by Maxey, Phil
“I made your sister much stronger. Made her like myself and Finn. Unfortunately—”
“Where is my sister now?” Josh almost didn’t want to know the answer, but this man whoever he was, seemed… reasonable, although the smile which appeared plastered to his face was a little unsettling.
“She is with your mother and father.”
“She is?” The words spat from Josh’s mouth, such was his excitement.
“Yes, of course! My name is Arther Rackham. I worked with your mother and before her, your grandparents.”
Confusion replaced a cautious relief within Josh. “I… don’t understand. Why did… Finn kill all my fiends at the school?”
Rackham’s smile faltered. “They were not your friends. You only thought they were. You are special Josh, as is your sister and mother. Finn saved you. And we will make you strong like him as well one day. We still have a long way to go. But do not worry, you are in safe hands.”
“Are you taking me to my mother?”
“Yes, I have no doubt we will be seeing her soon.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
12: 46 p.m. Highway 87.
Jess looked down to her side at her daughter, seemingly asleep on a makeshift pile of clothes. It had been less than an hour after Sam’s outburst and the sobs which broke her heart, but soon after, once in Jess’s arms they transitioned to heavy breathing. Landon dug through some of the boxes finding what was required and moved his daughter gently to the softer surface, where she continued her rest. She looked up towards the back of the long trailer, and the two soldiers then across to Andy opposite, Landon to her right and finally Lachlan near the door. Everyone had their eyes closed and she wanted to do the same, but couldn’t. Wouldn’t. But at least the travel time had given her time to think up a plan. What would she do once she caught up with Rackham? He obviously couldn’t be killed, at least not without endangering Josh. Despite how hard she tried to think of an alternative, there appeared to be only one route out of the madness. She looked again at her husband and then daughter and sighed, hoping that one day, many years from now they would understand the risk she needed to take.
She jolted forward as the truck slowed, then completely stopped. Landon’s eyes flicked open. He started to stand, but she held her hand up, beating him to it. “I’ll see what’s happening,” she whispered, walking to the rear door then waited as footsteps came from outside, followed by the latch being lifted on the other side. Most inside the trailer were now sitting up, apart from Sam. Jess glanced back at her, then pushed open the door as it was pulled from the other side and jumped down onto the road, trying to make out the shapes of buildings around them. “Where are we?” she asked Vance.
A light bobbed around the side of the truck. “There’s a lot of destruction up ahead,” said Millar. “I don’t think what we’re chasing is too far ahead.”
She walked with him and Scott and Luci, who caught up, past the cabin and stood just outside the scope of the headlights at the guard rail which ran along the raised piece of highway they were stationary on. At first she couldn’t see what he was referring to. The darkness was all encompassing the ten or so feet beneath her, and stretching for miles in front of her, but as her eyes adjusted she realized the small darker bumps were in fact piles of what used to be.
Millar looked back up at the cabin and the open driver’s window. “Steer a little to the left so we can see out there.”
Sanchez did just that then stopped again, the powerful twin beams giving just enough illumination to the crumpled vehicles, ruins of walls and roofs, pylons and fragmented advertizing boardings, laying scattered across the roads, sidewalks and parking lots.
“Why do you think they’re not far ahead?” said Jess to Millar without turning away from the destruction.
“You can’t smell that?”
Her olfactory senses had been hinting at something but she just put it down to being exposed to the city air after being cooped up for hours. She leaned over the wall and sniffed. There was no denying the odor which hung in the air.
Luci looked up at the sky. “Maybe they’re watching us.”
“We want to avoid meeting them out here,” said Scott. “But if they’re maybe thirty minutes ahead of us we might actually get to Dallas first. Let’s get out of here.”
*****
3: 35 a.m. Highway 287.
Jess sat in the passenger’s seat in the cabin of the truck as it charged along the desolate highway. Her hands raised, clasping a set of binoculars loaned from Scott, she scoured the moon-like landscape for any sign of danger, but the scattering of electricity pylons and farm houses still stood, appearing undamaged. She rested the eyepieces on her lap, shaking her head. “Where are they… Three hours and no sight of them.”
Scott was sitting between the seats, Sanchez driving with Luci and Millar in the cabin, everyone else in the trailer behind.
A green sign mentioning Wichita Falls flashed by.
Sanchez glanced to his right. “You want we stay on this road and go through the city?”
“Yes,” said Jess.
At the edge of the illumination provided by the headlights, dark silhouettes of trees and advertizer boardings moved past.
“Maybe they headed further east,” said Millar.
“Wherever they are, if we can get to…” Scott leaned forward.
“What is it?” said Jess, trying to see what he had.
He shook his head. “I thought I saw something move or take off from the top of the water tower coming up on the right.”
Sanchez eased off the gas, applying the breaks as they approached the hundred foot of white painted circular tower with a ‘Welcome to Wichita Falls’ painted onto the side.
The focused view through the binoculars didn’t help Jess see any better as she slid it across the top of the tower and then higher until she found herself looking at the top of the cabin. “Can’t see anything up there, but it’s so dark.” She looked at Sanchez. “Keep going.”
