by Joseph Souza
“Don’t mess up like you messed me up all those years.”
“Your mother and I did the best we could to raise you and your brother.”
“Not the way I needed to be raised. But then again, what did you really know about me?”
Thorn held the end of the torch inches from my face. I could feel the heat searing my dry skin.
“You heard her, big shot. Better do it right.” Thorn moved the torch away from my face.
“Let’s go,” Dar said.
Thorn and Dar opened the door and sprinted. It took a few seconds for them to realize it, but as soon as they started running towards the barn, the creatures woke from their slumber and started forward. The dead reached out and tried to grab hold of the two of them. Dar and Thorn jabbed their torches at the dead, setting a few ablaze. The lit creatures staggered off, howling, unable to put out the flames. The others backed away as Dar and Thorn sprinted past. A pack of the dead stood between them and the barn. Dar took out her pistol and proceeded to shoot each one in the head. As soon as a lane opened up, the two of them crouched low and sprinted past the others before they closed the gap.
Emily started to cry in convulsive sobs. Kate leaned over and tried to put her at ease, but the sound of the gunshots and ravenous howling proved too difficult to ignore. The growl of the truck’s engine roared to life, busting through the double doors of the barn and accelerating out onto the driveway, tossing creatures into the air. The truck swerved and continued moving until it parked parallel to the house, leaving just enough room for the storm door to open. Thorn opened the driver’s side door. Kate ran out first, passing the kids up to Thorn, who passed them over to Dar. When both children were safely inside, Kate climbed up and into the cab. Thorn shut his door, gunned the engine, and pulled out of the driveway. To my shock, they were leaving without me. The truck accelerated down the driveway, plowing into the creatures and sending them soaring into the air. The truck stopped when it reached the main road. I stood watching as my hopes faded, prepared for them to ride off without me.
Suddenly the monsters turned their attention to me. It had come down to this, and after everything that I’d done to make it this far. I didn’t feel like fighting anymore. I closed my eyes and surrendered to them, hoping that the end would be painless and quick. Anticipating the first bite into my flesh, I prayed for forgiveness to God, waiting for them to close in around me. But then I heard something familiar. The booming sound of the truck’s engine reverberated in the air. Thorn steered the pickup in reverse and backed up next to the door, causing a half dozen of the dead to fly back in the air. I opened my eyes and saw them smash into the barn, and then pick themselves up and begin to proceed forward. The truck’s flatbed rumbled in front of me.
“What are you waiting for, dickhead?” Thorn shouted. “Get in.”
Another group of creatures rushed towards the rear bumper. I didn’t have time to waste. I lit the match, tossed it behind me, and then sprinted towards the back of the truck. A giant whoosh went up behind me as I started to climb aboard the truck. One of their cold hands tried to pull me back down, but I reared back and kicked, managing to get two of them off me. But as I did, two more grabbed my pant leg, howling for blood.
“Hold on!” Thorn shouted. “Stand on the bumper.”
I stepped up on the bumper and held on tight as he gunned it into reverse. The fuckers behind me disappeared under the carriage. The truck came to a screeching halt at the end of the driveway, the barn at my back. Another inch and I would have been squashed. I clamored up over the rear gate and rolled into the bed just as he shifted it into drive. He gunned it down the driveway, and I fell back into the tailgate, landing on my shoulder.
When I looked up, I noticed that two decomposing hags had climbed up the side of the truck and were now groping towards me. I reached behind me and picked up a spare tire iron. I stood, trying to keep my balance, and held it chest high as the first one approached. I swung it down like a tomahawk over her head, and it smashed through her skull, pulverizing her brain as if it were a pile of rotten bananas. We fell back to the bed where I pulled the iron out of the top of her spine. The iron dripped with greasy ooze. Standing, I managed in one motion to backhand the iron through the face of the other hag nipping at my shoulder. It sliced off half her skull, which flew like a Frisbee over the side of the truck. I fell against the cab as the truck accelerated ahead. Gray cerebral cortex protruded from the open skull lying next to me. The truck slowed for a second and then sped up, and I fell back against the tailgate again, sprawled on my back. I lay there, staring up at the night sky, cursing as the air rushed over my head. A tingling sensation came over my skin and face, and I reached up and tried to rub it away. When I looked down at my hands I saw brain matter smeared across the lifelines. I screamed at the top of my lungs and wiped it off on the side of the truck.
