“The man with the baby was one of us,” said the woman who had yelled out the warning about the charging Fiend.
“That was your friend?” asked Jones.
Her companion continued for her, “Carl. At first, when we’d taken refuge in the fort, there weren’t that many Fiends around, but when the city was lost, they sorta spread out, you know, hunting for healthy folks. We got caught flat-footed trying to scrounge up some food from a vending machine in one of the hangers. There were nine of us and maybe twenty of them. When it was over and we’d killed them off, there was a baby still alive. It was different.”
“Saw that,” said Copper.
“We think it was born like that. And… it could totally control our minds.”
“Me too,” said Copper, feeling the fresh wound on his neck. “Like my own body attacked me.”
Jones looked at Copper with fresh eyes. “Wait. You sayin' that that thing was in your head? Controlled you?”
“Nearly made me cut my own neck.”
“Carl was its favorite," said the woman. "The baby made a kind of pet out of him.”
Jones was incredulous. “How’s a baby make you a pet?”
The woman’s face squished up. She paused, wiping tears off her cheeks. “Yesterday there were three more of us. They were able to pull the bar from the wall on their side. We’re pretty sure they got away.” False hope filled her eyes.
Copper and Jones chose not to say anything. Why make it worse for these folks? But she knew. She let her head hang down and burst into muffled sobs followed by the second woman who had not spoken a word, just sat there catatonic.
Copper touched the sobbing woman’s shoulder, “You a strong lady, lady. You take care of these two. They needs a strong lady.”
The soldiers gave as much comfort and reassurance to the civilians as they could and then made their way up the stairs. Next door, the rest of the platoon stood by, suited up - ready to go. They’d gotten the word ten minutes prior that the airstrip had been gassed, and a return loop by Lieutenant Reese in her F-22 confirmed several dozen Deadheads on the tarmac, no further activity. To her private dismay, a quick pass over the fenced in tank depot revealed nothing but motionless wreckage.
The Rangers waited five minutes more to be sure that nothing outside was breathing, and opened the doors. The pilots ran for the Chinooks to start the liftoff sequence while a perimeter was temporarily setup to protect them.
Everyone tried not to look at the gruesome mess that was spread out across the tarmac. They were especially mindful of the torn up uniforms of their comrades. O’Shea and Melman collected the dog tags that they could find.
Up to this point Aaron Burnbaum and Christy Tsue had not seen any of the horror that the others had seen. Both scientists had been evacuated before the fall of Atlanta and had missed out on the gory details of a nation gone mad. What they had seen had been on TV or on autopsy tables, sanitized and fit for ‘consumption’. Their first encounter with the real thing had both of them nearly puking in their suits.
Everyone wanted a breath of fresh air, but the Chinooks themselves were coated in nerve agent, and unless they could figure out a way to wash them off completely, they were all doomed to keep their hazmat suits on until they were safely on the ground again. The sun was just coming up as the helicopters rose into the sky. The massive storm that had brushed over them in the night had moved far to the north leaving the horizon dark and ominous.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
The Lake
There were several houses along the lakeshore that could be seen through the mist. At one point the sky had even cleared enough for Jon, Nikki and Will to look back toward the castle and the town. The shoreline was crawling with Fiends all walking in one direction – north. The three survivors had decided to take one canoe, the craft being quieter in the water than a rowboat and less likely to attract attention.
Will explained that he lived on the lake, his house being over on Dead River Road. As the three survivors pushed off, leaving behind four more dead Americans, Nikki asked, “Can you find it if we stay out in the middle, hide in this mist?”
“I think so. Flagstaff’s a big lake. There’s a lot of little islands and one big one in the middle. I wonder… I bet it’s pretty well covered in game, God knows we’ve got fish. We could get some gear together, you know, do the survivor thing. I hunt. You guys hunt? I bet we could make it work for a good while.”
Nikki said, “Let’s call it a fallback. We need to keep our eyes on the prize. Canada.”
