Shriekers | Episode 1 | The Scarecrow Man

by Jay, Jess

  Thea hesitated before taking a step forward. He took a step back and she took another step forward. Slowly, cautiously, they moved, neither looking away from the other nor where they were stepping. Tension filled the air between them. Her muscles tensed and her senses stayed alert. She watched him, taking in his movements and waiting for him to lift his gun, for him to give away any bad intent he might have. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she would if she had to.

  She tripped over a fallen beam and fell flat on her face. Jack rushed over to her, but she put her empty hand up to stop him, face hot and pride shattered. She didn’t look at him as she stood up and brushed herself off, but from what she could see out of the corner of her eye he was smiling again.

  The tension had broken, and the connection Thea felt with him struck her, but she wouldn’t let it sway her again. She couldn’t trust him—she wouldn’t trust him—but he had told the truth: there were vegetables growing wild all around them. Peas, ripe and ready, were scattered in with other vegetation. There was enough to feed her and Jojo for a week. She wanted to put her gun away to check them, but she couldn’t put hers away first.

  Any chance she had to sound commanding was gone, so she opted for honesty. “I need to check the peas for the green, but that’ll be difficult with a gun in my hands.”

  He looked at her, either not understanding what she meant or purposefully pretending to be obtuse, so she clarified:

  “I’m not putting my gun away while your gun is out.”

  Jack studied her for a long moment and she didn’t turn away despite the heat rising to her cheeks. Everything inside her told her to look away, that he would be able to read her like a book if she didn’t, but she refused to back down. He smirked and tucked his gun into the back of his pants, lifting his hands again to show her they were empty. He decided to trust her. She would do the same, at least for the moment, and put her gun away as well. As she scanned the peas with her black light, she felt his eyes on her, distracting her to the point she almost didn’t register the crops were clean. She had found food—real, edible food—out in the world. She didn’t think it was possible.

  Working quickly, she took off her pack and pulled out a few empty plastic containers, putting as many peas in each as she could. He didn’t offer to help, but continued watching her. Too close, too distracting…

  When she got to the last plant in the area, she found his pack and his bike, both relatively new, hidden in the foliage. With a glance in his direction, she saw him looking toward the road—toward Jojo—his brows low and mouth grim. His hand moved towards his back but when he saw her staring at him it went in his pocket. He smiled at her but it was forced.

  “That’s for you,” Thea said, pointing to the last plant. She couldn’t trust him, but she could at least leave him some food. “It wouldn’t be right to take everything.”

  He met her eyes and the intensity of his expression took her by surprise. She didn’t understand—couldn’t read what he was thinking or feeling—but it made her doubt herself. She had wanted to find someone: that was the real reason she ventured down the path. Against all odds she had, and she was going to leave him behind. She told herself it was the right decision. He might be contagious, he might die, he might murder them in their sleep… But then he might not. She wasn’t sure. She couldn’t be sure.

  You help people. It’s what you do.

  Thea told the voice to shut up and her heart tightened in her chest. She couldn’t take the risk. She couldn’t be swayed by hormones. She wouldn’t.

  Unable to look at him again, she packed up her things and turned to leave. He moved to follow, grabbing his pack. When she turned back to him, he motioned that he was coming along. She motioned that no, he wasn’t.

  “I can help,” he said.

  Thea closed her eyes: he knew exactly what to say. She wanted help more than she wanted to admit, but it didn’t matter. She just had to get through that moment, had to be strong for that moment. She couldn’t think of him or what her decision meant for him. After a good night of sleep, he would be a memory, one that faded each day.

  You help people.

  Thea reached to her gun tucked in her belt and rested her hand on the butt, giving him a look that she hoped conveyed how serious she was. His eyes became guarded and her conviction wavered, but she wouldn’t look away.

  Finally, he dropped his bag, a decision in his eyes. He lifted his hands in surrender one last time and gave her a small smile that held more secrets than answers.

