by Mark Tufo
When Jess had enough room, she once again placed the car in drive, the transmission changing gears with a sickening thud as she didn’t slow down and stop to make the change.
“Is it gone?” Ben-Ben asked, his paws overlapping his eyes.
“Sure,” Patches said.
“Thank the biscuits,” Ben-Ben exhaled. He hazarded a look behind him; the zombie stared back at him. A puddle of urine formed on the seat as the zombie slid down and away.
“Sorry,” Patches said sarcastically.
Ben-Ben didn’t say anything, but he didn’t think he would forget the cruel joke anytime soon.
“We’ve got to find Riley.” Jess said.
Do we? Patches wondered.
The Book of Riley: Part 4
My Name is Riley
Mark Tufo
This book is a work of fiction. Names, Characters, places and events are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual names, characters and places are entirely coincidental. The reproduction of this work in full or part is forbidden without written consent from the author.
Copyright 2013 Mark Tufo
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Cover Art:
Cover Art by Shaed Studios, shaedstudios.com
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Dedications: To my wife because without her, I’d be screwed!
Thank you to my beta-readers, Vix Kirkpatrick, Joy Buchanan and Kimberly Sansone. I lucked out when you guys hopped on board to help out!
As always to the first responders and men and women of the armed forces, you have mine and my family’s admiration and respect for all the sacrifices you endure to keep us all safe.
A shout out to my friend across the pond Steven Simpson, he promised me the best fish and chips should I ever visit his fair country, I’ll be over at 5!
Chapter 1 - RILEY
It was the smell that finally got me awake. My dreams were troubled, and I was happy to be away from them, but the reality of my situation was worse. I was in the company of death. There was the scent of the two-legger that was Mia and the odor of decay—faint for now, but it would be overpowering soon. My head hurt so badly. I could feel sticky, dried life-fluid on my ear, but that was nothing compared to the crushing pain in my head. I whined softly through my nose, wishing I could go back to sleep. It hurt every time the wheeler hit any kind of bump on the hard-packed path. I closed my eyes tightly and gritted my teeth wishing the pain would go away.
And even that, as bad as it was, was still nothing compared to the sense of loss I felt for Jess, Zach, Ben-Ben and maybe even the cat as well. I could only hope that my plan to lure the zombies away had given them the opportunity to get away. Patches seemed more than capable of leading them to safety. As long as she didn’t revert back to her normal state of Cat First and everything else third, they should have made it away from Icely and the zombies.
I let loose a small growl just thinking about him—the vibrations rattled up my skull and caused no small amount of discomfort. All I remember was running away from the zombies and through the legs of one of the two-leggers; I’d turned slightly to see if they were in pursuit. When I turned back, it was too late. Icely was in front of me…and then I’d felt him strike me.
Now I was trapped in a wheeler with Mia’s body. I could hear voices in the front of the wheeler—it was two males and a female—I believed them to be the same ones from the yard, but it was impossible to concentrate. The wheeler mercifully stopped and the two-leggers began to talk.
“Check on the dog,” I heard Icely say off to my side. I wanted to growl but I had enough wits about me to realize the pain it would induce.
“You’re kidding, right?” I heard one of the males ask from the front of the wheeler I was in.
“Yeah, I’m fucking kidding. Now check on the dog or you’ll be back there riding with her,” Icely said. I could hear the anger in his voice.
The wheeler moved up and down as all of the two-leggers got out.
“Cover me,” one of the males said as I heard something metallic scrape the trunk next to me. The light that poured in forced my eyes shut; it was like I was being struck all over again. I whined, angry I had shown weakness in front of them even if it was involuntary.
“Is it alive?” one of the men asked.
“She just whined, idiot,” the female said.
“Give it some water,” Icely ordered.
Someone poured water over my muzzle; it felt so good, the cool liquid wetting my fur. I moved my tongue, trying to lap up as much as I could before it spilled to the floor of the trunk.
I felt a hand stroke my side. “She’s a beautiful dog,” the woman said.
“This ain’t fucking PETA, Diana,” Icely said. “That dog has killed more people than you. You’d better keep that in mind. Alright, I want to go a little further and then we’ll stop for the night.”
The trunk shut, thankfully blocking out the blinding light. The movement of the car lulled me back to sleep.
Chapter 2 - JESS
Ben-Ben awoke from his nap with a start. “Rileyyyy!” he cried. “The zombies are coming and they took the bacon!”
“There’s no zombies, no Riley, and certainly no bacon,” Patches said, looking down at the small dog that had rolled off the seat.
“What?” Ben-Ben asked, trying desperately to come up from the depths of his dream state and also from the car floor. “Riley hasn’t come back yet? She wouldn’t leave us.”
“It’s alright,” Zach soothed, his small, fat fist reaching out to touch the dog’s head reassuringly. Ben-Ben moved in closer when he realized the baby couldn’t reach.
“It’s far from alright,” Patches said.
