He sighed, “These displays of gunplay are becoming a habit.” He sighed again, “Okay here’s the deal,” he stepped forward out of his protective circle, “you and your friends have been trying to get to some outdoor sports store to load up on supplies, right?”

  Cheyenne frowned and nodded.

  “Good, here’s what we’ll do. I’ll admit we have a gun or two that’s empty. You like to be heroes, go play heroes,” he smiled pleasantly. “When the sun comes up tomorrow go be heroes. Take some volunteers,” he waved his hand over the crowd, “and go to that outdoor place you’re so hot and bothered about. Load up on weapons, ammo, supplies, whatever. Bring enough back for everyone you can. Go wild. I have no problem with giving everyone a weapon. More guns, more protection for the rest of us. More chances of getting food away from the monsters when you can shoot them I say.” He shrugged, “Until then, my friends will keep their weapons, and things will continue as they are in the meantime.”

  The crowd rumbled over that.

  “Or,” he shrugged, “we can all sit here, be defenseless, slowly starve to death as our scavengers die one by one.” He put a hand on the barrel of the guns on either side of him and pressed down, “We’re reasonable people. We all want the same thing. Security. Food. And to get through this crisis as quickly as we can until we find a way to rebuild or escape those things out there.” He bowed slightly, “What do you say?”

  Cheyenne looked at me. I scanned the crowd too. There were many worried faces, some hopeful, some hopeless. Randy nodded at me. Tex winked, Julie grinned, Janessa appeared worried but nodded. Patty massaged Tex’s shoulders unconsciously, her face filled with anxiety. The crowd realized, I think, that my friends were looking at me for a decision. I’m not a leader, I’m more of a point-in-that-direction-follow-someone-else type of guy. But as each face turned to look at me, I shrugged at Cheyenne and nodded.

  “It’s what we were going to do anyway,” I said to David, “whether you let us, or told us to, or not.” Keeping my Colt aimed at his mob I addressed the survivors, “We all should be doing what we can with the people who haven’t changed. The Changed out there are a bigger threat to us than each other. Fighting amongst ourselves is stupid.” I nodded at a Randy as he stood and grinned at me. “We should work together. Help each other, even if we don’t want to.” I turned my gaze to David, “It’s stupid to do otherwise.”

  David waited with crossed arms, “Does that mean we have a deal?”

  I nodded and lowered my Colt. I was getting tired of drawing it and not using it.

  Cheyenne didn’t lower the Winchester until David ordered his mob to lower their weapons.

  David shook his head, “You people are a pain in the ass,” he smiled, “But you have good intentions and are brave enough to do what’s right.” His eyes lit up as if he remembered something. “To show you my goodwill, go see your pet monster upstairs. Hug him and squeeze him, and see if we’ve hurt his poor little body. Get a good night’s sleep,” he glanced at his mob, “where you won’t be bothered,” he made sure the mob understood his warning. “Then in the morning, up and at ‘em. Go on your supply run, arm us up. Get what these people need. Be those heroes you so desperately need to be.”

  He ordered his mob to stand down, get back to their posts and returned to the stairs as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  The survivors moved to go about their business and our new friends gathered together. After we checked if Randy and his friends needed help and led them back to the infirmary, Julie wrapped an arm around my shoulder and Cheyenne’s.

  “Damn, gorgeous,” she smiled at Cheyenne, “that was hot.” She turned to me, “And you handsome, you’re one lucky SOB,” she laughed and hurried after Randy.

  We shook our heads at the crazy petite woman as she departed.

  Our hands brushed and our fingers laced together, at first hers trembled then they relaxed.

  I felt David and his mob would be a future problem to rival the monsters awaiting us outside.

  Chapter 23

  Janessa dug her fingers into my bicep, my stitched bicep.

  “Ow. Hurting. Ow.” I warned as she released her grip.

  The doorway to the room where Eric the Dog Boy was held captive was guarded by one of David’s thugs enjoying Janessa’s discomfort. The gentle wind blowing through the room carried the stench of the Changed blood.

  Janessa mumbled prayers with her eyes closed. The thug, a tall, beer-bellied redneck, shook his head in contempt.

