Nightwalk

by D. Nathan Hilliard

  The relieved look on many of the faces around me spoke volumes. Even Darla looked somewhat pleasant for a change. I suppose I couldn’t blame them. They were tired and scared, and once we emerged on the circle opposite from the way we came, the clubhouse would only be a block or two away.

  Yet Casey’s face had gone somber. She gave me a grim look, and I had a pretty good idea why. She probably saw this as a surrender on my part. She probably thought I had given up.

  I hadn’t.

  What I didn’t state was my intention to make sure everybody made it safe and secure to the clubhouse, then continue onward and start hunting for Stella myself. I just hoped I could talk Ed and Tommy into sitting on Casey when she figured it out.

  If I found Stella I would bring her back to the clubhouse and the three of us could decide if we wanted to make for the exit then.

  But that was a matter for later, and we needed to get moving.

  Since I carried the lantern, I crossed the bridge to where Tommy now squatted next to the rail post. He had waited at the end of the little span, apparently content to simply stay there and see what we decided to do.

  I briefly wondered if he had his own opinion on what course we took. Or if he even cared. Ashlyn had said he originally intended to leave the neighborhood, apparently by this very route, when he had picked her up. But something must have changed. Since joining the others he had settled for merely standing watch, and reacting to what came his way.

  Exactly like he did now.

  He rose to his feet as I reached him, and as I met those unblinking eyes I seriously tried to imagine what went on behind them. Unfortunately they were opaque, revealing nothing…the same as everything else about him. Nothing he said or did revealed a single thing about who he was. Other than that one hesitation regarding the flag, he had never voiced a single opinion on anything said or done around him.

  Hell, he hardly talked at all.

  But we didn’t have time for a “get to know you” session. I would simply have to pay attention as we went, and figure out what I could.

  “You ready to move out?” I gestured in the direction of the path up to Howard Circle.

  He gave a slow nod and turned toward the direction indicated.

  Moving side by side, him with his bow and me with my lantern and makeshift spear, we crossed the jogging path toward the exit path. Darla fell in behind us, followed by the Treadwells, then the two girls and Ed. To be honest I would have preferred Casey behind me, but I understood her choice to stay back with Ashlyn and Ed.

  At least now that we headed for a well-defined and nearby destination, everybody seemed more willing to move.

  Once again, bushes lined a path barely wide enough for us to move in pairs. I briefly considered handing the lantern back to Darla so I could have both hands on the spear, but realized it would put us between the light and what we needed to see ahead. Visibility would be problematic enough without that.

  Fortunately—or unfortunately—the path was short.

  A few seconds later we emerged from the asphalt trail and came to a shocked halt. The dim vista spread before us had lots of people…and things that weren’t people…

  …and all the people were dead.

  Howard Circle was a charnel house.

  Chapter Ten: Altered Courses

  We faced a vision right out of hell.

  Like all the other circles of Coventry Woods, Howard Circle was a tree lined cavern with a small island in the center of the rounded end where cars could turn around. In this case, the little island featured an ornate wishing well right out of some pastoral painting of yore, complete with roof and hand crank. But not tonight…

  Tonight that well acted as the centerpiece of a scene straight from the fevered imagination of Hieronymus Bosch

  While the light of our lantern barely reached the island in the middle, it illuminated it enough for us to see that bodies littered the entire circle. They lay scattered in various degrees of undress…many in pajamas, but many more in merely their underwear or nothing at all.

  But the things feeding on those corpses were what held my horrified attention.

  They were naked, pale, hairless, bipedal, and vaguely reminiscent of mankind. But these were not men. Their feet were hooved, and their legs jointed in a bestial fashion. Their bones almost seemed to protrude from their gaunt bodies, and their bellies were bloated in a manner often seen on starving children in late night commercials. Yet it was once I saw their faces that all resemblances to humanity truly ceased.

  The one nearest us had been feasting on the corpse of a young girl, but it must have seen the light of our approaching lantern. It had pulled its attention from its grisly meal and stared straight at us as we stepped out into the circle.

  The thing had a head something like a giant hairless dog. Great, gleaming teeth crowded its bloody snout, giving it a rictus grin that leered at the world with feral hunger. Just as formidable were the ebony claws tipping the end of each bony finger. And the stench…if blood and rot could combine to form its own odor, this thing reeked of it.

  And there were a lot of them.

  Most crouched over bodies, tearing and ripping chunks of flesh with their teeth. Blood literally ran in the gutters. I spotted another coming out the open door of a house with a limp form in its arms. As a matter of fact, that’s when I realized all the doors I could see were open. These creatures had found themselves a free meal and were still in the process of gathering meat.

  More incredibly yet, some were storing it. Even as more of the hellspawn became aware of us, one of the nasty things finished the process of dumping a body down the wishing well. That shouldn’t have been possible. The well was decorative and should have only been a foot or two deep. But the corpse vanished down the hole exactly as if it were the real thing, and then a couple of seconds later another one of the vile monsters clambered out of the same pit to join its brethren.

  Despite its former ornamental purpose, that little structure now led to a very deep and dark place. I didn’t want to think about what might be at the bottom.

