Chapter 14

Three more dead skeletons, no more dead hunters. They were learning ... I pulled the silver, armor, and swords from each one, promising myself that the surviving guys would share it.

Hearing a rifle fire, then another just ahead of us, we jogged on. Cresting a rise, we saw four skeletons striking a tree, the last two of the hunters were in it, hanging on for dear life.

“Prone position!” I shouted out to the hunters in my group. Everyone could hear me, but we were beyond caring right now. I stepped off to the left, clearing their line of fire and drawing the attention of the remaining skeletons.

My plan was to let the hunters take care of them, and only step in if needed. Kinda like Tarl and my other crossbowmen did. The skeletons stopped trying to use their swords like a forest axe and they turned my way. I heard the sound of bolts cycling. “Neck and head please!” I shouted to the hunters as they lay on the top of the rise, just their heads and rifles visible. The first rifle barked, creasing the helmet of the lead skeleton. “They’re downhill so aim low, calm down and break ‘em.” I said amiably and trying not to use the word ‘kill’. For some reason I had the impression that it might anthropomorphize them. I drew out my staff and loaded a stone. If these bozos couldn’t get it done, I’d have to take the first one with a sniper shot then take my chances when they closed.

I didn’t like taking those kinds of chances.

‘Crack’, ‘Crack’ the second and third shooters fired one right after the other. One of them managed a hit, dropping the monster like a marionette with its strings cut.

‘Crack’ another set of misses ... The skeletons were moving in at a slow jog, about 20 yards off now. I called up my Skill, and sniped the one at the rear, assuming that the hunters would target the closest one. They dropped him too, leaving just the one, enormous, pissed off, giant-sword swinging pile of bones in armor.

I got off another sling throw, but it just clanged off his helmet to the side, my ‘natural’ aim just not good enough without being able to use the special skill.

I crossed a bit more to the left, separating me from the rifles a bit more and placing me on slightly higher ground. ‘Crack, crack, crack.’ went the hunters. I’m sure that the deer in this forest had never been in any real danger.

The big guy lined up on me, pulling off a downward slash that I dodged way too easily. I recalled the hunter who died from a strike from below and resisted the impulse to step in for my own strike, but head-faking the action nonetheless...

An impossibility fast backslash almost caught me anyways, the tip whistling past my hip and then arm as the damn thing had taken a half step in that I hadn’t noticed.

“Crack, Crack.” the skeleton took two solid hits to the hips and staggered. ‘Boom, click, Boom, click, Boom’ the ‘sawed-off” shotgun roared, unbelievably loud as I was standing so close. Repeated rounds missed me and knocked my opponent sideways. “Mine! Ceasefire!” I screamed as I jumped in and pounded the things neck with my staff and finishing it off.

I grabbed the sword, silver and another helmet. The armor was too wrecked to be equipped.

“Are there any more?” I called down to the two just climbing out of the tree. My guys were all reloading their rifles ... all at the same time. Not a scrap of sense between the three of ‘em.

“No sir, but we killed a few others back on our trail!” called back the older of the two as he hit the ground. He held his rifle like he was used to it, like a soldier. And wore a beard with a few tinges of white on it. His camo coveralls looked well used but clean and in good shape.

“You in the service?” I asked.

He paused. “It’s been a while.” he stated cautiously.

“These fellas were all reloading their rifles at the same time, one of ‘em looked in the end of a loaded shotgun.” I said with my thumb over my shoulder. “Think you can keep them from harming each other?” I asked.

He glanced past me. “ ... possible. But I guarantee nothing.”

“Leslie.” I held out my hand.

He shook it. “John.”

That’s how I met my second husband, although I didn’t know it at the time. Sweaty and tired after beating a damaged skeleton to ‘death’ with my staff, wearing dirty armor and trying to hunt down magic beasts from a magic portal.

Who would have guessed?

“Ok John, my plan is to chase down the remaining 4 skeletons and kill anything else that had come through those portals. Those three have bolt action deer rifles in .300 Winchester, and the one idiot that just saved my ass has a pump shotgun he picked up that had been ‘trimmed’ a bit by a broad sword.”

“Ok Leslie, I’ll take them from there.” John sighed

I stepped away and tried Jimmy’s phone again, and again I got nothing. I called Tarl and DeMarcus with the same effect. Each time I left a note telling them where I was and what I was doing. I didn’t expect it to help, but I was out of good ideas, and she’d already chased the only lead we had to its end.

I called my house. “ ... hi?” a small voice picked up. “Morning baby, how are you?” I asked, trying to keep my voice calm and bored, despite the situation.

“ ... fine...” Ashley said. Something was wrong.

“Is Gramma there? It’s nice to talk to you, but I need to speak with your Gramma.” I said.

“ ... no ... nobodies here...”

My heart sank. Seneca had been at home asleep, I’d called May over and she’s only a 5 min drive away ... what could have gone wrong? My mind flashed to those armadillo things ... they come in groups of ten right? I’d just found the one.

Ugly scenes raced through my mind.

“Ashley baby, is there a note that Grandma might have left? On the table maybe?”

There was silence for a few seconds ... I could hear the TV in the background.

“I can’t see anything.” She said. At five years old, she wasn’t the best at finding, or even looking for something, often being distracted along the way by a toy, flower, or something shiny. With the TV on in the background her powers of observation would have gone from just bad to downright awful. I tried another tack. “Sweetie, can you tell me what cars are in the driveway please?” There was a pause.

“I don’t see any cars mommy, but there’s something lying there in the front yard. The television says that monsters came again ... Are they gonna hurt us?” Ashley asked with all the sincerity a five-year-old can muster.

