The Guard

by Eric S. Brown

  “The windows are covered from the inside too,” Evans added. “I bet there are people in there.”

  “So?” Dolan asked. “What are you getting at?”

  “I’m saying that we should check out the place,” Evans said. “We could use all the help we can get right now and whoever is in there sure looks like they know what they are doing.”

  “No.” Dolan frowned. “We need to keep moving. We’re not that far from getting out of this hellhole. A few more hours and we can link up the other units that are supposed to be trying to get into this town.”

  “We’ve been lucky so far Dolan and you know it,” Motter said. “One turn of bad luck and we could find ourselves going up against a whole pack of those things out here in the open like this.”

  “Lancaster is the ranking officer,” Evans reminded them all. “I would say it’s her call.”

  Everyone had been just following Dolan’s lead because he seemed to know what he was doing but they all knew Evans was right. Lancaster could have pulled rank on Dolan at any time since they had left the library where the rest of their unit had been slaughtered by the monsters but she hadn’t.

  “Well, Lancaster?” Dolan glared at her. “You going to start pulling rank on me or what?”

  “I am,” Lancaster said. “I think Evans is right. Whether or not whoever is in that school can help us isn’t the issue. It’s whether we can help them or not and I believe that we can.”

  Dolan looked like he was about to explode. His cheeks flushed red with anger but he held himself together. “Kid’s right about you being the ranking officer and it being your call. That don’t mean what you’re thinking about doing is the right one to make though.”

  “I think it is,” Lancaster said firmly. “We are duty-bound to help the folks in that school. It’s why we were sent out here to begin with.”

  Evans spoke up, moving to stand next to Lancaster. “I’m with her.”

  Dolan looked over at Motter.

  “Sorry, man, but I am fragging tired of running.” Motter sighed. “If there are folks still alive in that school, joining up with them might give us a chance to rest up and get our crap together.”

  “This isn’t a democracy,” Lancaster reminded them all. “I’ve let you take the lead Dolan because all of this mess is just so crazy but I can’t do that anymore. We’re heading over to that school and we’ll see how things play out from there. Stumbling onto it could be the best luck we’ve had all night if whoever is in there is as organized as they appear to be.”

  “You’re making a mistake,” Dolan challenged her.

  “I’m not going to hold my gun to your head and order you to go, Dolan. If you want to keep moving and try to get out of town, no one is stopping you,” Lancaster told him.

  “Don’t be crazy Dolan,” Motter pleaded. “We need you with us.”

  “Fine,” Dolan huffed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

  ****

  “Dang,” the older man who had introduced him as Henson said slowly after listening to Lancaster tell the story of what had happened to their unit. Any hope their appearance had brought died quickly with the people who had taken shelter in the gym.

  “That’s a real shame,” Tim said.

  “Hard to believe too even if it does make sense,” Henson shook his head.

  Evans wasn’t sure which of them was in charge. Both of the old men were confident fellows and everyone else around seemed to listen to them.

  “What about the local authorities?” Lancaster asked.

  “Canton only had a sheriff’s department, ma’am. No police all the way out here,” Tim answered her. “The sheriff and all of her deputies are dead except one. He’s up on the roof of this school right now with a .30-06, keeping an eye out for any sign of those creatures.”

  “I see.” Lancaster frowned.

  “But you said help was coming,” Henson spoke up quickly. “That there were more guardsmen, maybe even real Army troopers by now, that should be making their way into town by the morning.”

  “That’s right,” Lancaster said. “Those things out there are doing their best to stop them but I don’t see how they can. Their numbers can’t be endless and they no longer have the advantage of surprise on their side.”

  “Don’t underestimate those creatures,” Tim warned. “That’s a mistake we will all end up paying for if we make it.”

  “Anyway, we’re glad to have you here,” Henson cut in, trying to lighten things up in spite of the dark situation they were all in. “Glad to have those M-16s of yours too. We’re dang short on ammo.”

