by Jesse Gagnon
“And look for Giselle.” Jason added.
“And look for Giselle.” Simon said.
The roar of the engines alerted many Azrael and in no time they had multiple herds on their asses. They combined into a super-herd and quickly caught up with the trucks. Any Azrael in front of them were driven through. A few managed to grab on to the sides of the trucks and worked their way towards the cab of the vehicles. Jason rigged electric shocking devices on the doors of each truck just for this situation. As the Azrael got closer the trigger was activated and a powerful jolt of electricity popped them off of the vehicles. All was in order until they reached a sharp bend in the road. This sharp turn caused the trucks to slow down a bit and Jason clipped the side of a truck deactivating the shock device on his passenger door. Five minutes after that sharp turn, Jason had a visitor trying to climb into the cab with him. He responded quickly and popped off a headshot before it was able to lunge at him. It lost its grip on the door, fell off striking the next one trying to get inside and knocked it off the truck.
“I got a problem Simon.” Jason said over the CB.
“What’s wrong Jason?” Simon asked.
“The electric device on my passenger door isn’t working anymore. Not sure how much longer I can keep the Azrael from getting to me in here.” Jason said and had to drop the microphone and shoot three more that were climbing in, one after the other.
“Fuck! Jason are you ok?” John asked and frantically looked in his side mirrors to see if he can see his friend behind him. He couldn’t see shit.
“Yeah, yeah, had to take out a few. These assholes are strong. Got one dead beside me. He’s still breathing, but his skull is blown in half. It’s fucking crazy.” Jason said.
“Kick it out of the cab Jason. We don’t know how long ago they turned. Fresh turners are still dangerous even after the head is removed. Something about how slow the body receives information from its brain. Get it out of there.” Simon said quickly.
“Alright man, kicking it out.” Jason said and as his boot touched the Azrael it grabbed his leg and squeezed hard as it attempted to bite him with a flaccid neck. “The bastard is squeezing my leg, but the funny thing is he’s trying to bite me with a limp dick neck.” Jason said laughing. He continued to kick it and finally managed to get it out of the seat with him.
The road opened up ahead for a few miles and they managed to put some distance between them and the Azrael. The gate to the Central District was in sight. Simon led the guys to the gate and they shut off their trucks. A few Azrael approached the trucks as the men formed up tactically and took out the stragglers that ran in. They were near the overpass of 55 on Martin Luther King Drive.
“Okay, we do this my way. Remember your training, engage only if necessary and be prepared to shoot each other if we are bit. That is priority one. That’s why Antonio died, he couldn’t shoot Kevin.” Simon said to his team.
“It was his cousin man. That’s a hard decision. Trust me I’ll shoot you Simon. Last thing we need is a Simon Azrael running around out there.” John said with a laugh.
“No shit. I wouldn’t want to encounter one of those either.” Jason said agreeing with John.
“Glad to hear that fellas. Okay, let’s get moving.” Simon said leading them into the shadows of a building nearby. They moved quietly and searched each building for signs of activity. A few hours into the search the morale of the three started to diminish.
“I don’t know man. She’s gone. Maybe she went deeper into the district looking for us.” John said thinking about their training. They were taught to relocate to a known location of allies if moving solo.
“We’re not done searching yet. However, the sun’s going to be setting here in an hour. We need to find her before that happens, or we’re screwed. We don’t have any night vision equipment or any flares. I’ve already stood down the northern and southern teams since we found the gate.” Simon said knowing that time has become an issue.
“Wait, look there!” Jason said pointing towards a window that had light flickering on the second story of the Mercy Hospital and Medical Center on the next block. Within minutes the light vanished and nothing was in sight.
“That’s got to be her. Let’s check it out.” John said as he darted towards the entrance.
