Aspen Vale: A Tale of the Gone

by Lopeman, Kenneth

  His dad gave a hearty laugh at that and shook the Kenoshan’s hand, clearly forgetting his injured shoulder and wincing. “I knew you had something to do with our rescue, Kyle, but I didn’t expect to see you on a horse yourself.”

  “Well, I’m not a great rider, but growing up in the valley like I did, I learned a thing or two.” Beaupre patted the horse fondly on the neck. “And this is a fine animal.”

  “Are the rest of the Ranchers coming?” asked Jake.

  “They’re behind me. Lefton had himself an idea that I think is a good one.” Beaupre explained the plan while Seth dismounted.

  When he turned to face them again, his father was nodded. “About time he came up with that. If he had done it sooner, maybe I wouldn’t have had to blow a hole in the barricade,” said his father. Seth chuckled at that. “I don’t think you’ll have to spell it out for the people on the wall over there, Kyle, but go ahead and let them know what’s coming.”

  “Alright, Jake. You want me to stay there until the job is done or come back here?”

  “Come on back here. If this doesn’t work as well as I think it will, we’ll have another mass of goners, and a hole in our lines. If that happens, you'll probably be needed here.”

  Kyle nodded and spurred his horse. “The Kenoshan took back his knife, dad,” Seth said. “You want me to go find another weapon?”

  His dad shook his head and handed Seth his axe. “Use mine. I haven’t been able to swing it terribly well. Rory… suggested… that I stay back and ‘supervise.’”

  Seth took the axe, but gave his father a pointed look. “You might want to keep this,” Seth said. “That Lefton guy didn’t seem to think much of us. I have a feeling that, if he sees you without a weapon, he won’t think you were fighting.”

  “Dave Lefton? He doesn’t think much of anyone. And if he wants to think badly of me today, well, let him. He didn’t have to come, and he did. If he wants to be a kakhole about it, I’ll let him.” Jake cupped his hands to his mouth. “The Ranchers are coming this way. I want the eastern line to stay right where it is. Western line, can you advance?”

  “I think so, Jake,” said Marty. “If the fighting stays this light, it’s just clean up.”

  “Alright. The Ranchers are going to be bringing in the rest of the herd. The goal is to string them out and have the wall defenders deal with them. I want to start cleaning these bastards off the barricade now. But if you even THINK that resistance is getting heavier, you haul ass back to this position. I’m going to head up to the roof and let Jay know what’s happening. If you hear a gunshot, consider that a retreat order, because we probably need you here. Understood?”

  The men gave a quick cheer. It wasn't the most rousing of speeches, but they knew that if Jake Larkin was coming off the line, then the battle was probably won. “Where do you want me?” Seth asked.

  His dad looked at him thoughtfully. “Go with Marty,” he said at last. “I want my freshest men out there. Just be careful not to swing that axe too wide.”

  An hour later, full dark had gripped the School. Jake allowed himself to close his eyes for a moment. He was sitting on the bottommost level of what was left of the barricade between the Ell and the Angle, laying his head back onto the next level. Someone had finally convinced him to get his arm into a sling, but he couldn’t remember who. It seemed like years since he had last seen Beth. The stars were starting to come out, but the moon hadn’t yet made its appearance. A few men had suggested that they light some torches, but Jake had adamantly told them no; small groups of goners were still coming in from the riverbed, and he wanted to keep everyone’s night vision intact.

  It’s so quiet, thought Jake. Hours upon hours he had been listening to gunshots and Gone screams. It seemed unnatural to not hear them anymore. The Ranchers had pulled off their maneuver brilliantly, riding just ahead of the shambling goners, along the edge of the stake line. Thanks to Beaupre, the defenders on the walls knew to make a lot of noise to get their attention. The remnants of the herd had spread out thin, much like they had earlier in the attack, and had been easy prey. A group of Longshooters had taken some hand weapons and were outside the walls now, taking out the stragglers since it was too dark to hit anything.

