Deputy Southern was leading and as she stepped into the shade of the overhang Kristofer felt a sense of danger. Although perhaps it was cliché, he felt that it was too quiet here. Glancing to the truck some thirty yards back he saw the aftermath of his tussle. The bodies littering the ground around it seemed foreboding. "Watch my back," Allie said and she ducked inside. Kristofer hobbled in after we and the two were greeted with the sickly fluorescent lights of the grocery store. Predictably there was no one in sight and it looked surreal to see the fresh fruits and vegetables lined up for display as if this was any normal day. The sudden sound of the water spritzing over the vegetables made Allie jump but she regained her composure with ease. "We need supplies," Allie said, pointing to the far side of the store. "Lucky for us this store is kind of a catch-all. There's a small pharmacy over there, we should get our wounds dressed as best we can and then decide where to go next." Kristofer watched her thin frame as she walked ahead of him. The wound on the back of her head was bleeding still, bubbling fresh blood as it leaked out through her wavy black hair, glistening. Kristofer knew that he wasn't in good shape either with his leg like this, and he was leaving a trail of blood behind him as he walked, the cuts and bruises oozing liberally as the skin was torn open further by his movements. Allie collapsed suddenly and Kristofer dropped the gun as he automatically jumped forward to catch her. The gun bounces over the tile, sounding unnaturally loud in the stillness as he managed to grab the woman before she hit the ground. She looked up at him with a fierce glare, her green eyes severe. "I-I'm fine!" She said and she pushed his hands off as she got up, seeming angry. Kristofer heard a noise behind him and turned to look for the gun he had dropped. From the aisles that they had passed on their way to the pharmacy he heard a clump against the floor and low growling noises that filled him with dread. Allie had frozen as well, looking towards the sound.
Kristofer reached out and grabbed the butt of the rifle, slowly dragging it towards him. Allie got to her feet unsteadily and helped Kristofer up. The noises had stopped and cautiously the two straightened. Kristofer tried to remember how many cars had been in the parking lot. There couldn't have been more than five and people rarely went to the grocery store with a full car. His eyes met Allie's again and they seemed to be debating whether they should risk an assault. Kristofer leaned against a rack of stacked soda cans and lifted the rifle, aiming at the aisle the noise came from. The hazard needed to be neutralized before they could leave themselves open to attack while they were dressing their wounds. The moments passed in tense silence. "Mew..." came a weak cry and Kristofer lowered the gun. A small grey and white striped cat emerged from the aisle and looked towards them. Allie burst out in relieved laughter and the startled stray ran off quickly. "A cat?" Kristofer asked in disbelief. "Must have wandered in through the open door," Allie said. "There aren't a lot of strays in Holly Glen but they would definitely be attracted to an area with food like this." Kristofer latched the safety and leaned on the gun again. "Let's go then before a real threat shows up." The two made their way towards the pharmacy and Allie sat in relief on one of the cushions in the tiny waiting area. Her head was pounding and she felt woozy from the blood loss. She watched as Kristofer pawed clumsily through the bandages and pulled out things that they'd need. He came to her side and despite her weak protests, he cleaned and dressed her wound. She was secretly thankful as she knew she wouldn't be able to do it herself. Kristofer began bandaging his leg and inspecting it for broken bones as Allie pocketed some painkillers. There was a sense of urgency in the air as the two hurriedly patched themselves up and gulped down pills. Allie felt a disorienting floating sensation from the medication but the pain was slowly subsiding. She wasn't sure which state she preferred. "We've been lucky so far," Kristofer was saying, "But we can't stay here. It's too large and there are too many exits to cover. What's around this area?" Allie thought for a moment. "This plaza isn't very big. There isn't anywhere we could get weapons, but there's a travel agency to the left and a pizza store and bank close by." Kristofer sighed and sat down at last, feeling relief at the pressure being off his leg. "We'll get supplies here but then we need to find weapons and a place for me to contact my superiors." Allie looked at him quizzically but agreed.
haha don't get too excited, this is all I can manage today. HSotD chapters are too large for me to comfortably update as I write it on my computer and often get stranded when it comes time to transfer it to the iPhone without Internet. Royal Treatment is easier as it's short and I can write it on my iPhone and upload over 4G. This is why HSotD can't get updated until I get Internet and at the moment I'm in the boonies without connection. It takes a long time to copy it and my fingers get sore typing Be patient with me.
