by Crae, Edward
“There’s somebody coming,” he said.
“Fuck,” Dan said, climbing up to look.
In the distance, about fifty yards away, there was a man walking in their direction. He obviously saw the truck from his point of view; it was black, but stuck out like a sore thumb. Even in the thick, mutant vegetation, there was no way anyone could miss it.
“Shit,” Dan said. “I wonder who the hell that is.”
“He’s black,” Eric said. “At least partially.”
“Fucking Enoch,” Dan whispered, realizing they were in trouble.
He suddenly felt fear, knowing that this psychotic asshole had been looking for them. Drew had killed his brother, and Dan had led an attack that destroyed one of his outposts. He had reason to be pissed, and every reason to hunt them down. But why send this one guy?
As Dan looked closer, he realized there was actually more than one. There were others around him at random distances, behind him and to either side. They were following the truck’s treads into the woods. They would find the truck in no time, and starting it up to flee would just draw their attention. They had to get back another way.
“We can either climb back up to the road or go back through the cave,” Dan said.
“Are you nuts?” Eric said, looking back at the dark opening.
“Well man,” Dan said. “It’s either certain death at the hands of these thugs, or maybe death in that cave.”
“We don’t even know where it comes out,” Eric reminded him.
“No, but I think I have an idea where. Let’s go.”
Dan went back to the opening. Behind him, he could hear Eric curse and sigh.
Dan quickly led the way back into the tunnel, his nerves about to catch fire as they approached their previous location. There was something about the way the tunnels smelled that reminded him of the small outflow of rainwater that was located near the radio shack. There had to be an exit there as the water that trickled out had the same strange scent that he smelled here. It was just a matter of avoiding anything alive in the caves.
Ahead, the cave narrowed enough to where only one of them could pass through at a time. Dan went first, shining the flashlight at the floor; he didn’t want to miss any drop-offs if there were any. He squeezed through the opening sideways, crab-walking and holding his breath. When he reached the other side, he stopped and shined the light back for Eric to come through.
“Christ, man,” Eric said. “It’s a tight squeeze.”
“You can do it,” Dan urged him on. “Just suck in your gut.”
With a bit of difficulty, Eric made it through, panting when he emerged. Dan turned back and shined the light ahead. The tunnel began to curve upward, and the hot wind and strange smell were as strong as ever. Whatever was up there, it was close.
They climbed up the gentle slope, still crouched and silent. They had to get down on their hands and knees near the top, and then there was a drop off. Dan shined the light into the darkness, seeing that there was a large chamber here. The floor was about three feet below the ledge, and Dan swung one of his legs over to drop down.
“It’s alright,” he said. “The floor’s not far.”
As he waited for Eric, he moved the light around the chamber. As he suspected, this was the lair of something big—possibly the “lady”. There were oddly shaped objects laying around, clumped into groups on the floor. They were about the size of basketballs, but oblong and with the texture of what looked like stone.
And they were all smashed or torn open at the top.
One word crossed Dan’s mind: Eggs.
“Shit,” he whispered. “This is the place.”
Eric froze as he landed. Dan pointed the flashlight toward him, seeing his face scrunched up. Eric put his hand on the light, moving toward something on the floor. They both gasped when they saw it. There, curled up and partially mummified, was what looked like some sort of fetus. It was about the size of a brick, grayish, and shriveled. It was vaguely human-like, but with large, black eyes that were glazed over and milky. On its back were four short tentacles that were stiff and poking out in various directions.
Whatever it was, it was dead; its skull crushed.
“Jesus Christ,” Dan said. “It looks kind of like that baby thing that came out of Melanie’s body.”
Dan pointed the light ahead at the egg-like things. Some of them had the same tiny creature laying near them. Dan hadn’t recognized them before, but there they were, dead and rotting. The round objects were definitely eggs, and they had been ripped open and their contents mutilated purposely.
“It looks like mama killed her babies,” Eric said.
“That means there might be some of her humanity left,” Dan said. “She realized what they were and killed them before they could hatch.”
There was suddenly a loud impact from the center of the chamber that startled both of them. Dan fell back, and swung the light upward. In the beam, a grotesque creature slowly stood, rising to a gargantuan height. Four tentacles swirled around it, much like the Robert creature, but this one was larger, reddish in color, and with a face that was still somewhat human. Nevertheless, the two men froze, and they could almost hear their own heartbeats.
“Who are you?” the creature said, its voice articulate and somewhat feminine. “Have to come to put me out of my misery?”
Dan swallowed hard. “Dude,” he said. “I think I shit my pants.”
Chapter Ten
Drew and Cliff spied the approaching men from the top floor of the house. Through the dimness of dusk, their heat signatures were plainly obvious in their IR scopes. Though still quite far away, they both knew that Dan and Eric were out there somewhere, possibly already in trouble. But that wasn’t the first thing on Drew’s mind.
Though others would consider it selfish, Drew thought of the warning that Nathan had given them; they were looking for the man who had killed Enoch’s brother. That man was Drew. Enoch would be looking for him to get revenge. That made Drew more than just a little nervous. Nathan’s description of the man’s appearance and brutality was enough to scare John Wayne, much less some average dude from Indiana.
