My Zombie Shelter (open to everyone)

[prettyserpentine]

We walked in silence, most of the way, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was familiar, not awkward. The air was a little chilly, with a bit of a breeze.

"I never thought the woods could be so quiet. It's like the wildlife are even in hiding.." I held my bat close against my hip, my fingers flexing around the handle. I glanced at Randy. He seems totally at ease with our situation, wandering in the wilds, almost as if he were at home here. I smiled, feeling a little like Gretel, lost in the forest. I was excited at the prospect of exploring a town, but at the same time I was nervous at the idea of other survivors. Maybe that's why I kept checking my weapons, quickly, as if my life depended on how fast I could slam my railroad spike into someone's eye socket.

I glanced up at the sky: not a bird in sight. It was unsettling, and I fidgeted with my bat. "You know, I wouldn't mind a gun. Or arrows. At least that way you can recycle and make the ammunition. Arrows could work. I would make a decent Robin Hood." I giggled, to no one in particular. I felt like I was talking just so there'd be some kind of noise.

Then there was some kind of noise.

Every muscle in my body tensed and my knuckles turned white as my hands gripped the bat. I was ready to fight. We had reached the town, and there was a little hardware store with a broken sign that was battering off the wooden siding. I breathed, slowly, relieved, and followed Randy's lead. I found myself wondering where he had learned it all. Guns, stalking through the woods. I rolled my eyes. West Virginia, and 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' popped into my head. I could imagine him, all clad in khaki camouflage. A hunting rifle in his hands and his latest kill over his knee.

I wondered how his life had been. Riding around in the Fall, under the burnt orange leaves. Working on his truck, having barbecues and cookouts. I smiled. It surprised me how much in that moment I wanted to be part of that idyllic life. How much I wanted to kiss him and feel his hands in my hair again.

Damned adrenaline. My face flushed crimson and I cleared my throat quietly, trying not to look at him. I needed to pull myself together, we were on a mission, this was not the right time for a crush. But my body was betraying me. My nipples hardened in the cool hair, and stuck out under my shirt. I zipped up the hoodie.

"Cold," I breathed, breathlessly.

 

[gearhead73]

It was nice to be back in the woods. When I had found the compound, i had been so ready to find civilaztion of any kind, that I couldn't wait to get into shelter. However here, walking with Pan, reminded me of being back home, when I used to spend every free moment roaming around the hills I was born in.

My Dad had taken me hunting for the first time when I was about five. I didn't really understand what we were doing, but I knew that it was important to him, so I was glad he had included me. As I grew older, I began to learn that he was passing on knowledge and tradition that has been passed down in our family for generations. Hunting and fishing had always been important, but not just as a way to be outside, but also for the food. We didn't necessarily need it to survive, but we enjoyed it, and it was always nice to have something to show for the time you spent in the woods.

Later in my teens, when I was rebellious and a real asshole, hunting was the one way me and my Dad could still do something together. As I got older and became a better hunter, I could see the pride Dad had in my carrying on our family's ways. I had hoped to pass the same things on to my children.

The conversation had been sparse, but comfortable, but when we heard what turned out later to be a sign banging in the breeze we froze. We stood surveying the area and I noticed countless vehicles lining the one street that seemed to go through the center of town.

The sign had been on a hardware store, so it looked as though our scavenger hunt may be paying off sooner than later. I was sure that I would be able to find a truck and that would make the traveling a lot easier and safer.

I looked at Pan and saw her zipping up her hoodie, saying she was cold. I walked up and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her to me.

"You ok? I have a jacket if you need another layer."

God it felt good to have her in my arms again. The feel of her body next to mind, was starting to make me forget the reason that we were here. Suddenly, I longed for that king-sized bed on the upper floor of the compoud.

 

[prettyserpentine]

We did a small sweep of the town, not that it was very big. It had a few places to get supplies, a gas station, few shops, and it had a hotel too. And a library. That's what got me more excited. While Randy went off to see about getting a truck, I ducked into the library. It was kind of small, but it felt so familiar being back somewhere like that again. Almost normal. If he loved the woods, this was how that felt for me.

I found a copy of Dickens' Great Expectations, and I bagged it. As I walked around the shelves, I started to feel kind of out of touch. Like, Randy could fix cars, shoot a gun, survive properly. Mike was an ex cop. Kristi was handy with a sword. And Max, well, he was Max. I was a former teacher. No survival skills, no training, and here I was. In a library, in an apocalypse. I giggled a little, ruffling my hair. It seemed kind of absurd.

I went looking for Randy, suddenly feeling a little braver. I found him in the gas station, standing behind the counter, eating a chocolate bar. He had a little on his lip.

"Can I have a taste?" I crooned, as I leaned over, kissing him and licking the chocolate off of his lip. It had been so long since I had tasted chocolate, it tasted divine. I moaned against his mouth as I kissed him. He had made a mark on me, in the few days we had known each other. And then, strangely, I glanced out the window. I think I was checking for passers by, as I looked at him again. I reached down and loosened his belt. "You tasted me," I said, as I sank to my knees, unzipping him and pulling down his pants enough to let me get what I wanted.

He was already hardening, and I looked up at him, half smiling, before I took him into my mouth, swirling my tongue around him and digging my nails into his hips as I started sucking on him longingly, trying to make him moan, trying to leave an imprint on him like he had on me. His hands were in my hair, and I groaned around his cock, the vibrations shuddering through my mouth. I drew my head back, glancing up at him in pure pleasure, as I let him sink into my throat again, wanting him, needing him...

 

[AmenRa]

OOC: Sorry I've been away. Not much internet access on deployment, only been able to read a little here and there. I'm going to move things ahead on my part, if that's okay. If not, let me know and I will edit.

Max and I had left out early to recon ahead. We had moved mostly by day, keeping off the main roads but paralleling them along woods lines and fields. The first town we came to, the one Randy and I had discussed, didn't have much but it did have a gas station and a hardware store. I didn't find any of the things we needed at either, but the gas station's tanks still had fuel.

I left Randy a note at the gas station, telling him I was going to hole up in the hotel and wait out the night.

It was getting dark as I made my way into the hotel. I had to go around back, because the front door was locked. This place was one of those bed and breakfast deals. I guess they offered views of the fields and distant hills in the morning with a nice cup of overpriced Seattle coffee.

There was one of the geeks standing at the back entrance. Max and I had to cross a short wrought iron fence to get to a small courtyard at the rear of the hotel. The zombie was just standing there and staring off into space. I guess he (it had been a "he" once, with a nice North Face coat on and some hiking boots) had gone dormant or whatever it is they do when they rest.

Max hit the fence with his back legs when he jumped over and it clanked. The zombie turned and saw me, then stretched out his arms and began that horrible moaning sound as he lumbered towards me.

