Fatal Reaction, Survival

by M A Hollstein

  Something tangy caught his attention, and he could almost taste it on his tongue. Eyes still closed, he took in a deep breath. He could smell something. Forcing his swollen eyelids open, he eyed the dog food feeder belonging to Ellie’s dog. He sniffed again. His stomach clenched.

  Brad dragged himself to the bowl, shoved some kibble into his mouth, chewed and forced it down his throat. It wasn’t quite what he needed, but it settled his stomach more than anything else he’d tried to eat. There was a plate on the floor next to the feeder with dried, canned, dog food stuck to it and an old cow bone that you could buy at pet stores. He sniffed it. The scent was somewhat appealing. With his teeth, he scraped off the remnants of dried, dog food from the plate. He then began to gnaw on the bone trying to dig the marrow out with his tongue. Ravenous, his stomach flip-flopped. He unexpectedly had the irrational urge to eat raw meat. That was what he needed. He was so hungry. Maybe that’s what I need to beat this virus, he thought. I need to eat!

  Getting to his feet, Brad swayed back and forth. “It’s so frigging hot!” he growled while wiping away the sweat dripping down his forehead into his eyes. Burning up, he felt like he was trapped inside an inferno. He needed to do something to cool down, but his brain felt sluggish. He was having a hard time thinking.

  Brad stumbled across the living room to the sliding glass door. He tried several times to open the door, but it just wouldn’t budge. The more frustrated he grew, the louder the rumbling noise got. It took him a moment to realize the rumbling was coming from his chest. He was the one creating it. He was growling.

  Forcing himself to concentrate, Brad unlatched the lock on the sliding glass door and slid it open. The air was cooler outside the condo, but not by much. There was a slight ocean breeze. Dizzy, he flopped down in a cushioned patio chair on the balcony. He was trying to push the hunger pangs from his mind. He couldn’t think of anything other than the need to feed. He didn’t want to become like the infected. He’d seen too many people lose their minds. He refused to become one of them. If he could give the antibiotics some more time to work, he knew he could beat this thing. He’d take another dose in a few hours. Maybe even sooner. He had nothing to lose. He could do this!

  Closing his eyes, Brad leaned back in the chair and listened. His hearing was heightened so was his sense of smell. If a pin dropped a block away, he’d be able to hear it clatter to the ground. He then heard a fluttering and a tiny rapid heartbeat. He listened to what sounded like blood coursing through veins. In fact, he could smell it. His mouth watered and his stomach clenched. He needed to feed!

  In a flash, his eyelids popped open, revealing golden eyes. With superhuman speed, he snatched a hummingbird that was suckling from the almost empty feeder on the balcony. He could feel the little bird squirming in his hand, trying to get away. Still alive, Brad shoved the little bird into his mouth.

  ***

  They’d pulled into the parking lot of the shopping center across from the apartments. Bill scanned the lot for Amanda’s car. He knew which one she took. It was the one he’d been using that still had a running battery and a tank filled with gas. Since most of the cars in the lot had gone unused over the last several weeks since the infection hit, the batteries had died. To get them going, Amanda would have needed to jump-start them.

  “They’re not here,” he said, standing in the lot, scanning their surroundings for an aqua blue Toyota Corolla.

  Liam was aggravated. “Then where are they?”

  Bill frowned, scanning the lot a second time. He hadn’t a clue where they were. Amanda said they were getting supplies. His best guess was that they hadn’t wandered far. He’d thought they’d be at the grocery store in the closest shopping center.

  “How the hell should I know?” Bill barked, kicking an aluminum can as hard as he could. He watched it fly up and bounce off the hood of an abandoned car.

  “This is a waste of time,” Liam snapped at Susan. “We should have left him!”

  “Quiet!” Susan snapped back at him. She turned her attention to Bill and lowered her voice, “Where would your son want to go?”

  Bill shook his head, he balled up his fists with frustration and then shrugged. “I don’t know, okay? I don’t freaking know!”

  “Think!” Susan looked around the shopping center at the different stores. “What are his interests, favorite stores, food, toys, video games…?”

