by A. L. White
“What happened earlier?” Lori asked. Walter remained frozen and his gaze fixed out of the side window.
“Did I do something that scared you?” Lori pushed for an answer.
Still Walter remained sitting like a statue.
“Did you eat that man or Boo?” Lori asked with her voice trailing off as she thought of poor Boo frozen under that tree alongside of the road.
“Did I eat them? You are asking me if I ate them?!” Walter replied nearly crossing the distance between them. “I did nothing like that Lori! You said not to hurt family and friends! That is what you said!”
“Then tell me what happened, Walter. I need to know.”
Walter returned his gaze to the side window and was silent again. Lori grasped the mirror and studied her face, paying more attention to her mouth and chin then moving down to her shirt. Her teeth seemed to be a little bigger, like she had some kind of fangs. Other than the outward appearance of her skin and the slightly larger teeth there were no signs of blood that she could see. So she didn’t eat either of them.
“I don’t think I ate them either.” Lori said more to herself than to Walter.
“You were going to kill me I think.” Walter finally said.
“Oh honey, I would never do that.” Lori replied looking at Walter with a feeling of sadness that he would ever think such a thing.
“You say that now but I am not sure you know that when that happens.” Walter replied.
“That? What is that?” Lori asked, more confused than she was when her mind was clouded. Walter searched for a way that he could describe what “that” was. “I think that sometimes we turn into like a two-point-zero.” Walter stated. “But then we can be ourselves too.” He added, looking over to see Lori’s reaction.
“I am starting to agree with you on that.” Lori replied not quite sure that she did agree but if it would calm Walter down then so be it. Up ahead she could see the RV half on the street and half off in what looked like a clearing. Lori let her foot off the gas pedal and pulled her pistol up checking to see if it was loaded, then took the safety off. Setting it in her lap, she looked over at Walter. “You can lay down in the seat if you want. I don’t know what we’re going to find up there.” Lori explained.
“Should we walk?” Walter asked.
“No, I want to be able to get away fast if we need to.” Lori replied as she pressed lightly on the pedal feeling the back end of the truck slide a little to the left as it began to move.
Chapter 12
Charlie saw his truck come to a stop just on the other side of the RV and made his way over to it. He didn’t want Lori to see all of the dead creatures before he could fill her in on what they had found and assure her that Virginia and the dogs were safe and sound in good health. As he approached the side of the truck he found Lori and Walter heading toward him. Charlie was struck by Lori’s appearance. Their worst fears were materializing and he didn’t know what to do. Other than his Annie, no one had made him feel like Lori did with just a smile.
“We heard the gun shots, is everyone ok?” Lori asked, trying to go around Charlie who planted himself directly in her path.
“Everyone is fine here. Well…everyone but Doc is fine.” Charlie replied.
“What happened to Doc? Why is he even out here?” Lori asked half knowing what the answer would be.
“Doc is dead. I guess they came out here looking for us.” Charlie stated looking away briefly as the point was driven home by saying it out loud. “Some kind of creatures that I have never seen before attacked Doc, Tressa and Todd while they were eating their dinner last night.”
“Tressa and Todd?”
“They’re fine, more shook up than anything else but I think they will be OK.” Charlie replied. “We burned what was left of Doc’s body so that they couldn’t come back and finish what they started.”
“Probably a good idea.” Lori replied looking into Charlie eyes and waiting for his reaction to how she looked.
“Jermaine and I were talking about holding up here for the night and bunking everyone down in the RV. It will be crowded, but I think we can all suffer through it for the night.” Charlie stated. Lori shook her head no and replied. “I think it will be too crowded and after everything that has happened today we should find a place with enough room to stretch out. A place where if anyone needs to go off alone for a while it wouldn’t be outside of the RV.”
“That only leaves us with going back to River Crossing or back to Clarksville then. Really the only places that we know for sure that there is a place like that.” Charlie replied.
“Clarksville is closer and seems to be the best option.” Lori replied. “Walter and I will lead the way.”
