326

It takes less than twenty minutes to reach the tiny mountain town of Mimbres but you find no welcome awaiting you there. The place is deserted, its buildings, all save two derelict stores at its centre, have long since collapsed. There is nothing to be gained by stopping here, so Captain Frankland orders Knott to continue without slowing.

Beyond Mimbres, the highway begins a steady climb into the Cedar Mountains. You stay alert, anticipating clan contact at any time, but the rocky landscape seems devoid of life. The temperature rises with the sun, and when you see the town of Hachita, perched near the western edge of a wide box canyon, all four of you are beginning to feel the ill effects of dehydration and salt deficiency.

You are approaching Hachita when Knott calls the captain to the cab window. The truck’s fuel gauge was registering full when you left Ciudad Juarez, but the needle has now slipped to below the quarter mark and he fears that there may not be enough gasolene left to reach Lordsburg. Hachita looks as empty as Mimbres, so Captain Frankland orders him to stop there to search for some fuel.

As you reach a crossroads in the centre of the town, Knott stops the truck at a gas station that was once part of a shopping mart. You disembark and Sergeant Haskell quickly discovers the reason for the truck’s poor fuel consumption: there are three bullet holes in the petrol tank.

If you wish to help the sergeant fix the damaged tank, turn to 195.

If you decide to help Frankland and Knott search the gas station for some fuel, turn to 66.