by RM Brewer
Too weak to escape and too scared to move, she wondered if she’d ever see Jodie, Nick, or Christy again. Had the boys, Noah and Fester, made it through their encounter with Gypsum? For that matter, had Jodie? A sense of helplessness crept into her mind and she pushed it away as quickly as it had appeared. There was no time for self-doubt or self-pity. She needed to prepare for escape. But, for now, to rest was all she could do. She hoped she wouldn't dream as the empty water bottle slipped from her hand and she fell fast asleep.
* * *
Bill handed Jodie the keys for his four-wheel drive truck. “It’ll get you wherever you want to go.”
“Thanks, Bill,” Jodie said, thinking that she didn’t really have a good idea of where they would be going, but they were definitely prepared. Gasoline sloshed around in a can as Chuck lifted it into the truck bed and strapped it in place. Waiting by the passenger door, Fester cradled one of Bill’s shotguns, a serious expression on his face. Jodie could tell he meant business. They’d talked briefly about safety and Fester had nodded, promising her he would handle the gun with care. For a moment, she wanted to let out a manic laugh that was building in her, just to feel some sense of release. Here she was, fighting against pure evil with a boy and a mechanical man, the only people who stood between Gypsum and world annihilation. With each passing moment, the odds of success seemed more remote. She knew they might die trying, but one way or another, Gypsum was going down. Hopefully, she, Fester and Chuck wouldn’t go with it. The touch of Debi’s hand on her shoulder wrenched Jodie from her thoughts.
“Okay, you three take care of each other. I want you back here as soon as you’re done with those Gypsum bastards.” Debi pulled Jodie into a hug and called over her shoulder. “Chuck, you get back here quick. I want to hear more cow stories. Who knew they had so much to say?”
“You bet, Debi,” Chuck said, getting in the back seat of the truck. Fester joined Chuck, sitting with the shotgun placed vertically between his legs.
“Get out of here as fast as you can,” Jodie said. "Once we call in the location of those two guys tied to the tree, they'll come looking for you, Debi."
"Yeah, I know," Debi said. "I'm worried about our farmhands."
“What story did you give them?”
Debi smiled. “I told them Bill and I were headed on a road trip to surprise his mother in Juneau.”
“Juneau?” Jodie asked. “As in Alaska?”
“Yup,” Debi giggled. “Just let Gypsum try looking for us in the mountains."
"Good thinking," Jodie said. "They're only looking for Chuck. I don't think your help is in any danger . . . well, no more danger than the rest of us . . ."
"They're . . . Gypsum . . . they're pretty busy right now," Chuck called out of the open window of the truck. "I don't think they have time to bother with the farm."
Chuck's expression appeared vacant, with his eyes fixed on the woods, but not focused on anything. Jodie realized he was probably getting messages from the horde.
“Okay, then,” Jodie said. "Good idea about Alaska. Have a wonderful trip." Jodie found herself thinking she was glad that Debi was still in her life. She couldn’t have imagined this day for anything when they were in high school together. A bit of sadness crept in when she realized this might be their last exchange. What she, Chuck and Fester were going to do was extremely dangerous. First, they’d have to try to find out what happened to Jodie’s team. Then, the next order of business was to drive Chuck directly into the heart of the infestation and hope he could convince them of the need to fight together against Gypsum in retaliation. Jodie just hoped that they were capable of understanding Chuck. She hadn’t sensed a high level of intelligence, but the virals did seem to be able to communicate with each other. They also could organize a terrific hunt, like no creatures nature had made. For the time being, she knew she shouldn’t underestimate them.
“We need to go now. They’re close,” he said, continuing to stare into the forest.
Jodie gave Debi another quick hug, waved at Bill and jumped into the truck. “Okay, where should I go?” she asked as she pulled the seat forward.
“They’re a few hundred miles south of Crescent City. The farther they move, the more recruits they pick up along the way, too.”
“Recruits?” Jodie asked.
