Goliath’s Story
Chapter 1
By Chris Gilman
Howdy there cubs, what can Uncle Goliath do for you this fine day? What, you want to know about the Change. It was so long ago, why ask now? You’ve been curious and your parents told you to ask us older furs huh? Oh well, Trel’la wants a record of what each of us went through on our way here. I guess this is as good a time as any other to remember it all, okay cubs, pull up a piece of ground and have a sit down while I collect my thoughts for a sec.
/Leans back against a tree and pushes his cowboy hat back on his head/
So, you cubs want to hear about the Change, hmm. There isn’t too much to tell about the change itself, but there is quite a lot to tell about what happened after the change while we were on our way here, during our travels. But like any good story, it must start at the beginning, the night before the Change.
The night before the change I was sitting at my computer writing, or should I say, trying to write. Something had been bothering me all week, but it isn’t anything I can put a finger on. It just kept me from concentrating on what I am putting on my screen. My mind keeps wandering, and while I am tired, I can’t get any sleep. Every time I lay down to sleep something draws me back to my computer.
Being an avid astronomy buff, I have followed the strange nova during the time it has been visible. But I would never have linked it to my feeling of unease. In fact I have put the whole week down to being hog-tied into working overtime all week. God how I hated overtime. The pay was okay, but the damn taxes would take too much out to make it worth it. Not to mention what doing construction work for twelve hours a day will do to you physically and mentally. Add into that the fact that I had the stressful job of an electrician, a job where you are in constant danger all the time. With all this I hadn’t been sleeping well the last few nights and it felt like I might be coming down with a fever. This was known to happen when I worked too much overtime, the stress from work and school just got too much. That would show them if I get sick since I am one of the only licensed electricians on the site.
I am also talking to a few friends on the net when suddenly I get extremely tired and fall forward onto my desk. My face just missing the keyboard and my arms drop from their perch. I was still awake, but I didn’t have the energy to move. Slowly I feel asleep right there with my head on the desk, my eyes closing no matter what I could do to try to keep them open. Never did I expect what I would find waiting for me in the morning when I finally woke.
***
When I wake in the morning, I feel great. Better then I have ever felt in the morning, I never was a morning person. I lean back in the chair and stretch, hearing my back and shoulders pop from having slept like that all night. I look at my computer and noticed that the computer had gone into standby mode when I had stopped typing last night and fallen asleep. Also I notice that my glasses are still sitting on the desk. Funny, I am blind without my glasses, have been since I was five, but here I could see perfectly. Maybe I am just not awake enough yet too tell that I can’t see clearly. I go to bring my computer all the way up and power it down so I can get ready for work. When I bring my arms towards the keyboard I have my first surprise of the day.
My arms are now covered in a fine pelt of tan fur and a snowy white fur on the palms. I have also lost my pinkie finger on each hand, and when I unconsciously flex muscles I didn’t even know I have, large black claws extended out from my fingers. They looked sharp enough to tear through steel! What the hell is going on here?
Following my arms to my torso I find the fur continues into what is left of my shirt. I try to pull what is left of my shirt off over my head and find that I now have a muzzle that sticks out from my face where I wasn’t used to one being, and it is making my shit hard to take off. I have to point my head straight up to get the remains of my shirt off. I get up and run to the bathroom where there is a large mirror, I wanted to see my new self. Let me rephrase that, I try to get up and run to the bathroom. When I stand I am unsteady, probably from the shock, but when I hit the door, I really HIT the door. While I had been 6’ 9" before and had to slouch to keep from hitting my head on the 6’ 8" doors, I was now much taller, and I smacked my head right into the doorframe and knocked myself out cold. For those of you who show prospects of being big too, always remember to duck, saves on headaches. /Rubs head as if remembering that collision/
I wake sometime later to the sound of my phone ringing. Why didn’t my mom or dad get the phone? Slowly I crawl to the living room where we have the speakerphone and hit the answer button. "Yes," my voice sounds similar to what I remember it being, but a little more gruff, purry I would almost call it.
"Chris, you there." The voice sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. "Chris it’s Ken. Come on man, answer the phone."
My voice is shaky as I respond, "Ken, are you normal anymore?"
"If you mean am I human anymore, nope. As for normal, when were any of us normal? I guess from your question though that you are no longer human either. What are you now?"
"To tell you the truth, I don’t know for sure. When I tried to get to the bathroom and get a look at myself I ran right into the doorframe and knocked myself cold. I think I grew a few inches at least. Your call just woke me up. If I had to guess from what I have seen of myself so far, I would say I was Goliath."
"Well, I have another question before you do go look at yourself. Is anyone else there?"
"Of course someone else is here. It’s still early, my parents don’t leave till after I do. They just probably aren’t up yet. Boy are they going to wig out when they see this."
A pause on the other side punctuates his response. "Better go look and be sure. My parents should be home too, but no one is here but me and both cars are in the garage."
"Okay, just wait a minute." I get up and slowly walk to my parent’s room and knock on the door. When I don’t get an answer I open the door and look in. The bed is slept in, but there is no sign of them. I hurry to the front door and looking out see both of their cars outside. Where could they be?
I run back to the phone and with a worried sound in my voice call out to Ken, "Ken, still there?"
"Yeah, I am guessing from the sound of your voice that your parents are gone too. Look are you going to be around for a while?"
"Yeah, I should be here for a while. I might do a quick run out to see if I can find anyone else. Maybe Mike or Bill is still around. It would be weird if we were all that was left."
