Read The Emissary (Horse Women of the Zombie Apocalypse) Online

Authors: K. A. Jordan

Tags: #zombie, #apocalypse, #horse, #archer

The Emissary (Horse Women of the Zombie Apocalypse) (5 page)

BOOK: The Emissary (Horse Women of the Zombie Apocalypse)
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"She's nervous. We've had a lot of trouble with stinkers today," Beth said.

"Stinkers?"

"You know -
them."

"Oh. The muerto." He looked over her shoulder at the approaching swarm. "That's a hell of a problem."

"We need to get out of here."

He motioned the truck to come closer, then pointed down the freeway. "We can help. Go down the road and wait for us at the third exit. We'll be there as soon as we take care of the apestando muerto."

Beth gave him a questioning look.

"Apestando muerto - stinking dead."

"Oh." Beth motioned Alexis to come closer. "Alexis, this is Zack Hetzer. He says we should wait at the third exit from here."

Alexis nodded to Zack, her eyes taking in the other three men. "Can we put our extra gear in the back of your truck?"

"Um, sure." Zack shrugged.

The expressions on the men's faces ranged from amused to disbelieving. Beth wanted to stick her tongue out at them. What was so stinking funny?

"Dani, how much time do we have?" Alexis asked.

Dani stood up on her saddle with the binoculars.

"Maybe ten minutes."

"Take off the bed rolls and anything we don't need. Keep water and weapons. Toss the rest in the back of the truck." Alexis shot a look at Julie. "Stay in the saddle."

"No problem," Julie said, as she stripped off her bedroll with a tug on two strings.

Dani slid down the saddle with a slight thump that made the guys wince. She tossed her stuff in the truck bed with a wink at the Latino guy. He grinned back.

Beth untied her bedroll. Her ammunition was in a pommel bag, so the saddle bags didn't matter. She unhooked them and tossed them in the back of the truck. The driver looked at Alexis with a bemused expression on his face.

Didn't any of them think with the head on their shoulders?

"What about the pack horses?" Julie asked.

Alexis shook her head. "No time. They're fine."

"Get going," Zack Hetzer said. "We'll meet you at the exit."

"Whistle if you need us," Alexis said in a sexy voice.

Beth rolled her eyes and put her heels to Mist. Flirting? Really? Now? The horses trotted away. The truck's engine growled as it moved down the road.

"What was that?" Dani complained. "I say I need a bath, you get all prim and proper, then
you
drop a sexy voice on him. Can you say hypocrite?"

"You can't spell it," Alexis muttered. "Get over it."

"I can't believe you just did that."

"Stinker bait. I swear. Both of you." Julie muttered. She put Toby into a canter to ride next to Beth. "Did you hear her?"

"Shut up!" Alexis ordered. "I'm sorry, okay? It just slipped out."

The rattle of machine gun fire spooked the horses. Julie's pack horse tried to buck. "Argh! Stinker-bait! What's wrong with you?" Julie yelled.

"Julie just re-named her horse. Stinker-bait. That's a great name," Dani said with a laugh.

After Julie got her pack horse calmed down, she asked, "What did that guy call them?"

"Muerto, I think it's Spanish." Beth replied

"Maybe I'll ask him what stinker-bait is in Spanish."

Alexis snapped. "That's enough! There're fifty stinkers after us!"

More machine gun fire, then several single shots.

Beth looked back.

"Keep going. And shut the hell up." Alexis ordered.

They rode in silence, listening to the alternate bursts of machine gun fire and single shots. When they reached the third exit, the gunfire was intermittent, as if the men were shooting stragglers.

The exit ramp curved around a hollow filled with trees. They gratefully stepped off their saddles, loosened cinches and let the horses rest. The girls brought out a shallow leather pail, they gave the horses small amounts of water and an ear of Beth's gathered corn. The horses stood with their heads low.

