Читать книгу Respect the Dead - Shawn McLain - Страница 19

Kate was curled up in a the large chaise lounge in the living room. She was reading a heavy leather bound copy of “The Lord of The Rings” her father had given her.

“You’ve got to be kidding.” She said to the man standing in front of her. He held out her jacket. She let the book fall into her lap.

‘What? Why not?” Martin asked his daughter.

“I don’t know…It just feels inappropriate.” She shrugged but had already put in the book mark. She slipped on the thick black leather jacket. “Was this your idea?”

The rumble from outside answered her question. She shook her head smiling all the while. “Bear’s idea then? Are we going to be making any stops along the way?”

“Maybe, why?”

“Because if we are traipsing all over the war memorial, these,” she pointed to the purple Converse high top canvas sneakers, “Are coming with us.”

Martin crossed the room heading back to the closet. The front door opened. A huge hairy man entered the room, “Bear” grunted a greeting; Kate barely straightened up from untying her shoes to give him a wave in return. He passed Martin as he headed straight to the kitchen. Martin dropped a pair of boots by Kate’s feet as he followed Bear. Pulling on the boots Kate threw her shoes into her pack then joined the two men.

“Totally empty out there.” Bear was explaining, “Should be a great ride up the mountain to the memorial.”

The memorial was the huge monument to the fallen soldiers from the area killed in war. Bear’s father’s and Kate’s grandfather’s names were on that monument, as were several of Martin and Bear’s friends.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” She asked even as she zipped up the jacket and pulled the straps of the pack over her shoulders.

Bear downed his glass of water, his smile barely visible through his thick beard. Patting Kate on the head, “Kit, when isn’t a good idea to ride?” He was past her and out the door before she could answer.

Kate laughed shaking her head at his back. She knew Bear owned a car but in all the time she knew him he never drove it. “I swear he would ride in the snow if he could.”

“I think he has.” Her father laughed. Martin held the door to the garage open for his daughter. Kate thanked him with a laugh. He gave her a short bow. She hit the button to open the garage. She passed the expensive German luxury car. Martin stopped at the shining Harley Electra Glide. Kate hurried around her older Honda Accord to grab her helmet. Pulling her hair back in a pony tail with several bands on it in a faux braid she watched her father get the bike ready. The huge cycle roared to life then purred loudly. Kate allowed herself a second to listen the rhythm of the pistons.

Adjusting her hair, she slipped the helmet over her head. Martin clicked the remote to close the garage door as Kate hoped on the bike behind him.

“Ready?” He shouted over the rumbling engine.

She bonked her helmet against his in affirmation.

Martin pulled in the clutch, clicked the bike into first. As they eased down the driveway a smile broke out over Kate’s face. As the bike accelerated she yelled. “Swing by the Harley shop.” Her excitement growing. “I want to see my girl.”

Martin nodded. Bear pulled up next to them. The two bikes rumbled down the empty street of the neighborhood. Reaching a stop light. Martin told Bear of the side trip downtown. “Getting anxious to get your own?” Bear laughed.

Kate just smiled at him, “I don’t want to hang onto my dad forever.”

“I’ll miss having my girl with me.” Martin smiled over at Bear.

“Don’t worry; I’ll still ride with you, just on my own bike.”

“They gotta grow up sometime Marty.” Bear gruffed. “But Kit, don’t be so quick to let your Dad Go.”

“Seriously, I’m twenty and it might be time I…”

“You’ll always be an itty bitty princess to me, and a daddy’s girl.” Bear laughed. Kate’s reply was drown out by the roar of engines when the light turned green. Bear pulled quickly away. Slapping down her visor Kate chuckled at him.

“Coward, knew you were going to get an earful,” she thought. The smile on Kate’s face faltered as they continued toward town. Empty street after empty street flew by. They had not seen another vehicle on the road since they left the house.

“This is just eerie”. She thought. A small laugh escaped as she continued to think, “this is the safest I’ve felt riding through town though.” She looked at all the empty cross streets, nobody on a cell phone, looking in the wrong direction, or not stopping at a stop sign. Tonight it was just two bikes rumbling through a ghost town.

The light ahead turned red. Martin slowed to a stop; Bear pulled up next to them in the same lane. A beautiful red Mustang eased to a stop next to them. Kate glanced over at the car. “Not bad,” she thought about both the car and the driver.

