Iron Mike (33 page)

Mayhew smiled cajolingly. “Well, come on, son,” he said, trying for a fatherly, sharing-of-wisdom tone. “You know the world’s changed now, and it’s survival of the fittest, right? Your - um, girlfriend just maybe wasn’t one of the fittest, right? She get killed by a Feeder? Maybe somehow even saved your life getting you out, right, so she had some use after all, see?”

Mike nodded slowly. “She saved my life, so that’s the reason she was useful?”

Mayhew shrugged. “Hell, man, it ain’t like she was no virgin or anything. I knew that, or I wouldn’t’a let Tommy have her.”

Mike stiffened, but then relaxed and smiled in camaraderie. “So ... you knew Tommy would ‘tap’ that, right?”

"Well, hell yeah, of course!” Mayhew laughed, as if sharing a joke with a friend. “You know ... Tommy just wasn’t quite right in the head. Your lady was pretty. I sure am sad you lost her, sir. Give me a sip in her honor, all right?”

Mike moved as if to hand the bottle over, but at the slight tension in the other man’s posture, he pulled back immediately, shaking his head. “That was a bad move,” he said, looking hard at Mayhew. “You were already flexing your shoulders, Mayhew. Way too eager, way too greedy.”

The game was over and the cretinous lecher finally knew it. “Fuck you!” he spat. “You whore-son pussy, I don't give a -”

Mike’s eyes were ice but his smile was genuine when he cut Mayhew off. “I got some news you might be interested in, Big Pete. We’ve learned how to get people free from the Feeders. It’s news that’s going to be a great benefit to humanity, which I’m sure concerns you. Here, let me show you how.”

Mike stepped back from the Feeder, patting Hershey reassuringly. The dog was pacing nervously. He didn’t seem to like Mayhew any more than he liked the Feeder, and he kept glancing longingly at the bushes where Kari waited. Mike smiled at his dog and then turned his attention back to Mayhew. He tipped the bottle, very carefully spilling a small amount of whiskey onto the very edge of the Feeder’s body. Mayhew shrieked in agony, fresh tears bursting from his eyes as the Feeder writhed around him, its muscles contracting in reaction to the alcohol and spasming against the acid burns on Mayhew’s legs and hips.

Mike waited patiently for Mayhew’s shrieking and Hershey's barking to subside before speaking again. “See, lookie here, you’re about three feet closer to the edge of this thing. Another good splash, maybe two, and you’d be free, just like I got myself free of my Feeder this morning.”

Mayhew sobbed bitterly, listening in spite of himself.

“The way I look at it, ‘buddy,’” Mike said, with heavy sardonic emphasis on the appellation, “is you have got no options at this point. None. On the other hand, I have five options.” Mike held up one finger. “I can give you a swallow of this whiskey you want so badly ... a bit of relief from the pain.” He held up a second finger. “I can shoot you ... waste a perfectly good bullet, honestly, but if you were worth it, I could. I can slit your throat, which is quieter but messy, and this is the last set of almost-clean clothes I have. I can even use this whiskey and that rope that my girlfriend - the one you were going to kill - is carrying over her shoulder. We could pull you up and out of this damned Feeder, Mayhew. She and I could carry your sorry ass up to your cabin and let you use whatever supplies you have to heal your legs. You could live.” Mayhew glanced up at this, but said nothing, silent tears continuing to run down his face. “Or,” Mike said, holding up the fifth finger. “My very favorite option. I can walk away.”

They both heard Kari’s startled gasp as Mike stood up with Hershey on his heels.

“Please don’t do that,” Mayhew whispered, crying brokenly. “Please, mister. Have a little god-given mercy!”

Mike smiled. “Yeah, I will. I’m going to give you the same god-given mercy you gave when you walked away and left a wounded man and an unarmed woman with someone who ‘wasn’t quite right in the head.’ Burn in hell, Mayhew. Slowly.”

Mike walked toward Kari, a casual lightness in his step. Behind them, Mayhew sobbed and begged, whether to Mike, Kari, or God, no one could tell.

