“This fucking whore’s gonna pay,” growled the leader, panting as he caught up. His cowboy-hat silhouette loomed over the hay-strewn floor. She felt the weight of her oppressor shifting as he moved, leaving one knee pinned painfully in-between her shoulder blades. He pulled her arms out above her head, trapping both of her slender, malnourished wrists with a single hand.
“Turn her over!” growled the leader.
The tattooed man threw Lucy onto her back, causing the contents of her backpack to dig in painfully. The cowboy leader stepped closer. He carried a hunting knife on one hip, and a gun on the other. A sickening smile crawled across his face.
“That was very naughty of you, young lady, shooting my friends like that,” the leader crowed, a hideous soft lilt inflecting his voice as he readjusted his cowboy hat. “The question is, what are we to do with you now?”
He unbuckled his belt, spitting to the side as he laughed a grim, heartless laugh, his shoulders bouncing heavily as he looked mercilessly upon his prize. The tattooed man kept her pinned with a knee pressed painfully on her abdomen, while emitting the same cold, primordial laugh.
“No – no, you don’t understand!” she spluttered, as the cowboy lowered himself onto all fours, his hot breath advancing on her face. “The beasts. The creatures. They’re here, in the daylight. I saw one!”
The leader laughed harder, unconcerned. “Is that so? Whaddya think, Garrick?” he said to the man helping pin her. “Apparently the beasts hunt by day now. Maybe we should feed her to one?”
“Not till I had a go on her,” replied Garrick. “This beast needs feedin’ first,” he grinned, with a hacking, inbred laugh.
“Aww, look at that,” said the leader, reaching out and stroking Lucy’s face. “Ain’t he a romantic? Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ll warm you up for him.”
“Holy shit!” came a shout from the yard. The cowboy stood up as a fresh torrent of bullets sang out.
“Fucking Christ!” yelled Garrick, suddenly standing and releasing Lucy.
She rolled onto her side and looked out at the yard. Two skeletal white beasts bounded out of the vegetable field onto the gravel, launching themselves at the two men Lucy had shot. The man tending to the wounded had his rifle drawn, but it was too late; one of the beasts felled him, sinking its jaws into his neck. The second beast pounced onto the injured man, mauling him where he lay.
Both the cowboy and Garrick immediately began shooting at the beasts. Lucy took her chance. She grabbed the leader’s hunting knife and drove it deep into his groin, sending the man screaming to the ground in agony. Garrick spun around in alarm but too slowly, as Lucy sprang upward, thrusting the blade into the side of his tattooed neck. Garrick dropped his gun as blood spurted from the wound. Lucy snatched it up, squeezing the trigger and unleashing the assault rifle upon both men until they moved no more.
She looked back out at the yard. One of the beasts snapped its head around to face her as it stood over the would-be-medic’s body. Its thin black tentacles pulsed and writhed inside the dying man, while the creature’s four white limbs pinned him down. The beast shook itself off, retracting the tentacles inside its body as it turned and began to stalk towards the barn.
Lucy squeezed on the trigger once again, spraying the creature’s torso with bullets. The beast fell mid-stride, just yards from the barn entrance. But the second creature began to advance – abandoning the bodies it had been infecting.
The assault rifle clicked empty. Dropping it, Lucy darted to the barn entrance, prizing the loaded shotgun from its hiding place and swinging around. She stood in the threshold as the second predator broke into a full run. She waited, with the shotgun nestled horizontally against her hip, until the last-possible second, when the beast was just yards away. It pounced, its body fully extending as it soared through the air.
Lucy fired. Pellets tore through the creature’s body, punching the life from it as it collapsed heavily onto the ground. Lucy fell backward just in time. She hastily reloaded the shotgun and took aim again, firing directly into the creature’s twitching eyes. Its skull burst open, leaking brain matter across the concrete.
Trembling, Lucy surveyed the bloodbath at her feet. Red droplets trickled across her face and clothes. Grabbing the cowboy’s handgun, she ran back towards the house, weaving between the beast carcasses and the savaged remains of the other gang members. She grabbed her backpack from the bedroom and ran out onto the front driveway where the black SUV stood.
