by Jeff Olah
Only mildly unnerved, he slowly began to realize what this was. These things were never supposed to see the light of day, especially in the civilian world. The size and shape of the project must have changed or taken a drastic turn into something altogether different than what he knew. Lockwood hadn’t told him of anything even resembling what he was now witnessing.
The world had entered a new phase, something that couldn’t be accounted for and the involuntary grin that slid across his face didn’t concern him. His excitement wasn’t because he enjoyed what was happening and also wasn’t because he wanted the population to suffer. He should be terrified; hell, this was going to paralyze every living soul once they found out what those men did to the human race. He didn’t want this. He never did, although now that the virus showed up unannounced at his doorstep, he was more than happy to show these things what he was capable of.
Randy scanned the route he was to take, chambered a round and trotted off toward home, his heart rate doubling as he took the first step.
9
As he soared over the void, Mason felt fortunate that the roof of the vacant furniture store was a good five feet below that of the gym. If the gap between the two rooflines had been any more than what Mason estimated at fifteen feet, he surely would have ended up on the ground below.
Surveying the spot where was he was to land and the rest of the rooftop, Mason noticed one of the things he had been running from at the far edge, seemingly looking for a way off. Mason wasn’t much concerned as once he touched down, he figured they would still be a good sixty feet apart. That would give him at least a few seconds to get his wits about him before he was challenged.
Landing hard on his feet, then immediately to his knees, and finally falling forward onto his left side, Mason slid across the damp rooftop. Once he came to a stop, Mason jumped to his feet and was amazed to find he had only acquired a few scrapes, other than that he was good to go.
Mason watched as many of these things followed him over the edge, but without jumping, so they all ended up at the bottom of the alley between the two buildings, one on top of another. Mason was stunned when many of them just stood and walked back toward the crowd at the front of the building.
Looking back across the roof he just landed on, Mason realized that he had hardly even been noticed by his new adversary. Only the noise of him crashing down caused it to slowly turn in Mason’s direction.
Mason stared at this thing and it stared back, in the same way a bull does just before it runs down the bullfighter. He didn’t seem to be interested in Mason, but more curious at why he was here; he even cocked his head to the left.
Most of the other freaks Mason had seen today were fairly normal looking, with the exception of their eyes. They didn’t seem to focus on any one thing, and they didn’t look you in the face. They gave the impression that they were on a mission to destroy any human in their path and lost all concern for their own safety.
Standing a mere fifty feet from this creature, Mason yelled the only thing he could think of.
“Why?”
It straightened its head and started toward Mason. As it approached Mason knew something was different about this one. It didn’t move half as fast as the others and it was in much worse condition, possibly hurt.
As it got closer Mason still didn’t feel threatened. He began to notice the skin on its face and arms was torn off in places and was hanging by little shards in others. The clothes it had on weren’t in any better shape and looked as if they had gone through a woodchipper just before it got dressed.
Twenty feet away and getting closer, Mason realized that its ankle was snapped in two and its foot was being dragged. He slid off his backpack, set it on the ground to his right, and withdrew the revolver.
This thing was bigger than Mason had initially accounted for and he began to get nervous, even though it wasn’t moving very quickly. Mason retreated to the edge of the roof with his back to the chasm. He changed his mind about the gun and slid it into his waistband, realizing that if he squeezed off a shot, every one of those things would be drawn to him immediately.
With only two paces left between them, Mason braced his rear foot against the drainpipe at the edge of the building and crouched into a defensive position. Mouth open, the creature lunged at him as Mason grabbed its forearm and pulled it to the ground. It didn’t seem to fight being pulled down; its only focus appeared to be Mason’s flesh.
As he held it down and dragged it to the edge, it began twisting and turning its neck almost to the point of dislocation, the whole time snapping at Mason’s arm and face. Once he had it on its back and close enough, Mason released his grip, stepped back and kicked it over the side to the ground below.
It smashed into the asphalt and was deformed even more from the impact. Much to Mason’s astonishment, it slowly righted itself, stood and began heading toward the rear of the building, although at a much slower rate than before.
Shaking his head, he muttered, “What the hell has happened?”
Mason reached for the gun that had fallen while he had his hands full with that thing. He walked a few steps further, grabbing the backpack and heading toward the opposite end of the building.
When he reached the northeast corner, Mason surveyed the end of the parking lot furthest from the gym and noticed only a few of those things slowing roaming the area. From his vantage point, he could see that the side of town nearest Justin’s school and his former home appeared untouched.
It was only two miles away and he could run there if he had to, although his car was a much faster and safer option. April and Justin needed him and there was no time to spare.
He just needed to get past the growing horde that still occupied the part of the lot where he was parked. If the scene that played out earlier in the day were any indication of what he was up against, this may be the last challenge he would ever face.
10
“Justin … JUSTIN!”
