The Uncorrupted by J.D. Matheny

Author:J.D. Matheny [Matheny, J.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-09-16T22:00:00+00:00

25

Dean

“C’mon Evie, keep up!”

He lumbered down the road at a trot, Thor’s head bouncing around on his shoulder. The muscles of his neck and back burned with the effort of keeping the big dog secure. Such a massive weight was difficult to handle but there was no way he was leaving the fur ball behind. Besides, Evie would never stand for it, and he wasn’t about to push her now.

She was falling further behind, a good twenty yards back now. There was no sign of the Urbat on their trail but he wasn’t going to make assumptions. Any second now they could come swarming up on them like locusts. “Let’s go, Evie. Push harder.”

His own breath was growing more labored as he ran. Thor’s body was dense and heavily muscled. Slowing down next to a small pickup, he tried the handle, locked. Inside he saw no keys so picked up his pace again to the next one. C’mon, let’s go! Gotta be dozens of working vehicles in all this mess! Most of those he’d come across didn’t have owners or keys inside. The two that did hardly appeared street legal and even wouldn’t.

Parked up ahead was a full-sized Ford and he prayed would work. If not, he might have to dump the dog in the back and risk taking a rest, but the handle was open, the keys were in the ignition, and an old man with a grey mustache and a disheveled combover was slumped down across the front seat. When he cranked the ignition, it fired up without hesitation.

“Oh, thank you, thank you,” he muttered while laying Thor in the back seat and placing his pack beside him.

Next, he pulled the old man out and slung him over his aching shoulder. The body was cool to the touch, no surprise given the chilliness of the night air, but he was always surprised by the limber joints and lack of corruption from those long dead. Had the body been in bad shape he might have dumped it off to the side, but under the circumstances he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He chose to place the man in the shade of a doorway.

Behind him, Evie was sitting in the middle of the road, not much further than the last time he saw her. “Evie,” he shouted.

Her drooping head rose a couple inches. “Just a quick rest, please.”

“Damnit!” He jogged toward her, scanning the dark ahead, but saw nothing. This gave him little relief. I won’t see them in this dark. One moment there will be quiet, then there will be violence.

Evie’s form grew larger and he sped toward her. She was slumping just a little now to her side and her chin had dropped down again to rest against her chest. The stone handbag was still clutched in her right hand. Feeling more than a little apprehensive, he took it in hand and marveled at how hard and lifeless it was when moments before it had been alive with energy and light.

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