Max moved first, diving in and catching the fucker by its right leg, along the shin. That sufficiently stopped the thing. It didn't even pay attention to Max, and it just kept trying to walk towards me despite the fact Max had a firm hold and it was going nowhere. I moved in, pulled my SOG Trident from my tactical vest, going low and up under its reach. I pushed the blade smoothly into the zombie's right eye, sinking the 7" black steel to the hilt. Black gook spilled out and the creature went limp. I pulled the blade out.

"Ous!" I whisper-shouted to Max. The German Shepherd Dog released the bite and the creature fell to the ground. I bent and wiped my blade on its North Face jacket.

We entered the hotel. It took us 20 minutes to search the place. I sent Max down the halls while I stayed in cover and concealment. As soon as he had cleared the main and common areas, we searched room to room. Fortune was with us and we didn't encounter anymore of the creatures.

I went to the front entrance's wooden door and used my knife to carve the numbers 1-6-8 on the door as big as I could make them. Randy and Pan would see that and Randy would know I was here.

I found Max and me a room near the front with a king size bed. There was no power but the water still worked. I figured out later the hotel, like most places in the small town, got its water from a gravity feed water tank tower on the outskirts. I lit one of the small hurricane candles from my pack. I opened Max a can of wet food and poured him up some water from the bathroom. I made myself an MRE (good o'l chicken a' la king) and chowed down.

 

[gearhead73]

After looking around the town a bit and seeing no significant threat, we decided to separate and look for things that we were wanting to collect. For me the biggest priority was the truck. Not just any truck, I needed something that would be easy to get running if keys weren't available and easy to keep running without needing a lot of equipment or special tools. I had worked on everything as a tech, but I had spent the majority of my days working on Fords. I left the main street of the town and started looking through what turned out to be a small neighborhood just to the west. It seemed to be a middle class area due to the nice but conservative housing, so the chances of finding what I was looking for were good. I checked the first few driveways and garages with no luck. It took a good bit of time to clear each one, but finding the perfect conveyance wasn't worth getting bitten by a walker I didn't take the time to look for.

I made it to the end of the first street and stopped dead in my tracks. In front of a little white two story, what I would call a Cape Cod, was the perfect specimen. 'There she is.' I thought to myself before starting to walk to it. In the diveway, facing slightly downhill toward the street, sat a 1996 For F-150 supercab four wheel drive. It was rusty and faded, as well as covered in grime and dust, but as I made my way, I started getting really excited. These trucks were perfect. I knew every nut and bolt in them and they were almost bulletproof if cared for by the right person. They also offered ease of access because they were so easy to break into should it be necessary.

I took a quick look around as well as underneath for walkers before take a few minutes to survey my prize. She was a two tone gold XLT slice of heaven and after using my hand to clean off the window, I peeked inside and became even happier seeing that it was a manual transmission. The seats looked worn but in fairly good shape and although the rocker panels and wheel wells were starting to rust, I didn't think a safety inspection would be an issue. The doors were locked, naturally, but that wouldn't be much of a hurdle once I secured a few household items. I looked around again before making my way to the front of the house. The front door was locked so I made my way around back. I figured that if I had to kick a door in, the noise would be less noticeable than storming through the front. When I approached the back door it was closed but unlocked, and I thought, 'You gotta love small towns.'

I entered ito what looked to be the kitchen and after a quick clearing of the lower floor, I made my way back and started looking through the drawers for the silverware. I found a butteknife and retrieved it before heading to look for a bedroom. At the top of the stairs I walked into what looked to be a master bedroom and after a quick search of the closet, I found the other peice of the my tool kit, a hanger. I looked around bit, and there were some items that may add to the comfort of the shelter, or even the watch tower when Pan got pissed at me, but I figured securing the truck was mission critical so I left them and headed back outside. I stuck the butterknife into the gap between the tailgate and bed, bending it to a ninety degree angle. I pulled on the hanger to stairghten it out and make it easier to use and then stepped to the driver's side door. I slipped the angled knife under the gasket at the wing window, and then slid the hook of the hanger in beside it. I pushed the knife over to the window latch and pulled it back to press the lock button. Twisting the hanger hook clockwise, I hooked it on the latch and with a gentle twist in the opposite direction, it swiveled to the unlatched position. I pressed on the front of the wing window, opening it, and reached my arm through to the lock rod. Two minutes to get inside. It wasn't my best time, but it wasn't my worst either. I checked all of the usual places for the keys with no luck. I knew I could get it going but it was going to take a few more tools than what I could waste time trying to find around here. I remembered seeing the gas station in town so I closed the door and shut the window before making my way back to the main street.

I didn't see any sign of Pan when I got back into town, so I figured I would continue on my mission, and find her when I had the truck. The front door of the station was open so I walked in taking care to look around before seeting about getting what I needed. I found a digital volt/ohm meter that still worked and the wrenches, sockets, and screwdrivers that I would need to get the truck started and moving. I looked around for a parts room and found a few batteries that looked like they had been new, but both were dead. I would need some kind of power source for the ignition to work at least until I got it running for a bit. I decided I would try a trick I had heard about once and I went to the soda machine hoping to score just one can. The acid could provide enough of a jolt in the battery to at least run the ignition coil, and that could get me running. I found a two wheeled dolly and loaded one of the batteries on it along with a cardboard box filled with the rest of my tools. I was just getting ready to leave when I noticed a box of Hershey milk chocolate bars under the glass countertop by the register. They wouldn't make the most nutritious lunch, but a sugar rush would sure feel nice.I had finished about half of it when Pan strode through the door looking rather happy. She noticed my snack and walked over to me, a playful grin on her lips.

"Can I have a taste?" she asked before pressing her lips to mine and then quickly licking my lower lip.

She moaned softly as we kissed, and those familiar urges to have her crept into my mind erasing all thoughts of the truck. As our tongues dueled, she lowered her hands to my belt and started to unbuckle it.

She took a quick look around, as if anyone would see us, before sinking to her knees and saying, "You tasted me."

In moments she had my jeans lowered and had taken me into her mouth. I could do nothing but sigh as I felt myself slip between her soft lips and her tongue swirl around my steadily groing cock. Almost on instinct I laced my fingers in her hair and bucked my hips, seeking to feel the tight griiping of her throat on my member. My head fell back and my eyes closed as I lost myself in the feeling of her sucking me. I know I should have told her to wait until later, and she could have all she wanted, but honestly, I figured if I could die at any minute, I should take my pleasure when I can, and I could think of no one I would rather share pleasure with than Pandora.

 

[chopp8799]

first post name is tony

i just refueled my truck with some old oil i got from a car im glad it runs on any fuel i turned my m113 supply truck right ad saw a town in the distance i loaded my m249 saw just in case there were zombies or hostiles my truck and i had survived lot of engagements but i still had 99% of the ammo i left base with a year ago .i got closer to town and saw people so i flashed a sos and made sure the help sign was up

 

[prettyserpentine]

I felt his hands stroke my hair, and his hips bucked, forcing himself further into my throat. I gagged a little, and kept working my tongue and sucking, holding his hips. I wanted to make him happy, I felt like I was realising how I was feeling for him. It was strange, I was starting to feel a little emotional. I pulled my head away, feeling a little broken. I licked my lips, thinking madly of how to get out of this situation. I turned my head quickly, feigning concern.

