Cryptophobia (Book 1): Outbreak [Fear The Unknown]

by Henderson, G. D.

  "Shouldn't we keep going? Those twitchers are not far behind us".

  "Don't mind, don't mind, chill your socks, sweetie, I won't be long", Lugo replied, stepping out and shutting the door behind him.

  Sweetie? Who were they calling sweetie?

  Why were they stalling? What were they up to? Ria’s mind went into overdrive, every little thing since hearing of their identities only served to elevate her already heightened sense of paranoia. If her own life weren't enough to worry about, there was Charlotte too, to think about and since Charlotte was about her only saving grace for the moment, this was not the time for her to be out cold.

  She sought solace in the sound of the voices on the radio - not that panicked voices frantically updating listeners about the tragic state of their city was a source of comfort, but anything to distract her right about now was welcome - and tried to come up with a plan of escape.

  "... Reports that fires have broken out in the city centre, you can see the smoke billowing high above the buildings. I can only be thankful that we were moved so quickly. Three helicopters have mysteriously gone down today, was it the crazed? We still have no word on the origins of this outbreak, the rumour mill is working overtime and the government's only officially released statement still stands at we are doing everything within our power to contain this outbreak, they have warned everyone to remain inside and not to panic. We still have no solid idea of just what it is we are looking at and dealing with, so it is difficult to ascertain what we should be doing. The government's lax attitude leads many to wonder if we are being shielded from them reality of dire situation. Is the word to evacuate the city simply scaremongering or genuine foresight for the sake of our wellbeing? If there is one thing that can be assured, the sheer speed of spread, the failure to contain and suppress it so far, downed helicopters, rumours that the army, CEU and police have been ordered to shoot on sight, indiscriminately might I add only adds fuel to the infernos of existing hysteria. We still have no word on colleagues Valerie and Richard who were at the London office today, we can only pray that they are okay, and personal experiences and accounts of the events have been pouring in”.

  Ria thought of a plan of escape that would require a certain degree of tact, but wasn't impossible. The only remaining issue was escaping with Charlotte... or at least that's what she thought, for as the radio host cycled through various personal accounts of the events taking place in London, he eventually - and at the worst possible time - came to the subject matter of her and her escapades. Why now?

  “... also, one of the more followed personal accounts documenting the events is that of the young sixteen-year-old, Ria Riley".

  Ria instantly began to regret telling these men her real name. Why was she so stupid? Why hadn't she just lied and made up something?

  Keeping a low profile now was only going to cast the spotlight on her, so instead she decided to talk over the report, distract them as best she could. They seemingly hadn't concluded that the Ria being talked about and she in the car with them were the same people yet, she wanted to keep it that way.

  “Isn't it crazy what people are going through, it's like everyone will have a story for the rest of their lives now. There are probably people like literally dying all over the place. I have never personally seen a dead body, unless TV counts, I don't think it does, anyway that's probably for the best. There are also those infected people, have any of you seen them? I saw them... or at least I think I did... for just a moment and it was more than enough to make me shudder", she declared at the top of her voice, just making conversation about anything and everything at this point.

  "... Brave little girl. She's even finding the time every so often to update us on her tribulations, despite how scared she must be. We have reason to believe the twitcher nickname originated from her. Brave people like her have been more of a news source today than even news stations”.

  Her futile attempts to distract the men only served to stall, but eventually the driver hushed her and there was little she could do to stop things from taking their course, short of stretching across and just switching the radio off. Taking desperate measures, she yelped out, surprising the two men.

  “Whoa, what happened?” The driver replied, stretching back.

  “She's not breathing”, Ria replied.

  “What the fuck? Check on her for me, Jason".

  So-called Jason stretched over to check on Charlotte, but quickly discovered that she was fine.

  “She's still with us”, he assured them.

  “Oh phew, I thought she had stopped breathing there for a second, I just panicked", she replied with a nervous laugh.

  “Well no need, we'll be off again in just a second".

  Believing she had created enough of a distraction to avoid being exposed as the host went onto other topics, she sighed with relief and sank back into her seat.

  “The circumstances continue to develop as time goes on and with or without word, people have taken it upon themselves to evacuate the city centre and head for the outskirts, even as far reaching as Croydon and Romford. Public transport is sparse and most if not all means of transport out of the city has been terminated in order to prevent further spread of the infection to the outer reaches of the city. I repeat, look for the symptoms, twitching is a major giveaway, as well as any other displays of erratic behaviour. Also, if you are planning to leave the city, I'd suggest doing so as soon as possible, not to frighten you, this is just because the roads are jam-packed with abandoned vehicles and traffic. Caution whilst driving, the roads are filled with people”.

  Just what she needed, a reminder of what got them into this mess to begin with.

  “Also, I really couldn't stress more", the host continued, “as much as I'd like to blindly put my faith in humanity, apply all of those precautions you normally would, but to a higher degree. We have reason to believe that our last personal account, Ria Riley, may have unsuspectingly jumped into a car with none other than Lugo Neil, suspected leader of the Walters Foundation Massacre and possible instigator of other heinous terrorist attacks who has not been seen or heard from publicly since the case against him was dropped. Now this is not confirmed, but if you see or hear from Ria, please contact…”

  Fuck! That was sly! There was absolutely no way she could have foreseen that coming. She had gotten complacent thinking she was safe and that host just pushed her right into the fire. What the actual fuck?

