The Book of Riley a Zombie Tale Pt. 5

by Mark Tufo

  “Not usually. It is far from everything, I believe it to only be used during times of great need.”

  “Would now not be considered a time of great need?”

  “It is more when the weather turns cold and snow falls. Humans do not seem to like that.”

  “Neither do I,” I answered truthfully.

  A few minutes later, ThornGrip half-grunted, half-laughed. “Nor do I.”

  By the way that ThornGrip was talking I had thought that we would be upon the small home soon. That was not the case, her idea of ‘close-by’ was much different than mine. Close-by to me meant the edge of Alpha’s yard where the infuriating man in the light blue uniform would come almost every day and then cowardly leave things in a small box before scuttling away. I would bark at him savagely, telling him to stop coming by our house without announcing himself. Yes, our ‘close-bys’ were different, I think I’d fallen asleep more than once as I trailed behind.

  I awoke to ThornGrip staring at me. I barked in fright. “Sorry.”

  “We will have to keep moving,” she told me.

  “Is it near?” I hoped the change of words would get a better answer out of her.

  “It is, but we cannot stay. There are zombies surrounding the structure and humans inside.”

  I felt bad for those who were trapped, but there was no way to tell if they were even worthy of saving. There was as much a possibility they were good people as there was that they would shoot us once the other threat was over. We could not chance it; unknown two-leggers were just too unpredictable. I had a cramp in my chest wondering if they were anything like my Jess, and if they were I would mourn their loss.

  I stopped. “I cannot go any further,” I said.

  “We will rest soon, I promise.”

  “That is not it.”

  “Then what?” she asked, turning to look at me.

  “Those two-leggers.”

  “You want to help them? After everything we both know to be true about two-leggers, you want to help them?”

  “What if it were Mabel and Harold?”

  “It is not them, they are at their home where they should be.”

  “Can you be certain that Mabel did not try to follow and is now stuck in that house?”

  “It is not them, and I see what you are doing, Riley.”

  “But it could be someone like them, and that is the problem.”

  “This is why bears are solitary creatures, we don’t have others to help us get into trouble.”

  “Does this mean you are coming back with me?”

  She sighed in resignation. We crept closer to the small home, more than seven zombies surrounded the hut and were banging on the viewers and walls. “I smell something.” My nose was lifted to the air.

  “How could you not?”

  “No, something familiar.”

  “Zombies would be a familiar smell I am sad to say.”

  “No beyond that.”

  “You can smell something beyond that?”

  “Sort of. What is your plan?’

  Some of the zombies turned as ThornGrip walked towards them. She stood like she had with the hunter, her massive arms swinging back and forth, tearing jaws free from faces, tearing skulls from necks, arms from bodies. It was carnage, here was a beast who had no rival, and not for the first time, I was thankful we were on the same side.

  “Join in whenever you wish!” ThornGrip told me, she was a blur of savagery but I could also hear the weariness in her voice. I did what I could while also making sure to stay completely away from her. The problem was that her size was drawing all of the zombies her way. I hobbled those that I could, and when the zombies had left the viewers I barked at the two-leggers inside to let them know that help had come and maybe they should give us aid as well. The male came to the window. He looked down at me, I do not know which of our eyes grew wider. I now knew why I recognized the smell. It was Icely’s man Ned, an enemy whose throat I swore I would tear out if I ever confronted it again. His bitch came to the window as well when he cried out. She paled in an instant.

  “Let’s go!” I cried to ThornGrip. “There is no one here worth saving.”

  “Now you tell me,” she said as she swatted a zombie, cracking its neck so violently that the head was now resting on its shoulder.

  “Wait please!” Ned begged to our retreating forms. Some of the zombies returned back to the window at the sound of his voice. “My daughters are here!”

  My first thought was ‘good’ get rid of the entire pack bloodline.

  “Why are you stopping?” ThornGrip asked.

  “He has cubs.”

