It began pulling itself along with its front paws, panting and growling. I aimed for its head but it was too late. Rocking the truck in its rage, the gun swung around, knocking me over the side. I landed on my back, winded and struggling to sit up. It took me several moments to realize that the bear was dragging itself toward me. I did the only thing which came to mind. Waiting until the bear was within grabbing distance, I rolled over the edge of a nearby cliff. I hoped that it would follow me. I slid off the edge, grasping at anything I could. My hands found a bush as the bear came tumbling down. The huge weight hit me, knocking my grip from the bush. Sliding another ten feet, I managed to hook my fingers on a rock. It was awkward and I knew I couldn't hold on for long.
It seemed ages before anyone came. I was holding on with only one hand, my left arm having given out from the pain. Then Sean was there, sliding at the cliff edge, Malcolm and the others behind him.
"Alex, hold on, well get a rope." Sean shouted at me. He backed up and left to fetch it. I looked at the people crowding the cliff and saw the high schooler the bear had swiped. He was swaying on his feet, about to collapse. Oh no.
"Push him off the cliff, hurry." I tried to shout but couldn't spare breath for a whisper. I wanted to cry but it was too much effort, then Sean was there lowering a noose. Focusing hard, I slid as much of me into it as I could, pulling my useless left arm along as they started to pull me up.
I had ascended no more than six feet before the teen collapsed. My mom and Bea went to him as the others continued to pull me up. Dimly I heard a scream, the teen had changed. Sean shot a glance at Malcolm who nodded, then rushed over to save his mom. The rope dropped a bit, then came a steady pull until I could get my feet under me. Through a haze of pain and fatigue, I saw Sean struggling with the teen. He was pinned to the ground with the boy on top of him. Malcolm grabbed my good arm and pulled me over the edge, before rushing to help Sean. The other two teens were gawking as Sean got his feet under the boy and threw him backwards. As soon as the boy hit the ground, Malcolm was there with his axe and chopped his head off.
We all stood around panting. The sound of Kenny crying hysterically came from the camper. I picked myself up and took off in a staggering run and pounded on the locked door.
"Lin, baby, It's mom. Open the door, it's safe now." My brave little girl, opened up and hurled herself at me. Hoisting her in my good arm, I pulled myself up the steps looking for Kendrick.
"Where is he Lin? Where's your brother?" She pointed to the bathroom. My bright little five-year-old had placed her brother in the shower and wedged that door closed as well. I removed her barricade, then sat in the shower holding them both. We all sat there crying and rocking, trying to cope with what had just happened. Sean came in and sat outside the shower. I looked at him over the top of their heads while I tried to stop crying.
"What do we do now?" I asked him, a catch in my voice. Sean shook his head.
"I don't know. We could move camp, but it's going to be the same wherever we go. Where's that list of bunkers Tony gave you?"
It was my turn to shake my head.
"No, we're not going back underground. It was hell on the kids and I won't put them through that again. There has to be something that's not military that's safe." We sat there for a while until the kids fell asleep. After tucking them into the bed, we joined the others at the fire. It was dusk now, the sun setting the sky on fire for another evening.
"How's your arm?" Malcolm asked from across the pit. I looked at it and saw the dirt that had manage to find its way in.
"It'll have to be cleaned again, but it doesn't hurt as bad as before." That might have been because I could barely feel my body. Malcolm walked over to where the first aid kit had been left and gathered everything up. As he walked over to me, Sean moved to my right side so Malcolm could fix me up. I looked over to my in-laws and they looked pretty shaken up but holding together. The two teenagers just stared at what had once been their friend.
"We should do something about the body." I told Sean quietly. He nodded and stood up.
"Samuel, come give me a hand." The two men walked away. Malcolm knelt down in the dirt in front of me and started cleaning my arm. Beatrice stood up, looking a little queasy
"Would anyone like some coffee? I'll go make a pot." Then she and Ernest went into their tow-behind. My mom was walking around the campsite looking at the plants, Liz and Steven trailing along.
