Mike handed his horse reins to the young man, who began leading the horses toward the barn door. Juliette wondered about the other two people. Maybe Mike had saved them and himself, and Travis and Mitch were still out there searching for him. She felt a new doubt and fear creep in as she thought through all of the scenarios.
“Do you think they might not be coming? Is that what you think?” Micah questioned, his face awash in worry.
She did her best to rein in her own fear and managed a half smile “No, that’s not it. I think they’re fine and they’ll be coming soon. Just stay positive and you’ll see. We don’t need any bad juju--things are bad enough as it is,” she finished, giving him a wink before she put the binoculars back up to her face.
“What does that mean?” Micah huffed.
“It means that I believe that our thoughts can be very powerful, they carry their own sort of energy that can change things. We are what we think, we make our lives what they are. If you want to be a happy person be a happy person, you know?” she finished, wondering if he would understand what she was saying.
“You really think that you can make things happen with your thoughts?” he asked, looking at her like she had just sprouted a unicorn horn or something.
“I do, I’ve seen it happen many times. Twice I was a passenger in a car when the driver was talking about how they had never been pulled over before, only to be pulled over moments later. I shit you not. That happened on two different occasions,” she held up two fingers and mouthed the word “twice” again to make sure the kid was paying attention. “So, think some happy thoughts, send your pops some positive energy,” she finished.
Letting her gaze focus on the scene outside, she could see that Mike was still having a hard time convincing the girl to get down. “Come on honey, hop off that horse,” Juliette whispered, trying to convince the child from here.
“You’re weird,” Micah said.
“Thanks,” she replied shrugging her shoulders. “Anything but ordinary,” she finished, a smile spreading on her face.
The girl looked like she had finally decided to dismount, and as she tossed her leg over, and was standing in just one stirrup, the horse began to buck wildly. Juliette began searching the area for the horse’s sudden distress and saw several slow-moving forms heading toward them.
“Shit!” she swore, under her breath.
“What is it?” Micah questioned. “Let me see.”
“Just a minute.”
She watched in horror as the girl was tossed about by the horse. Mike was trying to get close enough to grab the reins, but they kept slipping from his grasp. The roamers were lumbering closer, the horse drawing them in like flies to honey.
“This is going to get bad if something doesn’t happen,” Juliette said. Turning to Micah, she placed the binoculars in his hand, but continued to grip his wrists. “I don’t know if you want to look out there or not Micah, it’s getting pretty intense. Does your dad keep a sniper rifle up here?” she questioned.
Waiting for him to answer, her eyes roamed the room. She sighed in relief when her gaze landed on the locker that stood in the corner beside the desk. She released his wrists and stepped toward it. “Do you know the code?” she asked.
“8-2-7-9-6,” he told her as he positioned the binoculars in front of his face. “Do you know how to shoot? I don’t know if I can, my arm still feels messed up.”
“My dad’s retired Army, of course I know how to shoot,” she replied as she punched the code into the keypad. “Is this someone’s birthday?” she questioned wondering where the numbers had come from.
“No, I think it was my mom and dad’s anniversary, but he doesn’t really talk about it. My sister was born in 98,” Micah said absently, his focus solely on the scene playing out at the barn. “Oh hey! My dad and Travis just showed up!” he exclaimed.
“Did Mike get ahold of the horse yet?” she questioned, as she looked at her weapon choices. He had a few that she recognized, an M24, an M40 and he even had an old Whitworth rifle that had been fitted with a scope. She chose the M40, it was the one she was most familiar with.
“He has the reins, but it looks like the girl’s foot is tangled in the stirrup. The horse is still bucking, I don’t know if it’s ever going to calm down,” he told her, anxiety laced through his words.
Juliette sat the rifle down on the desk and unlatched the lock that held the casement window shut. Swinging the window wide, she adjusted the M40’s bipod legs on the desk in front of the window. It wasn’t often that she felt challenged by her size but, in this moment she would give almost anything for an extra foot of body length.
She positioned herself partially on the desk to get her eye aligned comfortably with the scope. Once her eye was in position, she turned the top knob of the scope to adjust the elevation, and then the side for the windage.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Micah questioned. “They need you to know what you’re doing.”
“I know what I’m doing,” she snapped, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she tried to steady her breathing. The scene through the scope transported her back to the hospital on that last day. She took another deep breath “You need to get your shit together,” she quietly told herself.
“What’d you say?” Micah asked from beside her.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” she said, as a roamer walked in her sight and she quickly pulled the trigger.
“Woohoo!” she yelled as the sucker fell to the ground.
Micah let out a laugh. “Just need to do that about ten more times.”
She didn’t return the banter, her attention solely focused on the scene outside. Mike had the reins, but she could see he was struggling to keep hold. The other man that was with them had opened the barn door wide and was trying to get the other horses inside--they were getting rowdy too. She prayed this wouldn’t end badly.
Travis was out there among them, sending heads flying as if he were in a video game. the grounds were becoming littered with the dead. When she saw one of the roamers make it past him she took aim and pulled the trigger again, this time her aim was off. The body momentarily jumped back as the bullet went through the chest, then it resumed its slow drag toward the horse. She quickly adjusted her aim and tried again. This time she hit the monster in the face, ending its undead hunt.