He hoped it would blow over, and maybe the men would pass by, but he doubted it.
“I’m up shit creek without a paddle,” he said.
“Don’t worry, brutha,” Cliff said. “We got your back.”
Drew didn’t doubt that, but they were likely outnumbered. Their group was a good slice of average people. Granted, they had gained some skill and brutal survival instincts, but Enoch’s group was likely made up of men who were thugs to begin with. Seth himself had looked and acted like a pretty hardened criminal, and the men he had with them, with the exception of Mike, were a lot like he was.
Only dumber.
“I’m trying to focus on Dan right now,” Drew said, lying. “They’re still out there. I saw them head toward the state road.”
“They’re smart enough to stay out of the way,” Cliff reminded him. “They’re probably hidden somewhere. I just hope they don’t try to ambush these mother fuckers and end up dead themselves.”
“They should have taken Jake with them,” Drew said. “He’s a better look out.”
Cliff chuckled. “He’s a pretty sharp dude,” he agreed. “Him and Max put together could probably build a damn nuke with some Silly Putty and a 9-volt battery.”
Drew grinned. “Yep.”
He looked through the scope again, finding a few more figures emerging in the distance. He counted six in all, spread out and at various distances. Whoever they were, likely Enoch’s boys, they knew how to search. Drew got the sneaking suspicion that maybe Enoch was former military.
The description of the M65 field jacket was a dead giveaway; either he served in the past, or he stole it from someone who did. Something told Drew it was the former.
“Maybe we should go out there or something,” Drew said.
“Hell no,” Cliff replied. “They’re alright. Guarant
eed. They’re hiding somewhere, I know it.”
Toni and Travis were hidden in the brush near the right side of the driveway. They both knew there was a group of men approaching, and that the horde was still close by, and they wanted to make sure their route was clear if they should have to escape. The only vehicle they had that could hold them all was the RV, and there was no way it could go bouncing through the woods. It would get stuck before they even had a chance.
The driveway itself was twisting and winding, with gullies on either side of it, making a speedy getaway difficult—at least in an RV. Toni’s car was the best choice they had, and it could only hold four, maybe five at the most.
“We’re pretty much screwed, man,” Travis said.
Toni nodded, pursing her lips. “It’s alright, baby,” she said. “We’ll figure something out. We can always stay here and fight.”
“Yeah, we could,” Travis replied. “I just wish Gena were still with us. We could use more military experience.”
“I know. I miss her. She was a standup chola if I ever met one.”
“Chola,” Travis repeated with a grin. “I like that. What does it mean?”
“Hmm,” Toni said. “The feminine version of cholo,” she joked. “Badass bitch. Gangsta chick. Tough ass Mexican ruka.”
Travis laughed. “She was a good one.”
Toni had to agree. She liked Gena from the moment they met. She was a tough bitch, with a sense of honor to match. She had protected Grace from harm, and had warmed up to the group rather quickly. Toni missed her a lot.
She turned around and leaned back against the grade, looking up to the canopy of trees. Travis remained on the lookout, keeping his eyes open for any cars that might come down the path.
“We need to find a new place,” Toni said. “We can’t just keep going house to house, hoping to find food and supplies in every one.”
“Yeah, man,” Travis agreed. “It’s too tiring. I’d like to find a big camp. Just a bunch of hippies we could crash with and grow vegetables and other green things.” He chuckled a bit. “That’s the life.”
“You’re such an old hippie,” Toni said. “But that’s what I love about you.”
She felt his hand on her shoulder, and reached up to grab it. Travis was a good man, she thought. He was not only the group’s doctor, but was like their shaman, or wise man. Despite his hippie nature, he was smart about a lot of non-hippie things, but still had that peaceful personality. Nature boy with a brain—and a shotgun.
Max and Jake gathered the last of the portable radio equipment, not wanting to leave it behind if they had to flee. There were two smaller units they could pack, with enough spare parts to combine them all together into a more powerful portable radio. It would not have the range or power as the larger desktop system, but they could more easily power it with batteries and small solar panels.
Toby and Nathan carried all the parts to the RV, where they hid them away in the cabinets and under the seats. Linda was inside the vehicle, securing everything with bungee cords and ropes. They had taken everything they could from the cupboards in the house, and every round of ammo they found. Though not a long-lived shelter, they had gotten plenty of good supplies from it. It was a quiet and peaceful place, but there was nowhere to grow any food.
They had to find a place in the sun with some flatter land.
“I’m gonna miss this place,” Toby said, handing Nathan a bag of equipment. “It’s nice.”
“It sure is,” Nathan replied. “But we all know it’s dangerous. Besides, there are better and more secure places.”
Something moved outside Toby’s field of vision, and he was startled for a second. As Max came up behind him with another load, he followed the movement to the corner of the house. He stood there quietly, trying to find the source. All he saw were the lengthening shadows, and the hundreds of tree limbs blowing in the breeze. He started to turn away when he saw it again.
This time he focused in the exact spot, unblinking.
There, among the shadows, was another shadow; tall, lithe, and unmoving. He froze then, his heart beginning to pound. He wasn’t sure if he was really seeing anything, or whether he was imagining the shape. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again.
