Static Shock Fan Fiction ❯ Banditos ❯ ...When She Comes ( Chapter 13 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Manga-Chick 
Caine laughed. “Darlin’, I doubt they’d listen to me. They’re grown men!”
Non Anime: Static Shock Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Horror / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.25.2006 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.5K | Visits: 355 | Status: Completed
Caine laughed. “Darlin’, I doubt they’d listen to me. They’re grown men!”
Non Anime: Static Shock Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Horror / Hentai | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.25.2006 | Pages: 5 | Words: 6.5K | Visits: 355 | Status: Completed
Extreme AU, OOC, non-historic West, violence...supernatural themes, violence...Just be prepared for the amount of violence and utter chaos.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN STATIC AND OTHER ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS!
Based somewhat on that thrilling vid-game, Darkwatch. Heh. My inspiration for something gory and dark.
I’m Alive: Here’s your update! :) As for Caine, I’m sure things will be explained better in the next couple of chapters...
Chapter Thirteen:
...When She Comes
Her eyes narrowed as she looked around. It was obvious this town hadn’t been combed as intensively as she liked. There were people here–she could hear them.
They were surrounded by an army of zombies and other creatures–pulling the carriage were two creatures that moved them sluggishly with their heavy movements.
They were traveling along the main road up north, where Madelyne wanted to escape the heat and see the world up there. But, out of annoyance, she’d detected the presence of survivors–a very small number, enough for her to grow interested. Their course switched, she was both nervous and irritated as she sat primly in her seat, glaring at nothing.
The threat to her life by Blood, Inc. was a serious event that she refused to take lightly. If there was a small number of people along the same path as she, she was going to investigate.
Beside her, Caine continued with his off-key singing, something about an Irish girl and a pub, but Madelyne didn’t feel like paying attention to hear what it was that made the song so bawdy. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she scowled as a particular high-note sent some of the zombies screeching in agony. They had been screaming in undead torture for the last twenty or so minutes. Anything of high pitch relation sent their dead circuits, combined with her telepathic prison over them, into torturous overdrive. The resulting product were high pitched shrieks. Many of which gave her a headache.
“Feedback minimized,” she muttered coldly, shooting Caine an annoyed look. “Re-processing–rebooting. Maximum control in five...four...three...two...one.”
Caine paused in singing, adjusting his hat. Looking over at the prim eight-year-old sitting across from him, her hands folded neatly on her lap, he sighed. The zombies stopped their tormented shouting, falling silent. There was only the sound of the carriage being pulled, the jerky actions minimized by the velvety cushions of the interior.
“Darlin’...much as I love you, methinks you should be tired of pretending to be something yer not,” he said with a high level of exasperation.
Madelyne ignored him, her bob bouncing with a particularly jolting movement. She stared out at the opened windows, her lips curving into a frown. A push made by her mind sent most of the zombies and assisting creatures forward–to hurry ahead and start the invasion into the valley. She kept a surrounding bunch around her, and pushed another command into the creatures pulling the carriage to take a road off the main. She had to protect herself, but she risked death just to make sure that she wouldn’t be threatened by Blood, Inc.
Caine sighed again, shifting in his seat. His ostrich-skin boots stretched out across the aisle, plopping down beside her. She cast them an annoyed glance, then looked at the man that served as her bodyguard/father.
“There are still people here,” she said tightly. “I can hear them.”
“We’ll make a stop, darlin’, an’ I’ll see what I can do about them. More than likely, the troops outside will take care of them. Stop your fretting.”
“I cannot help but fret when I know that Blood, Inc. is still around these parts. I am quite upset in that they haven’t yet been terminated,” Madelyne said, a rising level of tense exasperation in her tone. “They can kill me at any time.”
“But they won’t, honey-cheeks. See, the thing is, while they might be better than the average bear in slaughtering our forces, the thing is, they ain’t enough to get close to you,” Caine reassured her. “Ain’t enough power in the world for them to get close to you. Besides, it isn’t as if you can hear their thoughts and keep yourself out of trouble, anywho.”
Madelyne made a scoffing sound, shrugging thin shoulders. Staring out the window, she murmured, “They aren’t very scared. Sometimes, people are running in fear. These ones aren’t. Very highly irritating. It could be them.”
“How many are there?” Caine asked, rather bored as he peered at his fingertips. Many of his fingernails had fallen off over the long years of his life. “I’ll make sure they’re taken care of.”
Madelyne’s young face scrunched with thought. She could hear their panicked thoughts–but was unable to focus on them clearly. Her mind was always occupied with the forces she had spread throughout the West. Hearing the panicked whispers assured her of their numbers. “Hmm. One, two...three...four...there’s five...plus three. Eight. Eight of them. Over ten horses. No females.”
“Well, then. I’ll make sure to get rid of them. In the meantime...how about we look through this town for some boy’s clothing, hmm? Get a haircut...be a little more manlier.”
Madelyne shifted her thoughtful gaze to look at Caine, expression shifting into utter annoyance. “I am a girl, Caine. I’m not a boy!”
“...But...darlin’...those bits and parts underneath that calico dress say otherwise...”
“I. Am. A. Girl.”
Caine held his hands up in surrender, sighing as he once again lost the argument. Grumbling low to himself, he wondered how, out of all the children he’d sired, one of his boys had to go pretending that he was a girl. Madelyne shot him an annoyed look once more.
“You bring that subject up once more, Caine, and I assure you–”
“Yes, yes, darlin’, I understand. Can’t help but hear that every damn day,” he grumbled, pulling at his vest. “Just tryin’ to prevent mortifying embarrassment later on the road, when you get it in your head that, biologically, you’re a boy.”
Madelyne huffed, leaning back in her seat. Reaching out to her troops, she realized the town was fully invaded. The living were cornered. It was easy to see this through the dead eyes of the few zombies she was able to occupy. Shifting from vision to vision until she realized that the living were trapped like rats. It made her feel a little better.
“You exasperate me.”
“I’m your father, darlin’, I have to.”
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Junior grunted as he sent the butt of his rifle against the Hound’s face, repeatedly knocking the creature’s head back. The angry demon was trying hard to beat the others in getting to him, leaping repeatedly at the man poised over the slender ledge of the town’s only saloon. Just above him on the roof, James and Randy were firing off shots at the animals that clambered below them. Their howls were loud, piercing over the forceful explosions of buckshot.
Across the way, Virgil was picking off the zombies that were snarling as fiercely as the animals, clawing at the wooden supports of the post office. Hotstreak was across from him, occupied with the Mad Men that cackled joyously upon the very many and various targets around them. Animals were squealing, men and women were screeching, and children were bawling in tantrum-similar rages as the living were cornered by the army. Wood protested violent treatment, gunshots filled the air–as safe as the living felt atop of their various positions, it was fleeting the more the undead filled the streets.
Virgil was quite panicked as he witnessed this mad frenzy–he’d seen his share of zombies, and a few of the creatures, but some of it was quite new to him. Unaware that he’d be fighting for his life and those of the others in such a manner, he was unprepared for this occasion. He was quickly running out of ammo, and looked helplessly at the others, unsure of how they were doing.
He spied Hotstreak fiddling with something, watching with panic as he realized he was lighting a torch. “You crazy?!” he screamed from his position. “You’ll kill us all!”
His friend shot him an annoyed look, and tossed the hastily made torch into a group of zombies below. The frenzied shrieking of the undead grew volumes as clothes caught fire, and skin began to burn. The more the zombies began panicking, the more the fire began to spread.
