by McCabe, R. J
‘Why aren't you settled down? A successful and may I say beautiful woman like you? Whats the reason behind that?’ Bill asked, he was looking into her eyes now and he was captivated.
‘You know when I said you could put men into different groups?’
‘Yup’
‘It seems I ain’t too fond of those groups, I like the interestin' ones’ Gina said. She was looking into Bill’s eyes too now and he hoped badly they were having a moment.
‘Bill?’
‘Yeah?’
‘I would like you to take my hand and then, when we are both standin' up, I would like you to kiss me. That is what I'm thinkin', only I'm thinkin' it aloud as I don't believe you would dare do somethin' like that in the near future as you seem like a true gentleman but it’s okay not to be such a gentleman for a little while if you know what I mean.’
Bills eyes widened, he was lost for words.
‘You don't have to say anythin' Bill, just man up and do it.’
Bill removed his hat, got to his feet and took Gina by the hand, pulling her gently to her feet and the two of them looked at each other for a moment before Bill kissed her and Gina eagerly kissed him back.
‘Now tell me what you're thinkin' Bill?’ she said.
‘Well, I'm thinkin' I might just take that bottle there in one hand, your hand in the other and go inside.’
‘Great mind’s think alike,’ she said smiling.
‘Great minds think alike. I like that, I think that might just catch on,’ said Bill.
Gina kissed him again and the two of them headed inside, through the sitting room and into the bedroom. Bill decided not to tell Gina that, although the sheets were clean, Joel’s dead body had been lying on that same bed just the day before, he thought it might just ruin the moment.
21
Tom and Mary Dodson were preparing to retire for the evening. Tom locked up the house and joined his wife of twenty years in the bedroom.
‘I sure hope we don't get any more of those cats attackin' the town tonight. I never heard of anythin' like that before,’ said Mary now under the bedsheets. ‘Did you make sure the store was secure before we left Tom?’
‘I sure did honey. I heard they shot that thing five or six times and it was still on its feet! How in gods name is that possible? Ya’ know, thinkin' about it, I’m pretty sure I heard gun shots last night.’
‘I don’t think you'd hear those from out here Tom, I fancy your imagination might be runnin' away with you. Folks sure like to get themselves excited when somethin' like this happens.’
‘Don’t you miss livin' in the town, by the business?’ asked Tom.
‘I can’t say I do. I actually appreciate bein' able to leave there every night and head out here for some peace and quiet, now stop standin' there yappin' and come get into bed.'
Tom nodded before slipping into his side of the bed.
‘It’s gonna be a close night tonight Mary, did you leave the window open?’
‘Oh crap, no sorry Tom I forgot, I'll do it now.’
‘No, it’s okay, I got it,’ Tom said before throwing the sheets back and standing up. He walked around to Mary’s side of the bed and began to mess with the window. ‘Damn thing is so stiff!’ Tom said trying to prize it open.
‘Be kinda nice if that ain’t the only thing stiff tonight.’ Mary said with a chuckle.
‘Mary Chelson, Are you bein' a bit cheeky?’ Tom said looking over his shoulder with a smile, however the smile faded when he heard a loud thud.
‘Did you hear that Mary?’ asked Tom standing still, head cocked.
‘I heard somethin', sounded like somethin' kinda heavy.’ Mary said before pulling the sheets up to her chin as if someone had walked into the bedroom.
‘Yeah it sure did.’
‘Did you tie the horses up properly? Shut the barn?’ Mary asked.
‘I did the same thing I do every night’ replied Tom. ‘So that’s a yes’
‘Strange things have a way of happenin' sometimes’ Mary said. ‘Maybe one of em got out?’
‘I doubt that. I know…’ Tom was interrupted by another heavy thud from outside, this one followed quickly by a third.
‘God dammit! There it is again’ Tom said, agitated both at the sound and his own fear.
‘Yeah I heard it too Tom, you gonna go outside and take a look?’
‘I guess I gotta as it’s either got to be you or me. I tell you what, if those horses have gotten out I'm gonna take a whip to their rear ends’ Tom said but what he didn’t tell his wife was that if it were just the horses it would be a hell of a relief.
‘Wait, Tom what if its another of those mountain lions?’ Mary put a hand to her mouth as she spoke.
‘Why the hell would it be one of those?’ asked Tom, a baffled look on his face.
‘There was that one in the town last night,’ replied his wife.
‘God dammit Mary, that doesn't mean there is gonna be a mountain lion epidemic!’ You sure say some odd things some times.’
‘No one would have thought one would go walkin' into town, as it’s never happened before but it did, I'm just sayin' is all.’ Mary still held the sheets tight to her as she spoke.
‘Look, I'm sure whatever is makin' that noise outside is no damned mountain lion but I can tell you one thing, whatever or whoever it is will be gettin' an ass full of lead if they shouldn't be on my property!’ and with that Tom marched out of the bedroom.
Tom opened the front door to the house and held his rifle pointed out in front ready for any unwanted guests.
Something had occurred to him as he was loading the gun. There was a good chance that the thing outside was none other than that big, ugly bastard John Duggan. He had been made to look a fool in the town just a couple of days previous and a man like that didn't take humiliation lightly.
