Wormwood Dawn (Episode X)

by Crae, Edward

  But that was not her concern. She could feel the shadows approach. The feeling had gotten stronger as they closed in day by day. They traveled strangely; not really walking or running in any particular direction. They just randomly appeared here and there until they reached their destination.

  They had come for her.

  As the house went up in flames, she stood, making herself visible to the shadows. They came quickly, not hesitating to tear into her mutated flesh and rip her to pieces. Throughout the ordeal, only one thought was on her mind. It was the thought of her dear husband blowing his brains out. Soon, she knew, she would be reunited with him, and they would spend eternity together.

  It was something to look forward to.

  “I’m coming Henry,” she whispered as she was ripped apart. “I’m coming soon, my love.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dan opened his eyes, feeling the sting of his head wound as he regained consciousness. The pain was excruciating, enough to make him immediately feel like puking as soon as he realized he was awake. There was dim sunlight coming in through the RV’s windows, and everything was still.

  He sat up, his head still spinning, and looked out the window. The RV was parked in front of the hardware store in Nashville, and he could hear Toby and Eric’s voices outside. The roof of the RV was torn to shreds; filled with bullet holes and claw marks. There was blood on the floor—probably his, mostly—but everything seemed intact.

  They had made it.

  Breathing a sigh of relief, he stood, struggling against the pain and dizziness. He staggered to the side door and sat on the bottom step, reaching into his pocket for his smokes.

  “Dan,” Toby said happily as he turned his head.

  Eric smiled, following Toby over. “Hey buddy,” he said. “How do you feel?”

  “Like shit,” Dan replied. “I feel like I got shot in the head.”

  “You hit it pretty hard during the fight,” Toby said.

  “Yeah,” Dan said, still looking for his smokes. “What the hell happened?”

  “I killed the monster,” Toby said, smiling.

  “Really?” Dan said, pulling out a cigarette in triumph. He lit it, enjoying that first pull. It was like a shot of morphine.

  “He sure did,” Eric said. “He kicked its ass all by himself.”

  “Wow,” Dan said in disbelief. “That’s crazy. I didn’t know you had it in you, kid.”

  “Well, I had to do something,” Toby said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Eric was busy getting us the fuck out of there.”

  Dan froze for a second, almost scolding Toby for cussing before he realized it didn’t matter. “Alright, kid,” he said. “Excellent work. I’m proud of you.”

  Toby smiled, walking away with a spring in his step. Dan looked up at Eric, whose face was grim.

  “So,” Dan said. “Where is everyone else?”

  Eric shook his head, looking off into the distance. The streets of the small shopping center were empty, and there was no sign of life anywhere. “I don’t know, man,” he said. “I guess we’ll just wait here until they come. Everyone knows where to go. The question is, will they get here?”

  “Drew and Jake will make sure everyone makes it,” Dan said. “I know it.”

  Eric’s face was still grim and filled with worry. Dan knew he was thinking of Travis. Hell, who wouldn’t be worried about their dad at a time like this?

  “What do you think happened to Betty?” Eric asked.

  “I don’t know,” Dan said. “I wonder what happened to Enoch. We got away, but what if he found everyone else. I feel guilty for taking off.”

  “They all split up for a reason,” Eric reminded him. “It was a good call. Everyone is safe.”

  It seemed like Eric didn’t believe the words even as he spoke them. Dan didn’t blame him. It was a chaotic mess, he knew. Not everything could work out perfectly. Whatever the case, it would take Enoch a long time to catch up with them, even if he did survive.

  “Hey guys!” Toby said as he came running back. “There’s a car coming.”

  Dan stood and followed Eric to the edge of the parking lot. He could see the black sedan turning the corner onto the hardware store’s street. There were two people inside. The three of them stood and watched them approach. Dan had a bad feeling for some reason. He guessed that the new arrivals had bad news.

  He knew it, in fact.

