“She’s in the bed!” Cindy screamed in a whisper.
“What?”
“The fucking bed!” she hissed and jabbed her finger toward the mass that was Carl.
Sandra was next to him. Wrapped in his arms inside of her plastic coffin. Her face was pained, frozen in the last moments of her life. The dim light accentuated her gaunt features, her sunken eyes glaring towards us, cloudy and empty.
“We’ve gotta go now!” I said.
Brent reached for the keys. He hooked his finger into the loop and tugged. Carl snorted and Jake swung the board down with all his might, but Carl rolled over just as it slammed into the pillow.
“What the hell?” Carl snapped.
Brent tugged harder and the keys came loose, sending him falling back onto his ass. Jake took another swipe with the board, but Carl was up and fighting. He threw up his arms and the board glanced him. With a grunt, he kicked his legs out and caught Jake in the stomach.
“You ungrateful bastards!” Carl roared.
Jake toppled into the nightstand then scampered to his feet. He leaned over to catch his breath like someone had called a timeout. Carl was already on the move, charging toward him with flailing his arms and ill intentions.
“Brent get the door!” I shouted.
Grimacing, I rushed Carl at full speed. Reliving my days in middle school as a third string linebacker, I crashed into him like a train. We slammed into the wall and he brought his elbow thundering down into my back. My spine felt like it exploded into a million pieces and I collapsed to the floor.
“Max!” Cindy cried out.
I tried to stand back up, but Carl was scrappier than I thought. He kicked Jake another time for good measure then sent his foot into my face like I was a damn soccer ball.
“Get out!” I yelled as I spit out a glob of blood.
Brent grabbed my arm and started to pull me up. He slipped the keys into my hand then took a wild swing at Carl that caught him in the chest.
The blow did nothing, but as he turned his attention to Brent, Jake whacked him over the head with the board and Carl dropped to the floor. He hit the ground hard and didn’t move.
“Is he out?” Brent asked.
“I don’t care! Let’s get the hell out of here,” Jake groaned.
We rushed out of the room and down the short hall to the front door. My hands trembled as wrestled with the keys.
“The magnetic lock!” Cindy yelled.
“Shit!” I turned and ran back toward the room.
“It’s on the wall behind the door,” Brent yelled after me.
As soon as I made it through the door, Carl was standing there and drilled me in the face with his meaty knuckles.
The punch was unexpected and knocked me off of my feet. Carl didn’t even break stride and leapt over me on his way down the hall.
As I scuttled back to a stand I heard a yelp and a loud thud. I ran back to the door and tripped over Jake’s lifeless body. He was lying face down, breathing, but unconscious. I knelt down to check on him when a loud, angry voice caught my attention.
“I’m gonna rip your head off!” Carl growled.
He had Brent by the neck. His hands were coiled around him like a snake and were getting tighter and tighter. Cindy was screaming and punching at Carl until he shot out his leg and kicked her away.
I rushed toward him and leapt onto his back. Grabbing him in a headlock, I pulled back, but he was much taller than me. He dropped Brent and heaved forward, slinging me over his head and onto the ground.
Before I could react, a dirty bare foot came crashing down on my face. My eyes exploded into stars and blood gushed from my nose.
“I’ll deal with you next,” Carl said as he grabbed me by the collar and slammed me into the floor.
Straightening up, he turned back to Brent who was still trying to gather himself. He’d managed to stand up and was leaning back on the wall.
“Where are they?” Carl shouted.
“What?” Brent croaked in a harsh voice.
“The keys, where are my damn keys?”
Before Brent could reply Carl smacked him across the face then kneed him in the stomach. Brent gasped and doubled over.
“Tell me now!”
“I…I don’t have them. I don’t know where they are,” Brent groaned.
Carl reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small silver knife. Without another word, he crammed it into Brent’s side and yanked it back out.
Brent’s face froze and his eyes glowed in shock. Instinctively, he reached down and placed his hand over the wound. Blood oozed through his fingers and down his shirt.
“I should’ve known better than to take you in,” Carl roared. “I should’ve known you were trouble.”
The blade glimmered with crimson as he held it up in the faint light. The business end dangled over Brent’s head and Carl took a deep breath before he swung the final blow.
“You’re all dead!” he shouted then violently stabbed the knife downward.
Out of nowhere, a loud clap exploded and a flash lit up the room. A thin stream of smoke swirled into the air and Carl’s body dropped to the floor beside me.
I looked at his empty face. His forehead was cracked in half, leaking his life onto the floor. His eye twitched as if it was trying to focus, but he was gone. A bullet had torn through his skull and taken a chunk of his head with it.
I looked to the side and found Cindy. She was holding Carl’s gun. The barrel was still smoking, her fingers clenched the handle like it had become part of her arm.
As she turned to me I could see her eyes and felt my heart sank. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she trembled and struggled to catch her breath. Holding my head, I stood up and started toward her.
She swallowed then looked down at her hands and gasped. “I…I killed him.”
CHAPTER 18
THIS ISN’T OUR LAST GOODBYE
The door creaked as it slowly swung open. The sound echoed in the twilight, carrying across the wind like a plastic bag. I laughed to myself, even Carl’s house wanted us dead.
