The Swamp (12 page)

             
“Oh my god, Its Matt,” yelled one of the men in the back. Sam looked more closely and could see he was right. When he looked, he could see the stump of the arrow protruding for his chest. It scrapped against the glass, leaving a bloody smear on the bottom of the window.

Mike moved first, stepping to the door and opening it just a crack.
“Hey Matt," he yelled through the opening. Outside the front window, the dead man turned his head and walked out of view. Sam looked back to Mike and saw him raise his pistol and fire. He heard the man fall, and Mike pulled the door shut.

              “Can you drive us out of this?” Paul asked, using a wet wipe to clean the gash on his forehead. Sam could see that it would need stitches.

             
“No, the electric is gone. I can’t get anything when I turn the key.” Sam answered.

“It’s probably something we could fix if we could get outside.”
Paul said, and then added, “But I don’t think our friends will let us.

             
“They will come tonight after dark, and that door won’t hold them off, not to mention these windows.” Mike added

             
Sandra’s small voice chimed in from the back. “How do you know they will come tonight?”

             
Mike looked over and said “it’s what I would do. Right now we have the advantage, they can get close enough without being seen and our guns have a better range. After dark, they will be able to get right up to us.”

             
“Think we could fight our way out? We have the guns and the people.” Paul asked.

             
“We have that working for us, but they have us surrounded, and can fire from cover, they could pick us off one by one, and we would never even catch a sight of them. Now I don’t mean to sound like a downer, but this is a bad situation. By my count, there are at least twelve of them out there. They started with at least twice that number. No sane group would take those kinds of losses and keep coming.” Mike paused to let his point sink in, when he saw that at least most of them seemed to have absorbed it, he continued. “That means we are dealing with a wild card here that we need to figure out. Anybody have any ideas?”

             
“We could try to talk to them” suggested a young man named Ted, “maybe figure out what they want.”

             
Sam looked to mike, who just shrugged. Sam walked over to the door and opened it just wide enough to get his head out. “Hey! We want to talk! We can work this out!”

             
The sound of an arrow thunking into the metal of the frame beside his face seemed to answer that question. Sam jerked his head back inside and locked the door.

             
“Anybody have any other ideas? I bet Sam thinks that one didn’t work out to well.” Mike commented and scowled.

             
“Does anybody happen to have an ice cream truck handy?” Paul joked, but no one laughed. “Sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood.”

             
“No, and I’m out of brothers to save my ass.” Added Mark

             
“Well there isn’t ANY cavalry to come save our butts this time,” added someone “maybe we should just make a run for it. We can’t hold here, to many ways in.”

             
“Why can’t we just stay here and wait them out, maybe they will just go away.” Sandra was ringing her hands while she spoke.”

             
“Mainly because all they have to do set this thing on fire and get us when we come out. There are about a thousand ways they can get the upper hand. It will be rough, but we have to make a shot for it. Everyone grab as much food and water as you can carry, we will pass out all the guns and divide up the ammo. It is two hours until dark, but I want to make a run in no more than twenty minutes.” Several people groaned as mike laid out his plan, but no one objected.

As the people dissolved off in to individual conversations and preparations,
Sam pulled Mark, Mike and Paul towards the cabin. They couldn’t say that they had privacy because the vehicle was crowded, but at least here they could speak without fear of interruption. He looked at the large front windows and felt less secure all of a sudden.

             
“This isn’t going to work,” Sam said flatly, “these people aren’t well enough to run very far after what happened back at the farm. Now mike, I know you have bounced back quickly, but look at these people...” Sam waved a hand towards the busy ones in the back. “I have a feeling you have something planned you haven’t told us.”

             
“I do, and its simple, I am not going.” Mike said.

             
Sam and Paul were shocked by this. “explain.” said Paul

             
“As soon as we take off, they are going to start chasing us again. I plan to hide in here and pick them off as they come out of the woods. Maybe I can slow them down enough to help you guys get away” Mike said solemnly.

             
“No,” said Paul, “that’s simply not going to happen. You will be killed for sure. I think we can all get the hell out of here and down that road. Let’s just keep the guns towards the back and cover ALL of us.

             
“Mike, I see your point. They will be a lot easier to take out if they are looking somewhere else, but there is not a chance in hell you are doing this alone. I will stay with you,” volunteered Sam. Mike seemed pleased.

             
“I was hoping someone would, But I couldn’t ask anybody to do something like that. With two, we have a better chance. Three would be better…” said Mike, looking pointedly at Paul.

             
“If you stay, I will stay also” toned in Mark.

             
“You can’t, you are the only one in the group who can find the swamp. You know as well as I do how hard the entrance is to find. Paul’s been there just the one time, but only followed us in. I doubt he could find it. Hell, I still pass the road and have to back track. Besides, we busted our butts to save you. Mom would kill me, if you died out here.” Sam turned to Paul, “I won’t ask you to join us in the O.K. corral. I appreciate all you have done for us, but you need to help get these people home.”

             
Mark and Paul chewed over what Sam had said. Mark just nodded, though he didn’t look very happy about it. Paul let his shoulders drop and sighed, “I am sorry Sam. I am a sixty year old man. Thirty years ago I could have made this stand with you. But now…”

             
“There is no shame in that.” Mike said and put his hand on Paul’s shoulder.