“I’m trying to stop that from happening sweetie.” I said, my own throat tightening. Seneca and May were out in the wind somewhere, maybe somewhere where the monsters could reach them. Why the hell had I ever left them?

“Sweetheart, I’ll be home soon so stay in the house. I’ll call even sooner but now I have to call your grandpa, ok?” I said in my gentlest of tones. The poor five-year-old was home alone for the first time, and her TV was showing her god-knows-what about the portals. We chatted a bit more and then I let her go.

I called Brian to no answer. I tried May again and got no answer, but the phone didn’t even ring, just went straight to a generic voice-mail where a pleasant-sounding British girl told me how sorry she was that I had to leave a message.

Gritting my teeth, I called Dave.

“Leslie! Where are you?” He blurted out as soon as the phone was connected.

“I worked my way North, towards where our team had reserved the portals. I’ve been battling my way here and then hunting down and fighting off a group of Skeletons that escaped a Blue portal near a Pink one that my team was guarding. Jimmy was standing Watch but one person can’t defeat ten skeleton warriors by themselves. None of us are Heroes...” I was immediately on the defense, Dave had this effect on me and always had.

“Mom, Dad, and Seneca are OK ... I guess that’s why you’re calling me? He was awake when she arrived at the house, and after hearing how bad it’d gotten she decided to turn back and get Dad. On the way back to your house they hit a...” he paused,...”she said it was a giant armadillo or something and their car was wrecked. They were shaken up pretty bad but picked up by a passing bus and were on the way to a shelter of some sort when I lost their signal.” He sounded tense. “Why’d you leave the area?” He asked in an accusatory voice. I immediately got defensive

“Jimmy was alone against a group that will ‘literally’ kill him! On the way I managed to kill a bunch of other passing monsters and helped out in my own way ... I helped out where many couldn’t ... including you!” I all but yelled into the phone.

“ ... you also left two elderly people and two children to fend for themselves.” he said quietly.

It all came crashing down on me then ... I’d done exactly that, and for what? Was I a glory hound? No, I’d done this anonymously and never filmed it for personal gain. Had I done it for money? No, I’d been giving the silver away and only collected the drops because nobody else could. I’d not even contemplated looting the skeleton I’d sniped from the overpass ... The only thing I could think was my team, I’d come out here to help them. Now here I was hours from home with a child and in-laws who were possibly hurt, and I had no way to get to them to help.

How was it that this ragtag Beer League team and their safety had overridden my desire to protect my children?

“Les ... Les are you still there?” Dave’s voice pierced the fog of my inner turmoil.

“I’m here.” I said quietly.

“Look, I’m already on my way out to the house, you can imagine that traffic is insane, and the rules of the road seem to be only mild suggestions. I just watched a 16-wheeler cross four lanes to try and run down what looked like an Orc that was bashing away at the side of a minivan with a couple of machetes. He pasted the thing pretty good, and also rocked the van too. The truck just kept on driving ... it’s crazy out here but I’ll be at the house before you could anyways and I’ll protect Ashley.” He said in basically one long breath.

Besides his sporty Cadillac, Dave owned an older Jeep. It was not one that was made recently to be like a luxury car, but an old one that was actually rugged and tough. I knew he had firearms as well, having put up with him taking off for a few afternoons with work buddies to shoot skeet from time to time. The locker was still in the house and I’d never asked him if he’d removed the guns.

“You armed?” I asked, hoping he was.

“I will be when I get there. Did you change the locks and the alarm passcode?” He sounded agitated and I could hear car horns in the background.

“No, I didn’t get around to it...” I replied. Letting my inner voice out accidentally. Dave decided to take it as a joke.

“Ash’ would’ve let me in anyways, I was always her favorite.” he needled me gently. It was true though. She was daddy’s little girl through and through. (She also had him wrapped securely around her finger; he’d learn that later).

“I’ve seen two-legged predators recently too, so have an eye for them also.” I warned. It may have been redundant since he saw a lot as a Lawyer. Sure, he was just in real estate, but cops, lawyers, and paramedics all get to see their share of seedy characters, the kind who would try to take advantage of the calamity.

“I got it, don’t worry ... Holy Shit!” His voice had risen in volume, nearly being heard over the roar in the background. “Six guys on bikes just rode through traffic, every one of them had some sort of firearm on their back!”

I don’t know if he sounded concerned or impressed at their blatant display in a country where just carrying any loaded firearm around town was certain to land you in jail.

“Gotta go, I’ll send you a note when I’m there and dug in.” He said quickly. It sounded ominous.

Putting my phone away, I looked around. John was speaking to the three hunters who’d joined me. His man had a rifle and was looking out at the woods around us. I was chagrined knowing that I’d forgotten to set any sort of lookout before making my calls and had in fact been so engrossed in them that an enemy could be upon me before I knew it. I was sure glad he’d thought to arrange it. I walked back to the group. John had a stick and was drawing in the dirt, looked like explanations of the idea of ‘line of fire’. He looked up at me and stepped away from the group.

“You Ok?” He asked. His voice gentler than I had expected it could be. It’d changed from what he’d been using with the men.

“Yeah, just sorting out the home front. I’m not sure why I left my kids there and came way out here to fight off the bad guys. My ex thinks I should have hunkered down there and protected the kids.”

“You couldn’t have known that.” he said. “You’re a fighter, and fighters know that you can’t just hold a purely defensive position, sooner or later you have to take the fight to the other guy.” He smiled, and for a moment I felt the weight and also the relief of his words.

The conflict was still there, The Warrior vs. The Mother. In the end I knew I’d have to choose fully and that my attempt to walk that fine line with a toe in both waters would be doomed to failure.