"Ahh, that stings!" I gasped as Malcolm poured the alcohol on the gash.
"Sorry." He said as he looked up at me. He looked angry again. Why was this man so emotional? He wiped off the dirt and dried blood.
"You might want to take a swig out of that flask. The stitches don't feel too good."
I reached for the flask only to find it gone. It must have fallen out of my pocket during all the excitement.
"I don't have it. Just go ahead and start." I told him. He sighed and started to take off his belt. I frowned and looked at him.
"You're going to want something to bite." He said, handing me the belt. Nodding, I doubled the leather and took a good bite. He started to sew me up and felt like a gentle tugging. I looked at it and he was already done with the first stitch. I took the belt out of my mouth.
"Is it bad that I can't feel it?" I asked him. He didn't look up as he responded.
"That might be all the shock and adrenalin. I didn't think about that. Just try and stay still. You only need four or five." I looked towards where Sean and Samuel were burying the boy. The other teenagers had gone over to help dig the hole. Sean was looking over here with a small smile in his face. I returned his smile and he went back to work.
After about fifteen minutes, I looked back down at my arm. Malcolm was done and now just holding it while staring at the wound.
"I'm sorry I didn't check on it sooner. Sean's right, you could have died from infection and it would have been my fault. I'm so sorry." He got up to walk away but I caught his hand. He stopped but didn't turn around, after a moment I let go.
"I don't blame you for not checking the wound. I think guarding the door was more important. Thank you for everything that you've done for me. I truly appreciate you." He turned his head enough to give me the saddest look I had seen from him, then walked away. I sighed, wishing I knew what he was thinking. Geez, this man was emotional! While I repacked the first aid kit, Sean and the others finished burying the poor kid. I walked over to them to introduce myself.
"I can't do this. I don't want to end up like that." the one with blond hair was saying.
"Yes you can Scott. Come on, let's go skin some rabbits and get dinner started."
"I can't end up like that Daniel. I swear before everything I won't end up like that." He spoke calmly and quietly as they walked over to where they had a string of rabbits hung from a tree. Sean came to stand beside me.
"I'm worried about that one." He nodded towards Scott. "I hope he doesn't do something stupid." As if on cue, Scott grabbed the skinning knife and tried to slit his own throat. He and Daniel wrested for the knife as Sean and I rushed forward.
"Just let me do it, please!" Scott screamed. Sean grabbed him from behind while Daniel wrenched the knife out of his grasp. He and Sean fell backwards over a log, rolling in the dirt until he was on top. Scott tried to punch Sean but Kato had grabbed his arms and was restraining him. Steven came over with the rope they had used to haul me up the cliff and together, they tied him up. He sat there sobbing as Daniel tried to comfort him.
I walked over to the fire pit and sat down, reaching for the tinder and kindling. The motions of making a fire calmed my nerves and cleared my head. As I built the pit into a roaring fire, I thought about what we would do from here. Should we stay here or move camp? We needed running water and farming ground to be able to live. I looked up from the flames to see most everyone sitting near. The two teenagers, Liz, and Steven were missing. I
got up and sat on a rock next to Sean, leaning against him and sighing.
"So what's for dinner?" Malcolm asked with a happy grin. I could tell he was trying to lighten the mood.
"I don't know. What are you making?" Sean responded. They both had a laugh and I smiled a bit. Samuel came back to the fire with five rabbits on sticks ready to be cooked.
"Did someone say dinner?" He said. "If one of you could get the rack set up, I'd appreciate it." Both Malcolm and Sean got up, working together to get it done quickly.
As Samuel placed the rabbits over the fire, Malcolm asked the questions I had been thinking.
"So do we stay here or move camp. I 'm not sure how many walkers heard our little commotion but we need running water for a more stable living spot." He sat down in the dirt with the back resting on a log. "And I don't know about you guys, but I think we should find a place we can raise some animals. Chickens and cows and such."
"I agree." Kato said. He had cups and a bottle of water which he passed out. "The canned food will be running out soon and the little ones can't eat rabbit all the time." I took the cup from Kato and thanked him.
