REM

by Valentine, J. D.

  What are you doing?

  The man was fifty feet away now. His eyes darting so quickly that it made Danny wonder how the man could even see them.

  The charred stuffed animal fell to the floor now. Eric walked slowly towards the man, who was now sprinting towards him. What happened next Danny could never see coming. Eric sprinted at the man with his rifle raised. He slammed the butt of his rifle into the man’s face. Danny watched in horror as Eric kept slamming the rifle down over and over.

  "You piece of shi----"

  A wet thud drowned out Eric’s yelling as he slammed his rifle on the crazies head. The blows kept coming. Eventually, Danny lost count as the man’s head had caved in. Eric tossed his rifle to the side. The man’s head was just crushed tissue and bone now as Eric started to scream.

  Danny felt his stomach start to lurch as he walked away. He was able to walk behind the truck where he let a plume of vomit spew from his mouth. Eric was starting to lose it. Everyone was losing it one way or another. The screaming quieted and Danny slid to the floor running his hands through his hair. Jazzy Bear was pulled in front of him. Its fur was somewhat clean now as he rubbed its ear and sobbed quietly to himself.

  ***

  "I’ll take watch tonight," Danny said, trying to break the silence. He looked over only to find Eric staring at the cascading mountains, which were even more ominous in the nighttime. Danny took a deep breath and exhaled watching the condensation protrude from his mouth like a steam engine. "Eric, you gotta talk to me here."

  Eric’s eyes regained focus and he looked over at Danny with an empty look. "I never thought I’d be the one to break down like that."

  "This is all weighing on us. You aren’t the only one going through this."

  Eric huffed as he shook his head. "Dan, I lived through this once before. This was my nightmare when I was just a kid in Afghanistan." He picked up a stick and started breaking it apart. "It took me a long time to get—right. Well, right enough." The wood snapped under his fingers as he made it little pieces. "I just wanted to put that behind me and start a life for myself, but now I am back in this hell." He took a moment as he swallowed heavily. "I thought I had already climbed out of this shit. Instead, I’m deeper in this hell and I don’t think I can climb out this time."

  Eric’s eyes started to water. He quickly turned his head back to the mountains to hide himself.

  Danny nudged Eric. "You wanted to hear why I started drinking."

  Eric looked back at Danny with red swollen eyes. "You don’t have to."

  "It was just after Susan had been born," Danny said, swallowing heavily. "I thought I had seen my fair share of shit, but we got this call in Skid Row. So me and my partner rolled up to this beat down apartment building. I mean, just the lowest of low, right? Anyway, we walked in and immediately you can smell it. It’s just something you can’t put words to." Danny paused collecting his thoughts. "Anyway, we are walking deeper into this apartment complex, looking for this room and suddenly you can hear this woman just sobbing. I mean you never forget this kind of cry. One officer comes running out and just pukes right in front me. He looks up and just pushes right past, almost running away."

  "What happened?" Eric said as he sat up.

  "Well, we..uh walk in and this skinhead is handcuffed on the bed and this overweight woman is just wailing him. I mean beating the living shit out this guy and the officer standing next to them just let it happen. By this point the smell is so bad that I’m ready to gag, but I look in the kitchen. There is smoke everywhere and my partner pulls the woman away and the skinhead just looks up and smiles."

  Danny shook his head in disgust.

  "I look in the kitchen and I see the microwave is opened. So I walk in and I see this small body just laying in the microwave. The kid couldn’t have been a month older than Susan." Danny sighed. "All it’s skin looked like it was turned inside out. The microwave just cooked the kid from the inside. I couldn’t keep it together. I ran to the sink and hurled my guts out."

  Eric sat there staring at Danny. "Chief---I--"

  "The thing I remember the most is the little kid had these red little socks on. I mean, how fucking sick are people to do something like that?" It was silent for a minute before Danny continued with tears in his eyes. "After that call, they let me take a couple days off. When I got home, Maria thought I had seen a ghost. She had no idea what I saw, and I couldn’t tell her either." Danny rubbed his beard. "So, I went upstairs to take a shower, and I heard Susan crying in her crib. I walked in to make sure she was alright, but the first thing that I saw was those red socks on her feet. The same fucking ones on that little boy. Right in that moment, I realized that life itself is such a crap shoot. We are either lucky or we are damned."