“Ben-Ben doesn’t need to know that,” Zach admonished the cat as he ruffled the fur on Ben-Ben’s muzzle.
“Yeah, Ben-Ben doesn’t need to know,” Ben-Ben said, his eyes half closed as he enjoyed the ministrations from the baby.
“You guys all awake?” Jess asked; her voice had a lilted anxiety to it. Even Patches, who was not all that in-tune with other beings’ feelings, could feel the stress radiating off the girl.
The cat, much to her chagrin, found herself asking ‘What would Riley do?’ She moved off her seat and onto the center console so she could rub up against Jess, hopefully alleviating some of the anxiety they both felt.
“What am I going to do, Patches?” Jess asked absently, rubbing the top of the cat’s head.
“Well, you can keep doing that for now,” Patches replied, stretching so her head brushed up against Jess’ shoulder.
“What am I doing?” Jess asked as tears fell from her face. “I lost Riley and Mia, and I’m trying to find a boy I broke up with a year ago. Even if he wanted to be with me, I’m sure he’s dead just like everybody else!” By the time she got to the end of her sentence she was near to hysterics, so much so that Zach began to cry in response.
“Everyone’s not dead!” Zach wailed.
“I miss Santa!” Ben-Ben began to whine.
Patches moved back to her seat next to Jess. Riley would never let this happen. At one time, she thought getting rid of the dog was the best thing possible for the group…well, at least for her. But now she wasn’t sure…not so sure at all. That angered her. She was going to stick her claws straight into Riley’s snout the next time she saw her.
Chapter 3 - RIL
EY
When I awoke next, my head did not hurt as much. Other than that, I did not know how long I’d been in here. It was cooler, so I thought the burning-disc might be down and the light of my ancestral wolves must be shining. I felt stronger for that. The small amount of water I’d received had helped, but was not nearly enough to slake my thirst. I had to get out of here somehow.
I rolled slightly so I was on my paws. I could stand most of the way, more so than in the first kennel I had been housed in. The material above me was the hard stuff the two-leggers called metal. Even with my strong jaws, I knew it was impossible to bite through it. I’d once chipped a tooth as a puppy when I’d bit down on the chain that Alpha-male had me on in the backyard. He’d said it was so I wouldn’t run away. Why he thought that, I didn’t know. This was my pack. Where would I have gone?
“Sorry, Mia,” I whined as I stepped over her and towards the front of my compartment.
I could hear the two-leggers talking. Something about how they should shoot Icely and be done with it. Sounded like just about the best idea I’d ever heard. The wall of the compartment was covered with fake fur. I nipped at a piece and clenched it tight in my front teeth. The material pulled away easily enough; behind it was a flat piece of tree. THAT I knew I could chew through—I’d once destroyed a door made out of the same stuff. Alpha-female had been so angry. Alpha-male had merely laughed and told her that “maybe Riley doesn’t like the laundry room any more than you do.” He’d stopped smiling when she’d told him that now they had to get another one. I was glad she’d meant a door and not a dog.
“You owe me one, Riley,” Alpha had said as he’d rubbed my head and went to the store. I could only hope he felt that I’d paid him back.
“Did you feel that?” the man named Grumper asked.
“What?” the female asked; her name was Diana.
“Something in the trunk,” Grumper replied.
“Yeah, Mia’s come back to life.” Ned laughed.
“Hey, man, that shit’s not funny,” Grumper said.
“I guess it really isn’t,” Ned agreed.
“Do you think so?” Diana asked.
“Mia? No. She had her brains scrambled. She’s dead,” Ned told her. “Probably just the mutt rolling around.”
“Do you think she can get through the trunk?” Grumper asked.
I was also wondering that same question.
“Naw,” Ned said. “An older car maybe, but there’s framework behind your seat and there’s only three or four inch holes, not to mention the woven metal in your seat.”
“Three or four inches? That’s big enough for her to get her muzzle through,” Grumper said.
“Did you hear the part about the metal slats behind you? You’re fine, you big baby,” Diana said.
“Then you sit back here,” Grumper challenged.
“Not a chance,” Diana told him.
“You fucking mutt, you come through here, I blow that ugly head of yours clean off!” Grumper yelled.
I slowly retracted from position and back over Mia to my original location. Sadness struck deep as I sat there. The further we moved, the further I got from my pack that desperately needed me. Ben-Ben was loyal and could be fierce, but he was not a leader. Jess was mired in indecision, her caution sometimes creating an inability in her to make choices. The one who could best lead them was an infant; he had greatness in him but did not yet possess the means to use it. Patches was the leader by default and that made me scared. She was smart, resourceful and predatory…it was that last thing that cut both ways. She would stand and fight as long as it was safe for her to do so. If she felt the tide was turning, she would abandon the battle at any cost to those around her. It wasn’t truly her fault; it’s just the way cats are. They are solitary animals that survived by stealth and maybe deception. I couldn’t prove that last part, but it made sense.
The wheeler was still moving and Grumper had stopped smacking his seat to make sure I wasn’t trying to get through. I heard Ned speak, “We need gas.”