  Evans could tell that Lancaster wanted to take over control of the gym’s defenders but knew better than to try. Henson at least was a veteran with real combat experience who had survived the jungles of ‘Nam and Tim was no slouch either. The two of them already had things as sorted as they could be. Pushing them might be a bad idea that she would come to regret. It was better to just merge what was left of their unit with their people and allow things to go on as they were. For his own part, Evans was good regardless. There was food and coffee in the gym. Not to mention, the place really did seem secured which meant they didn’t have to run anymore. All they had to do was hold the gym and keep the monsters out of it until help arrived.

  Motter was stuffing his face on the food that was available. Dolan had gotten himself a cup of coffee and sipped it while they talked things over with Tim and Henson. Even Lancaster looked relieved to finally have found a place that they could stay regardless of the elephant in the room as to who was in charge. And the two old men were indeed sincerely glad to have them there.

  “So where do you want us?” Lancaster asked Henson.

  Henson looked at Tim as the two old men exchanged a glance that spoke volumes about which one of them was really in charge. It was Tim who answered her.

  “I think two of you should join the guy we have outside,” Tim told her. “One of you could stay here with the civilians in case those things do manage to get in somehow.”

  “And he could head up to the roof to keep Deputy Cato company. Having a second set of eyes on the roof would be a very good idea,” Henson said, pointing at Evans.

  Evans couldn’t help but wonder why Henson had picked him for that job but he was willing to take it on. He and Lancaster had caught how Tim had referred to the rest of the people in the gym as civilians.

  “Sounds good to me,” Lancaster agreed. “Dolan, Motter, you guys up for joining for…”

  “Burt,” Tim filled in the name of the man that was already posted outside for her.

  “For joining Burt outside?” Lancaster asked.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Dolan answered in an almost sarcastic tone. “We’ll get right out there.”

  Motter looked up from the plate of food he was shoveling into his mouth, clearly surprised to have been drafted into the job. Before he could start to argue, Dolan took the plate from his hands and sat it down on the edge of the food table.

  “Come on,” Dolan ordered Motter, dragging him along toward the door.

  “Guess I better get going too then,” Evans said. “Which way to the roof?”

  “I’ll show you,” Henson offered and Evans followed the old man across the gym to an interior door that led deeper into the school building.

  “You got a plan if those things do get in here?” Lancaster asked Tim.

  The old man snorted. “If those things get in here, we’re all dead. It’s as simple as that.”

  ****

  Deputy Cato looked up as a young soldier joined him on the roof.

  “Private Evans, reporting for duty,” the soldier said.

  “Where the heck did you come from?” Cato asked.

  “I was in the initial response unit,” Evans answered, taking a place beside him, facing the trees that surrounded the parking lot below them. “Most of us got wiped out by those things. Four of us made it here though. The others are downstairs with your friends, Tim and Henson.”


  “Wiped out?” Cato stared at Evans, frowning.

  “Yeah, those things hit us hard and fast. We hadn’t been told what we were up against yet just that we were responding to a situation where we could expect combat,” Evans said. “They tore through us like we were nothing.”

  “Geez.” Cato shook his head.

  “There’s more help coming,” Evans assured him. “Before our sergeant was killed, we heard that there were quite a few units trying to push their way into town. They should be here by morning.”

  “Good to know.” Cato was relieved at the news. “Morning isn’t that far away.”

  “So what about your people, Deputy?” Evans asked.

  “Same as yours, I guess.” Cato shrugged. “I’m the only survivor from the department.”

  “Kind of makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Evans sighted the distant trees with his M-16. “Just how long those things have been out there hiding, watching us, waiting for a night like this.”

  “I’d say it makes one wonder how in the heck they were able to keep numbers like what we’re facing hidden,” Cato answered.

  “Maybe when this mess is over, someone will be able to find out the answer to that,” Evans said.

  “If there are this many here…” Cato thought for a moment. “You have to wonder how many there are spread out all over the rural parts of America.”

  “Hey!” Evans shouted. “Movement at seven o’clock.”

