Part 2: Dread
#3 of The Downedest Day
The Downedest Day
Part 2: Dread
In the afternoon, I told Cal that I was going to take a bath. I needed one to unwind a little after what had happened with the... whatever it was.
"I'll join you," he said "You know, to save water."
"But, Cal, I'm just going to use snow. It's everywhere!" I paused for a moment while I thought of Cal and me sitting in a hot tub naked, "oh... sex."
"Yes. That was the plan. Unless, you don't want to."
"Oh, I want to! You'll have to help me get things ready though," I said.
"Not a problem."
Within an hour, Cal and I were just sitting in the tub loving on one another. It was kind of weird at first. We were both still a little drained from our encounter with the dread and we hadn't seen each other naked in the light. He was ecstatic when I took off my shirt and pants.
"Oh... my god. You... are so... HAWT!" he exclaimed.
We jumped in the tub and started to clean each other. The bath didn't have as much water in it as usual, so we took turns pouring it over the other person. It was kind of fun and sexy too. I had never done anything like that with either of my girlfriends. After about five minutes, the rocks had made the bathwater really nice and warm.
Cal and I started to make out. We both had massive erections within a few minutes. Cal was so cute and bashful at times. I don't know. I really didn't care that he's a guy. I love Cal, for Cal.
"Hey," I said "We should do this together from now on. We actually would be saving water in the spring, summer, and fall. By the way, I'd like to cash in my rain check."
"I was just about to ask you about that," he said "You'll have to get up on your knees though. I can't breathe under water."
I did as he told. I felt really cold once my junk was out of the water. Cal did me a favor by starting right away.
I was worried for a bit, but, Cal was apparently a pro. He would leave just enough pressure while he would go down on me, and then he would squeeze tightly on his way back up so that my dick would rub against his ribbed palate. That was heavenly.
Cal had a gentle grasp on my balls to start with. Then he moved his fingers behind them and pressed firmly. I moaned with pleasure. I had no idea that felt so good!
He moved his fingers a little father back, and then a little more. No... he wouldn't, would he? Was he going for the dirty back door? I decided to keep quiet about it. Cal hadn't steered me wrong yet.
Cal touched my... well... you know what he was doing. He rubbed it a little at first, and then he stuck a finger right in. It wasn't terribly uncomfortable. Then again, nothing can be considered uncomfortable if you're getting a blow job at the same time.
I have decided. I like oral sex. It rocks. If I had a choice between sitting in a waiting room, or being strapped to a dentist chair and receiving oral sex while I have a cavity drilled. I would pick the dentist every time. Plus, I bet that the laughing gas would put me in the mile high club even though all I would be doing is taxiing on the runway.
Anyway, Cal was fingering my ass while making magic happen on my cock. He knew just what to do, at least, as far as I knew. He was doing something with his finger that was driving me crazy. He was applying pressure to something on my insides, and he was making it feel so good. I thought back to the best sex I had ever had. I decided that this was just as good, if not better.
For one thing, I wasn't worried about what was happening. No one was going to walk in on us, and I wasn't concerned about getting Cal's mouth pregnant. His finger up my tail-hole should have made me nervous, but honestly, I've done that before. It's no big deal.
I was getting close. I started to play with Cal's ears and the fur on his back as I purred with delight. I don't know about everybody else, but I feel an impending orgasm in my neck and head. By "head", I mean my big head (get your mind out of the gutter). I know that might sound weird, but that's just how I work.
I stiffened my back and closed my eyes as I came hard. It was a good one, if, and I do, say so myself. I looked down to see Cal licking my erection like mad. His slick and slender tongue felt great as he ran it over every bit of exposed skin.
He withdrew his finger and stopped licking when I reclined. He moved up beside me and began to slowly kiss and lick my face. I had never felt so happy, so safe, so secure, or loved. I returned the favor by grabbing a hold of his erection. I liked how warm it felt in my hand underwater.
I started to slowly massage and stroke it causing him to gasp and shiver. He closed his eyes and stopped kissing when I started. Cal made a face as if he was either pondering something or having a moment of sheer bliss. He then opened his eyes and continued his pleasurable attack on my face.
It wasn't long before Cal started to whine and slowly press against my hand while holding onto my hips. I started to rub as fast I could. I wanted Cal to feel really nice. He growled and started to move his hips even faster making water splash against the sides of the tub. Right when he started to come, I withdrew my hand and held him as tight as I could.
Cal had his muzzle on my neck and I heard him moan as his groin flexed against mine. He was thrusting his hips fast like before for a bit, but then he slowed down. Even though he had an iron grip on me and I was holding him in a bear hug, I could feel his whole body flex as he struggled to hump my fur.
