This Land of Monsters

by Tim Gabrielle

  “Redecorating?” asked Nash as he walked over while Sullivan stepped down from the RV cab.

  “Security,” he said and closed the door behind him. “Gonna move all the RVs along the walls so that we can patrol from up top. A lot of the RVs are empty so it only makes sense to have them here. The ones that are used for sleeping will be moved inwards a bit.”

  “That’s actually a good idea,” said Nash, looking down the row of RVs. Sullivan moved toward the line of RVs and stepped inside the one that Nash and Melissa shared, moving it across the Fort and parking it directly behind the other RVs.

  “I can tell you’re restless,” said Sullivan, looking along the fence to make sure he left enough space. “If you’re feeling up to it, why don’t you go check out the creek and see if anything has changed. I know I said nothing today, but if you’re like me, downtime doesn’t help anything.”

  “Yeah, it’s driving me crazy,” said Nash as he turned and ran toward the armory to get his weapons. “Thank you!”

  “Take Stu with you!” yelled Sullivan from behind as he walked toward another RV.

  Mark stood up and opened the door as Nash approached before he sat back down in his chair with a grumpy look on his face. There was a yellowish bruise on his cheek from when Cole had knocked him to the ground. Nash waved with a smile and made sure to hold his breath as he walked past him and into the hot trailer. He quickly found his favorite knife and clipped it to his belt. He begrudgingly took a gun from the shelf and clipped the holster to his other hip, already hating the weight he felt hanging there.

  “Grab me a knife, would ya?” yelled Stu from outside the armory door, keeping his distance from the trailer to avoid Mark’s stench. Nash stepped out of the trailer and handed Stu a knife. He felt guilty when he saw the bandages and bruising on his face.

  “How you feeling today?” asked Nash as Mark closed the door, muttering something to himself as they walked away.

  “I’m doing okay. Dianna has me on some pain meds, which help, but it still smarts quite a bit. I’m really curious to see this slowpoke extravaganza.”

  “It’s a sight to be seen,” said Nash as he sent a wave to Melissa. Dark clouds began to roll in overhead as the two of them made their way through the gate and into the trees.

  They hurried through the woods and hoped to beat whatever rain was coming. As usual, Nash could see the dreadlocked slowpoke on their approach. He stood with his head just crested over the bank of the creek and watched with a twisted grin stretched across his cheeks.

  “He’s been there in that spot since I found them all,” said Nash as they came to a stop at the edge of the steep bank.

  “He’s a happy guy, isn’t he?” said Stu, analyzing the dreadlocked slowpoke. Most of the slowpokes still congregated along the edge of the water, each doing their own mindless task, as Stu looked up and down the creek at each of them. The clouds opened with a low roll of thunder and thick drops of water began to fall from the sky. The canopy of trees above shielded them from the onslaught of raindrops but enough fell through to cool them as they stood and watched the slowpokes.

  “I hope it doesn’t rain too long,” said Stu. “We collect a good amount of water when it rains like this but it makes camp messy.”

  “I never pegged you as a neat freak, Stu,” said Nash with a smile. Stu responded with a look of horror, his eyes fixed on the area down the creek. Nash turned is head sharply to see what had shaken him so badly.

  Far down the creek, a man stood his with back toward them, shirtless with an arrow sticking out of the top of his inflamed shoulder muscle. He swayed softly with his face to the sky as the rain fell into his open mouth. The water flowed down his back and ran overtop the dried streams of blood and tattoos that stretched from his back onto his muscular arms.

  It was Cole.

  “Oh my God,” muttered Nash as the two of them took off, slipping in the mud in their haste.

  “No, No, No, No, No!” yelled Stu as they ran, coming to a stop in front of the man who had just buried Eliza the day before. Nash placed his hand on Cole’s arm and turned him around, which revealed a chest full of deep cuts and dried blood.

  Cole looked back and forth between the two of them, with a sad, forgone look in his eyes. The pupils contracted back and forth. The falling rain cascaded down his chest, and slowly washed away some of the blood and revealed something they hadn’t originally noticed.

