by Maxey, Phil
They both moved behind the counter and with batons raised walked through a small swing door to the kitchen. In the gloom, burned pans lay on a small stove and cutlery lay scattered on the grease stained beige floor. Two other doors, both closed were ahead and to the right of them. The right one had, “Storage” written on a piece of paper nailed to it. They both slowly moved towards it, Zach moved his head near the note trying to hear any noise inside. He then pressed on the door gently and pushed it open. A large tin labeled new potatoes rolled away from the door banging up against a rotting foot. They both put their hands over their mouths and tried not to breathe as the stench burst out of the small space looking for freedom. Zach pulled on a small piece of string just inside the door and a dirty bulb came to life illuminating the source of the smell, as well as numerous cans of food lining both sides of the small room. Zach took a step back.
“Similar wounds as the semi driver. Her clothes are torn, ripped, looks like she bled out in here.”
Abbey stood frozen looking at the corpse of the middle-aged woman whose final resting place was a food storage room.
“Hey, we can’t do anything for her, but we can use that food. Let’s find some kind of rucksack or large bag we can put this food in.” Abbey blinked a few times and breathed once heavily then started looking around the kitchen.
CHAPTER TEN
“BEYOND THE DESERT MOTEL. $39 PER NIGHT”
Cal and Michael stood looking at the sand-blasted motel sign. After leaving the others they had walked past some burnt out cars and a few empty storage units but this was the first place they came across which might contain anything useful, the only problem was the damaged police car sitting in the parking lot. They crouched down.
“We need to get out of these clothes,” said Michael.
“Agreed, let’s check those rooms, see if there are any clothes in them,” said Cal gesturing to the open door of the closest room to them. “It’s so quiet. Have you noticed that? No insects, no birds, nothing. It feels like the world died.”
“Just as long as that includes no cops as well,” said Michael, studying the police car.
Taking the lead Cal ran to the first room, ducking as low as he could. Michael followed closely behind.
Rotting Chow Mein hanging out of various red cartons lay strewn across the minimalist carpeting. The room also contained a single bed, nightstand and a desk with a flat screen TV on top of it. Even $39 per night seemed too much.
Cal closed the door behind them. Michael collapsed on the single bed. “Oh man, a real bed, wonder if you can still get porn.”
“What is it with you and naked flicks?” replied Cal.
“A real bed, porn and a good Chinese takeout, whoever had this room before had the right idea.”
At the back of the room was a door to a small bathroom. A laundry basket lay knocked over, containing two shirts, a sweatshirt with the phrase, “I’m not your bitch” on the front, one orange t-shirt, a pair of jeans, underwear, and socks, none of which smelled particularly good. Cal pulled the prison jumpsuit off and put the jeans on, followed by the light gray shirt, which fit tighter than he would have wished. Michael repeatedly pushed the buttons on the side of the flat screen TV, which resisted his attempts to turn on.
“Maybe the power’s out,” said Michael while looking at the back of the TV.
“While you continue your porn quest, I’m going to check out these other rooms. I’ll see if I can find you pants, but put on that other shirt anyway just in case I don’t find anything,” said Cal as he left the room.
A light breeze blew some trash across the parking lot. Cal wondered if the cop who drove the cruiser was still around. He looked for any signs of life amongst the windows of the various single rooms both on the ground floor and the second, but none could be seen. Cal quickly made his way past the rooms to the last one. It was like the one he had just left apart from a stack of food on the bed and the dead guy in his underwear on the floor, maybe this was the guy from the first room. He looked in his forties. The carpet around him was dyed dark brown and across his back, two large gashes made by something jagged. He had obviously tried to make it to the safety of this room and failed. Sweat started to collect on Cal’s forehead, making him wipe it away with his hand. He took the backpack off and stepped over the body towards the food. As he was placing the chocolate bars, cans of soda, and a few tins of canned fish into the backpack he heard a noise from outside. Quickly turning he saw an elderly dark haired man dressed in a cops uniform, half walk half limp back into a room on the second floor, across the parking lot. Cal slowly pulled the room door closed, keeping his eyes fixed on the room the cop went into. He then hurriedly put the rest of the food into the backpack. Looking through the nicotine smelling curtains to see if there was any movement outside, he reached for the room door handle then stopped. Clothes. Cal looked around the room. Nothing. Entering the bathroom his attention was immediately caught by the dark pants on a towel rail, luckily they looked roughly Michael’s size so Cal pushed them into the backpack, which was now pretty full. He had another quick check outside, then walked quickly back to the room were Michael was.