"I’ll be there in about thirty minutes, be careful out there. Who knows what kind of crazies are out there now, there were enough before, if they changed who knows what condition they are in mentally."
"I’ll just make a few calls real quick and then wait for you before I run out. Don’t take too long or I might leave without you. See you when you get here."
"See you in about thirty minutes." With that he hangs up and the dial tone drones for a few moments before the phone hangs itself up.
Sitting there for a few minutes it finally hits me. My entire family is gone and as far as I know Ken and I are the only two left alive. Finally I get up and head for the bathroom. There I finally see myself for the first time.
I am now standing about 7’ 6", probably why I hit my head going through a 6’ 8" door, and while I have lost most of my spare tire, I have gained it in muscle. I would say I weighed a little more now then when I was a human, about 400 pounds. My entire body is now covered in a fine pelt of fur. My chest and the inside of my legs down to about my knees are pure white, while the rest of me is covered in a rich tan fur. My eyes are still the same deep blue, but now have more of an elliptical pupil instead of the round ones I had as a human. My face has the characteristic black markings of a mountain lion, or cougar as some people know it, so I guess that is what I am. What can only be called dark brown hair is falling off the top of my head and hangs almost to my waist. I grab a strip of cloth to tie my hair back, letting it fall in a ponytail. Just like I always imagined Goliath would look like.
Looking down at my feet I see they are now digigrade. My weight supported by four toes on each foot that are a little thicker then my human toes had been. They are also all about the same length, a little shorter then my big toes had been. My shorts had ripped in the back to accommodate my new tail that had sprung from the base of my spine as it moved back and forth with a mind of its own, keeping me balanced on my new feet. It is the same tan for its entire length except for about the last four inches, which are a dark brown. Almost as if it had been dipped into a can of dark brown paint. Well, at least the new way of walking had come with this new form, I really would have hated to have to learn to walk again.
Well, now I know without a doubt who I am. The coloration, size, bone structure, I am now Goliath Wildcat. My online persona that was known to my friends and those who visited my web site where I kept my writing.
"Now that that is solved, I better see if I can reach anybody else." I slowly walked into the living room and picked up the receiver, and found my first problem with my new body other than the huge size. My ears were in the wrong places to use the hand set. No problem, I have a speaker phone and know how to use it.
Dialing a few friends I know I only have answers at two houses. Michael, my best friend for eight years answered after the third ring.
"Yeah, what do you want Chris." Forgot he had caller ID.
"Time to wake up Mike. Oh, and look in a mirror."
A pause on the other end of the line answered me. "What are you talking about? Why are you calling me so early in the morning? I don’t go to work at 5 am like you. And why should I go look in a mirror?"
"Sorry for waking you. Just go take a look, trust me."
"I hate it when you say that. Okay, just wait a minute." I hear him set the phone down and walk away, man he was less of a morning person then I was if he hadn’t realized it by now. Over the phone I hear a loud exclamation that even I won’t repeat. A quick thudding of running feet and he was there on the other end again. "Chris, what the hell is going on here?"
"I don’t know, all I do know is that so far you me and Ken are all that is left in town. Me, I’m now Goliath, you know, my character from the net. How about you?"
A short pause and he responds, "You’re going to laugh when you hear, I’m a skunk."
"Not any more funny than that I am now a huge mountain lion and that my parents are gone."
"Parents, oh shit," the phone hits the ground as I hear Mike run off again, probably to check on his parents for himself. After a few minutes I hear him come back. The sound of his voice is heart breaking, "Their gone." I can faintly hear him crying on the other side of the phone. I know how close he was to his parents, and I know he was taking it really hard from the sound of his voice.
"Look Mike, I know it is a lot to deal with, but try to hold together there buddy. Soon as Ken gets over here we’ll be over there to get you. So far you’re the only other person I have found, and there is only one person left to call that I know the number to."
"Who?" His voice still sounds strained over the phone, he doesn’t seem to be taking it too well at all.
"Just Bill. Ken should be here soon then we’ll be right over. So hold tight and hold yourself together. We should be there in only about twenty minutes or less."
"Yea, sure Chris." I hear him lower the phone and set it back on the hook.
After two tries, Bill, finally answers the phone. "Yeah, yeah, what do ya want?"
"I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count, but first look in a mirror Bill. Then everything should be crystal clear to you."
"Huh, who is this?" He probably can’t tell it’s me because of the slight change in my voice.
"Look Bill, it’s Chris, I’ll explain everything in a minute, just go look in a mirror."
"Why the hell are you calling me at 4:30 am Chris.’ Then the strange sound of my voice must have finally registered, "What’s wrong Chris, you don’t sound like yourself."
"Yeah, well none of us look like ourselves right now, so go look in the damn mirror!" I am starting to get a little testy at his usual stubbornness.
"Okay, okay. I’m going. No need to shout." The line is quiet for a few minutes before I hear him pick the phone back up. "Tell me I am dreaming or you slipped something into a drink I had last night."
"Why, what did you see?"
"Well, not myself, that’s for sure, but I am sure you already knew that or you wouldn’t have called me this early. I now look like an anthromorphic wolf. Almost the way I thought my Crinos form in Werewolf the Apocalypse would look. Chris, what has happened? I already looked around the house quickly and can’t find my parents, but both cars are out back."
"Yeah, I know. So far I have contacted you, Mike, and Ken. Ken is on his way over here right now and then I want to pickup Michael, I don’t think he is handling this too well, especially with how close he was to his parents. We’ll plan on meeting over at your house in about an hour, okay."
