by Tim Moon
“Any last words?” Beau hollered from the shoreline.
Koby thought for a few moments. He glanced around, looking for any means of escape, or a way to get in another dig before he died. About forty yards away he spotted a small, homemade redneck raft as he’d jokingly called it, floating free in the water. His cousin had used it for duck hunting or some shit. But alas, he had no way of getting to it.
Instead, Koby mustered up enough energy for one final send off. “Come out here and do it yourself, pussy!”
Beau didn't take the bait. “Nah, I find no pleasure in these sorts of things. But the boys, well, the boys love it. Don't worry Chinaman, you're in good hands. They will make it nice and slow.”
“I’m Japanese you piece of -” Koby yelled back, knowing those would be his last words.
He stopped in shock when he felt the pressure of the blade slice into his throat. Another surprise echoed through the air from what sounded like a gun. The sound bounced between the walls of the valley as Q fell into the water next to him in a huge splash. Even in his battered state of near death, Koby mentally cringed at the thought of the myriad diseases he could catch from the dirty water.
Glancing sideways, Koby saw the other half of the biker’s head still on the dock. Lifting up his own head to look around, Esper let go of Koby’s dark hair and took off running like a little bitch. Another shot rang out and the back of Esper’s head exploded into a pink mist, dropping his body onto the dock in an unstable pile that tumbled in slow motion into the lake with a dull splash. Two shots, two kills. Like a pro.
Koby sat up on the dock and watched as Beau began a mad dash away from the shoreline and towards the woods on the opposite side of the cabin from the shooters position. Koby heard a motorcycle roar to life as rounds flew past directly overhead. Each one made an angry buzzing sound like thousands of pissed off yellow jacks flying in unison.
Beau cried out and reached down to his leg, which was leaking blood through his jeans. He began to slide off his bike at the same time several more rounds pinged against the engine and fuel tank. Gas poured out of the tank and Beau’s victory cigar fell from his mouth as he hit the ground. The gasoline ignited and raced after the motorcycle, which continued on a wobbling course before crashing into the woods and bursting into flame with a small explosion. Koby smiled at the scene, thoroughly amused by the thought that another one of Beau’s bikes went up in smoke.
Koby rolled his body into the lake and after the initial shock of the cold water left his aching limbs, he dove down and began swimming away from the dock. Survival instinct trumped his concern about the dirty water. With his lungs burning from a complete lack of oxygen, Koby finally surfaced and looked around for the raft he’d spotted just minutes ago. Pulling and kicking at the water with all of his might, he just barely managed to surface before his strength gave out. He raised his head above the water line and took a deep breath.
The six-barrel construction of the raft, laid out in two parallel rows of three, with its plywood deck, gave him plenty of room to lift his head and sneak a breath while remaining hidden from view. Koby held onto the bottom of the raft and kicked his legs ever so gently to spin the sidewall of the barrels towards the shooter. It would be next to worthless as protection, but it kept him hidden. He floated easily on his back, in between the two rows of barrels, and kept his feet wedged against the sides so the raft didn’t float away without him. He hoped that the shooter would think the raft was simply moving in the slight breeze. Koby knew he was growing weaker by the minute, but he would wait all day if that’s what it took. Then when the cloak of darkness arrived, he could attempt an escape.
Although he still lacked a coherent plan, Koby figured stealing one of the other motorcycles and putting as much distance between him and the shooter was a good start. Then he realized he had never been on a motorcycle before and figured he would need a backup idea.
Koby stayed in the water until nightfall completely overtook the lake. A faint glow emanated from inside the cabin. His brain was foggy and slow to realize that some of the lights must have survived Beau’s idiots, Esper and Q. Koby continued floating without making many movements, but he ached and the exposed flesh on the tips of his fingers felt like they were on fire. His body had been shivering for what felt like hours and at this point, with no signs of the shooter, he knew it was time to make a move or die of hypothermia.
