Fatal Reaction, Survival

by M A Hollstein

  Still on all fours, Amanda scurried down to the fourth aisle. Unfortunately, she could see light filtering in. That meant she wouldn’t be able to stay hidden in the dark. There was another loud crash from behind her. She turned to the right, looking over her shoulder in the direction of the noise. She crawled forward and then came to a halt. A dark figure of a man was standing in front of her, blocking her escape. His face hidden in the shadows. Amanda stared at him and gasped.

  “Think you can steal from me?”

  “Um, no,” Amanda said. “I didn’t know.”

  “Didn’t know, what?” he asked. “Didn’t know you’re not supposed to steal? Didn’t know who was in charge? What didn’t you know?”

  Amanda’s voice caught in her throat. She was worried she’d say the wrong thing. A part of her wanted to tell the guy off for being an asshole. Tell him that no one was in charge of her. She wanted to put him in his place for thinking he owned the store. The store didn’t belong to him. The store didn’t belong to anyone. However, the more sensible part of her brain was telling her to shut the hell up. Don’t say a word. This guy is dangerous.

  “Get up off the floor, bitch!”

  Trembling, Amanda managed to get to her feet. The man grabbed hold of her arm and yanked her out of the shadows. “Ow!” she complained as he roughly dragged her into the light.

  “This woman thought she could steal from us!” the man bellowed.

  “I wasn’t stealing!” Amanda glared at him. He wasn’t much taller than her, and he was nearly half her age. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and was of Hispanic origin. Amanda was a mixture herself. Her father’s side of the family was from Mexico. Her mother’s side Northern European which is where she inherited her fair skin and hazel eyes. Her thick dark hair that she bleached blonde, came from her father’s side.

  “Do you know what we do to bitches that steal from us?”

  Two other men appeared from the shadows. One was smiling. Amanda could feel his eyes raking up and down her body as he assessed her. He whispered something to the other man in Spanish. Amanda couldn’t quite make out what he said. Her grandmother only spoke Spanish in her household when they’d visit, which is where Amanda learned it. However, in her home, her parents spoke English. Amanda was quite good at understanding Spanish, even though she couldn’t speak it very well. She knew just enough to get by. The man had said something about her appearance.

  Amanda was trying to hear what the other men were whispering to one another about, and she didn’t listen to the question being asked of her.

  The man squeezed her upper arm.

  She tried to wriggle out of his grasp. “You’re hurting me.”

  “Do you know what we do to thieves?” he asked her, grabbing hold of Amanda’s shoulders, turning her to face him. He pushed his face close to hers. She could feel his hot breath on her skin.

  “No,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

  “We kill them,” the man sneered. He let go of her shoulders and shoved her. Not expecting him to do that, Amanda tripped, stumbling backward. She managed to catch her balance before falling to the floor. The three men laughed.

  Amanda was trembling, but also furious. How dare they laugh? She didn’t care who they thought they were. “I wasn’t stealing!” she barked, balling her hands up into tight fists. If she were to die, she might as well die kicking and screaming. She wasn’t going to go out without a fight. Her entire life had been a fight, struggling against abusive boyfriends, and an abusive husband. She wasn’t going to take it from these stupid ass punks. “This isn’t your store, asshole!”

  Instead of coming after her, the man laughed even harder. He was enjoying her anger. “Not my store?” he chuckled. “You hear that?”

  The other two men followed his lead and laughed.

  “She thinks this isn’t my store.” The man took a couple of steps towards Amanda. She backed up until her back hit an end cap to an aisle. He walked right up to her. His face inches from her. “Whose store is this then? Is it yours?”

  Amanda’s eyes narrowed. “Well, it’s not yours.”

  The man leaned in, and his lips brushed her ear as he whispered, “Everything is mine, bitch. Including you. You now belong to la Muerte.”

