by Chase McCown
Chapter 40
May 23rd, 2025. New Orleans, Louisiana.
A few creeps tried vainly to keep up with their car but eventually forfeited the chase and sulked away, fading from sight.
“Those clouds are getting darker,” Charlie observed.
“Yeah,” Howard agreed, “I hope we make it through before the storm hits.”
“Me, too,” Mike chimed in, staring at the looming storm.
As they continued driving, the landscape seemed even more desolate than usual. An uncomfortable tension settled on the crew, the kind of feeling one gets in a moment of clarity when their better judgment grabs hold of them and screams to them that what they are doing is dangerous.
They tried to ignore it, but none of them could shake the feeling that the storm was an ill omen.
An hour later, as they drew ever nearer to New Orleans, the storm grew closer at hand, and the banshee wails of the wind swept through the city. Trees bowed low to the force of the gale, and the humidity continued to rise. Eventually, the air became so thick with precipitation that the clouds could hold it in no longer, and rain poured down on the city.
Lightning cracked whiplike across the skies, and thunder roared.
The SUV began to choke and sputter, seeming to cower before the fury of the storm, and eventually gave out altogether.
“Oh come on, don’t cut out now! Not now, please, not now,” Jacob begged.
“We’re going to have to get out and walk,” Susan concluded at last.
“Are you kidding me? We can’t walk in this!” Charlie retorted.
“We don’t have a choice, Charlie. What else are we going to do?” Susan asked.
“What about one of these buildings? We could wait out the storm there, couldn’t we?”
“That still involves getting out and walking,” Susan said.
“Fine, let’s go,” Charlie said begrudgingly.
They opened the doors and started out of the car, and were immediately pounded by the driving rains and surging winds of the vicious storm.
“Stay together!” Howard shouted.
Dark figures darted to and fro behind them, their shapes contorted and bodies inhumanly long and frail.
“I can’t see!” Mike screamed, his voice lost to all but Charlie due to the howling winds.
“I’ve got you, Mike!” Charlie responded.
Charlie grabbed Mike’s hand, but when he looked up, his heart sank as he realized he could no longer see the others.
“Oh no,” he mumbled to himself, frantically scanning the area to find them again. “Susan? Jacob? Where are you guys? Anybody?” Charlie called frantically but got no response.
“What now?” Mike cried.
Charlie looked at Mike, at the panic in his eyes, and for the first time in his life, he realized how selfish he had been. He had lived his life for no one but himself, and self-preservation had been his only moral compass. When he saw how terrified Mike was, even amid the frantic scene, an otherworldly clarity settled on him. He knew he had to protect Mike, no matter the cost.
Chapter 41
May 23rd, 2025. New Orleans, Louisiana.
“Follow me!” Charlie shouted, leading Mike in the direction he believed he had last seen the others.
They headed down the rain-swept streets. They called out frantically as they searched for the others, but the two found nothing. Behind them, the dark shapes grew closer with each passing moment.
Mike tried his best to forget the phantoms that were after them. Eventually, he could no longer resist and ventured a glance behind him. In his haste to catch a glance at his pursuers, he lost his footing on the slick asphalt and fell.
“Help!” Mike pleaded, calling to Charlie.
Charlie rushed back and helped Mike up. He quickly realized that the creeps had grown too close for them to continue their search down the main streets. Thinking quickly, Charlie pointed Mike to an alleyway between two businesses, and Mike hurried off toward it. Charlie followed close behind, trying to put himself between the horde and Mike.
As the infected drew ever nearer, Charlie tried to stall them as best he could. He toppled piled-up boxes into their path, he brought down dressers or desks, chairs, or whatever else he could find to put more distance between the two of them and the plague of creeps.
“They’re getting closer!” Mike screamed.
“Keep going! We’ll be okay, just a little bit further!” Charlie kept repeating, hoping to himself it were true.
They weaved through the mazelike alleyway, turning corner after corner until they hit a chain-link fence.
“Charlie!” Mike shouted, searching for a way around the obstacle.
Charlie looked it over and noticed a hole underneath it, where it appeared a dog had made a habit of digging under the fence.
“Under! Quick!” The two managed to slide underneath the fence just in time. As soon as Charlie passed underneath, the creeps hit the fence.
“We made it!” Mike exclaimed.
“Good job, Mike!” Charlie said.
Their celebrations were short-lived, however. The fence shuddered and quaked under the pounding of a legion of creeps, all trying to force their way through. The steel bent, and the screws strained, and it became apparent it would not hold for long.
They headed to a doorway directly ahead of them, but to their dismay, it was locked. The window was too high to reach. They continued down an alleyway to the right, but it soon came to an end as well. A wall marked the end of the alley.
Mike started to cry, and Charlie thought frantically for options. Soon, the sound of the fence giving way was heard, and their options were exhausted.
Charlie had to do something, now or never.
“Climb up!” Charlie shouted, cupping his hands.
“What about you?” Mike demanded.
“There’s no time! Just do it!” Charlie pleaded.
Mike scrambled up the wall with Charlie’s help, finally making it to the top. As soon as he arrived, he offered his hand to Charlie to help him up as well.
