A brief glimpse of the moon’s light gleams off the creature’s head, revealing its missing right eye. A portion of its skin has been removed. The ends are jagged and gnawed. I hope it hurt. A futile thought, but one I wish was true.
I pull the machete back and take a swing at the chaser. The blade runs horizontal across its chest. The blow knocks it off balance some. It stumbles to the side before regaining its footing.
“Come on!” I taunt, daring the chaser to come at me once more. “Here I am!”
A deep growl rises from its lips. The tremor of anger the creature exhibits does little to sway my course of action. Any such fear that resides in me is being trumped by the hate that has currently swallowed my blackened soul.
The chaser comes for me again with its arms outstretched. I plant my feet and swing the machete as hard as I can. The blunt blade of the bulky weapon burrows into the right side of the creature’s neck. It effortlessly slices through the flesh and bone, and emerges on the other side.
Headless, the chaser continues its forward momentum. It stumbles as its skull bounces off the ground. I try to steer clear of the headless corpse, but it plummets right into me.
The blunt contact knocks me off balance and flat on my back. My machete flies out of my hand. The chaser’s body lands askew across my waist and a portion of my legs. I’m trapped under the dead weight of the creature.
More movement catches my attention. I can hear the rapid thump of feet heading my way, but can’t identify the source.
Damn it.
My hands franticly sweep over the grass in search of the only salvation that I now have—my machete. Where is it?
I finally catch sight of the chaser that is inbound in front of me. It looks to have come from the street and through the opening with the fence that has the school enclosed.
My fingers wrap around the creature’s arm as I struggle to work its bulk free of my body. It moves ever so slightly, but not enough for me to slip away.
More footsteps loom from behind me now.
“Jesus, James,” Lucas growls. He grabs the corpse and lifts it off me. He pants hard. His stocky stature hangs over me with his face barely visible from the darkness, concealing the disappointment I can only imagine is plastered on his face.
Lucas diverts his attention from me to the chaser who is rapidly closing the distance to us. Lucas brings the shotgun to bear.
A deafening boom crackles in the air. The barrel erupts in a brief flash of hellfire. The swarm of pellets strikes the inbound chaser’s skull. Its head turns to a mushy pulp as it stumbles lifeless to the earth.
“Great.” Lucas tosses up his arms. He’s agitated. “Not what we needed right now, James. Anymore of those things that are close by more than likely heard that.”
He turns toward me and reaches out his hand. I grasp his palm as he pulls me up off the ground. I brush the dirt free from my clothing. With my head tilted toward the ground, I search for my machete.
“I had it under control. I didn’t need your help,” I flatly hiss. I look a bit more and finally find the machete a few feet to my right within the blades of grass.
“The hell you did,” Lucas barks back. “If you haven’t figured this out yet, James, we are not your enemy here. We are on your side. Right now, we are all that we have, and we need to stick together, and be smart if we have any hopes of surviving whatever the hell is going on.”
Cassie dashes out of another building to our left, running hard with Duke galloping by her side. We put aside our squabble for the time being, and turn our attention to her.
“What’s wrong?” Lucas inquires.
She comes to a grinding halt, and points back to the building that she just left.
“I found a survivor.”
CHAPTER THREE
I crane my neck and peer past Cassie at the building she just left. Her hopeful words battle the angst and emotional turmoil I’m struggling with.
“A survivor?” I ask. “Who?”
“Some guy. He was hiding out in one of the closets. Duke found him.” Cassie turns and points back in the direction of the elongated structure.
Lucas shifts his gaze to me and I to him for a split second before he turns back to her. “Is he military?”
Cassie shakes her head. “I don’t think so. He isn’t wearing any sort of fatigues or military get up. He looks to be pretty shaken up, though. When I opened the door, he was cowering in the corner with his hands held up in the air and rambling on about the chasers and other stuff that I couldn’t make out.”
Lucas takes a step toward Cassie, and places his hand on her shoulder. “Has he been bitten?”
Cassie shrugs. “Not that I can see. I didn’t exactly examine him that closely though.”
“If he’s talking, regardless of how muttered it is, then that’s a good sign, right?” I say.
Lucas sighs and subtly shakes his head. His right hand reaches over and rubs the back of his neck. “That still doesn’t mean that he isn’t infected. There are more of those chasers around here. He could’ve been bitten somewhere not easily noticeable and hasn’t turned yet. We need to be cautious until we know for sure.”
I start in the direction of the building.
“Where are you going?” Lucas says.
“To see what he knows. My sister is still missing.” The machete stays taut in my grasp as I head for the lengthy portable building that is cast in darkness. Cassie and the others follow behind. The utter silence that befalls us allows the whispers among the duo to trickle into my ears. It’s faint and low, but still audible enough for me to notice that they’re speaking quietly, so I can’t hear, more than likely about me. I can honestly say I don’t care at the moment. Their opinion is of little concern to me right now.
The muttered words trail off as I step into the entrance of the portable structure. Laid out similarly to the one that I found my mother in, there are paths that lead off in either direction of me through the swinging, thick plastic doors. I pause inside the main entryway. I crane my neck to the left, then the right in search of this survivor.
