by Christa Lynn
I grab the map off the table and unfold it to confirm our route, showing Abe the map. “We’ll head down river in the beginning so we can check out the rest of the compound and make sure the land is secure before exiting the property and head toward the old I-40 overpass. We’ll have to cross down from there, as the overpass is a check point for runners. The Heretics overtook that bridge a few years ago, so we’ll have to cross down from there to avoid being seen. Then we’ll head northeast toward Webber's Falls and cross the Arkansas River there.”
“Got it,” Abe says, folding the map and tucking it into his pocket. “You ready?”
“Yeah, let’s grab Lance and hit the dirt,” I say, tugging on Lady’s reins, her soft whinny letting me know she’s ready. Abe and I head down the path toward the other houses and Lance meets us on the path. “You ready?” I ask him.
“Yes, sir, let’s do this.”
“Okay, change of plans. We aren’t going to Oklahoma City, we’re headed toward Arrow’s Crossing to see what, if anything, is left of Jo’s home,” I say, then giving him the rest of the directions. Since we’re going to be a mile or so from the Heretic check point, we’ll be able to figure out if he’s the mole, and then dispose of him properly.
“Got it,” he says, without blinking an eye. He doesn’t look nervous or anxious, so maybe we’ve got the wrong guy, but I’m not going to disregard that. We’ll know soon enough if he’s the one we need to get rid of. When you collect men on an abandoned road, you can never be sure who’s legit and who’s a traitor.
Abe and Lance jump on the horses and I walk beside them, scanning the area for anything unusual. A few hours later, we arrive at the I-40 overpass, and sure enough, the bridge is crawling with Heretics.
“Okay, I think we need to backtrack a little, this path dropped us off a little closer to the bridge than I thought it would. Any noises out of the horses and we’ll be spotted,” I say, Abe and Lance agreeing, so we backtrack and follow our footsteps until we find the split in the trail that we passed a few hundred feet back.
We head up that trail and find ourselves at the edge of the tree line, at the older interstate. “Stay here,” I tell the guys as I step past the trees and scan the area. It looks clear, but I know that bridge is just around the corner.
“If we cross quickly, we should be able to find another old road that leads to a bridge that crosses the Arizona downstream. Once we cross the river, it should be quiet,” I say as I nudge Corndog to move. He’s frozen standing behind Lady and Lance isn’t doing anything to prod him along. “All right, Lance, you’re on lookout now,” I say as Lance nods and dismounts the horse. I mount him and nudge my boot to him. “Yah! Let’s go, Corndog!” I say, patting his neck and trying to reassure the large animal that all is okay. He’s never been skittish before, but I’m also the only one that’s ridden him lately. He seems to calm and moves forward as Abe and Lady move forward as well. Lance gets his AK ready and we follow him to the edge of the roadway, looking both ways before we hit the pavement. This trip would be so much easier if we could follow the road, but knowing what’s down that way makes it impossible. If we’re seen, a gunfight will ensue and we all need to get back to the Dog Pound safely.
We cross the roadway without incident, and before long, we’re deep into the woods. I can hear the water from the Arkansas flowing downstream off in the distance before a scuffling sound comes from our left. “Shh, whoa, boy,” I say pulling on Corndog’s reins to stop him. Abe is slightly up ahead, and he too stops when he hears the leaves and twigs snapping. He brings his Uzi up to his eye, peering through the scope to see if he can find out what’s off in the woods. He climbs down off of Lady and ties her up quickly to a tree and heads off into the woods.
“Stay here,” he says as he quickly vanishes into the thick brush. Lance and I remain quiet, staring off into the distance of where Abe just walked. Suddenly, what sounds like a stampede breaks the silence, and Lance and I simultaneously raise our guns in Abe’s direction.
“Careful not to shoot Abe if he comes running,” I say quietly, gaining a stink eye from Lance.
“I’m not stupid, Kane,” he growls before resuming his aim on the area where Abe went. Within a few seconds, a herd of deer come running through the woods, kicking up dirt and leaves as they head toward the river. Abe is close behind, smiling.