  He heard the jingling of spurs approaching him. Jake lifted his head, and saw David Lefton approaching him. The Rancher had taken off his goggles and scarf, revealing his angular features and cold blue eyes. Jake extended his good hand towards the Rancher. Lefton eyed the hand for a moment, and then shook it begrudgingly. “We tied the horses up by that old building you all call the Curve,” said Lefton. “I wanted to get them as far from the hole you blew as possible; the scent of goner was spooking them.”

  “Alright. What of your men?” asked Jake.

  “They’re tired, but fresher than yours,” said Lefton stiffly. Jake wondered if he had pricked the ambassador’s pride by asking. “They can take over at the crater; let some of you get some rest.”

  “Again, thank you,” Jake said sincerely. Lefton nodded, and walked off.

  “He gave the Mayor a ration of shit on account of you blowing that hole in the wall,” said Rory, handing Jake a thick blanket. “He wasn’t too impressed with our building barricades out of hay, either.”

  Jake shrugged, and his shoulder screamed at him for it. “It’s not like he’s wrong. We didn’t make the best decisions.”

  “Oh, horsekak,” said Rory. “He knows how much those bales weigh. We did the best we could with the time we had, and it was plenty.”

  “And if the Ranchers hadn’t lured half of that herd away?” Jake asked. “Would they have held then?”

  “Then we would have gotten into the buildings and been fine,” said Rory.

  “And how many wouldn’t have reached it? Would the doors have held?” asked Jake. “And if that sound comes over again? What do we do if we have to deal with another herd tomorrow? Or if the Ranch does? All of their fighting men are here now.”

  “And if If’s and But’s were candied nuts, your gut would be the biggest in the valley. Quit asking questions for a bit and enjoy the win.” Rory started to say something else, but cut off when he saw Beaupre walking up to them.

  “Jake, I want to run something by you,” said the Kenoshan by way of greeting.

  “Sure, go ahead,” said Jake, ignoring Rory’s glare. “What’s on your mind?”

  “Well, when I showed up, everyone in the Township knew about it pretty damned quickly,” said Beaupre. “Hell, they had even heard about me at the Ranch, once Lefton got back there. So it’s safe to assume that, if there was anyone new in town, folks would know about it, right?”

  “What are you getting at,” asked Rory irritably.

  “Well, it just seems like a big coincidence that the attack came from the Ruins,” said Beaupre. “Think about it. If I hadn’t told you about the stars, how would this have appeared to you? You heard a sound in the sky, and then the Lord Jezias would have launched an attack at you from the place where he rules. Most people wouldn’t have even bothered to wonder if something else, or someone else, might be involved. It’s like they knew enough about what goes on in the Townships to know where they needed to attack.”

  “Are you saying that we have a traitor?” asked Jake.

  “Maybe. Or that maybe they have someone spying on you,” said Beaupre.

  “But if someone new was asking questions about us, we would have known, like you said,” said Jake.

  “Not someone new. If someone at the Ranch said they lived here, would they draw suspicion? Especially with Lefton not there?”

  Jake considered. “I’m not sure. Someone would have had to notice eventually, though. It’s not like no one ever travels between the towns.”

  “Exactly,” said Kyle. “So if there was a spy, he’d know he couldn’t stay long. So he’d have to have a fall back spot, out of the way, but close enough for him to be able to see what happened here and report to whoever it is he reports to. And some place he
knew none of the townspeople would willingly go.”

  Jake breathed, realization striking him. “The Gardens of Denver.”

  Kyle nodded. “This person could have figured out that people were scared of the Ruins without ever asking a soul. Just listening and observing,” he said. “My point, though, is this. Whoever is behind this, they didn’t just attack one night, right? If they are setting up for another attack tomorrow…”

  “Then the son of a whore might still be there,” finished Jake. “Beaupre, how fresh are you?”

  “Good enough that I’d like to leave right now,” said the Kenoshan.

  “Not without me, you won’t,” said Jake, throwing the blanket off. With a groan, he took his arm out of the sling, as well.

  “Jake, don’t be a godsdamned idiot,” said Rory. “You haven’t slept. You’ve barely eaten anything. You’re hurt. And there are bound to be goners down there still.”

