The Gordon Fisher saga pt1

“I have always tried to live a good life. Do unto others and all that and always encouraged my children to do the same thing. Audrey always told me that it would get me into trouble one day and for a man that had been such a tough SOB back in my youth, my soft centre was going to get me into trouble before too long. I always thought that she saw too much negativity in the world and wouldn’t give anybody a chance.  I always thought she was distrusting. Like when that nice Asian family began to run the fuel station and for a few days people including my dear, departed Audrey would go miles out of their way to get fuel. I got looks when I went in there and Audrey didn’t speak to me for two days but people realised that from buying fuel from there I didn’t contract bird flu or yellow fever or any of that crap. Don’t get me wrong, I have my reasons to distrust them don’t get me wrong but I have no reason to hate a man trying to make a living.



    Our differences were what bought me and Audrey back together though in the first place and even as she lay on her bed with the next part of her journey about to begin we argued after I told her I don’t think I could go on without her. She told me I was talking crap and that I would get on fine like I always have. She said that I was meant to go through life as a wandering soul; just me and Cody she said would be a perfect world. The way things were standing she would have chance to look over me putting that theory into practice.



    It had been a week since I started hearing things on the CB Radio; truckers giving advice to avoid areas, people claiming to see hordes of glassy eyed people feasting on other people. CB radio was the medium not amended like the wireless and the television loved to do. I only watch the news and the propaganda they were feeding us made coming home from Vietnam look like we were heralded! Trying to tell us to be calm about nothing at all, telling us to stay indoors at night because there was nothing out of the ordinary other than a little flu. I may be only able to see and hear my old television but I know horseshit when I smell it.



    I decided to stay put though; nobody ever wanted to come to Colfax let alone the flu so why would I encounter anything. What worried me was not hearing from Brock and Daniel as my boys lived in the big city. They each had kids… my grandkids and I was worried but I couldn’t get through. Then after hunting and… I did what I had to do, I knew then that it was time to move. Where to? Who knows? To do what? Who knows but I know now I can’t stay here.



    I packed up the pickup and loaded in as much as I could. The radio, my weapons, as much food as possible, my vintage bottle of whiskey all the way from Scotland, bottles upon bottles of water, some trinkets and the small items and of course Cody and left the house with a simplistic note written on the door.”



*Dear, Brock or Daniel,



If you have come to get me then just be happy in the knowledge that I am safe upon leaving here. I have the radio on me so if you can contact me that way then try but if not then just know I am trying to find somewhere safe and secure and you should try the same.



Love to you and love to the kids.



Dad.



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Dear intruder,



If you are looking to break in to steal then I wouldn’t bother; the TV is older than you and the only things of value in there are the bear traps I’ve laid out for you; want to call my bluff then feel free to go in.



Gordon P. Fisher.



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Dear Glassy Eyed Freaks,



Too late. Kiss my ass!



Gordon P. Fisher



“There were a few matters that still needed to be tended to though; namely the need for power. The power had gone out last night and hadn’t come back on meaning that I would need to power things the old fashioned way. The gas station would have one for sale and I had bought as much money as possible to pay for one. I could also fuel up and drive for as long as I could. As I drove out of the complex I passed the sign of the ever smiling family straight from the sixties that I had passed for nearly forty years, “Thank you for visiting Deadwood.” I smiled morosely and shook my head as I drove past it for possibly the last time. As I did, Cody put his nose between his paws and let out a disgruntled whimper. I leant over and gave him a stroke to comfort him as we carried along the forest line road.



The good thing about Colfax was that it’s damn quiet even on busy days. With a population of 1500 nearly everybody knew everybody else to at least nod to and on the journey there would normally be somebody to do that to but today there was nobody. The streets were empty of cars and pedestrians and it l couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.



The town centre was deserted as well and now I felt uneasy. 1500 people couldn’t just disappear. Or has they all been evacuated and they forgot miserable old me? I wouldn’t blame them but still… Finally I reached the gas station and like everywhere else, that too was deserted. The good thing about this place was that it was even older than me and not part of those chains you see everywhere. Sure the gas was a little pricier than your usual but at a time like this it was perfect. The pumps were powered by a separate power meaning I could still get gas from them without too much hassle. I leant down and patted my pocket and felt my pistol there. Loaded like something from an old western, I felt like John Wayne when holding it but not nearly as manly. I looked at Cody and told him to stay and he simply look up at me with his hazelnut coloured eyes as if to say he wasn’t going anywhere. Cowardly mutt. Still if something was to happen he’d bark to tell me. He was one dog whose bark was worse than his bite.



