The Rabid Mind

by Bruce Buckshot Hemming

  “Thanks, that’s a good idea,” said Jim.

  Kevin continued, “You know, the ranch was a good place for children. They had horses to ride and work to do and the people were really fair. The children that stayed there did great.”

  “I appreciate the information, Kevin. Anything else you can share?”

  “Nothing you probably don’t already know. Just keep your eyes open, ‘cause if you see one, there’s likely a Hive close by. That’s been the trend this spring. Somehow they’ve learned to gather together for warmth and pack into rooms to survive the cold. We’ve seen those things eating cows to survive. Anything they can get a hold of, they’ll eat.”

  “Yeah, we know. We ran into a Hive in Bayfield. Luckily we had the car. If we had been on foot, they would’ve overrun us in five seconds flat.”

  Patrick walked out of the house and came over, smiling. “Here you go, Jim, and thanks again for saving us.” Patrick handed him a box of 25 triple BBB goose loads and a loaf of homemade bread. “You’re welcome to stay here on the way back through.”

  Jim took the shells and gestured with a nod, “Thank you. We just might take you up on that offer.”

  “Take care Jim and good luck.’

  “You too,” Jim responded.

  Jim walked back up to the car, where Debbie was waiting.

  “I see you come bearing gifts,” she said to him.

  “Yes and I have great news. A ranch hand in there gave me directions to the ranch and said the children should be all right.”

  Debbie clasped her hands over her mouth and her eyes welled up. “Oh my God, are you serious? That’s wonderful news!”

  Jim continued, “He drew us a map and they gave me 25 shells for the 12 gauge. They didn’t have any .38 or .357, but they gave us a loaf of fresh bread.”

  Debbie was halfway in the car when she said, “Get in. I’m driving.”

  Jim climbed in and Debbie sped off, faster than a participant in a Nascar race.

  “Slow down lady! Do you want to kill us before we get there?”

  “You don’t understand, Jim! I have to get to my children right now.”

  Jim wished he’d driven. He knew how important it was to get to the kids, but he also knew it would be foolish not to stop before dark. The danger of the night was something he didn’t want to confront. “Debbie, we have to stop before it gets too dark. We can’t risk running into a Hive.”

  “I know, but we’re too close to stop now Jim! I’ve got to get to them!”

  “I understand that Debbie, but getting us killed isn’t going to save them, is it?”

  The words sank in. It hurt, but Debbie knew Jim was right. “Damn you Jim. Why do you have to be so damned logical?”

  “Now listen, the ranch hand mentioned there’s a bunk house up the road where we can hole up for the night, but I think we need a regular house. In the spring them dirt roads can get mighty tough, even with 4-wheel drive. I don’t want to risk it in a regular car. We need to find a house.”

  Debbie pulled off the highway after they spotted a small cabin by itself. No one was home. Jim and Debbie broke in through the back door. It looked like a vacation home and perfect for them to spend the night at.

  Debbie searched around for more food, but didn’t manage to find anything other than a bottle of wine and a can of soup. Jim lit some candles sitting on a table as Debbie prepared dinner.

  After dinner, Debbie sat quietly on the floor staring at the walls. “Are you okay?” Jim asked. Debbie began to cry quietly. Jim sat beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She laid her head on his shoulder. “Come on, don’t start now. You’re too strong a woman for that.”

  Debbie smiled and looked up at Jim saying, “Thank you Jim.”

  “For what?” he replied.

  “For doing this for me. For helping me get my kids.” Debbie wiped the tears in her eyes as Jim lifted her chin towards him and kissed her.

  Chapter 24

  Back at the camp, Matt and Sandra were enjoying their time alone. There were moments when life felt normal, as if all was right with the world. The more time they spent together, the less they wanted to be apart. At night, Matt often found himself staring at Sandra as she slept peacefully in his arms. He wondered what would become of their future together. When faced with the possibility of someday being alone, he’d hug her tighter and caress her head as he spoke to her encouragingly. “I’ll take care of you Sandra. I love you, I really do. I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” he said one night.

