Nasty Little F___ers-Kindle (21 page)

He ran toward the Huey, and made it about halfway when Allen’s voice raised in a shout behind him. A loud gunshot rang through the clearing, and Colby was thrown forward by a strong blow from behind. He fell, sending Janice’s prone body flying though the air. He winced as the pain in his leg and side flared up, despite the extra Vicodin, and then lay there. Strangely, he didn’t feel any pain in his back, just pressure. Behind him, the brush crashed and crackled as his pursuers entered the clearing.

“What the fuck?” a voice from the chopper asked. “Don’t move, whatever the fuck you are!”

Another shot rang out, and Colby heard a bullet whistle above his head just before it clinked into the metal body of the Huey.

The next few seconds were filled with the solid rat-a-tat-tat fire of a heavy carbine and the wiz of several hundred rounds in the air above Colby’s prone body. It didn’t last long, a 50mm carbine could shred an automobile in ten seconds, doubtless it had taken far less time than that to render Allen and whoever was with him into a gory pile of nothing.

Colby opened his eyes, but found he couldn’t see very well, and his mouth tasted like blood. Not a good sign. The whole world seemed to have lost its clarity, no matter how hard he tried to focus. He knew it was nighttime, but the edges of his vision seemed darker than normal, even this deep into the woods. There still was no pain from his back, and he thought there should be. By now, he realized he’d been shot, but the knowledge paled in comparison to how tired he felt. He just needed a nap, then he would be fine.

Footsteps to his right. He looked over and saw a vaguely human shape, the same drab olive color as the Huey, next to him. Colby reached up toward the soldier and felt a hand clasp his, though the fingers slipped through a warm, wet fluid that covered his hand. He examined the hand, trying to figure out what the fluid was, but only saw a blackish stain that he couldn’t identify.

“Is she okay?” he asked the stranger, he could only manage a hoarse croak.

“She’ll be fine,” the soldier replied.

Colby smiled and nodded. Then the world went dark. The last thing he heard was Anzer’s voice coming from somewhere by the chopper.

“Holy fuck, Colby! What happened?”

Epilogue

Janice stood next to the headstone, her left arm wrapped in a sling and the bandages around her back squeezed tight and stiff, making breathing difficult, but not impossible. She’d been lucky. Moretz’s knife had missed her vital organs, but it still hurt like hell. The fingers of her good hand lovingly traced the words etched onto the stone’s marble face. “I’m sorry,” she said. Tears pooled in her eyes. She couldn’t think of anything else to say, so she sat in silence for another five minutes.

“You okay?” a voice behind her asked.

She turned to see Anzer standing a few feet away, the movement sent a twinge of pain up her spine. He’d been there the whole time, but thankfully he had kept quiet. She didn’t think she could deal with him talking about Colby any more today. The man never seemed to shut up about the former marine. You’d think
he
was the one in love with the guy.

“I’m fine,” she replied, wiping at her eyes with a handkerchief. “I’ll be all right.”

“You ready?”

She looked back at the headstone. Just a rock, really. A rounded piece of granite with a handful of words on it. His final resting place. The only thing left to tell the world he was ever here. She sighed, determined to keep her eyes dry for the rest of the day. “I guess so.”

Anzer reached down and grasped her hand, pulling her up. She rose stiffly, the bandages around her middle making the movement awkward.

“Thanks,” she said, dusting the freshly turned earth from her knees.

Anzer looked from her to the headstone. “He was a good man,” he said. “I’ve known him for a long time. I’ll miss him.”

“Me, too,” she replied. Then she turned to look at the stone one last time, as well. “Good bye, Edison,” she said. Then she turned to face the street. Colby sat in his wheelchair, his bandaged leg propped up and a sad, rueful look on his face. His upper body was stiff from the many bandages the Trauma doctors wrapped around his torso. It would take several weeks, maybe longer, before all his wounds fully healed, but she could live with that. She’d already phoned Phoenix and given her resignation. Several universities in New England had her resume and credentials, and she hoped to hear from any one of them soon. Until then, she’d help take care of Colby. She smiled a bit as she remembered how he’d looked when they finally wheeled him out of the ER. Glad as she was he was still alive, she couldn’t help but think he looked like a mummy.

“What’s funny?” he asked.

She walked up to him, bent down, and kissed him full on the lips. When she backed away, his expression had changed, but only a little. “What is it?” She asked, although she already knew the answer.

“They’re all dead,” he said. “The whole team.”

“You saved one, though,” Anzer said from behind her shoulder.

“You sure did,” Janice added, squeezing Colby’s hand.

“Yeah,” Colby said. He looked up at her, and this time he even smiled a little. “I saved one, didn’t I?”

She bent down to kiss him again, and this time when she pulled away, he was still smiling. She walked behind the wheelchair and turned it around, taking Colby back to the rear door of Anzer’s Lincoln.

“There’s just one thing, Anzer,” Colby said. “When I get out of this chair I’m going to have to kick your ass.”

Anzer smiled. “Sorry, Colby. A sat phone just wasn’t in the budget.”

“Budget, my ass,” Colby replied. “I’m still gonna beat the shit out of you.”

“When you get out of your chair, we’ll talk,” Anzer replied.

Janice told them both to shut up while she helped settle Colby into the rear seat of the car, then went around to the passenger side and climbed in next to him. Up front, Anzer started the car and pulled away from the gravesite.

***

Anzer smiled as he watched Colby and Janice in the rearview mirror.
It’s good that they found each other,
he thought. Colby needed someone to look after him, and Janice? Well, she’d been through a lot, and could use a strong positive presence like Colby around. He obviously cared about her, and she would be moving to Maine soon enough. Their relationship was a good thing.

