Neal Barrett - Through Darkest America

Howie watched another long minute, then turned back for Kari. She was full of questions, but he wouldn’t talk to her until they were back around the corner from the herd.

“Kari…” He took a deep breath. The next part wasn’t going to be easy. “Kari, I want you to take your clothes off.”

Puzzlement, then anger, started at the corners of her eyes. He waved her off. “Now it ain’t what you think. I want you to take your clothes off ’cause we’re goin’ to drive that meat out of here through that wall, with us right behind ’em. Now don’t say nothing, just do it. There’s no other way and I figure them soldiers ain’t going to kill no stock. It’s ’bout the only thing they’re not shootin’ at.”

Kari found understanding. Her mouth dropped open and her big eyes widened. “You are crazy as you can be, Howie. If you think I’m going to run around naked out there… with meat …” Her mouth closed with revulsion around the word.

“They ain’t goin’ to look,” he said wryly. “I don’t like it no more’n you do, Kari, but we’re goin’ to do it. ’Less you got something better in mind.”

She stared as he dropped his trousers and stepped out of them, keeping only the pistol. He searched around and found two blackened sticks. He handed one to her. She shook her head.

“You won’t go without me, Howie. You know you won’t.”

He didn’t look at her. He took his stick and hopped down the alley as best he could and out into the sunshine. He waved his stick at the frightened stock. They’d probably never seen people without clothes on, he decided, but there were a lot of unusual things happening in the world, and even meat was going to have to get used to them.

There was no problem getting the herd moving. They were glad enough to have someone tell them what to do next, and didn’t much care what it was. Once the point got turned in the right direction, the others followed—right through the shattered wall and out of the city.

There was noise and confusion out there and plenty of things to frighten an animal. But stock was like that. Howie’s father had always said meat felt a lot better being led to slaughter than having to think of something else to do.

The land rose up slightly outside the walls and the Rebels had placed their siege engines on small hillocks some two- hundred yards from the city. There were only three of the big catapults close by and a few troopers milling around them. That was one break, anyway, Howie decided. The real fighting had evidently shifted to the north wall and the bulk of the soldiers had followed it there. The Boomer crew would be taking a care where they dropped their missiles, with their own men entering the city from the east.

“Howie,” Kari moaned, “I can’t take this anymore. I mean it.”

He glanced over his shoulder. She had stopped a few yards back, standing with her legs rooted to the ground, hands stiff against her sides in tight little fists.

Howie was horrified. “ Godamn , Kari!” He ran back and jerked her roughly forward. She pulled away and he smacked her soundly on her bare bottom.

Kari let out a little cry. Her eyes turned black. “Don’t you ever do that again, Howie. Not ever .”

“I won’t,” he told her, “less I have to. Just stick right up here where you belong… with the rest of us meat.”

Kari went white. He thought for a minute she was going to hit him. Instead, she gave him a dark look and stalked off ahead.

He had to grin at the red brand of his hand across her shapely rear. Karl’s slender, almost fragile figure stood out like a sore thumb against the sun-darkened, dirt-encrusted stock. He felt just as bad about the whole thing as she did. But he wasn’t about to tell her that. It made him feel queasy all over. It wasn’t right, people mixing with stock. It was against just about everything. It was some better than getting caught by the Rebels and maybe getting shot on the spot, but that didn’t make him feel any more comfortable doing it.

Someone fired a shot on the rise ahead and he hobbled off to the right for a look. He couldn’t tell what was happening, but troopers were swarming all over one of the big machines. The whole business made him nervous. What he’d like to do was swing the herd further to the left, as far away from the soldiers as possible. To do that, though, he’d have to move out of the rear and shout them over, putting him in plain sight of anyone watching.

Kari was up beside him, looking scared. “Howie, what are you doing? Don’t go off like that.”

“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he told her, pulling her back into the protection of the herd. “I was just checking.” “What is it?”

“It’s nothing, Kari. I was looking, is all.”

There was a heavy, thudding sound and one of the dark Boomers whistled over their heads toward the center of the city. The herd grunted in fear and jerked as one away from the noise. Howie grinned. By God, he couldn’t ask for better help. There was high grass up ahead. Another fifty yards or so. All they had to do was stick with the herd until they could lose themselves out there. Then, stay low for a mile or so until the city and the troopers were far behind.

“I’m getting sick, Howie. I mean it.”

Kari sounded like she was strangling on something. “You don’t look too good,” he told her.

Her eyes blazed. “This is a terrible idea. I never should have listened to you.”

Howie shrugged. He sympathized, but there wasn’t much he could do. It was bad enough being naked with a bunch of stock. Besides that, it was never any fun trailing behind ’em. Especially on foot. They smelled bad enough all the time, but when they got underway they were likely to leave new stuff for you to step in. Anyway, it was working. They were leaving the big engines behind and the grass wasn’t far. It was a good thing, too. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep Kari from just sitting down and throwing up. He didn’t feel too damn wonderful himself. His head was aching something awful and his foot hurt every time he stepped on it.

A big buck turned and stared at him, the blank eyes trying to figure what kind of creature he might be; knowing, in it’s small mind, that something was wrong, that Howie didn’t belong. Howie waved his stick threateningly and the buck flinched and turned away.

He glanced over at Kari, and cursed under his breath. Godamn it, she’d dropped back again, keeping as far from the herd as she could. He turned and started back for her, then stopped. His heart came up in his throat. The trooper was almost directly behind her. No more than thirty yards off and riding hard.

There was no question that he’d spotted her. Maybe he knew right off there was a naked, long-legged girl walking behind the herd. Or maybe he was one of those men who didn’t much care whether she was meat or not, if she looked as good as Kari.

Howie felt a moment of helplessness. If he called out to her she’d turn and look at the rider and scream or something and they’d both be spotted for sure. He couldn’t warn her, then. All he could do was let it happen. He held the pistol up tight against his chest and nudged himself in between two big mares. God, they smelled awful! One stared at him with glazed eyes, spittle hanging out of her open mouth.

He kept one eye over his shoulder. The rider was right behind Kari. He could see her close now and he was grinning from ear to ear. Howie stepped out of the herd and turned. The trooper looked at him, a question starting on his face. Howie fired. The man shuddered and fell heavily to the ground.

He’d figured Kari would scream or run or faint dead away or all three at once. But Kari fooled him. She stopped in her tracks and stared at the dead man, then at Howie. Suddenly she turned and ran as fast as she could after the trooper’s horse. The animal was trotting dutifully back to wherever it had come from, but Kari wasn’t having any of that. Her long legs flew over the open ground. It was the prettiest sight he’d ever seen. She leaped for the reins and brought the mount to a stop. Howie ran to meet her, not thinking about his foot any more. He started to tell her what a great job she’d done and then the bullet sang right between them. Another dug up dust. He jumped on the mount’s back and pulled her up behind. He yelled at the horse and it bolted, nearly tossing them both.