"When Katie came through the portal, she had an unexpected friend with her. A ghost. The ghost, I came to find out, was the victim of a killer on Earth. This killer had taken Katie's friend, Julie," he said, pointing to her, "and brought her to Desolace. Presumably, with the aid of one of the Gods."
"The ghost vowed to help us find Katie's friend, claiming to be linked to the killer upon her own death, which would allow her to locate him. This ghost also led us to other portals that I believe the Gods had placed in our path. One led us to a fighter named Mike, who is no longer with us."
Edward stopped again, taking another drink from his bottle, and wiping a tear from the corner of his eye brought on by the memory of his friend. "Another led us into the past, which is where we found Melissa," he started again. "The last portal we found, brought us here. Since you've told us that you were once a priest, I can only assume that the portal was intending to bring us to you," he stated, pointing at Brian.
"If your fighter friend is no longer with you, then who is Jack? I thought he would be the most likely fighter of the group you explained." Brian scratched his head in confusion.
"Jack is a friend we met along our journey," Edward explained. "There is something you should know about him as well, if you are to become part of the group. There would be no sense in keeping it from you."
Brian looked at Edward expectantly, waiting for him to reveal whatever secret he was hiding.
"Jack is a werewolf," Katie told him before Edward could say it.
Brian's jaw dropped in disbelief. "Okay. Now I've heard everything. I thought it was a lot to take in that zombies were real, but now this too? I thought werewolves were only legends, made up to scare people," he stammered.
"You have much to learn, and much to see. On Desolace, many of the things people on Earth consider myth are real," Edward informed him.
"Don't worry. He won't hurt you," Katie insisted. "Werewolves aren't like they're portrayed in movies. They are much more in control of the change, and are even rational as wolves."
Brian didn't know what to think. First, his belief in God had been cast into doubt, and now this?
"I know it's a lot to take in all at once," Katie said, seeing the look on his face, "but I assure you, every word of it is true. It took me quite some time before revelations like this stopped sending me into shock. Ask Edward. I was a basket case at first."
Reluctantly, Edward nodded his head in agreement. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he could see the difference in Katie's strength of character from when he first met her to now.
"It is a lot to take in," Brian admitted.
"Perhaps you will see things more clearly in the morning," Edward suggested. "I think we could all use a little rest."
For the first time since Edward had gathered everyone around him to tell his story, Jack spoke up. "Don't worry about setting a watch, Edward. I am going to stay up, taking care of Melissa."
"Are you sure?" Edward looked at Jack with concern. "You are also going to need rest, especially if you plan on continuing to carry her like you have been," he said, hoping that Jack would concede.
"If I may make a suggestion?" Brian interrupted. "I know this isn't something any of you are used to, but remember I have an ability, too. I think we should all be able to get rest. My heightened sense of evil should wake me before anything gets close enough to do any harm to us. I can wake everyone if my senses warn me of danger," Brian offered.
Edward remained silent for a moment, rubbing his chin as he considered Brian's offer. He wasn't sure about placing that much trust in a potential new member of the group, but he knew that sooner or later he would have to. "I suppose we could try that," he finally replied.
"Thank you for placing your trust in me. I know that couldn't have been easy for you. I'll do my best to not let you down," Brian stated.
A few minutes later, everyone in the group had gathered up blankets and pillows from the pile that Brian and Julie had placed on the floor earlier. Edward went to the fireplace and threw a couple more logs onto the fire. Then they began to lay down in the traditional manner, side by side, to share the added body heat, with the exception of Jack and Melissa. He sat, stroking her hair gently, the occasional tear leaking from the corner of his eye. His entire focus was on Melissa, so he didn't notice when the rest of the group drifted off.
Chapter 11
The night passed uneventfully. As Edward opened his eyes, he saw that Jack had fallen asleep at some point during the night, thankfully. He was lying with his head resting on Melissa's chest. Likely, her heartbeat had lulled him to sleep. Edward threw off his blanket and gently removed Katie's arm from his chest, hoping he wouldn't wake her.