Alexis stood guard with her bow. Beth took care of Patch and Mist, keeping her eyes open as intermittent shots echoed down the freeway. Alexis shot a lone stinker shambling down the exit ramp and recovered her arrow with a grunt of disgust.

"The men are coming," Alexis said, looking down the street. "Nothing chasing them." The sisters nodded, exchanging nervous looks before going back to their horses.

"What can we take off the pack horses?" Julie broke the tense silence.

"Everything, I guess." Alexis pushed her hair from her face, then made a face. "I got slime on my hands. Gross. It isn't blood, but it freaking stinks." She wiped her hands on the grass.

"Don't come anywhere near me," Dani warned. "I already stink."

"I've got to wash this off." Alexis went to the pack horse, pulled a sock from the pack horse's pannier. She used the sock and some water to clean her hands.

"Why? You expecting somebody to kiss that hand?" Dani teased.

"I've got stinker slime on me."

"Can't have that."

Beth stepped between them. "Dani, stop. We're all tired and stressed. Relax. Okay?"

Dani shut up, but her resentful expression spoke volumes. She sat down between her two horses. Beth looked at Alexis, who gave a shrug that meant 'it's not my fault.'

The truck came back, and the guys got out, exchanging insults and jokes. They walked up to the hollow, noting the dead stinker on the pavement.

"We weren't expecting you to make it this far," the driver said.

As one, the sisters took offense. Before Dani could say anything, Beth stepped forward, and gave her a 'shut up' look.

"Excuse me?" Beth said, trying to keep her tone polite, but she arched her eyebrows at him.

"Oh, sorry. I meant, you traveled faster than we expected."

"Fifty miles a day," Beth informed him. "We didn't want to push too hard." Let him chew on that.

The Latino guy snickered.

"An hour by road. All day on a pony."

Dani came up on her toes, ready to fight. "They aren't ponies. They're Spanish mustangs. They were brought here by the conquistadors…"

"Dani!" Alexis snapped, stepping forward to put her hand on Dani's shoulder. "The stinkers have been pushing us hard all day. We're tired and stressed out."

"At least we were here to…" The driver paused when all four girls glared at him, daring him to finish the sentence with 'save you.' "Er… Glad to help."

"Let's start over," Beth suggested. "I'm Beth McLeod. These are my sisters. Alexis, Julie, and the spitfire is Dani."

The driver looked at his companions, motioning them forward.

"You met my cousin Zack. This is Hector Sanchez, Tommy North, and my other cousin, David Hale."

David Hale looked to be in his early teens. The other men were in their upper twenties to thirties. Beth stepped forward, offering to shake hands with each of them. If they could remember their manners, she might be able to keep her sisters from shooting them.

Hopefully.

Zack gave the driver an elbow in the ribs.

He looked a bit nervous. "Oh, I'm Tyler Davidson. We're the Clan Davidson Welcoming Committee." That feeble joke broke the ice. "Um, Alexis, I remember you from the Prepper's Conventions."

Alexis smiled, nodding. Her cheeks had a hint of color that Beth found very intriguing. So that's why Alexis had been eager to come to Clan Davidson. She already knew Tyler and liked him.

"Do you need anything, like water, or food?"

"Always," Beth said with a little smile. "Got anything besides MREs?"

Tyler made a face. "Oh, hell yes. We left this morning with a cooler full of sandwiches." He looked at David. "Get the cooler out. We can feed these - er - ladies and rest their - er - Spanish mustangs."

"Do you have some way I could wash my hands? I've got stinker slime on them." Alexis sounded almost plaintive. Her hands were irritated in spots.

"Sure, no problem." Tyler motioned her to the truck. "Want some soap?" They walked back to the truck, talking in low voices.

When he came back with a cooler full of sandwiches and cola, Beth decided to like him.

Alexis came back with a bucket of water, soap, and a towel. The girls washed up before falling on the food like wolves. Every few minutes the girls checked the horses, giving them small amounts of water and handfuls of corn. Alexis gave them a heads-up to get ready to go.