  As the car squealed to a stop, they all saw that it was Max and Toni. They both exited the car slowly, with that same grim face that Eric had. Travis had been with Toni, and Linda had been with Max. He was glad to see them both, but knew something was wrong.

  “Where’s my…” Eric stammered. “Where’s my dad?”

  Toni’s face immediately darkened, and her eyes began to tear up. “I’m so sorry, baby,” she cried, running to Eric to embrace him. “He didn’t make it. I’m so sorry.”

  Dan’s heart sank. Not only for the loss of his friend, but for Eric as well. He could hear the big man cry, and that made his heart sink even more. Travis was a good man, and a friend to all of them. He was a father, a wiseman, and a healer. He was their anchor.

  And now he was gone.

  Dan looked up at Max, who seemed to be in a state of shock but was mostly coherent. “What about Linda?” Dan asked.

  Max shook his head. Toni looked up from within Eric’s grasp.

  “She’s gone, too,” she said. “It was a stalker. She was ripped right out of my hands.”

  “Damn,” Dan replied.

  So far, they had lost two people. That was bad enough without taking into account that several were still missing. Cliff and Grace, Jake and Drew, and Nathan were unaccounted for. He had faith that every single one of them had what it takes to survive, but under the circumstances the outlook was grim. Linda had been new to the group, but she had proven herself valuable. She would be missed just as much as Travis.

  “I’m glad you guys made it,” Dan said, reaching out to shake Max’s hand. “It looks like you’ve toughened up.”

  “If it wasn’t for him,” Toni said, “I never would have made it.”

  “We’ll stay here until everyone else gets here,” Dan said. “No matter how long it takes.”

  Jake and Nathan plodded weakly along the state road. There was debris everywhere; leaves, sticks, and everything else that usually littered an abandoned street. The forest around them was uninviting, and even the overgrown grass on each side of the road seemed like a green prison.

  Jake was thirsty as hell, and he was pretty sure his blood sugar was low. Even Nathan seemed worn out and despondent. But, Jake realized, they were alive. That was better than nothing.

  “Are we even going in the right direction?” Nathan asked, his voice muffled by his dry mouth.

  “I hope so,” Jake replied. “I’m from up north, so this shit all looks the same to me.”

  Nathan looked up into the sky, evidently judging their direction by the sun. “Nashville is that way,” he said, pointing. “So yeah, we’re good. All these roads are pretty twisty, but I think we’re going the right direction.”

  Jake didn’t respond; he just continued walking in silence. All he could think of was Drew, and that last fist bump they had. Drew and Dan were like brothers to him—and each other—and Jake was sure that Dan would take it pretty hard. After everything the three had been through together, the loss of one of their original crew was a devastating blow, no matter how you looked at it.

  “Hey,” Nathan said, turning around and walking backwards. “There’s a car coming.”

  “Shit,” Jake said, turning to look. “That could be anybody. Could be Enoch for all we know.”

  “I don’t think he knows me,” Nathan said. “I’ll stay on the road. Go duck into the weeds.”

  “Ptttt,” Jake scoffed. “Like I’ll fit in the fuckin’ weeds.”

  He shook his head, but went to the side of the road anyway. The weeds were thick, but he managed to get in a little w
ays and duck down out of sight. He watched as Nathan stopped and put his hand around the handle of his machete just in case. Realizing Nathan was virtually defenseless, Jake got out his shotgun to keep him covered.

  He heard the vehicle approach, and gritted his teeth in anticipation. Then, as he was ready to let loose with a stream of shotgun shells, Nathan’s hands went up in the air. The red pickup stopped with a squeal, and Cliff’s smiling face drew a chuckle. He stood and made his way out and onto the roadside.

  “Jake!” Cliff said. “You guys made it. Hop in the bed.”

  Jake was glad to see Cliff and Grace, but there was a stranger in the bed of the truck, leaning against the side and carrying a shotgun. He looked shady; some young punk, it looked like.

  “Who’s this guy?” Jake asked.