  Cheyenne whispered into Janessa’s ear, “You don’t have to go in. I can check on it. I don’t want to touch it, but if you can’t, I will. You don’t have to do this.”

  Janessa shook her head, but didn’t open her eyes, “Taylor said it’s not dangerous. Right, Taylor? It’s not?”

  “Not to me.” Cheyenne poked me in the back, “So…so it’s not. I don’t think he’s dangerous at all.” I rubbed the spot where she poked me. She’s got a strong finger!

  “Okay. Okay. I can do this.” Janessa took a deep breath and exhaled, then stepped into the foyer.

  Randy and I convinced Janessa and Cheyenne to accompany us to check on Eric. Randy didn’t want him to die, and frankly neither did I. We still had hopes we could communicate with it. Him.

  Another man, skinny, wearing a black MMA logo t-shirt and a baseball cap, sat at the window idly cradling a stick with a knife taped to the end, he nodded and pointed toward the corner hidden from us.

  Janessa dug her fingers into my bicep again as we stepped fully into the room.

  Eric had been beaten badly. One of his eyes was swollen. Due to his mutated skin coloration, we couldn’t see any bruises, only raised welts. His wrists and ankles were ripped and torn, the bonds evidently cutting into them from struggling. Multiple shallow cuts, possibly from a knife taped to a stick, punctured him here and there. Eric’s gaze shifted from the man across from him and toward us. His head tilted as he inspected Janessa and his eyes moved toward Cheyenne’s partially raised Winchester. The shadows in the room from the setting sun made him appear more sinister than he was.

  “Who’s smoking weed?” Cheyenne asked.

  The guards laughed at her and Randy explained it was Eric and the smell from Eric’s clothes beside him.

  I glimpsed down at Janessa, her eyes bulging as she watched Eric.

  Eric glanced up at her from Cheyenne’s rifle and he lazily blinked once.

  Crouching, balancing the water bottle, chip bag and orange I held, I pried Janessa’s fingers away and approached Eric. His gaze shifted from Cheyenne and the two guards behind me then at Randy entering the room.

  “Eric? This is Janessa,” I pointed at Janessa setting objects down in front of him. “That’s Cheyenne,” I frowned at Cheyenne to lower her barrel, she glared at me, sighed, and pointed it at the floor, “They’re here to see if they can help you. Help.” I pointed at his cuts, wrists, and ankles, “Don’t hurt the ladies, okay?”

  Eric watched me, I couldn’t discern any bodily movement except his eyes. Pouring some water into his mouth, he sipped, watched me as I tore apart the chip bag and peeled the orange. He didn’t accept the slice or chips. Turning his head slightly in slow refusal, then he looked over my left shoulder as someone placed their hand on me.

  Janessa, her hand visibly shaking, gave me a gentle push to the side, but when I started to give her more room, she grabbed a handful of my t-shirt and I remained where I was.

  “Hello,” she said, kneeling, putting her first aid kit on the floor.

  Eric directed his gaze at the kit, then at her face.

  “My name’s Janessa. I’m…not a nurse. My mom was. She taught me how to help people. I want to help.” She spoke rapidly. “You scare me. I’m afraid you’re going to kill me. I want to help you. I can help if you let me. I…” her voice wavered as she tried to stop rambling.

  Eric’s head tilted to the side and his lips parted slightly. A cooing sound emanated from his throat.

  He was cooing at Janessa.

  “I’m going to use my stuff now. It might burn, it might hurt. Please don’t hurt me.” She opened her kit.

  The cooing became a soft melody, rising and falling.

  “Is it singing to her?” Cheyenne whispered.

  Janessa dabbed a cloth with disinfectant, raised it and motioned that she was going to take hold of his wrist. His cooing continued and his hands slowly unfurled and relaxed.

  The cooing continued as she applied the compress, her hands shaking, as she wiped at the congealed scabs.

  Eric never stopped his calming song, the song changed only slightly as she scrubbed the thicker blood from his wounds. Slowly Janessa relaxed, beginning to hum along with Eric’s cooing. Soothing herself as much as he did.

  “Well, they appear to be intelligent,” Randy whispered, “or at least Eric is.”

  “I’d still just rather shoot him,” Cheyenne replied.

