Once Bitten: Twice Mad

Chapter Forty-One

"Ox, I need to keep at least one man here with the train and I'd like it to be you. I trust you to keep everyone else safe if things go wrong." Then Colt turned to Evangeline. "And I ain't letting you go anywhere near danger. You want to be mad about that then you just go ahead and be mad but it ain't gonna change what is."

Evangeline looked up at him and shook her head. "Colt, I can do this. I won't let you down today...."

Katherine was surprised when Colt laid a gentle hand on Evangeline's cheek and bent down low so their foreheads were touching. She hadn't imagined Colt as being an open display of affection type of man.

"You never have let me down, Evangeline. Not one single time. Now please, do as I say cuz I plan on doing my best to not let you down either."

Colt turned to face the group once again. "No more discussions. Y'all named me leader and I'm just playing my part. Now let's get some weapons and get out there."

***

Colt took a deep breath and headed out onto the street with Comanche, Frankie, Silas and Jedidiah all close around him. Evangeline, Rachel, Ox and Charlotte were on the train, prepared to provide cover fire if it was needed. Katherine was inside with Susette who had seemed quite near scared to death at the idea of anyone leaving the train.

It was time to end this town's rabid problem and take it for themselves. Thankfully it didn't seem as if it was too badly overrun, which was odd considering the size of the town itself. Thought Colt could see the fresh construction and half-finished buildings. Clearly this west Kansas town had been developing when the sickness hit it. Most folks had probably made a run for it had the first sign of trouble.

That and it had been a few months now since the sickness started. Colt had a hunch that most of the rabid had banded together in those giant herds and were now wandering in search of food.

"They seem a little slow." Frankie stated when the rabid didn't notice them right away.

"Well let's wake them up." Colt replied.

He ran forward, leapt into the air and slammed the fire poker he was holding through the head of an unsuspecting rabid as he came back down.

Colt freed the poker from the rabid's skull with a yank and Frankie laughed. "That worked."

The rabid in the area had noticed them now and while Colt would like to say he was dreading the fight, he wasn't. He still remembered the sight of these monsters ripping apart his wife and biting into daughter. He enjoyed killing them. He supposed that made him a bit of a monster himself.

"Let's get them taken care of shall we?" Jedidiah offered, hoisting up the sledgehammer he held in his hands. "I'm getting far too old for this."

***

Evangeline did not draw an easy breath until she saw the last visible rabid fall. She hated watching Colt and the rest of the group, her family, in danger. But at least there hadn't been an overwhelming force of rabid in this town.

Evangeline never wanted to see another of those herds again.

True they would have to be careful when they searched the town for supplies and watch for rabid that were hidden indoors but it could have been much worse.

Colt swiped his hand across his blood splattered face and turned to look up at her on top of the train. He waved his hand and flashed her a smile which Evangeline returned.

"Y'all can come on down now. It's clear enough." Colt called up.

Evangeline headed toward the ladder which led off the storage car roof with Ox close behind her. All she wanted was to feel Colt's arms wrapped around her and reassure herself that once again the man had made it through the danger safely.