prise open the floor hatch that gives access to the luggage hold from inside the bus. ‘Take a look at this.’ A fetid smell rises from the compartment: the smell of rotten food. ‘Dadburn it! That’s all we need right now!’ exclaims Cutter, as he examines the swollen food parcels at arm’s length. ‘The heat’s put paid to these rations. Now we’re really in for a hard time.’
The colony reacts to the news of the spoiled food with silent disbelief. What little that can be saved is carefully shared out, but it amounts to barely a day’s rations per person. ‘If we don’t find some food to replace what we’ve lost,’ says Aunt Betty-Ann, as she distributes the last of the stone-hard bread. ‘It’ll be a convoy of skeletons that drives into Big Spring.’
‘Well, at least we’ve got enough water,’ replies Pop Ewell. ‘We can live for three weeks without food, but we’d all be dead in three days without water.’
Some people save their ration but you decide to eat yours before finally settling down to sleep (if you currently have food in your Backpack you must now erase it; all food, including personal supply, was pooled before distribution).
The sudden glint of sunlight on glass alerts you to a potential danger. Two hundred yards away to your left, on a ridge of high ground that overlooks the lake, you see a dark figure crouching beside a petrified tree, observing your progress through a telescope. The only people likely to be in this area are scouts or food foragers from one of the Fort Worth street gangs. If this spy manages to alert his gang, the colony might never make it out of Lake Lewisville alive.
If you have a missile weapon and wish to use it, turn to 14.
If you decide to go after the spy on foot, turn to 115.
If you choose to ignore the spy and continue crossing the lake, turn to 271.
The gunshots are unbearably loud in the confines of the diner. A starburst of pain explodes in your head: you have been hit in the face by two 9mm bullets. They penetrate your skull, causing death instantly.
Tragically, your journey and your life end here at Westbrook.
A cold sweat bathes your face as you rip open your Medi-kit and inspect the vaccines and serums. Fear turns to panic when you discover that you have no Dysalomine, the anti-rabies vaccine. Terrified of what will happen to you if you are unable to find some Dysalomine in the next few days, you jump into your roadster and race back to the colony.
Your worst fears are realized when you discover that there is no Dysalomine aboard the bus. Immediately, Uncle Jonas organizes a search of nearby towns in the hope of discovering a supply in a hospital or derelict drug store, but all attempts prove fruitless.
Ten days later, unable to drink due to fever and muscle spasms, you slip into a coma from which you never regain consciousness.
Your life and your journey end here.
It takes half an hour to reach Santo and rendezvous with the colony. They have set up camp on a knoll of bare ground that overlooks a watercourse known as Pinto Creek, now completely dry. Uncle Jonas orders that the vehicles be drawn into a circle, like a ring of wagons in the Wild West, to offer the best protection against the threat of a night raid. Lots are drawn to see who will stand the first watch; unfortunately, you pick the shortest straw.
It is an hour after midnight when you spot a cluster of lights in the middle distance. The bikers are less than a mile away to the east, and approaching at speed. With only a few minutes at most before they reach the camp, you sound the alarm.
Like a pack of screaming demons the marauding bikers descend on the convoy, shooting wildly as they weave in and out of the circle. One of the bikers guns his machine towards you, forcing you to dive aside to avoid being ridden down. You are staggering to your feet when another attacks you from behind.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Stealth skill total.
If your total is now 9 or less, turn to 265.
If your total is now 10 or more, turn to 289.
Once more you glance in your mirror and see the biker coax his machine into your slipstream. Behind him the convoy is barely visible; the bus and tanker cannot match the speed that you have maintained in your race against the clansmen. Then you see your enemy reaching inside his leather jacket. He withdraws a grenade, pulls out the safety pin with his teeth, and gets ready to lob it into your car. Immediately you stamp on the brake pedal and fight with the steering wheel to keep the roadster in a straight line as it screeches to a halt. A moment later there is at tremendous jolt as the clansman crashes into the rear of your car. An instant later he somersaults over your head, wide-eyed with terror, before disappearing behind the central crash barrier that divides the freeway. A muffled boom and a plume of dust mark the violent demise of yet another Detroit Lion.
You race up the carpeted stairs, but as you reach the top you are confronted by two savage-looking women, both armed with knives. For a moment they stare at you with hatred blazing from their eyes; then simultaneously they emit a hideous shriek and launch themselves upon you.
Lipsync: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 12 ENDURANCE 18
Catsup: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 11 ENDURANCE 20
You must fight each of these women in turn. Owing to the speed and ferocity of their attack, you are unable to use a missile weapon.
If you win both combats and together they take seven rounds or less to complete, turn to 3.
If the combats take eight or more rounds to complete when added together, turn to 316.
Steering with only your left hand, you snatch your Beretta auto from your shoulder holster with your right hand and thumb back its safety catch. The ruins are beginning to thin out and, as you hit the stony, pot-holed wasteland that surrounds the town, you dare not take your eyes off the ground ahead for fear of crashing. Without turning your head, you point your pistol over your shoulder and squeeze the trigger in the hope of hitting your attacker.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting and Perception skill totals. For every bullet you decide to fire, add an additional point to your total (but be sure to erase them from your Ammo Pouch).11
If your total score is now 13 or less, turn to 259.
If it is 14 or more, turn to 174.
The roar of 100 motorcycle engines fills the air as the Detroit Lions come racing along the freeway into Colorado City. ‘Y’better take this, Cal,’ says Kate, handing you a Rifle that she found while you were away. ‘I think you’ll be needin’ it real soon.’ You draw back the bolt and work a cartridge into the breech, noting that there are only two 7.62mm rounds remaining in the magazine (remember to record all three of these 7.62mm rounds—one in the breech and two in the magazine—in the Ammo Pouch section of your Action Chart).
‘You gotta hold ’em off until we’ve got this baby across,’ shouts Cutter, as he waves frantic signals to Uncle Jonas, who is having to fight to keep the tanker in a straight line. The sight of the makeshift platform sagging under the weight of the heavy vehicle makes your stomach churn.
‘You can count on it!’ you shout in reply; then you turn and follow Kate as she runs back towards the town.
As you reach the end of the bridge you notice two ideal defensive positions. One is a three-storey factory that overlooks the freeway; the other is an auto wreck overturned on the approach ramp to the bridge.
If you wish to hide behind the auto wreck, turn to 332.
If you decide to take cover inside the factory, turn to 243.
The speed of your reactions saves you from the wheels of the motorcycle. You hit the ground, roll over to lessen the impact, and then take cover beneath the belly of the tanker. In the flickering light of the campfire you see two bikers skid to a halt then hurriedly step away from their machines. Both draw knives as they run towards the open door of the bus.
If you wish to unshoulder a weapon and open fire on the bikers, turn to 206.12
If you choose to leap to your feet and try to intercept them before they enter the bus, turn to 129.
You throw yourself forward and your swift reflexes save you from being cut in half by a swathe of bullets. As you rise to your feet once more, the shooting stops with a dull click, a sound that tells you that the gun is now empty.
If you have a missile weapon and wish to use it, turn to 132.
If you do not have a missile weapon, or if you do not have sufficient ammunition to use it, turn to 250.
No sooner has the first dog fallen dead at your feet, than another is leaping through the air towards your chest.
Second Rabid Dog: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 28
If you win the combat, turn to 113.
You reach for your weapon as the Maverick clansman draws back his arm to hurl the Molotov cocktail.
If you are using a Pistol, turn to 108.
If you are using a Rifle, turn to 41.
If you are using a Machine Pistol, turn to 254.
If you are using a Shotgun, turn to 159.
Guided by instinct alone, you swing your gun around and squeeze the trigger. At the same time, the double muzzle flash of your enemy’s weapon lights up the store, and you cry out in pain as a fistful of birdshot clips your right shoulder: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Your wound is superficial. However, your enemy is not so lucky. Your gunfire hits him squarely in the chest, killing him instantly.
Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.
A solitary open window, criss-crossed with pitted steel bars, provides the only source of light and ventilation in the cell. Standing on the edge of the wooden bunk you are able to peer through the bars at an alleyway that runs along the rear of the building. But without your weapons, or any other means of dislodging the bars, you cannot hope to escape this way.
An hour later you hear your captors laughing in the corridor outside. A key rattles in the lock and the cell door swings back to reveal a barrel-chested clansman, clad in a suit of black leather, which is adorned with sharpened metal studs. He fixes you with his small, bloodshot eyes and sneers contemptuously.
‘You scoutin’ for the Skulls, ain’t you, boy?’ he says, his hand caressing the butt of a pistol that is holstered on his hip. ‘That ’roach Alcatraz sent you here t’check us out, didn’t he?’ Resentful mutterings fill the corridor outside, urging the beady-eyed clansman to settle the matter by shooting you.
‘Do I look like a Skull?’ you ask, defensively.
‘Maybe not,’ he growls, ‘but if you ain’t a Skull, what you doing nosin’ around Albany?’
You choose your words with care, managing to convince the clansman and his cohorts that you are a loner, desperately short of food and water, who ran across their town by chance and decided to enter in search of supplies. The clansman, who calls himself Manhattan, seems impressed by your story and invites you to join his gang, which is known as the ‘Kickers’. You have little option but to accept his invitation in the hope that once you are released from the cell you will be able to escape.
‘Good!’ snarls Manhattan. He informs his men of your decision and orders them to make preparations for ‘the Rite’. When you ask what ‘the Rite’ is, he narrows his eyes and sniggers. ‘You must earn the right to become a Kicker,’ he says, grimly. ‘You must prove to us that you are worthy.’
As soon as Cutter has the engine running smoothly and everyone is back on board the bus, you return to your roadster and lead them west to Weatherford.
As the afternoon wears on, the rays of the sun cast a blood-red hue on the surrounding landscape. Ahead, the freeway cuts a straight line due west, towards the high peaks of the Edwards Plateau that pierce the horizon like a row of sharpened flints, jagged and blue. You stare into the distance, trying to relax and not think about the dangers you have faced today, or the unknown perils that lie ahead.
An hour later you catch sight of Weatherford and signal the convoy to stop. You are hungry and must now eat a Meal or lose 3 ENDURANCE points. Despite the delays, the convoy is making better time than expected, and with at least an hour of light still remaining, it is decided that it would be best to press on to the next town and make camp there overnight.
You are finishing your food when suddenly Pop Ewell calls to everyone to hurry to the bus. He has located a broadcast on his CB radio set, and he is as excited as a youngster on Christmas morning. ‘Listen to this,’ he says, holding up the earphones. A faint call sign can be heard above the crackle of static, broadcasting the same message repeatedly: ‘Radio KLFM. Mineral Wells…Radio KLFM. Mineral Wells…’
‘That’s a town about twenty-five miles northwest o’ here,’ says Cutter, scratching his scalp. ‘It’s not where we’re planned on headin’ but it would be worth checking out.’
If you wish to volunteer to go to Mineral Wells and investigate the source of the radio broadcast, turn to 74.
