The Swamp

by Yates, R

  Just inside the tree line they heard someone yell “whoop”, drawing the word out to an animalistic sound. Seconds later the voice was answered by howls and more ‘whoops’ on both sides of them. Mike spotted something and fired, Sam didn’t see what because he was already on his way through the door.

  The engine started and Sam slammed it into gear. The crowd in the back had grown quiet, listening to what was going on. Mike jumped into the doorway and kept firing. Sam had the pedal down but the acceleration was slow. Mike fired one last time, the bolt on his pistol locking open as the last shell was expended. He yanked the door closed, secured the lock and reloaded.

  “We’ve got trouble.” Mike called out and in the rearview mirror, Sam could see several wild looking and very dirty people were chasing them. They were on foot, but gaining, the RV just wasn’t able to gather enough speed with all its wheels on one side. Sam pushed down on the pedal harder and was answered by a heavy groan from the engine. The maniacs had closed the distance and some pounded on the walls. The sounds echoed through the enclosed space. The RV finally started to pick up speed. Sam could see the followers getting further behind and let out a sigh of relief. The road curved ahead, and Sam lost sight of the crazies.

  Paul yelled “Watch out!” from the passenger seat and Sam jerked his head around in time to see a large tree lying across the road. They were only doing about 35 miles per hour, but there wasn’t time to react. They slammed into the tree and everyone in the vehicle was thrown forward as it was violently wrenched to a stop. The engine made a long groan and died. Sam shook off the cobwebs that the wreck had cause and tried the engine, turning the key produced no response. The displays on the dashboard were all dead.

  Sam glanced over his shoulders at the passengers regaining their feet. Mike was already up and helping others. To his right, Paul was holding his forehead with a hand covered with blood.

  “I’m ok, just bumped my head and got a little cut.” Paul explained.

  Behind them, Sam heard the whooping again. Their pursuers would be here soon and mike was already passing out their weapons. Sam drew his and looked to mike for guidance.

  “We will have to fight; our people aren’t well enough to run and we are in their territory.” Mike said to Sam and then turned to the crowd “Anyone that can, we have to get outside and make a stand.” Mike opened the side door and stepped out... Sam of course joined him and about 5 others followed.

  Mike took a position on the ground under the fender of the Fleetwood. Sam stood above him, half hiding behind the corner of the vehicle, the others fanned out around them. Sam was comforted to see Mark take position right beside him.

  “Everyone wait until I fire, then give them everything you’ve got. They don’t seem to have guns, or at least they haven’t used them yet. Stay together, pick your targets, and keep your eyes open.” Mike ordered and Sam just had time to think how lucky they had been to find him, and how many times they would have died by now without him, when the enemy rounded the corner. Sam almost lost his mind as they closed, but he held his fire.

  There were about twenty of them, all running straight at them. They were only one hundred yards away, and Sam could see them more clearly. Their clothes were dirty and tattered. Most were covered in blood and he felt it was a safe bet that it was not their own. If they weren’t making those maddening wild noises, Sam would have wondered if they were the dead.

  They crossed what Sam judged to be 50 yards away before Mike fired and one went down. Sam fired at one and missed, and the others joined in. they sent about 20 rounds at the enemy and saw about 5 go down. They knew they hit a few others by the way they jerked or slowed. The remainder turned and made for the tree lines on both sides, another volley from Sam’s crew took down another five before they made it to the safety of the trees.

  “Everyone all right?” called Mike, getting back to his feet.

  Everyone indicated they were, and Mike turned his attention to Sam “Any ideas?”

  “Not really, do you think they are gone?” Sam said.

  By way of answer, the man to Sam’s left, a thirtyish man named Matt, suddenly screamed and fell backwards to the pavement, an arrow protruding from the center of his chest. He jerked twice and then laid still, his life gone just that quickly. Everyone outside the vehicle dropped to a crouch and looked around.

  “It came from over there!” yelled another and fired wildly into the trees.