As soon as Cal entered the room he could hear water running in the bathroom.
“Waters not that warm but it still feels great!” Michael shouted from the bathroom. Cal appeared in the doorway.
“I saw the cop, think he also saw me, he’s holed up in a room on the second floor, I think he might have been injured.”
“You think he’s going to be a problem?” replied Michael, washing with some soap in the ink-spot stained sink.
“Not if you put these on.” Cal held out the pants.
Cal returned to the main room while Michael finished washing and finally emerged in his new clothes.
“So what’s the plan? Do we talk to the cop or leave him and move on?” said Michael. Cal stood looking out of the window at the cop’s room.
“He’s the first person we have seen alive, but we don’t know what went down out here, maybe he’s infected, crazy like the rest,” said Cal.
“Crazy with a gun, reminds me of some of my exes.”
Cal smiled. “There’s no way of knowing if he saw us come in with our jumpsuits on.”
“If he did then why isn’t he banging on the door?”
“World ended, maybe he doesn’t care anymore, or maybe he doesn’t like his chances with that injury,” said Cal who stood in thought for a few seconds. “I say we just leave him and move on.”
“If he’s got the keys, that cruiser might come in real handy,” said Michael.
“And what if he shoots us the first chance he gets? It’s not worth it. There will be other vehicles, let’s get out of here, we can split up, there were some homes across the street I’ll check them out, you have a look around the back of the motel. Give it fifteen minutes then we both meet back in the street and head back,” said Cal.
Cal stood in the main street outside the motel. The town of Baldo looked like the kind of place the desert tried to forget. An assortment of single story wooden houses lay on both sides of the street. No sign of life thought Cal. The house on the opposite side of the street was the only place that looked like it had been inhabited recently. Wind chimes sung their tune and the screen door clattered in applause. Cal walked over to the front porch, pulled the screen door open and looked through the front door. A pleasantly laid out hallway, gave way to a kitchen and two doors on both sides. Children’s drawings lay on the floor of the hallway. One in particular caught Cal’s eye, a figure lying with bright red crayon all over it with the word, “Momy” above, and next to that what looked like a child’s version of Satan. Wings, horns, and a wide smile.
The carport to the left side of the property was empty but it was well stocked with tools. A large oil can sat on the floor which gave Cal an idea, whatever vehicles they came across might be out of gas so this oil can might be useful to collect some if he found any. He picked up the can and walked around
back of the property through an unlocked gate. A rusty barrel and a white wooden door lay covered in fall leaves. At the back of the yard a child’s swing with a red-flaked plastic seat swayed in the morning breeze. To the right another carport, this one contained a blue pickup. Cal tried the back door to the property but it was securely locked like the first. It crossed Cal’s mind to break a window but something about the silence disturbed him and he wasn’t eager to make too much noise.
Crossing the yard, he tried the pickup’s doors but both were locked, he then wondered about the gas this pickup might have, returning to the workshop he grabbed some garden hose which hung on the wall. Cutting the hose down with some garden shears he grabbed the remains and returned to the pickup and opened the hubcap, he then slid the hose down into the opening, then back out. The end of the hose was covered in a brown liquid. Gas. Placing the end back into the hole, he sucked on the other end until he saw something rising up the tube then placed the other end in the can, the gas started to flow freely. As he stood there he thought about his sister and his niece, and how he used to enjoy going to the park with them whenever he was back. He was resigned to what he had done, he knew he would never see them again, but now he was out, out in this silent world he wondered where they were now. Maybe all he would ever have were his memories of them. The gas overran the top of the canister burning his hand. He judged the canister would provide at least a half a tank for an average sedan. He started walking back to the street outside the motel when two loud bangs rang out.
