Sierra Madre
The name was synonymous with the degenerate biker gang and the mountain range their sprawling encampment was built into. The true meaning of the words had been lost long ago, but they were could enough now to strike fear. To make a point. The city and its inhabitants weren’t some half-starved ruin to be fucked with. Through expert supply lines bolstered by intimidation the city thrived on things now considered a luxury: food, water, gasoline. All contained behind guarded walls. No one came or went without explicit permission from their leader: Julianna.
But someone had betrayed them. Someone had gotten in that shouldn’t have, and they left with something that didn’t belong to them. Something more precious to Julianna than all of Sierra Madre’s food and water, the dozen or so motorcycles that belonged to the more vicious gang members, the guns or the gasoline. Her daughter had been abducted, and by who, she didn’t know. No one had come forward with demands that would ensure Anita’s safety.
Julianna had sent runners out and into the desert, to information posts and settlements looking for news on Anita and her whereabouts, and to leave word that Sierra Madre was offering a reward for assistance.
That had been a week ago. She had still heard nothing of her daughter. Julianna was losing hope.
Most of her runners had returned, and she had been speaking with the most recent informant when she’d been alerted to the approach of a vehicle. Her heart quickened, holding on to the last vestiges of hope she had refused to let go of. She rushed to the gates and and climbed the guard tower. A worn telescope was handed off to her and she surveyed the distance with her right eye. The left was covered in a bandanna worn like a makeshift eye patch. A pink scar could be seen running from beneath the cloth and cutting through her dark skin and stopping just above the curve of her lip. “Do you recognize the vehicle,” she asked in Veridian, a nearly dead language that was used within the city as a sort of code. She dropped the spyglass; the wind slapped her black high ponytail against her back.
“No,” the guard answered. “But they’re approaching fast. Headed right towards us.”
Julianna was loathe to the idea of letting strangers into her city, even if she had requested outside help. She wanted her daughter back.
One of the truck's occupants started yelling for her as they drew closer. That last flicker of hope nearly died as she watched a man stumble out of it and stumbled towards the gates. The driver also exited the vehicle, but only at the behest of his passenger, who presented himself like a man who needed babysitting. Julianna watched them from the tower, she immediately did not trust them.
Armed guards surrounded the two strangers. The blonde one kept asking for Julianna, but no one was particularly quick on fulfilling his request. They talked among themselves, making comments and observations on the pair, uninterested in giving the blonde the attention he was looking for. Eventually there was a part in the circle of guards and Julianna stepped through it. She was smaller than everyone present; nonthreatening in a black tank top and dust-marked jeans. There was a handgun in a holster strapped to her thigh.
“You’re already at an advantage,” she said, standing with her feet apart and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. Visible green eye narrowed at the unfamiliar pair. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
The name was synonymous with the degenerate biker gang and the mountain range their sprawling encampment was built into. The true meaning of the words had been lost long ago, but they were could enough now to strike fear. To make a point. The city and its inhabitants weren’t some half-starved ruin to be fucked with. Through expert supply lines bolstered by intimidation the city thrived on things now considered a luxury: food, water, gasoline. All contained behind guarded walls. No one came or went without explicit permission from their leader: Julianna.
But someone had betrayed them. Someone had gotten in that shouldn’t have, and they left with something that didn’t belong to them. Something more precious to Julianna than all of Sierra Madre’s food and water, the dozen or so motorcycles that belonged to the more vicious gang members, the guns or the gasoline. Her daughter had been abducted, and by who, she didn’t know. No one had come forward with demands that would ensure Anita’s safety.
Julianna had sent runners out and into the desert, to information posts and settlements looking for news on Anita and her whereabouts, and to leave word that Sierra Madre was offering a reward for assistance.
That had been a week ago. She had still heard nothing of her daughter. Julianna was losing hope.
Most of her runners had returned, and she had been speaking with the most recent informant when she’d been alerted to the approach of a vehicle. Her heart quickened, holding on to the last vestiges of hope she had refused to let go of. She rushed to the gates and and climbed the guard tower. A worn telescope was handed off to her and she surveyed the distance with her right eye. The left was covered in a bandanna worn like a makeshift eye patch. A pink scar could be seen running from beneath the cloth and cutting through her dark skin and stopping just above the curve of her lip. “Do you recognize the vehicle,” she asked in Veridian, a nearly dead language that was used within the city as a sort of code. She dropped the spyglass; the wind slapped her black high ponytail against her back.
“No,” the guard answered. “But they’re approaching fast. Headed right towards us.”
Julianna was loathe to the idea of letting strangers into her city, even if she had requested outside help. She wanted her daughter back.
One of the truck's occupants started yelling for her as they drew closer. That last flicker of hope nearly died as she watched a man stumble out of it and stumbled towards the gates. The driver also exited the vehicle, but only at the behest of his passenger, who presented himself like a man who needed babysitting. Julianna watched them from the tower, she immediately did not trust them.
Armed guards surrounded the two strangers. The blonde one kept asking for Julianna, but no one was particularly quick on fulfilling his request. They talked among themselves, making comments and observations on the pair, uninterested in giving the blonde the attention he was looking for. Eventually there was a part in the circle of guards and Julianna stepped through it. She was smaller than everyone present; nonthreatening in a black tank top and dust-marked jeans. There was a handgun in a holster strapped to her thigh.
“You’re already at an advantage,” she said, standing with her feet apart and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. Visible green eye narrowed at the unfamiliar pair. “You know my name, but I don’t know yours.”
I fear no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) I want no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true) and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you.
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Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 05-12-2017, 03:13 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 05-13-2017, 01:13 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 05-13-2017, 01:59 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 05-13-2017, 08:56 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 05-15-2017, 02:24 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 05-16-2017, 01:20 AM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 05-18-2017, 08:42 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 05-22-2017, 08:32 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 05-24-2017, 08:17 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 05-30-2017, 11:40 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 06-04-2017, 01:02 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 06-05-2017, 02:45 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 06-11-2017, 12:14 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 06-17-2017, 10:55 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 06-21-2017, 10:06 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 06-22-2017, 03:05 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 06-22-2017, 07:31 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 06-23-2017, 12:45 AM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 06-23-2017, 01:39 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 06-23-2017, 07:26 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 06-23-2017, 08:23 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 06-25-2017, 02:56 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 06-27-2017, 09:14 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 06-28-2017, 09:48 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 06-30-2017, 09:20 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 07-12-2017, 06:12 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 07-14-2017, 07:00 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 07-25-2017, 11:10 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 08-08-2017, 06:04 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 08-10-2017, 08:09 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 08-10-2017, 08:35 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 08-14-2017, 11:54 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 10-09-2017, 07:22 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 10-30-2017, 03:50 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 11-06-2017, 05:06 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 11-16-2017, 11:16 AM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 01-05-2018, 06:11 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 01-07-2018, 03:09 AM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 05-30-2018, 02:34 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 06-11-2018, 07:38 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by saronym - 11-28-2018, 09:19 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 11-18-2018, 04:30 PM
RE: Burnt Umber [Closed] - by megs - 08-24-2019, 09:04 AM