"We're not that far from Colorado. We could find a place close to the mountains with open fields. There's plenty of fresh water to be had. There should be some livestock left on the ranches in the area. What do you think?" I looked at Sean. He held his cup and stared into the water.
"There's good ground out there. There's a place I know about by the mountains that has river fed lake so there'd be fish. Plus, plenty of flat ground for farming. I think it's a good idea. We would need to build a shelter and lookout post quickly though so I suggest we hit town to get building supplies before we move out." We all nodded our agreement. "I don't know you guys as well as Alex but-" Before he could finish a set of headlights appeared on the road leading to camp. We had just enough time to grab our weapons before a truck came blazing into the site. It fishtailed to a stop by Sean's truck, metal music blaring. We stood there as the engine turned off, waiting to see who would step out. The door opened and a long leg followed by long black hair appeared. It was Niobe. From the driver's side came Ragnar. I started crying as I ran to him.
"I thought you were dead you damn Viking!" I jumped and hugged him with all the strength I had. He hugged me back while I shed even more tears. "How Did you make it out alive?" I asked him, my face buried in his shoulder.
"Let's sit down and I'll tell you." He unwrapped me and set me back on my feet. As he greeted the others by the fire, the teenagers, Liz, and Steven had come out of the trailers. I introduced Scott and Daniel to my brother and they went off to get a few more rabbits to put on the rack.
"Okay Ragnar, how in the world did you guys survive?" He grabbed a rabbit leg and cleaned the bone in one go before answering me.
"Well when Niobe was trapped in the stockroom, I left through a side window. There was a smaller window in the stockroom and she managed to wiggle through. When we were behind the trees, I shot the pumps. We started walking towards Albuquerque when a bunch of rednecks in trucks and jeeps came up behind us. Said they were looking for a guy named Samson. Told them we hadn't seen him. They didn't like that. The leader said I looked like I was good for work and Niobe was good for breeding so they trussed us up like hogs for roasting. You got any whiskey?" Sean pulled a bottle out of his pocket and handed it to him. Ragnar took a long pull and handed it back.
"Thanks man. So there we are, in the back of these trucks. I hear them say that it's their duty to rule the world now because they were the strongest and anyone who didn't join them would die. You know me sis, if anyone is going to take over the world, it's me." We both gave a small chuckle.
"So because they wanted to rule the world, you killed them?" Samuel asked. I looked at him and noticed he had gone white as a sheet.
"Nah, we didn't kill them. We didn't get a chance. When we made camp for the night, they tied us to a tree together. Big mistake. They didn't check Niobe's hair for weapons and she carries a thin blade in it. We cut the ropes and stole one of the trucks. We had just stopped in town for gas when we heard that big gun going off." He pointed to the truck. "When I looked at the mountain, I saw a tiny blurb falling so I figured we would come find you. So, here we are." He took the rest of the rabbit and started devouring it.
"This leader, did he have a scar on his face? Went from his temple to his jaw?" Samuel asked Ragnar. Ragnar stopped mid chew and looked up.
"Yeah, he did." We all turned to Samuel. He wasn't looking at us. I followed his gaze where it went over the city. There, coming towards the mountain, were three sets of headlights. I turned back to him.
"You had better start talking. Now." Malcolm had come up behind him, blocking his exit.
"We need to get out of here, now. If they catch us then we're all dead, even the kids." He tried to plead with us.
"You lied to us from the beginning. You're one of them aren't you?" Malcolm was slowly stepping closer to him. "Why don't we just give you to them? They'll leave us alone after that I bet."
"I didn't lie, you never asked. And no they won't let you go. Ragnar stole from him. He never lets that go. He slit my wife's throat because she dropped a cup on his toe, what do you think he'll do to you guys?" His eyes had teared up and he was breathing heavy. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this, I really am. But please believe me when I say you have to run." Ragnar clasped him on the shoulder.