“Shoot your high beams at Icely,” Diana said.
“I’d rather shoot the asshole with something else,” Grumper muttered.
The wheeler slowed down and finally stopped. A door opened.
My fur bristled at the next voice I heard. “What do you want? Your pussy hurt?” Icely asked.
“We need gas,” Ned replied evenly. I could tell he was trying his best not to let anger creep into his voice. It was easy enough for me to detect and I wondered why the two-leggers couldn’t pick up on the stresses in their communication. They always thought they were so smart, and yet they missed the simplest things.
“Do I look like a fucking gas station?” Icely asked, his voice trailing away.
The door slammed shut and we were once again moving.
“His asshole gets bigger and bigger,” Ned said. “I wish it would just hurry up and swallow him whole.”
Diana laughed.
“I’d pay to see that,” Grumper said.
The speed of the wheeler began to decline and we stopped again.
“Hold on,” another voice said, “let me just do a quick check around before you guys get out.”
“Alright. Thanks, Schools,” Ned said.
A few moments later, Schools came back up to the car. “It’s all clear, but let’s hurry this up. I don’t like being in the open like this, especially at night.
“I’m with you on this one.” Ned agreed. What he didn’t say but his tone said clearly was that he’d be with him on whatever he wanted to do, even if that meant shooting Icely. At least that’s what I hoped.
“Is he planning on stopping for the night at any point?” Diana asked Schools softly.
“He’s blazing through an eight ball of cocaine right now. I don’t think he’s going to come down for another day or two,” Schools replied.
“That’s just fucking great,” Grumper said grumpily.
“I’ll keep an eye out, let’s just get rolling quickly,” Schools said as he moved away.
“Where the fuck is the gas lever?” I heard Ned ask.
“Down by your left-hand side,” Grumper said. “But be careful, it’s right next to the trunk…”
I heard something above me click.
“…release.” Grumper finished.
“Fuck,” I heard Ned whisper.
“What’s the matter?” Diana asked.
I stood up and the ceiling moved as I did so. The hard packed ground was lit up by the Wolf-Disc. It took me a moment to realize I was staring at freedom. I turned back to Mia. “I wish I could take you with me,” I said to her as I slipped out from the back of the wheeler and onto the black ground.
“I popped the trunk,” Ned said.
“You did what?” Diana asked in alarm.
“The fucking two levers are right next to each other!” Ned said in the same tone as his wife. “Grumper, go shut it.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Grumper told him.
“The dog was nearly dead,” Diana said. “She’s not going to do anything.”
“Then you go out there,” Grumper told her.
“Fine, you fucking baby,” she said.
I could hear the metallic sound as she readied her bee shooter. Her door opened and I realized I didn’t have anywhere to run. It was completely open ground to the back of the wheeler. On the driver’s side and a little further up sat Icely in the other wheeler. On the other side, Diana was coming. I could see her fake feet come out.
“Great, now I’m going to look like a damn sissy,” Grumper said as his door opened.
I was crouched down closest to him. He moved quickly and I ducked underneath the compartment I had been in. There was a loud slamming as he pressed the lid of the trunk down.
“Easy as pie,” he said, his voice relaxing.
“I told you the damn dog was dying,” Diana said as she got back into the wheeler.
“Hurry the fuck up!” Icely shouted.
“Dipsh
it, the zombies won’t hear that, will they?” Grumper whispered sarcastically.
“Hand pump is in our trunk,” Schools called from across the lot.
Grumper walked away and was back a few beats of my heart later. His fake feet stopped not more than two cat spans away; he was standing by seven metal discs stuck in the ground. He bent down and stuck his finger in a catch I had not seen. The disc was moving when his head whipped my way. He was looking straight at me. I had no choice but to do what I did as I charged out from under the wheeler. My mouth opened wide as I launched; the front of my mouth caught him on the meat of his cheeks even as he was falling backwards.
A strangled cry came from him as his hands wrapped around my waist, trying desperately to push me away. The harder he fought, the further I sank my fangs in. He stopped trying to push me away when he realized that to continue to do so would mean he’d lose half his face.
I furiously shook my head from side to side. I could feel the membranes of his muscles tearing. Bones in his face started to snap as I bit down harder. An explosion sounded as the ground next to us flew up. I had pulled Grumper down to the ground with me. He had stopped fighting and was now merely whimpering. I turned to the side, subsequently taking his face with me. The woman was out of the car, pointing her bee shooter at me. I pulled Grumper so that he was in between her deadly tool and me.
“Grumper!” she shouted.
“What is it?” Ned asked.
He was getting out of the car. I saw movement off to my right. The other man, Schools, was looking as well. I don’t think he could see anything from that distance, but it would only be a matter of time before he came to check out what was causing the woman so much distress.
“Well lookie here!” Icely leaned out his window. “Fucking dog is killing Grumper. That’s fucking hilarious!” he shouted. The wicked looking bee slinger however was not.
