by Rod Little
With the modest protection of Tina's knife and Sam's hands, they stepped forward onto the road. The others watched anxiously from a pile of rocks near the jeep. Shane kept the binoculars glued to this eyes, and Jason followed them through the hunting scope, one finger ready on the trigger.
The old man was sitting on the hood of a car near the top of the barricade. He put down his beer and shotgun, and lit a cigarette. He seemed at peace with the world. As Sam and Tina got closer, they saw he wore a Pennsylvania State Police uniform.
It was cool in the early morning. Every step could be heard, their sneakers crunching on the dirt road. That was fine, they wanted him to see and hear them coming. Sam lifted his arms to show he had no weapons. They stopped about forty feet away.
“Hello Sir.”
“Hello,” Tina said in a soft voice.
The old man dragged on his cigarette. He did not reach for his gun. “Hello back.”
“Um, I'm Sam. And this is Tina. We're with friends. From Pittsburgh.”
“Oh yeah?” The man put out his cigarette and climbed down from his perch atop a brand-new silver pickup truck. A short jump to a Corolla's bumper, then he landed on the road. He seemed more agile than Sam would have guessed for the man's age; he still held the beer in his left hand without spilling a drop. “Come closer. Let me have a look at you.”
They walked right up to the man. A few gray hairs remained on the sides of his head, but otherwise he was bald. He had a kind look about him, but Sam didn't doubt this guy could wrestle a bear, if needed. The corners of his eyes were wrinkled from age – eyes with decades of experience. Sam wondered what those eyes had seen this past week.
“My name is Stuart Reese. But I guess you can call me Stu.”
Sam shook his hand. He knew that this scene was being closely watched by Shane and the guys. He wondered if Stu had someone watching them, too.
“So, how's the Burgh this time of year?” Stu asked.
“Sucks,” Sam said honestly. “Really sucks.”
Stu laughed and coughed. “You got the critters there, too?”
Sam nodded “And then some. We barely got out alive.”
“Well, here's to you!” Stu raised his beer and drank. “So your friends gonna join us?”
“Yeah. We just... want to be careful.”
“I hear that.” Stu said. “Smart to bring the pretty girl up with you. Help charm your way into a newcomer's heart. And I do admit, it is working.”
“What are you doing out here, Sir?”
“Stu.” he corrected the girl. “I'm waiting for you.”
“Me? Us?”
“Well, not you in particular. I'm waiting for anybody. I didn't block the road, mind you. These cars were here like this when I arrived. I'm just sitting here waiting to see who comes along. Safest place to watch from. And if anything inhuman comes crawling along, I can pick 'em off one by one.” He pointed to his shotgun resting atop the pickup.
Tina held Sam's arm for safety and stood close to him in the morning darkness. He certainly didn't object to it. She kept glancing back at the others and the jeep back down the road.
“Go ahead,” Stu waved his arm. “Invite your friends over. I won't bite.”
Sam sized up Stu in a flash, and felt no threat. He turned on the walkie talkie and told the others to join them. There was a pause before they replied “Right,” and the jeep started up. Shane stopped the jeep about twelve feet from the pile of cars, at the mouth of a dirt path.
Sam introduced the others to Stu, who nodded and wordlessly waved a hand that looked rough with calluses. It was a single gesture wave, almost like a salute. The meeting had a surreal aspect to it, out in the middle of nowhere, and again Sam wondered if they were being watched.
“You can take that jeep of yours around by that path there,” Stu said. “It'll be rocky, but it's short. You come out on the other side.”
“We're trying to find shelter,” Sam told Stu. “At the Peak Lodge. See if we can get our bearings. Just until help comes.”
Stu nodded. “High ground. Surrounded by a wall. Makes sense. It'll probably have a storeroom stocked with canned goods. And probably no people this time of year.”
“You can come with us,” Sam offered.
The others were surprised and shot him varied looks of uncertainty. Jason shook his head silently, as if to vote No on this issue. Shane pulled Sam aside, asked if he was sure.
