Thread: Runs deep

Tyler awoke before dawn, same as each morning this week. The sky was still grey and the air cold and damp. Taking special care whilst getting dressed,ensuring everything was just so. Jeans slightly to big, a plain t-shirt a hoody two sizes to big and a pair of dusty old kicks. Heading outside Tyler looked around the ranch, or what was left of it. Before the outbreak Red Back Ranch had been a fair sized cattle ranch with 3k head of cattle, it was certainly profitable. Tyler had been born and raised here,infact had never left it either. Then a virulent biological weapon had been released in Asia,within 3 months the worlds population had been whittled down to the 8 who had a natural resistance to the virus. The rest had died or turned into every horror movie nightmare, a kind of zombie or monster. Unthinking instinctive and ravenous these creatures had swept in swathes across countries eating everything and anything eventually dying off through starvation because there was nothing left. Tyler's family had been lucky, naturally resistant , and sitting a mile and a half from the highway between two major state cities, they had avoided a lot of the worst monsters migrations,but with no way of maintaining the ranch it had quickly become little more than a small holding. Just enough to keep them going. It was 2 years since the outbreak and the Ranch had attracted a few other stray bodies, other survivors ,who, in return for helping out , were given a roof over there head and enough food to survive. That was all anyone could ask for anymore. Every couple of months the traders would come by, the family would trade fresh and cured meat for essentials. Mainly guns ammo,medication, that was particularly difficult to come by. Also water purifying tablet and fuel. There had been an alarming increase in the skin trade, nearly every trader came with a slave he was willing to sell,and whilst Tyler's father had expressed that he wished he could set them all free, they just couldn't afford it. Today was the last day of trading, and it was Tyler's job to make sure everything was ready for when the guy arrived, not sure who it was who was left to visit Tyler out everything that was left out. Cured and fresh beef, an actual mirror they had found in the loft ,vanity items weren't in much demand but if you knew where to go you could get good money. there where a lot of rifles here,and Tyler wondered if one of the other traders had agreed to leave them for this last guy. Clothes, coffee and a working CB radio. Just about done Tyler heard the sound of engines.... wait engines!!....oh no...DAD...MOM...WILSON....aaagh! Tyler screamed hitting the ground as the first shots were fired and 3 pickups pulled in, two guys in each. Tyler by now was under the dog kennel thanking god for being so slight. Doors slammed and shouting, lots and lots of shouting. GET UP.....Move or we shoot your wife! ..hey boss she smells niiiiiice. hahahahah.... NO..I want a good price for these ones, you ruined the last one, you can play with the older one she's passed her best anyway.. ....thanks boss then the sound of a muffled scream Tyler's mom gets dragged to the back of a pick up, but there is nothing to be done....aw c'mon lady this will only hurt for....well...a while probably ..hahahaha This goes on for 15 Min's until two of the three pick ups disappear back down the drive. Tyler waited and waited but heard nothing,eventually unable to stay under the kennel any more, crawled out covered in dust. Ah! there you are... Tyler freezes, and is then roughly grabbed by the hair before being dragged towards the last pick up. It seemed there was only one of them left but Tyler just wasn't strong enough despite trying to pull away and getting a swift kick in the ribs for causing trouble. Grunting, the big man held the kid by up the hair. just behave and everything will go much easier,... he puts his hand between Tyler's legs for a quick feel, and his eyebrow raised, he was about to make a remark when something caught his attention.