Chapter Fifty-Eight: Who Said Life Was Easy?
"Alright, let's get out there and get our supplies off those carts." Colt said the next morning as everyone stood in the sitting room of the house they were temporarily calling home.
Charlotte missed having a home. She missed having that one steady place to lay her head down at night and the knowledge that that same bed would be waiting in that same spot at the end of a hard day of work.
"What are we going to do without horses?" Rachel asked and Colt sighed before sliding his hat back on his head.
"Let's just take things one step at a time. Priority number one is getting all our belongings in one place."
"Alright then. Let's get this done," Ox said, gripping his favorite pick axe tightly in his hands. Charlotte was happy to see that he was in better spirits this morning. Ever since Susette had woken up with a smile and eaten breakfast for the first time in days a lot of the tension that had been in the air had disappeared. Her arm was still bruised, her hand was still swollen, but it was clear she was going to live.
"Susette and I will stay in here," Katherine spoke up.
Susette whimpered in the arm chair. "But I wanna—"
"You heard Miss Kate," Ox warned her. "We love you and want what's best. You can't use that hand just yet so you don't need to be out there fighting with rabid."
"Ox, you sounded just like a papa." Evangeline teased with a smile. The grin that appeared on Ox's face nearly split his cheeks.
Comanche walked to the door with Frankie's hatchet in his hand. "Are we ready?"
Colt inclined his head. "After you."
Comanche threw open the door and ran outside, a war cry bursting from his lips. While Charlotte did not share in his enthusiasm for the fight, she tightened her grip on the knife in her hand and followed Silas out the door.
There weren't many rabid. Comanche took care of most and Colt took care of many of the ones Comanche didn't. Charlotte noticed that Evangeline was right in there as well. Oh how this world changed people.
Charlotte didn't like it but knew that's how it had to be. The world was hard and cruel now and so there a need for the people living in it to become the same.
She stuck the knife in her hand deep into the head of a rabid that had run her way just as Silas hit another with the end of his shot gun.
"That's the last one." Comanche said as he slid his spear back out of a young rabid's head and shook off the gore left on the wooden point.
"Alright, hopefully that'll be the last we see for a while." Colt sighed. "Let's get these supplies unloaded."
"Colt, there's a horse!" Evangeline exclaimed, pointing out over the plains. Charlotte followed her gaze and saw that the horse she saw was actually Silas's mule.
"That's your mule, Silas." Charlotte smiled.
"Well I'll be..." Silas smiled. "My faithful steed."
Comanche whistled and his Paint was soon galloping toward them with Silas's mule and Katherine's brown mare in tow.
"Well three is better than none." Charlotte said brightly. "The day is already looking better."
"That it is, Miss Charlotte." Silas agreed as he kissed her hair.
"Comanche, Ox, why don't the two of you go clean out the smokehouse? We'll lock the horses in there until we're ready to ride out. No point leavin' 'em loose and risking them to those rabid." Colt ordered.
Comanche and Ox quickly took off to do as Colt said. Colt began dragging the dead rabid bodies and parts into a pile and Silas went to help him.
"Well come on, Evangeline and Jedidiah, these carts won't unload themselves."
Charlotte, Evangeline and Jedidiah made trip after trip, taking in the few changes of clothes, lanterns, oil, blankets and food the group had left.
Charlotte laid her arms on the side of the cart and took a few moments to rest. The summer sun was beating down already, the hot rays burning the skin on the back of her neck, despite the fact that it was not even yet midday.
She swiped her forehead against her arm and smiled when her eyes found Silas. So handsome he was. His kind brown eyes met hers and his dark cheeks curved in that loving smile she still found breathtaking.
Charlotte was about to gather up the last load of blankets when she realized that her boot was untied. With a sigh she crouched down and grabbed the laces in her hands.
"Got that took care of, Colt." Ox's voice called out. Charlotte looked up to see him and Comanche walking back. "Plenty of room for all the horses in there but they won't have a—"
Charlotte lost her balance and threw out her hand to catch herself. Her arm slid under the cart and then Charlotte's scream of pain and terror cut off Ox's words.
