“They’re flanking us,” Fred growled and cut Aisha into a hard turn. The Arabian slipped on some ice but managed to regain her balance.
Her brief stumble caused Leeroy to skid to a stop. It gave four zeds enough time for them to lunge at the big horse and Nikki. Before Nikki could get her suppressed pistol out, four loud shots rang out. Three of the zeds dropped instantly.
The fourth zed’s head snapped to the side. He was a big one, well over six feet and he had a big watermelon head. Even so, Fred’s aim was a little off. The bullet had scraped the side of the zed’s head, and although it was wounded and addled, he had managed to grab Nikki’s shin and with a loud growl, bit down.
Fortunately for Nikki, her jeans and cowboy boots protected her from the bite. She now had her pistol out and put two bullets in its forehead at almost point-blank range.
When the zed dropped, she looked over at Fred in concern. His expression, what was a good word? Worried. Nikki saw something few people had ever seen. Fred was worried. He saw her staring, made a head motion, and increased Aisha’s speed to a canter.
Leeroy needed no encouragement. Zeds scared him and Aisha was leaving him. Nikki was certain they were going in the wrong direction. She said as much to Fred.
“They’re trying to draw us out and trap us,” he said. “We may have to ride several miles before we’re free of them. Let’s keep the horses at a canter for now, then we’ll give them a rest.”
Nikki nodded. She knew a horse could travel for miles at a slow trot before needing rest, but the speed they were travelling now, maybe around fifteen miles per hour, lessoned that range. An Arabian arguably had the greatest endurance of any horse. Leeroy, although bigger and stronger, would die if he tried to keep up with her all day. She instinctively reached down and stroked his neck.
They ran the horses for a couple of miles before Fred gave the signal and they stopped near an intersection which gave them a good field of vision for several blocks. The big gelding was breathing heavily, and he snorted a couple of times to let Nikki know he was not happy.
“He’s a little noisy,” Fred said. “Can’t be helped, I suppose.”
“They’re going to need water soon,” Nikki said. “I guess you know that already though.”
Fred responded by holding a finger to his lips and then pointing at his ear, indicating he wanted her to be quiet and listen. Nikki noticed once he lowered his hand, he flexed it a couple of times. They let the horses recover as they sat atop their horses in silence, listening keenly for any out of the ordinary noises. The fifteens may be a little smarter, but they were not yet aware of the value of silence. Fred glanced over at Nikki.
“I suppose your hearing is better than mine, so tell me what you think,” he said.
Nikki took her hat off and turned her head this way and that. After a minute, she put her hat back on. “I’m not hearing them,” she said. She gestured with her nose. “I’m not smelling them anymore either.”
Fred’s expression was dark. “I hate to say it, but I believe those rascals know where our little hideout is.”
“What are we going to do?” Nikki asked.
Fred glanced up at the sky. Nikki did as well.
“It’s going to be dark soon, an hour or so,” he whispered.
Nikki looked up at the sky again. It was a dull gray. The sun was hidden by thick cloud cover, which made her wonder how he knew the time of day. She decided there was no way and called him on it.
“How do you know what time it is?” she asked.
He responded by pulling up his jacket sleeve showing her the watch on his left wrist. “It’s a Timex windup. Had it for about fifteen years now and it’s still ticking.”
Nikki chuckled slightly. “If you say so. Should we head back?”
“Nope. I think those zeds are waiting on us. We need to find somewhere to hide for the night.”
He pointed toward some buildings a few blocks away and nudged Aisha. Nikki clicked her tongue, but Leeroy was already moving. Fred headed toward an area where there were several businesses and stopped at a building that used to offer in-and-out automotive oil changes. He dismounted, found the bay door was partially open, and went inside. After a moment he came back out.
“It’s still in decent shape, small enough to defend. There shouldn’t be any rodents and we can keep the horses in there,” he explained.
“Sure,” Nikki said in agreement.
Fred worked the door up while Nikki walked the horses to the side of the business where there appeared to be pristine snow on the ground. She knew they would have preferred fresh water, but this would have to do as she did not see any creek nearby.
After a few minutes of them pawing at the snow and eating some morsels of grass, she walked them inside the business. Fred, who had been walking around, followed her in and pulled the bay door down behind him. It was a little noisy but couldn’t be helped. They each took out their bed roll and ate a snack of biscuits that had become hard from the cold.
“I’ll be glad for a good meal,” Nikki remarked. “I guess trying to kill a squirrel or rabbit is out of the question.”
“We can’t risk a fire,” Fred said. “I can’t explain it, but I think they’re actively looking for us.”
“They’d kill for a good meal too, is that what you’re saying?” Nikki asked with a slight grin.
“Yeah, something like that. This is one of those times where one of us has