  “Hold your fire and get back inside. Never fire unless you can see your target.” Mike snapped and herded the men inside. He slammed the door behind him. “They have us pinned down, stay away from the windows and keep quiet. Everyone hit the ground” Everyone obeyed immediately.

  They sat in silence and listened for any sign of the enemy. Suddenly, Paul gasped and stumbled back from the front winds. Sam looked up to see a face peering it at them. It drew back its fists and pounded them against the window. He expected the window to shatter, but was surprised to see them hold.

  “Oh my god, Its Matt,” yelled one of the men in the back. Sam looked more closely and could see he was right. When he looked, he could see the stump of the arrow protruding for his chest. It scrapped against the glass, leaving a bloody smear on the bottom of the window.

  Mike moved first, stepping to the door and opening it just a crack. “Hey Matt," he yelled through the opening. Outside the front window, the dead man turned his head and walked out of view. Sam looked back to Mike and saw him raise his pistol and fire. He heard the man fall, and Mike pulled the door shut.

  “Can you drive us out of this?” Paul asked, using a wet wipe to clean the gash on his forehead. Sam could see that it would need stitches.

  “No, the electric is gone. I can’t get anything when I turn the key.” Sam answered.

  “It’s probably something we could fix if we could get outside.” Paul said, and then added, “But I don’t think our friends will let us.

  “They will come tonight after dark, and that door won’t hold them off, not to mention these windows.” Mike added

  Sandra’s small voice chimed in from the back. “How do you know they will come tonight?”

  Mike looked over and said “it’s what I would do. Right now we have the advantage, they can get close enough without being seen and our guns have a better range. After dark, they will be able to get right up to us.”

  “Think we could fight our way out? We have the guns and the people.” Paul asked.

  “We have that working for us, but they have us surrounded, and can fire from cover, they could pick us off one by one, and we would never even catch a sight of them. Now I don’t mean to sound like a downer, but this is a bad situation. By my count, there are at least twelve of them out there. They started with at least twice that number. No sane group would take those kinds of losses and keep coming.” Mike paused to let his point sink in, when he saw that at least most of them seemed to have absorbed it, he continued. “That means we are dealing with a wild card here that we need to figure out. Anybody have any ideas?”

  “We could try to talk to them” suggested a young man named Ted, “maybe figure out what they want.”

  Sam looked to mike, who just shrugged. Sam walked over to the door and opened it just wide enough to get his head out. “Hey! We want to talk! We can work this out!”

  The sound of an arrow thunking into the metal of the frame beside his face seemed to answer that question. Sam jerked his head back inside and locked the door.

  “Anybody have any other ideas? I bet Sam thinks that one didn’t work out to well.” Mike commented and scowled.

  “Does anybody happen to have an ice cream truck handy?” Paul joked, but no one laughed. “Sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood.”

  “No, and I’m out of brothers to save my ass.” Added Mark

  “Well there isn’t ANY cavalry to come save our butts this time,” added someone “maybe we should just make a run for it. We can’t hold here, to many ways in.”

 
“Why can’t we just stay here and wait them out, maybe they will just go away.” Sandra was ringing her hands while she spoke.”

  “Mainly because all they have to do set this thing on fire and get us when we come out. There are about a thousand ways they can get the upper hand. It will be rough, but we have to make a shot for it. Everyone grab as much food and water as you can carry, we will pass out all the guns and divide up the ammo. It is two hours until dark, but I want to make a run in no more than twenty minutes.” Several people groaned as mike laid out his plan, but no one objected.

  As the people dissolved off in to individual conversations and preparations, Sam pulled Mark, Mike and Paul towards the cabin. They couldn’t say that they had privacy because the vehicle was crowded, but at least here they could speak without fear of interruption. He looked at the large front windows and felt less secure all of a sudden.

