Once Bitten: Twice Mad

Chapter Seven

"Well I'll be damned!" she heard him yell above the moaning of the 'rabid'. "That's my damn niece! There's my Frankie. Hold on, kiddo, and I'll clear a path."

Frankie quickly had her horse backing up when her uncle tossed a hissing stick of dynamite down into the 'rabid' horde and the explosion rocked the midday air. Body parts filled the air and Frankie didn't even give the dust time to settle before galloping quickly toward the ladder, firing bullets of her own as her uncle and his friends provided cover fire.

She leapt off the horse's saddle and onto the ladder, sacrificing what meager belongings were in her saddlebags. She'd run out of food and water and all that was in them was a thin hole filled blanket and a shirt that was just slightly less dirty than the one she had on and her cooking ware that she'd used while camping.

All of her ammunition was in her pockets and in the pouch attached to her belt and that's all she was really worried about keeping with her.

She started up the ladder, and then growled when she felt a tug on her leg and looked down to see a 'rabid' clutching at her pants leg. She tried to shake the young child off of her, but the little bastard had a death grip on her leg and her gnashing teeth were getting closer and closer to latching onto the unprotected flesh above Frankie's boot.

Keeping her grip on the ladder with one hand, Frankie pulled her revolver and fired off a shot into the little girls face. What had once probably been a sweet, angelic cherub face, became a splattered mess of blood and flesh and the girl's grip fell away from her. Frankie swallowed her bile, shooting 'rabid' children was never something she enjoyed and she holstered her gun to continue up the ladder.

Before she had regained a good grip on the ladder another 'rabid' grabbed her leg. His hand slipped off but it was enough to cause Frankie to slip and she knew she was going to fall. So this is how she was going to die.....

At least she wouldn't have to worry about becoming a 'rabid'. A horde this big getting hold of her would mean there wouldn't be enough of her body left to turn 'rabid'.

Her hand slipped loose and she closed her eyes but before she fell into the horde she felt a big hand grip her forearm and with one fluid motion she was lifted into the air and then dropped onto the roof of the gun shop.

"Damnation girl, are you okay?" her Uncle Gibbs demanded as he ran to her. Frankie nodded as she got to her feet and dusted off her backside.

"Yeah..." she mumbled without looking at the older man. Her eyes were glued to the tall, copper skinned, half naked, incredibly well muscled injun who had rescued her. His hair was cut short in the more 'white man' style but his face was clearly that of an indian, or at least more than half indian. He had high cheekbones, firm full lips and a long straight nose. His upper body was covered in lean rolling muscles and he had leather bands tied around his upper arms, emphasizing their thickness. Frankie found her eyes traveling south and wondering what he looked like out of those buckskin pants.

Frankie was not an innocent woman and had had several men but something told her that this injun could show her things that those other men couldn't have even imagined.

"What are you doing here girl? I left you that note at the cabin, why didn't you wait for me to come home?"

Frankie tore her eyes away from the hard bodied man with eyes as black as coals and scoffed at her uncle. "You know damned well I ain't never been any good at waiting." Frankie looked at the stockpile of weapons covering the roof and the impressive pile of spent shell casings. "How long have you all been up here?"

"Since yesterday morning." Uncle Gibbs admitted with a snort. "The damn critters won't let us down."

"That's because you keep shooting at them and they're drawn to the blood and the noise."