It was too late.
Not a second after Mike made it to safety, the infected were upon Charlie. He was caught up in a surging sea of bodies, a swaying tide that completely swallowed him up.
In an instant, Charlie was gone.
Chapter 42
May 23rd, 2025. New Orleans, Louisiana.
“No...” Mike gasped.
The world around him slowed to a crawl. The noises that had polluted the air now ceased. He watched in horror as the swaying mass of infected fell into a frenzy as they tore into Charlie and howled in celebration of their conquest.
He was jerked back to reality when another hand grabbed hold of his. The sounds seemed to come rushing back, and time sped up to its normal pace.
“Mike! Where’s Charlie? We have to go!” Susan said.
Mike couldn’t respond. He could only shake his head in utter despair. Finally, he fell to his knees, sobbing inconsolably.
Susan was slow to comprehend what had happened. Then she spotted the frenzied infected below, and the horrible picture came into focus in her mind.
“It’s all my fault,” Mike said.
Susan nudged Mike along, and they began the short journey to the building in which the rest of the group waited.
The door to the bar opened slowly, and Mike and Susan stepped in from the howling gale outside, soaking wet and shivering. Susan held Mike’s hand, and their faces were void of emotion. Mike held his head low. His skin was pale, and his eyes were downcast.
“Finally! We were worried about you guys! Where—where’s Charlie, Susan?” Howard asked, hoping he was following them.
“He...” Susan paused, collecting her thoughts. She tried to think of the gentlest way to put it or the easiest way to get it out. At last, she knew time demanded an answer, so she divulged the news the only way she knew how.
“He didn’t make it.”
“What do you mean ‘didn’t make it’?�
� Jacob asked.
“Charlie’s dead.”
“Dead?” Howard echoed. Nausea swept over him. He felt as if all the air had been knocked out of him.
“How did it happen?” Jacob asked.
Susan turned to Mike, and with a sigh, he recounted the whole grisly tale. When he was finished, he excused himself and set up a place to sleep, eager to put the day’s events behind him.
The other three sat thunderstruck by the story, the whole thing too spectacular to take in. They digested it in silence for some time before one finally spoke up.
“I think I need a drink,” Jacob concluded at last.
“I didn’t know you drank,” Howard observed.
“I don’t,” Jacob said.
“I’m going to turn in,” Susan said, rising slowly.
“Good night, Susan,” said Howard.
As she glided phantom-like up the stairs, Jacob poured some whiskey he had found behind the counter into a shot glass. He stared at its contents, swirling the cup in his hands, before finally inhaling it with one gulp.
His eyes snapped shut in pain. The drink burned like battery acid as it slithered down his throat. He slammed his fist in defiance to the sting and poured another shot.
“Go easy on that stuff, Jacob,” Howard warned.
“What’s it going to do, kill me?” Jacob replied sarcastically.
“It might, or you might wish it would. I’ve been down that road before.”
“You?” Jacob asked.
Howard nodded. “It isn’t a part of my past I’m proud of, but it’s something I had to deal with. It really hurt me and my family, and it almost cost me my career and my life.”
“So what happened?” Jacob asked.
“I got help, I prayed, and I recovered. I used that experience to warn people of the power of addictions and to help counsel addicts. In the end, I’m glad something good could come from it.”
Jacob only shrugged, staring once more at the shot glass.
“Why do we keep going, Howard? Why don’t we give up? What do we have left to fight for? Charlie was right. It’s all hopeless.”
“Charlie was wrong. In the end, he knew it. Look at that kid he died trying to protect. We owe it to Charlie to make sure Mike gets to safety, wherever that is,” Howard said, motioning to Mike sleeping a few yards away.
Jacob’s eyes widened with realization, and he let the glass slip from his hands. It fell to the ground and shattered, releasing its contents to the floor.
*
Susan found a room upstairs and locked the door behind her. A rush of emotion took her over, and she let loose a shout of anger at the injustice of Charlie’s passing. She collapsed in a fit of sobs before eventually falling to sleep from exhaustion.
She hadn’t been able to protect him.
Outside, a reverent silence dominated the night. No frogs croaked to sing in joy, no crickets chirped in mirth, and the roaring of the storm grew still.
Chapter 43
May 24th, 2025. New Orleans, Louisiana.
Day broke with the same unrelenting hope it always did, and birds chirped in the joy of a new day that Susan didn’t want. She forced herself down the stairs and reluctantly joined the others who had already awoken.
“Morning, Susan. Sleep well?” Howard asked.
Susan only glared at him, condemning his painful optimism. She walked by Mike, who was still asleep, and gently patted his head, trying her best to give him the reassurance she lacked.
“Susan, do you want to talk?” Howard asked.
“No,” she replied.
“Fine, but we have to keep going.”
“Do what you want,” she said.
Howard placed himself in front of Susan and grabbed hold of her shoulders. He spoke to her softly but sternly. “Listen to me. You can do whatever you want. You can leave if you have to. I’ll understand. But one thing you aren’t going to do is drag that kid down any farther than he already is. He’s in a dark place right now. I know you’re hurting. We all are. But that boy is the one who had to watch Charlie die, and we have to be strong for him. You understand?”
