Surviving Day by Day (Book 3): Still They Come (8 page)

Both men scrambled to their feet and began to square off again. The man was ready when Alden attacked, catching Alden and throwing him to the side, where Alden landed hard on his back against the rocks, knocking the wind out of him. It was the big man’s turn now. He lunged forward and grabbed Alden’s shirt pulling him up and getting ready to slam him back against the rocks. Alden spit in the man’s face then tried to head butt him to make him let go. It seemed to have no effect as the large man shook the blow off and smiled. Pulling his own head back, the man returned the head-butt twice then punched Alden in his stomach. Alden groaned in pain as he heard a snap from his chest. Pain shot through him as he gasped for breath.  The big man suddenly yelped in pain and let Alden go and reached down to grab the rattle snake that had bitten his leg.

Alden took the moment to regain his breath and his thoughts before lunging at the man. The man looked up as Alden began yelling again. Raising his head, Alden took aim and placed a karate chop directly across the man’s windpipe. Alden followed through and spun, prepared to kick the man. As he did, he watched the man fall back and let out his last gasp of air.  Alden fell back against the rocks to rest. Holding his chest, as the pain shot through him every time he tried to take a deep breath.

He looked at the men in front of him on the ground. The man with one arm was lying on his side, his tongue swollen so much it looked like a huge apple had been shoved in his mouth. The snakes poison had swelled the man’s tongue into a large grotesque shape.

Alden saw the man he had hit with the tomahawk. He didn’t realize it but the blow had cut deep into the man’s chest, just below his heart, which was now hanging out of the wound. Looking around for the last two, he started to move slowly towards the ranch. It wasn’t long when Alden came to a small gully. There below him, lay the last of the group. One’s throat was swollen and covered with bite marks. The second was lying on his stomach with a large wound in the back of his head. Alden kicked him over on his back.

He had never heard the shot the man fired. The remains of the snake that had bitten the man’s face over and over again lay dead around his neck. Alden started to turn when heard it. The rattle snake was quick. It lunged and struck Alden in the top of his boot. One fang hit the boot the other imbedded in his leg. “GODDAMN IT!” Alden yelled as he brought the knife down on the snakes head cutting it off.

Alden sat down and pulled his pant leg up and removed the head from his boot and leg. Looking at where the snake’s fang had struck him, he sighed, “Yeah, that’s going to leave a mark.” Alden drove the tip of the knife into the wound cutting it open. He then sat and squeezed the blood out then bandaged it up with a bandana. He whistled lowly and his horse came to him. Mounting it slowly because of the pain in his chest and leg, he started to ride slowly in and out of the sequoias to get down to the ranch.

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Ceara lay in the loft waiting for the riders to come around to attack the house. She crawled to the edge and looked down at the guys, “Charlie, how long are we going to let the girls be attacked before we do anything?”

As if on cue, several more shots rang out, causing Ceara to jump, “Oh to hell with this!”

She moved to the loft window to take aim. Her first shot took out one on a small dirt bike. A guy that was close to him yelled out, “WE GOT SOME IN THE BARN!” Mark yelled up to Ceara, “THAT was why we didn’t want to shoot yet!”

“Screw you! They aren’t going to get Tabitha and Beth!” Ceara was mad and it caused her next shots to go wide. Charlie scrambled up the ladder taking aim out the same window as Ceara, “Remember what Alden said, breathe, aim, breathe, and then pull the trigger.”

Ceara nodded, “You mad at me, too?”

Charlie took aim, fired and a man dropped, “No, to be honest, I was waiting on you to snap so I could use it as an excuse to fire, too.”

The men on the bikes were scrambling for cover; motorcycles were being deserted for better hiding spots. A very gruff voice called out, “Hold your fire! Damn it, stop!!”

Slowly the gunfire slowed to a stop.

The same voice called out again, “Ok, we know that there are more here than the three we thought, so let’s talk terms......”

Charlie answered before anyone else could, “Terms are simple, you leave, you have a chance of living... you fight us, you die!”

The voice came back laughing, “Boy, I don’t care if you have fifty in that barn, we still outnumber you!”