“Okay, but we need to be careful. She may be up there, but who knows how many Azrael are in there that she had to avoid herself. Let me take point.” Simon said overtaking John and slowly entered the building. The architecture was breathtaking, but very eerie. The power was unavailable, and the smell of rotten meat soaked every pore of the place. Simon located the stairway and entered cautiously. Nothing moved, so he progressed through to the second floor. The door was off its hinges and lay next to the opening a few feet with dents and gashes in the door. It was horribly disfigured and laid on top of an unmoving body. “Body, under the door.” Simon whispered and pointed his flashlight and pistol at it. The body didn’t move and upon investigation, the head was found several feet away in several pieces. Simon moved through the door cautiously and caught a quick glimpse of a flashlight down the hall at the end near the northern edge of the building.
“Movement, flashlight. Stay quiet, not sure if it’s a friendly.” Simon said unsure if the person was Giselle or another scavenger. The type of scavenger that lives in this world is not usually the friendly type. They approached cautiously and met the door that the flashlight disappeared into. Simon opened the door slowly and the other two entered behind him pointing their guns in all corners of the room.
Simon’s gun was kicked from his hand and another boot met the side of his skull dropping him to the ground. A flashlight beamed towards John and Jason temporarily blinding them and their shots missed their mark.
“Damn it, I can’t see shit!” Jason barked as he lowered his body and tried to see through the haze in his eyes.
“Wait, wait, it’s me.” Giselle said hiding behind a chair a few feet from the door with her pistol pointed at the two. Simon got up and was glad to see Giselle, he was seconds from tackling the woman. The moment he was hit by her boot he caught a glimpse of a woman, so he stayed down hoping not to get shot by his companions. She realized it was them when her brother spoke.
“There are others out here, not Azrael, worse.” Giselle said. Her brother walked up to her and gave her a great hug and kissed her on the cheek. John smiled and rubbed the haze out of his eyes.
“I knew you were alive, Giselle. I couldn’t give up on you.” Jason said releasing his hug on his sister.
“I’m happy you found me too Jason. I was about to report that I found the gate, when a group got the jump on me. They were professional, and not from America. There were five of them, one had a nasty scar on his face and the others all had a logo of five daggers in a star pattern on their black uniforms. They destroyed my radio and knocked me out. I awoke in this building a few minutes ago. They were gone when I awoke and I was tied to a chair. It doesn’t look like they touched me or anything.” Giselle said feeling around her body for any cuts or bites.
“The trucks, they found the trucks. Shit!” Simon said when he looked out of the window of the building. Three trucks were driving on the road heading west towards the outer gate leaving the Chicago area. The west gate was a few miles to the west, but wide open. “Damn it. Let’s head back to the drop zone. I’ll phone in.” Simon said after realizing he’d been tricked. At least Giselle was alive, but the supplies were lost. However, there were still three trucks left. Maybe they could retrieve them on another mission.
They made it to the drop zone before nightfall and were retrieved quickly. Simon explained the situation to his superiors but the intel wasn’t complete. The only thing they knew now was that there were Azrael infesting the Sunlight District and a group of foreign professional thieves were out there as well. After a few more missions, Simon blew out his knee carrying two wounded men and a woman to safety. He no longer went out with the Highwaymen but he continued to
work with them on the scientific end with Dr. Schwinn. The Greyhound Station later became known as The Highwaymen Station, the central hub for those brave enough to venture out beyond Chicago to learn about the Azrael and to retrieve resources.
CHAPTER 5
SIDETRACKED
“Damn it John, what did you eat?” Savanna said covering her mouth and nose. John smiled and his face turned red as he began to laugh.
“It’s these fucking food packs they give us, does all kinda shit to my stomach. I’m surprised it didn’t smell worse.” John said reading the label on the M.R.E. they gave them to eat on the road. “But that smell isn’t me. What the hell is it?” John moved around in his chair sniffing the air.