  Without thinking, Amanda shoved the man as hard as she could, and he laughed. She turned to run down the aisle when she felt his hand clutch hold of her shirt. The stitches gave way, and the sides of her shirt tore at the seams. Amanda didn’t care, and she continued to pull away from him until the man’s hand slipped. She raced down the aisle, made a right turn, and ended up in the sporting goods section. She could hear the men laughing. They were enjoying themselves. It angered her that she was now a part of their game.

  Looking to the left and then to the right, Amanda wasn’t sure which way to go. She chose to go right, leading her to the back of the store. She was now in the automotive section. She leaped over a bunch of stuff on the floor. Unfortunately, when she landed, her foot made contact with a bottle of oil that busted open. She slid across the tile floor and crashed into the shelving. More bottles of oil, windshield wiper fluid and steering wheel fluid came crashing down around her. She covered her head with her arms, shielding her face. To her luck, nothing hit her.

  “You can run, but you can’t hide!” she heard the man holler. His voice was growing closer. “There’s no escaping me, baby! Remember, I own everything in this store!” His cronies were right behind him, laughing. “And you’re in my store!” More laughter.

  Amanda scrambled to get to her feet. The floor was still slippery, slick with fluid. Her hands and feet kept slipping while trying to get up off the floor. Her jeans were soaked and her hands covered in oil. Once she was up, she darted towards the automotive office that was to her left. She knew there were doors leading to the garage. She hoped she’d be able to escape and prayed that Benjamin was using this time to sneak out through the front doors while she had the men’s undivided attention.

  She’d once bought new tires at this exact location and had to wait in the little waiting room for what had seemed like an eternity. Amanda entered the room. There was a thick rubber mat on the floor keeping her feet from slipping. She passed the office counter where they also ground keys for people and then scurried through the waiting room. She grabbed hold of the knob on the door, and her hands slipped. She quickly rubbed them on her thighs trying to rub off some of the motor oil onto her jeans. She grabbed the knob again. It was still too slippery. Thinking fast, Amanda grabbed the front of her shirt and used the fabric to grip the doorknob. The door opened. She entered a dark hallway and ran to the end where she remembered the other door leading to the garage. At the time, she remembered thinking it was an odd setup when they’d brought her into the waiting room from outside when she’d had the tires put on.

  To Amanda’s relief, the door opened. She entered the empty garage. The doors were all down. There was light filtering in from the crevice beneath the doors. She stood there for a moment assessing her situation. She ran into the center of the garage looking around when the door from the building flung open and the man entered.

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun,” he chuckled.

  Amanda glanced side to side, looking for a means to escape. There was a closed door at the very back of the room in the corner. She’d noticed it upon entering the garage. And then there were the closed garage doors on either side of her, but she didn’t know if she’d be able to lift one in a hurry. How heavy are they? Are they locked? She quickly glanced over her shoulder. Directly behind her was a pit where the mechanics did oil changes beneath cars. There was also a pit in front of her. She was in between the two. She’d need to be careful not to step backward. The last thing she needed was to fall into the pit and break an arm or leg.

  The man sauntered toward her. He seemed amused. Amanda didn’t know if that was better or worse than him being angry. She then realized that the other two men hadn’t entered the garage. She ho
ped that Benjamin was okay and that they hadn’t found him.

  “What do you want?” Amanda asked, her eyes shifted to the garage door to her right. It wasn’t pulled down all the way. It was open an inch or so, and sunlight was streaming in.

  “Don’t even think about it.” The man eyed the garage door as he drew closer. “You can’t run.”

  Amanda pursed her lips. “What do you want from me?”

  “How many people did you come with?”

  “I’m by myself.”

  “I don’t believe you,” he said, now standing on the other side of the work pit in front of her.

  “It’s true,” Amanda said. She wasn’t sure what to do. She was too afraid to move. If she ran to her right, so would he. If she went to her left, so would he. Should she try for the door in the corner? Even if it were unlocked, he’d still be able to catch her before she’d reach it.

  “You came here with someone,” he said. “And we’re going to find him. My men are looking as we speak.”