“You mean they infect people along the way, don’t you?” Fester asked.
Chuck nodded and turned to look out the window. “Better hurry.”
Jodie felt sick to her stomach as she turned the truck around in the driveway and took off, Debi and Bill following in Debi’s car. At the first intersection they came to, Bill turned, leaving them alone, speeding along the forest road. She glanced in the rear view mirror, a little surprised to see Chuck wiping tears from his eyes. Jodie could only guess what he was thinking, but if anyone knew how dangerous what they were about to do was, Chuck did. Suddenly, Jodie was certain that none of them would be coming back.
“When you get to the highway, head south for about fifty miles, then east,” Chuck said. “They’re coming across the desert. A lot of them are dying out there. We have to turn them around or we’ll lose all of them.”
Jodie wondered what Chuck was saying. Wouldn’t losing them all be a good thing? She glanced over at Fester and he looked back at her, questioning. “Can you handle all of them, Chuck?” she asked. “You made it sound like there are thousands.”
Chuck was silent for a moment, his eyes closed. “Not thousands anymore.”
Jodie looked up at the mirror again, trying to see his expression. The truck screamed down the highway and the only sounds were the roaring of the engine and the whirring of the tires.
Chuck opened his eyes, leveling them in Jodie’s direction. “Not thousands . . . tens of thousands now.”
Gripping the steering wheel, Jodie was trying to let the idea of driving as fast as they could toward a massive horde of virally infected non-human, flesh-eating zombie-like monsters sink into her brain. She jumped when her phone rang. Pulling it out of her pocket, she didn’t recognize the number and wondered whether to answer or not. Deciding it was way past the point of exercising any sort of caution, she pressed the receive button and waited.
“Jodie? Jodie, are you there?”
Jodie felt her throat tighten. “Claire, is that you?”
“Yes. Can we talk on this line?” Claire asked.
“We can’t worry about Gypsum right now. If they were going to kill us, they would’ve already done that with a drone. Right now, we have an even bigger problem to deal with. Where are you? I need you to meet us.”
“I’m on 395 headed toward Mountain City from Reno. I’m about ten miles north of Reno right now.”
“Claire, what happened to the team?”
“I don’t know anything for sure. I think we were set up. I was trying to get to the source location for Jane McKinley’s phone. I think they fed us those phone records so that they could find out exactly where we were. Jodie, the records came from the Denver office . . . our own agency.”
Not surprising, Jodie thought. Gypsum must still be embedded everywhere in the government. Oddly, it was a viral outbreak caused by them that was going to provide Jodie and Chuck cover for the time being. “Keep driving on the road you’re on. We’ll meet you. Look for a white Chevy pickup truck. We’re probably about an hour away.”
“Will do. Oh, and it’s good to hear your voice, Jodie,” Claire said, emotion evident in her words.
“Yours, too, Claire,” Jodie said. “See you in about an hour.” Jodie hung up and slid the phone back in her pocket. She looked up at the mirror, seeing Chuck nodding.
“That’s a good idea,” he said.
“What is?” Fester asked. “Isn’t going to the 395 gonna take us away from where you wanted to go?”
Chuck reached up and put his hand on Fester’s shoulder. “No, it’ll be just about right.”
Jodie knew what Chuck agreed with was sending Fester with Claire. He’d read her
thoughts and wanted the boy out of danger. She could see the grave expression clouding his face when she thought about herself. In her mind, she told him it was okay. She would die for this cause, as long as they took down Gypsum in the process. She’d be with him until the end. Jodie briefly turned to look at him, seeing his determination building. She hoped she could muster up some of her own. She would need it.
CHAPTER 11
Mei felt a kink growing in her spine. She was chilled to the bone and tried to roll over and pull the covers up. Grasping down, searching for the blanket, her hand came away empty. She reached out farther and touched something metal. For a moment, she was still in slumber, unaware of the reality of her surroundings, but then it all came back to her. She felt fear and despair wash over her as she regained full consciousness. Opening her eyes, she could see the dim reflection of a flashing light flickering off the walls of the vent from somewhere in the distance.