Charlie gave Ceara a nervous look, whispering, “He’s bluffing, don’t worry!” He turned back to the window, “Seems funny you think numbers are what ensures your victory. We aren’t too worried. Bring on your best, asshole!”

“You the spokesman for your whole group, boy? I would rather deal with an adult on grown up matters!”

Charlie didn’t rise to the bait, “I got your boy... and if you’re so all fired up to know what our numbers are, just start firing on us again, and you will find out!”

Ceara gave him a quizzical look, “What are you doing?”

Charlie called out the window, “Well, what’s it going to be?” Charlie looked down to Ceara, “As long as I keep him talking, the longer Alden has to get here.”

Tabitha glanced out of the window then leaned back to see Niz at the front window, “Still three?”

Niz nodded, just as Beth came back in to see Frank climbing into the attic space, “What the hell is he doing?”

Harold smiled, “Best place to fight is high ground or a roof... we don’t have a roof available, so the crawl space will work. There will be a vent up there that Frank will get a very good view from. Larry has a few pieces of plywood up there so Frank will be able to get to both the front and back of the house.”

Beth looked again to the crawl space, “He better be careful... anyway, I saw two going around the back of the barn, how can we warn the others?”

Tabitha kept her eyes to the back of the house, “No need, we have good enough training that even if they get around there, they won’t live long. Colt and Charlie will expect that.”

The man’s voice rang out again drawing everyone’s attention, “Young man, you still with me?”

“I’m here, what?”

Tabitha glanced to Beth, then the others, “They are buying time, wonder if they have more on the way? I say we say fuck the talking and just start taking these assholes out!”

Beth shook her head no, “Let this play out, Alden hasn’t made an appearance yet and that is always our cue to start, we don’t change that now.”

The man’s voice came through again, “Listen kid, we ain’t had good-looking women in a while. How about you let us take a couple off your hands and we call it even for you shooting a couple of my men!”

Before Charlie could respond, Tabitha called out, “Man, I wish you had rode up on a horse, I could tell you to go fuck yourself and the horse you rode in on AND mean it!”

Charlie rolled his eyes, “Damn, I knew she wouldn’t let that go,” he said as he smiled to Ceara.

Tonto’s growl drew everyone’s attention in the barn. Spirit Horse looked up to Charlie, “What’s up with your dog?”

Charlie snapped and Tonto sat down growling at the back door, “Ease open the door just a little, let him out. There are one or more out there.”

Spirit Horse looked at Tonto, unsure of walking beside him, “Easy boy, I’m letting you out.”

Tonto bolted out the door.

Mark eased open the front door. Just enough to get a view between the house and the barn, when one of the puppies ran out. “Shit!” Mark looked to Colt, “Sorry dude, I didn’t know they got out of the basket.”

The young pup ran across the yard, his feet carrying him faster than this body could go and he rolled a foot or two. He bounced up and shook the dirt off just as one of the men grabbed him up, “Lookie here guys, dinner!

He snapped the puppy’s neck and before the puppy hit the ground, so did he. No one knew for sure where the shot came from.

Tabitha looked back to Beth, “Do not bitch at me for killing that mother fucker!”

Beth just stood there, “If you hadn’t done it, I would have!”

The man’s voice was once more heard, “Well, you just took out one more of my men, you are getting harder and harder to deal with. You have one..... OW FUCK!!!”

Tabitha grinned at Beth, “We’re up, Alden’s here!!”

Alden had stopped just short of the ranch and listened as Charlie and the man were yelling. Getting off the horse, he worked his way toward the man but was keeping an eye on the ranch. As he closed in, he watched the big man kill a puppy, whispering to himself, “Fucking asshole, why’d he go and do that?” Just then Alden saw the big man get hit in the neck with a bolt. “That’s my girl, Tabitha.” The man in charge started yelling again while the others around him started to fan out away from him. Alden moved in slowly, stepping lightly. He had gotten right behind the man as he started to yell once more. Alden stepped up and drove his fist into the kidney of the man, “I’m real tired of listening to your bullshit.”