“So when we pick up your bike, do you think they’ll have training wheels for you?” Bear laughed, grabbing Kate’s attention.

“I just figured I borrow the ones you took off your bike last week.” Kate shot back with a laugh. She glanced over at the Mustang driver. He was looking at her. “He is cute.” She thought as her eyes caught his.

Bear’s barking laugh was covered by the roar of the bike’s engines as the light turned. Martin followed. Kate noticed the Mustang didn’t move. “I wonder if he is thinking about following us.” The thought quickly left her mind as she noticed they were only a couple of blocks from the Harley shop.

A few more minutes on the empty streets then they were pulling into the completely empty lot. The store’s sign was off, the inside was dimly lit, it appeared to be closed. This was not a surprise as most businesses had closed early; some had been closed for a couple of days due to the illness.

Even though she was disappointed at the dark shop, Kate was off her father’s bike in a flash. All thoughts of empty streets and cute boys in cools cars were gone. She only had eyes for the glistening chrome and steel with the sold sign that she knew was just inside the door.

She peered through the huge picture window searching for her bike. Her hand found her wallet in her jacket. She could almost see the motorcycle endorsement printed on her license. She had passed the safety course a couple of weeks ago. She had picked out her bike. Worked all summer to save up for it. On Monday the three of them would return to pick it up. A long and twisty ride was planned for that day.

Her imagination had her twisting the throttle through a turn, the road rushing by her feet. She didn’t even hear her Martin and Bear walk up behind her.

“I haven’t seen her this excited since that Lego set came out a few years back.” Martin laughed.

“I still can’t believe she went for the blue one. I thought sure she wanted a pink one.”

Kate spun around to glare up at Bear. He took a step back holding up his hands in mock defense, a board smile playing under his beard. “I have never,” she poked him in his broad chest, “and will never,” another poke, the large man backed up a step, “like pink.” Kate emphasized her point by punching him in the shoulder, repeatedly.

“Call her off Marty, call her off.”

Martin laughed, “You got yourself into this you get yourself out.”

“Ok ok, you don’t like pink.” Bear laughed out. “still buying you a basket for the front.” He mumbled.

“Dork!” Kate said shaking her head. She was trying and failing not to let the smile break out. With one last punch she turned back to the store. A flash on chrome caught her attention. A light appear through a doorway in the back of the shop. “Hey look, Dusty is here.” She pointed the light out to the two men. Banging on the window to get his attention she yelled for him.

Dusty Rhode’s head snapped up at the noise. He looked to the window. He saw Kate, she smiled and waved at him. He hesitated for a second, looked down at his hands and shirt Without returning the way he disappeared back through the door.

Kate turned to look at the other two who wore the same confused expression she did, “That was weird.”

“Maybe he isn’t supposed to be here?” Bear pondered.

“Huh” Kate grunted as she stared back into the ever darkening store.

The crunch of gravel told her that the two men were heading back to their bikes. A cold wind whipped her hair over her face. She shivered slightly but wasn’t entirely sure it was the wind.

“Come on Kate, let’s get going.” Martin called over the starting of his machine.

Kate stood staring between her bike and the closed door. Something was amiss. When they had been here on any other occasion Dusty would go out of his way to talk to them, to the point they had to make excuses to get away from him. Now he didn’t even return a wave.

A bike revved. “We can pick you up Monday if you like.” Bear shouted over the engine.

Kate returned to the bike. “Hold on a sec.” Another cool breeze had caused her to zip her jacket up all the way. She opened one of the hard bags on Martin’s bike and pulled out a pair of heavy leather pants. She pulled these over her jeans and jumped on the back of the bike. Pulling on her helmet she bonked her dad to let him know she was ready.

“Can we go now?” Bear complained, throwing his hands in the air.

Kate waved him off while Martin put the bike in gear.

In the back of the store Dusty peered through a small gap in the door. He watched the taillights disappear from the lot. He looked down at the bloody wrench on the table and his blood covered hands and shirt. Would they have believed him? Behind Dusty, the service manager lay on the floor. The front of his head was caved in. Dusty’s fingers rubbed lightly on the blood soaked cloth covering the bite he had received from the slain man. He flinched at the pain. The wound was already feeling very hot while Dusty’s head began to ache.

