The Emissary (Horse Women of the Zombie Apocalypse) (6 page)

"A horse has a better sense of smell than a dog. They alert us when stinkers are nearby." Alexis said.

Tyler nodded thoughtfully. "So the horses are transportation and early warning systems? I get that." The night sounds seemed very loud without the arguing.

Alexis looked at each of them in turn. "My sisters need the horses to get
home
. We wouldn't make you leave your truck behind."

"I hate being outside at night." Hector's head cocked to one side, listening to night sounds. "Muerto are more active at night."

"Amen," Tyler said. The tension eased. Everyone could agree with that.

"How many nights did you chicas spend outside?" Hector stepped back.

"Two on this trip. It's not that big a deal." Alexis said.

Beth asked to change the subject. "Have you run into howlers before?"

"No.
Aullador muerto. Howling dead are new to us," Hector said.

"Just what we need, howlers." Tyler sighed. "Well, ladies, how about you sleep and we keep watch tonight? That way we start fresh in the morning."

"Good enough. "We need our bedrolls from the back of the truck." Alexis motioned her sisters to follow her to the truck.

Beth saw Tyler motion Zack away from the others.

"Lay off," Alexis said to Dani as she handed back the hunting knife. "I'll handle this with Tyler, got that?"

Dani sheathed the knife, rebellion on her face. "I don't trust them to guard us. I don't think they know what they're doing." She all but dared Alexis to take the guys' side.

"The horses always smell the stinkers first. I trust the horses." Beth said brushing by Dani. She reached in the truck bed to grab her saddle bags.

"The horses have never let us down," Alexis pointed out.

When the girls returned, the guys didn't say much. The sisters laid their bed rolls next to their saddles. The silence became thick and uncomfortable.

"Hey. We've got some extra water. Do you girls want to wash up?" Tyler gave Alexis a crooked smile. "My sister likes to take a bath before she goes to bed."

"That would be great." Alexis gave him a genuine smile.

Tyler grinned. "I've still got soap. Give me a hand?" Alexis went with him, talking in low voices, their heads together. Julie and Dani hung blankets from a length of rope between two trees so they could wash in private. Tyler carried a big bucket up to the camp. Alexis put a small metal bucket of water directly on the fire to take the chill off it.

When it was Beth's turn, she had to clamp her jaws together to keep from moaning. Wash off layers of sweat and dirt felt so good. If only she could wash her hair… Clean underwear and socks would have to do. She yielded the water to Alexis, and went back to her bedroll feeling much better.

Mist ambled over, looking sleepy. The mare sniffed the grass before she dropped to her knees and settled to the ground. Beth look around, noting everyone's position. Patch stood high on the hill, relaxed, hip-shot, dozing with his eyes open. He would catch any scent or movement long before a human could. Beth settled in her bedroll to sleep.

Beth awoke when Patch snorted so loud it echoed. Mist stood, ears trained to the freeway below them. She nudged Beth with her nose. Beth got up, pulled on her arm-guards, then tossed her quiver over her shoulder.

Her sisters were awake and arming themselves. Near the camp fire, Tommy leaned against a tree, machine gun in his hands. He looked first at Beth then at her sisters.

"What's up?" He looked puzzled.

"Stinkers," Beth said, stringing her bow. "On the freeway."

"How do you know?"

"He snorts like that when he smells
them
." She used her chin to point at Patch. She walked over to Mist, turning the mare so she could mount easier.

"I'll check it out." She pointed up wind of them. "I'll be back in a minute." She hopped up, bareback, no bridle, and pointed Mist down hill with her legs, arrow nocked and ready to go.

"I'll get Zack," Tommy said in a hushed voice.

Beth got one last look at his startled expression as she headed down the hill.

The moon was bright, washing away all color. The world was all silver light and inky shadows. Mist's feet were nearly soundless in the grass. Beth felt the exhilaration she always got from riding at night.

Down on the freeway, three muerto shambled in the general direction of the camp. Mist took the high ground, where Beth took advantage of the terrain to shoot them. She slipped off Mist to retrieve the arrows in order to avoid the sound of hooves on pavement. The pair followed the freeway a dozen yards without Mist giving an alert before they turned back.

Zack was by the truck when she rode back. He motioned her over.

"Report."

"I shot three behind us."

"What about in front?"

"I'm going to look." She smiled, feeling superior from horseback.

"Where's your saddle?" His question made her giggle.

"Don't need one."

He swore.

The overpass was clear. There was just enough grass for Mist to go under in near silence. The ramp on the other side was clear.

On the other side of the freeway were a few muerto. There was plenty of moonlight, so Beth shot them.

Mist lifted her head and snorted an alarm. Beth noted the angle of her head and the direction of her ears. There was something up high and to the left.

A big pack moved on the other side of the fence at the top of the retaining wall. There were more moving shadows than she could count. Time to go. They cantered back to the camp.

Zack waited by the truck. Tyler was with him.

"There's a pack coming, on the other side of the retaining wall," Beth reported. "The nearest exit ramp is only a few hundred yards from here. We need to move out."

"How many?" Zack asked.

"At least dozen. It might be a lot more," Beth said.

"I say we break camp and move on," Zack said.

"Fine," Beth rolled her eyes. "We should get off the freeway. Back roads are safer." She turned Mist back up the hill. Her sisters were dressed and packed, their horses standing by their saddles.

"I shot six stinkers on the freeway. There's a big pack coming. We need to get out of here."

"We just need to saddle up. Let's get a move on," Alexis said.

"Hey," Tyler protested. "Wait for us."

"You can catch up," Alexis said.

Beth rolled her eyes.