If you choose to ignore the broadcast and insist that the convoy continues along its chosen route, turn to 93.
Bullets whistle across the open ground, hitting the side of the bus with a ringing whine. Silhouetted against the skyline, the convoy makes an easy target for whoever is firing at you from the town. Anxious for the safety of the colony, you search for cover and see a shallow gully away to your right. Immediately you steer the convoy towards it. The sides of the depression hide the vehicles from view and enable you to bypass Westbrook safely and continue along the freeway.
Carefully, Kate examines a package she has removed from the saddle-bag. It is about the size of a man’s shoe, covered with a shiny black plastic wrapping, and has a keypad and timer attached to its side.
‘Well, it looks like we got ourselves one mighty big fire-cracker here,’ she says, offering it to you for inspection.
‘What is it?’ you ask.
‘About seven pounds of military grade Zevatec explosive; enough to make a hole the size of this lake.’
‘That’s some fire-cracker!’ you reply, uneasily.
‘Don’t worry, it’s safe,’ she assures you, taking the explosive from your trembling hands. ‘I saw the Lions use this stuff in Oklahoma. It’s as stable as clay until you prime and time it, then…boom! I think I’ll hang on to it. It could come in useful.’ She slips the Zevatec into her bag and then walks back towards the lake.
‘C’mon Cal,’ she says. ‘We’d better hustle that water. When that scout gets back to the Lions, Mad Dog’s gonna be hot on our heels.’
You fill the containers13 and hurry back to Sweetwater as fast as you can. When you tell Uncle Jonas what has happened at the lake, he cancels the food search and recalls everyone to the bus. As soon as all are safely aboard, you head back onto the freeway and begin the sixty-six mile journey to Big Spring.
Cautiously, you drive through the centre of the town, your nerves like coiled springs as you scour every inch of the ruins for some sign of life. Having reached the far side of Denton and seen nothing untoward, you decide to turn your car around and head back towards the convoy. Then you hear the sound of motorcycle engines being kicked into life, and suddenly three bikes burst out of a wooden building near the centre of the town and come racing towards you, their riders whooping like Red Indians. All three machines are carrying pillion passengers who are armed with an assortment of weapons. As the first bike draws level, its passenger gets ready to leap into the seat beside you.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table, and add to it your current Driving skill total.
If your total is now 0–10, turn to 76.
If it is 11 or more, turn to 244.
You pull your T-shirt up to cover your nose and mouth before venturing out into the storm. Visibility is less than five yards and, with the dust constantly gusting into your eyes, you must rely heavily on your sense of hearing for some indication of the child’s location. Repeatedly you call out her name, hoping she will reply, yet all you hear is the incessant howling of the wind.
A wide avenue leads you to a baseball park on the edge of the school grounds. For a few seconds the wind drops and you are able to see a small grocery store on the other side of the avenue, its front door hanging off its hinges. You can make out a thin, faint sound coming from inside the store.
You run towards the entrance, eager to get inside before the wind picks up and you lose sight of the building altogether. The stench of rotting food assails your nostrils the moment you enter the store, making your stomach churn, but you force yourself to ignore it and continue your search. You call Maria’s name and hear the sound again: it is coming from behind the cellar door. In the eerie half-light you find the latch and lift it. ‘Don’t be afraid, Maria. It’s Cal,’ you say, hoping to reassure and comfort the girl, but when you push open the door it is not little Maria who greets you.
A seething flood of squealing rats swarms out of the doorway and breaks like a wave against your feet. You scream in shocked surprise and drag yourself onto a nearby counter as the ravenous rodents run amok. Most of the pack ignore you, but there are a few that have developed a taste for human flesh, and determinedly they claw their way up the counter in an effort to get at your legs.
Rat Pack: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 13 ENDURANCE 25
If you win the combat, turn to 146.
There is a rush of wind, like a sound of a whip before it cracks; then something tightens around your body, pinning your arms to your sides. Fear wells up inside when you realize that you have been lassoed. Desperately you struggle to grab the rope that is biting into your flesh, but you are pulled roughly to the ground before you can break free.
Cursing wildly, you blink the dust from your eyes in time to see a scrawny youth advancing towards you, his hands tugging and shortening the rope to maintain his hold on you. He is dressed in tattered buckskin, and his cheeks and forehead are painted with coloured stripes. His strange appearance reminds you of books you read when you were young—books with pictures of Red Indian braves who fought cowboys of the old West. The youth gives a warbling scream and more of his kind appear, all of them dressed in similar Red Indian costumes. With howls of delight they jump on you, take your missile and close combat weapons (erase these from your Action Chart), and hold your arms securely behind your back while the youth retrieves his lasso. Then, without a word of explanation, they drag you to the centre of the street and tie you to the totem pole.
The sound of a car horn echoes in the distance and your captors cease their whooping. The moment the vehicle glides into view, they throw themselves to their knees and bow their heads devoutly. Open-mouthed, you stare at the approaching car, scarcely able to believe your eyes.
The harsh staccato of the biker’s machine pistol fills your ears and a starburst of pain explodes in your chest and head. Darkness engulfs you as you tumble to the ground, cut down by a deadly swathe of hollow-nosed bullets.
Tragically, your life and your journey end here at Santo.
Your gunfire smashes the window and hits the Maverick rider in the upper chest, killing him instantly. With the Molotov cocktail still gripped in his hand, his lifeless body tumbles from the motorcycle and hits the road with terrific force. There is a flash as the bottle disintegrates; then his body and the bike are consumed by a ball of roaring flame.
Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.
As you had suspected, the spy was a city gang member, a scout for the Arlington Vipers judging by the snake tattoo that encircles his throat. You have encountered many from this gang during the past few months; they often led night raids on the DC1 settlement at McKinney.
You roll the dead scout over onto his chest and quickly search through his rucksack and pockets. You discover the following items:
If you decide to keep any of these items, remember to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
To return to the convoy and continue with the crossing, turn to 160.
Before venturing out into the storm, all three of you turn your transceivers to the same frequency so that you can remain in radio contact with each other throughout the search. Uncle Jonas also possesses a handset, and he selects his to transmit a signal on another frequency. By selecting that channel, and monitoring its signal strength, you should be able to find your way back to the school.
The three of you decide to split up and search different areas, thereby maximizing your chances of finding Maria quickly. The school building will have prevented her from wandering to the south, leaving three directions in which to search: north, west, and east.
If you wish to search to the north, turn to 169.
If you wish to search to the west, turn to 299.
If you decide to search to the east, turn to 125.
A scrawny old man, dressed in an assortment of evil-smelling rags, sits cross-legged beside the fire. He pokes at the crackling flames with the handle of an old branding iron, and mumbles continuously and incoherently under his breath. At your approach, he raises his eyes and stares at your gun, yet you sense that it does not worry him unduly.14
‘Saw your lights on the road,’ he croaks, a toothy smile cracking several layers of dirt that have built up around his nose and mouth. ‘Said to m’self, those folks will come a’ callin’. Best whup up a real larrupin’ meal to make ’em feel right welcome.’ He jabs his metal rod into the fire and spears the blackened remains of a large rat. Proudly he holds it up and nods enthusiastically, as if he were about to serve you a prime T-bone steak. Your stomach turns when he offers you the charred carcass. You refuse politely.
‘You gone an’ broked down, ain’t you, boy?’ he says, pointing at the convoy on the highway below. ‘What exactly’s the problem? You never know, maybe I kin help you out. You’d not be the first folks that ol’ Mountain Goat’d set right.’
Half-heartedly you tell the old hermit about the breakdown, suspecting that he is just wasting your time. When you have finished, he smiles once more, and taps the side of his nose with a greasy forefinger. ‘I know just where you can lay y’hands on the part you need to fix that ol’ bus o’ yours,’ he says, smugly.
‘Where?’ you reply.
‘If you agree to take me with you, I’ll tell you where. Is it a deal?’
If you agree to his proposition, turn to 257.
If you refuse it, turn to 139.
You dodge aside, your lightning reflexes saving you from the gunman’s bullets, and then leap towards his chest. You are determined to wrestle him to the ground before he has a chance to reload his pistol and fire again.
Belushi: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 14 ENDURANCE 26
Owing to the determination of your attack, increase your CLOSE COMBAT SKILL by 2 points for the duration of the fight.
If you win the combat, turn to 119.
You throw yourself down, your hand reaching automatically for a weapon even as you hit the ground. Then you roll over and over towards your car and take cover behind the engine compartment. Now the street is silent once more. With the blood pounding in your ears you force yourself to listen for a sound that will betray the whereabouts of your hidden attacker.
‘He’s in the drugstore!’ shouts Long Jake, his voice drawing another burst of fire from a building directly opposite.
If you have a missile weapon and wish to use it, turn to 237.
If you do not, turn to 251.
You rest the butt of your pistol on the side of the auto wreck and, as the enemy vehicle speeds nearer, you cock the hammer and focus your aim at the driver’s head.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If your total score is now 14 or less, turn to 172.
If your total score is now 15 or more, turn to 23.
As the group draws closer you notice several things about them that stir your curiosity. The dogs look much larger than ordinary Alsatians, and great flecks of white foam drip from their jaws as they tug and snap repeatedly at their heavy chain leashes. By contrast, the two handlers appear painfully thin and gaunt, the skin of their hands and faces unnaturally grey despite the burning desert sun.
Suddenly the handlers see you and release the chain leashes. With a rasping scream, they command the dogs to attack and immediately the pack obeys.
If you possess a missile weapon and wish to use it, turn to 107.
If you do not possess a missile weapon, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 16.
You flick back the safety catch and automatically check to see that the ‘F’ marker is showing. Then you slide the barrel under the thorny bush and take aim at the clansman’s chest.
Add your Shooting skill total to your current ENDURANCE points score.
If your total score is now 11 or less, turn to 96.
If your total score is now 12 or more, turn to 62.
You crouch beneath the window and listen to the voices of the two men inside the diner. They think that you are still hiding behind your car, and you hear them speculating as to whether or not you are wounded. You have the element of surprise and you decide to use it to your advantage by launching a sudden attack.
If you wish to enter the diner by the rear door, turn to 51.
If you choose to enter the diner by the front door, turn to 203.
After a brief conference with Uncle Jonas and the others, they agree to wait here at the junction while you go off and scout the bridge at Lakeside Village. If it proves safe, you will return and lead them across.
It takes you less than five minutes to reach Lakeside Village and, to your relief, you find it deserted. However, your hopes of an easy crossing are dashed: the bridge across the Trinity no longer exists—it collapsed several years ago.
You are preparing to turn back when you notice an old school bus, almost identical to the colony’s vehicle, lying on its side amid the rubble of a derelict building.
If you wish to investigate the old bus, turn to 85.
If you decide to ignore it and return to the convoy, turn to 224.
You land on the boarding platform and manage to grab the hand-rails to prevent yourself from falling backwards out of the door. Then you pull yourself up the short flight of steps towards the driver’s seat, where Cutter is locked in a vicious struggle with a blond-haired Maverick, who is trying desperately to wrestle the wheel from his hands.