"Yeah, sounds like a plan to me, see ya then."
I hang up the phone and check the clock, about ten minutes till Ken should be here. Realizing I am still wearing the remains of my clothes from last night I hit my closet.
Digging through my clothes I find a few things that I hope will fit with a little altering. With my new height I don’t even try for a pair of pants. I find an old pair of fatigue shorts that used to be too big on me. Now they ought to fit about right, soon as I add a place for my tail to go. Taking my mother’s sewing kit I put a slice in the rear of them with one of my knives and add a button at the top to keep it closed. Yes, I could actually sew cubs, something you learn in Boy Scouts when your mother isn’t around to help you when you are camping in the middle of the woods. Now for a shirt I am lucky, I always had wide shoulders, so all my shirts had to be rather large to fit my human frame. Now they all fit rather well on my new frame and I grab one of my olive drab sleeveless shirts and slip in on and add a camo vest over it with lots of pockets. Shoes, forget it. I had size seventeen feet before, but now my feet are at least six inches longer and I walk on my toes anyway. Just have to do without them I guess. Still do to this day in fact. Besides, the bottoms of my feet have pads on them just like any other cat would. They are probably as tough as any shoe’s sole.
As a finishing touch I dig through my closet and find my dive bag. Finding my dive knife I strap it on my leg and give it a flex to see how it sits with my new muscle structure. Seems like it will work. Looking at the bag there with the rest of my gear I feel a somewhat sad. No way is any of the gear going to work for me any more. The fins won’t fit my feet and there is no way I can wear the mask now that I have a muzzle. Shame, I like scuba diving.
I finish getting dressed just in time. Someone is knocking on my door and I figure it is Ken. I go to the front door and look outside. There is a black anthromorphic fox with white points standing on my doorstep. I open the door and we look each other over. He has more human looking legs and stands about 5’ 8" tall. He is wearing a pair of black pants and a black t-shirt. Looks like he decided to go barefoot too since he isn’t wearing any shoes. From the clothes he is wearing it must be Ken. What other black fox would be wearing all that black clothing?
Finally he seems to be finished looking me over as I stand there in the doorway. "Hey Chris, you get a hold of anybody else," he asks as he steps in.
Closing the door behind him I get a shock as I see he has four tails, not one, forgot he was a Kitsune in several furry D&D adventures I ran. Briefly I wonder just what that is going to entail for him, will he get any of their powers? "Yeah, got a hold of Michael and Bill. Mike is a skunk and Bill is a wolf. Mike is waiting for us to pick him up and I told Bill we would meet over at his house soon as we got Michael. Let me grab a few things real quick and we can go."
I head to my bedroom and grab the case from under the bed. Pulling out a key ring I open it to reveal my guns. I pick up the double barrel shotgun and the 300 Savage, as well as plenty of ammo for both. Heading back out into the living room I toss the rifle and a box of ammo for it to Ken and heft the shotgun myself.
Looking at me with a little surprise he raises an eyebrow. "Just in case, I don’t think everyone we meet is going to be friendly," I answer his unspoken question. "There were some people out there who were just plain rude, and I would hate to think what they might be doing now with having changed and most of the people in the world seemingly missing." We spend a few moments loading both guns, and giving them a once over, and then are ready to leave.
Outside I look at the choices of cars to take. No way in hell am I going to fit in my dad’s Geo Metro, and unfortunately, I won’t be able to fit in my Chevy S10 anymore either. So that only leaves mom’s Chevy Suburban, it ought to be big enough, even for me. We climb in and it starts right up without a hitch. Well, whatever happened to us, it didn’t affect technology yet at least.
In less than ten minutes we are at Michael’s house and knocking on the door. We wait a few minutes, but he doesn’t come to the door. Looking at Ken he gives me a nod as I take a step back from the door. With one well-placed kick from my foot the door goes flying off its hinges and smacks into the far wall. Forgot how strong I made him when I designed Goliath. Using the shotgun to sweep the room I slowly walk in. Nobody in the living room, going down the hallway I can pick up the scent of a skunk, seems to be coming from Mike’s bedroom. Slowly we walk towards it and open the door. What I assume to be Mike is laying there listening to some music on his headphones so loud I can hear it from all the way over here. He looks like a typical skunk. White chest and from what I can see of his tail he has two white stripes running down its length. Looks like he lost a few inches and now will only stand about 5’ 6". His legs are like Ken’s, and while he has put on a pair of shorts that is it for clothing.
I lower the gun, and walking up to him turn the stereo off. With a start he opens his eyes, and seeing us standing in his room jumps with his back against the wall. Must be quite a shock to find a huge mountain lion and a black fox standing over you. He starts to turn with his tail raised and I think I know what he is going to do.
Not wanting to have to take a tomato juice bath I wave at him shouting, "Woah there buddy! It’s us, Chris and Ken," I say as I point from me to Ken. At hearing this he relaxes somewhat.
"Why didn’t you guys just knock," he asks as he starts to turn back around.
"We did," Ken speaks up, "But who could have heard anything back here with that stuff you listen to."
Mike gives us a sheepish grin, "Sorry. Just trying to relax till you got here"
"Are you ready to go, I want to get to Bill’s. Then we can figure out what to do." Without waiting for him I head back outside to the truck. He and Ken are out in just a minute and together we head for Bill’s house. God, I hope we aren’t all that is left in this world. It would be one awfully lonely place if we were all that is left in it.