James stumbled as he traversed the uneven terrain of the dirt road. His wrists were rough from the handcuffs and his side was hurting horribly. He could hear the sounds of movement in the thick forests that lined the road but he couldn’t even spare a thought to them. If he did he would be overcome by the type of thoughts that could consume him. His lips were parched as ragged breaths escaped them. This wasn’t good. Exhaustion was setting in, and he wasn’t a youth anymore. He didn’t know if he could make it much further. He heard the noises of a car approaching and quickly stumbled off the road, slinking down into the thick underbrush. He heard the car slow to a stop and voices arguing rather heatedly. “I haven’t seen you in forever and you bring this crap to me,” said one voice. “I shouldn’t even have helped ya, but I ain’t got a choice now. I’m in the thick of it.” James heard an irritated sound from the other man. “Calm down already. Turn off the car and let’s walk; it’s not far from here.” That voice sounded familiar. James peered out from behind the tree, his legs cramping in this awkward position. He could see a tall, well-built man with shaggy brown hair but the other man was out of view. They were pulling things from the car. James caught the glint of a metal barrel and realized that they had guns. Pressing himself up against the tree his eyes drifted upwards. He was outnumbered, wounded, and outgunned. It wasn’t a good situation. James held his breath as he looked around the tree again. The two men had moved away from the car and were walking towards him. He crouched and began crawling around the tree, keeping himself out of sight of the men as they came near. It was only a matter of time before they saw him, so he needed to act while he still had the element of surprise. Counting their steps as they approached he heard them chatting in a rather forceful manner, their tones tense and not on friendly terms. He swung himself around suddenly as they passed, moving his handcuffed arms over the man nearest him and pulling back so the man was in a choke hold. “Hey!” shouted the man in surprise, beginning to thrash about. James waved the Sig in his hands, pulling back harder until the man gagged. “Stop struggling,” he snarled. “You, drop your gun!” He yelled the command at the tall brown-haired man, who was looking at him calmly. “Really, you ain’t worth it Mackie,” he grumbled but reluctantly threw the shotgun down. “Mackie?” James said slowly, his lips forming the unusual name. Looking at the shorter man he had in a choke hold, his eyes widened in recognition. Mackie had dropped his gun out of surprise and had moved his hands up to try and pry James’ arm off his neck, but now he stood docile, aware of the gun in the Sheriff’s hands. “Of all the rotten luck,” Mackie hissed. James agreed, but said nothing. “Get on the ground,” he said throwing Mackie down rather forcefully. He kept the gun on Mackie and made eye contact with the other man. “You must be the sheriff,” said the man in a drawl. “Get on the ground,” James repeated, his hands shaking from the adrenaline. Looking at him he could see that this man was in good shape and as big if not bigger than he was. It would be difficult to take him down if he knew James was wounded. “Don’t listen to hi—” Mackie began to say but he grunted and became quiet when James kicked him rather violently. “You shut up,” he spat viciously at the man on the ground. “And you, get down on the ground.” He motioned the Sig towards the ground and then trained it back on the man. The man was eyeing him rather suspiciously but at last got on his knees and positioned himself on the ground with his hands obediently behind his head. “Always getting me into your messes,” he said rather jovially for his position. It sounded as if he was amused. James went to the shotgun and pushed it away with his foot, keeping the Sig trained on Mackie. Mackie was swearing as he remained face down, but it was under his breath. James went to his gun and kicked it away as well. “You know Sheriff,” the brown-haired man said slowly, “You really did us a favor. Saved us the trouble of comin’ looking for ya.” James looked over in surprise. “What do you mean?” “Look, I ain’t got any more guns and I’m eatin’ dirt down here so won’t you let me sit up so I can talk to you properly?” James considered his options. He kneeled over the man and patted down his jacket and pants legs before finally standing again, with some difficulty since his hands were still handcuffed. “Fine, get up. Why were you looking for me?” “Well first off,” the man said stretching dramatically as he sat up. “The name is Danny.” He grinned with a charming smile that James was immediately wary of. He knew the type, and he wasn’t fooled. “Mackie and I here just wanted to talk to ya.” Mackie looked intensely irritated from where he lay face down. “Are you going to let me up too?” James ignored Mackie, who began swearing again. “Why do you need to talk to me?” he asked, directing the question at Danny. “Well how ‘bout you explain those pretty bracelets you’re wearing. Those aren’t regular handcuffs are they?” “That’s none of your business. You’re wasting my time.” Danny seemed to be mulling over his options. “I don’t think you wanna leave quite yet. Dont’cha wanna hear about your ex-wife?” James’ eyes narrowed. He walked to Danny and pushed the Sig into the man’s forehead. Danny looked up at him with calm blue eyes, completely nonplussed by the tense cirumstance. Mackie had turned his head to look at the situation that was unfolding, but didn’t dare move. “If you touched one hair on Raven’s head, I will kill you,” James said.
Due to lack of public interest in HSotD, this will no longer be uploaded here. You may contact me if interested in reading updates, that will be published on an external website. Thank you for over a year of support PimD