Will nodded at the teaming shore, “I wouldn’t be surprised if we were cut off from Canada by now.”
They paddled in silence for maybe a mile, the shore occasionally popping into sight as the mist ebbed and flowed.
Will finally spoke. “This is it.”
Using his paddle to steer, he turned the canoe toward shore. As the trees and then lower scrub came into focus, it looked peaceful enough. The rain had stopped and a few birds chirped to the change in weather. There were houses, but they were more separated than the ones closer to town.
Will said, “They should all be empty. As far as I know, everyone from the surrounding area had either evacuated or thrown in their lot with Deighton.”
As they got closer to shore, a flock of Cormorants shot out from a tree and circled over them to make sure they were not marauding humans before returning to their nests.
Will named his neighbor’s houses, “Bennett got out a month ago. Carpenter, don’t know, Jensen stayed - sent the wife and kids to Idaho where her parents were. He’s either dead or a demon after last night’s mess. You remember him - he was the one in the orange hunting vest who handled old Mrs. Tanner like a bag of trash.” Will flipped off Jensen’s house and said, “Good riddance, you bastard.” He pointed at the house closest to them, “My next door neighbors, the Costas’… don’t know - Steven, Liz, two kids. And that one there is my place.”
It was modest looking, comfortable, and like most of the newer houses, it had a big picture window. A small covered motorboat was tied to the dock, nothing else outside other than a barbecue and a couple of Adirondack chairs. The landscaping was pretty much nature’s call. They let the canoe glide up to the side of the dock and Will hopped out, holding it for the others. They pulled it out of the water and set it on the dock.
Jon said, nodding at the motorboat, “Before we go any further. That thing gassed up? Key’s in it?
“Gassed. Keys are in the house.”
“Well let’s get the cover off her and get her turned toward the lake in case we need to make a dash for it. Trust me when I say, Nikki and I have experience with that one.”
They pulled the cover off to reveal a perfectly restored 1940 Chris Craft Barrel Back. The wood shone glossy like new, every piece of chrome, facet and bit of upholstery had been lovingly cared for.
Will noted, “I don’t have a wife. Tess here has gotten all of my devotion.”
When they got it turned around, the Marine in Nikki took charge, “Okay, we stay in a group. Jon, I don’t know how you feel about continuing to carry that pistol, I can take it if you like. I wasn’t serious about you having to shoot the next one.”
Jon smiled, “You’re not getting my new gun. I’m good with the gun. I just wish I still had my riot helmet.”
Nikki grabbed two of the canoe paddles and handed one to Will, then took the gun from Jon and handed him a paddle. “You’re so-so with a gun. We walk the perimeter and then we enter the house. Agreed?”
Jon smiled with sarcasm in his eyes. Nikki stepped forward. “One other thing,” she said. “If we come upon one of the things alone, you two try to take it out with the paddles. Gunshots just bring more of them.”
“That’s a fun plan,” said Jon. “Can I have the gun back?”
“No”
They moved around the property and found nothing. The clouds were breaking and it was developing into a gorgeous day.
Will said, “It’s surreal, isn
’t it? How nature continues on its timeless schedule? The planet would thrive if we weren’t here.”
Neither Nikki nor Jon chose to respond to the obvious statement. When they felt secure about the outside, they moved to the front door. Will said, “It’s unlocked. No one locks their doors around here.”
They stepped into a great-room, which made up the bulk of the interior. It was a comfortable, masculine space, with a wood stove and a small kitchen. Will wasn’t kidding about the hunting; several local species had been preserved and were on display. There was also a horrible smell. A few flies flew about the room; many more were piled dead along the windowsills; a growing theme in abandoned homes. The source of the smell was obvious. Assorted breakfast food was spread out on the counter, quite putrefied.
Jon whispered, “Another thing I’ve seen a lot. Folks getting their meals interrupted.”