I quickly sat up and caught a glimpse of the flames starting to consume the farmhouse. Soon it would be a bonfire. The creatures shrieked as they went up in the pyre, their horrific moans echoing loudly in the night. Their ghostly reflections appeared like a nightmare. The barn soon became engulfed in flames. Thorn stopped the truck to take a look back. As the truck’s engine idled, we watched as our former safe house went up in flames. But we didn’t have much time to savor our escape, as some creatures standing along the road began to quickly approach us. I heaved the rotten cadavers over the side—they were lighter than expected—and stared over at the new ones approaching. There appeared to be hundreds of them out there. I picked up the tire iron and swung it at an old man approaching. The elbow struck him above his left ear, and it came out below his right, causing the dead man to collapse in a heap.
“Nice work,” Thorn said. “Hold onto your hat, old man, because we’re in for a wild ride.”
Thorn sped the truck down the two-way road. The sickly sound of bodies thudding off the raised plow filled the night air. It felt as if we were riding over a rocky riverbed. The knobby tires sank into the soft, desiccated flesh and caused the truck to wobble along. I fell to a sitting position and held onto the side panels for dear life as my body got tossed up and down for what seemed like forever.
Chapter 23
THE ENGINE’S LOW GROWL RUMBLED IN my ears, and when I looked back, I noticed that the road was littered with bodies, the faint glow of moonlight illuminating the corpse-littered pavement. The lucky ones picked themselves up off the ground and began to stagger forward. I turned and looked through the cabin window, staring at the beam of light ahead of us. The further south we traveled, the less of the dead we encountered.
The roads were pitch black. Thorn accelerated off the main byway and onto the interstate. The lights on the highway had been shut off. Thorn turned on the high beams and gunned it along the empty highway. I turned and sat back in relief. We’d done it. We would be safe after all. Despite the chill in the air, I closed my eyes and began to drift off. Minutes passed before I felt the engine downshift, and the truck began to slow to a crawl. I turned to see the cause of it and noticed a brilliant beam of light up ahead, aimed in our direction.
I stood and looked over the cab and saw an army Jeep lurch to a stop in front of us. It turned sideways next to the truck to prevent it from going any further. Two soldiers in white biohazard suits jumped out of the vehicle and approached us, rifles in hand. Through a bullhorn, one of them ordered Thorn to shut the engine off. Inside the cab, I saw Dar giving orders to Thorn and Kate. What was she saying? Thorn rolled down the window as one of the men approached the driver’s side.
“Hands off the wheel! And you up there, put your hands on top of the truck,” the soldier instructed me. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Heading south, man. Beantown or bust.”
“Afraid that’s not going to happen. All of you need to step out of the vehicle.”
“What’s the problem?” Thorn asked.
“Get out of the van. Now!”
The two soldiers stood watch
ing with rifles in hand. Though they weren’t pointing their weapons at us, they seemed ready to use them if needed. Climbing down, I noticed Thorn opening the door and stepping out in front of me. Dar exited on the opposite side, snatching Amber away from Kate. It seemed odd to me that she would want to carry Amber. Kate slid out of the driver’s side as the floodlight shone brightly in our eyes and made it difficult to see. We gathered in front of the soldiers, who stood staring at us.
“We have nothing to hide. We’re just heading down to Boston to see family,” Thorn said.
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen,” one of the soldiers replied. “We’re impounding the vehicle. You’re all to be taken into custody.”
“Custody?” Thorn said, holding his hands out in protest. “What the hell for?”
“Keep those arms up, buddy, if you know what’s good for you,” one of the soldiers said. “You can talk to our supervisor once you reach the facility.”
