Emperor of a Dead World (13 page)

He pulled his head in and shouted, “Hold it steady will you,” just as a bullet shattered the driver’s side mirror. Had he pulled his head in a second later, he would not have been able to make that comment.

“Damn these guys,” Tyrone flared as he stuck his head out the passenger side and shot off a few 9 mm rounds.

The Horseman pushed in another clip then once again leaned out and opened fire on the pursuers. Unfortunately, the men in the two trucks behind also had assault rifles and they returned so many rounds that everyone had to duck down to avoid the bullets.

“Take a right,” Tyrone shouted. 

Brad turned sharply without slowing and almost rolled over. He then raced down the street with the others close behind. At the next intersection, he took a sharp left allowing the Horseman clear shot. He hit the driver of one of the trucks causing him to lose control and slam into a tree.

Now only one vehicle remained. Rudy joined the assault and all three men bombarded it with so many rounds that the pursuers kept going straight when Brad made another sharp left.

“Where did they go?” Rudy shouted.

“Just keep an eye out,” Tyrone warned. “They will come back.”

Brad slowed and took a right as all four men watched for trouble. They had only driven about two blocks when their enemies suddenly raced out of a side street directly in front of them with guns blazing. Brad ducked and pushed the accelerator to the floor ramming the plow into the rear of the truck knocking it sideways and causing it to roll over.

As soon as the overturned vehicle skidded to a stop, men jumped out and opened fire. To avoid the bullets, Brad turned down the next street but when he rounded the corner, he lost control of the truck. The plow had broken loose when he hit the other vehicle and it was now dragging under the left front wheel making it almost impossible to steer. This left him no choice but to stop and break it free. He hit the brakes then he and Tyrone jumped out and wrestled with the obstruction while the other two held their enemies at bay.

“Back the truck up,” Tyrone shouted. “Once the tire is off the plow I think I can break it free.”

Brad got in and backed off the plow then Tyrone gave it a strong yank but it did not come off.

“Hurry up, they are getting closer,” Rudy warned as both men took cover behind the door and fired at their approaching enemies.

The bullets were flying everywhere and one grazed Tyrone’s shoulder. In a rage, he gave one more good pull and off came the broken plow as he tumbled over backwards. “Let’s go,” he cried as he got up.

No further request was required. Everyone jumped in the truck and Brad raced away from the scene. Seeing no sensible alternative, he headed for home watching the rear to make sure no one followed.

When they got to Sunny Park Estates, no one could believe their ears. Why would survivors attack survivors?

Tyrone silently listened to Brad’s story as Tom’s wife applied a bandage to his wound. He knew there were bad people in the world and the plague had removed all reason for restraint.

Once Brad finished his tale, Tom suggested they forget about the racetrack and stay away from that city. Brad agreed.

“We should finish this,” Rudy insisted. “They will keep looking until they find us.”

“Finding us will be very difficult,” Brad explained. “I drove off in the opposite direction of the estate so they will not look this way.”

“Not at first, but eventually they will.”

“Could they find us,” one of the women asked apprehensively.

“It will be like finding a needle in a very big haystack,” Brad assured her.

“It is possible they could grow their army and come destroy us,” Rudy persisted.

“Rudy, how can they grow their army when they kill everyone they meet?”

Tyrone watched everyone’s expressions as the argument progressed and made eye contact with a couple of men. After Tom’s wife finished dressing his wound, he walked quietly out of the room. A few minutes later, the men followed.

Brad was so frustrated with Rudy that he did not notice the men leave. Finally, he stood and said, “We are not going back and I am tired of arguing about it.” He walked out.

Rudy looked at Tom and Tom made it clear he agreed with Brad.

“Of course you do,” Rudy scowled. He went in search of Tyrone.

“Are we safe?” Tom’s wife asked.

“Yes dear, but just in case I will make sure no one hangs around out front and I will disguise the place so that it looks vacant.”

“We also need to be careful when we go on our runs,” one of the men suggested. “We have to make sure no one follows us back.”

Tom agreed and they discussed a way to disguise the property.

The next morning a loud rapping on Brad’s door awakened him.

“Who is it?” he called.

“It is Tom. I need to speak with you right away.”

Brad jumped up and opened the door.

“I am sorry to wake you but as soon as I learned the news I knew you would want to know.”

“What has happened?”

“Tyrone, Rudy and two others are gone. I can only guess where they are headed since they told neither you nor me they were leaving.”

“Those fools,” Brad said with disgust. “Why could they not just leave it alone?” He thought for a moment then asked, “When did they leave?”

“Sometime last night,” Tom replied.

“Last night!” Brad exclaimed.

“What are you going to do?”

“I have to go after them.”

“I expected you would do this so I talked to the others and three of the men have agreed to accompany you.”

“Thank you. Are they ready?”

“They are preparing right now.”

Brad gathered his weapons and headed for the truck. As an added precaution, he threw his trench coat in the back. When he turned around the other men walked up.

“Are you guys sure you want to do this? It could be very dangerous. We have already lost four men.”

A bearded man stepped forward. “If you feel this is something you must do then we will come with you. “

“I appreciate that,” Brad replied.

“I wish I could convince you not to do this,” Tom said as he approached.

Brad looked at him and asked, “Did Tyrone take the Expedition?”

“Yes.”

“You guys know what it looks like, right?”

“Yeah, a white Expedition with a makeshift plow,” a redheaded man replied. “It would be pretty hard to miss.”

Brad glanced at Tom then turned to the other men and said, “Let’s go.”