As Lori turned to go back to the truck Charlie reached out and gently took a hold of her shoulder. Every muscle in her body turned on her and spun to look Charlie in the eye. Knowing what he was going to say or thinking that she knew caused her to fight the urge to start crying. The subject of how she looked would have to be broached, there was no way around it now that Charlie had seen her. Right now was not the moment that Lori could tell him about what had happened. Earlier she had pretended to not know when she prodded Walter for answers. It helped thinking that it had all been a horrible nightmare caused by her exhaustion. The look on Walter’s face, the fear that she could smell coming from his body, only served to prove that it wasn’t a dream or nightmare. She was turning into whatever “that" was and it scared her as much as it had Walter.
“We need to talk.” Charlie stated.
“We do need to, just not here and now, Charlie. Tonight, when we are all together, I will try to explain what I know.” Lori replied.
“You lead the way and I will gather everyone else up and follow.” Charlie replied. “Go on then and go, that way we don’t have to discuss this with the others until we get there.” Charlie urged Lori on while she there, looking into his eyes. He knew if the others saw her now they would be there for hours.
Lori swung the truck around as best she could in the snow, until she was faced in the right direction. Charlie went back to the others who had been watching the entire conversation. “Looks like we are going to head back into Clarksville for the night.” Charlie said.
“Back to Clarksville?” Jermaine asked.
Shrugging his shoulders Charlie replied. “Seemed like a better option than crowding everyone into the RV and being exposed out here.
“I am not arguing with the plan, just took me by surprise is all.” Jermaine replied.
“You mind driving, Jermaine? I have a lot to think about before we get there.”
Jermaine shook his head no and replied. “Not at all, you just make yourself comfortable in back someplace and Todd can be my co-pilot back to the barn.”
Hearing that Todd’s face lit up like it was Christmas morning and he just found a tree full of presents underneath.
“Well let’s get going then, been a long, hard day so far and I think I could use a little time to kick back and recharge the batteries.”
*****
They slid from the center of the two lane highway until finding traction just before the shoulder. Lurching back toward the center threw everyone riding in the bed a little. For as far as Megan could see to the left or the right a massive herd stood, blocking the road. She knew they would not attack her, believing that was still an issue Megan had problems with. She had walked among them, fed among them, and moved freely without ever being noticed, still she was never comfortable among them. Slowing the truck down to a crawl was making it harder to move through the snow. She kept an eye on as many of them as she could. A voice from alongside her said, “They will not harm you, drive forward, Megan.” The warm breath against her neck felt reassuring so she reached up across her body and rested a hand on the face of the voice. She rubbed the hard leathery cheek until she came to the slimy portion and replied. “I know. They still scare me, Bubby.”
“He said we would be ok and I think we w
ill be. If you want, I will walk out in front of you until we get passed them.” Bubby replied.
“Nah, I got this. You get back in the back and we will head through them.”
Pulling forward, Megan built up enough speed so that she could control the truck but not enough to plow through the herd. As if someone had given an order, the herd parted as the truck grew near. Decaying flesh hanging from bone and muscle caused Megan to take a quick glance in the mirror. Her skin looked like theirs only she wasn’t decaying as far she could see. The smell was the same between them but that was about it. Halfway through a lone figure stood in the middle of the road as the herd was still moving out of the way. It was larger than the others and dressed in all black with a mouth drenched in dried blood as if he had finished eating some unfortunate soul earlier. Megan stopped the truck as she came up to him and the figure walked over to the side of the truck. “I was sure there would be more of you by now.” He said to Megan.
“We had a few others but they didn’t make it. Once you figure out what’s happening to you…it is hard to handle.” Megan replied.
“That it is,” he replied walking to the back of the truck. “Up ahead there are a few cattle in a corral, go get something to eat and be sure not to let these others in there with you.” The Man in Black said.
As the others ran off into the vastness of the herd Megan climbed out of the truck. “You never told me what it is exactly that we are doing.”
“Should be fairly easy to figure that out if you think about it.”
“I have thought about it and I don’t get why I have been picking these people up or why you have been telling them to wait for me.” Megan continued.
“Look around you, what do you see, girl?”
Megan took a long look at the creatures standing, decaying all around her. “I see a lot of dead things that are moving when they shouldn’t be.”
“That is how a human would see them. You’re no longer human or have you not figured that part out yet?”
“I am a human that has caught some kind of disease from the plague just like you. Sick, but still very much human.” Megan replied.
“Oh there is a little human DNA left in you. But not very much. Look at your skin, your eyes, or your teeth. Ever seen those on a human?”