When he sat up, the dim morning light allowed him to see that Brian was awake as well. Edward got up and went over to where he laid. "Are you sensing anything right now?" Edward whispered, kneeling down beside him.
Brian shook his head. "No. We're good at the moment," he whispered back.
Edward nodded and then got up again. He walked over to where Jack and Melissa were sleeping. Crouching down, he tried to ascertain her condition. The only part of her that was visible for him to inspect was her wounded right arm. He would have to wait until Katie woke to change her bandages before he could view the actual wound to see if it had closed up and started healing, but the trail of infection leading from the wound was still visible. He could be mistaken, but it didn't seem as bad to him. The once, bright red lines, were darker in appearance now, making him think the infection may be receding.
Feeling like he was being watched, Jack suddenly turned his head and saw Edward looking at Melissa's arm. Alarmed, he sat up quickly. "What are you doing?" he asked defensively. "Don't mess with her! I'll take care of her!" he snapped, his outburst waking the others.
"I was just curious to see if she was getting any better," Edward said, backing off a few feet in hopes of easing Jack's display of hostility.
Melissa opened her eyes to see Jack still hovering over her. She saw the angry look on his face and raised her left hand, weakly placing it on the side of his face. "What's wrong?" her voice crackled.
Feeling her hand on his face, he turned his attention back to her. His look softened when their eyes met. He studied her eyes for a moment before he spoke. Was he imagining things? Maybe it was the lighting, but he could swear that her eyes looked a little clearer. Was it a sign that the medicine was starting to do its job? "Feeling any better?"
"Maybe a little." She smiled weakly up at him.
Feeling hopeful, Jack dug into his pack, getting out the bottle of pills and some water. He shook a couple of them into his hand, placed them in her mouth, and put the water bottle to her lips. The water still wasn't going down her throat as well as he would like, but watching her throat work, it did seem as if she were improving.
Katie came over beside them a few moments later. Her eyes met Jack's briefly. She saw the hopeful look on his face as she started to unwind the old bandages. As she removed the one on Melissa's arm, Jack's shoulders slumped. The wound was still open.
"At least it isn't bleeding anymore," Katie said softly, hoping this information would lift his spirits a little. She got up for a moment and went to the backpack containing the rest of the clothing they'd brought, which she'd been using to this point to serve as dressings for Melissa's wounds.
There was only enough left of the scarf she'd been using to make a bandage for her arm. There was still a flannel shirt in the pack that she could use for the leg wounds, but it would only yield enough material to finish what she had to do. After this, they would have to find something else to use. Maybe it was time for another pharmacy raid, if they could find one that is. She silently cursed herself for not thinking about getting extra bandages when she had pilfered the antibiotics.
Once Katie finished changing Melissa's bandages, she decided to stuff one of the dirty blankets into her pack. She supposed that something was better than nothing at all, even though she
swore to herself that she wouldn't use it unless it was the only option. She didn't want to make the infection worse.
Edward looked around the room. It seemed like everyone was ready, so he went to the front door. He waited for Jack to pick up Melissa before opening it and heading outside. Katie consulted the road map for a moment, then took the lead, determined to find a pharmacy before getting back on the highway.
After about a half an hour, her persistence paid off. Taking Julie with her, she went inside. The rest of the group waited anxiously outside on the sidewalk, hoping that Brian's ability would warn them of impending danger.
Katie returned ten minutes later with Julie right behind, her pack looking significantly fuller as she stepped outside. "I found some actual bandages," she announced happily. "I also happened to find some antibiotic cream that I can use the next time I change the bandages. I'm hoping it will speed up her recovery," she told Jack. For the first time since the attack, a genuine smile creased his face.
With the temporary crisis averted, Katie looked at her map to locate the closest ramp that would get them back on the highway. Even though there hadn't been any problems yet, she worried that they were taking a huge risk by staying off the highway. Surely there were more zombies in the buildings and on the side streets of the city than there were on the open road.
