The story so far (in order):
@dibblers.dabs/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-ongoing-contest
@wrestlingdesires/the-great-pizza-feast
@dibblers.dabs/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-ongoing-contest-week-2
@wrestlingdesires/the-rise-of-the-predas-a-tale-of-two-pizzas
@onewolfe/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-contest-entry
@dibblers.dabs/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-ongoing-contest-week-3
@wrestlingdesires/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-every-man-has-his-price
@dibblers.dabs/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-ongoing-contest-week-4
@onewolfe/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-contest-entry-week-4
@jesustiano/the-life-of-a-pizzaspy
@dibblers.dabs/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-ongoing-contest-week-5
@an-man/a-tale-of-two-pizza-9dffb964649b2
@jesustiano/the-tryouts-of-the-pizza
@dibblers.dabs/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-ongoing-contest-week-6
@wrestlingdesires/kindness-and-cruelty-the-musings
@dibblers.dabs/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-ongoing-contest-week-7
@samsmith1971/a-tale-of-two-pizzas
@wrestlingdesires/laketown-a-tale-of-two
@dibblers.dabs/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-ongoing-contest-week-8
@wrestlingdesires/the-arts-war-a-tale
@samsmith1971/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-36d39ad4b0d7
@dibblers.dabs/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-ongoing-contest-week-9
Other Previous Entries:
@jesustiano/el-adviento-de-la-pizza
@jesustiano/la-bendita-pizza-esp-or
@jesustiano/otto-s-encounter-with-olives
@onewolfe/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-week-3-entry
@an-man/a-tale-of-two-pizza
@dadspardan/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-the-crust-thickens
@wrestlingdesires/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-the-second-pizza
@an-man/a-tale-of-two-pizza-0c91a51f4c9e5#@dibblers.dabs/re-an-man-2021831t11856751z
@onewolfe/a-tale-of-two-pizzas-contest-week-5-entry
@wrestlingdesires/a-tale-of-two-pizzas
@jesustiano/conociendo-al-francotirador-esp-or
@an-man/a-tale-of-two-pizza-4fb448ed34cc2
@an-man/a-tale-of-two-pizza-f657fc1924c31
@an-man/a-tale-of-two-pizza-c74dc42c5672f
@jesustiano/the-russo-legacy-and-the
@repayme4568/a-tale-of-two-pizza
Delilah was lost, wet, and filled with regret. After feeding Mirabel her chicken she had become lost in the heady memories of the previous night's excursion to the port. The thought of returning to investigate further had become all consuming. She had enjoyed the rhythmic music, found herself excited by it all, by the edginess she sensed in the people at that illicit party. Yet she knew they had stolen from the Pizza Baron, and she felt a deep need to repay his kind act. Before she knew what she was doing she had returned to the stables once again, mounted Jet, and quickly left the safety of the Fruit Baron's compound- all before her parents had finished their meal.
Jet's quick and consistent canter ate up the miles towards Port Town, and she was confident she would be home before she was missed... until the weather had changed.
The bright full moon that had been regularly visible through thin cloud cover was now completely obscured. And it had begun to rain. Jet's pace slowed as the old roadway grew slippery, until the thought had occurred to her that he would have better grip if she descended to the grass and undergrowth beside it. She realized her mistake when the old highway swooped overhead as she descended into a small valley. That had been nearly an hour ago and she had not been able to find any road since. The terrain was hilly, and the more she thought about it the more she realized that the highway regularly became a bridge to cross gullies, carved through the side of hills, and occasionally bridged over other roads. Initially she had just kept on thinking the road must surely be up the next hill, now she had gone too far, up and down too many hills, and across countless small streams. There was no way she could find her way back.
Jet was panting with exertion as he crested yet another hill. Off in the distance Delilah spotted a glimmer of light, immediately she urged him toward it, hoping that it was Port Town, but knowing in her heart that she had not managed to cover that much ground.
.
"How could you sleep for THAT long?" Rachel asked Barry quickly before he had a chance to start asking questions. The abandoned shop was as good a place as any for them to hide until Barry had found his feet again. She had an inkling of what he had done to get moved to the infirmary, but she wasn't about to acknowledge the stroke of genius- their competitiveness was what had made them continually better spies over the years as they strove to outdo each others exploits.
"Well, sister, I'd love to tell you all my secrets, but I fear now isn't the time. This seems to be within the Preda's domain and I would rather not deal with them or their lackeys with my head pounding like this. How do you plan to get out of the town? And why is my mouth on fire? Do you have water?" Rachel tossed him a canteen that he quickly drained before replying.