  Bill sighed. He suddenly felt like a bad father. Shouldn’t he know what his son liked and disliked? Joanna always took care of him. She took Benjamin shopping. She cooked for him. She did everything. Bill’s job was to bring home the paycheck, and Joanna’s was to take care of the household and Benjamin. They were both happy with their roles, and Joanna had everything under control, so there was never any reason to think about it further.

  Where did Joanna like to shop? he wondered when a thought popped into his head. “Walmart,” he said. “My wife would take Benjamin to Walmart. If he was good while grocery shopping, she’d let him pick out a toy. I remember he loved to go grocery shopping with his mom because…”

  “Good!” Liam said, cutting him off, nodding. “Is there one close by?”

  “Um, yeah. I think there’s one a couple of miles that way.” Bill looked to the east.

  “Hurry,” Susan said, staring upwards at the blinking white light on the spaceship. “We don’t have much time.”

  ***

  Running down the street, Ellie worried about the Crusaders catching up to her. She didn’t want to lead them to the SUV and worried that they might have a vehicle nearby. What if they followed her? And how far would she get on an empty tank?

  Up ahead was the Japanese restaurant on the corner. Ellie had parked in the lot across the street around the back of the café. Behind her, she could hear the pounding of feet on the pavement and the yelling of men’s voices. They were shouting something at her, but the sound of her rapid heartbeat was drumming in her ears so loud that she couldn’t quite make out what they were saying. Ellie began to choke on the thick smoke as she ran. She reached up with one hand to cover her nose. As she neared the front of the Japanese restaurant, she noticed the front door open. A man frantically waved to her.

  Not knowing what else to do, Ellie scurried across the little wooden bridge over the koi pond. A short, elderly Japanese man, ushered her into the dark restaurant and shut the door behind her. Ellie had no idea if the Crusaders would know she’d entered the restaurant. She worried that they’d probably figure it out once they barreled around the corner and couldn’t find her.

  The Japanese man placed his forefinger to his lips, hushing Ellie from asking any questions. He then guided her through the dining room to the dark kitchen. A little girl, who appeared to be no older than six or seven, peeked her head around the corner but didn’t say anything. Ellie crouched down next to the little girl behind a counter. The man left them there.

  “I’m Ellie,” she whispered to the little girl. The girl didn’t say anything, but she grasped hold of Ellie’s hand and gently squeezed it. After several minutes had passed, the elderly gentleman entered the kitchen. In a quiet voice, he said, “Okay, now.”

  The little girl hurried to her feet and ran over to the man. Ellie got up from the floor and followed them into the dining room. There was just enough light coming in through the dining room that she could now see their faces.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I appreciate your help.”

  The man nodded at her. “You leave now. Backdoor.”

  “Um, okay,” she said, frightened that the Crusaders might still be outside waiting for her. “Do you think they’re gone?”

  The man pointed to a door that led to an outdoor dining area. “You bring danger to my granddaughter and me. You leave now.”

  “I’m sorry,” Ellie said. “I saw a boy on TV that needed help. I wanted to help him. Have you seen him? Teenager… red hair… freckles…”

  For a moment, the man didn’t answer. Then he sighed, “Yes, I�
�ve seen him.”

  “You have?” Ellie asked. “Recently?”

  “They took him.”

  “Oh,” Ellie’s voice had dropped. She knew he meant the Crusaders. “Do you think he’s okay?”

  The man shook his head and walked to the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob. “You must leave now.”

  Ellie nodded, walking to the door when shattering of glass caused her to jump. A brick came crashing through one of the dining room windows. A Molotov cocktail followed. Flames immediately ignited.

  “Go!” the man yelled, wrenching open the door. “Leave!”

  “Come with me!” Ellie offered.

  The man shook his head, no. “This is my restaurant. My home.”

  “Please,” she said. “I can take you somewhere safe.”