  “Good luck with everything,” she said and turned away again.

  He didn’t try to follow.

  Chapter Twelve

  Later that day they found a river, shallow and clean and flanked with trees. Apples, red and full, tempted Thea with their juicy sweetness, but she knew better—one bite and she would join the others peering at her through the bark of their prisons, their faces frozen in place, mouths open and eyes hollow. She ran her hand over the brown, rough texture of the closest skull and wondered about Jack.

  His skin didn’t look like bark—it looked like scales or stone, but she wondered if something similar was happening to him. She wondered where he had gone, where he was heading, what he was doing… After they started away from the broken greenhouse, Thea had stopped to see if he followed, but he hadn’t. For an insane moment she wanted to go back and tell him he could come along, but she stayed strong, trying not to feel guilty but failing.

  In an area clear enough to boil water she started a fire, setting a grate over the flames and unwrapping two pots from the blue blanket used to muffle the noise they made. Jojo took the blanket and set it out for herself, pulling out her book and flipping through the pages, ignoring Thea and all the work she was doing. Thea kept her irritation in check, saying nothing as she used a thin cloth to strain water into the pot over the fire. She hoped she hadn’t alienated herself further from the girl by leaving Jack behind, but Jojo hadn’t tried to stop her.

  With a sigh, Thea waited for the water to boil, the heat of the fire compounding with the heat hanging in the air causing sweat to trickle down her back. She looked out at the river, longing to feel its coolness flow over her skin as she cleaned away the dirt and grime of their trip. At home she had showered regularly, knowing that being clean was important to stay healthy. As they traveled, she had been so focused on not wasting time she hadn’t allowed herself the luxury of bathing. She felt self-conscious, dirty, and embarrassed.

  After she finished filling their bottles, Thea splashed out the fire with a pot of unboiled water. Jojo leaned against a tree, her eyes closed in the shade and her book resting on her chest. The bears on the cover looked happy and hopeful. Thea pressed her lips into a line, yanking off her boots and grabbing a bottle of soap from the wagon, ignoring what fell from the front pocket of her pack and the knife that slipped from her boot.

  She knew she wasn’t being fair, but she couldn’t help herself. The girl still hated her despite how hard she was trying. She didn’t know what else she could do—what else she should do. She had messed up when she lost her temper. She knew that, but she was trying to make up for it. The girl was just being stubborn.

  When she reached the river, Thea peeled the clothes from her skin, dropping them on the shore and wading into the water. Chills ran through her, delicious and refreshing, the rapture of the river lifting away her cares and worries. She washed her hair and cleaned her body, submerging herself and emerging fresh, new. When she finished, she knew she should get out of the water and should continue on, but Jojo was still resting and Thea wasn’t ready to face the rest of the day.

  Leaning back, she floated, the lazy current pulling her as she stared at the sky, blue and bright. A few clouds wisped along the breeze. She turned her head to see a shape in them, her hair drifting gracefully in the water. Eventually the clouds would grow dark and shed rain, but she would be gone before then.

  A noise came from the shore. Thea stood up straight and turned toward where
it came from, covering her exposed chest when she saw Jojo with the bag of potato chips in her hand. Without expression, the girl opened her mouth wide, shoved a crisp in, and purposefully chomped down, making a distinct crunching sound. Thea let out her breath and tried to keep herself steady. The noise hadn’t sounded like a potato chip, but water had muffled it. It could have been anything. Anyone.

  Jack. Her eyes darted to the trees, searching for a face, but she didn’t find any that were still human. She had watched for him as they traveled and had tried to see if he was following, but the sun had been behind them, making it difficult to tell.