As you approach, the Maverick releases Cutter, spins around and tries to grab you by the throat.
Emteevee: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 17 ENDURANCE 25
If you win the combat, turn to 70.
The clansman collapses at your feet, his fingers clasping the fatal wound that you have dealt him. You pick up his Meat Hook (2), which lies nearby, swallowing uneasily as you inspect its razor-sharp tip (if you wish to keep this weapon, remember to record it on your Weapons List). You are about to search his body when you hear the mob approaching the warehouse door. Quickly you run to the far side of the building and escape through a door that leads to a deserted passage. At the end of the passage you discover a derelict timber yard where, behind a stack of rotten fencing posts, you crouch, waiting for the chance to slip out of Albany. While you are lying low, you must take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 61.
You make your way back to the convoy, aware that less than a few hours of daylight remain. Cutter and Uncle Jonas greet your return with a nod and a wave, both of them itching to get underway. Quickly you climb into your roadster, switch on the ignition, and lead them single file onto the southbound carriageway of Interstate 35.
A blow to the back of your legs sends you sprawling across the bodies of your two slain enemies: lose 2 ENDURANCE points. You drag yourself to your feet and, as you turn, you see the grinning face of the youth whom you encountered earlier, who tried in vain to lasso you. He reaches for his revolver, which is tucked into his belt, but before he can point and fire, you lash out with your foot and send it spinning from his hand. He screams in frustration; then he dives at you, closing his fingers around your throat.
Mosquito: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 10 ENDURANCE 21
If you win the combat, turn to 3.
You swerve aside as the clansman empties his machine pistol in one long burst of fire. Most of the bullets either penetrate the trunk or pass harmlessly over the car, due to the speed of your reactions. In frustrated anger the biker hurls his empty weapon at you, but that too misses you by a wide mark.
As you watch the town shrinking in your rear-view mirror, the shock of your encounter, especially the death of Long Jake, makes you shiver despite the burning midday heat. ‘D’you know those guys?’ you ask, anxious to make some sense of the situation.
‘Yeah,’ replies the girl, her voice shaky, ‘though not by choice.’
As you race back along the highway to McKinney, the girl, whose name is Kate Norton, tells you about the events leading up to your meeting. She comes from Kansas City and was one of the lucky few who managed to survive there since the holocaust. A month ago her colony was attacked and wiped out by a gang of motorcycle renegades called ‘the Lions’. Their leader, who calls himself ‘Mad Dog Michigan’, took a liking to her and spared her life. He was once a high-ranking HAVOC agent who had escaped from Pontiac Deep Pen near Detroit, and he and his gang, most of whom were also HAVOC escapees, were heading for the Fort Hood Military Reserve near Killeen, the largest armoury in the whole of the United States.
‘He hopes to find enough weapons and ammunition there to equip the other HAVOC clans who are in control of cities all along the eastern seaboard. Once he’s armed his army he’ll take over the rest of the country,’ she says, her blue eyes brimming with tears. ‘Three days ago the Lions reached Oklahoma City. They were desperate for food, so Mad Dog decided to camp there and forage the surrounding area. Until then I’d always been kept closely guarded, but while most of them were away I managed to steal a bike and escape. I was beginning to think I’d made it. I was wrong. I ran out of fuel just north of Sherman and had to ditch the bike. I met up with your friend this morning when he walked into town. Soon after he’d told me all about you and your colony and your plans to head west, those guys back there arrived. Mad Dog sent them to find me.’ She pauses to wipe her tears and brush the tangle of windswept blonde hair away from her beautiful face.
‘I’m really sorry about what happened to Long Jake. It’s all my fault.’
‘Don’t blame yourself,’ you say, trying to console her. ‘It’s over now. Once we get back to DC1 and take off for Big Spring, Mad Dog and his gang will be just a bad memory.’
‘I hope you’re right, Cal,’ she says, unconvinced.
‘Sure I’m right. Killeen is south o’ here an’ we’re headin’ west. He’ll miss us by miles.’
‘Maybe,’ she replies, her voice wavering and hesitant, ‘but there’s something else you ought to know.’
You follow the Colorado River as it wends its tortuous course south. The level of the water is very low, but the sheer banks dash all hope of fording this once-mighty river.
All the smaller bridges south of Colorado City are no longer standing. An hour slips past, and you are just about to turn around and rejoin the others, when you happen upon a section of the bank that slopes gently towards the river. You stop the car and start walking towards it, hopefully. Standing at the water’s edge, you see that the river is unusually dark. You decide to test its depth and begin to wade across, but you have taken less than a dozen steps and the water is already up to your chin. Sadly you return to the bank.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table, and add to it your Field Craft and Perception skill totals.
If your total score is now 10 or less, turn to 207.
If your total score is now 11 or more, turn to 75.
You pump a cartridge into the breach and take aim at the leading dog. You fire as it leaps, the full force of your shot catching it squarely in the chest. Its lifeless body somersaults backwards into the rest of the pack.
Remember to deduct a round of 12-gauge ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.
If you wish to fire a second round at the rabid dogs and are able to do so, turn to 190.
If you have run out of ammunition, or if you choose not to fire a second round, turn to 64.
You are soon swallowed up in the network of narrow alleyways, and are able to shake off the few clansmen who attempted to pursue you. Eventually you emerge onto a wider street that is lined with dilapidated stores. Rather than take the risk of staying on the street, you decide to hide in one of these buildings and wait until the heat dies down. Fortunately you choose a hardware store that still has a cache of stock hidden on the first floor, and you discover the following items that could prove useful:
If you decide to keep any of these items be sure to adjust your Action Chart accordingly.
From a window on the first floor, you watch as a large group of Indian clansmen pour out of an alley opposite. They divide into two groups and begin searching the adjoining street, seemingly convinced that you are still out in the open. Silently you crouch by the window, awaiting the chance to slip out of Cross Plains unseen. While you are lying low, you must take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
It is dusk before you are able to escape from the town. With relief you discover that your roadster is still parked at the gas station where you left it, and quickly you climb in and accelerate away.
When you reach Rising Star you find that the convoy is awaiting your return with trepidation. Because you are so long overdue, they feared that you had fallen foul of Mad Dog Michigan and his bikers. You tell them what happened to you in Cross Plains and everyone agrees that, with darkness almost upon you, it is too dangerous to continue.
The night at Rising Star passes uneventfully, and at first light the convoy sets off cross-country towards Abilene. The arid, stony bed of Pecan Bayou provides excellent cover from the surrounding high ground and leads the convoy northwest, back towards Interstate 20. It is shortly after midday when you reach the freeway, from which you can see the outskirts of Abilene less than five miles distant.
The dogs are gaining ground quickly and they will be upon you before you are able to jump into your roadster and escape. You turn to face them as they reach the edge of the highway, and a chill runs down your spine as you stare into their hungry, feral eyes.
If you possess a missile weapon and wish to use it, turn to 107.
If you do not possess a missile weapon, or if you do not wish to use it, turn to 16.
Frozen by the terrifying sight of the car spinning towards your windshield, you fail to react quickly enough. The wreckage slams into the driving compartment of your roadster, killing you instantly.
Tragically, your life and your journey end here at Lake Worth.
You get to your feet and start off towards the platform at the centre of the bridge, weaving back and forth as you run in order to present the advancing clansmen with a difficult target. But you have covered barely twenty yards when the fatigue of your ordeal suddenly catches up with you. You cannot catch your breath and your legs feel like they are clothed in lead. You stumble and fall. For a while you crawl on your hands and knees; then you stagger painfully to your feet as you near the platform. The colony screams encouragement from the other side of the river, inspiring you to greater effort, but suddenly a line of bullets cuts across your path and you feel a terrible pain in your back. Rapidly the pain fades, giving way to a numbness that spreads through the lower half of your body. Unable to feel your legs, you are helpless to prevent yourself from falling off the edge of the platform into the Colorado River.
Tragically, your journey and your life end here.
Reluctantly the sun dips below the horizon, relinquishing its reign to a full moon and a clear night sky. The landscape is shrouded in a ghostly twilight and, as the miles slip past, the temperature steadily drops.
It takes a little over twenty minutes to reach Mineral Wells. It seems no different to a handful of other towns through which you have passed today: it is derelict, decayed, and deserted. As you drive along the main street, you scan the rooftops in search of a radio mast, and, almost immediately, you discover what you seek. On the roof of a three-storey building at the end of the street is the tripod-like structure. The upper section of the mast has long since collapsed, but the remaining lower section is still intact, sufficient in length to carry a call-signal as far as Weatherford.
Stopping outside the building, you fasten your jacket against the chill night air; then you enter to find the dusty halls and offices of a commercial radio station awaiting you. In a studio at the top of the building you discover what you are looking for. Slumped over a control panel is the body of Doctor Drool, former ace DJ and anchor-man of Radio KLFM. Beneath his skeletal hand is the button that controls the station call-sign, a transmission that has played continuously for the last eight years.
You use your CB radio to call the convoy and tell them what you have found. Then you cut the power to the control panel, pausing briefly to sign-off for the last time on behalf of the Doctor.
If you wish to search the radio station, turn to 66.
If you decide to return to the convoy without delay, turn to 284.
You freeze with the sudden realization that you are a sniper’s target. Mentally you will your hands to turn the wheel, yet physically they refuse to respond. You see a second flash, brighter than the first, and feel something punch you hard in the chest. The bridge and the road ahead begin to spin before your eyes, and a terrifying numbness spreads from your chest to your limbs. Before your car slams into a pillar of the bridge and explodes in a brilliant ball of orange flames, you have already surrendered to death.
Your journey and your life end here.
With a squeal of tyres, you accelerate away, retracing your route along Interstate 20 towards the convoy. As you drive, you are haunted by images of the two Rad-vics that you encountered at the trench: the chilling memory of their gaunt, grey faces has awakened your deepest fears. The road crests a rise and you see the convoy parked less than a quarter of a mile away. The welcoming sight distracts you from your morbid thoughts, but the relief is to be short-lived.
As you bring your roadster to a halt alongside the bus, you see Cutter standing on the roof, a pair of battered binoculars pressed to his eyes. ‘Looks like we’re goin’ to have company real soon,’ he says, staring at a large cloud of dust that is advancing towards Eastland from the northeast. ‘I reckon there’s over 100 bikes out there on the prairie, and they’re all headin’ this way. Looks like that Mad Dog Michigan decided not to go to Killeen after all!’
‘I think we should head for Cisco and lay low until they pass,’ says Uncle Jonas, but he soon changes his mind when you tell him about your encounter at the trench.
‘Abilene would be safer,’ says Kate, leaning out of a window of the bus. ‘But we’ll have to pass wide of Cisco to get there.’
Cutter convenes a hasty conference to decide the best way to reach Abilene. The terrain in this area is too rocky to attempt a cross-country detour at speed, so you must use what little remains of the secondary highways in order to reach your goal. After studying the map and staring at the surrounding plain from the roof of the bus, you determine two possible routes: northwest via the town of Albany, or southwest via the town of Cross Plains. The colony is undecided as to which route would be best, and so, as convoy scout, the decision is left to you.
