Caught In A Bind Volume 2 Chapter 20

- - - - - Night Battle

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CHAPTER 20


Night Battle



As the night made it’s way across our landscape. We sat in the now cramped room waiting. Maggie had lit up a coleman lamp and set it on the food table. Dustu, reached under the bed, in the middle of eating and pulled out another lantern from it. In a practiced move he had it primed, pumped, lighted and sitting on the end table where an electric lamp would’ve been. It was going on two hours after the arrival of Little Bear, who did nothing except sit on the end of the bed in the same spot his head still bowed with his hair falling forward and covering his face, occasionally muttering to himself. He rejected all offers of food, even from Kiaya who went to him on her own. We watched the big boy carefully, but he shook his head without acknowledging her. Philámayaye (thank you). I signed to Janece asking her if he’ll be alright. She nodded reassuringly that he will be. “O.k.” I spelled back. Heartaches are tougher when you’re young anyway. Just have to figure your own way through it. My own heart died when I plunged the tip of my sword into my gf’s head all those months ago. But Maggie had helped me find it again. Before her I thought I didn’t give a crap about anyone or anything, except surviving. Yet, the boy who I had to put down after he was bitten by his mother had me bawling. I supposed I wasn’t such a hard-ass after all. At least not the hard ass that I used to be. I guess I was getting old.
I looked over at James who was in an animated signed conversation with Janece. Much of it was too fast for me to read. A glance over at Maggie showed she was ignoring the two, but I suspected that even for her the conversation was too rapid paced. I thought about asking James later what it was about then realized that it was probably none of my business. I envied the girl for her ability to keep up with the boy. I found myself wishing them the best of luck in this crazy messed up world of ours. Then again, I reflected that with their mental connection, she wouldn’t have to try hard to keep up. I gave a small shrug of my shoulders that caught Maggie’s eye. Her eyebrow went up in askance. I just shook my head that it was “nothing”. She turned her attention to Kiaya who yawned hugely, sleepy from perhaps the largest meal she had in weeks. The miracle of this girl’s life cannot be overstated in my opinion. Maggie glanced at her and smiled with a look of yearning. Perhaps for a daughter of her own, to spoil. I had to admit that the thought of being a parent had crossed my mind a few times. But that was with my former love, now dead, though not by my hand, still her body, cut in two and the pain in my heart resurges each time I think of her, which I’ve struggled several times to avoid doing. Maggie has been instrumental in helping me with that. Though she was unwitting in her aid. Just having someone else, someone real, alive and willfully responsive to my attentions has allowed for that wound to scar over.
I am wary however, knowing that in this world, now, that scar could be ripped open again and another one be made beside it, should I ever lose Maggie. I wasn’t sure, deep down inside if I could handle another heartache like the one I experienced already. I’ve always relied upon my own strength to get me through whatever crisis I found myself in. The only difference now was that the crisis of today’s world, so radically and hellishly different than the world before, is that it’s never ending. The dead will continue to rise after the living have passed away. At this, Frank only hinted at the implications, at the change that our species have achieved, though unwillingly. The answer why lay inside the flash-drive still in my pocket, waiting for a means to view the contents inside. Suddenly feeling the need to be alone, I decided to go out and have a smoke. Perhaps I will see the last scout arrive and we can get the ball rolling on whatever we needed to do. How little did I know.
Picking up my sword and scabbard I excused myself as I went to the door and, this time, approached it cautiously. Standing off to one side of the door frame and giving the handle a twist to draw back the latch. I caught Dustu, looking at me surreptitiously before glancing back down at his remaining meal. All were nearly done eating. Maggie’s voice came from behind me as I casually opened the door, but still kept my body past the door frame.
“Out for a smoke?”
I nodded without saying a word, and stepped outside.
The air felt a little cooler and there was a light breeze that had an familiar odor to it. The smell of winter. Of snows in the high mountains. It was already fall here and the trees were just beginning to lose their green in favor of brighter and a much larger variety of color. Like all things, those leaves will die and fall to the ground, to rot. I found the idea disturbing a little. The last vestiges of the sun had disappeared behind the hills and trees. The twilight fading as the night inexorably began. As I pulled one of the three remaining cigarettes from the pack that resided in my left thigh pocket, I patted around for my lighter on the outside of one the other pants pocket. I had just placed my fingertips on the hard plastic when my peripheral vision caught a dark whisper of movement on my right. It was so subtle, so worth not noticing that I saw it anyway. Had it been a few minutes later when night enveloped this side of the planet completely, I’d might’ve missed it. All these months I learned never to take anything I saw or heard for granted. Whenever I was exposed as I was now, outside, alone and only a building or a car a few feet between me and death.
I felt my right hand move and grasped the handle of my sword, pull it out and swing it back to the right again. This time instead of cutting into dead flesh and bone, my blade bit into wood, then metal. A moment later the sound of the metal hitting the pavement rang in my ears. My eyes fell upon an amazing sight. Holding a sharpened piece of wood, was a figure cloaked in blackness like the coming night. Their entire body was covered in a black form fitting body suit and hood and the eyes were the only thing visible. Dark eyes, centered in purest white peered at me with a determination that could only mean death was on their mind. Mine or theirs. I swung the blade back and held it in front of me. My ears picked up sounds of conflict from within the hotel room I just stepped out of. Were we being betrayed? Later Maggie had related to me what had happened inside the room at the same instant I was attacked.

