Born in the Apocalypse 2: State Of Ruin (8 page)

Chapter 19

Inside, Mack had handcuffed the boy to the bars of the cell. His arms were outstretched and his legs were the same. The bit was still in his mouth and he still strained and raged at his impotence. A small man with thick glasses was looking the boy over, flinching every time the cuffs clanked against the bars.

Rutledge turned to me. “You can leave, Joshua. I will have words with you later.” He turned his back and I could see the print of a weapon under his shirt in a shoulder rig.

“Like hell,” I said. I had removed the leather thong off the hammer of my Colt before I came in here and spoke with some anger. I was the one that had captured the Tripper. If anyone was going to examine him, it was going to be me, or at least with me in the damn room.

Rutledge turned back to me. “You forget yourself. I heard how you nearly got my daughter killed, and it is taking a great deal of restraint to keep from shooting you right here.” Rutledge’s voice was strained and he spoke through clenched teeth. His hand crept towards his side in an obvious threat.

I hooked a thumb onto the hammer of my Colt, and faced Rutledge directly. He was one wrong move away from getting shot, not that he was aware of it.

Mack was, though. “Hold on! None of that here!” Brewster shouted. He held a hand up and stood between us. “You ain’t heard your daughter’s side of things or Josh’s, so you need to hold your horses, Rutledge.”

The president of the council turned an icy stare at his lawman. “Stay out of this, Mack. I order you.”

“I don’t take your orders,
Mister
goddamn Rutledge, so unless you want to share a cell with that Tripper, you’d better back off.” Mack put a hand on his gun to emphasize his point.

Rutledge fumed at this rebellion, but I knew it was far from over. He looked at me like he wanted me dead, and I looked at him like I was ready for anything he wanted to send my way. I figured my time here in Rockford was running to a close, and I wanted to be moving on anyway. It had been nice to take a break from traveling, and I knew Judy liked it as well, but I think she was like me. If I wasn’t home, I wanted to move on.

“Fine. We will discuss this later, Brewster. The council will have a lot to talk about,” Rutledge said. He turned to the man in the cage with the Tripper. “Proceed.”

The man took a small knife, and cut the boy on the arm. It bled freely for a second, then stopped. The wound seemed to shine a little, and then it was done.

“Interesting,” the man said. “It would seem that the Tripp Virus protects its host by healing wounds in a fashion. They don’t heal completely, it seems, but enough to keep the host going.”

Rutledge pulled his gun and fired a shot in the cell, hitting the Tripper in the chest. The boy slammed against the bars and his head slumped down, but in a few seconds, he raised his head again and was trying to escape his bonds. Rutledge put his gun back in his shoulder holster.

“That explains why they didn’t die when they were shot by police and kept attacking,” Rutledge said. “What happens if we cut off his hand?”

“I would expect the same thing. The wound would heal and he would have a stump,” the man said.

“Would a hand grow back?” Mack asked.

I was actually wondering the same thing. But I wasn’t going to try it on a Tripper. As much pain as they caused, I knew they weren’t responsible for their actions. They were sick and completely out of their heads.

“I don’t know,” the man said.

“I have a question,” I said.

Rutledge ignored me but Mack looked over.

“I have shot these Trippers in the heart with my arrows and every one died. They didn’t heal. Any thought as to why?” I asked.

“I don’t believe that,” Rutledge said.

I looked at him darkly. “If you’re calling me a liar, Rutledge, you’d better fill your hand when you do. And if you pull on me, I’ll kill you.”

The words hung in the air like a dark cloud, and Rutledge fumed. I could see he wanted to try me! But his innate caution kicked in and he kept his hand away from his gun.  Instead, he turned to the sheriff.

“There you go, Sheriff. I was threatened. You need to arrest Mr. Andrews immediately and…”

“And what? Take him to jail? He’s already here. Job done. You do your business, I’ll do mine,” Brewster said.

Rutledge realized he was fighting a losing battle and shrugged. “Another matter for the council, then. Doctor, what about the question?”

The doctor shrugged. “My guess is the Trippers can’t heal if the foreign object is interfering with the process, and normal procedures take over. If you stuck a knife in his heart and left it there, I’m sure he would die.”

“What about any other place?” Rutledge asked. “Could we stab him in his liver and leave the knife? Would he die eventually?”

I wasn’t liking where this was starting to go. We figured out why they did what they did and why they survived, but I wasn’t a fan of torture.

“I think I’m done here,” I said to Mack. “I’ll kill a Tripper if I have to, but I won’t torture them anymore.” I was starting to regret capturing the boy, given the look on Rutledge’s face when he talked about stabbing the boy to see if he would heal.

Chapter 20

I left the jail and went took Judy back to the house. I began to pack what little I had into my saddlebags and put in my quiver the extra arrows I had made while I was killing time. Extra food I put into a sack and I gave Judy extra grain. I figured we would take the north road and head towards the corner of the state. The maps I had seen showed land that was very hilly, and I wanted to see hills for some reason.