Junior looked over, mouth dropping with dismay as flames licked the buildings closest to them. He whirled away from the Hound he’d been beating on, shouting at Hotstreak, “You fuckin’ loser! You tryin’ to kill us all!”
Hotstreak frowned at him as well, watching the progressing spread of fire as Mad Men’s mounts caught the flame–hides went up easily, animals squealing. From their protesting, panicked actions, they spread the bright orange flames from Hound to zombie, until heat rapidly began to warm the air. Soon, everything was brightly lit with the spreading fire, Junior hastily allowing the others to pull him up as he sought to escape the heat.
The living was now in a panic, seeking out escape from the fire that caught onto the worn wooden planks of various shanties. Virgil followed Adam and the other two hands across the roof–once hitting the edge, they found easy access down to the ground from a half-covered wagon whose back wheels were split. Quickly, they climbed down, Adam hastily covering them as a Mad Man shrieked upon discovering them.
Virgil ducked as a cleaver blade embedded into the wall just above his head, Adam taking out the offending creature with a well-placed shot between the eyes. As the Mad Man fell off his horse, heels over head, the horse charged Adam. Lowering its head, it rammed full force into the black man, sending him flying through the dirt, weapon flying off into the darkness.
Virgil managed to recover from his hasty duck, looking back to see Adam roll to avoid being trampled by the charging beast. Tom busied himself with hacking the fallen Mad Man to bits, enraged at the continuing movement of the armed skeleton. Willie was firing repeatedly at the mad animal that turned, charging toward them once more.
It squealed as its back leg was shot out, rolling once as it slammed into the dust, Adam hastily climbing to his feet and searching for his weapon.
Virgil hurried away from them, looking for a way to get to their horses so that they could escape. Fire was spreading from building to building, now–smoke made the darkness much more thicker. Zombies were still running about in mad panic, spreading more flame wherever they went–there wasn’t a sign of Hounds. There wasn’t any sign of the other four men, either.
Worriedly, he saw that the other three had handled the Mad Man and its mount, taking over on the weaponry the skeleton carried and a jacket that Willie threw on quickly.
Virgil led the way out of the back alley, heading for the correl that they’d left their horses. He was hoping against hope that they were still alive–the invaders had been rapidly occupied with trying to get at them rather than exploring the rest of the town.
He heard their panicked whinnies, success making him laugh aloud as he ran for them–they were still saddled, still tied to the post they’d left them. He was making a mad dash when gunfire hit the ground before him, stopping them all in mid-run.
“GET OUT OF THERE!” Hotstreak bellowed in panicked regard, firing again at their feet to make them turn, running back the way they came.
Virgil looked up to question him when the scream of a much larger animal caught his attention–a lumbering black shadow the size of an upright Grizzly shot into view, maw opened wide with a victorious scream.
All men, new to this creature, screamed aloud in surprise and fright. They ran harder as the creature charged at them, joined by two others.
The ground shook underfoot as these creatures ran after them, quickly closing the distance between them. Virgil looked over his shoulder, smelling that sun-rotted breath from the creature’s open mouth, seeing the wide, deranged eyes–he wasn’t sure what the creature looked like. It was a horrid twist of a pug’s face with the maw of a bear. The claws at the end of its paws weren’t exactly soft and cuddly, either. He saw that the others were scrambling hastily for higher ground–there weren’t very many options. Fire was spreading everywhere–safety was being taken from them.
He veered suddenly to the left, running into the fire, the head creature following after him with a heavy snort. The other two continued to chase Adam and the others, who were climbing back up the half-covered wagon, making way for the post office; it didn’t make clear sense. The building was clearly on fire.
This was made obvious when the porch sagged with a terrific groan, then began to collapse. The building began sinking forward, and with it, Tom was dragged down with the gravity. As he screamed, rolling back into the fire, Adam and Willie managed to jump to safety on opposite sides.
Adam was lucky–Willie wasn’t.
One of those large creatures caught him in mid-air within its maw; the crunch its teeth made with crushing the man’s body was horrific. Willie’s scream was cut in mid-sound, strangled as he was tossed to the side. The two creatures advanced on him instantly, like a pair of dogs struggling to get to their chew toy before the other. Willie didn’t have a chance to scream again as one set of teeth settled over his upper back, and another pair settled over his mid thigh.
The tear of a human body seemed to sound above all the chaos. As he was split in half by opposing forces, innards splashed through the air, falling into the dust. The creatures growled and snapped at each other as they settled for what they got.
Meanwhile, Adam was scrambling for safety, coughing violently as he inhaled smoke. The roar of the rapidly moving fire overcame all other sounds, and as he tried to shout for Virgil, he was racked with coughs. He lost his way as smoke drifted across his vision, and as he began running, almost mindlessly, he became aware of the shaking ground that signaled another incoming creature.
Hastily, he dove underneath a nearby porch, crawling quickly through the darkness as the creature lumbered past, howling in discovery. Making it out onto the other side, Adam was back on his feet, running once more. He cried aloud as he saw the horses straight ahead, panicking madly as they fought to get loose. Smoke and flame made them agitated, as well as the screams and shouts of the undead as they were consumed by fire.
He made it to the horses, quickly undoing their ties, holding them firmly as he climbed atop of his horse. Looking around, he saw no signs of the others–and he began to holler frantically for somebody, fighting his horse and the others for control.
Out of the smoke from his left came Junior and Randy–there wasn’t a sign of James. Randy looked fairly stricken, the whole upper half of his body coated in dark red. He had trouble claiming his horse, Junior showing no signs of affliction as he climbed on Willie’s, urgently reining the horse in to his command. As Adam helped Randy onto his, he saw out of the corner of his eye Junior forcing the horse back into town.
“You crazy son of a bitch!” he screamed, wondering what in the world was so important in there. He thought instantly of Virgil and the others, and instructed Randy to ride toward the mountains–to follow the road out. They’d meet later.
Randy complied without another word, kicking his horse into a dead sprint away from the burning town. Adam turned, holding hard onto the reins of the other horses, most of whom were anxious to ride away. He scanned the chaos for Virgil, shouting his name–he only received response from the burning undead, and the attention of various creatures.
Quickly, he steered his horse around, heading toward the back section he and the others had just narrowly escaped. He saw a running figure burst out from the smoke, and gave a relieved bark as he recognized Virgil. But the man was being pursued by several Hounds, all of whom looked insanely frustrated that they couldn’t catch him. Adam steered his horse toward him, then began to lead them further, making Virgil run harder just to catch onto the closest horse. Once he climbed atop, Adam let go of its reins, and Virgil made the quick switch onto Sparky, holding tightly onto the reins of the horse he’d used to get up.
The two instantly began running the horses out of the Hounds’ reach, their frustrated howls and screams following them.
“Where’s the others!?” Virgil screamed at Adam over the noise.
“Randy’s up ahead! Told him to go! Junior went back in there! The others, I haven’t seen!”
“Think Willie’s dead! I...I think...” Virgil began kicking his left boot frantically, and Adam could see the discoloration there. “Tom–?”
“Burned. The buildin’ collapsed when we climbed on.”
The pair of them were far enough away to settle the horses, turning to look back at the flames that light up the night. Virgil looked at the horses, and recognize those that belonged to their friends, and to Junior’s. He had no idea where Hotstreak kept his horse–wondered if he still had Charger.
He looked back at the burning town, and wondered if he should go back.
But something hit him–seeing how his friend stayed in control, not panicked–having lived all this time...
Something told him not to worry about him.
He looked at Adam. “Let’s go find Randy.”