The shape was gone.
“Shit,” Toby whispered.
He wondered if he had seen the “lady” again, or if it was something else. Dan and Jake had both talked about shadow people. Was this one of them? Maybe the “lady” was a shadow person.
“No,” he thought. “No way.”
Shadow people had helped Dan against the giant mutant creature. They held it still and injured it so he could slam into it with the car. The lady was like the mutant creature; only nicer and not evil at all. She had helped him and killed some of the more dangerous monsters.
Maybe she knew the shadow people.
He saw the movement again, as if the shadow had crossed a gap in the trees. He drew in a quick breath, turning away and going back to the RV. Nathan was on his way back to the radio shack when Toby stopped him.
“Nathan, come here,” Toby said.
Nathan followed him curiously. “What is it?”
Toby went to the corner, pointing off into the woods. “I saw one of those shadow people.”
Nathan knelt beside him and stared off into the woods. Nothing moved, but Nathan’s expression didn’t change.
“You believe me, don’t you?” Toby asked.
“If you say you saw something, I believe you.”
“But do you believe it was a shadow person?”
“I don’t know what to believe any—“
The shadow moved into sight again. This time, Nathan saw it, too. “Holy shit,” he said.
“Do you see it?”
Nathan nodded wordlessly, his mouth hanging open in shock.
Toby looked back, still seeing the shadow. “What do you think it is?” he asked.
“I have no clue, buddy,” Nathan said. “Could it be the creature that helped you?”
“No,” Toby replied. “It’s not her. She was solid. That’s just a shadow.”
“What the hell are you guys looking at?” Jake asked, walking up.
“There’s a shadow person,” Toby said, pointing of into the woods.
Jake squatted down, following their gaze. His brow was furrowed, his eyes shifting left and right. “I don’t see anything.”
Nathan pointed. “Look between the big oak with the giant crack in it and the dead willow tree.”
Jake squinted. Toby looked back, but the shadow was gone.
“I don’t see shit,” Jake said. “But I don’t doubt it. Toni saw one, too. Dan definitely saw them. I don’t think they’re dangerous, but they might not be over friendly.”
“What do you think they are?” Toby asked.
Jake made his best Giorgio Tsoukalos face, throwing his hands up in front of him and smiling. “Aliens,” he said, and walked away.
Toby grinned and looked at Nathan.
“I think Jake is a skeptic,” Nathan said. “But I believe it. They’re here for a reason, I think.”
“Maybe they started the plague,” Toby said.
Nathan shrugged. “Maybe. Let’s get back to work and we’ll figure it out later.”
“They were my children,” the creature said, its voice filled with sorrow. “They were mine, and I killed them all.”
Dan and Eric listened with a morbid curiosity. There was a small amount of pity, but they were simply horrified and confused about the whole situation. The creature did not attack them, nor did it show any signs of aggression at all. In fact, it almost seemed relieved to have someone to talk to.
“I had to,” it continued. “I couldn’t let them live. They were… like me.”
“Who are you?” Dan asked. “Or… who were you?”
The creature looked up at him, its eyes unblinking and featureless yet somehow human at the same time. “My name is… was Betty.”
“Why
did you become this way Betty?” Dan asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied. “I felt sick, very sick. I couldn’t get out of bed. Henry knew it, and he tried to help me. He fed me, helped me bathe. He loved me. But then he… he left me.”
“We saw,” Eric said. “I’m sorry.”
Betty sighed, almost seeming to weep. “Henry was a good man,” she said. “But he just couldn’t take it anymore. I don’t blame him. I’m glad he doesn’t have to live through this.”
“What did you do for a living?” Dan asked, remembering what Robert said about sociopaths.
“I worked at a slaughterhouse when I was young,” Betty said. “But that all changed when I met Henry. He took me away from all that and gave me a home here in this beautiful forest.”
“It’s a nice place,” Dan said. “I’m sorry if we disturbed you.”
“No,” Betty replied. “You can stay as long as you’d like. It gets… lonely here. But I’ve always been lonely. Henry and I never had any children. I was happy to see the little boy. He was in trouble when I found him. I didn’t want him to get hurt.”
“Thank you for saving him,” Dan said. “That was… nice of you.”
Betty’s four tentacles began swirling suddenly, and she cocked her head as if to listen.
“What is it?” Dan asked.
“The men,” Eric said.
Shit, Dan thought. I almost forgot.
“Betty,” he said. “Do you hear the men approaching?”
“Yes,” she replied. “But I also sense the others coming.”
“The others?” Eric said.
“The dead.”
Eric shot Dan a hunted look. “Again?” he said.
“Betty,” Dan said, standing up. “We have to get back to the house. There is a bad man and his cronies looking for us. Is there a way back underground?”
Betty stood to her full height and stepped aside. She pointed toward a small tunnel behind her. “This leads to a small opening behind the house,” she said. “Go now and protect your family. I will do what I can to help you escape.”
“Thank you,” Dan said.
Outside, he could suddenly hear the sounds of gunfire. He recognized Toni’s revolvers. “Let’s go,” he said. “They’re in trouble.”