Chapter 42
Dawn had come, or what past for it these
days anyway. Cody watched the cold black orb rise from the east and hung
his saddlebags over one shoulder. He still held the scatter gun in his
free hand as he headed towards the stage. He'd hoped to be able to talk
Moore or Eva into him letting ride one of the horses, or worse case,
ride double with one of them. He felt a flush of heat as he imagined
Eva's tight breeches rubbing against him on the horse and suppressed a
smile. He owed that bitch one and she was sure gonna pay for punching
him. Still his murder of their friend Rex last night had not endowed him
into their good graces and he was consigned to ride with that fat tub
of lard Bartley atop the stage. Having a horse would have made things
easier, but in the end, it wouldn't matter much.
Eva's
plan had him atop the stage to protect it. Ideally he could fire at any
of the undead that got to near the horses or the coach, protecting
Bartley and the old man, allowing them to focus on moving the old stage
with as much speed as possible. That fossil, Caleb, hadn't liked Eve's
intention of riding out in front of the stage with Moore, who'd gone
white as a ghost at the mention of it, Her plan was to ride in large
circles, drawing some of the monsters away, giving them a clearer path
to Desperation. ll him what to do. It wasn't a terrible plan and that gauled Cody almost as much as having to listen to a woman tell him what to do. He grimaced as he approached the coach. There were four horses drawing the stage, and Cody
marked the reins and truss in his mind as he passed by. He stashed his
knife loose into the top of his boot and threw his bags and the scatter
gun onto the roof of the stage before climbing up himself.
This
will still work he told himself. He took a small piece of rope he'd
stolen from the camp earlier and used that to tie the saddle bags around
his shoulders, making sure they were nice and tight and wouldn't fall
off. He made sure the flaps were securely shut as well, he didn't want
the bag falling off when he made his move. He'd worked too damn hard for
this money to fuck it all up now. He laid down on the stage and checked
the loads in his twin Colts and the breech of the scatter gun, wrapping
his feet through the edge of the railing for support.
Cody
watched as Eva saddled her horse, fighting the primal urges that he
still hadn't tended to since killing Rex last night. The tight
suppleness of her pants, the curve of her chaps over her thighs, the
quick glimpse of her cleavage from a button loosened top, all of that
set a boil in Cody's gut. He bit his lip and looked west, towards the
walls of Desperation and drew a deep breath. He was so close to the
route to Old Mexico now, so close, he couldn't screw it all away now for
a roll in the hay with some bitch. The rest of the crew mounted up as
Cody fought to regain the cold calm that usually came before a heist. He
needed to be on guard, he needed to be steady. He needed to be clear.
He gently rubbed the pearl hilt of his beloved Colt and felt that calm
click into place, a cold, remorseless detachment he'd first discovered
long ago. He was ready.
Eva called out the charge and
he felt the old stage lurch to life, Bartley spurring the horses on as
Eva and Thomas Moore vaulted out ahead. Moore looked less pale today,
he'd turned a sickly green shade instead and held that shiny gun so
tight his knuckles were the only thing that even remotely resembled his
pallor from the night before. The stage lurched down the switchback path
of the bluff face,winding towards the bottom. Eva and Moore didn't
really burst ahead until about the last quarter of the trail, Eva
hollering out first at a breakneck pace. She was the first to fire and
Cody looked impressed as she caught one of the monsters square in the
head.
The creatures surged after the riders,
drawing a large portion of the herd along with them. As Bartley drew the
stage off the incline and onto the trail, he whipped the horses into a
full on sprint towards Desperation. A few of the creatures got close and
Cody could see Bartley flinch as the scatter gun shredded the undead
creatures. He calmly reloaded and watched, waiting. It would only be a
few moments more moments now. a few more moments until Cody Jarrett
showed these people who they'd really been fucking with.
End of Line.
Gerrad
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