  Eric blinked, glanced at her and then back at Janessa’s ministrations.

  “Wait. Did he understand me?” she whispered.

  Eric continued his song, ignoring her.

  “I’m going to put something on your ankles and wrists,” Janessa said, “It’ll burn, please don’t hurt me.” She closed her eyes and said a prayer before applying the antiseptic.

  Eric tensed slightly, the song wavered but continued, he even closed his eyes for a moment. Janessa looked like she was ready to backpedal away from him, and I prepared to lean in between them, but Eric relaxed, increased the volume of his song slightly and then returned it to its previous level. Janessa calmed and continued working.

  “Whoa,” someone said from behind us.

  Julie had crept in and was peeking around the corner at Eric; Eric glanced at her then returned his attention to Janessa.

  “That’s one calm Porcupine,” she whispered to Randy, “and one brave lady.”

  Janessa smiled slightly but kept working. The smelly, thick blood was hard to remove, and the antiseptic made Eric bleed slightly but he remained stoic. Janessa finished cleaning and prepared to bandage his wounds.

  “Nope,” said the spear holder. “He don’t need no bandages, save that for people. He ain’t people.”

  Julie and Cheyenne glared at him, but Janessa agreed reluctantly.

  Eric twisted his hand over, palm up in front of Janessa. She looked at me for an explanation.

  “Take his hand. I did it.”

  Movement behind me made Eric glance over my head at the guards and Cheyenne.

  Janessa watched Eric but spoke to me, “It won’t hurt me?”

  “Eric. Eric won’t hurt you,” I nodded at Eric as he lazily blinked back at her.

  Janessa, hands shaking again, slowly put her hand in Eric’s elongated palm, she smiled as his fingers slowly, carefully, closed over hers.

  “He’s warm,” she whispered. “His hand feels funny, like a scrub brush for washing dishes. It tickles,” her hands stopped shaking as Eric finished closing his palm around her small hand. “He’s so gentle.”

  Eric made the same sound at her as he made toward me earlier.

  “I think that means thank you,” I told her.

  She relaxed and smiled. When I turned my attention back to Eric, he was looking up and over my shoulder at Cheyenne. His other palm slowly opened.

  Cheyenne frowned at him, “Oh, no way. I’m not touching it.”

  Julie edged forward, “Well, I’m not passing this up. Can I?” she held out her hand to Eric.

  His attention shifted to Julie, his head tilted and his palm moved toward her hand.

  He let Janessa go, as Julie took his other hand.

  “Oh, wow. Wow. That’s so…wow,” Julie grinned with abandon. “Nice to meet you.” She gently lifted his hand up and down. Eric looked back at Cheyenne and opened his palm toward her again.

  “No way,” she frowned.

  Randy moved slowly forward, “What the hell, why not?” Eric released Julie who was beaming and extended his clawed hand to Randy. Randy took it and grinned.

  Janessa sat back on her rear as Randy stepped away.

  Eric opened both hands and extended them toward Cheyenne, tilting his head.

  Cheyenne shook her head, “No way. I’m not touching it.”

  Eric began cooing.

  She suddenly shoved the Winchester’s barrel close to his face, “Stop it!”

  The others jumped away from her, I was afraid to grab her barrel in case it would fire accidentally, Randy cursed.

  ‘Stop it!” she screamed. Eric didn’t move an inch but he did stop cooing.

  “Cheyenne?” I whispered calmly, “take it easy. He didn’t do anything.”

  “These monsters killed my family! They killed us! Humans! I don’t want to be friends with it! I want it to go away! I…I…I just want my family back.” She lowered the barrel, “I don’t want to get to know it. I want my…” she lowered the barrel more, “I’m sorry. I just don’t want to…I want my dad, my brothers, my mom, all my family back.” She stepped back from Eric. “I don’t want to.”

  “You don’t have to,” Janessa said, coming back up on her knees. “He’s not dangerous, though. I don’t think. I believe Taylor’s right. This kind isn’t dangerous.”

  The spear holder laughed, “You taught it how to shake and you think it ain’t dangerous? Y’all a buncha idiots.” The door guard agreed with him.

  Cheyenne glowered at them as Janessa gathered up her kit. Eric relaxed his arms and his hands balled back into their fists.

