by Sawyer, JT
Carlie’s arms grew heavy and she wanted to cast off her pack but needed the sealed laptop inside. Her lungs were on fire as she forced out each arm stroke while kicking with her cumbersome boots. She saw a series of docks and a boathouse coming up. Carlie swam furiously as the current continued gripping her. The structure was nearly a hundred yards away now as she fought the river to reach her destination. With a flurry of strokes she left the main undertow and could feel her boots strike the rocky bottom as the dock neared.
Carlie felt the tension ease in her chest and she sucked down some air as she began wading towards the dilapidated white boathouse. She struggled momentarily to move forward as if the current wasn’t finished with her yet then realized that her belt was being tugged on from behind. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a shriveled yellow hand slowly reach over her shoulder. Carlie spun around but saw no one as she felt the weight increase on her back. Another yellow appendage was pawing at her hair in front of her face. She staggered in the knee-deep water, grabbing both of the bony hands and flinging the mass over her head. In the murky water before her was the legless figure of a ballerina clawing at the water, trying to reach her, its droopy face resembling a Sharpei. Carlie staggered backwards towards the riverbank. She saw a tree branch resting partly along the shore and grabbed it. Leaning forward, she poked the thrashing creature on its frizzy pink costume and sent it back into the current, staring into its coal-black eyes as it drifted away.
Carlie felt the sun on her face and suddenly realized that the tactical advantage of the dark was gone. She swiveled her body to the right and made a dash for the boathouse, darting past rows of tethered watercraft, jet skis, and powerboats. Climbing up on shore, she ran to the side door and saw that it was slightly ajar. She looked down and noticed muddy boot prints covering the transom. Carlie removed the seven-inch fixed blade from her sheath and slowly opened the door. The tracks went to the left of the barnlike structure. An odor of varnish fumes coupled with cedar permeated the air. She hoped that the tracks belonged to Shane and wanted to call out his name but knew that there would be creatures roaming every corner of this wasteland of a city.
As Carlie stepped forward, water from her boot squeaked out onto the plankboard floor. She heard movement to her right and saw something dart out from behind a small rowboat leaning against the wall.
Chapter 26
“Echo Charlie One, do you copy, over?” said Boyd into the radio on the Blackhawk as they swept along the riverside to the east.
“Bravo Team, this is Echo Charlie Three, over,” said the voice of Matias through the speaker.
“Damn good to hear your voice—where is your team holed up at?”
“It’s just myself and Amy. We are about fifteen hundred meters to the south on the west side of the river by the coastguard headquarters. It’s a three-story building with an aerial antenna on it, over.”
“Copy that, we are on our way. What about the rest of your team, over?”
“Location unknown.”
Boyd put down the mic and looked through the window ahead. Shit—two of my guys dead already and now three of their team are missing. Not a good start to such a short mission. Wonder how we would have fared if Shane or I were in charge from the get-go. He stared out at the river below, straining to see movement while running his gloved hand along the scruff on his chin. Never figured I’d be doing combat search-and-rescue ops in my own country. He reflected back on his life five days ago when he was having a barbecue in his backyard with his unit buddies and another new girlfriend. Boyd took off his glove and brushed his hand along the crucifix hanging under his shirt. Dear Lord, what have we done to deserve this?
Chapter 27
“You can put the pig-sticker away. I ain’t one of those gravy-faced cannibals,” said Jared as he stepped out from behind the rowboat. He prodded his right ear with his index finger and shook his head, sending a spray of sand and water droplets onto the floor. “I like experiencing the river better from a gambling boat.”
Carlie lowered her blade and looked around the building. “Did you see where the others ended up?”
“Nope, and my earpiece ain’t working.”
“Mine too. I have to figure out a plan to get the helo to us, assuming they’re still in the game,” she said while noticing his muscular chest showing through his soaked shirt.
“Plan—I got a plan for ya, sister,” he said, moving forward and dropping his pack. “I know of a few remote bayou homesteads that you can only get to by boat. Heck, I bet that some of the simpletons back there don’t even know what’s happened in the world. They’re living fat and happy off the bounty of the swamps. We can all hole up there in style and forget about hanging our necks out for those flesh-munchers.”
“You’re kidding, right? Did you forget about what we found back in that freighter? You want to just retreat into a dark corner and forget about our duty to humanity?”
“Now, see that’s your problem—you’re crippled by your antiquated Samurai code and a need to right the wrongs of this world. You’ve got to forget about being so righteous. Grab what you can of this life while you’re still able to.”
“It’s no surprise that we live by different perspectives. Personal code and conduct is all that separates us from those things out there. It’s a part of being human. Pff…” She paused abruptly, blowing a strand of hair off her face. “We’re wasting valuable time. I saw a decent speedboat out there that should meet our needs. I’m gonna quickly check my earpiece and then we can be on our way.”
“The place I need to get to—the place I told you about in our little deal—is only a mile downriver from here. It’s tucked away along a seldom-visited side canal. I can be in and out in minutes,” Jared said.