April was now shouting at him. She looked toward the door and asked, “How do you lock it?” She shook Justin, who appeared to be in a state of shock. He just stared out the door as horrified classmates and school staff ran past and flooded into other classrooms.
April grabbed a textbook from his backpack and slammed it on the desk next to her making a loud crashing sound and waking Justin from his trance. “Mom, are we going to die?”
“NO, but I need to know how to lock the door.” April tried to reassure Justin, although she wasn’t so sure they would make it out.
“It only locks from the outside and you need a key.”
April looked around and grabbed the desk next to her. “Let’s push some of these against the door and maybe slow them down.”
“What about my friends and the teachers? We can’t lock them out.”
“So far no one has tried to get in; they all look like they are more interested in going down that other hall.”
They quickly slid five desks in front of the door, and they piled another six on top. They figured that if it didn’t stop whatever those things were from getting in, it would at least slow them down enough to give them a few minutes head start in getting as far away from here as possible.
Looking toward the rear of the classroom, April asked, “Where does that door go, can we get to the gym from there?”
“Yeah, but we have to go past the hall that those things were in.”
April thought about it for a moment. “Ok, let’s go.”
The pair headed for the rear door, only to find it was locked. Justin ran back to the teacher’s desk and grabbed the stapler. He hurried back to the door and made short work of the lock. They could still hear the muted cries for help and the terrible screaming coming from the south end of the school where most of the destruction appeared to be taking place.
Through the door there appeared a long hallway with only one outlet to the left. “Where does that go?” April asked.
“After the bend, it splits and goes to th
e front office and the other side goes to the hallway that goes to the band room and the gym.”
April paused for a moment, trying to gather the courage she would need to move forward. More than anything right now, April needed to be strong for her son. She would give her last dying breath for him if necessary. April was prepared to give herself to those things if it meant Justin would go free. She didn’t want these thoughts to slow her down or to frighten her to the point of not being able to act when he needed her to be strong.
She decided to let the fear in and have it wash over her. April purposely let it control her and completely paralyze her with terror for a moment and from then on she would not give in to it. She had a job to do and fear would not slow her down another second.
April looked Justin in the eyes. “Let’s go. I want you to stay very close to me and if you spot one of those things or need to tell me something, I want you to tug on my shirt and then only in whispers. We are going to be silent until we get out of school. I do not want any of those things finding us. Are you good?”
“Yeah… But…”
“But what?” April said.
“I have to pee.”
“You’re going to have to hold it; I don’t plan on being in this school more than a few minutes. You can pee at home.”
April grabbed Justin by the hand and pulled him down the lengthy hallway. Picking up speed, they moved faster with each passing second, although not into a full run, as this would create too much noise.
They finally reached the split that led to the gym. They could still hear the terror going on, although it appeared to moving away from them.
Justin whispered to his mother and pointed. “It’s just past that pillar on the right.”
“Alright, stay close.”
April and Justin made their way down the last of the corridor before reaching the midpoint of the school that housed the computer lab and the janitor’s office, both of which had seen better days. The computer lab had a small fire burning that appeared to be extinguishing itself. The door to the janitor’s office was completely ripped from its hinges and a body lay motionless just inside.
Tiptoeing past the two rooms, they looked back and could see that the front half of the school had taken the same level of abuse. Books, backpacks, and lunch bags were everywhere. There were a few more bodies near the entrance and the front doors were blown out; glass littered the entire area.
Looking back as they continued toward the gym, they could partially see into the teachers’ lounge. You could tell they had fought to keep those things out and lost the battle. Four bodies were left behind.
April looked at Justin again and she could tell the fear was getting the best of him. “Slow down your breathing and just give me a few minutes. We will be safe and at home before you know it.”
They started to walk slowly, and she looked back again. “Your dad is meeting us at home; everything is going to be fine. We are going to be fine.”
They hurried forward again, across the open area into the hall leading to the gym. Justin looked left and noticed one of those things hunched over the assistant principal, who was no longer moving. Justin nearly screamed when he saw this, and April covered his mouth.
It was too late—the thing looked up from its prey and found its next target.
11
She didn't care. She wanted to die, rather than remain with these two and be witness to what they’d do next. They were animals long before hell visited earth and now acted as though this new world deputized them both as agents of mayhem. Lance may have a twinge of humanity left in his rapidly deteriorating temperament, although with Jason always close enough to spit on, she knew he wouldn’t speak up. Savannah was going to leave them… even if it meant losing her life.
Lying face down on the floor of the backseat and sliding her hands over her ears, she tried focusing on the memories from before these two men entered her life. They weren't blood related and as thankful as she was for that, it didn’t change the fact that she was still linked to them. As they rolled toward their next destination, the muffled argument the two brothers were having boiled to the point that Jason stopped the car and exited the driver’s door. Lance followed suit and they stood in the street unwilling to concede to one another.
