Shriekers | Episode 1 | The Scarecrow Man

by Jay, Jess

  “You’re just scared.” His words pierced her heart and anger rushed to fill the wounds.

  “Of course I’m scared. Any shriekers we come across are going to be active. Excuse me if I don’t want to risk everything just because it might add a few hours to our trip. I value being alive.”

  He finally looked at her, but she couldn’t hold his gaze and turned away.

  “They’ll be slow.” He cleared his throat. “And the rain…will mask our movement.”

  She didn’t want to listen, holding onto her reasons to stay, not wanting to relent or give in. It had been easy letting him help her over the past week, had been easy telling herself she was being fair, but that was because he was reinforcing her opinions. He hadn’t challenged her so she let herself think she was being diplomatic and that they were partners, but the moment he disagreed she shut down and refused to listen.

  Going over her reasons to stay and his reasons to leave, her confidence in her own opinion weakened. She wasn’t sure she was right and could feel Jack’s resolve eating away at her stubborn defiance. She clung to anything that might prove him wrong, but any thought she had slipped through her fingers. They would get wet, but their bags were waterproof and they could use a tarp they found in the shed to cover their wagon. The shriekers would be active, but the storm would mask their movements. Staying might have been safer, but in the long run it was more dangerous. Every minute they weren’t moving forward was a minute wasted.

  “Fine,” she sighed. “Whatever. We’ll go.” Jack relaxed, but she turned to him with what she hoped was a strong and determined expression. “As long as you promise me the moment it seems too dangerous, we stop and wait it out.”

  He nodded and moved to pack up their camp, but she didn’t join him, not feeling comfortable or confident in her decision—their decision. Her aunt and uncle taught her to stay in on overcast days and they were never wrong. She hoped this was the exception.

  * * *

  Wind whipped through Thea’s ponytail, bringing with it the threat of rain. She stood on the top of a hill overlooking a large town, clouds dark with malice rumbling from behind her. They had fifteen minutes to a half an hour before the storm caught up to them. They should keep moving, but she found she couldn’t force herself forward. Despite having hours of daylight hidden behind the clouds, she wanted to find a house and hunker down for the night, but she knew what Jack would say and didn’t have the energy to argue with him again.

  The town didn’t appear more dangerous than any other she had been through. The main road was wide, giving them a straight shot through, but something tugged at the back of her mind, holding her back. She scanned the buildings, feeling a keen sense of dread welling inside her. Older homes sat at the edge of town, separated from the rest by a fractured wall, broken from decades of decay, as pointless then as it had been when it was built. Walls couldn’t keep out the green.

  On the other side of the wall were newer homes, modern and everlasting, spread down even streets. It was what lay beyond that scared her—what she couldn’t see, what she wouldn’t be able to see.

  Jack clenched his jaw next to her but stayed quiet. They had decided they would keep going and the longer she waited the worse it would be. She was tired of thinking, each thought making her less confident and more confused. Jack was convinced they’d be okay, that they’d be safe, and that had to be good enough.

  As Thea let her bike drift down the hill, lightning flashing behind her, Jack and Jojo following, she tried to cast all doubt from her mind and convince herself she wasn’t being irresponsible. She had to be alert, had to focus, but it was hard to see past the buildings. She had no doubt that her other ventures through towns had been full of shriekers in their daylight trances, as unaware of her passing as she had been of their presence. When the sun was out it had their attention and only an immediate threat could wake them—only a sound close in proximity could snap them back to reality, and Thea had never been brave enough to find out how big their radius of detection was.

  The homes of the outer residential area were crumbling, vegetation pouring out their windows and through their walls, bringing them down from the inside. Foliage cracked the street. Cars were parked in driveways or on the side of the road, rusted and broken and empty. Swing sets and various toys littered yards. A tricycle sat on its side in a driveway next to a small body, withered and fallen from its seat.

  On the other side of the wall, houses were made of sturdier material, impervious to weather but covered with the green. Vines crawled over every surface, trying in vain to break through and invade the structure. In some houses vines searched for a way out.

