While Jersey braced by his side, barking ferociously with a lowered head, Leo quickly dropped to a knee and steadied his aim. When he squeezed the trigger, he saw two things occur simultaneously, each diametrically opposed to the other. The raging shepherd immediately collapsed to the ground, killed instantly by a bullet to the head and no longer a threat to anyone. Behind it, however, several more came into view and none of them looked at all like the weaklings he had been hoping to face off against.
As Leo leveled his pistol at the charging horde, Jersey struggled with the urge to run straight at them. She had no intention of letting her person fight this battle alone, but her training told her to stand aside when the shooting started. Eventually, her time would come and no amount of gunfire would keep her out of the mix.
Leo fired three more rounds in rapid succession. Two boxers each caught a bullet sending them scampering into the trees where they would later die. Unlike the German shepherd, the boxers still wore collars with tags attached. If Leo would have checked he would have learned that their names were ‘Tyson’ and ‘Holyfield’ and that they had once both lived at the same address two towns to the east.
The instant he squeezed the trigger for a fifth time, Leo found himself with a serious problem. The pistol’s slide had jammed half way though its cycle and wouldn’t fire. He pulled repeatedly at it frantically trying to clear the weapon, but it simply wouldn’t free up.
Jersey saw Leo’s sudden lack of action as her opportunity to leap into the fray. Leo’s desperate attempts to call her back went completely ignored and when he saw what she was headed into, he was scared out of his mind. She was running straight at one of the last breeds Leo would have wanted to see her do battle with… an extremely pissed off and rather large Doberman pinscher. The beast’s entire face was covered in dried blood. It looked as though it had been spending its days hollowing out the corpses of animals just like the Jersey.
Not only was his unreasonably heroic coonhound about to give up around 15 kg of pure muscle, she would also be facing generations of fighting pedigree. While Doberman pinschers were bred to be fearlessly aggressive guard dogs, Jersey’s ancestors had spent their time perfecting the art of treeing raccoons. These were two advantages that Leo simply couldn’t permit his beloved companion to face alone. Seeing no other option, Leo gripped his pistol firmly and tore off down the trail after her.
Jersey leapt, the ‘dobie’ reared and the two met head on. The surprisingly tenacious coonhound scored the first hit with a devastating bite to the dobie’s left cheek. When Jersey landed back to the ground her teeth were still buried in the side of her opponent’s face. Without even taking notice the beast pinned Jersey to the ground folding her in half in the process. Jersey yelped as it bit down hard on her left hind leg crushing muscle and bone. She clamped down on the dobie’s face with everything she had, but the excruciating pain in her leg prevented her from doing the bite justice.
Leo jumped on top of the savage animal, wrapped his left arm around its neck and jammed the muzzle of his handgun into its right eye. Again and again he hammered away at that eye until the beast finally let go of Jersey’s leg. Jersey immediately released her grip as well and fell away. The dobie’s right eye was a mangled mess, most of it now plugging the end of Leo’s barrel, but its left was now fixed squarely on Leo.
He hung on tight as the dobie snapped at the air and tried desperately to shake Leo from its neck. Jersey, still unwilling to crawl away in defeat, clamped down on a paw that happened across her snout. The furious animal howled in pain. It immediately turned from Leo and concentrated all its energy on separating Jersey’s head from her neck.
As it opened its jaws and attempted to dive at its tormentor, Leo drove the barrel of his pistol straight into its mouth taking a few of its teeth with it. The enraged dog now had most of the handgun and a good amount of Leo’s right hand crammed between its gaping jaws. If Leo could force the handle past its bottom teeth he hoped the weapon would wedge the demon’s mouth open on its own. He pushed as hard a he could, several teeth managing to scrape across the side of Leo’s hand as he did so.
