149

Knott’s fist banging repeatedly against the inside of the cab, draws all three of you towards its tiny window. Through the grimy glass you see him pointing at a town on the road ahead, its battered buildings illuminated by the truck’s headlights. ‘Vado de Piedra!’ he shouts. ‘Better get ready in case it’s a clan town.’

‘If you see any clansmen, you just keep drivin’,’ replies Captain Frankland. ‘If the town’s empty, find somewhere safe and then stop the truck. Is that clear?’

‘Yessir!’ Knott replies.

As the dust-blown stores and houses of the derelict Mexican town trail away behind the truck, it becomes obvious that the place is deserted. Knott arrives at the same conclusion and decreases speed as he prepares to turn off the main highway. The truck crosses a bridge then swings to the right and stops beside a store that lost its roof long ago.

‘They’re still with us, captain,’ said Haskell, staring across the dry river bed at the group of headlights, as the bikers enter the town.

‘Not for long,’ Frankland growls, his voice harsh and determined. ‘Spread out and find some cover. We’ll take ’em as they come over the bridge.’

Quickly you move away from the truck and scour the darkness, straining your eyes to find a place to hide that also has an unobstructed view of the bridge. You can see only two such places, both far from ideal. One is a gas pump, standing on the forecourt of a gas station directly opposite the bridge; the other is an industrial trash can, abandoned at the side of the bridge’s exit ramp.

If you wish to take cover behind the gas pump, turn to 74.

If you decide to place yourself inside the trash can, turn to 317.