  “Are they worth saving?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Riley, I am only doing this because of you. I care little for the affairs of man. We stay and kill the zombies or we leave. Tell me now.”

  “Cookies!” It was the best expletive word I could think to use. I turned back and chewed through the thigh of the nearest zombie, as he fell over I gripped the side of his head in my jaws and crushed his skull, stilling him instantly.

  “That could not taste good.” ThornGrip was back and clearing a path to the hut. It was not long before we had taken care of all the zombies in the area. The ground was littered with their parts. I rubbed my muzzle on the ground to remove most of the detritus. I tensed as I heard the hut door open, the barrel of a fire-stick poked through. First it was aimed in the direction of ThornGrip, she was looking the other way at a zombie that was still crawling.

  I barked savagely. “You are a treacherous two-legger.” I lunged for the door, I hit the plank at nearly full speed pushing it open and Ned to the floor. I came to a rest, my front paws on his chest, my bared teeth inches from his throat, the fire-stick had fallen away. A deep grumble rumbled in my chest, long lines of drool found their way onto his face.

  “Oh my God!” Dianna, Ned’s mate shrieked. The light behind me had nearly been blocked out. ThornGrip had found her way to the doorway. I looked up to see the female clutching two small females to her breast. They were both crying as well.

  “No bullets, no bullets!” Ned begged. “I was going to come out and help, I swear it on my soul!”

  “You have no soul!” I placed my teeth against his neck. He at first tensed and then relaxed.

  “Do it if you must, just please let my family live, they are all I care about.”

  “What are you doing?” ThornGrip came up next to me. She growled when she watched the female look over to a wooden bench and a small fire-stick. The woman cried out a little and Ned began to shake.

  “This man and his mate worked for another named Icely that imprisoned us and then chased us across the land. He swore that he would leave us alone. I promised him if I ever saw him again that I would rip his throat out.”

  “Do it then so we can get moving. I do not like the smell of this place. And what of the cubs?”

  “They are innocent in all of this.”

  “They will die if you fulfill your promise.”

  “What are you doing here?” I pulled away and was now barking into his face, he turned away.

  “We’re...we’re sorry.” It was the female that spoke, she let one of her cubs go to put her hand out in front of her. “Please don’t hurt him. We’re done with Icely, we haven’t seen him in months, I swear it. We went back to Vegas and picked up our kids and left. We’ve been looking for a safe group to join or a safe place to live. We’ve been moving around ever since. We found this place by chance and thought what safer place could there be. That was until Ned shot a deer a few days ago. That attracted all these zombies, we fought them until we ran out of ammunition. We’re starving, my kids are starving, we are dehydrated, we’re barely hanging on. Please do not kill him, he dies, and we all will,” she pleaded.

  “Do you believe her?”

  “You understand lying? I thought that was a two-legger trait.”

  “You should hear male bears during mating season.” She laughed.

&n
bsp; “I do believe that they will die, I do not know why they are here. It is too close, we were very far from here when we parted ways.”

  “It would be more merciful to kill them all now than to let them starve or be eaten.”

  I took a moment to look around the small cabin. There were some cub toys, some blocks and dolls. Things I’d seen Jess and Daniel play with when they were younger. There were also large fake skins the two-leggers used to keep warm. The place had the smell of them throughout. They had been here, I was not sure for how long, but enough that the place was clean and lived in.

  “This is the second time I could have killed you,” I told Ned as I stepped off his chest. He sat up slowly.

  “Thank... thank you. You’ve saved me and more importantly you saved my family. You didn’t need to do that. May I stand?” His hands were out in front of him.

  ThornGrip knocked the small fire-stick to the floor.

  She moved closer to the woman and cubs. She gripped them so tightly they were in danger of being crushed. ThornGrip put her paw up and dug deep grooves into the wood as she pulled the fire-stick down. Ned watched it carefully, it was not more than a stretch away from him to get.