If you decide to take the highway northwest to Albany, turn to 156.
If you choose to take the southwest route through Cross Plains, turn to 270.
You see the muzzle flash of his rifle and hear the bullet as it whistles over your head. Then in the next instant you feel a tremendous jolt as your roadster hits the rifleman and sends his broken body spinning through the air. You brace yourself against the wheel, but Kate is thrown forwards against the dashboard and gashes her forehead. At first you fear that she is badly injured, but quickly she staunches the wound with dressings from her Medi-kit, and then reloads her empty shotgun.
The instant you set foot in the store, two hands reach out of the darkness, grab you by the jacket lapels and pull you away from the doorway. Immediately, there is a long burst of fire and a hail of bullets scythes the air where you were standing only moments before.
‘These ain’t no ordinary punks,’ growls Long Jake, peering cautiously over the edge of the bullet-shattered window frame. ‘They’re scouts for a Yankee gang that’s headin’ this way, looking to take over. They’re a mite anxious to get their hands on her, too,’ he says, nodding towards the girl who is crouching behind the store counter, her eyes wide with fright.
‘What do they want with her?’ you ask, but before Long Jake can reply there is a flash and a deafening explosion. The store’s rear door is blown inwards and a searing wave of heat and flying debris knocks you off your feet. Stunned by the blast, you rise unsteadily and reach for a weapon. A grey shape fills the rear entrance, its outline fuzzy in the smoke and dust that hover there. Then the shape draws into focus and you see the silhouette of a tall man, lean and sinewy, his thin mouth set in a cruel sneer.
‘Look out!’ screams Long Jake, as the figure leaps through the doorway, a shotgun held before him ready to fire.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table. If your current Shooting, Stealth, and Perception points (when added together) total 9 or more, add 2 to the number you have picked.
If your total is now 0–3, turn to 191.
If it is 4–6, turn to 293.
If it is 7 or more, turn to 168.
You stagger away from the nest, clutching your hand to your chest and cursing your bad luck. Then the horror of what has befallen you registers and frantically you search your Medi-kit for an ampoule of anti-toxin. Fear knots your stomach when you discover that it is the one medicament that you do not possess. The pain in your hand begins to fade, to be replaced by a numbness that spreads rapidly throughout your body. Soon you are completely paralysed and unable to drag yourself out of the blazing sun. In less than an hour you fall victim to heatstroke and lapse into an unconsciousness from which you never awaken.
Tragically, your journey and your life end here on the banks of the Colorado River.
Blinded by the sudden darkness, you fail to see the heavy machinery that is positioned just inside the doorway. You collide with it and gash your scalp: lose 6 ENDURANCE points.
If you survived the injury, turn to 56.
You crouch behind the wrecked car and watch as Kate disappears into the factory. Minutes later you see her face at a window on the top floor and notice the barrel of her gun resting on its ledge. Nervously you count the passing seconds, your eyes fixed on the road ahead.
The first of the Lions appears: it is a motorcycle and sidecar. A lion’s head flag flutters from an aerial fixed behind the rider’s saddle, and a heavy-calibre machine gun is mounted in front of the chair. As soon as they see the tanker they open fire, sending a stream of tracer bullets arcing towards your position. As the fiery shells rip through your cover, you fight the urge to throw yourself down on the ground, and take aim at the approaching vehicle. You know that you must make your shot count, for if just one of the tracer shells were to pierce the tanker, it would ignite the fuel and blow it sky high.
If the gun you are holding is a Pistol, turn to 308.
If it is a Machine Pistol, turn to 102.
If it is a Rifle, turn to 268.
If it is a Shotgun, turn to 87.
Without taking your eyes off your target, you unsling your G-12, draw back its fixing bolt, and flick the selector to burst-fire. Your enemy is reloading a fresh magazine, locking it in place with the heel of his palm, when he sees you. With a scream of fear, he attempts to get away from the open window as you let loose your first burst of fire.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Shooting skill total.
If the total is now 0–6, turn to 275.
If it is 7 or more, turn to 54.
The evil-sounding laughter is cut short by a deafening roar as both barrels of a Browning Citori are discharged at the counter. The heavy loads rip through the front, bringing down most of the rickety shelves that line the back wall. A cascade of bottles and glasses rains down on your head, causing you further injury as you scurry towards the end of the counter: lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
Ahead, beneath the staircase, you see a door with an unlit sign above it that reads:
‘I reckon this constitutes an emergency,’ you mutter, as you get ready to break cover and run towards the door. Just as you are about to leave your hand brushes against the stock of a sawn-off shotgun that is lying on a shelf beneath the counter. Both hammers are cocked and the chamber tags show that both barrels are loaded.
If you wish to take the weapon, turn to 176.
If you decide to ignore it, turn to 84.
‘Looks like you got your bath sooner than you expected,’ you say, gently brushing aside a few tangled strands of blonde hair that are hanging down in front of her face.
‘That’s the second time you’ve saved my life,’ she says, sheepishly. ‘It’s getting to be a habit.’ She smiles, holding you with her eyes as she kisses her own hand and touches it to your cheek. You feel drawn towards her and, as your lips meet and you feel the tenderness of her touch, it is as if nothing else in the world exists.
The illusion of peace is shattered by a burst of gunfire. ‘What the…?’ you cry, as bullets slap the water and punch a line of holes along the muddy shore.
‘Clansmen!’ shouts Kate, pointing across the lake at two figures silhouetted against the cloudless sky. Quickly you grab her by the arm and run towards the cover of some rocks topped with thorny foliage, growing less than twenty yards away. The clansmen snigger as they raise their machine pistols to fire at your fleeing forms.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your Stealth skill total.
If your total is now 7 or less, turn to 114.
If it is 8 or more, turn to 57.
The rotten wood splits and crumbles under the slightest pressure, enabling you to open the crate with your bare hands. Inside, you discover hundreds of square plastic tubs, bound together with tape into units of twelve. Sealing the whole consignment is a vast sheet of clear polythene—just what your uncle wanted! Using your hunting knife, you slit open the sheeting at the corners, remove it from the tubs and fold it away carefully for future use.
The tubs themselves are each adorned with blue and white labels that display the letters: N a C l.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Perception skill total.
If the total is now 6 or less, turn to 134.
If it is 7 or more, turn to 201.
At gunpoint you are led from the cell and taken across town to a broken-fenced corral around which the clansmen have gathered. This site is all that remains of the Albany Stockyards and Rodeo that once thrived here during the late 1990s. Its No. 1 enclosure is to be the place of your initiation into the Kicker clan.
Lying on the ground at the centre of the corral is your Hunting Knife, and beyond it, leaning against the wooden rails of the corral, is your adversary. As punishment for a breach of clan discipline, Manhattan has chosen him to fight against you in ‘the Rite’. It is a dubious honour, for he knows that his life will be forfeit if he fails.
The rules of the initiation ceremony are simple. When Manhattan fires his pistol, you must both dash towards the knife. The one who reaches it first will then hold the advantage in the hand-to-hand combat that follows. The combat is to the death; only he who survives the fight will be declared a worthy clan member.
The crowd grows silent and nervously you wait for Manhattan to fire. His shot rings out, and you launch yourself towards the centre of the corral.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Stealth skill total.
If your total score is 7 or less, turn to 122.
If your total score is 8 or more, turn to 141.
At the place where it enters the town, the surface of the freeway glitters as if it were covered with hundreds of tiny mirrors. You narrow your eyes to focus on these glimmering points of light, and a chill runs down your spine when you realize what they are. The highway is covered with metal spikes.
You signal to the convoy to halt and then inform the other drivers—Cutter and Uncle Jonas—of what you have seen. ‘We’ll have to circle around this place,’ says Uncle Jonas. ‘We can’t risk our tyres on this stretch o’ road. According to that Rickenbacker guy, this land’s now bandit territory.’
‘I bet they’re responsible for spikin’ the road,’ says Cutter. ‘It’ll be gettin’ dark soon an’ I sure don’t wanna be bushwhacked while changing tyres. Besides, we’re gettin’ real close to home. I’m sure we all’d like to make camp tonight in Big Spring.’ You nod your agreement.
The three of you decide to detour the town and pick up the freeway a few miles further on. You lead the convoy cross-country, but as you draw level with the town you hear the sound of gunfire.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your Driving skill total.
If your total is now 7 or less, turn to 6.
If your total is now 8 or more, turn to 296.
You raise the heavy Zeiss binoculars to your eyes and slowly scan the ruins. There is little to confirm your suspicions: rolling tumbleweed and the shimmering heat of early afternoon are the only movements you observe among the derelict remains of Denton. Then something catches your eye at the entrance to an alley near the centre of the town. Your pulse quickens when you recognize it. It is a haze of oily blue smoke—the exhaust fumes of a motorcycle.
If you wish to enter Denton and take a closer look, turn to 298.
If you decide to return to the convoy and warn them to avoid Denton, turn to 198.
You have aimed too high and, as the window disintegrates, your gunfire passes harmlessly over the head of the Maverick rider. (Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.) He hurls his fire-bomb, and screams of terror fill your ears as your people scramble across the seats in a desperate attempt to escape the blast. You hear a sharp crack as the bottle strikes the edge of a seat; then there is a brilliant flash of orange and yellow light as it smashes and bursts into flames.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table.
If the number you have picked is 0–2, turn to 79.
If the number is 3–9, turn to 197.
‘Don’t be afraid, Maria,’ you call. ‘Cal’s here.’ You push open the door to the candy store and enter, half-expecting little Maria to come running towards you with open arms, but the greeting you receive is not at all what you had in mind. Two bearded men, dressed in rags and clutching wooden clubs, step out of the shadows.
‘Hello, Cal!’ whines the taller of the two men, sarcastically. ‘Have you come to rescue me?’ Then, without warning, he swings his club at your head, forcing you to duck to avoid being knocked senseless.
Abilene Hobos: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 15 ENDURANCE 27
Owing to the surprise of their attack, you are unable to make use of a close combat weapon during the first two rounds of this fight.
If you win the combat, turn to 205.
The overturned fuselage of an Amcorp DL-70, a wide-bodied military transport plane, blocks the entrance to this derelict air force base. Casually you swerve around the wreckage and drive across the perimeter fence, knocked flat by the same blast that destroyed the plane eight years ago. Cruising along the main runway, you cast your eye over the hangars and buildings that once serviced this base. Most have either collapsed or been wrecked by city gangs, but there are still a few that could be worth investigating.
If you wish to explore the control tower, turn to 162.
If you wish to investigate the stores, turn to 269.
The drive to Albany takes you across a rolling plain that once fed a million head of longhorn cattle. Now the once-lush grassland is a vast desert of parched and blistered earth, completely devoid of life. The town stands at the centre of this bald prairie, its battered wooden houses and stores clustered haphazardly in groups on either side of a single main street. You stop your car half a mile from the town and park it in the shade of an old farm building, before venturing into Albany on foot.