  Amanda wondered why he assumed she was with a him. “Good luck wasting your time looking for no one,” she said, and without thinking twice, she darted for the door at the back of the room. But before she could even reach the doorknob, a burning pain seared through her scalp as the man caught her by her hair and yanked hard. Amanda screamed. The man wrapped a strong arm around her waist, pulling her against him. She jabbed her elbow into his side. The man’s grip loosened, but not enough to let go. She struggled against him, but his hand tightened in her hair. Pulling her head to the side, the man pushed her up against the wall next to the door. Amanda continued to struggle as he leaned his body into her.

  “Let go of me!” she shrieked, feeling the man’s arousal against her hip. He was enjoying this a little too much.

  Still clutching hold of her hair and pinning her against the wall, she felt his lips hungrily caress her neck.

  “Please,” she begged.

  “Mmmm,” he moaned. “Beg some more. I know you want it. Tell me how much.”

  Amanda tried again to move. Her scalp was on fire, and she couldn’t move her head. Tears of frustration escaped her eyes and ran down her cheeks. She was so angry. Angrier than she was scared. She wasn’t sure if she was more upset with the fact that this man was about to rape her or mad at herself for crying. Either way, against her will she began to sob. “Let go of me,” she cried. “Please!”

  The man’s hand that was around her waist traveled upwards beneath her torn shirt. He squeezed her rounded flesh. Amanda tried to struggle against him, but it was useless. She couldn’t move her head. “Beg some more, bitch!” he whispered. “It turns me on.”

  A loud bellowing scream came from the store. Then a loud crashing noise and more screaming. The man stopped what he was doing and listened. “What the…?”

  He stood there, holding onto Amanda, not letting her move. She tried struggling against him hoping the commotion would distract him. Instead, his grip tightened. There were more crashing noises and men’s voices screaming and hollering from within the store. He shoved Amanda flat against the wall.

  “How many?” he yelled into her ear.

  Amanda’s sobs grew louder. He was hurting her, pulling downward on her hair. Her neck felt like it was about to break. “Let go of me!”

  There was another loud crashing sound and then silence.

  After a few minutes, the man said smugly, “My hombres have it under control you lying piece of…”

  The door to the garage from inside the store flung open, and Amanda felt the man’s hand loosen his grip on her hair. He spun around, pulling Amanda by the waist. Her eyes opened wide with shock. Benjamin was standing just inside the garage. Blood was smeared across his face, and his light blue T-shirt was soaked through.

  “Oh my God!” Amanda sobbed, worried about what the men had done to him. All the blood. There was so much blood. “Benji, are you okay? What’d they do to you?”

  Benjamin just stood there, staring at them, hands at his side. Amanda wanted to rush to him. Take him into her arms in a big bear hug. Make sure he was all right. Instinctively she tried to run towards him, but the man grabbed hold of her, keeping her there. She struggled against him. “Let go of me!”

  “Well, well, well,” the man chuckled. “You want your mommy little boy?”

  A deep growling resonated from deep inside of Benjamin’s chest, instantly wiping away the smug grin on the man’s face.

  “Shit! He’s fucking infected!” he yanked Amanda in front of him, to be used as a shield.

  Benjamin didn’t move from his spot near the door. His growling grew louder. His upper lip curled in a sneer, exposing bloodstained teeth.

  The man’s grip on Amanda became tighter. “You stay the fuck away from me!” he warned. “You hear me? Stay the fuck away!”

  Amanda’s brow furrowed as her heart sank. Could a person become infected more than once? Benjamin, against all odds, had somehow survived the initial infection. But could he really be re-infected? Was that possible? She examined the little boy’s face. His skin was clear of hives. No puffiness distorting his features, but his eyes… his eyes were glowing yellow. There was no doubt about it; Benjamin was infected.

  The animalistic growl deepened and grew even louder. Amanda watched as the little boy’s legs bent at the knees. He crouched down like a wild animal stocking his pray. His golden glare remained focused on his target. His eyes narrowed. He was ready to attack.