“What about the others?” Adam asked worriedly, shooting the fire a look. “They still out there!”
“I...I think they can handle themselves...”
“Junior?!”
“...Do we care about him?”
“...Not...not really, but–!”
“He went back in there, I think he made his decision.”
Adam studied him for a few moments, then frowned. “Stone?”
“Stone can handle himself.” Virgil cast the town another look. “We’ll just wait an’ see, man. Let’s just go.”
Adam thought that was odd–this man that he’d known, mostly all his life, thinking so casually and so little of human life? But he was too distressed by the entire incident to dwell on it. He just followed Virgil and his horse further away from town, and away from Runner’s Valley.
Halfway out, they were nearly mowed down by a group of three racing madly toward the chaos. Before either man could warn them of the terror, the three were already out of earshot.
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Hotstreak ran hastily from the burning buildings, turning every so often to judge the incoming Mammoths that were charging after him. Their heavy bodies plowed into anything in their paths, and with their frame and power, they barely seemed to notice anything that could cause them injury. He paused long enough to make a loud whistle, hoping that Charger could hear him–hoping that the horse was still alive.
Mammoths were ugly creatures–powerful. They were used for heavy-duties, and weren’t very bright. Blayne had called them the oxen of the undead, and Hotstreak saw them as that.
Out of their sight, he turned quickly back into town. He was aiming to find Caine–Caine and that ‘him’ he’d always spoke of. If he found Caine...then maybe he could find a way to end all this madness. Redeem himself. Burning skeletons were settling throughout various areas–zombies tiring themselves out quick, their bodies turning useless with continued heat and flame. The sound of collapsing buildings made the air rumble. He was utterly thankful that spectres and Ghouls were absent; while spectres would have made a nuisance of themselves earlier, Ghouls were the tough bastards of the lot. They had brains, and they were more threatening than a well-educated cronie.
He was about to head out toward the entrance of the town, guessing that Caine would hide himself from the melee and watch from a safe distance when the shrill scream of a horse caught his ear. He turned, seeing Willies’ horse squealing madly as flame burned along its back, and a zombie child gnawed at its neck, tiny arms clinging determinedly.
Because he knew the animal, Hotstreak leveled his gun at the horse and shot cleanly between the horse’s eyes as it ran close. The animal hit the ground with a muffled grunt, legs flying over head and zombie child flying. He turned away from the dead animal to see Junior shouting up a furious storm, firing his six-shooter with one hand and dragging the boy with his other hand.
Hotstreak was surprised to see this act of ‘compassion’–Junior was actually thinking of someone other than himself?
It was obvious the entire thing was awkward, as the kid couldn’t move very fast, and Junior was drawing attention to himself by firing uselessly at a couple of Hounds that were hurriedly catching up to them. Hotstreak lost sight of Caine for this moment, rushing over to grab Junior’s shoulder, getting his attention.
Junior almost shot him in panic, but recognized him with much expressed relief.
“I’ll cover you,” Hotstreak shouted above the roar of the fire, signaling the Hounds. He’d waste ammo, but it would give Junior some room to get him and the kid away from the chaos. Junior nodded without arguing, moving on.
The Hounds were anxious as to who to go after first, but their dilemma was solved when Hotstreak fired a few times at them, catching their attention. The shuffling animals headed toward him, and he deliberately slowed his pace to allow them some grounds closer. Seeing that Junior had disappeared around a farmer’s shanty, he let that be the effort of his help. He turned, quickly running away from the Hounds, heading into the smoke and heat.
He pulled his bandanna up, covering his nose and mouth, breathing through that as he veered through flaming shacks, heading toward the south entrance of the town.
He lost the Hounds as they grew anxious of the heat, and ran with slowly building panic.
It didn’t look as if Caine was anywhere close–! Once reaching the main road, he saw that it was empty–devoid of any remaining zombies and creatures. Staring into the darkness, he squinted, trying to locate any other incoming furies. He was so very sure Caine was behind this–he’d remember that singing from anywhere!
Giving a frustrated curse, he walked the road for a few miles, leaving the burning town behind. He gave a shrill whistle a few times, calling for Charger–the correl he kept him in was close.
He was starting to think he’d killed the horse by keeping him here when he heard the anxious squeals of animals behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw three riders heading his way–their mounts breathing hard.
He paused in mid-step once he recognized Kangorr, the black man looking around anxiously.
“You the cause of this, mon?” he asked, obviously labored over the hard ride.
“Was attacked,” Hotstreak said sullenly. “He’s here–he has ta be! I heard ‘im!”
“Know that, pardner. Know that. But I’m not seein’...I’m not seein’ him!”
“Unless he went around,” Ebon suggested, just as tired. “We’ll split, man.”
“Do it,” Kangorr ordered. “Send up a flare if you catch ‘em.”
The two split, taking their horses in different directions around the town as Kangorr looked once again at Hotstreak. “Need a ride?”
“...I ain’t ridin’ wit’ you! Goddamn, he was here! I know he was!”
“He still could be. He could! I believe you! We came back, trackin’ them Mammoths. They around only when he’s around. ‘Member?”
Hotstreak remembered–he nodded curtly, then looked over at the sound of a horse’s hoofbeats on the dirt. Charger whinnied in stricken annoyance, tossing his huge head, panting loudly. He reached out to touch his stallion, an expression of relief on his face. He noted the scratches up and down the stallion’s front legs, bending to examine them quickly.
Kangorr nudged his horse around, barking, “I’m heading back in! I need to see if they’re there!”
Straightening, Hotstreak nodded quickly, then climbed atop of his horse. He grumbled at the lack of a saddle, but held onto Charger’s mane, ushering him to follow after Kangorr.
Back in her carriage, Madelyne frowned. She pushed the lumbering Mammoths into faster action, pulling them away from there quickly. The surrounding timber prevented those wretched members of Blood, Inc. from seeing her getaway.
“They’re here,” she announced, shifting uncomfortably. She looked at Caine pointedly. “All of them.”
Caine, looking up from his knuckles, frowned at her. His eyes glowed briefly, then he chuckled. “So they are...”
“Tell them to leave me alone!”
Caine laughed. “Darlin’, I doubt they’d listen to me. They’re grown men!”
“I mean it, Caine. Tell them!”
Caine sighed.
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Shiv reached down, pulling Richie onto the horse, Junior anxiously searching the area for a horse of his own. The purple-haired man and his attire, his very background, would be questioned later. As the fire continued to burn, continuous shrieks of undead torment ringing throughout the valley, Junior could see that they’d just barely escaped.
“Find another! I see one close by!” Shiv shouted above the roar, sharp cracking piercing the rumble. He was pointing ahead of them, up the road. “Be right back!”
Junior immediately whirled, grabbing a hold of his horse’s rein, making the animal protest vehemently. Both riders almost fell backward as the horse shifted anxiously.
“You come back, you damn chink!” the younger Alva snarled. “You better come back!”
Shiv gave him a stunned look, but nodded, managing to pull away from him. The horse shot forward, both riders swallowed up by the darkness. Junior anxiously paced, trying to catch his breath–every part of him felt extremely sore and overused. He hadn’t had that much physical activity in a very long while. Climbing, running, fighting, pulling–he worked his right shoulder with some worry, having felt an abnormal pull while he had pulled Richie out of that shack he’d hidden himself in.
Just thinking of how the kid had hidden from him that entire time made him furious–utterly furious that he’d had to risk his own life to go back and find him.