The first building that you see is the ruins of the Shackelford County Sheriff’s office. Spent cartridge cases litter the ground around its entrance, marking the site of a recent gunfight.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table, and add to it your current Stealth and Perception skill totals.
If your total score is now 12 or less, turn to 31.
If your total score is now 13 or more, turn to 277.
Your bullet hits the clansman in the chest and knocks him clean off his feet. (Remember to deduct a round of 9mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.) As he disappears from sight, his partner unleashes a long burst of fire that powders the scree behind you. When the firing stops, you raise your head and peer through the bushes, expecting to see your enemy reloading. Instead he discards his empty magazine and turns to run away. He has exhausted his ammunition and has decided to make his escape before you have a chance to return fire.
As soon as you are sure that the coast is clear, you rise cautiously and help Kate to her feet. The sound of a motorcycle riding away into the distance reassures you that your ambusher has fled, and confidently you scramble up the slope and go to examine the body of the one who did not get away.
Desperately you brake and spin the wheel in an attempt to avoid hitting the wreck, but your action causes the front brakes to overheat and seize. The tyres fail to grip on the loose stony surface and, with an ear-piercing screech, you slam sideways into the ambulance and turn over. The impact splits the gas tank wide open and a friction spark ignites the fuel, transforming your car in the blink of an eye into a huge, blazing fireball.
Your life and your journey end here.
The first thing you notice about the dingy cell is the solitary open window, criss-crossed with pitted steel bars, that provides the only source of light and ventilation. Standing on the edge of the wooden bunk, you are able to peer through the bars at an alleyway that runs along the rear of the building. The bars themselves are badly corroded and, after a few minutes’ work, you are able to break and bend enough of them to enable you to escape.
At the end of the alleyway you discover a derelict timber yard where, behind a stack of rotten fencing posts, you crouch, waiting for the chance to slip out of Albany. While you are lying low, you must take a drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.
To continue, turn to 61.
In the distance you see the sun resting on the peak of Signal Mountain, and you estimate that no more than an hour of daylight remains. Then a freeway mileage sign looms into view, its paint blistered and barely legible. You slow down and read:
The sign coaxes a cheer from those aboard the bus and renews your hopes of completing the first stage of your long journey west. A few miles further on you see another sign. This announces that you are approaching the town of Coahoma. With the memory of what happened at Westbrook still fresh in your mind, you decide to bring the convoy to a halt.
If you possess Binoculars or a Telescope, turn to 11.
If you possess neither of these items, turn to 33.
You raise your arm and fire your shotgun without aiming. The speed of your reflexes and the spread of the Double-A target load guarantee that your enemy will never point his pistol at anyone again. (Remember to deduct a round of 12-gauge ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.)
As the smoke clears, you see Cutter approach the gully and reload his gun as he stares over the edge at the lifeless bodies of your ambushers. You are soon joined by the others and together you search their bodies for useful items.
You have aimed too low: your gunfire hits the stone parapet of the roof, alerting the sniper to your position. (Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.) Quickly he lifts his assault rifle, swings the barrel around towards the factory, and focuses on your window. You glimpse a muzzle flash a split-second before the ledge and frame are blown to pieces by a dozen high-velocity bullets.
Pick a number from the Random Number Table and add to it your current Stealth skill total.
If your total score is now 7 or less, turn to 151.
If your total score is now 8 or more, turn to 260.
Seething with anger you watch as the remaining biker climbs astride his machine and kicks it into life. You rush forward in a brave but hopeless attempt to save Kate from being abducted: the Maverick clansman accelerates away before you can even get near. As you watch his fleeing form disappear into the night, you promise yourself that you will get Kate back, no matter what it takes. You run towards your roadster, determined to follow him and rescue Kate, but your plans are frustrated when the bus pulls up close by and Cutter shouts a warning. ‘There’s a whole mess o’ lights headin’ this way, Cal. I’m sure it’s the Lions. We’ve got to move now or they’ll catch us before we get inside Big Spring.’ Reluctantly you agree with Cutter. It would be madness to drive alone into the Detroit Lions.
The convoy enters the fortified gates of Big Spring and receives a rapturous welcome from the colonists of the settlement. The mood is celebratory, for your arrival marks the start of an alliance that is destined to grow stronger over the forthcoming months. You have completed the first stage of your difficult journey and, although your achievement is overshadowed by Kate’s abduction, your mission is a success.
For you, Cal Phoenix, champion and protector of Dallas Colony 1, the journey continues in Book 2 of the Freeway Warrior series, entitled:
CLOSE COMBAT SKILL: _______
ENDURANCE: _______
Survival Skills:
Driving: _______
Shooting: _______
Field Craft: _______
Stealth: _______
Perception: _______
Backpack Items:
Medi-kit: _______
Water Canteen: _______
Ammo Pouch:
9mm: _______ (max. 40)
7.62mm: _______ (max. 20)
12 gauge: _______ (max. 10)
Close Combat Weapons:
Missile Weapons:
2 missile weapons—reduce Stealth by 1
3 missile weapons—reduce Stealth by 3
| Close Combat results are given enemy’s ENDURANCE loss first followed by the hero’s ENDURANCE loss. For example, ‘12/0’ means that the enemy loses 12 ENDURANCE points while the hero loses 0 ENDURANCE points. A combat result of ‘k’ means that the combatant is killed. For example, ‘0/k’ means that the enemy loses 0 ENDURANCE points while the hero is killed. | |||||||||||||
| Random Number | Combat Ratio | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| −11 or lower | −10/ −9 | −8/ −7 | −6/ −5 | −4/ −3 | −2/ −1 | 0 | 1/ 2 | 3/ 4 | 5/ 6 | 7/ 8 | 9/ 10 | 11 or higher | |
| 1 | 0/k | 0/10 | 1/8 | 1/7 | 2/6 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 3/3 | 4/3 | 5/3 | 6/3 |
| 2 | 2/6 | 3/5 | 4/4 | 4/3 | 5/3 | 5/3 | 5/3 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 6/1 | 6/1 | 7/1 | 8/0 |
| 3 | 3/4 | 4/3 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 6/2 | 6/2 | 6/2 | 6/1 | 6/1 | 7/1 | 8/0 | 9/0 | 10/0 |
| 4 | 1/6 | 2/6 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 3/4 | 4/4 | 4/4 | 4/3 | 4/3 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 6/1 | 7/1 |
| 5 | 3/4 | 4/4 | 4/3 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 6/1 | 6/1 | 7/1 | 8/0 | 10/0 |
| 6 | 2/6 | 3/5 | 3/4 | 4/4 | 4/3 | 4/3 | 4/3 | 4/2 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 6/1 | 5/1 | 7/1 |
| 7 | 4/4 | 4/3 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 6/1 | 6/1 | 6/1 | 6/1 | 7/1 | 8/0 | 9/0 | 10/0 | 16/0 |
| 8 | 0/10 | 0/7 | 1/6 | 2/5 | 3/5 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 3/3 | 4/3 | 4/3 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 6/2 |
| 9 | 3/4 | 3/4 | 4/3 | 4/3 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 5/2 | 5/1 | 5/1 | 6/1 | 6/0 | 7/0 | 9/0 |
| 0 | 5/0 | 5/0 | 5/0 | 6/0 | 6/0 | 7/0 | 7/0 | 8/0 | 10/0 | 12/0 | 16/0 | k/0 | k/0 |
| 4 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| 6 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 6 |
| 0 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 3 |
| 8 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 8 |
| 3 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 7 | 9 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 7 |
| 1 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 9 |
| 5 | 1 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 8 |
| 1 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 0 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
We have taken our unique opportunity to correct errors and to enforce a standard of English usage. We list our changes here. If you see anything that needs correction, please contact the Project Aon Staff.
(Dateline to Disaster) Replaced ‘training and’ with ‘training, and’. Replaced both occurrences of ‘USSR and’ with ‘USSR, and’. Replaced ‘cable and’ with ‘cable, and’. Replaced ‘destined’ with ‘slated’. Replaced ‘declare emergency’ with ‘declare an emergency’. Replaced ‘HAVOC attempt’ with ‘HAVOC attempts’. Replaced ‘HAVOC hijack a WDL news satellite and broadcast a chilling ultimatum’ with ‘HAVOC hijacks a WDL news satellite and broadcasts a chilling ultimatum’. Replaced ‘HAVOC refuse’ with ‘HAVOC refuses’. Replaced ‘HAVOC repeat their demand and extend deadline’ with ‘HAVOC repeats its demand and extends deadline’. Replaced ‘HAVOC enact their’ with ‘HAVOC enacts its’.
(Cal’s Story) Replaced ‘workshops and’ with ‘workshops, and’. Replaced ‘re-establish’ with ‘reestablish’. Replaced ‘Denton county’ with ‘Denton County’. Replaced ‘fuel, food or water’ with ‘fuel, food, or water’. Replaced ‘Tuscon colony’ with ‘Tucson colony’. Replaced ‘ ‘the Day’ ’ with ‘ ‘The Day’ ’. Replaced ‘shelter and’ with ‘shelter, and’. Replaced ‘brothers and’ with ‘brothers, and’. Replaced ‘gas and’ with ‘gas, and’. Replaced ‘posts and’ with ‘posts, and’. Replaced ‘Waco. For’ with ‘Waco, for’. Replaced ‘Sierra Nevada mountains’ with ‘mountains of the Sierra Nevada’. Replaced ‘yourselves, then’ with ‘yourselves; then he’.
(The Game Rules) Replaced ‘if you pick a O’ with ‘if you pick a 0’. Replaced ‘On pages 6 and 7 you will find an Action Chart’ with ‘An Action Chart has been supplied’. Replaced ‘the Random Number Table at the back of this book’ with ‘the Random Number Table’. Replaced ‘zero’ with ‘zero or below’. Replaced ‘survival skills’ with ‘Survival Skills’. Replaced ‘adventure you’ with ‘adventure, you’. Removed ‘For ease of use during play it is recommended that you photocopy these pages’. Replaced ‘point the blunt end of it on to’ with ‘point the blunt end of it onto’.
(Survival Skills) Replaced ‘motorcycles and’ with ‘motorcycles, and’. Replaced ‘shotguns and’ with ‘shotguns, and’. Replaced ‘reflexes and’ with ‘reflexes, and’. Replaced ‘education and’ with ‘education, and’. Replaced ‘tested, therefore’ with ‘tested; therefore’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Freeway Warrior’ with ‘Freeway Warrior’ when referring to the series.
