227

The sound of the crash brings the clansmen to a halt at the side of the mountain road. They dismount from their machines and peel off their leather face masks before taking tentative steps towards the edge of the steep-sided canyon. The sight of the burning wreckage draws evil grins across their cruel faces, and when Knott’s bloodstained tunic is found nearby, they laugh and howl like victorious jackals. Convinced that you are dead, their leader radios the news to Mad Dog Michigan. When he finishes the call he orders his scouts to remount their bikes and follow him back to Lordsburg. Only when you can no longer hear the thunderous growl of their bikes do you leave your hiding place and set off on foot along Highway 80, heading south.

It is only an hour after the sun has risen and the temperature is already climbing above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The prospect of spending a whole day walking in the burning desert heat is too dangerous to contemplate seriously, so when you see the town of Rodeo shimmering in the distance, you resolve to set about finding a replacement vehicle the moment you arrive.

The highway cuts through the centre of this empty town, dividing it into two halves of roughly the same size. A derelict furniture store marks the start of the main street and it is here, in the shade of its awning, that you stop to rest. You must now take a Drink or lose 3 ENDURANCE points.

Once you have recovered your strength, Captain Frankland and Sergeant Haskell pair up to search one half of the town while you and Knott search the other. You need to find a serviceable vehicle that will carry you as far as Tucson.

‘We’ll meet back here in half an hour,’ says the captain, and offers you the choice of searching the west side or the east side of Rodeo.

If you wish to search the east side of the town, turn to 198.

If you choose to search the west side of the town, turn to 314.