I held him close as he injected his seed into my undercoat. I didn't mind at all. It was really warm and besides, we were already in the tub. After a bit, I pulled away from Cal and started to clean myself off while he flipped on his back and did the same with a dreamy look on his face.
"Rob," he said, "where did you learn to do that?"
"Do what?" I asked.
"Forget about it," he said, "I love you."
I was struck dumb for a moment. It didn't take me long to decide...
"I love you back Cal."
"So, what was that thing?" asked Cal.
We were sitting at the kitchen table eating dinner. It was pretty obvious what "thing" he was referring to. I don't think that I'll ever forget what happened.
"I don't rightly know, Cal" I admitted.
"It was kinda like it was just a feeling, like there was nothing substantial to it. I thought I smelled it for a second."
"Me too. I smelled ozone and smoke. How about you?" I asked.
"I think it smelled like someone who hadn't taken a bath in a while. You know, that greasy fur smell."
"Huh. That's weird. You heard it though, right?"
"I sure did! It was like a freaking rhinoceros coming though those woods! It must be huge!"
"How did it make you feel?" I asked.
"Made my fur stand on end! Like it was charged with static electricity."
"I think that I had a similar sensation. I cried a little ‘cause I was so scared, but it felt like it was drawing my tears out, like they were magnetized."
"Man," said Cal, "this is getting too weird. We both have different stories for the same thing. I don't think that I want to stay around for too long if those things are around. It didn't get us this time, but I don't know why and I don't like not knowing why."
"I know how you feel, Cal. But, we've probably got it better than anybody! Why would you want to leave?"
Some tears popped up in Cal's eyes and he whispered, "Because that thing killed my parents."
I remembered Cal's haunting description of the wreaked neighborhood. Bodies strewn everywhere and the claw marks in the woodwork. I imagined what I would be like if I had found my family like that. Cal was taking things a lot better than I would.
"Look, Cal. I'm sorry buddy. We'll leave in the spring. How's that? Does that work for you?" I asked.
"What about the monsters?" he asked.
"I don't know what the deal is, but I don't think that they'll bother us any. It wasn't after us and it didn't even seem to notice me. It was like I was even there."
Cal's ears perked up. An idea had just struck him. He had a funny look on his face.
"Alternate universes," he said in a soft voice.
"Creatures from another dimension? C'mon Cal. That's like, Sci-Fi channel stuff," I said in a tired tone.
"It is not! It's totally legit! There is supposedly eleven other universes existing within our own. What if our universe and another has collided? That could explain why everyone disappeared, and why there are invisible monsters everywhere! They might not really be invisible. Maybe they are only partially within our universe, like they're on the boarder between the two. It didn't see us because we were invisible just like it was!"
I was shocked. It sounded impossible, but it made a hell of a lot more sense than our zombie theory. I gave Cal an enraptured stare as he continued.
"And, maybe your neighbors aren't really gone! They might be in another universe, or just partially in this one. So, maybe they're invisible too! Oh shit..."
The thought had hit me at the same time.
"I guess they're kinda pissed that I broke into their houses and ate all of their food then, huh?" I said.
"Well, no, not necessarily. Maybe they left once you did that, or they could be in an entirely different universe altogether. If they were still mostly here, then we would think that this house was being haunted, right? We would always be creeped out and stuff would be falling and breaking. I know that I would be after the guy who robbed my house."
"I guess so...," I said, "Let's just run with this and see where it takes us. It makes sense now and we can go ahead and bend the rules, but when it starts to get stupid, we'll reevaluate."
"That sounds good to me," said Cal.
An engine. I was sitting in the garage when I heard an engine. It was slowly coming up the hill. I got up from my work to find Cal.
When I opened the door, Cal was thundering down the stairs. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed one of the shotguns off of the table. Cal followed me and pulled out his little pistol.
"Rob," he said in a concerned voice, "What should we do? Do you think it's them?"
"I don't know," I said as I walked to the front door, "It could be anybody."
The engine was coming down our driveway. It sounded like it was just barely chugging along. It could be the little bit of snow still on the ground, or it could just be a dirty engine. I looked through the peephole to get an idea of what we where up against.
All I saw was a single motorcycle. The driver was wearing a sliver helmet and there was a little kid in the bitch-seat. The kid couldn't have been any older than five or six. He was bundled up in a big quilt and he was looking a little languid. The driver was covered in black leather except for his tail and muzzle. By the gray fur and shape, I could tell that he was some kind of canine, maybe a wolf.
They looked unarmed, but I couldn't tell. The driver shouted, "Hello! Is anyone home? Hello! I don't mean no trouble! I just want to talk!"
"What do we do?" asked Cal.
"Let's shout back," I said.
I ran upstairs and opened a window. I made sure to stay clear of it in case the biker started shooting.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"I need some supplies," said the biker in a gruff voice.
