Ok, I guess I'll disclaim the RE world again. Oops. Already did. Anyway,
here's a half-chap, maybe even a third of a chap. I just need to get it
out; I've got an audience to please! Here goes!
Chapter 3: Bear-Foot in the Forest...
The explosion neither affected them, nor caught their attention. This was understandable. Five hundred-plus pounds of undead Ursus Americanus staring you down had that effect. Everyone was absolutely stunned by the sight.
Everyone but Jeff.
While Rob was considering running up and bending the bear's neck like Beckham and Tiko was pondering the logistics of lung control minus a diaphragm, Jeff had lept quite gracefully into the driver's seat of the Jeep.
"Rob! Get them outta here!" shouted Jeff as the Jeep's engine roared to life.
Rob had a tiny little bit of hesitation when considering leaving his best friend behind for a bear to have its way with him. "What the hell are you gonna do?!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
During this exchange, Cici forcefully took Tiko by the arm, and had gotten a fair distance into the woods before Tiko realized what was happening.
"Cici, what are you doing? We can't leave them behind!" he reasoned, trying to keep up behind the gazelle-legged strides of his friend.
She never broke stride, much to Tiko's chagrin. "Jeff's got a plan. I know he does! And if he says to run, I'm runnin'!"
Tiko had to agree. If anything, Jeff was a man of action when action was needed. On top of that, a fleeting glace over his shoulder gave him a great, clear look at another rotting doberman bearing down on them. It was more inefficient at hunting than it was when it was alive; it hit a tree every few seconds or so, mostly on the left side because of its missing eye, and it ran with a hobble because of its missing right rear foot. These disabilities in mind, though, it was still a determined hunter, and unless Cici had a plan to match Jeff's, she and Tiko would both be done for.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In response to Rob's frantic inquiry, Jeff looked back at Rob with an expression Rob would never forget: the look of determined resignation. His answer rang in Rob's ears.
"Whatever I have to. Cassie, go with Rob! Get out of here!"
She hesitated, then cast a single glance towards the now advancing bear-- now a mere five feet from her door--to convince herself to move.
Rob was speechless. There really was no reasoning with Peter Martinez when he made up his mind, and if there was ever a time his mind was firmly made up, this was it.
"Be careful, Jeff!" was all Cassie could manage before a second gurgling roar sent her clamoring over the baggage and supplies in the back. She hit the ground running and passed Rob, who was still trying to figure Jeff's plan out. She followed the same route Tiko and Cici had taken moments before.
Rob was torn between two decisions; stay and assist his friend, risking death in the process, or run away and protect his other friends, risking the shame of leaving a friend in need behind. He was about to jump into the Jeep to try and find something he could use against the bear (What could he possibly do? Shine a flashlight at the bear? Bait it with jerky?) when he saw the rest of the dobermans. He only saw two or three between the bear's legs, but he knew there had to be more. Certainly so, for this was undoubtedly the pack who had been responsible for downing the bear in the first place. Rob wouldn't be kicking his way out of this one, no sirree.
"Don't get yourself killed!" Rob ordered, sprinting off towards the edge of the forest. Before he entered it, though, Rob glanced back at the Jeep and his friend inside. Rob had to stop and watch because even as Jeff's plan unfolded, he knew exactly what Jeff had in mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok, maybe a quarter of a chap. The next half/third/three fourths is imminent (yeah right, that's what I said last time) so stay tuned!
Chapter 3: Bear-Foot in the Forest...
The explosion neither affected them, nor caught their attention. This was understandable. Five hundred-plus pounds of undead Ursus Americanus staring you down had that effect. Everyone was absolutely stunned by the sight.
Everyone but Jeff.
While Rob was considering running up and bending the bear's neck like Beckham and Tiko was pondering the logistics of lung control minus a diaphragm, Jeff had lept quite gracefully into the driver's seat of the Jeep.
"Rob! Get them outta here!" shouted Jeff as the Jeep's engine roared to life.
Rob had a tiny little bit of hesitation when considering leaving his best friend behind for a bear to have its way with him. "What the hell are you gonna do?!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
During this exchange, Cici forcefully took Tiko by the arm, and had gotten a fair distance into the woods before Tiko realized what was happening.
"Cici, what are you doing? We can't leave them behind!" he reasoned, trying to keep up behind the gazelle-legged strides of his friend.
She never broke stride, much to Tiko's chagrin. "Jeff's got a plan. I know he does! And if he says to run, I'm runnin'!"
Tiko had to agree. If anything, Jeff was a man of action when action was needed. On top of that, a fleeting glace over his shoulder gave him a great, clear look at another rotting doberman bearing down on them. It was more inefficient at hunting than it was when it was alive; it hit a tree every few seconds or so, mostly on the left side because of its missing eye, and it ran with a hobble because of its missing right rear foot. These disabilities in mind, though, it was still a determined hunter, and unless Cici had a plan to match Jeff's, she and Tiko would both be done for.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In response to Rob's frantic inquiry, Jeff looked back at Rob with an expression Rob would never forget: the look of determined resignation. His answer rang in Rob's ears.
"Whatever I have to. Cassie, go with Rob! Get out of here!"
She hesitated, then cast a single glance towards the now advancing bear-- now a mere five feet from her door--to convince herself to move.
Rob was speechless. There really was no reasoning with Peter Martinez when he made up his mind, and if there was ever a time his mind was firmly made up, this was it.
"Be careful, Jeff!" was all Cassie could manage before a second gurgling roar sent her clamoring over the baggage and supplies in the back. She hit the ground running and passed Rob, who was still trying to figure Jeff's plan out. She followed the same route Tiko and Cici had taken moments before.
Rob was torn between two decisions; stay and assist his friend, risking death in the process, or run away and protect his other friends, risking the shame of leaving a friend in need behind. He was about to jump into the Jeep to try and find something he could use against the bear (What could he possibly do? Shine a flashlight at the bear? Bait it with jerky?) when he saw the rest of the dobermans. He only saw two or three between the bear's legs, but he knew there had to be more. Certainly so, for this was undoubtedly the pack who had been responsible for downing the bear in the first place. Rob wouldn't be kicking his way out of this one, no sirree.
"Don't get yourself killed!" Rob ordered, sprinting off towards the edge of the forest. Before he entered it, though, Rob glanced back at the Jeep and his friend inside. Rob had to stop and watch because even as Jeff's plan unfolded, he knew exactly what Jeff had in mind.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok, maybe a quarter of a chap. The next half/third/three fourths is imminent (yeah right, that's what I said last time) so stay tuned!