There were not too many items lying around the shed like Tabitha thought there might be. When growing up often on her walks she would notice people’s odds and ends lying on the outside of garages such as tools, ladders and other work tools. Then she remembers that this was a park and that was when she opened the doors.
The smell was kind of musty but nothing that airing it out wouldn’t get rid of. Before she entered, Tabitha opened the doors up as wide as they would go, this would serve two purposes. One, air it out and two made the inside more visible because Tabitha did not know if there would be any light switches on the inside.
Fortunately the sun was shining which brightened up the interior of the shed. Slowly, Tabitha made her way in and saw a couple of ladders, an old fashioned tool box, a couple of basketballs, volleyball and a volleyball net. She thought that maybe it would be cool to set that up when everyone got back and perhaps they could all have some fun together.
After a little while more searching Tabitha had reached the back of the shed, located at the back in the left corner Tabitha found some antenna that was lying on the floor. Bending over Tabitha noticed that it was in five sections and she figured that after they would be put together it would average twenty feet tall. “I’m just gonna leave these right here and show Alden when he gets home cause I sure as hell don’t want to lose any pieces,” she spoke to herself.
Making her way along the back wall to the other corner Tabitha found at least four rods and reels along with a huge tackle box. “BINGO!” she said happily. The one thing that she knew was fishing and this was right up her ally. Quickly she grabbed the poles in one hand and picked up the tackle box in the other then made her way outside.
Tabitha noticed that Colt was still chopping wood and she asked, “You like to fish?!” Colt looked over at her and his eyes got as big as saucers, “Nice find!” He yelled over.
Charlie had decided to try and get some meat for dinner, rabbits or squirrels, though he preferred rabbit. Moving through the woods as quiet as he could he noticed the two dogs were trailing him. He hadn’t traveled more than a mile when he spotted an open field. Sitting down behind a log right at the tree line he watched and waited for anything to move. The dogs sat next to him and seemed to be looking for him. “You two got better eyes than me, just don’t blow it and go barking your fool heads off.”
He said with a chuckle. It was Max who stood up first. Straight as an arrow he pointed out towards the field. Charlie raised his head a little more and saw what had caught the dogs sight. It was a good sized Doe. Charlie couldn’t believe his eyes, the deer was only about 50 yards away and had come walking out of the tree line. It had stopped and seemed to be looking around but not at Charlie or even in his direction. He took careful aim and began to pull the trigger on the rifle.
A loud gun shot rang out and Charlie dropped to the ground. Tonto had gone to a prone position but Maximus started to growl still standing. Charlie reached up and pulled on his collar, “Get down here Max now!”
Max sat, then lay down but was still growling. Tonto’s head was up slightly but he made no noise at all. There across the clearing came four men wearing black leather vests and jean. They had automatic weapons and shotguns and were whooping and hollering about the kill. Their hair was long and dirty, some had beards other were just scruffy from not shaving. The wind was blowing towards Charlie and he could smell the funk off their bodies. The men were cussing up a storm as they got to the deer.
Charlie looked at Tonto who had backed up a little. “This ain’t good is it?” Tonto backed up a little more and looked to Charlie as if to say “We need to go.”
Charlie was about to move back just as Maximus barked, Charlie yanked on the collar not trusting himself to speak, when he heard a man’s voice. “Hold up boys, we ain’t the only ones after this fucking deer.”
He looked over in Charlie’s direction. They all turned and started to scan the woods. One guy stepped over the deer and seemed to be looking to Charlie’s left, ‘HEY! YEAH YOU!! COME ON OUT WE’LL SHARE THE KILL!”
Another one started to laugh and Charlie heard him to, “Right after we cut your balls or your tits off depending on how ugly you are.”
The first man turned and smacked him, “Shut the fuck up he’ll hear you!”
“You know what?? Fuck you Dog breath! And fuck him too!!”
The second man fired three shots into the woods and Maximus jumped up and growled. The men turned and looked right at the dog. Charlie laid flat and started to crawl backwards when the next shots rang out. Charlie moved quickly calling to Max in a whisper, “Down boy down we got to go.”