The car in park and still running, Savannah pondered jumping into the front and attempting an escape. Rising from the floor and peering out into the street, she noticed that Jason still clutched his weapon, so even sliding into the driver’s seat may end disastrously before she even put the car into drive. Slowly she righted herself against the backseat and sat nervously watching Lance argue for civility with his brother.
“Jason, we’ve done some bad things, but you’ve gone too far. This is not us, you have to stop. We aren’t doing this. Not anymore.”
“You cowardly little boy… I did them a favor. Do you honestly think Gene or Joanne stood a chance in this world for more than the next five minutes? No, they would have stayed in that house, scared to death and waiting to die. I put them out of their misery.”
Stepping to Jason, Lance slid his hand down covering his weapon. “You have no idea what’s happening out here, none of us do. You killed them because you wanted to, not because you were looking out for them. You’ve never cared about anyone but yourself.”
“Listen little brother,” Jason said, raising his nine millimeter. “You’d better put your hand back where it won’t get you into any trouble and get back in the car. If you know me as well as you think you do, you’ll realize it’s the only way. This is the last warning I will ever give you.”
Without saying a word, Lance leveled his gaze at the late afternoon sun, took in a long breath and turned back to the car. He now knew he’d have to end his brother’s life at some point, although this wasn’t that moment.
“By the way,” Jason said as Lance pulled open the passenger door, “I’m well aware of what this world has become. I’m just not in denial of what needs to be done to survive. You’d be better off just following my lead.”
Watching the quiet residential neighborhood begin to dissolve into mass chaos, Jason returned to the car and slid back in behind the wheel. Checking his rearview mirror, he said, “Savannah sweetheart, you ok?” As he began to laugh, she leaned forward and in a misguided attempt at vengeance, swung hard with an open hand, slapping the right side of his face. As he continued to laugh, she sat back and awaited his next move. He did nothing. He said nothing, just kept laughing as they moved out of the neighborhood and onto the highway.
12
Making his way back over to the ladder attached to the side of the building, Mason was pleased when he looked down and none of those things occupied the area below. He tightened the slings of the backpack around his shoulders and wrapped his right leg around to meet the fourth rung.
Halfway down the ladder, Mason noticed the same character he had thrown off the opposite end of the building only minutes before rounding the corner at the rear of the building to his left. He noticed it was moving even slower than it had before and that he was in no danger of it reaching him before he exited the ladder.
“Hey Fred,” he said aloud, mocking his new slowly moving friend, knowing it posed him no threat at this point. Mason almost felt bad for him until he remembered that Fred tried to eat him not even five minutes before. Mason thought of jumping down, running over and smashing Fred’s skull against the side of the furniture store. He knew better than to waste his time since he wasn’t out of danger just yet.
Mason turned his attention back toward the front corner of the building. It appeared quiet with none of those things anywhere in sight. With only a few rungs left, Mason leapt to the ground below and waved goodbye to his dear friend Fred. “It’s been nice buddy, although I got to go and I don’t think you’re gonna be able to keep up. I hate long goodbyes so…” Mason made himself laugh just a little as he turned to run.
Coming to the corner that led to the storefront, Mason looked out over
the lot and found his car. It was much further than he remembered, probably because he was checking texts as he walked into the gym that afternoon. There appeared to be less of those things roaming the lot than earlier and they now seemed to be moving in packs of ten to twenty.
They were also moving slower than before, although he didn’t want to get caught between two of these herds and end up having them pull him apart from both ends.
There were still people trying to escape, Mason counted at least a half dozen or so. Some were hiding behind trees and planters, while others continued to run, trying to reach their cars with enough time to get inside and get moving before the crowds converged on them.
A lump grew in Mason’s throat as he noticed his friend Tom hiding behind one of the big palm trees only thirty feet from his car. He had to help Tom and somehow distract those things without bringing them to him.
Mason pulled off the backpack and withdrew the revolver. He hoped to be able to hit at least a couple of those things and clear a path for the two of them to get the hell out of there. As Mason searched for a target, he suddenly had a completely different idea.
Mason lowered the gun and fired off a round. A mere millisecond later, the metal dumpster at the far end of the lot exploded in a deafening roar that sent shockwaves in every direction, confusing everyone, including the hordes. This caused those things to split off, moving in different directions, going after no one in particular.
Looking back and noticing Fred still wasn’t much closer and had now fallen to the ground, Mason shook his head, stood, and started toward his car. “Poor guy never had a chance.” Most of the vile creatures walking the lot hadn’t noticed him yet as he moved quickly and quietly. Mason moved from tree to tree trying to avoid being spotted and it almost looked as if he may make it to his car unharmed.
When he was a little more than halfway, Tom finally saw him and, making eye contact, started waving him away. Much to his dismay, at this point Mason also had the attention of eight to ten of the creatures and more were on to him with every second that passed.