Luckily, the kid hadn’t a death wish, and had been looking for him as well. Amidst the chaos of the creatures’ attack and the burning all around them, Junior had pulled Richie along to safety, hampered by the fact that he couldn’t move very fast.
But all in all, they were alive–Junior could still pull ahead with his plans.
He looked up upon hearing the sound of horses approaching, watching a black man ride over. With a repulsed look on his face, Junior turned away, looking for Shiv and Richie, hoping that a horse was found. He wanted to depend on nobody.
“You here by yo’self?” the rider demanded, in a voice that commanded attention. Junior looked up at him, frowning at his appearance.
“No,” he answered, a little sullen. “They gettin’ me a horse.”
“Who’s ‘they’?”
“My bo–some Chink.”
The black man scowled at him, his horse panting heavily. “He don’t like bein’ called that.”
“An’ I give a rat’s ass,” Junior shot back.
“You a mouthy fuck, you piece of shit–!”
“Make somethin’ of it, you–!” Junior quickly shut his mouth upon feeling the piercing tip of metal against his Adam’s Apple–pressed too tightly for him to swallow. His eyes widened with surprise–he hadn’t even seen the man move!
“You shut that mouth. Nobody be missin’ you wit’ that attitude.”
Powerless, Junior felt his shoulders tighten, his face to draw with rising frustration. He kept himself from moving any further. He heard the approaching horses behind him, and wanted to move–but that blade stayed right where it was.
“Got it!” Shiv cried happily, drawing to a stop. He noticed what was happening, frowning. “Now, Ebon, what Kangorr say about scaring people?”
“Shut up, chink. He was makin’ me mad.”
Shiv shrugged, holding out the reins of the horse he’d found–it had been struggling madly up ahead, leather stuck around the branch of a tree. Ebon let Junior go, glaring at him as the younger Alva rubbed at his neck, glaring back at him. The two members of Blood, Inc. watched as Junior climbed atop of the horse, and had Richie moving from behind Shiv to behind him.
Junior looked back at them, intending to leave with words to scathe and speak of his repulsion. “Satisfied? Can’t let the lot of you get lazy, now.”
He frowned. That wasn’t what he wanted to say.
Ebon and Shiv looked at him blankly, unsure of what he’d meant by that. Junior cleared his throat. “Had to make you all work–like the dogs that you are.”
His face expressed his surprise and confusion–he wasn’t talking. That wasn’t him!
“White boy, you just makin’ me mad–!” Ebon snarled, drawing out his double-barreled rifle, cocking it threateningly while Shiv gave a nervous chuckle.
“Where’s Kangorr? It’s him I wish to speak to. The little lady has a message she wants me ta deliver,” Junior continued, his face showing his distress. Much to his panic, his body lost control, losing out to someone that made him dismount.
Shiv held out his hand, waving at Ebon to settle. His eyes narrowed. “You are nearby!”
“Much obliged if you would just pass on a message,” Junior said, his face shifting into an expression of Caine’s. “Just leave us alone–you cannot think that you can stop us. We’re too much for you. Three men cannot stop an entire army. Your efforts are pointless. And, quite frankly, very irritating.”
“That’s what you think!” Shiv cried. “Just wait, you regret all of this!”
Junior shot him an irritated look, then looked at Ebon with enormous exasperation. “Please, for everyone’s sake, send him to a few English classes. I cannot understand a word he’s saying.”
Ebon smashed a hand into Shiv’s face, preventing him from speaking further. “Why should we listen to you, huh?”
“Well, that’s simple! Because I am the man!” Junior laughed without much humor. “Ah, but I digress. Just leave us alone. Just know your efforts are pointless. Peace out, bums.”
Then, just like that, Caine was gone. Junior blinked, frowning, then started examining himself. His breath came anxiously as he touched frantically at his face and chest, unable to understand what had happened.
Ebon looked over at Shiv, frowning. “Where th’ hell could he been?”
“We look everywhere! Kangorr and Red, they search thataway!”
“What happened to me?” Junior screeched. “What happened ta me?”
“Shaddup, honky,” Ebon ordered. He looked at Shiv, nudging his head in the direction they’d left Kangorr, in. “Let’s find ‘im. We need to tell him what’s goin’ on.”
As they headed off with nary a word at the others, Richie wondered to himself who ‘the little lady’ was.
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Virgil looked up when he heard the obvious sounds of a horse coming up. Hidden within a grotto, he, Adam and Randy were trying to rest their exhausted selves within the tranquil silence. It seemed normal out here–surrounded by birds, animals and the usual sounds of nature. On the other side of the mountains, it was as if the chaos they’d left had been nothing more than a bad nightmare.
He swallowed hard, hand on his gun as Adam heard the noise, too. Both of them readied themselves for an attack. The falling rocks came first as the horse struggled to stay upright, the steep hill dangerous with loose dirt that made it tough to navigate. Once they recognized Junior and the kid, they relaxed. Virgil set out quickly, escaping the safe confines of the grotto to make himself visible to them.
“Hey!” he shouted, startling Junior out of what looked to be a sound sleep. Both of them looked as if they were trusting the horse to make its own way through the area. Junior realized where they were going, and pulled at the horse’s reins. At the clumsy sidestep it made in an effort to gain steadier ground, Junior slouched to the side, but both ended up falling off anyway. The horse lost footing, squealing as it rolled off to the side.
Virgil hurried down to them, wincing at the scene as he helped the kid to his feet, Junior swearing up a storm.
“You? You didn’t die out back there?” Junior asked, angrily ripping off his bandanna to wipe at his face.
Virgil gave him a startled expression, but was too tired to snap back. He looked back at Richie, asking, “You okay, man? You hungry?”
“Don’t you be gettin’ all cozy, now! We’re leaving as soon as I git that fuckin’ animal!” Junior rasped angrily, spying the horse’s quick maneuvering down the rest of the hill. “Fuck!”
Virgil frowned after him, hoping that the younger Alva would trip and fall the rest of the way. But today just wasn’t his day–he looked at Richie. “You hungry? You okay?”
Richie nodded, looking anxiously after Junior. “I’m fine.”
“What’s your name, man?” Virgil asked, remembering that no one knew. He helped him toward the grotto, a little puzzled that Richie was resisting. “C’mon. It’s all right. There’s some food, here. Adam got us a couple of rabbits, an’ we got some water.”
“No, it’s all right. I don’t need any of that. Thank you.”
“Just a bit. Just have some. Who knows when you’re gonna be able to eat again, huh? An’ look,” Virgil pointed at the blood stain that had dried on his trousers. “Let’s get that cleaned up, ‘k? So you won’t bleed ta death.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s okay. I’ll look at it later.”
Virgil frowned at him, puzzled at his behavior. But he let go, walking ahead to see what he could get and push at him before they could leave. Adam passed him a few pieces of meat, still warm from the fire, and a canteen. Virgil hurried back, but stopped once he realized that Richie was moving carefully down the hill after Junior.
He sighed, lowering his arms. Walking back to Adam, he grumbled, “Do I act or smell like some kinda asshole, man?”
“Nope.”
“Even when he’s down an’ out, that fucker’s an ass. The hell, man? You’da think that in situations like this? People would change, a bit.”
Adam shrugged, picking at his share of rabbit meat. He tossed a sleeping Randy a nervous glance. “Some people never change, man. Anyway, who cares? Maybe he’ll die, somewhere. ‘Sides, it ain’t as if we’ll see ‘im, again, huh?”
Virgil sighed again. “Nah. But...I just...I feel bad. For the kid, I mean.”