“You ready?” he says as he gets back on Lady without saying another word, nudging her to move forward as Lance and I follow behind, a collective rush of air exiting both of our lungs. This trip has been uneventful so far and I know it’s only a matter of time before we come across not so friendly fire.
We follow the herd toward the water, and sure enough, there’s an old bridge downstream. It’s rickety and falling apart, so Lance walks across slowly first, testing the boards and the strength of it. He gets to the other end and holds up one finger, indicating for us to cross one at a time due to weight restrictions.
Abe follows suit and slowly makes his way across the bridge and to the other side. As Corndog and I step on the old bridge, a low creaking noise sounds from up ahead. I climb down from Corndog and lead him with the reins and we slowly move forward. Corndog doesn’t like moving slow, so he’s impatient and trying to gallop across. “Easy, Corndog, slow it down, boy,” I say.
But it’s too late, and the rotten board under his back right leg snaps and his hoof goes through the hole. “Kane, run!” Abe yells from the other side. “The bridge is giving way!” he says as the wooden slats of wood crumble under Corndog’s hoofs, the horse tumbling into the river.
“Damn it!” I holler as I run for it and make it to the other side before the rest of the bridge splashes into the rapids below us, and all we can do is watch Corndog go downstream, struggling against the current. “Let’s go,” I say as I walk down the bank to the water after Corndog, but Abe pulls me back.
“No, Kane, the current is too strong. Corndog is too, so he’ll get himself out of the water and we’ll find him on our way back.”
But I don’t listen and stumble down the hill, rolling in mud to get to the bottom. “Corndog!” I yell, but the horse is out of sight and too far downstream to save. “Fuck!” I yell as my ass sinks into thick mud. I pull myself out and climb back up the hill, my boots digging into the mud and dirt.
“It’s okay, Kane, we have other horses.”
“Other horses? This was Corndog, Abe. I raised him from a foal before the war even started. He’s been with me through it all and I let him down, damn it!”
“Kane, listen to me. Corndog is a strong horse. He’ll get out downstream and he’ll be fine, but we need to find shelter soon because the sun is going to be setting and we don’t need to be out here at night. Let’s move on and find a good spot, then we’ll head back out in the morning.”
I know he’s right, but I can’t bear to leave without Corndog. I hope he makes it out of the rapids and is safe, and that the Heretics don’t find him. If they do, they’ll know people are close as he’s a domesticated horse and not a wild horse. If he’s found, so are we.
We continue down the narrow path and find an old, white, clapboard house in the middle of the woods. After checking out our surroundings, we enter through the door which stands wide open. The old house is empty except for an old sofa in the corner. “We’ll take turns sleeping tonight,” I say as I open the backpack and pull out some canned food from the pantry at the compound as well as an old can opener to open it and a spoon. We pass the can of stew around as well as a package of stale bread, but it’s nourishment we’re going to need. It’s still warm so we don’t need a fire, but winter is around the corner and we won’t be able to make these trips.
The three of us sit on the floor in this abandoned house, the quiet noises of Lady outside, obviously missing Mark. I got my hands on Lady shortly after Mark, so they grew up together. You don’t think about animals missing someone, but her sounds outside lead me to believe that they do. I can only hope that Corndog made it out of the wate
r and is safe.
We alternate sleeping, with one watching over the place; though I find myself sleeping with one eye open. Lance hasn’t fully gained my trust yet, so I’m not comfortable with him while Abe and I both sleep. Abe doesn’t seem to have a problem, as he’s snoring so loud he could wake the dead. I peek out from under my arm, and I see Lance sitting on the front porch, his head cocked sideways, and I can tell he’s fallen asleep. So I get up off the floor and head out to take his spot. “Go get some sleep, man, I got the rest of the night,” I say as he jerks his head up in surprise, grabbing his gun and aiming it at me.
“Easy, Lance.”
“Fuck, sorry, man.”