"Did you hear that?" I looked up at him, my face red, hoping he couldn't see the emotion in my eyes. I scooted around the front of the counter, breathing erratically. I hung my head, listening to him doing up his zipper. I felt humiliated, and I was starting to shake. I grabbed my bat, just as I saw a flash. Could it be car headlights? An explosion? A flash grenade of something? I was genuinely thankful that something had happened. "Randy.... Did you see that? That flash?" I pulled myself to my feet, my hands were so cold and I was shivering. As I looked at him I felt that feeling in my stomach again. My breath seemed to catch, and I looked away.

"You take the front, I'll take the back," I said as I moved to the back of the filling station, glancing at him before I disappeared out the door. I leaned against the door, and gasped before I felt like my heart was going to explode. This couldn't be happening. I couldn't be falling for someone like this. I had to get my head together. I shook myself a little and started to look around, trying to figure where the flash had come from. I couldn't see much, it was starting to get dark and there was quite a bit of woodland. I kept trudging on, my bat gripped in my hand like I was expecting a curveball.

I couldn't concentrate. I kept thinking about him, all the things I was feeling. I bit my lip, wandering past a couple more buildings, a little further out. I could hear birds, it was quite nice. I could almost imagine that there wasn't anything evil in the world. I stood there for a few minutes, looking up at the fading light through the cedar trees. I closed my eyes and breathed out, thinking about the animals that I hoped foraged further into the forest. Deer, foxes, badgers. I wondered how it would have felt living a normal life with him. I wondered if I could live whatever life was ahead of me now, with him. I heard a rumble, and a crack overhead.

"Ohhhh..." I smiled to myself. The flash might have been lightning. I shook my head as I heard another boom of thunder, and a crash, and then the heavens opened.

The rain fell in huge, fat drops, I could feel my hair start to stick to my skin, my clothes too. I lifted my face to the rain and let it wash over me. That's when I felt him behind me. I should have told him what I was feeling, what was starting. I felt his fingers clumsily touch my back and I smiled. Now I suppose I could tell him. I turned, my fingers touching his cold, wet skin, and my heart lurched in my chest. The fingers touching my back started to grab and I stumbled out of its grasp. The wind changed, blowing from behind it and I was hit by the disgusting stench of death. I scrambled backwards, my knees weak and my chest heaving between the desire to vomit and the distinct need to breathe.

I had dropped my bat.

I rolled onto my side, forcing myself to my feet and striking out with my foot at its leg. It was female. Well, it had been. It was weak, too, and it's ankle snapped as my strike hit it, and as it fell, it grabbed my leg, groaning. From my left, I saw another shuffling form and terror gripped me. I wanted to scream, I wanted so badly to scream, but if I did there might be more...

I reached down to the railroad spike on my thigh and grabbed it with shaking hands. I hit the crawler in its face with my knee, and it's jaws snapped. I was shaking so bad, and I felt like I was going to piss myself. I grabbed the spike in the palm of my hand and shoved it as hard as I could into the white right eye of the bitch. She stopped moving, and I kicked her corpse off me. My thighs were covered in black, old blood, and I stank. My chest was quivering, and I reached past her for my bat. There was another crack of thunder, and my arms and hands were covered in her gunk. I jumped to my feet again, my bat in my hands and I looked at the shuffling ghoul ahead of me. I coughed a few times, retching, god I wanted to throw up so badly I couldn't stand it.

It groaned again, and I immediately knew I had to shut it up, so I ran towards it, skirting around its right. It moved slowly, it was a lot less decomposed than the female had been. As it turned left to meet me, I swung the bat, connecting with its temple with a sickening crunch. It didn't even budge, just swung it's arms around as if it was trying to reach me. It gripped the front of my hoodie, and split it open, popping the zipper.

This time I screamed. I'd left the goddamned spike in the bitch's eye, and this son of a bitch had its hands on me, my bat stuck in its temple, thankfully it couldn't bite at me, the bat was like a steering rod. I grabbed the knife I had on my other hip and sliced the bastard's throat open. Black ooze bubbled out of it, all over the front of me, my neck, my shirt and I couldn't hold it any longer. I vomited, one hand trembling, holding the knife, the other keeping him at bay with the bat. I couldn't stop shaking. I pushed the bat away from myself, and wrenched it out of his head, swinging again with a grunt, and it's head caved in. It fell to the ground.

I fell to my knees, looking down at my hands as they clutched the front of its shirt. I was retching, coughing. Other than that, it was totally silent, except for the sound of the rain. I was sick again, and could see the black shit on my clothes, my arms, my face. I probably looked like one of them. I just sat there, listening, my bat at my side, my hands clutching the dead walker's chest. I heard another boom of thunder, and looked up, in the direction I had come.

I was alive. Soaked with the rain, covered in death and reeking of it, but I had survived. Again.

 

[chopp8799]

i then turned on my headlights adnd check my body armor stuck to my chest from sweet matching my form good at 29 years old i say im in the best health i could be inthen after i pulled into town i heard scream so i raised my m249 and locked the truck and went towards the sound then i saw a beautiful young lady on the ground with 5 walkers closing in on her i decided if i didn'tdo something she might die so i let loose a few 10 round burst in each zombie and hit most of them in the head then i approached her and she saw me and said"

 

[gearhead73]

My head was thrown back, my eyes were closed. I was enjoying the sensations that were vibrating throughout my entire body, whaen all of a sudden it all stopped. I felt her mouth leave me and as my head shot forward I saw here turn away from me, still kneeling on the floor. I started to ask what was wrong but I didn't have a chance to get the words out before she was moving even further away.

"Did you hear that?" she said looking back at me, her face flushed. I was still trying to get my wits about me when I saw a flash of lightning and the clap of thunder that soon followed. I reached down and pulled up my jeans trying to make sense of what was going on. She had seemed so happy when she came into the filling station, and she had come on to me over a chocolate bar. Now, here I was trying to faten my belt and she was going batshit crazy over a thunderstorm. "Randy.... Did you see that? That flash?" she said making her way to her feet. I started to ask what the big deal was, but she turned and shouted, "You take the front, I'll take the back!" Like a flash she moved into the garage area and out the back door as if we were under attack. normally, I would have already had the Kimber ready to go, but instead for a moment I just stood there wondering, 'What the fuck?'

Still, I figured that I would back her play and try to get a handle on the insanity of the situation later. I finished straightening my clothing, did a quick check of the kimber before grabbing my rifle that I had lain on the counter when I first came in. I had been so focused on getting the shit that I needed to start the truck that I hadn't noticed the note that was laying on the counter with my name on it. It was from Mike. He and Max had already been here and found that there was still fuel in the tanks, but that they were going to finish looking around the town. I felt better knowing that I would have some backup, even if I didn't know right where he was at the moment.