The truck sped up as hotels and dealerships selling motorhomes passed by. As the highway began to rise Jess slid her window down and the occupants all winced in unison at the stench that was sucked inside.
“They’re close!” said Luci.
The four-lane road was now a good twenty-feet off the one below, with the multi-storey dark blocks of the city’s modern buildings visible on both sides.
Scott leaned forward, trying to better see through the front window. “Is that movement? Pass me the—”
A dark mass swept through the air, so close to the windshield that Sanchez thought they were going to collide, instead he momentarily slammed on the breaks making Scott fall forward, his hands bring thrown out just in time to stop his face from hitting the gear stick.
Jess leaned slightly out of the side window, her eyes quickly adjusting to the night. She could now see the movement in the parking lots and roads below them. Shapes that were darker than their environment, creating the illusion of a sea of movement. All of which were headed towards them. “They’re below us!” Sanchez responded by pushing down on the gas, but she was more interested in scanning the cityscape for any sign of light. The double points that would tell her whoever took Josh was nearby.
“Oh shit!” said Luci. “On the road!”
All eyes flicked to fifty-yards ahead and the car-sized thing which was just visible at the far edge of the headlights. It lumbered forward, a central mass with spindly legs holding it and the gaping mouth, upright.
“No problem,” said Sanchez as the truck’s engine roared. Everyone braced for impact but just as the forty-thousand pounds of steel reached the creature it shifted to the side.
“Where’d it go?” asked Luci, trying to see out of the small window in the back of the cabin.
A crackle came from a radio on the dashboard, then Landon’s voice. “What’s happening? Over.”
“We found them!” said Jess, answering. “They’re all around us! Over.” The highway began to
slope downwards.
“Can you see a vehicle? Over.”
She looked again, but all she could see were black forms amongst the night. “I…”
Screeched and roars bellowed out, almost as loud as the straining engine.
“They’re coming from all sides!” shouted Miller in the back.
“Jess? Can you see—”
“No, I can’t see any sign of the car! Over.”
“Incoming!” shouted Luci as she pushed open the small rear door in the cab, immediately firing her M4 at the closest frenzied shadow, which wailed in reply.
“They’re getting close!” shouted Miller, looking out the window on the opposite side.
Jess watched in disbelief as the metal and glass of new cars, just visible tens of feet to her right, were smashed aside, others being crumpled as the horde rolled over and through them. In the moment of destruction, her mind imaged what must have befallen those at the school and she felt sick.
Glass broke behind her, as Miller forced the barrel of his own weapon through the small window and began firing at glimpses of claw and teeth.
A green sign mentioning Fort Worth flashed by above and as the highway once again began to rise, the sound and smells began to fade.
“I think we’re losing them!” shouted Luci.
“Yeah!” shouted Millar, but Jess couldn’t keep her depression from deepening. She was moving away from her son.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
4: 27 a.m. Highway 287.
Silence had long since returned to the cab which Jess hated and welcomed in equal measure. She could feel the numbness growing inside her with each mile further from Wichita Falls. They were going the wrong way… and the right. She knew if they had stopped as they were going through the city, they wouldn’t have escaped alive. That was obvious, and yet she still regretted not crying for Sanchez to stop and let her out. Let her find her son who was out there amongst the creatures. Her logical mind though knew they made the right decision to keep on going. That the only way to reclaim Josh was with help, massive amounts of it from whoever could provide guns, and lots of them. And then even that might not be enough. But that was okay, she had her own plan to gain freedom for Josh if everything else failed. The sooner they got to Dallas though the happier she was going to be.
“I just realized…” said Luci in the back.
“I’m sure I keep seeing a dark shadow above us,” said Millar, looking out the broken side window and ignoring her question.
“We did it… it’s the seventh day… the virus has gone…”
“Tell that to the few hundred things we passed through in Wichita Falls,” said Sanchez.
“Yeah but we haven’t seen any others on our journey.”
She was right, thought Jess, but it was no solace to her. She looked to her left and Scott. “What’s the plan when we get to Dallas?”
“First we check out the army base. See what’s cooking there. If it’s still abandoned, we head to the tallest building in the city and we start broadcasting for all we’re worth… then hope someone hears us.”
“Why not just keep on going all the way to Galveston?” said Sanchez.
“We will, but only after we send out a radio message. We need to warn whoever’s on the coast of what’s coming, as soon as we can, and that will be when we reach Dallas, which…” He looked down at the few panels of folded map and switched on his flashlight. “We are not far from. Maybe ten minutes from the base. Actually—” He looked at Jess to his right. “Pass me the radio.” She did but his efforts to find a reply in the darkness met with just static noise from the speaker.
It wasn’t long before the frequency of gas stations and ranches increased.
“We’re here. Northern Dallas,” said Scott. He tried the radio again with no response from the other side. “Not looking hopeful for the cavalry to be in Fort Worth. We should pass by anyway.”