Sounds of laughter and argument she'd vaguely been aware of as she floated in and out of sleep were gone now, leaving the gentle humming of the ship unmasked. Mei tried to straighten her legs, aware that every movement was amplified by the thin walls of the metal vent. Her tongue felt swollen, her lips like sandpaper, every molecule of her body screaming for moisture. As silently as she could, she pulled her bag toward her, untied it and fished inside for a bottle of water, taking inventory as she felt through the supplies. She was down to three bottles of water and a handful of food. She needed her strength, but she'd have to make her supplies last.
Gulping one of the bottles of water, she abruptly stopped as voices echoed through the vent. Mei plastered her hand over her mouth to stifle the choke that was caught in her throat.
"Did you clear that last hallway?" a man called out.
"Roger that," another answered.
"Captain says they're probably using the vents to travel," the first man said. "We're closing off this section and gassing it."
Great, Mei thought. The things are in the vents . . . with me. . . and we're all going to be gassed. Not knowing where the voice was coming from, Mei didn't know which way to go, but staying put definitely wasn't an option.
Stashing her bottle, Mei slipped her bag strap over her head. As quietly as she could manage, she pulled herself forward into the main vent. She lay still for a moment, then turned her head to look toward the hatch she'd come up in. Every few seconds, the flashing light illuminated the shaft, allowing her to catch a brief glimpse into the darkness. When she was sure nothing was blocking the hatch, she turned the other direction and saw it.
A creature, like she'd seen earlier, like the one that had chased her into the vent, lay curled up in a ball some twenty-five feet away. She could barely hear its heavy, mucous-filled breath over the sound of her pounding heart. Well, the captain was right, she thought. They definitely are in the vents. It was time to move.
Mei slid her legs out into the main vent and started to push herself backward toward the hatch, all the while watching the creature for movement. The light, which she realized was probably part of an alarm system, flickered on again. For an instant, she thought she saw it still lying there and pushed herself back, almost to the hatch now. The next flicker illuminated the vent and Mei screamed. The thing stood on all fours, ready to spring toward her, saliva pouring in streams from its gaping mouth.
With all her might, she shoved her body back to the hatch and kicked, knocking the lid open. Reflections off the arms and legs of the creature sprinting in the darkness disappeared as she fell through the hatch, slamming onto the desk below. Mei rolled off to the floor, just in time to be flattened to the tile by the creature landing on her. Raising a clawed hand, it screeched before bringing its razor sharp talons down upon her head. She shifted ever so slightly, avoiding the full impact of the blow, but the sensation of her own flesh tearing and the taste of blood told her it had done some serious damage.
An alarm sounded and the creature stood, poking its head up, sniffing the air, streams of bloody drool dripping from its mandibles. It lunged toward the door, stepping on a broom, snapping the handle in half. Mei looked at the sharp shard of broken handle, realizing this was the only potential weapon in the room. She rolled over and grabbed it as the creature, seemingly unaware of her movements, appeared enthralled by the noise of the alarm.
With its back to her and its thin spine exposed, Mei staggered to a standing position and shoved herself forward with everything she had left. Her vision started to blacken, stars appearing before her eyes. Blood oozing from the gaping wound on her face splashed on her shoulders and arms. Feeling she had only seconds before she lost consciousness, she thrust the wooden spike forward, spearing it into the backbone of the creature.
The thing recoiled, whipping its arms around, bashing into her, sending her flying into the wall on the other side of the room. It screamed, shrieking so loud Mei's ears began to ring, her head already throbbing from hitting the wall. Flailing across the room, it came for her. Her vision started to cloud and Mei accepted the idea that she would die today. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see it, not wanting to watch it take her life. She waited, then heard a thud at her feet. The creature bellowed a terrific groan. Mei opened her eyes, not able to see clearly through the thick cloud of gas. As she regained her focus, the silhouette of the dying creature appeared before her, a black pool of liquid near its head growing larger with each second.