  Cato turned his attention back to the trees. Sure enough, the young private had spotted one of the monsters. The Sasquatch was mostly hidden by the foliage and shadows but it was too big to be completely concealed so close to the parking lot. Cato wondered what the Sasquatch was up to. It was just standing in the trees, staring at the school as if it were waiting on something.

  Evans’ M-16 opened up. Cato flinched at the noise. He started to reach out and knock the young private’s gun from his hands but it was already too late. The damage had been done.

  Bullets struck the area of trees where the Sasquatch was but Cato couldn’t tell if they hit the monster or not. It sunk back into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

  “Where did it go?” Evans asked, looking up from the sights of his M-16 at Cato.

  “Nowhere good.” Cato sighed. There was no point in calling out the private on what he had done. His shot had confirmed their presence in the school if the monsters didn’t already know they were there.

  A roar rang out from the trees. Another echoed it.

  “Oh crap,” Evans muttered, going pale.

  The singular cries from the trees grew into a chorus of howls, snarls, and roars. Dozens of Sasquatch erupted from the trees, charging toward the school.

  “Get as many of those bastards as you can!” Deputy Cato shouted, taking aim at the lead Sasquatch with his rifle.

  Cato’s rifle kicked against his shoulder as he squeezed its trigger. The high-powered round he fired slammed into and through the head of a charging Sasquatch. The beast collapsed, rolling along the asphalt carried along by its only momentum.

  Evans’ M-16 lacked the power to stop the Sasquatch with a single round without a well-placed shot which was impossible from so far away, in the dark, with the beasts moving as fast as they were. That didn’t stop the young private from trying though. He emptied his rifle’s magazine into two of the charging creatures and then ejected it to slam in a fresh one.

  “God help whoever is outside,” Cato said as he worked the bolt of his rifle, chambering another round.

  ****

  Motter, Dolan, and Burt heard the chatter of M-16 fire from the roof above them before all hell broke loose. The woods across the parking lot from where they took shelter, cloaked in shadow, were outside the side door to the school’s gym. Dozens of Sasquatch came bounding through the parking lot toward the door. Some of the beasts were close to 10 feet tall, others barely over eight. One of the larger ones actually knocked a car aside as it came them. It hit the rear end of the car with its hip, turning the car about in the space that it sat in. Motter and Dolan opened fire with their rifles. Burt was armed with a pump-action shotgun and held his fire, waiting on the Sasquatch to get closer. Motter emptied his first magazine without doing more than ticking off several of the monsters more than they already were. Dolan had spent his magazine more selectively, aiming each burst of fire as best he could, and had taken down two of the monsters. One he had managed to score a throat shot on and three rounds had mangled the thing’s softer flesh there, sending it toppling from its feet. The other he had concentrated his fire at its head and the sheer number of rounds slamming into it had either killed the monster or at the very least knocked it unconscious.

  Burt finally took a shot at the things as they neared the door. The shot caught one of the Sasquatch in the shoulder, splattering warm blood over its hair there as the heavy slug dug into it. Burt pumped another round into the shotgun’s chamber and took aim at another of the monsters. Motter was still firing at one of the Sasquatch as it reached their position and smacked his weapon from his hands. The blow nearly broke both of his wrists in the process. Grunting at the pain in his wrists, Motter tried to dodge as the Sasquatch’s claws came slashing through the air at him. He was too slow. They raked down his side from just under the top of his arm to his hips. Purple, red-slicked, intestinal strands bulged from the wound. Motter went down onto his knees, trying to draw his pistol as the monster finished him with a blow to his head that reduced his skull to splattering red pulp and flying fragments of white bone.

  “We have got to fall back!” Dolan yelled at Burt.

  Burt fired his shotgun into the stomach of a Sasquatch coming at him and shouted back, “We can’t! That door has to stay closed! They barricaded it up after we came out!