His hand found its way to his chest, and his smile grew. Speaking of good things… he lightly rubbed the fabric of his shirt, feeling the pleasure from the queen on his chest. This mission hadn’t quite gone as planned, but the queen wasn’t angry. She was never angry. Like him, she knew there would be other opportunities.

THE END

A Note from the Author

In 2009, Ghostwriter Publications agreed to publish my novel 33 A.D., about a vampire in Biblical Jerusalem who tries to assassinate Jesus of Nazareth. Additionally, they asked if I had something short and campy, like maybe a B-Movie type of horror book along the lines of The Rats or Night of the Crabs. I didn’t, but I did have a short story I’d been working on about a group of scientists who get trapped in the woods of Northern Maine and have to survive attacks by tiny insects and the zombies they create.

“Perfect,” the folks at Ghostwriter said. “Make it novel length and send it in.”

Well, as you may or may not know (chances are if you’ve read my blog you do), I am no longer with Ghostwriter Publications, but damn if those scientists weren’t still running for their lives up in Aroostook County, Maine. Given that I’d done pretty well on my own with 33 A.D., I figured I’d give Colby, Janice, and the rest of the crew a shot to find their own way into your hands. If you are reading this, then that means they succeeded.

Personally, I love this story. It’s campy, funny, scary, and reads a lot like those great old B-horror movies from way back, which is exactly what it was intended to be. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t put nearly as much research into this story as I did 33 A.D., but this story isn’t meant to be serious or even thought provoking. It’s just meant to be a good time. Hopefully you enjoyed it as such.

But whether you liked it or hated it, I want to say thank you, dear reader, for going on this trip with Colby and the crew. Time is a very precious thing, and I know there are a million ways we, as individuals, can spend it. I’m honored that you chose to spend some of yours with me.

David McAfee, January 2011

About the Author

David McAfee was born in Lakenheath USAFB, England, and spent his youth traipsing about the globe with his military family, soaking up the cultures of faraway places like the Philippines, Turkey, Spain, and even California. When David was in his tweens, his father retired to Texas, which David still considers home.

He started writing at the tender age of six, albeit on a much smaller scale, and today his work can be found in at least one horror magazine.

David currently lives in Tennessee with his wife, daughter, and a small army of loyal but dysfunctional pets. He enjoys writing, motorcycling, and spending time with his family. He can be reached at [email protected] and can be visited on the web at mcafeeland.wordpress.com, connected with on Twitter (@DavidLMcAfee) and Facebook (David McAfee).

Other Books by David McAfee:

33 A.D.

Saying Goodbye to the Sun

The Lake and 17 Other Stories

A Pound of Flash

The Gallows Tree (forthcoming)

BONUS MATERIAL

Excerpt from TORMENT, by Jeremy Bishop

20

“
Stay here,” Mia whispered to Liz. She’d quickly checked the second floor bedrooms and deposited Liz in a closet. The girl shuffled back into the closest, hidden behind a rack of hanging suits that must have come from a Big n’ Tall store.

The stairs to the third floor were at the center of the hall and ended at a closed door. A thick, beige carpet covered the steps and concealed her approach. She paused at the top of the stairs, trying to remember how police officers breached a room, but then realized every image she had of the maneuver was from a TV show.

With her left hand on the door knob and the gun in her right, she slowly turned the handle and nudged the door open. Other than the bottom of the door brushing against the carpet, she managed complete silence.

The third floor was one large room. Four skylights above and a large, front looking window filled the room with the tangerine glow of the setting sun. She searched the long room for any sign of the person she’d heard and found nothing. There were two arcade games; the screens blank. A mini-bar filled the back corner accompanied by a card table and dart board on the wall. The front half of the room held two plush couches and a TV screen that looked big enough to service a stadium theater. But the centerpiece of the room was a pool table. Ornately carved from red oak, the table sat at the center of the space. A large stained glass fixture hung above it.

The most interesting thing about the pool table was what lay on the side.

A bullet.

Her bullet.

She walked toward the round, staring at it. “Austin?”

“
Didn’t want you to shoot me.” Austin’s voice came from behind her. A small bathroom was hidden behind the stairs. He stepped out, wiping off his face with a hand towel.

She wanted to leap at the man and hug him. Having written him off as dead, she felt glad to see him. She lowered her gun.

He walked to the pool table and picked up the round. “Thanks for the message. I came in through the fire escape after checking out the backyard.”

“
How did you get here so fast?” she asked.

He took out a pool ball and rolled it across the table, bouncing it off the cushion. “I wasn’t that far behind. Wanted to make sure you weren’t being followed.”

“
You were watching us?”

He nodded. “I was in the woods behind the house.”

“
Could’a told me.”

“
Worried?” he asked with a grin.

“
Asshole.”

Austin laughed and looked beyond her. Liz was standing there. He stopped smiling.

“
Don’t worry, Mr. Austin. We decided that curse words weren’t offensive anymore,” Liz said as she entered the room and sat on a couch.

“
I told you to wait,” Mia said, a touch of anger in her voice.

Liz shrugged. “I thought it was safe to come out with them.” She thumbed over her shoulder as Mark arrived, carrying a novel. Paul and Chang followed him, also carrying novels.

“
There a book club I don’t know about?” Austin asked.

“
Only form of entertainment that’s not going to get us killed,” Mark said.

“
Running for your life isn’t entertaining enough?” Mia asked.

“
Food’s here,” Collins announced as he entered carrying two brown bags full of non-perishable food.