“No, I think we should leave him alone. He was cussing up a storm after slipping on the moss further up,” Ethan remarked.
“Alright, let’s wait for him under that large cottonwood tree,” Richard suggested. After a few minutes Matt came stumbling out of the boulder field covered from head to toe in bright green moss.
“Are you oaky?” Richard asked, trying not to laugh at his hulk-like appearance.
“I’m fine, but I think an Aug spotted me coming down that last exposed part,” he replied sounding frustrated by the mishap.
“Are you sure?” Richard asked.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t even notice him out in the field until it was too late.”
“How far away was he when he saw you?” Richard asked.
“Pretty far,” Matt replied while pointing in the direction of the field. Richard immediately pulled out his binoculars and peered through them.
“Oh crap! He’s coming this way. Everyone head over to the river and hide!” Matt and Ethan immediately ran to the river’s bank and dove under a large cluster of interlocking logs left behind from the spring floods. Richard and Mitch darted along the river bank until they found a low spot overgrown with brush. Richard ducked down where he could still see out towards the farm, while Mitch dropped down behind him where the brush looked thicker. A moment later, Mitch realized the lush vegetation was growing over a hidden spring and as he tried to back up, the thin topsoil gave way. He immediately started sinking into the underlying mud and grabbed Richard’s leg.
“What are you doing?” Richard said in coarse whisper.
“I’m stuck,” Mitch whispered back.
“Stop moving and be quiet! The Aug is getting close!” Richard replied in a gruff voice just loud enough for Mitch to hear him. Mitch nodded, but the mud continued oozing its way up his pant leg. When it reached his midsection, he jerked forward and the Aug instantly noticed his movements.
“Who’s there?” he demanded looking down towards the riverbank. When no one answered, the Aug started kicking rocks into the brush with his foot in an effort to flush them out. Richard slowly tilted his pulse rifle up wards until he saw the Aug’s head in the crosshairs, then he gently squeezed the trigger. The Aug fell to the ground and then rolled down the bank of the river, coming to rest just a few feet from Mitch. Mitch reached over and grabbed the corpse, using it to pull himself out of the mud. Then once he was free, he pushed the Aug over into the spring and covered him over with mud.
“That was close,” Ethan remarked, seemingly thrilled by the close call.
“Let’s hope there aren’t any more,” Richard replied as he looked out over the field with his binoculars.
“Good job Matt. If you hadn’t been so slow coming down those crags, the Aug would have never seen you,” Mitch said in a snide tone as he tried to dislodge some of the mud from his underside.
“Screw you, you dumb redneck. You’re the one that was squirming around like a little girl because a little mud touched your junk,” Matt replied angrily.
“Knock it off!” Richard scolded. “We have to work together or we’re never going to make it.” Matt and Mitch looked down and then apologized under their breath.
“Thank you!” Richard replied. “Now let’s move down river a little so we’re not so close to this damn farm. Then the both of you can wash off while we wait until it gets dark.”
While Richard continued down the river, the men quietly followed after him. They all knew that he was upset by the close call with the Aug, but he seemed even more annoyed by the squabbling.
Once Richard finally cooled down, he stopped near a group of elm trees that overlooked the river on one side, and also provided a panoramic view towards the east. Mitch was the first to take advantage of the break. He went down to the river, stripped down to his underpants, and then rinsed the mud off his skin and clothes. Matt went a little further up stream where he scrubbed the moss off his clothing. Meanwhile, Richard and Ethan relaxed in the shade and had a snack.
“What’s it like killing an Aug?” Ethan asked.
“It’s hard the first time,” Richard said, pausing long enough to choose his words carefully. “Although they look human, you must see them for what they really are, soulless bodies controlled by a parasitic worm. When you look through your riflescope, don’t focus on the face looking back at you. Instead, imagine that slimy little worm hiding behind a façade that only looks human, but is not. Then pull the trigger,” Richard suggested. Ethan put his food away and went down to the river to get some water. Richard wasn’t sure if his talk helped or not, but it was truthful either way.
“I see you got all of the mud off,” Richard remarked when Mitch came over and joined him under the trees.
“Yeah, it washed right out. I just hope my clothes dry out before it gets dark,” he replied.
“They should… You know, if you want to take a nap, go ahead. It’s going to be a few of hours before we head out again,” Richard suggested.
“Okay,” Mitch replied as he stretched out on a soft sandy patch of the riverbank and closed his eyes. Matt and Ethan found their own lounging spots, and before long, everyone was napping except Richard. While the others were resting, he kept an eye out for Augs while entertaining thoughts about Josephine. She obviously liked him, but his feelings were conflicted. The loss of his wife still haunted him, as did the fear of getting attached to somebody new, only to see her taken away just as his heart was beginning to mend.
Chapter 7
Richard woke the men once it was dark, and after they collected their things, they continued down along the river towards Great Falls. It was an easy hike, and the waning moon provided just enough light to guide them, without exposing them. Richard kept the pace brisk, and only stopped a couple of times to check their progress on the digimap.
“How far are we going?” Ethan asked.
“I want to reach highway 287 before daybreak,” he replied. No one argued with the aggressive timeline, fueled by the realization that each passing mile brought them closer to their goal.
Richard seemed relieved when they reached the highway before dawn. It was a lonely stretch of road that ran north and south, crossing the Sun River a few miles up from the town of Augusta. Richard used the night vision mode on his binoculars to scan the area for a suitable place to hide. In the distance he saw an abandoned house next to a large dilapidated barn that appeared to be abandoned.
“I’m going to investigate the buildings across the road, cover me,” he said in a ‘stay put’ tone before heading over to the farm. When he reached the barn, he cautiously peered in through an opening in the doors. The structure looked sound from the outside, but inside he could see that the roof had fallen in from years of neglect. “Darn it,” Richard muttered under his breath before heading over to the old farm house. A brief inspection of it revealed that it too was so badly damaged that it wasn’t safe to go inside. The only structure left was a small out building near the road that was almost completely covered over by vines. Richard reluctantly walked over to check it out not really expecting it to work out. As he pulled back the vines to look inside, he noticed there was a small root cellar attached to the side of it. After pulling open the rusty metal door, he peered in with his flashlight. The root cellar seemed structurally sound, and he slowly descended into the musty room. The smell of rodent urine permeated the air, while cobwebs and dust covered nearly everything from floor to ceiling. Richard batted at the webs to keep them out of his hair as he investigated the dank cellar. After a quick look around, he returned to the surface and flashed his light at the men indicating that he had found a suitable hiding place. The men quickly crossed the road and made their way over to the cellar. Once everyone was inside, Richard nervously peered out from a small window near the top of the cellar when he heard a vehicle in the distance. As it drew nearer, the morning light outlined what appeared to be an armored patrol approaching from the south. Richard immediately motioned for everyone to turn their flashlights off while he looked on.