In the morning, I saddled Judy and led her out the door. I started a little when a voice called to me.

“Josh! Are you leaving?”

I looked over and saw Cindy sitting astride her horse, looking as fresh as a morning lily. My heart fell into my stomach and my throat was suddenly dry. I knew I had to leave, but I was hoping I could avoid explaining why. One look into Cindy’s eyes and I knew that hope was gone.

“Yes, Cindy, I am leaving. It’s time for me to move on, visit a few more horizons, cross a few more hills.” I tried to sound upbeat, but it sounded hollow even to my own ears.

“But why? You just got here! And you saved me! What’s the matter?” Cindy said. Her eyes got wet and it seemed like she was about to cry.

I was about to answer when a sharp voice cut through the air.

“Cindy! Get away from that boy! You’ve been told to stay away from him! How dare you disrespect me this way!”

I looked up the street and saw her father striding towards me.  Judy pulled her head back and snorted over my shoulder. I put a calming hand on her neck and spoke quietly to settle her down.

I waited until the man came within earshot before I spoke. “Rutledge, I’m leaving. You don’t want me here and I’d rather not be in a place that has someone like you in it.” I turned to Cindy. “I like you, Cindy. I really do. I may stop by on my way back home from wherever I’m going. But I think I need to head on out.”

“You’re leaving? Well, good! We never needed any drifter trash around here anyway.” Rutledge was in a fine mood for insults today and he let it show.

For my part, I wasn’t going to let that one go. “Trash? You loudmouthed son of a bitch! If I didn’t want your daughter to see her father get the beating of his life, I’d knock you on your stuck-up ass,” I snarled, stepping away from Judy.

Rutledge’s face was purple with fury, and he strode up to me with murder in his eyes. I was seeing red as well, and I wanted to vent my fury.

Blake threw a straight punch to my head, which I let pass over my shoulder. His side was exposed as he did this and I slammed a fist into his ribs, earning a grunt for my effort. I didn’t waste time waiting for him to recover, I punched hard into his chest, knocking him back and causing him to miss with the left he swung as he fell. Rutledge recovered quickly enough, and I saw in his eyes how he suddenly measured me differently. I got away with those two punches because he thought I was just some kid he was going to teach a lesson to. Now it was a real fight and he was going to do some damage if he could. Rutledge had an inch on me and was probably ten to fifteen pounds heavier.

Blake snapped another fist out, and instead of dodging it, I stepped into it, slipping it along my raised arm. I popped my fist forward from the block, pounding Blake on the nose with the edge of my left hand. His head snapped back and I used the opening to land a punch just at the base of his jawline where it met the bottom of his ear. Blake went down and I heard Cindy cry out.

I stepped back to put a hand on Judy, who was stamping and blowing, and ready to charge Blake herself.

Rutledge stood up, shaking his head and wincing as he worked his jaw. My father had taught me that punch. He had said hitting someone in the head was a stupid thing to do. You had to hit them where it was soft, not where it was armor plated. The human skull was a damned hard thing to hit. Blood was running out of Blake’s nose, staining his shirt and jacket.

“Son of a bitch!” Rutledge charged again, and this time, he reached out to grab at me with clawed hands. I treated this like a Tripper attack and pivoted to grab the closest outstretched hand and twisted, propelling Blake across the yard and into the nearest tree. I wasn’t really aiming for the tree, but it worked out that way. Rutledge slammed into the maple with his face, his chest, and his gut, wrapping his arms around the tree momentarily before he bounced off and landed on his back. His face was a full strawberry from the bark, and he’d have those marks for a long time.

Cindy rushed over to her father and put a careful hand to the bruises and cuts that were beginning to show. She looked at me and I didn’t like what I saw in her eyes. I could understand what she must have been thinking. Her father had been a force in this town and here I was, somebody who was nobody, and I had just knocked her notions about the world into a heap. I was glad I was already packed.

“I never want to see you again, Josh! Never!” Cindy cried out.

I had nothing for that but to tip my hat, mount my agitated horse, and head toward the western side of town.

As I rode out, I could hear a lot of the neighbors talking about the fight and I smiled to myself as I overheard their conversations. I felt better about the whole situation, and by the time I made the outskirts, I was actually smiling.

Chapter 21

Have you met my horse Judy? She’s a mare of rare intelligence, stamina, and pure cussedness wrapped up in an equine body. Most of the time she’s looked after me with a mother’s determination, but there are times, like now, that I would swear she forgets I’m anywhere near.

I slowly, slowly, slowly raised my head and stole a peek out the window I happened to be lying under. I could see my faithful companion faithfully cropping the grass in the front yard of the house I was currently hiding in. Between the house and the horse, there were about twenty Trippers. I couldn’t get an accurate count because they were out there, I was in here, and since the home I stupidly chose to spend the night in didn’t have any curtains on the windows, I couldn’t move without being seen.