I slid out of the car and held onto the pistol with one shaking hand while the other fumbled with the fuel cap. I prayed as I pressed down on the pump and at first there was nothing and then the familiar whirr came on and I sighed with relief. I filled it until no more could get in there and closed the cap up again. Still clutching my pistol I warily walked up to the store’s doors in the hope of giving somebody some money and maybe getting some more supplies.



I opened up the doors and stepped in to the store and half the shelves were bare while the others were trashed. The moment control is lost, looters come out and even here in a sleepy town there is no exception to the rule. I could actually imagine Mrs Henderson with a bat raiding for canned peas. I paced the aisles seeing what was worth taking and picked up a pocketful of batteries, some beef jerky and a carton of UHT milk. As I rounded to where the counter was I stopped stock still and allowed my jaw to drop at the sight before me; sitting on the counter with his knees up to his chest and his eyes fixed on me was a small Asian boy. He could be no more than three or four and his eyes were the deepest brown and were streaked with silent tears. He was clearly the product of Mr and Mrs Lee who ran this place and he looked terrified.



I took a step closer to him and his head turned to his left and I followed his gaze. Chewing on the remains of Mrs Lee and gorging on her intestines was a very busy Mr Lee. Gone was the faux smile that greeted me every time I would come in here, gone was the token question of how my day was and how the fishing was and here was another of these creatures like I had already had to… deal with. I stood there with my mouth even further agape. How had the little boy managed to sit here through this and more to the point how had he not been attacked by his father? My shock led to me dropping the carton of milk though and it dropped to the floor and ruptured sending milk across the floor and Mr Lee’s head to shoot up and look straight at me. He let out a primordial roar and got to his feet and all the while I was still standing there motionless like a mannequin. Mr Lee started to take a few steps towards me and I lifted my gun but this was somebody who I knew! Somebody who I had forged small talk with! This wasn’t like the others… I knew this man!



He started towards me and I backed up but slid on the milk. I fell onto my butt and winced and all at once a million thoughts flooded my mind. I’d never see my boys again, never see my grandchildren again, how my adventure was over before it had even begun and how Cody could see what was going on and futilely barking at me. Suddenly a solitary noise raised up and the little boy screamed one word… ‘baba’ I think it was but as he did Mr Lee stopped… I wouldn’t believe it had I not seen it but he just froze in time. Mr Lee turned to his son and slowly walked towards him. He got close to his son and stared at him with his glazed over eyes and the boy started to cry again. As he did, Mr Lee screamed again and lunged towards the boy who slipped backwards and off of the counter to the floor. Mr Lee leant forward to reach for the boy but I was back to my feet and as composed as can be. I stood up and cocked my gun and let off one round which thumped into the small of his back. Without reacting, Mr Lee turned to face me and prepared to run for me again but this time I was ready, this time I let him take one step before firing off another round which entered the temple of Mr Lee and left him via the top of his skull leaving brain matter to marble into the spilt milk as he crashed to the floor.



I finally allowed myself to breathe and compose myself before walking over to the counter and tentatively looking over it. Sure enough looking up to me was the young boy again staring at him with his huge tear-stained eyes. I leant over the counter and he stared at me without crying and without speaking. I held out my arm for him and didn’t know what to expect to be honest as I wouldn’t blame him for shying away from me after all he must have seen in the last few days. The boy must have known that I was going to help him though as sure enough he took hold of my arm and allowed me to lift him up and cradle him in my arms. I placed him over my shoulder and picked up another carton of milk as well as a packet of cookies this time and made my way out of the shop only to stop to survey what I had witnessed in here. Deep down I knew this wasn’t the end and it was going to get a lot more horrific than this.



As I carried the boy out of the store I saw a sign for barbecue coals and the large container that held them was unlocked. I leant down and picked up a small bag and carried on towards the car keeping a vigilant eye out for anything else that may be roaming. The one thing I did feel now though was that the boy had gotten a little bit heavier since leaving the shop and as I got to the car I realised why; the kid has fallen sound asleep. After all that he had seen recently I hoped that his sleep would be untroubled and without nightmares of all he had seen but my gut prepared for the screams and nightmares but not just for him.



I opened up the passenger door and slid him in gently and quietly clipped him into his seatbelt. Cody curiously sniffed at him once before leaning over to me to lick my face. That was his way of telling me he was glad I was safe and my reward for him was a strip of beef jerky which he happily devoured. I shut up the door and got into the driver’s side and switched on the engine again. I turned on the radio and found nothing but static. I had jacked the CB into the car as well and decided to turn that on. More trucker tales that are surely getting taller with some of the things I could hear on it. Tales of burning hospitals and gang control; surely it couldn’t have gotten too bad could it?



As I drove out of the forecourt those two words to form one question kept spinning again and again in my head…



Could it?”