rotting teeth. He took Stubs and set him down safely in the bed of the truck before reaching out to offer me a hand up. "Name's Harrison. What should I call you?"
"Ben."
"Ben, Ben, Ben of the Chinamen." He chanted as if it was part of a song I'd never heard, then he shook his head and apologized. "I don't mean no offense or nothing. It's been a long time since I've seen a slant."
"A slant?" I grimaced as I repeated the derogatory term.
"You know, a zipperhead." He looked at me as if he was serious and then burst into laughter. "Don't worry, I'm not racist, I just act and sound like one."
I pointed out at the encroaching pack. "Let's just focus on the dogs for now."
"How about you climb into the truck and get it started. We can drive on the rims."
"Why didn't you just do that before?" I asked as I continued to watch for dogs. "Why'd you wait around screaming out for someone to rob you?"
"Because I thought you were the Devil. I've got some business with him, and I thought he finally showed up to collect his due. But, seeing as you're not glowing red with horns and hooves, I guess we can get the fuck out of here and head down to Juniper."
"Where's that?"
Harrison stared at me, perplexed by my question, then he pointed at Stubs and asked, "Didn't you get him down in Juniper?"
I shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about. What's Juniper?"
Harrison squinted at me and then down at Stubs. "You two didn't come from Juniper?"
"No. What's Juniper?" I was getting tired of asking.
Harrison pointed across the prairie, down to the industrial plant where the dead colony was hidden. "It's a town, out that way. I figured you and the dog must've co me from there. Tommy Washington from down that way is the only guy I've ever met that had a dog like yours. I figured you must've traded with him for one of his pups."
I looked down the hill at the town where I'd found the bodies. "I was there. I didn't know it was called Juniper. I didn't even know it was there until just about an hour ago."
"Well, hop on into the driver's seat and get us back down there. I've been aching for a taste of the old widow Castle's pie." He nudged me with his elbow and winked as he added, "As well as a taste of her desserts." He guffawed at his own joke.
I shook my head and said, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but that town's dead."
"What do you mean?" Harrison didn't understand and continued to smile. "Are they all hung-over or something? Taking a day of rest? I was headed out here to take a few of them back to Vineyard for the anniversary celebration. They'd better not all be lounging around, hung over or something."
"No, I mean they're dead. They're all dead. The town was wiped out."
Shock and sorrow caused Harrison to gasp and tremble. His eyes grew wide and his mouth drooped as he lowered his shotgun. "They're dead?"
I nodded and offered my condolences.
"Everyone?"
"I think so. I wasn't there long before you showed up."
"The babies?" Harrison blinked again and again as he tried to keep from crying. His voice trembled as he asked, "All the little babies?"
Two dogs broke through the weeds behind the truck and moved out onto the road. They held their heads low and snarled at us as they tested our aggression. I quickly raised my Glock and took a couple shots, both hitting their mark in a different dog. My first shot was good enough to kill one animal, but I hit the second in the hind leg and it scampered off, back to the weeds as it yelped in pain.
Harrison sat down on the raised section of the truck bed, just over the back wheel, and set his shotgun in his lap as if all his strength had been washed away. "The kids are dead?"
"I don't know. I just found one family, but I'm pretty sure the whole town is either dead or gone."
"What happened?"
"I think they were infected."
"The Greys got to them?"
I shook my head as I continued to watch for signs of the feral dogs that were hunting us. "No. I think they were infected with the
"Ben."
"Ben, Ben, Ben of the Chinamen." He chanted as if it was part of a song I'd never heard, then he shook his head and apologized. "I don't mean no offense or nothing. It's been a long time since I've seen a slant."
"A slant?" I grimaced as I repeated the derogatory term.
"You know, a zipperhead." He looked at me as if he was serious and then burst into laughter. "Don't worry, I'm not racist, I just act and sound like one."
I pointed out at the encroaching pack. "Let's just focus on the dogs for now."
"How about you climb into the truck and get it started. We can drive on the rims."
"Why didn't you just do that before?" I asked as I continued to watch for dogs. "Why'd you wait around screaming out for someone to rob you?"
"Because I thought you were the Devil. I've got some business with him, and I thought he finally showed up to collect his due. But, seeing as you're not glowing red with horns and hooves, I guess we can get the fuck out of here and head down to Juniper."
"Where's that?"
Harrison stared at me, perplexed by my question, then he pointed at Stubs and asked, "Didn't you get him down in Juniper?"
I shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about. What's Juniper?"
Harrison squinted at me and then down at Stubs. "You two didn't come from Juniper?"
"No. What's Juniper?" I was getting tired of asking.
Harrison pointed across the prairie, down to the industrial plant where the dead colony was hidden. "It's a town, out that way. I figured you and the dog must've co me from there. Tommy Washington from down that way is the only guy I've ever met that had a dog like yours. I figured you must've traded with him for one of his pups."
I looked down the hill at the town where I'd found the bodies. "I was there. I didn't know it was called Juniper. I didn't even know it was there until just about an hour ago."
"Well, hop on into the driver's seat and get us back down there. I've been aching for a taste of the old widow Castle's pie." He nudged me with his elbow and winked as he added, "As well as a taste of her desserts." He guffawed at his own joke.
I shook my head and said, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but that town's dead."
"What do you mean?" Harrison didn't understand and continued to smile. "Are they all hung-over or something? Taking a day of rest? I was headed out here to take a few of them back to Vineyard for the anniversary celebration. They'd better not all be lounging around, hung over or something."
"No, I mean they're dead. They're all dead. The town was wiped out."
Shock and sorrow caused Harrison to gasp and tremble. His eyes grew wide and his mouth drooped as he lowered his shotgun. "They're dead?"
I nodded and offered my condolences.
"Everyone?"
"I think so. I wasn't there long before you showed up."
"The babies?" Harrison blinked again and again as he tried to keep from crying. His voice trembled as he asked, "All the little babies?"
Two dogs broke through the weeds behind the truck and moved out onto the road. They held their heads low and snarled at us as they tested our aggression. I quickly raised my Glock and took a couple shots, both hitting their mark in a different dog. My first shot was good enough to kill one animal, but I hit the second in the hind leg and it scampered off, back to the weeds as it yelped in pain.
Harrison sat down on the raised section of the truck bed, just over the back wheel, and set his shotgun in his lap as if all his strength had been washed away. "The kids are dead?"
"I don't know. I just found one family, but I'm pretty sure the whole town is either dead or gone."
"What happened?"
"I think they were infected."
"The Greys got to them?"
I shook my head as I continued to watch for signs of the feral dogs that were hunting us. "No. I think they were infected with the
Similar Books