“No worries, go inside. I got this,” I say as he gets up and stretches before going inside and almost falling to the floor. This is the first trip he’s been on since Dale found him, so I imagine he’s out of shape a bit. If he turns out to be truly one of us, I’ll need to whip him into shape. Abe, on the other hand, is already in shape. Since he was up most of last night getting everything ready, I cut him some slack.
The woods are quiet for the most part. I don’t think anyone knows we’re here so I kick back and relax some, though I’ll stay on alert.
“Kane,” I hear through a fog.
“Kane,” I hear again, this time with a nudge to my shoulder.
“Fuck, sorry, man,” I say to Abe as I realize I fell asleep on the porch, leaving us all sitting ducks.
“It’s all right, no harm no foul,” Abe says as he steps off the porch with a piece of bread in his hand.
“Lance still sleeping?”
“Yeah, that dude can flat out saw down a forest.”
“You’re one to talk, dude.”
“What? I don’t snore,” Abe says.
“The hell you don’t.” I stand and snatch the package of bread from his hand and shove a dry piece into my mouth. “Let’s get Lance up and get going. I’d like to get to Arrow's Crossing before dark if possible.”
Abe nods and walks inside. “Wake up, chainsaw, it’s time to roll out,” he says to Lance to wake him up. We split another can of stew and pack up what few things we got out, disposing of trash. We don’t need to leave a trail behind us, especially if Corndog is found and people start looking for us. Horses just don’t appear out of nowhere in this world and we don’t need trouble. It’s not like we’re not prepared for trouble, but the less we see, the better off we’ll be. I’m not afraid to put a bullet in someone’s back.
I climb up on Lady and Abe and Lance walk ahead, keeping a look out as we trample through the woods. If my calculations are correct, we could be in Arrow’s Crossing by sunset. Then we’ll bed down and get ready to explore Jo’s farm as soon as the sun comes up.
Suddenly, we hear gunshots from off on the distance. This is unusual, but it’s unnerving all the same. People hunt for food and Heretics hunt for people, so anything could have been their target. It reminds me that we aren’t alone in this cruel world. Monsters are among us, and Abe and Lance have their guns pointed and ready to blow someone’s head off if needed.
But we don’t hear any more shots, so we pick up the pace and make our way through the woods.
“Kane, look,” Abe says, pointing off into the distance.
“Is that smoke?”
“Yeah, but I can’t tell from what. Stay here and let me go alone and see what it is,” Abe says as he moves forward.
“No, Lance, you go with him. I’ll stay here with Lady. We can’t afford to lose another horse. If you find trouble, shoot three rounds into the sky, and I’ll come find you.”
They both nod and Lance follows behind Abe as they cut through the woods toward the smoke that billows through the air. It’s white, so it leads me to believe it’s a campfire, but you can’t be too sure. They disappear into the trees and all is quiet, until I hear a low roar behind me. Lady gets antsy and starts stomping her feet, so I turn behind me to see a pack of wolves descending on us. “Fuck me,” I whisper to myself, but I slowly reach for my gun, ready to pop off a round at these creatures that are obviously hungry. I have no plans to be their dinner, either, so I take aim against the head wolf, but before I can get the shot off, he lunges on Lady who panics and takes off.
“Whoa, girl,” I say, grabbing the reins and trying to calm her down, but she’s out of control and bolts as fast as she can. I’m trying to hold the reins and can’t get a shot off at the pack that is now chasing us through the trees as Lady keeps her stride. She leaps over fallen trees, branches, and gallops at top speed through the woods. I keep looking behind me, but the pack is right on us.
I turn backward and aim, the shot firing loudly though the air, and I hit the lead wolf, amazingly. Two of them back off, but the other one continues his chase before another set of shots fires off from my left. The wolf falls and Lady keeps running, but I finally manage to get her calmed down without her throwing me off.