  All at once, she wished she had the forethought to bring a change of clothes with her. For a moment she considered asking Jojo to bring them to her, but worried the girl would just throw them in the water. With a deep breath, she kept her spine straight, picked up the bottle of soap, and walked out of the river. Once she reached the shore she grabbed her dirty clothes, using them to cover her without letting them touch her clean skin. When she was dressed in a fresh jumpsuit, her hair once again in a ponytail threaded through a baseball cap and knife once again sheathed in her boot, she looked around the area as best as she could. Jojo followed, crunching along behind her, and Thea suppressed the urge to tell her to stop or scold her for taking something that wasn’t hers. She didn’t think Jojo would care.

  Irritated, Thea stopped the search as Jojo finished the bag of chips, scratching her arm and refusing to look at Thea. Guilt tugged at the back of her thoughts as Thea noticed the girl was covered in dirt, her hair falling out of her braids and her clothes wet with sweat. She picked up Jojo’s pack with a sigh and walked to the river again. The girl followed, and when they reached the water Thea handed her the bottle of soap. It was going to delay their trip, but she should have asked the girl if she wanted to bathe earlier. She wondered if that was what upset her, but Thea was confident Jojo would have eaten the bag of chips either way. She just hoped the girl didn’t get sick from them.

  Thea didn’t wait for the girl to undress, leaving to pack their things, keeping her ears open for any movement. When Jojo finished she joined Thea at the wagon, dressed in one of Thea’s old jumpers. The legs and sleeves were too long for her small body, so Thea knelt down in front of her and rolled them up. Jojo let her, and when Thea looked up after she was done the girl’s expression was a muddle of emotions. Unsure of what to do, Thea patted her on the head and walked away.

  It wasn’t until they were fifteen minutes from the river that she realized Jojo never gave her the soap back. With a stifled groan, she continued forward, not wanting to waste any more time but lamenting the loss. She hoped they’d find more, not wanting any other first impressions to be overpowered by her stench.

  * * *

  That evening, they found a farmhouse sitting in the middle of a field, vines creeping through its windows and a small tree taking root in a hole in its side. It didn’t look safe, but it was shelter—the only shelter they had seen within the last few miles. Unfortunately, a shrieker stood in the field between them and the house, watching the sun as it edged toward the horizon. If they wanted to get to the house before night fell they would have to sneak past it and they didn’t have enough time to approach from another angle. They had no choice—there was nowhere else to go.

  They parked their bikes and wagon in some brush on the side of the road and walked toward the vegetation, stopping before stepping into it. Thea steadied herself and slowed her breathing, glancing down at Jojo. The girl stared before her at the plants that came up to her chin, fear in every feature.

  “Stay behind me,” Thea said, her voice hampered by the lump in her throat. “Step only where I step.” Jojo nodded almost imperceptibly, but that was enough.

  With her shotgun’s safety off, Thea clenched her jaw and waded into the sea of wild plants, keeping her feet low to the ground to avoid tripping. Jojo crashed in after, rushing to Thea and clutching onto her waist. Thea froze, eyes on the shrieker, but it didn’t move.

  She turned with a glare to give the girl a wordless warning, but stopped when she saw the girl’s eyes were clamped shut, her tiny body trembling. All the irritation and hurt that built during the day slipped away as she remembered once again how young the girl was and how scared she must be. When Jojo opened her eyes, Thea gave her a reassuring smile before continuing forward.

  It was a slow process, but she had to be careful. If she moved faster, she’d become careless and they’d die. Step by step, they passed the shrieker, about thirty feet away, but still close enough to feel the menace radiating from it. She tried to think of something else, anything else, but as the sun met the horizon, its light going from orange to red, her brain decided to be unproductive. Memories of her encounter with Louis in the Food Store flooded her, followed by memories of her flight from the witch on the road, both reminding her how dangerous the creatures could be. Behind her Jojo’s grip tightened, sending jabs of pain into her sides.

  They were almost through the field when the last rays of sunshine vanished, stopping Thea and Jojo in their tracks.

  A cracking sound came from behind them.

  Then another, and another.

