Snarling in fury, the mutant opened its mouth wide to bite the human’s throat.
Damn! Blade was partially pinned, with his legs trapped under the beast. His huge arm muscles rippled as he tilted the M-16 and rammed the barrel into the mutant’s mouth.
The deviate gagged and gurgled, then backed away, six inches of the automatic rifle lodged in its maw, shaking its head vigorously to dislodge the weapon.
His legs were clear! Blade heaved erect, drawing the Bowies. He dove, his arms coming up and around, the tips of the knives pointed inward.
The mutant was still striving to extricate the M-16. Blade plunged both knives into the creature’s eyes, burying them as far as they would go, and held fast.
With a bellow of agony, the mutation tried to pull backwards, crimson spurting from its ravaged sockets.
On his knees, gripping the Bowie hilts with all of his strength, his hand and wrists covered with flowing blood, Blade struggled to prevent the beast from tugging loose. He expected to be raked by the four-inch talons on the creature’s forelegs, but the mutant was engrossed in freeing itself from the knives. It took three steps rearward, dragging the Warrior along, its shoulders bunched, its head snapping back and forth.
Blade felt his left hand begin to slip. He applied more pressure to the right Bowie to compensate, and saw Hickok appear to his left. The gunman was holding the Pythons, and as he materalized he aimed both revolvers at the mutant’s cranium. But his aid was unnecessary.
The mutant suddenly collapsed, sinking to the turf with a gasp of fetid breath and going limp.
Hickok, the Pythons cocked, paused. “Is the critter dead?”
Blade released the left Bowie and straightened, examining the mutant’s form for telltale breathing. There wasn’t any. “I think it is,” he answered, feeling a drumming sensation in his ears.
The gunman glanced to the north. “Here comes Rikki.”
Rikki-Tikki-Tavi emerged from the forest and crossed toward them.
“Are you two all right?” he asked in concern.
“We’re fine,” Hickok responded. “Blade had to tend to an uninvited supper guest, is all.”
Rikki gazed at the giant for a moment. “You look flushed. Are you okay?”
“An adrenaline surge,” Blade explained, standing slowly. He leaned down and wrenched the Bowies out.
“Should I continue searching for wood?” Rikki asked.
“Yes,” Blade replied. He started to wipe the knives clean on the mutant’s hide. “And stay alert. Where there’s one of these things, there could be more.”
“I will be on guard,” Rikki vowed, then ran into the woods again.
Hickok holstered the Colts and walked to the log. He found the girl huddled behind it. “You can come out now, little one. Blade took care of the icky thing.”
Chastity rose tentatively. “He did?”
The gunman nodded at the corpse. “Take a gander for yourself.”
She grinned at the sight of the dead mutant. “Blade must be real strong!” she marveled.
“Yep,” Hickok agreed. “He lifts cows to keep in shape.”
Chastity watched the giant finish wiping the blood from his Bowies. He replaced them in their sheaths, then retrieved his M-16 and stepped over to the log.
“Is that the icky thing you saw?” Blade asked.
“Yes,” Chastity said.
Blade sat down on the log, removed the spent magazine from his weapon, and withdrew a new mag from his left rear pocket. “You said you first saw the icky thing yesterday?”
“In the morning,” Chastity disclosed.
“What were you doing when you saw it?” Blade casually inquired, inserting the fresh mag.
“I just woke up,” Chastity said. “I was sleeping.”
“Where?”
The girl pointed at the ground. “Right here. The icky thing was making noise and woke me up.”
“It didn’t see you?” Blade questioned.
Chastity shook her head. “It was over there.” She indicated the south side of the clearing. “It went into the woods.”
“Did you sleep here the whole night?” Blade inquired.
“Yes. I was afraid, so I stayed here after the icky thing left. Later the hairy pig came. And then all of you did.”
“And you’re by yourself?”
She frowned. “Yes.”
Blade didn’t want to upset the child by interrogating her about her mother. “Where’s your father?” he asked.
“Daddy went to heaven.”
Blade looked at Hickok, then at Chastity. “Do you mean he’s dead?”
She nodded.
“How did he die?” Blade probed.
“I don’t know.”
“Then how do you know he’s dead?”
“Mommy told me.”
“What did she tell you?” Blade queried.
Chastity pondered for a few seconds. “Mommy said that daddy was killed—”
“Killed?” Blade interrupted. “Your mother used the word ‘killed’?”
“Yes,” Chastity declared.
“Go on,” Blade prompted.
“Mommy said daddy was killed ’cause of the Peers.”
“The Peers? Who are the Peers?”
“They’re the bad people!” Chastity stated.
Blade stared into her innocent eyes. “How far did you walk to get here?”
“I don’t know. Far.”
“Do you know how many days you were walking?” Blade asked, pressing her. “One? Two? More?”
“I don’t remember,” she replied. “After Mommy was burned, I walked a long, long time. And then I was standing on a hill all by myself, and I was really afraid. I walked some more, and walked and walked. Two days, maybe.”
“Two days total, or two days after you were on the hill?”
“Two days after I was on the hill,” Chastity answered.
“I don’t suppose you know which direction you came from,” Blade mentioned.
“No.”
“North? South? East? West?”
“East!” Chastity exclaimed.
“You came from the east?” Blade inquired hopefully.
“No. Mommy told me the sun comes up in the east,” Chastity said.
Blade sighed and gazed at the gunman. “Any suggestions? I don’t see how we can retrace her route.”
“Let me have a crack at it,” Hickok said, leaning down. “Do you remember where you lived?”
“I sure do,” Chastity responded.
“Okay. Was it a house in the country? Or did your family live in a city?”
“The city!” Chastity said excitedly. “We lived in the city!”
“Were there a heap of people there?” Hickok asked. “And lots of buildings?”
“Yes!”
“Do you know the name of this city?”
“Of course I do,” she asserted with childlike conviction, as if the question were stupid.
“What’s the name of it?”
Chastity smiled at them, proud of her memory. “Atlanta.”
“Your family lives in Atlanta?” Blade interjected.
“We did.”
Hickok patted her on the head. “Good girl. Now we know where to take you.”
Chastity’s eyes widened. “No!”
“You don’t want to go back?” Blade observed.
“No!” she cried, taking a pace backwards. “I don’t want to ever go back!”
“Why not?”
“It’s a bad place! The Peers live there!”
“We wouldn’t let the Peers do anything to you,” Blade promised.
“No!” Chastity insisted. “I’ll never go back! The Bubbleheads would get us!”
Blade motioned at the mutant and the boars. “We’d look out for you.
Don’t you think we could take care of you?”
“The Bubbleheads will burn you!”
“We must get to the bottom of this,” Blade said.
“No!” Chastity repeated defiantly. “No!”
“Chastity…” Blade began.