“I think it’s coming from outside. It’s horrible and so…concentrated. It smells like them but concentrated.” Savanna said covering her mouth and nose. She squinted as she searched the landscape. They usually don’t travel this fast when it’s dark since Azrael are just as active at night. However, they needed to get back to the Highwaymen Station as soon as possible.
The truck was designed with a dim setting on their lighting system that caused their headlights to illuminate the road ahead just enough to see but weak enough to not draw too much attention. However, the smell coming from outside had Savanna curious and she switched on the normal headlights. Nothing stood out as she scanned the road and the grass around it. She pulled the truck over and turned off the engine but kept the lights on. The air was thick with a pungent odor that strongly resembled the Azrael and the sounds of the night were silent. There were no sounds being made at all. The quiet wail of the breeze through the leaves was the only thing that made a sound.
“Turn off the lights, now!” John urged Savanna and she shut off the lights as they both donned night vision goggles. They waited, quietly in the truck. The armor on the doors was well capable of withstanding a herd beating and the glass was bulletproof. However, something had both of them shook. Was it the large Azrael that killed and ate the bear the other day? Was it the fact that it looked right at them but didn’t attack? They discovered more questions on this run than ever before and it’s creeping them out.
“What’s that?” John said pointing towards a faint light moving in the tree line ahead of them about seventy yards to the northwest as he looked through the goggles.
“I don’t see it. Wait, yeah, I see it now. What is it doing?” Savanna said trying to make out the figure in the distance. The figure was moving towards them slowly. Suddenly more figures appeared behind it, further than the eye could see. It was a herd. It was a huge freakin’ herd.
“Damn it! We need to turn around. I think there was a street about a mile back we can detour on.” John said and began to search on the map for the road.
Savanna started the engine and began to slowly turn around. The front Azrael, the alpha, saw them. He began sprinting towards them. The aroma began to intensify even more as the others followed suit. The truck started to gain speed and the fuckers were on top of them in seconds. About fifteen climbed onto the bed of the truck and commenced beating on top of the cab. The sound of the flesh and bone striking the roof sent chills down Savanna’s spine.
“Calm down Babe. We’re going to be ok. We got the best armored vehicle on the road.” John said patting the door as he turned and saw an Azrael in the back window looking at them wildly. Its gray eyes seemed lost and unfocused. Its face was covered in blood and there were pieces of flesh in its teeth. Three more brought their faces to the window pressing their noses on the window leaving snot, spit and blood in their wake as they drug them across the window. Their lost unfocused gazes caused John to turn around and stop looking at them. “Those things are creepin’ me out.” John said to Savanna.
“There’s our turn, Damn it! Hold on John.” Savanna attempted to make the turn going 55. The tires lost their grip as the top-heavy truck began to tip over. “Shit, shit, we’re tipping over!” Savanna said as she attempted to turn the wheel to counter the weight but it was too late. The truck rolled over violently until it hit a small hill near the street, they struck a street sign and it landed on the windshield. The truck managed to roll and stop its roll upright. The Azrael that were in the bed of the truck were stains on the street. The engine was still running, but the transmission was jacked. She couldn’t get the truck into gear.
“Ain’t that a bitch? Shit all over our luck.” John said as he read the sign that was upside down on the windshield.
“What are you talking about. We’ve landed upright. We’re lucky as crap.” Savanna said without noticing the sign on the windshield. It read ‘Dead End’.
She finally got the truck in gear and she pushed on the gas. Nothing was happening. She felt something moving, but there was no forward movement.
“Fuck, let me check it out. Looks like we’re turnin’ around.” John said pointing at the sign on the window.
“Shit! Don’t go out there John; I can still see one moving in the road out there.” Savanna said pointing at a crawler in the road and searching for a clear path to U-turn.
“I see that meat crawler. Don’t worry, I’ll be quick.” John said getting out of the truck and looked under it. The frame was wedged on a giant rock and both axles were snapped in half.
“We’re going nowhere. Grab your shit, we’re going on foot.” John said grabbing his own backpack.