It only takes a few more minutes to get to Bill’s house. Good thing we all lived so close to each other. At his house we see a red wolf standing on the front porch wearing cutoff jeans, a cowboy hat with holes cut out for his ears, and a tie-dyed shirt, must be Bill. He stands on digigrade legs like me and is about 6’ tall. From what I can see his fur is entirely red. Odd, but then, the type of Garou he played were red. I wonder if he has the ability to shift like a Garou would? Seeing the truck pull up he waves to us as he walks out to greet us. The only noticeable difference in his clothing is the shoulder holster hanging under his left arm, and the large handgun therein.
"Hey guys, what took so long?"
Getting out of the truck I glare at him. "Well, glad to see someone is enjoying this."
"Nah, I just have come to terms with it already. Come on in guys." He turns and walks into the house, we follow close on his heals.
Sitting around his living room we talk about what we are going to do next. "So, any ideas on what we should do now that we are all back together," Bill opens up by asking with a quiet laugh.
Looking around the room I say what is on my mind, "I know this might sound dumb and panicky, but we should be out of town within a few days."
The others just stare at me for a second. "Why," asks Ken.
Scratching the underside of my muzzle, like I would have done with my old chin, I give my reasons. "Well, with everybody gone, power and water aren’t going to last too long. I know phones are already gone, I tried to make one more call and didn’t even get a dial tone. Once something breaks, that’s it. Also, with no more fire department, I would hate to think what would happen if a fire started here. Can anyone else here say firestorm! Lastly, I want to get out on the road and find others who have changed like us. Spend maybe a day searching around here, but then we should go. Maybe best if we split up into two teams. Two of us look for others, two of us look for supplies." The others all nod at this.
"Okay, Ken, you come with me. We’ll start looking for stuff we can use, maybe even a RV if we are going to do some traveling. Bill, Mike, you two take Bill’s truck, and look for survivors. Any you find who appear to be harmless, bring back here. Bill, you don’t have a CB in that truck of yours, here." I toss a hand held unit to him that he catches. "I moved mine to my mom’s truck. I want us to stay in contact all day."
Ken and I stand to leave when Bill stops us with a whistle, hmm, wonder if that makes it a wolf whistle? "If you guys are going out, take something easier to carry then those big bores you’re carrying." He gets up and heads to his gunroom. After a few minutes he comes back out and hands us each a pistol, though mine looks more like a sawed off shotgun.
Opening the breach I realize that is exactly what it is. Bill sees me doing this and grins, "Figured you would want something that would stop almost anyone who might want to mess with you." Handing me a box of shells I examine the marking on the outside. "Two different types of rounds for you, slugs, and fletchetts. Put one in each barrel and if the fletchetts don’t dissuade them, the slug will." I nod my thanks and he turns to Ken who is still holding the pistol handed to him and looking at it like it might bite him.
"Yours Ken, is a simple Colt 45 Model 1911. Same thing the army has used for years. Hollow points and AP rounds alternating." Passing him a few more clips Ken sticks them in his belt. "You two take care. See you back here about sixish." I give him a nod and we walk out to the truck and drive off in search of gear and supplies.
***
Once underway we talk about where to get what stuff. "Well, Ken, where do you want to search for what first?"
Looking up from a list he is making, a thoughtful look passes over his face. "Lets head down to Forest Lane and pick up a RV first. That way we can haul things back in there too, as well as in here."
"All right, I just want to make one stop first, something I always wanted to get."
"What?"
Looking at him out of the side of my eye I give him a grin. "Wait and see." He gives me a sideways glance, "Trust me."
He rolls his eyes towards the ceiling, "I hate it when you say that." After that we drive in silence.
***
"Texas Army National Guard, what are we doing here?"
"Just getting a few things on my wish list," I tell him excitedly. Slowly I drive up to the gate and rest the bumper against the gate. Leaving the truck in low gear, I force our way through the gate and into the main enclosure. Looking around I see a HUMM-V sitting there idling, "Jackpot!" I get out and check the gas tank, still half full. I turnoff the ignition and pocket the keys.
What’s that cubs. What’s a HUMM-V? Why it is only the most superbly built all terrain vehicle in the world. Was designed by the United States military to replace the old Jeeps as a standard transport and light field vehicle. What’s that? No cub, I think you are thinking of its cousin, the Hummer. That was a civilian version of the vehicle. Didn’t have the armor plating, wasn’t equipped with the snorkel so it could go through 6’ of water, and was narrower to fit into parking spaces easier. Also the Hummer was not equipped with a gun mount. Like I said, it was for non-military personnel. The HUMM-V was much more rugged. We can still find some today in good working order, that’s why I have kept mine around. I just don’t drive it much anymore, waste of gas unless we have to go far. Probably why you haven’t seen it, I keep it in my garage.
Ken has gotten out and is standing next to me, "So this what you wanted?"
Giving him an evil grin I can’t help but state, "Among other things."
After a little searching I find what I am looking for, the armory. I had noticed that the HUMM-V has the mount for a gun already attached, now I want something to put there. In the armory I find a .50 caliber machine gun that looks like it should fit, and several thousand rounds for it. Ken helps me haul it out and load it into the HUMM-V. Then we head back in for a few extra goodies. I bet Bill is going to freak when he sees me pull up with all this. He is almost more of a gun nut then I am, almost. We load up the back of the HUMM-V with several different weapons and plenty of ammo for each. After all, I had been a Boy Scout, and they always say be prepared. And with few people left in the world I was expecting to see anarchy out there.