"Like what?" I asked.
"Well, this here bike is running out of gas and we really need some food. My kid hasn't eaten for days. Please, mister!"
I looked back at Cal. He pulled me back from the window and whispered.
"Don't open the door, Rob. Don't let him in. This guy is scary!" he said.
"I know, but we should still help him out! He's got a little kid with him, Cal."
"Fine," said Cal in an exasperated tone, "How much food and gas do you want to give him?"
"Go in the garage and bring up three of those red gas cans. That should be about seven gallons. I'll get the food."
I turned back to the open window and said, "Wait a minute," before I shut it.
Cal went down the stairs and into the garage. I started going though our food in the kitchen. I picked out some of the things that weren't our favorites. I also got out a few tins of peaches and such. Those had a ton of sugar in them and would be bad for our teeth. I ended up with two plastic store bags full of food.
I couldn't help myself. I started another bag and put in a blanket and a flashlight with a few batteries. I didn't think that two people really needed ten flashlights anyway. I also threw in one of the road maps that I had found. I topped it off with a lighter.
Though I was hesitant to do so, I rolled up a gun and some ammo in the blanket. It was a loaded 9mm pistol and I had only found a single box of ammo for it. 9mm is a really common round, so he was bound to find more. I thought that he wouldn't find it right away since it was in the blanket.
When I had finished, I picked up the three bags and set them down by the front door. I looked at the garage door to see Cal emerging with the gas. He set it down next to the food. He gave me a look that said, "now what?"
I didn't want to just open the door. I asked Cal what he thought we should do.
"Why don't we take this into the garage and set it all by the door. I'll unlock the door and lift it a foot or two while you push this all under. I think that it will only be open for a few seconds."
It sounded like a good idea to me. I set my shotgun down and helped Cal carry everything into the garage. I got down on my back with my feet poised to push everything under the door. Cal unlocked the door and hauled it up a bit.
Before I could push everything under, I saw two gloved hands appear under the door. It flew up with a crash. I was nearly blinded by the change in light. The snow was reflecting everything back into my eyes.
A moment later, I saw Cal fumbling to get his tiny-ass gun out. It took him a moment but he finally pointed it at the biker. He had his helmet off and I could see that he was a middle aged wolf with a world-weary face.
"Don't shoot kid," he said to Cal, "I thought that you needed help with the door."
Cal didn't even look like he wanted to shoot him. The biker was really lucky. If I was in Cal's place, I would have blown him away already! This guy is too dumb for words! What an idiot!
I really wish that I hadn't left my gun in the house. The biker didn't seemed too scared of Cal. He had an expression that said, "Isn't that cute?"
"Just take the stuff, dumbass!" I said, "DON"T come back here, DON'T tell anyone about this place, and if you know what's good for you, DON"T go anywhere near the sheriff's office!"
"Okay. Okay. Calm down blackie. I won't tell anyone about you or your foxy buddy up on this here hill. I'll just get these things, fill up my bike, and take off. Okay?"
The biker bent down and grabbed all of the bags along with the gas. He really loaded himself up. It was like when you're helping someone bring groceries into their house. You end up carrying a bag on each finger to do it all in one trip.
Once he was out of the way of the door, I expected Cal to close it. It was still open, so I looked over to see what he was doing. Cal was still wide-eyed and holding his gun. He wasn't even pointing it at the guy.
"Cal," I said.
When I didn't get a response, I said his name again even louder. He eventually turned one of his hooded, fox ears towards me while looking at the biker who was now filling up his hog.
"You can close the door now, Cal."
Cal put his gun in his pocket and closed the door as fast as he could. He then locked it with gusto and threw his back against it. He was shaking like a leaf. I got up off the floor and tried to comfort him
"It's over buddy. He's going to fill up his bike and leave."
"That was so scary! It was almost like the woods all over again! That was stupid, Rob! We shouldn't have helped him."
"C'mon. It wasn't even close to being as bad as the woods. At least we could see this guy. I don't think that he's from another universe, do you?"
Cal was still scared and angry. He lowered his ears and flashed his teeth like he did when we first met.
"Yes it was! It was that scary for me! I almost killed somebody, Rob! Why are you acting so macho all of the sudden!? You know what, I don't care anymore! If I run into another person, I'm not going to help them because they might turn on me and I don't have the balls to shoot someone!"
"Cal! That's not a bad thing! I would have killed him, but you didn't! We're not out here to kill people! We're just trying to survive like him! You should help people! Do you know what would've happened if I hadn't let you in that night and just shot you through the door? You would have died and I would have ended up shooting myself by now."
Cal and I both had tears in our eyes. I walked up the door and gave Cal a tight hug to keep him still. He started to sit down, so I let him go. I sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders while the biker's engine roared up the driveway and was eventually muffled by the snow.