I grabbed the rifle and meade my way out the front door just as the skies opened up and a monsoon started falling on me. 'Fucking awesome!' I thought as i made my way around the front of the building. I hated the rain. It wasn't getting wet, it was the noise, especially in a downpour like this. The noise would be almost deafening at the drops pummeled everything around you and it made it that much easier for the walkers to sneak up on you. I was around the side negotiating through the stacks of old tires and replaced parts and I didn't see any sign of a threat except for the noise. The thunder kept rolling overhead and the rain was blowing around making it hard for anyone to have any sort of visibility.

I crept slowly to the rear of the building and looked around seeing no sign of Pan. "Fuck!" I whispered to myself. The back of the building was right at the tree line, so as soon as you stepped out, you were in the trees. The perfect place for a walker ambush. It was loud, and the leaves gave them plenty of cover. I thought about shouting out to her, but that would just give away my position if there were more than walkers out here. I crept into the trees scanning all around me looking for any sign of her. The brush was thick, so I moved about 10 yards in to get a better look when all hell broke loose.

I heard a scream to my left about 30 yards away immediately followed by fifty rounds of machine gun fire that sent bark flying from the trees all around me. I hit the gound to avoid being hit, and started crawling forward to get behind a large oak that had fallen some years ago. When the gunfire stopped I flipped the covers open on my scope and started looking on the direction of the blasts. I couldn't see shit through the rain, so i tried sliding to the side still behind the tree when I caught a glimpse of Pan's hoodie. She was on the ground and covered in black goo.

'Motherfucker!' I thought. it looked as though she had turned. I could see the arms and legs of walkers all around her, but still couldn't make out the source of the gunfire. I wiped some water from my eyes and set the crosshairs on the back of her hoodie. I couldn't believe that the first woman that I had felt anything for in so long had been bitten, as a result of a thunderstorm no less. I couldn't fathim that this was how it would end, me taking her out, the guy she had been going down on not twenty minutes before. I moved the saftey to the fire position with my thumb, and placed my finger on the trigger. I knew she deserved better than this, than to be taken out without knowing by whom, but I couldn't do it face to face. I couldn't look into those emerald eyes, now gray and dead, and kill her. I was just about to squeeze when I saw a stranger. Some guy dressed head to toe in body armour was making his way toward where Pan was sitting. I swung the rifle to him and lined the crosshairs on his forehead.

"All the Kevlar in the world won't protect your head asshole." I whispered to myself as I lined up the shot, watching as he moved closer. I was ready to go, but remembered that he had the machine gun, so i waited for a perfect unobstructed shot. I wondered if Mike had heard the commotion and was on his way to back me up.

 

[prettyserpentine]

I could barely see, there was hair and water in my eyes, and I was covered in the black ooze when I heard the deafening sound of gunfire. I screamed, lifting my hands to cover my ears as three additional zombies that had come out of god knows where dropped around me. I couldn't hear anything except a high pitched ringing, and all I could feel was a sharp biting pain in my shoulder. There was blood everywhere, and a corpse was sliding to the ground beside me.

I panicked, I couldn't see anything except blood on my arm. "Jesus, I've been bitten... I've been bitten...." I shrieked, looking up at the man coming towards me all in black, toting a machine gun as I tried to clamber over the bodies. My arm hung limply at my side and ached like something I've never felt. I was going to die. I tried my best not to cry as I stumbled away from him, blood coursing down my arm. He never even spoke, just stood there. He had to be military or something, maybe CDC... Maybe he'd come to wipe out survivors...

God it hurt. The rain poured down, my hair was stuck to my face and I kept falling into the mud. I bet I looked like shit and I scrambled over the tree trunk that had fallen on its side.

And there he was.

Then the tears started in earnest. I sobbed, clinging to my bloody arm, the dark liquid seeping out of it. I was shaking. Probably going into shock. I wonder what it would feel like, would I feel like I was turning into a zombie.

"Randy, you ... you have to ..." I cried, looking at his gun, cried like a child. Cried for my lost baby, for the man I was falling in love with who now had to kill me. Cried for the future we wouldn't get to have. I couldn't speak, I just sobbed.

"I don't want to die..."

 

[gearhead73]

In another second I hear Pan scram as if she were on fire. The sounds were a mixture of fear and pain, mixed with sobbing that made her speech unintelligible. I was relieved that at least for the moment she was still alive, but as I swung the scope to her, I could clearly see that something was wrong. She was climbing over bodies tryng to escape the steadily advancing douche in body armor. She was moving swiftly but I could see that her right arm was hanging limply, and not aiding her in her escape. My first thought was that she had been bitten, but then I remembered the hail storm of bullets that had torn through the forest, and wondered of he hadn't been shot.

The rain was still falling steadily, and just as she would gain footing, she would slip and then fall in the mud of the forest floor. She had stumbled around until the direction of her escape was leading her directly to me. I kept switching my field of view between watching her retreat and seeing Kevlar Boy steadily marching toward where she had been hunched up. My first thought was to send a warning round by the stranger's head, but the way Pan was moving, and as frightened as she was, I wanted her to keep coming towards me and not shy away from the report of the rifle.

Pan finally closed the five yards between us and lunged over the log I had taken up postion behind. She tumbled onto the ground beside me and when her eyes met mine she started crying uncontrollably.

"Randy, you ... you have to ...I don't want to die..." she sobbed and I lost it.

I swung my rifle around and aimed about neck level of the stranger just to the right. He was only about sixty yards away, and at the range with the six hundred yard zero I had set my scope to, the bullet shoul fly right past his ear. I squeezed the trigger only half hoping that I would miss him.

"Stay the fuck back asshole...or the next one parts your fucking hair!" I yelled as loud as I could. I didn't see him in my scope anymore, so I assumed that he sought cover. That would buy me some time to look at Pan.

I scooted to her, trying to assess her injuries. Blood was pouring from her shoulder, but the wound was too small for a bite. I pulled off my t-shirt and pressed it to where the blood was flowing from.

"Pan...baby...c'mon now talk to me. You're not going to die...tell me what happened."

I was scared, and concerned, and scared. I leaned the rifle against the log we were behind and started looking to where the other guy had been coming from. I didn't see him so I lifted Pan and held her to me. I could see blood running down the back of her shoulder, and knew that she had been shot.

"Pan....Pan, calm down, I'm right here....you're gonna be fine honey, I just need to see how bad it is."

 

[prettyserpentine]

I couldn't stop crying. Or shaking. "Y-you don't under-under..." He took me into his arms and I knew I was hysterical. Every breath sounded like a strangled scream. My good hand gripped at him, my nails scratching him as he pulled off his tee shirt and pressed it to my shoulder. It stung like hell and I swore at him, letting him know it. "Randy, y-you have to... The noises, the blood, this.... I can't kill you, I can't be the one...."

I couldn't make any sense out of my thoughts, my head was swimming and when he opened his mouth and spoke I couldn't hear him. All I could hear was that high pitched ringing. And I felt dizzy, and kind of nauseous. I wondered if I was sick, and would I become one of them right in front of him. Would I not be me anymore...