The next shot landed right at Max’s feet and that was too much, Charlie had to do something. He aimed and fired hitting the man who was shooting right in throat. The bullet pierced it all the way through. His eyes went wide as he dropped his rifle and grabbed his neck. His attempt was futile. The bullet had severed his wind pipe and blood poured out through his fingers as he gasped. The other men dropped down behind the deer and started to shoot wildly. Charlie turned and crawled on his belly as Max took off for the camp. Tonto was leading the way and suddenly he was up and running. Charlie followed the dogs lead and got up to run too. The men behind Charlie were screaming, “THE MOTHER FUCKERS SHOT HIM!!! YOU BETTER RUN YOU LITTLE FAGGOT WERE GOING TO GUT YOU AND FUCK YOU IN THE ASS WITH YOUR OWN DAMN RIFLE!!!!!”
The gun shots continued as the men fired wildly into the woods. Charlie fled running as fast as he could back to the cabins.
Colt had a good pile of wood building when he heard the shots, the dogs burst through the trees with Charlie close behind, “GET INSIDE NOW!!!”
Tabitha dropped the rods and ran for her cabin, Colt closely followed with Charlie right behind him. Tabitha had her shotgun cocked and looked out the window, “Where are they coming from?”
Charlie was breathing heavy, “Same…place…I….came…out, but I can’t be sure, but their armed.” Colt was watching out the back door, “Armed, the monsters are carrying weapons now?”
Charlie shook his head, “Not the deaders, they’re human.”
Colt smiled, reaching for the door, “More survivors?? Maybe we can reason with them!”
Charlie slammed the door just as Colt opened it, “Did you not hear the gun shots? That wasn’t me shooting out there!”
Tabitha glared at Colt, “God Damn it, Not everyone is nice Colt, and you better learn that NOW!”
Colt hung his head, “I guess I just want to believe it’s us against the monsters.”
Charlie ran to the front room to reload his rifle and was back within seconds, he made it back to the window just as a shot rang out. Colt and Tabitha both quickly moved from their windows and looked at each other. Tabitha reached to the window sliding it open, leaning in a crouched position she looked to Charlie, “How many?”
Charlie moved to the opposite side of the window, “Was four, but they are down to three.”
Tabitha smiled, “Like those odds.”
Charlie looked out the window just as the men came into the clearing; the middle aged man with a beard led the way, “COME ON OUT BOY, WE GOT ENOUGH AMMO TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T COME OUT ALIVE, and YOU BETTER TAKE THIS CHANCE!”
One of the others laughed, “Yeah plus we got more people we can go get!”
Tabitha leaned to the window but not allowing them a clear shot at her, “YOU PUSSIES BETTER THINK TWICE, MOVE ON AND THERE WON’T BE NO NEED FOR THIS! WE HAVE BURIED ENOUGH, DON’T THINK I WANT TO TAKE THE TIME TO BURY YOU TOO!”
Colt watched the men, as soon as Tabitha spoke grins played on all their faces; he knew just what was going through their minds.
One of the men grabbed his crotch, looking to his friend, “Pretty boy has a toy we might have to play with it, iffin it looks decent enough.”
The others laughed, “They all look the same from the back.”
All three laughed, Tabitha leaned back to the window, “YOU THINK YOU CAN HANDLE ME, YOU COME ON
AND TRY TO GET ME!!”
A shot came through the window shattering the glass and hitting one of the cabinets. Colt looked back to Charlie and Tabitha, “Guys, they aren’t going anywhere. I don’t think we are going to have a choice in this one.”
Tabitha got a cynical look, “Still want to send out the welcoming party?”
Colt sneered, “Funny…”
Charlie interrupted them, “They are sending one around front, Colt you go cover the front.”
Colt nodded and began low crawling away from the back. Charlie moved to the door where Colt had been and glanced out and got a large grin, “Ok I think I may know what Alden would do and Tonto does too!”
Tabitha looked at where Charlie pointed; Tonto was positioned by the shed just out of sight of the men. He was close to the man in charge and Charlie had a clean shot at the other. Looking to Tabitha, “Wonder where Max is?”
Tabitha shrugged, “Hopefully around front somewhere.”
Charlie’s hands were shaking, when he fired at the men in the woods he didn’t really aim for the guys throat. He wanted to do a William Tell and kind of make them back off but he missed big time he thought. “I fucked up Tabitha I should have never shot that guy.”
