He continued to hear shots. He heard screaming. He heard running.
Rick told himself that he simply needed to wait until it was all over. Could be that Carl and Big Mike would kill all of the creatures. Or the creatures would kill them. Either way, if Rick stayed here, stayed quiet, they'd probably leave him alone.
As he waited, he thought about Joe. He could picture his friend's face being ripped from his skull. He could also see his hands dropping to the ground once he had died.
He wished that he had been able to help.
Rick pushed that thought out of his mind as he heard a new set of footsteps running through the forest. And screaming. It was one of those things. Getting closer. He let out a breath, though it had become harder to breathe, and squeezed the grip of the gun.
The footsteps continued. Closer and closer.
He decided to point his gun toward the sound. It didn't make any sense holding against his chest. He needed to be ready. He had to start shooting once thatthing arrived.
He held out the gun in front of him. Toward the creature. And he waited.
It wasn't long before the creature burst through the trees.
Rick wasn't sure if it was the same one that had killed his friend. His mind wasn't able to think about such things at the moment. All he could do was glance at its eyes, shift to its blood-stained mouth, listen to its screaming.
Then Rick shot. Again and again.
The bullets slammed into the creature's chest and left holes that Rick could see. None of which stopped it from coming forward.
He shot once more. Another hole.
It wouldn't stop.
Rick raised the barrel of the gun and focused on the creature's head. He pulled the trigger.
The bullet entered the creature's eye and blew a hole out the back of it. Nothing could withstandthat.
The creature fell right in front of Rick. Blood sprayed across Rick's face as it did. But, instead of being sickened by it, he felt relief.
Rick looked at the body.It had taken so many bullets!
He pulled the trigger a few times to make sure that the creature was dead, but nothing came out. That thought frightened him. He had no more protection.
Luckily, the creature didn't move. It was dead.
Now, he just had to wait.
*
When the gunshots died down and the screaming stopped, Rick knew that the fight was over. But he didn't know who had won. He hoped that it was Carl and Big Mike. Although he hated them, they seemed like the best choice at the moment.
He stood up and placed the gun into the back of his jeans. It wasn't going to do him any good, out of bullets, but that didn't mean that he wasn't going to find some more eventually. Plus, it was a part of hisprize. He wasn't going to throw it away.
He walked slowly through the forest, trying not to make much noise. A few branches cracked underneath his feet. They pulled at his clothes and either whisked by or snapped.
He continued along his way.
*
Before long, he stopped.
He thought that he could hear something up ahead. It sounded like rustling in the leaves. And whimpering.
Rick bent down and approached the sound.
He probably should have turned around and run the other way, but he couldn't. Some part of him said that it could be one of his guys. And they might have a gun that was loaded with more than wishful thinking.
He crouched down and continued to walk slowly.
After a moment, he saw someone up ahead lying on the ground. The person was pulling himself along. Obviously injured. Rick could hear the little cries of pain.
He came up upon him from the side.
"Hey," Rick called out. He was prepared to run if it was one of the creatures. "Hey!"
The person raised his head and turned to look at him.
It was Carl.
"Well," his leader said. "Wasn't that a fuckin' fight?"
Carl was covered in blood. His pants were ripped, as were the legs underneath them.
Rick moved closer. "You okay?" He didn't really care. He simply wished that he could take off. But Carl might have a gun. And it was better to have a companion. Someone to help protect him.
Carl chuckled. "Yeah, I'm okay. Those fuckers only got my legs. What a fuckin' fight!"
Rick bent down beside the injured man. He wanted to ask him if he still thought that those creatures were beautiful. Instead, he asked, "What happened to Big Mike?"
Carl eyes focused on Rick's. He concentration didn't seem to be all there. "Huh…well…yeah, fucked if I know. One minute we were in the trees. The next, we were fighting. Idid see that guy get his fuckin' face ripped off, though. What a fuckin' sight!"
Carl was talking about Joe. And that pissed Rick off. He didn't want Carl to talk about his friend. Especially since he sounded excited by his friend's death. He glared at him.
Carl didn't seem to notice. He continued to talk. "Yeah, that poor fucker really got it. I couldn't believe it! Face off. Three bites. Woo-hoo!"
Rick's anger continued to rise.
He looked down at Carl's legs. They were torn up pretty bad and gave Rick confidence, made him feel stronger than this so-called leader. He couldn't have Carl talking about Joe that way. Not his friend.
"Shut up," Rick said.
Carl looked up at Rick, amused. "What was that?"
"I said,shut up."
Carl continued to stare at Rick. Then he smiled. "Oh, shit," he said. "I forgot. That was your boyfriend back there. The one who got eaten by those things. Sorry about that, man."
Rick didn't respond. He couldn't find the words. He simply raised his hand and covered Carl's mouth. He pinched the man's nose closed as well.
Carl tried to fight back, but he didn't have the energy. He had been through too much. He had lost too much blood.
