Born in the Apocalypse 2: State of Ruin

by Joseph Talluto

  I had a lot to do, but I was pretty sure I was going to like this place for the time I was here.

  Chapter 24

  “Hello the house!”

  The call came early in the morning, and it was accompanied by Judy giving a nervous nicker. I stepped out onto the porch to see that three men on horseback were positioned on what might have once been my front lawn. The men were all hard looking, and seemed to be armed. I saw that one of them was positioned in front of the other two, so I assumed he was the leader.

  I had been at the house on the hill for over a week, just taking things easy after a month of travel. I had explored the immediate areas, and while there were a lot of places I had seen, there were still some hidden hollows left to explore. Across the valley, there was a hidden trail that led past an old one-room schoolhouse that you couldn’t see from the road that circled the valley. The trial led to the top of a ridge with a winding road that led back to the main lodge. I don’t think anyone had used that trail in years. I also had found a pump well down by one of the outbuildings in the valley and after some coaxing, got the pump to start sending out water. I took planks off a fence down by the barn and used them to shore up the small corral I kept Judy in when I wasn’t letting her graze on the hillside.

  “Can I help you?” I asked. I wasn’t wearing my gun, and for some reason, I felt extremely underdressed for the occasion.

  “You alone?” The speaker was a thick man, probably in his mid-forties, wearing a greasy T-shirt that barely covered his bulging gut. His arms were large, and I could see there wasn’t much fat on those. This man had done some heavy work in his time. His knuckles were scarred from past battles, and I had a suspicion about why he was the leader.

  “Hang on, I’ll be right down,” I said. I ducked back into the house and quickly buckled on my Colt. I thought about covering it, but then I might need the second it would take to sweep the coat back. I took a quick look outside the back windows and didn’t see anyone there so all of my problems were out front. That was better.

  I stepped outside, calming Judy down. She was pacing back and forth and clearly did not like the men in front of her stall.

  “Howdy again. How can I help you gents?” I said.

  The leader took in my height and shoulders at a glance, and then his eyes traveled down to the gun at my hip.

  “Names Mort Piker. This territory belongs to me. Anyone living here has to ante up to stay here.” He looked at the house and corral. “You’ve secured the place pretty well, but it won’t matter now.”

  “Why not?” I asked. “I’m not bothering anyone.”

  “You hunting my land? Your horse feeding on my grass? That’s bothering me. So in order for you to stay, we’ll just take that fine horse off your hands. Saddle and tack, too,” Piker said.

  “What? That’s crazy! You’re not taking my horse,” I said, dropping my hand to my gun.

  Piker snorted. “You looking to get killed over a horse? Get your hand off that gun before I take it off you and shove it up your ass. Mike, get that horse.”

  “Mike, is it?” I asked of the man that moved. “You try to take my horse and I’ll kill you,” I said. “And Piker? I’ll shoot you next.”

  Mort snarled. “The hard way, huh? Pete, shoot this kid.”

  The man Mort referred to brought up his gun, bringing the stock to his shoulder. He dropped the rifle and tumbled off the horse while the other two men handled their horses. I laid a calming hand on Judy and slid my smoking Colt back into its holster.

  The horses finally calmed down, and Mort was beet red mad. I could tell he wanted to kill me in all sorts of nasty ways, but I shot too straight and too fast for him to try anything here. I kept my eyes on him and his friend. I knew in an instant I had made an enemy who was going to do everything he could to make me suffer.

  “This ain’t over, punk. Your last day’s coming. But you’re going to suffer first.” Mort wheeled his horse and rode away, followed by Mike, who had put Pete on Pete’s horse, led the two away.

  I went inside and began packing. I had no illusions about what as going to happen next. Mort was going to return with a lot more men and he was going to burn me out as soon as he could. He’d already lost a man and judging by how quick he was to have me killed, I figured he was judge, jury, and executioner in these parts. I had a feeling he might have been the one behind the Ferris wheel of death.