--When he stepped outside and was out of sight, the big indian boy, Little Bear, moved like lightning on the edge of the bed he was sitting on. Twisting his body at the waist to turn towards the deaf boy seated across from him. At the same instant James fell back on the mattress cover as the edge of the machete passed over his head. Had he not moved he would have been decapitated. Maggie moved towards him but it was a feint as she caught Dustu leaping off the bed he and Kiaya were resting on, his meal falling to the floor and his own knife in his hand aimed straight for Maggie’s heart. Her feint worked as Dustu changed direction to match hers only to find she wasn’t there. Her own knife flashed out and nearly sliced into the boy’s neck. Nearly, because his own reflexes were enough that he avoided the blow but one of the braid of his hair wasn’t so lucky. It fell to the floor, the ends where it was cut were clean and straight. Janece had her own knife out and she leaped on top of James, pinning him to the bed with her body, face to face. Her arm raised high, then falling to plunge her blade into his body. James’ own knife had come out of his sheath, seemingly of it’s own accord and arced towards Janece’s side. He caught her blade hand at the wrist and halted it an inch from his heart, his own knife stopped at the same instant, it’s tip resting in the hollow of her throat, ready to pierce it’s way to the girl’s brain.
Maggie whirled around, her knife leaving one hand to be caught by the other in a quick switch, designed to confuse an opponent in close quarter combat. Dustu found the older woman on top of him, one foot on the floor and the knee of the other leg on the bed, she straddled him as he lay awkwardly on the corner edge of the mattress, his balance thrown off. She grabbed the front of his shirt near the collar and her knife rested on his neck, with enough pressure so to not break the skin but there would be no stopping it if she chose to draw the edge down and out across his throat. He would be dead within minutes.
Little Bear had frozen again, his machete ready to cut in a back stroke from his near miss, but Janece’s own head was aligned with James’ so the danger to her was just as great. The entire room had grown still as if a “pause button” had been hit. Even little Kiaya had frozen in place after she sat up frightened by Dustu’s quick launch towards Maggie. But the boy wasn’t finished as he twisted his body underneath Maggie and they both toppled off the corner of the bed so that he was now on top her her, his hand boldly grasped the wrist of the hand holding the knife at this throat, using the movement of their fall to push the knife away from his throat. His own flashing down to stab Maggie in the skull. In that moment Maggie heard John call out her name.
Janece’s voice shrilly cried out a second after his; “NOH-HAH!” (STOP!) and everything froze once more. Dustu’s knife tip was an inch away from Maggie’s brow. Nothing or no-one moved. Maggie’s eyes caught Dustu’s own as they widened in shock and fear as he felt Maggie’s own knife hand had slipped out of his grip with a twist of her wrist and the tip rested under his left arm pit which would’ve allowed egress to his, now vulnerable heart. He would’ve died the moment she did had Janece’s cry not stopped them both. --