Will shrugged and whispered, “Planned to clean up when I got home.” He opened a door next to the kitchen, revealing an empty toilet/laundry. He stepped toward the only other door, paddle raised, “Just one bedroom,” and kicked it open. Nothing. Empty. The three of them stepped in to find an unmade bed, clothes on the floor, piled on a chair. Will peeked into the bathroom and smiled with relief. Raising his voice to normal, he said, “Well that’s it. You’ve had the tour. Sorry about the smell. When I left to go deal with the Deighton situation I didn’t exactly expect to get locked up.”
“What about a bath?” Nikki asked with longing.
“There won’t be any water pressure. Without electricity, the pump for the well is useless. No hot water either. I’ve got a diesel back-up but it’s noisy as hell.”
“Not to be a drag,” said Jon, “and I know it suddenly feels like a normal day. And God knows we need one of those. But shouldn’t we gather what we can and get the heck out of here?”
“Bubble popper,” said Nikki.
Will gave Nikki a gentle pat on the shoulder, “Have at my clothes. Pick what you think might work for you and then grab some things for me and Jon.”
“Lots of socks and underwear,” said Jon. Off Will’s sour face he said, “Yes, I’m happy to wear your underwear. I’ve been without for too long – leather riding pants, not so fun.”
Will scrunched his nose and shrugged. “You’re welcome to use it.” He steered Jon back toward the kitchen. “Why don’t you work on gathering food? I’ll pull together a few backpacks, tents, camp stove, flashlights and whatnot and crack open my gun safe.”
“You wouldn’t happen to have any cholesterol medication?” asked Jon. “I haven’t taken mine since I ran out in Charleston.”
“No. Why? You think you might actually live long enough to die of heart disease?”
“It could happen.”
The three of them worked quickly, laying a great pile of gear on the center of the great-room floor. Will had a variety of bachelor-friendly processed food, which Jon crammed indiscriminately into a backpack. Nikki, having found a new heavy leather coat for herself, packed an assortment of durable looking clothes while Will packed everything else.
When they were done, they looked at the pile, contemplating the next step. Will said, “Oh, I almost forgot.” From a desk drawer, he pulled out a hand crank radio. “This should come in handy, even picks up shortwave.” He stuffed it in his pack. “Okay, weapons.” Hefting each he said, “Standard shotgun, Winchester pump-action, 12 gage, twenty five rounds of buck, ten slugs, twenty of bird, not that the bird will do much, but we can use it to hunt. This lever action is my deer gun, though I’ve shot moose with it too - Savage 99, .30 caliber, fifty rounds. And finally my dirty secret…”
Nikki finished for him, “The SCAR L special forces assault rifle, 5.56 NATO round. Love the gun. Standard issue for me. I’ll take it.”
“Okay, sure.” said Will, not really thrilled about giving up his baby. "I’ve got two extra 30 round magazines and about a hundred loose rounds.”
Jon said, “I guess I’ll take the shotgun. It’s what I’m used to, and contrary to Nikki's opinion, I’m okay with a pistol as well.” He picked up a 9mm Smith & Wesson and strapped on the holster, which included pockets for three more magazines.
The birds were still chirping as they walked down to the dock. The Chris Craft had three seats up front and a second row behind where they tossed the gear.
Will felt his pockets and said, “Eh, forgot the key. Be right back.” As he walked up to the house, the birds suddenly stopped chirping and then the insects stopped buzzing. The silence was nearly deafening.
“Oh shit,” said Jon with resignation.
Nikki said, “Will, hurry.”
Instead, Will slowed his gate as they all listened.
The forest suddenly erupted with sound. The cormorants burst out of their tree, and a slamming screen door echoed from the Costas house next door. The voice of a man hollering gibberish bounced among the leaves. This was followed by high panicked screams from a woman and two children.
Will’s pace froze to petrified stillness as he tried to get a sense of what was happening. His gun was behind him, the key in the house in front of him.
