by Mark Tufo
Dent fumbled with his lock. It took some serious force against his door to get it open against the press of zombies.
“Make sure you shut the door!” Icely laughed even as he heard the first of the zombies tear into his driver. “Bet that hurts.” Icely reached over the seat and pulled the door closed quickly while the zombies fixated on Dent.
“Help me!” Dent begged.
“Man, you’re already dead. Oh shit, look at this!” Icely brought his hand out of his pocket. “Shit, I had a spare key on me the whole time.” He pressed the key up against the window. An anguished Dent looked back. A zombie tore his left ear off as another bit through his side. He was dragged down to the ground. “The lesson of the day, kiddies,” Icely grunted as he climbed over the seat, “is to not trust anyone with your life. Once a cop, always a cop, huh, Schools?”
Icely started the car and barreled through the throng of zombies with enough force that some came up the hood and smacked down onto the windshield, further damaging the glass.
“I would have gotten us out of here…sure, after Dent got out, he was too stupid to live. I was doing evolution a favor. But you, man? What the hell?” Icely asked, propping up Schools’ head with the barrel of his weapon. “Nothing to say for yourself?”
Chapter 7 - RILEY
I heard muted gunfire and then the starting up of a two-wheeler. I was far enough away that I didn’t have to worry about either adversary. I’d found a small stream at the bottom of the hill, which I was now drinking from greedily. I was busy enjoying the feel of the cool liquid coating my throat when I heard a branch break to my side. I raised my head slowly, not wanting to give too much movement for a predator to take notice of. An animal near to my size came out from behind some bushes. It was brown and had some white spots on it. It triggered something deep within me. This was food.
A much bigger version of what I now figured was the baby came out. This one did not have white on it but other than that the coloring was the same. The young animal dipped its muzzle into the water. It was then I noticed that the infant and the adult were both panting heavily, their sides going in and out rapidly as they tried to get as much air as possible. The mother was too terrified to drink; she was looking around frantically. Her eyes were wide as she did so. It certainly wasn’t because of me. I don’t think that either one of them had noticed me yet. I got down low and took a step towards the small one.
The deer…yes, that was what it was, a deer. I got that name from somewhere deep inside of me. The young deer looked up quickly, its gaze pinned me to my spot and then, as if it didn’t recognize what I was, it moved on. I took another step towards it. I was three or four more away from grabbing it and pulling it down. I froze when the infant’s eyes grew as wide as its mother’s. I turned to see what it was looking at. My heart nearly stopped; three wolves were looking back.
“Is that ugly thing a dog?” one of the wolves said. “We should kill it.”
“Mist, I want the deer. The pups cannot survive on dog meat,” the wolf in the middle said.
“It’s another predator, Tundra,” Mist said.
“That thing’s a predator?” The third wolf said with derision.
“Fine, Mist, if the ugly dog disturbs you so much, kill it. Flanks, you and I are going to get that deer,” Tundra said.
The two larger wolves lunged for the deer that had once again taken up flight. “We’ll come help when we take them down,” Flanks said.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll join you on the hunt when I’m done.” Mist began to circle. “What is your captive name?” she spat.
“R-Riley.” My heart was hammering in my chest. The wolf across from me was nearly double my size and ferocity.
“Well, RaRiley, I hope you enjoyed your last little bowl of food the humans gave you, because you won’t need to worry about accepting handouts anymore.”
I wanted to ask her why she wanted to kill me. She hated me just for what I was and that was enough of a reason for her. Run or fight? I spun and ran. If I’d had a bigger tail her teeth would have clamped down on it.
“You cannot run from me,” Mist snarled with anger.
Watch me, I thought.
I could hear her jaws snapping behind me. If she was close enough to be trying to bite me, I needed to do something quickly. I darted to the left and spun to the bushes on that side. Mist was slower to react and had more weight to deal with in order to change momentum. I gained some precious time as I got to the bushes that hugged the water. After that it was just expansive openness. Would she get tired of chasing me? I guess I was going to find out.
