by Kirk Withrow
Startled, John lurched back, his arms pinwheeling through the air as he tried to find balance. He lost his footing and fell back onto his haunches as his pistol slipped out of his grip. When he regained his footing and composure, what he saw outside the window chilled him to his core. Silhouetted by the dim moonlight, the poor, mangled rev that served as the impotent battering ram stood stock-still before a throng of revs that stretched back to a collapsed section of the brick wall. Oh shit! There goes the neighborhood!
John spun on his heels, trying to strike a balance between speed and stealth as he ran to wake the others. Despite his efforts to remain unnoticed, his hasty departure caused a definite increase in noise from the uninvited guests outside the house. He stopped halfway up the stairs before saying in a hushed but urgent tone, “Guys, time to get up! We’ve got a lot of company, and we need to think about getting out of here now!”
Still not entirely free from sleep’s serene embrace, all three of his companions slowly emerged from their respective sleeping quarters.
“What’s the situation?” asked Ethan, instantly sounding as alert as if he had been watching his favorite T.V. show.
‘Revs! An ass-load of revs! Looks like the wall gave way and now they’re stacked up along the left side of the house,” replied John, trying hard to hide the rising panic in his voice. “I’m going to check the other sides now.”
Everyone geared up quickly and met John on the first floor landing. “There are at least twenty behind the house, and another twenty along the left side. They’re about to spill around to the front. The right side looks clear for now. Where the hell did they all come from so fast?” said John, panting from exertion.
Matter-of-factly, Ethan replied, “Must have been massed on the outside of the brick wall hidden from view. With enough weight, any barrier will eventually fail, and then the floodgates are open. We better get out of here before we lose all points of egress.”
As if on cue, a loud crash came from the rear of the house. The deathly smell of rancid meat and ozone that seeped into the house left no question as to the cause of the breaking glass. The infection was always accompanied by a pathognomonic smell—an earthy mix of decay, excrement, and other unidentifiable noxious odors intermingling to form an utterly vile effluvium.
Like water pouring through a hull breach, the infected spilled into the house following the path of least resistance. As one door leading out of the back room of the house became clogged, the revs were simply diverted deeper into the interior of the house through the other door. The four survivors just finished getting their packs on when the first rev came into view.
“Move!” shouted Ethan as he pulled a long machete from a scabbard on his pack. “I’ll cover you!”
John, Reams, and Kate dashed for a bedroom window on the far side of the house. The rasping rumble of dozens of uncoordinated bodies resounded through the confines of the previously noiseless house as the horde trampled through the hall, as though herded by some unseen shepherd of death.
The whistle of the machete blade slicing through the air followed by the wet, clunky sound of metal colliding with bone told John that Ethan was engaging with the pursuing revs. “Hurry up with the window! They’re getting closer!” yelled John, not taking his eyes off of the door. As the sounds of the affray drew closer, Ethan’s savage grunts became nearly indistinguishable from the gutturals of the revs.
“Got it!” exclaimed Reams as he hurriedly helped Kate through the window. John was nearly bowled over as Ethan burst through the door, gasping for air with his gore-caked machete still in hand. Seconds later the first of the infected, a grotesque thing wearing a blood-soaked T-shirt and firefighter’s pants, appeared in the bedroom doorway. Its legs became hopelessly entangled with the one remaining arm of a corpse Ethan left in his wake, causing it to crash down hard on the ground.
Without hesitation, John hefted his Pulaski axe and ferociously swung the adze down onto the back of the rev’s skull. Following the soft, crunching sound, the creature momentarily shuttered and twitched before collapsing into a lifeless heap.
Reams helped Ethan through the window, and then climbed through as well. For a moment, John feared the big man might get stuck in the window frame, effectively blocking his only way out of the bedroom that was quickly starting to feel like a deathtrap.
After a moment of struggling, Reams disappeared from the window, leaving John to wonder how a guy as big as Reams fit through such an impossibly small opening. He did not dwell on this for long as the remaining revs were rapidly bearing down on him. Turning, he fairly launched himself out the window after tossing his rifle and axe through. He planned to grab the windowpane and pull it closed as he passed through the opening, but the blood and sweat on his hands conspired against him and his grip failed.
The four survivors regrouped in the darkness as the wretched, yearning faces of the infected began to pile up in the window. John knew it was only a matter of time before some of them fell through the open window, forced out by the ghoulish tide of sickly bodies pouring into the small room. The first of the revs from behind the house stumbled into view, having clearly taking a keen interest in the small group assembled on the lawn. With a nod, Kate said, “We’ve got more company!”
With that, the four survivors set out toward the opposite side of the subdivision. As the wall was only recently breached, and the infected that entered were focused on the house, they surmised that the rest of the neighborhood before them would still be essentially free of the infected. While they were relieved this turned out to be the case, the ever-blooming number of infected pursuing them more than offset the small stroke of good fortune.
The wind and thunder continued to howl and crash around them as they ran, effectively masking the sound of the infected mob, and offering little insight into the numbers in their ranks. Without the moon to light the night sky, only the occasional, ephemeral flash of lightning provided a fleeting glimpse of their surroundings. After a single glance, they each independently decided it was best not to look back toward the pursuing horde.
