The Shadow Box: Paranormal Suspense and Dark Fantasy Thriller Novels

by Travis Luedke

  “Dave, get up,” a familiar voice said through the fog.

  I tilted my head, and daggers of pain tore through it. Ben and Aaron stared down at me. Arms hoisted me and dragged me towards the kitchen table. Before I reached it, I staggered, stiff-legged, to the sink and brought up more sick than I’d seen in a long time. It reeked and looked like everything I’d eaten or drunk in the last five years. The smell made me go again. The cycle lasted for minutes, to the point of dehydration.

  “How did you guys even …”

  “It’s not important,” Ben said.

  “Where’s Landry?”

  “With Holly. We told her you were out checking the roads. Come on, we need to get you out of here. You dumb son of a bitch, one of those creatures could have wandered in here last night.”

  “I don’t care.”

  Ben grabbed me and threw me into one of the chairs. I’d never seen him so angry. I was a little scared.

  “This is how it starts,” he said. “It just takes one. Then everything falls apart.”

  “Come on, Dave,” Aaron said. “We need you, man.”

  “You’ll do fine.”

  “No, we won’t,” Ben said. “We have to stick together.”

  “You don’t need a drunk slowing you down.”

  Ben looked at Aaron, exasperated. Aaron took a seat beside me. He was a good kid, and I didn’t mind.

  “Dave, a day ago you were a hero. We never would’ve made it out of that cul-de-sac if you hadn’t been so focused.”

  “We got lucky.”

  I saw by the look on Ben’s face that Aaron hadn’t told his father what had happened.

  “Let’s see if there’s any coffee,” Ben said, and began rummaging through the cabinets.

  “On the right,” I said. “Coffee and coffee maker are up there.”

  Aaron found some cups. He practically had to nuke the sink before using it.

  My mind wandered. Glimpses of the night before flickered in my head like an old movie. I saw myself driving without a destination, filled with anger over feeling betrayed by Holly and the others. Somehow I ended up at Jim’s house. I hadn’t consciously thought of the beer, but I’m sure my unconscious knew what it was doing.

  That’s the thing with alcoholics. All we need is an excuse. We’re sad. We’re happy. We’re angry. We’re bored. In my case, I was empty.

  Ben poured out the coffee, and I managed to keep it down. After a minute, my head began to clear. I remembered something and yanked open one of the drawers, where I found an economy-size bottle of ibuprofen. Good ol’ Jim. I swallowed four of them.

  “I suppose you guys have made up your minds.”

  “Yeah,” Ben said. “We’re staying.”

  “I figured.”

  “Look, it’s the best way,” Aaron said.

  So, after my dramatic exit, I still had a choice to make. Pack my stuff, get on the road and hope that I could stay sober long enough to find somewhere safer than Tres Marias. Or grow a new set and stick with my friends. Though I hadn’t decided, I agreed to go back with them and talk it over with Landry.

  Ben didn’t think I was in any shape to drive myself back, so Aaron took the truck and I rode with Ben in the motor home.

  “I know things aren’t good with you and Holly,” he said once we were on the road. “But seriously. All of us need to survive this thing.”

  “Once she finds out what I did, she won’t want me around.”

  “Why don’t you give her a chance?”

  * * *

  At the motel, we found one of the undead limping towards the buildings. It was dressed as a forest ranger. One of its feet was missing.

  “I can’t deal with this,” I said.

  “Never mind.”

  Ben stopped the motor home and grabbed his shotgun. Then he got out, pumped the gun once and took the creature’s head off in one blast. Wiping his mouth, he got back in and rolled over the body.

  “Nice work,” I said.

  As we parked, I saw Holly and Landry watching us from the balcony. I staggered up the stairs, determined to get this over with. When I looked at Holly, I saw by her face that she knew what had happened.

  “Glad you’re safe,” she said, covering her nose and mouth from the smell.

  I watched her go back into our room and draw the curtains.

  “So what’s it going to be, Dave?” Landry said.

  “The truth is, I’m afraid to be on my own.”

  “Good. Why don’t you get cleaned up so we can plan how to get through this thing.”

  I never told them the real reason I chose to remain. It was for Holly. And though I knew my being there wouldn’t change her feelings towards me, I felt compelled to stay. If I wasn’t going to die alone in a pool of beer, at least I could try to protect her. A shower and a change of clothes would be a good start.

  * * *

  It wasn’t an easy decision for us, and it didn’t help that while standing on the balcony we saw one of the undead wandering into view. Landry spotted it first—a man who looked to be around fifty, wearing a Black Dragon uniform and weaponless. It kept twitching its head like a mosquito had gotten into its brain.

  It headed for the motel office, its right hand bloodied and missing fingers. I knew Ram was in there. What I didn’t know was whether he had a gun.

  We observed the creature for a few more seconds to make sure it wasn’t someone still alive and disoriented. Landry made his decision and fired a round through the creature’s cheek. Its jaw half-off, it kept going as if not much had happened. I looked at Landry as he took aim again. This time, the bullet ripped through the thing’s temple and it went down.