  “Yeah, but no one knows the Ruins as well as I do. And Kyle doesn’t know them at all. Should I send someone else down there? Tell them that it’s great they just survived the biggest goner attack since the Awakening, but now they need to go into the jaws of the Lord of Death himself?” Jake shook his head. “If we head up to the north of the bridge, closer to the Ranch, there is a place where we can get down to the river. Then we just go upstream; it’ll take us right to the Gardens.”

  “That’s not a short walk, Jake,” said Rory acerbically.

  “Should I ask Lefton for horses?” asked Beaupre, ignoring the older man.

  Jake’s shoulder twinged at the mere thought of being jostled on horseback. “No, no need to risk his horses in the dark. And we’ll be quieter without them.”

  Rory looked extremely unconvinced. “What I should do is go get Beth,” he said. “Maybe she’d talk some bloody sense into you. At least take a few more men!”

  “More men mean more noise,” said Jake. He then turned to Beaupre. “We should go now. I want to get to the Gardens before those stars of yours come back.

  The moon finally rose on the horizon, cradled in the place where the slopes of Aspen and Smuggler's Mountains rose apart from each other. It was a beautiful sight, and Kyle Beaupre had to stop a moment to take it in. Jake stopped as well, though Kyle thought it may be more from fatigue. The man looked like he might fall over at any minute. He had thought about joining forces with the crusty old rifleman that Jake seemed to like, but in the end had held his silence. The Scout Captain reminded Kyle a lot of his own boss back home. Simon Sczcpanik had never admitted to weariness, either, when the Fort had been under attack. And Jake was right; if there WAS someone directing the attacks from the Ruins, it made a lot of sense to try to get to him before the stars reappeared, and arguing with him would just waste time.

  The thought of catching the people responsible for the destruction of his home made him forget how lovely the view was. His feet started moving north again. Jake followed suit without a word, his snowshoes barely whispering across the snow. The two had avoided the roads, instead circling north around the Loop and through unplowed fields. As the moon began to cast its light on the valley, they could see places where the Gone had walked, but none were in evidence now. They hurried along, nonetheless. The lack of trees here meant that the Gone had no cover, and they could be seen from far off. But that sword cut both ways.

  As the men hurried towards the trees, Kyle thought he could hear the faint sound of water. He looked to Jake, tilting his head as if listening for something then pointing forward. Jake nodded once; that was the river that they were heading towards. The sound of running water seemed to spur both men on, though they slowed down before they hit the trees. They sat there for a moment, listening for the telltale shuffle of goners. After a moment of hearing nothing, they went down to the river. It was mostly frozen at its edges, but it was free of ice in the center, and water was moving at a good clip. Jake took the lead at this point; following a riverbed in the snow was treacherous. One never knew if the snow you were stepping on was covering solid ground or thin ice. Kyle tried to put his snowshoes where Jake set his, making sure to stay close to the man in case he got into trouble, himself.

  They had been traveling up the river for about fifteen minutes when they heard a shuffling above them. Instinctively, Kyle pressed himself against the bank. Jake did the same. Kyle didn’t know if it was goners or an animal above him, but he wasn’t going to take that chance. Neither, apparently, was Jake. The shuffling continued, seeming to pass right over them. Kyle closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. The sound began to move away after only a few heartbeats. Neither man moved an inch, though, until quiet had returned for several minutes. Jake looked at Kyle, and then used two fingers to point at his eyes. Kyle shook his head; he hadn’t seen what made the sound. Jake grimaced, but then shrugged and started up the creek again. Kyle nodded; it didn't matter what had been up there, as long as it was gone now.

  They had only been walking another ten minutes when Jake suddenly stopped. Kyle stood next to him as the other man pointed. The ruins of a building stood there. It looked odd, as if it had never had any real walls. Only some rusted metal beams remained, making a frame. Like so many other structures in the Ruins, trees had taken over, growing right through the middle of whatever it had been. But the rocks near it looked odd. Instead of the random assortment of stones that Kyle was used to seeing near a riverbed, most of the stones appeared to have been placed, making walls and paths that were visible despite the snow. Some of the stones actually appeared to be balanced upright, like markers. “The Gardens?” Kyle whispered.

