Soulless Wanderers: Soulless Wanderers Book 1

by Drew Strickland

  “Sorry, Pastor Bale.”

  “It’s okay, Kyle. Why don’t you head to the bathroom and get it cleaned up? I’ll see if I can get the first aid kit and get you a Band-Aid.”

  Kyle nodded and headed to the bathroom across the gym. Paxton decided to take the load of blankets himself and made for the same way Jeff went. Paxton could see the door beginning to close, so he picked up his pace so he didn’t have to open it again. Just as Paxton was able to put his foot in the doorway to prevent the door from closing, the door swung wide open. Jeff ran directly into Paxton, knocking them both to the ground, blankets flying everywhere. Paxton was disoriented from the tumble, but Jeff grabbed at his collar.

  Jeff was panicked and not making sense. Between gasps for air he was able to speak. “Run- They-they- I don’t know. Just get up.”

  2

  Daniel could hear the screams stop. What he heard next sounded like grumbling or moaning between wet smacks. It struck him as strange but figured everyone had a different reaction when in shock. It’s just that most of the time people would cry, get angry, or even burst into nervous laughter when faced with the idea of their own death. He had yet to hear someone sound like they were uncontrollably hungry, or even animalistic. He shrugged as he picked up the extension cord.

  The first thing he noticed was the news. It seemed as if something had happened that wasn’t supposed to happen. The clock was still counting down, but the lady on the television wasn’t talking about it anymore. There was no excitement. Only confusion and disbelief. But disbelief in what?

  Standing over the man on his table was very different. The man no longer looked confused or scared. He wasn’t even really angry. His mouth was chomping while saliva flung from his lips. Daniel looked at the man as he was trying to sit up. The restraints prevented this, but there was no energy lost in trying. Daniel got close and looked directly into the man’s eyes. It was as if nothing was there. Sure, he had his pupils and color was still there, but it was hard for Daniel to admit due to mostly a lack of belief, it was as if he had no soul behind the eyes.

  Daniel picked up the knife, watching the man, or whatever he was now, struggle. He looked at the television, seeing the clock finally hit zero. Nobody on the screen seemed to notice or care. People rushed around, not caring about being on the camera in the news station. Instead, they were too busy scrambling in confusion, trying to reach anybody on the scene. Daniel looked up at the sky and saw nothing. No lights, no comet, no anything other than the night sky above him.

  Finally, on the screen, the news anchor looked at the camera. “I don’t know what’s happening. We aren’t getting much information from anyone out in the field, and our cameras witnessed the events. It looks like it came early. Let’s cut to Paul outside, if he’s still there.”

  The camera cut to an outdoor shot of the sky. Moans could be heard in the background. After a few seconds, the camera fell to the ground, showing a view of random people shuffling around with no real direction. Paul, the obvious news reporter in his suit and earpiece came into view. He looked like the man on the table. No life in his eyes and an animalistic mouth smacking. Someone stepped into view. This person was different. He looked tired and had just come from bed because he was still in pajamas.

  “What is going on?” he asked, rubbing his eyes.

  Paul got close to the man and lunged at him. The man screamed as Paul began to take the man to the ground with a thud. To Daniel, it looked like he was biting his arm. The camera quickly cut back to the news anchor, her face a pale white, and her mouth completely lost for words. She blankly stared at the camera for a few seconds before the picture cut to a prerecorded interview with the fire department.

  Daniel turned the television off and looked back down to the struggling thing on the table. He unceremoniously plunged the knife into its chest. Normally, he would have relished in the act, but he was caught in a strange moment of information he didn’t expect to be receiving. Something weird was happening. He watched as the man struggled and waited for him to die.

  After a few minutes of watching with no change in the man’s mood, he pulled the knife out and plunged it in his chest multiple times. So many times, in fact, that he was winded after doing it. Nothing. No change. This thing was not letting up. He picked up a large piece of rebar that some kid had torn out of the wall at some point in the building’s history of decay. He normally wouldn’t have done something so reckless, but he figured there was nothing more to lose. He wailed on the body, and the more he pounded, the harder his next swing was. He could hear the cracking of the bones splitting in the body. Finally, he fell to the floor in a mess of sweat and exhaustion.