It was only a matter of minutes before they got back onto the highway and began to relax a little. However, that didn't last very long. Jack was the first to hear it. Coming from somewhere ahead was a noise that he'd never heard before. "Wait!" he yelled to get the others' attention as he stopped.
Edward spun around, startled by Jack's yelling, thinking that Brian's ability had failed and zombies had snuck up behind them. When he saw no immediate danger, he gave Jack a questioning look. "Is something wrong with Melissa?"
"No. Listen," he said, pausing to see if they could hear what he did. "Do you hear it?"
Edward strained to hear what Jack did, but heard nothing. "I don't hear anything," he told him, shrugging his shoulders.
The sound of metal crashing into metal suddenly reverberated in the distance. "I suppose you didn't hear that either?" Jack asked sarcastically as everyone in the group spun around toward the noise.
"What the hell?" Katie asked, seeing a shiny object barreling down the road toward them. Whatever it was, it was big! A minute later, the object became more defined. It looked like an enormous truck, not as big as a semi, but still pretty big. "Run for cover!" Katie screamed.
Everyone darted toward the side of the road, quickly turning to see where the truck was. Jack was still making his way to the side, moving as fast as he could without dropping Melissa in the process.
Moments later, the truck came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the road, hovering above its surface for a few seconds before settling onto the ground. Katie could just make out the driver's side door opening. "Hello?" a male voice called out. "Are y'all all right?"
Edward looked nervously toward Brian, who was shaking his head to indicate that he didn't perceive a threat. "We are fine," Edward called back as he stood up.
Katie watched as a man with shaggy brown hair and an unkempt beard strode toward them. To her, he looked like a really muscular homeless man, dressed entirely in what looked vaguely like army fatigues.
"Yer a sight for sore eyes," the man proclaimed. "Y'all are the first people I've seen in ages. I was beginnin' ta think I was the only person left alive. Name's Chris." He smiled pleasantly, holding out his hand.
Edward hesitated for a moment and then accepted his hand. Katie had been awestruck by the truck that she'd seen, hovering in the air a few moments ago, and had scrambled up the embankment to get a closer look. It was yet another vehicle she wasn't familiar with, this one proclaiming itself to be a Raptor. They sure come up with some strange names for cars in the future, she thought. First, a Chevy Phoenix, now this? Casually, she walked to the front of the truck to see who made this model.
She wouldn't have been able to discern the manufacturer of the truck if she wanted to. The front of it was matted with blood, bits of flesh, and chunks of hair. A good portion of it looked dried and caked on, but in other places blood dripped from the brush guard, serving as a gruesome reminder that zombies weren't that far off. By the time she turned back toward Edward, the rest of the group had come up onto the pavement again.
"Y'all hop in. I'll kick the heater on so ya can warm up," he said, cheerfully.
Edward and Katie climbed into the front after she convinced him that the truck wasn't going to eat him. Brian and Julie slid into the back seat, which was a bench-style seat the same as the front. With Melissa still in his arms, Jack tried to step into the strange vehicle, but only because Edward had done so, meaning it must be safe.
He nearly lost his balance on his first attempt to get in. Chris put a hand on his back to steady him, earning him a stern look from Jack. "I can do it myself," he growled.
"Hey now! Don't be gettin' all upset! I was just tryin' ta help ya," Chris said, putting his hands up to show he didn't mean any harm.
Once everyone was tucked safely inside, Chris climbed into the driver's seat. "Where are y'all headed?" he asked, turning to face Edward. Katie didn't even hear the question. She was mesmerized by the technology, the windshield especially.
"Misty Hollows, Ohio," Edward replied.
"Well shit. I was headin' ta Canada myself," Chris said. "Don't s'pose I could convince ya to go north with me?"
Edward pretended to consider his offer, then shook his head. "We are trying to get Katie back home to check on her family," Edward lied, partially.
