Republic of the Living (Novella): Vengeance by Gallaher Taz

Author:Gallaher, Taz [Gallaher, Taz]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Zombies
Published: 2015-04-18T04:00:00+00:00

6. Friday Noon

They trotted through the golf course. Hanrahan swept his eyes from side to side along the narrow path. It was clear that somebody had once laid claim to this place. Within the dense thickets of brush and grass, he could discern the ghostly outlines of fields and, every once in a while, mounds of sticks and rubble where there had once been huts.

Deep into the walled grounds, they came across the first of its previous inhabitants. Yellow bones protruded from a matted pile of rags; the body was curled onto its side. A few yards ahead, a neighbor lay next to the path. This one was stretched out on its stomach. A foot away from the body, a smooth, white skull tilted its jaws up at them as they rode past.

Pearly and Ace moved quietly ahead of him. The other man hadn’t uttered a word since they’d passed through the gates. He kept his rifle balanced across his saddle with one hand while he guided the horse with the other. Hanrahan brushed a bug off his cheek and patted Bama.

“Whoaaaa,” Pearly muttered softly to his horse. “Hold on there.”

Hanrahan drew up behind him.

“What’s up?”

Pearly pushed Ace into the brush at the side of the path and pointed forward with his left hand. He raised himself in the saddle and whistled under his breath.

A dozen yards off the path, two large poles had been planted into a hillock of bare dirt. On each was a naked skeleton. Arms and legs had been lashed tight to the pole. Their heads hung down over their chests. They’d been up there a long time.

“Whaddya think, boss?” Pearly asked.

Hanrahan scanned the green jungle surrounding the hill. Everything was quiet and still. He peered behind him and turned to Pearly.

“Whatever it was.” He pushed Bama past Ace. “Happened quite some time ago.”

Pearly hawked something from his throat into the bushes. “Fucking savages.” He tapped his reins and followed Hanrahan.

By mid-morning, they could glimpse the top of the stone wall that surrounded the golf course. The path split, one branch bending away into the underbrush to their right. The other path pointed toward the wall. Hanrahan urged Bama forward. The iron-barred gate in the wall was still intact. He slid off the horse and worked a rusty latch on the side of the gate.

“Gimme your axe,” he said to Pearly.

The other man pulled the weapon from its loop and passed it to him. Hanrahan bashed the flat end of the axe head against the latch. A loud clang rang down the wall. He swung again and the ancient hardware dropped from the wall with a groan and a puff of dust. The hinges were stiff but finally gave way as he heaved the gate open.

A narrow road ran past the gate. On the other side, a thin opening in a low chain link fence led into the rest of the golf course. He climbed back onto Bama and led Pearly across the road and through the fence.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.