  Danny couldn’t hold it back any longer. The emotions he had pushed down deep came rising to the surface all at once, but it slowed and suddenly that raging tsunami dissipated till it was nothing more than a ripple in a pond.

  "I couldn’t hold Susan for months after that. I felt like a failed father, so I took up drinking to make it easier. Turns out that just made me an even worse father," Danny said.

  "Dan, how could you keep this to yourself for this long?"

  "Sometimes you hold onto the darkness just so everyone else can live in the light." He wiped away a tear with his sleeve. "After all this shit that’s happening now, I am just grateful that I’m still breathing. Hell, I might even get to hold my family in my arms again and be the man I always should have been for them. You know?"

  Eric smiled. "We will get there, chief. I know it."

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  ONCE AGAIN, THE wind erupted in the cabin. Both men sighed as the vehicle slowed.

  "You want me to drive?" Danny said as he adjusted himself in the seat.

  Eric shook his head. "I’d rather take the hot seat. If shit goes down, I’m more likely to take the bullet."

  "Suit yourself," Danny laughed as he looked out at the vast mountains. "You didn’t sleep very much last night."

  "I know. I just can’t stop thinking about Sophia."

  "We did everything we could."

  "Yeah," Eric said as he looked out at the mountains.

  There was a light blanket of snow that started to coat the low bushes. A far off lake looked like it was starting to freeze over as the edges stood awkwardly still. The wind picked up making the large SUV jolt and veered slightly off course as they neared the city of Bridgeport.

  "There is a Marine Base near here," Eric said as he sat up in the seat.

  "I remember," Danny said.

  "I actually spent a couple of weeks up here in a survival course."

  Danny sat up and took a sip of his water. "How was that?"

  A smile appeared on Eric’s face as he leaned on the wheel. "It was shit. Hardest thing I’ve done other than getting shot at."

  "Come on, it couldn’t have been that bad."

  "Trust me, I starved my ass off. Lost twenty-four pounds in a week and half."

  Danny whistled in amazement. "You should have started your own weight loss program and made millions."

  Eric laughed. "Yeah, the Starve and Die-it by Eric Forbes."

  "Hey, better than the Jenny Craig diet."

  Both men laughed as the road approached the town.

  The Excursion moved slowly down the main strip. Danny could see bodies rotting in alleyways and on lawns. Cars were torn through with doors still hanging open. It was status quo as far as Danny was concerned.

  "Another ghost town," Eric muttered.

  Danny cleared his throat. "I guess they weren’t safe either."

  I hope Tahoe is different. Please let them be safe.

  He looked down an alleyway, but something was moving in the corner of his eye. When he turned to look it was just a door that swayed in the harsh wind.

  "Place gives me the creeps," Danny said as he pulled his rifle closer to him.

  A pile-up of cars made Eric turn right on a side road. "You
got that right, chief."

  They passed a side road. Danny took a quick peek, but his eyes snapped back.

  It can’t be.

  A swarm stood in the road. All their heads snapped to the SUV.

  Danny slammed his hand on the dash. "Eric, punch it!"

  "Shit," Eric yelled as he hit the gas.

  The massive vehicle jolted forward. Danny could see the wall of crazies sprinting towards them.

  "How can there be this many?" Danny yelled.

  Eric said nothing as he made a hard left. The heavy weight of the SUV made it seem as if it were about to lose control, but he corrected the wheel making the vehicle fishtail around the corner.

  "Where the hell did they come from?" Eric said as he steadied the wheel and hit the gas.

  Danny looked back and saw the first of many start to appear from the side street. "I’m sure they are thinking the same thing about us. Just get us out of here!"

  The road connected to the main highway. Danny could still see the swarm as it started to grow smaller in the mirror. The road started to bend.

  "Thank God," Danny said exhaling.

