Final Dawn: Season 1 (The Thrilling Post-Apocalyptic Series)

by Mike Kraus

  Richard’s voice hissed in her ear, and she felt small droplets of saliva hit her cheek. She tried to turn her head away, disgusted by the smell and the sound, but she felt herself being rotated on the rope, turning to face the man.

  He licked his lips, running his eyes up and down her body, and she shuddered, trying to contain a scream. She glanced to the corner and saw James looking at her, pity in his eyes. Help me, she thought. But what could he do, tied up as she was? Richard caught Nancy’s gaze and snarled, turning around to face James. Before his eyes could train on the man, James had lowered his head against his chest, feigning unconsciousness once again.

  Richard cackled, the sound of insanity playing at the edges of the wild laugh. “What, him? He can’t save you, pretty lady! You’re in our world now.” He reached out to touch Nancy, then a voice cracked from above.

  “Richard! What did I tell you?”

  Richard immediately cowered and slunk back at the sound of Joshua’s voice. The slow, even footsteps of the older of the brothers came from behind Nancy, and he was soon at her side. Richard stood in the corner, half bent over, staring at his brother.

  “Please, excuse my brother, little missy. He can be a bit… rude at times.”

  Nancy felt rage well up inside of her, and she spat at Joshua. “Screw you, asshole.”

  Nancy was expecting some type of reaction from Joshua, but none appeared. His eyes remained cool and steady, and he simply reached up to wipe the spit from his cheek, brushing it away on his pants leg.

  “Tsk, tsk, my dear. I’ve gone to every length to be courteous and polite, and this is how you act? What a disappointment.”

  Nancy looked up at her bonds. “Is that what you call this? ‘Courteous?’”

  Joshua chuckled as he fingered the ropes around Nancy’s hands, then leaned in close to her face. His gaze grew cold and strict and his lips thinned. When he spoke, the voice was different, icier and harder, with malice and the same hint of insanity playing around it that she heard in Richard’s voice. In the corner, his brother giggled as Joshua spoke, swaying back and forth with glee.

  “Reduction of circulation and feeling in the hands and feet lends certain… benefits to what we do best.”

  With that, Joshua pulled out a long, slender knife from a sheath on his hip.

  “Richard, light!”

  Richard jumped up, running over to Joshua, and produced a small flashlight from his pocket. He shone it on Nancy’s face, making her squint from the sudden brightness. Nancy watched in horror as Joshua began to slowly bring the knife closer to her face, his smile filling her vision, the pearl-white teeth shining in the light.

  “Hold still, now, little missy. It’ll hurt less that way.”

  4:38 AM, March 30, 2038

  Marcus Warden

  Marcus remained still, trying to keep his heart rate low and his breathing as quiet as possible. The breathing in the cave was noisy, and he could hear quiet shuffling as the thing down below moved around in the darkness. The cavern was nearly pitch black, with the moon dimmed by the clouds in the sky and the entrance too small for light to enter.

  As Marcus steadied his breathing, he tried to get a handle on the situation, fighting the overwhelming panic. It followed me… that thing followed me in here, and now it’s waiting for me or searching for me. Marcus was used to the outdoors and accustomed to using caution around wild animals, and he felt comfortable enough around them to feel at ease when he was in the middle of nowhere camping.

  This was a different feeling, though. This… thing, whatever it was in the cavern, was most definitely not any kind of natural woodland creature. Not even a bear or a cougar made the types of noises that Marcus was hearing. The scariest thing to him was not knowing what it was, especially when he had been having such vivid nightmares about it.

  Marcus lay still for several moments, hoping that the creature would exit the cavern. When it became clear that it was going to stay, he began to think up a plan. The creature was blocking the only exit from the cavern, and as tired as he was, Marcus wasn’t sure he was up for a fight against an unknown opponent.

  Ever so slowly and carefully, Marcus began to roll over, moving incredibly slowly in an effort to avoid making any noise. As he turned from his back to his right side, the breathing of the creature remained steady. Hopefully it doesn’t know I’m up here… maybe I can get the element of surprise. The creature, from a distance, looked human-like in appearance, though he was disturbed more by how it had appeared in his dreams than how it did from miles away in real life.

  Marcus lay on his side for several more minutes, listening as the creature’s breathing began to slow, and the shuffling finally stopped. A faint hope rose in his chest as he realized that the creature must have dozed off while roaming the cavern. There was no way for him to climb down and escape without waking it, but as Marcus struggled to remember the layout of the cavern, he began to formulate a plan.

  At the edge of the outcropping where he was at, a rock was perched rather precariously and conveniently near the edge, though he had no idea whether or not it was loose or part of the outcropping itself. This is going to be a hell of a long shot, Marcus thought. But it’s the only shot I’ve got.

  He finished rolling himself up onto his stomach, and gingerly pushed himself up onto his hands. He began to crawl forward ever so slowly toward the boulder on the outcropping. Marcus paused after every few centimeters, listening for any subtle changes in the creature’s breathing or movement. So far, so good.

  When Marcus reached the boulder, he pushed on it with his shoulder, feeling it move slightly under the pressure. He eased off of it, being cautious to not let it roll in any direction, then relaxed as he lay down on the outcropping, preparing himself for his next move.