“You’d feel bad for shit that didn’t make it in the pot, Virgil.”
“...Wha?”
“Heh. Anywho, just forget it. If Junior’s so hard up on doin’ things hisself, then let ‘im. The kid wants to follow, let ‘im. Prolly turn out to be just as rotten as him, later on.”
Virgil shrugged, sitting. “Yeah...figures.”
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN STATIC AND OTHER ASSOCIATED CHARACTERS!
Based somewhat on that thrilling vid-game, Darkwatch. Heh. My inspiration for something gory and dark.
I’m Alive: Here’s your update! :) As for Caine, I’m sure things will be explained better in the next couple of chapters...
Chapter Thirteen:
...When She Comes
Her eyes narrowed as she looked around. It was obvious this town hadn’t been combed as intensively as she liked. There were people here–she could hear them.
They were surrounded by an army of zombies and other creatures–pulling the carriage were two creatures that moved them sluggishly with their heavy movements.
They were traveling along the main road up north, where Madelyne wanted to escape the heat and see the world up there. But, out of annoyance, she’d detected the presence of survivors–a very small number, enough for her to grow interested. Their course switched, she was both nervous and irritated as she sat primly in her seat, glaring at nothing.
The threat to her life by Blood, Inc. was a serious event that she refused to take lightly. If there was a small number of people along the same path as she, she was going to investigate.
Beside her, Caine continued with his off-key singing, something about an Irish girl and a pub, but Madelyne didn’t feel like paying attention to hear what it was that made the song so bawdy. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she scowled as a particular high-note sent some of the zombies screeching in agony. They had been screaming in undead torture for the last twenty or so minutes. Anything of high pitch relation sent their dead circuits, combined with her telepathic prison over them, into torturous overdrive. The resulting product were high pitched shrieks. Many of which gave her a headache.
“Feedback minimized,” she muttered coldly, shooting Caine an annoyed look. “Re-processing–rebooting. Maximum control in five...four...three...two...one.”
Caine paused in singing, adjusting his hat. Looking over at the prim eight-year-old sitting across from him, her hands folded neatly on her lap, he sighed. The zombies stopped their tormented shouting, falling silent. There was only the sound of the carriage being pulled, the jerky actions minimized by the velvety cushions of the interior.
“Darlin’...much as I love you, methinks you should be tired of pretending to be something yer not,” he said with a high level of exasperation.
Madelyne ignored him, her bob bouncing with a particularly jolting movement. She stared out at the opened windows, her lips curving into a frown. A push made by her mind sent most of the zombies and assisting creatures forward–to hurry ahead and start the invasion into the valley. She kept a surrounding bunch around her, and pushed another command into the creatures pulling the carriage to take a road off the main. She had to protect herself, but she risked death just to make sure that she wouldn’t be threatened by Blood, Inc.
Caine sighed again, shifting in his seat. His ostrich-skin boots stretched out across the aisle, plopping down beside her. She cast them an annoyed glance, then looked at the man that served as her bodyguard/father.
“There are still people here,” she said tightly. “I can hear them.”
“We’ll make a stop, darlin’, an’ I’ll see what I can do about them. More than likely, the troops outside will take care of them. Stop your fretting.”
“I cannot help but fret when I know that Blood, Inc. is still around these parts. I am quite upset in that they haven’t yet been terminated,” Madelyne said, a rising level of tense exasperation in her tone. “They can kill me at any time.”
“But they won’t, honey-cheeks. See, the thing is, while they might be better than the average bear in slaughtering our forces, the thing is, they ain’t enough to get close to you,” Caine reassured her. “Ain’t enough power in the world for them to get close to you. Besides, it isn’t as if you can hear their thoughts and keep yourself out of trouble, anywho.”
Madelyne made a scoffing sound, shrugging thin shoulders. Staring out the window, she murmured, “They aren’t very scared. Sometimes, people are running in fear. These ones aren’t. Very highly irritating. It could be them.”
“How many are there?” Caine asked, rather bored as he peered at his fingertips. Many of his fingernails had fallen off over the long years of his life. “I’ll make sure they’re taken care of.”
Madelyne’s young face scrunched with thought. She could hear their panicked thoughts–but was unable to focus on them clearly. Her mind was always occupied with the forces she had spread throughout the West. Hearing the panicked whispers assured her of their numbers. “Hmm. One, two...three...four...there’s five...plus three. Eight. Eight of them. Over ten horses. No females.”
“Well, then. I’ll make sure to get rid of them. In the meantime...how about we look through this town for some boy’s clothing, hmm? Get a haircut...be a little more manlier.”
Madelyne shifted her thoughtful gaze to look at Caine, expression shifting into utter annoyance. “I am a girl, Caine. I’m not a boy!”
“...But...darlin’...those bits and parts underneath that calico dress say otherwise...”
“I. Am. A. Girl.”
Caine held his hands up in surrender, sighing as he once again lost the argument. Grumbling low to himself, he wondered how, out of all the children he’d sired, one of his boys had to go pretending that he was a girl. Madelyne shot him an annoyed look once more.
“You bring that subject up once more, Caine, and I assure you–”
“Yes, yes, darlin’, I understand. Can’t help but hear that every damn day,” he grumbled, pulling at his vest. “Just tryin’ to prevent mortifying embarrassment later on the road, when you get it in your head that, biologically, you’re a boy.”
Madelyne huffed, leaning back in her seat. Reaching out to her troops, she realized the town was fully invaded. The living were cornered. It was easy to see this through the dead eyes of the few zombies she was able to occupy. Shifting from vision to vision until she realized that the living were trapped like rats. It made her feel a little better.
“You exasperate me.”
“I’m your father, darlin’, I have to.”
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Junior grunted as he sent the butt of his rifle against the Hound’s face, repeatedly knocking the creature’s head back. The angry demon was trying hard to beat the others in getting to him, leaping repeatedly at the man poised over the slender ledge of the town’s only saloon. Just above him on the roof, James and Randy were firing off shots at the animals that clambered below them. Their howls were loud, piercing over the forceful explosions of buckshot.
Across the way, Virgil was picking off the zombies that were snarling as fiercely as the animals, clawing at the wooden supports of the post office. Hotstreak was across from him, occupied with the Mad Men that cackled joyously upon the very many and various targets around them. Animals were squealing, men and women were screeching, and children were bawling in tantrum-similar rages as the living were cornered by the army. Wood protested violent treatment, gunshots filled the air–as safe as the living felt atop of their various positions, it was fleeting the more the undead filled the streets.
Virgil was quite panicked as he witnessed this mad frenzy–he’d seen his share of zombies, and a few of the creatures, but some of it was quite new to him. Unaware that he’d be fighting for his life and those of the others in such a manner, he was unprepared for this occasion. He was quickly running out of ammo, and looked helplessly at the others, unsure of how they were doing.
He spied Hotstreak fiddling with something, watching with panic as he realized he was lighting a torch. “You crazy?!” he screamed from his position. “You’ll kill us all!”
His friend shot him an annoyed look, and tossed the hastily made torch into a group of zombies below. The frenzied shrieking of the undead grew volumes as clothes caught fire, and skin began to burn. The more the zombies began panicking, the more the fire began to spread.
Junior looked over, mouth dropping with dismay as flames licked the buildings closest to them. He whirled away from the Hound he’d been beating on, shouting at Hotstreak, “You fuckin’ loser! You tryin’ to kill us all!”