  “This isn’t going to work,” Sam said flatly, “these people aren’t well enough to run very far after what happened back at the farm. Now mike, I know you have bounced back quickly, but look at these people...” Sam waved a hand towards the busy ones in the back. “I have a feeling you have something planned you haven’t told us.”

  “I do, and its simple, I am not going.” Mike said.

  Sam and Paul were shocked by this. “explain.” said Paul

  “As soon as we take off, they are going to start chasing us again. I plan to hide in here and pick them off as they come out of the woods. Maybe I can slow them down enough to help you guys get away” Mike said solemnly.

  “No,” said Paul, “that’s simply not going to happen. You will be killed for sure. I think we can all get the hell out of here and down that road. Let’s just keep the guns towards the back and cover ALL of us.

  “Mike, I see your point. They will be a lot easier to take out if they are looking somewhere else, but there is not a chance in hell you are doing this alone. I will stay with you,” volunteered Sam. Mike seemed pleased.

  “I was hoping someone would, But I couldn’t ask anybody to do something like that. With two, we have a better chance. Three would be better…” said Mike, looking pointedly at Paul.

  “If you stay, I will stay also” toned in Mark.

  “You can’t, you are the only one in the group who can find the swamp. You know as well as I do how hard the entrance is to find. Paul’s been there just the one time, but only followed us in. I doubt he could find it. Hell, I still pass the road and have to back track. Besides, we busted our butts to save you. Mom would kill me, if you died out here.” Sam turned to Paul, “I won’t ask you to join us in the O.K. corral. I appreciate all you have done for us, but you need to help get these people home.”

  Mark and Paul chewed over what Sam had said. Mark just nodded, though he didn’t look very happy about it. Paul let his shoulders drop and sighed, “I am sorry Sam. I am a sixty year old man. Thirty years ago I could have made this stand with you. But now…”

  “There is no shame in that.” Mike said and put his hand on Paul’s shoulder.

  “Agreed” said Sam, “you have done far more than anyone could have asked. Help get these people away and safe. You guys are making it sound like we will never see each other again, this isn’t a suicide mission.” Sam tried to sound comforting and upbeat, but it sounded lame even to his ears.

  A nearby voice chimed in,” Excuse me, I didn’t mean to pry, but we are all so crammed in I couldn’t help but here, I will stay.” They all turned to see the kid, Ted. He was a youth of about eighteen or nineteen, tall and lean. He was dressed in dirty jeans and a David Bowie t-shirt.

  Mike looked at him appraisingly, and then shook his head. “I am sorry kid, but this isn’t going to be a picnic, you had better go with the others.”

  “I’m no damn kid!” they kid snapped, his face flush with anger. “I got as much reason as you two heroes, after what my sister went through back with those damn soldiers, I am going to do everything I can to get here somewhere safe!” he set his jaw and tried to look intimidating.

  Sam said the obvious thing, as if confirming it to himself, “Laurie is your sister.” There were only two females in the group and one was too old to be the sibling of this kid.

  Mike thought for a second and relented. “Okay, but you do what I say, when I say it. Understood?”

  “Yes sir.” The kid snapped back and threw Mike a sarcastic salute.

  Mike started to get mad, but then chuckled, “Don’t make me make you do pushups. Come kid. Let’s go get you a gun.” They moved towards the back of the RV. Paul glanced at the two brothers, and decided they wanted to talk, moved away also.

  Mark and Sam stood there a minute in an uncomfortable silence. “Mark, I’m only going to be a little while behind you, but just in case, tell Mom…just tell her that I love her. And take good care of her. I think you will like the way I’ve got the swamp fixed up.”

  “That sounds like a good bye,” Said Mark sternly, “I won’t hear it, and you will probably beat us to the swamp anyway.

  “As slow as you are, you are probably right.” They both laughed, and then hugged.

  Suddenly Sam thought of the whiskey he had saved. “Hey Mark, the shed behind the rangers house, on the top shelf on the back wall is something wrapped in a towel. If we aren’t back within a few days of you guys, you will know what to do.”