Since Cal wanted to leave so bad, we started taking short day trips on the four-wheeler. We went down into some of the valleys, you know, the hollers and such. It was a good way to relax, believe it or not. There wasn't anybody out there.
It had warmed up to the point where there was little snow left on the ground. We found a cell phone that had been switched off this whole time. It said that it was near the end of February. We decided to take it with us and only switch it on to check the date.
Cal and I had gathered up some more food, not a whole lot though. We had been getting ready to travel and we needed some lighter things. We did take all of the guns, ammo, jewelry, and knives that we found. Maybe we could use it to trade later on.
On one of our few excursions, Cal and I just had to stop at a house. It was too funny looking. It was real unusual. I guess that it looked like a bomb shelter made out of brick. It didn't have shingles or anything. It had a flat, concrete roof and bars on the window.
We hadn't seen a soul since the biker, and we hadn't experienced the sensation by the woods, so we went inside without any worries.
The door was a real bitch to open. The whole place was locked up tight. It wouldn't be a bad place to hide. It took both me and Cal to open the door with the crowbar. They sure don't make them like that anymore.
It was sparsely decorated. I think that an old bachelor lived there. He had quite a bit of WWII memorabilia. I saw a purple heart in a display case and some pictures of a youthful looking man with some smiling Japanese ladies. It made me remember something about my grandpa.
I was helping him go through his things before we moved him into a retirement home. He let me keep some books and some old guy doodads. I found a similar black and white photo of a good looking Japanese lady. When I asked who it was, he made sure grandma was out of earshot before casually saying, "She was a friend." I sometimes entertain the thought that there's a black cat in Japan who's a relative of mine.
The funny house was only a single story tall, but it did have a basement. Cal found the stairs and led me to the door. It was also locked. I pried it with the crowbar for a minute before I gave it a few hard kicks to open it. I had to blink a few times to process the room. It was like something out of a movie.
Guns. Lots of guns. This man was obviously a gunsmith, because no one could possibly have any business owning so many guns. It was truly staggering. I felt as if I was in a massive cathedral and all of the barrels were really pipes on an organ, and the man who lived here played it in his basement like he was the freaking phantom of the opera. He was truly a master of his craft.
"Cal," I said, "we're not taking all of this. There's just too much. There's a ton of guns in here. I mean literally, as in 2,000 pounds worth."
"No kidding. I don't even know where to start," he said.
The basement had a little area that was like a museum. It had display cases full of unusual or rare guns. I think that I saw a Red 9 in there. I moved closer and slid the glass door open to grab a large looking revolver.
"Jesus... this is a Mateba Auto-revolver. They're worth about two grand apiece. We're taking this to trade; I don't know how to fix it or anything. And look at this! A magnum .500! It hurts to even look at that thing. Trade that. A single action army. That's worth some money if it hasn't been toyed with. We're taking that too..."
While I was lost in an orgy of tossing manly death-machines into a pillowcase, Cal tapped on my shoulder.
"What's under that?" he asked.
I looked over to see another display case full of rifles. Beside it was a table with a big tarp over it. There could be anything under there!
"Well, let's see," I said.
I walked over and whipped the cover off. I knew before I even saw it, whatever was under that cover, it was going to be mine. I was expecting something over-the-top and ridiculous, like a .50 caliber sniper rifle, or a rocket launcher. What I found was exactly what I had always dreamed of and more.
"OH MY GOD IT'S A B.A.R.!"
Cal seemed a little perplexed as I started to prance around it looking at it from every angle.
"What is it?" he asked.
"It's a Browning Automatic Rifle! And he has like... a thousand rounds for it too!" I said while I counted the ammo boxes and clips.
"So..." started Cal, "is it like a machinegun or something?"
"Yes!" I squeaked, "Well, no... let's check and make sure. You can't own an automatic weapon without special permits and stuff. But still, this thing is great."
"How do you tell if it's automatic?"
That stopped me. How do you tell if it's automatic? I have no idea...
"Uhh... we could shoot it and check," I offered.
Cal smiled a little. I guess that my enthusiasm rubbed off on him.
"Why does this thing make you queen out like that?" he asked.
"Well, glad you asked. You know what a Thompson is, right?"
"Yeah, like the gangster's used," said Cal while he pantomimed shooting a room full of guys with names like "Four-fingers Guido".
"Okay. This is like one of those. Only instead of firing a .45 caliber pistol round, it fires a 30-06 rifle round. You know Bonny and Clyde? Clyde had a sawed-off B.A.R. while the cops had Tommy-guns. That's why they smoked ‘em every time."
"So... we're not trading this are we?"
"Hell no! This thing is mine!"
