Bark. Bark.
What is that? Russell thought. A dog?
The puma stopped, then lifted its head. Russell reeled in his arm as the cat’s ears twitched and searched for the source.
Lying prone on his stomach, Russell remained still, motionless. He shivered from being wet, but also from being scared to death. His life flashed before his eyes, and the thought of never seeing Sarah again tormented him. Hopefully, whatever distracted the large cat would draw it away, and leave him be.
A blur of dark brown fur with black mixed in broke from the tall grass behind the puma. The cat hissed and lowered down as the animal approached.
Russell closed his eyes and covered his head. Heavy breaths pushed from his mouth as he listened to the animals fight. Growling and barking swarmed him as dirt was kicked over him.
The report from a rifle crackled in the air. Russell jolted. He removed his arm and lifted his face.
The strife among the opposing animals ended. The large cat hissed, then scampered away. Its tawny fur vanished within the brush. The legs of the dog stood near him. Its panted breath played in Russell’s ear.
“Max,” a soft but worried feminine voice called out. “You all right, boy?”
Bark.
A person. Thank, God.
Russell flopped over to his side, then flat on his back. The sun shone through the puffy white clouds which caused him to blink and close his weary eyes.
The footsteps hammered the ground as the dog groaned. It sniffed Russell’s body, then licked his face.
“What have I told you, Max, about-” She came to a grinding halt. “Oh. So that’s why you took off.” Russell could see her legs and the thick-soled boots she wore, but that was all. His head tilted to the side as his trembling arm shielded the sky from his view.
“Come here, Max,” she called.
The dog sniffed a bit more, but obeyed her command. She knelt next to Russell. The butt plate of her rifle rested on the ground. She glanced over Russell’s body as Max sat on his haunches beside her.
“Dear lord, are you ok?”
Russell lowered his arm to the ground as she hovered over him. Her head blotted out the sun and illuminated her golden blonde hair that tickled his nose and cheeks. It made her look almost angelic. Her face scrunched in worry as she stared into his shiny eyes.
“Please, help me.”
CHAPTER TEN
SARAH
Numb to the touch. That’s how Sarah felt as she towered over the dying man. A look of disbelief flooded her face. She felt detached, as if the moment wasn’t real, but instead, some messed up dream.
Did I just kill him? Christ. What have I done?
She had fired the Glock 43 numerous times at paper targets and wooden boards. She had shattered glass bottles and punctured tin cans, but Sarah had never shot anyone before.
Tom gasped his last breath. His arms fell lifeless to his sides. Blood pooled under his body, and spread out in a circle. She secured the Glock between her waistband and knelt down beside him.
“Is he—dead?” Debbie whimpered.
Chris trained his flashlight at the deceased man’s face. His eyes were open, mouth agape.
Sarah reached over his body and checked his neck for a pulse. Her fingers pressed to Tom’s clammy skin, checking his carotid artery for a heartbeat. She hoped against hope that he might still be alive, but would it matter? The hole in his chest looked fatal, and they hadn’t seen or heard from the operator or Transit Authority. It felt as though they were alone, and left to their own devices.
Nothing.
Not even a hint at life.
She bowed her head, then closed his eyes with her fingertips.
“Oh, Christ,” Debbie sputtered. Tears streamed down her face.
Sarah sat on her backside while staring at the body. Guilt racked her through and through. The man was a dick, and she felt justified in what she did, but that didn’t make it any easier. Taking a person’s life was an experience she thought she’d never have to face. She hated him for forcing her hand. It didn’t have to go down as it had.
Chris glanced at Sarah. Blood trickled down the crease from the side of his busted lip. “You didn’t have a choice. He was out of control, and our lives were in danger. You did the right thing. We all saw it.”
Perhaps, but it didn’t soften the blow of killing an unarmed man.
The steel walls of the subway car closed in around Sarah. It stifled her breathing. She felt trapped, and needed some space to process what had happened.
Sarah grabbed her phone, then stood from the floor. She paced about for a few moments, struggling to come to terms with her actions.
Debbie leaned forward. She craned her neck, then pointed at the elderly woman who was lying on her side. “Has anyone checked on Nancy recently?”
Sarah had forgotten about the woman and hadn’t thought to check on her. She had grown silent some time back, and she figured she just fell asleep.
“Ma’am, are you ok?” Sarah asked while reaching out to the motionless woman. Her voice was unsteady and cracked. Trepidation consumed her hand as she tapped the woman’s arm.
The elderly woman faced the backs of the seats. Sarah couldn’t get a good look at her face. She didn’t respond or move, which made Sarah fear the worst.
“She’s not dead, also, is she?” Debbie cringed.
Sarah grabbed Nancy’s arm and pulled. Her body tilted toward the floor with no resistance. She shined the light from her phone over the old woman’s aged face.
Her eyes were sealed, mouth clamped shut. The cane sat nestled next to her.
Sarah probed her neck for a pulse, but found none. “She’s gone as well.”
Debbie gasped, then stood from her seat. “Oh my God.”
Lights from the other car shone through the fogged-up windows. They moved like lasers, slicing through the murk.
