Apocalypse Then

by Al Lamanda

  Teal slowly turned and crawled to the left side of the cabin. Not a ghoul in sight. He looked for and spotted one of the horse’s maybe a hundred yards off in a clearing, eating sweet grass. Where one was the other wasn’t far away.

  Teal crawled over to the right side of the roof and peered over. It was clear of ghouls. Then he crawled to the rear and it was clear as well.

  Sands was rolling a cigarette when Teal lowered himself back into the cabin, jumped to the table and then the floor.

  “What’s out there?” Sands said as he licked the rolling paper.

  “Hundred, hundred fifty of them,” Teal said.

  “That tears it,” Sands said. “We’re a couple of dead men talking to each other.”

  “No, I got a plan,” Teal said. “Can you make it up the roof?”

  “I’m weak, but if you boost me up I’ll make it.”

  “Okay,” Teal said. “I’ll boost you up and pass you the rifles. Crawl to the back of the roof, but be quiet. Wait for me there.”

  It took some doing to get Sands up the hole and onto the roof. He was heavier than he appeared, but after a ten minute struggle, Sands was up and looking down. Teal passed him the Winchesters.

  “Go on,” Teal said.

  Once Sands was out of view, Teal gathered up the three lanterns, lit them and set them on the table. He grabbed the can of lantern oil and poured some on the table and the floor in a trail to the door. He splashed the rest of the oil in the can on the walls and tossed the can aside.

  Sands went to the door and quietly removed the wood bars from the slots to unlock it. Slowly he opened the door and as light blazed into the cabin he looked at the faces of a dozen or more ghouls.

  They stood there with eyes open, with no recognition in them, just a blank stare.

  Teal turned, went to the table and hopped up, then removed the glass from the lanterns so that the flames were exposed to the wind.

  “Hey, hey you sons a bitches!” Teal yelled. “I’m here. Come get me!”

  A ghoul came to life, looked at Teal, snarled and took a step forward.

  “That’s it; you come get me you demons!” Teal yelled.

  Snarling, growling, teeth exposed, the ghouls slowly lumbered into the cabin toward the table.

  Teal reached up to grab the roof and as he did so, he kicked out at the table, knocking it and the three lanterns to the floor. Instantly the table and floor burst into flames.

  Teal pulled himself up onto the roof where Sands was by the back edge on his stomach. “Let’s go!” Teal shouted. “Jump!”

  Sands stood up, gave Teal his Winchester and together they jumped the ten feet to the ground.

  “Horses are about a hundred yards to the left,” Teal said.

  From inside the cabin they could hear the ghouls scream as the fire consumed the entire interior of the cabin.

  “Can you run?” Teal said.

  “I think so,” Sands said.

  They took off but after a hundred feet, Sands lost his strength and his run became a trot and finally a walk. He stopped with hands on knees. “Go on,” he gasped. “I’ll catch up in a moment.”

  “I’ll be right back with the horses,” Teal said.

  Sands nodded. Teal took off again toward the horses. Sands heard the cabin start to collapse and he turned around. It was engulfed in flames and several ghouls came out and were on fire. They stumbled around and bumped into other ghouls and none of them seemed to notice or care they were burning up alive.

  A few of the burning ghouls fell to the ground.

  The roof of the cabin collapsed trapping any ghouls still left inside.

  Some ghouls spotted Sands then and started walking toward him, then a few more and after several seconds fifty or more were headed his way.

  “Shit,” Sands said.

  He cocked the lever of his Winchester and took aim. Between his fever and weakness the Winchester felt like it weighed thirty pounds. His arms shook a bit and his first shot missed the mark.

  He cocked the lever, aimed and fired a second shot that took a ghoul down with a head shot. The fallen ghoul was ignored by the others and they kept coming.

  Sands turned around but Teal was no where in sight.

  Suddenly the ghouls went wild, growling and savagely showing their teeth.

  Sands fired five more rounds and took down three ghouls.

  There was a noise behind him and Sands spun around. Four ghouls were less than fifty feet away. He fired five shots, took down three, cocked the Winchester and it was empty.