She glanced across the adjacent vegetable field. Skulking white figures moved in the distance, crawling over the riverbank and shaking the water from their glistening fur. Seemingly spotting her at the same time, they began to run, their great bounds carrying them across the field with speed.
Lucy leapt into the driver’s seat and turned the ignition key, bringing the engine to life. She spun the car around and flattened the accelerator, tearing away from the house. Flecks of frozen mud sprayed out behind as she sped down the long farm drive.
Adjusting the mirror, she watched as the white beasts shrank into the distance. The creatures were giving up the chase – instead inspecting the corpses in the yard.
She skidded out onto the road that had brought the raiders, swerving across both lanes as she straightened up. Foot on the gas, she sped away at full tilt.
A deluge of emotions coursed through her body as she fled for safety, screaming with fear. The blood of the men she’d killed stained her skin, acting as a beacon to other beasts.
She drove without slowing for an hour, racing down the open road ahead. Her eyes tormented her with fictitious glimpses of white among the oak forest stretching either side of her.
BANG! The car lurched to the side.
“What the?”
BANG! A second lurch.
The vehicle shook chaotically as both rear tires blew out. Lucy fought to hold the wheel steady as the car swerved precariously.
“Woah, woah, woah!” she screamed, slamming on the brakes as she checked her rear-view mirror.
A military jeep was bearing down on her, with a soldier leaning out about to take aim again.
The SUV skidded to a halt.
“Stay where you are!” came an amplified shout from the jeep. “Step out of the vehicle. Keep your hands above your head.”
She reached for the handle, her bloodied hands trembling as she nudged the door open. Very slowly, she swiveled her legs out to the side, before sliding out from the driver’s seat altogether and turning to face her aggressors.
A twenty-something soldier approached, holding a rifle that was pointed straight at her. “Lie down. On the ground – now!”
“I haven’t done anything wrong!” she protested, lowering herself to the ground. “Please, I’ve just been attacked!”
“Quiet!” yelled the soldier as he stood over her. Two others from the jeep approached the SUV with weapons raised.
“Clear!” shouted the foremost man.
“Clear!” replied the female on the other side of the SUV.
“Search it,” commanded an older man. “Stand her up, Lieutenant,” he continued, stepping out of the jeep. The man strode over and planted his immaculately clean black boots inches from Lucy’s forehead.
“On your feet for the major,” barked the lieutenant, dragging Lucy upright then stepping back to keep her at rifle range.
“Explain yourself,” demanded the major, staring at her intensely. His left eye was smaller than the other, and was slightly recessed, caught in a permanent squint. Flecks of grey infused the stubble on his tanned Latino skin. He looked to be around forty.
“I – what?” stammered Lucy.
“Who are you, and how did you come to be driving this vehicle?” the major persisted.
Lucy looked around haplessly.
“This isn’t my car,” she implored. “I stole it – I mean, I didn’t steal it, I took it because I had to escape. They attacked me and –”
The bronzed major cut her off with a simpl
e raise of his hand. “I’ll ask again. This time, be concise and clear. How did you come to be driving this vehicle?”
Lucy swallowed hard, searching for the right words, choosing them carefully.
“The men who drove it attacked me. So I killed them in self-defense. That was about an hour ago, and now I’m here,” she stated, her eyes darting between the major, the lieutenant, and the other soldiers still searching the SUV.
The major studied her face, allowing her to stew in the silence while he considered his verdict. As he looked her up and down, his eyes gravitated to the bloodied areas, and the stains on her knees where she’d tripped.
“Fine,” he said, turning and walking back to the car. “We’ll need to see their bodies. Can you show them to us?”
Lucy’s eyes widened. “We can’t go back there. The beasts are there – you know, the creatures, the things, whatever you’re calling them. They’re at my home – the farm.”
The major said nothing.
