by Eric Vall
Paige walked back toward me with a steady gait. Nobody followed at first, but after a moment the four people were making their way toward us. The other three wore the same striped outfit that Thomas had on, and I was sure they hadn’t lied about coming from the Burlington camp, so I pulled out some water and wolf jerky from my pack.
The closer the people got the filthier I noticed they were. It looked like they had either worked in dirt all day or they had been on the run for a long time.
“I’m Tav,” I said as I handed two of them bottles of water.
“Thomas,” the first man said. He had large eyes and brown hair down to his chin.
“I’m Viv,” the girl said softly. She was short with wide hips and long honey blonde hair that hung down to her breasts.
“Rick,” another guy said. He was tall with short black hair and green eyes.
“I’m Corey,” the last guy introduced himself. He was just barely taller than Viv and he had blonde curls that hung wildly around his face.
“How long ago did you get out of the Burlington camp?” I asked as I studied how thin they were.
“We broke out late last night,” Thomas said, and then he took a large pull from the water bottle before he passed it to Rick.
“There were five of us,” Viv said with a small voice. “They caught Annabell.”
“The Guard?” Paige asked, and her eyebrows pulled together behind her thick glasses.
“Yeah,” Viv nodded. “We all need to get out of here soon. They’re coming for us too.”
“How many?” I asked.
“Two guys on horses,” Corey said.
“We managed to get away a couple times already,” Rick said. “I don’t want to push our luck.”
“How far ahead are you?” Paige asked.
“Maybe twenty minutes,” Corey said. “But they’ve got horses, so I don’t really know.”
Paige reached into her pack and pulled out another water bottle and some more wolf jerky, then she dumped the contents of her pack into mine and refilled her pack with the supplies she had set aside.
She handed the pack to Viv who looked up at her with wide eyes.
“It’s not much,” Paige said. “But it will help. Keep heading south and stay off the main road as much as possible.”
“W-why are you helping us?” Viv asked.
“We’re just doing what the National Guard has failed to do,” I said. “Now go. We’ll take care of the soldiers.”
“Thank you,” Viv said, and she put the pack on.
“How can we repay you?” Corey asked.
“Just stay alive,” Paige said.
“Come on,” Rick pushed. “We gotta go.”
“Thank you,” Thomas said, and he reached his frail hand out to shake my hand and then Paige’s.
“You’re welcome,” Paige smiled. “Now go. We’ll take care of the soldiers following you.”
Thomas nodded, then turned to follow the group, and they ran across the graveyard and disappeared into the fields.
“What’s the plan now, boss?” I asked Paige with a wry smile.
“You come up with one plan and all of a sudden you’re the boss,” she muttered with a smile.
“You did a good job,” I laughed.
“Thanks,” she grinned. “Let’s find somewhere to hide so we can take out these goons on horseback.”
I nodded and pushed the motorcycle behind the cemetery gate. There were two large trees in the corner of the cemetery, and I looked them up and down and then I turned to Paige as she surveyed our surroundings.
“I think I have a plan,” I grinned and nodded at the trees.
“The trees?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Won’t that leave us open if they notice us?”
“The key word there is if,” I told her. “These trees have a lot of cover and if these men are on horseback, we’ll need a high vantage point to take them out with the first shot.”
“Okay,” Paige said. “I really don’t want to shoot a horse. I think we should find a better spot for the motorcycle though.”
“You’re right,” I agreed, and I scanned the graveyard until I saw a mausoleum in the far-left corner. Then I walked the bike over to it and hid it so that it wouldn’t be visible from the road. “Is that good?”
“Yes,” she said. “I can’t see it.”
“Okay,” I said, and I made my way toward the trees in the corner by the road. “You know how to climb a tree?”
“I did when I was ten,” she grinned.
“Let’s hope it’s like riding a bike,” I smiled and then I knelt down and cupped my hands to give her a lift.
The trees were huge, with plenty of leaves for cover and thick branches we could perch on.
Paige put her hiking boot in my hands and reached for the branch as I lifted her, then she wrapped her arms around the thick wood and flung her other leg over.
“Are you steady?” I asked.
“I think so,” she said. “I’ll have to find a good spot to shoot from though.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’m coming up.”
I moved to the trunk of the tree and grabbed a low branch to heft myself up. My height worked to my advantage, and I was sitting next to Paige in a matter of seconds.
“Whoa,” she said, and she looked me up and down. “You’re like Tarzan.”
“Not exactly,” I laughed.
“Well the gun does have a sort of Clayton vibe,” she chuckled. “So where are we going to sit?”
“Let’s move closer to the trunk,” I said. “There’s another branch like this one on the other side. I’ll go over there. The key is to lean against the trunk when you fire so that the kickback won’t make you lose your balance.”
“Have you shot someone on horseback before?” she asked.
“Not exactly,” I said. “But I have shot people on motorcycles. I imagine it’s very similar.”
I moved to the other branch, and Paige scooted closer to the trunk so she was able to press her back against it, then she pulled out her shotgun to check out the angle.
