by Maxey, Phil
A sigh of relief rippled around the watchers. Zach stepped out of the Humvee, and looked around him. There was no sound from the forest, not even the wind, just icy stillness and mist that had started to creep up from the valley below. The two soldiers that Bass had sent across looked nervously into the nearby trees. Zach clicked on his radio. “Get everyone off the bus, and start bringing them across. Over.”
Mary heard Zach’s request from one of the nearby radios and quickly checked she had all her belongings. She then stood, looking towards the children behind her. “We are going to get off the bus, and walk across. Stay hand-linked like we always do, oh, and make sure you have all your backpacks with you.” she then leaned over the back of the nearby seat to be able to talk quietly to Irene. “You’re going to need someone to hang onto going over the ice, that okay?”
Irene gave a quick nod.
One by one the kids got up and got off the bus. Most did so quietly, but a few pushed and argued with each other. Mary gave them a stern look and order was quickly reestablished. Behind the kids, came everyone else, including Sam and Isaiah. Mary went to the head of the group of children, and they all linked hands behind her. Abby saw Irene wasn’t sure what step to take forward and ran forward, taking her arm. They all then walked over to the slope, and started walking across. Bass walked alongside on the right, in case anyone fell and started sliding. Mary walked gingerly forward, as the shuffling kids behind her did the same. A yelp rang out, and a young girl fell on one knee, but quickly got back up again, looking embarrassed.
As her sister led the troupe of youngsters across the slope, Morgan stood watching near the back of the white truck, almost not wanting to look. Every slightly unsure step that Mary took made her heart skip and she could feel the stress building inside her.
As Mary stepped off the slope, she looked back and started helping the children off as well. Abbey and Irene then stepped onto the ice. Irene’s walking stick flicked out and prodded the crisp ice and rock. They then started walking forward. Zach ran from his spot, jumping back onto the slope and walked to them as quickly as he dared too. It wasn’t long before they were all back on the other side, with the kids and Mary. Zach then clicked on his radio, and told Rob to bring the bus across.
Rob took a deep breath and tried not to look to his right at the plunging tree line. He then revved the engine and drove forward. The front wheels skipped up onto the already compacted ice and rock and slid to the right slightly but then gripped and the bus moved onto the slope. “Slow and steady,” he repeated to himself, making sure to keep the speed constant.
Rocks and pieces of ice, dislodged by the bus’s weight, rolled down the slope and quickly disappeared off the edge. As he drove forward, he could feel lateral movement as the bus veered gradually to the right, like an invisible force pulling it towards the point of no return. He ignored the motion and pressed slightly harder on the gas pedal and the bus picked up speed. It bumped up and down, and the back started to swing right. He pressed the pedal harder and now the wheels started to lose traction but at least he was making quicker progress. Zach and the rest were now just twenty feet from him and he could see in their expressions that he must be close to the right edge, but he dared not look. “Almost there,” he said to himself. The back right of the bus dropped down a few inches, but at the same time the front of the bus came off the slope and onto the road. He quickly drove to the left and stopped. His heart was beating out of his chest and taking a deep breath he looked at the anguished faces around him, which then turned to relief and then smiles. He drove a bit further forward to be alongside the kids.
Zach exhaled, puffing out his cheeks and looked at Bass. “We should get all the supplies off the truck and bring them over on foot.” They then both walked carefully back over the slope and with some other soldiers ran back to the supply truck.
Fiona was waiting outside the cab and looked at Zach as he walked passed. “The bus only just made it over, I’m not sure this truck’s going to make it,” she then gestured to the white truck in front of her. “Neither is that thing going to.”
Zach moved in closer to her. “What should we of done? Turned around? There are things in these woods just waiting, we need to be out of here as quickly as possible, even if that means losing a vehicle.”
Fiona went to say something else, but Zach moved off to the back of the truck, where two soldiers were already carrying a large crate between them. Zach then turned to Bass who was directing things. “We need as many on this as possible, get all the stuff over there quickly.” He then walked back to the moving truck and knocked on the closed rear shutter. It opened a few feet and the smell of vomit and feces spilled out. Morgan was attending to some of the patients. Her hands were colored red and yellow. She looked across to Zach, and then back at her patient.
Zach looked across the faces of the sick and dying, realizing that most he was looking at could not climb down from the back of this truck let alone walk across that ice covered slope. He closed the shutter. His forehead began to feel hot even though the temperature around him was dropping in unison with the sun. A stream of soldiers ferried boxes and crates across the slope. One of them carried a box, with some rope hanging out of the top. Suddenly he had an idea. He ran back to the rear of the truck, where Bass was still working.
“Bass, this truck, does it have chains onboard?”
Bass looked around. “Yup.”
“In that case, I have an idea as to how to secure the white truck. But we need this truck to make it across.”
“Removing the supplies, has made it lighter, but it’s still a heavy SOB.”
“Well if it makes it across, we use the chains and attach them to the moving truck, if it starts to go side wards, we just use the winch to pull the moving truck in the right direction.”
“And if the white truck, keeps going in the wrong direction, then we lose both vehicles?”