  Jake nodded. Kyle set a hand on Jake’s good shoulder. “I’ll go in. See what I can see.” Jake nodded, the moonlight showing the relief in his eyes. Slowly, carefully, Kyle started climbing the bank. The trees had made a thick barrier here; had the aspens had any leaves on them, he wouldn’t have had any light to go on at all. He made his way to one of the standing stones he had seen before. It clearly had words carved on it, but it was too dark to make them out. Kyle stared at them for a bit, but then a sound caught his attention. It sounded like the high pitched chirp of a bird. But it was different; it sounded metallic somehow, like someone had made a songbird out of tin. Kyle crept forwards toward the sound. He heard it again, but this time he also thought he heard a voice. It, too, sounded metallic, and muffled somehow, as if a hundred leaves were rustling in the background. As he crept closer still, he heard someone answer it. “…hay. It worked better than I thought it would. I’m actually impressed by how quickly they got it up. They used some sort of explosive to confuse the subjects, too. These people were definitely prepared. Over.”

  After the man said “over,” Kyle heard the chirp again. That let him get a bead on the man; he was crouched near another of the standing stones, looking like little more than a dark mass. Strangely enough, he thought he could see a little red light in the man’s hand. At first, Kyle thought it might be a cigarette, but when the man raised it to his mouth, it didn’t glow brighter like a tobacco cherry would.

  The sound of leaves returned, and with it, the metallic voice. “Command wants to know more about the structures of the settlement, and if anything could have accounted for their rapid response. Over.”

  Kyle had crept closer while the leaves had been rustling, but now they stopped. He froze, but the man was talking again. “All signs point to agrarian lifestyle. There is some militarization in the northern settlement, but very little overall. Well, militarization is a bit of a stretch; they seem to think they're cowboys. Nothing that suggests the ability for rapid militarization of the populace. Over."

  The rustling leaves mixed with the sound of laughter. "Well, don’t get too defensive, Paulson. The old man agrees with you. My guess is, he’ll be plenty happy with your report. The device worked?

  "Like a charm. Not a single one of the subjects came within fifty feet. They just turn and walk away.”

  The rustling returned, and Kyle tried to slip into the trees
behind the man. The figure never even turned to look his way. “Excellent. If we can direct them, we can control them. What about their performance? Over.”

  The rustling stopped again. Kyle was close enough now to see that the man was depressing some sort of button on a strange black box in his hand. The little red light was coming from there. “Superb. The cold didn’t seem to bother them at all. They did even better than the subjects in the Jefferson valley. The settlement here did not fall, but that is due primarily to help received from the northern settlement and the fact that they had warning. Still some bugs to work out, but I think we have a winner, Jeffries. Recommend full implementation. Over.”

  “Ten-Four, Paulson. Command was hoping for full liquidation of these settlement this time, to prove the effectiveness of the test subjects. Should we proceed with another drop? Over.”

  The form began to lift the box to his lips, but froze when he felt the blade of Kyle’s knife at his throat. “Tell them no, Paulson,” Kyle recommended.

  The man didn’t move for a long moment. When the tinny voice asked for him again, he raised the box to his lips. “No need. Save them for an attack that matters. I have been compromised. Over and Out.” With that, the man swung the box at the rock he was kneeling against, shattering it.

  Kyle didn’t particularly care. He took the knife away from the man’s throat, and then brought it down on his head, hilt down. Paulson, whoever he was, collapsed. Kyle took some twine from his coat and tied the man’s hands behind his back. As he was doing so, he noticed an insignia on the man’s sleeve. As he peered more closely, he got the verification he was looking for. Three triangles, making one larger one; the same mark that had been on the Gone at Fort Kenosha. He looked down at the unconscious man, glaring. “You’ve got some explaining to do, Mr. Paulson,” Kyle promised.