Back on the road Bear’s unease grew with each block now. He had noticed the small group of people as they left the Harley shop. They had been slowly wandering down the block. Something about the way they moved bothered him. They just…weren’t right. “Probably, bunch a meth heads.” He grumbled to the wind.

The further they rode the more they saw. Up ahead was a woman hanging onto a sign post. Down a side street there were four or five of them wandering down the middle of the road.

“What do you reckon? The sick have started wandering about?” Martin shouted the question at the next stop light.

“What the hell is wrong with everyone?” Bear returned. His eyes went wide, “Marty! Kate! Look out!” He was pointing behind them.

Martin’s head snapped in the direction bear pointed. A Bloody man in a suit stumbled off the sidewalk toward them. He reached out grabbing Kate’s forearm. It felt like a vice closing on her. Kate screamed, Martin revved the engine and let go of the clutch. The front wheel of the heavy bike left the ground. Kate fell back painfully against the metal of the backrest. Her free arm held tightly to her father his left arm holding tightly to her’s as he felt her being pulled sideways.

Kate cried out in pain as she was being wrenched from the seat. The bloody man stumbled to keep up but lost his grip falling hard on the pavement. Kate could still feel his hand gripping her. She knew her arm would be bruised. Even with the pain she wrapped it tightly back around her father as the bike increased in speed.

The two bikes flew down the road. Everywhere they looked bloody and battered people seemed to be materializing out of nowhere. Bear nearly ran down a kid who was blindly wandering across the road dragging a skateboard behind him with one arm, his other arm was missing.

Martin was ahead now. He motioned to take a side street. They barely made the turn when they were faced with a wall of people. Smoke billowed from the bike’s rear tire, rubber screeched, Martin shouted while Kate screamed. The heavy Electra glide slammed into the bloody wall of the stumbling horde. The handle bars snapped out of Martin’s hands twisting sideways. The bike lurched. Kate lost her grip on her father. For a moment she was airborne leaving the back of the bike. Time slowed, she twisted in the air, hands reached out grabbing at her and Martin. Time caught up, pain exploded in her back while fireworks burst before her eyes. She slammed onto the pavement rolling painfully. Her shoulders slamming one then the other onto the ground. She slid from there until she was stopped by knocking down a woman who had been standing in the road.

The woman fell heavily across Kate’s legs. Kate’s helmet slammed into the ground again. She was sick and dizzy. Her neck ached as it hung in the air. Kate had landed in a somewhat seated position due to her backpack. The world spun, she felt as if she were just waking, that had to be it. That was the only explanation for what had just happened. It was a dream, a nightmare.

Reality crashed down in the form of pain, pain that was shooting through her leg. The woman Kate had knocked down now had a grip on her thigh, the woman’s teeth pinched the flesh like a clamp. She was trying to bite through the thick leather pants. Kate’s knee felt like it was being ripped off. Then her arm was in a vice and being pulled up to a man’s mouth. Fingers dung at her chest trying to rip through her jacket.

In a blur of motion and sound the woman at Kate’s knee flew backward. The woman's head nearly separating from her body. To Kate’s horror the eyes still followed her every movement. A Huge arm reached down lifting Kate off the ground, in the air then hard onto her feet. Hands still clawed at her, fingers tangled in her hair, her arm still being held by a disheveled man. Kate screamed in agony, her shoulder felt as if it was separating from her body.

Another blur of motion and the ringing of metal like a bell. The man lost his grip on Kate’s arm. She was in the air again then her breath was gone as she slammed onto Bear’s shoulder. She fought to gain air as she bumped along. Her back cried out in protest as she slammed onto the back rest of his bike. She barely got her leg over before she was smashed between Bear and the sissy bar.

“Dad! DAD! Where’s Dad?” Kate pounded on Bear’s huge back. She could see her father’s bike on its side. She watched his boots twitching next to it. Her father was completely covered by people.

The engine roared, tires screamed, dirt and gravel spit while the tires fought for traction. The front wheel left the ground for a second; Kate was crushed between the huge man and the seat again. She tried to turn to look back as Bear flew down the road. Tears streamed down her face from the pain of her body and knowing they couldn’t help her father.