***
"Miss Charlotte!" Silas's voice rang out.
Silas ran toward Charlotte with his mind racing. She was crouched down with her back to him and crying out with pain. Her cries were like daggers straight through Silas's heart.
"Miss Charlotte, what's wrong?!" he demanded.
Then his heart stopped, his stomach churned, and his legs nearly gave out when he came close enough to see over her shoulder.
Charlotte used her free hand to drive her knife deep into the top of the rabid's skull but it was too late. The damage had already been done. Somehow no one had noticed this danger lying half hidden behind the cart wheel.
It was a head and nothing more; yet it had just managed to take Silas's entire life away from him with one gnash of its jaw.
Charlotte's screams fell silent as she tore the rabid off of her flesh. She stood slowly and turned to face the group with blood pouring from the gaping wound on her forearm.
"It—" she swallowed hard, tears streaming down her face as she looked in Silas's eyes. "It bit me."
"Shit," Colt's quiet, simply spoken curse came from behind Silas. Silas heard other things though he paid them no attention. He heard someone crying and he heard angry mumbling and cursing.
All he could see was his wife's pale, fear and pain-stricken face. "Miss Charlotte...." He whispered.
"Silas, it bit me," she repeated. "I didn't even know it was there. I was reaching down to tie my shoe and I lost my balance. I fell forward and it.. it...."
Silas rushed forward and took her into his arms, collapsing to the ground with her. He leaned his back against the cart wheel and held her close, burying his face in her hair.
"It'll be okay, Miss Charlotte."
"No it won't. I'm going to become a monster."
"Maybe you won't," Silas said desperately as he pleaded with God inside his head. "You're gonna be just fine." Charlotte began to shiver in his arms and Silas cursed loudly. "Please no, Miss Charlotte. Please not you."
Charlotte laid a trembling hand on his cheek and smiled at him, though her jaw shook so badly that her teeth were chattering together. "I l..love you, S..Silas. Thank y..you for showing m..me what a real m..man is. Thank you f..for loving m..me and my d..daughter,"
"No, Miss Charlotte, thank you for seein' past the color of my skin and loving me."
"Y..you made my h..heart colorblind."
"Silas," Colt's voice came from in front of them. Silas looked up, clinging desperately to Charlotte's quaking body. "I'll take care of this, Silas. Why don't you go on inside?"
Silas realized that only Colt and Comanche were still outside. He shook his head. "Take care of what?" he asked. "She's gonna be just fine."
"Silas, you know that's not true." Colt replied gently. He took another step forward and reached a hand down toward Charlotte but Silas stopped him by throwing up his revolver and aiming it at Colt's face.
"You won't touch her," Silas warned.
Colt sighed. "Silas—"
Comanche laid a hand on Colt's shoulder. "Come, Colt. Let Silas deal with this.'
Silas lowered his gun as the two men walked off into the house. He turned his attention back to Charlotte. "Miss Charlotte—" he began but his words died on his tongue when she began to shake more violently against him.
Drool and foam began to pour from between her pale lips and her beautiful brown rimmed green eyes rolled back in her head. "Miss Charlotte!" Silas screamed desperately.
Not her. Not the last thing he had had. God had cursed him to be born a slave. He had lost his mother during childbirth, lost his father twelve years later and lost a fiancée. He had been forced to kill his own brother, had buried a daughter and now his wife was.....
Still. She had suddenly fallen very still. Silas laid his cheek against her nose but felt no breath on his skin. She was dead. The only thing he had left in the world had just died in his arms.
Silas let out an animalistic roar of pain and heartbreak and clung to her body, burying his face in her hair as he sobbed.
***
Colt and Comanche stood alone in the sitting room. They stared out the window and watched the scene outside. Nearly two hours Silas had been clinging to Charlotte's dead body. The sun was baking down on the man and Colt knew he had to be unbearably hot but he simply sat there, rocking back and forth and gazing down at Charlotte's lifeless face.