  “They’re just a bunch of dumb animals now,” the door guard said. “You’re right, sugar. The best thing for them now is to put them out of their misery. They’re not even human anymore. It’s them or us.”

  Cheyenne stared at the floor. I couldn’t read minds but Cheyenne had said similar things yesterday and today and was probably remembering them. She didn’t like rednecks and here they were agreeing with her.

  She looked back at Eric calmly watching her.

  “Why?” she whispered, “why did you change?”

  Eric didn’t reply.

  “What are you now? Why did you kill all those people? Why do you need to kill us?”

  Janessa, without realizing it, was sitting within arm’s reach of Eric; she wasn’t afraid anymore, even seemed protective of Eric.

  “Why did you change? Why? What happened? Was it a virus? Some mad scientist somewhere? The wrath of God? Aliens?” she squatted to look him eye to eye, Eric lazily blinking.

  The two men were smiling, amused by Cheyenne and us.

  “Sugar, he’s not going to answer you. He’s just some freak.”

  “Yeah, teach him to fetch and you got yourself a new pet,” the other added.

  Randy told them to be quiet, but they continued laughing and making private jokes.

  Eric continued watching Cheyenne; his palm opened again and waited.

  Cheyenne stared at it, “Why? What have you become? Why you, and not us? What’s different about us? Why did some change in my family but not others?”

  Eric tilted his head at her as she studied his open palm in front of her.

  Cheyenne suddenly stood up and walked out. Eric sighed gently, closed his palm and watched his captors as the sun slowly set.

  Janessa checked Eric once more then moved away from him and stood, taking my arm as I turned to go after Cheyenne.

  “No, let her go. You can’t fix everything, Taylor,” the wise beyond her years young woman said, rubbing her bald head. “She’s hurting just like we all are. We each have to work through it.”

  “Yep, she’s right,” Julie said. “Give her a few minutes then go check on her.”

  Randy shrugged, “Don’t look at me. I have my own problems with women. Not to mention all the other crap going on right now.”

  “Anyway,” Julie took Randy by the arm, “let’s let Eric rest and let’s get some sleep. Big day tomorrow.” She turned to Eric and frowned, “Sorry for what’s happened to you. I wish we could help.” She shrugged, “Hang in there.” She guided Randy out of the room.

  “I don’t want anyone hurting him anymore,” Janessa told the two men. “Pass it on.”

  The spearman chuckled, “Sure whatever you say, little girl. We’ll be sure to pass that on.”

  Their sarcasm rubbed Janessa wrong, “Just so you understand, I’m paying attention to who’s watching over him. You could get hurt. You may get an infection. You’ll need my help. Remember that when you decide to torture him some more. I could forget how to give you the proper care. I don’t think you want that.”

  They glanced at each other then back at her and didn’t say anything.

  As Janessa helped me down the stairs in the dying light I gave her a hug, “Listen to you. The tough, intimidating doctor.”

  She smiled, “I meant it too. The wrong dosage, boom, they get sicker. I’m not going to let anyone hurt someone they don’t have to.”

  “So, you’re glad we convinced you to help him.”

  She nodded, “Yeah, I was scared but I have to face my fears.” She remained quiet for a moment, “You know why Cheyenne doesn’t want to get to know Eric as anything other than a monster don’t you?”

  “No, why?”

  “Well, I see them as people who became monsters. I can’t see them as anything other than sick people. That’s why I have a hard time killing them.” She sighed, “Cheyenne sees them as monsters that she has to kill. The things that killed her family. If she sees them as people and not monsters, she may not be able to kill them. And she’s good at killing them.”

  Hugging her, I smiled, “Did you take psychology courses in high school too?”

  “No. But my mom did in college. I liked reading her books.” She slapped me on the chest, “Don’t make fun of me. I’ll tell Cheyenne.”

  “Humph! Like I’m afraid of her.”

  “Yeah, whatever, I think everybody is afraid of her. Her bad side at least.”

  “There’s a good side?”

  “I’m going to tell her that.”

  “Taylor! Get Taylor! Randy, get Taylor!” Cheyenne’s agitated voice echoed up the stairwell.

 

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