He was talking to me. "I ... I can't hear ...." I knew I was half yelling, half crying, and I saw him mouth something with 'bad' in it and my stomach turned. I started crying harder, and I knew he would have to do it, and do it soon.

"I don't want this.... Let him kill me, not you.... I don't want you to kill me... I don't want it to be like this.... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, and I just love you...and now it's all for nothing..." I rambled, my tears choking me, my eyes feeling heavy. Christ, I felt tired, and I was starting to shake. "Just let it be quick..."

 

[gearhead73]

She was hysterical. Talking fast and loudly, as if she couldn't hear me, or that she was afraid I couldn't hear her. She was going on and on about dying and not wanting me to kill her. I needed her to calm down, but she wasn't listening to me talking. I needed her to be quiet and calm down. She was clawing and scratching at me, not trying to get away, just out of her mind with pain and fear. Out of desparation, I let her fall away from me just enough that I could look at her eyes. They were moving all around, opening and closing, she was talking in circles, so I covered her lips with mine, pulling her into a tight kiss.

 

[prettyserpentine]

When he kissed me it was a whole other kind of spinning. I could taste the rain, his fear and mine mingled with the salt of my tears, I could taste blood and sadness, and love. I murmured against his lips that I loved him, hoping his ears weren't ringing, and he could hear me.

I felt like the world was dancing around me, and the pain in my shoulder was echoing through my body, my stomach was twisting, my heart was pounding and he was kissing me. Here at the end of the world, at the end of my life, or so I thought, and he was kissing me.

I didn't breathe for a good minute and a half, and as the darkness started dancing around the corners of my vision, I looked at him, half smiling, and felt the pain creeping up into my head.

"That's funny..." I whispered, taking in a deep breath before the darkness swept over me.

 

[gearhead73]

The moment our lips touched time started to slow. Like that scene from The Matrix where Trinity jumps up to kick those cops and times slows to a pause. My eyes were open, as were hers and although neither could talk, we were communicating. I could see the pain, the fear, the love in her eyes and as our lips mashed together I could feel her mouth the words "I love you." She started going limp in my arms and her lips fell away from mine. "That's funny..." she murmured as her eyes drifted closed and she faded away.

"Pandora!...Pan!...C'mon stay with me baby!" I started shouting, gently shaking her to bring her back around. I pressed two fingers to the side of her neck and felt her pulse. It was weak, but still steady, and that was a start. I tilted my head and lowered my cheek to her lips and could feel shallow breaths passing from her. She was alive, but if I didn't act quickly, she may not be.

I looked around to see if I could see the Kevlar Kid anywhere around. If he was smart, he was behind cover, trying to find out who had taken a shot at him. We weren't more than thirty five yards away from the filling station, and although it wasn't a hospital, it would provide some sort of defense while I tried to stop the bleeding. I reached to Pan's hip and pulled the knife that she had on her belt free, and laid her gently on the ground to free up my other hand. I was starting to shiver a bit from the rain beating down on me, and I knew that if we didn't get to shelter soon, I wouldn't be able to help her. Using the knife I cut both sleeves off of her hoodie. I unzipped it enough that I could pull her shirt away and look at the wound. It was still pouring blood, but had slowed some now that she was out, and for now, that was a good thing.

The wound was small and round, definitely a gun shot. The size of the hole, combined with the memory of that fifty round blast, told me that it was most likely a 5.56 caliber. Since it was fired from a machine gun, that meant it was probably the M249, and the number of rounds told me it was probably belt fed. That was good, because if he were using bulk ammunition, like the military, those bullets used a jacketed steel core, so there wouldn't be any fragmentation in the wound. I felt behind her shoulder and there was an exit, which was good and bad. It meant that the bullet wasn't still in her, but there was another hole to bleed from. I wrapped the sleeves that I had cut off under her armpit and over the wound, cinching them as tightly as possible. Another quick look around and it was time to move.

I looped Pan's arm over my shoulder and with a grunt I got to my feet, with her in a fireman style carry. I grabbed my rifle and started toward the filling station. I stopped periodicaly and looked behind us, just trying to make sure we weren't being followed. I kicked the back door of the garage open and walked inside slamming it shut with my foot. I carried Pan to the front counter and after leaning my rifle against it, I sat, then laid her down gently on it. I ran back into the garage and found an old drag link laying on the bench. I set one ened in a crack in the floor and leaned it agaist the door knob, kicking into place to hold the door shut. I started looking around for the bathroom. Having worked in a lot of garages, I knew that this would be the most likely place to find the first aid kit, if it hadn't already been pillaged.

The kit was hanging on the wall, and when I slung the door open, my heart skipped a beat. It seems this guy was either accident prone, or just liked being prepared. There was gauze, antiseptic, cold compresses, and various other supplies that would be useful. On the bottom shelf of the cabinet was the holy grail, Quik Clot. I grabbed what I need and hurried back to Pan. She was still unconcious, but after a quick check she was still alive. I removed the makeshift bandages I had applied and poured some antiseptic in the wound just trying to stave off infection. I ripped open the bag of Quik Clot with my teeth and poured it into the hole. It was probably good that she wasn't awake for this, because I knew this part would burn like fire. I coverd it with a handful of gauze and rolled her over so I could apply the clotting agent to the backside of the hole. I knew this stuff wouldn't hold forever, but I just needed to buy some time, until I could either find Mike, or a better place to hide out. I covered the back part of her shoulder with gauze and pressed hard, trying to apply as much pressure as I could. My mind was spinning, and I had no clue what I was going to do.

I heard a familiar voice call to me from the side entrance, and looked up to see Mike and Max arrive on the scene.

 

[AmenRa]

Montpelier had been a good sub and had good sailors on her. I wish we could have stayed a few more days.

As the war would have it, though, it wasn't meant to be. Montpelier had surfaced and we all loaded onto two RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats - Zodiacs). We were now headed at high speed across the sea to the coast. I was on the prow, laying prone against the cold rubberized material, with the rest of my team arrayed behind me and on the other side of the small craft. I could feel the warm, salty spray of the sea and I could hear the distant sounds of gunfire. In the distance, silhouetted by the occasional flash from artillery or TLAM explosions, I saw the plumes of smoke from burning oil rigs Saddam's army had set on fire.

And then I woke up. And, I realized the warm, salty spray wasn't from the ocean, it was from Max licking my face and urging me awake. The gunfire in my dream wasn't distant on the shore but right outside.

I bolted up and grabbed my rifle and my pack. I ran out the door and made my way quickly down the hallway to the front entrance.

Once out the door, I saw Randy throwing Pan across his shoulders and bolting like hell towards the gas station. I motioned for him, but he didn't see me. I ran after him, Max beside me. When I reached the spot where he had picked Pan from the street I saw a mess of zombies. I also saw some blood. Fresh blood. Human blood.