Flashing past the trees that led to his driveway, a woman and her kids, a young boy and a girl, came running into view screaming in terror. The woman saw Will and angled toward him. Nikki got on a knee and was about to drop them all with the SCAR when she heard the woman yell out, “Will! Help us!” Beyond her, was the distinct scream and howl of Fiends. There were lots of them.
Will took a few steps toward the fleeing family, “Run faster Elizabeth!”
As she ran, Elizabeth pointed back. “Hundreds of them. They chased Steven. I think they killed my Steven!” She and the children got to Will and she grabbed his jacket in horror and desperation.
Jon racked the shotgun and ran up to Will shoving him at the house, “Get the fucking key!”
Will snapped out of it and ran into the house just as a horde of charging Fiends appeared at the driveway. Jon grabbed both of the kids and ran toward the dock. Nikki immediately started shooting in quick bursts of three, taking out the first Fiends but not even slowing the pack.
Elizabeth looked at the dock and freedom then turned to the house and screamed, “Will!”
Will stepped back out of the house, looked at the onslaught and tossed Elizabeth the keys.
Nikki shot two Fiends that were running for Will, but there were so many. He was tackled under a gang of ten.
Elizabeth ran for her life.
Jon got the kids in the back of the boat and untied it.
Nikki kept shooting until she clicked on an empty chamber. She grabbed her next full clip and that’s when two fast and wiry ones tackled Elizabeth. They were quickly followed by at least ten more. With sharp rocks, sticks and knives, they split her open like a sack of giblets, tearing her insides out and tossing them amongst themselves in an orgiastic display.
Throwing the tarp over the children to hide their eyes from the horror, Jon jumped back off the boat firing the shotgun, over and over until he emptied the magazine. “We need that key!” He dropped the shotgun and pulled out the Smith & Wesson.
Both he and Nikki stepped forward firing evenly and with precision, either mowing down or backing the monsters up. When they reached what was left of Elizabeth, Jon snatched the key out of her twisted fingers and they backed up while still firing. They ran out of ammo as they got to the boat and jumped. Nikki threw the tarp off the bawling children and snatched up the lever action deer rifle and kept shooting as Jon turned the key. The momentum of their jump caused the boat to slowly drift away from the dock, but the engine wouldn’t catch. One Fiend leaped into the water and managed to get a hand on the side of the boat. Nikki brought her gunstock down hard and crushed its fingers to ruin. A blow to the head pushed it under water and she kept shooting. The engine turned and turned, the battery weak from not starting.
Jon yelled at it, “Come on, come on, come on, dammit!” and suddenly it fired up. He threw the throttle fo
rward and they were away.
The children looked back at the shore with a mixture of terror and astonishment. In a matter of minutes they had lost both of their parents in the most violent way imaginable and now found themselves amongst strangers, racing across a lake in a motorboat.
The boy quietly spoke up, “You have to go slower.”
Jon turned and said, “What?”
The boy said louder, “There’s lots of shallow spots. You’ll hit bottom.”
Jon pulled back on the throttle and then pulled it back all the way to idle. The boat coasted to a stop. The girl was crying, shivering, her teeth chattering with shock.
The boy wiped away his tears and said, “It’s a shallow lake. Not a lot of power boats.”
Jon said, ”What’s your name?”
“Teddy Costas. My sister’s name is Amanda. We saw you paddle past our house. My dad was going to walk over and let you know that we were there… We, we saw the bad people outside. They must have followed you along the shore while you were paddling. He said to my mom to take us out the driveway and run to Mr. Parker’s house and he ran out the back toward the water to make them chase him.”
Nikki asked, “So he might have made it to the water?”
“My dad’s a good swimmer.”
Jon moved the throttle forward and turned the boat around. The shore was teaming with Fiends. The girl, Amanda started to become hysterical and Nikki did her best to comfort her.
Of Sudden Origin (Of Sudden Origin Saga Book 1) Page 15