It takes me a couple of minutes to modify the seat for my tail. I had been sitting in the Suburban with it tucked off to one side, but it wasn’t the most comfortable way to drive. There was no way I was going to sit like that for hours while we were driving along the road.
Finally with my new toy loaded up and Ken driving the Chevy, we head off in search of the next thing on our wish list.
***
Forest Lane has several dealerships that sell RV’s in Garland, all we have to do is pick one we like. Looking through the selection we find the largest one we can. Breaking into the office we find a selection of keys, going through them we find the ones we are looking for and open the RV.
"Looks big enough. What do you think Chris?"
"Should hold us easily, plus anybody else we should happen to find out there." Reading the label on the window I realize just how large of a RV we found. "Holy shit, this thing sleeps twelve and is forty-eight feet long Ken. Has an onboard generator and full kitchen and bath. What more could we need?"
"Don’t ask, I might tell you."
I climb in and look around the inside. Heck, I can even stand up in here. Plenty of room, even has roof hatches with retracting ladders. This thing was a mobile fortress, if we got attacked on the road we could easily hold off twice our number if he had to. Why do I keep thinking of how we can defend ourselves, must have something to do with new feline instincts. Ken had climbed in behind me and is settling down behind the wheel.
"Chris, I think the seat needs to be fixed for tails, especially mine." I turn and see his problem. With four tails he has two on each side of the seat, looks uncomfortable.
"Get out of there and I’ll fix it. There is a full service station here too. I can get some tools and make space for tails." Finding the tools I need I make the adjustments to the seat. Now even Ken can sit there with comfort.
As I pack up the tools he tries it out. "Works pretty good man."
"Good, soon as you figure out how to drive it we can get out of here and pick up other supplies. I’m going to move the CB out of the Suburban and put it in here. Found one in the HUMM-V all ready, so we are still all in contact."
"Sure, soon as you have that done, we can go." He turns back to the console then snaps his fingers and turns back to me. "Oh, and I saw some vehicle trailers out there. I am going to hook one up so we can keep the Suburban with us."
I give him a thumb’s up and exit the RV. Within twenty minutes we are finished with our little duties and ready to roll. I jump into the HUMM-V while he seats himself behind the console of the RV. After we have the motors started I pick up my mic and speak into it.
"Yo Ken, where do you want to go now?"
"I think we should pick up some camping type supplies next. Know anywhere real local we can get them?"
"Yep, there is a Super Wal-Mart just down the street, Follow me and I’ll break trail for you."
As I hang the mic on its hook he lets out a blast from RV’s horns signaling he was ready to go. I slip the transmission into gear and away we go.
The streets are actually pretty clear, whatever happened must have happened early in the morning, ‘bout two AM I would say. With the roads as clear as they are, it only takes a few minutes to make it to the store. Pulling into the parking lot there are a few cars, about what I had expected. We pull up in the fire lane and shut off our motors. The silence of the world around us is almost deafening, it’s surprising how you can get used to the everyday sounds of life going on around you. After a moment or two we step out and head towards the front doors. Since this store was open all the time we didn’t even have to break in, but I thought we were going to have to force the doors because this area of town had already lost power to it. To my surprise the doors were already standing open. Not even thinking about it we walk in.
The inside is lit enough by emergency lights for us to see. In fact I am surprised with how well I can see. My new eyes refocus the available light so much better that all the lights might as well have been on to me.
We make our way to the camping goods area with several carts and start piling stuff into them. As I load up one cart, Ken is bringing back the one he just emptied into the RV. Takes us about two hours to load up all that we decide we want to take in equipment and supplies.
We pack enough supplies to feed us for at least a month. Plus we pack enough camping gear to equip a Boy Scout troop, not to mention all the extras, some of which we probably don’t need. Like the full home entertainment system for the RV, a new state of the art computer, and more videos then I could watch in a year. I also grab quite a bit of fishing gear since I am an avid fisherman, and fish could be a good addition to our supplies.
Of course I grab a few extras for my HUMM-V too. Like a new stereo with CD player and plenty of good old country music to keep me going on the long drive I see ahead for us. Yes, yes, I hear all of you groaning, but I was raised in the home state of country music and listened to it my entire unchanged life. There is no way I am going to change now or ever.
Once the Wal-Mart is raided we convene back outside to plot our next step to take. Looking at the list Ken wrote on the way here I scratch off most of the things on it. "Well, we got most of what we wanted, and I also thought up a few more things we should grab. And I think I know just where to get them."
Ken gives me a kind of worried look, "Chris, I don’t like it when you say things like that. The last time you said something like that we grabbed that," with a flourish he points towards the fully equipped HUMM-V loaded with gear.
I just look at him and grin, "So what’s wrong with that. I just wanted something even I could fit into. Plus it will make a good trail-breaking vehicle. I have never seen a HUMM-V get stuck in anything." He lowers his head and shakes it back and forth a few times. "Anyway, get in that monster you’re driving and follow me."
Twenty minutes latter we pull up outside a local Home Depot. This time we have to break in, but there is no alarm, power must be off here too. I find what I was looking for pretty fast since I knew where to go to find it. Being an electrician I have been here many times over the years. While Ken gets the last things on our list I grab what I came here for.