For the briefest of moments, he contemplated letting himself sink into the water. He wondered what it would feel like when the cool liquid filled his lungs and he faded into darkness.
“No,” he whispered to himself through clenched teeth. He’d survived this long; he was going to make it out alive.
Slowly, carefully, Koby began to paddle the raft to the dock. He gasped in shock; nearly choking on a mouthful of water, completely taken aback by what he saw standing in the way of his escape. Backlit by the glow from the cabin was a person standing alone. A person holding a rifle. The shooter!
Koby cursed to himself and fought the panic rising inside of him.
Standing there, in a fully camouflaged suit, head mask and all, was a person that resembled the size of his cousin, Ito. Ito was the cousin his family had searched for when the fever began to overtake the world. Could it really be him?
Koby squinted at the figure to see better. He would swear in court it was his cousin. A burst of joy and relief threatened to spring from his eyes and blur his vision. Ito, the survivalist, had finally returned to his own bug out shelter, only to find it destroyed and over run by bikers intent on killing his best friend and cousin Koby. He could only hope Ito would forgive him. Koby wasn’t sure where the energy came from, but he swam harder than he ever had before to reach the end of the dock.
“Ito, you're alive. Oh thank God you're alive,” Koby said as he slowly pulled his battered body up the ladder. He was panting and near the precipice of unconsciousness when he collapsed onto the dock. Then, with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, he said, “Nice shooting Ito!”
“Who the hell is Ito?” A woman’s voice asked. She pulled off the hunting mask revealing the true identity of Koby’s savior. It was Destiny. Or Jessica. Whatever.
Koby was speechless. He just lay there shivering and nearly frozen, looking at her heavily damaged but still beautiful face. Destiny slung the rifle on her shoulder and knelt beside him. She took his trembling hand and said, “Daddy taught me how to shoot. And actually, it was just like shooting a deer. Big, dumb, ugly ass deer.” She smiled. “I told ya it was a nice 30.06.”
Chapter 7
The next morning, Koby woke up in almost as much pain as the day before. His injuries had been cleaned and patched up as well as Destiny could manage. Koby was grateful his cousin had been so smart, stockpiling the medical supplies he did. Everything from splints to penicillin and iodine were there for the taking, thanks to Ito’s ultra-preparedness.
After a few aching minutes to reach a seated position, Koby looked over and saw Jessica sleeping on the floor beside him. She looked peaceful, and while some part of him wanted her to pay for what had happened to him, he understood it wasn’t all her fault. And in the end, she’d come back to help him.
Koby got up quietly and began to pack. Everything hurt, but the movement seemed to grease the wheels and soon he was almost moving at full speed. He started throwing multiple items into a backpack. At first, he didn’t notice Jessica watching him, but then he felt her eyes following his every move.
His frenzied pace seemed to make Jessica grow annoyed. That and the fact he had not said a single world to her since she revealed her true identity back on the dock the night before.
“You in some kind of a big hurry?” she asked.
Koby ignored her, grabbing multiple cans of SPAM and tossing them into his pack.
“Gary, I just -” she said before he interrupted her.
“It’s Koby, my name is Koby, Destiny.”
Jessica ignored his dig at reminding her of her alternate
identity. “Koby. I killed three guys and saved your ass. The least you could do is tell me what is going on.”
Koby slammed the pack down on the kitchen table. Anger boiled up inside of him, an intense swirl of emotions that he hadn’t expected. “Tell you what's up? I have nothing to tell you at all. You can go fuck yourself for all I care. You’re nothing but a dumb coke whore who left me tied to the bed, left me to die. For what? So you could go chase down some blow? Get the hell out of here. I don't care about you or what you do, but I’m leaving. We have saved each other, we’re even. Now, just leave.”
“Where are you going to go?” Jessica asked.
“Someplace without a strip club, so don't bother following me,” Koby said, watching the impact of his words slam into her face as hard as Beau’s fist did.
“I'm sorry,” she began to plead. “I was sick. I am sick, I needed a fix and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't have you wake up when I took the van and chase me down. I'm sorry! Please don't leave me out here alone.”