  Dolan’s eyes went wide as he figured out that had been the plan along. He just hadn’t realized it until now though it made perfect sense. He and Burt were expendable if the sacrifice of their lives bought time for those inside the gym. Cursing, he emptied what remained of his current magazine into the chest of a snarling Sasquatch that sprinted up to him. The great beast staggered, reeling backward from the point-blank barrage he had poured into it. Burt was screaming nearby. One of the Sasquatch had grabbed him and pressed him against the wall of the building. The palm of one of his hair-covered hands pressed onto Burt’s face, crushing his head between it and the wall effortlessly. Burt’s corpse flopped to lie at its feet as the Sasquatch’s glowing yellow eyes turned Dolan’s way.

  Bolting away from his position in front of the gym’s side door, Dolan made a run for it. He didn’t want to die and didn’t give a frag about the folks inside when push came to shove. Ducking the swipe of a Sasquatch’s clawed hand, he pushed his body to its limits, legs pumping beneath him as he ran. He didn’t run toward the beasts closing in from the parking lot. Instead, he headed along the side of the building toward its corner, looking for a more open path of escape. He reloaded his M-16 as he ran, popping its spent magazine and shoving another into the weapon. It was his last one.

  Dolan rounded the corner of the building and ran directly into one of the Sasquatch. He bounced away from its muscle-bound body, landing on his butt, staring up at it. The thing towered above him, a good nine feet tall. Its yellow eyes burned with hunger and fury. Snarling, it reached down, trying to grab him. Dolan squeezed the trigger of his M-16 and held it tight, hosing the monster with point-blank rounds. The Sasquatch shrieked in pain, jerking back away from him as Dolan rolled onto his feet. He fired again into the monster’s side as took off, rushing by it. His second round of fire was just enough to knock the thing off its balance and the Sasquatch tumbled onto the ground. Dolan knew it wouldn’t be staying there. He might have hurt it but the monster was far from dead. The trees weren’t far away now and Dolan hoped that if he made it into them that the other Sasquatch would be so busy trying to get into the school that he could slip away unnoticed. What he hadn’t counted on was that not all of the Sasquatch
had emerged from the trees yet. A brown hair-covered mass of muscle came bounding out of them at him like a runaway locomotive. Dolan didn’t get the chance to bring his weapon to bear on the monster before it plowed into him. Its shoulder struck him dead on, sending him flying backward through the air, several of his ribs and his right arm snapping from the impact. His M-16 disappeared somewhere out of reach in the darkness of the night as the Sasquatch came to a stop. Dolan tried to get up and found that he couldn’t. Lying where he had landed, his body shook and trembled from the pain he was in. Each breath took effort. One or more of his broken ribs had pierced his lungs. Dolan knew he was dead before the Sasquatch even started toward him to finish him off. His left hand fumbled the pistol holstered on his hip free and brought it up at the monster. It boomed in rapid succession as Dolan fired at the monster’s snarling face. His first round struck the bridge of the monster’s nose, breaking it. The second bullet slashed a groove along its right cheek. The third and final shot though missed the Sasquatch completely though. His trembling hand just wasn’t able to keep the pistol held up and aimed at the monster any longer. Dolan screamed as one of the monster’s over-sized hands closed over his pistol and his own hand, crushing them. When it let go, every bone in Dolan’s hand had been shattered and jagged white showed through at several places where they had pierced the skin there. The Sasquatch was through playing around. Dolan was still screaming as it put a foot down onto him and grabbed onto his shoulders, ripping his body in two just below the end of his rib cage. His intestines spilled out onto the grass, leaking out of the top of the part of his body left on the ground.

  ****

  The people inside the gym were in a state of panic from the sound of the battle outside. The side door buckled inward, shifting the barricade of junk piled against it. Tim, Henson, their remaining two men, and Lancaster gathered near the door, ready to shoot anything that came through it.

  Some of the people fled deeper into the school while others ran behind the bleachers, taking shelter there. Tim glanced over his shoulder at them. None of them were armed. If they didn’t stop the monsters at the door, the poor folks would be slaughtered.