  The body still moved. It still tried to get up. Only this time, it was able to get its arms loose. Daniel had hit it so hard that the bones had snapped in half, making them look like Jell-O sliding from the restraints. Daniel sat next to the table, catching his breath when the body fell on top of him. His face lined up with the smacking lips and chomping jaws of the monster before him. He quickly reacted and grabbed its neck as it dangled upside down in front of him. Fortunately, Daniel hadn’t broken its ankles or feet and its legs were still restrained.

  He felt around, trying to grab something that could help him. Nothing was on the floor nearby so he lifted his hand up and felt the table. The knife slipped into his hand, its grip familiar and warm. He quickly stabbed it down from the table, directly into the monster’s cheek and through its skull. The life, or whatever was left inside of the thing, was gone. It dangled, lifeless and heavy from the table. Daniel pushed over and crawled out from under it.

  He began to head out of the building, not caring about the body or his setup. Whatever was happening didn’t just happen here and he had to get out of there. Even if there wasn’t something strange going on, nobody would be looking for the man. The only worry Daniel would have was if someone stumbled upon his kill scene. The way the news left it, he figured nobody would care. Either way, it was more important for him to get out of there and get north.

  Daniel got in his car and drove down the road. He didn’t know if he had ever really felt panic before but figured that whatever he was feeling was the closest he may ever get.

  Paxton stumbled, trying to get up from the floor. The blankets piled around him made it difficult to move. He felt like he was swimming in fabric. Finally, he was able to make his way to his feet and reached down to help Jeff up. Jeff took his hand and was hoisted up, still panicked.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” Paxton asked, trying to assess the situation.

  “I don’t know. I went outside and everyone is…different. It’s hard to explain.”

  A sporadic banging began on the hard metal door that Jeff just ran through. Paxton reached for the door, but Jeff grabbed his arm.

  “Jeff, this isn’t funny. I don’t know if you and your friends are trying to—”

  Jeff grabbed his hair and pulled in frustration. “No. I swear it. I went outside. Something seemed off, but I saw Bobby.” Paxton nodded, knowing Bobby himself. He was a good reliable kid who wasn’t known for his popularity but was every other kid’s go-to guy when they needed help. “I was going to hand the blankets off to him, but when he turned around, he just… He wasn’t there, you know?”

  Paxton shook his head. “I have no idea what you are saying, Jeff. Why don’t we go outside and ask everyone? They’re probably trying to pull off some elaborate prank, and I’m really close to thinking you’re in on it.”

  Paxton pushed the door open before Jeff could do anything about it. Immediately, Jeff ran when he saw his peers in the doorway. Paxton watched as Bobby stumbled forward through the doorway. Jeff hadn’t been lying. There was something off with him, but he figured when pressured, Bobby would give up the charade and own up to the prank. Paxton grabbed Bobby’s shoulder and started with a smile.

  “Bobby, you’ve got Jeff really freaked out. Now, I’m still not sure if he’s in on this whole thing, but either way, we don�
�t have much time and have to get outside before it’s too late.”

  Paxton waited as Bobby looked at him with a strange unfamiliarity. Paxton looked into his eyes and saw something different. It was like the kid wasn’t there anymore. Something behind his eyes just felt like he was…soulless. Bobby turned from his gaze and looked down at Paxton’s hand.

  Paxton removed his hand just as Bobby grabbed it. His teeth chomped and his lips smacked as he pulled Paxton’s hand toward his mouth. The strength the kid had was unmatched. It was as if nothing was holding him back. There was pure intent to bite the hand and nothing was going to stop him. There was no pulling punches on this one, even at his grown adult status.

  Paxton began to scream. More of the students came wandering through the door. Some of them tripped over the pile of blankets and fell face down, not putting their arms up to break their fall. They just didn’t care. Nobody showed signs of feeling pain. Some of them tried to get up, while others took to crawling and reaching for Paxton’s legs. Paxton watched as Bobby’s mouth hovered over his own hand. He winced, hoping the pain wouldn’t come.