Tabitha looked at him with surprise, “Are fucking kidding me??! They shot at you what the hell were you supposed to do, you moron????!!!”
Charlie kept peeking out to watch the two men and Tonto who had not moved an inch he almost looked like a statue laying in the grass. Charlie moved to the door way between the kitchen and the front room calling quietly to Colt, “Do you see anything? Can you see Max?”
Colt jumped when Charlie spoke, “The one guy went through Ceara’s jeep, now he is looking in my rover, your van is next and I don’t think we want him making it to it, do we?”
Charlie shook his head, “No, I would prefer they didn’t make it there.”
Colt looked back out the window, “Hey there’s Maximus…. ummmm Charlie I don’t think that dog is going to give us a choice about acting.”
Charlie crawled quickly across the floor and saw Maximus stalking around, he knew it wouldn’t be long before Max attacked. Looking to Colt, “Max ain’t trained like Tonto that guy may just shoot him if Max don’t get an edge.”
Quickly he made his way back to the kitchen as he came through the door Tabitha turned to him, “What’s the plan Stan?”
Charlie looked at her and stood up just enough to see out the window. “You think you can hit the guy by the tree?”
Tabitha looked at the two targets. “What about the guy by the shed?” Charlie knew then that Tabitha couldn’t see Tonto from where she was at.
“No that’s no good, Tonto’s over there right at the edge and Maximus is trying to sneak up on the guy out front. We need to do something to distract the guy out front he’s digging through are cars.”
Tabitha realized it wouldn’t be long before the guy found the tarp that covered Alden’s stuff. “SHIT CHARLIE!!!! ALDEN’S STASH!!!
Charlie’s eyes got big, “We got to do something and now.”
Tabitha took aim with her shot gun and fired. The guy by the tree grabbed his leg and screamed as she pulled the trigger again. Charlie realized that Tabitha had grabbed Alden’s semi-automatic shot gun. He watched as she hit the guy again only a little higher, right at his waist. The blast tore out the crotch of his jeans. Tabitha screamed, “NOW WHAT’CHA YOU GOT TO GRAB?”
The guy by the shed unleashed on the back of the house with automatic gun fire the bullets tore through the window as Tabitha and Charlie dove for the floor. The next thing they heard was the man scream and then just a gurgle as the machine gun fired a few more rounds and went silent. Charlie looked out and saw Tonto had the man by throat and was almost shaking the guy’s whole body as his teeth dug in and he shook his head.
Colt took aim just as the guy headed for the van, Maximus began to run so Colt waited. The gun fire from the back was making him nervous but with Tabitha yelling out he thought she and Charlie were okay.
Just as Maximus got halfway to the man, he growled and alerted the man, Colt saw the man aim at Maximus. It all played out in slow motion for him, as soon as Colt pulled his trigger so did the man and both the man and Maximus howled in pain. The man turned running into the tree line screaming, “FUCK, JASON I’M HIT!!!!”
Colt wasn’t sure but he didn’t think Jason would hear him. Maximus was down in the front yard, not thinking Colt threw open the front door calling to the others, “MAXIMUS IS SHOT!”
He ran across the yard and knelt by the dog, Maximus looked up and licked Colt’s hand, “It’s okay boy, we’ll get you fixed, but I have to see where you got hit. No biting okay? I’m trying to help.”
Colt found the shot easy enough; Maximus had been hit in the front left leg just at the shoulder. He tried to look at it better but Maximus growled at him, he reached again and this time Maximus snapped at him. “Damn it, I need to see how bad it is!”
Colt looked down the road, “Where the hell is Beth!”
The thought of Beth made him also think of Ceara and Alden, he was pretty sure both would blame him for not firing sooner. Sitting back on his haunches, looked down at Maximus, “Sorry boy, I’m new to this whole shooting people thing. I guess I suck at it.” Maximus whined and began licking his wound. Colt could see it was still bleeding, “CHARLIE, WE NEED YOU OUT HERE!!!!”
Within seconds both Charlie and Tabitha were out there, Charlie knelt beside Maximus gently petting him far away from the wound, “Hi boy, did you get hit?” His voice was very soft and gentle.
Tabitha glared at Colt, “What happen?”
