Necrotic Earth

by SW Matthews

  “Okay, we’re going back up,” said Andy. “Hold on.” The plane angled up rapidly, the hull shook, and the electricity flickered again.

  “Those lasers, or plasma, or whatever they are, have an awfully weak EMP effect,” Piper said. “Too weak to do anything. My guess is they’re just warning shots. If they wanted to neutralize us, I bet they could.”

  “Fine, we’re warned,” said Andy. “Look, I can see some buildings on the horizon.” He nodded toward the east.

  Piper looked at her screen. “That’s it. That’s where the boy is.”

  “The drones are trying to keep us away from there,” said Tuck. “As long as we stay away, they seem to be content to leave us alone.”

  Andy realized Tuck was right. “Tuck, grab your rifle and try to take a few out. Let’s see what happens.”

  “Aye, Skipper.” Tuck stood and grabbed the weapon.

  “I’m going to slow down and head straight west. That’ll give you a straight shot out of the tail cargo bay.”

  Tuck nodded and headed to the back of the plane.

  “You really think he can shoot them all out of the sky?” Piper asked incredulously.

  “How many are there?”

  She looked at the monitor. “Ten.”

  “Probably not, but if he can take out a few, it’ll help.”

  “What if it makes them attack?”

  “If what Ray told us was right, then they’re acting automatically, without any human control, so we may be able to just hang back and pick a few off. I think I can outfly three or four. And even if they shut down our electricity, we can glide for a while. I still have the big chute—if we need to, we can open it up and float down.”

  “Are you kidding me? The chute? We’ve never even tested it. I’m not sure there even is a chute in there!”

  “The guy said there was when we bought the plane.”

  “Oh, you mean when you said ‘real pilots don’t use plane-chutes’?”

  “How do you remember stuff like that?”

  The crack of Tuck’s rifle reverberated through the plane.

  “Got one!” Tuck yelled.

  Piper looked at her screen. One drone was gone. The others didn’t change tactics.

  “Good job, Tuck,” said Andy over the speakers. “Take one more down and I’ll turn around and get you closer.”

  After a few moments, another shot rang out.

  “That’s two!” Tuck shouted.

  Andy smiled and banked the plane. “You think you can jam their radar?” he asked Piper. “Maybe we can just fly by them.”

  “Maybe. I think I’ve got the system up and running.”

  “Give it a try.”

  She fiddled with some instruments. “Okay, in three, two, one…”

  Suddenly the drones were heading straight for the Loon—fast—and all of them were firing their unusual weapons.

  Andy dove and swerved, avoiding the onslaught. “They didn’t like that!” he yelled as he picked up speed.

  Piper grasped her seat as they maneuvered. “They must have a detection system.”

  Tuck screamed from the back, and a bolt of energy flew right through the plane, hitting the dash in the cockpit.

  “Tuck! You okay?” Andy yelled. “Close the door!”

  “Trying, Skipper!” Tuck yelled back.

  “I got it!” Piper screamed. “Their radar is jammed!”

  “Then why the hell are they still on us?” Andy asked, still diving and swerving.

  “Maybe it’s visual?”

  “What?”

  “Maybe they have a backup visual targeting system. You know, cameras?’

  “Shoot the flares—blind them! Hurry!”

  Piper immediately released the flares and smoke grenades from the tail.

  The drones passed through without detour or deceleration.

  “No good,” she said. A larger blast rocked the plane. “And I don’t think they’re warning us anymore.”

  “How are they following us? No radar, no cameras…?”

  “Sound?” Piper said. She snapped her fingers. “They’re following the sound of the props! They’re using a modified bladeless helijet prop, which is almost silent, so they can zero in on sound if the radar isn’t working. It’s more reliable than sight, especially at night, and your friend said these things patrol all day and night!”

  Another blast rocked the plane. The electrical system shut down for a few seconds before flickering back to life.

