by wa5 » Sat Feb 02, 2019 5:47 am
As I trundled South, drenched to the bone, my mood improved, A Man can indeed do a lot of thinking on a tractor.... Even though I couldn't shake some guilt for my part in ending the lives of a lot of the monsters, that's what they were, Monsters. Their humanity, like Elvis, had left the building a long time ago. I was eradicating a vicious predator, a scourge on the land that had no redeeming qualities. I was merely eradicating a pest, that they looked like humans was immaterial.
Even the rain wasn't that bad, sure I was wet, but it wasn't that cold, I even managed a chuckle as I took a look at Dog, his head hanging over the lip of the barrel and looking like a drowned rat. I was soon trundling through Fern Bay. Stockton Bridge loomed ahead through the rain and mist. On the opposite side of the road sat the bright pink, magenta, Chrysler Charger, it was really starting to bug me, that lovely car sitting there in the weather. I would eventually have to do something about that.
I veered left, towards Stockton, planning to enter the beach near my life boat head to my caravan and eradicate any pests that were still there. The rain eased as I reached Stockton.
Still drizzling, I saw the little monster dart from a front yard, waving her arms as I approached. I heard her high pitched voice yelling. Lining her up with the push bar I pushed the throttle all the way down. She was wearing pants. and I could just make out "Hey stop Mister". I swerved around her, and pulled up as she was in line with the carry all.
Ahead I heard a roar. hitting the hydraulic controls, the carryall lowered, "Get on and Hang on" I yelled. The platform scraped along the bitumen for a second or two as the ancient hydraulics battle to respond to my command to "raise". the little tractor was soon running at top speed again, we skirted the running monsters and continued towards the ferry wharf. I had briefly considered stopping there and contacting the ship, before realising that the idling tractor (that I couldn't turn off because it could not be re started)) would attract any monster in the area. As we passed the little orange boat, I heard a high pitched voice. Hard to hear above the tractors drone, I throttle back, checking that there was no danger close, I turned to face the little girl. "I'm really thirsty mister, are you are stranger"? I pointed to the little boat and said "we will just go over near that little boat, where its safe, and I will get you a drink, Ok?, and No sweetheart, I'm not a stranger".
Stopping near the boat, I quickly dismounted and went to the rear of the machine, The little girl stood watching me. I pulled the hitherto unseen Dog out of the drum, the little girl squealed with delight, Oh a puppy, he's adorab'ble. "His name is "Dog"" I said, "That's a silly name" she replied. Thinking quickly I said "how about you call him "Max"". With trepidation I watched as "Max" and the little girl got to know each other. I had always found healers to be a bit untrustworthy, prone to biting,, I needn't have worried, it was a match made in heaven. they loved each other. As I dug the last bottle of water from the bag, still scanning the area for bad guys, I heard the little girl tell the dog "Hello Max, I'm Lisa" I caught movement and heard something through the rapidly thinning rain, lifting my binoculars I as a group still about a hundred metres away, and closing fast.
"Sweetheart, Hold on tight, we have to go" "Ok" she answered. as I climbed back into the saddle. They shifted track to try and intercept us, but were way too slow. two minutes later we were on the beach, heading North again.
Half way to the shipwrecks and my , pardon me, "our" home. I slowed and rolled to a halt. Time for some proper introductions.
"Hello Lisa, I'm "Wa"" That was the name my eldest Niece had christened me when she was a toddler and it had stuck, now well into her mid twenties, I was "Wa" to all my nieces and nephews, and to a good many friends as well, or, at least, I had been. "Hi" she said, rather more pre occupied with the dog.
I took a look at her. it was obvious to me why she hadn't succumbed to the disease, she had the same condition I did. A pretty and alarmingly skinny little girl, with long very blond hair, she had obviously dressed herself in her brightest and prettiest clothes. bright pink tights, a shocking pink t shirt with a unicorn on it and sandals, also, un surprisingly bright pink.
I dug out some of the nutrition bars from the flight bag, she ate them hungrily as we sat on the carryall, her legs swinging over the side. The newly christened Max nosed around the sand, lifting his leg on one of the tractors tyres. continuing to sniff around. I felt fairly confident that if any danger were to come our way, the dog would spot it first, still I kept a weather eye for danger. The rain had stopped while were travelling on the sand. As we sat talking, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. We both shaded our eyes, In other circumstances I would have given her my sunglasses, but I needed to see as well as possible and I the responsibility of keeping the little girl safe, comfortable was less important at this point.
I mentioned to Lisa that we were headed towards my current home. but there were some bad guys there, that I would need to get rid of. Kids amaze me sometimes, she looked at the shotgun by my side and asked "Are you going to shoot the monsters"? I told her that was the plan "Ok" she said. I asked if she would be scared of the noise the gun made? "No that's ok". "Would you like me to leave you and Max somewhere safe while I take care of it" I asked. "NO DON'T LEAVE ME" she almost shouted. I wasn't very good at this parenting thing it seemed. I wrapped my arm around her and she threw hers around me.. "I wont leave you ever" I promised, hoping that I could back that up.
Looking out to sea, I noticed the carrier was still there, I really wanted to make contact with that boat. Before I came to be an adoptive parent, My plan had been to reclaim my home, then quickly return to the little boat, attempting contact with its radio. I suspected that plan was out the window now that I was no longer alone.
Taking the unused flare pistol from the bag, I told Lisa that I was going to make a loud bang. I wanted the ship to know that somebody was still here, hoping that their initial reaction was more to do with a desire to avoid infection than a base desire to hurt, such as somebody who was in the early stages of the K virus. I took the gamble and fired off a flare. It went of with something of a hollow whoosh.
The red star exploded with a bang out over the ocean, Hanging there before slowly descending into the water. As it faded into the ocean, I let another one go. A few seconds later it was answered by a much larger starburst, its magnificent white light almost equalling the sun "They've seen us" Lisa said excitedly. I lifted her from the tractor and we walked to the waterside hand in hand "give them a wave" I said, Hoping that they were looking in our direction. It seems they were, as the ships fog horn gave its forlorn wail a few seconds later.
Feeling a little more confident that our earlier exchange was a misunderstanding, I showed Lisa the universal signal that kids gave to truck drivers to sound their air horns. She was soon excitedly making the motion towards the ship, each time she pulled that imaginary chain, The ships horn dutifully sounded. Nobody infected by the K would have done such a thing, I couldn't imagine the captain of any Navy ship in the world doing such a thing before the plague. The sight of a billion dollar fighting machine doing the bidding of a little Girl restored my good mood completely.
The sun was starting to burn, it was time to go, Confident that the ship would not be leaving any time soon, I called Lisa back to the idling tractor. She bounded onto the carryall, Max right beside her. The little girl giggling loudly, the dog grinning in that way that only good dogs do.