  “Those aren’t just cuts on his chest,” said Nash as he watched the rain flow off Cole in a pink waterfall. The harder it rained, the more blood and dirt washed away.

  HE’S COMING

  “Barry,” said Nash as he looked up and down the creek. “This is bad.”

  “He was hardly gone a day,” said Stu, tears welling in his eyes as he gazed at Cole. “What do we do?”

  “I’m going to go get Sullivan,” said Nash. “Stay here with him and check and see where he was bit.” Nash took off running into the woods toward the Fort as Stu examined Cole for the bite mark. The rush back to the Fort was a blur as he darted in and out of trees on his way back.

  “Dianna!” he yelled at the front gate, his jeans covered in mud from his quickened pace.

  “What is it? Where’s Stu?” she asked him in a panic, opening the gate as she spoke.

  “Keep it down,” said Nash as he tried to hide his own panic, gasping for air. His hands were shaking, so balled them into fists at his side. “I need Sullivan. We found Cole out by the creek. He’s dead.”

  “What?” she hissed, visibly shaken by the news.

  “Yes; kind of. He’s a slowpoke.” The words sounded false as they came out of his mouth.

  “Not again,” she said and rubbed her eyes with her fingers. “Sullivan is still moving the RVs. I’ll go get him.”

  “Hurry,” Nash pleaded.

  Melissa jogged through the rain to join him, having noticed his exchange with Dianna.

  “It’s Cole,” he said, before she could speak. “I took Stu down to the creek to show him all the slowpokes, and Cole was one of them.”

  “We’re not safe here anymore,” she said flatly. The reaction to Cole’s death wasn’t what Nash had expected, but he knew she was right.

  “I know. I’m gonna take Sullivan down there now, and we’ll talk. I don’t have to tell you to keep it quiet.”

  “Of course not,” she said as Sullivan walked up to them.

  He said nothing, just left the Fort and broke into a full sprint. Nash on his heels as the gate closed behind them. He was quickly far ahead of Nash and moved swiftly through the sopping forest as Nash struggled to keep stride behind him. For how large he was, Nash was shocked at Sullivan’s speed and agility. Nash reached the creek and joined Sullivan as he stood with Stu in front of Cole’s empty shell.

  “There’s no bite mark,” said Stu. “I looked him all over. There’s nothing.”

  “They’re using the blood as a weapon,” said Sullivan as he examined the arrow that stuck out of Cole’s shoulder. “Barry used the blood to turn Eliza. He took a chance and got lucky when she turned into a howler. This arrow was infused with infected blood, I guarantee it.”

  “First Eliza, now this?” asked Stu. “What the hell are we going to tell the group?”

  “We have to tell them everything,” said Sullivan. “They all need to know what we’re dealing with.”

  “Crazies,” said Stu while he looked at the carving in Cole’s chest. “We are in over our heads here.”

  A soft, muffled giggle filled the air as the three of them quickly darted for cover.

  “Who the hell is that?” whispered Stu, looking around as he tried and find the source.

  Sullivan placed a stern finger in front of his lips and signaled them both to stay quiet.

  “I know you’re here, Barry!” boomed Sullivan before he ducked behind a large tree. “Come on out and talk with us.” He placed his hand on the handle of his knife and adjusted his fingers around it tightly.

  Another
snicker in the distance echoed through the trees as rain continued to fall through the canopy. Sullivan noticed a tree, about ten feet away, that was large enough to hide behind. He pointed toward it and silently sent Stu to flank the left side while he walked around the right. He motioned Nash to hide behind one of the trees near them.

  The snickering continued, getting louder and increasingly manic as they approached him. Sullivan silently made his way around the tree and found Barry with an arrow loaded and ready to fire at Stu.

  “Stu, get down!” yelled Sullivan as he leaped forward like a jungle cat. The arrow released and hissed through the air, missing Stu by an inch as he hurled himself onto the wet ground. Barry hit the ground hard, laughing wildly as a canteen of blood spilled onto the mud.

  “Hello again!” yelled Barry, his face pushed into the mud by one of Sullivan’s massive palms. “I killed your other friend! Did you see?”