  Chapter 4

  Working her way down the freeway in the direction of the dark smoke billowing in the distance, Ellie tried to ignore the stupid gaslight. She’d been tempted to try to drive back home, but knew she was close to the clinic. Since she’d been able to surpass the pileup on the freeway, she felt that was a sign from God. No matter what obstacles were in the way, she needed to help that boy. Besides, she didn’t have enough gas to make it home anyway, but she probably had enough gas to get to the clinic.

  Ellie wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do about getting gas once she reached her destination. Once she got there, she’d have to figure it out. She tried not to think too far ahead. She kept telling herself that if God were guiding her to save this kid, everything would fall into place. She needed to stop worrying. Regardless of her spiritual beliefs, Ellie couldn’t help but worry. She gripped the steering wheel tighter as her mind raced.

  Just before she had found a way back onto the freeway, Ellie had stopped at a deserted gas station to see what she could do. She’d tried to fill up, but couldn’t. None of the pumps worked. She’d have to get gas a different way. On one occasion, she’d watched Mike siphon gas from a car into a gas can. At the time, it hadn’t looked very difficult. The hose and gas can have been kept in the back of the SUV. She hoped that Mike hadn’t taken them out.

  Ellie worked her way down the freeway and passed two more exits. By the time she reached the third exit, she could see the actual orange flickering flames from the fire. The fire had spread from the apartment complex to neighboring buildings. Breathing in the smoke was burning her throat and making her nauseous. Ellie took the off-ramp and turned to the right. She didn’t want to drive directly past the burning buildings, afraid that the Crusaders might see her. Instead, she pulled into a parking lot of a restaurant and parked behind the building. She sat in the SUV, staring out the windshield for a moment, gathering her courage. Max placed his paws on the passenger’s side door and slobbered on the window.

  Opening a bottle of water, Ellie took a couple of sips. She screwed the cap back on and then reached over to pat Max on the head. She looked out the window and thought it was best to leave him in the vehicle. “You’re gonna stay here, boy. Okay? I’ll be right back.” She rolled down the two front windows just a crack. She didn’t plan on being gone for very long, and there was a gentle ocean breeze that would keep the temperature in the SUV nice and cool. She just hoped the thick smoke didn’t make the little dog sick.

  Max panted happily and licked her
hand.

  “You’re a good boy,” she said while patting him one more time. She tried to steady her nerves, wishing she’d thought things through before making a snap decision to drive out there. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do, how to do it, where to look for the boy, or how the hell she was going to find gas to drive back home. She wished that she’d had the common sense to have waited for Mike to return home so that they could be doing this together.

  Ellie stared up at the dark ship hovering in the sky. She was now quite a ways away from it, mileage wise, but could still see the little flashing white light. Gnawing nervously on her lower lip, Ellie grabbed the door handle, and swung open the door. She snatched hold of her purse that had the gun and ammo in it, hiked it up high onto her shoulder and quickly slid out of the SUV, shutting the door behind her. She left the keys in the ignition for a fast getaway. If the Crusaders spotted her, she’d need to move quickly. The only concern was whether or not she’d have enough gas to get out of there in a hurry.

  Max jumped into the driver’s seat and pawed at the window wanting to come with her. On his tiptoes, he stood on his hind legs and shoved his snout out the top of the window. Ellie reached up and stuck her fingers into the opening to stroke his forehead. “You be a good doggy,” she said softly, scanning the area around her.

  There was no movement, no sounds of traffic, people, or even birds. She then eyed the dark plumes of smoke coming from the buildings a couple of blocks away and headed in that direction. Her eyes watered and stung. Smoke always bothered her. She swiped at her watery eyes with the back of her hand as she rounded the building, and then took a moment to look around before walking out into the open. When she didn’t see any signs of life, Ellie quickly crossed the street and then thought how silly it was that she’d looked both ways first to make sure no cars were coming before crossing. She’d also stayed in the crosswalk. Even though the world had drastically changed, there were certain things so deeply ingrained within her that she’d feel odd not following the rules.