The first Trippers made the hill in good time, and they were about halfway up before I was fully ready. I loaded the tube of the rifle and placed the gun on the rest. My first target was a female, about fifteen years old with deep red splotches on her face and bite marks on her shoulder. Her hands dripped blood, and I knew she was one of the ones who had killed my mother. I lined up the sights on her eyes and pulled the trigger. The high velocity round caught her in the left eye and killed her instantly, dropping her onto the hill and tumbling her down a few paces. Her body caught up the legs of other Trippers, slowing them down as they tried to climb the hill and over her body.
I fired until the gun clicked on empty, and I reloaded as quickly as I could. The bodies I had piled up were causing a delay on the rest of the monsters climbing the hill which bought me the time I needed. I slipped the tube spring back into place and charged the rifle, placing it back on the rest for my next round of firing.
I reloaded that rifle six times, and killed a Tripper with nearly every shot. If my math was right, I had accounted for about eighty of the bastards. Not a bad reckoning for my mother.
As I was bringing the rifle up for the seventh time, I saw the Trippers were moving towards the west, getting around the firing line. That was my signal to go. They were going to flank me soon, and that would be all for me.
I whistled for Judy, and the good girl lifted her head and whinnied, pawing at the ground. I ran like the wind and skidded to a stop next to the animal. The log I tied her next to was still in the right spot, and I used it to quickly get on her back. I leaned far forward and yanked her picket rope out of the ground, gathering up the reins. I kicked her in the sides and whispered loudly, “Go, girl! Go!”
God bless her, Judy took off. She raced down the back of the earthen dam, and I had a time staying on her back. I wasn’t the best rider, and the terrain wasn’t level or even. But she stayed true and allowed me to pull her to a stop to see if we were being followed. We were standing next to a small creek that ran through the back prairie of the dam. There was a line of trees that grew along a small stream that led to the creek and tall grass that covered the area between the dam and the road out back. It was the same road Trey and I had taken to get to that one school that had given us so much trouble.
The Trippers were milling about the top of the dam, and finally one of them saw me out on the prairie. They howled and gave chase, falling on their faces in their rush to get out at me. About fifty of them were coming over the top of the dam, and nearly every one fell down as they rushed forward. I felt a pang in my chest as I thought about my mother, and tears filled my eyes as I watched the sick bastards stumble forward. It was too far away to line up a shot, so I started walking Judy away from the tangled mess of human disease. I rode her over to the road, and when there was enough distance between myself and the pursuing Trippers, I dismounted and removed her bridle and bit.
I rubbed her neck, and she brought her nose down to bump me in the chest.
I held her head tightly for a second before I looked into her big brown eyes.
“You have to run now, Judy. You have to go. I can’t keep you with me. Go to the forest. Go south. You’re free.” I was talking to an animal that didn’t understand me at all. “Go!” I shouted, and slapped her on the hindquarters as hard as I could.
That seemed to work. She bolted and ran down the road, then stepped into the woods on the south side. I figured she would be okay. I had no idea what to do with her, and I wasn’t sure I could keep her with me. It was better she was off on her own. I figured she’d eventually wind up on someone’s farm, which was fine.
I couldn’t waste time worrying about it, though; the Trippers were still coming to get me.
Chapter 28
I ran to the gate of the subdivision on the other side of the road. All of the houses here had been abandoned a long time ago, and anything of value or use had been taken. The only real redeeming feature of this collection of houses was the solid fence that ran along the northern border. That was going to be what saved me. It was nine feet tall and a foot and a half wide at the top and made out of brick and mortar. It would have made a great barrier to the waves of Trippers, but the problem was it was only on two sides of the community. That fact made it useless against waves. But for now, it was going to be just what I needed.
I ran to the iron gate and climbed up onto the top of the fence. Once there, I waited until the Trippers were coming over the road before I did anything about it. I was seated on a decorative light, probably eleven or twelve feet above the ground. Just high enough to be out of reach of the tallest Tripper.
I loaded my rifle and made sure I had my ammo within easy reach. I thought I had enough to deal with the last of this crowd, but it might be close.
The infected horde came loping over, and when they hit the wall beneath me they raised their heads in fury at the interloper in their territory. I used their eyes as targets and punched holes in their heads. Fifteen dropped to my rifle in thirty seconds, and the noise infuriated the rest. They pushed forward, punching each other and elbowing one another out of the way. I didn’t feel anything as I pulled the trigger; I was just getting rid of the trash of my world.
After a couple of minutes, and about thirty Trippers later, I noticed they were getting higher. I realized they were standing on their fallen comrades, but their footing was unsteady. Several times I missed due to a diseased person slipping and dodging the bullet at the right time.
Ten minutes later I was alone on the prairie. The ground in front of me was a small pyramid of corpses. I had no way of lighting them up, so they were going to have to have an open grave.
I dug into my pocket to get some more bullets to reload the rifle with, and I came out with three rounds. That was it. I had only three rounds left to see me back to my house. Oh, hell. I actually shook a bit as I realized what that actually meant.
