Apocalypse Trails: Episode 1 by Nobody Joe

Author:Nobody, Joe [Nobody, Joe]
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
Publisher: Kemah Bay Marketing, LLC
Published: 2016-10-17T16:00:00+00:00

The captain had ordered rest, and Jack tried his best to follow those instructions.

Visions of the firefight continued to fill his head, making REM sleep nearly impossible. Finally, after hours of rolling side to side in his narrow berth, his mind slowed to the point where he began to dream.

He was a bear, mighty and strong – the apex predator. He feared nothing.

Making for the entrance of his cave, hunger filled his core. His head was clearing from the winter’s hibernation. He would find food, devour it, and satisfy the gnawing in his belly.

The light looked odd at the rock-lined opening to his cold-weather home, more resembling the darkness of winter than the crisp sky of spring. The world outside his dwelling smelled unusual as well. There was none of the freshness of a new cycle, a great void of green and new growth.

He emerged into a landscape of grey and black. Where was the budding foliage? Where was the always-welcome aroma of nature and its bounty?

Still fearless, he ambled, the muscles of his girth reassuring, the power in his legs and massive paws having never failed. Nothing in the forest could challenge him. There was no cause for concern.

There, ahead, odd shapes were rising from the grey background. They stood on two legs and were without fur except for the tops of their skulls. Long feathers, like those of the great flyers, were sticking out of the creatures’ heads. They smelled of fire and smoke. Men.

Bear-Jack still wasn’t concerned. Men were frail things. They weren’t fast or strong; their bites carried no poison. He spotted at least 20 of the feeble forms, but that triggered no anxiety. A hundred of the scrawny animals couldn’t harm him.

They stood in a ring, hard eyes staring at him. Did they want his cave? Did they want his food? They seemed aggressive, and it made the bear angry. Why would such slight creatures challenge the king of the forest? He growled a warning.

The men didn’t turn and run, and for a fleeting moment, it bothered the bear. No matter, he resolved. I will growl and frighten them away. I am hungry, and they are becoming a nuisance.

The Jack-bear reared on his hind legs and filled his lungs with rage. He let it go, directing his fury at the weaker animals surrounding him. He swiped with his razor claws, “Get away. Leave, or I will splinter your thin bones.”

But still the men didn’t retreat. Instead, they advanced closer, targeting Jack from all sides. He could detect the details of their painted skin now. He could spot the hatred in their eyes.

The first arrow pierced Jack’s shoulder from behind, the pain shooting through his brain like a bolt of fire. “How dare you!” he screamed. “I will crush you!”

Jack pivoted, intent on cutting the puny human in half with one swing of his paw. The men backed away from the menacing gesture. “Now you understand that I rule the forest!” the dream bear screamed.

They didn’t scatter and run, only moving away enough to avoid his reach.

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