(Equipment) Replaced ‘map of Central Texas’ with ‘Map of Central Texas’. Replaced ‘potassium iodine’ with ‘potassium iodide’. Replaced ‘H.E. (High Explosive) Grenade’ with ‘HE (High Explosive) Grenade’. Replaced ‘C.B. Radio’ with ‘CB Radio’. Replaced ‘sulphonamides’ with ‘sulfonamides’. Replaced ‘Canteen and’ with ‘Canteen, and’. Replaced ‘radioactivity) and’ with ‘radioactivity), and’. Set in initial capital letters the items in the equipment list, in the missile weapons list, and the table of showing initial ammunition. Replaced ‘The maximum number of close combat weapons you may carry is two’ with ‘The maximum number of close combat weapons you may carry is two, though you may only wield one at any time’. Replaced ‘on which hangs’ with ‘on which hang’. Replaced ‘Backpack, and’ with ‘Backpack and’. Replaced ‘items) your’ with ‘items), your’.
(Weapons) Replaced ‘The maximum number of close combat weapons you may carry is two’ with ‘The maximum number of close combat weapons you may carry is two, though you may only wield one at any time’. Replaced ‘possess rounds of the wrong calibre’ with ‘possess only rounds of the wrong calibre’.
(Close Combat Rules) Replaced ‘cross-refer’ with ‘cross-reference’. Replaced ‘as +1 If ’ with ‘as +1. If ’. Replaced ‘are reduced to zero, at which point the one whose score is zero is declared dead.’ with ‘are reduced to zero or below, at which point that combatant is declared dead.’ and ‘with a reduced ENDURANCE point score’ with ‘with his ENDURANCE points possibly reduced’. Removed ‘on the inside back cover of the book’.
(1) Replaced ‘syphoned’ with ‘siphoned’. Replaced ‘C.B. radio’ with ‘CB radio’.
(3) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(5) Replaced ‘brother, and the noise and fury of your weapon, brings’ with ‘brother—and the noise and fury of your weapon—brings’. Replaced ‘G-12, then’ with ‘G-12 then’. Added ‘Remember to deduct six rounds of 9mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.’.
(12) Replaced ‘gulley’ with ‘gully’.
(13) Added missing period after ‘Random Number Table’. Replaced ‘life, then’ with ‘life; then’.
(16) Replaced ‘If the fight lasts four’ with ‘If you win the fight in four’.
(17) Replaced ‘Freeway 20’ with ‘Interstate 20’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(18) Replaced ‘zig-zag’ with ‘zigzag’.
(20) Replaced ‘GEIGER COUNTER’, ‘ALTIMETER’, and ‘RADIATION SUIT’ with initial capitals. Replaced ‘silver and’ with ‘silver, and’.
(22) Replaced ‘Two miles north’ with ‘Two miles northwest’. Replaced ‘murderously chilling’ with ‘chilling’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Freeway 35’ with ‘Interstate 35’ for accuracy and consistency with later books. Replaced ‘Freeway 20, the interstate highway’ with ‘Interstate Freeway 20, the highway’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Highway 820’ with ‘Interstate 820’ for accuracy and consistency with later books. Replaced ‘820, and’ with ‘820 and’.
(23) Replaced ‘Backpack items’ with ‘Backpack Items’. Replaced ‘the front line of bikers open’ with ‘the front line of bikers opens’. Replaced ‘Note’ with ‘Note’. Added ‘(Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(24) Replaced ‘gulley’ with ‘gully’.
(26) Replaced ‘machine-gunner’ with ‘machine gunner’.
(28) Replaced ‘safety and’ with ‘safety, and’. Added ‘Remember to deduct a round of 7.62mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.’. Replaced ‘or choose’ with ‘or if you choose’.
(29) Replaced ‘salt and’ with ‘salt, and’. Replaced ‘Freeway 35’ with ‘Interstate 35’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(30) Replaced ‘indian’ with ‘Indian’. Replaced ‘give, then’ with ‘give; then’.
(31) Replaced ‘head first’ with ‘head-first’.
(32) Replaced ‘the fight lasts’ with ‘you win the fight in’.
(34) Replaced ‘alsatian hounds’ with ‘Alsatian hounds’. Replaced ‘equal to, or less than, your’ with ‘less than or equal to your’. Replaced ‘landscape through your lenses’ with ‘landscape’.
(36) Replaced ‘under way’ with ‘underway’. Replaced ‘Freeway 20’ with ‘Interstate 20’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(37) Replaced ‘Every little helps’ with ‘Every little bit helps’.
(38) Replaced ‘indian’ with ‘Indian’.
(39) Replaced ‘colony are’ with ‘colony is’.
(40) Replaced ‘safety catch and’ with ‘safety catch, and’.
(42) Replaced ‘zig-zag’ with ‘zigzag’. Replaced ‘building, then’ with ‘building, and then’.
(43) Replaced ‘N a C l’ with ‘N a C l’.
(48) Replaced ‘dislodgng’ with ‘dislodging’. Replaced ‘Skull,’ ’ with ‘Skull?’ ’. Replaced ‘ ‘the Kickers’ ’ with ‘the ‘Kickers’ ’. Replaced ‘you boy’ with ‘you, boy’. Replaced ‘Ammo Pouch and’ with ‘Ammo Pouch, and’. Replaced ‘eyes, and’ with ‘eyes and’.
(50) Replaced ‘colony react’ with ‘colony reacts’.
(51) Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
(55) Replaced ‘thunderbird’ with ‘Thunderbird’.
(56) Replaced ‘ZONE 3: MUNICIPAL VEHICLE SERVICING’ with ‘Zone 3: Municipal Vehicle Servicing’.
(57) Replaced ‘weapon, and’ with ‘weapon and’. Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
(58) Replaced ‘drunkenly and’ with ‘drunkenly, and’. Added ‘Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.’.
(60) Replaced ‘Current Stealth’ with ‘current Stealth’.
(61) Replaced ‘south-west’ with ‘southwest’. Replaced ‘Freeway 20’ with ‘Interstate 20’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(62) Added ‘(Remember to deduct a round of 12-gauge ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(63) Replaced ‘Weapons list’ with ‘Weapons List’.
(64) Replaced ‘If the fight lasts four’ with ‘If you win the fight in four’. Replaced ‘win, and’ with ‘win and’.
(65) Replaced ‘C.B. Radio’ with ‘CB Radio’.
(66) Replaced ‘First Aid Box’ with ‘first aid box’.
(68) Replaced ‘ ‘the Mavericks’ ’ with ‘the ‘Mavericks’ ’. Replaced ‘or have’ with ‘or if you have’.
(70) Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
(71) Replaced ‘neck, then’ with ‘neck; then’.
(72) Replaced ‘shooting skill’ with ‘Shooting skill’. Replaced ‘(minimum—one round; maximum—four rounds)’ with ‘(minimum: one round; maximum: four rounds)’.
(73) Replaced ‘C.B. transceiver’ with ‘CB transceiver’. Replaced ‘C.B. Radio’ with ‘CB Radio’. Replaced ‘Backpack items’ with ‘Backpack Items’.
(74) Replaced ‘C.B. Radio’ with ‘CB Radio’.
(77) Replaced ‘motor cycle’ with ‘motorcycle’. Added ‘(Remember to deduct a round of 7.62mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(78) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(80) Replaced ‘gulley’ with ‘gully’. Replaced ‘head first’ with ‘head-first’.
(82) Replaced ‘needin’ with ‘needin’ ’. Replaced ‘drive towards’ with ‘walk towards’ because all other sections in this sequence assume that Cal walks back from the campus.
(83) Replaced ‘over and’ with ‘over, and’.
(85) Replaced ‘DISTRIBUTOR CAP’, ‘CONDENSER’, ‘GAS MODIFIER’, ‘OIL PLUG’, and ‘FAN BELT’ with initial capitals. Replaced ‘Backpack items’ with ‘Backpack Items’.
(86) Replaced ‘north-west’ with ‘northwest’. Replaced ‘Freeway 20’ with ‘Interstate 20’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(89) Replaced ‘follow’ with ‘follows’. Replaced ‘go back’ with ‘fall back’. Replaced ‘door, then’ with ‘door; then’. Replaced ‘on, then’ with ‘on then’.
(90) Replaced ‘slightest, neither’ with ‘slightest; neither’. Replaced ‘hair and their teeth’ with ‘hair, and their teeth’. Replaced ‘Action Chart), then’ with ‘Action Chart); then’.
(92) Replaced ‘It it is 7–9’ with ‘ If it is 7–9’. Replaced ‘Several of the colony follow’ with ‘Several members of the colony follow’.
(93) Replaced ‘the wild west’ with ‘the Wild West’. Replaced ‘Freeway 20’ with ‘Interstate 20’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(94) Replaced ‘shouting :’ with ‘shouting: ’.
(96) Replaced ‘machine-gunner’ with ‘machine gunner’. Replaced ‘zig-zag’ with ‘zigzag’. Added ‘(Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(98) Replaced ‘is loud’ with ‘is a loud’. Replaced ‘GEIGER COUNTER’, ‘ALTIMETER’ and ‘RADIATION SUIT’ with initial capitals. Replaced ‘silver and’ with ‘silver, and’.
(99) Replaced ‘H.E. Grenade’ with ‘HE Grenade’. Replaced ‘engines, then’ with ‘engines; then’.
(100) Replaced ‘C.B. Radio’ with ‘CB Radio’. Replaced ‘cheered’ with ‘cheers’. Replaced ‘brought’ with ‘brings’. Replaced ‘promised’ with ‘promises’. Replaced ‘hopes were’ with ‘hopes are’.
(101) Replaced ‘(minimum—one round; maximum—six rounds)’ with ‘(minimum: one round; maximum: six rounds)’.
(103) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘their footfalls’ with ‘its footfalls’.
(105) Replaced ‘ ‘the Day’ ’ with ‘ ‘The Day’ ’. Replaced ‘gulley’ with ‘gully’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Freeway 35’ with ‘Interstate 35’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(107) Replaced ‘reach’ with ‘reaches’.
(108) Replaced ‘chest and’ with ‘chest, and’.
(109) Replaced ‘feet first’ with ‘feet-first’. Replaced ‘shift gear’ with ‘shift gears’.
(113) Replaced ‘If, during’ with ‘If during’. Replaced ‘dog, you’ with ‘dog you’.
(114) Replaced ‘weapon, and’ with ‘weapon and’. Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
(116) Replaced ‘key-in’ with ‘key in’. Replaced ‘on and’ with ‘on, and’. Replaced ‘building, then’ with ‘building; then’. Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
(117) Added missing period after ‘(0 equals 10)’. Replaced ‘gulley’ with ‘gully’. Replaced ‘head first’ with ‘head-first’.
(119) Replaced ‘Water Canteen, containing’ with ‘Water Canteen containing’. Replaced ‘sulphonamides’ with ‘sulfonamides’.
(121) Replaced ‘terror, then’ with ‘terror; then’.
(122) Replaced ‘gutteral’ with ‘guttural’.
(123) Replaced ‘every little helps’ with ‘every little bit helps’.
(124) Replaced ‘teeth, then’ with ‘teeth, and then’.
(127) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘axle and’ with ‘axle, and’.
(128) Replaced ‘alsatians’ with ‘Alsatians’. Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
(131) Replaced ‘(minimum—one round; maximum—five rounds)’ with ‘(minimum: one burst; maximum: five bursts)’ Replaced ‘If it is 12’ with ‘If it is 12 or more’. Replaced ‘fire, then’ with ‘fire, and then’.