Sarah moved the woman back the way she was, then stepped away.
Chris stood at her side and peered at the body. “I don’t think help is coming anytime soon. We need to consider busting out of here any way we can.” His gaze dipped to her waist at the Glock she had stashed away.
He was right. They had to do something. Hanging inside the car was no longer an option. They had to find their way to the surface on their own.
Sarah bowed in agreement, then turned toward the emergency exit at the rear of the car.
She retrieved the Glock from her waistband and walked to the sealed door. The weapon sat tight in her grip. Her fingers repositioned as she shined the light at the lock below the handle.
The Glock trembled in her hand which made it difficult to hone in on the target. A deep breath filled Sarah’s lungs as she fought to stay the jitters of discharging the weapon.
Her finger slipped over the trigger as she steadied her arm. Just five pounds of pressure is all it took to fire another round.
Sarah tugged on the trigger.
The Glock barked.
She flinched.
Fire spat from the barrel.
A single round struck the lock on the door, damaging the device.
Sarah lowered the weapon to her side and stepped toward the door. She placed the Glock in her waistband and grabbed the handle. Footfalls from the steel floor played in her head. Both Debbie and Chris flanked her.
She wrenched the door open. The stagnant air from the tunnel flowed into the car.
Sarah breathed in. It felt good to be free of the confines of the car. Her nose didn’t detect any sort of chemical or other substance, although, radiation wasn’t something one could smell. Still, it was a risk that had to be taken.
“Well?” Debbie asked. “Is it safe?”
Sarah shrugged. She didn’t know for sure if it was or not. “Don’t know, but I’m not smelling anything out of the ordinary.”
The light from her phone dipped to the clamp that held the car in front of her in place. She tilted the device to the side in the direction of the ether that seemed
hollow and endless. It only penetrated so far which didn’t offer her anymore of an idea as to what happened.
Sarah skirted the narrow walkway to the edge of the car. She hopped down to the ground below. The dull thud of her weight landing echoed through the tunnel.
“I’m going to check on the operator. See if I can figure out what the hell is going on here,” Sarah advised.
Debbie and Chris emerged from the car with his flashlight engaged. They moved along the walkway, following Sarah as she proceeded onward.
It was odd being in such a place with no ambient light of any sort. Anytime Sarah had ridden the subway, when she glanced out of the windows, she could see the amber glow from the mounted lights along the walls. It didn’t make the tunnel feel so vast and empty.
Beams of light shone through the windows of the other cars. They moved, and shifted as they tilted to the ground, trying to see what was going on.
Sarah kept her free hand on the grip of the Glock as she walked past the cars. She looked to the foggy windows above at the passengers that swiped their palms over the glass to get a better look.
Chris and Debbie followed her, but only at a distance. Within the eerie silence, Sarah could hear the woman whimpering at any sort of sound that crept up. She knew how she felt. Sarah was just as afraid. As she had learned with the Creeper, one had to face those things that scared one most, and push on, despite the fear.
The passengers hammered the windows with their fists, trying to get her attention. Any words spoken were difficult, if not impossible, to discern. Sarah motioned with her hand for them to stay put.
Sarah approached the front of the subway where the operator should be. No light of any sort shone from the windows of the car which made her feel uneasy. Her hands shook and her pulse spiked. A lump of fear formed in her throat as she forced it down. She turned and swept the tunnel with her phone while trying to remain calm and collected.
“Hello?” she called up to the cab of the car. “Is anyone there?”
Sarah craned her neck and took a step back toward the railing behind her. She lifted the phone high in the air while standing on the tips of her toes, trying to get a better look. From where she stood, Sarah couldn’t lay eyes on the operator.
A set of steps built into the frame of the car caught her attention. She approached the car and grabbed the railings on both sides. Slow and steady, she scaled the side to the small platform.
Sarah leaned forward and narrowed her gaze through the window as she waived the phone like a wand. Inside, she spotted a body slumped over the control board of the car. She hammered the thick pane window, trying to get his attention.
“Hey,” she yelled. “Are you ok?”
The operator didn’t move. His body was motionless, much like the elderly woman who had passed. The blue cap he wore was jerked to the side and concealed his face. Both arms rested on the control board. Not a single twitch or hint of life showed from his hands. He did have something clutched within his fingers, but she couldn’t make it out.
Sarah moved around the platform of the front of the car. She positioned herself at the door that led into the cab, but was still unable to obtain a clear view of the operator’s face. Dangling from his hip, she noticed a set of silver keys.
The door was locked, but that didn’t surprise her. She figured it would be since it’s where the controls for the subway were. She pounded her fist against the window one last time, hoping to snare his attention before she took matters into her own hands.
He didn’t respond.
Sarah pulled the Glock from her waistband, then stepped away from the door. She moved to the side and brought the pistol to bear at the window. She squeezed the trigger and fired a single round. The glass shattered.
The sharp report echoed through the hollow tunnel. Footsteps pummeled the ground toward her. Then Debbie and Chris materialized from the murk.
“What happened?”
Sarah tilted the phone down at the inside of the door. “There’s something wrong with the operator. He’s slumped over the control board and doesn’t appear to be responsive.”