Megan couldn’t argue that, she no longer looked very human or anything like she did when she first met him. “So what am I then, if I am not human?”
“We are new, Megan. We are new. We are the new masters of this world and all that is in it. Evolution decided that the human race had been found lacking. Our world will no longer destroy all that we see, we don’t have to. We don’t need the things that made us human any longer.”
“What about the people that are still alive and not new?” Megan asked.
“Well, some will need to be protected of course. We don’t know if we can procreate without them yet. Others will be raised kind of like cattle I suppose.”
“Why not just raise cattle?” Megan asked.
The man roared with laughter loud enough to startle the herd. “That’s right, you haven’t eaten human yet, have you? Cattle is ok when there is nothing else to be found. Much better than that rat you ate in the dumpster. Fresh human now, that is a treat that you will never forget and never want to be without after you have had it.”
Megan felt sick to her stomach just thinking about it. “This is why we are here?”
“Not at all. There is a town being set up down south for the new people and we are reaching out to as many as we can find. I guess you could say that we are extending a personal invitation.”
“And the other people, the OLD people? What are we doing with them? Rounding them up for the slaughter?” Megan asked.
The man motioned for her to walk with him as he started for the other side of the sea of dead. “We are setting a town up for them across the river from our town. They will be able to live comfortably for as long as they would like.”
“Without eating them?” She prodded.
“There will be some kind of tax that they will pay for their safety, of course.”
Megan laughed at the term tax. “So they will give you a sacrifice as a tax?”
“Not just me child, they will give us a sacrifice or three to pay for their safety. We really have no idea as of yet how many of us or them are out there.”
“None of this seems right to me.” She replied.
Just passed the herd a few feet into open space, the Man in Black stopped and faced her with a sad look. “Megan honey, you don’t have to journey the same path that we do. Look around you; the world is wide open. You can go wherever you want and do whatever it is that will keep you satisfied. Understand this, and keep it in mind, you no longer look like the humans so they will never accept you as one of them.”
Megan walked off toward the corral on her own, leaving him to walk behind her. No longer wanting to debate new or old people, eat or don’t eat them, she was going to avoid the conversation or thinking about it for now.
Chapter 13
When they arrived at the barn they found Lori had left the doors open. Jermaine swung the RV around and backed in. Charlie helped him shut and lock the barn doors before he took Tressa and Todd to the lower level. The room was lit up on one side of the room leaving the far side in the shadows. Virginia followed the group in with the Lads, pausing for a few minutes as she recognized the features of Lori sitting in the shadows with Walter. Taking a seat next to Jermaine, she motioned toward Lori and accepted that Jermaine didn’t know what was happening either when he shrugged his shoulders. No one was saying anything at all. The room was so silent that Virginia thought she could hear the wind picking up outside.
“Today has been a bad day for us.” Lori said breaking the silence.
“Lost some good people today.” Jermaine added bowing his head at the thought.
“Boo went down fighting.” Virginia said.
“Doc never saw it coming.” Tressa sighed and wiped the tear flowing down her cheek.
“They will be missed, they were our friends and our family.” Charlie said as he stood up and looked around the room. “I think we should take the night and mourn our losses and then make a new plan tomorrow morning.”
“We have to keep following Bob’s map.” Virginia replied. “Without Bob or his map where would we be right now?” The others all nodded their heads in agreement.
“Doc told Zoe that he would go back for her and the others.” Tressa said. “I think we should at the very least send someone back to get them.”
“I am not so sure splitting up again would be a good thing.” Jermaine replied looking toward Charlie for some back up.
“I am not sure splitting up would work either.” Charlie added. “Look what happened today. Virginia, what did happen over there with Boo?”
Virginia closed her eyes so that she could see it all play out in her head. “We were riding along and I was watching down by the river. Boo was telling me the importance of opening up to people and trusting them.” Virginia stopped and smiled at the others, fighting back a sniffle and a tear. “When something hit us hard from Boo’s side of the truck. He looked like he was hurt and started to tell me to get out of the truck and run. When the truck backed up like it was going to ram us again the motor must have died out. I could see the guy getting out of his truck with a rifle. I guess Boo could too because he forced his door open and took aim. The man shot first and Boo went down.” Virginia paused to look around the room, then continued. “Perseus and I were out of the truck by then, taking cover on the other side, when I heard someone coming around the front of the truck. I knew it was OK because Perseus didn’t react to the person. It was Boo soaked in blood, his arm looked like it was hanging on by a thread. Well, he used the truck to get another round chambered and told me to take Perseus and run.”
