by Candis Vargo
Javier stepped forward, “Man, I think it’s dead. For real this time,” he said.
Javier was right. Whatever was left in its head was now in chunks on the ground. Lance wiped his face with his arm and spit. “Aw fuck man. That shit is nasty. I got it’s blood in my mouth! Fuck,” he spit again.
Ev walked out to the back of the truck and handed Lance some baby wipes so he could get cleaned up. Javier began looking over Lance and asked, “Is that your blood?” He pointed to red blood that was on his shirt.
“No, Jase bled through a little last night and I wrapped him back up. It’s probably his blood. That fucking thing didn’t touch me. Didn’t have a chance,” Lance said proudly.
“Alright. There should be some clothes of mine in there. Go wipe up and change. Hurry.”
Ev stepped closer to the dead. She wanted to get a close look to these things they were fighting. She used her arm to cover her mouth and nose as she kneeled down by it. Javier understood what she was doing and grabbed a stick before he knelt with her. Ev stared at the dead while Javier used the stick to open the mouth. She knew it. The dead. She knew it from somewhere.
“The teeth. They’re all like knives. And the fingernails…they’re the same,” Javier said as he was observing the creature. “Just like that psychic said. Our legends about vampires and zombies. They’re one of the same.”
“I’ve seen him before. The dead. I’ve seen him before,” Ev said.
“You knew him?”
“No, I’ve just seen him. It’s the same one that bit Jase.”
Javier shook his head. “I don’t understand. That was miles away.”
“I’m not crazy Javier. If you don’t believe me you can help Jase out here and ask him. I’m sure he’ll agree with me.”
“No, I believe you. I’m just trying to understand. It had to of ran all night to make it here. It followed us. Somehow it managed to follow us all the way here.”
It went back to the psychic. He had said that the Reanimated were the combined legends of the vampires and zombies. They were one of the same. If that one followed them, than that would mean once it had a taste of you it could track you. And it wouldn’t stop until it was dead…or you were. It was a Reanimated corpse but every tooth in its mouth was as sharp as a vampires. They were hunters. They were decaying, rotting, dead hunters. Ev had almost figured them out. Now, she just lacked the knowledge of how they turned you.
The most unsettling knowledge of all was the fact that the humans were once the hunters of the world. Now they were the hunted.
Chapter 12
The moment finally came for him to bear witness to the destruction that could be cast by His creation. No matter how safe they thought they were, they never would be. They would never be able to win or outrun…only stand by and be devoured like the useless flesh and bones they were made out of.
The chambers that were made by those insects would never hold up. No matter what it was, nothing man made could withstand the forces of nature thrashing against them. He was so close to witnessing it he stiffened at the thought.
No matter how much his body urged him to run in the other direction, he couldn’t. He had to see. It would only bring him closer to his destiny and prove He wasn’t so powerful after all.
He felt the length of his cock stretch as the gates started to tremble.
Finally, he thought.
He lurked in the shadows as he watched them scream. Their flesh was being torn apart by hungry mouths as they fought for their puny worthless lives.
A swarm formed around the younger ones. They were irresistible. He moved closer through the darkness as they were feasted upon and tilted his head in awe when he saw the unfortunate consequences they could cause.
His erection weakened when he watched those affected wither on the ground like they were a worm burning from the sun.
But they were down.
This supposed all powerful creation was down.
They weren’t moving. They lay in a puddle of that beautiful red liquid that flowed throughout their veins.
It couldn’t be that easy.
He knew it couldn’t be so simple to dispose of them so he waited.
The repulsive animals herded around the affected and didn’t bother to notice what was happening right next to them.
They rose.
The younger ones rose yet again.
He saw enough for now, but he would be back. He turned away and ran off through the darkness to go see what else he could find.
Chapter 13
The Trap
Ambyre watched Rio with her headphones in so she wouldn’t overhear everyone talking about the Reanimated. They figured the less traumatized she was, the better…but then again how could anyone not come out of this traumatized. If they came out of it at all.
They were discussing the similarities of both vampire and zombie myths that have been passed down the years. They were led to believe that centuries ago, these Reanimated cast havoc over the world just as it is being done now. And somehow, the one creature became two. If that happened, then the humans survived through it which gave them hope. If there were survivors centuries ago, then they very well could survive themselves.
It was clear that the Reanimated were dead and rotting, but they were also capable of intelligence. If one was able to hunt you after tasting your flesh, what else were they capable of? You didn’t have to stab them in the heart to kill them, simply brain damage was enough. You take out the source of mobility, and they go down. The only thing the group was unsure of was one thing…
“We can all state the damn obvious,” Jase said.
No one looked at him because they knew what he meant.
“Jase, we can’t be sure,” Ev said.
“No Ev, that’s the one main thing both of the legends have in common. They bite you and you turn. So go ahead and just say it. I’m as good as dead.”
“Jase, we don’t know that,” Javier spoke up, even if only to make Ev feel better.