Part of Tom hoped it was just going to end up just being one of the horses that had gotten out and if it was, then he didn't really have any intention of taking a whip to its backside. He would just round it, or them, up and put them back in the barn before getting back into bed with his lovely wife. However, another part of him, a small, darker part, hoped it would be Big John as that man had made Tom feel stupid and powerless on more than one occasion but it wasn't going to happen anymore and certainly not here on his property. If that big son of a bitch was around, then Tom was gonna fill him full of holes and be done with him once and for all. At least that was the plan but Tom also knew that if John Duggan did step out of the dark, then Tom might just crap his pants.
He walked down the stairs of the porch and walked slowly over to the barn where the horses were kept.
‘If there’s anybody in there, then I swear you had better speak up otherwise I'm gonna blow you out of your fuckin' boots!’ Tom said speaking with the most menacing voice he could muster.
There was no reply and so Tom placed his rifle on the ground and lifted the heavy piece of wood that held the doors shut. He dropped the piece of wood onto the floor, something he immediately regretted as he knew he was going to have to pick it back up on the way out and it weighed a tonne. Tom then pulled opened the big barn doors.
It was very dark inside and he cursed himself for the second time in less than a minute, this time for not bringing a lantern. Nevertheless, he slowly walked into the darkness, his gun now firmly back in his hands.
He could sense movement as he approached the first stable, the movement was subtle but he sensed it all the same as he approached the stable in which the largest of the horses, Dutch, was kept. He found the latch and opened it and then pulling the door open he took a step inside. Tom reached out in front of him and finally touched what he thought to be the muscular rump of the horse. Dutch shifted a little but overall seemed calm and It then occurred to Tom that if the big bolt was on the barn door then the horses would not have been able to get out and he felt stupid for checking. Tom cursed himself for a third time and then made his way back out of the barn, putting down the
rifle in order to lift the heavy piece of wood that went across the doors. The weight of the wood combined with the muggy evening air made Tom break out into a sweat and he was wiping an arm across his damp brow when a noise made him turn around so fast that he nearly lost his footing and fell down.
It was a scrambling sound and it was coming from the house. Tom eyed the building and then fancied he saw something on the roof. His eyes darted up and he thought just for a second he’d seen a shadow disappear over the top of the house. Tom was, for a moment, frozen to the spot both out of fear and being at a loss at what to do next. His mind was trying to make sense of the fact there was something on top of his house. Then a scream rang out from inside and he knew the scream had been made from his wife Mary.
Tom snapped out of his trance, picked up the rifle and ran towards his front door.
Tom walked in the hallway, pointing the gun out in front of him. He had never shot another man or even come close, hell, he had never even struck another man but he was certain there was an unwanted visitor in his home and he was ready to blow that son of a bitch to hell.
‘Mary?’ Tom called as he entered the hall but no answer came. He began to walk the length of the considerable hall, checking each room as he went, ‘Mary?’ he called again, ‘Answer me dammit!’
Then, in front of him Tom saw his wife crawling out of their bedroom, blood stains on her night gown. She looked at him, tears running down her cheeks and was about to call out when a hand appeared from behind her, grabbing Mary by the hair and dragging her back into the bedroom. Another scream rang out and Tom ran down the hallway, desperate to help his wife.
When Tom entered the bedroom he could see that Mary had been thrown onto the bed, her eyes were full of terror as she stared at him. Standing around her were four people, or were they people? Their clothes were rags and one of them had a head that seemed a little too lopsided and all four were soaked in blood. They looked down on his wife not even noticing Tom had entered the room.
‘My god!’ Tom said and at that point one of them turned and screamed at him, a sound so primal that it froze Tom to his very core. He lifted the gun and shot the screaming thing straight in the head. Brains and blood flew up against the bedroom wall, the sound of the shot deafening. The things body stood for a moment before dropping to the floor, and exploding sending red mushy gore all over the room and its occupants.
Tom raised the gun towards the other three, all of whom now were turned towards him, howling and gnashing their teeth. Tom took aim again but before he could fire, he felt immense pressure being applied to the sides of his head, crushing with such power he felt his skull would explode. Tom could only watch as the bedroom windows blasted inwards and the same weird inhuman things crawled through, their numbers flooding the room. At once they all began to attack Mary, ripping into her flesh, chewing through her skin and then they turned on him, teeth biting into him as the hands on his skull began to loosen letting him flop down onto the floor. Tom felt his life drifting away but he did not know he would rise again. Rise again and join them.
22
Bill woke with a start. Had something woken him? It took him a little while to get his bearings as he had been in deep sleep due to the lack of it the previous night. It took him a moment to notice that Gina was asleep on his chest and then he remembered. He recalled how they had touched each other, how she had lived up to everything he thought she would be and more.
It had been a while since he had held a woman. He chose not to sleep around, sure he thought about sex as much as the next man but sex with a woman he had to pay at the end would leave him feeling empty and desperate and he could do without those feelings.