Carlie walked over to a workbench and put her weapons on the table, then set her pack down and removed her vest while glancing back at Jared. “We need to locate the others first and then relay a message to White Sands. After that, if it’s safe, we’ll head there.”
“Alright,” he said, holding his chin up. “I’ll play it your way for now but once we find the others the deal is back on, right?”
“Yes.”
She tried her comms one more time and heard a slight crackling noise then the brief sound of Boyd’s voice before it went quiet again. Carlie quickly did a visual inspection of the chamber and barrel in her M4 and Glock to check for any blockage from mud. Jared stood beside her, clumsily performing the same motions while trying to mimic her actions.
“Did you hear that?” Jared said, staring towards the side door while trying frantically to reassemble his pistol. “I thought I heard something moving outside.”
Carlie grabbed her rifle and secreted herself against the wall. She moved towards the door and peered through the narrow eye-level window while straining to hear any movement.
“I’ve got movement by the parking lot twenty yards away but can only make out a few of those things. There’s bound to be plenty more coming now that the sun’s up. You ready yet?”
“Almost done,” he said as Carlie heard him fumbling with his pistol. “Funny, but I never used a gun to kill anything except for small game when I was a kid huntin’ in the swamps.”
He walked over to the door and handed Carlie her pack. “The log book on the desk should indicate which boats are fueled up. I’ll take a look and grab the keys from the lockbox,” Jared said.
“Make it snappy. These creatures are moving this way.”
While Carlie kept watch on the shoreline and boat docks, Jared returned with a set of keys. “Dock number seven, pier five are today’s winning numbers, my good lady.”
“Alright then, I’ll provide cover fire from here while you start up the boat,” she said with a slight feeling of concern that he could depart without her. “On second thought, I’ll come with you.”
Chapter 28
As the Blackhawk extracted Matias and Amy from their hiding spot along the riverbank, Boyd continued trying to contac
t Shane and the others on the radio.
“They couldn’t have floated more than a few miles downriver,” said Matias. “We were all only a few minutes behind each other. It was just sheer luck that I ended up slamming into the logjam that Amy was floating on.”
“We’ve already combed the riverbanks on both sides for the last thirty minutes. Either they are further down or they got swept under.”
“Sir, I just caught a flash coming from that cluster of buildings along the south shoreline,” said the pilot. “Look, there it is again, a series of three flashes—that has to be them.”
Boyd knew the glint of a signal mirror well, having taken endless survival courses over the years at Ft. Bragg. A pattern of three flashes repeated over and over is the key to drawing attention to your location. “Let’s go get ’em,” he said with a grin.
As the Blackhawk moved forward, the bright flashes disappeared. With the helo closing on the site, Boyd quickly realized that it was Shane and he was on the run. A mob of fifty or more creatures were closing the distance between him and the edge of the building.
Boyd saw Shane jump a few feet down to a lower section of the roof and sprint towards the edge. Below him in the parking lot were more creatures. “This is going to be tight,” Boyd said, grabbing the clip-on cable from the ceiling-mounted unit and attaching it to his chest harness. “Take us in low—we’ll have to do a moving extraction.” The red-haired soldier opened the helo door while Boyd sat on the edge. As the Blackhawk neared the building, Boyd gave the thumbs-up to the soldier next to him, who flipped the switch on the winch and began lowering him.
Creatures were jumping down on the roof as Shane backed into a corner and began shooting. As Boyd approached from behind him, Shane fired off two more rounds and then slung his rifle. Boyd was nearly on top of him as Shane turned and grasped the man’s chest and embraced him with a bear hug. As the helo swung away with the duo, a creature leapt off the roof in pursuit and wrapped itself around their knees.
Boyd felt his body jerk down under the weight and his chest harness cut into his torso. Holding onto Shane with his left hand, he removed his pistol with his right and aimed at the creature’s head but the spinning motion of their ascent caused his round to shoot off the lower jaw. The creature reeled back, its mouth completely missing but it still pawed at their legs with its greasy yellow fingers. As Boyd readied his pistol, Shane smashed the beast in the head with his boot and they watched it tumble onto the red-and-white umbrella of a hot-dog stand below.
The Blackhawk had cleared the city front and was over the river as the two men were hoisted back into the cabin.
Shane made his way onto a bench while trying to catch his breath. “Boyd, your punctuality was most welcome.”
The sliding door closed behind Boyd as he unhooked the cable. “You looked like you were unhappy with the real estate down there.”
Boyd took a swig of water from a nearby bottle. “Carlie and Jared are the only ones unaccounted for. Did you see either of them drift past you?”
“Carlie floated by but she didn’t hear me shouting. Before I had to retreat to higher ground, I saw her headed in the direction of a dock about a click away from my location.”
“Alright, let’s sweep further downriver this time and see if we can locate ’em,” Boyd shouted to the pilot.