  Thea turned, needing to see what was happening to keep her mind from providing scenarios that were worse than reality. The sight of the shrieker orienting itself wasn’t much better. A rattling sound came from her hands and she realized she was trembling. She tightened her grip on the shotgun to stop the sound, hoping it hadn’t heard.

  It had.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The shrieker let out a horrible cry and lunged at the two girls. Thea grabbed Jojo’s hand and broke into a run, rushing through the remaining field, desperate to reach its edge. Behind them, the creature cut through the vegetation as if it was nothing. Thea tried to run faster but Jojo’s small body struggled to keep up. She could hear it behind them, barreling toward them. Her back tingled as she imagined its claws reaching for her.

  As she burst through the edge of the field, she stumbled with the sudden lack of resistance and Jojo crashed into her, sending them both to the ground. The shotgun flew from her hands, sliding through the grass away from her. The shrieker cried out in triumph, only feet away, ready to strike. Thea rolled over to cover Jojo, backpack to backpack, propped at an unnatural angle, muscles rigid as she held still.

  The shrieker slid to a stop, the vine muscles of its dried body flexing underneath its skin, its head whipping from one direction to another, movements quick and precise. It was trying to find them, though it should have known where they were. It had chased them up to that point, but the sudden lack of noise appeared to disorient and confuse it.

  In a strange moment of clarity, Thea realized it was stupid. From her uncle’s theories to her own experiences, she knew shriekers acted on instinct, but they had been so terrifying she hadn’t realized how stupid the monsters could be. They were out in the open. The creature should have remembered where they were, but it didn’t. If they were quiet, it might not find them.

  Vines crept from its empty eye sockets and slack mouth, reaching for sound, trying to find their location. Thea slowed her breathing and watched as the shrieker took a step in their direction. It let out a long, low sound, a menacing promise of carnage that sent her skin crawling. It wanted to scare her into moving, but she refused to comply, refused to make a sound. Jojo wasn’t as defiant and whimpered, the sound muffled against the ground.

  The creature’s head snapped towards them and Thea closed her eyes, clenching her teeth against the fear attempting to leave her throat. She wouldn’t make a noise. As long as she didn’t make a noise, as long as Jojo stayed quiet, it would go away. It would go away.

  Another shriek, this time a foot away. Thea held her breath and felt Jojo’s fear beneath her. The girl managed to stay quiet, but Thea knew it wouldn’t be long before the girl made another sound.

  They were going to die.

  She had to do something.

  Her shotgun wa
s out of reach, but she had two guns on her body and a knife in her boot. If she could shoot it in the head, it might distract it long enough for them to hide in the house. With any luck, it would forget them after it repaired itself, but the plan was far from fool-proof. She had never used her pistol on a shrieker more than a few seconds old. She had no idea how it would react, or even if it would react. But she had to do something.

  As she opened her eyes a centimeter, she saw the dried and shriveled face of the shrieker, inches away, tendrils oozing from every orifice, reaching for her. A vine drifted toward her cheek and her skin sensed its approach, bile rising in her throat.

  Live. The most important thing is that you live.

  Thea pulled the gun from her belt and clicked off the safety. The shrieker was upon her, screeching its attack, mouth open wide and unnatural. She pulled the trigger and its head flung backwards as the bullet blasted out the back of its skull. It froze, body rigid. In the dim light of the new night sky, she could see vines working, crawling back into its skull. She needed to get up, but she couldn’t move.

  It was too close.

  It was too horrible.

  An angry cry burst from its body, reverberating through Thea as it whipped its head forward, flinging itself at her. She raised her arms, instinctively trying to protect her face, but the shrieker grabbed them, yanking them away, causing the gun to fly from her hands. Its weight pinned her down, pinning Jojo beneath them. The smell of dirt and rot engulfed them, tendrils of green grazing her skin. She struggled, but it was too strong. She gmade too many mistakes.

  Jojo gasped for breath beneath her, smothered against the earth. Thea had to make sure Jojo survived, to make sure Jojo lived. She would keep one of her promises.