  “They’re serious now, Andy. If they hit a fuel line, the plane will explode.”

  Andy considered his options. They were over water again—that gave him an idea. He spoke over the speakers. “Tuck, get the Braxtons and Piper in the diver!”

  “What?” Piper said. “No, I’m not—”

  “Yes, you are! Look, I’ve got a plan, but you guys need to be safe first.”

  Doc rushed into the cockpit. “What’s going on, Andy?”

  “These drones are going to shoot us down, Doc. I think I can get away, but I’m going to make sure you guys are secured first. There’s a submersible pod in the belly of the plane, under the cargo hold. It’s only made for three, but you four can probably squeeze in there.” He eyed Doc’s belly. “I think.”

  The plane shook from another series of blasts, and one of the props began to sputter.

  “Go!” Andy shouted.

  As Doc turned and left, Andy headed off Piper’s protests. “I love you, and I’ll see you in just a minute. I promise.”

  Piper looked him in the eye. Then she gave him a quick kiss and followed Doc.

  “Tuck, as soon as they’re in the pod, get back up here,” Andy said over the speakers.

  Tuck was in the cockpit only moments later. “Ready, Skipper.”

  “You okay?” Andy asked.

  “One of those blasts hit me. Shorted out my commlink. But I’m okay.”

  “Okay, hold on.”

  Andy took the Loon into a steep dive. He didn’t level out until the last minute. When they were about ten feet above the water, he yelled, “Now!”

  Tuck hit the release button, and the diver submersible was dropped from the belly of the plane into the water. Andy then pulled back on the yoke and sent the Loon straight up.

  “Get ready to hit the wing release,” Andy said.

  Tuck turned to look at him. “Skipper?”

  “The release, Tuck, when I say.”

  “Have you ever done this, Skipper?” Tuck held his finger over the button he had never used.

  “I skimmed over it in the manual.”

  “There isn’t a manual.”

  Andy raised an eyebrow.

  Tuck nodded and prepared himself.

  “Okay, on three,” said Andy as they gained altitude. “One, two, three!”

  Andy hit the ignition for the booster engines just as Tuck hit the wing release button. The entire wing assembly, with the booster engines attached, separated from the rest of the plane. The drones followed the wings upward.

  And the fuselage plummeted toward the earth.

  Andy flipped the switch to activate the parachute. But the electricity was flickering, and nothing happened. He began pounding on the panel frantically. After what seemed like an eternity, one of his attempts coincided with a short burst of electrical power, and he heard the top of the chute locker release.

  The plane jolted, and then began floating down.

  And somewhere above them, the wing assembly exploded.

  Chapter 10

  The diver submersible was sinking. Piper was fumbling with the controls, trying to get the motor started, with crying eyes and shaking hands—and with little room to move, thanks to the small pod being filled beyond capacity.

  Finally, the engine came to life, and the craft started to rise in the murky water.

  Piper wiped her eyes. “Okay,” she said, more to herself than to the other passengers. She turned on the exterior lights and used the compass to determine their path.
r />   “Everything working?” Doc asked quietly, squished tightly in the cramped compartment.

  “I think so,” she said. “This thing isn’t very fast, and we’re overloaded, but it’ll get us to the coast. We’ll get our bearings after we surface.”

  “Won’t those things attack us?” Rosie asked.

  “I don’t think so. If they do, we can dive pretty quickly, especially being so heavy.”

  They broke the surface, facing away from the coast. They were just in time to see what they believed to be the flaming remains of the Loon fall from the sky.

  Piper shouted into her commlink. “Oh my God! Andy! Andy! Answer me!”

  Her device remained silent.

  ***

  Andy and Tuck watched those same remains fall from the sky as the wind pushed them over land. The drones appeared to have resumed their patrol route as if nothing had happened.

  “Well, it worked,” said Andy sadly.

  “Hold on, Skipper,” Tuck said.