“Not sure, but we may need help. More guns, more people. And he knows more about this area than we do.”
It was a moot point, though, as Stu politely declined.
“It's okay, Stu. You can join us. Safety in numbers.”
Stu lit another cigarette, dragged on it, and leaned back for a moment. “I don't know about safety. These days it's in short supply, seems.”
“But if we stick together,” Tina said. She shrugged. “It might help.”
“That it might.” Stu mumbled, looking down the road at nothing. “But somebody stacked these cars here. And I want to know who. And why.”
“What does it matter?” Sam asked.
“It might. It might not. But you kids go ahead. I'm gonna stay put for a bit.”
“You plan to sleep here?”
“I'm camped not far from here. I'll be alright. By the way, no offense, but you guys reek. You get into some perfume war, or just coming back from Studio 64, or whatever it's called?”
“It masks the scent,” Sam explained.
Stu grinned. “Smart. I'll keep that in mind.”
“Well. Good luck to you, Stu.”
Sam shook Stu's hand again, and the five of them piled back into the jeep. Tina waved at the man, as they disappeared into the woods. The path was rocky and rough, as promised, but the four-wheel drive got them through to the other side. They regained the main road, and sped ahead. Soon the pile of cars, and Stu Reese, were out of sight.
Chapter 6
Other than a few more derelict cars peppering the landscape, not much caught their attention on the way to the Peak Castle Lodge. One car had been burned to the frame, the others simply abandoned. The day unfolded warm and bright, and revealed the resort hotel a few miles ahead. Perched on a hilltop, it was easy to spot, but would be a valuable strategic vantage point for anyone inside. The hotel was large and impressive, like a castle from Europe, a defense of eighteenth century kings. It would make a good fortress, but a fantasy castle was its artificial theme, not its true calling. Tourism was its true purpose, which meant they could expect to find some items of comfort inside.
The wind picked up, and the clouds moved on, letting a little sun in. Two flags whipped violently from atop two of the watchtowers. One was the American flag, the other was a fictitious flag with a crest: the Peak logo. Both were tattered and worn from many nights of wind and rain. No caretaker remained to bring them in or to tend to the hotel. The area appeared deserted, save for the birds and butterflies fluttering here and there; even those now disappeared, scared off by the newcomers.
They drove up the hill to the front gate. The gray stone wall rose more than twelve feet and surrounded the entire lodge. The gate presented no opening from the outside. Someone would have to climb over the wall.
With the skill and ease of a monkey, Sam climbed a knotted maple tree growing closest to the wall, and looked down from a branch into the courtyard. Other than a swarm of bees, it appeared uninhabited. Sam gauged the distance.
“I think I can jump onto the wall.”
Shane put a hand to his forehead and shielded his eyes from the sun, now showing its face through an ever-thinning cloud cover. He watched his brother scale the branch. “Be careful, Sammy.”
Jason walked around the side of the wall, checking the area for signs of anything alive. His gun never left his hands. The others stayed at the jeep and watched.
Sam moved to the end of the tallest branch, which started to bend and creak. He pushed off with both his arms and legs and landed chest-down on top of the wall. H
e started to slip down, clawed back over the rampart, arms straining, but did manage to find purchase and climb to safety. He stood up and smiled down at the others.
“I'm Batman,” he boasted.
Shane frowned. “Yeah, you're the Batman. Let us in.”
“I'll jump down and open the gate. You drive the jeep inside.”
“If the gate's electric, it won't open. Look for a manual release,” Shane told him.
Sam searched for the best way to climb down into the courtyard. He found a point above a shed, then jumped onto the shed's roof. With eight more feet to go, he began to shimmy down the side when a familiar sound stopped him.
A five-foot lizard crawled out from the thick garden bushes. At first it looked lazy and sleepy, but the sight of a new meal brought it to attention. It raced toward the shed, growling and beating its tail against the ground. When it threw its tail against the rickety wood structure, Sam nearly lost his balance. The creature grunted and jumped, snapping the air just inches from Sam's feet. Sam scrambled backward, but had no weapons on him, nothing to help fend it off.