Abandoned cars and trucks appeared on the eight-lane route making them slow.
“Which way?” said Sanchez to those behind him. Without need to check his map Scott guided them off the highway and through the maze of roads, moving south and west, the larger buildings of the business district visible against the lighter night sky.
“How far you reckon they’re behind us?” said Luci looking through her side window. It wasn’t a question at anyone in particular but Jess answered as she had been wondering the same.
“Probably no more than forty minutes. Whatever we’re doing in this city, we need to do it quickly.” It was a sentiment that sent chills through most in the cabin around her.
After exiting a smaller highway they headed north, passing shopping malls and restaurants, the streets being littered with vehicles, slowing their progress.
Just as Sanchez started to ask for more directions a green sign appeared in their headlights mentioning the base and he took the next right, spiraling around until after a short drive, they were facing double guard-posts.
“Keep driving,” said Scott, his tone flat.
Sanchez did, taking the only lane large enough for the truck and trailer to fit through. Substantial, monolithic buildings passed by on both sides. They stopped at an intersection. An empty parking lot sat ahead of them with another concrete multi-storey building.
“They’re not here,” said Scott. “Turn us around, we need to head east.”
“Sheesh,” said Luci. “Was hoping something would be here. An outpost maybe. I guess they haven’t ventured this far inland yet.”
Millar continued looking at the sky through his window. “Or maybe what we were told about an offshore refuge was all bullshit.” Luci shot him a look which he wouldn’t have seen in the dark even if he were paying attention.
“Lucas… or Rackham, whoever the hell it was, believed it, so I believe it,” said Scott. “We just find the tallest building in downtown Dallas and I’m sure we’ll get a reply.”
“And if we don’t?” said Millar, now looking back inside.
“I’m not thinking about that.”
*****
4: 51 a.m. Highway 287.
The vibrations through Arlo’s seat had changed, becoming more inconsistent. The thrum thrum had transitioned to a jolting as if his abductor’s vehicle was moving over uneven ground. He had been pretending to be unconscious for about an hour, and despite the burning curiosity to see where they were, he dared not open his eyes. He was also sure at least two ribs were broken, and perhaps something fractured in his left wrist. That was good though. The pain kept his mind sharp. Each moment he felt exhaustion threaten to take him a stabbing would emerge from the damaged area of his body, bringing with it clarity.
Worse than the pain was knowing he had failed. Not only himself for getting caught, but not rescuing the boy who he knew was seated next to him. For some reason Josh had fought the attempt to be free and those few seconds cost them everything.
It would have worked…
It was a phrase he tried not to repeat over and over, but there was also anger for even trying, and then guilt for feeling that. A debate had raged in his mind from the moment he became aware he was in the backseat of a car until it was settled with a single word. Survive. Somehow his overweight, nerdy ass, a man that had trouble holding down a regular job, who had never had any real friends or wanted them had got through to the finish line in a race against the virus and the mutants.
Why didn’t I just…
He stopped the regret in its tracks. Too late now. The monsters have—
“When are you going to tell us your name?” said the older man in the front passenger’s seat.
Arlo couldn’t control his body from shaking in reply.
“I have been listening to your heightened heart rate for over an hour. I know you have been conscious. I know you have been listening to our infrequent conversations.”
Everything in Arlo told him to keep quiet. This person, whoever he is, is insane. How could he listen to his heart rate?
He’s a mutant
… he knows things…
“His name is Arlo…” said Josh.
Arlo’s eyes flicked open at the boy a few feet away.
“Ah, so you do know each other,” said the man.
“Why are you…” Pain flowed through various limbs, making him wince.
“Why have we taken you?”
“Yeah…” The word came out with a groan.
“It was for your own good. The creatures would have… eaten you, if we did not intervene. They are quiet protective of the boy.”
Confusion crossed the black and blue face of the man in the back. He looked at Josh, who looked away. Arlo looked to the front, awkwardly pushing himself higher in his seat. He wanted to shout and scream. Try to claw answers as to who these people were and what was their involvement with what happened at the school, but instead fear kept his teeth clamped together. His left hand held the door handle but all he could see of the world outside was an impression of a concrete wall and perhaps tall buildings not too far off. They were in a city, but he had no idea which one.
“Do you not want to know who I am?” said the man.
Arlo could see the side of his face. It was covered in grooves as if he had been hideously burned, but even through the scarring he could tell this individual was older than him. “Okay…”
“I am Arthur Rackham. Chief scientist at the Biochron facility. What is your profession?”
Arlo knew the name, but pain surged through his joints and bones, almost stopping him from replying. “Computer games…”
Rackham snorted. “I see. The immunity to the virus was indeed random in who it chose. There will be no need for that kind of thing in the future. Everyone will have a role to play in the society which grows from the ashes.”
“How… how do you control the things?”
Rackham turned in his seat, his face still bathed in shadow but close enough for Arlo to see the madness behind the bloodshot eyes. “They are my children.” No response came from Arlo so Rackham returned to facing the road ahead, which the younger man was thankful for.