Lucy hesitated. “You have seen them, right? I mean, you must have. They’re big, and white – they’re white now. They used to be black, but now they’re white. And I’ve studied them. I’ve looked at them on the inside, cut one open. I think I’ve found a poison.”
She could tell by the looks on their faces that she was coming across as deranged. Especially given that she’d just claimed to have killed five people.
“You’ve found a poison for the beasts?” asked the major. “So you’re a scientist?”
“No, it’s just that on the train they – it’s complicated, alright?”
“Sir!” came the female soldier’s voice from the SUV. The soldier pulled out the plastic tub of white powder from Lucy’s bag.
“Careful with that!” said Lucy. “It’s precious!”
“You mind telling me what it is?” enquired the major.
“It’s … Look, I’m covered in blood, I’ve been attacked by men who tried to rape me and beasts that tried to kill me, and now I’ve been shot at by you people, and I’m standing here defending my actions when I don’t even know who the hell you are or why that person’s still got a rifle pointed at me. Are you the army? Huh? You should be on my side. I have waited months … You’re the first real people I’ve seen. Everybody I love is dead. So if you could stop treating me like a fucking terrorist, I would really appreciate it, because frankly, right now, either shoot me or don’t. I’m done. I’m done with all of it.”
She stopped gabbling and stared at the two men, panting.
“Very well,” said the major, with a raised eyebrow. “Lieutenant, kindly stand down. See that the others search the SUV again for anything the gang left behind, and get the fuel.”
“Yes, sir,” said the lieutenant, lowering his weapon and peeling off back towards the jeep.
“I’m Major Lopez,” said the meticulous officer, extending a hand for Lucy to shake. She stared at it blankly. He put both hands behind his back and continued, unperturbed. “We are what’s left of the US Army in this region. The vehicle you were driving belonged to known fugitives we’ve been trying to locate for weeks now. If you’ve killed them, then you’ve done your country a good service.”
“My country?” gawped Lucy. “What country? Everyone’s dead! Do you see any sort of country here? It’s just people and land now.”
“Get in the jeep. We’ll take you back to camp,” replied the major.
Lucy’s eyes lit up. “There’s a camp? With survivors? How many? Where are they?”
“You’ll see in due course. Now get in, we’ve got a long drive ahead. Actually, on second thoughts – Jackson!” called the major.
The female soldier looked up in response.
“Clean her up before we move out,” ordered the major.
“Yes, sir,” replied the woman. She retrieved a package from the jeep then beckoned Lucy over while the others continued their salvage operation.
“Be careful with that!” cried Lucy as the lieutenant chucked her backpack into the jeep.
The skinny lieutenant returned to the SUV and, along with the other male soldier, began an expedited siphoning process, setting up three fuel cans in parallel to drain the SUV simultaneously. The major was busy scribbling on a map he’d spread out over the jeep’s hood, occasionally pausing to look up and consult the surrounding geography.
“Clothes off,” ordered the female soldier. She was an inch or so shorter than Lucy, but her expression was formidable. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, accentuating her jutting chin. “Put ’em in a pile over there,” she said, gesturing to the SUV.
Lucy looked around incredulously. This woman expected her to strip naked when there were men just yards away?
“Hurry up,” prompted Jackson.
“I’m gonna –” Lucy nodded to the front of the SUV, where she would be marginally more screened from view. In the absence of any objection or approval from Jackson, she shuffled over.
Standing behind the open passenger door, Lucy stripped down to her bare skin. Her withered body quaked in the cold winter air.
Using the bottle from her utility belt, Jackson poured a little water onto a rag, which she handed to Lucy. Interpreting the soldier correctly, Lucy began to wipe the blood from her skin, turning her back out of embarrassment.
A second wet towel appeared on Lucy’s shoulder as Jackson began to scrub her rigorously.
“What the hell?” cried Lucy, as the sudden oversaturation of human contact took its toll.
Jackson ignored her protestations and roughly wiped off the remaining blood, scrubbing Lucy’s arms, neck, and face.
