Sacred Heart ~ and Other Stories From The Zombie Apocalypse

Lasso

~ Leia lives and works on a (fictional) New Mexico Ranch called The Loop. One of her duties is to work with her brother to scout for and kill and zombies that might find their way to the ranch. It's been three years since the outbreak, but the danger of a hoard is still very real. When an expected convoy runs late it's up to Leia, Jake, and a team of other riders and their horses, to save the ranch. ~

Lasso

August 2022

New Mexico

"Get that rope around him, Leia!"

Leia swung the stiff rope in a slow loop over her head, taking careful aim. Her horse, Rattlesnake, shifted under her and almost ruined her shot, but she compensated and tossed. The lasso flew and snagged over the zombie like a horseshoe over a peg. "Got him, Jake!" She whooped, pulling in the rope slack and wrapping it around the saddle horn without having to look. At the same time she signaled Rattlesnake with her knees and the horse lowered his head, pulling back at a quick shuffle, snapping the rope taught. This would have been enough to whip any zombie off its feet, but Leia's brother Jake already his his rope over the zom as well and now they pulled from opposite directions.

The zombie was old and dusty. It had clearly been wandering the deserts for a while and its yellowed skin looked tough as boot leather. It clacked its jaw and stared dumbly as the ropes dug into its torso, yanking its gnarled body in two directions.

The horses were strong. Normally used for roping cattle, though with the apocalypse and the fuel shortage horses were becoming more and more vital in many aspects of life. "Do we need it for training?" Leia gestured with her hat brim at the zom.

Jake shook his head, his long, black, braid falling over one shoulder. "Nope. We've got one. A fresher one too. This guy's useless. Where do you think it came from?" Jake sat casually on his own mount, a black mare with a white face named Delilah. He didn't even need to touch his reins; he balanced in the saddle with his arms folded as the horse did her work.

"Dunno. Been out here a while anyway. It's probably alone." Leia mimicked her brother's pose. Rattlesnake knew his business. The powerful, buckskin gelding, took a few more steps backward and the zombie's body twisted. The crunch of breaking bone rattled in the still heat, though the zombie felt no obvious pain. It still looked from one sibling to the other, hungrily clacking its teeth even as the ropes tore its body apart. "I don't think there's a hoard." Leia reassured her brother.

Jake rubbed his stubbly chin and spat into the dust. With a sick crunch the zombie crumpled like a piece of paper in a fist. The ropes cut into it, tearing muscle and ripping its leathery flesh. More bones cracked as its spine finally broke and it slumped, limp. There were only two ways to kill a zom: destroy the brain or destroy the spine. It's twisted body still twitched convulsively as the horses slackened their ropes, but it was no longer a danger to anyone.

"Want to take it to the pit?" Jake asked.

"You do it." Leia urged Rattlesnake a bit closer to the mutilated zombie and skillfully jerked her rope free of the creature. She coiled her lariat automatically, not taking her eyes off the twitching mass on the ground. She was glad of her thick leather gloves, The rope was smeared with flaked skin and streaks of black blood. Rattlesnake tossed his head and flatted his ears at the smell, side stepping to try to avoid it. Leia squeezed him with her knees to hold him steady as she spoke to her brother again. "You know Rattler hates any times the zoms are behind him."

"Maybe I want to see you go flying again." Jake smirked, tightening his rope. Delilah was unfazed as the clump of flesh and broken bone dragged closer to her.

Leia rolled her eyes and fought the temptation to throw her lariat over her brother's head.

"You got such good air time!" Jake laughed as he turned Delilah and started off at a trot, the dead zombie towed behind him, heading for the large pit on the edge of the ranch where they dumped waste, manure, and zombie corpses. Luckily they'd dug it early, before the fuel crisis, back when they'd still been able to use their heavy machinery.