  The bottom of the hull scraped against treetops and broke violently through limbs. The entire plane—what was left of it—was sent tumbling and turning before it impacted the forest floor.

  At least we landed right side up, Andy thought.

  Andy tried to call Piper on the plane’s radio, but the entire craft was now powerless. “Tuck, call Piper and tell her we’re okay,” he said.

  “My commlink’s busted, Skipper.” Tuck said. “EMP, remember?”

  “Oh yeah.” Andy stood and started gathering supplies, including his shotgun and revolver. “Well then. Let’s go figure out where we are.”

  ***

  Piper sobbed uncontrollably for several minutes before Doc and Rosie were able to calm her down.

  “I’m so sorry, Piper,” Rosie said.

  “He saved us, Piper,” said Doc. “He’s a hero.”

  Piper just nodded and wiped her eyes.

  Bandit had been watching the drones. “They’re gone,” he said. “We need to move.”

  Doc looked angrily at his son. “William!”

  “No,” Piper said. “It’s okay, Doc. He’s right. I need to get it together.” She focused on the instrument panels. “We need to turn this thing around and get to land. We need to save Pol.”

  ***

  Andy and Tuck opened the cargo door and stepped into the forest.

  “I think we were blown north of the river,” said Tuck.

  “Piper said there was a storm to the south of us, so let’s head toward those dark clouds.” Andy pointed.

  “I’ll grab the raft.” Tuck stepped back into the plane.

  “Good thinking.”

  When Tuck reappeared with the large bag containing the inflatable boat, the two of them headed south. They had been walking a few minutes when Tuck asked, “You hear that?”

  “Yeah. I was hoping it was my imagination.”

  It sounded like a wounded animal, but they couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

  “Should’ve brought Chief,” Tuck said.

  “Next time,” Andy joked.

  They occasionally heard more of the unusual sounds as they walked—sometimes fading away and then returning, but never venturing too close. Then finally, they broke free of the forest.

  They were on the edge of a grassy flatland. Beyond that was a barren, rocky area, then more grass, and finally, in the distance, the river.

  The animal sounds continued.

  “It’s moaning,” said Tuck.

  Andy traced the sound to the west. He turned and peered—and there, exiting the woods, he spotted a solitary figure. “Look!” he said, pointing.

  Tuck raised his rifle and looked through the scope. “It’s a man,” he said. “But… something is wrong with him. He’s missing an arm. There’s just a big, slimy clump of tissue at his shoulder.” He paused. “Oh, man. It looks like pieces are just… falling off.”

  “What’s he doing?”

  “I don’t know. He looks confused. Like he wants to go to the river, but he can’t decide. He has scars all over his body. Oh, wait, there he goes.”

  The man began to make his way toward the water. He moved slowly, but continued onward, until he reached the edge of the rocks. There he stopped.

  “He’s having a hard time moving,” Tuck said. “Something’s wrong with his legs.”

  “Why did he stop?”

  “Don’t know.”

  They watched the disfigured man for several minutes in silence, then Tuck said, “He’s going again.”

  The man took a few timid steps onto the rocky ground, then a few more.

  “I don’t get it,” Andy said. “Why—”

  He was cut off as flames shot from the ground and enveloped the man. The man staggered back to the grassy area, beyond the reach of the flames, and rolled on the ground.

  “Never mind,” said Andy.

  “He’s getting up,” said Tuck. “He’s—what the…?” Tuck’s eye remained glued to his scope. “The burned skin… it’s healing, Skipper. Almost immediately. The new skin is scarred, but there are no signs of burns.”

  Tuck lowered the rifle and looked at his friend.

  “The demons are real,” Andy said.

  ***

  The overburdened submersible pod made landfall after a long, uncomfortable journey. Bandit was the first out, and he pulled the diver closer to shore so the others could exit more easily. One by one they sloshed through the shallow water, trudged ashore, and stretched, enjoying the freedom and fresh air.