“You need paste,” said Jackson, painfully prizing apart the hairs on the back of Lucy’s head where the rock had struck. She pulled out a small tin of dark green paste, which she dipped her thumb in and smeared onto Lucy’s cut.
“Ouch!” protested Lucy. “What is that stuff?”
“Done,” replied Jackson, shoving a clean jumpsuit into Lucy’s hands. It was bright orange.
“Jackson, get a move on over there!” yelled the major from the jeep.
“This is a prison suit,” hissed Lucy, covering her bare breasts with one hand and handing the suit back to Jackson.
“You’ll get fresh clothes at camp. Just put the damned thing on, girl,” snapped the soldier.
Lucy climbed into the jumpsuit, which was several sizes too large, and pulled on the equally oversized boots that Jackson threw her way. Jackson then marched her back to the jeep before she could even finish doing the laces up, bundling Lucy into the rear seats.
The lieutenant opened the SUV’s fuel cap and stuffed a rag in, leaving it dangling down the side of the car. Pulling a lighter out, he set the rag on fire and jogged back to the jeep.
“Best not linger,” said the major, as the driver pulled past the SUV and accelerated down the forested road.
EIGHT
Captain
____________________________________
Lucy lifted her head from her chest, forcing her groggy eyes open once again. The last thing she remembered was the jeep weaving between fallen trees that were obstructing the road, flashes of purple leaves visible among the branches.
In the darkness Lucy was sandwiched between two marines in the back row; Jackson sat on her right, scanning the darkness through a pair of night-vision goggles, while the lieutenant covered the left. Up front, the major scouted the foreground, while an as-yet-unnamed soldier was driving.
Unlit buildings began to come into view as the jeep’s lights bounced off the dark windows of abandoned homes and empty stores. The car slowed as it rounded a series of deserted intersections, populated by ineffectual traffic lights and parked cars. After more bends the buildings began to thin out again, giving way to open road for a short time.
“Home and dry,” said the major from the front, tapping his fingers twice on the window ledge. Lucy squinted as the headlights bounced sharply off a metal entrance sign. Welcome to Fort Leonard Wood, read the inscription
upon the large rock sculpture.
The vehicle passed through the raised security barrier – its booth unmanned and blacked out – and proceeded into the campus, passing large, darkened brick buildings.
The driver began to toggle the main-beam lever in a repeating pattern, causing the headlights to flash. As the jeep slowed almost to a crawl, Lucy saw a wire-mesh fence glistening up ahead, and small, faint lights further beyond that.
Dazzling light suddenly bombarded the jeep from both sides. Lucy raised her hand to her face, squinting through the gaps between her fingers to try to make out her surroundings. The rattling sound of metal being dragged over concrete resonated from up ahead, and the vehicle began to move forward again. The gate they passed through was part of a tall metal fence adorned with razor wire, which extended away from them in both directions into the darkness.
Soldiers immediately began resealing the gate behind them as the jeep continued. Lucy jolted as a short burst of machine-gun fire sounded from behind. Spinning in her seat, she caught the marksman in the watchtower shooting out into the wilderness they’d just left. Below his tower the gates clanged shut and the spotlights cut out.
The jeep swept round ninety degrees and stopped outside the fire escape of a large brick complex. The driver crunched on the handbrake and killed the headlights, returning the surroundings to darkness.
The others began to climb out of the car, so Lucy followed suit. As she did so, the fire-escape door opened, allowing light to creep out from the corridor beyond. A diminutive, pale, balding officer appeared in the threshold and addressed Major Lopez.
“Welcome back, sir,” said the balding officer, saluting.
“Thank you, Coleman. No injuries to report, but we picked up a civilian.”
The officer paused from scribbling on his clipboard and looked up, peering over his rounded glasses and scouring the group until his eyes came to rest upon the newcomer. Lucy’s feet shifted slightly as she looked from Officer Coleman to Major Lopez.
“I see,” said the officer, less than warmly.
“She’s a scientist. She’ll be useful to us,” replied the major, breezing past the smaller officer.
Convulsive Box Set Page 28