by Maxey, Phil
She ran down the few steps, picked up the rifle and put it over her shoulder. Tye appeared around the bannister at the top. She waved him down, while she continued to the bottom, stepping over the body and quickly ran through the balding man’s pockets. “Jackpot!” she said, holding up a set of keys to Tye. “We need to get a move on or I’m going to miss an appointment.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
4: 46 p.m. Jefferson City.
A slither of light mauve hung on the horizon, almost completely eclipsed by a thick blanket of dark cloud. The dark silhouette of the dome of the capital building just visible against it.
Jess looked down at the trees and lawn below, then the roofs of vehicles in the parking lot beyond. She turned to Landon. “It’s time.”
He picked up a backpack and placed it over his back as did she, and they quickly left the office using a small flashlight to light their way, moving into the hallway then stairwell, descending until arriving at a rear door of the building, which was already open. Tracey, Arlo, Sam and Josh were equally kitted out, waiting in the corridor near the door. The boy held Donnie’s leash, the small dog excitedly looking out to the world outside.
“Any sounds out there?” said Landon to the adults.
Tracey shook her head. Arlo did the same but Landon felt the latter’s movement was more involuntary. “We stay close together, follow the route and we’ll get through this. Trust me, it wasn’t long ago I was doing the same thing.”
Arlo shook his head again. “Okay. Just don’t go too fast. I’m not much of a runner, if you hadn’t noticed.”
Landon smiled. “We won’t.” He moved to the front then looked to Jess at the back. She nodded and he moved out onto the concrete path. They had spent most of the past hour carefully planning the route to the capital building, which they guessed was roughly ten minutes away, meaning they would be there by the time Meg should be. And they would do it without any light. Each of them had done their best to memorize the slopes, fences, parking lots and streets they would need to navigate in the dark. But as Landon waited for his eyes to adjust, the urge to not take another step was almost too strong for him to overcome.
“Is it clear?” whispered Jess behind him.
He let out a breath. “Yes, I think so. Lets go.”
They moved slowly down the slope, hands by their side until Landon reached the railing which ran along a small wall. He climbed over and dropped down the few feet to a path and waited, holding his arms aloft to help the others down, all the while listening best he could for the slightest of unnatural noises.
Once they were all down, they moved along the path, their hands randomly touching the wall to keep them on track and made it to the parking lot. The wet ground reflected just a hint of the sky above, and that combined with the darker shapes of the vehicles provided what they needed to increase their speed, and they were soon at the other side, where the ground had become gravely. Light glinted off train rails, which they carefully stepped over and then were into an even darker space, a small forested area.
Landon switched his small flashlight on, but kept it pointing down at the twig and grass covered surface. He looked up at the thick roof of branches, making sure there was no glimpse of the sky. “It’s not far, just another few minutes. Remember, we find a building and get inside!”
Acknowledgements came from the others and they began to push on as the rain became heavier, the ground softer.
“Come on,” said Josh to the dog that was pulling at the lead, circling a small patch of ground.
Jess scoured the void behind, her eyes in tune with the dark, able to see the trunks and undulations beneath her. Each shadow suggested danger, but her other senses were telling her they were safe for now. She looked at her son, trying to encourage Donnie to keep moving. “Just give him a few seconds.”
Josh frowned and the dog soon settled and did its business, then stood up and tried to run after the others, straining at the leash. Josh ran with the dog and Jess did the same behind, quickly catching up with the others.
“Oww… fuck,” said Tracey. Landon whirled around with the light, illuminating a grimace. “I’m fine,” she said, rubbing her knee. “Keep going.”
They emerged from the trees, Landon scanning the parking lot ahead of them. The ground fell away across the street, to the right. He had no idea what was down there, but there was an impression of a small bridge, so he presumed a creak or something below. They moved across the road and back onto the concrete of the lot, using the rows of vehicles as a guide.
Arlo glanced behind him to Jess, as Josh with Donnie moved past. “You think, they know by now, you’re not there anymore?” he said between breaths.
“Probably.” She wiped the drops from her face, looking back the way they had just come from again. “Good idea, putting the radios on hands-free and leaving them there. Might confuse them for a bit longer.”
They both continued moving between the vehicles and soon the group were across the lot. The sidewalk was at an incline, and more than one was breathing hard as they progressed up the slope.
Landon looked up at the top of the capital building just a hundred yards ahead. He wanted to do anything but go near that building again, but he equally wasn’t going to ditch Meg and the kid. But how long could they hang around?
“We’re here,” he said, standing at what he was sure was a junction of some kind if his memory from earlier was correct. The massive building loomed above them, a dark square capped with a dome against the lighter sky. He looked left then right. Another building, not as big, but with an angular roof and what appeared to be a spire, sat twenty yards away. “I think that’s a church. The spire would be a good vantage point.”
They quickly set off again, moving across a parking lot.
Landon was sure he could smell the odor of organic matter, the thing’s signature stench from the building, a few hundred yards away, but dismissed the sensation as his imagination.