Pan's been bitten?

I then saw spent 5.56 brass and plastic belt links. My military experience told me exactly these were from a M249.

What the fuck did I sleep through?

I followed Randy inside the filling station. He had already gone in a few moments before, so I called out to him as I came through the door.

When I got inside Randy was already treating Pan. I saw the wound. Bullet hole. Good. At least she's not bitten. Randy had a handful of gauze and some good ol' Quick Clot.

"Layer the gauze," I told him, "one piece on top of the other." I watched him patch her up. I stepped up beside him.

"How the fuck is a guy supposed to sleep with all the ruckus you two make?" I said with a slight smile. "Shit, bro." I looked back towards the door. "What the hell's going on? Who's got a belt-fed weapon?"

Max put his paws up on the table where Pan lay and whined. I scratched his ears.

I then looked at Pan. "Depending on how badly chewed up she is inside, I can fix her...IF we can find some decent stuff I can work with. Sutures, fine needles, antiseptic, some antibiotics for later, and a shit load more gauze." I turned to Randy. "The sooner, the better."

 

[gearhead73]

I was scared shitless, something that I wasn't used to feeling, but hearing Mike yell and Max bark, allowed me to breathe a sigh of relief as I watched them enter the doorway.

"Layer the gauze, one piece on top of the other." he said getting straight to business.

I followed his instructions without hesitation. I trusted Mike, and I knew he had more experience with combat wounds than me. I was worried that Pan hadn't stirred, even a little, but then again, maybe it was for the better until we were a little more secure.

"How the fuck is a guy supposed to sleep with all the ruckus you two make?" he said with a bit of a grin. I assumed that he was trying to help me feel better, but I am sure by the look on my face that he could see that it wasn't going to work. "Shit, bro." he said glancing toward the door. "What the hell's going on? Who's got a belt-fed weapon?"

"Fuck if I know man. Shit went straight to hell in a handbasket with no warning. Pan and I were about to get our fuc...well, the next thing I know she is going apeshit over some thunder and lightning. She bolts out the back door yellign for me to cover the front. I was doing a sneak-n-peek toward the back when some asshole wearing a plate carrier pulls a spray and pray on some walkers."

As I recount the story, even I am thinking how bizarre it must all sound. Had he been telling me this I woud be close to playing the 'cool story bro' card.

"Next thing I know, Pan is stumbling toward me with a hole in her shoulder. I send a round next to the ear of Captain Kevlar trying to persuade him not to follow me as I try to make it back to here. I had seen your note just as I was heading out to cover Pan, but never had a chance to even think about where in town you might be. Thanks man, for showin up when you did."

As fucked up as it sounded, it didn't seem to phase him, and he went back to helping me with Pan.

"Depending on how badly chewed up she is inside, I can fix her...IF we can find some decent stuff I can work with. Sutures, fine needles, antiseptic, some antibiotics for later, and a shit load more gauze." he turned to meet my gaze and his expression told me the gravity of her wounds. "The sooner, the better."

"Well, it seems to be a through and through, the entrance and exit seem to be relatively the same size." I realized as i spoke that I had watched entirely too much TV before things went to shit. "I am guessing the guy was using a SAW with bulk ammo, most likely jacketed. I don't think it fragmented, and at that range it probably just punched right through."

I started to pace behind the counter. For some reason it always seemed to help me think and rganize my thoughts to reach the best solutions. I didn't want to leave Pan, even for supplies, but I knew Mike had way more training than me, and would be better prepared to handle things until I got back. He also had Max to help him secure the place, and that made me feel a little better. To top things off, I knew Mike wasn't as emotionally invested in Pan as I was. The feelings i had for her could cloud my judgement, and prevent me from doing what's best for her. I didn't wan't to leave her side, but I knew it would be best for her, if I did.

"Well, I don't remember seeing a hospital, but there was a veterinary office a few blocks up the street. They would have everything that a hospital would and the only thing that might have been taken out of it would be the drugs. If you can make me a list of the shit you need, I will go get it. I know she will be in good hands until I get back."

 

[prettyserpentine]

I felt like I was drowning. And in my ear I could hear the sound of the sea, calming, it was the breeze, or the waves, and I wondered what was around me. I couldn't move, I felt like I'd been hit by a freight train. My mouth was dry, and I weakly licked my lips. The sound of the sea changed, it sounded weird, closer or something. Sniffing! That was it...

My heart rate picked up a little and boy did it hurt, I sucked in a breath through gritted teeth, and opened my eyes. It felt like it took forever to open them, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Max. I was so glad to see him, so glad tears started running out of my eyes. My chest hurt, every breath I took hurt, and I couldn't move. I looked around, I was back in the filling station.

A breath. I turned my head and felt pain explode up the muscles from my shoulder and neck and I whimpered. I could hear voices. Max was whining at me and I tried to lift my good arm, but all I could do was twitch my fingers. He kept nudging me with his nose and it was breaking my heart. I wondered had Mike left him here to guard me until I turned.

Mike. Mike would be nearby. I wondered if Randy had alerted him, and then I started panicking and wondering what had happened to Randy. I couldn't remember much, nothing after finding that guy in black with his gun, and the walkers everywhere. Had Randy gotten me away?

I couldn't remember being bitten, I couldn't remember what happened in the firefight. My heart started to thud again as I wondered if it wasn't a bite. I couldn't turn my head again, or I felt like I'd be sick. I twitched my fingers and Max licked them. I smiled, and flinched, every muscle was screaming at me, and every time my heart took off racing I felt like I was going to pass out.

"Max..." I whispered, and God bless him, that beautiful dog never left my side. I closed my eyes, blinking away the tears as his wet nose nudged my fingers. Even opening my mouth sent pain shooting into my head. Maybe it was a good sign. If it was a bite, surely I wouldn't feel like I'd been punched by Thor. Max licked at my fingers and I stroked his nose, opening my eyes again. "Max... Where's Mike?"

I could see Max's ears twitch and he emitted a low growl, not a nasty one, and in a moment he was back nuzzling my hand, my eyes searching for someone familiar. Hopefully that someone familiar was one of the only two men in humanity I had any trust in. Max whined again, and I wondered if the whining was some kind of sign, or if it was just a dog way of being friendly. My eyes were heavy, and I whispered, "Oh I love you too Max, you're such a good boy... You know but do not tell..."

Mike had been right, those few days ago, back at the compound. He said he never left anybody behind, and as I lay there in agony on the table, I knew that the four of us, Mike, Randy, Max and me, we were in this for the long haul. I felt as though I was going to float away again, and struggled to keep my eyes focused on Max, my ears focused on his breathing...

 

[AmenRa]

While Randy was telling me what had happened, Max's attention to Pan seemed to be bringing her around.

I leaned over Max and spoke to Pan.

"Listen to me," I said, speaking slowly and softly, "you've got a bullet wound in your shoulder. You've lost some blood, and there's probably a few blood vessels in there we need to repair."