Mei pushed herself up from the wall and stood. Trying to take a breath, she coughed, the wound on her face sending lightning bolts of pain through her entire body. The drip, drip, drip of her blood splashing on the floor propelled her forward to search for first aid. She knew where to find it. Back where she'd come from, where the others were probably waking up from their drug-induced comas. But, could she make it there? If she didn't bleed to death, would the gas kill her? Would the people she’d saved help her or would they be hostile?
Struggling to move, she staggered around the dead creature, toward the door. The dark edges of her vision seemed to lighten for a moment as she felt herself floating. Grabbing at the edge of the desk, she propelled herself toward the door and opened it. Once she was out of the room, she shoved herself forward, floating above the floor toward the hatch at the other end of the hallway.
She sensed the bonds to her life loosening. Her pain retreated and she felt herself falling into space, free from her body. Her mother's voice sounded from a distance, then her father's. They beckoned to her and called her name, pleading with her to come with them, but she ignored them.
Mei grabbed at the hatch door, spinning the wheel until it disengaged. She pulled the door and pushed herself through the opening, floating into the space of the hallway. She could see the light of the medical room in the distance, but it was too far. She knew she wouldn't make it and closed her eyes, finally giving in to what her body wanted. The warm embrace of her mother and father enveloped her, pulling her along, carrying her, and Mei let go.
* * *
Jodie was glad that Chuck was able to sleep. He'd need all the energy he could muster when they encountered the hordes. Glancing in the rearview mirror, she saw Fester looking out the window, his eyes in a fixed position, looking determined.
Chuck stirred in his seat, an agonized groan escaping his mouth. Jodie reached out to him as he woke and he grabbed her hand.
"Are you okay?" she asked. "I think you were having a nightmare." She could see his eyes fill with tears.
"What is it, Chuck?"
He turned to look at her, his face soft and sympathetic. "Mei. It's Mei."
Jodie was confounded by his statement for a moment. "No, please no," she pleaded with Chuck, knowing it would make no difference.
"I can't say for certain. I saw it attack her . . . like it was me doing it," he said, putting his face in his hands. "She's somewhere between the light and the dark now."
"What?" Jodie said, unable to keep her voice from trembling. She jumped as Fester put his hand on her shoulder.
<
br /> "I should drive," Fester said.
"What? Why?" Jodie looked down at the speedometer. They were traveling over one hundred miles per hour. She must’ve stepped on the gas when Chuck told her about Mei. "Yeah," she said. "I'll pull over." She slowed the vehicle and stopped on the gravel shoulder. "What do you mean, between the light and the dark?"
Chuck looked up at her. "I don't really know. She's not gone, but she's being pulled toward death. I don't know what that means."
Jodie jumped at the sound of Fester knocking on the window. She unbuckled her seatbelt as Fester opened the door for her. Getting out, her knees buckled and Fester grabbed her, his strong arms not betraying his young age. She held onto him, knowing that her emotions had just been pushed to a place there was no coming back from. Fester helped her get into the backseat of the truck.
"Where is she, Chuck?" Jodie asked.
Chuck rubbed his forehead. "On a ship. I didn't get enough of a look into her thoughts to tell, but they're headed back to the Air Force Base. Nellis, I think."
"They’re in a ship that was headed for the dark rift? Why would they be coming back to Earth? I don't understand," Jodie said. "What did you see, exactly?"
Fester pulled away from the shoulder, sending gravel flying as Chuck looked her in the eye. "Are you sure you want to know this?"
Jodie nodded. "Tell me."
Chuck rubbed his jaw. "She was attacked by an alien . . . slashed across the face and neck. But, then something happened. I don't know what." Chuck paused, closing his eyes in concentration. "She fought back, hitting it in the backbone, but it came at her again. Then, it stopped for some reason. The next thing I saw was a hallway in front of her, but her thoughts were muddled . . . she was talking with her parents."