They stood in an alleyway, between two equally large buildings, the one to the left being the church.
Landon felt the wall for a door, but when none was forthcoming decided to chance turning the flashlight back on again. The glimpse he caught of his family as the cone of light flashed across their faces, before he swung it to the wall, burned into his memory. The last few days was imprinted upon their grime laden, damp, red faces.
There was no obvious entrance in front of them, so he lifted the light higher, letting it stretch further along the alley. He leaned forward then ran towards an indentation, almost lost to shadow. “Here! There’s a door, here!”
He immediately tried the handle which resisted his efforts to turn it then before anyone could comment, took a step back and slammed his shoulder into the wood barrier, the lock breaking instantly. The door swung back and everyone bundled inside, closing it behind them.
“Hell, I can breathe again,” said Arlo.
Landon flicked the light to him then towards the end of the corridor they had entered, and walked to the door at the end, the others following. This door opened on first try and he swung the light from let to right, illuminating shelves of cobweb covered old books, pots, pans, plastic crates of toys, and furniture stacked up against a wall. They moved into the basement area, closing the door quietly behind them.
“We should be safe down here,” he said as he moved between shelves looking for the exit to the floor above, then found it. A set of stone steps ascended to a closed door at the top. He looked at Tracey. “How you feel about going up, into the spire and letting us know if you see any vehicles out there?”
“She’s got an old pickup,” said Jess to the young woman who let out a sigh.
“Yup, sure. But how long we waiting in this place before leaving? Those corporate types going to be looking for us by now.”
He looked at her bare wrist then pulled his watch off and handed it to her. “The rendezvous was meant to be in a few minutes. We’re give it another thirty, then we leave.” He felt
his wife’s eyes on him, but ignored her gaze.
Tracey adjusted the rifle on her back, then took off up the steps, pausing slightly at the door then opened it and moved outside.
Landon looked to the others. “I need to secure us a vehicle. I’ll go back to the parking lot outside, see if I can find anything old enough to start.” He looked at Jess, holding up one of the remaining two radios. “If you have to use it.”
She nodded and he smiled at the kids who were both shivering, then left the way they came in.
*****
5: 12 p.m.
Meg’s eyes darted between the fuel gauge and the dark highway. “How you holding up, kiddo?”
“I’m fine, thank you. Is it much further?” said Tye.
“Nope, just a few more minutes, then this old lady is going to eat some chocolate and all will be good with the world once again.”
Please still be there, Jess.
The needle on the pickup’s fuel gauge had been bouncing in the red zone for most of the journey from the old farmstead, and the engine had picked up a noticeable stutter a few miles back. The vehicle may be entering the city of Jefferson, but she was fairly sure it wouldn’t be leaving it.
The sun had long since diminished, being replaced by a blanket of cloud that was dropping fine flickers of snow on everything below.
Large flat buildings, superstores by the looks of the advertising boardings passing by, sat behind equally expansive parking lots, most still full of vehicles.
Meg did her best to ignore how that was possible. That those who owned them did not even have time to climb into the driver’s seats and get away before the spores floating on the wind, entered their lungs, turning them into something else. She hated the new world, but she was damn sure she wasn’t going to let it take her as well. It had claimed too many. People needed to fight back, to survive. She wanted to be part of that. As the frequency of restaurants, motels and offices grew greater and closer to the side of the road, images of her late husband scrolled across her mind. She missed him, but was glad he didn’t have to deal with what she was having to. One day soon she would be with him, but before then there was work to be done.
She glanced at the boy. “You’ll stay in the car. I might have to go outside, but I won’t go far. Okay?” He nodded. “We’ll stay for about ten minutes, and if there’s no one there, we will leave. And I need you to keep watch. If you see anything moving towards us that isn’t human, shout, let me know. Got that?” He nodded again. She sighed. “Don’t worry. Soon we’ll be with the others.”
Be there, Jess.
Just visible against the lighter sky to the east was a dome of a large building.
“You see that?”
“I think so… what is it?”
“The place we need to be.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
5: 16 p.m.
Landon looked out into the rich darkness. His eyes were well adjusted but still weren’t much use. The even darker walls of buildings loomed on three out of the four compass directions, the biggest being to the north, the capital building. Its subdued gray stonework catching what little light there was from the sky. He didn’t want to know what lurked within its confines…
Concentrate. One of these vehicles has to be what we need.
He had already traced his hands over a few sedans and one pickup, but all were modern with security that would stop him starting them even if he gained entry.
He jogged to the next, but straight away he could tell its curves put it within the last decade. A stench drifted on the chill wind, which was picking up. The trees nearby rustled as he moved to another vehicle, this one’s shadow larger than the previous. His palm slid across cold metal, moving in a linear fashion then reached a sharp corner. Whatever it was, it was old, maybe 90s. He felt an empty space above the back.
Pickup.
He quickly moved to the driver’s side, the glass reflecting a hint of light and flicked his flashlight on, making sure to keep it pointed down. Worn leather seats sat behind round dials and a molded plastic dashboard.