“I figured dogs to be less smart. Why are you delaying the inevitable?” Mist said as she changed her direction and followed.
I was left to wonder if this wolf somehow knew Patches—they sounded similar. At least with the cat it was disdain and not outright contempt. The wolf crashed through the bushes. I heard small twigs snap as she pursued.
I ran along the base of the hill. If I dared to look, I think I was actually putting some distance between the wolf and myself…and then I realized what she was doing. I was running flat out in fear and she was pacing herself for the long haul. She’d tricked me from the outset. She was bigger, faster, and more powerful. I was now trying to weigh my choices: turn to stand and fight, or be dragged down from behind. Both of those were about as savory as the cat’s disgusting fish food.
“Why are you stalling what we both know is going to happen?” Mist asked from much closer than I would have liked.
“Why?” was all I was able to push out of my heaving chest.
“You ask why? You mean less than nothing to me. You are not food, nor are you kin. You are a manmade abomination. Humans have twisted our lineage to suit their own needs and produced whatever you are…an enslaved being that lies around all day and is fed in a bowl.”
I didn’t see the problem with the food in a bowl thing. I mean, who wouldn’t want food delivered to them? The two-leggers had stuff brought to them all the time, most of which they were always willing to share.
“I respect the deer we hunt more than you. They suffer the icy coldness of the nights, and the brutal drenching of the summer rains. They endure the biting insects that draw our life fluids from us and they, like us, are hunted by the humans and their long weapons. While you do what? Fetch a ball? You are less than useless and for that I will tear your throat out and leave you for the birds. At least they will get some sustenance from you.”
Maybe her arguments were valid. I’d never thought of it that way. The fact remained though that I didn’t want to die. “I loved your kind, I was honored to be a descendant,” I managed to say.
“Descendant?” she scoffed. “Because we both have four legs does not make us relatives.”
My legs were getting heavier the further we went. My previous run, the injury from Icely, add to that my lack of food and water and they were all beginning to take their toll. I was slowing down and Mist was laughing.
“You run decent for a dog, but you are already beginning to falter. I have not even hit my stride yet. Turn and die…at least have that much honor,” she howled.
It sure would have been easier. I pressed on.
Chapter 8 - JESS AND THE GANG
“Is that a body?” Jess asked, looking off to her right into the gas station parking lot.
“She acts like that’s the first one she’s seen,” Patches said, glancing quickly.
“This is hard on her,” Zach replied.
“He looks familiar.” Ben-Ben had his paws on the window as his head turned. “He was one of the men from Jumper’s house. I miss Jumper, he promised me some bacon snacks.”
“Are you sure?” Patches asked. She turned to look at the now rapidly fading scene.
“I saw him,” Ben-Ben said, thinking about his long lost snack.
“When?” Patches asked.
“When I was scratching my bum,” Ben-Ben said.
Zach let out a small laugh.<
br />
“Disgusting dogs, what do humans see in you?” Patches asked, turning back around.
“That’s good news, right?” Zach asked. “One less of the bad people.”
“There are still four of them, Baby-that-should-not-talk. And how I wish you wouldn’t,” she added softly.
“I heard that,” Zach said.
“No kidding,” Patches dripped sarcasm. “There are still four of them, though.”
“I wish Riley were here, she’d know what to do,” Ben-Ben said sadly.
The next fifteen minutes were ridden in silence, as each occupant in the car was lost in thought.
“Zombies!” Jess said as the car screeched to a halt.
Ben-Ben once again fell to the floor. “You should really brace yourself better,” Patches said.
She had her front paws on the dashboard, her tail twitching back and forth as she looked out upon the zombies ahead of them. They had not yet seen the stopped car. She noticed they were busy with something. The runnels of blood flowing down the street were the only clue she needed to figure out exactly what it was.