I stopped for second, then leaned closer to her. When I spoke this time, though, my voice was not soft and low but loud and firm, "You've got to stay awake. Focus on Max and take breaths in through your nose as you count to four. Hold that breath and count to four. Release that breath as you count to four. Keep doing this, it will help you focus."

Tactical breathing was something they taught us a long time ago. It calmed the body and mind, helped a person to center. I know for a fact that it worked. I just hope Pandora was lucid enough to understand what I was telling her.

I turned to Randy. I spoke quickly, my tone urgent so I wouldn't forget anything while I talked. "I need sutures...cat gut...you know, stitching line? Get the thinnest diameter you can find, it will be around the surgery area of the vet. I need a few different sizes, too, so just bring whatever you can get. The sutures will have the needle attached, be wrapped in sterile paper and marked.

"I also need sterile water. It will be in a plastic bottle, sealed up and marked. Bring as much as you can find. Antiseptic, too, like alcohol. Betadine or iodine will be better, so long as she's not allergic. Tweezers, hemostats, basic surgical equipment. Bring it all. Whatever you can find. Get as much gauze and surgical pads, sponges, cloths, anything like that.

"And some IV fluids would be great, too? Anything that says 'saline' or 'lactate'. Bring that shit, too."

"Just bring the whole fucking vet's office, 'k, man?"

I turned back to Pan. "She'll be alright," I said. "But you gotta move."

I turned back to him. "I'm going to post Max at the door. Call out to him when you come back so he'll know it's you."

There was a combat lifesaving course that came back to me. Training that I had kept hidden, I guess. It was beyond first aid, but not quite field surgery. I knew how to stop bleeding, sew up some holes, stitch together ruptured blood vessels.

"Why are you still here?" I asked Randy.

 

[gearhead73]

For the bulk of my life I had been given a task to complete, a final outcome to achieve, and I would just do it. It didn't matter how far I had to go, or the way in which I achieved it, as long as the final result was what was expected, I was good to go. I wasn't the kind og guy that was prone to hesitation, or second thoughts. I had always believed that I could do anything that I set my mind to. However, there has also been the realization somewhere deep in the recesses of my mind, that if I failed, it wouldn't be that big of a deal. If it took me longer, or I had to fix it twice, the fate of the free world didn't rest on my shoulders. Sure, there were lives at stake, but when it came to those types of jobs, suchs as brakes or steering and suspension, I had always taken extra care to make sure that things were right, the first time. I never stopped to worry about things going wrong, because the confidence I had in my knowledge and abilities, gave me the strength to forge ahead, and get it done.

This time, I was frozen. I knew what I had to do. I knew that Pan's life was in my hands. If I failed this time, I wouldn't have a second chance, or a little more time to finish. If I failed this time she would die, and the thought of losing her caused me for the first time, to be afraid. In reality, we hadn't known each other that long. We hadn't had years, months or even weeks to get to know each other, but in the short time we had been together, we had lived a lifetime of anger, frustration, and passion. Aside from Mike, and Max, she was the only person in this fucked up world that I gave a shit about. We had formed a bond, and become a team of sorts, and thought of being alone again, because of my failure to come through, stopped me in my tracks.

It was Mike yelling, "Why are you still here?" that snapped me out of my thoughts, and pushed me into action. I ran back into the bathroom and grabbed a work shirt that had Seth embroidered on a patch on the right side. I rushed back to the front, grabbed my Pack and emptied the contents on the floor. I grabbed my rifle, and started for the front door before stopping and turning back to Pan. I stepped to her side, and plced a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be back before you know it sweetie. When I get back, Mike will fix you up good as new...and you can finish what you started a little while ago."

As I whispered these words to her, I was fighting back the tears that were forming in my eyes. I placed another gentle kiss before I stodd and looked Mike in the eye. He was my friend, and in a way, family. We were all in this shit together, and I knew that as long as we stayed that way, everything would work out fine. At least I hoped it would.

"I'll be back in no time...keep her alive man...please."

With that, I turned, and ran out the door and down the street. I had a mission, the most imporatant one of my life, and nothing or no one would stop me from completing it.

 

[prettyserpentine]

A bullet wound. I hadn't been bitten. Thank God. I looked up to Mike and smiled as best as I could, hoping he knew just how thankful I was to know that. I listened to his words, he was loud and strict sounding, definitely not a guy you wanted to fuck with.

I did as Mike said, I breathed in through my nose 'One, two, three, four...' and out again. It definitely helped. The pain wasn't any easier, and every time I counted and breathed out, it still hurt like a sonofabitch. It was hard to concentrate, and I thought Max must have been hurt because they were discussing going to a vet's. I breathed and counted, and breathed and counted, as they talked and Max stayed with me. Mike seemed to be taking charge of the situation and giving Randy lists of things to do. My concentration was fluctuating and the pain in my shoulder was making me groan and fidget.

I was so tired, I closed my eyes for a minute and breathed out again, slowly. I was so very tired, and so very sore. But it seemed the moment I closed my eyes Max was nudging my nose and making a yapping noise. I started counting again, the last thing I wanted to do was make Mike angry. My eyes watered with tiredness and I felt freezing cold.

I closed my eyes again, and a moment later I could feel Randy pressing his lips there, I could already recognise his smell a little. I'll be back before you know it sweetie... He was leaving? No.... I shot my eyes open again but he was gone, my breathing exercises forgotten, I tried to lift myself up and moaned in pain. Why did I feel so weak? I reached with my good hand to my bad shoulder and put my hand on it, it came away red. I tried to count, tried to breathe like Mike had said but we were here alone, and Randy had gone out there alone, and there were walkers, and that guy....

"Mike...?" My words came out soft, like a broken whisper. I licked my lips. "It's not safe..." I tried to turn a little and pain shot through me like a whirlwind. I choked a little, gasping and trying not to cry. I clenched my good hand into a fist, I couldn't do anything with my other. It just felt cold. Right up into my shoulder, cold and sore, and the feeling was seeping through me. My counting continued, the breaths coming into my nose were shaky. I kept clenching my good fist, trying to keep awake. My eyes searched the space I could see around me, and when I spoke I sounded tiny and far away. "It's cold."

I felt so incredibly tired, and could hear the sound of knocking on wood. It was my feet. I was shaking so hard they were clattering off the bench. My hand was shaking, my teeth were chattering. I squeezed my eyes shut.

One, two, three, four... One, two, three, four...

 

[gearhead73]

I had seen the sign for the vet clinic when I was on my quest for a truck. I hadn't thought much about it at the time other than I might mention it to Mike when I saw him in case he needed things for Max. I knew they had medication there, but I was sure that a lot of other scavengers would too. Still, I had to hold out hope that they would have most likely only taken the drugs, either for themselves or to barter with for other necessities. I was sure that others had been through here, but for the most part this town didn't look like the wasteland that all of the bigger cities I had passed through did. I supposed that during the outbreak, most sheeple fled to the cities looking for aid, and inadvertantly put themselves in a worse position to survive.