  Matt was out in the yard, trying to figure out if they could plant a garden, when he heard the sound of a truck or car engine. It couldn’t be Jim and Debbie; there was no way they’d be back already. He rushed to put the bear shutters up and ran inside, yelling to Sandra, “We have company and I don’t know who it is, so let’s seal the place up, fast!”

  “Matt, it’s probably just my dad and Debbie. Relax.”

  “No, it’s not. It sounds nothing like your dad’s truck.” They put the shutters in place. Sandra rushed inside, Matt following behind. Just as he was about to enter, he stopped and looked towards the driveway as a vehicle came into sight. Pulling in was a big red Dodge diesel 4-door pickup truck. There were two men sitting in the front and others in the back seats.

  Matt stepped inside the house, “It’s definitely not your dad,” he said as he grabbed the guns.

  Sandra heard the truck shut off and a door opening and closing. Matt grabbed the 30-06 and stood to the right side of the door, motioning for her to check the window.

  “Hey you in the cabin, come out. We’re not here to hurt anyone.”

  Matt cracked the door open and called out, “You need to move on.”

  Several men were standing beside the truck. The tallest guy had a thick dark beard and shaved head, and was wearing a leather jacket and jeans.

  “We’re just looking to trade,” said a voice from outside.

  Matt whispered to Sandra, “I’m going to step out on the porch. You lock the door behind me and don’t say a word. Better they don’t know how many we have inside.” She nodded her head in agreement. Matt stepped out on the porch, closing the door behind him. “What do you want and how did you find us?”

  “Calm down. We’re just here to do some trading. I’m James. We’re just here to see if you need anything. You see, we have a system for getting supplies and bringing them to people for trade.” One of the guys started heading towards the wood shed, out of Matt’s sight as James was speaking.

  Matt called out to him, “Hey you! Get back in the truck and the rest of you stay where I can see you.”

  “Buddy, calm down,” said James as he raised his hands in the air.

  “Look, I’ve never met you before and I don’t like people trying to flank me while you are trying to distract me with small talk. Makes me suspicious of what you’re intentions are.”

  “We’re just here to trade.”

  “Trade what?” Matt said quizzically.

  “Whatever you need. We have guns, ammo, food, medical supplies and water filters.”

  “What are you taking in trade?” asked Matt.

  “Gold, silver, certain kinds of ammo and women.” Sandra was listening inside and gasped.

  Matt laughed, “Women. Do you have any to spare? They’re in real short supply around these parts, so we could use two or three ourselves.” James smiled faintly as Matt continued to speak. “Well I hate to break it to you buddy, but there’s nothing here to trade, so please move on.”

  “I’m sure we could find something. What do you have?” said James.

  Matt started to get angry. “Nothing here. Move on and don’t bother coming back.”

  “Here, I thought you seemed like a nice guy, but I guess I was wrong.” With that James turned around and motioned to the others to get back in the truck.

  Matt knocked on the door and made sure the men watching him saw that. Matt wanted them to know he wasn’t alone. Sandra opened the door and
peeked out slightly. Matt pushed her in.

  “Why the hell are you shoving me so hard?”

  “You heard them. They’re looking for women and I didn’t want them to know you were here.”

  “They didn’t see me,” Sandra assured him.

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “What do you think? Are they coming back or not?”

  “Well let’s apply a little reason and logic. They come up to people that are eager to get news, and they sound like okay guys, so they do some trading while asking the right questions to get the information they’re looking for. Once they’ve established an alliance and figure out what’s up for grabs, they come back unexpectedly, take everyone out and loot the supplies.

  “Okay, but why would they waste fuel coming up here if they didn’t know about us?”

  “Well that’s the problem. They saw the tire tracks and figured someone was fairly close. I am starting to think they might be raiders, not traders.”

  “Good point. That whole thing was kind of creepy.” She shuddered.