Beth flipped her stirrup up - but she was undecided if she should pull the cinch tight or take the saddle off. Mist had carried two for a couple of miles. It might be a good idea to lighten her load. Beth hesitated long enough for Alexis to notice.

"Problem?"

"Should I give her a break and take her saddle off?"

"I wouldn't. If she needs a break, ride Julie's problem child." Alexis indicated Stinker-bait with her chin.

Beth nodded.

"There are more muerto by the exit ramp," Hector announced from on top of the truck cab. "Late arrivals to the party."

"How many?" Zack asked.

"Six right now. More on the way." He scanned the area with binoculars.

Zack turned to the girls. "What do you want to do?"

"Let's just go. No sense in making more noise." Alexis spoke to Zack from the saddle, making him look up to her.

Neat trick,
Beth thought,
I have to remember that.

Alexis said, "I'll take point and set the pace. You guys take drag and guard our backs. The horses will use the side of the road, not the pavement. We usually alternate gaits every ten minutes. I raise my hand like this to signal a slowdown. Got it?"

"Yes." Zack nodded, then he looked behind them. "Let's get a move on." He walked back to the truck, hopping in to stand in the back with Hector.

The girls finished securing their gear and mounted up.

"Ready?" Alexis asked. When everyone answered yes she nodded. "Move out." She turned Patch down the hill at a long trot.

Beth glanced toward the sun. It was sinking fast. They couldn't go on much longer. They were going to have to camp soon.

*

 

Chapter 5

 

Beth took her position behind Julie and the pack horse. There was a breeze in their faces. The freeway was clogged with smashed and burned vehicles, so the truck used the far right shoulder behind them.

They made good time, but Beth noticed the guys chafed at the pace. They probably traveled the freeway at 90 mph since there weren't any police to stop them. If that truck broke down, they'd have to walk through stinker territory.

By the time the sun was low, they were far from towns or subdivisions. They didn't take long to find a good place to camp. They set up camp in another bowl between an overpass and an off-ramp with trees and grass. The sisters cared for the horses before hobbling them for the night.

The guys built a campfire and prepared canned soup to go with the last of the soda and sandwiches. Their low-voiced conference ended when Hector threw his empty soda can past Zack's head.

The sisters stopped grooming the horses, turning to the fireside drama.

Hector said, "I'm not sleeping outside like those perras locas. We'll be dead by morning. Muerto are everywhere."

The other guys nodded, looking from Hector to Zack.

Zack glanced at the sisters before firing back at Hector in Spanish.

"Estamos mas cobarde que las chicas?"

"Say it in English!" Dani snapped.

Zack ignored her. He kept eye contact with Hector, who flipped him the bird.

"It's suicide to sleep outside." Hector said.

Dani made chicken noises. The guys glared at her.

"The horses are too slow," Hector said. "We could be back at the Fort by now, safe behind the fence."

"That's enough," Tyler said, making a throat cutting gesture with his hand. "We didn't drive out here to fight about horses."

"I say we leave the horses for the muerto."

"The first jackass who touches my horses loses his nuts." Dani scowled at Hector, whipping her hunting knife out and into fighting position.

"Bring it, chica," Hector challenged, rising to his feet.

"Knock it off." Alexis sprang between them. She blocked Dani, taking her knife and faced Hector. "Would you leave one of these guys behind, if they got hurt?"

"That's different." Hector shook his head.

"Not to us," Alexis said.

Tyler stood up, confronting Alexis and Hector. "Hey! Focus on getting through tonight alive."

Everyone fell silent.

"Why didn't you come in trucks?" David asked.

"Trucks can't go across rough country, can't jump fences or ditches," Alexis said.

Dani added, "Trucks run out of gas. Getting stranded in
stinker
country is a death sentence."

BOOK: The Emissary (Horse Women of the Zombie Apocalypse)
13.63Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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