  After a moment, Rosie hugged Piper. “Thank you for helping us,” she said. “I’m sorry about—”

  Piper cut her off. “Thank you, but let’s just get this done.”

  Rosie nodded, and the group turned east, toward their destination, and a very long walk.

  ***

  Andy and Tuck continued to watch the demon.

  “Is he going to try it again?” Andy asked.

  “Looks like it.”

  “Not too bright, is he?”

  “Nope. Watch the fire this time, Skipper. Maybe we can figure out how to get past it.”

  The same scene played out again. The figure slowly approached the rocky ground, then carefully stepped across it. Again, fire spewed from the opposite side of the barren area and engulfed the man—and again, he scrambled to the grass, rolled around until the fire was out, then stood looking at the rocks while his skin healed.

  “Looks like he gets about halfway across before the flamethrower goes off,” Tuck said. “And it’s shooting from the ground on the opposite edge of the rocky area.”

  “How wide is that rocky stretch, do you think?” Andy asked.

  Tuck considered. “About twenty feet.”

  “And he only triggers the flamethrower at the halfway point. Which means we just need to run and jump over the back half, and we can keep it from firing.”

  “That’s a ten-foot jump, Skipper.”

  “So maybe jump a couple times, but keep moving fast. We might get a little singed, but as soon as we’re across we can jump in the river.”

  Tuck nodded his assent. “We’ll have to throw our gear across first.”

  “Well, first we need to get rid of Groundhog Day over here.” Andy motioned toward the figure still standing and staring at the rocks.

  “Ssshhh!” hissed Tuck suddenly, looking behind them.

  Another person emerged from the trees behind them—a mere ten feet away. It was a man, but a terribly disfigured one. Most of his head was a putrid, dripping mass of pulsating tissue. Only one eye was visible, and half of his lower jaw was gone. The rest of his body was severely scarred, but at least it was intact, except for his right foot. His right leg ended at the ankle in a mass similar to the one on his head.

  He seemed to be surprised to see the two men. He paused, then his expression turned angry. He shuffled toward Andy.

  Andy raised his shotgun and blasted the demon in the chest, knocking it to the ground.

  The moaning be
hind them increased, and they turned to see the first demon now moving toward them, slow but determined.

  “Great,” said Andy.

  The second demon stood up again, and the holes in his chest closed.

  Tuck unloaded his handgun into the demon’s head. Again it fell to the ground.

  “We’re going to have to run for it,” said Andy, then, “Shit!” as the fallen demon managed to grab his foot.

  Tuck pulled out his knife and cut the demon’s hand from its wrist.

  The demon looked at the men with a very surprised look in his remaining eye. His severed wrist swelled, changing into a mass like the ones on his right leg and deformed head. The tissue was dripping with fluid, with pieces falling off as it changed.

  Then the swelling spread, up the demon’s arm and across its torso. Soon the man’s entire body had transformed into a blob of undefined tissue. It pulsated for a few moments—then melted into a puddle.

  “What the…?” Tuck said.

  “So, knives kill them?” Andy replied.

  Tuck just shrugged.

  “Well, let’s go before any more show up.” Andy pumped the shotgun, chambering another shell.

  Tuck wiped his knife on his pant leg, sheathed it, and reloaded his handgun. Then the two of them advanced toward the other moaning figure, who was still approaching them, though very slowly.

  “I’ll take it down, then you stab it,” Andy said.

  “Aye, Skipper.” Tuck retrieved his knife.

  When they were about thirty feet away from the approaching demon, they stopped, and Andy leveled the shotgun. When the creature was about fifteen feet away, Andy pulled the trigger. The demon fell to the ground, and Tuck ran over and slammed his blade into its chest, just above the gaping hole from the shotgun blast, which was already starting to close.

  The demon’s remaining arm swung up and punched Tuck in the face. Tuck went airborne, flying back several feet. He hit the ground hard and remained motionless in an unnatural position.