“Use your pistol,” I told her. “Your shotgun won’t be as accurate and there’s a better chance you’ll hit the horses.”
“Right,” she said, and she pulled out her side arm. “Are we going to shoot at the same time?”
“Yes,” I said, and I readied my rifle. “If we can take them both down at once then we won’t have to chase one down.”
“Okay,” she said, and she pushed her glasses up on her nose. “I wish Bailey was here. She could get this shot no problem.”
“Even if you only injure him that still puts us in a good position,” I said. “Plus, from where we’re shooting it will be difficult for them to know where to fire back.”
“True,” the brunette nodded.
It had been about ten minutes since the civilians ran off, and I figured we wouldn’t have to wait much longer for these assholes to show up.
Paige’s breath was even, and she seemed calm, but she stared at the road with intense eyes, and her brown eyebrows pulled together behind her glasses.
“How ya doin’?” I asked.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I just want these dicks to show up already. You don’t think we missed them do you?”
“No,” I said. “I’m sure they’re coming. Those horses are probably tired though, so they may not be moving as quick as they were last night.”
“That’s a long time to be running,” Paige frowned.
“It is,” I agreed. “But we were able to help the civilians and right now that’s all we can do.”
“Yeah,” she said. “I hope they’re able to make it somewhere safe.”
“I’m sure they’ll be alright,” I smiled.
Just then I noticed the unmistakable shape of two men on horseback coming down the road.
“They’re here,” I whispered. “Wait for them to get close and shoot on my signal.”
“Got it,” Paige whispered back, an
d she lined up her shot.
We watched the men come down the road, and I realized I had been right, the horses didn’t move as fast as they should have. I doubted these men had given them a break all night, they were barely above a walking pace, and the horses bobbed their heads up and down in a tired fashion.
The men were dressed in full uniform, including kevlar vests and ballistic helmets, and they had M16A1’s slung behind their backs and M9s on their hips. It seemed they were better prepared than the men at the outpost for the simple fact that they had their gear on, still though, neither of them had their weapons drawn.
We could hear the men before we had a clear shot, and I listened intently to their conversation to see if they would reveal any new information.
“Jameson gets all the good tasks,” the first guy groaned.
“Because he’s the CO’s favorite,” the second guy agreed.
“Meanwhile we’re out here fucking hunting down escapees,” the first spat.
“Man, I can’t wait to get going down south,” the second said.
“Yeah, right,” the first said. “Doesn’t seem like that’ll ever happen.”
“Colonel Harkness had it right,” the second said. “Should’ve gone with him when I had the chance.”
“That guy was a dick,” the first said.
The two soldiers grew closer as they talked, and they were almost in line for a shot, so I looked over at Paige and held up a finger to signal that it was almost time.
“How pissed will the CO be if we don’t come back with these civilians?” the second asked.
“He doesn’t want anyone out,” the first said. “We’re already gonna have to make an example out of these four.”
“Well we got the one,” the second said.
“Yeah,” the first agreed. “But people need to know that we won’t just let it go.”
“Fuck this shit man,” the second said. “I’d rather go up north. This is bitch work.”
I had a clear shot, so I looked over at Paige. She held her pistol steady, and I was sure she had the shot as well. Paige was no Bailey, and the helmets these guys wore would make it more complicated, but I had faith that she could get a good enough shot in to knock him off his horse.
I breathed out slowly and pulled the trigger, and my rifle kicked me against the tree with a loud bang. My bullet went straight through the soldier’s eye, and the man slumped and slid off his horse.
Paige’s pistol went off a split second after mine, and the second man took a shot to the throat before he had time to notice that his buddy was dead.
The man reached for his throat instinctively to try to stop the blood, but Paige had hit an artery, and it was a matter of seconds before he too slipped off his horse and fell onto the black asphalt.
“Good shot,” I told her with a smile.
“Thanks,” she smiled back. “When I saw the helmets, I wasn’t sure I could get a head shot, so I figured the throat was just as good.”
“We got both of them,” I said. “That’s all that matters.”
Paige looked down at the horses on the road since they had stopped just ahead of the bodies, and then she turned to me with pursed lips.
“Why aren’t they running?” she asked, and her brown eyebrows pulled together.
“They were probably trained to be around gunfire,” I said.
“So they’ll just stay there?” she asked.
“Well we’re not shooting at them.” I shrugged.
“Can we catch them?” she asked, and her eyes grew wide with excitement.
“Let’s go see,” I laughed.
I hopped down from the tree and reached up to help Paige down as well, I wrapped my hands around her small waist and easily lifted her down from the tree.
“Let’s approach slowly,” I said. “We don’t want to spook them.” I pulled a couple handfuls of grass from the ground and handed Paige one of them. “Take this.”
“Okay,” Paige nodded. “I’ve never really been around horses. They’re frickin’ huge.”
“They’re pretty big,” I said with a smile. “Just don’t walk behind them and speak to them as you approach.”
“Uh, I’ll just follow your lead,” she said and then she bit her lip.
“Don’t be nervous,” I told her. “It’ll be fine.”