Before he succeeded in locking away the dobie’s only weapon with his own, Leo suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left ankle. Looking down at his foot, he saw that a Jack Russel terrier had finally built up enough courage to join the brawl. By the looks of this dog, it had been having a rough go of it since being kicked to the curb by its former owners. If Leo had to guess he’d say that it had no less than a dozen injuries of varying degrees, the most obvious of which being a missing left ear. Leo added a blistering headache to its long list of miseries as he used his right heel to boot it away. As it struggled to get back up, multiple gunshots suddenly erupted and the terrier was blown well clear of Leo.
The tremendously sad and painfully miserable life it had been leading was finally over. Since its family had tearfully removed its collar, kissed it farewell and left it behind, its life had been a living nightmare. Its days had been filled only with fear, despair and endless conflict. The four year old Jack Russell terrier, formerly known as ‘Gizmo,’ was ill equipped to handle the horrific life or death struggles it had been forced to endure. As sad as it was that its life was snuffed out so early, at least its months of suffering had finally come to an end.
As he continued in a life or death struggle of his own, Leo looked up the trail and was relieved to see his dad, Brian and Corey running towards him.
“Leo, get away from that dog!” Stu shouted as they ran towards him.
Leo knew full well that the Doberman pinscher would lunge at him again the instant he let go of it, so he decided to give the pistol one final push before shoving the animal away. The bottom of the grip ground to a halt about half way in. No doubt the muzzle had now partially entered its throat.
Good enough.
He got to his knees and pushed the beast aside as hard as he could manage. The instant it was free of Leo’s grasp the only thought on the dobie’s mind was to jettison the object from its mouth. It turned and ran while shaking its head violently. The bullets chasing the dobie would drop it only three metres behind Leo.
“Dad, Jersey’s hurt!” Leo shouted. “We gotta get her home right away!”
“Are you alright?” Stu asked, reaching his son and noticing his bloodied hand.
“It’s nothing, Dad. Jersey!”
“Okay, son, we’ve got her.” Stu said. “Where are your gloves?”
“I think I left them behind when we took off running.” Leo replied.
“Here, put these on.” Stu said after removing his own.
Corey handed Brian his jacket, pulled off his sweatshirt and carefully wrapped it around Jersey’s bleeding leg. She watched his every move, but didn’t make a sound or offer a complaint of any kind. Corey then took his jacket back from Brian, but instead of putting in back on, he laid it in the snow beside Jersey. Seemingly knowing what Corey was up to and entirely willing to accept the help, Jersey inched onto the coat. He gently scooped her and his jacket into his arms and wrapped it around her. He received an appreciative lick to the nose for his troubles.
“See you back at the cabin.” Corey said as he jogged off.
“Did you see Brody and Dion?” Leo asked as he limped back to retrieve his pistol.
“They’re safe.” Brian replied. “They were coming out as we were running in. They told us about the wild dogs chasing you.”
“What’s wrong with your leg, Leo?” Stu asked.
“Stupid little Jack Russel bit my ankle when I was wrestling with its pal over here.” Leo replied.
“What the hell are you doing?” Stu then asked. “It’s dead, buddy.”
“I hope so.” Leo replied. “I’m about to stick my hand back in its mouth.”
Leo grabbed a hold of his pistol and started pulling and twisting at it. After a bit of effort, he finally managed to free his handgun from the animal’s jaws. It was absolutely dripping with blood and slobber. It was still loaded, so
he didn’t check the barrel, but he wouldn’t have anyway. He knew full well that the muzzle was packed full of eyeball jelly. It was by far the most disgusting thing he’d ever held in his hand and he was grateful for the gloves that his father had loaned him… the gloves he would soon burn.
“Freakin’ gun jammed up on me.” Leo said as he hobbled back. “That’s the only reason Jersey got hurt.”
“The only reason she’s still alive is because of what you did for her, Leo.” His dad said in return.
“I imagine those two boys back at the cabin owe you one too.” Brian added. “That was smart thinking, firing those signal shots.”
“Yeah, you did a heck of a job, Leo.” Stu said. “I’m proud of you, son.”
“Thanks, I guess.” Leo said.
“Alright, let’s get out of here.” Stu said. “Is George’s rifle around here somewhere?”