As the man dropped to his knees and turned his head, he started to yell for help but Alden had him by the throat. “Call off your dogs, if you want to live.”

The man’s eyes were bulging as he choked under Alden’s grip. He finally nodded okay. As Alden loosened his grip, the man drove his fist into Alden crotch then threw sand in his eyes. The blow caught Alden off guard and he fell backwards. The man got up and yelled, “KILL THE MEN AND RAPE THE WOMEN!”

Alden’s boot swept the man off his feet. Alden rolled over in pain as he drove his knife into the man’s crotch. The man screamed in pain. Alden moved up the man’s body with the knife at the man’s throat. “Bad move, hoss.”

Grabbing the man’s hair, he placed his knife at the hairline and sheared the top of his scalp off. “Welcome to the real west.” Alden stood and with four quick stomps of his boot, he broke the man’s arms and his knees. “You wait here, I’ll be back.”

Tonto bolted out the door and ran a few yards out. The two men looked surprised but turned back to the door. Tonto turned in a dead run and ran back toward the door. Leaping through the air, he caught one man by his arm and pulled him to the ground. Tonto then quickly went for his throat tearing at it viciously. His partner spun, “HOLY FUCK”

He aimed and fired but Tonto heard the click and leaped away just as the bullet hit the man on the ground. “SHIT! FUCK!! SON OF A BITCH!!!” The man started to shoot wildly but Tonto was running and zigzagging, never giving him a good target. Another man came around the barn seeing Tonto. He aimed his rifle and fired. Tonto let out a yelp as the bullet hit his right rear foot. Tonto rolled and limped behind a water trough. The two men were heading towards him when one looked out across the desert.

“What the fuck is that?”, he said pointing to a cloud of dust in the west coming toward them. The sun was setting so its brightness was blurring the image. The men tried to shield their eyes to get a look. “Oh shit!” They both breathed as the tribe of Indians suddenly came into view. Those were the last words they spoke as each one was suddenly riddled with arrows and bullets.

Spirit Horse heard the war cries from the tribe then the sound of pounding hooves. He looked to Colt, “Here comes the cavalry, as you would say.” Almost on cue, they threw the doors open and began to fire at the men who were attacking. Alden had moved up to the fence and was watching the house now as several men had surrounded it. He couldn't see Running Buffalo’s tribe coming in. Switching the safety off his rifle, he started to search for a target.  His strength was going quick from his wounds and the snake poison, “Hold on Alden, you got cupcakes in the oven.”

Alden got one pull of the trigger, which emptied the thirty round magazine towards the house. The sky was blue as he rolled over on his back and then shut his eyes.

Tabitha was taking out a couple here and there, yelling back to the others, “These guys have no fricking discipline; Alden is probably having a fit!”

The bandits seemed to have no idea which way to go, just shooting whichever way they could hear anyone. One must have heard Tabitha because the window frame splintered right beside her. She ducked down just in time, “You asshole!!”

Beth took aim as the man looked to the window, waiting for Tabitha to lift up again, Beth pulled the trigger and the man fell back in a cloud of dust. Tabitha grinned at Beth, “Thanks,girlie!”

Beth smiled, “Anytime!”

Niz came into the kitchen with Harold, “The fight will be over in just a minute; our men have arrived.”

Tabitha didn’t stand up, “Well, a minute will be a lifetime, if you give them a damn target, get your ass down!”

Just as Tabitha said it, a surprised look came over Niz’s face and blood appeared on her chest, in a very quiet voice she said, “Little late there, Tab,” as Niz collapsed on the floor.

Beth crawled over to her, “Shit... This better end now! She won’t last, if it don’t!”

The back door flew open and three men in warrior paint walked in, “Everyone ok.... damn is she alive?”

Beth looked to the men, “Is it all clear?”

“Yes... is she alive?”

“Not for long if I don’t hurry, she is bleeding bad!” Beth looked to Tabitha, “Get my stuff NOW!”