"Huh... well... maybe there's something down here for me."
I left my beautiful find behind while I helped Cal to look around the basement some more. I really wanted him to have something that could be his baby too. Plus, Cal doesn't make for really good backup with only a .22 pistol. A gay guy with a pea-shooter isn't very threatening. I'm sorry. That's just how it is. I know Alexander the Great was gay and there was no way you'd give him a hard time for it. But, Alexander the Great had half of the world under his control and one of the largest armies of all time, not an old lady's handgun.
I opened the rifle case and picked one out for him right away. It was light, it was mean, and it was a good find.
"Try that on for size."
"What's this thing? It's not heavy or anything," he said.
"Yeah, that's perfect. You look like Race Bannon."
"But, what is it?" Cal repeated.
"It's an M1 Carbine. They used these in World War II and Korea. It fires a smaller round. It's almost like a pistol round. They still use it as a hunting round, so it shouldn't be too hard to track down. What do you think?"
"I like it. I like it a lot. It won't kick too bad, will it? That's kinda funny. The first one you pick up is exactly what I need. You sure do know your guns, Rob."
"Why thank you. There's three clips, a sling and a stack of ammo for it here in the case. I think there should be about five-hundred rounds. He has at least that much for everything."
We gathered up our finds and left the house. I thought about how to test fire my B.A.R. I wouldn't want some half-made gun to blow up in my face. I had a plan figured out by the time we reached the four-wheeler. I started it up and we sped home to figure out where to store everything.
When we got home and unloaded it all, I went out back and set up a few paper targets that I had found at the house. I even hung a few clay pigeons from some branches. Why not? It's the end of the world. It's not like I'm going to go skeet shooting.
I brought Cal up to the second story of the house and I opened a few windows. All of the targets and clay pigeons were visible from the second floor windows. I thought that it would be really good practice for him. It would be for me too.
I had him load up his M1 Carbine and get ready. I put pillows down on the window sills to act as a rifle rests. I told him some basics on how to use a rifle. I remember my grandpa teaching it too me as "sight, inhale, hold, trigger". I would tell him where to fire while I used a pair of binoculars to spot for him. We popped our earplugs in and I told him to start.
Cal did pretty well. I had him aim at one of the clay pigeons first. He broke it on his second shot. I had him run into my room. I had him take a look at what he was up against before he hit a few more. He started to stop flinching as much. He got used to the recoil really easy. I guess he expected it to really hit him. I had him run back and use up the rest of his clip on one of the targets that I had set up. He did very well. I was proud of him. I think that if any of those thugs came back, they would find Cal to be a handful.
Now came the fun part. I got out the B.A.R and loaded up a magazine with ten rounds. I wouldn't want to go through a whole twenty round magazine just for target practice. I didn't want to shoot it right away either. I set it to "F" and tied a string to the trigger. I had made a sort of "rifle holder" during the winter. It barely fit the B.A.R.
I left the room and gently increased the tension on the string until I heard an immensely satisfying *CRACK!*. I ran back to see that everything was still held together. I was overjoyed. Now came the fun part. I set it to "A" and left the room.
Cal joined me and gave me an exited grin. I gently increased the tension and... I almost let it go. The sound was incredible. It was like the grand finale of a fireworks show on speed. It rattled the snot in my lungs until it ran out of ammo in about a second and a half.
I ran back into the room to see that it had held together. I was thrilled. You would normally never fire it like that. It would be a four or five round burst, max. That was an eight round burst. There was spent brass everywhere.
I let it cool down for a minute before I put three rounds in the clip and set it back to "F". I wanted to get a feel for it. I took the B.A.R. out of the rifle holder and put it on the window sill. It must weigh a ton when it's fully loaded!
I squeezed off the three rounds into one of the targets. After I was done, I took a look with the binoculars. Not half bad. This thing is pretty accurate in single shot. I gave Cal a gleeful grin.
"That was impressive," he commented.
"No kidding! I heard that they would sometimes try to shoot down low flying airplanes with one of these, but I thought that was just made up! This thing is designed so that you can shoot from the hip and walk around with it. Can you imagine how cool that would be? This thing rocks!"
I decided to use up the rest of the targets. I got out my friends' hunting rifle and gave it a try. It was really accurate, but it hit me hard. I had a sore shoulder for the rest of the day.
Cal cleaned all of the guns while I went out and cleaned up the back. I didn't want it to look like someone lived at the house. I came back in and showed him how to clean his rifle while I worked on the B.A.R. We ate dinner and got a few more things ready to go for when we leave, wherever we're going.
We went on another trip the day after that. We figured it would be our last until we left. There was loads of gas still in the garage. More than we could possibly bring with us.