  Bones scattered across the ground where bodies had fallen lifeless. Most were clean, with only a few sets bound with vines, leaves closed to conserve energy as the sun hid behind clouds. Thea’s mind tried to figure out what happened, but she stopped herself, deciding she didn’t want to know. Whatever the answer was, it wasn’t good.

  Past the residential area was a commercial district. Lining every road were stores with apartments above them, the architecture older but made of stone and brick, stronger than if they had been made of wood. A few stores had collapsed, taking the apartment above with, but most stood firm, their insides bare.

  In the center of town was a garden, large and imposing. Flowers of every color grew, clinging to benches, fences, and statues. As Thea slowed to a stop, she could feel danger in the air but tried to dismiss it as impending rain. Next to her, Jack looked as apprehensive as she felt.

  Thunder rumbled close overhead causing Jojo to jump, a small whimper escaping her mouth. Thea tried to see if there was a way around, but the garden spilled over its fence, reaching to the neighboring buildings and clinging to them. Lightning flashed, casting shadows down the only path wide enough to get through as if lighting their way.

  Jack caught her eye and gestured to himself then the garden. Thea nodded, knowing they couldn’t wait any longer and had to go through. As he kicked off, Thea waited for Jojo to follow before joining them and taking up the rear. Leaves brushed against her legs as she peddled, catching in the wheels of her bike, making the job more difficult.

  Jojo fought to keep steady and keep up with Jack. More than once she almost lost control of her bike, hitting an uneven stone or getting caught in a patch of dense growth, but she pushed forward, small and tired. Despite the gulf that developed between them since Jack’s arrival, Thea respected the girl’s drive and perseverance. She wanted to keep hoping that one day they’d be friends, but each day wore away at that hope as Jojo became more and more antagonistic.

  It had started as little things like Jojo ignoring her and refusing to do anything she asked, but had progressed to the girl hiding her water bottle and throwing her pack in a river. Thea had been lucky to retrieve it before it washed away and even luckier that Jack took it upon himself to admonish the girl. She wouldn’t have been able to do so without making things worse.

  As it stood, Thea would keep her unspoken promise and get the girl to the Pasture, but that would be it. Thea wasn’t emotionally strong enough to continually put herself out for rejection.

  Jack slammed on his brakes and Jojo slid to a stop behind him. Thea, jerked from her thoughts, almost hit Jojo but swerved at the last second to skid to a stop next to them, breathing hard and senses alert.

  Bushes lined the path ahead, tall with lush green leaves, but that was it. No obstruction, no shrieker… Nothing that would warrant Jack almost causing a pile up in the middle of the garden. Irritation replaced fear, and she opened her mouth to say something, but Jack’s arm shot out in front of her to keep her quiet. Pressing her lips into a line, she followed his hand as he pointed to one of the bushes.

  A flash of lightning flickered, illuminating a face—a skull.

  At first Thea thought it was like the faces in the apple trees she came across by the river, but then it turned its head toward them, its empty eye sockets boring holes into her. It didn’t
have any skin. She hadn’t noticed it because it didn’t have any skin. Fear prickled through her, seizing her lungs and freezing her brain. Scattered thoughts surged to the surface of her mind, a phantom siren wailing in her ears. She had to hide. They had to hide.

  Jack motioned that they should turn back, and Thea nodded, holding her pieces together, refusing to fracture. With all the effort she could muster, she focused her mind, forcing the siren to fade back into her nightmares. Jack took a few steps backward until his bike hit the wagon behind him with a clang. They froze, all eyes turning to the shrieker and hoping it hadn’t heard though they knew it had.

  Thea gripped the handlebars of her bike as if it tethered her to reality. Her mind attempted to draw her into itself as the shrieker emerged from the bush and stepped out of the foliage and into their path. For a moment she expected the bush to stay connected to it as if they were one creature, but the shrieker crept away from it clean.