I slipped off the fence and ran as fast as I could down the road. I needed to get into familiar territory if I wanted to have a chance of surviving. Even though I had killed a lot of Trippers, there was no way of knowing if they all were gone or if some were waiting behind. Trippers did that sometimes; they were very unpredictable.
I slid into the woods on the north side of Laraway Road, and I was much more at home here. I knew this small section of timber as well as I knew my backyard. I knew the trails and the hiding places and hoped both would see me home.
Home. I thought about my mother, and the tears started again. I don’t know what made me feel worse. The thought that my mother was dead or the thought that I was truly alone now. I had no family anywhere. I stopped moving through the brush as the feeling overwhelmed me, and I sat down next to a big tree to try and settle the empty feeling in my gut.
I must have nodded off, because when I looked up again the sun had nearly set. The Trippers would be very active in this area, and the chances of me getting home were very slim. I had led dozens into this area, and even though I had killed a bunch, there were likely a lot roaming around here that I didn’t get. Right about now I felt stupid for leaving the house. I felt guilty when I thought that, because I wondered if my mother would have stayed in the yard had I stayed home to stop her.
I couldn’t stay here; the nights were getting very cold as winter began pushing fall out of the way. I had to try to get home. Hopefully in the dark I could make it. I moved quietly away from the tree and moved slowly north. I could see but just barely. Dusk was here, and the light sky against the dark ground made it hard to see details.
My hearing was fine, though, and I distinctly heard something moving behind me. I looked back but couldn’t see anything. I tried to move faster, but it was hard when I was trying to be silent, too.
I passed my regular game trails and traps and made my way to the trail that took me to the top of the dam. I didn’t want to try and cross the mess of dead bodies on the hill, so I had to go west a bit and get out that way. That meant going deeper into the woods and gi
ving whatever was following me a better chance at catching up.
“Damn.” That was all I had to say about that. I moved down the trail, and there was a crashing sound behind me as something big pushed through the underbrush. Twigs and branches snapped loudly in the gloom, and I whipped out my knife to face whatever was behind me. But the noises stopped, and I decided to use the silence to run like hell.
I ran quickly, cursing as branches smacked me in the face and legs. One big one actually tripped me up a bit, but I kept moving. Behind me, I could hear whatever it was moving with me and getting closer. By the sound of it, there may have been two of them.
I reached what I thought was the turn to get out of the woods, but I found myself blocked by one of the huge sticker bushes that lined the road. There was no way I was getting through that. If this thing was here, then I overshot the opening.
I whispered to myself out of frustration. “Dammit! Idiot!” I shut up as the steps following me came closer. I tried to calm myself, but my heart was racing and the blood was roaring in my ears. I held my knife the way my dad had taught me, but that was the only thing I could remember from his training. I sunk back into the bush as well as I could, and I could feel the stickers grabbing at my clothes. I’d be a mess if I had to get out of here in a hurry. My only hope was to try and become part of the scenery and hope whatever it was following me would pass me by.
Long minutes of waiting were rewarded by the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer. The Tripper, which is what I knew it had to be, stepped forward carefully, putting one step slowly in front of the other. I had never seen a Tripper stalking anyone, but then, why not? It knew I was here somewhere.
In the darkness, I could see a huge shape emerge from the woods. I almost screamed when I saw how bit it was. It had to be over six feet tall, closer to seven. It moved slowly, checking the ground and coming closer and closer. I held the knife and waited for the right moment to strike. I was only going to get one chance.
It came closer and closer, heading right for me. I wondered then if the rumors were true that the Trippers could actually see better in the dark than they could during the day. If that was true, then there wasn’t any point in hiding anymore.
Suddenly it was on top of me. Something pushed me in the chest, and I fell deeper into the bush. My arm got tangled, and my knife was useless. I closed my eyes and waited for the beating to begin.
Something velvety pushed itself onto my face, and a large exhaling of breath in my face made me laugh out loud. My attacker retreated slightly at the noise, then came back to push me again.
I reached out with my free arm and ran a grateful hand up and down the long face of my dad’s faithful horse.
“Judy, you scared the living shit out of me,” I said.
Chapter 29
Thanks to Judy, my problem of getting back into the yard was solved. I just did the same thing I had done when I had left. The hard part was trying not to look at the bloody mess that once had been my mother, and thankfully the darkness hid the worst of that. It wasn’t going to be pleasant in the morning.
Once inside the gates, I led Judy to the garage, not wanting her to be out in the shed all by herself. There weren’t nearly as many Trippers as there was before, and hopefully in the morning I would be able to dispose of the rest. I gave Judy an extra helping of feed and made sure she had plenty of water. Afterwards, I went inside.
The quiet of the house overwhelmed me, and I spent the next hour or so crying and trying to figure out what I was going to do. For the first time in my life, I was completely alone.
I woke up shivering on the floor in the living room. The fire had gone out a long time ago, and I must have dozed off in between feeling sorry for myself and being angry at the world. It wasn’t fair I was by myself. I hated my mother for being so selfish, then I felt guilty for hating her. I was so mixed up I didn’t know what to do.