We stopped by another house. It was a two story cape cod that looked a bit disheveled on the outside. I figured that a messy front yard meant messy, and or, busy people lived there. Messy/busy people tend to not cook for themselves much, hence, lots of prepackaged and processed food. Pop-Tarts here I come!
Cal managed to bust the front door open before I got to it. That seems to be easy for him now. I guess he must be getting stronger. He walked into the foyer and took the M1 Carbine off his back. He waited for me to lug my B.A.R. into the house.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Of course. I'll head up the steps. You can go ahead and check out the kitchen."
"Sounds good," he said.
I headed up the stairs while Cal walked off to the left. My big gun was sort of a pain to haul up the stairs. Should I saw off the barrel to make it easier to lug around indoors? No... that's what you have a handgun for.
I noticed that there was a heavy chemical odor on the second story. There was a few 2-liter bottles scattered around. They were the source of the smell, that was certain. When I got closer to them, I could also smell burnt fur. The bottles had heavy stains on the inside. It was a mix of black burn marks and a cigarette tar yellow. Shake-and-bake meth. Disgusting. I could picture burnt hands scrabbling to open the still steaming bottles. What a wretched habit.
"THE BEARS! HOW DID YOU GET PAST THE BEARS!"
The cry came from downstairs. Without looking to see where I was going, I bolted down the hall and towards the steps. It wasn't Cal's voice. It was someone else. It was the meth head.
I was so afraid. I could feel lightening bolts in my heart and a tightness in my chest. I would fall apart if something happened to Cal. I would just die.
When I was halfway down the stairs, I heard bullets leave Cal's rifle and then a scuffle. I don't even remember running down the rest of the stairs. In no time, I was in the kitchen.
Cal was facing a door with the M1 on his shoulder. He didn't look scared, like with the biker, he had determination written all across his muzzle.
"Where is he!?" I shouted.
Cal pointed at the door as I ran to his side.
"He locked himself in the pantry," he said in quiet voice.
I heard a gun cock behind the door as I set the selector lever to "A" on the B.A.R. I set it on my hip and let off a three round burst that rattled my bones.
"AH! F-fu"
The rest was cut off with another burst and shattering glass. When he cried out, I could tell where he was behind the door. I heard someone slump to the floor and gurgle a curse with a mouthful of blood. My ears where ringing and I thought it was all over. I jumped when I heard a pistol shot.
Cal and I both tensed up. I could see Cal's M1 on his shoulder out of the corner of my eye.
"Is he dead?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know, he's not doing so well if he isn't. Do you think we should check?"
"No way," said Cal, "I think that he just shot himself."
"Well. Let's stay clear of this door and block it off with something. Cal, watch the door while I figure something out."
I stuck a chair against the door handle and pushed it in making it impossible to open from the other side. I looked at Cal and he lowered his weapon. I could see that he had some blood on his arm.
"Where did that come from?" I asked.
"Him."
"You should wash that off as soon as you can."
"That was one of them," Cal said.
"One of the guys who beat you up?"
"Yeah."
"What happened?"
"When I walked into the kitchen he was standing there with a gun. He had it pointed right at me and just held it there while he was crying. I did like you said. You told me that if someone already has a gun aimed at you, you shouldn't go for your own or anything because the fight has already ended and that would just give them a reason to kill you."
"Go on, Cal"
"He just sat there and sobbed. He heard you go up the steps and then walked up to me and put it to my head. I was so scared, Rob. He pulled the trigger but, it didn't go off. I don't know if it wasn't loaded or what. When that happened, he screamed at me about bears or something. That's when I shot him. He ran into the pantry just as you came down the stairs."
I was silent while I pictured what had happened. I walked up to Cal and gave him a pat on the back while saying, "Glad you're okay buddy."
Cal started to choke up while he said, "I'm glad too. I missed you. I know that sounds weird, but when he pulled the trigger, I was hit with so much guilt and fear and all I could think about was you. When the gun didn't go off, I shot him. It was just that easy. It felt like a bubble popped in my brain. He had tortured me and called me a fag and then he shot those girls... it didn't feel good or bad or anything, it just felt right. Like everything was supposed to happen that way."
"I know how you feel, Cal. I felt exactly the same way about you when I heard everything going on. Do you think that we're going to be weird now that we killed someone?"
"I don't think so. Neither of us killed him, he killed himself. His life means nothing to anyone anyway. It's not like there is going to be a crying mother somewhere."
"That's true," I said, "I guess that's a good way to look at it. Do you want to check out the rest of the house?"
Cal paused for a moment.
"Sure," he said.
We switched places. Cal went up the steps while I loaded up in the kitchen. I heard Cal pop a locked door open upstairs before he called for me. He didn't sound urgent, but my heart still started to pound in my chest.