  Eric was going a bit fast around the bend, but Danny wanted as much distance as he could get from those crazies back there. They almost cleared the bend when he saw a row of cars blocking the road.

  Oh no.

  Suddenly, rounds peppered the hood of the vehicle. Eric swerved as a round cut through the windshield striking his chest. The SUV hit the side rail making the heavy vehicle start to flip. From Danny’s view everythings went sideways and then was upside down. He watched as the ground started to spin like he was inside of a washer. Something slammed into his face and everything went black.

  ***

  The first thing Danny heard was a steady dripping sound. It was almost like that sound in an old western when someone spits into a jar. He blinked a few times until his vision somewhat cleared. The windshield had shattered, letting the tortuous cold air rush into the cab. A light smoke emanated from the hood of the vehicle.

  Get moving Dan.

  Danny tried to find the buckle to the seat belt, but his hand brushed something that was sharp. Suddenly, his insides screamed in pain. Danny couldn’t hold it back as he let out a horrible cry. Panic set in now as he tried to open the door, but when he looked out this window he saw that the door was pinned against a tree. A bit of shooting pain made his insides scream again. He looked down. A piece of plastic from the door was jammed in his side. It had found a spot just where his armor wasn’t covering it.

  That’s not good.

  "Eric!" Danny called out.

  He looked over to find Eric unconscious in the driver's seat. Danny reached for him, but Eric’s head flopped and slammed into the headrest. Danny’s side cried out as he reached under his friend's body armor to feel for a wound.

  "Come on, pal," Danny said as blood ran down his face.

  He pulled his hand out from under Eric's armor. There was no blood.

  Shouting came from outside. Danny looked up from the small ditch. He could see a lone gunman who was climbing over the side rail above. Danny felt for his rifle, but nothing was there, so he quickly reached for his pistol. The man approaching them was wearing green digital military fatigues with a tan armor carrier. He looked awkward as he nearly stumbled with his weapon still raised. Someone shouted from behind. Danny looked up to see another gunman aiming down at the vehicle. He was shouting commands to the man who was approaching, except it wasn’t a man. Danny could see it was a teenage kid, who was scared beyond measure.

  "Take it slow, Marine," someone yelled from above.

  The radiator kept ticking. Danny pulled for his sidearm, but when he moved he could feel a sharp pain in his side, causing him to cry out. The Marine jumped back and raised his rifle with more audacity.

  Danny tried shaking Eric. "Wake up, Eric. Wake up," He whispered.

  Screams came from behind the vehicle. The young Marine took a step back looking up at the top of the hill.

  "Lopez, forget about ’em," the man commanded. "We are leaving. Move your fucking ass!"

  Lopez turned and started to run back up the hill to the road.

  They are all coming!

  Danny tried to shake Eric awake. He could hear the screaming grow louder now. He reached for his seatbelt finally grabbing his knife and cutting it. He did the same with Eric’s as the man’s head slammed into the deflated airbag on the dashboard.

  "Come on, you motherf----" Danny screamed.

  He could feel the sharp plastic rip out of his side abdomen. Warm liquid ran down Danny’s side as he pulled at Eric’s limp body. He tried Eric's door, but it wouldn’t open.

  "Come on!" Danny climbed to the back writhing in pain as he fell into the rear passenger bucket seat.

  The door latch popped as the heavy door screeched open. Danny could hear twigs snapping in the pine trees as another scream came not too far off.

  Eric, wake up.

  Danny’s motions became panicked as he pulled at Eric. He grabbed the side of him and pulled him through the door.

  How am I going to get out of this?

  Danny’s side was screaming now as he looked down to find a stain of blood on his body armor and shirt. He dragged Eric out of the vehicle.

  Where are they?

  The footfalls were heavy now. There was no way to outrun this. Danny jumped back into the SUV. He grabbed both Eric’s and his rifle quickly tossing them on the ground. His hands pulled the SAW from the cab.