  “I think the best plan is to stay locked up for a week, or until your dad and Debbie return, and then we can meet them on a more even footing.”

  The next day, Matt and Sandra decided to stay inside, unaware that the house was being watched. Shortly after noon, a man walked down the other side of the hill. Moments later, a red pickup truck pulled over and picked him up.

  After jumping in James asked, “What did you see?”

  “Not a damn thing. They never came outside. Maybe they snuck off last night.”

  “We’ve wasted enough time here. There’s nothing worth grabbing, except for the girl, and I don’t think it’s worth our time right now. We’ve been gone long enough. We need to go see how things are back at our place. Maybe next month we can come back and grab her.”

  James and his gang had been surviving the past few months from sheer brute force. They’d canvass areas looking for people with supplies. James and his group recognized one family in particular that had appeared on a TV show called Doomsday Bunkers. They knew the family had plenty of supplies in their bunker. One day, after staking out the property for several days, James and his gang attacked as the family surfaced to take in some fresh air. It was the biggest mistake of their lives. James spared no one - not mothers, fathers, or children.

  Now James and his gang had it all - food, water, ammo, electrical and medical supplies. That was how they had started their trading business that spring.

  Chapter 25

  The next day, Debbie was up before sunrise, eager to be on her way. Finally, after all she had been through, she was anxious to be reunited with her children. Nothing else mattered. Despite the torment and agony she’d been through, it was the love for her children that kept her alive, kept hope alive. Mommy is coming, she often thought to herself.

  Debbie boiled water and made two cups of instant coffee, then woke Jim up.

  “Hey old man, time to get moving. We’ve got things to do and places to go.”

  “Geez……one night and you already sound like a wife ordering me around,” chuckled Jim.

  Debbie handed Jim some coffee and smiled. “Yeah, well maybe that’s because I feel like one after making coffee for you. Now hurry up, drink it and let’s get going. We have to get the kids.”

  Debbie and Jim drove off towards the west with the sun rising behind them. Within an hour they had arrived at the entrance of the dirt road headed for the ranch. The ranch was now only five miles away. Debbie was excited and Jim could feel her excitement.

  “I wonder how much they’ve grown. I pray they don’t hate me. What if they don’t want to come with me, Jim? Or worse yet, what if the people they are with refuse to give them up?”

  “Calm down, Debbie. Everything is going to be fine.”

  Jim noticed the stream running by the cabin and wooden fence with a sign hanging from it. The sign read ‘The Flying J Ranch Welcomes You.’ As Jim and Debbie pulled into the driveway and up to the cabin, they were confronted with a horrifying sight. Debbie gasped, cupping her hands over her mouth. A moment later, she screamed, “No!!!”

  Jim stopped the car and got out. Debbie slowly opened the door, her vision fixated on the cabin which stood in utter destruction. The front porch was badly burned, the picture windows completely shattered, and dead bodies of the infected were scattered throughout. It was like a war zone.

  “Oh God, please no...how can this be? How can this happen after everything I’ve done, everyone I’ve fought. No……!”

  Jim rushed to Debbie’s side and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry Debbie,” he whispered as she threw her head on his shoulder. Tears poured from Debbie’s eyes and she could hardly breathe. She tried to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. Agonizing pain consumed her like a raging fire. “Debbie, listen to me. We don’t know if they were here when this happened. Do you understand me?” Debbie’s gaze remained motionless. “I’m going inside to check things out. Stay here, don’t move.”

  Jim walked up onto the porch, carefully zig-zagging back and forth to avoid the bodies. He tried to open the door, but it was still locked. He slowly moved towards a window he could crawl into the property through. Debbie headed in behind him.

  Once inside, they covered their noses and took care not to breathe. The odor inside was horrifying and unmistakable. “Dear Jesus, what the hell happened here?” Jim asked rhetorically. He moved forward slowly, then paused.