  Sands set the Winchester on the ground, drew his Colt revolver, waited for the ghoul to close the gap to ten feet and shot him right in the head.

  The crowd of ghouls was coming closer. It was as if they smelled blood in the water. Sands grabbed the Winchester and quickly reloaded with rounds from his holster.

  Nine bullets, a hundred of them. He fired seven shots and lowered the rifle.

  “Fuck this,” Sands said, turned and walked as quickly as his weakened body would allow.

  Where the hell was Teal?

  A pair of hands suddenly grabbed him from behind. Something grabbed his legs. Down he went and a snarling ghoul was on top of him, teeth exposed, inches away, he could smell its foul breath.

  The Winchester fell from his grasp when he hit the ground, so he drew the Colt, cocked it and shoved it under the chin of the ghoul and pulled the trigger.

  Blood, brain and pieces of skull splattered on Sands, but there was no time to react as a second ghoul jumped on him and the Colt fell to the ground.

  Sands grabbed the ghoul by the neck, but Sands was weak and the ghoul was incredibly strong. The ghoul pushed down and his teeth were inching closer to Sands’ neck when a shot fired and the top of the ghoul’s head blew off.

  Sands shoved the ghoul off him, rolled over and looked up at Teal. The man was on his horse and held the other by the reins.

  “If you’re coming, I’d hurry,” Teal said.

  Sands looked back and about thirty ghouls were just fifty feet away. He grabbed Winchester and Colt, got on his horse and then he and Teal rode off as fast at the animals would carry them.

  “What took you so long?” Sands said when they were far enough away they could slow the horses.

  “Must have been five or six of them come at me by the horses,” Teal said.

  “I need that doctor,” Sands said.

  “What’s closer, the Army outpost or Big Sky?” Teal said.

  “Big Sky.”

  “Can we make it by nightfall?”

  “We’ll have to,” Sands said. “I don’t want to be out here after dark with those fucking things running around.”

  “Let’s ride,” Teal said. “You can see the doc and I can wire Lane and let him know where we are.”

  “You saved my life,” Sands said. “Twice. You know I’d do the same.”

  Teal looked to his left. In the distance he spotted a lone ghoul limping along at a slow pace.

  “You know what Max, you just might get that chance,” Teal said.

  Chapter 18

  At first light, Lane, Red Foot, Poule, Scripture, Anderson and his son Joseph stood on the catwalk and looked down at the hundreds of gathered ghouls.

  In daylight they could see the ghouls were a mixture of Indians, soldiers, women, some children and even the elderly.

  Quiet and still, the ghouls appeared lifeless as if asleep. Occasionally, a ghoul in the pack let out a soft chirp or bumped into another. None seemed aware of the other’s presence.

  “What now?” Red Foot said.

  “Only one way in,” Poule said. “Or out.”

  “My son needs that doctor, Lane,” Anderson said.

  “You open that gate and you’ll have two hundred of them crawling all over you,” Lane said. “You want that?”

  “You don’t really believe that squaw about them eating people?” Anderson said.

  “Let’s go ask your son,” Lane said. “The one who got bit
.”

  “Maybe Anderson is right, Marshal,” Red Foot said. “They look pretty worn out to me. Maybe we can make a break for it.”

  “How long does it take to open the gates?” Lane said.

  “Four men about ten minutes,” Red Foot said. “But most of that time is removing the wood barriers.”

  Lane had his Winchester rifle. He cocked the lever, aimed and shot a ghoul in the head. The ghoul fell dead to the ground unnoticed by the other ghouls.

  “None of them even flinched,” Anderson said.

  “Hey, hey you savages, up here!” Lane yelled. “Look, look, up here!”

  Hearing Lane’s voice, a ghoul slowly looked up. He didn’t react at first, but then his lips slowly parted to reveal his teeth. His dead eyes widened and he snarled loudly. Behind him and to his left and right, other ghouls became animated and after a minute or so, the ghouls were a screaming blood thirsty pack, clawing and scratching at the gates.

  Lane turned and climbed down the ladder. He rolled a cigarette as the others came down and joined him.