I get a trailer and hook it up behind the HUMM-V. Then I load it with a hundred-gallon tank in the front and two good-sized generators behind that. Figured we should have a little more power when we stop for the night than the little generator on the RV will supply us with. I grab a couple hand pumps and hoses since we might have to pump our fuel out of underground storage tanks if the pumps weren’t working. In reflection I also grab a large deep freezer and tie it into its own small generator. Figured this would help us carry more meat and keep it good longer. Since three out of the four of us could obviously eat meat, I wasn’t sure what a skunk ate, it would be smart to haul as much of it as we could. Almost as an afterthought, I also snag a large tool chest and strap it on the end loaded with a complete mechanic’s tool set to keep us going. Looking over the trailer it seems to be balanced enough, and it sure isn’t going to give my little toy any problems pulling it. Heck it still has room on it.
When Ken comes back out with the last things on his list he pauses when he sees what I have been busy with. "Well I think you got everything covered now. How about you?"
I shrug my shoulders at him. "Who knows what we are going to find out there now that society has broken down to those who are left. I just want to be prepared."
"Well, I can’t fault you for that, but isn’t this a little extreme," he waves one arm at the trailer hitched to the HUMM-V.
I give him a large smile and pat him on the back, "Of course not. Just remember, ‘when you need it and don’t have it, you sing a different tune.’"
He laughs at me and shakes his head. "You saw that movie far too many times to be safe for a human being. And I don’t think we are going to have any little monsters running around trying to eat us, or large worms digging up from under us."
He stops laughing though when he sees the serious look on my face. "You forget Ken, we are no longer human and who knows what other people have turned into. Now come on, it’s starting to get late and I want to get back to the others before it’s too late." He nods his head and climbs into the RV while I get into my vehicle and together we return to Bill’s house.
***
When we pull in front of Bill’s house I don’t see his truck, must still be out trying to find others. Since it is only about five-thirty I am not worried yet. Ken starts to unpack some food when I catch his eye, "No need for that, Bill probably has quite a bit of food in his freezer here. I am kind of surprised to see the power still on here as a matter of fact."
Ken just shrugs it off, "This grid probably hasn’t failed yet. You should know that, you are and electrician after all."
I nod my head, "Yeah, probably right, this city has several power stations and I think this house is on a different grid from the other places we have been, but I don’t think the power is going to last much longer." I unpack a few things from the HUMM-V. Setting it all out next to the vehicle I rub my hands together, "Let’s party."
Ken looks over at me trying not to laugh at the scene, "Chris, I hate it when you say that."
I look at him over my shoulder and grin, "I know."
***
Some time later I finish and stand up looking over my handiwork. Not bad if I do say so myself. Got the machine gun mounted on the built in mount for it and already have a belt fed into it. But as a safety precaution pulled the bolt and will only put it back in when I am heading out. Put in the new stereo and added speakers for it. I am ready for some travel.
Casually I look down at my watch and am shocked by the time. "Seven, where are those guys?" I yell into the house at Ken. "Ken, any word from those two over the radios lately?"
He comes out scratching his head in thought, "Now that you mention it, no, there hasn’t." Now he gets a worried look on his face at what he just said. "You think something happened to them?"
I look down the road, "I don’t know, but I don’t like it." I grab my guns out of the Suburban and throw them into my HUMM-V with the ones I picked up. "Ken, stay by the radio and stay in contact with me. I’m going to find out what happened to our little lost sheep."
He looks as if he is going to complain about it, but steps back and waves at me to go. "I’ll have some steaks ready when you guys get back." With a salute I drive down the road to find our missing friends.
***
When I find them I did not like where I find them or what else I find with them. They have found others who have changed, but two of those others they found were less then sane, and just as heavily armed as I am. In retrospect I was nuts to try taking them on, but that is friendship. And I didn’t have any time to think things like that over cubs, just time to act on my instincts.
I spotted some smoke in the distance, and knowing the noise made by the HUMM-V, decided to go in on foot. So I park some distance away and grab a cloth wrapped package from the seat beside me. Unwrapping it revels a .50 caliber sniper rifle I had picked up at the armory. Before I leave the HUMM-V I pull out a huge clip and snap it into place. Anything that messes with my friends is going to mess with me in the end.
When I get close enough to see what is going on I find myself in a small park down the road from Michael’s house. It is a large park and we had gone there many times to launch model rockets when we were younger and had more free time. Even though it was getting fairly dark I could still see six forms clearly. Two big brutes that are armed to the teeth, and three that are bound up to one side. There is one more that is lying on the ground and they kept kicking it. I could clearly hear them shouting at the others, "You were just looking for others so there must be someone looking for supplies for you. Tell us the locations of the others or we are going to kill you all slowly."
The other one just grins at this and added his two cents worth, "Very slowly Meck, very slowly." The first speaker lifts the limp form on the ground and puts a large pistol to its head.
I slid the rifle up in front of me and uncover the lens of the scope. Now I have a clear look at them through the magnified scope, and I do not like what I see. The big one, Meck, has become a minotaur, and the only slightly smaller one is an evil looking satyr.
I knew that to be fair I should go down there and give them a chance to run away. Alas, as it is said, ‘all’s fair in love and war’, and this was war to me. I hit the clips that held the bipod against the barrel and lowered it to support the front of the gun. With a round already loaded I slipped my finger down to switch off the safety. I see the big one with a determined look on his face is looking at the form he is holding and I think he is about to pull the trigger. "Gods forgive me for what I am about to do," I whisper to myself. I don’t even think, I just react on instinct and pull the trigger. With a silenced thump the rifle kicks against me as a high-velocity round leaves the barrel and smacks its target with pinpoint accuracy in his forehead. His head disappears as the .50 caliber bullet does its damage, and his body drops to the ground quivering. The other one swings around to look where the shot came from, I bet he saw the round that kills him coming. I sure can see the look in his eyes as I pull the trigger again. The look of someone who knows they are about to die. His body drops down beside the other one, still twitching in its death throes.