“Facility? Forget that shit, dude! I want to know what we’ve done to deserve this kind of treatment. We’re goddamn American citizens. We have our Constitutional rights, in case you haven’t done your homework,” Thorn said.
“You’ve obviously been out of the loop. President Roberts has suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus and declared martial law. Currently, you have no Constitutional rights.”
“You got to be shitting me.”
“I promise, I am not shitting you.”
“Relax, Thorn,” Dar said in her sweetest voice, cradling Amber in her arms. “These soldiers know what’s best for us, hon. It’s probably for our own good.”
“What’s up with you?” Thorn asked. “They want to put us in a goddamn facility.”
“Listen to your girlfriend, mister, or whatever the hell she is. Then maybe none of you will get hurt,” the other soldier said, staring at Dar as he removed a radio from his pocket. “The support vehicle will be here shortly. Follow us over to the Jeep.”
“Thank you so much, officers,” Dar said, looking lovingly down at the child cradled in her arms.
After all the suffering and hardship we’d gone through, it had come down to this. I couldn’t believe Dar had so willingly complied with the soldiers’ demands and surrendered to them. Had this contagion spread throughout the country? The entire time we’d been cooped up inside Rick’s house, we hadn’t once seen any government or military officials.
The soldiers stood off to the side as the six of us made our way to the Jeep. Dar looked helplessly down at Amber, who had woken and was now screaming at the top of her lungs. She glanced up at the soldiers and shrugged helplessly as the baby wailed. Amber’s face was as red as a tomato, and she looked to be in serious pain.
“Do you want me to take her from you?” Kate asked.
“No, I just need to feed her.” Dar looked up at the soldiers. “Okay if I give my girl some juice in order to calm her down?”
“Make it quick.”
The soldier on the left nodded. Dar reached into her pocket, whipped out her gun, and in one motion shot the two soldiers dead. They collapsed to the ground next to each other. Dar walked over to make sure they were dead. Then she placed the screaming baby back into Kate’s arms. Dar went over and picked up the army rifles and handed them to Thorn. Next, she searched inside the Jeep and grabbed some of the magazines.
“M16 A2. Magazine holds thirty rounds. These should give us some decent protection while we’re traveling,” Thorn said, smiling.
“Put the guns in the bed. I’m going to ride back there with my old man in case we get stopped again. No way I’m taking any more chances.” Dar turned to us. “Everyone, back in the truck. There’ll be a swarm of these army types here shortly.”
“Let me ride next to you, Dar. I want to shoot one of those M16s,” Thorn said.
“Shut up, Thorn. I need you to get us the hell out of here before they find out we bumped these chumps. Give Thom the rifle,” she said, nodding in my direction. “I want him riding shotgun back here with me.”
Thorn eyed me jealously.
“Turn the truck around and get off the interstate. The highway will be teeming with these army assholes. You know the back roads well?”
“Yeah, I use to drive a delivery truck down to Portland. I’ll jump onto Route 11 and cut down through the state.”
“Drive slow and with the headlights dimmed. Any more of these grunts come after us, they’ll be in for a surprise. Once dawn breaks, we’ll pull over somewhere and wait until night to travel.”
We clamored back into the truck. The baby’s torturous screams echoed into the night. As the truck turned, Dar shot out the military floodlights and tires. Suddenly we were plunged into total darkness. The truck rumbled across the grassy median strip until it crossed onto the northern route. A mile down the road, we turned off the interstate. Thorn directed the truck onto the southern portion of 11 and began to slowly head south.
“Amber was sleeping soundly before you snatched her out of Kate’s arms. What did you do to her?” I asked Dar.
She held up her hand and showed me her dirty, claw-like nails.
“Stick one of these things up their ass, and it wakes them up pretty quick.”
“Jesus, how are you going to take care of your own child?”
“Don’t you worry your little head about my kid.”
“That’s my grandchild you’re talking about.”
“And I’m going to teach your grandchild the proper way to take care of itself. Forget boarding schools, piano lessons, psychiatrists and all that other bullshit you tortured me with. I’ve discovered my true self during this crisis. For the first time in my life, I know who I am and what needs to be done.”