Stepping into the alley, I could see the moon shinning high above. It illuminated our path and I felt a tiny bit of optimism. We’d been in the dark for too long.
With my arm around Cindy, I took a few steps down the alley. She shook uncontrollably with every step, but followed my lead. We maneuvered around the back and through a tall wooden fence to the other side of the building.
“Jake,” I started. “I’m gonna see if this asshole has a car.”
I held up Carl’s key ring. In addition to the keys for the door he had several car keys. He never mentioned anything about a car, but all we had left was hope.
“Okay,” Jake replied and cracked a weak smile.
His lip was puffy and his left eye was swollen shut, but we were all in bad shape. Brent was leaning on his shoulder. His hand pressed a ripped t-shirt against his wound and sweat dripped from his pale face.
“I’ll be right back,” I said then gave Cindy a kiss on the forehead.
I moved down the wall toward the edge of the building. I leaned my head out and peeked around the corner. There was no one there, but I did find a dusty, red Honda parked near the trash cans.
I felt my heart jump. With a deep breath, I rushed to the door and yanked on the handle. It was locked, so I pulled out the keys and one after the other I jabbed them into the lock. The third key clicked and I opened the door and jumped inside.
I swallowed and put the key into the ignition. I started to turn it, but stopped. If the car worked, we might have only one shot of getting out undetected. Starting it now was almost certain to bring unwanted attention.
I pulled the key out and rushed back to where I’d left Cindy. She had dropped to the ground and tucked her feet underneath her in a ball. She was mumbling under her breath and rocking back and forth.
“What the hell happened?” I asked.
“I don’t know. She just…she just s
tarted,” Jake replied.
I grabbed Cindy by the arm and pulled her back to her feet. She stared at me in the eyes then looked away. I could only imagine how she was feeling. She’d taken a life and even now that was unbelievable.
“I found a car,” I said. “Follow me.”
Jake sighed in relief then tightened his grip on Brent. I started back toward the car and Cindy began to mumble under her breath. As we came to the edge of the wall I stopped and turned to face her.
“Cindy? Cindy look at me,” I said lowly.
“I killed him. I killed him Max,” she mumbled.
“There’s a car around the corner. I need you to get into it so we can get out of here. Do you understand me?”
“I killed him. I killed him,” she chanted.
I wanted to hold her, to squeeze her and tell her everything was alright. She had saved Brent, hell she’d saved everyone, but my words weren’t getting through to her.
“Cindy, I love you,” I said.
She jumped as the sound of a bottle breaking pierced the silence. Agitated voices floated our way and I knew our time was short.
“Come on,” I said.
I ran around the corner, pulling Cindy by the arm. She wasn’t resisting me, but she wasn’t making my life easy either. Once I reached the car I helped her into the back with Brent then I jumped into the front seat with Jake riding shotgun.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Jake said.
I nodded then twisted the key in the ignition. Nothing.
“Shit!” I growled.
“Try it again!” Jake screamed.
I turned the key again and was greeted with the same result. Panic started to take over my body and my hands started to tremble.
“Some…somebody is coming,” Brent stuttered.
Back down the alley there was a man standing near the corner. He was smoking a cigarette, watching us like it was a normal night in the city.
“Fuck! Fuck…fuck…fuck!” Jake groaned over and over then opened the door and swung his legs out.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked.
“Pop the hood! Hurry up!” he shouted back at me.
I leaned forward and yanked the lever near my left foot. Jake ran around the front of the car and disappeared behind the faded red metal. There were few loud bangs and the car shook from side to side.
“Try it again!” Jake yelled.
I twisted the key and the car made a sluggish churning noise. I took a breath of excitement, but it was short lived. It died out and the churning faded into an empty click.
“Hold on,” Jake said.
“More…more coming,” Brent groaned
He was slumped in the back seat. His eyes were nearly closed and his breathing was shallow, but he was doing his best to help.
I looked passed him, through the back window where a small crowd had gathered. They were standing where the lone man had been earlier. He was still there, but his cigarette was now a metal pipe and he looked more than interested in what we were doing.
“Jake,” I called through the window. “Jake hurry up!”
“Try it again,” he replied.
I quickly turned the key and the car rumbled and started to sputter. The steering wheel shimmied in my hands then the engine died. It was like the world was against us.
I looked back again and the crowd had begun to move toward us. There were half a dozen guys armed with bats and crowbars.
“Hey! Is that your car?” one of the men yelled.
“You guys need some help?” another one heckled.
“Jake get in the fucking car!” I shouted to him. “Get in the car now!”
“I almost got it,” he replied.
Dozens of thoughts went through my mind. Like why didn’t we take Carl’s gun. Hell, we didn’t take anything. Carl had a storage full of food and we’d left it all behind in our rush to end up here and die. I was turning out to be the shittiest leader ever.
“Jake get in the damn car!” I yelled.
Slamming the hood, Jake rushed around the side of the car and jumped inside. He shut the door and locked it then turned to me with a pale face.
“Go! Go, go, go!” he snapped.
“How?”