  “Your points made,” Anderson said. “What now?”

  “Listen,” Lane said.

  Behind the gates the crowd of ghouls started to quiet down until finally they fell silent again.

  “Out of sight, out of mind,” Lane said.

  “All well and good, but we have food for another day or two at best and my son might die without a doctor,” Anderson said.

  “Agreed,” Lane said.

  “Why don’t we just shoot them all?” Joseph said. “Seems like they fall right easy enough.”

  “We could do that and leave us without ammunition for the trip to Big Sky,” Lane said. “Anybody want to make that ride in open country unarmed?”

  “Instead of telling us what we can’t do, why don’t you tell us what we can?” Anderson said.

  Maura and Little Sky could do no more for Robert Anderson. He needed the attention of a doctor and medicine they didn’t have.

  Maura feared that without both, Robert Anderson would die and soon.

  How a man could sustain such a high fever and still be alive was a mystery. Hot to the touch yet dry as a week old chicken bone, Maura had never before encountered such a thing in her life until now.

  Whenever Seth had a fever he would sweat like running water.

  “Little Sky, I don’t think he’s going to make it,” Maura said. “Not without medicine and a doctor.”

  Little Sky nodded. “I watched the men get sick and pass,” she said. “Then come back to life and kill others.”

  “Little Sky, that’s impossible,” Maura said. “Once you die there…”

  Seth entered the barracks.

  “Ma, Mr. Lane wants you and Little Sky to meet him outside with the others,” Seth said.

  “Seth, would you sit with Robert until we return?” Maura said.

  “Sure, Ma.”

  Maura and Little Sky found Lane and the others at the back wall of the outpost.

  “Mrs. McCain, Little Sky, we’re having a discussion on the best way to get out of here without being rushed by three hundred of…them,” Lane said.

  Maura omitted a soft gasp at the number. “That many?”

  Little Sky said, “Shoot them all. It’s the only way. Then burn them.”

  “That would take every bullet we have and I don’t feel like a long ride to Big Sky with empty guns,” Lane said.

  “So what do you suggest?” Maura said.

  “I noticed that if they see a person they focus on them,” Lane said. “If we can get them to focus on and follow one of us to the back wall here and keep them occupied long enough for us to open the gate and ride out we should be able to ride clear of them.”

  “Yeah,” Anderson said. “But will they follow one of us clear around to the back from the catwalk? It’s pretty high up and they don’t appear to have that kind of concentration.”

  “Let’s find out,” Lane said.

  Seth sat in the chair next to the bed and looked at Robert. He looked almost green to Seth and the boy figured that was because of the high fever.

  Seth was thinking of taking a nap in the other bed when Robert suddenly let out a loud gasp and exhaled forcefully and then went still.

  Seth stared at Robert. He had never seen a man die up close before. Just like that, you stop breathing and stop moving. Seth got up from the chair and placed his right hand on Robert’s chest and gently shook him.

  “Mr. Anderson?” Seth said.

  From the catwalk they looked down at the sea of listless ghouls.

  “Make some noise gentlemen,” Lane said.

  They started yelling and whistling to the ghouls and after a few moments the ghouls looked up and came to life.

  “That did it, we got their attention,” Lane said.

  “Good God, Joseph, I think that’s George Upton and his daughter Kate,” Anderson said.

  “I think you’re right, Pa,” Joseph said.

  “Who?” Lane said.

  “A neighbor,” Anderson said. “Has a ranch ten miles from mine. Big man wearing a vest there. That’s his daughter Kate in the dress next to him. They’re fine people.”

  “Not anymore,” Lane said. “Let’s see if they follow us.”

  Lane started walking to the west wall along the catwalk. The group followed single file.

  “Make some noise,” Lane said. “Hey, up here, follow us!” he yelled to the ghouls.

  Despite making as much noise as possible, once Lane and the others turned the corner and were out of sight of the ghouls they slowly calmed down and went still again.

  “Now what?” Red Foot said.

  “One of us has to go down there,” Lane said.

  “Yeah?” Red Foot said. “Which one?”

