blood on me.
The leader motioned to me to put my hands back up.
“ Sorry,” I told him.
“ He don’t look right,” Charlie said from behind the leader.
“ Even if he’s human, which I’m not convinced.” Third said. “He don’t feel right.”
“ What’s your story?” the leader asked me.
Hugh was literally shaking with the desire to move into action, I was struggling to keep him reigned in and still act good enough to keep us from getting shot. Something was going to have to give soon.
“ Son, I asked you a question.” The leader pulled the hammer back on his lever action rifle.
It just came to me, I don’t know if I thought it or Hugh did, but it was going to buy me some precious seconds. “If you smell like them they won’t try to eat you.” That sounded plausible enough to me.
“ Fuck, I think I’d rather die,” second said, turning his head and holding his nose.
“ Looks like you may have taken it a bit too far,” the leader said. He wasn’t buying it.
“ The asshole is bigger than the jolly green giant,” fourth said.
“ Fred, I think you should just shoot him,” second said to the leader.
“ Shut up, Zak. I can’t just shoot him yet.”
“ Merle, check his pockets for some ID,” Fred said to fourth.
“ Not fucking likely, Fred,” Merle answered in no uncertain terms. “I read IT and this one is way scarier than the one I imagined in my head.”
“ I’ll check him after you shoot him, maybe,” Zak said and he wasn’t kidding.
“ Boy, you don’t look good,” Fred said.
“ I’m covered in blood, shit and body parts from my neighbor. How do you think you’d feel?” I told him.
“ Fair enough,” Fred answered. “Why the clown outfit?”
“ I wanted to blend in with the circus going on out there,” I told him.
Fred actually laughed at that. “I still don’t trust you much and if I weren’t a God-fearing man locked in a church I think I’d rather send you on your way. But that is not the Christian thing to do.
“ No way you’re letting that animal stay here,” Zak said.
“ He can take your place,” Fred said.
“ Can I put my arms down?” I asked.
Fred nodded.
“ Fred, what the hell are you doing? He’s not human!” Merle said.
“ Well he’s not a zombie, either. Have you heard any of them down there asking for help?” Fred shot back. “Listen, friend.”
“ Timothy.”
“ Timothy, you smell to high Heaven, no pun intended. There is a bathroom and a small shower which you might be able to just squeeze in. I think your look and your smell are keeping the rest of our merry band from seeing the person beneath. If you clean up some I think we might be able to move further in our goal toward trust. Charlie, Merle, why don’t you two escort him to where it is.” He said it in a way that left no room for debate. Charlie looked chagrined and Merle looked pissed.
I was to have an armed escort to the bathroom. Fine, two was better than four. I turned to head down the stairs once I hit the first landing and turned ninety degrees to go down I would be able to make out the huddled form of the fifth holdout right where I had tossed him. My two compadres were well behind me and my bulk would ensure that they would not spot him as we descended, but a moment of action was close. As long as it wasn’t Fred, that was good, he seemed like the type that could shoot the wings off a fly while galloping on horse back.
This was not going to be easy. Merle was first behind me but he was getting too close and dammit if I couldn’t almost feel the muzzle of the barrel pointed at my back. Could I take a hit in the back? I mean if he severed my spine would Hugh be able to do anything to get me upright again, especially in the few moments it would take for him to do anything.
I descended the stairs my brain working feverishly to come up with something that didn’t involve me lying in a pool of my own filth as opposed to wearing it. I got to the first
The leader motioned to me to put my hands back up.
“ Sorry,” I told him.
“ He don’t look right,” Charlie said from behind the leader.
“ Even if he’s human, which I’m not convinced.” Third said. “He don’t feel right.”
“ What’s your story?” the leader asked me.
Hugh was literally shaking with the desire to move into action, I was struggling to keep him reigned in and still act good enough to keep us from getting shot. Something was going to have to give soon.
“ Son, I asked you a question.” The leader pulled the hammer back on his lever action rifle.
It just came to me, I don’t know if I thought it or Hugh did, but it was going to buy me some precious seconds. “If you smell like them they won’t try to eat you.” That sounded plausible enough to me.
“ Fuck, I think I’d rather die,” second said, turning his head and holding his nose.
“ Looks like you may have taken it a bit too far,” the leader said. He wasn’t buying it.
“ The asshole is bigger than the jolly green giant,” fourth said.
“ Fred, I think you should just shoot him,” second said to the leader.
“ Shut up, Zak. I can’t just shoot him yet.”
“ Merle, check his pockets for some ID,” Fred said to fourth.
“ Not fucking likely, Fred,” Merle answered in no uncertain terms. “I read IT and this one is way scarier than the one I imagined in my head.”
“ I’ll check him after you shoot him, maybe,” Zak said and he wasn’t kidding.
“ Boy, you don’t look good,” Fred said.
“ I’m covered in blood, shit and body parts from my neighbor. How do you think you’d feel?” I told him.
“ Fair enough,” Fred answered. “Why the clown outfit?”
“ I wanted to blend in with the circus going on out there,” I told him.
Fred actually laughed at that. “I still don’t trust you much and if I weren’t a God-fearing man locked in a church I think I’d rather send you on your way. But that is not the Christian thing to do.
“ No way you’re letting that animal stay here,” Zak said.
“ He can take your place,” Fred said.
“ Can I put my arms down?” I asked.
Fred nodded.
“ Fred, what the hell are you doing? He’s not human!” Merle said.
“ Well he’s not a zombie, either. Have you heard any of them down there asking for help?” Fred shot back. “Listen, friend.”
“ Timothy.”
“ Timothy, you smell to high Heaven, no pun intended. There is a bathroom and a small shower which you might be able to just squeeze in. I think your look and your smell are keeping the rest of our merry band from seeing the person beneath. If you clean up some I think we might be able to move further in our goal toward trust. Charlie, Merle, why don’t you two escort him to where it is.” He said it in a way that left no room for debate. Charlie looked chagrined and Merle looked pissed.
I was to have an armed escort to the bathroom. Fine, two was better than four. I turned to head down the stairs once I hit the first landing and turned ninety degrees to go down I would be able to make out the huddled form of the fifth holdout right where I had tossed him. My two compadres were well behind me and my bulk would ensure that they would not spot him as we descended, but a moment of action was close. As long as it wasn’t Fred, that was good, he seemed like the type that could shoot the wings off a fly while galloping on horse back.
This was not going to be easy. Merle was first behind me but he was getting too close and dammit if I couldn’t almost feel the muzzle of the barrel pointed at my back. Could I take a hit in the back? I mean if he severed my spine would Hugh be able to do anything to get me upright again, especially in the few moments it would take for him to do anything.
I descended the stairs my brain working feverishly to come up with something that didn’t involve me lying in a pool of my own filth as opposed to wearing it. I got to the first
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