Tension, fear, and above all else, confusion was in the air, as Beth was tending to Niz. Beth was trying to keep all of the attention on her while everything was settling down. Noticing that Tabitha had not brought her medical equipment yet, Beth reached down and ripped the bottom of her shirt off. Just as she was applying pressure onto Niz’s bullet wound, Tabitha was there, “Sorry it took so long but I...”

Beth looked over and with a firm voice, “Tabitha, I got this, now you need to take a breath, because I am going to need all of your help here. I don’t know how bad this is and I don’t have time to talk.”

Tabitha stood there for just moment thinking about Heath. All of the rage filled her and she immediately turned around and stood beside the window trying to remain hidden, but was peeking out to see if she could pick off any lingering targets. It was quiet and this caused Tabitha to look over at Frank and the rest. “Do you all think Alden will need your help, or should you stay here?” It was clear that Tabitha was not in her right state of mind.

Charlie walked around the floor of the barn, barely believing the fight was over and none of their own was hurt. Charlie glanced to the loft and calmly said, “I need to find Alden, something’s wrong if he hasn’t walked up yet.”

He looked up to the loft where Ceara was, “Honey you need to get down here and help us out. I am going to take Colt with me for my back up. Mark and everyone will keep watch while I do, but I need you down and to go check on everyone in the house. I’m taking Tonto with me too, so keep your eyes open.”

Colt looked around, “Just an FYI Charlie, I am checking on Beth before I go anywhere. By the way, where is Tonto?”

Ceara came down out of the loft as Spirit Horse and Mark came back in, “Your girls are fine, but Niz was hit.” Spirit Horse looked to Colt, “Your woman is taking care of her.”

Colt nodded and looked to Charlie, “Ok, so let’s go find the old man.”

Charlie laughed, “You wouldn’t say that if he was here. Ceara, you go see if Beth needs any help, ok?”

Ceara nodded then ran across the yard to the house.

Beth took the pressure off of Niz’s wound and retrieved a water bottle from her kit. Quickly, she poured water over the wound to see how bad that it was. Looking at the area a stray bullet had penetrated her collarbone and when Beth turned her over to see if there was an exit wound, she was surprised to see that there was not one present. “Shit!” Looking up as Ceara walked in, Beth said firmly, “Ceara, you gotta help me.”

Ceara immediately came to the aid, “Oh shit, I’ve never done anything like this before. What is wrong with her?”

Beth calmly continued, “Looking at the entry wound, I would have to say that a small caliber bullet is what is causing the bleeding and that it has nicked an artery. Ceara, I need you to hold as much pressure onto this as you can, and let me get my stuff together. That bullet is going to have to come out. Since she is passed out, I am going to take full advantage of the situation, and go after the damn thing. But I need your help in keeping the wound open when I get to the bullet, then if the artery is nicked, I will then have to sew it up and then close the wound.”

A loud gurgle came from Ceara’s belly and her face turned white as a sheet. Tabitha heard all of the talk going on between them and this brought her out of her own thoughts. “Beth, Ceara, I can help.”

Beth looked up with the sweetest eyes, “Tabitha please get back there and watch those windows. We can be all taken out if someone isn’t looking, and right now you have that job. I have Ceara and she is going to do just fine.” Beth then looked over to Ceara and asked, “Aren’t you?”

Ceara knelt down because she didn’t know what else to do, she just nodded her head. “Good, now apply pressure and we are going to do this quick.”

Beth quickly got all of her instruments for field surgery, with her scalpel in her hand, she looked over to Ceara, “Remove the pressure and let’s get it out of there now.”

When Ceara had taken the rag away, the blood appeared to have slowed down to a trickle which was a good sign. After clearing the area from all of the debris around it, Beth made her initial cut and Ceara about passed out.

Beth looked over and firmly spoke, “Don’t look at what I am doing, put your hands on each side of the wound and hold it open, I need to see. Ceara, NOW please.”

Beth pulled apart the damaged tissue and was relieved to see that the bullet had not gone deep but it unfortunately chipped part of her collarbone. Fragments of the bone were present and she removed the pieces and placed them on top of Niz’s shirt.

“Ceara I need you to get me some gauze out of my kit, also there is a bottle of saline. I need you.....”