  Debbie hesitated as she stepped around Jim and into the room that sat on the other side of the staircase. Jim tucked his head and closed his eyes, hoping that doing so would blind Debbie from what he had just witnessed.

  Debbie stood motionless in the entryway. Her body abruptly tightened. She was unable to breathe. Paralyzed, her body unable to move, she was shocked by the image of the bodies. The image induced an urge to vomit as she stood motionless in the entryway. She glanced once around the room. There were just as many bodies inside the cabin as there were outside, a result of the bullet holes and shotgun blasts decorating the walls

  Debbie search around for signs that the kids were alive. The fire had burned most of the downstairs. Behind the couch lay several small bodies, burned beyond recognition. Debbie fell to the floor and let out a wailing, mournful scream. Jim looked at the bodies, but could not even make out how old they may have been.

  Jim wrapped his arms around Debbie. “Debbie, I know what it looks like, but you don’t know who they are. Maybe the kids escaped before the attack.” Jim looked over the battlefield beyond the back window and noticed the dead horses, partially eaten by the infected. He heard the flies and noticed them for the first time. He stood up and said “I am going to do recon around the house.”

  Once outside, he could hear Debbie continue sobbing loudly inside the cabin as he walked down to circle the house. Spotting a bunk house, he walked over to check it out. The door was wide open, but there was no sign of a battle. The infected had come in and trashed it. He continued to circle the grounds and found nothing. Minutes later he arrived back at the house to find Debbie standing on the front porch.

  He walked up and hugged her. Debbie hugged him back, holding him tight in a desperate attempt to find some comfort in the possibility that those bodies were not those of her kids.

  He stepped back and looked at her. “We need to give those people a proper burial. Then we should be going back to the cabin.” She stood there in shock, simply staring off. Suddenly, Jim noticed a flicker of movement on the outside of the back window. What he saw chilled him to the bone - seven infected, their mouths covered with blood. Jim grabbed Debbie and yelled, “Hurry, we’ve got to get out of here. There’s a Hive out there!” The infected now raced towards the voices. They were about fifty yards away. Jim raced to the car and retrieved his shotgun. He was only wearing his .44 mag revolver and he wanted some serious stopping power.

  Debbie stood frozen, in a daze. Her rifle was in the car, but her revolver was still o
n her hip. For a brief moment she thought, who really cares? Her husband was dead, her children likely massacred, what was the sense of going on? She might as well get it over with and let those things kill her now. Life just wasn’t worth living with her precious babies gone. She could hear Jim yelling at her, but it sounded like he was far off, like in a dream. She heard the 12 gauge roar when the first one tried to climb up on the porch. She saw it being tossed backwards and she could hear the clack-clack of the pump action shotgun.

  She heard Jim’s shotgun blast again, so she drew her revolver. There were five left and she needed to kill them all. Not one of these could stay alive to kill other families, she told herself. A deep burning anger welled up in her. Her mission in life now was to kill the infected to save other families. She leveled off the revolver, in the weaver stance, tea-cupping the butt of the revolver in her left hand. Calmly, with no fear, she picked them off as they were on the porch charging her. She dropped two and heard Jim fire again.

  The last two changed direction and were charging Jim. She calmly swung the revolver on them, but they were running to her right, changing direction but running straight for Jim. He fired and one fell; she fired but missed. She fired but missed again. She led it just a little and fired her last shot. She only wounded the thing in the shoulder and spun it around to face her. Jim was out of ammo and reached in his pocket to grab a shell.

  The thing charged straight at her. She lined up the gun and fired, but there was no explosion, just a dry empty click as the firing pin hit the already spent shell in the chamber.

  Jim yelled, “Run to the right.” He couldn’t shoot because she was in the line of fire. “Run,” he yelled again. As the thing was coming up the steps, she took off running. As soon as she was out of the way, Jim fired, dropping the last one.

  She stopped at the end of the porch and turned around. Jim was reloading as fast as he could. Were there more? She couldn’t see any. He was yelling again, “Get reloaded and get over here quickly.”