Susan was shocked by his harsh words, but she was thankful for them. She nodded quickly, and before she had realized it, she embraced him. She began to weep as the bottled-up emotions she’d been trying to suppress poured forth like water from a bursting dam. Howard comforted her until she could gather her emotions, and afterward, he turned to Jacob.
“Go wake Mike. We have work to do,” he ordered.
Jacob gave a swift nod and gently shook Mike awake.
When Mike arrived, Howard addressed the group. “We’ve all been through a lot. Charlie meant a lot to all of us, and losing him…”
He paused, took a breath, and began anew. “It’s going to take some time. But, unfortunately, time is something we just don’t have. We can’t stay here any longer. Jake, take Mike and find some food. If you guys find ammo, grab it, too. Susan, see if you can find some water. I’ll look for some gas for the car or else a new one. Meet up back here when you’re finished. And Jacob?”
“Yes?”
“Be careful,” Howard said.
“Yes, sir.”
*
Mike and Jacob wheeled a grocery cart full of food out of the local supermarket and headed back to the bar. The city looked calm once more. It was as if it had forgotten that such a fierce storm had taken place only hours earlier.
Evidence remained, however. They came across fallen limbs and broken branches, and sometimes even entire toppled trees.
“So...” Jacob began.
“Yeah?” Mike replied, looking up at him.
“Are you okay, Mike?”
Mike nodded his head.
Jacob quickly tried to change the subject. “Wow, look at that tree! The wind must’ve blown the whole thing down.”
“You know, the funny thing is…” Mike interrupted, ignoring Jacob. “I think Charlie knew what would happen. When he helped me up, I mean. I think he knew he wouldn’t have time to climb up after me.”
Jacob let out a sigh and looked at Mike, who was staring at the ground. “He did the right thing, you know.”
Mike shrugged.
“Come on, let’s go find the others,” Jacob said, eager to end the dismal conversation.
After loading the new car with supplies, the four put New Orleans behind them.
Chapter 44
May 24th, 2025. Near Brookhaven, Mississippi.
“We’ve been driving forever!” Mike said with a groan. “When are we gonna take a break? I need to use the bathroom.”
“Go ahead, Mike,” Jacob said, bringing the car to a stop on the side of the road.
Mike opened his door and hurried off behind a nearby tree while the others kept a watchful eye to make sure he was safe.
“Guys, are you seeing this?” Jacob asked, motioning out the window.
“Sure am,” Howard replied.
A dense fog had rolled in, looming only a short distance ahead of them.
A few minutes later, Mike returned. Jacob put the car back in drive and proceeded down the lonely stretch of road. They cut through the fog like a knife as it curled around them and concealed them in its clutches.
“I can’t see a thing!” Jacob said, looking around for any sign of a landmark.
He searched frantically but still caught little more than fleeting glances of yellow lines that darted past as he drove. He was driving on top of them, so he tried to correct his position to be in the correct lane but couldn’t really tell whether he was succeeding or not.
“Help me out here, guys. Can anyone see anything? Anything at all?” Jacob pleaded.
“Nothing much,” Mike said. “Except— What’s that?” he asked, pointing to something a few yards away, only just visible.
Howard strained to get a good look at the thing—whatever it was. It had two legs, two arms, and a head. From what he could tell, its shape was vaguely human. However, the outline was misshape
n and warped. He prayed he was wrong, but in his heart, he knew what the thing was.
“Creep!” Jacob shouted, swerving to avoid the infected.
“Over here!” Howard shouted.
Soon the infected were circling them, charging in and out from all directions. They would sprint in, claw at the door, mouths agape, and dart away again.
They kept driving, but the combination of the dense fog and the attacking infected made it almost impossible to judge what direction they were now going.
One of the things ran out in front of the car, and Jacob accelerated toward it. It splattered against the hood of the car before rolling over the windshield and finally falling off of the back of the car.
They kept driving, kept praying, and kept hoping until what seemed like hours later, they saw a clearing in the fog. A light at the end of a long, dark, horrible tunnel.
They sped toward it as quickly as they could. Once outside of the fog, the creeps gave up their chase, skulking back into the darkness.
They had escaped. By now, it was late evening, and the sun had already set. A full moon hung overhead in a starless sky.
“Everyone okay?” Howard asked, a note of relief in his voice.
“Yeah, I think so,” Jacob said. “A little shaken up, but okay.”
“What about you, Mike?” Susan asked. “You alright?”
Mike nodded. “Mhmm.”
“Good. Now there’s only one question left to ask. Where are we?”
Chapter 45
May 24th, 2025. Yazoo City, Mississippi.
“Susan, get the map for me?” Howard asked.
“Sure thing.”
The four stepped out of the car to investigate their surroundings. Up ahead, they came to a small town. A white and green wooden sign read “Welcome to Yazoo City, Gateway to the Delta!”
“Yazoo City? Where the heck is that?” Jacob asked.
“Never heard of it,” Howard said.
“Is this place even on the map?” Susan fumed, spinning the map around and around again in her hands while gripping a flashlight in her teeth.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Susan,” Jacob joked.