“He’s this way.” Cassie drifts to the right and passes through a set of thick, black, plastic doors. The hinges squeak as she pushes them open. Duke stays hot on her trail. I follow up behind with Lucas bringing up the rear.
Bodies of soldiers and civilians lay spread out over the gun metal grates of the portable building. Their motionless, ravaged forms lay contorted in various positions. Their clothes are doused in blood. Portions of their flesh are ripped and torn free like a wild animal attacked them all.
To a certain degree, one did.
We pass by a few desks, and enter into another space that is just beyond the plastic curtains—not a medical ward like the one we were in, but more of a place that people may have slept in.
Jumbled cots line both sides of the walls, and span the entire length of the structure to the back end. The frames of the beds are tossed over in a complete scene of disharmony. I spy no more deceased soldiers or civilians as I skim over the periphery of the space, only a lone man with his head hanging toward the ground.
He rests on the edge of one of the cots with his forearms on the soft parts just above his knees. His feet rapidly tap the steel grates. The ends of his fingers on his right hand feed into his trembling mouth as he gnaws at the nails. A distant look swells in his eyes as beads of sweat race down from the stubble covering his pear-shaped head. He looks to be lost in another world. I can relate.
Cassie slowly approaches the shaken man from the side. She carefully reaches out and places her hand on his shoulder. “Scott.”
He jumps, and a gasp of fright escapes his shuddering lips as he falls back onto the palms of his hands. It’s almost as if he is so adrift in his nightmare, that the world around him is invisible.
With his eyes agape, his bloodshot gaze shoots to each of us. He mutters something that I can’t make out cleanly. A grown man so overwhelmed with terror is something I haven’t seen
on this scale. Then again, I’m a kid, and to me most grownups don’t show such horrid emotion. Given what obviously transpired here, I can say that his reaction is warranted.
Cassie’s hand remains on his quaking shoulder. Lucas shifts his body to my left. He keeps his hands clutched firmly on the shotgun. His fingers wrap around the stock and barrel, ready to intervene if need be.
“So much blood. The creatures are coming. They are here,” he says with manic eyes shifting wildly about. He points toward the set of double doors that we passed through. His arm trembles as if he is unable to control its movements. “There. The demons came from there and killed everyone.”
Cassie leans in closer and places her free hand on his fidgeting leg, trying to calm him down.
Short bursts of his escalating breathing spews from his mouth.
“Be careful there,” Lucas advises. “This guy is giving me a bad vibe.”
Cassie tilts her head to Lucas, then me, and nods. Duke stays wedged between us. The muscles in his body are rigid as he stares at the distraught man. I can feel his tension on my legs as he nudges against me.
“We have taken care of any chasers out there. You are safe,” Cassie calmly says.
Scott shakes his head in disagreement. He wraps his arms around his chest. “That is what the military told us—that it was safe here and that they had everything under control. That is why me and my family came here. It was my idea to trust them. It is why they are all dead now.”
Lucas speaks up. “How exactly did all of this happen? What changed?”
Scott sucks in a big gulp of air and releases it out through pursed lips. “To be honest, I don’t know. It happened so fast.” Scott unfolds his arms and stands up from the edge of the cot. He paces back and forth for a moment as he mutters more incoherent nonsense to himself. “My family and I came from Portland. The containment that the military had setup around Gresham was starting to fail from the number of infected. They were pushing toward Portland. When we got here, there was no activity from any infected. That changed after a week or more. Can’t remember exactly.”
“What happened?” I inquire.
“The chasers started to show up. At first, it was only a few here and there. But then more started to arrive in larger numbers. The military was able to hold them off for a bit, but was soon overwhelmed. Then, a few people who were let in had been bitten, and turned, which really sent things into a whirlwind of chaos. But the strangest thing of all was this little girl. Some military types were really interested in her. They escorted her away in a helicopter before the crap really hit the fan. The girl’s mother wasn’t too happy about it either. She kept pleading with them not to take her. She also spoke of her husband and son, saying that they were heading this way and they couldn’t leave till they arrived?”
A surge of hope fills my body as my eyes widen from the semi vague response. The sadness and rage filling me is washed over with a sense of temporary relief as I take a step forward.
“Why did the military take her? Was it a woman with long dark hair in the other building just to the left of this one who was asking the men to wait?” I ask excitedly.
The man’s face contorts in confusion. His eyes narrow at me before drifting toward the floor. The heel of his palm smacks against his temple as he continues muttering gibberish.
Agitated by his lack of response, I take a few steps more toward him. My hand sternly grabs his forearm and whips him about so he can face me. “What happened to them? I need to know.”
Scott yanks his arm free of my grasp and takes a step back. “Christ, I’m thinking, all right?”
Lucas places a restrictive hand on my shoulder. “James, give him a second.”
I brush his hand free of my shoulder, cock my head back toward him, and point in the direction of Scott. “I need to know more about this. I think he’s talking about my mom and sister.”
Scott pauses. Frozen in place. His eyes cut back over to me as if a lightbulb suddenly flickered to life. “Is your name James?”
I nod emphatically. “It is.”