“No… I dropped it way back there.” Leo replied, pointing back down the trail. “George is gunna be pissed if I don’t bring it back.”
“We can get it later, Leo.” Brian said. “We need to let the docs check you out first.”
“There’s something else going on that you need to know about.” Stu said. “I’ll tell you all about it on the way home.”
“Good news or bad?” Leo asked.
Stu just grimaced and looked over at Brian.
“We’re not sure.”
Chapter 19
Olivia had been asleep since yesterday, only waking to take a few sips of sugary water and warm broth before passing out again. The warmed intravenous fluids that Doctors Terrell and Nichelle had been pumping into her were helping, but they needed to get her eating solid food soon if she was going to make a full recovery. The few words that she did speak were still garbled and only came out as indecipherable gibberish. Unfortunately, her purpose for coming would remain a mystery for the time being. Several of them had heard her repeat the same nonsensical word several times while she faded in and out of consciousness, but as of yet nobody was able to interpret its meaning.
Once she was stabilized enough to move, Olivia was placed in the single bed in their medical room. Leo had spent the night on a cot in that room as well. He stayed, not because the stitches to his right hand and left ankle required him to, but rather because he wanted to be near his two best girls.
Jersey was also currently a patient and Leo had found her completely unwilling to leave his side. She was now sporting a stylish pink cast on her left hind leg that had been signed affectionately by everyone in camp. As difficult a time as she was having with her immobilized leg, she was obviously enjoying all of the extra attention she was receiving. Getting to cuddle up on the cot with Leo was a treat that she could quickly grow accustomed to. Truth be told, sharing Leo’s bed was a privilege that Jersey would never had to worry about losing. Leo may have saved her life, but he knew damn well that she had saved his first. They had survived something extremely disturbing together and they were now inseparably bonded like never before.
“Leo, you still in here?” George asked, peaking into the med room.
“Yeah, I’ve got nowhere else to be, Uncle George.” Leo replied from a chair at Olivia’s bedside. “Mom and Dad have basically grounded me until my stitches come out.”
“Well, come out here for a minute.” George said. “We need to have a little chat.”
George’s tone was more forceful than Leo was used to hearing from him. He didn’t seem angry exactly, but he definitely appeared… aggravated.
“Yeah, okay.” Leo replied as he set Olivia’s hand back down. “Are Grace and Cole back yet?”
“No, they’re still up the trail. They probably won’t be back for a few hours yet.” George replied. “This isn’t about them, Leo, this is about you. Move it.”
Okay, he’s angry. He’s pissed off about his rifle for sure… I’m about to get reamed out.
Entering the hallway, Leo nervously followed George into the kitchen where he was surprised to find most of the adults waiting. Jersey was struggling to keep up as she hobbled along on three legs. Leo didn’t try hiding his own limp either. If anything, he even hammed it up a little assuming a few sympathy points might be helpful.
“What’s going on?” Leo asked as his dad pulled a chair out for him.
“Sit.” Stu said sharply. “We need to talk to you.”
“You guys are really making me nervous here.” Leo said as he took a seat.
“You should be.” George said. “After what I just went through with your handgun… When I gave you that CZ, Leo, I didn’t think you’d use it as a damn sausage grinder. Took me two hours to clean up that mess. If I didn’t…”
George cut himself off as his voice started to rise in volume. Leo could tell that he was struggling to control his temper… a temper that Leo didn’t even know he possessed until 30 seconds ago.
“I’m really sorry, Uncle George.” Leo said. “After it jammed, I didn’t have any other choice… especially after I lost your rifle.”
“You mean dropped my rifle and left it behind.” George said.
“I promise I’ll go out and find it as soon as Mom and Dad let me.” Leo said.
“We already did that for you.” Corey said, reaching down and lifting up George’s 7mm magnum. “These things deserve a lot more respect than being left lying around in the damn snow, Leo.”
“I can’t believe you went back out there without me.” Leo said.
