Moriah by Monchinski Tony

Author:Monchinski, Tony [Monchinski, Tony]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: apocalyptic, teotwawki, prepper, permuted press, postapocalyptic, shtf, apocalypse
Publisher: Permuted Press
Published: 2013-06-13T06:00:00+00:00

* * *

As though the cosmos sought to make amends for the scenes from the prior day, Riley woke with the dawn to find herself face to face with a sight of exquisite beauty. An equine eye blinked at her, its owner a mere meter from her sleeping body. Despite herself, she drew her breath in shortly and sat up, her sudden action startling the feral horse. Whickering—Riley got a good glimpse of its sorrel coat, the fine hairs on its fetlocks whipping through the air—it joined its band, five of them galloping away across the grasslands.

The horses’ abrupt departure woke Kevin and Bruce.

“What was that?” Kevin sat up with the barrel of his AK-47, searching for a target.

“Wild horses.” Dee had been on watch. “They wandered over in the night. Curious about us.”

“Look at them go…” Bruce had stood and watched the receding horses grow smaller on the horizon. He reached up and touched at his wound.

“How’s your shoulder?” asked Riley.

“Okay.”

They left their slumber behind for the day, rising and busying themselves. Dee had spent the night with his boot off to let the air get to the wound and Riley helped him clean and re-bandage his foot. Kevin dug around in his pack until he found a roll of toilet paper and walked off, away from the others, the bathroom tissue in one hand, his AK in the other.

“I’m going to go and see if I can find us something to eat for breakfast.” Bruce slung the sniper rifle over his shoulder.

“Don’t shoot a horse.”

“Lot of good meat on a horse, Dee. But don’t worry, I’ll bring you back a raccoon or something.”

Dee noticed the way Riley looked pained when Bruce mentioned a raccoon. He waited until the others were out of earshot before asking her if she was okay.

“What? Yeah.”

“You looked kind of…far away there.”

“I was. Come on, help me put on your boot.”

“I got it. You were thinking about your brother.”

She nodded.

It had only been a few days since he’d found Riley, but between that first day at the river and this morning it felt like an eternity had passed. Dee didn’t know why and couldn’t explain it, but he felt like he had known her for a much longer time.

“He was a good guy, wasn’t he?”

“Yes.”

Dee winced as they pulled his boot back up over his foot. “What’d you say he did?”

“He was a teacher.”

“He liked it?”

“He loved it.”

“I’m sorry you had to, had to watch him…”

“He died in my arms. I was holding him.”

“I’m sorry, Riley.”

“Me too.”

He gritted his teeth and hissed as Riley pulled his bootlaces tight.

“Do you know what he said to me?” She remembered clearly. “He kept thanking me.”

“Thanking you?”

“For going with him.” Riley was standing and Dee looked up at her, the woman’s curly, brownish hair against the bluing sky. “For coming with him, out here.” Her pretty, honest face. “He thought—I guess we thought—we’d find Bear, maybe Bear would have some answers for him.” The blue of her eyes would do any sky an injustice.

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