Once Bitten

Dinner

Jack shows me inside to the kitchen, where an older lady is cooking beans. She smiles at Jack, then widens her eyes at me.

            “O-Oh my! Jack, who is this?” She asks in a panic.

            “Her name is Ash. Ash, this is Hannah. Mom and Dad brought her home.” He smiles at me, and I smile at them both, politely.

            “Nice to meet you.” I say. Hannah smiles, and I notice how frazzled she is- her brown hair has patches of grey, and her tattered dress has stains on it. She must be 53, or somewhere around that age.

            “Pl-pleasure to meet you t-too, Ash.” Hannah stutters, smiling, then she frowns. “I’m afraid I haven’t made enough to feed more than eight…” She twitches, and goes back to her food. I shrug, I already ate this morning, so I’m not really hungry anymore.

           

            “Come on, Ash. I’ll introduce you to James.” Jack leads me to the next room, which has a fireplace, several chairs, and weapons in the corner. A man is snoring, and he reeks of smoke and dirt. He looks like he’s 30.

            “James!” Jack kicks the recliner that James is in, and James bolts up.

            “What?!” He yells. His brown eyes land on me, and he chuckles grossly. “You introducing me to your new girlfriend?” Jack turns bright red, and punches James.

            “No! I’m showing Ash around. Ash, this is James. He’s like an annoying uncle.” Jack smirks, and I laugh. James grumbles and pulls out a half used cigarette, lighting it then smoking. Jack sighs and rolls his eyes. “You’re gonna get in trouble. Remember last time you smoked in the house? Mom beat you up really good.” Jack laughs at his memory, whereas James grimaces.

            “Yea, yea…” He grumbles, and stomps on his cig.

            Jack leads me to the guest room, which is empty besides a bed, a dresser, and some hidden guns and ammo behind a large painting. He tells me dinner should be ready is two hours. He shows me where the shower is, and says that I can come get him if and when I want to look around the ranch.

            I dump my bag out on the bed and sigh. Medicine, small food snacks, and some weapons. I set my machete on the small dresser, and look out the window. It looks so peaceful- just how I imagine it would look if nothing had ever happened. The sky is blue, and the grass is green. Trees surround the ranch, hiding it from view, and the train seems to be part of a still picture.

             Down below, I see Amy and Lee playing with a cat, and Luther and Willis laughing about something. Jack is climbing a tree, and Hannah and James must still be inside. I decide to take a quick shower, and the water is- of course- cold. But they have soap, which smells like flowers. I shampoo and condition my hair like Mary- the dead one- had once taught me. Afterwards, I dry my body and hair, feeling much cleaner now.

            In the dresser is some shorts and a brown shirt that both fit me, and I put on hiking boots I find in the closet. I tie my hair up in a ponytail, and tuck my gun in it’s holder. Grabbing my machete, I go outside and find Jack. He’s looking through binoculars, and frowning. Before I can say anything, he whistles down, and everyone goes quiet. I peer through the field, and see two men dressed in all black, and with large guns and ski-masks.

           

            Luther grabs his shotgun, and loads it, motioning for Mary and the children to go inside, while Willis loads his own gun. I grip my machete tighter, and follow them out into the field, where we meet the men.

           

            “What are you two doing here?” Luther barks. The men glance at each other.

           

            “We’re just looking for some food.” One says. I see the other man reach for a knife in his pocket. Luther and Willis don’t catch on, they just argue with the first man.

            “We have none.” Willis says, gritting his teeth. “We’ve told you all a thousand times.” The first man glares from behind his mask, and flings out a knife. The second on lunges at Luther, and the first at Willis. I jump in the way of Luther, and stab the man in his gut. As he spits out blood, he gapes at me. His friend curses under his breath, and almost shoots me, but I take my gun and shoot him in the head. He dies instantly, and the other staggers, then collapses. Luther and Willis stare in amazement at me, not even noticing the cut on Willis’ arm. We turn, and see a shaking Hannah in the doorway, holding up her pot of beans.