  The man looked at his granddaughter and the flames consuming the restaurant. He ushered his granddaughter through the door. Ellie grabbed her hand and propelled her around the outdoor tables. She could hear the Crusaders jeering on the other side of the building. She rounded the corner of the restaurant, the opposite way she’d come. She looked over her shoulder and didn’t see the older man anywhere. She leaned her back against the side of the building and waited for a second. She leaned down and gripped the little girl’s shoulders. “I’m going to go get your grandpa. Stay here.”

  The little girl stared at her with big brown eyes but didn’t say a word. Ellie hoped she understood. “Stay here, okay?”

  Ellie peered around the corner of the building at the outdoor dining area. Smoke was pouring out the open back door, but there was no sign of the man. Covering her mouth to stifle a cough, she maneuvered herself through the little gate and around the tables. Right before she reached the back door, the older man hurried from the building with a large black duffle bag slung over his shoulder. Knowing he was following, Ellie rushed back to the little girl.

  When the man caught up, Ellie said hurriedly, “I parked across the street. Behind the café. I don’t have much gas, but enough to get us out of here.” The men’s voices grew louder. She then heard chairs and tables being tossed over on the outdoor patio. The strap of her purse slid off her shoulder, and she remembered she had Mike’s gun with her. “I have a gun.” She unzipped the designer bag, removed the gun, and fumbled with it. It was apparent she didn’t know how to use it.

  The older man laughed. “That’s no gun.”

  Ellie didn’t understand why the man was laughing. “I have bullets in here somewhere. I think they go to this gun.” She handed the gun to the man and rummaged in her purse. The man laughed some more and gave the weapon back to her.

  “This,” he said, setting his bag down and unzipping it, “is a gun!” He pulled out a semi-automatic weapon. Ellie had only seen guns like that in movies. The man’s eyes glittered. “Those bastards ruined my restaurant. Let’s go!”

  Ellie was stunned. It took her a second to register that this was really happening. She nodded her agreement that she was ready to go. Holding Mike’s handgun in one hand, she gripped the little girl’s hand with the other. Heart pounding, she raced to the sidewalk and out of habit, stupidly stopped to look both ways before darting across the street. She could hear the men’s voices shouting out at them. They’d been spotted. Ellie practically dragged the little girl along, too afraid to look back.

  Her heart leaped in her chest at the sudden deafening sound of a machine gun rapidly letting bullets fly. Ellie pushed the little girl ahead of her towards the back parking lot of the café. She glanced over her shoulder when the machine gun stopped. The little girl’s grandfather was heading in their direction. Ellie opened the passenger side door and grabbed Max before he could leap out of the SUV. The little girl climbed inside of the vehicle and into the backseat. Max happily joined her.

  The grandfather took his seat up front, and Ellie hurried to the driver’s side. Flinging open the door, she hopped into the seat and started up the engine. She pulled out into the street, tires screeching. She’d have to drive past the restaurant to catch the freeway. Rolling down his window, the old man aimed his gun at the restaurant and fired a round even though Ellie didn’t see anyone.

  Hands were shaking, and adrenalin pumping, Ellie gripped the steering wheel and forced herself to pay attention to what she was doing. She went through the underpass and entered the freeway heading north towards Oceanside. In the distance, she could see the little blinking white light on the spacecraft that was hovering over her hometown. All the sudden, the engine began to feel sluggish, and the gas light on the dash caught Ellie’s eye, drawing her attention away from the spaceship. They were out of gas.

  ***

  The loud banging on the metal door practically caused Aaron to jump out of his skin. The Crusaders had saved him from the infected, and they’d taken him in as one of their own. Unfortunately, that came with a price to pay. They’d seen one of Aaron’s broadcasts on TV and wanted him to rat out anyone alive that he’d come across in the area. The Crusaders wanted those left alive to know that they were in charge now. They had plans on rounding up the living and creating a brand new community.

  The man with the salt and pepper beard, named Ronnie that had accosted him in the alley, had now taken him under his wing, but with stipulations. To keep from having his knees bashed in with a baseball bat, Aaron had been forced to record him giving a speech. While recording it, Aaron had to try hard to keep a straight face. And he’d found it near impossible to keep his hands from shaking due to nerves. The man was both delusional and dangerous, and Aaron had decided that he’d rather die at the hands of the aliens, or the infected, than the Crusaders.