"Why hasn't she turned yet?" Evangeline whispered, her voice hoarse from the tears she had cried.
Colt turned to her and took the offered cup of coffee from her hand. "Sometimes it takes hours. I don't understand it all. When Loralie and Sarah were bitten it was nearly instant. I don't think Loralie every completely died before she was trying to...." Colt's voice trailed off and Evangeline laid her hand on his arm.
"This isn't fair, Colt."
"What isn't?" Colt asked, wrapping his arm tight around her.
"Life," Evangeline took a sip of her own coffee and leaned into him. "It shouldn't be so hard.'
"Who said life would be easy?" Comanche questioned, his eyes never leaving Silas and Charlotte.
Neither Colt nor Evangeline had any answer for that. Colt glanced down at his wife. She was upset but not distraught. She had cried but not hysterically. She was holding herself together better than he had expected her to. As a matter of fact, the entire group was holding up fairly well—and that made Colt sad.
People were supposed to be shocked, appalled and devastated by the death of family and friends. Somehow this world had gotten so dark, so harsh, that seeing death had become something second nature. They had all become somewhat immune to the pain; disconnected from the heart break.
"Colt...." Evangeline whispered and the dread and fear in her voice caught his attention. He looked back out the window and his own stomach clenched.
Charlotte was stirring in Silas's arms.
Silas had a look of pure desperation on his face. His hand shook as he laid his gun to Charlotte's temple and closed his eyes tight, his body wracked with sobs.
Charlotte's hands began to reach out to him, her fingers closing around the fabric of Silas's blue chambray shirt.
"Pull that trigger..." Colt urged quietly. He could feel Evangeline gripping his arm tightly as she too watched the scene unfold.
Silas's eyes opened as Charlotte struggled to rise up and bring her face toward him. Suddenly Silas tossed his gun aside. He placed his hands on Charlotte's cheeks and pressed a tender kiss to her brow as she began to hiss and moan; gnashing her jaws.
"What is he doing?!" Evangeline gasped.
"No!" Colt yelled as he leapt out the window and ran... but he was too late. Silas did not hesitate before release his hold on Charlotte's face and bringing his neck to her mouth.
Colt heard the tearing of flesh, the gurgling of blood and a moan of pain. Charlotte threw Silas's nearly lifeless body to the ground as she bathed herself in his blood and feasted on his throat.
Colt covered his mouth with the back of his hand and fought the urge to vomit with everything he had. He pulled his gun and walked closer, keeping one hand over his mouth and nose. The coppery scent of blood was cloyingly thick in the air.
Silas was dead. Charlotte was worse than dead. Colt pointed his gun at the back of Charlotte's head. "I'm sorry I couldn't save y'all from the monsters." He whispered and then he pulled the trigger. Charlotte's body was thrown forward. Silas's eyes flew back open, though now they were gray and lifeless. His head hung to the side, his neck too far gone to hold it up properly.
Colt gave one last squeeze of the trigger and holstered his weapon. He stood there a long while, simply staring down at the dead bodies of his family. Because they were family. The family had just lost something that the group needed. Charlotte had been the one to make every place they camped feel a little more like a home and Silas was the doctor and the man of faith.
Now that was gone. Home and faith had just died in the dirt at Colt's feet.
Finally he turned and walked back to the house. Comanche held the door open for Colt and Evangeline immediately wrapped her arms around Colt's waist and laid her head on his chest.
"I'm so sorry, Colt." She whispered. Colt held her tight for several long moments, soaking in the comfort of her touch.
"Let's get them buried." He said as he pulled away and realized the sitting room had filled with what was left of their group. "Then we'll load everything up and head out at daybreak tomorrow."
"Colt, are you okay?" Katherine whispered as Susette clung to her leg.
Colt nodded as he gripped Evangeline's hand firmly in his own. "I'm fine. I just don't see any good reason to hang around here any longer."