I stood over the cab, clutching the M16. The cold air rushed up to my face and caused my lips to become numb. Dar kept her gaze trained ahead like a soldier, alert and ready. I realized that she had become totally detached from civilized behavior and had finally gone off the grid, living by her own terms, playing by her own set of rules. I felt both in awe and afraid of her. Not afraid for my own life, which I could care less about at this point, but afraid for her soul, afraid for her future on this earth as well as the future of her unborn child.
We drove endlessly through the night. I leaned down and peeked into the cabin and noticed that Kate and the children were asleep. Thorn’s eyes were locked on the darkened road ahead. Dar remained awake, the barrel of the assault rifle resting atop the roof. The darkness was complete, and I could barely make out any of the surrounding landscape. I had no idea whether we were traveling through thick woods or open countryside.
Then the first hint of sunlight began to rise over the hills. Small streaks of creamy orange light began to radiate on the horizon. For the first time, I noticed that we were in open country: rolling hills, farms and dairy pastures. I saw no livestock anywhere, no sign of human activity, no cars driving along the road. There were no birds in the air, nor could I hear any chirping or signs of life. We reached the top of a large hill and glided down the opposite side, where I half expected to see army troops waiting for us at the bottom. But fortunately, the valley appeared empty.
At the top of yet another steep rise, I noticed a large farmhouse sitting off in the distance. It was set back maybe a quarter mile from the road. Acres of barren fields surrounded it. A few broken down chassis sat rusting alongside the house. Dar banged the rifle on the top of the cabin and signaled for Thorn to head over to it. We cruised down the hill. Upon reaching the driveway, he turned the truck onto the gravel and headed straight toward the house. It looked very similar to Rick’s farmhouse, with a large barn at the end of the driveway and the entryway parallel to the driveway. Thorn hit the brakes and stopped in front of the door. Dar jumped out and directed Thorn to park behind the house so that the truck couldn’t be seen from the road. Kate and the kids jumped out next. I sprawled over the side and then watched as Thorn parked the truck behind the house. A few seconds later, he came sprinting back to join up with us
.
We entered through the unlocked door and walked into the kitchen and then the living room. A large potbelly stove sat up against the back corner. Dated wallpaper hung everywhere. No one appeared home.
“Go downstairs, Thorn, and check it out.” Dar turned to me. “Go look around the main floor, see what you can find. Martha Stewart, you and the kids stay put. I’m going upstairs to see what’s there. Holler if you come across anything.”
We split up. I went around, unlocking all the doors and checking inside the rooms. Nothing seemed out of place. I tossed the curtains aside but saw nothing but farmland and rolling hills. The fields had obviously not been tilled since last year. I wandered around, opening every door I could find, looking for any evidence of life.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of Dar screaming.
I ran upstairs and found her kicking a tiny blackened figure sprawled out in front of the fireplace. It didn’t look like one of the dead creatures. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that it was a kid, and he was covered from head to toe in soot. He looked to be about twelve. Dar kept thrashing the poor boy until he toppled over onto the tiles beneath the fireplace, bleeding. Howling in agony, Dar took out her knife and moved in for the kill. Without thinking, I ran over and shielded the boy from her wrath and enveloped him in my arms.
“He’s just a boy, Dar. Take it easy on him.”
“Little bastard bit me! He was hiding in the chimney when he chomped down on my hand.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know who you were,” the poor kid said, cowering in my arms.
“The name’s Dar! And you better not have any diseases, kid.”
“I ain’t got no diseases.”
“Shut your mouth, punk,” Thorn said, pointing a finger at him.
The boy’s face was bloodied and bruised by the pounding Dar had given him. Red gashes streaked across his cheek from her razor-sharp nails. His left eye was nearly closed from the pummeling, and his two front teeth were missing. Dar stood in front of him, flashing the knife. He backed up into me, frightened and staring up at her as if she were the devil. A chunk of flesh had been chewed off between Dar’s forefinger and thumb, and blood was dripping onto the floor.