My weapons were what I had on me, namely my Colt and my knife. My rifle, bow, and arrows were out on my damn horse, who was wandering further and further away as the Trippers crowded around the house.

Could I make a stand? Maybe. Would my shots call in more? Maybe. I had twenty-five bullets in my belt loops, five in my handgun and another ten in the rifle. It was too close for comfort and the risk of calling in more Trippers was too great. If there were twenty out there now, fifty could be around the corner. I needed to get outside and away from this trap. At least outside I could run.

As I lay on the floor, I looked up at the ceiling and racked my brain for ideas. My eyes fell on the couch I was next to and the blanket laying across it. I couldn’t stop staring at that blanket. My memory was poking at my subconscious, which was trying to get my attention like a six-month-old puppy.

Finally, it hit me. I remembered the blanket I hid under when I rode Judy through the fence. I also remembered doing the same thing as I rode past my mother’s body when I returned.

I eased the blanket slowly off the couch, trying desperately not to attract attention. The blanket slid easily, and as it came over the back of the couch, I suddenly worried about it falling too quickly to the floor and causing a problem. I decided to risk it, and when the blanket started to come over, I pulled it suddenly. The blanket was now on top of me and I was going to use it the same way I had before.

I rolled over and covered myself as best I could. My legs stuck out a little, and there was a peculiar bump where my head was, but I was pretty sure I had broken up my outline enough that a quick glance by a Tripper wouldn’t trigger a response.

I crawled across the floor, moving slowly but steadily through the living room. There were open areas of sunlight across the house, and I froze every time a shadow moved into view. I was sweating a great deal, and a small puddle of it was forming in the small of my back.

I made it to the hallway and took a long break. My muscles were cramped from the unusual activity, and my knees hurt from scraping the floor. But I needed to keep going and get out before my damn horse was two counties away.

I crawled into a bedroom, and when the coast was clear, I stood up and slipped into the closet, closing the door behind me. I remembered this closet from my initial scouting of this house and knew there was an attic access in here. Up in the ceiling was a small square section that was framed out with some wood trim. I stood on a suitcase, managed to get myself up onto the top shelf. Pushing the square up, I slid it out of the way and climbed up into the attic.

It was a dark and dusty place up there, dimly lit by the sparse light coming up from my meager square. I could see near me a small rectangle with light coming in through slats. On the other side of the house, I could see another one. That would be my plan, then.

I went over to the far opening and worked at it for a minute. I found that I could remove the cover by taking off the wingnuts of the screws that held it in place. I worked it off carefully, keeping myself in the shadows. I could see several Trippers walking around and on the far edge of the property was my horse, contentedly chewing on a patch of Johnson grass. Things were going to happen in her vicinity and soon. I tied one end of the blanket to a roof stud and let it droop, an easy grasp as I planned to be hurrying by.

I went back to the other window and took a deep breath. Either this was going to work or I was going to be trapped up here. Those were the options that lay before me.

I started banging on the vent, yelling out and trying my best to scream. After the first one that came out sounded like a little girl, I stopped that in case anyone might actually hear me and try a rescue. Outside, I could hear wheezing and stomping. The side of the house shook a little as a dozen or more arms and hands pounded on the wall.

I carried on for another twenty seconds and then bolted for the other side. If there were any Trippers who didn’t get the message that the party was on the other side of the house, I was going to be a rude shock to them.

I grabbed the blanket and practically dove through the window, swinging out and then jerking back. I slammed into the side of the house and the impact caused me to let go. I tumbled to the ground and landed on my side. My Colt jabbed me painfully in my hip, and for a brief second, I was grateful the thing didn’t go off and shoot me in the leg.

I pushed myself to my feet and caught a glimpse of legs to my south, but it turned out it was just Judy wandering over to see what I was up to. I called her all sorts of names under my breath as I grabbed her reins and limped as quickly as I could away from the house. I tried to keep the house between myself and the congregation, but it was not meant to be.

One of the Trippers caught sight of us as we walked away and tried to come after us. I thought about shooting it, but figured I wouldn’t need to since we were far enough away that I could mount up and move along more quickly. I hooked a foot in the stirrup and tried to swing my other leg over, but it was stiff as hell from the fall and didn’t want to cooperate.

“Dammit!” I said. I took my foot back and limped on, trying to get a little more distance. After a hundred yards, I took my bow out and turned the Tripper’s head into a weather vane. Three more were coming around, and it was only a matter of time before they figured out that the house wasn’t making noise any more and they would return to their wandering.

I got back up in the stirrup and gritted my teeth, trying to keep from yelling as I pulled my leg over. It felt like hauling a log over a fence. Judy was no help, looking back at me with lazy eyes and flickering ears. If she felt like giving a little buck right now, I might have shot her.