Koby’s mouth fell open in astonishment. Did she really just say that?
She must have realized how stupid that sounded. “Koby, I’m sorry.”
“How did you get the gun?” Koby asked her, piecing together the events of the previous night.
“I took it with me after ... after I left you. I didn't plan on coming back. I went to kill Beau and steal his ...”
“Coke?” Koby said, cutting her off.
“Yea,” she admitted, lowering her head in shame.
He couldn’t believe she’d tied him up and left him without any intention of returning. What the hell was wrong with her?
Koby grabbed a few more items for the backpack, picked up the rifle Destiny used to kill everyone, and started to walk out the front door. Looking back, at the destroyed cabin, his heart sank. He had no idea what the future would hold for him, but he knew that there was nothing left for him there. He simply could not risk being there when the remaining members of Beau’s crew arrived to find their leader dead. He was certain they would start tracking down whoever was responsible for Beau’s death. There was no way he could survive another beating like that.
Koby slung the backpack over his shoulders and walked over to the only remaining motorcycle. Struggling to lift it up with his damaged hands, he grimaced as he carefully lifted his leg over the fuel tank and plopped his tired ass down on the seat.
Before he did anything else, Koby looked over the controls and it was clear he had no idea what to do. His lack of familiarity with the hog meant he had a short, yet steep, learning curve to overcome. Luckily, if a dumbass like Beau could figure out this machine then so could he. His heart sank when he looked down at the bare ignition with no keys in sight.
If the custom paint job on top of the gas cap featuring a fancy letter ”Q,” was any indication of this bike's owner, it meant the keys were most likely on his body. Unfortunately, his body was somewhere in the lake, missing half of its head.
“Get off that fucking bike!”
Koby turned his head and lost his balance on the motorcycle. He dropped the bike on its side, and the momentum flung him down to the ground. Many of his wounds tore back open and he was left lying on his back, groaning. It took a few long seconds until he rolled onto his side and pushed up off the gravel roadway.
It was like he was seeing a ghost. Koby tried to scoot backwards, away from Beau who was somehow still alive and standing over him. It was clear that Beau had bled heavily from the gunshot wound to his leg but he was no ghost. The larger than life man was now larger than death as he hovered over Koby.
Beau held a large knife in his hand, similar to the one Esper pulled on him, and he wasted no time closing the distance between him and Koby. The man dove on top of Koby and the two of them wrestled. Koby raised the rifle and held it across his chest, to try to get the barrel pointed towards Beau while dodging multiple knife thrusts. Koby’s muscles quivered as he fought against Beau’s weight bearing down on him.
In the commotion, Koby caught a brief glimpse of Jessica kicking at her former employer in an attempt to help him, but her attempts were simply an annoyance to the huge man. Still, her actions were enough to cause Beau to drop the knife. The blood from Beau’s leg poured over the both of the men, making everything slippery.
Koby’s rifle discharged as both men fought for control of it. The percussive blast left Koby feeling dizzy. The sound rang in his ears, but he felt no pain. Or at least, no fresh pain. The round had missed him.
Judging by Beau’s reaction from atop Koby, the round had not hit his body either. Koby snarled in frustration. Even from close range, he’d missed his mark.
Overcoming the initial shock of the blast, their struggle continued. They both fought for a killing blow, rolling around like angry dogs. Koby felt as if he was being tossed around like a rag doll. They rolled again, but this time Koby felt the rifle dislodge from his weakened grip.
Pushing himself up into a crouch, Koby turned around to see Jessica, dead on the ground. Her t-shirt displayed a single gunshot to her chest. Blood soaked cloth clung to her body and he immediately knew where his shot had ended up.
It ended up in Jessica’s heart.
Taking his focus off her already lifeless eyes, Koby felt rage build inside of him. With a surge of strength, he turned and took two quick steps toward Beau. Before he could get ahold of the bastard, Beau slammed the butt of the rifle into Koby’s temple, dropping him to the dirt. His world went black before he even hit the ground.