“Just keep moving, just keep busy,” I said aloud. It was the only thing I could think of. If I stayed busy, I wouldn’t have time to think about the horrible turn that my life had suddenly taken. What was I supposed to do? What was I supposed to become? I didn’t know. I didn’t know anything.
I fed myself and Judy, then took a shovel to dig another grave by my father. I spoke to him as I dug, telling him about my adventure in the woods and Mom’s suicide. If I thought I was going to get some sort of sign about what I was supposed to do now, I must have missed it.
The sun was high when I finally worked my way over to where my mother’s body lay. I had checked out the area from the second floor of the house, and the Trippers seemed to have moved on. With any luck, they’ll find a well-populated town that will kill them quickly.
I opened the gate and looked around. On the ground about ten feet from the fence was my mom. She was lying on her back with one arm covering her face and the other outstretched away from her. She looked like she was just out taking a nap, not lying there dead.
I pulled her arm away and her face was peaceful, almost serene. Her neck was one big wound that had bled out all over the ground. At least she died somewhat quickly, and they hadn’t beaten her to death.
I stretched out the tarp I had brought with me, and without much ceremony, I rolled my mother onto it. Grabbing two ends, I slid her along the ground, stopping only to walk back and lock the gate. When we reached her grave, I pushed her in, burying her in loose dirt and rocks. The way I figured it, my parents could argue the merits of their actions for a long time to come.
Winter was on its way, and if I wanted to survive I was going to have to be ready. Looking over our stores, I saw that I was stocked pretty good with canned stuff; mom must have worked hard to get some stuff ready before Dad and she died. With only myself to feed, I think I was going to be okay. There were always rabbits around in the winter, and with the cold they would keep a lot longer. I would have to set up some traps closer to the house so I wouldn’t be hiking through the snow to look for food.
During the last two winters, we had some interesting visitors. Dad had said he had never seen them this far south before, but if the weather was cold enough north, then they might find easier pickings to the south. But if this was a cold winter, and all signs said it was going to be, then they would be back.
I only saw them at dusk when the sky was light but the land was dark. They were grey ghosts that misted through the trees, stalking and watching. I had never seen wolves in the flesh before, and I thought they were dogs at first. But Dad had set me straight. They were the biggest wolves he had ever heard of, and they could easily take a horse down if they wanted to. He said some breeder’s stock must have gotten free and were roaming the northern woods. We waited in the house for them to move on, and even when my dad had taken a shot at one of them, they just looked at us in calm contempt. I hoped they would stay north.
I spent a week getting in a supply of wood for the stove and feed for the horse. I kept myself as busy as possible, trying not to think about how quiet the house was and how alone I was. I went over to Trey’s house a couple times, and Trey’s mom was sad to hear about my mother, but that was about it. They invited me to live with them, but I knew I couldn’t. They had enough mouths to feed, and one more wouldn’t help them this winter. I think they were relieved when I refused.
During the evenings I practiced with my Colt and practiced my fighting skills. I was getting stronger and getting faster in pulling it out of my holster. I reasoned that being able to shoot quickly in a crisis might make the difference between being alive and being dead. Besides, I had my westerns to feed my imagination about becoming a gunfighter.
After a couple of weeks, I felt I had enough wood for the house for the winter. I had filled the back porch, and I had filled in the attic space above the garage with feed for Judy. If I ever found a cat that liked me, I was going to keep it to get the mice that liked living up there.
Chapter 30
Trey came by on a cold day about ten days after I had finished my w
ork. He had stayed away on the advice of his father, figuring I needed time to work things through. But Trey had become bored and figured we’d get out one more time before the first serious snows.
“Hey Josh! What’s your day look like?” Trey said, smiling like he had a secret.
I thought for a second. “Well, I figured I’d find out what a certain friend of mine was doing, and if it wasn’t too stupid, I’d tag along to keep him out of trouble.”
“Oh, you did, did you?” Trey said, eyeballing me like he wanted to hit me.
“What’s on your mind?” I asked, not wanting to get into a fight.
“Let’s head over to Frankfort. I’ve a mind to see a town.”
I was slightly surprised. “Isn’t that the town that you said you wanted to stay away from; that they took your knife and wouldn’t give it back?”
Trey looked at me funny. “Oh, no, that was another town further west. What do you say?”
I hadn’t been to a town in years and was curious. I thought about stuff I might have to trade and realized that the only goods I had of any value would be the guns in my father’s locker.
“All right. We walking or riding?” I asked.
“In this cold? Hell, no. We’re riding. I’ll go get Pumpkin saddled and be back in a minute.” Trey was so excited, he fairly jumped out of the house.
I smiled at my friend’s enthusiasm and saddled Judy up in no time. She seemed to be eager to get out of the confines of her stall in the garage, and I needed her out of there as well, since I needed to clean that place up. The manure we always piled up around the base of the fence. My dad figured it might keep the Trippers away of they smelled only animal smell.
Once Judy was saddled I went upstairs to get a coat. My Dad’s barn coat was still hanging on the pegs by the door. I took it down and shrugged it on. It fit better that I thought it would, being that my dad had been a big man. The sleeves were too long, and it hung to my knees, but I wanted to wear it anyway.
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