We made our way out of the cemetery and onto the road. The two horses were fairly large, and they looked like quarter horses. One was a soft gray and the other was a deep brown-red color, the gray one had to be at least 16 hands, and the brown-red one was even taller, but they both were female.
“Hey pretty girl,” I said, and I held my hand out and walked slowly toward the brown-red horse.
“Do I make kissy noises like with a dog?” Paige whispered as she walked slowly next to me, and I stifled a laugh.
“No,” I shook my head. “Just speak to her.”
“How do you know it’s a her?” Paige asked.
“The lack of a penis is a pretty big clue,” I said, and again I tried not to laugh.
Paige was always the smart one, and it was comical to find something she knew very little about.
“Hey there,” Paige said as she moved closer to the gray horse. “You’re a pretty girl.”
“Click your tongue at her,” I instructed Paige.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Like this,” I said, and I demonstrated as I moved toward the large brown-red creature.
Paige followed suit, and we both stopped a few feet from the horses.
“Hold your hand out flat and let her take the grass,” I said as I held my own hand out.
“Okay,” Paige said, and she half closed her eyes and held her hand out as far as she could. The look of fear and disgust reminded me of what someone might look like if they had to reach into a toilet to fish out a ring.
“She won’t hurt you,” I said, the brown-red horse had taken a few steps toward me and started to nibble at the grass in my hand, and I grabbed her reins gently.
Paige’s horse didn’t seem to mind that Paige looked uncomfortable as hell, the gray lady took a few steps forward and pressed her muzzle against Paige’s hand to get the grass.
My horse finished her grass, and I stroked her soft muzzle as I watched Paige.
“Hey,” she said, and she opened her eyes wide and looked at the horse’s mouth on her hand. “Her mouth is so soft.”
“Yeah,” I chuckled as I stroked the brown-red horse’s muzzle. “Go ahead and grab her reins. Just talk to her.”
“Okay,” Paige nodded. She looked more comfortable than she had before, but she reached up and grabbed the harness.
“That’s the harness,” I laughed.
Paige looked over at me and saw the reins I held in my own hand.
“Right,” she said through pursed lips, and she grabbed the reins.
I stroked the brown-red horse’s muzzle for another moment and just enjoyed the feel of it. There aren’t many things in the world softer than a horse’s muzzle.
“Uh, Tav,” Paige said with slight alarm to her voice. “I’m out of grass.”
I looked over to see a wide-eyed Paige trying to move her now empty hand away from the horse, but the gray lady was following her hand.
“Uhhhhh…” Paige groaned as she tried to figure out what to do.
“Just pull on her reins and walk forward,” I laughed. “Watch.”
I led my horse toward the trees we had hidden in, and Paige followed suit.
“It’s trying to eat my hair,” I heard her say from behind me.
“Just get her to the grass,” I said with a chuckle as I pulled some rope from my pack and tied the brown-red girl to the tree.
“Okay,” Paige said, and she came up next to me holding the reins in a death grip as the horse still nuzzled at her messy bun.
I laughed and took the reins from her so I could tie the gray lady up to the tree as well.
“They’ll have plenty of grass here,” I
said as I stroked the gray horse’s shoulder. “We’ll need to find them some water though.”
“This is a cemetery,” Paige said. “There has to be a faucet somewhere so they can water the grounds.”
“Let’s look around,” I nodded, and after a few minutes of looking I had located the faucet at the far end of the cemetery.
“I found a wheelbarrow,” Paige called out as she pried the thing from the grass.
“Perfect,” I said. “Let’s fill it with some water for these girls.”
Paige brought over the wheelbarrow, and we filled it up and topped off our water bottles.
“Will this be enough for them?” Paige asked as she parked the wheelbarrow full of water by the tree.
“Should be,” I said. “We’ll swing back to pick these girls up on our way back home.”
“What if someone else takes them before that?” she asked.
“That’s okay too,” I said. “But I don’t think many people are using this road right now.”
“Tara and Bailey will be so excited if we bring back horses,” the brunette smiled.
I knew the things terrified her a little, but I thought it was sweet of her to think of her friends.
“It would be nice,” I smiled back at her. “Horses can do a lot of work as well as being a good means of transportation.”
“You’re going to ride them back right?” Paige asked with a raised eyebrow.
“That depends,” I laughed. “Can you drive the motorcycle?”
“It’s just like riding a bike isn’t it?” Paige grinned, and I cocked an eyebrow at her.
“Somehow I don’t think that’s right,” I laughed.
We made our way back to the dead men and stripped them of their weapons and gear before we hid their bodies behind a tree on the side of the road, then we retrieved the motorcycle from behind the mausoleum and made our way back to the road.
“Here,” I told Paige, and I tossed her the pack I had taken from the dead guy to replace the one she had given the civilians.
“Thanks,” Paige said as we hopped back on the motorcycle. “What should we name the horses?”
“Why don’t we let Bailey and Tara decide,” I laughed. “After all you did get to name Winchester.”
“I guess,” Paige said with an eye roll. “But I swear to God if Tara gives them stripper names I’m going to start a petition.”