Without hesitation Window drew his revolver, his thumb pulling back the hammer with practiced ease, so fast that to the naked eye his hand moved in a blur. From the hip he fired, it was a shot he had worked on throughout his short life, and the round stayed true to his aim, striking Maria on the bridge of her nose and plowing into her brains to end the mockery that was her life.
Later, with time to reflect, they would wonder if in those final moments a small spark of what remained of Maria had not turned her towards the only one she knew who would put an end to the miserable existence that lay before her.
For the time though three of them watched as she crumpled to the floor, the fourth having done the only thing he could in that situation. Turning his back to let those who were more capable, finish a task he could never complete.
Forty One
With Billie-Bob serving as a lookout on the roof of the market they gathered all they could carry from the piles stacked haphazardly along one wall. They left the dead where they had fallen, except for Maria. Einstein had carefully wrapped her in bed sheets, insisting that they bury her next to her mother. Meat had shrugged in response, as long as Einstein carried her, he had no problem with that. There was no hint of jealousy in his decision, it was simply a matter of survival.
They had no idea how long it would be before anyone else showed up, if they even did., so there was little time to worry over such mundane details as to where someone should be buried. It was much easier to just leave the body for the scavengers that would surely arrive to strip the bones of anything edible. But Meat understood too that Einstein and Maria, no matter how he may have felt personally, had shared something special between them. So he had chosen not to argue the point.
Loaded with ammunition, and the few canned goods that remained, they lit a fire inside the building and vanished into the forest behind the market. They had nearly reached Maria’s house when a distant explosion confirmed that the fire had reached the stack of propane tanks.
Reaching the edge of the forest at Maria’s back yard Einstein carefully lowered her body to the ground as the others dropped their loads and settled to the earth. From the house came a shout and Billie-Bob crossed the yard to meet with the children as Einstein began digging Maria’s grave.
“Why don’t you take a break before you do that,” Window said.
Einstein ignored him as he dug into the stony earth, sweat dripping from his brow, his gaze fixed on the task before him. It was obvious he was sore from the beating he’d taken, and the march from the grocery store. But his eyes burned with a fierce determination that drove him to finish the task that lay before him. Meat suspected that if they didn’t do it now, Einstein might not be able to do it later, his emotions refusing to allow him to let her go.
Pushing himself to his feet Window stepped over to where Einstein was working and gently pried the shovel from his hands. “Let me help,” he said.
Einstein stepped back and sank to a sitting position with his legs crossed before him as Window struggled with the stony ground.
After fifteen minutes Meat took the shovel from Window and deepened the hole in the stony ground. The only sound was of the shovel striking the earth and birds in the trees around them.
“She liked listening to the birds sing,” Einstein said.
Meat stopped what he was doing and wiped his brow with his forearm. “They give us hope,” he said, “they’re proof that no matter how bad it gets, life will go on.”
The others nodded as Billie-Bob returned to the group. He was about to say something but stopped when the somber attitude of his friends became obvious. Instead he took the shovel from Meat and stepped into the widening hole to take his turn.
Though they had been friends before their adventure, what transpired during their trip, and how they had learned to rely on one another had strengthened those bonds. And in that sense of camaraderie they could all draw a measure of comfort for by its very nature that friendship also offered them hope for the future.
And in the end, when it was all said and done, hope was really the only thing they had that could never be taken away.
Richard Schiver
4/06/2015
Thank you dear reader for accompanying me on this brief journey. Meat and company will return in the near future, for we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of the world in which they live. If you enjoyed this story, please take a moment to leave a review.
DreadLand Chronicles Future Titles
Library of the Damned
Armageddon Airforce
This Way to Heaven
About the Author
Richard was born in Frostburg, Maryland, in the winter of '58' and currently lives eight miles away. A five-year stint with the military allowed him to see what he wanted of the world. Married with four grown children and eight grandchildren, he and his wife provide a home to four pets that are spoiled beyond rotten.
While the majority of his fiction is dark, his focus is on the character's struggle to reach the light at the end of the tunnel. An avid reader he has written and published three novels, two novellas, and a collection of short stories since his return to writing in 2008 after a computer crash wiped out nearly ten years of work in 2001.
In addition to writing daily he works a full time job in retail, and piddles around in his wood-shop making one mess after another when time permits. Richard can be found online at:
Facebook: https://www.facebook/RichardSchiver
Follow Richard on Twitter: @RichardSchiver
Written in Blood is Richard’s personal blog where he shares his thoughts on writing, and whatever else might strike his fancy. www.richardschiver.com
He can be contacted directly at [email protected] and would be delighted to hear from you.
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Other Fiction from Richard Schiver
Adversary: Shadows of the Past Book I
The alien invasion of the earth has begun, but this is no Independence Day. The threat doesn’t come from the stars, but from the shadows of the past, as ancient Gods who once ruled a young planet seek a return to their former glory.
When Washington D.C Homicide Detective Sam Hardin is called upon to investigate a gruesome killing he stumbles upon the theft of an ancient alien dagger that had been discovered in the barren wastes of Antarctica. But this is no ordinary dagger. It has an odd effect on anyone who comes into contact with it, for it contains the essence of an alien race that once ruled a young Earth.