  “Oh my God,” Darla choked in a whisper behind us, “they must have all come out of that thing!”

  It sounded insane, but I think she had it right. I pictured Howard Circle going dark when this all began, and then a few minutes later the first pale form emerging from the well. Shortly after that, I could see them in my mind’s eye, pouring from their new gate and into the houses of the sleeping circle.

  I truly prayed no children had stayed up late.

  But only for a second, because we now had problems of our own.

  The monster nearest us gave out a series of loud giggling yelps that sounded like something from a deranged hyena. It was a horrible, ugly sound. An instant later a chorus of more yips and insane laughing filled the air as the thing’s brethren answered.

  Whether encouraged by its fellows, or acting on its own initiative, the pale monster rose to its feet. Its meal still hung by one half eaten arm from its grip.

  “Darla?” I managed a hoarse croak as I watched the horror straighten to its full height. Despite its slouched posture the creature towered a good foot over me. “Get the others to back up. Tell them to head for the cell tower.”

  “But…”

  “The clubhouse is no longer an option,” I hissed, “but the cell tower will have a chain link fence around it with barb wire on top. They all do. Now get the others out of here and find a way into that thing!”

  She didn’t answer but I heard her retreat, followed by the sound of urgent muttering behind me. I could only hope they found a way to get past the locked gate. I would have to trust Ed and Casey to figure that one out while Tommy and I bought them time.

  Speaking of whom…I glanced over at my companion to see how he held up.

  I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to discover nothing to see there. Tommy simply stood staring back at the creature with his usual lack of expression. He tilted his head slightly as
he studied the thing. Otherwise he remained immobile, the bow still down by his side.

  Keeping my own eyes on the monster, I slowly bent my knees and set the lantern down between us with gentle care. This freed me to grip my pole with both hands. I did so immediately and shifted into what I hoped amounted to a fighting crouch.

  The monster dropped the pitifully small corpse, snarled, and slashed the air before it with one of its vicious talons. That air literally whistled through its claws. It made for a fearsome display, and the cackling of the thing’s cohorts rose behind it in encouragement.

  My knuckles white on my pole, I raised the end and pointed it at the vile thing’s face like a spear. I realized I should have hammered the end down to a point back when we had the time and tools. Too late now. It would have to do.

  The mocking chorus rose and the creature repeated it’s posturing.

  If it meant to intimidate me, it damn sure succeeded. But I couldn’t allow it near the path until the others got clear. Which meant facing this damn thing, no matter how pissed off it got.

  With an even nastier snarl the horror stepped over the corpse and advanced.

  Tommy raised and drew his bow in one smooth motion, causing the thing to come to a stop. The monster’s bloodshot eyes locked with the boy’s dispassionate gaze, and once again neither moved.

  The creature snarled again, studying this new adversary intently. It barked twice at the boy, then slashed the air again. I could see it was confused, angry, and once more preparing to advance. It looked like we were about to be in a fight. I prayed Casey and the others had put enough distance between us to get away before we were overrun.

  Naturally, that prayer went unanswered.

  “Tommy,” Casey spoke softly behind us, “don’t shoot. I think that thing is intelligent…but I don’t think it knows what a bow is. Show it.”

  I almost choked in dismayed surprise, and it took all of my self-control not to turn and scream at her.

  Goddammit! She was supposed to heading for the cell tower! How contrary, pigheaded, and obstinately suicidal could this girl be?!

  But if her presence had caught Tommy off-guard, he didn’t show it. Instead he altered his aim and put the arrow into the trunk of a tree about five feet to the monsters left.

  The arrow crossed the space in an instant and struck with a surprisingly loud “THOK!” It buried itself deep into the wood, well past its head. The impact startled me, and as I watched the arrow stop vibrating I couldn’t help but wonder what weight pull that bow actually had.

  The suddenness of the move also surprised the monster and it leapt sideways with an alarmed yelp. It gazed wide-eyed at the missile buried in the tree, then turned to glare at Tommy…who already had another arrow nocked and pointed right between its eyes. The rest of the creatures had fallen silent, their red eyes glowing with feral curiosity at the standoff.

  The creature looked twice more from Tommy, to the arrow, and back again.

  Casey was right. This thing did have intelligence, and now it had learned a whole new concept.

  Apparently the knowledge didn’t make it happy, for it snarled and slashed the air again. Only now its gaze never left Tommy as it postured. It understood who posed the biggest threat of our little threesome, and focused its threats on him.

  It might as well have been threatening the tree.

  The kid stared back down the length of the arrow shaft at the thing, simply waiting. His eyes were empty wastelands, showing nothing.

  The monster snarled, slashing the air twice more, and an ugly hooting rose in the circle around us. As the chorus intensified, I got the feeling this current standoff couldn’t go on much longer. The snarls and gestures of the one facing us were getting more angry and belligerent by the second.

  “Hey guys?” Casey murmured again. I could now see her out of the corner of my eye, crouched behind and between us in the lantern light, with her axe-tool held ready. “You know what? I think that thing is trying to tell us something.”