Many had already gathered at the gate but Brad drove out without looking at anyone. As he drove, no one spoke. Everyone simply reflected on the dangers that lay ahead. Aside from the human threat, there was also the risk of having the creatures over-run them.

When they got to the racetrack, Brad pulled into the parking lot then stopped and gazed at the structure. The dead men were no longer hanging above the gate. “I don’t see anyone on lookout,” he said, not mentioning the gruesome sight he had just thought of.

“The gate is closed,” another man responded. “Maybe Tyrone is inside.”

“I am sure he would have left me a sign,” Brad returned.

“Should we honk and let them know we are here?”

“I don’t think I am ready to announce myself. Let’s just go and inspect the fort.”

He did a U-turn then headed east on Katella Ave. When they got to the van, they found the driver lying dead with a bullet wound in his head.

“At least one down,” Brad smiled.

They continued on their way and searched for the other vehicles. Both were still where Brad had last seen them.

“It is hard to say if the creatures got any of these guys,” Brad shrugged.

Everyone looked around but there was no sign of this being the case.

When they got to the fort, no one was there. Just the usual creatures walking around but even these were sparse. Brad parked a little way back from the opening just to be safe.

“What now?” the bearded man asked.

“I want to inspect this place,” Brad replied as he stepped out and put on his trench coat then grabbed his sword and shield. “Keep an eye out and cover me as best you can.” He tucked his Glock into his pants then turned and headed inside.

“Be careful,” the redheaded man called out.

Brad peaked around the fence then slowly approached the first house and entered through the open door. The place was a mess but no one was inside. Not seeing any creatures, he moved about freely. After walking through the living room, he headed into the kitchen on high alert. Seeing no one, he searched the entire house then looked in the backyard. Satisfied the place was clear he decided to check the next house. Before he got outside, he heard the screeching of tires and for a brief second feared his accomplices were deserting him. Filled with despair he headed for the front door to the sounds of gunfire. When he looked out, he saw the enemy had penned his friends in on both sides. He pulled his Glock but he did not have a clear shot at his adversaries and bullets had already ripped his truck apart. Realizing his friends were probably dead he knew he had to leave. These people would soon discover the driver was missing and come in search of him. He ran out the front and past a couple of houses. As he rushed along, he encountered several of the infected that had been attracted by the noise. Though he was wearing his trench coat he could not take the time to slow down to deceive them. He had more pressing issues coming up behind. If he could get past by simply muscling by he did so. He did not want to take the time to fight and he felt it would be best to leave as many of the killers between him and his enemies as possible. When he got to the third house, he stopped and contemplated fighting but all he had with him were his Glock, sword and shield. Knowing these would be no match for men with assault rifles he looked for a place to hide. After a moment, he noticed a crawl space on the side of the house. He hid his sword and shield behind a trashcan then quickly pulled off the cover and crawled inside. He now worked his way to the front of the house and watched for his enemies through the screen. If he could get one alone he could kill him and acquire his weapon.

Ten minutes slowly passed and Brad thought he was safe. He started to crawl out but then he heard gunshots and stopped. This time they were close and he knew they were killing creatures and working their way towards him. He glanced toward the opening and hoped he had left no sign of his entrance. It would be impossible to fight his way out from under this house. As their footsteps drew near, he looked out the front vent and saw some feet pass by his hiding place. He counted only three men. They were walking slowly and appeared to be checking everything on the way by. He listened carefully but it did not sound like the men were leaving. Suddenly, the feet were back. He braced himself for whatever may come. As he lay in anticipation, he heard footsteps above. Two were checking the house while one waited in front of the vent. They were inside only for a minute. When they came out, they headed for the next house but after taking a few steps, one cried, “There,” and Brad thought they had discovered him. He clutched his Glock and prepared to fight. When he heard the shot, he almost fired back but then he heard someone say, “Got it,” and he knew their target was not him. He lay still, barely breathing, as they moved on.

After they left he contemplated following them. From behind, he might be able to shoot all three. Dressed as he was the creatures would leave him alone and the men would think he was one of the infected. Of course, that did not mean they would not shoot him. He headed for the exit but stopped when he heard the men returning.
That was quick,
he thought. He looked back toward the screen and realized more men had come. It was too far to count but he determined three or four more men had arrived. This new development convinced him to remain where he was. He wanted to venture forth but self-preservation won out.

While he waited in his refuge, there was a lot of gunfire and several minutes passed before he heard the men return. He tried to count the feet and he thought he counted fourteen. Seven men - that should be everybody. He wondered if there were others or if this was all of them. He listened for a moment then decided to follow them. He had questions and the only way to get the answers was by staying close to these men. He crawled out and carefully looked both ways when he got to the corner of the building. He was certain no one was behind him as he watched the men and he was relieved they had cleared the place of the infected. He decided the safest way to stay close was by traveling through the backyards. He ran back and hopped the wall then entered the next house through the back door. From inside he could see the men but he was not close enough to hear them. Still he dared get no closer.

They stood by the opening in the wall talking for several minutes. From his vantage point, he could observe them with little danger of them seeing him. As he watched, he gripped his pistol trying to determine how many he could kill before they could return fire. He raised the gun to shoot but he knew a handgun against seven assault rifles was insane. He decided not to make this foolish attempt.

Finally, they walked out. He waited until they started their engines and he could hear them back away. He advanced but a voice in the back of his head kept warning him that this could be another trap. Had they all gotten into the vehicles? When he got to the wall, he peered over the top. One direction looked clear. He looked the other way. This looked clear as well. He sat down and waited another half hour before he peaked out again. Still no one was there. Were they gone or just patient?