  She had been wrong—it wasn’t completely naked: a ring with a thin band and a sparkling jewel sat on its left ring finger. Its clothes and skin had fallen away, but the wedding band was fused to it, vines wrapping around the metal as if it knew the significance the piece of jewelry had. It made the shrieker seem human, if only for a second.

  Jack reached for his gun, but Thea stopped him, not out of compassion, but because she knew that shooting it would only make it angry and she wasn’t sure they could get away if it chased them. As it was, the shrieker knew they were there but it was slow, as if half-asleep, the meager rays of the sun preventing it from being fully alert. If they were quiet, they could sneak back the way they came. The wind rustling through the surrounding foliage was enough to mask their movement if they stuck to the trampled path.

  Unfortunately, their bikes were positioned in a way that made it difficult to turn around without bumping into each other. Even if they could, the bikes were too noisy and Thea knew Jojo wouldn’t be able to outpace the creature if it was hot on their trail. Her heart dropped as she realized they would have to leave their bikes, at least temporarily, and that thought was scarier than the shrieker making its way toward them—thirty feet away, twenty-nine, twenty-eight…

  As she put down her kickstand and climbed off her bike, her hand lingered on the shotgun before deciding against taking it, not wanting to make any unnecessary noise. Jack watched her, unmoving and unwilling to follow her example. She met his gaze, hoping he remembered his promise: if it got too dangerous they would find some place to wait it out. He jerked his head in irritated agreement and slid off his bike, Jojo following suit.

  The moment the girl’s feet hit the ground a rustle came from the brush behind her. Jack and Thea stepped toward her but came up short as a shrieker, small and skinless, crept into the path they had made with their bikes.

  Thea knew children turned—they weren’t immune to the green, so logically it had to have happened—but the reality was far worse than the theory. Her heart panged as she watched it squat down, its head turning, trying to catch a sound, uncertain and perhaps a little frightened. Thea shook her head and reminded herself shriekers were creatures of instinct and survival. They didn’t fear and they didn’t feel.

  Jojo took a step toward Jack and the small shrieker snapped its head in her direction. Thea surged forward but Jack caught her, one arm wrapped around her waist while his free hand motioned for Jojo to stop. The girl did, clamping her eyes and mouth shut, her small hands balling into fists.

  Thea’s nails dug into Jack’s arm, trying to think, trying to find a way they could escape alive. If they ran the creatures would give chase, but she was sure they could avoid detection if they walked. In their dull, overcast state, the monsters’ senses were hampered and their reflexes impaired—she just had to figure a way to get around the shrieker and fast. Her gaze fell in frustration, eyes landing on the cement shattered into pieces by decades of plant growth.

  An idea seized her, and she jerked out of Jack’s grip, picking up the largest stone she thought she could throw and tossing it as far as she could. It crashed into the brush, hitting the ground with a swish then a thud. The shriekers froze, heads whipping in the stone’s direction. Thea picked up another one and threw it in the same direction. Jack caught on and joined her, throwing stones larger than hers with less effort.

  The adult shrieker’s mouth opened too large, its jaw hanging in a tangle of vines as it let loose a cry. Thea froze mid throw, certain it had somehow figured out their ruse, that it was going to end them, but instead it ran toward the stones. The small shrieker chittered and followed, both creatures crashing through the foliage and vegetation toward the distraction.

  Thea let out her breath slowly before turning to Jack, ready to find somewhere safe to hide. She faltered when he motioned to their bikes—she couldn’t believe he was seriously considering moving on. If they took their bikes the shriekers might hear them and the distraction would have been for nothing.

  Irritated and affronted, she shook her head and mouthed, “No”.

  He clenched his jaw, mouthing back. “Yes”.

  Showing her teeth in frustration, she silently reminded him, “You promised!”

  His expression faltered. He looked the way they came then down at Jojo and his shoulders slumped. The girl put out her arms for him to pick her up, bobbing up and down with nervous energy. He obliged her, lifting her into his arms and she clung to him as if she would fly away if she let go.