  Marcus’s plan was relatively simple. Once the creature had been asleep for a while longer, he would get his flashlight and use the red beam to quickly scan the cavern and locate the beast. If it was close enough to the outcropping, he would try to push the boulder on top of it, hopefully crushing its chest or at least breaking one of its limbs, giving him a fighting chance to escape. If it’s on the other side of the cave… well, worst case I’ll die trying to escape instead of waiting for the brute to find me.

  Half an hour passed and Marcus was feeling more confident in his plan. It was foolhardy, dangerous and could mean his nearly instant death, but he was stuck between a literal rock and a figurative hard place. He had managed to get his flashlight wriggled out of the side pouch of his backpack without making any noise, and he was ready to carry out his plan.

  Marcus slid to the edge of the outcropping, peering into the inky blackness below, where he could barely make out outlines of rocks on the floor. He shook his head, muttering to himself in disbelief that he was actually going to do this, then switched the flashlight on.

  A bright red beam tore through the room, lighting it up like Christmas. In the space of half a second, Marcus scanned the room, looking for the source of the steady breathing. His eyes settled on a spot halfway in the middle of the room, where the form of a man lay curled on the floor in the fetal position, breathing softly. He quickly shut off the flashlight and waited, silently. A moment passed, then another, and after several more, he realized that the creature was still asleep.

  Thank heaven for small favors. I hope that carries over to plan B, though. The creature was far enough out in the cavern that Marcus wouldn’t be able to drop the boulder straight on top of it like he had hoped, so he would have to lure it over to where he was, instead.

  With a gulp, Marcus gently scrapped the end of the aluminum flashlight against the side of the boulder, shuddering as the sound echoed loudly through the chamber. Though the sound had lasted for only a fraction of a second, it was enough. The low, steady breathing quickened, and he heard the sound of rustling below him, drawing closer to the outcropping. Shit, that didn’t take long. Was he even sleeping?

  Marcus winced as the creature drew closer, the br
eathing becoming deeper and raspier. It was too late to change plans now. With a grunt, he shoved himself upward into a kneeling position and aimed the flashlight at the direction of the grunting. He clicked the back twice, turning on the normal white light, this time in flashing mode, in an effort to temporarily blind the creature.

  As Marcus turned on the flashlight, the beast howled in pain and he saw, through the glint of the silver and brightness reflected back into his eyes, the creature covering its eyes with its arms, shielding them from the bright flashing. The creature had moved close enough to the outcropping that Marcus wagered that he could drop the boulder square on its head.

  Marcus dug his heels into the outcropping and pushed on the boulder, feeling it give under the pressure, rolling towards the edge and then off of it, landing with a solid THUNK on the floor of the cavern.

  Confused, Marcus looked at where the creature was, the flashlight still pulsating in its eyes. This time, its arms were down, and it was staring straight at him, its silver eyes unblinking in the face of the flashing. The boulder lay a few inches in front of it; the creature had moved backwards ever so slightly, avoiding being hit by Marcus’s trap.

  Marcus realized what had happened. “You set me up.”

  The creature’s pale, white lips began to part, and in the flashing silver, Marcus could swear that he saw a trail of smoke curling from its mouth that was forming a tight, grim, ever-so-slight smile.

  Final Dawn: Episode 3

  Marcus Warden

  4:39 AM, March 30, 2038

  Smoke curled out of the creature’s mouth, glistening silver in the pulsating brightness of Marcus’s flashlight. A faint buzz began to fill the air as the smoke took on a life of its own, beginning to pulsate and swirl like the mass he had encountered in the bus. Through the flashing, Marcus could see the human face behind the scars, torn flesh and silver latticework that crisscrossed the skin. The smile was still there, pale and thin, the lips white as ash.

  With no time left to think, Marcus’s body functioned purely on instinct and adrenaline. Without hesitation, he pulled his legs under him, tightening the muscles in his calves and thighs. Gripping his machete in his right hand, he leapt from his perch on the ledge, plowing his shoulder directly into the creature and toppling both of them over onto the ground. As Marcus grappled with the creature, he could feel the muscles bulging just beneath the surface of its chest and arms. The skin of the beast felt human, but it was cold and clammy to the touch.

  As Marcus rolled off of the creature, he watched it spring up, its legs snapping unnaturally as it bent both knees backwards to push itself up off the ground. Marcus stepped back as the creature eyed him, snapping each of its knees back into place with two swift movements. Marcus still held on to his machete, though he had lost his flashlight in the dive. It lay on the floor, just a few feet away, still covering the cavern in a dizzying array of lights and shadows.

  “You. Must die.” The creature’s thin lips parted ever so slightly as it spoke.

  Marcus swallowed hard, hesitating for a split second, his eyes moving rapidly across the creature’s face. It just spoke to me. The reality of what happened began to sink in.

  Sensing Marcus’s momentary distraction, the creature lunged at him, arms outstretched, moving at an inhuman speed. It grabbed Marcus by the throat, pushing him hard up against the cavern wall. The tight grip of the creature’s hands felt cold, like a vise was slowly squeezing the life out of him. Marcus gasped for air and beat his fists against the creature’s arms as his vision began to fade, narrowing as his supply of oxygen grew thin.