  As soon as he could, he planned to escape. He just had to be patient and wait it out a bit. Right now, he needed to find a way to air the Crusader’s video hourly. Ronnie ordered him to play his speech over the airwaves at the top of the hour, every hour, or else he’d lose one body part at a time. Since Aaron was fond of each and every one of his body parts, he complied.

  He tried not to stare at the small arsenal that belonged to the Crusaders. Several tables along the back wall were covered in weapons; guns, knives, axes, picks, tire irons, hammers, saws, baseball bats, shovels, etc. The Crusaders were preparing for war.

  At that very moment, Ronnie was sitting in a black rolling chair in the garage, viewing the recording on the camera when they’d heard what sounded like an eruption of machine gun fire. A few seconds later, a loud banging broke out against the metal garage door.

  “What the hell?” the man bellowed, jumping up from the chair. It rolled backward and tipped over. He reached down and rolled up the garage door. Two of his men were standing on the other side.

  “Tony and Seth… they saw a girl… and…”

  “What girl?”

  “The Chinese guy. He’s helping her. At the Japanese restaurant.”

  “You mean the Japanese guy?” Ronnie asked impatiently. “You aren’t making any sense.”

  “Yeah, him! He’s got a machine gun!” the other guy yelled.

  Ronnie’s eyes grew large. “Where is he? I want that gun!”

  “They took off. The girl’s driving a black SUV. Headed for the freeway.”

  Ronnie stroked his beard with his forefinger and thumb. “We could use a weapon like that. Frankie and Ed are striking up a deal with la Muerte. If we get this weapon, we don't need them. Won’t be long before those little green bastards get tired of hiding in their ships. Let’s go get it.”

  There were two Harleys parked in the garage. “Seth you stay here. Tony, you’re coming with me.” Ronnie eyed Aaron, unsure of what to do with him. “Come here!”

  Aaron nervously watched the man but did as instructed. On shaking legs, he walked up to Ronnie who was getting on his bike. “Play my video.”

  Aaron nodded.

  “Did you hear me, boy?” Ronnie barked.

  “Yes, sir,” Aaron mumbled.

  “Do as you’re told, and you’ll make a valuable member of the team.” R
onnie shot Seth a look. “Keep an eye on him.”

  Seth nodded. The engines of the Harleys roared to life, filling the garage with deafening noise. Ronnie and Tony sped out of the garage. Seth slid the door down behind them.

  Chapter 5

  Amanda screamed as she watched Benjamin attack the man that had been threatening her. The man’s cries of pain were horrific as Benjamin knocked him to the ground and ripped a chunk of skin from the man’s throat with his teeth like a wild animal. Blood was spurting out everywhere.

  “Benjamin!” Amanda screamed. She was worried for Benjamin’s safety as the man fought back beneath the small boy, but at the same time, she was scared to death of the growling, rabid beast the little boy had transformed into before her eyes. Not knowing what to do, and afraid that she’d become Benjamin’s next target, she ran to the back door, and let herself outside, closing the door behind her. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her heart pounded rapidly in her chest. She couldn’t tell if she was crying because she was scared of Benjamin or worried about him. It was a combination of the two. She felt like her hands were tied. She didn’t know what to do.

  Leaning forward, Amanda placed the palms of her hands on her knees and began to hyperventilate. She wanted to open the door to check on Benjamin but was too afraid. Feeling conflicted, she didn’t know what to do. Her chest hurt. She couldn’t breathe. What was she supposed to do? She couldn’t just leave the little boy in there. But if he was infected, she may have to.

  At that moment, Amanda heard what sounded like the motor of a car in the parking lot. She was around the back of the building, standing near the garage. She wondered if gangsters were in the car. Maybe more of them would be showing up. Amanda stayed close to the building, walking towards the front where she could hear car doors slamming shut. When she reached the end of the building, she leaned against the stucco and peaked in the direction of the front entrance. Immediately, she recognized the tall, burly, silver-haired man. It was Bill.