Kari stepped up to Mike when he approached, impressed with his perfectly calculated vengeance. “Remind me to never,
ever
piss you off,” she whispered, a bit shakily.
Apparently, the boy
can
hold a grudge,
she thought.

He stopped in front of her and kissed her gently on the lips. “I believe justice has been served, sweetheart,” he said with a grim smile. He took her hand and headed toward the bikes, surprised when she resisted.

“What?” he turned back to her curiously.

“You’re not -” She looked at him, her eyes widening in surprise. “I mean, you’re not, are you?”

Mike returned her look steadily. “I’m not what, Kari? Leaving that piece of human garbage to rot away in a Feeder?”

Kari nodded mutely, her eyes suddenly huge in her pale face.

“Yes, I am,” Mike replied levelly. “Would you make another call, hon? Do you have a problem with me doing that?” His voice was gentle and genuinely inquisitive.

“Um ... yeah.” Kari kept her voice low, so the conversation remained between the two of them. “I mean ... he’s a human being, Mike. Well, okay, it’s only theoretical in his case. But no one should die like that, not even him.”

“Kari, are you sure? I have absolutely no problem walking away right this second. This is the man who knowingly left you to be raped, sweetheart. Even now, he doesn’t think he did a goddamned thing wrong, just because you weren’t a virgin, and that makes rape perfectly okay in his book. He’s a disgusting, sadistic bastard and a poor example of humanity. If you were in that Feeder, and he had an entire semi-truck full of booze, do you think for one second he’d help you?”

“No,” Kari replied softly, shaking her head. “He wouldn’t help me, or anyone else, even if it were no skin off his back at all. You’re right, Mike.” Her shoulders tightened slightly and a look of determination crossed her face. “But you know what? The day I start deciding
my
actions based on what someone like Mayhew would do is the day I lose whatever integrity makes me different from him. If I did that ... I’d be just as contemptible as the man I hate.”

Mike studied Kari. “We’re not pulling him out,” he said finally. “There are too many reasons against getting him out of that Feeder. Among other things, he says he’s been in there for hours, and as sunburned as he is, I believe him. That’s ... really weird, Kari. It’s different from the normal Feeder pattern, and it makes me nervous. Also, as bad as his burns are, he’s just going to die a longer and even more miserable death from blood poisoning. I’ll give you a mercy kill, Kari, but that’s it.”

Kari nodded. After a moment she sighed and pulled out her Army issue pistol.

Mike shook his head. “I’ll do it, hon.”

Kari bristled. “He’s my problem, and I’m the one who decided he was worth a bullet. I can do it.”

Mike’s eyes softened. “I know you can, soldier,” he said gently. “I have absolutely no doubt about it. But I don’t want you to, sweetheart. Killing someone ... changes you, Kari, and I’ve already been changed. It’s going to happen to you soon enough, but I don’t want it to change you yet.”

“I killed Trois,” she replied defensively. “Maybe it’s not the same, but ...”

“I’ve killed five men and a woman, Kari,” Mike said bluntly, “and I sleep well at night.”

Kari blanched. She knew Mike was often picked for looter patrols, but she’d had no idea ... She considered for a long moment. “Okay, you win,” she said finally. “He’s yours.”

Mike looked at her, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth. “And this is why I love you,” he murmured, gently nuzzling his face to hers. “Do you need to watch this, or will you wait by the bikes?” he asked, unsheathing his hunting knife from its belt holster.

Kari’s eyes flicked to the knife and back to the sobbing man and she shook her head slowly. “I’ll take Butterball back to the bikes,” she muttered.

Mike handed Kari the bottle of whiskey, and he and Hershey went back to the Feeder. He didn’t speak to Mayhew, and Mayhew didn’t speak to him. Mayhew was buried up to his chest and only one hand was free. Mike carefully avoided that hand as he stepped around behind the man. He made it as quick and clean as possible, but he still felt hot blood - lots of it - spurting over his legs as he jumped quickly away from the ground near Mayhew.

There was a sound from the Feeder, almost like a sigh, and it liquefied immediately, pulling Mayhew all the way under in one quick ... swallow. Hershey barked twice, once at the Feeder and again at the small black orb that was floating quickly away, over the tree line, and out of sight.