Yup, this—
A noise echoed around the nearby pillars of brick, not natural, but not menacing. This was purely mechanical. He stood and looked towards the direction from where he thought it was coming from. Was that a vehicle moving towards the capital building?
Cones of light bobbed up and down above the hill in front of him. He ran towards them…
A few hundred yards away, Meg tried to make sense of the void beyond the headlights. The huge building at the back of the small park was obvious. But there was no sign of anyone out there, between the trees and statues.
“This has got to be the place…” she said to herself. “Can you see anything?” she said to Tye.
“Nothing…”
She slowed the old truck then turned left into a small parking lot where a few vehicles still resided. “We’ll drive over the grass and stop at the bottom of the steps. If they’re here, they should see us.”
She tried her best to see beyond the headlights, but the glare made the surrounding area even darker. They bumped up a curb, clipping a trashcan but kept going. She slid the window down, hoping to better see laterally, but instead she just gained a lungful of stink, as if what they were heading towards was not an early twentieth century building but a mound of rotting trash.
Tye’s breathing became rapid and labored at the same time. “The monsters are here, that’s their smell!”
Meg agreed but couldn’t see any sign of movement in the dark around them. The pickup came to a halt on the concrete, the numerous stone steps rising up to their left. She tapped the wheel. “Come on, Jess, where are—”
A screech rang out from somewhere above, within the building.
“They’re here! They’re here!” said Tye.
“It’s okay! We’re lea—”
The engine died, as did the headlights, plunging the cabin into darkness.
“No, damn it!”
She fumbled beneath the steering column, trying to locate the wires.
Another screech, this time deeper, tore from the building above them, then another and another, each animalistic sound overlapping the previous, filling the air with a chilling chorus.
“They’re coming to eat us!” shouted Tye.
Meg looked up, trying to see what Tye could, but her aging eyes couldn’t see anything in the black void they were within. “Come on, kid! we have to get out and run—”
Something heavy banged on the window, making her jump towards the passenger’s side in fright.
“Meg!” shouted Landon, the form of his face just visible on the other side of the driver’s window.
Her heart felt as if it would explode, but she pushed her door open, grabbing her pack and the pistol then turned to the boy. “Get out this side!”
Tye scrambled across.
“It won’t start!” she shouted to Landon then felt his hand on her arm pulling her with him. Throwing her hand out she did the same to Tye, all three now running across the concrete then soft ground, following the dancing tiny spark of light which was Landon’s flashlight. She had no idea where they were heading, but the stench of the things was thicker, as if they were running through sewage and at the back of her mind, a voice screamed that the ground was shaking.
They suddenly arrived at a downward slope and each struggled to keep their footing on the slippery surface, stumbling down then falling off the edge of a small wall onto the sidewalk.
Jess’s voice burst from Landon’s radio. “There are… things, a mass… moving towards you!”
There was no chance for him to respond and the three of them pushed their arms and legs, sprinting across the street then side walk, then down the alley until Landon crashed through the door he entered earlier.
Meg and Tye did the same. He slammed it closed behind them, looking for anything to put up against it, but the corridor was bare. Something thundered into the narrow space outside and he turned, putting his
back up against the few inches of wood.
His light shook in his free hand as the three of them listened to their own heavy breathing, then the sound of something walking or was it slithering? Just a few feet away on the damp ground of the alleyway.
He raised a hand to his lips, but Meg and Tye needed no encouragement to stay silent or even to stop from making a movement.
The sound of the awkward lumbering thing grew fainter, but intermittent screeches still rang out in the distance.
Each of them crept away from the door, as the one at the opposite end creaked open. Landon flicked his light up to his wife’s face which was one of joy on seeing Meg.
They moved into the basement area which was now lit by a few candles and Jess flung her arms around the older woman. “I can’t believe you made it back here!”
Landon looked at Arlo, then to the stack of wooden furniture in the corner. “Help me get that against the outside door.”
Meg smiled as both women pulled apart. “You won’t believe what happened. Run into some—”
“Oh! I have the vaccine!” Jess turned, quickly walked to an area at the back of the room, where some chairs had been placed as well as a small table.
“You found your friend’s place?”
Jess nodded, letting out a sigh while opening the silver case. “Yes.” She pulled one of the small bottles, handing it to Meg then quickly counted the remaining thirteen bottles and closed the case.
*****
6: 45 p.m.
Jess stood in the tiny room of the church’s spire and looked through the scope of an AR-15 rifle to the world outside. Dark forms moved within the sea of darkness which covered the nearby streets and open areas. The sounds had stopped, but the things had settled into a constant circling motion around the building she and the others were in. The scope lacked any night vision and she wanted to be surprised at how well she could see in the dark, wanted to believe that the change hadn’t actually done anything fundamental to her, but there was no doubting it, she could see far better than she could before, despite the almost uniform blackness. Once all of this was over, she was sure she was going to have to run a whole lot of tests on herself, and Sam to determine just how different their bodies were, but that was for another time. Right now she was happy to have the gift of enhanced vision.