“Too much of it to be a dog.”
“Of what?” Zach asked.
“If I was talking to you, I would have started with Baby—”
“That should not talk. I get it,” Zach murmured.
A couple of the zombies on the fringe of the feeding frenzy turned around to look straight at Jess. There was no hesitation as they started to run at her.
“Shit,” Jess said.
“Shit,” Zach mimicked.
“I will agree with you this time,” Patches said.
“Oh, I don’t like them.” Ben-Ben said as he stared between the two seats at the onrushing zombies.
“You don’t say?” Patches asked, her tail gaining in momentum as the zombies neared.
“What?” Ben-Ben asked. “I did say.”
“Stupid dog.” Patches meowed loudly at Jess, “Move, girl! It’s clear behind us!”
Patches was flung back into her seat as Jess pressed down hard on the gas.
“You should brace yourself better,” Ben-Ben said happily, his tongue hanging out.
“Shut up, dog.” Patches was trying her best to make it look like that was what she had meant to happen.
“Good one, Ben-Ben,” Zach said.
The car rocked as a zombie struck the quarter panel. “Oh, God.” Jess tried to swerve to avoid more of them.
“She’s really close to the guardrail!” Zach looked over to his side.
Patches’ eyes grew wide as she looked down the steep embankment. The headlight on her side shattered as Jess hit two more zombies, her left front beginning to crumple from the assault. Sparks flew up on the right side as she was forced into the metal. Patches dove into the backseat and to the far side of the car away from the drop-off. The scraping of metal on metal was deafening within the confines of the vehicle.
“I just pooped,” Ben-Ben said. He hopped into the vacated front seat, partly to get away from his ‘mistake’ and partly because he got to sit up front for once.
Patches was terrified as zombies were pressing up along her side. Jess was single-minded in her determinedness to pull away from them.
“Faster!” Patches howled.
“Yeah, what the cat said!” Zach wailed.
“That looks like fireworks!” Ben-Ben sounded fascinated as he peered at the shower of sparks.
“You’re terrified of fireworks,” Patches reminded him.
“Yeah, you hid under the table and peed,” Zach agreed.
“You guys know about that?” Ben-Ben sounded ashamed. “Whoa, that’s a big dog,” he said as the sparks stopped.
Jess had finally pulled the car away from its fiery embrace with the safety-rail. “We’re past!” she shouted triumphantly.
Patches let out a sigh as she looked at the zombies giving chase behind them.
“The big dog is chasing a smaller dog, I think they’re playing,” Ben-Ben said, his tail wagging furiously. “I want to play!”
Patches came up next to Ben-Ben. “That’s a wolf.”
“I just got here. Do you want me to move?” Ben-Ben asked.
“It can’t be,” Patches said.
“What?” Zach asked.
Patches thought for a moment about not clarifying her words. She didn’t know if she thought better about it because Ben-Ben would eventually figure out what was going on or if it was just the right thing to do…at least by dog and human standards. The right thing for her would be to let the wolf finish off Riley once and for all so that the meddling mutt would not guilt her into helping ‘the pack’ at the most inopportune times—times when she could save herself and avoid personal injury at every cost.
“It’s Riley,” she finally said.
“That big dog is Riley? It doesn’t look like Riley.” Ben-Ben was looking hard.
“The other one, dumb-dumb,” Patches said.
“Oh yeah, that’s Riley!” Ben-Ben started barking excitedly. “She sure does look like she’s having fun.”
“You’re a dolt, she’s running for her life,” Patches hissed.
“Patches, you have to get Jess’ attention!” Zach exclaimed.
She knew if she did nothing in the next ten seconds it would be too late. Even from this distance, Patches could tell Riley was flagging. She thought very highly of herself as she pierced the relative quiet in the car with her wail.
“What, Patches?” Jess asked, looking over.