Zach jumped up inside the back of the supply truck, so he could talk quieter. “The sick people in that truck can’t be moved out of the back of it, we lost two just a few hours ago. This way maybe they have a chance.”
Bass nodded.
Soon all the supplies were across to the road on the other side. Even though it was still two in the afternoon, the overcast sky grew darker with each passing minute.
Zach stood alongside the driver’s door of the supply truck. “I’ll drive it, if you want,” he said looking up at Fiona.
“I got this,” she then turned on the engine, and looked across to Cal. “There’s no reason for you to be in here, you can just walk across.”
Cal smiled briefly. “I’m good.”
“Okay then.”
Fiona pulled off slowly, as she did a sound echoed around the forest. She stopped a few feet before the slope.
Zach ran alongside the driver’s side, looking into the gray-brown trees around him. “Keep going, I can’t see anything.”
Fiona pulled forward once again, looking at the loose rocks ahead of her. “Fuck.”
The heavy truck’s front wheels rose slightly, and then sunk back down as they moved onto the slope. As they did, another sound bounced off the cliff face.
“What the fuck is that?” said Abbey to herself, even though Irene was standing a few feet from her.
“It’s not natural I know that much,” said Irene, moving her head to try and get a better fix on the source of the sound.
“There is nothing natural anymore, only unnatural,” said Jacob walking up to them.
They all watched as the supply truck drove forward, fully on the slope, and was already slowly but surely sliding towards the right edge.
Mary and the children were watching from the bus, but she then realized what might happen and started talking to distract them.
Sam quickly chimed in. “Hey which of you wants to play a game?”
Despite the cool air, Fiona could already feel herself sweating. “We’re not going to make it. Get ready to jump.”
&n
bsp; Cal casually leaned out of the right side window. “We’ll make it, don’t stop.”
Zach ran along behind the truck. Sounds echoed again, this time from multiple sources, all around them. The lateral movement of the truck started to pick up pace. It was now only ten feet from the edge, but still some way to safety.
Fiona gripped the large cold wheel with both hands. “Its sliding Cal, and we’re losing traction moving forward. Fuck,” with her left hand she quickly unlatched the driver’s door. She quickly glanced at Cal who was casually looking out of the passenger’s window. “How far?”
“Plenty of room.”
She knew it was a lie, but had no choice as to continue on. She quickly caught a glimpse of some of the waiting faces and their expressions only made things worse so she fixed her gaze on the icy cracked surface in front of her. As the truck rolled forward and to the side, the road grew closer and closer. We’re going to make it.
A high pitched roar bellowed out from all around the trees and rock faces and a creature looking like a multi-legged bear leapt from the overlooking cliff, landing squarely between the supply truck and the road. Fiona instinctively hit the break, before realizing that was a mistake as the lateral movement now grew even quicker. Glancing to her right, she saw the slope edge only feet away and approaching fast.
Her left hand pushed open the driver’s door, as she looked over to Cal. “Climb out this side!” she shouted. He looked at her and smiled and for a moment she felt he wasn’t going to move, but he scrambled across the seat and they both leaped from the door, landing with a crunch on the slope as the truck, tilted and then toppled over. It was then she realized the screaming and clatter of gunfire all around her.
There were now three six legged bear things, snarling and roaring at the people close to them. Each was hunched down, like spiders but still rose a good seven-feet off the ground. Cal was already lying prone on the slope, firing his rifle into the creature that was approaching the bus. Unlike some of the other creatures they had come across these things weren’t armored, but Cal had already put half a clip into the back of one of them and it was still moving unaffected.
Zach had ran back to the white truck, and jumped up into the driver’s seat. One of the creatures swiped its claws at the front and tore off the wheel guard and left headlight. He leaned his gun out of the driver’s window and fired off his rifle. Multiple bullets hit the creature in its large fur lined skull, most seemed to bounce off, but a few hit home causing the creature to roar with pain and back off slightly. It then charged forward, smashing into the left front wheel, causing it to instantly deflate and the truck to sink down on that side. Zach looked across desperately to the other side of the slope and the other creatures. Even if he attempted to take the truck across the slope, one of the creatures could push it over. He looked in the bent side-mirror as the creature roared once again at him, and saw the clear road behind. Should I leave? He turned the key in the ignition, but no response came from the engine.
Across the slope the other two creatures, waved their claws and roared in the direction of the bullets raining down on them. One of them sprung forward and swiped at a soldier near the bus, shearing his arm from his shoulder and causing him to fall to the ground, screaming in pain. The creature then descended on him and his screams turned to a gargling and then silence. The other creature charged at the bus, slamming into it causing the left side paneling to wilt and some of the windows to shatter.
Bass jumped into the Humvee, revved the engine and reversed it at speed into the creature near Fiona and Cal. The car crashed into it like it had hit a wall, but the creature was knocked backwards onto the slope. Its legs scrambled against the loose ice and rock, and its head flailed around seemingly disorientated. It slowly slid towards the edge still dazed and then started to frantically claw at the snow and ice around it, but it was too late and it fell off the edge into the valley. The other creature was still slamming into the bus. Everyone onboard had ducked down and was on the other side. The kids screamed, while Mary tried to keep them calm.