  Sullivan yanked him up with one hand and punched him square in his teeth. His head snapped back, blood spraying from his mouth. He hung loosely in Sullivan’s grip, laughing wildly as they stared at him in disbelief.

  Sullivan placed his hand on Barry’s throat and squeezed, watching his face turn dark red as blood continued to pour from his open mouth. Nash and Stu watched as Barry hardly broke character, still trying to giggle as Sullivan’s face twisted with hate.

  “Sullivan, stop!” yelled Stu while he tried to pull him away from Barry.

  Sullivan released his grip and let Barry fall to the ground. He landed like a sack of old bones as he writhed on the ground and giggled through his gasps for air. Nash listened to the gasping, hacking cackle and knew he’d hear it again in one of his nightmares.

  “Look,” said Nash as he pointed down at the red cloth strip tied around his left wrist.

  The three men stood around the crazed lunatic on the ground as he continued to chuckle and repeatedly dug his fingers in and out of the mud. Sullivan quickly frisked him and pulled him to his feet with one hand.

  “Come on,” he said, leading the charge along the edge of the creek. Stu and Nash followed behind, as Barry hooted and waved wildly at the dreadlocked slowpoke. Sullivan tightened his hold on the wriggling psychopath.

  “Hey! Hey, buddy! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey hey, buddy!” Barry shouted with his crazed smile. He continued to wave his hands as the slowpoke stared back, his grin widening as he watched Sullivan lead Barry into the trees.

  “Shut the hell up,” said Sullivan as he took a bandana from his back pocket and tied it around Barry’s eyes.

  “You really think I don’t know where your camp is?” asked Barry as he looked up at Sullivan through the blackness of the bandana. “You should have seen how far away I was when I nailed your friend back there! Best shot of my life!” Sullivan landed a hard punch to his ribs, a snapping sound ricocheting around them. Barry lost his footing slightly after the punch but didn’t show a shred of pain.

  The rain relented momentarily as they reached the gate. Dianna let them in with a look of shock on her face as they led Barry inside. He knew he was inside their camp and immediately turned on the theatrics.

  “Hi everyone!” he yelled loudly. “Thanks for having me!”

  “Shut up, or I’ll break another rib,” whispered Sullivan sternly.

  Barry pretended to whimper in fear for a moment before he let out a loud, hysterical cackle. “I killed your friend! All those tattoos on his arms! Easy, peasy —killed him dead!” The Fort let out a collective gasp and watched as Sullivan led him toward the holding trailer. He planted another blow to the same side of Barry’s body, which broke another rib as Barry fell to the ground.

  “Sullivan!” yelled Dianna from behind.

  “Sullivan! Sullivan! Sully, Sully, Sully!” squealed Barry from the ground, lying sprawled in a pool of rainwater. “That’s two of you I’ve killed! Ain’t that a pip? How many more I wonder, I wonder, wonder! I hope some more.”

  Sullivan landed one final blow to his face, knocking him out and into a puddle. He stood above Barry’s limp body, breathing heavy, as others began to crowd around.

  “This is the man that killed Eliza. This is also the man that killed Cole.” The group stood in silent shock and listened to him as the rain started again. “Cole is standing out by the creek with an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. There was a warning carved in his chest. It said ‘HE’S COMING’.”

  “What the hell is going on, Sullivan?” yelled a man from the middle of the crowd.

  “I know a lot of you were upset with me for not sharing certain things in the past, but I assure you, you know everything. Every one of you needs to be aware of what’s happening in order to continue to live safely. We’ve had a fairly easy ride here at the Treefort but that’s all changing now. There’s a threat at our doorstep and we need to prepare ourselves for the worst. I’m not going to sugarcoat things for any of you. We are in danger.”

  He paused and listened to the rain falling hard throughout the woods. Stu moved forward and scooped up Barry’s frail, unconscious body from the puddle. Someone from the crowd joined him and they disappeared from the crowd, off to lock Barry in the holding trailer.