Hotstreak frowned at him as well, watching the progressing spread of fire as Mad Men’s mounts caught the flame–hides went up easily, animals squealing. From their protesting, panicked actions, they spread the bright orange flames from Hound to zombie, until heat rapidly began to warm the air. Soon, everything was brightly lit with the spreading fire, Junior hastily allowing the others to pull him up as he sought to escape the heat.
The living was now in a panic, seeking out escape from the fire that caught onto the worn wooden planks of various shanties. Virgil followed Adam and the other two hands across the roof–once hitting the edge, they found easy access down to the ground from a half-covered wagon whose back wheels were split. Quickly, they climbed down, Adam hastily covering them as a Mad Man shrieked upon discovering them.
Virgil ducked as a cleaver blade embedded into the wall just above his head, Adam taking out the offending creature with a well-placed shot between the eyes. As the Mad Man fell off his horse, heels over head, the horse charged Adam. Lowering its head, it rammed full force into the black man, sending him flying through the dirt, weapon flying off into the darkness.
Virgil managed to recover from his hasty duck, looking back to see Adam roll to avoid being trampled by the charging beast. Tom busied himself with hacking the fallen Mad Man to bits, enraged at the continuing movement of the armed skeleton. Willie was firing repeatedly at the mad animal that turned, charging toward them once more.
It squealed as its back leg was shot out, rolling once as it slammed into the dust, Adam hastily climbing to his feet and searching for his weapon.
Virgil hurried away from them, looking for a way to get to their horses so that they could escape. Fire was spreading from building to building, now–smoke made the darkness much more thicker. Zombies were still running about in mad panic, spreading more flame wherever they went–there wasn’t a sign of Hounds. There wasn’t any sign of the other four men, either.
Worriedly, he saw that the other three had handled the Mad Man and its mount, taking over on the weaponry the skeleton carried and a jacket that Willie threw on quickly.
Virgil led the way out of the back alley, heading for the correl that they’d left their horses. He was hoping against hope that they were still alive–the invaders had been rapidly occupied with trying to get at them rather than exploring the rest of the town.
He heard their panicked whinnies, success making him laugh aloud as he ran for them–they were still saddled, still tied to the post they’d left them. He was making a mad dash when gunfire hit the ground before him, stopping them all in mid-run.
“GET OUT OF THERE!” Hotstreak bellowed in panicked regard, firing again at their feet to make them turn, running back the way they came.
Virgil looked up to question him when the scream of a much larger animal caught his attention–a lumbering black shadow the size of an upright Grizzly shot into view, maw opened wide with a victorious scream.
All men, new to this creature, screamed aloud in surprise and fright. They ran harder as the creature charged at them, joined by two others.
The ground shook underfoot as these creatures ran after them, quickly closing the distance between them. Virgil looked over his shoulder, smelling that sun-rotted breath from the creature’s open mouth, seeing the wide, deranged eyes–he wasn’t sure what the creature looked like. It was a horrid twist of a pug’s face with the maw of a bear. The claws at the end of its paws weren’t exactly soft and cuddly, either. He saw that the others were scrambling hastily for higher ground–there weren’t very many options. Fire was spreading everywhere–safety was being taken from them.
He veered suddenly to the left, running into the fire, the head creature following after him with a heavy snort. The other two continued to chase Adam and the others, who were climbing back up the half-covered wagon, making way for the post office; it didn’t make clear sense. The building was clearly on fire.
This was made obvious when the porch sagged with a terrific groan, then began to collapse. The building began sinking forward, and with it, Tom was dragged down with the gravity. As he screamed, rolling back into the fire, Adam and Willie managed to jump to safety on opposite sides.
Adam was lucky–Willie wasn’t.
One of those large creatures caught him in mid-air within its maw; the crunch its teeth made with crushing the man’s body was horrific. Willie’s scream was cut in mid-sound, strangled as he was tossed to the side. The two creatures advanced on him instantly, like a pair of dogs struggling to get to their chew toy before the other. Willie didn’t have a chance to scream again as one set of teeth settled over his upper back, and another pair settled over his mid thigh.
The tear of a human body seemed to sound above all the chaos. As he was split in half by opposing forces, innards splashed through the air, falling into the dust. The creatures growled and snapped at each other as they settled for what they got.
Meanwhile, Adam was scrambling for safety, coughing violently as he inhaled smoke. The roar of the rapidly moving fire overcame all other sounds, and as he tried to shout for Virgil, he was racked with coughs. He lost his way as smoke drifted across his vision, and as he began running, almost mindlessly, he became aware of the shaking ground that signaled another incoming creature.
Hastily, he dove underneath a nearby porch, crawling quickly through the darkness as the creature lumbered past, howling in discovery. Making it out onto the other side, Adam was back on his feet, running once more. He cried aloud as he saw the horses straight ahead, panicking madly as they fought to get loose. Smoke and flame made them agitated, as well as the screams and shouts of the undead as they were consumed by fire.
He made it to the horses, quickly undoing their ties, holding them firmly as he climbed atop of his horse. Looking around, he saw no signs of the others–and he began to holler frantically for somebody, fighting his horse and the others for control.
Out of the smoke from his left came Junior and Randy–there wasn’t a sign of James. Randy looked fairly stricken, the whole upper half of his body coated in dark red. He had trouble claiming his horse, Junior showing no signs of affliction as he climbed on Willie’s, urgently reining the horse in to his command. As Adam helped Randy onto his, he saw out of the corner of his eye Junior forcing the horse back into town.
“You crazy son of a bitch!” he screamed, wondering what in the world was so important in there. He thought instantly of Virgil and the others, and instructed Randy to ride toward the mountains–to follow the road out. They’d meet later.
Randy complied without another word, kicking his horse into a dead sprint away from the burning town. Adam turned, holding hard onto the reins of the other horses, most of whom were anxious to ride away. He scanned the chaos for Virgil, shouting his name–he only received response from the burning undead, and the attention of various creatures.
Quickly, he steered his horse around, heading toward the back section he and the others had just narrowly escaped. He saw a running figure burst out from the smoke, and gave a relieved bark as he recognized Virgil. But the man was being pursued by several Hounds, all of whom looked insanely frustrated that they couldn’t catch him. Adam steered his horse toward him, then began to lead them further, making Virgil run harder just to catch onto the closest horse. Once he climbed atop, Adam let go of its reins, and Virgil made the quick switch onto Sparky, holding tightly onto the reins of the horse he’d used to get up.
The two instantly began running the horses out of the Hounds’ reach, their frustrated howls and screams following them.
“Where’s the others!?” Virgil screamed at Adam over the noise.
“Randy’s up ahead! Told him to go! Junior went back in there! The others, I haven’t seen!”
“Think Willie’s dead! I...I think...” Virgil began kicking his left boot frantically, and Adam could see the discoloration there. “Tom–?”
“Burned. The buildin’ collapsed when we climbed on.”
The pair of them were far enough away to settle the horses, turning to look back at the flames that light up the night. Virgil looked at the horses, and recognize those that belonged to their friends, and to Junior’s. He had no idea where Hotstreak kept his horse–wondered if he still had Charger.
He looked back at the burning town, and wondered if he should go back.
But something hit him–seeing how his friend stayed in control, not panicked–having lived all this time...
Something told him not to worry about him.
He looked at Adam. “Let’s go find Randy.”
“What about the others?” Adam asked worriedly, shooting the fire a look. “They still out there!”
“I...I think they can handle themselves...”
“Junior?!”
“...Do we care about him?”
“...Not...not really, but–!”
“He went back in there, I think he made his decision.”
Adam studied him for a few moments, then frowned. “Stone?”