The creature near Zach continued to swipe at the front of the truck, while he shot at it. The engine block was now exposed and sparks flew up with each thrust of the creature’s claws. Zach continued firing at it, but the creature changed its focus and charged at the driver’s door, causing it to buckle inwards on impact and the whole truck to tilt on two wheels before crashing back down. When is this thing going to go down? Zach kept firing, and finally the creature staggered backwards, turned and leaped into the now dark expanse of trees.
Bass went to reverse the Humvee into the remaining creature, but as he got close to it, it leaped up on top of the bus and started slicing through the roof, like it was made of paper. All fire was now directed on this last beast and after a few seconds it roared and slumped onto the roof dead.
For a moment everyone caught their breath, the only sound being the children still crying.
Zach clicked on his radio. “Bass, you there. Over.”
A few seconds passed, then an out of breath Bass replied. “Here.”
“Casualties?”
“I think just Ashcroft. Hold on, I’m checking on the bus.” Zach watched as Bass went into the bus. Bass continued not realizing he was still holding his transmit button. The sound of crying children emanated from Zach’s radio. “Injuries? Is anyone injured?” Mary was heard pleading to those around her. Bass then continued. “I think we’re all fine. Over.”
Zach sighed in relief, and tried not to think about the dead soldier, lying at the side of the bus.
Abbey’s voice then came through his radio. “Zach? Are you okay? I can’t see from here.”
Zach looked up and Abbey was standing, with her hand near her eyes at the far edge of the slope.
“I’m here, I’m okay, you?”
“Few scrapes as I fell back in the bus, but I’m okay.”
Zach sighed for the second time. He looked to his left at the driver’s door with a huge indent, and swiveled in the seat, kicking his boot into it, to push it open. Instead it swung out on one hinge and dangled, banging against the side of the truck. He hadn’t realized until now but there was blood on his hands, but he could only see small cuts that were causing it.
Slowly climbing down from his seat, he kept his eyes on Abbey as she waved to him. Straining his eyes, he could see more people walking up to her, all looking at him, some also waving. Something’s wrong.
He went to click on his radio, when Abbey’s voice burst from it. “Behind you! Zach, the road!”
He slowly turned around, his arm slowly dropping to his side at the sight that was three hundred yards away, in the direction they came in. Waves of the creatures they had just encountered, reaching across all four lanes where bounding towards him.
Zach stood frozen. The creatures, each one the size of a large car, where scampering and scraping against the frost and snow towards them. These weren’t just a few, this was a multitude of claws and fury. Get across the slope. His instinct was to turn and run. He stood hesitating what to do, when he heard the rear shutter slide up and a yelp from Morgan. This was then followed by screams from others in the back, behind her. Two hundred yards.
He ran to the back of the truck, Morgan was frantically trying to help some of the sick to sit up. If we run now we might survive. He pushed the thought out of his mind. “Morgan! Who can walk?”
She looked back at him, her face pleading for a different answer to what was bearing down on them. He then heard footsteps outside. Bass, Sam, Isaiah and three other solders appeared, some instantly taking a kneeling position and looking down their scopes.
Bass and the other started firing into the oncoming creatures. “We got this. Get everyone out and across!”
Without looking back at the creatures, Zach jumped up into the back of the truck, and started helping people to their feet. An explosion joined the incessant automatic firing, and some of the creatures screamed in pain, limping on for a few more yar
ds before collapsing. The rest of the crowd ran towards them. Zach looked back, they were now merely fifty yards away, close enough to see the saliva dripping from their teeth. The small defensive group, fired and threw new clips to each other to make sure they would not run out of ammunition, but it was only enough to drop a few at the front, the other creatures just climbed over them.
A few of the patients were slowly walking back to the slope, but half were still in the back of the truck. Zach looked at the impossible number of creatures almost upon them and felt a resignation descend upon him. This is it.
Then a roar echoed around the cliffs, and a gush of wind shook the truck and those outside, causing them to lose their footing. Everyone looked up to see what new nightmare this was. Instead a loud deep staggered boom rang out. At first Zach wasn’t sure what was happening, but then he realized the creatures that were now just yards away were being torn apart. Blood, fur and creature parts flew into the air, and splattered against the trees. The gray, beige road slowly began to turn red as the creature’s progress had been stopped. Roars and anguished screams of pain rang out, mixing with the sound of rotor blades from above.
Abbey’s voice, just audible from the sound of mayhem exploding around him came from Zach’s radio. “Zach, you there? There are people here, they are helping.”
Zach wanted to reply but instead stood transfixed by the scene in front of him. At least twenty of the creatures were already dead, and the others behind were leaping upwards, but just met a wall of metal death and fell back to the snow-covered road, dead. Some of the creatures were already retreating back into the black of the woods. He clicked on his radio. “The creatures are retreating.”
Within a few more seconds, the rest of the creatures scattered into the trees leaving a scene reminiscent of a battle. The gust from the helicopter above dissipated. Zach jumped down from the truck, and watched it fly over the slope and down the road in the direction they had planned to originally go. Standing there were at least an extra twenty to thirty people, most armed. That was when he noticed that there were more people kneeling with guns around the truck.