She scoped the area, and was relieved to see only the living remained. Travis had plowed through the threat like a machine. As if he knew she were watching, he turned and held the scythe up in thanks.
“You’re welcome,” she stated under her breath as she turned her focus back to the horse.
Chapter Nineteen
Mitch
Mike was holding the reins as tightly as possible, but the horse continued to buck and pull, his whole body pulling forward with every movement. “Fuck,” Mitch said under his breath as he tried to get close enough to free Hayden.
“Come on Tank, you’ve got this, don’t let her go until I get the girl,” he yelled at Mike. As soon as the horse’s back feet stilled for a moment, he took his chance and lunged for Hayden. She had curled her body up and was holding onto the stirrup, right above her foot, bouncing like a bag on the side of the horse’s body.
“Let go of the strap,” he told her, hoping that he could get her body high enough to release her foot.
“Come on Addie, I can’t hold this beast all day,” Mike quipped.
“Hold your fucking horses, Tank,” he yelled back, the irony of the comment not lost on him.
Hayden let out a little snicker in between her sobs. He needed to cut the stirrup, or release the whole saddle, but he couldn’t do that without releasing Hayden, and he didn’t want to do that either. “Son of a bitch!” he yelled in frustration.
“What do you need me to do?” Henry asked, appearing at his side.
“We need to get the saddle off or get her foot out of her boot, but I wrapped the laces really tight because the boots were so big on her,” Mi
tch replied, trying to move with the horse’s movements so that Hayden didn’t get yanked on anymore.
Henry fearlessly stepped closer to the horse and began reaching under the stirrup, trying to release the first knot in the synch. Mitch’s attention was so focused on what they were doing, he didn’t see the roamer until it was almost on top of them.
Releasing Hayden, she swung into Henry, knocking him off of his feet under the horse. Mitch lunged for the monster, pushing it backward away from the kids as he tried to free his knife from his belt.
Henry rolled beneath the horse and out on the other side, narrowly missing the animal’s hooves as it continued to buck wildly. Hayden let out a fierce scream as she scampered for a firm grip of the stirrups.
Travis moved up behind the roamer and with one slice of his blade, removed the threat. “They just keep coming. Every time I think I’ve got them all, another one pops out of the trees,” he yelled to Mitch, as he stood ready, his eyes everywhere all at once.
Mitch turned his attention back to Hayden, who was now hanging straight down, her arms instinctively wrapped around her head to shield it from the wild hooves. He lunged for her and felt the force of a kick as it connected with his side. Breathing through the pain, he gathered the girl once more and yelled loudly. “Cut this fucking stirrup Travis!”
Travis approached swiftly, and Mitch pulled Hayden as far away as he could, trying to create some distance between the strap and the horse, hoping the big blade wouldn’t connect with the animal.
As the blade sliced through the leather, Mitch felt his body begin to pitch backward, and he was helpless to stop it. The snow-covered ground provided little cushion as his back connected with it. Moments later, the weight of Hayden hit him in the front.
“Are you okay?” he asked her as he pulled himself up.
Her whole body trembled with the adrenaline and shock of the situation, but she nodded her head yes as Henry scooped her off the ground.
“Come on now,” Mike urged, as he tried to lead her into the barn while she continued to fight, buck, and pull. “Well good luck to you,” he finished with one last pull toward the barn. He shook his head letting out a low growl as he gave up the fight, released the reins and let her go.
Turning his attention to the ground, Mike chuckled as he took in the sight of his friend. “Come on, time to get inside,” he said, reaching down to pull Mitch up.
Mitch heard another gunshot and wondered who it was that was helping from inside. The shots were coming more quickly now, both eliminating the threat and drawing more in. Each shot that pierced the air was a double-edged sword.
“Is the barn secure?” he asked Henry once he made it to his feet.
“Yes sir. I put the horses in the back stalls. They’re pretty spooked though, I hope they’re alright,” he finished, sounding doubtful.
“Head to the house,” Mitch told him as he accepted Hayden, Henry’s arms shaking as he held her out. “Hey kid,” Mitch smiled at the frightened girl. “Let’s get you inside.”
As soon as they hit the front porch, the door swung open and Emily rushed them in.
Mitch was surprised to see her, he had assumed she was the one up in the crow’s nest. “Who’s up shooting?” he asked as soon as the door closed behind them.
“I don’t know, Micah and Juliette are both up there,” she dismissed his question, her eyes searching his. “Are you alright, Dad? That last creeper was close.”
“It’s fine. I’m fine,” he answered, as he laid Hayden on the couch.
Mitch turned his attention to his daughter while he took a deep breath and winced in pain. He touched his side cautiously and hissed as his fingers connected with the fracture. Fuck, that horse knew how to pack a punch. He would have to tape his ribs later, but first he needed to check Hayden over.
“Can you go get them?” he asked as he carefully stripped his gear at the door. Each movement a reminder of his vulnerability in this new, unpredictable world.
“Who?” Emily asked, not following him.
“Your brother and Juliette,” he told her as he grabbed a stool and sat it down beside Hayden.