*

Chapter 6

It took only moments for the girls to get saddled and packed up.

Tyler woke Hector and David. Zack walked back to Beth. Alexis gave Beth a 'don't start anything' look.

Zack said. "We can handle the muerto. No need to break camp."

"Shooting will only bring more of them," Alexis answered. "It's better to move on before they find us."

"The pack was big. I couldn't count them all." Mist was saddled, and Beth fastened her packs.

"Where do you want to meet up?" His voice dripped with annoyance.

"We're taking a secondary road." Beth told him the route number.

"The freeway is faster. That road winds through the hills." Zack said in the same annoyed tone.

"Stinkers follow freeways, everybody knows that." She cut her eyes to him. "Or is that everybody but you?"

"Those
ponies
are a lot of trouble."

Beth gritted her teeth. "They aren't ponies. I suppose the only horses you've ever seen were the Budweiser Clydesdale's."

"Only thing a horse is good for - pulling a beer wagon on TV."

"Oh, you're such an idiot."

"Stop arguing." Alexis snapped, impatient. "We need get moving."

"He started it," Beth grumbled. She checked Mist's girth, the breast collar and all the weapons. "Ready."

"Mount up." Alexis looked down her nose at Zack. Patch snaked his head at Zack, showing long yellow teeth.

Zack jumped out of reach, swearing.

"I've got point." Alexis reined Patch around. He swatted Zack with his tail.

Beth snickered. Her younger sisters followed Alexis, pack horses in step.

Tommy and David loaded the truck while Hector stood guard in the bed. Tyler caught the angry vibe in the sisters' stiff backs and unsmiling faces.

"Been using the Hetzer charm, again?" Tyler asked Zack.

"Getting tired of baby-sitting little girls and their ponies," Zack sneered.

"All that beef and no brains," Tyler said with a sigh. "It's a wonder you've ever gotten laid."

Zack swore at him. The sister's giggled.

Tyler said to Alexis with a shake his head. "He can't help it. He was born a dumb ass. We'll catch up in a few."

Alexis smiled at Tyler.

Beth rolled her eyes.

The nearly full moon lit their way the rest of the night. The old country road wound through the hills. In some places the woods crowded against the pavement, blocking the moonlight, creating dark tunnels. The eastern sky lightened, turning gray, then pink and yellow as the sun rose. The air was chilly, the breeze was fresh and the woods were alive with birds singing.

Shortly after dawn, Alexis signaled a halt at a little viewing area with picnic tables. The road had been clear of muerto since they left the freeway.

Beth was itching to say 'I told you so.'

Tyler handed out breakfast bars while the coffee brewed. The guys were on one end of the table, the girls on the other. The tension was thick.

"I'm going to issue a blanket apology for whatever Hetzer said earlier," Tyler said to Alexis. "He's gotten surly in his old age."

Zack, sitting at Tyler's shoulder, cut him a dirty look.

"I accept your apology. I think he's gonna have to let up on the charm. Us little girls can't take it." Alexis looked around at her sisters.

Tyler smiled. "Your attachment to the horses has him baffled. I think you need to educate him."

"My first memory is of sitting on a horse with my father." Alexis brushed her hair from her face. The sunlight caught the stray hair, turning it to pure gold.

Tyler didn't take his eyes off Alexis. Beth took it as a sign he was falling hard. She didn't need a map to know her sister felt the same way.

Dani said, "I've had Scout since she was born. I was the first person to touch her. A horse and rider are a team. We aren't just passengers."

Zack got up to check the coffee. There was a rebellious set to his mouth. Beth didn't know if he was listening at all. Maybe she could get his attention.

"We fight from horseback," Beth said quietly. "My father taught the horses certain - movements - the Romans used in battle. For them, the horse was a weapon, not just transportation."

Zack looked at her, finally paying attention.

"We've found that when fighting — muerto — those movements make all the difference. There are leaps and kicks and a kind of boxing stance. Not all horses have the strength for these movements."

Everyone was listening. Beth had to take a deep breath because she was suddenly nervous. She wanted them to understand so they could stop snarking at each other.

Beth said. "But ours do, because they're descendants of the Spanish warhorse. Going wild for a couple hundred years made them even tougher."

Hector finally got it — she could tell because his eyes lit up for a second. Yeah, she was talking about part of his heritage. Tommy and David looked at the horses as if they were trying to picture it. Zack still had his arms crossed over his chest, a skeptical look on his face.

Tyler and Alexis exchanged a subtle but expressive look. Beth's parents exchanged that kind of look all the time. Beth wasn't surprised when the two walked away together, talking in soft voices.

Zack tossed the contents of his coffee cup, then walked back to the truck. The other three followed him like pups. Beth and Dani exchanged a frustrated shrug.

Dani gestured after him with her chin. "Once we leave Fort Chatten, we never have to see him again. I've never been homesick before. It's a lousy feeling."

"Same here," Beth said. "I don't see how an alliance with Davidson is going to help anybody."

Dani snickered. "Just Alexis. She's found her idea of heaven." Dani made a face, part jealousy, mostly teasing. She hopped up on the table, feet on the bench. She had her back to Tyler and Alexis. She watched Julie with the horses.

"I'm going to miss her," Beth admitted sadly. "This trip has been harder than I thought it would be."

"There'er a lot more stinkers than we realized. They're faster, too." Dani picked up her coffee cup.

"Those fat howlers are the worst."

Alexi walked towards them. "Beth, Dani and Julie. We need to get a move on. There are muerto behind us."

"Crap." Dani downed the last of her coffee. "Time to go." She started clearing up the remains of breakfast.