I stay there to see if anyone came running up from out of sight, someone I might have missed when I was looking around the area. When no one else moves into sight I gathered up the sniper rifle and slowly walk towards the group huddled there.
Bill is one of the ones tied up and he nods at me. I pull my knife and slice his bonds and gag. With his hands free, I leave him the knife and go to check on the one who was being kicked and beat. I am horrified to see the black and white skunk form of Michael lying there covered in his own blood as well as the blood of the bastard who was about to kill him.
I kneel down beside him and softly shake him. When he doesn’t react I check for his vitals and am reassured to find them strong and steady. I pull the med kit I had found at the base off my belt and pull out various things to start patching up his various wounds. Bill comes up behind me and kneels down on the other side of Michael. He sees some of the stuff I pull out and throws some of it away.
When I look up at him he shakes his head, "Can’t give him any medication, we don’t know how it will affect his new body, can’t chance it. Best to stick to basics."
I nod to him and continue bandaging Michael. When we finish I carefully pick him up and motion Bill to grab my gun. "Come on, we’ll sort this out at your house." I look over at the other two who almost seem to be cowering from me. I can’t blame them. A huge figure with a huge gun had just strolled out of the dark and killed the people that had tied them up. Now I was looking straight at them. "Come on you two, you’ll be safe with us." When I turn and start walking off to my HUMM-V I can hear their quiet footsteps following me. Bill follows my directions and leads us as point since he has all of our weaponry, but the pistol he gave me.
When we reach the HUMM-V Bill slides up into the gunner position while I motion for the other two to climb in as I gently set Michael down in the back. I climb in and fire up the engine with a roar. I reach down and pick up the mic. "Ken, I found them, we are on our way back plus two." Slamming it into gear I head back to Bill’s house.
Ken’s response comes back, "Sure thing man, I’ll leave the lights on for you and throw a few more steaks on for them too."
In about twenty minutes I pull in front of Bill’s house. When Bill goes to lift Michael out of the back I stop him and pick Michael up myself. When Ken sees me carrying him he wants to start asking questions, but I silence him with a shake of my head. Everything will be explained to everyone in a few minutes.
I carry Michael into the spare bedroom and lie him out on the bed. Once I have covered him with a light sheet, I head out into the living room, leaving the door open in case he calls for us. Everyone is seated out in the living room and has already been served with plates of food. Once we are all seated and served we begin.
"Okay Bill, what happened?"
He takes a deep breath and starts his tale. "We were doing like you said we should. Driving around looking for others who had changed. We found Timmy here," he motions towards the small squirrel seated on the couch, "hanging around his school. How old did you say you were Timmy?"
In a timid voice he responds, "I’m seven."
Timmy Looks to be your average gray squirrel. But he is only about 3’ tall, must be because he is only seven. His legs are like Ken’s and Mike’s. He is wearing a pair of shorts that haven’t been altered for a tail and a t-shirt. We are going to have to get him some better clothes soon. I give him a smile and he seems to settle down somewhat.
Bill continues, "Late this afternoon we also found Kim here," he points towards the female white tiger sitting next to Timmy, "huddled in an ally."
Kim looks like your typical 6’ 2" tall white tiger morph. Her fur is white with black stripes, except on her chest and belly which are just a solid white. She also has black boot and glove markings, look cool on her. She has digigrade legs like mine. Her clothes currently consist of a pair of short shorts and a sports bra. I give her a nod of welcome and continue to listen to what Bill is saying.
"Said she had been running from two guys all day. I thought we should get back here and warn you, but they found us first. Their first shots took out my tires and their next went through my engine block. There was nothing I could do. They had us pinned in the truck, one on either side with their guns out. I knew that I couldn’t beat them, they had us with our pants down."
"They tied us up and brought us back to their little camp. They started with just threatening us. They wanted us to tell them the location of others we had found. Said something about that they were going to rule this town and that they controlled everyone’s life in it. When that didn’t work they started to beat up Michael. About ten minutes later you showed up and took care of them."
I cast my glance back towards the room where Michael is resting, "Looks like I wasn’t soon enough."
"Don’t start beating yourself up over this Chris, you saved us. If you hadn’t come looking for us we would probably all be dead by now, Michael especially."
The others are nodding at what Bill just said. Timmy climbs down off the couch where he has been sitting and comes up to me, his eyes brimming with tears. "Mister Chris, I’m sorry about your friend, but thank you for saving us." He climbs on my lap and wraps his small arms around my neck in a hug. I hold him close as he does and can feel his tears falling onto my shoulder.
I see Kim still sitting on the couch, her eyes starting to water too. She gives me a nod from where she sits. Eventually, Tim releases his hold on my neck and pulls back to look into my face. "Well, neither of you have to worry about anyone hurting you from now on. You are free to come with us if you want. We will protect you from any harm. If someone wants to hurt anyone here, they are going to have to go through me first. And please, call me Goliath, it was my name online for this character, and so I guess it is mine too now." Tim gives me another hug and Kim nods her head at me again. Looks like we are now a group of six. Well, ‘the-more-the-merrier’.
With Tim seated on my lap, Bill and I talk about what we are going to do now that we are supplied. "I think we should do a swing north through Oklahoma, then east. Head towards the New England states. They were far more densely populated, and there might be more who have changed."
Bill nods his head, "Yeah, and I’ve been thinking about why we all changed, and what might decide whether you changed or not. Timmy, why do you think you changed?"