  Holly was still inside our room. I was glad she hadn’t seen that. But the sound of the shots brought her outside. She peered over the balcony and stared at the body.

  “Was it …”

  “Already dead,” I said.

  We waited on the balcony in case there were others. We needed somewhere else to meet in order to plan as a group. I wanted to check on Ram, so I suggested the motel office.

  After loading our vehicles, we convened in the office. As usual, Ram was behind the desk working on the computer.

  “What can I do for you?” he said, as if there weren’t a dead soldier with half his head blown off lying outside on the asphalt.

  “We need to talk awhile, then we’ll be gone,” I said.

  I expected him to name a price, but he bobbed his head and went back to working. We stood near the front door with our weapons ready.

  “I didn’t expect any of you to agree with me,” Holly said.

  “We talked it over, and it’s the practical thing to do,” Landry said, looking at me. “Most of us know this area. If we get on the road, we’ll be in unfamiliar surroundings and we could make some bad mistakes. The thing is, though, we have to plan carefully.”

  “I can help there,” Ben said. “I’m a project manager. Planning and executing are what I do. I don’t pretend to know anything about military operations, but I think I can be of use.”

  “The immediate goal,” Landry said, “is to find a place that’s big enough for us and that we can secure. Also, it has to be practical enough for when the power and water run out. Something as basic as a working toilet will become precious in time.”

  I happened to glance at Ram and saw that he’d been listening to our conversation. He stared at us.

  “What?” I said.

  “You come to my house. I have everything you need.”

  “What do you mean?” Landry said.

  “Everything. I have everything.”

  “You’re not staying here?” I said.

  “What do you think I’ve been doing over here?” he said, pointing to the laptop. “Playing video games? No.” He came around from behind the front desk and joined us. “For weeks I am researching everything, watching the news. And I know that what I have invested in will save us.”

  “‘Invested in’?”

&nb
sp; “You come,” he said. “Come and see Ram’s fortress.”

  I liked the sound of that word.

  “How far?” Ben said. He sounded suspicious.

  “A few miles. We go now.”

  Ram ran back and grabbed a pump-action shotgun from behind the desk. We turned towards the windows and saw that more undead had wandered onto motel property.

  “What’s the plan?” I said.

  “We need to get our vehicles,” Landry said. “That’s our objective.”

  The creatures hadn’t yet seen us. As they milled around outside, a squirrel made the mistake of crossing their path. One of them snatched it with surprising speed and bit its head off.

  “So we shoot our way out?” I said.

  “We have to be careful,” Landry said. “We don’t know how many there are. And above all else, we can’t get bitten.”

  “I go first,” Ram said. “This is my motel.”

  “Okay. Have you got a car?”

  “Of course.”

  Landry looked at the rest of us. “How are we fixed, gun-wise?”

  We raised our weapons. Landry had a rifle. Ben had his shotgun, and Aaron had a handgun and his hunting knife. I had my shotgun and axe.

  “What about me?” Holly said. She looked terrified.

  I reached over, took Aaron’s handgun and gave him my Kel-Tec. Then I placed the handgun in Holly’s right hand.

  “Do you think you can handle this?” I said. She nodded. I made sure the safety was off. “Aim for the head.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’m fine with your mom’s axe.” Though I was terrified, all I was focused on was protecting Holly.

  Ram moved towards the door, his shotgun raised. He looked like he knew what he was doing. He glanced back at us, and we moved closer to cover him.

  “Ready?” Landry said.

  “Ready,” he said, and pushed the door open.

  It all happened fast. As soon as Ram stepped outside, the creatures shrieked. Ram blasted away and kept moving forward. The rest of us came out and took positions, choosing our targets and firing. I went after an out-of-shape scoutmaster, hacking his grasping hands off so he couldn’t latch on to anyone. Then I went for the head.

  “Watch out for the blood,” Landry said.

  Because I didn’t have a gun, I had to concentrate on what was in front of me. I heard Holly scream. I looked back to find her firing at an oncoming creature, first hitting it in the chest, then in the face. She kicked ass.

  “Yeah!” she said as the thing fell at her feet.

  We had to shoot and chop our way out to get to our vehicles, leaving twenty or so of the undead on the asphalt. God help me, it was beginning to feel routine.

  * * *

  Our slow three-vehicle caravan headed up a deserted private road next to the magnificent forest. As I followed Ram’s black Land Rover, I kept looking over at Holly.

  “You okay?”

  She bit her lip and looked straight ahead. The handgun was in her lap, with the safety on. “No.”

  The house was located on a hill. From there we had an amazing view of the town and surrounding forest. I didn’t know anything about security. But in conversations with Ram later, I learned that the property was protected by an induced-pulse electric fence, the same kind used for correctional facilities. Surrounding the fence in front was a series of retractable steel bollards, which prevented vehicles from crashing through and reaching the buildings.

  Inside the fence was a series of poles with video cameras and lights mounted high. Ram clicked a remote. The bollards lowered into the ground, and the gates opened. The driveway was massive and easily accommodated our vehicles.