Surprisingly, Ceara was doing exactly what she was being told and she was paying attention. Handing the items to Beth “Is this right?” Ceara asked.

Beth looked up, smiled and replied, “See you’re doing just fine. I need you to pour some of that saline over here and I am going to pull the bullet out. It did not break off and it is a 22 just like I thought. I got one little bleeder over here, but I can fix that once I get the bullet out.”

Ceara was working carefully and kept in line with Beth, just as a perfect assistant would. Before too long, the bullet had been removed, the nicked artery had been stitched and Beth began closing her up.

Niz started to moan and Beth stopped immediately. She then looked over to her kit, took out a syringe and her bottle of morphine. “Niz...” Beth said quietly, “You’re just fine and doing great. We are almost done and I need to do this to help you get better.”

Beth injected Niz with twenty cc’s of morphine right into her left vein of her arm. It took less than thirty seconds and Niz quieted down instantly.

Ceara’s eyes were as big as saucers and Beth quickly finished stitching Niz back up. When she was done, Beth looked back into her kit and found a bottle of Ampicillin then and proceeded to get the shot ready.

Ceara asked, “What is that you're giving her? She has already had the other stuff....”

Beth smiled, “Well I don’t know what kind of infection would enter that wound or what was on those assholes fingers when they put that bullet into the chamber but I do know that this little injection here will help fight any infections she may have in there right now. God knows we don’t need any infection right?”

Colt and Charlie stepped outside the back of the barn. Charlie gave a loud whistle, “Here Tonto. Come here boy.”

Both the men’s eyes searched the grounds. They saw the man on the ground with his throat ripped out, Colt looked at Charlie, “Fucking bastard, serves him right.”

They turned and saw two more bad guys lying in the dirt riddled with bullets. Charlie called again, this time with worry in his voice. “C’mon Tonto, where are ya boy?”

They both turned to the trough when the heard the whimper. Looking at each other they both said, “Oh SHIT!”

They ran to the trough and there laid Tonto licking his right rear paw. It was covered with blood and looked to be broken. Charlie knelt down and Tonto growled at him. Charlie took a deep breath, “Okay, Tonto old friend, it’s me, Charlie. Remember I’m cupcake number one.”

Tonto turned and tried to move but fell back to the ground. Charlie reached down and stroked his head gently, “it’s okay boy, we got you. We’ll get you taken care of, you’re going to be alright.”

Tonto flipped his snout on Charlie’s arm and then licked his hand. Looking to Colt, Charlie spoke calmly, “In the barn is that little red wagon Alden brought from his cabin. Get it and bring it here. We’ll put Tonto in that and take him to the house.”

Within minutes the two were walking up to the door. Tabitha ran to them almost crying, “Oh God, not him! Not Tonto!”

Charlie smiled at her to calm her down, “He’s been hit in the foot, but I think he’ll be okay. We need Beth to look at him.” Tabitha knelt down by the wagon and petted Tonto, “It’s okay boy, we’ll take good care of you.”

She looked at Charlie, “Beth’s working on Niz right now, she took a bullet to the shoulder. I’ll tell her Tonto’s next.”

Tonto raised his head as the wind picked up a little. Barking twice he suddenly jumped out of the wagon and began limping across the yard. Charlie yelled, “HEY, DAMMIT DOG, GET BACK HERE.”

Running up behind him, Colt reached down to grab Tonto’s collar. Tonto turned and snapped at him. “Holy shit, Tonto it’s me boy.” Tonto turned and began to limp away towards the corral, barking again. Charlie ran up next to Tonto and began trotting beside him, trying to see what had him all stirred up. Tonto stumbled and fell. Charlie stopped and knelt next to him then looked at Tabitha and Colt who was following pulling the wagon. “He’s too weak we got to get him back in the wagon.”

Tabitha looked at Charlie, “Where the hell’s he trying to go.”

Charlie looked across the corral to the rocks beyond. “I think I know. Tabitha you take Tonto back to the corral, it may keep him calm. Colt you come with me NOW!”