Scott runs his hand up and down his long, tired face for a second before continuing. “I don’t know exactly where they took your sister. I just overheard them saying it was to some research hospital in California. Another one of the refugees told me it was located off Interstate 5. Take that as you will.”
“Why her?” I demand.
He gnaws on the ends of his fingernails. Something my mom would do as well when she was stressed or had to tell Dad some less than stellar news. “It was discovered that she was bitten a week or so prior and for some reason, hadn’t turned. About the time they were taking her, more chasers flooded into the compound. Your mom got bit while they were fleeing to a helicopter. They left her behind and took off.”
I grow silent. A cumulation of mixed emotions melds in with the turmoil. Cindy’s alive, but also infected. But more so, she hasn’t turned.
For now, the hopelessness of having my family ripped away from me has been given a new lease on life. For now, I still have something to fight for.
CHAPTER FOUR
Reeling from the sudden revelation, I take a step back, and place my arms over my head. All sorts of questions flood my worn mind. I try to piece together a puzzle that is lost on me as I pace back and forth. My only surviving family has been taken to another state, and she is infected, but not changed into the horrific monsters that now plague the world.
Cassie cautiously approaches. I imagine she is hesitant to inquire how I’m doing, considering I’ve been the biggest ass in the world to both her and Lucas—a byproduct of a teenager dealing with the weight of his family’s death in the best way he knows how. Horribly bad.
She goes to reach for me, but stops. Her arms stay by her side as she tilts her head slightly to the left and leans toward me. “James, how you doing?”
The machete is still clutched in my palm, fingers tightly curled over the tattered leather-bound handle that rubs against my moist flesh as I try to digest the latest news in my so-called life. I’m still stressed and pissed, but just knowing that Cindy is out there soothes the savage beast inside me. For now, anyway.
“I’m doing.” I lower my arms and release a sigh through my dry lips. “I’m glad to hear my sister is alive, but can’t believe she’s infected.”
Cassie stays close, but also keeps at arm’s length from me. She’s still pissed for me acting like I have, but none the less, she is there for me. “It’s unbelievable for sure.”
I stop, then turn toward Scott who has his arms guarding his chest. The whole thing doesn’t sit right with me. I haven’t seen or heard of anybody being immune. Don’t get me wrong, that is what I want it to be. It’s just that my heart has been broken so much that I’m almost afraid to feel anything positive right now.
“And you saw the bite mark on my sister, and you’re sure it was a week or so old?”
Scott gnaws at the end of his fingernails. “My daughter saw the bite mark. That is how the military found out about it. I didn’t see the bite personally, though.” Scott continues nibbling at his dingy nails as he trails off toward the rear of the building.
Lucas and Cassie approach me from either side as I take a seat on one of the cots. The springs creak and stretch, adjusting to my weight.
Duke lays his head in my lap. His tongue shoots out and licks my hand. I rub the crown of his head as I stare off into space.
“That’s pretty heavy what he said,” Lucas whispers. “Can’t say that I have heard anything like it before.”
“True, but no one has ever heard of people going crazy and wanting to eat each other either. It could be possible, all things considered,” Cassie chimes in.
Lucas peers over his shoulder at Scott, who is still pacing about and talking to himself. “Don’t get me wrong, I want it to be true for you, James, but I’m not sure about this. I mean, he is definitely suffering from PTSD. I can only imagine what he went through and witnessed. Seeing that ki
nd of stuff messes one up.”
I shift my gaze up to Lucas, then to Cassie who gives me a stare as if to signal that not only is he referring to Scott, but to me as well. I don’t respond with some snide comment or get irate and start demolishing the place. I contemplate it, telling them where they can stick it, but decide to keep my lips sealed. Instead, I peer over to Scott and mull over Lucas’s statement.
“I agree. I think he’s not all there at the moment, but what if what he is saying is true? I know if it were my family, I’d want to check it out,” Cassie says.
I can feel their eyes beating down on me. I’m torn as to what I know I should do, head for safety, wherever the hell that is, and what the inner me is whispering. Go and find your sister, you fool. Finding Cindy, regardless of how that may end up, is what I need to do. But still, what if this guy is a nut bag, too far gone to be able to discern facts from the jumbled mess his mind conjures up. As much as I need for this to be true, I’m just so scared of what I might find.
Damn it.
Cindy is all that I have left in this world, and I am going to find her.
I push up off the edge of the cot. The negative side of my brain that tries to lace my resolve with doubt is stifled with decisive action.
“I can’t ask either of you to come any farther with me. You have both risked so much, and I have not been the easiest person to be around the past little bit.”
Lucas places his hand back on my shoulder, but this time I don’t brush off the gesture. “It’s understandable, James. Having to do the dreadful things you have would be terribly hard on anyone. Like I stated earlier. We are on your side. What you are dealing with and what you’ve endured would press anyone to the brink of losing it. Believe me, I’ve been there. It’ll take some time for you to work through it, but you’ll get there.”
Cassie nudges my arm, and offers me a half smile. “You’re forgiven for now, butthead. But the next time you talk to me in such a manner, I’ll put you flat on your ass. You got me?”
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