There was no mistaking the sound of gunfire, and it was coming from the motel’s direction. The cops shot Michael. Running as fast as he could with the gas-laden canister he got back to the front of the motel, but there was no sign of anyone. He then picked up the sound of talking from behind the motel, where the pool was meant to be. Putting the canister down, he ran along the front of the rooms, then stopped when he got to the alleyway, still no sign of life but the voices where louder. Cal moved quickly but quietly along the alley until he got to an iron gate that was open at the end, and saw Michael lying on the floor with blood on his arms. Standing next to him was the elderly cop, but Cal wasn’t looking at him, instead he was looking at the winged humanoid form writhing around in the bottom of the pool.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Fiona lay on the hood of a green sedan, Ray sat on a small wall reading a paper he picked up, and Zach and Abbey were sitting silent on the grass nearby when the gunshots rang out from the west. All but Ray jumped up looking towards where the sound came from.
“Abbey, wait here with Ray,” said Zach, Fiona gave a small nod and they both ran off down the main street, stopping after a few hundred yards.
“I think it came from near that motel over there,” said Zach. They approached the parking lot slowly using what cover they could. Just as they were about to cross the parking lot, Cal appeared from an alleyway along with Michael, whose face had some cuts, Cal was also helping what appeared to be an injured policeman. Zach went to move forward then realized what he was wearing. Fiona looked at them then Zach.
“Screw it,” said Zach, launching himself forward and towards the group, Fiona following behind. Cal, Michael and the cop stopped as Zach and Fiona walked up to them.
“They’re with us,” Cal told the cop. “Guy’s Zach, woman’s Fiona.”
Zach looked at the cop’s holstered gun. “There were shots.”
“Jacob saved me,” said Michael still looking dazed.
“Names Jacob Duran, I’m… well I was the chief here in Baldo until it all changed, I can see you boys… and girls were imprisoned, none of that matters now, but I suggest we get inside in case we draw any more attention from the… creatures, my room up there has supplies. Your friend here could do with some bandages on those wounds,” said Jacob.
Zach could see Cal and Michael already had some trust in this Jacob guy, so that was enough for now. He nodded and they all walked up to the second floor and into Jacob’s room. It was of similar dimensions to the others but seemed much smaller due to the many-labeled boxes it contained.
“CANNED FISH”, “NUTS AND SEEDS”, “CANDLES”, “CLOTHING”.
“Every time I come across something I categorize it so I know how much I got,” said Jacob, standing in the middle of the crowded room. Michael was in the bathroom washing his wounds clean, Zach and Cal were sitting on some makeshift chairs made out of piles of tied together magazines and Fiona was standing near the door.
“That looks like a fresh wound,” said Zach, gesturing to the patch of blood seeping through his pants, half way up his leg.
“Two days ago I had just parked the cruiser outside when the creature that attacked your friend attacked me. Its talons or whatever you want to call them clipped my leg, I only just made it back to the room. Luckily it missed the artery,” said Jacob.
“I’m sorry about your leg, but what the hell happened out here? Where are all the people?” Fiona asked. Jacob sighed and sat on the end of the bed, Michael appeared from the bathroom.
“Look at the boxes in the bathroom you will find one titled ‘Medical’, inside you’ll find some bandages, use one on your wound,” said Jacob to Michael before turning his attention back to Fiona’s question. “To be honest I don’t know much, it all happened so quick, the creatures came and killed a lot of folk, most that survived took off for the big cities,” said Jacob.
“But you stayed,” said Zach.
“It was my duty, son,” replied Jacob looking straight into Zach’s eyes.
Michael reemerged with a Band-Aid across his forehead, eating a candy bar.
“We need to tell Abbey and Ray, maybe bring them back here,” said Zach.