  The two men in the car turned to look at her almost immediately. That's it, she was so screwed now.

  "It's her... fuck! It's fucking her!" The driver shouted, "Little fucking nigger bitch! You let them know everything?"

  "I knew we couldn't trust you. Give me your phone!" The one next to her demanded and reached for her phone, only to retract as she lashed out at him with slaps and scratches.

  "No!" She yelped.

  "We were actually going to help you two out of the city!"

  “Fuck that! I never planned to let these bitches go! Knew one of em would fucking squawk! Lugo was right, nab em, get their hands dirty instead of ours and cut their motherfucking throats!” The driver snapped.

  As she fought off the guy next to her, she didn't even realise when the driver stepped out of the car until the door on Charlotte's side flew open and the driver grabbed her by her hair.

  Ria screamed and thrashed, but it didn't seem to faze him, as he tugged with an aggression she had never personally experienced.

  She was dragged out of the car along with Charlotte and slammed down on the ground. The same man then snatched the mobile from her hands and attempted to grab the pouch she had too. Everything she needed was in that pouch, including the knife, she couldn't let him have it.

  Caught in a very short tug of war for the pouch, he ripped it from her fingers with ease and threw it aside. Defenceless and terrified, Ria attempted to flee, but once again, his brutish strength won out easily when he grabbed both her ankles and dragged her back

  "Leav
e me alone!" She screamed.

  "Take a long nap nigger bitch!" He snarled and the last thing she saw was the man who had been sitting beside her step out of the car, before she struck to the face with a blow so hard, that she passed out in an instant.

  CHAPTER 18 - RIA: 6:08pm - 6 Hours, 23 Minutes since outbreak

  Ria was brought crashing back to reality with an unpleasantly cold splash of water, leaving her spluttering and gasping for air.

  What the hell?

  Her heart pounding for a multitude of different reasons, no less being soaked with cold water, her eyes darted two and fro, looking for the perpetrator. She found him standing next to her with a small bin in his hands and in her terror, tried to shuffle away from him, only to bump into Charlotte propped up against the wall besides her, her groans a positive indication she was still alive, even if the amount of blood she had already lost seemed worrisome.

  “Was that really necessary?” Came another voice. She found the man who had been sitting next to her propped up on a table opposite her.

  “Little bitch outed us like beached whales, what makes you think she deserves respect?”

  Ria glanced around, where the heck was she? It looked as though they were in an office of some kind, this being one of many cubicles, but where computers should have been were empty desks with laptop stands.

  Her head was throbbing, as was the spot on her face of which she had been punched, but she found she couldn't nurse them, for surprise surprise, her hands were tied behind her back.

  Panic set in and all she could think was that she was going to die, or be raped or both. She didn't want to go out like this, not like this.

  “Can’t we just leave them here?” The back-seat passenger replied, “It’s not as though they can get very far like that”.

  “This one saw our faces; do you want this coming back to bite you in the ass?”

  “She only knows Lugo’s name”.

  “That's all they need, you fucking moron! Did you miss the part where I said she had seen our faces?”

  “I won’t say anything, I promise. Please let me go, I just want my parents and brother, that’s all”, Ria blurted out.

  “Sorry, but that’s a no no. People know you now, you’ll be all over the place if we let you go and you survive”, driver replied.

  Lugo returned, the first she had seen of him since he stepped out of the car.

  “So, you're awake”, he said simply, “And now you know who I am. Quite the little detective. Needless to say, we can no longer release you as we had intended, you have seen and heard too much already and I can't have you becoming a nuisance once this all blows over. Simply put, no loose ends".

  “Please, I won't say a thing. I'm good at keeping secrets, just ask my friends. My lips are sealed, I promise", she pleaded, but her words went on deaf ears.

  “Those crazies are coming, we should make a move soonish”, Lugo suggested, lighting up a cigarette.

  “What to do about the bitches?” Driver asked.

  “Whatever the fuck you want, as long as this doesn’t wind up coming back to us. Should be easier to cover up their deaths with shit going down. Just make it look like crazies got to them, better yet, let the crazies rip them apart. Blood is off our hands".

  “What about the plan?”

  “Screw the plan. Let’s keep a low profile for now. Wait till all this shit blows over. Nothing we can do now anyway. We don't need them anymore".

  “Wait! What?”, Backseat passenger interjected.

  “No crumbs, you heard Lugo”, driver replied.

  “Are you fucking serious? You’re talking murder. Just tie them up and leave them here”.

  “Oh, come off it, that's the same damn thing as just straight up handing them over to the crazies. Besides, you talk as though you didn't know what this was about, you're working for the Walter's Foundation Massacre instigator, of course there was going to be murder”.

  “Lugo approached me and while yes we share mutual beliefs about the state of our country, what we don't share is that the murder of innocents is the only way to get that message across. I only agreed to help under the condition we could create chaos without endangering innocent people, only the targets, otherwise my skills stay to myself”.