  Half an hour later, I hear Judy snorting outside, so I went downstairs to see what was up. She was moving back and forth on the far side of the stall, but she had done that before so I didn’t think anything was too out of order.

  I stepped outside to calm her down. “Hey, girl, what…?”

  Something struck me a wicked blow to my head, and I went down to my hands and knees. I saw a pair of boots behind me and I tried to reach for my gun, only to feel it jerked out of my holster. I looked up just in time to see another fist hit me in the head, and a boot kicked me in the ribs. I tried to crawl away to get some distance, but another blow landed and everything went black. The last thing I heard was Judy’s enraged neighing.

  Chapter 25

  The first thing I felt was wetness. I tried to open my eyes, but only one obeyed the command. The other one was swollen shut. My tongue explored my mouth and found a dozen cuts, but no loose teeth. I slowly explored the damage to my body and thankfully found not broken bones. My sides were sore as hell and my head felt like Judy had used it repeatedly for a stepping-stone. There was a sharp pain in the small of my back, and it puzzled me because I didn’t remember getting hit there.

  I did remember walking into an ambush, and I mentally cursed myself for it. All I had to show for me being quick on the draw was the loss of everything I owned, and a hell of beating. Thankfully, I was in pretty good shape, and the muscle on me helped protect me from broken bones. My right hand was sore where someone must have stomped on it, but thankfully, the ground beneath my hand was soft and absorbed the impact.

  I looked up and saw the sun was well into evening. I didn’t recognize where I was from my first glance, but my attention was refocused by a harsh voice in my ear.

  “Wakey wakey! Time fer yer next beatin’!” The voice was harsh and smelled awful, but that wasn’t what concerned me as much as the punch to the head that drove my skull back into the ground. I tried to ward off the blows that rained down on my head and body, but it was a feeble effort.

  After a while, I was numb to the pain and the punches stopped. I was pretty sure my nose was broken and I could feel blood in my mouth. I shifted a little and was thankful my ribs weren’t broken yet, but given time, that was coming.

  A second voice penetrated my consciousness as I lay there trying not to pass out.

  “You sure pissed off Mort, kid. We got orders not to kill you, just beat you until you can’t move, then leave you here to die.” This voice wasn’t as harsh as the first, but it was deep, like it was older than most.

  “You thinkin’ you some kind o’gunfighter, kid? Wearin’a rig like this?” I couldn’t see, but I figured the Harsh Voice was wearing my gunbelt. “Mort gave me your gun seein’ as you kilt my brother. ‘Time I’m done with you, you’re gonna beg me to kill you.”

  I kept my eyes closed hoping they would think I was unconscious. I was in a bad way and it was only going to get worse. I couldn’t think of any way out. If I could get to my feet, I might have stood half a chance, but they would shoot me just for laughs. I needed a weapon.

  My back really hurt down by my belt and I tried to think of when I was hit down there. My heart suddenly leapt into my throat. That little .25 was back there! They must have missed it when they took my gunbelt off me. It was attached to my other belt and my shirt must have covered it.

  I lay there waiting for the sun to slip behind the hills. I had nothing but time, and I needed to get this right on the first go. Anything else would be the death of me.

  The light grew dimmer and I knew it was the best time to move. The human eye
had a hard time at dusk alternating from a light sky to a dark ground. Those few seconds of adjustment would be critical.

  As I lay there, I slowly stretched a hand out to a nearby rock. I had to roll slightly on my side to do this, and when I did, I slid my other hand behind my back. In the dark, I hoped it looked like I was trying to defend myself and my other arm was useless.

  “Whatchu grabbin’ at? You lookin’ to hit me with thet little bitty rock?” Harsh Voice had returned and kicked at my hand. “I oughtta break your goddamn arm fer that.” Harsh Voice drew his foot back and that’s when I moved.

  I pulled the gun out from behind my back and aimed at what I could see. I fired three shots into Harsh Voice’s crotch and gut, and he went down screaming. I turned quickly to see the other man grabbing at his gun, and I fired three times in his direction. I don’t know where I hit him, but he went down as well.