(132) Replaced ‘machine-gunner’ with ‘machine gunner’. Replaced ‘aim and’ with ‘aim, and’. Added ‘Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.’.
(133) Replaced ‘feet first’ with ‘feet-first’.
(135) Replaced ‘approaching, then’ with ‘approaching; then’. Replaced ‘reply, then’ with ‘reply; then you’.
(136) Replaced ‘north-west’ with ‘northwest’. Replaced ‘screams of their chief dispels’ with ‘screams of their chief dispel’. Replaced ‘Freeway 20’ with ‘Interstate 20’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(137) Replaced ‘south-west’ with ‘southwest’.
(138) Replaced ‘Backpack items’ with ‘Backpack Items’. Replaced ‘NOTE’ with ‘Note’.
(140) Replaced ‘fire, then’ with ‘fire, and then’.
(142) Replaced ‘feet first’ with ‘feet-first’.
(143) Replaced ‘( with’ with ‘(with’. Replaced ‘blood-stained’ with ‘bloodstained’. Replaced ‘Water Canteen, containing’ with ‘Water Canteen containing’. Replaced ‘sulphonamides’ with ‘sulfonamides’. Added ‘(Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(144) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘Freeway 35’ with ‘Interstate 35’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(145) Replaced ‘teeth, then’ with ‘teeth, and then’.
(146) Replaced ‘call, then’ with ‘call; then you’.
(149) Replaced ‘assess’ with ‘assesses’.
(152) Replaced text based number puzzle with illustration.
(153) Added ‘Remember to deduct six rounds of 9mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.’.
(154) Replaced ‘call, then’ with ‘call; then you’.
(155) Replaced ‘red indian’ with ‘Red Indian’.
(156) Replaced ‘take its toll of those’ with ‘take its toll on those’. Replaced ‘combined effects of the scorching heat and the poor road surface begins’ with ‘combined effects of the scorching heat and the poor road surface begin’.
(158) Replaced ‘C.B. Radio’ with ‘CB Radio’. Replaced ‘setting and’ with ‘setting, and’.
(160) Replaced ‘ ‘the Day’ ’ with ‘ ‘The Day’ ’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘Freeway 35’ with ‘Interstate 35’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(162) Replaced ‘Ammo pouch’ with ‘Ammo Pouch’. Replaced ‘once sophisticated’ with ‘once-sophisticated’. Replaced ‘Weapons list’ with ‘Weapons List’. Replaced ‘engine, then’ with ‘engine, and then’. Replaced ‘a holster and ammunition pouch’ with ‘a holster and an ammunition pouch’.
(163) Replaced ‘Backpack items’ with ‘Backpack Items’. Replaced ‘ammunition and’ with ‘ammunition, and’. Added ‘You also reclaim your Hunting Knife.’.
(164) Added ‘Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.’.
(165) Replaced ‘rear view mirror’ with ‘rear-view mirror’.
(167) Replaced ‘bang’ with ‘bang’.
(168) Added ‘Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.’.
(169) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(171) Replaced ‘de-activates’ with ‘deactivates’.
(172) Added ‘(Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(173) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘exertion and’ with ‘exertion, and’.
(174) Added ‘Remember to deduct the relevant number of 9mm rounds from your Ammo Pouch.’.
(175) Replaced ‘anti-biotics’ with ‘antibiotics’. Replaced ‘H.E. Grenade’ with ‘HE Grenade’.
(177) Replaced ‘gulley’ with ‘gully’.
(178) Replaced ‘refraction’ with ‘reflection’. Replaced ‘Freeway 20’ with ‘Interstate 20’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(181) Replaced ‘rope’ with ‘Rope’. Replaced ‘feet first’ with ‘feet-first’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(182) Replaced ‘Erath country’ with ‘Erath County’. Replaced ‘biker’s raid’ with ‘bikers’ raid’. Replaced ‘Freeway 20’ with ‘Interstate 20’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(185) Replaced ‘newly laid’ with ‘newly-laid’.
(188) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(189) Replaced ‘womped’ with ‘whomped’. Replaced ‘come ’an pay’ with ‘come an’ pay’.
(190) Added ‘Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.’.
(191) Added ‘(Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(194) Replaced ‘de-activates’ with ‘deactivates’.
(195) Replaced ‘machine-gunner’ with ‘machine gunner’. Replaced ‘hellava’ with ‘helluva’. Replaced ‘zig-zag’ with ‘zigzag’.
(196) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘to bypass Strawn’ with ‘to give Strawn wide berth’ because Strawn is miles north of Interstate 20 and therefore staying on the freeway would be sufficient to bypass Strawn whereas leaving the freeway and going cross-country to the south is an act of giving Strawn an even wider berth. Replaced ‘Freeway 20’ with ‘Interstate 20’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(198) Replaced each occurrence of ‘south-west’ with ‘southwest’.
(202) Replaced ‘roof, then’ with ‘roof; then’.
(203) Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
(204) Replaced ‘machine-gun fire’ with ‘machine gun fire’.
(205) Replaced ‘Weapons list’ with ‘Weapons List’. Replaced ‘call, then’ with ‘call; then you’.
(206) Added ‘(Erase this weapon from your Action Chart.)’.
(208) Added ‘Add the Shotgun to your Action Chart.’.
(209) Replaced ‘red indian’ with ‘Red Indian’. Replaced ‘kind all’ with ‘kind, all’.
(210) Replaced ‘out-distance’ with ‘outdistance’.
(211) Replaced ‘Freeway 35’ with ‘Interstate 35’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(212) Replaced ‘neck, then’ with ‘neck; then’.
(213) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(216) Replaced ‘Three rounds of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition’ with ‘Three rounds of 12-gauge ammunition’.
(218) Replaced ‘Weapons list’ with ‘Weapons List’. Replaced ‘head first’ with ‘head-first’.
(219) Replaced ‘mixture, are’ with ‘mixture are’.
(220) Replaced ‘and ’ll’ with ‘and’ll’. Replaced ‘engine, then’ with ‘engine, and then’.
(222) Replaced ‘gulley’ with ‘gully’. Replaced ‘take two Drinks (or lose 6 ENDURANCE points)’ with ‘take two Drinks (or lose 3 ENDURANCE points per drink missed)’. Replaced ‘hours sleep’ with ‘hours’ sleep’. Replaced ‘vehicle to approach’ with ‘vehicle, to approach’. Replaced ‘seen, then’ with ‘seen then’.
(211) Replaced ‘Highway 820’ with ‘Interstate 820’ for accuracy and consistency with later books. Replaced ‘news, that’ with ‘news that’.
(227) Replaced ‘Why you’ with ‘Why, you’.
(228) Replaced ‘death cry’ with ‘death-cry’.
(229) Replaced ‘breathlessly:‘Set’ with ‘breathlessly: ‘Set’. Replaced ‘across the bridge. at a run.’ with ‘across the bridge at a run.’. Replaced ‘Backpack items’ with ‘Backpack Items’. Replaced ‘motor cycles’ with ‘motorcycles’. Replaced ‘open fire’ with ‘opens fire’. Replaced ‘shouts Kate, and takes off’ with ‘shouts Kate and takes off’. Replaced ‘NOTE’ with ‘Note’. Added ‘(Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.)’. Replaced ‘C’mon you two’ with ‘C’mon, you two’.
(231) Replaced ‘colony are’ with ‘colony is’.
(232) Replaced ‘alsatians’ with ‘Alsatians’.
(233) Replaced ‘(minimum—one round; maximum—four rounds)’ with ‘(minimum: one round; maximum: four rounds)’.
(237) Replaced ‘flash, then’ with ‘flash; then you’.
(238) Replaced ‘glass, then’ with ‘glass; then’.
(239) Replaced ‘face, then’ with ‘face; then’.
(242) Replaced ‘C.B. Radio’ with ‘CB Radio’. Replaced ‘gulley’ with ‘gully’. Replaced ‘Backpack item’ with ‘Backpack Item’.
(244) Replaced ‘jump, then’ with ‘jump; then’.
(246) Replaced ‘feet first’ with ‘feet-first’.
(247) Replaced ‘Kate and’ with ‘Kate, and’. Replaced ‘arrive, then the’ with ‘arrive, the’.
(248) Replaced ‘C.B. radio’ with ‘CB Radio’.
(250) Replaced ‘machine-gunner’ with ‘machine gunner’.
(251) Replaced ‘shouts out:’ with ‘shouts out,’.
(253) Started a new paragraph for Cutter’s speech.
(255) Replaced text based number puzzle with illustration.
(256) Replaced ‘close, then’ with ‘close, and then’.
(257) Replaced ‘ ‘the Day’ ’ with ‘ ‘The Day’ ’. Replaced ‘west’ with ‘northwest’ because Interstate 20 passes to the south of Strawn. Replaced ‘west’ with ‘northwest’ because Interstate 20 passes to the south of Strawn.
(259) Replaced ‘pistol’ with ‘Pistol’. Replaced ‘If the fight lasts five’ with ‘If you win and the fight lasts five’.
(260) Replaced ‘Cmon’ with ‘C’mon’. Replaced ‘Backpack items’ with ‘Backpack Items’. Replaced ‘open fire’ with ‘opens fire’. Replaced ‘shouts Kate, and takes off’ with ‘shouts Kate and takes off’. Replaced ‘NOTE’ with ‘Note’.
(261) Added ‘(Remember to deduct a round of 9mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.)’. Replaced ‘five rounds’ with ‘five rounds. Remember to deduct this number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch’.
(262) Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
(265) Replaced ‘camp fire’ with ‘campfire’. Replaced ‘halt, then’ with ‘halt, and then’.
(266) Replaced ‘head, then’ with ‘head; then’.
(267) Replaced ‘Believe me, I know’ with ‘Believe me; I know’.
(268) Replaced ‘off, then’ with ‘off, and then’.
(269) Replaced ‘Weapons list’ with ‘Weapons List’.
(270) Replaced ‘water canteen’ with ‘Water Canteen’. Replaced ‘Sabanna River’ with ‘Sabana River’. Replaced ‘unit).’ with ‘unit.)’. Replaced ‘Comanche county’ with ‘Comanche County’.
(271) Replaced ‘A volley of shots ricochet’ with ‘A volley of shots ricochets’.
(273) Started a new paragraph between ‘you whisper.’ and ‘ ‘I guess’. Replaced ‘ZONE 3: MUNICIPAL VEHICLE SERVICING’ with ‘Zone 3: Municipal Vehicle Servicing’.
(275) Added ‘(Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(277) Replaced ‘a iron’ with ‘an iron’.
(279) Replaced ‘EXIT—FIRE ESCAPE’ with ‘Exit—Fire Escape’. Replaced ‘USE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY’ with ‘Use in Case of Emergency Only’ (added ‘Only’ to the end of the sign to properly parallel Section 334).
(280) Replaced ‘bread, ‘it’ll’ with ‘bread. ‘It’ll’. Replaced ‘colony react’ with ‘colony reacts’.