  “That’s Royce,” Cliff said. “He’s alright.”

  Royce nodded in greeting. He was a younger guy, looking like a mixed kid from the “ghetto lite” as Cliff usually put it. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, but far more morose and experienced than the usual twenty-something fucknut.

  “Alright,” Jake said. He reached in to shake Cliff’s hand and then nodded to Grace.

  “Let’s go,” Grace said.

  Jake and Nathan jumped in the bed, happy to see that the new guy was sitting among a few cases of bottled water. Jake and Nathan tore into them as Cliff pulled away, savoring the nectar-like feeling of it going down. Royce watched them with a smile.

  Soon, they would be in Nashville, and hopefully reunited with the others.

  The afternoon sun was comfortably warm on Dan’s face. He stood at the edge of the hardware store’s parking lot, rifle in hand, watching the intersection down the road. If the others made it, that’s where they would appear. Toby stood about fifty yards away, keeping watch on the opposite direction.

  Eric was inside the store, gathering dried foods and other supplies as Max and Toni looked for other gear. The hardware store was a pretty eclectic mix of just about everything a rural community needed; everything from art supplies to frying pans, to hunting accessories. It was a goldmine for roving groups of survivors. It was surprising that there was anything left at all.

  Nashville must have been hit hard.

  Dan was about to give up. He had stood and waited for what seemed like hours, hoping with everything he had that the rest of the group would show up. As he turned to go back to the RV, he heard Toby shout something. He turned toward him to look, and Toby pointed toward the intersection, jumping and whooping.

  The pickup that turned onto the street was red. In its bed, Jake stood triumphant, holding his fist in the air as the small truck came bouncing down the road. Dan could only laugh. Toby ran to meet them at the parking lot entrance.

  Jake and Nathan jumped out, having another guy with them that Dan didn’t recognize. Grace came out next, and Cliff climbed out after, coming directly to Dan. They clasped hands, and Dan was relieved to see them all. Toby hugged Grace and Jake, and looked at the stranger in question.

  “Who are you?” Toby asked.

  “Royce,” the stranger said.

  Dan watched them shake hands, seeing that the younger man was friendly. The others came running out of the hardware store for the reunion, and they all exchanged embraces, high fives, and fist bumps. However, there was someone missing.

  “Drew?” Dan asked Jake.

  Jake sighed, shaking his head. Dan knew the answer.

  “He got bit,” Jake said. Dan felt his heart sink. “He didn’t want me to put him down though.”

  “What happened?”

  “I gave him a grenade and he went off looking for Enoch. I heard the explosion a few minutes later.”

  Dan nodded sadly. Drew was a good friend, a bro, and he would miss him. But Dan felt what must have been some kind of warrior’s pride as he thought of Drew’s sacrifice. He had died well, taking the enemy with him.

  It was a good death. That took away a lot of the sting.

  “Well,” Dan said. “There’s plenty of food and things to celebrate with. We’ll dedicate tonight’s meal to all of our friends that gave their lives so that we could live. They’ll be honored.”

  Cliff stood with arms crossed. He glanced over at the RV, whose roof was torn open. He cocked his head in question. “What happened there?” he asked.

  “Ask Toby,” Dan said, smiling. “He’s a warrior now.”

  Toby grinned.

  “Travis and Linda didn’t make it, either,” Toni said.

  The group fell silent for a moment. Even Royce seemed to grieve, probably not for the people they had lost, but for the general loss the group felt. That gave Dan the impression that he was a good guy. Despite him obviously having been part of Enoch’s group—where else would he have come from—he would be accepted, and the group would go on.

  Everyone else would just be memories; good memories. Where the group would go from here was anyone’s guess. But one thing was certain.

  There was no giving up now. The world awaited.

  “Come on,” Dan said. “Life goes on. Let’s enjoy it while we can.”

  About the Author

  Edward lives in Brown County, Indiana in a house in the woods. He’s pretty sure he’s lost.