Colt looked at Tabitha, “I shot too late to stop the guy from shooting Maximus.”
Tabitha looked around, “Where is the mother fucker?”
“He got away, he ran for the trees, but he’s wounded.”
Tabitha got a softer look when she saw the pain in Colt’s eyes, “Look, you did the best you could, but shit happens and it doesn’t look too bad. Max will be ok. But we have to find that guy or he is going to bring all his buddies. If he’s wounded then he should be pretty easy to track and getting weaker from losing blood. I’ll go after him.”
Charlie shook his head, “No one goes alone, you know the rules.”
Tabitha threw up her hands, “Are you serious?! We have to get that guy! What is your brilliant plan?”
Before Charlie or Colt could say anything they heard a truck coming down the lane. Alden pulled up and Ceara jumped out of the cab before it was even in park, “WHAT HAPPENED??” She was on the ground beside Maximus, and looked to Charlie for answers. Charlie looked to her then to Alden. Speaking frantically, “I was out trying to get some meat for dinner tonight. I saw a deer and fired at it, but these guys shot at the same time. But heard my shot and then everything went downhill. They were shooting at me so I shot back to try to scare them and I hit one guy in neck and killed him.”
Alden looked down at Maximus. Tonto had come from behind the house and the was sitting next to Maximus, his mouth covered with blood. Alden turned as Beth came running up, “Looks like you’re up again Doc.” He turned to Charlie, “You take Ceara in the cabin and get it cleaned up, Colt you help Beth she’ll need someone to hold Max down.”
Ceara jumped up and screamed at Alden, ‘HE’S MY FUCKING DOG I’M STAYING WITH HIM.”
That caused Maximus to growl then whimper as he tried to get up. Alden put his hands on Ceara’s shoulders and spoke calmly, “No… You will do as I say, you already upset Max, and we need him calm so Beth can do her job. You will go with Charlie.”
Charlie took Ceara’s hand, “He’s right, you come with me. Max will be okay, I’m sure.”
Ceara looked at Max then to Charlie, “You Promise?”
“Yes” Charlie said and walked her towards the Cabin.
Alden looked to Beth and Colt, “Okay Doc do your thing. I’m taking Tabitha with me to see if we can track the last asshole.”
T
abitha’s eyes got wide. “Grab that M-16 over there Tabitha.” Alden walked to the mound of stash and pulled out a long black metal gun case. He opened it and took out a rifle and began to put it together when Tabitha walked up.
“What the fuck is that?” Alden stood and pushed the clip into the rifle and put three more in his pockets, “It’s a Barrett 50 caliber sniper rifle… Let’s go.”
Charlie had to pretty much drag Ceara to the cabin; she tripped a couple of times because she kept looking back. Charlie finally wrapped an arm around her waist and forced her to look forward. “Charlie, I don’t feel right leaving him. I know he is scared and he trusts me. Let me go back, please, I will stay out of the way but Maximus needs me.”
Charlie swung the door open and gently pushed her through it, and she went right to the window causing Charlie to sigh.
She glared at him, “Well I am sorry but that dog saved my life and I want to make sure he is ok!”
Charlie smiled a sympathetic smile, “Ceara, I know that and you have to trust that Colt and Beth will take good care of him.”
Ceara turned back to the window, “We don’t really know them, so tell me why I should trust either of them?”
Charlie came over just as Maximus barked but it had a mixture of a whine, he couldn’t help but look out the window with Ceara. After a few minutes Maximus went limp, Ceara bolted to the door screaming, “NOOOO!!!”
Charlie had her just as she flung the door open, “CEARA, he isn’t dead he just passed out because Beth gave him something.”
He pulled her back in and shut the door. “Now let’s see what we can do to get your mind off what’s going on.” He stood looking around that cabin.
Beth made her way over to Colt while she was taking off her shirt. Underneath she was wearing a typical A shirt and thought that would be better to clean up instead of the nice shirt she was wearing over it. If worse came to worse she could at least throw it away. “Colt, listen to me carefully, I just gave Maximus something to sedate him. I need you to go clear off the table over there and put Max up on it. I am going to get everything I need to take care of this but we need to work as a team here.”
Surviving Day By Day (Book 1): So it Begins Page 35