by Gouge, W. B.
“Whatever IT is, I have it now too! Just get going, you have to…” Greg pleaded.
He checked his pistol and laughed, “Two left, one for me and one for the first one that comes through the door…” Greg’s smile faded as he watched the cellar door.
The banging on the door had become a constant sound as the wood began to crack with each hit. Owen looked out through the crack of the storm door, “I don’t see any of them, they must all be in the house.”
Owen held his bat and got ready with Liz and Sarah standing behind him. David was kneeling by Greg trying desperately to think of some comfort he could give him. They both knew it was the bites that spread the infection, and they both knew there was nothing either of them could do to stop it at this point. Greg was going to die, and then he would turn into one of them.
“You don’t have time to mess around here.” Greg said with a serious look on his face.
“I know.” David said and went to join the others by the storm door.
David was last in line, he turned back to Greg, “Thanks for everything Greg. I’m sorry.”
Greg smiled and waved for them to go as he slowly rose, pulled out a lighter out of his pocket and picked up a piece of cloth from the work bench. He stood at the bottom of the stairs and lit the cloth on fire before tossing it onto the small pile of wood scraps under the wooden steps. He leaned against the wall and stood with his pistol in hand waiting for the mob to break through the door. David turned back to the group, “Don’t stop for anything, get to the truck, Liz drives with me and Owen in the back.”
Everyone took a deep breath and clutched their weapons, Owen had his hand on the latch. They stood for a second before Owen started counting, “On three… One, Two…” he threw the door open and charged out.
The girls were right behind him with David following close behind. The sky was getting bright in the East, the grass was wet with dew and the air cool. Owen headed for the truck and jumped over the tailgate into the back, Liz climbed into the driver seat and Sarah climbed in the passenger side of the truck. As David reached the truck the screams and howls from inside were joined by two gunshots. David leapt in the back of the truck as Liz fired up the engine. Owen helped pull David to his feet. The truck began to move forward as Owen yelled, “Look out!”
David turned to see two people charging the truck. One of them clawed at Liz’s window while the other reached over the side of the truck bed for David and Owen in the back. Owen swung his bat smashing the arms of their attacker, there was a sharp crack as the bone broke and the arm bent in more than one place. Liz stomped the gas pedal leaving the pair behind the truck. She drove quickly to the end of the driveway throwing mud and gravel at their pursuers. Owen and David sat against the cabin with their backs relieved after having escaped unscathed. At the end of the driveway David was looking back at the house when he suddenly yelled for Liz to stop. She slammed on the brakes and the truck stopped halfway on the main road.
David was staring back at the house, Owen squinted to see what he was looking at. It was Edna chasing after them, her face a bloody mess and arms stretched out reaching for them as she ran. “That’s not your grandma,” Owen said to David.
The girls were looking back as David put the rifle on the side of the truck and looked through the scope at his grandmother. “I know…” he whispered sadly.
He watched her stagger toward them, blood covered face and hands and those dull eyes. Seconds later he fired the rifle. Edna’s head snapped back, her arms dropped to her side and she collapsed on the muddy ground face first. Liz pulled the truck onto the road and drove away from the house. David sat against the cabin of the truck crying, Owen sat next to him with his arm around David’s shoulders. As the house disappeared into the distance a pillar of black smoke rose from where the old house sat.
David’s arms felt heavier, like he was suddenly holding some tremendous weight. He swallowed back the need to vomit and took a deep breath of the fresh, crisp morning air. He was alone now, the only two people he had in the world were gone. What would he do? And where would he go? As he wondered he looked over at Owen who was watching the road behind them. Then he glanced over at Liz and Sarah and suddenly he didn’t feel so alone. He had friends, and it felt just as good to him.
The fresh air whipping around them felt good too. The two boys sat quietly as the sun rose over the corn. Liz opened the back window and asked where they should go. Owen told her to head toward Mayville. Afterall, it was the closest town to Dry Creek, hopefully they could find some help there. David was hoping that this nightmare had only made it to this small town by chance, and that the rest of the area would be safe. But he had the distinct feeling that his hopes would soon fade away.
They drove without talking for a while. Liz slowed the truck down on an empty stretch of road with tall grass swaying in the breeze on both sides. There were no buildings or cars around, David and Owen stood up in the back of the truck to see why they had stopped. There was a green sign beside the road, behind the sign in the distance were several pillars of black smoke rising up to the sky. There must have been at least ten separate fires burning up ahead a few miles or so he thought. David and Owen read the green sign by the road and weren’t sure what to do next. The sign read “Mayville 3 mi.”