She stops, panting and sweating, and I climb down and tie her to a tree while I go figure out who shot the wolf. Abe and Lance are too far the other way, so it has to be someone else. I pat Lady on the neck and wait for her to calm a bit more before cocking my shotgun and making my way back up through the woods, stepping over the dead wolf. At least, I hope he’s dead, he looks dead, but I’m not taking any chances, so I shoot him one more time for good measure. The round echoes through the trees before a young man comes from behind the tree line.
“Hold it right there, “I say pointing my gun toward him. “Drop what’s in your hands and hold them above your head. Walk slowly toward me,” I say as I step closer to him. His eyes are bright and wide open, fear spilling from the whites of his eyes. He sets the dark green bag on the ground as well as his weapon and links his fingers behind his head, stepping forward toward me.
He doesn’t look more than nineteen or twenty, lanky and dirty. Dark hair and bright blue eyes, eyes that are obviously scared shitless. “I’m sorry, sir,” the young man says. “I saw that wolf chasing you and … and …”
I watch him move, and my gut instinct tells me he’s harmless, and without his gun in his hand, he’s unarmed. His eye movement and motions are submissive in nature, and as he gets closer, I can see his body shaking. I lower my gun; I see him exhale a breath in relief.
“What’s your name?” I ask, still keeping my distance.
“Joel,” he says. “I don’t know my last name.”
“It’s okay, boy, in this world you don’t need one. What are you doing out here?”
“It’s where I live, sir.”
“You live in the wilderness?”
“Yeah, you bunked up in my shelter overnight, so I started walking to find someplace else.”
“How long you been out here?”
“I dunno, years maybe?”
“Fuck, how have you survived?” I ask, now face to face with the young man. “The Heretics are plaguing this land and you’ve managed to stay away from them?”
“I’m a good hider.” He smirks.
“And a good shot,” I say, turning back toward the wolf. “Thank you for that, he was close to pouncing on my horse. “
“We can eat him, you know,” he says as he bends down to pick up his bag.
“Easy, boy,” I say as he picks up his bag and my fingers twitch on my gun. He sits down and pulls the draw string, pulling out a knife that has obviously been used a lot. It’s coated with dried blood and fir. “You’ve used that before, I see.”
“Yeah, though it’s not as sharp as it used to be.”
“Stay here,” I say as I walk backward toward Lady and the saddle bag that’s strapped to her back, saying a quiet thank you that the bag didn’t fly off during her stampede. I pull my knife out and walk back to Joel and hand it to him.
“Holy shit,” he says, admiring the shiny blade. He looks up at me in amazement. “Where did you get this?”
“I have a stash back at the compound.” I laugh.
“Compound?”
“Yeah, name is Kane,
and I’m a Mercenary,” I say as I watch him get a little nervous. “We could use a few more good men; you’re welcome to join us, if you like. We have shelter, food, and running water.”
“Water? As in bathing water?”
“Yeah, drinking too. But there’s a catch,” I say, his eyes dropping in disappointment. “You have to be prepared to fight against the Heretics. Our goal is to take them down and eliminate the misery in this country.”
“Kane!” I hear Abe from off in the distance.
“Over here!” I say, Joel standing up and that fear enveloping is face once again.
“Relax, they’re with me. They went to check out some smoke when the wolves came out and spooked my horse.”
“Smoke? Oh, that was from my fire where I cooked dinner.”
“Who’s this?” Abe asks, his gun pointed at Joel. I reach over and lower his gun. “He’s cool. Where’s Lance?”
“He’s right …” He turns behind him. “Well, he was right behind me. Where the fuck did he go?” We scan the area and then Lance appears from the woods, a handful of something in his arms. What the fuck does he have?
“Dude, you were supposed to stay with me, that’s a typical rookie mistake.”
“Relax, Abe, I found a blackberry bush. Thought maybe you guys might be hungry. Who is this?”
“Abe, Lance, this is Joel. He took down the last wolf that was chasing us.”
“Wolves?”
“Yeah, just as you guys left to go check out the smoke, a pack of three came from nowhere and spooked Lady. She took off and I managed to get a warning shot off, but Joel here took out the last stubborn one.”