Rick watched him try. Carl's tattooed arms grabbed at his own. He saw the snakes slither around his skin. Yet, Rick wouldn't let go. He couldn't let him talk about Joe that way. Joe was a good guy. His friend. He didn't deserve to die out there. Not with his fuckin' face ripped off.
Rick pressed his hand harder down on Carl's face and, eventually, Carl's hands soon loosened their grip. He kept pushing for a while longer to make sure that he was dead.
When Carl's hands dropped, they thudded on the dirt floor.Just like Joe's had.
It was only then that Rick let go.
"I told you to shut up," he said to the dead body. Then he laughed, feeling good.
Rick had killed Carl. Now he could get back to camp and take the girl away. They could run. They could hide. Nothing could stop them.
Rick leaned over Carl's body and began searching for a gun. His fingers passed over the corpse. Carl's blood smeared his fingers.
He couldn't find one.
"Fuck," he said and pushed himself off of the ground.
He looked down at the dead body.His fearless leader. The sight of Carl made him sick. And the way he had spoken about Joe!
Rick leaned over and spit on him. Blood was in his saliva and splattered over Carl's face.
"Fuck you," he shouted. "Fuck YOU!"
He turned to leave.
Standing there behind him was Big Mike. He had his shotgun raised, pointed at Rick's head.
Rick didn't know how much Big Mike had seen. Maybe he hadn't seen anything. He'd just tell the guy that he'd come across Carl, that thosethings must have killed him.
But, before Rick had a chance to open his mouth, Big Mike pulled the trigger and shot him in the face.
Chapter 10
Adam came to a stop. The road ended at the base of the hill. Looking at it from close up, it was much bigger than he had thought.
He got off of his bike and wondered if he should take it with him. There was no way that he was going to cycle up the hill. He didn't think it would be all that easy to climbing, either.
He'd leave the bike behind.
Adam felt a pang of guilt at leaving th
e bike. It had brought him so far and he had grown attached to it. But it was what he had to do.
He laid it gently onto the ground, then stroked the handle bars.
It really had been a good bike. Maybe he'd come back for it.
Adam turned to look at the hill, the bag of guns still on his back. He had the shotgun in his hands.
He'd make the rest of the journey on foot.
He turned back to the the hill, wrapped his thumbs through the straps of the backpack, and began to walk.
Chapter 11
It took Adam longer than he had expected to make it to the top of the hill. It had been a difficult climb.
He stood at the top and looked around. He could see for miles in every direction, but there was nothing that would indicate a camp. There were no men huddled around a tent waiting for him as he had hoped.
He felt his heart drop. He had thought that it was going to be easy. Or at least easier than this.
The sun had begun to set a while ago and was almost completely down.Not good.
But he had been told that there was a camp on the other side of the hill. The man had sworn to it.
However, Adam had been holding a gun to his face.
He kept looking out over the land.Where could it be?
Adam felt a wave of frustration wash over him. He might have made a mistake. Obviously, the man was a liar. More than likely, he shouldn't have listened to him. He could have just stuck to the road. Or gone back to find the other shoe.If there was another shoe.
Adam's thoughts continued.
He wanted to run down the hill. He wanted to find his friend. And he wanted to do it now.
But he didn't know where to look.
He dropped his bag of guns and sat beside them. Defeated. Out of ideas.
Where could she be?
He placed the shotgun across his lap and continued to look around.
Shelly was out there.
He wanted to scream. Call out her name. Though he knew it wouldn't help.
He tightened his grip on the shotgun and closed his eyes. He had failed her. Had let her down. She had been taken. And after he had promised to keep her safe.
He pictured her. So young. So innocent.
Tears started to build in his eyes.
He squeezed the gun again, then wiped a hand over his face.
He opened his eyes.
Finally, there in front of him was something. A small light that he could see off in the distance.
A campfire? The camp that the man had talked about?
Adam got to his feet and strapped the backpack back on.
Shelly was there! She had to be!
He started to run down the hill.
"I'm coming, Shelly" he shouted. "I'm coming!"
Chapter 12
It took Adam a long time to reach to the camp. It was late into the night when he got there. He approached it slowly, quietly. When he reached the edge of it, he stopped and crouched down. He tried to listen.
Aside from the crackling from the fire, there wasn't much else. He couldn't see anyone, either.
Though neither of those things made him feel any safer. He knew that there were people around. He just had to find them.
As for the cage, he had to find that too.
He started to move, shotgun ready in his hands. Instead of going into the camp though, he started to move around it. Outside of the campfire's light. Out of anyone's sight.
Once or twice, he stepped on something that let out a large crack, but it never seemed to call any attention to him.
He continued to walk.
*
At first, when Adam came upon the cage, he didn't know what it was. It was somewhat far away from the fire, so it had been difficult to see. Plus, he had never seen anything like it before. It looked like a small shed, made out of wire mesh. He thought that he saw some people in it.
His heart began to race.Shelly could be in there! He wanted to rush forward to check it out.
But he had to be smart. He needed to think things through.