(284) Replaced ‘the wild west’ with ‘the Wild West’.
(285) Replaced ‘visible, the’ with ‘visible; the’. Replaced ‘A muffled boom and a plume of dust marks’ with ‘A muffled boom and a plume of dust mark’.
(286) Replaced ‘eyes, then’ with ‘eyes; then’. Replaced ‘complete, when’ with ‘complete when’.
(287) Replaced ‘over your left shoulder’ with ‘over your shoulder’.
(288) Replaced ‘auto-wreck’ with ‘auto wreck’. Replaced ‘reply, then’ with ‘reply; then you’.
(289) Replaced ‘camp fire’ with ‘campfire’. Replaced ‘impact, then’ with ‘impact, and then’. Replaced ‘halt, then’ with ‘halt then’.
(290) Replaced ‘weapon, and’ with ‘weapon and’. Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
293) Added ‘Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.’.
(294) Replaced ‘ ‘the Kickers’ ’ with ‘the ‘Kickers’ ’. Replaced ‘you boy’ with ‘you, boy’. Replaced ‘eyes, and’ with ‘eyes and’.
(295) Replaced ‘C.B. radio’ with ‘CB radio’. Replaced ‘north-west’ with ‘northwest’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘K.L.F.M.’ with ‘KLFM.’.
(296) Replaced ‘gulley’ with ‘gully’.
(297) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(298) Replaced ‘red indian’ with ‘Red Indian’.
(299) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘flood of squealing rats swarm’ with ‘flood of squealing rats swarms’. Replaced ‘and break’ with ‘and breaks’.
(300) Replaced ‘red indian’ with ‘Red Indian’. Replaced ‘young; books’ with ‘young—books’. Replaced ‘cracks, then’ with ‘cracks; then’.
(302) Replaced ‘disintegrates, then’ with ‘disintegrates; then’. Added ‘Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.’.
(303) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’.
(304) Replaced ‘west and’ with ‘west, and’.
(305) Replaced ‘ain’t you’ boy?’ ’ with ‘ain’t you, boy?’ ’. Replaced ‘fininshed’ with ‘finished’.
(307) Replaced ‘weapon, and’ with ‘weapon and’.
(309) Replaced ‘alsatians’ with ‘Alsatians’. Replaced ‘weapon, and’ with ‘weapon and’. Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
(313) Replaced ‘handrails’ with ‘hand-rails’.
(314) Replaced ‘Weapons list’ with ‘Weapons List’.
(315) Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘ignition and’ with ‘ignition, and’. Replaced ‘Freeway 35’ with ‘Interstate 35’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(316) Replaced ‘frustration, then’ with ‘frustration; then he’.
(318) Replaced ‘rear view mirror’ with ‘rear-view mirror’. Replaced ‘is one of the lucky few who have managed’ with ‘was one of the lucky few who managed’. Replaced ‘Mad Dog Michigan’ with ‘ ‘Mad Dog Michigan’ ’.
(320) Added ‘Remember to deduct a round of 12-gauge ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.’. Replaced ‘dogs, and’ with ‘dogs and’. Replaced ‘or choose’ with ‘or if you choose’.
(321) Replaced ‘indian’ with ‘Indian’. Replaced ‘north-west’ with ‘northwest’. Replaced ‘on to’ with ‘onto’. Replaced ‘Freeway 20’ with ‘Interstate 20’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(322) Replaced ‘weapon, and’ with ‘weapon and’. Replaced ‘or do’ with ‘or if you do’.
(324) Replaced ‘knees, then’ with ‘knees; then you’.
(325) Replaced ‘C.B.’ with ‘CB radio’. Replaced ‘decayed and’ with ‘decayed, and’. Replaced ‘air, then’ with ‘air; then you’. Replaced ‘K.L.F.M.’ with ‘KLFM.’.
(327) Replaced ‘north-east’ with ‘northeast’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘north-west’ with ‘northwest’. Replaced each occurrence of ‘south-west’ with ‘southwest’. Replaced ‘Freeway 20’ with ‘Interstate 20’ for accuracy and consistency with later books.
(329) Replaced ‘set in cruel sneer.’ with ‘set in a cruel sneer.’. Replaced ‘Stealth and’ with ‘Stealth, and’. Replaced ‘smoke and dust that hovers’ with ‘smoke and dust that hover’. Replaced ‘total 8 or more, then add’ with ‘total 9 or more, add’ because the combined value of Shooting, Stealth, and Perception skills is guaranteed to be at least 8. Changing this makes this instruction somewhat meaningful.
(333) Replaced ‘fixing bolt and’ with ‘fixing bolt, and’.
(334) Replaced ‘EXIT—FIRE ESCAPE’ with ‘Exit—Fire Escape’. Replaced ‘USE IN CASE OF EMERGENCY’ with ‘Use in Case of Emergency Only’.
(336) Replaced ‘letters,’ with ‘letters:’.
(337) Replaced ‘crowd grow’ with ‘crowd grows’.
(338) Replaced ‘bushwacked’ with ‘bushwhacked’. Replaced ‘Rickenbaker’ with ‘Rickenbacker’.
(340) Replaced ‘seat, then’ with ‘seat; then’. Added ‘(Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(342) Replaced ‘fusilage’ with ‘fuselage’.
(343) Replaced ‘Shackelford county sheriff’s office’ with ‘Shackelford County Sheriff’s office’.
(344) Added ‘(Remember to deduct a round of 9mm ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(347) Replaced ‘BIG SPRING 16 MLS’ with ‘Big Spring 16 mls’.
(348) Replaced ‘gulley’ with ‘gully’. Added ‘(Remember to deduct a round of 12-gauge ammunition from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(349) Added ‘(Remember to deduct the relevant number of rounds from your Ammo Pouch.)’.
(350) Replaced ‘Freeway Warrior’ with ‘Freeway Warrior’ when referring to the series.
(Combat Rules Summary) Added missing period after ‘from your total’. Replaced ‘cross-refer’ with ‘cross-reference’. Replaced ‘Combat Results Table’ with ‘Close Combat Results Table’. Replaced ‘zero ENDURANCE points, this’ with ‘zero ENDURANCE points or below; this’.
[1] (Weapons) It is reasonably clear that the Machine Pistol should not be used if you have fewer than 6 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
For some readers, however, it may seem counterintuitive to have ammunition left but be unable to use the weapon. We suggest to these readers that when 9mm ammunition falls below 6 rounds, the Machine Pistol can be treated as a Pistol (cf. Section 333). While this is not a perfect solution, it is a reasonable compromise.
[2] (Section 20) This is the correct answer to the keypad puzzle in Section 152.
[3] (Section 76) A Machine Pistol does not count as a Pistol.
[4] (Section 90) If you have no Medi-kit units, ignore the passage that describes giving dressings to the Rad-vics.
[5] (Section 97) If you are not carrying at least one Medi-kit unit, turn directly to Section 283 without picking a number.
[6] (Section 98) This is the correct answer to the keypad puzzle in Section 255.
[7] (Section 152) The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.
[8] (Section 209) In British usage, the first floor is the one above the ground floor.
[9] (Section 255) The section corresponding to the correct answer will have a footnote confirming that it is indeed correct.
[10] (Section 265) If you are carrying multiple missile weapons, you must decide which you plan to use before choosing this option.
[11] (Section 287) While the text of this section implies that you can decide how many bullets to fire after picking a number from the Random Number Table, this creates an inappropriate level of foreknowledge (i.e. you would know exactly how many bullets you’ll need to fire in order to turn to the more desirable section). It is recommended that you pick a number from the Random Number Table only after you have decided how many bullets to fire.
[12] (Section 289) If you are carrying multiple missile weapons, you must decide which you plan to use before choosing this option.
[13] (Section 297) You may also fill your canteen.
[14] (Section 305) It is possible that you may not be carrying a missile weapon at this point. This is a game-design issue that cannot be easily rectified.
The following is a list of all Sections containing illustrations found in this book:
21 August 2009
Joe Dever, author of the Lone Wolf game books, and Ian Page, author of the World of Lone Wolf books are providing certain of their works for free (gratis) download from the internet. Rob Adams, Paul Bonner, Gary Chalk, Melvyn Grant, Richard Hook, Peter Andrew Jones, Cyril Julien, Peter Lyon, Trevor Newton, Peter Parr, Graham Round, and Brian Williams are similarly offering the illustrations that they did for these books. This license is intended to protect the rights of the authors and the illustrators, grant rights to their readers, and preserve the quality of the books distributed in this way.
By viewing or downloading the books or the illustrations, you agree to refrain from redistributing them in any format for any reason. This is intended to protect readers from getting poor quality, unofficial versions or from being asked for payment in exchange for the books by someone who is redistributing them unofficially.
Anyone who wishes to simply view or download the Internet Editions for their own personal use need not worry about running afoul of the terms of this License. These activities are within acceptable behaviour as defined by this License.
This section does not contain the legally binding terms of this license. Please read the precise terms and conditions of this license that follow.
The current version of this license can be found at the following URL:
‘License’ shall hereafter refer to this document.
‘Authors’ shall hereafter refer to Joe Dever, Ian Page, and Gary Chalk, copyright holders for the literary works covered by this license. Where Joe Dever, Ian Page, or Gary Chalk is mentioned singly, they will be referred to by name.
‘Illustrators’ shall hereafter refer to Rob Adams, copyright holder of portions of The Magnamund Companion; Paul Bonner, holder of the copyrights for the illustrations of the World of Lone Wolf books; Gary Chalk, holder of the copyrights for the illustrations of Lone Wolf books one through eight counted inclusively, holder of the copyrights of portions of The Magnamund Companion, and holder of the copyrights for The Lone Wolf Poster Painting Book; Melvyn Grant, holder of the copyrights for the illustrations of Freeway Warrior 1: Highway Holocaust; Richard Hook, copyright holder of portions of The Magnamund Companion; Peter Andrew Jones, copyright holder for the illustrations used in the Lone Wolf 10th Anniversary Calendar; Cyril Julien, copyright holder of portions of The Skull of Agarash; Peter Lyon, copyright holder of portions of The Magnamund Companion; Trevor Newton, copyright holder of the illustrations of Voyage of the Moonstone; Peter Parr, copyright holder of the illustrations of Black Baron and White Warlord, Emerald Enchanter and Scarlet Sorcerer; Graham Round, copyright holder of portions of The Magnamund Companion; and Brian Williams, holder of the copyrights for the illustrations of Lone Wolf books nine through twenty-eight counted inclusively with the exception of the illustrations for book twenty-one, The Voyage of the Moonstone, holder of the copyrights of portions of The Skull of Agarash, and holder of the copyrights for the illustrations of books two through four, counted inclusively, of the Freeway Warrior series. Where Paul Bonner, Gary Chalk, Melvyn Grant, Richard Hook, Peter Andrew Jones, Cyril Julien, Peter Lyon, Trevor Newton, Peter Parr Graham Round, or Brian Williams is mentioned singly, they will be referred to by name.
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