“I need something, a gun!”
Shane tossed him a pistol, but it flew too high. Sam reached out to catch it and missed. The gun fell to the grass below, and the lizard licked it with its forked tongue, then turned back to Sam.
“Another one. I missed!”
Shane was already up on a tree branch, now cracking from his weight. He hopped onto the wall before the branch snapped. He aimed and fired two rounds into the lizard as it made its second attempt to jump the shed. It fell dead.
The blast of the gunshots echoed for several seconds through the resort grounds and the valley beyond. Sam's ears began to ring.
The brothers jumped to the ground. Nothing else moved in the courtyard, so they turned to the front gate. Hitting the button on the control panel didn't produce any result; the gate did not open.
Outside, the others inspected the wall and waited. Ken got behind the wheel, ready to drive inside, but bigger problems were about to descend on them.
They heard the sound of bushes being crunched under feet somewhere behind them. They turned to see five large lizards crashing from the forest into the field, and then up the road. The creatures moved incredibly fast, their bodies twisting and their tails thumping the ground. They destroyed the reeds and brush on their way to the opening that led them to their prey.
Jason yelled over the wall. “Guys, you better hurry! We got company...”
He raised his rifle and aimed through the scope. He pulled the trigger once, twice. One of the lizards fell. Ken aimed his pistol and took down the next one. He aimed between the eyes and killed another, but it took him three shots. Two more creatures still tore at them.
Less than two feet away, within bite's range of his leg, Ken shot one of beasts in the face. It spun around and smashed into its mate. The last lizard rolled over and lost its balance. When it regained traction, it circled the jeep and hissed.
The gate groaned and opened, like a mighty giant spreading its jaws for a wide yawn. Sam and Shane appeared with guns drawn.
“It's behind the jeep,” Ken shouted.
Shane circled around to the other side, but the lizard jumped on the jeep's hood. Jason took it down with one shot. Its body slumped down on the hood, leaving a dent.
It took three of them to push its body to the ground where they left it, then drove the jeep into the resort. Sam and Jason shut the gates, then physically locked them. There was a manual lever, not electric, and it took two people each time to open and close the heavy stone doors. After being slammed shut and locked, they hoped the lodge belonged to them.
A quick tour proved the grounds to be empty, except for a fluffy white cat. It roamed the top floors and was happy to find the crew. They brought it downstairs and fed it part of a prepackaged yellow twinkle cake. The other floors, even the kitchen and basement, were empty. The lodge harbored no more surprises. As they had suspected, no one was up here at this time of year.
Sam climbed the watchtower from the staircase inside the hotel. Five stories high, it provided a good vantage point to survey the land. He didn't see any more creatures or people for miles in all directions. The open fields surrounding the lodge would show anything that might come out of the woods, at least during the day. That was small comfort, knowing how fast the creatures could run. However, it seemed unlikely that the lizards would be able to climb the wall. Across the courtyard loomed a sister tower, but not as tall – only three stories high.
Thunder rumbled, even though few clouds now dabbed the sky. In the distance, Sam thought he heard the single faint shot of a gun firing. He wondered if it was Stu. No more shots followed, only thunder again. Exhausted, he lumbered back downstairs and joined the others in the hotel lobby.
“We need to take turns in the tower. On watch.”
“Right,” Shane said, “in shifts.”
“Did you find any supplies?”
“Enough for now, a few cans of food, and a stream runs out back. We'll have water, at least”
“Can we get rid of... that?” Tina asked, pointing out the window to the lizard's body next to the shed.
It took all four boys to drag its scaly carcass outside and drop it next to the other dead creatures. Flies were already feasting on their remains.
Back inside the safety of the Peak Castle Lodge, they set up camp in the cavernous lobby. It was elegantly decorated with high ceilings, glass chandeliers, and big windows. A plush red couch and several armchairs filled out the main reception area. To one side sat a cafe with one large oak table and several small tables for guests. Another building housed a fancy reception hall and restaurant, so this small venue was just for coffee and tea. A long reception counter jutted from the opposite side of the room, and had more than enough space for several clerks to stand behind it. In a resort of this size, the staff would be large.