"I'm the one that stole the truck little man. We are both at fault." He looked over to see the headlights starting up the mountain road. "We've spent too much time talking. We should stay and fight, but we need to come up with a plan."
Chapter 13
When the raiders pulled into camp, only a few of us sat around the fire. The stolen truck was tucked away on an access road, on the other side of the camp. I sat directly across from the raiders approach, so I was the first face they saw. My mother sat to my left, Liz then Steven on my right. The teenagers were fiddling with the rabbits on the fire, trying to act casual. I took a drink of my water and stood up to go greet them.
A man stepped out of the lead vehicle. He was tall and had a trench coat that went to his ankles. the headlights blocked out everything else.
"Hello there. You guys lost?" I shouted. The man was walking closer and I could see more silhouettes behind him.
"No, we saw your fire in town so we decided to see who was up here." The man said. He was close enough to the fire that I could see his face now. There was a long scar that traced the side of his face giving him an evil look. He held out his hand to for a shake.
"My names Darius. These are my men. Looks like you got yourself a nice little setup here. Mind if we spend the night? It's been a long drive and my men are tired and hungry." He spoke in a tone that was both charming and threatening, his voice like warm whiskey. I hoped he wasn't expecting us to feed them all.
"Yea, that's no problem. There's plenty of room by the fire." He gave me a slow grin.
"That's mighty fine of you." He turned and spoke to his men. "You heard her boys, we make camp here for the night! John, bring some meat out. Get Jose to help you. Lauren, bring a few bottles for our new friend here. You like whiskey?" He asked me.
"I like whiskey just fine." I replied, walking back over to the fire. I motioned to the piece of log next to me for him to sit down. Time to play the gracious hostess. He gave another smile and sat next to me. He was a handsome man with a rugged aura, like a lumberjack meets Hollywood.
"So where are you all coming from? Looks like you've been through a bit of a tussle." He pointed to my arm. Think fast Alex, come up with something.
"Yeah, there was a member of our group that didn't agree with my decisions. She tried to kill me because instead of fighting, I walked away." I told him about the walkers but left Samuel and the other men out of it.
"When we got to Grants, she tried to kill me in my sleep. So we threw her
out of the RV. She's probably dead by now." I reached for a rabbit, pulling off a leg and handing it to him. In return, he handed me a bottle of whiskey from which I took a long pull.
"Well that's a shame. There are so few of us left that it's a pity to waste uninfected people." I handed him back the bottle and he set it down next to him.
"Where are you guys headed?" I asked. I could feel the whiskey working to warm me up.
"We're just touring the country, looking for survivors to add to our little community. Eventually we'll find a place to make home but we need to find a safe place. You probably know all that though." He looked at me intensely. "You are a very pretty woman. Do you know that?" I tried to say thank you but my tongue had gone numb. That's odd, I hadn't drunk enough to be that affected yet. I blinked up at him owlishly.
"Yes, I put a tranquilizer in the whiskey. You won't be able to move, but you'll be conscious." He caught me as I slid off the log. I heard Liz scream and had just enough energy to look her way. The other men had grabbed everyone else and were tying their hands. Darius caressed my face as he spoke to me.
"Don't worry, they won't be hurt as long as you cooperate." His hand moved to my neck and he gave it a slight squeeze. I felt the strength that could crush my throat in one try. He slid his hand under my back and lifted me onto his lap. Burying a hand in my hair, he ground his lips against mine in a painful kiss. There was blood on his lips as he pulled away, but I couldn't tell if it was mine of his.
"Did that hurt, little Alex?" He asked in a husky tone, licking the blood from his lips as I screamed at him in my head. "Don't worry, there's plenty of things I could do that are more painful." He grabbed my chest roughly, squeezing until it felt like it would rip right off. How I wished I could claw his eyes out and geld him. "I know what you're thinking. Don't worry, when the drug wears off, you'll have your chance. I like a little pain as foreplay so it'll be all the sweeter for me." He nuzzled my neck, nibbling his way to my ear. Then out of the darkness came the sound of a baby crying. My heart sank as he froze then slowly lifted his head.
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