  “Wherever Barry came from, they are using infected blood as a weapon,” said Sullivan. “We found Cole with an arrow sticking out of his shoulder and not a single bite anywhere on him. Whoever these people are, they are dangerous, and they mean us harm.”

  “What’s next?” asked Dianna from the front of the crowd.

  “Once he wakes up, we’ll use the information we get from him to formulate a plan. Until further notice, I don’t want anyone leaving the Fort without talking to me first.”

  “What about Cole?” asked Melissa. “We can’t just leave him out there.”

  “Myself and the security team will decide what to do with Cole but for the next little while, we need to keep our heads down and prepare for what’s to come. I don’t want any attention drawn to the Fort.”

  The rain began to fall harder than before, which sent everyone scattering to the RVs for shelter. Nash ran with Melissa to the food truck to close it down before the two of them locked themselves inside their RV. As soon as the door was closed, her arms were around him. They stood silently in each other’s embrace. The air was surprisingly cool inside as the rain pattered the top of the RV He leaned his head down to her ear and brushed her wet hair away from it.

  “I love you.”

  She removed her head form his chest and they stared into each other’s eyes. He’d never seen them sparkle so brilliantly as he looked down at her, drops of rain still clinging to her face. Her fingers tangled in his damp hair as she pulled his head down to hers and placed her lips softly against his.

  “I love you, too,” she whispered softly.

  The two of them crawled into their bed, kissing each other as they moved. Melissa pulled the blanket back and they slid under, removing their shirts in unison before starting to kiss again. Nash’s heart pounded fast as her fingers pulled his shorts down before pulling off her own.

  He touched her bare skin lightly; his nerves making his hands shake.

  “Wait,” Melissa said, sitting up and grabbing her bag from the floor in front of the bed. Nash held his breath, wondering what he did wrong. She rummaged through her duffle and pulled out a silver-packaged condom. “Here,” she said and placed it in his hands.

  “How long have you had this on you?” asked Nash, turning the package in his hands.

  “I put it in my bag the day after you got here. They’re in short supply, and I wanted to be prepared. Just in case.” Her cheeks flushed with color. “I didn’t plan for it —I just, well, thought I should have one.”

  “We’ll I’m glad you do,” said Nash with a smile as he awkwardly struggled with the condom.

  The two made love for the first time as the rain thundered down around them. Their movements were awkward at first, each unsure where there hands should be on the other. But they moved slowly, listening to their bodie
s. It was over quickly, so they laid next to each other, listening to the storm outside. They curled into each other, both of them replaying their first experience in their heads. Barry’s voice cut through the thunder, bringing them out of their trance and back into their reality. His voice was loud and jubilant, fighting with the rolling thunder.

  “He’s coming, he’s coming, he’s coming to get you!”

  Chapter 15

  Nash let the sadistic nursery rhyme run freely through his head as he dragged his fingertips along Melissa’s bareback. The song continued as the rain came to a halt and amplified as the pattering of the raindrops on the RV relented. Nash slid away from the bed, making sure to cover her naked body with their blanket.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said as she smiled up at him.

  Nash stepped outside as others began to file out of their RVs as well. Barry was thrashing wildly in the trailer, hooting loudly until he noticed Nash standing nearby.

  “Hey! Hey kid! I know what you were doing in there!” Barry stood with his face pressed up against the window of the holding trailer, his crazed eyes and twisted smile radiated from behind the dirty glass. Sullivan was already walking over to the trailer before Nash could even look for him to help.

  “Dead, dead, dead. You’ll all be dead!” squealed Barry as Sullivan opened the door and stepped inside, leaving it open as he quickly bound Barry with duct tape before he placed a strip across his mouth. Barry giggled behind the tape as Sullivan closed and locked the door.

  “Thank you,” said Nash as Sullivan walked away.

  Melissa opened the door of their RV and stepped out into the muggy afternoon air, her hair moist in the unrelenting wet heat. She pulled it back into a damp ponytail and smiled at Nash as he watched.

  “I’ll be at the truck,” she said as she kissed him on the cheek and ran off to the food truck. He loved how gracefully she moved, even in the muddy ground that he knew he’d easily slip and fall in if he’d try to run at her speed.