I twisted the key again and the car sluggishly rumbled. It puttered for a few minutes then died again with a loud clunk. We were trapped inside and had nowhere to go.
There was a smack against my window and I jumped. A man was standing outside with his palm pressed against the glass. With his other hand, he tapped the window with a piece of metal piping.
“Come on out,” he said. “I don’t think that car belongs to you.”
There was another thud and a man stopped beside Jake’s window. He raised a metal bat to eye level then bashed it into the glass. It shattered, sending tiny fragments into the cabin, but it didn’t break.
“Holy fuck!” Jake screeched. “Go man, get us out of here!”
I tried to start the car again, but it churned like an old washing machine. Fate taunted me as the engine would rumble, cut on and off then completely die.
“Get out the damn car!” the man on Jake’s side roared.
He cracked his bat into the window again and it rained a shower of glass down onto Jake. Shouting, he reached into the car and grabbed at Jake’s arm. Jake screamed and slapped at his hands, struggling to keep the man outside.
“Drive! Drive!” Jake screeched in a high-pitched tone.
More people began to circle the car and beat their weapons against the doors and trunk. The man beside me grinned then started to jab the metal pipe into the window.
I turned the key again and again. More grumbling, but the end result was the same. With a sudden thump, a man jumped onto the hood and started to swing a crowbar into the windshield. Jake was still screaming and trying to beat the man’s hands away as he gripped his collar and pulled him toward the window.
Cindy tucked her head and curled up in a ball. Brent could hardly stay awake and even as the car rattled from side to side and glass broke and sprayed the cabin, he didn’t move.
I mashed my foot on the gas and turned the key again. “Come on you piece of shit!” I pumped the gas over and over and with an ear-splitting squeal the car finally came to life.
I slung the shifter into drive and mashed the gas. Just as we sped away my window burst into slivers of glass and showered my legs with daggers. The sudden thrust forward freed Jake from the man’s grasp and like that we were off.
“Where do I go!” I yelled in panic.
“Just drive,” Jake replied.
To my surprise, the streets were mostly empty and any crowds that we did see were far enough away that they wouldn’t bother us. As we drove deeper into the city I started to recognize some of the streets and I managed to find the highway. Twenty minutes later, we were back on open road and the burning city was a speck in the rearview mirror.
“How much gas do we have?” Jake asked.
I hadn’t even thought to look and my heart sank as I thought about it. But our luck held and a smile spread over my face when I looked down at the gauge.
“A little under a full tank,” I replied.
“Good, real go…” Jake’s voice trailed off.
I glanced to my right and he was staring into the backseat. Somehow, I knew what he was looking at, but I had to ask, I had to be sure. Swallowing the massive lump in my throat I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the worst.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Brent…he’s dead.”
CHAPTER 19
WHAT DOESN’T KILL YOU
I couldn’t stop staring into his eyes. They looked alive, like he should’ve been there. Like he was waiting for the right moment to speak, to tell us some secret he’d been holding in all along. Deep down I knew better, but I hoped for some kind of miracle.
“We’ve gotta move him,” Jake sniffled. “Stop the car.”
Wincing, I pulled over on the side of t
he empty highway and put the car in park. I turned and looked behind me. Cindy was crammed in the corner of the backseat. She hadn’t said a word, but was crying non-stop.
Brent was hunched over on the opposite side of the car. His face was pale, but his eyes were as lively as they’d ever been. I couldn’t believe he was gone. I thought if I just screamed louder or gave him more time he’d wake up. He couldn’t be dead.
“You ready?” Jake asked.
I didn’t reply. I kept staring at Brent, trying to comprehend the lie my eyes were telling me. He was alive five minutes ago and now he was nothing more than a lifeless bulge.
“Max,” Jake said a little louder. “We have to move him. He needs to be buried.”
“Buried,” I repeated.
The idea seemed mad. What if we were wrong, what if he was just in a coma? What if he woke back up? We couldn’t bury Brent alive, we just couldn’t. Suddenly, an uncontrollable anger swelled over me. I couldn’t’ believe he would even suggest that.
“You’re his best friend!” I growled. “You can’t just throw him away like, like trash.”
“He’s gone man…I’m sorry, but he’s gone.”
“Fuck you!” my voice quivered. It was hard to breath and my fingers twitched as I struggled to find the right words. “Fuck you Jake! He’s not gone!”
My voice broke and the sound scared me. A wave of tears rushed from my eyes and I felt my head spin in wide swooping circles.
“It’s ok man…it’s ok,” Jake said and grabbed my shoulder.
“Don’t you fucking touch me,” I snapped and shoved him away.
Fuming, I opened the door and stepped outside. I sucked in a lungful of air then bent over and rested my hands on my knees. Suddenly, my stomach twisted and I lurched forward, spewing bits of beans and rice into the grass.
I grunted and caught myself before falling completely to the ground. I heaved forward again and released another stream of puke then straightened up and wiped my mouth.
“My God,” I gasped and stared up into the clouds.
The other door opened and Jake stepped out. He walked around the back then stopped a few feet behind me.
The Mayflower Project: Deconstruction Book Two (A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller) Page 11