She was sound asleep on him and he dared to hope that something might come of this. He hoped that he might, just might, be able to settle in Sundown but before he could really consider any of that he had the small matter of potentially undead bodies shambling around his town. Was it all real? Could it be? His trail of thought was broken by a shout outside. The sound was that of someone either in dire peril or plain scared to death. Bill sat up, Gina slid off his chest and onto the bed.
‘Bill?’ she said, not fully awake, ‘Bill, what’s wrong?’
‘Someones in trouble,’ Bill said and got out of the bed.
He picked up his clothes and began to put them on. Another sound came from the town, and then a gunshot followed by another. Gina was now sitting up, ‘Jesus, I heard that’ she said, the moon lighting up her pale, flawless skin.
‘Its like last night all over again. I had better get down there now’ Bill said, ‘Your father might be there, he was stayin' on duty.’
‘My god, what the hell is goin' on in this place?’ Gina said, tears welling up in her eyes.
‘Don’t worry, I'll take good care of him. I need you to lock everythin' once I've gone, keep the lights off and here, I'll leave you this.’ Bill took a pistol from the side cabinet and checked to make sure it was loaded. If anyone comes here and you don't like the look of them you blow a hole in em, you understand?’
‘Bill, I cant just…,’
‘You can and you will. This town has changed a lot in the last few days and there are things and people around that you cant trust. Anyone comes here then you try and keep low and out of site but if the moment comes when you think you might be in danger, then you pull that trigger and you don’t think twice about it. Now tell me you understand that’
‘I got it but please, once you know my daddy is safe and find out what is goin' on, I want you to come tell me okay?’
‘I promise. I’m going now so lock everythin', I mean everythin'!’ Bill leant down and kissed Gina on the head before heading out to the hall to put on the rest of his clothes and his gun belt.
Bill made his way to the town dressed in only a loose shirt , trousers and boots. He walked at pace but made sure to keep in the shadows. He could hear commotion coming from somewhere in the town and he just hoped that it didn't involve Ken. Gina would be devastated if something had happened to him and as far as Bill was concerned it was the only friend he had.
A scream filled the air, closely followed by another, this one a slightly different pitch which to Bill, indicated more than one person was in trouble. He upped his pace to a run but he decided not to go flat out as he didn't want to be red faced and out of breath when the time came for him to act. He had no idea what was waiting for him in that town and he needed to be ready. Again a scream rang out and he realised it was coming from Gina’s place. There was no-one on the street outside so whatever was happening was taking place inside the building. Bill took his gun out and made his way through the door, noting the door was already open and there were bloody handprints on the wood.
Bill entered and looked into the hall. The place was a lot nicer than Bill had imagined but it looked like a mini tornado had been through there, a table was turned over and chairs were smashed amongst other mess but there was no one to be seen. Bill heard a loud bang come from upstairs, followed by a cluster of screams. He looked over at the stairway but could see nothing, carefully he started his ascent.
He reached the top of the first set of stairs and there were two short hallways, one to his left and the other to his right. He began to walk down the hallway to his right and noted there were two rooms along there. He reached the first room and swung his gun around the door frame and pointed it inside. There was a bed, the sheets crumpled and messy but no sign of anyone in there. He left the room and heard thudding sounds were coming from the level above. Bill looked towards the ceiling but knew he had to check the floor he was on first.
He walked into the second room, his heart beating hard in his chest. He was somewhat relieved to see that room was also empty, but then he noticed the blood stains on the bed and red sprayed across the wall. Something had gone down in there and by the looks of it, it was something awful but now it seemed the problem was upstairs. Bill left the room and was going to check the hallway opposite when something came march
ing up the stairs to his left. He span around pointing the pistol at the approaching figure.
‘Jesus Bill don’t shoot!’ bellowed Ken one hand up in front of him, the other hand was holding a large rifle. ‘What the fuck is goin' on up there. Sheriff? I gotta get up there and save my Gina.’
Even in the tense situation, Bill felt a little awkwardness creep over himself. ‘It’s okay, Gina isn't here.’
Ken looked confused ‘Then where the hell is she?’
‘Well,’ Bill said, ‘she's over at my house.’
Ken formed an 'Oh' with his mouth, that was followed by a wink.
‘But I imagine the rest of the girls are trapped up there so we need to get the hell up those stairs.’ said Bill
‘Sure thing Sheriff’ Ken said and gripped the rifle with two hands.
The two men began to climb the stairs, Bill in front and to the right Ken just behind with his gun pointed straight ahead. Another thud came from above followed by screams and Bill could tell now that it was definitely more than one voice, it was three or four women screaming and it sounded like something or things were smashing against one of the doors.
‘Get ready Ken,’ said Bill as they reached the top of the stairs.
Bill turned the corner and didn't know whether to be relieved or more worried at what he saw. It seemed that two men were trying to smash their way into a room where, Bill guessed, the women who were left in the house were hiding. Bill aimed his pistol at the men.
‘I think maybe its time for you boys to vacate these premises.’ Bill said in his most authoritative tone. The two figures were just about to give the door another smash when they stopped and began to turn and look at Bill and Ken, there movements slow and deliberate.
‘I don’t like this Bill,’ Ken said from behind.
‘Oh is that so?’ Bill whispered back, ‘Im having a great fuckin' time.’