  Marcus glanced at his hand, his eyes widening as he realized that he still had his machete. It had been forgotten in the scuffle, but it was still there, dangling a few inches off of his wrist by a cord. He jerked his wrist upwards, grabbing the handle, holding the blade upside down. With a final gasp, he thrust it sideways, driving it deep into the creature’s skull.

  As the blade sank into the head of the creature, its eyes grew wide and it spasmed, loosening its grip enough that Marcus’s weight pulled his body lose from its strangle, dropping him to the floor. The blade pulled out of the creature’s head as he fell. A few drops of blood followed the blade, but they were quickly replaced by more of the silver smoke. The creature stepped back, its whole body shaking and jerking.

  Seizing his opportunity, Marcus raised his blade. He gripped it tightly with both hands and let out a scream as he charged forward, driving the point into the front of the creature’s face, directly between its two silver eyes. The first blow to the creature had wounded it, but the second was fatal. Marcus jerked the machete out of the creature’s head, twisting as he did so. This time, the blood was a little more pronounced, though still only a few more drops than the first time.

  As the blade left the creature’s head it jerked one last time then went still, its arms outstretched and its legs frozen at an odd angle. The room was mostly silent, aside from the buzzing of the smoke as it curled around the top of the cavern. The creature remained upright for a moment, lifeless and unmoving, its limbs still rigid. Then, like a mighty oak being felled, it slowly toppled over to the ground with a thud.

  Marcus still gripped the machete tightly in both hands, panting heavily as he watched the creature fall to the ground. He scarcely dared to believe that it was finally dead even with the proof lying there in front of him. For a moment, nothing happened. The creature remained still, the flashlight continued to spread thin rays of light across the cavern, and Marcus remained frozen, breathing heavily. The smoke continued to curl around the top of the cavern, buzzing as it moved.

  After a few moments, though, the buzzing grew in intensity, and Marcus saw movement around the creature. Not again, he thought. Instead of the creature moving to get up, though, Marcus could swear that he saw it starting to shrink. What the hell? Clutching the machete tightly, he took a few steps forward, squinting in the pulsating light to get a better view.

  As Marcus watched, more smoke swirled around the body of the creature, exiting at an increasing rate. As it exited the body of the creature, the buzzing in the cavern increased and the amount of the creature’s body that was left began to rapidly decrease. With each new wisp of smoke a different piece of silver on the creature’s body disappeared. Though he couldn’t see very clearly in the current lighting conditions, to Marcus it appeared as though the silver metallic substance on the creature’s skin was almost being eaten away.

  From start to finish, it only took a few seconds for the smoke to fully exit the creature’s body. Where the muscular, silver, tall, terrifying beast once lay, there now remained only pale skin, a few white bones and traces of dried blood. The smoke coalesced at the top of the room, buzzing loudly as it circled at the top of the cavern. That’s the same shit that was in the bus! What’s going on here?!

  Without warning, the buzzing silvery smoke shot downwards toward the cavern floor, angling off towards the exit. In less than a second, the buzzing mass was gone, having completely vacated the cavern and escaped into the night.

  Marcus stood in the center of the cavern, panting and staring at the remains of the creature in front of him as the flashlight still pulsed, twisting his shadows as it threw them against the ceiling and wall.

  Rachel Walsh

  9:15 PM, March 31, 2038

  The miles dragged on as Rachel walked north along the highway. It took her a full day to get through Charlotte, and she ended up having to circle around the city to the east, following a new bypass that had been under construction when the bombs fell. The military map that she had taken from the Humvee had more detail on it than her civilian map, but when the entire landscape of a region was irreparably altered by an atomic explosion even the best maps were of little to no help at all. Rachel had chosen instead to follow the bypass since the large columns that had been built were still mostly intact, offering her a visible guide to follow. After a day’s worth of travel, she ended up at the northern part of Charlotte inside a
half-collapsed office building next to a strip mall.

  The smoke and ash in the city had been brutal and Sam had spent most of the day coughing up black mucus from all the smoke and dust he had inhaled. Rachel patted his head as she snapped on a lighter, coaxing a small pile of torn paper and broken particle board piled inside a metal trashcan to catch on fire. The fire finally caught and she fed it more debris, slowly growing it into a proper cooking fire. Sam coughed hoarsely and Rachel rubbed his head again, pouring out a bottle of water into a half-broken mug she found in one of the desk drawers. Sam greedily lapped at the water, washing the smoke and ash from his mouth as he sucked up the refreshing liquid.

  “Easy boy, just take it easy. We’ll get a good night’s sleep here and set off first thing in the morning.” The Labrador whined at her and put his head down on her lap. Rachel sat cross-legged next to Sam in front of the fire, blowing gently on it as it grew, consuming the bits of tax records and cheap desk that she kept feeding it. Rachel stared at the fire as it licked at the wood and paper, watching the ink and parchment vaporize before her eyes. Entire lives and worlds were contained on papers just like these all over the world. So many lives had been destroyed, torn away by the fire and flames.