When I got into the bedroom the Cal had opened, I saw what he had called me about. There was a woman in some ratty clothes who was handcuffed to a wrought iron bed. She was a skunk and she was probably in her 40s. I noticed her scorched hands.
"You alright lady?" I asked.
"I am now," she weakly replied with a deep south twang in her voice.
"I'm thinking that he tricked you or caught you and locked you to the bed. And then I surmise that he beat you up and forced you to make meth for him ‘cause he's too much of a pussy to make his own," I said.
"That's about right. What's you and your friends names?" she asked.
Cal spoke this time, "I'm Cal. This is Rob. He's my... associate."
"I'm guessing you want out. I bet the thug has the key on him, but... umm... yeah. We'll just saw thru your cuffs," I said.
"That's just fine," said the skunk.
I left Cal with the woman while I went down the steps. When I passed the kitchen, I noticed how nasty it was for the first time. All of the kitchens smelled bad because of rotting fruit or food in the fridge, but this had a little extra. It was like squatters had been living there. The rest of the gang maybe?
I glanced at the pantry which was now doubling as a crypt before I walked out the door. I left my B.A.R. on the trailer of the four-wheeler and covered it with a tarp. That thing became a pain to lug around after a while. I imagine that's why it has a bipod on the end of the barrel.
I took a few tools and ran back to the house and up the steps. When I got back into the room, I saw that Cal had gathered up a bag of food for the woman and was now showing her how to use his .22. He stuck it in the bag and glanced up at me.
"You know, for when her hands heal. I wouldn't want the same thing to happen to her twice," he looked back at the skunk and continued, "I also put the gauze and hydrogen peroxide that I found in the bathroom in there for ya."
"Thanks hon. Y'all are both right sweethearts," she said.
"Thank you ma'am" I said as I lit a blowtorch and started to heat up an iron bar on the bed.
We were back at the house talking over dinner. While there was a lapse in the conversation, I thought back to the lady we had found. She had waved good-bye to us with a bandaged hand before wandering down the road. I had wondered if she would be alright with her hands the way they are.
"Cal," I said, "do you think that we should have offered to have the lady come with us?"
"No," said Cal, "I think that it's best that she be on her own for a while. I guess we both went through the same thing. She needs to go by herself and find a place to hide and heal."
"That's not what you did."
"I know," admitted Cal, "That's because I found you,"
"I see," I paused for a bit while I thought about what to say next, "Do you think that the rest of the gang will be after us? I mean, when they figure out he's dead. It could just be a matter of days."
"We should definitely leave tomorrow. We've done nothing but sit around and think about leaving, it's time we actually get up and do it. The gang being after us is just what we need. The best thing we can do is not be here when they show up."
"I agree. Today has really lit a fire under my ass for some reason."
"I don't know where we should go though," confessed Cal.
I had a flashback to my first day alone. The yellow radio was in my thoughts again. Maybe, there was something on it worth listening to.
"I'll be right back, Cal" I said as I sat up and ran up to my room.
I got the radio out of my room and went down the steps. I hadn't thought about turning it on since the last time so many months ago. Maybe there is information being broadcast by the government.
I walked into the kitchen and turned it on. I searched the channels until I found something that made both me and Cal grin like maniacs. It was a message on constant repeat that went like this,
"Come on down to HARLAN, KEN-TUCK-E! We have running water, electricity for FOUR HOURS A DAY! And best of all FOOD AND FREE MEDICAL CARE! As far as we're concerned EVERYONE'S INSURED! You and yours can have your choice of one of many refurbished houses! So come on down! What are you waiting for? Everything can start over again!"
It was the only channel I could find on the radio other than the "creepy clock-lady". It sounded like a shady deal to me. Cal and I listened to the recording three times before I switched the radio off. Cal was the first to speak.
"What do you think of that? It sounded kinda like they were selling repossessed cars, but it's all we heard."
"I'm a little skeptical too," I admitted, "This doesn't seem like a governmental thing. It sounds like some kind of business. There must be a catch somewhere... How about when we get there, we just keep an eye on things with some binoculars to see if there is anything funny going on?"
"I was just about to suggest the same thing," said Cal.
The day has come. We're already loaded up. Cal and I are going to drive to Harlan. We both put on some jackets and helmets that we found and got on the four-wheeler. I didn't pause to look at my home one last time. It didn't seem like my home without my parents in it. Cal and I had created new memories that seemed more real than what had happened during my childhood and the days leading up to the crisis. It was time to move on.
I closed all of the windows and locked all of the doors before leaving. In case this whole Harlan thing doesn't work out, Cal and I can turn around and come right back. Of course, the gangsters might occupy the house on our return. That would be unfortunate.