“Are you sure you’re okay, Dad?” she questioned, pausing as if hesitant to leave his side.
“I’m fine, really Em. Now go--get your brother,” he finished.
Turning his focus on the girl, he started a quick examination. “How you doing Hayden? Do you have any pain?” he asked as he began removing her boots. The girls shoes they’d found in the closet at Karen’s home had been too tight on Hayden’s feet. These shoes were Karen’s and since they were too big, he’d wrapped the laces around the ankle and cinched them tight.
“It hurts, especially when you move it,” she said, giving him a pointed look.
“Sorry kid, I’ll be as careful as I can, but the boot needs to come off,” he told her as he finished loosening the laces and slid the boot off.
She cried out in pain, sitting quickly to grab her leg above the ankle.
“I’m going to have to take the sock off too. If it helps, you can keep holding your leg, but try to breathe through it ok?” he said, holding her foot gingerly in his big hands.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she replied taking a deep breath, her cheeks full of it, she slowly exhaled until they flattened once again. “You were supposed to take it off while I was breathing out,” she snapped, smacking him on the shoulder.
“Sorry, the chipmunk cheeks distracted me. For a minute there you reminded me of my girl. When she was your age, she used to make funny faces a lot too,” he replied, amazed he didn’t see the resemblance before.
“I wasn’t trying to be funny Mitch!” she said, her brows furrowed. She was clearly irritated at him, which just made him chuckle. That look made her resemble Emily even more.
“Ok, breathe again and I promise I’ll pull the sock this time,” he replied, trying to hide the humor from his face.
As soon as her cheeks filled again, he hesitantly pulled the sock from her foot. “Damn,” he said under his breath, as he took in the deep purple bruising and swelling around the joint. He hoped that nothing was broken, but there was no way to know for sure.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” she asked, her eyes fixed on Jimmy as he walked up behind Mitch.
“Well that depends,” Mitch replied.
“Depends on what?” she snapped, her eyes moving back to him now.
“If your favorite color is purple or not. Because if your favorite color is purple then I’d say that you’re in luck, because this is a seriously violaceous shade,” he joked, trying to put her at ease despite her pain.
“Is that even a word? Or did you just make that up?” she inquired.
“What?” he teased, “Don’t tell me you’ve never heard violaceous before.”
“Nope, but I think it’s my new favorite word,” she replied with a smile.
Mitch looked up just as Juliette was descending the stairs, and time stopped. He felt like he could spend a whole afternoon just memorizing every curve and detail of her face and it still wouldn’t be enough. He had always loved long hair on women, but Juliette’s short black hair was inexplicably more feminine than the longest locks. He found himself imagining what it would feel like to gently kiss the curves of her long slender neck, to feel the ripple of chills as they rose to the surface across her skin.
Mitch’s fantasy burst like a bubble when Jimmy cleared his throat beside him. Turning to him, he almost laughed at the raised eyebrow and shocked expression that Jimmy displayed.
“What? She’s a beautiful woman. I’m sure you can appreciate that,” he whispered to the boy, rising to his feet as she walked into the room.
“That was pretty intense out there, is everyone alright?” she asked.
“A few bumps and bruises but all in all, I think we were pretty damn lucky,” he told her, fighting the sudden urge to pull her into his arms.
“Micah, you shouldn’t have been shooting up there, if your arm rips back open you c
ould bleed out in a matter of minutes,” he scolded his son, frustrated that he would be so reckless, and that Juliette would let him.
“I didn’t Dad, it wasn’t me,” Micah answered, hanging his head, obviously upset by Mitch’s accusation.
Juliette laid a protective hand on Micah’s arm as she stepped up into Mitch’s face, “It’s me that you owe the thanks to for that,” she huffed with a slight scowl.
“Uh-oh,” Jimmy giggled beside him, causing Mitch to pause in wonder at his sudden laughter. When he looked down at him he had one hand over his mouth and was staring up at them intently.
So this was a show. Maybe he should just grab her and pull her in like he wanted to. The tiny kiss they had shared the night before played in his mind. He chose instead to reach up and run a hand down the side of her face, causing it to soften and her breath to hitch when his fingers grazed the spot directly below her ear lobe. “Thank you,” he hummed, fighting the urge to touch her again as his hand slipped away.
“Glad I could help,” she replied, her own hand tracing the path that his had just taken. She stepped back and her eyes flitted around to each of the children before landing on the floor. Her lip was tucked firmly between her teeth, where it seemed to always land when she was uncomfortable.
“Who did you bring back?” Emily asked as she walked back into the room, her gaze drifting between the two.
“This is Hayden and Henry. We found them at Karen and Dave’s,” he said just realizing that he hadn’t seen the man yet. “Where is he, I brought a few things from the house that I thought he could use.”
“He’s gone Dad, changed like Dennis did while we were at Travis’ house,” Emily told him, sadness seeping from every word.
“Did anyone get hurt?” Mitch questioned, his eyes shifting to each of the people in the room. Drew and Kate were sitting in the recliners across the room talking quietly to one another. Kate looked a little concerned, but not overly so.
Side Effects: Book Two: Visions of Despair Page 14