  “Yeah?” I hissed through dry teeth. “Like what?”

  “I think,” she continued while staring at the monster, “it’s telling us to pick up our lantern, mind our own goddamn business, and get our asses out of here.”

  I think she might have been embellishing the translation a bit, but as I watched the thing make another slash in the air I realized she might be right.

  I saw how those slashes could be taken as awkward gestures to go away. And as I understood that, I realized how I might have initially misread the situation. It struck me these creatures were possibly more scavengers than hunters. Bipedal vultures who had found an easy meal. It could mean they already had their dinner, vile as it was, and would be content to see us go so they could feast in peace.

  They were certainly nothing to be trifled with, but maybe…just maybe…we could walk away from this particular fight. And fights I could walk away from were my favorite kind.

  “Okay,” I breathed, “let’s find out. Casey, you grab the lantern and start backing up. Tommy, you and I will start easing back too. I’m betting that thing will move after us for a little bit, but don’t shoot unless it actually attacks.”

  Casey slowly picked up the light and did as instructed. Then Tommy and I started a careful retreat behind her.

  I held my breath as the monster followed. It stalked forward, but after a second I also saw it took care to keep the same distance. It stomped hard on the ground and viciously slashed the air again. A moment ago I would have seen that as the prelude to an attack but now understood it as a parting message…

  “…and don’t come back.”

  We continued our slow retreat back down the path, and the creature followed until it reached the position where we had been. There it stopped, glaring after us as we fell back. Then, right as we reached the jogging path, it gave another maniacal hoot before turning to disappear back into the darkness of Howard Circle.

  It was over.

  Somehow, against all expectations, we had survived.

  Which left us alone on a jogging path, separated from the others, and me with a certain little knucklehead I now dearly wanted to murder.

  ###

  I could barely conceal the frustration and anger seething within me as I led us down the jogging path.

  For a while back there, I thought she and I had made peace…I thought we had put the drama behind us…but just when it looked like she had settled down and started using her head, she pulled this stunt! Apparently she had gone completely insane and intended to continue finding ways to sabotage my efforts to get her to Stella alive.

  And speaking of Stella…

  I couldn’t put that off any longer. And although I considered it with trepidation, I now saw an opportunity to take action and deal with another matter at the same time. I remembered Coventry Blvd being crossed by a jogging path right before Monroe, and this had to be that path. It wouldn’t come out on Coventry as far from the epicenter of this thing as I would like, but I guessed it would do. I would just have to be careful.

  Starting now.

  “The others are on their way to the cell tower, right?” I asked quietly, while stopping under the pretense of catching my breath. We were about a hundred feet south of the path to Howard Circle. “They’ll be waiting for us there?”

  “Yeah,” Casey nodded and squinted down the path to the south. “Ed said he could get past the lock, and they would wait inside. They shouldn’t be there yet, though…as a matter of fact, I can still see their torch. Those things make good light, but they don’t last very long.”

  “Mmhmm. Which reminds me,” I gestured at the gym bag our quiet companion had slung over his shoulder. “Tommy, you still got your torch in there?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Let me have it, please,” I asked, then turned to Casey as he unslung the gym bag. “Mind if I borrow the lighter for a moment?”

  With a puzzled look, she fished it out of her pocket and handed it over as Tommy gave m
e his torch. I’m sure she wondered why I would need a torch with the lantern right here, but thankfully hadn’t realized the implication yet.

  I knew she would take my next move poorly—damn poorly—and I had no doubt she would have used the lighter for all the bargaining power it was worth. She might have even threatened to throw it into the creek in order to thwart me. But with the lighter in my hand, that concern no longer mattered. Now I only had to weather the storm.

  And the sooner I got it over with, the better. Setting the lantern down, I started to light the torch.

  “Tommy?” I said in a firm voice as I ran the little flame under the already scorched bundle of cloth. “I need you to listen carefully, and do what I tell you. I want you to take Casey and catch up with the others. I have to go do something else now.”

  The kid didn’t answer right away, merely looking at me with curiosity. He probably wondered if he heard right.

  Needless to say, the same didn’t hold true for Casey. I think she stared slack-jawed at me for all of one tenth of a second before going straight to DefCon One.

  “What?! What do you mean? What the hell are you doing, Mark?!”

  I ignored her and continued my instructions to Tommy.

  “Get her to Ed,” I instructed. “I don’t care if she protests. I don’t care if she refuses. I don’t even care if you have to pick her up and carry her over your shoulder. Just get her to Ed. Understand?”

  I could see her go white with fury, which considering her already pale skin, made for a pretty impressive trick.

  “Goddammit, Mark!” She took a wary step away from Tommy while glaring at me. “What are you doing?!”

  “I’m going to find Stella,” I replied. “She was supposed to get home about the time this stuff started, which means she could be stranded in her car out on Coventry somewhere. If so, she’s already been out there too long and I need to go find her.”

  “Then I’m coming with you,” she snapped back.

  “No, you are not. It’s too dangerous. I can’t be looking for Stella while worrying about you too. Tommy, if you please…”