The heavy, wrought iron gates shimmered in the lightning about fifty yards ahead. Ethan opted to head toward the front of the development thinking it would be much easier for them to scale the closed gates than the more formidable brick wall. Even as the full force of Reams’ massive bulk collided with the thick bars, the impressive gates barely creaked in protest. The closest pursuing rev was about seventy yards away when Ethan clambered over the rain-slick gate to follow the others.
As their prey skittered off into the darkness once again, the snarling groans of the amassing horde grew so loud it rivaled the thunder, at times becoming nearly indistinguishable. Safe from the pursuing revs, the group was plunged into the dark unknown of the forested area around Hermitage Estates. While the intermittent lightning offered limited sensory awareness, it hardly offset the negative effects of the darkness, thunder, and rain. In addition, the brief intense periods of light wreaked havoc on their night vision. Reaching a clearing about a half a mile away from the gate, Ethan signaled for them to stop. John examined Reams’ injury, opting to reinforce rather than replace the blood-soaked bandage on his arm.
“What’s the plan?” asked Ethan, his eyes scanning their surroundings in perpetual motion as though his head was on a swivel.
Kate stood off to the side of the group and seemed almost as vigilant in her observations.
Speaking over the din of the worsening weather, John said, “My house is not far from here. There are some supplies there including food and water. There weren’t many infected in the vicinity when Reams and I were last there. If we are leaving to find Lin I have to check my house one last time. I have to leave Ava a note.”
Even in the darkness, the look of absolute sadness in John’s eyes was clear to each of them. One by one, they nodded in agreement before falling in line behind John. An exceptionally loud peal of thunder tore through the sky, sounding as though the heavens themselves were
being torn to pieces.
Unbeknownst to them an equally loud, albeit far more ominous grumble resonated about a half mile away, obscured by the sounds of the storm. Saturated by the torrential rains, the ground near the gates softened and began to loosen around the concrete holding the gateposts in place, as the weight of the horde relentlessly rocked them back and forth. As a result, increased strain was placed on the hinges and bolts anchoring them to the brick columns. Slowly the mortar cracked and chipped before finally releasing the bolts, allowing the gate to pull away from the brick. A sea of pale, blank faces spilled through the narrow gap that opened like a portal straight from hell.
Chapter 32
October 20, 2015
John and Reams always made it a point to travel during the day, if possible, due to the sensory impairment caused by the darkness. They had not noticed any correlation between the time of day and the activity level of the revs, offering further confirmation to the fact that the infected did not seem to need rest. Now, traveling at night amidst a massive thunderstorm, they felt exceptionally vulnerable. The heavy rain compounded the visual impairment caused by the darkness. Additionally, they could no longer rely on the telltale sounds of the infected for warning as the rain and thunder drowned out many noises. While John was not certain, he worried that the rain might also alter their ability to smell the infected. “I sure hope this damn rain is causing the revs as much trouble as it’s causing us,” remarked John as he wiped the rain from his eyes.
John estimated that his house on Hood Street was a little less than six miles from Hermitage Estates, along a route that would take them through town, and past the area where Trenton reported seeing the young girl. John tried to recall how long ago that had been but was unsure. A week perhaps? Is it even worth checking out now?
“I don’t like this, I can’t see shit!” said John loud enough for the others to hear over the din of the storm. He imagined a rev would have to be less than six feet in front of him before he would be able to see it in the current conditions. “Since we’re in the clear for now, I vote we find a place to hole up and let the storm move through.”
Exhausted and freezing in the cold rain, Reams and Kate both nodded their heads in silent agreement. If Ethan heard his words he gave no indication of it as he stared into the dark, rainy distance behind them.
After a moment Ethan spoke hesitantly, without shifting his eyes from the direction in which they had come, “I’m not sure this is the best time to stop. I think I heard something other than the storm. You guys head over there for now. I’m going to take a quick look around.”
Before anyone could protest, Ethan slipped off into the darkness. The group had travelled a little more than a mile away from Hermitage Estates following a rural county road bordered by the Tombigbee River on their left. While they could see no buildings or other such manmade structures in the vicinity, Kate spotted a rock outcropping in the direction Ethan had indicated. “There! Looks like we could shelter under those rock formations,” said Kate, amazed at the apparent ease with which Ethan spotted the nearly indiscernible location.
Clambering over several small boulders, John, Reams, and Kate ascended to the natural shelter of the sandstone formation. The overhanging rock created an alcove large enough for a group twice their size to rest comfortably. In addition to the earthen smell of the dusty floor that permeated the stagnant air, a campfire scent emanated from the charred remains of a log long ago burnt in a makeshift stone fire ring. Several rocks and cut logs, presumably used for seating, lay scattered around the centrally located fire pit. Were it not for a few empty beer cans and the typical graffiti stating such things as, ‘Rodney + April 4Ever,’ and, ‘Class of ’96 Rawks!,’ Kate imagined the set up might have been created by one of the Native American tribes long since departed from the area. She noticed Reams staring quizzically at the scattered white patches adorning the stone walls and roof.
