303

The two Outlaws continue to ride towards the bridge, and come to within 100 yards of your position before bringing their machines to a halt. One of them, a thin-limbed punk with a shaven head, kneels down to examine something on the ground. Then he stands, takes up a pair of binoculars slung around his neck, and focuses them on the bridge itself. The other biker, who is dressed in a tattered blue denim boiler-suit, takes a long swig from a water canteen that is strapped to his chest.

‘Shall we take ’em out?’ whispers Rickenbacker.

You are about to reply when the shaven-headed clansman stiffens. He lets his binoculars fall and snatches up the machine-pistol that is slung beneath his shoulder. Somehow, by sound or instinct, he has been alerted to your position. He shouts a warning to his partner and they scurry into the surrounding brush before you have a chance to fire.

‘They know we’re here,’ hisses Rickenbacker. ‘I don’t like it.’

‘Keep a lookout to the right. I’ll cover the left,’ you reply, as quietly as you can.

With your nerves on edge you scour the surrounding undergrowth. A sudden noise to your left, like that of a falling stone hitting the ground, makes you turn your head, but a quieter shuffling noise to your right causes you to turn back just in time to see the shaven-headed clansman running towards you with a knife in his hand. He makes a dive and is upon you before you can fire a shot. Instinctively you grab his wrist and manage to twist the blade from his hand, but tenaciously he fights back, kicking and clawing like a wild animal as he launches his fight to the finish.

Pee-Wee: CLOSE COMBAT SKILL 16   ENDURANCE 24

You are unable to evade combat and must fight the clansman to the death.

If you win the combat, turn to 51.