The sharpened end of the shaft held by the black figure in front of me was now headed for my own heart and I had to twist my blade to knock it out of the air. The figure, once launching the stake at me closed the gap, their other arm holding an identical weapon, was swinging it directly at my head, with a grunt I had to switch directions once more and my steel clanged against the steel of their weapon just in time to arrest it’s forward movement. With the figure now only a hand’s width apart from me, managed to expose a swordsman’s few weaknesses. Closing the distance makes it harder for the sword’s long reach to do it’s job effectively. But I had more than just my kendo training under my belt. With a hard shove of my shoulder and taking a step forward so that my leg was behind my attacker’s knee I was able to push them off balance and they fell to the ground before they could react. My foot came down on the arm that was holding the weapon, my sword flashed down and rested on the neck of my assailant. They froze in place, apparently realizing their defeat.
“Maggie!” I shouted out without taking my eyes off the hooded black figure on the ground. The only answer from within was from Janece who must have spoken Sioux for it reached my attacker which caused them to freeze in place. I didn’t know what she said or what had happened but I couldn’t take my attention off the figure on the ground. I was about to call out again when Maggie’s voice reached my ears.
“John! We’re okay. We’re alright!”
My heart relaxed in my chest and I stepped harder on the arm that was holding the weapon. It was a tomahawk and a wicked looking one at that. The axe end was slightly curved and the bottom narrowed to a broad point. The other end was a wicked long spike that would have no problem piercing a car hood or my skull. The shaft was thick, leather wrapped dowel adorned with large, black tipped feathers that I recognized instantly as those from an eagle’s tail. The quills were tied on with sinew that had been threaded through colorful beads. The other tomahawk wasn’t as identical as I thought at first as it’s head, lying on the ground was the same except for a flat square hammer head that would’ve easily caused just as much head trauma as the spiked end would have. As I did with Dustu, I spoke as menacing as I could.
“Let go of your weapon or lose your head.”
The dark eyes glared at me for a moment then narrowed. I felt the muscles of the arm under my foot relax and the other tomahawk clattered to the ground. Then the figure did something I didn’t expect. It chuckled at me. The eyes narrowed and boldly the figure reached up with it’s free hand and pulled the hood off their head. My jaw nearly dropped to the pavement as I looked into the eyes once more. Instead of a male it was a girl. Her almond shaped eyes betrayed her Japanese ancestry. When she removed the hood she let her arm dropped back out to her side and she laid her legs flat on the ground. She continued to chuckle as she looked up at me, no longer with animosity but I could’ve sworn it was with admiration. We remained frozen in place until Maggie’s voice called out again.
“John? Are you alright? Dammit answer me!” For all she knew my shout could’ve been my last.
“I’m alright.” I answered back quickly.
I let off the pressure on the girl’s arm.
“If I let you up, is that the end of it?”
She smiled and nodded. “Yes, you passed”.
Huh? I thought to myself, passed? Passed what? A test? If it was, it damned near killed me. I suddenly started to feel angry. What the hell was going on here? I stepped off her arm and quickly kicked the tomahawk further away from her reach. In the same movement I took a step back, still holding my sword at her throat. She didn’t seem the least bit threatened by it. In fact she looked rather amused by her predicament. She laid still on the asphalt until I nodded that she could get up. I kept my blade’s edge at her throat as she got up in a single smooth move that was deliberate and graceful at the same time. When she stood I was again surprised at her size. She was at least a head shorter than me, a bit shorter than Maggie. From the lamp light on the end table that reached us outside, I estimated that she was about as young as James, if not younger. I should’ve known better as it turned out she was closer to Janece’s age. She was, of course, strikingly beautiful.
I took another step back and gestured with my sword.
“Inside” I commanded.
She actually gave me a small bow before moving casually towards the door way. I watched her for any change in her body’s attitude in case she tried something else.
As we entered the room, Maggie and Dustu were getting up off the floor. Maggie had the boy by his collar her knife still poised to stab his heart should he try anything. Janece simply rolled off of James and put her knife away as James did his. Both were grinning as if privy to an inside joke. The big indian had already sheathed his machete and sat there starting at the two. Poor little Kiaya was in silent tears that streamed down her face. Apparently she wasn’t ready to lose everyone she had known again. I was sure Maggie wanted to go and comfort her as I could see her eyes flicking back and forth between the Native boy and the little girl. The girl in front of me still moved slowly and with her arms by her side, she still managed to convey an air of superiority though she was my captive at the moment.
Janece stopped smiling and stood up. James remained seated on the bed and watched her as she took charge of the situation. The look on his face was rapturous with admiration for the tall, beautiful girl.
“Please,” she began “we ask your forgiveness but it is required that we test you. There are wicked people in this world and it has been in our experience that those with murderous and foul intentions tend to fight poorly.” She nodded to all three of us, “That you survived and defeated each of us, says the Spirit is pleased with your presence among us. We can reveal ourselves to you for who we are.”
I stared at the girl, not really believing my ears. Maggie spoke for the three of us.
“And just who exactly are you?”
Janece gave a small but respectful bow and looked at the woman in the eyes.
“We are the village leaders and we beg you to help us in our fight against the oncoming horde.”
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#2
the Walkin Dude