  Several buildings stood on the property, all made of cement. Though somewhat attractive and modern, they were practical. The main building, which I assumed was the house, had narrow, dark windows that looked thick. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were made of bulletproof glass.

  “Glad you stayed with us?” Holly said.

  “Look, I’m sorry about—”

  “Let’s hope this guy doesn’t have a wet bar.”

  As we got out of our vehicles, six German shepherds rushed towards us from the side of the main building. I thought we would be torn to pieces and yelled at Holly to get back into the truck. Ram yelled at them in in German.

  “Nein! Bleib! Setz!”

  They stopped instantly, sat in a straight line and awaited further instructions.

  “Whoa,” Aaron said.

  “Trained in Germany,” Ram said.

  “Unbelievable,” Landry said, catching his breath. “How long have you been planning this?”

  “Five years.”

  “But you couldn’t have known about the outbreak,” Aaron said.

  “No, but I knew that something like this would happen. It is the fate of every great civilization. Think of the undead as another Mongol invasion.”

  He let us in through the front door and turned off the alarm. Inside, the house looked comfortable and warm, with Oriental rugs and rooms graced with expensive English furniture.

  Ram locked the front door and took us on a tour of the house. There were six bedrooms, each with a bathroom, desk and laptop computer. He had installed wireless throughout the house, powered by a satellite dish. A huge laundry room was located at the end of the hallway. We saw a game room, den and library, which contained not only books but also a dozen eReaders of various types. Everything was on one story.

  Then Ram led us downstairs to the basement. It was the size of the entire house—which we learned was around five thousand square feet—and was sealed off by a four-inch-thick steel door. Landry’s eyes grew wide as we discovered racks and racks of nonperishable food and bottled water. It was enough to last months.

  In the middle of the room stood a command center with multiple monitors showing live video of both inside and outside the property. Near that stood a couple of beds, a workout area with various weight machines and free weights and a small kitchen. There were also bathrooms with showers.

  At another end of the basement was a steel door. Using a keypad on the wall, Ram opened it and showed us a room filled with weapons and ammunition—enough to conduct a small war. Beyond that, another door led to a shooting range.

  “This is right out of a movie,” Ben said.

  Ram took us back upstairs to the kitchen, which was big enough to cook for twenty people. A huge refrigeration unit with clear glass doors stood along one wall, and there were a walk-in pantry and a restaurant-quality gas range and hood. Outside, through an archway, was a formal dining room.

  We sat around the kitchen table, drinking soda and eating chips. For a time we couldn’t say anything. Landry kept chuckling to himself. Then he became serious.

  “What about electricity?” he said.

  “I have a liquid-cooled standby generator, one hundred fifty kilowatts. There are also solar panels on the roofs of all the buildings,” Ram said.

  “And what happens when the bottled water runs out?”

  “There is an artesian well on the property, with a water-purification system.”

  “Gasoline?”

  “There is a five-thousand-gallon tank buried under the driveway. The gas pump is next to the garage.”

  “Five thousand gallons,” Aaron said. “Holy shit.”

  “Well, I can’t think of anything else,” Landry said, grinning. “You are officially my hero.”

  “Guthrie needs to meet this guy,” Aaron said.

  “I have a question,” I said. “Ram, are you saying we can stay here?”

  “Of course. As my guests.”

  “For how long?” Ben said.

  “As long as necessary.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s not that I’m ungrateful, but why?”

  He smiled and looked at each of us, as if this was the question he’d been waiting to answer. “I see many people at the motel,” he said. “All kinds. After a while I get to know
who is good, who is not good. There are going to be dark days, I think. Indeed, it will become Hell on earth shortly. This place is safe. I thought I could run it myself, but I need help. I feel I can survive with all of you.”

  “So how much is this going to cost us?” I said with a straight face.

  “Dave, for shit’s sake,” Holly said, punching me in the arm.

  “Come on, we were all thinking it.”

  Ram laughed. “You think I love money, right? No, that is not correct. It is a test, Dave.”

  “A test,” I said. “Sure.”

  “Think of it. People argue about the money and I know they are not good for me. I never argue. I just say. And you don’t argue, you just pay. Simple. That’s the kind of people I know I can survive with.”

  “Unbelievable,” Ben said, laughing.

  “Ram,” I said, “I can’t figure you out, man.”

  “Plenty of time for that later,” he said. “Now, who wants lunch?”

  * * *

  The room Holly and I were assigned to was comfortable. For safety, there were no windows. Ram explained that the windows we saw outside were false. There was a three-foot gap between the outer and inner walls. The windows were added for appearance’s sake. Instead we had a large flat-screen monitor that was fed by a high-def video camera on the outside.

  Ram did screw something up, though. One queen bed stood in the middle.

  “I thought I asked for twin beds,” Holly said as she took in the room.

  At the motel, we’d worked it out that we would sleep together but without intimacy. But I knew it would be difficult for me to be close to her, to smell her scent and hear her breathing next to me without becoming aroused. I also knew that, after a time, it would be preferable to sleep on the floor.

  “I’ll ask for another room.”

  “No,” she said, touching my hand. “It’ll be fine.”

  “You sure?”

  “I’m not ready to be alone.”