“Whatever, if I begin to turn into one of those things take that machete and slice my damn head off. I don’t want to become one and go after you guys.
Javier said, “If that happens then we will. But we still can’t-”
The truck began to swerve out of control and Ev had to counter steer, slamming on the brakes and downshifting as she tried to regain control of the armored truck. Everyone in the back held their breath as they tried not to tumble on one another. Sheryl grabbed a hold of Ambyre and Lance grabbed them both in return, protectively hovering over top of them to shield them of any damage that might occur if the truck was to roll on its side. Finally after going off into the grass, Ev managed to get the truck to a stop. Not a single one of them sighed a breath of relief because they knew something stopped the truck that shouldn’t have. Javier motioned for Ev and Lance to follow his lead and for the others to stay still and quiet. The three of them exited the truck at different sides and they scanned the area.
Not a sound, not even wind, filled their ears. Lance walked around the back to meet Ev on her side and then the two of them proceeded to meet Javier on the passenger side of the truck. They instantly saw what had stopped the truck.
Both of the tires on the passenger side of the truck were flat. Javier knelt down to see what had caused that because something obviously did. As he looked closer to the tire he could see what remained of an arrow lodged in it. He didn’t have to look at the other tire to know it would be the same. As Javier stood up he looked around. There was a farm up ahead but that was the only thing he could see. He listened for a rustling to come from the woods, but no sound appeared.
“Well fuck,” Ev said.
“Can’t fix two tires with one spare,” Lance said.
“No shit Sherlock,” Javier smacked Lance on the back of the head. “Whoever did this is still around and watching us. They’re waiting, and they’re obviously not dead. I doubt a dead person could aim well enough to shoot the tires out with an ar
row. There are at least two of them. They want something. We have to move.”
“And do what? Walk until we get eaten alive?” Lance hissed through his teeth.
“It’s better than staying here. If there’s an entire group of them we need to go, now. For all we know they haven’t seen a woman since this shit happened and they definitely don’t need to see a child. We take only what we can carry on our backs, they want something and we don’t need them running us down with a child and two injured with us. We’ll look for supplies elsewhere. We take the weapons and first aid,” Javier eyed Lance, “That’s it. Let’s move.”
The three of them walked to the back of the truck and opened the doors. They didn’t want to let whoever was watching them know that they were on to them. When everyone is out for themselves you don’t want to come off as more sophisticated and skilled as the ones who are holding a gun to your head.
“We have two flat tires. We need to move. Take what weapons, ammo, and first aid you can. We’ll come back for the rest,” Javier told the group. He didn’t need any panic from them and decided it would be best to wait until they were clear of the predators to tell them the truth.
“What? We’re just going to walk out there? In the open,” Beth asked.
“We have no choice. We’re sitting bait if we stay here. You, Sheryl, and Ambyre stay in the middle. Ryan, Jase…how are you two feeling?” Javier said.
“I can walk,” Jase said.
“My injury is a little more severe, so I can gimp. If I had something I could use as a crutch or cane I could,” Ryan said.
“Alright, I’ll be right back,” Javier said before he walked along the line of trees that were parallel to the road. After only a minute he came back with a fallen branch from one of the large oak trees.
Javier gave Ryan the branch and insisted on taking his military knife, lest he need it, and then told Lance to stay on the outside of Ryan and Sheryl. He and Ev were to take up the group from behind. After everyone was out of the truck and ready to move Javier grabbed one of the supply bags out of the truck. He knew that whoever was out there wasn’t just going to let them walk but he hoped they would if they thought this bag held their most valuables.
Not nearly ten yards from the truck, they were stopped. An arrow landed about a half of a foot in front of them with a note attached. ‘DON’T MOVE OR THE NEXT ONE IS IN A HEAD.’ Everyone in the group froze and the ones who were able to, readied. Javier’s experience in several countries never led him astray.
A group of five men, soiled and tainted, came out of the woods. Each one had a crossbow cocked and aimed at them. After instinctively turning to face the oncoming group Javier motioned for the women to stay behind them. The women didn’t hesitate and Ev took the position right behind the group, the last thing she wanted was an attack from behind.
“Well, look at what we have here,” a man exclaimed as he stepped forward. With him leading the group and being the first one to speak, it was obvious he was the leader of the group of rats. “Looks like we’ve got a couple of women for our picking,” he said with a laugh and the others obediently followed with their own laughter.
Javier glared at them and watched their movements closely. Character profiling came naturally to him and he knew these people weren’t your average every day scum bags. They really believed they were better than everyone else who survived, that they were going to be the rulers of the world. He could tell they foolishly thought they were going to be able to take down every single Reanimated on this planet, and their senseless thinking was what made them dangerous.
The ghastly group of men positioned their weapons at Javier and the men, even Jase and Ryan, who were incapable of fighting in the conditions they were in. Javier and Lance waited. They had a sickening feeling of what was to come.