“You didn’t listen as usual, did you?” Jermaine asked smiling at her.
“He didn’t look like he had any fight l
eft in him so I waited until the guy lowered his rifle. He must have thought with Boo down I was easy pickings because he looked pretty surprised right up until the arrow struck his eye.” Virginia continued. “I helped Boo down by the tree like he asked me to and then did what he told me to do.”
Virginia looked over to Tressa who picked up on the signal. “We were coming to look for you guys and bring you back to Rivers Crossing. It was one of the few times since all of this happening that I felt like a civilized person. We were cooking our dinner over the fire when it grabbed Doc. Todd and I barely made it to the truck. It was then that I noticed that Doc had the keys. Then you guys saved us.” Tressa fell quiet.
The room echoed her silence as they all searched inside for a way to grieve their loss. Lori stood up in the shadows and let out a deep sigh. “Something happened to us as well today, while we were waiting by Boo.”
Feeling his muscles tighten Jermaine asked. “More of those guys show up?”
“No, no one else showed up, Jermaine. You and Charlie can rest easy about that. For now, any ways.” Lori took another deep breath and looked into everyone’s face. If this went how she half expected it to go, Lori wanted to be able to remember them all for as long as she could.
“Everyone knows that I have been bitten by a creature.” Lori stated.
“Old news, really.” Virginia replied rolling her eyes.
“There have been a few changes that followed an episode. I think Doc would call it an episode.” Lori said and then waited for their reaction. When no one said anything she continued. “While we were checking out that man who shot Boo…”
“I bet you changed for a minute just like in Rivers Crossing. I bet you did, Lori.” Todd said excitedly.
“Todd, let Lori speak.” Tressa said to Todd, giving him the shush sign.
Lori’s insides were twisting and constricting into knots, muscles were refusing to move as she felt the fear building up and she wanted to run and hide. Charlie seemed to be ok with the changes that she had gone through today. What about Virginia? Would her reaction be an arrow into her forehead? Mind was racing at high speed, she took a long, deep breath and stepped out of the shadows into the light. The only sound Lori could hear in the room was her own heartbeat growing louder and faster. Lub-dub lub-dub, echoing off the walls back into her face, slapping her cheek with the reality of what was about to happen. All of the possibilities flashed before her as though she was watching some unknown person’s life from afar; watching that person make a life or death decision, wondering if they would live to see another day. Zeus rose up with the hair on his back bristling. He sniffed the air, releasing a guttural growl from behind snarling teeth. Slowly he moved forward in a defensive stance, coiled like a spring ready to pop. Lori backed up a step, feeling the inner rage coming to a boil the same way it had when she smelled the sweet flesh of the recently deceased gentleman on the road. Zeus’ fear was filling her nostrils, driving the instincts of what she had become. Pain shot through her thighs, her knees hitting the floor with a pop as she fell to the ground. In a soft tone she uttered. “Zeus honey, it’s me.” She was begging for the dog to stand down and move away, screaming for it inside of her head. Lori could feel the end coming, the final breath of one who had become her trusted companion, her protector, and most of all, he was her and Virginia’s friend. Reaching out to him, Lori offered the back of her hand to Zeus to sniff. It was met with several quick snaps and she recoiled. A trickle of blood ran down her wrist from where Zeus had grazed her. The room became a blur with every fiber of Lori’s senses zeroing in on Zeus’s throat, feeling his heart beat and smelling his fear. Muscles tensed, waiting for the moment to leap and take the dog down. Her brain calculated the distance, speed, and angle need to take Zeus down then turned to sizing up the others in the room. Just as it was ready to move Perseus stepped in front of her and backed up into Lori moving her back. Surprise and shock filled Lori as she moved back recalculating and adding the new threat into her plan. Only this threat was helping her and throwing more confusion into the mix. Confusion that was allowing Lori to take control back. Reaching down she petted Perseus just behind his ear. Zeus saw this and sat down looking at Lori, trying to decide if she was a threat or a friend.