The Nameless Survivor (Valkyrie) (26 page)

             
“Now mister, we don't want any trouble.” He said.

             
“RUN!” I shouted, and Mia did, darting across the highway and through the trees, heading for the old tote-road that unfortunately led straight to our cabin. Nova stayed behind, continuing to bark and growl at that piece of shit, doing her best to distract this beast so that her girl could get away.

             
“She is none of your concern!” I exclaimed, “You and your child-raping friends best head back in the other direction and there won’t be any trouble.” My threat was just fuel being thrown onto an already out-of-control fire. Paul showed no fear as he let out a loud and gut-wrenching belly-laugh.

             
“You see here, I don't like when my property is taken from Me.” he said as two of his men drew their pistols.

             
“Do you even know her name?” I asked, taking a half-step closer while pulling the hammer back and steadying the barrel straight between his eyes. I'm not sure why I even asked, it was all too obvious that he cared little about her name, and the question seemed to only enrage him further. But it was what I wanted, for him to lash out just before a buried lead into his skull.

             
“I’ll make you a deal. Call that lil' bitch back and I'll let ya watch as I beat that cur-child out of her tainted womb. Then I'm gonna show her tight ass who her real daddy is, just before we cut you and your faggots head off!” He spat in my face and without hesitation I pulled the trigger.

             
It was if time slowed to a surreal crawl in an instant, the bullet skimmed the side of his head and sprayed blood and flesh onto the man next to him before tunneling through another’s head. Nova reacted, leaping out and toppling another man before tearing a chunk of flesh from his arm. Tugger in turn yanked the trigger of his cannon, but only slightly peppering the shoulder of another. It was apparent the adrenaline pumping through our veins had slightly thrown of our game.

             
Straight away, Tugger and I bolted across the road and into the woods as Paul shouted out at us. But his voice was quickly muffled by a barrage of gun-fire. We never looked back, instead we dashed through the trees as splinters exploded all around us from the incoming rounds. Nova soon ran past us, on a mission to find her girl. It was a miracle that we escaped the onslaught without a single scratch.

             
The men did not seem follow at first and as I made my way up the mountain their shouts and gunfire became fainter and fainter until we could hear them no more. Darkness fell, but we continued to march towards the cabin, desperately trying to beat the fading light. It was then that I decided, we leave tonight, we had to. BP and his men would in all likelihood scour my mountain for us. He was not about to give her up that easily, not this time. 

             
The Appalachians, we will follow her trails south and scout crossroads for possible help, yet remain cautious. If BP and his posse were still alive then there had to be others, I just pray there is still some good out there. I hoped that Tugger would chose to join us, he is family now, and family should stick together. But this was not the time to suggest it to him, we had more pressing matters before us.

continuance;

              When we reached the cabin we found no sign of Mia, nor Nova. The yard was empty, and only a faint smoke drifted up from the chimney. Aside from our heavy breathing, there were no other noises. No birds, no nothing. The area was desolate, fearfully empty, and my heart sank. Pessimism grew and the only thoughts were that I would soon find my love had fallen to the hostility of that brute.

             
“MIA!” I called out, but there was no response. Quickly I gathered our packs together inside the cabin, and made sure to gather a few more guns and plenty of ammo. Aside from an M4 and the forty-five I packed the rest in a large duffel-bag, then handed Tugger a three-fifty-seven revolver, and a few extra rounds for his shotgun.

             
“We gonna make a stand?” He asked.

             
“We have to find Mia!” I exclaimed before storming out the front-door. “MIA!” I called out again, “Where are you?” I listened intently from the doorway for a few moments before I heard her, trampling out of the woods from the south, Nova right behind her. We ran towards each other and I grabbed hold, squeezing her tightly and kissing repeatedly on her forehead.

             
“They're coming,” she whispered in my ear. I looked down at her glassy green eyes, “More than before.” Reassuringly I squeezed her tight just as I heard a voice deep in the forest.

             
“They went this way!”

             
Frantically I carried her back into the cabin, Nova following just behind us. A hide-out I had built years ago in-case of a horde of dead swarmed the area lay just below the loose floor boards. I had to hide her, I had to fight them off. If we ran now they would continue their hunt, and in Mia’s condition they would most surely catch up to us.

             
“Get in.” I whispered as she looked up at me with hesitation and fear. “Tugger and I have to make a stand, just get in and be quiet!” I commanded.

             
Still unsure, she climbed down into the small hole and laid down onto her back. Nova jumped in too, laying almost on top of her. I replaced the floor boards and grabbed the M4, throwing Tugger a deeply concerned look.

             
“I'm going to head up to the west side, get a bird’s eye view.” I said.

             
“I'll stay here and take them out from the windows.” He responded. I nodded and reached out to shake his hand. “Good luck.” He grabbed hold tight.

             
“Ain't no need for luck, nuttin can kill me, remember?” He said with a smirk. I turned and bolted out the door, unsure if I would ever see him again.

             
Hopelessly I clambered atop a large boulder that overlooked the area which was now shaded by the night sky. A full moon slowly crept up over the mountain which cast a faint blue light down upon cabin. It was getting cold and with each breath a wisp of vapor rose into the air like ghosts escaping my lungs. Quietly I lay there on the cold hard stone with the butt of the M4 poised against my shoulder. Intently I listened for any sound, but there was nothing, just a dead eerie silence. Even the Owls, who appear about that time every night, were keeping their beaks sealed. It was too quiet.

