I was grinning like an idiot with these thoughts when I walked right into an ambush.
Chapter 32
“Nice gear.” A voice penetrated the fog of my mind and I looked around to see myself surrounded by five men of various sizes and shapes. The two behind me pointed shotguns at my head, while the three in front and to my sides held rifles and clubs. Their gear was old but well cared for, and they did not have the look of hungry scavengers. These looked like hunters, individuals sent out by a headman to find what they could and take what they wanted. Stupid, horny me walked right up into them.
I overcame my surprise quickly enough to answer. “Thanks, I like it myself. What can I do for you?”
One of the men behind me snickered and I spared him and his friend a small glance out of the corner of my eye. I was in a bad way and I knew it. These weren’t your run of the mill townies who thought they might try their hand at a little pilgrim robbery. No, these guys lived on the fringe, and I thought it likely they made regular runs to the city for items to sell either at the capital or other established communities. They were brave, tough, and likely skilled, so I was going to have to tread carefully.
“You guys collectors?” I asked, keeping my hand on my rifle. I didn’t see any signs of tension on the hands holding the guns, so I stopped being nervous about someone accidentally shooting me in the head. On the other hand, calm cool and collected meant they had done this enough times before that they were not too worried about the outcome. Whether or not I lived was a side effect.
“Going after other people’s shit is for idiots, man, don’t waste my time.” The speaker was a mid-sized young man, probably my age, with hard eyes and a sneer that never seemed to end. His clothes were an interesting collection of colors and patterns, making me wonder about the quality of his eyesight.
“Where you going, man? Most people don’t stray unless they got backup somewhere.” His eyes flickered around quickly before they settled on me again. I tensed slightly, but my window was gone before I had a chance to move.
“Just came off the highway, closing the barricade. Somebody opened the route to the city. Was it you?” I asked, shifting my stance slightly. I hoped to put them off balance by taking control of the conversation.
The sneering man shook his head. “Zombie come, zombie go. Ain’t no never mind to me. You, on the other hand, interest me.”
“How so? I’ve never been interesting before. Do tell.” I shifted again, casually turning a little to my left. The barrel of my rifle was now closer to the men behind me, without being too obvious about it.
The man holstered his weapon. “You’re not begging for your life, and you ain’t offering us everything to let you go without hurting you. Unless I miss my guess, you’re about to do some serious violence if we don’t turn out just right.
I smiled as I heard the tightening of grips on guns behind me. “Absolutely. And holstering your gun wouldn’t spare you. I’d still shoot you dead, armed or not. The only real chance you had was shooting me from ambush, which you chose not to do. Thanks for that, by the way.” I took a chance and glared at the men around me. “Even without guns, I’d still kill you all. Just so we understand each other.”
The man smiled back and lowered his head slightly. He then raised his left hand and made a circular motion. The men behind me walked wide and fell in as the men walked away. After twenty yards, he called out.
“Mind telling me your name. I might need to explain why I’m walking away,” he said.
“Aaron. Aaron Talon,” I said, feeling cocky.
The man thought a minute. “Seems like I might have heard of you. Good luck with your walk.”
I gave him a salute and kept on the road, walking until I got out of sight. Once I passed their vision, I broke into a fast run and held it as long as I could. I ran under train bridges and out towards a wide canal. I knew that canal as well as I knew my own name. It connected with another canal which would take me to the city if I wanted to, or I could make it back to the capital, which I know I hoped I would see again. I don’t know whom Sneering Man might be working with, but I knew they weren’t just going to let me go if I could help it. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how stupid I was to tell him my name. Arrogance is a virus almost as bad as the Enillo.
The only hope I had was to take path they didn’t expect, and maybe get outside their area of control. If they came at me then, the odds were higher in my favor. Never fight on the ground of your enemy’s choosing, as Uncle Tommy used to say.
At the rickety bridge spanning the canal, I crossed quickly, and then dove into the heavy brush on the edge of the water. The area was dark and forbidding, but I knew the outside was the only real thick part. Inside, the sun didn’t reach all that often and there was a surprisingly large amount of space to move. I ran quickly, trying to be as quiet as possible, skipping over deadfalls and leaves. Years of falling leaves and decay made a ground that was soft and quiet. The canal lapped noisily at its banks, helping to mask my movement. I walked more than I ran, but I lengthened my stride to compensate. I was trying to avoid tripping on anything, and I hoped I was swift enough that any animals that might run and give away my position would be too startled to do anything until I was past.
I counted my steps as I moved, and after five hundred, I stopped to listen. I closed my eyes and filtered out the normal sounds, concentrating on the sounds that shouldn’t be there. A car door closing, a slap of leather against wood, the metallic chambering of a round into a firearm. All of this came to me from the direction I had fled and from directly south of me.
Uncle Charlie had taught me that patience was the ability to control your natural tendencies to make and idiot out of yourself. I had already done half of that, so I figured to make up for it by seeing how I can turn this situation around. I had good cover with the trees, and I had a good point of retreat in the canal if I needed it. I didn’t relish the idea of getting wet, but I would do what I had to. In this case, I would take a page from Dad’s book. You want me; you’re going to earn it.