Chapter 29
As Jared sprinted for the pier with Carlie behind him, she caught sight of six creatures milling around the treeline near the parking area. The rotting corpses immediately began fixating on them and started trotting towards the dock. Carlie began shooting while moving laterally towards the dock as Jared ran down to a sleek silver speedboat attached to the pier,
Within seconds, she had dispatched the small group only to see a dozen more slipping out from behind adjacent buildings. Carlie saw a lanky security guard with a red-soiled mustache stumbling towards her through her rifle scope and dropped him with one shot in the side of his temple.
She could hear Jared attempting to start the engine. As Carlie backed along the weathered planks of the old dock, she kept delivering single headshots at the incoming crowd of mutants. After shooting one which was dressed in a tuxedo with one shoe missing, she noticed movement out of the corner of her left eye. Turning, she saw the same disjointed ballerina from earlier pulling its legless torso across the shoreline towards her. “Are you shitting me—talk about a repeat performance,” she said, leaving the pathetic creature alone while returning to shoot an incoming construction worker.
Carlie heard the engine of the boat sputter and then roar. She shot one last rotund creature in a bathing suit waddling onto the dock and then hopped into the speedboat.
Jared backed out from their nestled location between the other watercraft and then sped forward into the main artery of the river. The remaining creatures on the dock leapt into the shallow water but were soon swept away in the current. As the boat sped off Carlie saw the lone ballerina lying on the dock, thrashing its arms and howling. She stared at its face through her scope, looking at its vacant expression. That was probably someone’s daughter and wife last week…or even mother. Now, she’s nothing more than a prisoner trapped in this hellish world—a world she didn’t ask to be consigned to. She stared into its hollow eyes, searching for any glimmer of personality. Then Carlie raised her rifle up, fixing the red dot of the scope on the creature’s head, and pulled the trigger.
Chapter 30
As the boat sped away, entering the waves of the main current, Carlie eased her rifle down. She turned around and felt the moist wind upon her cheeks as her blonde hair blew adrift. The sun felt good on her face but she forced away any feelings of comfort and held firmly onto the railing, thinking about Jared’s notion of disappearing somewhere else in the world. Her entire life from childhood until now had been one of constant responsibility, following orders, and getting the job done. She wondered what it would look like to not have anyone else’s life teetering on her decisions.
She stared down at the waves and then looked at the distant horizon of buildings then swung her head back to Jared. “You wanna tell me why we’re headed south when the helo is probably back in the other direction?” said Carlie.
“You see that restaurant on stilts that juts out from the cove up ahead?” Jared said, pointing to a structure on the left.
“What about it? You getting a hankering for some crawdads?”
“That’s my uncle’s place that I told you about. All I need is five minutes inside and we can be on our way.”
Carlie looked back up the river and scanned the skyline. “As there’s no sign of the Blackhawk and that building is just up ahead, you’ve got your five minutes but…” she grabbed his vest firmly, “I’m not going on a wild goose chase. If you’re not back in time, then I’m leaving without you.”
“You always talk in such endearing terms to guys you like?”
“That’ll be the day.”
“I’d prefer night, actually—a nice candlelight dinner…I’d cook, of course,” he said, grinning.
She released her grip on him, noticing the way the wind ran through his thick hair. “You just keep dreaming, Jared.”
He swung the boat to the left and veered towards a small cove where a three-story structure hung out over the water.
“That’s it right there. I’ll secure the boat under the main deck and zip up to the top floor.”
As he approached, they both studied the outlying property for any movement. The structure was built partly on land with the rest on thick, moss-encrusted beams that jutted out over the water. Majestic oak trees sprawled their limbs over the unkempt lawn around the front and sides of the restaurant. Jared slowed and turned off the engines while drifting under the building, maneuvering between the beams before stopping at a small deck with stairs.
He grabbed his pistol and pack while stepping out of the boat. “Be right back before you’ve even begun to miss me.”
“Ah, leave those with me,” Carlie said.
“What?”
“The boat keys that you stowed in your pocket.”
“Oh, right—no problem,” he said, handing them to her.
Jared moved up the stairs quietly and disappeared onto the platform up above.
Carlie stood on the dock with her M4 in a low-ready position, scanning the surrounding property and parking area to the left. The sound of crickets filled the moist air and she marveled at the shrouds of thick moss hanging off the nearby oak trees which gave off the smell of newly tilled earth.
She heard the vibrations of Jared bounding on the floor upstairs and a few minutes later saw his form emerge from the stairwell. He jumped from the last four steps onto the dock and rushed towards the boat. “I got what I needed, now let’s go. There’s a bartender and waitress headed our way and it looks like they haven’t eaten in a while.”
As they jumped in the boat, Carlie fired up the engine and backed out from between the foundation poles just as the two creatures were waddling down the stairs.
“You need me to drive?” said Jared, clutching an antique timepiece in his hand.
“Look where that got us. I think I’ll stay at the helm from now on.”
As she piloted the boat back out of the cove and into the Mississippi, she caught sight of a black speck floating across the cobalt blue sky. She shoved the throttle forward and sped up, racing towards the movement.
“And just in time,” said Jared. “There’s the airborne cavalry to the rescue. I couldn’t have planned this operation better myself.”