"I had planned to leave before they realized you were missing- but you slept like the dead- I couldn't wake you, I resorted to dropping some cayenne I found in the shelves here on your drooling tongue. They surely realize you have escaped by now. They must have locked the gates and have guards questioning those who attempt to leave."
"You must have a backup plan sister, you always do!" Barry smiled despite his pounding headache, it had been a very long time since he and Rachel had worked on something together. "I have a few ideas myself..."
An hour of discussion and planning later they were ready, dusk had brought with it just enough darkness to the dimly lit streets of the town that they could move relatively freely as long as they didn't try to leave through the gates. The two of them blended easily with the crowds of people going home from a long day of work in the refineries and processing plants that were the lifeblood of the Preda's power.
The stench of oil dominated the town, and as the darkness deepened the occasional lamp was lit to flicker forlornly over head. Such meager light barely illuminated the dirty streets, and Barry and Rachel had little problem reaching the old abandoned warehouse that had held her impromptu meeting with Henry several days earlier. The ramshackle and rusted building backed onto one of the garages of the Preda's transport hub. Separated by nothing more than a barbed wire fence and twenty feet of empty space. The two quickly climbed inside and up to the catwalks on the second floor to observe their target. Silence reigned between the two of them- there was no need to discuss now that a plan had been decided upon. Actions were all that mattered.
The transport hub was a haphazard mess of sheet metal buildings hastily built with scrap to house the various working vehicles, parts, drivers, and mechanics the Preda's used to transport their oil around the region. The buildings were unmarked, and even Barry didn't know which contained working vehicles, which were repair shops or storage, and which housed the men. If they were detected before they could steal a vehicle and escape onto the highway they would be in trouble. Patience came as naturally to both of them as the silence that surrounded them. Their next step would be obvious to both of them as soon as it presented itself. So the two experts of espionage watched with sharp eyes in the darkness until the clouds obscured the room and the first drops of a heavy rain began to bounce off the old warehouse roof.
.
Delilah pressed onward, reorienting herself on that glimmer in the distance each time Jet labored to the top of a hill. At this point they were both drenched and exhausted, Delilah could barely sit upright in her saddle. She began to wonder if she would ever find that light, or the road, or anything other than darkness and damp. Jet plodded heavily down yet another incline. I must be nearly out of these hills she thought to herself. She was scratched in dozens of places as she had urged Jet forward through thick undergrowth. Thankfully she had not found herself in a true forest- though she might have appreciated the cover from the rain she would surely have ended up even more lost if she had. She felt Jet begin to head upwards once more, snorting as he did, and she patted his neck to reassure him. As she did so she heard something over the sound of the rain an engine? surely not? She urged Jet to move a little faster and even as exhausted as he was he sped up to a trot. He had soon climbed the remainder of the hill and she reined him in to pause and listen.
The light was much closer now and she could see many other lights below the one she had been following there must be a settlement here! and that light I've been following is a lamp post or something She looked down the hill from where Jet stood, and down below her, almost at the base of the hill they stood atop, was the road! She could see the flickering light of the lampost shining off the wet surface and on several abandoned cars. She had been right, she could indeed hear an engine, it was much clearer now, especially as the rain seemed to be easing up. Feeling as if her luck was beginning to change she urged Jet forward once more and started down what she hoped would be the last hill she need ever climb or descend on horseback.
The rules for this week remain the same as previous weeks!
I'd like to continue building on the story of the Pizza Baron and his post apocalyptic world. Each week I'll pick a winner that becomes the next piece of the story and wins 20 $PIZZA and a 5 SBI sponsorship from me. I may award additional prizes if I feel multiple entries expand the story well.
Each week I'll write a post announcing the winner and then I will write another chunk of the story and open it up again for the next weeks competition. I'll compile the winning entry for each week. If we reach a conclusion of the epic tale of the Pizza Baron I'll divide another TBD amount of PIZZA among all the winning entries throughout the whole story and publish the finished story here on Hive with all the contributors as beneficiaries. If this goes well we might have the first open source blockchain novella on our hands! 😂
The first weeks contest established a secondary storyline that may be tied back into the main plot if you so wish!
Bear in mind this is an experiment as well as a competition so we will see how many entries I get and how well it goes!
Rules:
Entries must be more than 200 words but less than 1000.
Entries must use the hivepizza tag
Entries must comment on this post with the link to their entry
Entries must fit in the world/scenario that has developed from the previous weeks contest(s). You are free to develop characters, introduce new ones, invite aliens to the feast, I don't care as long it makes some kind of sense in the context! The Pizza Baron should remain relevant to the plot!
(I've named it a Tale of TWO Pizza's for a reason HINT HINT)