“There is a house in the woods over there. “ Savanna said pointing at a glow in the windows faintly. They quickly headed over there and found the back door wide open and blood everywhere. It was fresh. There were six bodies that littered the house. The Azrael fed on a few of the bodies but left most of them intact. Two bodies had heads cut straight off. One of them had a pistil still clinched in his hand. All of these men were killed by a man, not the Azrael. A corner of the house smelled like sex, and the sheets on the bed nearby were severely soiled.
“What the hell happened in here?” John said investigating the mess. The aroma inside was rank, but it would hide their scent. These were dead bodies avoided by the Azrael. They don’t like already dead corpses. The ones that the Azrael fed on must have been on death’s doorstep or unable to defend against them. “We sleep here tonight.” John said shutting the door and placed a chair under the doorknob.
“Are you kidding me? This place reeks of death. I’m not going near that bed. I’ll sleep in the kitchen over here.” Savanna said and walked into the kitchen and noticed the chaos. “What the hell, this chair has duct tape all over it and, ugh, this man has a nail in his eye. What the hell John?” Savanna said covering her mouth and looking away.
“These men were assassinated by a professional. I don’t know, I kind of think for some reason they deserved what they got.” John said looking at the nail in the man’s eye.
“I guess they were spared turning into those things. Shit, I hear them outside. It’s the herd, I can smell them too.” Savanna said cowering into herself.
“Shhh, don’t say anything. Follow me.” John said moving slowly into the back room and entered the closet. She followed close by and entered the closet too. It smelled rotten in there as well. It was too dark to see what it was. John sat down and leaned into the corner of the closet and Savanna cuddled into him and laid her head in his lap pulling herself into the fetal position. They fell asleep.
In the morning Savanna awoke first and tapped John to wake him up. He came out of a deep sleep wiping drool from his mouth with his sleeve.
“John, get up. I think it’s morning.” Savanna said pushing the closet door open. Light entered the room from broken boards on the windows and deficiencies in the wall near the windows. It blinded her as she stood up and stretched. Savanna took in the stench of the place again and gagged. She coughed and shook her head trying not to faint from the odor. John got up slowly and feet hit his forehead as he got up.
“What the fuck is this.” He got up and turned around and to his horror, three young pretty girls were hung up like meat in a freezer in the cl
oset. Their mouths were open and their bodies were nude. He could tell they had been abused and he didn’t even want to imagine what else they were used for. They hadn’t been dead longer than two weeks and they were beginning to rot. Savanna began to vomit, and fell to her knees.
“Close the door John. Close the fucking door.” Savanna said getting up and left the room wiping vomit from her mouth. John closed the door and exited the room in shock.
“We slept in there, in someone’s twisted corpse closet.” John said leaving the room.
“We’re leaving, right now.” Savanna said exiting the house pushing through the front door in a jog not checking for any signs of Azrael. She was being careless and it almost got her killed. A pack of wild dogs were outside eating a corpse of another one of the men from inside. The blood trail that led towards the door indicated that they most likely dragged it from the house. The feral dogs growled at Savanna and barked ferociously. It startled her and she shot at them with her gun. It struck one of the dogs and it yelped, but only grazed its leg. The dogs fled into the woods leaving a half-eaten corpse on the steps. Next to the cadaver was a set of keys with one tagged ‘Sex Closet’.
“They fucking deserved it.” Savanna said and spit on the corpse.
“I’m burning this place to the motherfucking frame.” John said and began pouring kerosene all over the house. He found a pack of matches, lit them and dropped them onto that soiled bed in the corner where John finished emptying out the can. The place lit up quickly. They walked out with their packs and began to travel north on foot.
“The hell with this Highwaymen shit. I can’t do it anymore.” Savanna said as she walked into the woods.
“So, you don’t want to chill out with me anymore? I mean, you’ve got some awesome stories out of this.” John said laughing.