End of the Suburbs

Chpt 6:Cowboy

I wake up to the sound of metal clanging.
I sit straight up.
I almost slide off the roof.
I catch myself before I fall.
I look over to where I parked the dirt bike.
There's a person.
They're wearing a leather hat with a wide brim.
Its a cowboy hat.
He's hanging around the dirt bike.
I think he's trying to take it.
If that's the case then he's not infected.
I signal Casper to attack.
My signal alerts the thief.
He looks up at me.
His face is covered with a gas mask.
We pause for just a second.
He seems just as surprised to see me as I am to see him.
He reaches for a knife on his hip.
He pulls it out just as Casper dives out of the window and latches onto his wrist.
He lets out a scream that's muffled by the gas mask.
He and Casper struggle for a second
The man reached into his pants.
He has another knife.
I have to act before he hurts Casper.
I leapt from the roof and land directly on top of him.
He's knocked back unconscious.
I call Casper off.
He releases him.
He's carrying a rope, a whip, and a bunch of knives.
I drag him inside and tie him to one of the chairs with the rope.
He's still unconscious.
I find a gallon of water in his bag.
I could use it to fill up my pistols.
I'll need it in case I cross paths with any more infected.
If I take it that means he'll be without water.
There's about a day's walk from her to the river.
I decide not to take it. I gather my things and get ready to leave.
By now he's awake.
He
Is head turns watching me as I cross the floor.
"Mm mum mmm" he says.
The mask muffled his voice.
I set the gas tank down and walk over to him.
I take off his hat and slip his mask off.
He's younger than I thought.
I was expecting a guy in his 60s.
He looks to be about 40.
"You can rob me but you won't get far." he says.
He talks funny.
It's an accent. Southern.
I've never heard one in real life.
"I'm not the one robbing you." I respond.
He looks over and spots all of his things in the corner of the room.
"Oh you're a city boy. Which one are you from?" he asks.
"Oh, let me guess. I know it's not Vegas, you're too clean." he says.
He continues to mutter on as walk to pick up the gas tank and strap it to my back.
"You're not a Skulker. If you were I'd be dead. Can't be Bayou, your shoes are too dry."
I start to walk out.
"WAIT!" he yells.
I stop in my tracks.
"Ohio." he says. "The city surrounded by the moat."
I start walking.
I get onto the dirt bike and start it up.
"If you leave me like this I'll be dead by night."he says.
I pull out one of the small knives I keep in my sleeve.
I snap my wrist sending it like a dart landing in the chair directly between his legs.
I put my mask on and speed off.
Casper running along side me.
I make it a few blocks before I notice one of the houses.
It's familiar.
I stop the bike on the lawn and remove my mask.
I've definitely seen it before, specifically the door.
I have a feeling pulling me towards it.
It's a bad idea.
I've already wasted enough time with the would-be thief.
For everything inside me telling me to keep going there's a counterpart telling me I have to stop.
I get off the dirt bike and walk inside.
I realize where the door is from.
My dream.
The kitchen is almost the same.
The only difference is, like the rest of the town, it's abandoned.
Dust and dirt cover every surface.
I look around.
The cupboard still has food.
I take what's not expired.
On my way back out of the door I notice something.
A picture on the floor.
The glass cracks under my feet.
I pick it up and the broken glass crumbles revealing the picture.
I can't believe my eyes.
It's her.
The girl from my dreams.
I start to look around for any clues where they might've gone.
I don't find anything.
I take the picture, folding it carefully and tucking it away in my front coat pocket.
I head outside.
It's still a long journey.
I don't have time for a side quest.
I go outside, get back on the bike, and start the engine.
I can't have my mind cluttered.
I have to focus on finding Donnie
I grab Casper and we speed off down the road.
I go faster to make up for the time I lost.
About a mile down the road the bike engine starts to smoke.
Somethings wrong.
I hit the throttle and instead of speeding up it makes a puttering sound.
I notice little by little it slows before it eventually stops.
The fuel tank is still half full but it won't start.
It's dead.
Even if I had time I still have no guarantee I could fix it.
I'm not a mechanic.
I get off and start to push.
I'm back on foot.
I regret the decision of leaving my pedal bike.