Ravens in the Sky
(Nicole) |
| The land continued on as semi-desert, spotted with clumps of brush and trees. The greatest danger came from the crazies whom they encountered on three different occasions. In the first and second encounter the intruders were driven back with a short volley of gunfire. Some were killed. Nicole noticed that the men put a great deal of effort into the shooting of these creatures. Their deep hatred was evident, a hatred that would find its way into the hearts of the women on the third encounter. |
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It was early morning. The group had just begun the day's march. Joey scouted ahead. He left at a trot to open the distance between himself and the main party. No more then ten minutes went by when the sound of shots shattered the tranquil morning. As preplanned, the main group took cover with the women together. The men were close at hand and slightly ahead to absorb the brunt of any attack.
Soon they heard the incomprehensible shouts of the crazies. Long moments later Joey ran into the clearing. He stopped momentarily and then staggered forward, his face surprisingly calm, yet his mouth hung open. He quivered strangely and tried to say something. He looked up to the sky and his arms reached above his head. He dropped his rifle and fell to his hands and knees, a small thin spear protruded from his back. The boy slowly collapsed into the dust. Matthew signaled William to go to Joey's aid. William stood and so did Chimene. Quickly Nicole pulled her down. Joey struggled back to his feet. Out of balance, he stumbled to his left, and fell into the brush. William ran toward him as a crazy jumped into the clearing, a club in hand. Matthew fired. Although the bullet pierced the man's chest, his momentum carried him into William, and they both fell to the ground. The crazy fell on top, William struggled to get him off.
A commotion erupted near the brush where Joey lay. His legs showed briefly before being dragged from sight. Matthew opened fire. William threw the dead man off and regained his feet. Matthew jumped up and ran to the spot where Joey had fallen, William at his side. They charged into the brush, but were quickly out again.
Matthew shouted. "The fuckers have taken Joey." William nodded. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"
Matthew dropped his pack. "Hide your stuff." He glared at the women, his face full of rage and his speech a snarl. "We're going after the fuckers. We're going to kill them and you'll help."
Nicole and the girls were shaken, but they made no protest. The men eyed the woman for evidence of resistance as they dragged the litter behind a bush. The women emerged with their weapons, and all five departed at a trot.
It was easy to follow the drag marks in the soft soil. Nicole stayed close to Chimene and Julia. A quick hand signal from Matthew and William bolted ahead. Matthew slowed to a walk and the women followed suit.
Nicole whispered to the girls. "Stay quiet. Stay together." In a short time they caught up to William, who waited on one knee. He looked at Matthew. "Joey's dead." He glanced at Chimene. "We have the high ground. It'll be easy. Only twelve or so, about thirty yards ahead. That's where they are. In plain view, in a gully." Chimene paled.
Matthew looked at the women. "Stay in a group and keep to our left. Wait for my shot before you shoot." He patted William on the back. "We're going to execute every last one of them fuckers." He turned a stone face toward the women.
Nicole nodded and stepped to the left, stopped, and turned. The girls stood immobile, watching the men move away. Nicole rushed back and grabbed Julia's arm, pulling her and then pushing her in the proper direction. She did the same with Chimene. In a crouch, all three stepped slowly forward.
Nicole's heart thumped a drumbeat in her head. She had killed before and now she was about to do it again. She glanced at the girls. Julia stumbled and fell, but bounced back up, her eyes wide with fear. Chimene, closest to Nicole, stared straight ahead, tears dripping. Up ahead, the brush thinned out and the muffled noise of the insane grew louder.
Twenty yards farther, at the gully's edge, the auditory horror became visual. A milling group of half naked and dirty humans clustered around Joey's body. Only his legs could be seen. The crazies seemed to be arguing. One man shoved another and then knelt down with a knife in hand.
Nicole heard Julia vomit. The kneeling man's head exploded when Matthew and William opened fire. Nicole swallowed and steadied her rifle. She pulled the trigger and one of the humans fell. Chimene, equipped with the shotgun, blasted haphazardly. Julia continued to vomit. The crazies dropped quickly, and only one made it to the other side of the gully before disappearing into the brush.
All went quiet. Joey's body, nearly naked and extensively lacerated, lay among the other dead. One of the downed crazies made an effort to get up. A volley of bullets shuddered his form and he fell back, his warm blood steaming in the cool morning air.
Nicole ushered the girls away. Chimene's body shook with tremors. Julia, her head down, found support from the thin trunk of a small tree. Nicole pulled Chimene into a tight embrace.
Matthew hollered from the gully. "Go back to the supplies." Only Julia hesitated. Nicole touched her on the shoulder. "Julia, come on, back to the clearing." |
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| The travelers struggled forward in anguish, Joey's absence and Chimene's grief darkening the journey. |
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A few days later, after a hard day's march, the group sat quietly digesting a meal of boiled rabbit. Matthew stood, went to the fire, and poured a cup of tea. William huddled in his selected place for his night's rest. Chimene rearranged things on the sled as Julia stood nearby, chatting in a low voice. Nicole sat away from the others, toying with a bit of grass. Matthew hoisted the pot of tea toward her. "Want some?"
Nicole shook her head. Matthew put the pot down and walked over to her. He looked beyond her to the western sky bright with pink clouds and a sun hidden behind a low hill. "Sailors' delight."
Nicole said nothing, her mood still somber. She and Matthew had spent little time together since the incident. Matthew sat down close to her. "Perhaps we should talk?"
She gave him a brooding look. "I grow tired of the struggle, Matthew. Only my kids keep me going."
She studied him for a moment. "What keeps you going? You've had great loss and you know that tomorrow will likely bring more of the same."
Matthew took a long drink of his tea. "These are dark days. I have lost my family and most of my friends. This expedition started with seven and now we are two." He paused and again looked at the glowing clouds. "It's simply the way things are." His brow furrowed. "But I refuse to believe there is no reason to it." |
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