"I think I changed because I always wanted to be a squirrel, like in the cartoons."
Bill nods his head, "Goliath, I know about you and me, Michael I’m not too sure of, and I remember when you ran D&D Ken would sometimes play a Kitsune. I think if you had any link to what you call furriness you changed, otherwise, you went wherever everyone else went."
I think about what he is saying, makes sense to me. "That means there could be quite a few people out there when you think about anyone who was close to a spirit guide or such. Not to mention all the people out there who wrote and drew furry. Maybe we could find a group of them already settled somewhere out there that we could join."
I see that Tim has fallen asleep on my lap. I slowly stand and place him back in the chair I have been sitting in and cover him with a sheet. Turning to Bill I motion for us to take this outside. "Bill, I think we should head out tomorrow, before noon if possible. I have a bad feeling we might run into more people like those you ran into today if we stay here too long."
Bill looks up at the clear Texas sky, "Yep, probably a good idea. What do you want me to do?"
"Simple, Ken drives the RV since he has had some practice with it lately. I’ll run point for us with my little toy there. You should stay with Ken in the RV, I thought of taking another vehicle, but it would just waist too much gas. I’ll put my trailer behind the RV, that way I’m not tied down with it. Oh, I’ve also got some little surprises for you out there too. Even though I’m riding armed scout, I want you to keep some firepower in the RV just in case. Both vehicles have communication so you can yell for help if you need it. I would say in the morning load whatever you want into the RV and we might grab a few things on our way out of town."
"Not much I’m going to grab, other than my gun collection. Spent too long collecting it, I can’t leave it behind."
I think about this for a few minutes. "Tell you what, there is still a lot of room on that trailer, more than enough room for your two gun safes. Put your tools in the RV’s storage compartments and we will be good to go."
He gives me a slap on the back, "Thanks bud, I knew you wouldn’t make me leave them behind."
"Yeah, yeah, just get them loaded first thing in the morning. I’ll head out and get anything else we can think of at first light while you are doing that." He nods and we reenter his house.
"I’m going to bed Goliath, see ya in the morning."
I give him a nod and head to the dining room where Ken and Kim are talking over what else we should get before we leave. "I’m going to check on Ken and his list before I do the same. Might see ya before I leave in the morning, but don’t count on it."
Walking into the dinning room I see them huddled over a pad making notes. They don’t even seem to notice me as I enter. "Hope I ain’t disturbing you two." I snag a chair and spinning it around sit with my arms crossed over the back. "How’s the list coming?"
Ken looks over the list they have before handing it to me. "Not too bad, we only came up with a few more things that we didn’t get already."
I give their list a good look before I reach out and grab a pen. I put a line through the medications that were listed. "Bill brought up a good point when I rescued him and Michael. We shouldn’t risk taking medications that we don’t know how they will effect us. Most medications might be safe, but in what doses. I’ll grab some if you insist, but we should refrain from using them till we find someone who is inclined towards medicine and healing."
Kim seems to get a thoughtful look on her face for a minute before answering, "You are probably right, but we should get some just in case. If we find out we can use them we should have them."
I nod my head, "Okay, I’ll grab a couple of bottles and we will have it, if, we can use it and need it. But I do think we should get more of the basics, bandages, gauss and tape. These are external things that can bind up wounds without endangering us. And the old-fashioned needle and thread will always work."
"What about for dulling pain," asks Kim. "That is what I thought about the medications for."
I grab a bottle from the bar and set it in front of us. "They used to use liquor before they had modern pain killers." I give the bottle a funny look. "Course, if I still am as resistant to the stuff as when I was human it would take an awful lot to dull any pain." This gets a laugh out of them as they hear me state this.
"Ken, is there anything else you want to get from your house before we leave, or you Kim?"
They both shake their heads no. "Everything I need to get is still parked at your house in my mom’s van. Just grab it when you run by your house tomorrow. But as for clothes, most of mine won’t fit any more. These are pretty loose on me now."
"In fact, I think most of us need to go shopping for new clothes before we leave tomorrow," says Kim.
"Probably right, I know most of my clothes won’t fit me any more." I look behind me and stare at my tail. "Of course any clothes we get are going to have to be altered to make room for our tails." I look back at them, "How about after we come back from picking up the few things on that list we still need, we all pile into our vehicles and drive over to the mall and get new wardrobes."
Kim reaches for the pad and scribbles something down. "Now that you mention it, sewing equipment and supplies would be a good idea." She looks up at us, "I don’t suppose either of you boys can sew can you?"
Ken shakes his head no, but I answer her with a nod. At the wide eyed look on her face I answer, "I was a Boy Scout long enough to almost get Eagle. It’s where I learned most of my survival skills and where I picked up my fondness for firearms. Heck, you might not believe this, but I can even cook."
She looks a little surprised, "Well, aren’t you just full of surprises." We all get a laugh out of this, but I hush them quickly with a wave of my hand.
Pointing towards the living room I say, "Timmy is sleeping soundly for now, let’s not wake him." I take one more look at the list before I hand it back to them. "Well people, if I am going to get up early and get what you have on that list I am going to need my sleep. You two can take the remaining bedrooms, I’ll crash on the floor." Kim starts to protest but I wave her off, "I wouldn’t fit on the beds anyway." As I leave the room I think of something and snapping my fingers turn back to them, "Oh, and don’t sneak up on me during the night. After what we ran across today I think I am going to be sleeping with my hand on my gun for a little while." With a wave I leave them to their discussion, "See you two in the morning."