  “What will you do?” I asked him as he looked to the stick, then to me and then to ThornGrip.

  “I am frightened, maybe more scared then I have ever been in my entire life. But I am telling you I mean you no harm. I will not go for the pistol.” He pushed himself up. I moved closer, ready to tear into any part of him necessary to bring him down. He backed up and got closer to his family, stepping in front of them to potentially protect them.

  ThornGrip moved in closer and began to sniff him. “Watch this,” she told me. “This really scares them.” She lowered her head so she was sniffing around his genitalia. Ned didn’t look like he could be any more uncomfortable.

  “Do you have much opportunity to smell two-legger crotches?” I asked her.

  “Do not make me regret helping you.” She turned, she was still smiling though.

  “Let’s go. I would like to find Alex’s remains. I just want to be done with this, with all of this.”

  ThornGrip was now peering into Ned’s eyes. She harrumphed and turned. Ned did not move until she was out the door and then he dived for the gun. I was standing by the open door when he grabbed it.

  “Ned!” Dianna shouted at him. “How dare you!”

  He looked over to her and me, confusion clearly etched in his features.

  “That dog just saved your family, does that mean so little to you?” The gun shook in his hand as his mate spoke.

  “I’m an idiot,” he cried. He put the fire-stick down and slowly approached me. He got down on his knees in front of me. “I owe you dog. I owe you everything. I don’t know why I’ve seen you again. And I’ll never be able to repay you properly. I know that. But I promise you that you have a friend for life in all of us. Please forgive me for everything we’ve done to you.” His head bowed down.

  I took a step closer and licked the side of his face. “I will accept your promise two-legger. I sense truth in your words and perhaps kindness.” And with that I turned and left.

  “That was interesting,” ThornGrip said once we got back on the path.

  “I liked it better when the most interesting thing of the day was when we went to the dog visiting area or when I snuck up on the couch to sleep. I’d even take having to deal with Patches over this constant fighting for survival.”

  “This is the way of my world. The zombies are a new wrinkle in the grand design but every day is a quest for survival, to find fresh water, to find food, to not be shot. I do like being with Harold and Mabel, it offers an opportunity to take a respite from the rigors of life. Perhaps you dogs have it right.”

  “The wolves don’t see it that way.”

  “They are elitist jerks who believe themselves to be better than everyone and everything else.”

  “Oh, I see you have had run-ins with them as well.”

  “On a few occasions, I have had to let them know that they are not as superior as they wish themselves to be.”

  “I am sure glad I met you.”

  “Likewise Riley, besides my young, I did not think that I would like to travel with another.”

  “I think that you could probably keep going. But I was exhausted before we fought the zombies.”

  “This is as good a place as any.” ThornGrip backed up to a small row of trees, and dropped down. I was mistaken, she was obviously more tired than I assumed as she was fast asleep before I could even begin my spin routine as I looked for the perfect place to lay. It just so happened that the place was right up against ThornGrip’s side. I slept peacefully that night. Who wouldn’t with a bodyguard that big?

  “Comfortable?” she asked as she looked over at me.

  “Actually, very,” I replied with a big stretch and yawn.

  “We are very close to where I found you.”

  The excitement began to build in me, I was one step closer to reuniting with my pack.

  “Let’s go!” I jumped up.

  “Wrong way,” she said as I trotted off into the woods.

  The burning disc had not even reached its highest spot when we came out onto the road and to where I had fallen. The zombies that ThornGrip had destroyed were still there, looking worse for the wear.

  “Alex was right back there,” I said as I bounded back into the woods.

  “Be careful.” ThornGrip followed after a moment.

  I had at first been racing back and forth across the area looking for any trace of Alex, then I slowed and really began to smell around trying to find his scent. It was faint and what little of it there was, was seeping into the ground.

  “Anything?” ThornGrip was watching as I began to feel my elation slipping into despair.