“What the -” Mike asked, looking from the orb down to his legs. They weren’t covered in Mayhew’s blood as he’d anticipated. The slick oil the orb spat on him was drying quickly, and his burns and abrasions healed themselves even while Mike watched, stunned. He looked up to where the orb had once been. “Thank you,” he murmured.

He walked back to where Kari waited by the bikes. It was 1345 ... dealing with Mayhew took longer than he expected. “Let’s see if we can make it to Mt. Sterling,” Mike said quietly, not mentioning the orb or his healed legs.

Kari nodded, calling the dogs to her.

March 19.

Kasoniak

Rusty Tillison’s bowels loosened, and the smell of shit permeated the air when Col. Kasoniak stepped up to the microphone. He began without preamble.

“Most of you who came to witness this today have been by once or twice in the past couple days. You’ve had the opportunity to read the charges and to read Tillison’s detailed confession. You’ve had the opportunity to hear his side of the story and his objections to both his treatment as a prisoner and to the sentence of death. Some of you may approve of the actions I took here today. Some of you may not. I couldn’t give a damn either way.

“Whatever your thoughts or feelings, take this away with you, ladies and gentlemen. This is the new law of the land. From as far west as Oklahoma City to the eastern seaboard, there are now two kinds of law in our society. There is martial law, under which this military post is now operating. There is also the law of tooth and claw, in which only the strongest survive, and the strongest take whatever they want. Since New Fort Knox is under martial law, I want it known clearly: there WILL be law and order in this part of Kentucky.

“There are about a dozen of you in this very crowd who do nothing to contribute to this society except run your mouths, eat the food we provide, and sleep behind the shelter of the walls we protect. That’s called a free ride, ladies and gentlemen, and IT JUST ENDED. Detailed fliers are being posted today, but I’ll make it real simple for you. If you don’t work toward the betterment of this lawful community of survivors, then you get the hell out.

“That is all. Dismissed!”

Without a word, Kasoniak turned and left the dais. He stopped when the chaplain stepped up to him, her face somewhat green-tinged. “Sir?” she asked hesitantly, “what about the body?”

Kasoniak turned and looked over the dispersing crowd. “Leave it until sundown,” he ordered quietly. "Then have Sergeant Nicholas and a security detail transport the body to the burial crew. If you choose to officiate, Chaplain, have the security detail remain with you throughout the service and escort you back onto post. I don’t want any miscreants using this as a reason to stir the pot.”

“Yes, sir,” she replied with a sharp salute. “Thank you, sir,” she added, breathing a bit more easily because of his instructions.

March 20.

Hershey

They had rabbit for breakfast! Mike’s snares caught four rabbits, so they
gorged
on rabbit for breakfast! Kari ate the most, practically moaning with pleasure, but they all had their fill and then some. It was the fattest, juiciest, freshest, best-tasting meat Hershey had ever eaten, except maybe for the steak Clare-who-wasn’t-Clare had given him recently. Kari insisted Mike cook the rabbit first, but Hershey didn’t mind - he liked cooked meat.

There was almost a problem, but, luckily, it worked itself out. Kari got upset when Hershey and Yippyface grabbed one of the rabbit’s entrails, making a game of tug out of them. For a minute, she seemed genuinely angry at both of them. Then, she burst out laughing at the look of surprise on Yippyface’s face when the intestines just kept coming and coming out of that tiny fat bunny body. After that, everything was okay again. Even Hershey was surprised - he was a Virginia dog, which meant he was a lover, not a hunter. He never realized how much
junk
was inside a rabbit’s tummy!

There was a special taste of excitement in the crisp spring air that morning when they got up to break camp. Hershey could feel it in both his humans, and even Yippyface sensed something was up. Both humans were happy, eager to get on the road. Mike didn’t even have to play the “moving out go-go-go, soldier!” game that he normally played when Kari took too much time getting dressed or piddling - she was ready to go-go-go, soldier even before he was!