Hearing her name mentioned brought her out of the daze she'd been in. "Could you, maybe, take us to my house before heading to Canada?" Katie pleaded.
Chris frowned for a moment, contemplating her question. "I guess I could help ya out," he finally answered. "Just be warned. It's pretty ugly back yonder," he said, pointing his thumb back over his shoulder.
"Well, if you made it through once, you should be able to do it again." Katie smiled.
He turned and slammed the truck into gear. As it lifted back into the air, Katie became distracted by the feeling, which felt a little like a quick elevator ride to her. Remembering how he had felt the first time, he allowed her stomach to settle. When her color returned to normal, he jerked the steering wheel hard to the left and looked at her. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be," she said, wondering what she'd gotten herself and the others into by accepting a ride from an apparently crazy redneck.
"Here we go!" he cried out happily, pushing down on the gas pedal. Everyone in the truck—except for Chris and Melissa—suddenly clamped their hands over their mouths, trying desperately not to get sick as the truck, and the view on the windshield, rotated sharply one hundred and eighty degrees. Chris let go of the steering wheel and it snapped back to its original position.
"Here we go! Zombie masher engaged!" he hollered, grinning from ear to ear as he smashed his foot down on the accelerator.
Chapter 12
The south side of Detroit had been like driving straight into the bowels of Hell itself. There had been thousands of zombies, shuffling to the south like migrating birds, on and around the Interstate. At one point they were so thick that the truck almost didn't make it through. It had slowed to a near crawl before finally breaking free. Zombies had literally surrounded the truck, beating on it from every angle trying to get to the fresh meat inside.
With the constant pounding, Katie's stomach felt like it was doing barrel rolls in one of the old crop dusting planes. As they inched forward, she could hear the sounds of their bones breaking as the brush guard plowed through the throng. She could only imagine what the outside of the truck would look like when she finally stepped out of it, and she made a silent reminder to herself not to look when she got out. Assuming that they made it back to Misty Hollows and didn't become a zombie feast first.
The scene outside reminded her of a movie
she'd once seen, and enjoyed watching, named Resident Evil. Now that she was in a similar situation, Katie hoped she would never see another horror movie again.
Thankfully, all of that was behind them now, though Katie expected more of the same when they went through Toledo to get to Misty Hollows. The sign ahead told them they were ten miles from the Ohio border, so she tried to brace herself for the next wave.
She looked into the back seat at Jack. "How's she doing?"
"I think she is slowly getting better. When she's had her eyes opened, they looked better than they did last night at least," he answered in a hopeful tone.
"I'm sure she will bounce back in no time." Katie smiled, then turned back to the front.
They had just entered Ohio moments ago and Katie was growing anxious. Brian was beginning to wheeze again, much like he'd done right before they'd come across the mass of zombies in Detroit. She hoped they would concentrate their numbers along I-75, knowing that they would be detouring from it soon.
"Get over to the left," Katie told Chris. "There should be a ramp coming up for I-280 and we need to take that exit."
"Okie doke," Chris said, complying with her instructions.
A couple of minutes passed before Katie saw the sign. It was hanging by one corner, moving slightly back and forth in the breeze, but she could still make out the familiar symbol. At least the road signs hadn't changed in the future like so many other things had, she thought.
"Is this the exit you were talkin' 'bout?" he asked, turning to face her.
"Yes."
He followed the ramp, which curled around beneath an overpass, and as he came out the other side, smashed into a small group of zombies that he hadn't seen until he was upon them. The force of the collision caused gore to splash onto the windshield. Chris turned on the wipers to clear it, but only managed to smear it around more. "Sorry. I didn't see 'em 'til it was too late to avoid 'em," he apologized.
Katie fought back the urge to vomit. Somehow, she had to keep an eye out so they wouldn't miss the exit she hoped still existed. Major roads and highways she could rely on, but the minor roads could have changed over the last hundred years. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, trying to calm her churning stomach.
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