She tucked the Glock under her arm, then reached inside the cab of the car. Her fingers fiddled with the lock until it slid free.
Sarah grabbed the silver handle and jerked the door open. The operator remained stiff and motionless. She grabbed the dark blue hat and lifted it from his head.
His brown hair was damp and thick with moisture. Sweat populated his brow and coated the rest of his face. His eyes were agape, mouth slit apart. She trained the light at his hand and leaned forward.
A blue device with a silver tip rested within his grasp. Sarah gripped the top and worked it free of his hold. It was an inhaler from what she could tell.
Sarah shook the device. It felt empty, spent. She checked for a pulse on his wrist. He had none. Another dead body to add to the others.
Death loomed large over the subway, and was plucking the passengers at will.
The operator’s body covered most of the control board, which combined with the darkness, made it that much harder to tell where everything was located.
Her hands pressed to the side of the dash as Sarah craned her neck. On the other side of the body was a radio. She reached over and grabbed the receiver. She thumbed the button on the side.
“Is anyone there? The subway heading to Copley Station has lost power with passengers aboard. We’ve been stranded for two hours or more.”
Silence filled the line. No static or hint of a connection was heard.
Sarah dropped the receiver and sighed. Help wasn’t coming, at least, not anytime soon.
The keys to open the subway car doors. They needed those.
Sarah retrieved the silver metal loop from the operator’s waist and left the cab. She thumbed through the keys, unsure which one would unlock the other cars on the subway.
“The operator is dead, and the radio isn’t working,” Sarah said. “Not sure what happened to him, but it could’ve been because of the empty inhaler I found in his hand.”
Debbie took a step back while Chris offered her his hand. Sarah took his hand and made her way down the side of the car. She dropped to the ground and turned to face them.
“I got these keys off the operator’s belt. I’d imagine one of them is going to open the doors to the cars.”
Chris took the keys from Sarah. “I’ll see if I can figure out which ones work, and get the passengers out.” He turned and headed for the next car.
Debbie folded her arms across her chest. Her face was flushed, eyes filled with tears that streamed down her plump cheeks.
Sarah turned and stared down the long stretch of tunnel, wondering how far an exit might be. “Wait here and help him get the other passengers out of the car.”
A look of confusion washed over Debbie’s face. Her brow crinkled, and she narrowed her gaze. “Are you leaving?”
“I’m going to find a way out of here.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
RUSSELL
Russell drifted in and out of consciousness. Heavy panting filled his ears. The smell of an animal tingled his nose. A foul scent brushed over his face which made his stomach churn. Something sticky and moist licked his hand, then up his arm.
“Max. Leave him be, will ya?” the familiar, soft feminine voice ordered. “The last thing that poor man wants or needs is you panting in his face and licking him right now.”
Max groaned, then trotted away.
Russell couldn’t see the dog because of the bright light shining in his face, but he heard him gallop off through the thick brush around them. Russell was prone on his back with his body tilted at an angle. His head shifted from side to side, but not from his doing. He was being moved, dragged through the uneven terrain of the mountainous hills.
The dense canopy of trees overhead blotted out the sky, granting him a reprieve from the strident rays that pelted his face.
Russell blinked, dipped his chin, then opened his eyes. A ta
ll, slender body stood in front of him, dragging him on a makeshift gurney she had made out of thick branches and a dark, green tarp. Her blonde hair had been pulled back into a ponytail. A large, green camo rucksack was strapped to her back, and a rifle hung from her shoulder.
She glanced back to Russell and dipped her chin. “Shouldn’t be too much longer before we get to my cabin. We’ll get you dressed properly there and warmed up.”
The tattered clothes Russell wore were damp and clung to his shivering frame. His teeth chattered. The wind bit at his exposed flesh.
His arm had been wrapped with a bandana. Blood soaked through the moist, yellow fabric. The wound pulsated, and hurt like hell, much like the rest of his body.
Russell licked his coarse, sticky lips and swallowed. His stomach growled and begged for food. He was in dire shape, but yet, he had survived. He kept his mouth shut and closed his eyes.
The rest of the trek through the mountainside cut through winding paths and steep inclines. Although it wasn’t the smoothest journey, it went without fault. His mysterious savior, and her brave German shepherd, Max, seemed to know the Blue Ridge Mountains through and through. There was no hesitation or doubt on where to go. They navigated the winding trails without fault.
Russell laid on the gurney, limp and motionless. He thought of Sarah and Jess, and the life they’d had. Those were some of the best times he had ever known. It wasn’t always perfect, but they had love, which kept them bound together. He hated how his world flipped upside down that fateful day a year ago, when the happy life he’d carved out was ripped away from him.
Even in his dreams, it still pissed him off. Dealing with such loss never went away. One just had to deal with it the best they could and move on. That was what Russell had been struggling to do, and why Sarah drifted away from him.
Now was the time to make things right, if it wasn’t too late.
The smell of food cooking filled his nose. A tantalizing scent snapped him from his slumber. Spices permeated the space around him which made his stomach grumble.
Powerless World: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller (Survive the Fall Book 1) Page 6