“It’s chalk. Climbers dust holds with it to improve the friction,” said Kate matter-of-factly. As the roof was approximately eight feet off the ground at the highest point, Reams couldn’t imagine why anyone would bother to climb the structure when they could simply walk around to the top.
“I’m going to the front to keep an eye out for Ethan,” said John before moving to the mouth of the cave. Taking a knee, he peered out into the foggy darkness that seemed dense enough to swim in. Although Ethan had been gone only fifteen minutes, an unsettling feeling overcame John, leaving him nervous that whatever the man heard was more than his mind playing tricks on him.
During a slight lull in the storm that fortuitously coincided with a break in the fog, John thought he caught a glimpse of Ethan moving up the road toward the cave. Despite his best effort, however, he was unable to keep the shadowy figure in view as it melded back into the dark miasma of the pluvial night air. With eyes straining and mind concentrating intensely, he did not immediately register the scratching sound that preceded several small rocks trundling down the steep slope above and to his left. Another faint impression of movement in the distance made John wonder what Ethan was doing just as the last echoes of the sound triggered the alarms in his brain. If Ethan is out there then what the hell made that noise?
Jumping to his feet and bracing for the worst, John shouldered his rifle to face down whatever horror approached. With a blur the thing responsible for the sound dropped from the roof and landed on the packed dirt floor with a hollow thud. John brought his rifle up from the low ready position and began to line up his target in the dim light. As his sights came into alignment and he began to apply pressure to the trigger, two things occurred simultaneously. The target, which remained unknown to John in the darkness of the cave, rolled to the right out of his line of fire, and an unsettled feeling in his stomach caused his trigger finger to hesitate for a fraction of a second.
“Holy shit, Ethan! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” exclaimed John as he finally recognized the figure that came up on one knee behind a nearby rock. His heart thudded so hard John thought it might actually bruise his ribs.
“Sorry, brother, but we need to move. I think the horde from Hermitage managed to get through somehow, and they’re not too far behind,” said Ethan with an urgent tone that immediately refocused John’s frenzied mind.
“But I just saw you down…” John’s voice trailed off as the realization of what he had seen – specifically how close it had been – clicked into place with bone-chilling detail.
“Oh, hell!” exclaimed John as he found his voice again. He wasted no time shaking off the cobwebs of confusion and was already moving to get Reams and Kate. Ethan took John’s position at the mouth of the cave, keeping a watchful eye on the road in the direction of the approaching horde.
“Reams! Kate! We need to move! Ethan says the horde from Hermitage managed to get out and aren’t far behind,” declared John bluntly.
Both of them leapt to their feet instantly, displaying very little emotion to the news, almost like they had been expecting it. Given everything they endured, both individually and collectively, since the beginning of the plague, John understood their paucity of emotion on some levels. Still, the discrepancy between his reaction and theirs bothered him. Maybe they assume the worst so they can be prepared for it should it come? Perhaps he was simply being naïve to think they had escaped to relative safety?
Again, John’s thoughts drifted back to loved ones taken by the plague—Rebecca, Al, and Sylvia—and he again wondered if it was only a matter of time for the rest of them. Are we merely postponing the inevitable? I’m far too tired to fight if that’s the case! Before his mind could drag him any further away from the present situation, he took a long, deep, steadying breath and muttered the one word that still brought him hope: Ava.
Scrambling down the rain-slick, moss covered rocks, the group hurriedly moved back onto the road. The waning storm offered some improvement in visibility as the moon periodically peered out from behind the thinning cloud cover. John was th
ankful that the storm seemed to be dying down but reconsidered this as he heard the faint, but unmistakable, rasping groan of the infected mass on the wind. Subconsciously, they quickened their pace – the sound serving as a riding crop.
Having travelled at a fast walking pace for over thirty minutes, John was relieved that he could no longer hear the guttural calls of the pursuing revs. Before he could share this with the others, however, Ethan came to an abrupt stop with one fist held aloft to signal the others to do the same. He appeared to be focusing intensely on something ahead of them, though none of them could see what it was he found so interesting. After a moment, John thought the horde might be closing in again as he heard their ominous sound in the distance. Impossible! The infected can’t move that fast!
Gazing ahead at the highway stretching up the slight hill in the distance, the asphalt appeared to wriggle and shimmy ever so slightly, much the same as when the heat of a hot summer day radiates off the pavement. As it was neither hot nor daytime, John found this rather disconcerting. For the second time in less than an hour, the pieces of information swirling around in his mind clicked together to show him the terrifying reality of their situation: a second horde approached their position from the front, effectively sandwiching them on the highway. The wide-eyed look of sheer terror he saw adorning Reams’ face and the sharp, clipped inhalation he heard from Kate told John that they, too, had figured out what Ethan saw ahead in the distance.
“Dammit! What the hell are we going to do now?” asked Reams with no small amount of panic evident in his voice. With the river running parallel to the highway’s left side, John realized that their best option was to head into the wooded area to their right. “It’s too damn dark to go through the forest. We can barely see out in the open, so there’s no way we’ll be able to see in there! Maybe we should try to swim across the river?” said Reams.