“Stone can handle himself.” Virgil cast the town another look. “We’ll just wait an’ see, man. Let’s just go.”
Adam thought that was odd–this man that he’d known, mostly all his life, thinking so casually and so little of human life? But he was too distressed by the entire incident to dwell on it. He just followed Virgil and his horse further away from town, and away from Runner’s Valley.
Halfway out, they were nearly mowed down by a group of three racing madly toward the chaos. Before either man could warn them of the terror, the three were already out of earshot.
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Hotstreak ran hastily from the burning buildings, turning every so often to judge the incoming Mammoths that were charging after him. Their heavy bodies plowed into anything in their paths, and with their frame and power, they barely seemed to notice anything that could cause them injury. He paused long enough to make a loud whistle, hoping that Charger could hear him–hoping that the horse was still alive.
Mammoths were ugly creatures–powerful. They were used for heavy-duties, and weren’t very bright. Blayne had called them the oxen of the undead, and Hotstreak saw them as that.
Out of their sight, he turned quickly back into town. He was aiming to find Caine–Caine and that ‘him’ he’d always spoke of. If he found Caine...then maybe he could find a way to end all this madness. Redeem himself. Burning skeletons were settling throughout various areas–zombies tiring themselves out quick, their bodies turning useless with continued heat and flame. The sound of collapsing buildings made the air rumble. He was utterly thankful that spectres and Ghouls were absent; while spectres would have made a nuisance of themselves earlier, Ghouls were the tough bastards of the lot. They had brains, and they were more threatening than a well-educated cronie.
He was about to head out toward the entrance of the town, guessing that Caine would hide himself from the melee and watch from a safe distance when the shrill scream of a horse caught his ear. He turned, seeing Willies’ horse squealing madly as flame burned along its back, and a zombie child gnawed at its neck, tiny arms clinging determinedly.
Because he knew the animal, Hotstreak leveled his gun at the horse and shot cleanly between the horse’s eyes as it ran close. The animal hit the ground with a muffled grunt, legs flying over head and zombie child flying. He turned away from the dead animal to see Junior shouting up a furious storm, firing his six-shooter with one hand and dragging the boy with his other hand.
Hotstreak was surprised to see this act of ‘compassion’–Junior was actually thinking of someone other than himself?
It was obvious the entire thing was awkward, as the kid couldn’t move very fast, and Junior was drawing attention to himself by firing uselessly at a couple of Hounds that were hurriedly catching up to them. Hotstreak lost sight of Caine for this moment, rushing over to grab Junior’s shoulder, getting his attention.
Junior almost shot him in panic, but recognized him with much expressed relief.
“I’ll cover you,” Hotstreak shouted above the roar of the fire, signaling the Hounds. He’d waste ammo, but it would give Junior some room to get him and the kid away from the chaos. Junior nodded without arguing, moving on.
The Hounds were anxious as to who to go after first, but their dilemma was solved when Hotstreak fired a few times at them, catching their attention. The shuffling animals headed toward him, and he deliberately slowed his pace to allow them some grounds closer. Seeing that Junior had disappeared around a farmer’s shanty, he let that be the effort of his help. He turned, quickly running away from the Hounds, heading into the smoke and heat.
He pulled his bandanna up, covering his nose and mouth, breathing through that as he veered through flaming shacks, heading toward the south entrance of the town.
He lost the Hounds as they grew anxious of the heat, and ran with slowly building panic.
It didn’t look as if Caine was anywhere close–! Once reaching the main road, he saw that it was empty–devoid of any remaining zombies and creatures. Staring into the darkness, he squinted, trying to locate any other incoming furies. He was so very sure Caine was behind this–he’d remember that singing from anywhere!
Giving a frustrated curse, he walked the road for a few miles, leaving the burning town behind. He gave a shrill whistle a few times, calling for Charger–the correl he kept him in was close.
He was starting to think he’d killed the horse by keeping him here when he heard the anxious squeals of animals behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw three riders heading his way–their mounts breathing hard.
He paused in mid-step once he recognized Kangorr, the black man looking around anxiously.
“You the cause of this, mon?” he asked, obviously labored over the hard ride.
“Was attacked,” Hotstreak said sullenly. “He’s here–he has ta be! I heard ‘im!”
“Know that, pardner. Know that. But I’m not seein’...I’m not seein’ him!”
“Unless he went around,” Ebon suggested, just as tired. “We’ll split, man.”
“Do it,” Kangorr ordered. “Send up a flare if you catch ‘em.”
The two split, taking their horses in different directions around the town as Kangorr looked once again at Hotstreak. “Need a ride?”
“...I ain’t ridin’ wit’ you! Goddamn, he was here! I know he was!”
“He still could be. He could! I believe you! We came back, trackin’ them Mammoths. They around only when he’s around. ‘Member?”
Hotstreak remembered–he nodded curtly, then looked over at the sound of a horse’s hoofbeats on the dirt. Charger whinnied in stricken annoyance, tossing his huge head, panting loudly. He reached out to touch his stallion, an expression of relief on his face. He noted the scratches up and down the stallion’s front legs, bending to examine them quickly.
Kangorr nudged his horse around, barking, “I’m heading back in! I need to see if they’re there!”
Straightening, Hotstreak nodded quickly, then climbed atop of his horse. He grumbled at the lack of a saddle, but held onto Charger’s mane, ushering him to follow after Kangorr.
Back in her carriage, Madelyne frowned. She pushed the lumbering Mammoths into faster action, pulling them away from there quickly. The surrounding timber prevented those wretched members of Blood, Inc. from seeing her getaway.
“They’re here,” she announced, shifting uncomfortably. She looked at Caine pointedly. “All of them.”
Caine, looking up from his knuckles, frowned at her. His eyes glowed briefly, then he chuckled. “So they are...”
“Tell them to leave me alone!”
Caine laughed. “Darlin’, I doubt they’d listen to me. They’re grown men!”
“I mean it, Caine. Tell them!”
Caine sighed.
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Shiv reached down, pulling Richie onto the horse, Junior anxiously searching the area for a horse of his own. The purple-haired man and his attire, his very background, would be questioned later. As the fire continued to burn, continuous shrieks of undead torment ringing throughout the valley, Junior could see that they’d just barely escaped.
“Find another! I see one close by!” Shiv shouted above the roar, sharp cracking piercing the rumble. He was pointing ahead of them, up the road. “Be right back!”
Junior immediately whirled, grabbing a hold of his horse’s rein, making the animal protest vehemently. Both riders almost fell backward as the horse shifted anxiously.
“You come back, you damn chink!” the younger Alva snarled. “You better come back!”
Shiv gave him a stunned look, but nodded, managing to pull away from him. The horse shot forward, both riders swallowed up by the darkness. Junior anxiously paced, trying to catch his breath–every part of him felt extremely sore and overused. He hadn’t had that much physical activity in a very long while. Climbing, running, fighting, pulling–he worked his right shoulder with some worry, having felt an abnormal pull while he had pulled Richie out of that shack he’d hidden himself in.
Just thinking of how the kid had hidden from him that entire time made him furious–utterly furious that he’d had to risk his own life to go back and find him.
Luckily, the kid hadn’t a death wish, and had been looking for him as well. Amidst the chaos of the creatures’ attack and the burning all around them, Junior had pulled Richie along to safety, hampered by the fact that he couldn’t move very fast.
But all in all, they were alive–Junior could still pull ahead with his plans.