  The screaming was just behind the vehicle now. Danny gripped the charging handle and pulled it back on the machine gun. Around the corner of the SUV, dozens of faces all torn and smiling came into view. The barrel cleared the door and Danny shouldered the weapon. Dozens of smiling faces greeted him. Suddenly, the SAW erupted.

  The faces became bone and flesh. Danny screamed at the top of his lungs as the faces disappeared in a fury of smoke and flashes. The empty casings flew in and around the opening of the vehicle. There was no point in aiming anymore as he tried to just keep the barrel of the weapon from rising too high. Suddenly, the recoil from the weapon ceased and the smoke began to lift away from Danny’s eyes. A pile of bodies laid in front of him all in a heap of torn tissue and glazed eyes. A few were still breathing as their eyes darted in all directions sometimes lingering on Danny just for a moment.

  When Danny looked down, he saw Eric was awake on the ground. His breathing was heavy, but a body was lying limp on him as he held an empty pistol in his left hand.

  "What the fuck happened?" Eric yelled. His beard was full of pine needles and the side of him looked like it was entirely caked in blood.

  Danny let the SAW fall limp in his hand, and after a moment, he let it just clatter on the mixture of dirt and snow that was at his feet. It was just a giant paper weight now because the ammo was gone. His ears were ringing again, and the pain had become almost unbearable as he leaned up against the inside of the opened car door.

  Eric was still hyperventilating as he grabbed his rifle on the ground. The tearing of velcro pulled Danny from his own world. Eric threw his armor on the ground.

  "I think I broke a rib," Eric said wheezing. He lifted his shirt and a huge bruise was starting to swell on his chest. "Son of a bitch! Those bastards really shot me." He looked up at Danny and started to laugh.

  Holy shit.

  Danny had nothing to laugh about as he was looking at the puncture wound on his side. He, too, removed armor and let it slump to the floor next to the SAW.

  "We need to get moving," Danny said. His breathing was labored as he tore open a trauma bandage with his teeth.

  Eric was already back in the vehicle yanking out their backpacks. Danny’s rifle clattered on the ground as Eric dragged the small rifle from the front seat. He threw his chest rig over his head, grunting at the pain it caused as he lifted his arms. Danny was stuffing gauze in the wound and finally started to wrap the bandage around his stomach. When he finished and let his s
hirt down, Eric handed him Danny’s own chest rig and rifle. He grabbed them in a hurry and nearly cried out as he donned the gear. Danny looked at Eric and noticed his left eye was a dark red, like blood had pooled in it.

  Jesus Christ.

  "Dan, we gotta move," Eric said, wheezing. "We go up."

  Danny was about to grab his pack when he heard twigs and pine needles snap out in the distance. Danny stopped all movement and listened. Eric was still tightening down his pack. The straps made a whooshing sound that made Danny slap Eric’s shoulder to get his attention. The man stopped in his tracks as well.

  Did I hear something?

  A crack of pine needles made Danny’s head jolt to the front of the car. Eric was still facing the back of the vehicle weapon at the ready.

  "Dan, what is it?" Eric whispered.

  Danny shushed him as his eyes scanned the tree line across the road.

  The pine needles snapped again. Danny jumped, but Eric stood in place.

  "You don’t hear that?" Danny said in a low voice.

  Eric’s eyes were jumping all around now as he tried to find what Danny was talking about.

  "I— everything is still a little fuzzy, Dan. I—"

  The pine needles crackled again. This time Danny saw a shadow dance from one tree to the other. Then another. Danny’s heart sank. One of the shadows stood with its long claws nearly dragging on the floor.

  They’re here.

  "Run," Danny said to Eric.

  The bearded man looked back at his friend with horrid eyes. "Wha-"

  "RUN!"

  Both men took off into the treeline away from the road. Danny grabbed his pack and shouldered it. The pain was excruciating as Danny tried to keep in step with Eric. They ran up a slope that was riddled with tall pines. Danny peeked behind only to see several figures sprinting after them. They ran on all fours like the creature at the cabin.

  It’s them.

  Danny heard that inhuman scream. Both men sprinted as fast as they could up the hill. A crack flew over Danny’s head and then another.