He calmed himself and took a few steps closer. He could see two men sitting in front of the cage. They looked like they were sleeping, but he couldn't be sure. He'd have to deal with them somehow. Just not yet.
He looked back into the cage. He had a better view.
Immediately, he knew that Shelly was one of the people in there. He could see her small body pressed against another woman.
He had to get her out of there!
He looked back to the two guards and wondered what he could do about them. He had never killed anyone that hadn't tried to kill him first. And these men were asleep, defenceless.
Though that didn't make them innocent, he knew.
He crept closer to one of them and thought about shooting him at point blank range. It would be easy. But it would also be loud. It might startle the other one awake. Adam didn't know if the other guy had a gun. And, if he woke up, he might start shooting.
Adam decided to do it another way. Aquieter way.
He pulled out the knife that he had picked up from the short man in town -the one that had almost been used to kill him - and clicked open the blade.
He moved closer to the man until he was right beside him.
Was he really going to do this?
It occurred to him that he could check the man's pockets for a key without having to kill him. It looked as though he was in a deep sleep. Adam could see a few liquor bottles lying around his feet.Maybe he wouldn't wake.
No,Adam decided.He couldn't take the risk.
He raised his blade, glistening in the moonlight, and brought it to the man's throat.
Adam took a deep breath. And another.
Then he grabbed hold of the guard's hair and pulled his head back. He felt a little bit of a struggle and heard the man gasp in surprise. But Adam was quick. He pressed the knife's blade against the guard's throat and sliced it open.
Adam felt a burst of hot blood shoot onto his hand. And, with the amount of it, he expected the man to die immediately.
But that didn't happen. Instead of falling dead on the ground, the man stood up and tried to scream. He grabbed at his neck, wondering what had happened. He looked at Adam and charged toward him.
Adam didn't have much time to think. He slammed the knife into the guard's shoulder. It didn't have much of an impact. The man tried to grab him. Blood shot from his mouth as he did.
Adam stepped back and thought about his gun. He bent to pick it up. He had it loaded and ready. All he had to do was aim and shoot. Which he did. There was a loud crack as the shot slammed into the man's chest. Adam saw another burst of blood come out of him.
He shot again.
Finally, the man fell to the floor.
It was then that Adam remembered the other guard. He saw him standing, looking at all that was happening. Adam took a shot at him, but missed. He tried another time.
The man turned and ran.
Adam thought about pursuing him, hunting him down, but he didn't think that the man was going to be much of a problem. More than that, he wanted to get Shelly out of the cage as soon as he could.
He watched the man run far out of sight.No, he wasn't going to be a problem.
Adam turned back to the cage and looked at the man he had shot, his lifeless body lying there -the man he had just killed - and felt very little remorse. He didn't think of himself as a killer. He didn't take any enjoyment in it. But he couldn't bring himself to feel bad toward a man who had kept anyone caged.
He bent down and searched through the dead man's pockets. As he did, more blood splattered on his hands. It started to cover his face and clothes as well. He paid it little attention.
Shirt pocket. Pants pocket.There they were!He pulled the keys free, jingling in his grasp.
Immediately, he moved over to the front of the cage and grabbed the first key that came to hand. He placed it into the lock. It fit perfectly. He turned and popped it open. Then he pulled the doo
r open.
"Adam, is that you?"
Adam looked at Shelly. She was lying on the floor looking up at him. Without answering, he ran into the cage and wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him back and repeated his name over and over.
"I knew you'd come back for me," she said. "I just knew it!"
"Of course I would. I couldn't let you get away from me. I promised to protect you."
Adam hugged the little girl again. She squeezed him back just as tightly.
It was then that noticed the other woman in the cage, looking at him strangely.
"It's okay," he said. "I'm her friend. I've come to get you out of here."
The woman looked at Shelly, then nodded her head. "Let's go," she said "Now."
Adam stood up and walked out of the cage with Shelly close behind him. The woman followed.
Once they got out of the cage, Adam saw Shelly stare at the dead guard.
"It's not Sam," she said.
"What?" Adam didn't know what she was talking about.
"The guy who had attacked me in my apartment, it's not him."
"Why would it be?"
"Because he was here. He was one of the two guys watching us."
Adam could believe it.He was the man that he had shot at…and missed! "That was Sam?"
Shelly nodded her head.
"There's nothing we can do about that now," a voice interrupted. The woman. "We have to get out of here before he comes back."
"I don't think he's going to," Adam argued.
"But we don't know that for sure. And there are others. They might come back soon too."
Others? Adam didn't think it important enough to ask about them. If she said that there were others, then there were. "Let's go," he said instead.
He grabbed Shelly's hand and led her away from the cage, away from the camp. And in the opposite direction that Sam had run.
Though it wasn't long before Shelly spoke. "Was it the shoes?" she asked.
"The shoes?"
"My shoes. Did you find them? Is that what led you to me?"
Adam looked at the young girl, then glanced at her feet. They were bare.
"Your shoes," he said. "You kicked them off."
Glory (Book 3) Page 9