He looked up upon hearing the sound of horses approaching, watching a black man ride over. With a repulsed look on his face, Junior turned away, looking for Shiv and Richie, hoping that a horse was found. He wanted to depend on nobody.
“You here by yo’self?” the rider demanded, in a voice that commanded attention. Junior looked up at him, frowning at his appearance.
“No,” he answered, a little sullen. “They gettin’ me a horse.”
“Who’s ‘they’?”
“My bo–some Chink.”
The black man scowled at him, his horse panting heavily. “He don’t like bein’ called that.”
“An’ I give a rat’s ass,” Junior shot back.
“You a mouthy fuck, you piece of shit–!”
“Make somethin’ of it, you–!” Junior quickly shut his mouth upon feeling the piercing tip of metal against his Adam’s Apple–pressed too tightly for him to swallow. His eyes widened with surprise–he hadn’t even seen the man move!
“You shut that mouth. Nobody be missin’ you wit’ that attitude.”
Powerless, Junior felt his shoulders tighten, his face to draw with rising frustration. He kept himself from moving any further. He heard the approaching horses behind him, and wanted to move–but that blade stayed right where it was.
“Got it!” Shiv cried happily, drawing to a stop. He noticed what was happening, frowning. “Now, Ebon, what Kangorr say about scaring people?”
“Shut up, chink. He was makin’ me mad.”
Shiv shrugged, holding out the reins of the horse he’d found–it had been struggling madly up ahead, leather stuck around the branch of a tree. Ebon let Junior go, glaring at him as the younger Alva rubbed at his neck, glaring back at him. The two members of Blood, Inc. watched as Junior climbed atop of the horse, and had Richie moving from behind Shiv to behind him.
Junior looked back at them, intending to leave with words to scathe and speak of his repulsion. “Satisfied? Can’t let the lot of you get lazy, now.”
He frowned. That wasn’t what he wanted to say.
Ebon and Shiv looked at him blankly, unsure of what he’d meant by that. Junior cleared his throat. “Had to make you all work–like the dogs that you are.”
His face expressed his surprise and confusion–he wasn’t talking. That wasn’t him!
“White boy, you just makin’ me mad–!” Ebon snarled, drawing out his double-barreled rifle, cocking it threateningly while Shiv gave a nervous chuckle.
“Where’s Kangorr? It’s him I wish to speak to. The little lady has a message she wants me ta deliver,” Junior continued, his face showing his distress. Much to his panic, his body lost control, losing out to someone that made him dismount.
Shiv held out his hand, waving at Ebon to settle. His eyes narrowed. “You are nearby!”
“Much obliged if you would just pass on a message,” Junior said, his face shifting into an expression of Caine’s. “Just leave us alone–you cannot think that you can stop us. We’re too much for you. Three men cannot stop an entire army. Your efforts are pointless. And, quite frankly, very irritating.”
“That’s what you think!” Shiv cried. “Just wait, you regret all of this!”
Junior shot him an irritated look, then looked at Ebon with enormous exasperation. “Please, for everyone’s sake, send him to a few English classes. I cannot understand a word he’s saying.”
Ebon smashed a hand into Shiv’s face, preventing him from speaking further. “Why should we listen to you, huh?”
“Well, that’s simple! Because I am the man!” Junior laughed without much humor. “Ah, but I digress. Just leave us alone. Just know your efforts are pointless. Peace out, bums.”
Then, just like that, Caine was gone. Junior blinked, frowning, then started examining himself. His breath came anxiously as he touched frantically at his face and chest, unable to understand what had happened.
Ebon looked over at Shiv, frowning. “Where th’ hell could he been?”
“We look everywhere! Kangorr and Red, they search thataway!”
“What happened to me?” Junior screeched. “What happened ta me?”
“Shaddup, honky,” Ebon ordered. He looked at Shiv, nudging his head in the direction they’d left Kangorr, in. “Let’s find ‘im. We need to tell him what’s goin’ on.”
As they headed off with nary a word at the others, Richie wondered to himself who ‘the little lady’ was.
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Virgil looked up when he heard the obvious sounds of a horse coming up. Hidden within a grotto, he, Adam and Randy were trying to rest their exhausted selves within the tranquil silence. It seemed normal out here–surrounded by birds, animals and the usual sounds of nature. On the other side of the mountains, it was as if the chaos they’d left had been nothing more than a bad nightmare.
He swallowed hard, hand on his gun as Adam heard the noise, too. Both of them readied themselves for an attack. The falling rocks came first as the horse struggled to stay upright, the steep hill dangerous with loose dirt that made it tough to navigate. Once they recognized Junior and the kid, they relaxed. Virgil set out quickly, escaping the safe confines of the grotto to make himself visible to them.
“Hey!” he shouted, startling Junior out of what looked to be a sound sleep. Both of them looked as if they were trusting the horse to make its own way through the area. Junior realized where they were going, and pulled at the horse’s reins. At the clumsy sidestep it made in an effort to gain steadier ground, Junior slouched to the side, but both ended up falling off anyway. The horse lost footing, squealing as it rolled off to the side.
Virgil hurried down to them, wincing at the scene as he helped the kid to his feet, Junior swearing up a storm.
“You? You didn’t die out back there?” Junior asked, angrily ripping off his bandanna to wipe at his face.
Virgil gave him a startled expression, but was too tired to snap back. He looked back at Richie, asking, “You okay, man? You hungry?”
“Don’t you be gettin’ all cozy, now! We’re leaving as soon as I git that fuckin’ animal!” Junior rasped angrily, spying the horse’s quick maneuvering down the rest of the hill. “Fuck!”
Virgil frowned after him, hoping that the younger Alva would trip and fall the rest of the way. But today just wasn’t his day–he looked at Richie. “You hungry? You okay?”
Richie nodded, looking anxiously after Junior. “I’m fine.”
“What’s your name, man?” Virgil asked, remembering that no one knew. He helped him toward the grotto, a little puzzled that Richie was resisting. “C’mon. It’s all right. There’s some food, here. Adam got us a couple of rabbits, an’ we got some water.”
“No, it’s all right. I don’t need any of that. Thank you.”
“Just a bit. Just have some. Who knows when you’re gonna be able to eat again, huh? An’ look,” Virgil pointed at the blood stain that had dried on his trousers. “Let’s get that cleaned up, ‘k? So you won’t bleed ta death.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s okay. I’ll look at it later.”
Virgil frowned at him, puzzled at his behavior. But he let go, walking ahead to see what he could get and push at him before they could leave. Adam passed him a few pieces of meat, still warm from the fire, and a canteen. Virgil hurried back, but stopped once he realized that Richie was moving carefully down the hill after Junior.
He sighed, lowering his arms. Walking back to Adam, he grumbled, “Do I act or smell like some kinda asshole, man?”
“Nope.”
“Even when he’s down an’ out, that fucker’s an ass. The hell, man? You’da think that in situations like this? People would change, a bit.”
Adam shrugged, picking at his share of rabbit meat. He tossed a sleeping Randy a nervous glance. “Some people never change, man. Anyway, who cares? Maybe he’ll die, somewhere. ‘Sides, it ain’t as if we’ll see ‘im, again, huh?”
Virgil sighed again. “Nah. But...I just...I feel bad. For the kid, I mean.”
“You’d feel bad for shit that didn’t make it in the pot, Virgil.”
“...Wha?”
“Heh. Anywho, just forget it. If Junior’s so hard up on doin’ things hisself, then let ‘im. The kid wants to follow, let ‘im. Prolly turn out to be just as rotten as him, later on.”
Virgil shrugged, sitting. “Yeah...figures.”