             
Mia had mentioned there were many more, and for BP to get reinforcements only meant they were held up not too far from this area. Too close for us to have not encountered each other previously. How many could there actually be? All of a sudden out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a moving shadow. I looked down towards the south and adjusted my aim. A small figure inched closer to the cabin with one small step at a time. A rifle held firmly in his hand. Soon, as my eyes focused to the faint light, I was able to make out the approach of the others.

             
They were further out beyond the tree line but stealthily drawing closer. They were coming from both the east and the south like a platoon flanking their target. Thus far I could only identify five of them, all too small of stature to be Paul. If there was more, then they we holding back out of sight while the others made the initial charge.

             
“Let's go,” I whispered and aimed at the head of the first shadow and slowly squeezed the trigger. A splatter of blackness sprayed onto the trees and the shadow joined the mass of darkness on the ground.

             
The forest instantly lit up with blasts of gunpowder just beyond the tree-line. The echoes enhanced the barrage, changing this quiet little mountain into a full scale war-zone. A hail of bullets peppered the sides of the cabin as glass and splinters rained down about the yard. From their random shots I was able to count a total of eight assailants, thankfully that was all.

             
They had no idea where I was, shooting blindly into the night, so I promptly took advantage of the situation. However my night hunting skills seemed to need work as shot after shot missed its intended target. Tugger too began to return fire with quick blasts from his double-barrel, before ducking down to reload. It didn’t take long before BP's men had their sites on me and their bullets blasted into the side of the boulder like artillery. Shards of stone sprayed into my face with stinging agony. Instantly I slid down the backside and darted out further into the woods and back under the cover of darkness.

             
As they advanced their assault I swiftly and quietly made my way around towards the east of the property, straight into enemy lines. Luckily these years of extreme survival had taught me the art of not being heard, even when the gunfire subsided I was as quiet as a mouse. Quieter. Closing in on the eastern line, I could still make out a few of the shadows, crouched down behind trees as they flashed hand signals to each other. Sneaking forward my attention drew towards lone figure only few yards away. Silently I slid my knife out of its sheath and raised it towards him. When I approached, close enough to hear his heavy breathing I threw my arm over his shoulder and laid the blade firmly across his neck.

             
Swiftly and with absolutely no remorse, I dragged him further into the darkness while allowing my blade to slice deep into his jugular. Blood spurted out and over my hand and a horrid gurgling escape his lacerated throat. He had no time to beg, no time to feel fear. Swift and lethal, without any suffering, which is my only regret.

             
“Billy!” A voice exclaimed from further down the line. It was unmistakable the voice of Big Paul.

             
Callously I dropped the body and swiftly made my way into the same direction. But I didn't have to go far, there he was, making his way towards poor Billy's corpse. Covertly I dropped down onto my knees and watched silently as he approached. Big Paul clung to the darkness and shadows, avoiding the light of the moon as best as he could. Obviously he was a skilled hunter, but not skilled enough. As he closed in I realized I was no longer afraid, in fact, I was cool and collected. So much that Big Paul walked by only a couple of feet away without ever noticing me. So I stood up and jammed the barrel of the M4 into the base of his back.

             
“Don't move.” I whispered and He stopped while slowly raising his hands into the air. His shotgun dropped to the forest floor with a loud thud.

             
“Big Paul?” One of his men called out, just as another blast echoed from within the cabin. Still, Tugger hit nothing but grass and dirt, however the assailants quickly grabbed cover to avoid another blast. I leaned closer to Paul, my lips just barely caressing his ear, breathing deeply before I spoke.

             
“This is for Mia, you piece of shit!” my voice now shaking with uncontrollable rage. Cocking my head towards the rest of the group, I called out.

             
“BIG PAUL IS DEAD!” and in an instant I was gone, dashing away from that beast and further out into the woods. At the same time the forest lit up with a succession of crossfire, which as calculated, pulverized Big Paul's massive figure. He did not scream once, or if he did it was consumed by the rapid cracks and pops of gunfire.

             
The men shouted inaudibly over the roar of their bombardment, which did not cease for a few of minutes. They moved into the light and towards Big Paul's body, never letting go of their triggers except to reload. Carefully I made my way back to the west, towards the boulder that I started from. The barrage ended abruptly when they were close enough to see their leader’s lifeless body on the ground. They all stood before him, shocked at the realization that their own bullets had ended his life, not mine.

             
Tugger release another volley from his cannon, hitting one of the men in the leg and dropping him to the forest floor. He screamed out in agony as the others opened fire back at the cabin. Shooting randomly in hopes of avenging BP, and their injured comrade. Softly I chuckled to myself, amused by their aggressive stupidity, but the humor soon faded. More movement, back to the south of the cabin. My eyes began to water as I stared into the darkness, desperately attempting to focus in on the obscured advancement. At first, I figure these new shadows to be the others Mia had mentioned, but how many more men could he have? Instantly my heart stopped, there had to be hundreds, maybe thousands of them. These were not Paul's men.

             
Without hesitation I bolted back towards the cabin jumping through the door as Paul's men continued their assault on my father’s fortress. My body shuddered in pain as more shards of glass and wood exploded from the walls and pierced my skin. My blood smeared across the wood floor, mixing into another dark and thick puddle.

             
Tugger lay on his back, not far from Mia's hideout, with a large and beastly gunshot wound to the gut. I froze in place, shocked at the sight of my fallen friend. But, he soon turned his head and looked into my eyes, easing my greatest fear. I crawled forward, staying low and out of sight. As I slid up beside him the barrage of gunfire from outside had turned away from the cabin, but did not cease. The dead had entered the yard and marched into a torrent of lead. Paul's men were greatly outnumbered, and were most likely running low on ammunition. They had no chance.