I started to guide our ride down the winding road on the hill. Everything was as green as could be. Cal had switched on the cell phone that we had found and checked the date on it. It said that it was about a week into March.
Cal was seated behind me and I could tell that he was looking at the hill too. It didn't take long before we were on the highway. I was so relieved to finally be leaving. I was terribly nervous, but knowing that Cal was with me made me feel a whole lot better.
We drove for about half an hour when Cal shouted above the engine that we were getting close to the sheriffs office. I slowed the engine a bit and we continued on. By slowing the engine, I was able to hear what I had been missing. There were gunshots. As I crested a hill, we saw the whole scene.
Down on the highway was a sporty convertible trying to outrun some... things. I didn't know what they were. They were massive. I had a flashback to what happened by the woods, but my heart didn't feel like it was being weighed down with chains of terror. I was only surprised and concerned.
There were three people in the convertible. It was swerving all over the place. The one who was driving had a big gash across his back and the other two were shooting like crazy with a pistol and a shotgun. The monsters seemed unaffected and continued their chase with long strides.
I took a better look at what was pursuing the convertible. The monsters were profoundly disturbing. I could have handled aliens or zombies or something, but these were just too real. They were like bears, except they must be twice the size of grizzlies. On their backs were long blades. The blades were long and gray and looked razor sharp. I don't know how else to describe them. What I do know is that during a lapse in gunfire, they made absolutely no sound. No footsteps, no breathing, no horrifying cries.
I hit the breaks on the four-wheeler and started to turn around, but I couldn't speed away. The four-wheeler had stalled! Son of a BITCH! I cleaned this thing once a week for SIX MONTHS!
The four-wheeler and trailer were lying across the road and I decided that they made for a good barricade. I hopped off the driver's seat and told Cal my plan to team up with the people.
"Rob!" he shouted over the din of gunfire, "That's the rest of ‘em! I'm sure of it! The gang had found a car just like that!"
"In that case, screw ‘em! Let's get outta here before those monsters turn on us!"
Before Cal could answer, the bears had taken their prey. There were three gargantuan bears chasing after the car last time I looked. I turned back when I heard a wretched sounding noise.
The sound was caused by the car being flipped over. It had been speeding along at nearly sixty and the monsters had caught up with it somehow. I saw it skid on its side and dump the passengers onto the asphalt. The driver must have fainted at the wheel. The other two had no time to defend themselves.
The bears were on them and they dispatched the crippled passengers in moments. They didn't seem to be after them for food or anything; they just wanted to kill them. They did so in the most sickening and violent way imaginable. Each bear took a victim and utterly destroyed their bodies.
The one who took the driver gripped his body in its massive jaws before tossing him straight into the air like a toy. The driver must have gone fifty feet before his limp carcass started to descend. The bear lined itself up underneath him and stiffened the blades on its back causing them to stick straight up.
I had a moment to consider what I was about to witness. My moment of clarity was ruined by the sight of a man being impaled on the back of some kind of hellish porcupine. I gagged, I cried, and I felt needles in my own heart. There's something just not right about that.
"HOLY SHIT!" exclaimed Cal.
Cal's shout of disbelief would have gotten the bear's attention, if they hadn't already been after us. Their silent footfalls had snuck up on me and I now noticed that two of the bears were closing the distance between us.
I rushed to the trailer and whipped the cover off of my B.A.R. Cal had already taken his M1 off of his back by the time I loaded a magazine. I pulled the bolt back and set the selector lever to "A". If there was ever a time to use "A" now was that time.
I placed the bipod on the edge of the ATV and kneeled behind it. The bears were now only 200 yards away. I prayed that my gun would do some sort of damage before I opened up on the nearest monstrosity. This thing can shoot down airplanes, right?
I squeezed the trigger and let off a burst of bullets at almost the same time that Cal cut loose with his M1. My target split open into a shower of gore. I turned to look at what Cal was dealing with.
I had anticipated having to finish off Cal's monster as well. .30 caliber carbine bullets are not much bigger than some handgun rounds. They should have just felt like bee stings to the bear. I was surprised to see its bloodied body skidding to a halt on the ground.
I suspended my disbelief while I turned to kill the final beast. Sure enough, it was silently galloping towards us with its gory cargo on its back. My shoulder complained as I subjected it to another burst from the B.A.R.
Yet again, the monster popped open. It was almost as gross as the impaling. What was left of it slid to a stop and crumpled in a pathetic manner.
My ears were ringing again as I stood up and looked at Cal. We were both speechless because we had just seen the strangest thing yet. It reminded me of what had happened by the woods. We must have encountered one of these beasts. We had called it "dread", but apparently they take the form of these bear monsters. Dread bears...
What on Earth could cause this?
This is the end to part 2 of The Downedest Day. The story will continue in Part 3: Karma Backbeat.