  I rolled to my hands and knees, heaving a little as my head spun and my gut roiled. I spat out a little blood, and looked over at Harsh Voice, who was still screaming and grabbing his nuts. Blood was everywhere, and I was surprised he was still kicking. I knocked his hands away as they grabbed at me and yanked my gun belt and Colt off his waist before he bled all over it.

  The movement twisted my side and I gasped aloud at the pain. I could still only see out of one eye, so it was going to be difficult. But I had to get Judy back. I owed her my life several times over.

  I felt better as I put my gun belt back around my hips. I checked my Colt and saw it was still loaded. The belt was still full of cartridges, so I was well-heeled to go after my horse. I wished I had my rifle, but then I wished I wasn’t so beat up, either.

  Harsh Voice finally got quiet as he bled out, and I checked on the other man. He was laying in a pool of his own blood, as one of the bullets had entered his neck and severed the artery there. The other two seemed to have missed him completely.

  I stumbled out of the small valley and found that I was only a small distance from the barn. It took me a good half hour to work my way down the pump, and I put a lot cold water on my beaten face and managed to open my swollen eye up a little.

  As I washed the blood off my face and neck, I could feel a rage building up inside. I hadn’t bothered anyone. I just took over an empty house. Now my horse was gone, my rifle was gone, and all my supplies. I was mad clean through, and I had one name to blame for all my troubles.

  Mort Piker.

  Chapter 26

  As I left the valley behind, I went back up to the house I had used. Inside, I was surprised to find most of my belongings, including my rifle and ammunition. I had placed them under the bed, and I guess in the hurry to beat me they didn’t bother to take the time to go through the house as thoroughly as they would later after I was dead.

  I thought about where Judy might be, and I remembered seeing a few horses at the big lodge near the front of the territory. If nothing else, that would be a good place to start.

  The sun was fully down when I started walking, and my side hurt something fierce. My head ached with every step, and I had to stop once in a while to get my vision to come back to normal. I didn’t doubt I might have a concussion, but there was nothing for it right now. I needed my horse back and I needed to square things with Piker.

  As I walked, I considered my course of action. In all likelihood, I was going to be shot and killed. But there was an anger in me that wouldn’t put it aside for a calmer day. I hadn’t started this, but I was sure as hell going to be there at the end. Fueling my fire were the thoughts I had of the other two places that didn’t want me around. Both times I hadn’t done anything anyone else wouldn’t have done and I still got run out for it.

  This time, I was going to earn it. My grudge was Mort Piker, and if they let me have him, no one else would get hurt. But if they wanted a fight, it was coming to them right now.

  I went down a small culvert and looked out at the waters lapping the edge of the road. This little inlet reached out to a bigger lake, one that came up to the back of the lodge. I gave a brief thought to finding a boat and coming up the back way, but I had no idea even where to begin looking for a boat.

  I walked up the curving hill, and just before I got to the crest, I heard a couple of voices coming over the top.

  “Can’t believe Pete’s gone. Just don’t seem real.”

  “You’d believe it if you were there. That gun wasn’t there and then it was. Pete got blown right outta his saddle.”

  “How old was that kid, anyway?”

  “Hell, he has a young face, maybe his teens? Built like he’s seen some work, though.”

  “Why’d Mort push him?”

  “Dunno. Mort’s been edgy lately, like he’s got a sore tooth or something. Kid wasn’t hurting anybody, and for sure we didn’t need the horse.”

  “Tough way to go, beating him to death.”

  “That was Piker’s gift to Walt. Pete was his brother and all.”

  “Think they’ll be back soon?”

  I stepped out of the shadows with my rifle leveled at their belt buckles.

  “No,” I answered. “They won’t be back at all. Drop your weapons.”

  The two men stared at me like I was some kind of ghost, but when their eyes found the rifle, they took their guns out quick enough. They put two handguns and two rifles on the ground at my feet.