  Thea set off in front of them, walking slow and quiet, her ears open for any sound. The wind rustled through the leaves, masking their movements as she had thought it would, but also masking the shriekers location. An angry cry erupted from the adult shrieker and the child joined in with equal frustration, sending shivers of fear through Jojo’s body, causing a faint whimper to escape from her mouth.

  Lightning flickered, reminding Thea of how foolish she’d been. She knew it was too dangerous to go out on a cloudy day, and yet she did because she was too tired to assert herself. She held onto her anger and irritation, using it to keep fear from rising inside her and making her careless. Only a little farther and they would be okay. She could see the stores—she could see their end goal.

  The adult shrieker cried out again—a strange call, a harsh howl—and an answer came from the buildings in front of them.

  There was another one.

  Thea and Jack slowed, both realizing they were walking toward even more danger. Behind them they heard the shriekers coming back toward their path, rushing through the brush in the direction of the third creature. Unable to waste any more time, Jack and Thea picked up speed, walking as quick and quiet as they could. They needed to reach the edge of the garden. Once they were out into the street, they could deal with whatever was waiting for them there.

  The moment Thea’s foot landed on the broken pavement, a cry rang from behind them. The adult shrieker burst onto the path and the child followed. In front of them another answered. A large shrieker, seven feet tall and as skinless as the others, lumbered out of one of the stores, blocking Thea and Jack.

  Thea balked, incredulous—three shriekers all in one place. It seemed insane, impossible. Shriekers didn’t form bonds or relationships. They were territorial. They fought each other for food. Uncle Jeremy had said that shriekers could work together, but she never believed him. She then noticed the wedding band on the large shrieker’s hand, thick and gold.

  It was a family. The mother behind them with the child and the father blocking their path. For a moment Thea was jealous.

  Jack brought her back to reality, moving to walk around the father shrieker, but its head turned toward them when Jack’s foot scuffed against the ground. A low, harsh growl came from the creature, but it stayed still. Behind them the child responded with a high-pitched squeak as if communicating. …Maybe they weren’t completely stupid after all.

  Thunder rumbled, disrupting the conversation, and lightning followed. Jack and Thea looked to each other, trying to find some hint of wha
t to do in each other’s eyes, but neither had an answer. They were surrounded. If they moved forward the large shrieker would catch them, and if they went backward the mother and child shriekers would find them.

  Jack slid Jojo to the ground and reached for his gun as Thea reached for hers. She didn’t want to think their situation was hopeless, but she couldn’t find any hope. Even if they shot the shriekers they wouldn’t have enough time to get past them before they repaired themselves, and if they tried to escape through the vegetation on either side of them the shriekers would hear them and attack. They were trapped.

  Rough stone touched her fingers as Jack held her hand. Thea nodded at him, gripping her gun tight to keep it from rattling. Whatever happened, they would fight. They wouldn’t give up.

  Live. The most important thing is that you live.

  Thunder rumbled and it started to rain.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Rain crashed to the ground in a torrent, darkening everything it touched. Within seconds it seeped through Thea’s clothes, cold against her skin, sapping the warmth from her body. She clung to Jack’s hand and his strength, waiting, ready for an attack, but it never came.

  Turning her head, she squinted her eyes against the downpour, trying to see the mother and child shrieker behind them. The creatures were frozen, confused and distracted. The child made a sound, but it dissolved in the rain’s melody. This was their chance.

  She squeezed Jack’s hand and hoped he felt it, gesturing to the closest building—a corner store of a largely intact shopping block. Its windows were broken, the interior empty aside from the vegetation that crept through its openings. Jack nodded, tucking his gun into his pants before picking up Jojo with one arm. He took the first step and Thea followed, holding onto his hand, using it to anchor her. The grip became painful as they passed the father shrieker, each channeling their fear through where their bodies connected. It kept them alert and focused, each step a risk and each movement a decision that might draw attention, that might bring their deaths.