“There are more of you?” said Jacob.
“Yeah… that a problem?” said Zach.
“Not at all, but there’s only so much food to go around.”
“We’ll find more,” said Zach, standing up, “You okay staying here while I get the others?” he asked Fiona who nodded.
Zach was only gone twenty minutes before returning to find everyone eating. “This is Abbey and Ray,” he said to Jacob.
“Nice to meet both of you. There’s still running water in the bathroom and towels if you want a wash.” Abbey grinned and moved into the bathroom closing the door behind her, while Ray just stood staring at Jacob.
“Can I help you with something?” said Jacob to Ray.
“I can’t help have this feeling that I’ve seen you somewhere before,” said Ray.
“Well maybe you have, I’ve been chief in this town for a long time, been in a few papers over the years,” said Jacob.
“Hmm maybe. Anyway, where’s the food,” said Ray, looking at all the boxes.
A few empty boxes of food later, they all lay and sat in various parts of the room, the sun beginning to sink below the mountains.
“So what was your plan? Just stay holed up in this room hoping to not be found by the creatures?” said Zach to Jacob.
“I was leaving when I was attacked, since then I’ve just been waiting for the bleeding to stop and hoping that it doesn’t get infected. What’s your plan?” said Jacob.
“Boston,” said Abbey.
Michael and Cal raised their heads. Ray seemed asleep and Fiona’s head remained motionless.
“That’s quite some way young lady,” said Jacob.
“I’ve got family there, I need to go.”
“You don’t know what’s out there between you and your family, maybe more of those creatures maybe worse.”
“I’m taking her,” said Zach. Michael and Cal looked at him then at each other.
“And what about you two? You going to ‘Boston’ as well?” said Jacob to Michael and Cal, who looked at each other again.
“That’s the plan,” replied Fiona looking at Jacob. Ray snorted, his head falling on her shoulder, which she pushed back up.
“You’re going to need a few vehicles and plenty of gas then.”
“We found a semi
-truck in a parking lot near a diner about one click south from here, has a pretty full tank of gas, could probably hold maybe six or seven of us,” said Zach.
“I think we should avoid Albuquerque,” said Cal, “You must have heard the loud booms last night?”
“I was in a fever for most of the night, didn’t hear a thing,” said Jacob.
“How’s you leg now?” said Fiona.
“Still hurts, still bleeding, beyond that I have no idea.”
Fiona got up and sat in front of Jacob. “Take your pants off I’ve got some medical training, I’ll take a look,” said Fiona. Jacob stood, lowered his pants, and sat back down.
“Now lift your lower leg.” Fiona placed his leg on a small box and inspected the wound. “Were you a doctor in a former life? Because this is expertly sewn up.”
Jacob smiled. “Many years on the job you learn a thing or two.”
“You got any antibiotics in these boxes, that’s what you need.”
“Couldn’t find any on my travels.”
Fiona looked around the room at the various boxes until she came across one titled, ‘Veg’. She rummaged through it and pulled out some garlic. “Peel these, and chew on it, might help.”
Jacob pulled his pants back up and lay further back on the bed near the top. “When the sun’s completely gone light some of these candles but not too many.”
Zach pulled the already mostly closed curtains even more closed, and rammed a small piece of wood under the door to give it a bit more resistance should something tried to open it. Abbey found a small box of matches and lit three candles in the main room and one in the bathroom. Cal and Michael had both gotten more comfortable, while Fiona had thrown some old clothes in the bath and laid down in there. Abbey lay in a corner of the room, a few pillows behind her head, while Zach sat on the floor near the door. Ray continued sleeping.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Zach stood looking down at the creature presumably dead in the bottom of the pool. It reminded him of those fake fairground monster attractions that his grandfather used to tell him about. Something so impossible that it had to be fake, something you laughed at. Fiona jumped down into the pool, pickaxe at the ready. Strewn around the pool were various pieces of furniture, and what looked like bones, but it was hard to tell if they were human or animal. This creature had been using the pool as some kind of nest.