  “You two seem like you want to take a trip. Ever been to Rockford?” I asked, gathering up the guns. I tried not to gasp as my side gave me a new pain to explore.

  The men shook their heads.

  “Now’s a good time to visit. When you get there, tell Brewster I said hello. Now get lost.” I motioned with the muzzle of my gun and the two men nearly tripped over each other in their haste to get away.

  I waited until they were out of sight before I sagged against a tree. My head swam and my gut hurt, but if I showed weakness in front of these men, they’d kill me for sure.

  I stayed in the darkness of the trees and looked the situation over. The lodge was huge, with a large parking lot that had been turned into a corral. On the close side of me, there was a small building that used to be a general store of sorts, at least that’s what the sign next to it said. It was dark and looked like it hadn’t been used in years.

  Inside the big building, I could see flickering lights of lamps and candles, and shadows moving around like wraiths. I knew Mort would be in there, and I had a score to settle.

  I moved among the darker shadows and got closer to the lodge. I had no plan other than to go in and shoot anyone who got in my way. The more I hurt, the madder I got.

  I stayed downwind of the corral, not wanting the horses to get alarmed. One of them spotted me and raised its ears in question as to who might be intruding. It walked over carefully, and I waited, hoping it would go back. I couldn’t see very well, but I began to feel a small glimmer of hope as a walking mare, as familiar to me as my own hands, made her way over to my side of the corral.

  I placed hand out onto a warm nose, and tried to stop the small flow of tears as relief flooded through me. The only family I had left was right here in front of me and she had found me again.

  “Hello, girl. I sure am glad to see you’re okay,” I said quietly. Judy nickered softly, then walked away, returning to the other horses. I think she knew what I was about to do, and it was better she was away from the lodge.

  I checked the loads in my rifle and made sure it was full. I loosened my Colt in my holster, and flexed my hand a few times to make sure it was limber. I took a deep breath and stepped into the lodge.

  Chapter 27

  I didn’t see anyone in the front, and light and shadows danced around in a frenzy of red and yellow and black. I heard several voices coming from another room, and made my way over there. I rounded the corner of a great stone fireplace and let the light of the other room cover me completely.

  In front of me, there was a long table, and several men were sitting there eating and drinking. They didn’
t notice me for a minute and that was fine. I noted my target was sitting at the head of the table, drinking heavily from a large glass.

  The room suddenly got very quiet. No one moved at all, save for their eyes, which seemed fascinated with the muzzle of my rifle. Some eyes traveled to my face, which was swollen and bruising. I was sure I looked like hell, but at the moment I didn’t care.

  I looked at Piker. “You worthless son of a bitch,” I said, my voice loud in the room. “You beat me for no reason. Your men were going to beat me to death for no reason at all. I didn’t bother anyone, I didn’t hurt anyone. But you were going to have me killed.”

  I transferred the rifle to my left hand and rested the muzzle on the shoulder of the man nearest to The barrel was pointed right at the man’s neck, and he froze in place, sweating profusely and not daring to move.

  I looked at Mort. “Your turn to try it on your own. Not one of your dogs. You.” I spat the words at him and waited.

  Mort’s face was red with anger, and he put his hands on the table. He heaved his bulk upright, and stood facing me. I kept my hand near my Colt, and I was ready for any move he was going to make.

  Mort looked at me and then at his men. They were alternating looking at me and looking at him. The tension in the room was palpable, and the only sound came from the fireplace, where a log fell on the grate and caused a burst of sparks.

  The long silence was broken by Mort himself. He sighed long and hard, then he raised his hands and sat back down. He put his hands in front of him on the table and looked down.

  I was frustrated and I was mad. I wanted to kill him so bad it hurt almost as much as the beating I took. I vented my anger in the fury of cursing and swearing. I called him every vicious name I could think of and invented a few more. I cursed him for a coward and promised him every sort of pain I could think of.