  It didn’t. Paxton opened his eyes when a loud grunt came from over his shoulder. He watched a large pole hit Bobby in the face. A quick glance over his shoulder let him know that Manny was there. He had the rail from the storage room they used to hang costumes and baptism outfits on.

  Paxton was released from Bobby’s grip. He stumbled backward and fell on his backside. He watched as Bobby’s body did the same thing. He was in a sort of trance as he watched Bobby stumble backward and hit his head against the wall. It didn’t seem to faze the boy at all. He began to get up. But what shocked Paxton the most wasn’t the sudden stamina that Bobby seemed to have, it was his jaw.

  When Manny had swung the pole across his face, it had broken part of it. It dangled to the side in a crumpled mess. However, Bobby went right back to it. He still got up, he still walked haphazard-like forward, he still chomped and smacked as much as his jaw would let him.

  Paxton could have sat there in fascination waiting for Bobby and the others to reach him, but he felt a strong hand on his shoulder. Manny hoisted him to his feet. “What is going on?” Paxton managed to mumble.

  Manny shook his head. “No idea, boss. I don’t think we should stick around to find out, though,” the maintenance man said, letting his accent seep through.

  Paxton nodded at the man’s words. Both of them headed to the other side of the large open gym as the teenage monsters began to fill it. Paxton looked over his shoulder and watched the bathroom door open. They had forgotten about Kyle. His eyes lit up at the sight of all his peers wandering around in a trance.

  “What’s goin’ on?” he asked with a laugh.

  “Kyle!” Paxton yelled. “Get away from them!” It was the most he could do with little notice. The monsters were so close, nearly surrounding the bathroom door now.

  “I don’t—” Kyle began to say but was cut off when a girl grabbed his arm. It could have been Andrea, or possibly Megan by the look of her hair. Paxton was too far away to see for sure, but either way, it didn’t matter. Her mouth was smacking and chomping just like Bobby’s was. Kyle pulled away, but she was too strong.

  “We have to help him,” Paxton said, more asking permission from Manny than a statement.

  Manny shook his head and pointed. It was too late. More of them came and pushed into Kyle. He stumbled backward, still gripped by the girl. He went into the bathroom screaming as the girl and a few more of them followed. The door closed, and all that was left were a few screams from Kyle, and then nothing.

  Paxton stood in despair, listening to one of the kids he was supposed to be in charge of, to make sure he stayed safe, meet his demise in a bathroom by the jaws of peers that had now turned into monsters really brought reality to a screaming halt.

  “Come on,” Manny said, snapping Paxton out of it.

  The two men headed to the doors at the other end of the gym. They flung the doors inward and went into the hallway that led behind the stage. They closed the doors shut and both put their backs against the hard metal. They each took a moment to catch their breath.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Paxton said out loud. Half of it was directed toward Manny, the other half to whatever deity may be listening.

  Manny gave him a strange look. “What’s with the—”

  “I’m a fucking youth pastor, not a saint. And I’d say this situation calls for an F-Bomb or two.”

  Manny nodded with respect. “I’d fuckin’ say so.”

  Both of them laughed a little, more nervous and exhausted from the stress they were just put under. Either way, it was a good way for both of the men to ease up a little and assess the situation better.

  “We’d better get a plan together fast, though. These doors will open whenever one of them pushes it,” Manny informed Paxton.

  Paxton took a look at the doors. He was right. The doors had a handle on his side. On the side they were just in, the side where those soulless monsters wandered had a push bar that would open the door as soon as they walked into it. “Do you have the keys? Let’s lock it up.”

  Manny shook his head, slightly disappointed. “Nah. Set them down to get all the blankets. The shit hit the fan, and I didn’t think to grab them. They’re still in the gym.”

  Paxton sighed in despair. Before he could say anything else, he heard weeping coming from down the hall. He looked at Manny, who was already in action. He was glad to have Manny with him. It put his mind at ease that there was another adult with him, one who seemed to take charge in a rough situation.