“What do you say you send that pretty little thing right over here? Been a while since I’ve seen a child and well…she ain't too bad looking. Actually, how bout’s you send all of them this way, that way we can each have a turn. What do ya say fellas?” As the leader spoke Sheryl’s grip tightened around Ambyre.
“I say you’re never going to be able to talk about a woman like that again, especially a child. I say you’re going to regret those words,” Javier said as he dropped the bag he was holding. Ev wondered why those comments didn’t get more of a reaction from Lance.
“Well, we’ll just see about that.” He cocked his head towards his minion to the right—who had an arrow pointed straight at Javier’s head.
Instantly, he fired.
Chapter 14
The Farmhouse
It took less time than what you’d think for everyone to realize what had happened. The moment the bastard clicked the trigger on his cross bow, Javier had taken the palm of his massive hand and knocked it out of the way while he angled his body in the opposite direction of the arrow.
Within the short amount of time it had taken him to do that he pulled out the knife he had taken from Ryan earlier and threw it at the crotch of the leader. As the leader fell to his knees in pain two of his minions ran off, this only left two to take care of. Javier was upon the only man left with a loaded weapon.
Lance ran at the one who had shot the arrow at Javier. The man’s hands were shaking and he dropped his arrow as he was trying to reload his crossbow. When Lance was nearly upon him he threw his cross bow and ran in the direction of the others.
After turning toward his group, Lance noticed Sheryl with Ambyre in her arms as Ev was leading them away. She didn’t know what was going to happen to Javier, but she knew she needed to get them out of there, especially the little girl. Lance trusted Javier to take care of the last standing guy as he followed the girls to take them into hiding.
Javier had knocked the cross bow out of the guys hands with one arm as he elbowed him in the nose with the other. The man in turn went to swing at Javier but was stopped by a jab to the throat—bringing him down to his knees. If Javier wanted to kill him he could have. But he wasn’t the one Javier wanted so he left him.
As Javier walked over to the leader he saw that he was pulling the knife out of his crotch. The moment the knife was out blood began to flow down his left leg like a flooding creek bed. The man was starting to stand so Javier kicked him in the chest and knocked him back down. After grabbing his knife, Javier knelt down behind the bastard with his knife to his throat.
Javier leaned down to whisper in his ear. “In some countries I’ve been in they would have not only sliced your dick off but your tongue would be cut out as you watched. I told you that you wouldn’t speak of a woman like that again, especially a child. And you won’t live to.”
“You kill me; you will go to hell and burn up until I arrive to torture you for eternity.”
“I don’t have to. You did that for me when you took out that knife. My guess is it went through your little dick and straight into your leg. With the amount of blood that’s pouring out of you, it’s safe to assume you pulled the knife right out of your femoral artery. You won’t even make it off of your ass and near the woods you came from.” Javier stood up and sneered, “And we’re already in hell asshole.”
As he began to walk away, Javier glanced over toward the truck and saw one of the men running back into the woods with the bags. If they were going to take his stuff, he was going to take some of theirs. Javier picked up the cross bows and arrows that were left on the ground and began in the direction Ev had leaded the group.
He paced himself as he walked along the old road toward the large, white farmhouse in the distance. He knew that if there were any of the dead along the way, Ev would have taken care of them. That woman was fierce and spunky but very genuine. Finding a woman that truly put others above herself was a wondrous thing and as rare as the original Declaration of Independence, especially under these circumstances. Javier knew that his attraction to her was more than physical. He loved it when he made her smile wanted to be the one to comfort her if push came to shove. He longed to to
uch her and feel the warmth of her body pressed against his. In the eerie silence of his walk to the farmhouse, he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Ev got everyone settled into the farmhouse after ensuring that it was safe. The house was as beautiful as any farmhouse could be. Wooden maple floors were throughout the whole first floor and the furniture looked like it had been there for generations. A thin layer of dust began to settle over everything which showed there hasn’t been a soul there in days.
As much as she hated to she couldn’t help worrying about Javier. Even though she was sure he could handle himself in nearly any situation—his body sure as hell didn’t get that toned from a gym—she felt like time was dragging on.
“He’s fine. He should be here shortly,” Ryan reassured her.
“I’m not worried,” Ev insisted.
“Then why are you pacing around the floor biting your fingernails. You can’t go more than three feet without looking out of a window.”
“Ok, I’m worried. He’s a good force to have on our side, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh,” Ryan rolled his eyes.
There was no denying the fire that burned inside of her now. Not only did she give in to the truth that has been in the back of her mind, but the others saw it as well. She had somehow fallen for Javier. The longer he was gone the more she longed to be wrapped up in his masculine embrace. She couldn’t just sit there and wait, she needed to keep herself busy—even if only to keep her sanity.
“I’m going to go look around, see if I can find a vehicle for us to use. I’ll stay on the property the whole time but keep your radio on just in case I need you. Turn it to channel seven so it’s on the same as mine. I’ll be back,” Ev said as she grabbed her machete off of the dining room table.