Just as the earlier shot had impaired his hearing but left his sight unaffected, this attack had the opposite effect. Koby lay on the ground, finally ready to die while his optic nerve struggled to operate properly. However, with his hearing now clear, the unmistakable sound of gunfire filled the air. Koby knew Beau held the loaded rifle and he shuttered in anticipation of the ensuing barrage of lead perforating his body. But there was no new pain.
There was only sound, the sound of bullets being fired much faster than what his cousin’s hunting rifle was capable of. He also heard the sound of flesh ripping apart as the rounds peppered the fat biker’s body. Finally, there was the sound of his enemy hitting the earth with an audible and distinctive thud. Beau’s body didn’t so much as twitch. He was dead before hitting the dirt.
Chapter 8
The johnboat bounced slightly against the small waves as it raced across the open water. Koby didn't recognize it as a military type of boat or any type of police boat, but the men who had picked him up and carried him onto it where dressed as if they were militia or something. He couldn't place them with any force that he knew of, but it was obvious they were well trained, equipped, and organized.
“Were coming up to some curves in the river. It usually gets a little choppy up here,” a man with a commanding presence said. He tossed Koby a life vest, which he struggled to put on because of his injuries.
When Ito had originally purchased the property, he and Koby spent a lot of time looking over maps of the area, especially the lake. So Koby knew the channels on the north end of the lake led to marshes that separated them from one of the larger rivers in the area. Once they merged with the large river, he would have no clue where they might end up.
“Where are you taking me?” Koby asked over the whine of the outboard motor struggling to push the boat against the current that Mother Nature proudly created.
“Home,” the leader told him before taking his place on the bench seat of the left gunnel. “We heard the shooting and figured someone was in trouble. It didn't take long to realize the person in trouble was you.”
“Destiny?” Koby asked. Even though he knew she was dead, he thought they might have brought her body so she could be properly buried. Rubbing his temples, he could tell he was still a little woozy from the blow to his head.
“Yea, I guess you could say it was your destiny that we found ya. My name’s Logan, by the way. Major Logan to be exact.” The Major reached out his hand. Koby lo
oked at it for a second before meeting him half way with a welcomed handshake. He winced at the Major’s firm grip.
“I’m Gary Kobayashi, but everybody just calls me Koby.”
“I know who you are. I wasn't sure it was you at first,” he said, gesturing toward his face which must have looked like hell. “But once we got you on the boat I figured it out. Your TV ads are hilarious. When stations were still broadcasting, for some reason, your ad kept playing over and over.”
“Which one?” Koby wondered aloud.
“The one about how when you're done fixing a guy's computer, he will never have to worry about it going down on him, just like his wife!” A man in the front of the boat answered him with a laugh. He looked like one of the lower ranked guys.
Koby smiled a little at the memory of it. One of the cuts on his lips tore open and he winced a little. He could taste blood in his mouth.. “Yeah, that’s a good one. But what do you mean about TV being gone?”
The Major nodded and said, “It comes and goes, but ever since D.C. fell last week, New York and most of the eastern seaboard have followed suit. Maybe there just isn’t anyone to run the stations?”
“Are you some sort of military or something?” Koby asked.
“Not anymore. Now we are Eagles,” Major Logan said in a confident, matter of fact tone. It was enough to prevent Koby from wanting to dig for any more information on his saviors. At least for the time being.
As they rounded a bend in the river, Koby began to appreciate exactly what the canopy of trees had been hiding. The dam before him stood as a cement behemoth, an impenetrable wall holding back the power of Mother Nature. Koby took delight in passing by the small river side village that rested in the shadow of the dam.
The boat’s pilot steered them into the dock slip, and Major Logan helped Koby up and out of the boat. He removed Koby’s life jacket the way an overbearing mother would and walked him to the shoreline where he was met by a small crowd of soldiers and a woman wearing a Doctor’s lab coat.