Partially disabled Vietnam vet Jack Griffith has been counting down his final days as the cancer, compliments of his service in South East Asia, slowly consumes his body. Called upon to clear a clogged storm drain he is accidentally stabbed by the dagger that had been stolen to repay a gambling debt. Surrounded by rats as death approaches he is given another chance at life when that alien presence invades his body.
Jack, acting as an unwitting host to this alien life form, embarks on a search for the only one who can stand in the way of their return. An ancient legend appearing in the guise of Sam’s brain damaged four-year-old son. A mere child, whose fathomless black eyes hold the secrets of life and death.
Sam and Jack go head to head in a fight to the death as the echoes of a distant past whisper from the antediluvian void. In the balance hangs the future of all mankind, and his place at the top of the food chain.
Will mankind awaken to new masters?
Or will good prevail?
Links to Adversary:
Amazon U.S Amazon U.K
Parasite: Shadows of the Past Book II
They've awakened from an ageless sleep.
Quietly taking over the world one household at a time. Moving in the dead of night, replacing those smiling neigh
bors across the street with an unholy union of man and beast. They've waited eons to reclaim this world as their own and when the balance of power tilts in their favor, the feeding will begin.
What should have died in the fire at his cabin didn't and Sam Hardin is faced with the responsibility of putting an end to it once and for all. As he battles to eradicate the menace in his neck of the woods, discoveries in Washington state and Russia add to the growing threat.
Mankind faces an extinction event like no other, for there is only room for one at the top of the food chain. Will we retain our dominance over the world?
Links to Parasite:
Amazon U.S Amazon U.K
Coming soon- Assimilation: Shadows of the Past Book III
Enter Night: A night of celebration turns to terror as six friends seek refuge in an abandoned farmhouse and come face to face with their worst nightmares. For there are places even the ghosts of the dead fear. Where nightmares wander the hallways of our dreams, and not every story ends with a happily ever after.
Links to Enter Night:
Amazon U.S Amazon U.K
Reprisal: Vengeance knows no boundary. On the surface her plan was brilliant in its simplicity. Return home, take the place of her twin sister, and live out the rest of her life in relative peace. Unfortunately even the best laid plans had their flaws and this one involved Margaret's alter ego Candice, who was hell bent on leaving a bloody trail in her wake. But Candice failed to acknowledge one simple fact.
The dead always got their revenge.
Links to Reprisal:
Amazon U.S Amazon U.K
White Walker: When she was ten she made a promise to that which inhabits the winter storm. Now she’s twenty-six and pregnant, and the White Walker has returned to collect his due.
For Teddy his first day as shift supervisor could not have come at a worst time. A severe blizzard has shut down the region as old man winter refuses to relinquish his grip. Only ten percent of his team has shown up for work, and he learns upon arriving that one of his first duties that day will be to fire his girlfriend.
He believes it can’t get any worse than it already is. That is until one of his people dies at the hands of a legendary creature that inhabits the blizzard. A prehistoric deity once worshiped by ancient man on the vast Siberian plains. Brought to these shores by Russian immigrants seeking a better life in the deep coalmines that once dotted the hills around the Appalachian Mountain town of Frostburg.
Cut off from the outside world, stalked by a creature from the past, the survivors are forced to abandon the safety of a building that has been stressed to the breaking point.
But how does one escape a winter storm?
Links to White Walker:
Amazon U.S Amazon U.K
Nine Dark Tales:
From the Zombie apocalypse, to things that go bump in the night, here are nine short tales that are sure to send a shiver whispering down your spine.
In The Shadows:
Waking up from a coma Chuck discovers he has the ability to see into the secret life of the shadows around him and he quickly learns one's shadow reveals their true nature, for shadows cannot lie.
Bobo:
Sarah has been kidnapped, but her kidnappers don't know about her coming divorce, and the possibility her husband might just use the kidnapping as a means to get rid of her. Stressed by her situation she is forced to face her past as old family secrets are hauled into the light. Help arrives from the other side, proving death is not the barrier many believe it to be.
Origin:
A seismic event in Antarctica uncovers an ancient secret about mans distant past. A group of scientists are dispatched and soon learn some things are better left undiscovered.
A Family Tradition:
Would you give up your firstborn child to save yourself? In the Valley of the Dead Oaks the barrier between life and death, between the past and present, has the essence of a dream. It is a place where the dead do not die, promises are obligations that must be satisfied, and the way out may not be what it seems.
Till Death Do We Part:
For Eddie the Zombie Apocalypse is just another blow in the long line of disappointments his life has become. Losing everything that ever mattered to him he is left with but one choice.
Perchance to Dream:
Do the dead dream? Beverly was content with her life at the end of the lane, until she started seeing things and discovered that when you spend your days dying you have a lot of time to dream.
Don't Mess With The Pizza Guy:
After the Zombie Apocalypse, as man works to regain his place in society, zombies are the least of his worries.
Where The Dead Things Go:
Sometimes we're given a second chance to apologize to a loved one after their untimely death.
Music of the Gods:
So often we don't realize what we have until we've lost it.
Links to 9 Dark Tales:
Amazon U.S Amazon U.K
All Roads Lead To Terror: Coming of age in a post apocalyptic world (Dreadland Chronicles Book 1) Page 17