  The two men got to the end of the hallway and saw Jeff crumpled in a mess of tears, his back against the wall. He looked up when he saw the men and began to scurry backward, except there was nowhere to go. He started to cover his head, waiting for what seemed like his end.

  “Jeff, it’s okay. We’re coming to help,” Paxton said as they reached him.

  Jeff looked up, tears still streaming down his face. “What’s going on?” His eyes were desperate for an explanation.

  Paxton looked to Manny, hoping for some solicited wisdom from the loyal maintenance man. He looked back at him with a blank expression and shrugged. “I think this is your department, boss. When it comes to the Holy Man upstairs, I’m just another prawn in the scheme.”

  Paxton nodded patiently, yet inside, he was screaming. He had no idea what to tell the kid. This wasn’t anything he’d read about in the Bible. Sure, it seemed like some sort of apocalypse, but he didn’t think this was the second coming, and if it was, it sure was a kick in the nuts that he was still here. No, this wasn’t anything like that.

  “It’s okay, Jeff. We’re gonna get out of here.” Paxton knelt down next to Jeff and put his arm across the boy’s shoulders. Even though Jeff looked like he was probably in peak shape, and he had more energy than Paxton would ever have again from his age, he was still a kid. “I don’t know what’s happening. But the three of us will get out of here and figure it out.”

  “What about my mom and dad?” Jeff asked.

  “We’ll get out of here and take you there. They are fine, okay? Don’t worry about that. Let’s first just get out of here.”

  Jeff sniffed and wiped his face off. “Okay, yeah.” He grabbed Paxton’s hand, and they stood up together.

  “So, let’s get out of here, yeah?” Paxton asked, looking for Manny’s approval.

  “Yeah, if we go out these doors, it’ll take us around the side of the gym, and then we can run out and get to the east parking lot.”

  Paxton looked at Jeff, who looked like he was ready to go. “Alright, we go out here, then get to the parking lot and get out of here. I’ll dri——” Paxton just realized he didn’t park in the east parking lot. He was in the west parking lot.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m not parked there. You have a car there?”

  “We’ll take my car,” Jeff said.

  Paxton exhaled a sigh
of relief. “Okay, we ready?”

  The three of them nodded. Jeff pulled out his keys, jingling in his hand as they shook from nerves. “It’s the red cavalier at the back of the lot.”

  Paxton grabbed the push bar and gave a nod. He swung the door open and was the first to make it outside. The other two followed. Outside, the lights shone from the exteriors of the buildings. It seemed quiet where they were at, considering what they just came from. The entire area at the side of the building was empty. Not a single person or monster roaming around.

  “This way,” Manny whispered to Paxton, pointing to the corner at his right.

  Paxton crept to the edge of the wall when he heard it. The moaning, the groaning, the chomping, the smacking of wet lips. It was so much noise he couldn’t believe he didn’t hear it first thing when they got out of the hallway. He peeked around the corner and saw it all.

  There were so many of them. He should have known. He knew exactly how many kids had shown up for the event tonight but had hoped most of them filtered into the building behind him. Maybe they had and came back out, or maybe there were just that many of them that stayed outside. Either way, it wasn’t going to be easy. The mass of what used to be teenagers and students, along with the Frank and Tom roaming around, was intimidating. He saw Frank. His loyal go to guy, drooling while aimlessly wandering. He deserved better than whatever had happened to him.

  Paxton looked up at the sky as he took a deep breath, putting his back against the wall.

  “How’s it look?” Jeff asked, hope in his voice.

  Paxton shook his head.

  “We’ll make it,” Manny said, peeking around Paxton at the crowd. “Everyone will just have to follow me.”

  Manny faced the two men and pointed along the wall. “We’ll have to keep along the wall, right up until the canopy begins.” He pointed up, imagining the front of the building. “Once we get there, we will make a straight path to the parking lot. It will be the quickest way, and yeah, it’s straight through them. Just move quick and with purpose. Don’t dick around.”