  “Is he serious?” Driver asked, looking over towards Lugo, who had remained silent throughout this conversation.

  “I'm afraid he is, unless you know anyone else who can build remote bombs like he can”, Lugo replied.

  “Exactly”, back seat passenger replied. Did that mean she and Charlotte were safe?

  “So, what now?” Driver asked.

  “You kill them”, Lugo answered. Ria’s heart sank again.

  “Why?” Back seat passenger demanded.

  “I don't think there is anything we can do that'll make a statement as big as NOMA did today. This whole epidemic thing has us beat, none of the targets will be stupid enough to still be around for a while and the message would be lost, so I'm thinking we cut our losses and focus on living to see another day, which means ditching the excess baggage and making sure they don't talk, otherwise you too will find yourself under the microscope like I already am, or worse, jailed for kidnapping and intent to use them as hostages".

  “No, fuck that, this wasn't what we agreed to, no one said anything about getting my hands bloodied".

  “Don’t be a pussy”, driver replied. Whilst they argued, Ria desperately looked for a means of which to escape.

  “Get off the fucking high horse!”

  “Enough bitchin’”, driver replied. He dug into his pocket, pulled out the pen knife, approached Ria and Charlotte and stopped before them. He glared down at Ria, whose heart pounded in her chest and turned his attention to Charlotte. He then crouched down before her, raising the pen knife to her neck.

  “What the fuck are you planning to do?” Back-seat passenger demanded, stepping up to him. Driver spun around and pointed the knife at him.

  “Calm down, I ain't done nothing yet, but get too hot on your heels and I might just cut you too”. He turned back to Charlotte. “Fucking waste if you ask me, she has a tight body on ‘er”. He raised his free hand and groped her. “Stonking titties”.

  “What the fuck man!”

  “She gets me fucking hard, wish we had more time so I could play with her".

  “Get away from her!”

  Ria stared in horror, too scared to move or say a word for fear he would do something to her instead, but guilty and frustrated she could do nothing to help Charlotte.

  “I said get away from her!” Back seat passenger snapped.

  “Okay”, driver replied, but before he stood up, a quick swipe of his hand and had slit her throat in one fell swoop.

  “No!” Ria screamed, as blood sprayed everywhere, including over her.

  “Motherfucker!” Back seat passenger shouted and approached driver, but he pointed the knife at him.

  “Come at me, see what I'll do".

  Ria began hyperventilating with crippling fear, finding it suddenly difficult to breathe, shudders passed down her spine, her body trembled like a leaf, all the horrors of today converging on her in this one moment. Was this really happening? No, she had to be having a nightmare, this was all too much.

  “You’re a fucking psycho! What the fuck do you get from killing a severely injured woman and a child!”

  “Man the fuck up. It’s a dog eat dog world now, we look after numero uno, fuck everyone else!”

  “It’s a fucking outbreak, not a killing spree free for all!”

  Charlotte’s death was slow and painful; with her hands tied, she couldn't even prevent the loss of blood if she had the consciousness to do so.

  Ria began screaming and crying, unable to hold back the overwhelming surge of emotions welling up inside her any longer. This only angered the driver and he approached her, striking her again knocking her down and startling her, but not hard enough to knock her out.

  “Know what, I'll be out
side when you two want to come find me, but remember, I made it explicitly clear that time is not on our side, so do whatever you need to do fast, otherwise I'm leaving your assess behind”, Lugo declared and left.

  “You keep quiet, little monkey, this ain't the jungle! You’ll bring those fuckers outside right to our doorstep!”

  Ria lay there crying and bleeding, having bitten her lip when punched.

  Charlotte’s choking died down and Ria didn't need an explanation for what that meant, she just wanted her mum and dad.

  “Fuck, she’s dead. Say, have you ever had a nigger chick?”

  “What the fuck are you asking?” Back seat passenger replied.

  “I'm thinking I should try one just this once, seeing as we definitely killing her now, since she can implicate both of us, accomplice. No one will know about it”.

  “Except me!”

  “And you won't say a thing. I mean, we'll need to bleach down afterwards, don't wanna catch nothing, but pussy is pussy".

  “She's a kid!”

  “Like I said”.

  “No, I'm not letting this happen! You already killed that woman! You are scum! This was never about the narrative with you, you just have a sick bloodlust!”

  “Fuck the narrative, what the fuck has ever been done for me? I've been screwed over at every turn and now I get to reclaim that. The WFM was glorious, fucking wish I was there".

  “You know what? I’m not going to be here for whatever bullshit you have planned next, I'm fucking gone".

  “Where do you think you’re going, Jack Hemmingway?” Driver demanded.

  “Bastard…”

  “Now that she knows at least your name, you have no other choice but to kill her, right? Who do you think she’ll remember and lead the police to if she lives now? Word of advice, never give people you don't know your full name. Mine was an alias, so even if you told her, it would never lead to me. Needless to say, your choices right now are sparse, whilst you're gone, I'll be having fun and who knows, I might just release her afterwards, if only to see you go down for it”.

  “You'd fucking implicate Lugo too".