Chapter 33
I rummaged in my pack until I found the little leather cap I kept to put over the muzzle of my rifle. It kept out dirt and debris, but I could shoot through if I had to. Attaching that little bag, I slung my rifle across my back at a slant, able to slip it under my right arm and fire from the hip if needed. Between my rifle and my sword, I had a big X on my back, and I didn’t even think about what that meant.
Going back to the water’s edge, I stuck my hand in the black mud streaked my face with it, breaking up the whiteness of my skin and giving it a pattern to blend in with the sun spotted darkness under the canopy of the trees.
Drawing my tomahawk and my grandfather’s knife, I slipped through the woods as quiet as the morning mist. Behind me, I could hear several shouts as men were unsuccessful in figuring out where I had disappeared. I knew it wouldn’t last, but they would regret finding me.
I kept moving to the west, following the river. I didn’t know if they were going to get ahead of me or if they were going to get lazy and give up after a time. I wasn’t going to chance that they were just out for my well-being and wanted to give me directions. A road followed the river, but since it hadn’t been used in a long time, it wasn’t in great shape. If they were going to pursue me on that, their vehicles were going to take a hell of a beating. Midwestern winters were difficult on roads when there wasn’t anyone around to take care of them.
Every fifty yards I stopped to listen. That was Uncle Charlie’s trick. “Nature knows more than you do, boy, so listen to what she’s telling you. More importantly, listen to what she’s not telling you.” It took me a while to figure that one out, but he meant that it was just as important to understand the things I was supposed to be hearing but wasn’t. Bugs that suddenly went quiet and squirrels that reversed direction for no known reason were all signs of something out of kilter.
Three people were in the woods behind me that I was
sure of. Ahead of me, I didn’t hear anything, and to the side I could hear a truck laboring along the road. Again, I cursed myself silently for being stupid enough to give my name. Next time, I’ll give Jake’s and just force the fight right then.
As I moved, I tried to stay quiet and disturb as little as possible. If the men behind me were skilled trackers, then I didn’t want to give them a map to follow. I could be in for a long chase.
Suddenly, I froze. Up ahead was a small clearing, with a little brick building next to the edge of the canal. It looked like a very small house, about the size of a garage. It had a corrugated metal roof and a tall tower reaching up from the northwest corner. The windows had been broken and it looked like it hadn’t seen anyone in years, but as I checked it out I thought it might make a decent place to make a stand.
That is, if I was going to be stupid twice. This place was a trap, but it could be useful. I sprinted across the opening and tried the door. The grey metal was rusted in a dozen places but it opened. Inside the house was a table, a chair, some wires sticking out of the wall, and a well-looted kitchenette. Four windows let in a lot of light, and there wasn’t anything else to see, except this place was completely indefensible. But I got an idea, and moved fast. I drew the curtains across the windows facing the brush I had just left, and then got out of the building. I stood just outside the open door and waited until I heard some movement in the trees. I stuck my rifle through the front window and kicked the metal door shut. I fired three times through the building, my bullets passing through the dusty curtain on the other side.
I didn’t wait to see what happened as I turned and bolted for the trees. I ducked into heavy growth and stopped, not wanting to give my position away by running like a fool. I replaced the leather cap on my rifle and waited to see if my ruse had worked.
Chapter 34
Across the clearing, a lone man appeared by the river’s edge, low to the ground and trying to stay out of the line of fire afforded by the windows. He held his rifle up and when he had a clear shot, he ran towards the building. Stopping there, he signaled to the woods and two others appeared and made their way to the same place. I could see a brief discussion going on, and they finally stormed the house, going in the front door effectively and quickly. They obviously had done this sort of thing before as a team. They didn’t get in each other’s field of fire, and they moved in a coordinated fashion.
As soon as the men went in the house, I slipped back into the woods and put another two hundred yards between me and the house. I stopped when I heard a truck approaching. It sounded very heavy and powerful, not your ordinary truck. I could hear doors slam as people got out, and a voice reached my hiding spot.
“Why are you out here? Is he dead in there? We heard shots.”
Another voice, probably from one of my pursuers, answered. “No, it’s empty. He must have fired and then ran. We’ve wasted time here.”
The first voice laughed, and it was a nasty sound. “Yes, you have, and nothing to show for it. You had Aaron Talon in your grasp and you fucked it up. He’s probably watching us right now, laughing at the fools we’re making of ourselves.” The voice turned mean. “Find him or I’ll kill you. If you screw up, you’d be better off shooting yourself. I catch you, and you’ll wish you had.”
I didn’t hear anything else, as I left the area in as much of a hurry as I dared. I had no idea who might want me so badly, but as I ran, I went through in my head the number of people who might. The only face that kept coming up was the white-haired man I had words with a little while ago. I had a gut feeling about him and it wasn’t good.
If the men he was commanding were worried about failure, then they were going to be right on my tail. I had bought myself a decent head start, but I didn’t think it was going to last. The last thing I wanted was to bring this trouble to Jake or Julia, so I was going to have to deal with it here. I went over to the canal and stowed my rifle in the crook of a tree. Unless they were looking up and walking backwards, they weren’t going to see it.