  Robert Anderson slowly sat up in bed, opened his yellow eyes and gradually focused on the back of Seth McCain’s neck.

  Hearing voices outside the soldier’s barracks, Seth turned to the window beside Robert’s bed to look out. He heard a noise and turned just as Robert leaned forward and bit the side of his neck just above the right shoulder.

  Seth pulled back and away from Robert and Robert fell out of the bed and passed out on the floor.

  Seth stared at Robert in disbelief. He felt something sticky on his neck and touched it with his left hand.

  It was blood.

  “Are you sure my son did this to you?” Anderson said.

  “My son wasn’t raised to be a liar,” Maura said. She pulled back Seth’s shirt to show the red teeth marks on his skin. “Do you think he bit himself on the back of the neck?”

  Anderson looked at Robert, who was back in bed and breathing slowly, if somewhat shallow.

  Lane opened the door to the barracks. “Mrs. McCain, Mr. Anderson, it’s time to go,” he said.

  “We’ll discuss this in Big Sky,” Anderson said.

  “Discuss what?” Lane said.

  “A private matter,” Anderson said.

  “Private or not, it’s time to go,” Lane said.

  Lane, Scripture and Poule stood on the catwalk that overlooked the back wall of the outpost. Lane looped thirty feet of rope around a support post of the guardhouse and tossed twenty five feet over the sixteen foot high wall.

  Lane looked directly below at his, Scripture’s and Poule’s horses. He looked forward at the gate where Anderson, Joseph, Red Foot, Maura and Little Sky were removing the heavy wood barricades from the gates.

  Seth sat in his mother’s wagon.

  Robert was asleep or unconscious in the Anderson wagon.

  “Gates are unlocked, Marshal,” Poule said.

  Lane took a deep breath. “Yeah.”

  Grabbing the rope, Lane climbed over the cat walk and held onto the rope with both hands. “My hat,” he said.

  Poule removed Lane’s black hat. “Don’t worry, Marshal, we’ll get you up alright.”

  “Goddamm well better,” Lane said.

  “If we don’t, can I have your horse
?” Scripture smiled.

  “I’ll remember you said that,” Lane said and scaled down the rope.

  When he touched ground, Lane stood still for a moment and took a long breath. It was a cool morning and the air was sweet. He savored the moment and exhaled slowly.

  After a quick glance up at his deputies, Lane started walking to the front of the outpost. As he neared the front he could hear a few of the ghouls chirping. He reached the corner of the wall and turned right.

  Not thirty feet from him three hundred or more ghouls stood before the gates. A mixture of Indian, white, Mexican and even a black or two, the ghouls were listless and unfocused.

  Lane changed all that when he yelled, “Hey, you mangy spawns from hell, top of the morning to you!”

  A ghoul closest to Lane slowly turned his head to Lane. It took a second or two for recognition to set in and then the Ghoul let out a long, very loud growl.

  “That’s it, you miserable dogs, follow me!” Lane yelled.

  The ghoul turned, raised its arms and walked toward Lane. Another growled and followed, then another and within a few seconds the entire crowd of ghouls was on Lane’s heels.

  Lane backed up slowly to give the crowd of snarling ghouls time to turn the corner without losing sight of him.

  “That’s it, keep coming,” Lane said. “All the way boys and girls, all the way.”

  Lane glanced behind him. The wall was two hundred feet long. He needed to get the ghouls to the back wall where the rope was dangling from the catwalk.

  After thirty feet or so walking backwards, Lane got a good jolt when a ghoul emerged from the pack and took the lead. The ghoul was a Crow warrior, a large and fearsome specimen with deep set black eyes and a greenish tint to his skin. He snarled, showed his teeth and shocked the hell out of Lane when he started to run.

  Directly behind the Crow warrior, another ghoul started to run, then another and several more after that.

  “They can run,” Lane said.

  The Crow warrior closed the distance between him and Lane to fifteen feet.

  “And fast,” Lane said.

  Lane spun around and ran toward the rope a hundred or more feet away. He could hear the ghouls were in a frenzy now, hard on his heels and out for blood.