  “I do not even see any of his fake skins.”

  “Zombies will eat anything with the scent of meat on it.”

  “I need his cowhide pouch, ThornGrip! I cannot get back to those I love without it!” I was close to crying.

  “Would staying with Harold and Mabel be so bad? And me, of course.”

  “They are nice two-leggers, and I appreciate their help, but they are not my pack. As for you my giant friend, I was hoping you would join me with the rest of my pack when I got to them. I...I don’t know what I’m going to do now.”

  “I will help you look. I don’t know how you could find anything with that small nose anyway.”

  We spent almost the entire day looking for something, anything that would help us get back to Jess. Besides some torn remnants of the fake skins there was nothing. I was as sad as if my entire pack had died, for I would never see Jess, Zach, Ben-Ben or even the cat again. And even the last one struck a chord of hurt in me.

  I was too busy whining, it was ThornGrip that heard it first. She spun to face the new threat.

  I bristled and spun with her. Not yet realizing what she’d heard, but by her stance I knew the threat was real and it was dangerous.

  “Got some real trouble Riley.” I looked over to ThornGrip, her ears were pulled back and her eyes were wide. Her fur bristled up, making her somehow look even bigger. Her lips pulled back revealing teeth nearly three times the size of mine.

  “Zombies?” I asked quietly.

  She shook her head.

  “Is it Ned? I should have killed him when I had the chance.”

  She shook her head again.

  “Hunters? Wolves?”

  She just kept shaking her head. I had given up on asking and was just preparing myself the best I could for what was coming, and then I heard it. The meow of a cat but not just any cat. This was THE cat.

  “Patches?” I barked.

  The woods went deathly silent, this was quickly followed by the frenetic yipping of Ben-Ben. ThornGrip looked over to me as we heard the dog crashing through the woods, sounding like something easily seven times his size.

  “Riley, Riley, Riley, Riley!” He would st
op to catch his breath and start over. “Riley, Riley, Riley!”

  “I take it you know him?” ThornGrip asked.

  I nodded, but I was all grin. Ben-Ben came blazing out of the woods and pulled up short when he caught sight of ThornGrip. He looked over to me, unsure what to do although he kept repeating my name. He was now bouncing up and down in place, not yet moving forward.

  Out of the side of his mouth, he asked, “Who’s your friend Riley?”

  “Ben-Ben, this is ThornGrip.”

  “You are the most beautiful dog I have ever seen!” Ben-Ben told the bear. I just let my head drop.

  “I see that his is not the sharpest claw on the paw,” ThornGrip said to me.

  “No, that’s safe to assume,” I told her.

  “Riley, Riley, Riley!” Ben-Ben decided it was safe enough to come and jump on me, or more possibly, he forgot about ThornGrip. “I missed you so much.” He nuzzled my face and licked my jaw and chin.

  “I missed you too little dog.”

  Ben-Ben whispered in my ear. “Soooo who’s your friend? She’s beautiful. We could make wonderful puppies together.”

  “I’d like to see you try Ben-Ben.”

  “Did he just call me a dog again? I am no dog!” ThornGrip roared.

  Ben-Ben seemed transfixed. “Your beauty transcends your anger, but perhaps it has clouded your judgment. You have a long muzzle, four legs and a tail. Everything about you says dog.”

  “I might have to kill him,” ThornGrip said.

  “I’d understand,” I told her.

  Ben-Ben had circled around to get a better sniff at ThornGrip.

  “You smell back there and I will eat you!” ThornGrip warned.

  Ben-Ben reluctantly relented. He was going to wait for a better opportunity. I don’t think any of us knew just how quickly he would get the chance.

  Patches emerged from the woods. “A bear, Riley, really? Could you perhaps not find a sloth to accompany you?”

  I knew part of me loathed the cat and all that she stood for, but a bigger part of me wanted to lick her entire face. Seeing her brought an entire range of emotions, but for the most part I was happy.