I stopped under an awning for what looked to be an old bakery to catch my breath and take a quick look around. Time was of the essence, but my saftey was too. Not taking the time to make sure that there were no threats either following me, or nearby, could cause the death of both me and Pan, and that was unacceptable. The big question I had plagueing me was where Captain kevlar had gotten to. I was pretty sure that I hadn't shot him, yet I also never heard him run or return fire after I sent a round across his bow. He could be following me now, just waiting on an opporitunity to strike, or to see if I would lead him back to Pan and a base camp that he could plunder. I wasn't too afraid of him shooting me. Sure, he had an automatic weapon, but guys who had them needed them, because they couldn't shoot for shit. Still, our group didn't need another wounded member, so caution had to be taken while moving during daylight hours.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught movement. I slid a bit further back in the entrance and watched as a whole gaggle of walkers lumbered out of a side street onto the main drag. There were five of them, four adults and one child. I wasn't sure what the other three were, but one was a postman. He still had a leather bag full of mail slung over his neck, crossing his chest to the opposite thigh. He had shorts and that funny looking hat that gives you the impression that he had been on safari. They were shuffling and moaning, looking around, all the shit walkers do. I was able to watch them through the glass of the front window and I took a knee hoping they would pass. I had a limited supply of ammo and precious seconds were ticking away. I needed to keep moving and not get bogged down killing the undead. I watched the fuckers mill around and after a while I started wishing I had one of those swords I had dimissed earlier. A few swipes and I could move on to my destination.

I looked around for something that I could use, that would be silent, yet still effective. There wasn't anything laying around me so I looked a bit further out to where the walkers were, and there it was...

 

[AmenRa]

A
"Mike...?" My words came out soft, like a broken whisper. I licked my lips. "It's not safe..." I tried to turn a little and pain shot through me like a whirlwind. I choked a little, gasping and trying not to cry. I clenched my good hand into a fist, I couldn't do anything with my other. It just felt cold. Right up into my shoulder, cold and sore, and the feeling was seeping through me. My counting continued, the breaths coming into my nose were shaky. I kept clenching my good fist, trying to keep awake. My eyes searched the space I could see around me, and when I spoke I sounded tiny and far away. "It's cold."

One, two, three, four... One, two, three, four...

"Quiet," I told her, "don't talk, just breathe."

I looked around and found a couple of flannel-type seat protectors, the big sheets that mechanics put on your car seats to keep their dirty clothes off them. I folded them and put them across Pan's legs and torso. She was cold, which meant she could be going into shock, and that was something we didn't need to do right now.

"Max is here," I said to her. "He wants you to listen."

The German Shepherd raised up on his hind legs again and braced his forepaws on the table beside her.

"One time some of my deputies received a call to a home out in the rural part of the county. It was pretty much a farmhouse where they had horses and stuff, kinda like our place at the compound," I began. I had to keep her eyes open, listening to me, responding to me.

"The people there had a little girl, about 5 years old. She had wandered off, like children do, and I guess the parents were too busy tending to chores or whatever because it was a few hours before they even noticed she was gone."

When I saw I had her attention, I pulled Max away and took him quickly to the front door where I had him sit and stay. "Watch," I told him.

"I got there just after the first responding deputy, and after hearing what had happened I pulled Max out of the car. He was ready to go as soon as he saw me with the tracking leash. It's a long, twenty-foot lead we use when we track human scent," I explained. "I told the deputy to have the other responding units set up a perimeter just like we would do for a fleeing suspect. As he was doing that I took Max to the last place they had seen the little girl. As soon as I gave him the command to track, his nose hit the ground and he was in scent. His tail went rigid and his head went forward and back and forth across the ground and those ears of his were locked ahead.

"We tracked way out from the house, past the horse barn and the goat barn and kept tracking over a small hill to a pond. I gotta tell you, when I saw the pond and saw Max following a scent trail straight to it, I got a real shitty feeling.

"Max kept going right up the pond, then lost the scent for a minute. I figured there was a turn here, where the little girl had turned left or right at the pond and went along the bank. Sure enough, that's what happened, Max picked the trail up again and we went to the left and followed the trail around the pond to the other side.

"On the other side we found a path that went into the wooded area behind the house and barns. Max was on a strong scent trail here and we walked this path through the woods. I had pretty much gotten lost by now, I wasn't sure where we were going, and the deputy that was with me kept saying this didn't make any sense because we were going back to the house.

"And, yeah, we did. The path through the woods came out almost right at the side of the house, in a small side yard with an old oak tree and tire swing. Max kept his head to the ground, still showing all the signs he was on a track, so I stayed with him. He tracked through the side yard up to the house and then went around to the front. He was pulling hard at this point and he went right up the front steps, onto the porch, and he stopped at the front door.

"I turned to the other deputy, who turned to me, and we both gave a 'you've got to be kidding me' look to each other. I opened the front door and Max bolted inside, dragging me down the hall and into one of the bedrooms. The bedroom was a child's room, with butterflies painted on the walls and stuffed bears everywhere. And, in the little bed in the corner of the room, curled up with what had to be the ugliest cat I've ever seen, was the little girl. She was sound asleep."

 

[prettyserpentine]

Mike started telling me his story, and I let my tired eyes relax, and just focused on my breathing as he told me of his search for the little girl, how Max was the hero of the day. I smiled, ignoring the smarting pain that shot from my shoulder up my neck and caused that half of my smile to sag and twitch a little.

I liked Mike, he was a good, genuine man. And I loved Max. When Mike's story ended, I looked up at him, opening my mouth to speak. "You're a hero, Mike... Max too." I flinched a little, god my shoulder hurt. I groaned.

My eyes fluttered closed and I kept counting, my lips twitching as I did so. The shivering wasn't too bad now, my eyes were drifting around every time I opened them, and I could hear Max's soft panting. I tried to turn again, gasping and coughing as I felt pain between two and three. I looked at Mike, he was a bit hazy to my eyes and I blinked hard. I was so tired.

I looked at his arm, I wanted to ask him about his tattoo. Was he in the army, or navy... I wanted to know more about him, but talking was hard work. My lips twitched and I blinked, looking around lazily.

I closed my eyes again, breathing out. If I could only rest for a moment, maybe two...

 

[AmenRa]

I liked Mike, he was a good, genuine man. And I loved Max. When Mike's story ended, I looked up at him, opening my mouth to speak. "You're a hero, Mike... Max too." I flinched a little, god my shoulder hurt. I groaned.

I shook my head. "I'm not a hero, Pan," I told her. "Max? Well, yeah, he probably is. I was only doing my job."

I closed my eyes again, breathing out. If I could only rest for a moment, maybe two...

"Pandora!" I shouted at her. "Stay awake!"

I didn't want her drifting off to sleep. I checked her pulse, it was slow, but it was strong.

"You will do what I tell you to do," I stated to her in my best command voice. "Failure is not an option. You will not quit. Do you understand me? You never, ever quit."