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Wow much action packed there, great writing DC. What a test.
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Roll outta my coffin Drink poison in my chalice Pride begins to fade And y'all feel my malice

#3
lone star walker

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Great action sequence. I saw you had posted and had to read it before TWD starts tonight. I really like it.! I will have to read it again tomorrow. I can't imagine many people passing that "test".
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#4
BitBrit

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Another great instalment! Great action scene mixed with John's heartache. I can't wait for the next chapter.
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#5
lone star walker

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I feel the same as BitBrit. I got to know a little more about John's previous life and it made me want to learn even more. You have a knack for attention to details. That's the style of writing I like the most....lots of setting the scene and interesting explanations. It makes their world and journey seem real.

I've bonded with this little group, so I'm hoping they are safe at least through the real world upcoming holiday season!
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#6
MoreThanABrainpStem

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I just started reading less than a week ago and have spent several nights up way past my bedtime to read your story. You have great pacing and your amount of description is usually spot on, enough to set the scene but not extraneous stuff that has no meaning to the store. I love that you have strong, capable, and knowledgeable women in your story. So often in this genre women get Andrea-ized.

Keep writing, your stuff is better than much that is out there.
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#7
lone star walker

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I just started reading less than a week ago and have spent several nights up way past my bedtime to read your story. You have great pacing and your amount of description is usually spot on, enough to set the scene but not extraneous stuff that has no meaning to the store. I love that you have strong, capable, and knowledgeable women in your story. So often in this genre women get Andrea-ized.

Keep writing, your stuff is better than much that is out there.


Perfectly said!!!
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#8
DeadCave

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I just started reading less than a week ago and have spent several nights up way past my bedtime to read your story. You have great pacing and your amount of description is usually spot on, enough to set the scene but not extraneous stuff that has no meaning to the store. I love that you have strong, capable, and knowledgeable women in your story. So often in this genre women get Andrea-ized.

Keep writing, your stuff is better than much that is out there.

Thank you for your kind words.
I do get tired of the stereotypical hapless female in many stories, and try to write them as capable as any man. I don't see Andrea as weak, though the Governor over-powered her. Carol grew to be as strong as she was internally and I admire her strength (if not her decision making capabilities). I did show (my character) Maggie as breaking down and "losing it" a couple of times already, but she bounced back.

Writing this story has been difficult with my personal life (I'm a care-taker for my 80+ yr. old parents, both disabled and head-strong) and was until recently unemployed and dealing with clinically diagnosed depression. Now I'm working again and little by little my life is improving. Still frustrated however at finding an editor that I can negotiate $$ with.
Thanks to the readers of my story here on R&L, you guys motivate me with your positive feedback to keep my hopes up that the book will do well in the open market. It has always been my dream to be an author.
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#9
MoreThanABrainpStem

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I am glad that your employment situation has improved. Hopefully you get to do something you like and find worth in. There was a time in my life that I too was unemployed and it is hard to believe the negative effects it can have in all facets of your life. Taking care of family members, especially parents, can be challenging. When I helped my mother take care of my elderly head-strong father, I found that head-strong characteristic both a blessing and curse. I hope you have some personal support while carrying this load.

I wish I had advice about the editor issue, but anything I told you would be a greater work of fiction than the great work you are creating. I look forward to reading your creation because it is a great story but more importantly, from what you stated, your life is going better. Peace be with you.
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#10
DeadCave

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I am glad that your employment situation has improved. Hopefully you get to do something you like and find worth in. There was a time in my life that I too was unemployed and it is hard to believe the negative effects it can have in all facets of your life. Taking care of family members, especially parents, can be challenging. When I helped my mother take care of my elderly head-strong father, I found that head-strong characteristic both a blessing and curse. I hope you have some personal support while carrying this load.

I wish I had advice about the editor issue, but anything I told you would be a greater work of fiction than the great work you are creating. I look forward to reading your creation because it is a great story but more importantly, from what you stated, your life is going better. Peace be with you.

Thank you. Your words are kind and much appreciated. And that's not fiction.
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