(If you have not already please read The Soft Boy Prison Chapter 1 for full context)
Shettleston, 2034
When Casper was young his father told him this part of town was a shithole. If that wasn't true before the war began, it definitely was now. It was estimated that the aerial bombardment of Glasgow destroyed over 80% of all buildings. Shettleston, a residential area in the east of the city was no exception. They situated themselves in one of the tenements still standing at the crossroad where Old Shettleston Road met the new Shettleston Road. From the second floor of this building, located over what appeared to be an old hairdressers, they reckoned they could see down the road for around half a mile. All that was left to do was wait. It was the beginning of May. It was spitting with rain, chilly and miserable. Vegetation was growing through the surrounding rubble and the buds were blooming but still small. The floor was muddy and wet.
Casper sniffled. He was inspecting his Glock and making sure all the components were in working order. The last thing he wanted would be for it to jam in an emergency. His associate, Molly, was next to him. She had her Dragunov at the ready. She lay prone resting the rifle on the window ledge. She was an excellent marksman. The last place you'd want to be was in her crosshairs as an adversary, no matter the distance.
"Anything new?" she asked, breaking the silence startling Casper.
"Ah, no! Sorry let me have a look," said Casper stuffing his Glock into his trousers.
"For fuck sake! You're meant to be spotting!"
"Sorry! Sorry! I got a wee bit distracted" said Casper fumbling the binoculars up to his eyes.
"And we'll be going home hungry again unless you fucking pay attention" hissed Molly through clenched teeth.
He felt guilty after hearing her say that. "Anything new?" asked Molly again. Casper inspected the area as steam from his breath whiffed by his field of vision through the lenses. He looked up and down the road but couldn't see anything.
"All quiet on the western front" he replied. "Good! Don't lapse again".
Molly was a force to be reckoned with. She was malicious, cruel and unempathetic. When the war broke out in April of 2028, she was only 13 years old. Her father, already a soldier at the time was in one of the first armies to oppose the Russian invasion of Poland from Belarus. The NATO armies made their best attempt at holding the defensive position on the Vistula River. They were able to hold the line for a few days allowing time for millions of Polish refugees to escape to the West. However, the Russians were able to outflank and ultimately liquidate them. She never heard from her father again. Molly's father served as a sniper and taught her how to shoot when she was a child. A skill that would prove to be useful.
During the war, her home in Rutherglen was partially hit by one of the many airstrikes conducted by the Russian Airforce. The house was destroyed, killing her mum and older brother. Molly was badly injured and was pulled out of the rubble alive but unconscious. She was in a coma for 2 weeks and woke up in a field hospital. All she knew was taken from her. She had nothing left to lose and would live life on her own terms. No waiting in line for rations! Fuck martial law and curfew! If someone has something I want I'll take it from them, is what she thought.
Even though she wasn't the group's leader she was the most feared member. When Casper joined them, Calvin thought it would be best for him to work under Molly on expeditions. This way, his softness could be ironed out and he would become cold and brutal like the rest of them. However, her influence ended up putting a wedge between him and the group rather than conditioning him to be like them. When Molly realised that she couldn't get through to him, he subsequently became her personal punching bag, sometimes in a very literal sense. She would blame him for her mistakes, tease him, belittle him, even beat him up. Casper tried to stay out of her way as much as he could, but it was difficult.
On the street at the junction below, Sean and Calvin were perched out of sight from the road behind a wall. Across the road, Amy was perched behind a bush and a pile of rubble, holding her sawed off shotgun. She was able to keep in visual contact with Calvin and James. Casper and Molly were in contact with Calvin via a Spiderman walkie talkie they obtained among many items from a stock box they stole from a Toys R Us.
Casper was hungry. It'd been two days since they last had eaten. The last expedition they conducted was two weeks ago. They pulled over a middle-aged woman in her car with her mum and stole their rations and water. Most expeditions were violence free, as Casper noticed, pointing a gun at someone tends to make them comply with you. The rain died down; Casper heard the distant hum of a car engine. He focused in on his binoculars. He saw a vehicle approaching in the distance. He could just about make it out. A light grey VW Golf.
"Contact, 11 0'clock. Approaching, estimation 500 metres". Said Casper. Molly searched her scope acknowledging this information.
"Found 'em!" she said after a moment of hesitation. "Radio the boys".
Casper picked up his walkie talkie and pressed the PTT, "Casper speaking, we have a visual. Light grey hatchback approaching from the east, distance 450 meters. Stand by."
"Rodger." replied James.
To minimise the risk of being spotted, Calvin, James and Amy relied entirely on Casper and Molly to give them the signal to engage the target. They had to wait until they were close, but not too close. Otherwise, if Molly needed to fire it would be less effective. Casper watched the vehicle get closer and closer. He saw James at the ready, with his Revolver tucked into his jeans with his back against the wall in anticipation. Casper was trying to estimate the perfect time to give the signal. He reckoned this one lamp post was the point at which the car would need to begin to slow down. When it came to it, he would call it. He held the walkie talkie to his mouth in anticipation, he was breathing heavily.
"That's it little fly, come into the spiders web" said Molly sadistically smiling as she peered through her scope. Casper counted down in his head as the car approached the lamp post 3...2...1...
"Go! Go! Go!" called Casper into the speaker.
James stumbled out into the road holding his stomach, he groaned loudly. "HELP! STOP! PLEASE." He called out. The faint squeak of the car's breaks could be heard until it came to a stop 30 ft in front of him. A man in his late 30's and his partner got out of the car.
"What's wrong!? Are you okay!?" asked the man as he approached him.
"UUUUUGHH, I'VE BEEN SHOT. THEY GOT ME IN THE STOMACH" pleaded Jamie bent over holding his abdomen with both hands.
"Lemme see" requested the man.
"Sure" said Jamie calmly standing up straight and pointing his revolver at them. The man and his partner both gasped in shock and put their hands up immediately. Amy and Calvin peeked out from their cover.
"Move to the back of the car, slowly" demanded James calmly. The couple still with their hands up did as they were told. "What, ya got?".
The man spoke clearly with a slight tremble. "We were just goin' visitin' ma brother over in Dennistoun. All we've brought is a bar a chocolate, couple a ready meals, change a clase 'n some bottles a beer".
"Bottles of beer? Oofft, must've saved up a nice wee pile a cards for them" said James mockingly. "Canny wait fir a wee swally. Open the boot!" The man opened it and James turned his attention away from the man and instead to the contents of the boot.