I moved further up the waterway and found a tree that hung out over the water. After I cleared the brush and rocks from the base, I climbed two short branches until I was about six feet off the ground. I put my knife in my right hand and my tomahawk in the other. I had to wait to see how they approached before I made my move. I was going up against three trained men carrying rifles. The only advantage I had was surprise.
Fifteen minutes later, I heard walking. They were moving quickly, not bothering to be silent. I guessed they assumed the advantage in numbers. They were spaced about thirty feet apart, which made sense if they were being shot at, but I had no intention of announcing myself like that.
They passed my tree and when they were about ten yards away, I dropped soundlessly to the ground, landing on my cleared spot. I took off at a small run, trying to match my steps with theirs, only faster.
I reached the first man in a couple of seconds, and without breaking stride, I stabbed him in the back of his neck. Three inches of steel came out beneath his Adam’s apple, which silenced and killed him.
I didn’t wait for him to drop, I turned and ran towards the next man, who was unaware his companion was down on the ground, drowning in his own blood, unable to move thanks to a severed spine. I switched my tomahawk to my other hand, having left my knife in the next of the first man. I swept towards the second man and he actually turned his head, alerted by my movement in his peripheral vision.
Unfortunately, for him, it was the spike end of my tomahawk, which caught him right between his very wide eyes. He died with one of the stupidest looks on his face that I had seen so far. I left the weapon and moved to the last man, swinging slightly back to stay out of his sight.
I pulled my other knife and moved in, readying to kill him as I had the first man. I was three steps away when he suddenly turned around, looking for his companions. He looked my way and opened his mouth, to either scream or shout, trying to bring his rifle up.
I imagine I was a bit of a sight, with my wild man makeup and glittering blade reaching out to try and take his life. He got his gun halfway around when I plowed into him, slamming him backwards into a tree. His gun flew out of his hands and he dropped to the ground on his rear. I had to give him credit; he was a fighter. He tried to pull his pistol, but I kicked it away when it cleared its holster. He then tried to pull a knife, but dropped it when the tip of my knife pricked the underside of his chin. I had his full and undivided attention from there on out.
“Hands out, hug the tree behind you. Move or shout and you’re dead. Nod if you understand,” I said, shifting the knife to a point just behind his jaw and under his earlobe. It was a very uncomfortable place to have a knife. You couldn’t get out of the way without injury, even in the best of circumstances.
The man slapped bark and nodded vigorously, wincing a little as the knife tip bit him and started a thin line of blood running down his neck. I smiled slightly, knowing my painted face made it look a lot worse.
“Why does Ben want me?” I asked, playing a hunch.
The man shrugged as best he could. “You humiliated him, and you’re interfering with his plans. He’ll never forgive you for hitting him and taking his gun.”
I said nothing, but inside I was cursing myself silly. If I had known the trouble that little old man was going to cause, I would have squeezed the life out of him right when I had the chance.
“Why is he trying to restart the Upheaval? What’s his end game?” I asked, playing another hunch.
“Don’t know anything about that. I just know he hates you and your brother, and he has plans for your girlfriend.” The man grinned. “I heard she’s a real looker, too.”
I cocked my head at him. “Why would you try and commit suicide like that?”
The man shrugged again. “I can’t go back without you, and Ben doesn’t reward failure. I’m dead if I try to run, so you may as well finish the job.”
I looked at him for a long moment
before deciding what to do. I couldn’t tell if the man was bluffing or not. I decided to end the suspense.
“Okay,” I said, jamming the knife blade deep into his skull, killing him immediately. He died with a very surprised look on his face. I didn’t want another enemy to look out for, so any thoughts I may have had about letting him live had gone straight into the canal.
I needed to send a message though, so I retrieved my weapons and collected the firepower of my pursuers. One of them had a really nice Winchester rifle that I thought Jake would like. He always liked westerns for reading.
The thought of westerns gave me an idea. I pulled the bodies out to the old road and using some lengths of rope, I hung them from three different trees. After they were up there, I spayed them with a little kerosene and set them on fire. I figured the smoke and smell ought to send some attention their way. I wanted to send a very powerful message.
Hunt me, and you’d better be ready to go all the way.
Chapter 35
I kept walking, following the canal. I knew where it was going, and I held out the hope that I might find some kind of boat which would get me to the capital sometime in the near future.
I passed under one of the big highways that my dad used to talk about. He said they were the biggest reason so many people died. Back in the day, people relied on their cars for everything, and when the end came, they thought their cars could get them to safety. Dad figured, if they all stayed put, hunkered down for a week or two, then a lot of people might not have died and the world might not have ended. Who knows?
As I walked, I noticed the vegetation getting a little thin on the land side. I wasn’t too familiar with this area, so I poked my head through the brush. I was surprised to see there was a serviceable road running along the same direction as the canal. I wasn’t one to ask a gift horse to open wide. If there was a decent path to take that kept me from slugging it out with brush and mud, I was all for it.
Generation Dead Book 2: What You Fear Page 11