All Is Silence - Deserted Lands #1

Chapter 34 - Part III

Rachael knelt, Saj wide-eyed on her hip, and placed her hand next to Zach's. Zach moved it into place. "Press this hard." When Rachael was in place, Zach sidled over by the kid Travis had shot. He checked to see if there was any pulse. Nothing. There was a round hole in the middle of his chest. Zach felt like puking, but pulled away after closing the boy's eyelids. He picked the kid's rifle up again and turned his attention to the enemy.

Blackhawk, BeeGee, Jess and Duke had the Independents and the turncoat Collectors in a tight circle.

"The Collectors should have some handcuffs." Zach shoved the pistol in his jacket pocket and strode to the van. He pulled it open and found two pairs of handcuffs. He took them and put them on Travis, making sure they were tight enough to hurt. Then he handcuffed Jim through Travis' arms.

Blackhawk pulled a long knife from a sheath on his leg.

Oh, shit. Zach waited as Blackhawk approached the other prisoners. He pulled the man's shirt out as his knife moved in, cutting their shirts open and tearing them down to limit their mobility.

Zach was wet, but unwounded. He had dived behind the van, hauling Nev, Rachael and Saj with him. He knelt by Lizzie. Nev had tears on her cheeks.

"Lizzie's pulse is strong," Nev said through tight lips. "She's not losing a lot of blood."

Zach nodded, his eyes searching both Lizzie and her dad for any other wounds. Saj sobbed and wiggled. Zach replaced Rachael's hand with his on Mannie's chest. She stood and cooed at Saj, trying to keep him calm.

Mannie's shirt was soaked with blood. His breath sounded ragged, but steady. Zach released the pressure; blood did not flow. Zach didn't know if that was good or bad.

Jess knelt beside him, sobbing softly. "Are they going to be okay?"

"I don't know. Way past my level of nursing." Giving Gramps shots was all the experience he had. "We need to get them to a hospital."

A howl pulled his attention from the wounded. Where the hell had Charley gone? "Jess, keep an eye on Mannie. I'm going to get the RAV and check on Charley."

Zach jogged down the slope. Charley was hugging Spike, his head on his chest. Zach knelt, pulling Charley gently away from Spike's ravaged body. There was blood everywhere.

Zach shook his head, "Charley, I don't think... We can't..."

"No, you gotta save him." Charley's tears tore at Zach.

Spike's body shook as his eyes opened, searching. A whimper escaped his lips. Those eyes, so simple, so full of pain. Blood flowed from dozens of rips in his clothes and his flesh.

"Hey, dog man." Zach coughed, "You saved Lizzie. Good job." Zach ran his fingers through Spike's thick hair.

Charley sobbed, a howl in the emptiness.

Spike's hands raised up to Charley's face and made a sign Good Job and then dropped; his eyes slipped closed.

"Spike," Charley howled. "Don't go. Don't go away. Don't leave me." He laid his face on Spike's chest, ignoring the blood and wounds. His small arms reached around Spike, trying to hold him.

Zach's throat tightened. Of all the deaths he'd seen, Gramps' was the hardest to bear. Zach had cried then, but not since. Not even for his dad. But his cheeks were wet with tears for Spike and Charley. Spike was like a big kid. Zach wrapped his arms around Charley and pulled him up, holding him as much for himself as for Charley.

Charley let himself be held for a moment then squirmed out of Zach's grasp, pushing him away. He knelt again at Spike's side. His hand reached out tentatively to touch Spike's grizzled face.

Zach knelt down next to him.

Charley's face contorted, tears running down. His body shook, his breath came in short gasps. "We need to bury him."

"We need to leave." Zach glanced around. "Lizzie and her dad need a hospital.

"We need to bury him." Charley's eyes demanded.

Zach sighed. Arguing with a 12-year-old. He couldn't find the words to explain to this boy that taking the time to say goodbye to his beloved friend with a burial might mean that his other friends would die. So he simply said, "Rest in Peace, Spike. You were a good friend."

Zach hustled to the RAV. Charley stayed behind, weakly pushing snow over the still form of his friend.

One chapter to go. Please leave a review on Amazon and GoodReads and come to www.desertedlands.com and sign up for my newsletter.