Ben-Ben was staring out the window, his tail going a mile a minute and Patches was caterwauling at her. She leaned over to try and get the same view as the small dog. “Oh, my God!” The car surged ahead on an intercept course; she began to frantically beep the horn.
“This is fun!” Ben-Ben yipped loudly over the noise.
Chapter 9 - RILEY
My heart hurt, the exertion was too much. My steps were faltering; the wolf was relentless in its pursuit. It was nearing fight time. I would not be dragged down like a rabbit or a deer.
“Close now, dog. Can you feel my breath upon your hindquarters yet?” Mist asked.
I picked a point up ahead where the small upslope would give me a height advantage; that was where I was going to make my last stand. That’s what I truly thought it was going to be. She would not be fooled like Thorne. I was going to die today, but she would suffer some wounds as well. Maybe next time she would think twice before killing another dog. Probably not though, she didn’t look like a wolf that had many regrets.
I was approaching the do or die—mostly die—spot when I heard a wheeler horn off to my left. I barely had the energy to look towards it. The horn wouldn’t stop though—it was a lot like the wolf. ‘It can’t be.’ I thought after finally glancing over. It was entirely too far away and I did not recognize the wheeler but that there was some small animal or animals in the viewer looking back at me was almost beyond doubt, although possibly, it was just a figment of hope. At this point, what did I have to lose? I’d already resigned myself to my fate.
I found something deep inside of me, maybe it was ancestral, and just maybe and more importantly, it was the canine part of me. I surged ahead with a newfound purpose.
“Enough is enough, dog!” Mist spat out. She sounded like she was winded a little bit. Good. She had also heard the horn; that I was heading back up the slope and towards it, I had to believe, was causing her a moment of concern.
The wind was flying by my face as I ran for my life. It was difficult to make out who was in the car as I galloped, my vision going up and down to the rhythm of my paws. The hard packed ground curved slightly towards me and that was where the wheeler stopped. It was a straight line from where I was, to where I was pretty sure I needed to be. I could now feel Mist’s heavy labored breathing right behind me. She was closing in before I could make it. I had nothing more to give.
A heavy paw swipe caught me in my flanks, and I tumbled down. A cloud of dirt erupted as I flipped over two times. My paw
s sought purchase as I sprang back up. Mist had gone by me as I was falling. She now stood between me and the excited, yipping Ben-Ben.
My heart was elated and heavy, I was so close, and now the end was near. I was happy that at least they were safe. Mist was snarling and snapping at me as we faced each other.
“No, Ben-Ben!” I heard Jess scream. The small dog was running towards us.
“I want to play!” he was saying.
Mist spun to what she figured was a new threat. “What is that?” she howled at him.
It would have been impossible for Ben-Ben to not see the malice etched on her maw, and yet he still came forward.
“Oooh, you get bigger as I get closer,” he said, ears pulled back and tongue lolling as he ran.
“Stupid dog,” I heard Patches yell as she followed in pursuit.
“These your friends?” Mist asked, spinning back to me. “A cat and a rat?”
“Friends and pack-mates,” I answered, lowering myself in expectation of an attack.
“Wow she’s pretty!” Ben-Ben said as he got closer.
Mist again turned.
“She’s deadly!” I warned him.
“He doesn’t get it,” Patches said.
Even the three of us together were no match for the timber wolf. I just hoped that she didn’t see it that way and would leave.
“First you, and then I’ll take care of them,” she said as she launched.
“So much for wishful thinking,” I said.
The sharp sound of a fire-arm report made Mist yelp in distress. She cut short her flight and sharply veered away back down the hill.
“Oh yeah, the one with the fire-arm is also my friend and pack-mate…plus, she feeds me! Stupid wolf!” I barked.
Mist howled and was gone.
“Riley, Riley, Riley!” Ben-Ben said, jumping around like the crazy dog that he was. “Who’s your wolf-friend?” he asked, looking the way Mist had gone.
“She’s no friend of mine,” I told him. “Wolves are jerks.”