             
“Agreed” said Sam, “you have done far more than anyone could have asked. Help get these people away and safe. You guys are making it sound like we will never see each other again, this isn’t a suicide mission.” Sam tried to sound comforting and upbeat, but it sounded lame even to his ears.

             
A nearby voice chimed in,” Excuse me, I didn’t mean to pry, but we are all so crammed in I couldn’t help but here, I will stay.” They all turned to see the kid, Ted. He was a youth of about eighteen or nineteen, tall and lean. He was dressed in dirty jeans and a David Bowie t-shirt.

Mike looked at him appraisingly, and then shook his head. “I am sorry kid, but this isn’t going to be a picnic, you had better go with the others.”

              “I’m no damn kid!” they kid snapped, his face flush with anger. “I got as much reason as you two heroes, after what my sister went through back with those damn soldiers, I am going to do everything I can to get here somewhere safe!” he set his jaw and tried to look intimidating.

             
Sam said the obvious thing, as if confirming it to himself, “Laurie is your sister.” There were only two females in the group and one was too old to be the sibling of this kid.

             
Mike thought for a second and relented. “Okay, but you do what I say, when I say it. Understood?”

             
“Yes sir.” The kid snapped back and threw Mike a sarcastic salute.

             
Mike started to get mad, but then chuckled, “Don’t make me make you do pushups.               Come kid. Let’s go get you a gun.” They moved towards the back of the RV. Paul glanced at the two brothers, and decided they wanted to talk, moved away also.

Mark
and Sam stood there a minute in an uncomfortable silence. “Mark, I’m only going to be a little while behind you, but just in case, tell Mom…just tell her that I love her. And take good care of her. I think you will like the way I’ve got the swamp fixed up.”

             
“That sounds like a good bye,” Said Mark sternly, “I won’t hear it, and you will probably beat us to the swamp anyway.

             
“As slow as you are, you are probably right.” They both laughed, and then hugged.

             
Suddenly Sam thought of the whiskey he had saved. “Hey Mark, the shed behind the rangers house, on the top shelf on the back wall is something wrapped in a towel. If we aren’t back within a few days of you guys, you will know what to do.”

             
They ended up to only have enough guns for half, but Mike announced that they would try to stick in pairs, one gun per pair. When everyone was ready, Mike added “When you get outside, run east down the road, go as fast as you can, stay together but stay spread out. Run until you lose them and get somewhere safe, then move on to the swamp, Mark and Paul will get you there.”

             
Everyone nodded and no one seemed to have any questions, so mike told them to get ready. “We go in one minute!” Mike said to the group, and then turned to Sam, “Damn I want a cigarette, always did right before combat.” He said wistfully.

             
Sam suddenly remembered running to the fallen soldier as he left the farm and what he had found in his pocket. “I forgot about this, I got you something back at the farm!” Reaching into his pocket, he produced a lighter and half a pack of cigarettes and placed them in Mike’s hand.

             
“God bless you Sam.” Said mike, lighting one and taking a long drag, a contented sigh escaped him.

They sat in silence; a palpable tension filled the air.

              Mike eventually turned to the crowd. “You go in five! 4…3…2…1! He shouted and flung open the door. The group rushed out and took off running, Mark leading the way. The trio hung back, stationed by windows, Sam and Ted to the sides and Mike kneeling between the drivers and passenger seats.

             
The crowd hadn’t made it 20 yards down the road when the woods erupted in screams and whoops. Some haggard looking men and a few very bedraggled women started from the woods, eyes locked on the fleeing people. But something was wrong. There were a lot more than twelve, there seemed to be fifty. One of the leading savages stopped 10 feet in front of the windows and paused to draw a bow, Mike fired his rifle. The man dropped face first, to the pavement, his arrow flying wide into the woods. The shot shattered the windshield and mike used the barrel of his gun to widen the opening. Sam and Ted followed his example and began shooting at the pursuing forms.               Several were down before the enemy could react, and Sam was happy to see that they had reacted by going for cover. Only three were still chasing after their friends. Mikes pistol fired several times and two went down hard, the third turned and fled for the woods. He didn’t make it.

             
“You are a bad ass Mike”, yelled ted and fired at a shape in the trees and missed.

             
“Keep your eyes open and pay attention.” Sam shouted, looking at his own window, but seeing nothing moving.

             
Up ahead, the group had made good distance, at least a few hundred yards and was still at a run. It looked like they were going to make it. “Thank god” Sam muttered.

             
“Where’d they all come from, there must have been fifty of them.” the kid said to Mike in a voice that was almost a yell. The gunfire in the enclosed vehicles must have his ears ringing, Sam knew his were.

             
“Some friends must have shown up is all I can figure.” Mike replied.

             
Seventy-five feet ahead of them, a group of crazies burst from the trees and started after the group that was already out of sight. They must have worked there way through the trees and popped out when they thought they were out of the guns range. Mike aimed and fired, and fired again. The ease with which he worked the bolt on the rifle amazed Sam. He was able to work the rifle and fire faster than Sam could believe. In less than a minute Mike was reloading. He fired one more time and then swore. “I got four of the five, one got away.” he swore again.

             
They set there for another thirty minutes and saw nothing. The sun was low in the sky when Ted finally asked what was on Sam’s mind as well. “What do we do now?”

             
“I don’t know, I am fresh out of ideas.” Replied mike with a shrug.