  They ended up to only have enough guns for half, but Mike announced that they would try to stick in pairs, one gun per pair. When everyone was ready, Mike added “When you get outside, run east down the road, go as fast as you can, stay together but stay spread out. Run until you lose them and get somewhere safe, then move on to the swamp, Mark and Paul will get you there.”

  Everyone nodded and no one seemed to have any questions, so mike told them to get ready. “We go in one minute!” Mike said to the group, and then turned to Sam, “Damn I want a cigarette, always did right before combat.” He said wistfully.

  Sam suddenly remembered running to the fallen soldier as he left the farm and what he had found in his pocket. “I forgot about this, I got you something back at the farm!” Reaching into his pocket, he produced a lighter and half a pack of cigarettes and placed them in Mike’s hand.

  “God bless you Sam.” Said mike, lighting one and taking a long drag, a contented sigh escaped him.

  They sat in silence; a palpable tension filled the air.

  Mike eventually turned to the crowd. “You go in five! 4…3…2…1! He shouted and flung open the door. The group rushed out and took off running, Mark leading the way. The trio hung back, stationed by windows, Sam and Ted to the sides and Mike kneeling between the drivers and passenger seats.

  The crowd hadn’t made it 20 yards down the road when the woods erupted in screams and whoops. Some haggard looking men and a few very bedraggled women started from the woods, eyes locked on the fleeing people. But something was wrong. There were a lot more than twelve, there seemed to be fifty. One of the leading savages stopped 10 feet in front of the windows and paused to draw a bow, Mike fired his rifle. The man dropped face first, to the pavement, his arrow flying wide into the woods. The shot shattered the windshield and mike used the barrel of his gun to widen the opening. Sam and Ted followed his example and began shooting at the pursuing forms. Several were down before the enemy could react, and Sam was happy to see that they had reacted by going for cover. Only three were still chasing after their friends. Mikes pistol fired several times and two went down hard, the third turned and fled for the woods. He didn’t make it.

  “You are a bad ass Mike”, yelled ted and fired at a shape in the trees and missed.

  “Keep your eyes open and pay attention.” Sam shouted, looking at his own window, but seeing nothing moving.

  Up ahead, the group had made good distance, at least a few hundred yards and was still at a run. It looked like they were going to make it. “Thank god” Sam muttered.

  “Where’d they all come from, there must have been fifty of them.” the kid
said to Mike in a voice that was almost a yell. The gunfire in the enclosed vehicles must have his ears ringing, Sam knew his were.

  “Some friends must have shown up is all I can figure.” Mike replied.

  Seventy-five feet ahead of them, a group of crazies burst from the trees and started after the group that was already out of sight. They must have worked there way through the trees and popped out when they thought they were out of the guns range. Mike aimed and fired, and fired again. The ease with which he worked the bolt on the rifle amazed Sam. He was able to work the rifle and fire faster than Sam could believe. In less than a minute Mike was reloading. He fired one more time and then swore. “I got four of the five, one got away.” he swore again.

  They set there for another thirty minutes and saw nothing. The sun was low in the sky when Ted finally asked what was on Sam’s mind as well. “What do we do now?”

  “I don’t know, I am fresh out of ideas.” Replied mike with a shrug.

  “It doesn’t look good,” Sam said, “Hey what do you figure are our odds?”

  “One in one hundred if we catch a break, one in a thousand is more my guess,” answered Mike glumly.

  Sam thought for a moment, “That doesn’t sound very hopeful to me, lie to me.”

  “Well in that case, we will be just fine.” Mike replied in a sing song voice.

  The sun chose that moment to set, and somewhere nearby, a voice cried a single “whoop!”

  For the next half an hour, they sat there in silence, watchful for anything to show itself, but nothing did. The first stars were showing in the sky to the west when they came.

  All around the ruined vehicle, the woods spewed forth the crazies. They could just make them out, dark shapes on a dark background. Their shots filled the night, and the others retreated.