Tabitha held onto Tonto’s collar as he tried to get out of the wagon, “Look boy. Charlie and Colt are going over there. It’s going to be alright, they’ll take care of it. Here, see we will go to the barn, you need to chill.”

Tonto barked twice more, and then laid his head on Tabitha's arm and let out a whimper. She patted him gently with a tear in her eye, “It’s okay, you did your job, now come on. Charlie and Colt will go get Alden.” She stood and started to pull the wagon to the barn.

Colt and Charlie jumped the second fence across the corral and ran to the rocks. “We got to split up. You go left, I’ll go right, he’s got to be here somewhere. Charlie turned and started to work his way up the rocks searching for Alden. Colt turned and went right. Charlie came around a couple of large boulders and stopped cold. A chill ran through him at the man lying in front of him. Charlie stepped back his eyes locked on the broken scalped body. His voice broke as he tried to call out... “C-Colt... Colt. COLT GOD DAMN!”

Colt stopped and turned hearing the panic in Charlie’s voice, “no no no no...” He turned as his worst fears came to mind. “Not him – not- God please, Not Alden!”

Colt started to run towards Charlie keeping his eyes on him sitting on a large rock. Colt never saw what he tripped over, till he turned around. Alden’s eye were slightly open as spoke in a whisper, “I’m fucking laying here with a snake bite, my balls smashed and headache and you kick me when I’m down... God damn you, cupcake.”

His eyes closed again as Colt Jumped up. “CHARLIE, CHARLIE I FOUND HIM, I GOT ALDEN.”

Charlie turned to where Colt was standing. He looked back at the man on the ground that seemed to be crying, “You know what, fuck you.” Charlie turned and ran towards Colt.

As he reached them, Colt was kneeling next to Alden. Colt had pulled his shirt off and placed it under Alden’s head. Looking at Charlie, “He’s hurt bad man and I mean bad, go get a wagon. We got to get him to the house.”

Colt turned back to Alden, speaking low and calm, “it’s okay, Boss, we got you. You’re going to be okay.”

Alden tried a half smile... “Sez you...”

Charlie leaped the fence and ran across the corral yelling and waving his arms. Running Buffalo and some of others started to run towards him. As he reached the second fence, Running Buffalo helped him over, “What’s wrong, son?”

Charlie was gasping for breath and just pointed back to where he had come from. “Alden’s hurt bad.”

Running Buffalo’s men, Mark and Frank headed to the barn, within minutes the two men had the wagon hitched up. Running Buffalo jumped aboard like a teenager as the two went flying by heading to get around the fence. Charlie turned but he was too worn out. Ceara grabbed his arm as he tried to grab the back of the wagon, “Honey, stop. You’re worn out. Those men will bring him back.”

Charlie pulled his arm away and walked a few steps his voice cracking, “you … you don’t understand... That’s Alden... that’s my dad... “

Ceara walked up to him and took his arm once more and pulled him to her hugging him tight, “He’s a dad to all of us.”

The three men pulled up to where Colt was standing over Alden. Mark and Frank pulled a piece of canvas out of the wagon and brought it up to him. Spreading it out, they carefully lifted Alden on to it. Then each one took a corner and carried him to the wagon. As they climbed in, Colt looked to where Charlie had been. Pointing to the spot, he looked at Running Buffalo, “There’s something in those rocks that scared Charlie shitless.”

Running Buffalo nodded to Mark, who drove the wagon over to the spot. Frank and Running Buffalo grabbed two rifles from under the seat and started up the rocks. Colt jumped out and Running Buffalo turned, “You stay here.”

As they reached the two large boulders, Mark stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes went wide. Running Buffalo put a hand on his shoulder, “That’s far enough. You stay here.”

Running Buffalo moved a few more feet and knelt down next to the bloody body. The man’s eyes opened as he whispered, “Help me, please mister, help me, it burns so bad.”

Running Buffalo looked at him and saw the fire ants all over the man’s scalp, then thought of Niz being taken care of back at the ranch. His eyes went cold and his voice was like ice, “Years ago my grandfather would have left you to suffer your fate... You bastards shot my daughter and I’m tempted to follow tradition.”