“We both did.” Stacey said. “We didn’t need your limping ass slowing us down out there.”
“Guys… thank you so much for doing that.” Leo said. “I really owe you both.”
“I don’t give a crap about that, Leo.” Corey said. “Yesterday was supposed to be a wonderful day for Stacey and me, but instead of spending it with my fiancée, I ended up running around in the damn woods looking for you. What I want is pay back.”
Leo looked over at his mother for a little help, but instead received the exact opposite.
“Don’t look at me, Leo.” Sydney said. “After what you put us through yesterday… I hope you get exactly what you deserve.”
“And you’re okay with this, Dad?” Leo asked, nearing panic now.
“Just listen to what the man has to say, son.” Stu said calmly, already regretting having agreed to the charade.
“I’d like you to be my best man, Leo.” Corey said, finally cracking a familiar smile. He too could tell that Leo had suffered enough.
“Best man…? What the heck are you talking about?” Leo asked, unsure of what was happening. He was told last night that Corey and Stacey had gotten engaged, but with everything that was going on the information had barely registered.”
“Stacey has agreed to take me as her husband and we’d like you and Jenny to stand by our side.” Corey replied.
“Why me?” Leo asked. “Wouldn’t Dad be a better choice?”
“Your dad is a good friend and Stacey and I owe him a lot, but you’re the man of the hour, buddy.” Corey replied. “Yesterday, you proved to us that you would never let anything bad happen to our kids. You let Brody and Dion run off ahead even though that meant facing a pack of wild dogs alone.”
“I wasn’t alone. I had this ferocious beast by my side.” Leo said, looking down at his beloved coonhound.
“That’s why we’d like Jersey to be our flower girl.” Stacey said. “The day she gets her cast off, is the day we get married.”
“Alright, well… congratulations… we accept!” Leo said with a huge smile. “Hopefully, Liv is feeling better and I’ll have myself a date.”
“She’ll feel better in a day or two.” Nichelle said.
“I gotta tell you, though… you guys scared the heck out of me.” Leo said, breathing a huge sigh of relief. “Especially you, Uncle George.”
“Yeah, he really missed his calling.” Stu said sarcastically. “George Maxwell Brickham, drama queen.”
“Say what you want, prick. I had the boy convinced.” George
said.
“I hate to change the subject, but has Liv said anything today, Leo?” Brian asked.
“No, just more mumbling and that same word again, over and over.” Leo replied.
“Nichelle, would it be alright if the kids went in to meet her?” Brian asked. “Fran said they’ve been asking, but she didn’t know what to tell them.”
“Of course, they can.” Nichelle replied. “If you’re willing to gather them up we can do a visit right now. It might help her recovery knowing that she’s surrounded by young friends.”
“I’ll go bust them out of school right now then.” Brian said. “Be back in a few minutes.”
“Stacey and I have got one more thing for you, buddy.” Corey, said turning back to Leo. “Come step out on the back deck with us.”
Everyone got up from their chairs and filed outside. Being cooped up in the cabin for the last day and a half, Leo had no idea what had been going on around camp. Being in a room with a front facing window, he had no view of the lake or anything occurring out back. He had heard a few things being shouted, but nothing out of the ordinary. Most of it was just the usual, his dad and the guys laughing with Corey about something stupid he had said or done.
What Leo saw when he stepped out onto that deck, however, was anything but ordinary. Corey and Stacey’s small unused camper had been pulled out of the woods and it was now sitting by itself down by the lake. It was completely set up and there was even the faint sign of smoke coming from a chimney that was poking out of a window.
Once Corey and Stacey had moved into their new luxury camper, the small one they had towed up from Monroe had been sealed and parked in the woods. Leo had inquired about moving into it once, but he had received a resounding ‘no’ from his parents. It wasn’t necessarily due to any lack of maturity, but rather because the furnace in it had been removed and repurposed for the animals. That camper wouldn’t be used again by anyone until the warmer weather arrived… or so he had thought.
EMP [Collateral Darkness] | Book 4 Page 31
