Fealty Lost Posted Apr 20, 2020, 1:49 am

The Slaughterhouse crew rolled into the parking lot, down a couple vehicles. Anyone who saw them go out this morning would notice they came back without a Lorry and an Apache and a bit more than a few gangers. Even so, they brought enough others to nearly fill the tavern. They went straight to the bar and their Gang Top Man started handing out bottles and glasses. Van "Runner" Bolton was a grizzled, commanding presence. He looked over the crowded room as bottles were opened, upended and their contents shared around to all, including the baby-faced youngers wearing no colors. When everyone had a drink, he raised his above his head. "F*ck Hammerstein! We pissed on their dead and watched as they turned tail and ran!" The crowd raised their glasses and roared at Bolton's words and condemnation of the Raiders Hammerstein, of whose gang they'd flamed 17 vehicles and 'redded' nine bounty-wanted wasteland trash. But they'd left behind one of each of their own for the Hammerstein dead, including the long-time members Sherwood 'Oh########!' Swearingen and Ezequiel "Zeke" Eichelberber; two of the oldest and most experienced of the Slaughterhouse crew. As one the Slaughterhouse gathered quieted and Bolton hung his head, glass raised again. "We'll never forget you, Sherwood." Cheers rang out and then faded. "You were one of us, 'Zeke!' Always remembered!" Another cheer rattled the roof. "SLAUGHTERHOUSE!" He roared. "SLAUGHTERHOUSE!!" They answered and as one, tipped back their glasses, draining them. Later, back at their new 'digs,' Bolton and the oldsters were sitting around, discussing the fateful first outing of their crew in Elmsfield. "I don't get it. 'Zeke' called the play, a "Catcher's Mitt" envelopment, supported by the Nape' vans and cutting off the hand with the flaming oil drops off the Lorry. It was a textbook call. From what I saw, executed perfectly until...." His voice trailed off. "Yeah, until...," echoed Ulysses 'Pistons' Urquhart. "...I mean, I saw the 'Asmoday' sling into the turn like I've seen it do a million times. As I came out of mine she just...like a pancake on a griddle being filpped by a giant invisible hand; popped onto her top. It was the damndest thing." "You gotta hand it to those kids in the Lorry...sands take them...they made a heck of a try to get back to her and provide some kind of diversion," recalled Bridgette "Roller" Benningfield. "I mean, they slung that big bitch around after laying down a perfect 180 degrees of flaming hell to cut Hammerstein off and then managed not only to make it to the Asmoday, but turned around and laid smoke everywhere to cover her and those fool kids almost pulled it off!" "They sure as hell did!" said Santos JD Smith. "But there was nothing going to save the Asmoday. Those scum just wouldn't let up on her. And when 'Zeke' and Sherwood bailed and tried to turn her over, they went nuts! She must have taken, what? 9? 10? Rocket hits? And she NEVER MOVED!! I've seen Apes take two hits and do a barrel roll! Not an inch!! She never even TRIED to move with all that fire hitting her...it wasn't natural!!" "...wasn't natural." Bolton reiterated. "...damndest thing." The assembled all nodded as one. They'd lost friends and mentors this day, and watched the longest-running vehicle in the Slaughterhouse die a gruesome death under the score of guns owned by the Hammerstein gang that had made a play for them. "Hey, it's not all bad news." Bolton added. "I hear we've got a rookie crew bringing in our third Buzzer." The mood in the warehouse brightened a bit. Some of the gathered shouted and cheered, then quieted quickly. The first smiles of the day showed, then were hidden away to honor the dead. "F*ck Hammerstein." Bolton stated. The crowed roared and echoed his words and dust fell from the rafters at their rage. Vendetta. They would hunt and cut down every Hammerstein vehicle and ganger they could, until they were nothing more annoying than a rat under their boot. ((( glorious 100 fuel tank Lorry explosion in a tight valley, decimated the enemy, blowing one Ant' over the mountain ridges to land, dead, BEHIND the Slaughterhouse vehicles; while the flanking Slaughterhouse vehicles, on high ground, went untouched and proceeded to lay down some pain on Hammerstein, destroying 17 of 19 enemy and hauling home 9 of their vehicles for salvage, but Slaughterhouse lost the Famous Apache 'Asmoday.' )))