That made Hershey think, and wonder what could make Kari move really fast. Since there were no aliens around, it must be some really good food! But ... what food could be better than the rabbit they’d just eaten? For once, although he hated to admit it, not even Hershey was hungry. What could it be, then? Kari didn’t like to chase balls, and Mike hadn’t thrown one for her anyway. She loved to wrestle with Mike, but they already did that the night before, so Hershey simply didn’t know what else could motivate her to move so quickly.

Hershey decided it was just going to have to remain a mystery until it revealed its answer to him or they got where they were going. He hopped up into the sidecar, his tail thumping eagerly, ready to begin the day’s ride. Mike and Kari made a lot of word noises Hershey didn’t understand ... words like “Shelbyville” and “Shepherdsville,” but after what seemed like hours to Hershey, they finally got on their bikes and were off!

They went fast, a lot faster than they went for most of the trip. They still had to stop sometimes and move carefully through wrecks of cars. Once, Mike had to cut a tree, and he cursed and dropped the loud buzzing toy onto the road when it stopped working. Hershey felt sick inside when Mike made angry words, and he drooped miserably in the sidecar. Kari helped Mike, though, and they were able to get around the big tree and get back on the road again. Mike’s mood lifted immediately, so Hershey was happy again.

The sun was high overhead when Hershey saw the first two people, one on either side of the road. Mike and Kari didn’t see them. There were a lot of cars on this part of the road, but somebody moved them all out of the way, so Mike was going fast enough for Hershey’s ears and jowls to
thwappita-thwappita-flop
in the breeze. It wasn’t until the people began following behind them that Mike and Kari started paying attention.

About a quarter mile past the first set of people, there were two more people. They waited beside a big green truck with a red cross painted on its body. Hershey looked at the people more closely this time, since Mike and Kari slowed their bikes way down. The two people were standing up very straight, with their hands shading their eyes like Mike and Kari sometimes did. They followed behind Mike and Kari, too, and Yippyface looked up sleepily from the bottom of the sidecar, awakened by the sound of Kari’s happy whoop.

“Mike, we got us a convoy!” Kari laughed over the sound of the motorcycles. More and more soldiers lined the roadway, saluting sharply and falling into formation to follow the now slower-moving procession.

“It’s a military escort!” Mike shouted back. “It’s a goddamned honor guard, Kari!”

Kari grinned and shouted, “Woooo-hoo!” startling Hershey who was wriggling from head-to-toe with excitement. They drove past a little house and a gate that was behind a very tall fence with pointy razor wire on top. Hershey didn’t know the name for it, but he definitely understood the concept of razor wire - he had gotten too close to a barbed wire fence once when he was a puppy. The motorcycles and all of their followers drove a short distance and then pulled up to a stop. A group of men dressed like Mike ... well, like Mike
had
been dressed before Kari cut up his pants ... stood waiting stiffly. Mike and Kari got off their bikes and stood stiffly too, shading their eyes even though the sun was behind them.

Hershey jumped out of the sidecar right after his humans disembarked and immediately barked at the crowd to announce his arrival. A loud cheer went up for him, and he grinned a happy, loopy doggy grin. He liked the people cheering for him! He could smell their happiness and enthusiasm. They smelled good - although not as good as
his
two people, of course.

There were children! There were lots and lots of children, running and playing and avoiding the grownups. This time, something inside Hershey knew he would be allowed to play with these children as much as he wanted, and that made him even happier. He wriggled all over, jumping up and down with excitement. Yippyface stuck her nose out of the sidecar and ducked back in, whining in fear. In a moment of generosity, Hershey sniffed the pup, giving her the all-clear with a huge yawn, and then he moved over to stand near his boy.

“It’s okay, girl,” Kari said to Butterball, her voice happy as she laughed and cried at the same time. Apparently, she liked it when the man who smelled like pack told her she had “house arrest for a week and KP duty for the rest of her life.” Hershey didn’t know what that meant, but Mike liked it too, so it had to involve food or wrestling. Kari held Yippyface up to the crowd while Mike knelt down beside Hershey. The children rushed forward to claim the best presents ever, and even some of the adults surged forward to meet the dogs and exclaim over them. Hershey finally realized why Mike and Kari played the sidecar game for so many days - they had been sent to rescue Hershey from work, and to bring him to the people! He was their hero!

It was good to be a hero.