A narrow staircase accessed both of the watchtowers from the lobby wings. Each of the boys would take four-hour shifts keeping watch in the taller east tower. With binoculars they could see for fifteen miles, except for the areas hidden by dense trees. There was no way of knowing what lurked in the dark cover of the two forests on either side of the road.
By afternoon, the incongruous thunder had stopped, and the sun came out in full force. Sam briefly wondered if it had not been thunder at all, but cannon fire instead. He climbed the stairs and took the first watch while everyone else explored the remainder of the resort. They looked for food, supplies, firewood, and containers to fill with water. Jason checked the club house and buildings in back.
High in the tower, Sam stood alone and enjoyed the solitude, keeping one eye on the grounds below. He removed his shirt, jeans, and socks, and hung them in the afternoon sun to dry out. After making sure no one was coming up the stairs, he removed his underwear and hung them out on the window sill. The tower windows stayed propped open; the breeze caressed his body and soothed his mind. It felt good to be dry again.
He rubbed the palm of his hand, still sore from the electric charge he'd generated last night. His clothes were drying fast; and the sun felt good. It felt good to be sheltered again. This whole place felt right, and might be able to protect them from the rain and cold, and with any luck... from monsters.
While standing watch, a calm washed over him. He was dry, secure, and five floors high. Heights made him feel safe. He pressed the binoculars to his eyes and looked out. Some movement disturbed the trees. Probably squirrels or birds, he thought.
After an hour, Tina climbed the steps to the tower. He had just enough time to grab his sun-dried boxer briefs and pull them on.
She whistled. “Wow. Nice body, science boy.”
He blushed and covered himself with his hands. “I uh... swim a lot.” He was aware of how snug his briefs fit.
She herself had changed into dry clothes from the hotel staff quarters. She wore a tight t-shirt that revealed her belly button, and showcased her ample che
st area. She handed him an apple and more snack cakes.
“Thanks. I'm starving.”
“The guys are working on getting hot water for the showers.” She threw a plush towel over his shoulder. “This is a hotel, after all.”
“Thanks, but I'm dry now.” He took the towel anyway, and wrapped it around his waist.
She put his right palm in her soft hands and rubbed it gently, as if polishing glass. Her curiosity was obvious and understandable.
“How did you do that?” she asked. “Back there. Static electricity?”
“Something like that.”
“Have you always been able to do that?”
“Yeah. Pretty much, since I was a kid.”
She released his hand and felt the muscles in his arm. “You have any more super powers?” She wasn't flirting, it was just her way; this was how she acted around all boys.
He blushed again, and started to feel uncomfortable. He shook his head. “No. Not really.”
“Well. I'm glad you saved us back there.”
He turned to look outside, and changed the subject. “So Ken and the other are getting the showers going?”
“I hope so. I'd love to get that hot tub running again, too.” She snatched the binoculars and looked out on the still road. “We seem to be totally alone here.”
Sam took advantage of her distraction and brought his clothes back in from the sill. He quickly pulled his jeans on. Still warm from the sun, they pleasantly hugged his body. He put on his flannel shirt, but didn't button it yet. The wind kicked at his hair.
Abruptly she handed the binoculars back, turned and headed for the stairs. “See ya later.” She waved and hopped back down the steps, out of sight.
Sam thought she was a bit odd, but liked her. He'd try not to like her too much. The group didn't need any more complications this week. Survival looked like it was going to be a full-time job.
Jason took over the next watch, and Sam descended the stairs to see what progress had been made down in the hotel lobby. The others had stacked all the canned goods and safe food into neat piles on the tables in the cafe. They pushed a few smaller tables together and stacked the food for rationing until more canned goods could be found. Ken and Jason managed to fill several bottles and jars with stream water from the back. Luck favored them; they hadn't run into any dragons on the way to or back from the stream.