The Last Mile Trilogy

by Jacqueline Druga

  “Yeah,” Jeb mumbled. “Me, too.” He was closest to the diner door. “Ok. Hang back. I’ll go in first.”

  Tate stepped forward. “How ‘bout I get your back?”

  “Sounds good.” Jeb gave a snap of his finger. “Everyone else back up. Stay in formation. Be ready for anything.” He reached for the door and paused. “Did you hear that?”

  Tate shook his head.

  “Ready little brother.”

  “Ready, big brother.”

  Jeb opened the wooden, squeaky screen door. “Hello.” He called out.

  The sound was not normal. It was at a higher volume level than the still-playing jukebox. A combination click-hiss rang out, and it drew Jeb’s attention to his right.

  The sight could have taken him aback, but somehow in the hidden science fiction corner of his mind, Jeb expected as much.

  A hole in the ceiling foretold of their entrance in. There were two of them. Black, large, ten feet tall. They propped up on the insect like back legs. In fact, it looked like a cross between a cockroach and scorpion. Four arms, wired about, each arm had a claw, pointed, and oblong. Their mouths were sharp shelled, with protruding fangs.

  “Fuck.” Jeb stepped back.

  “We can’t shoot them in here, Jeb,” Tate said.

  “They’re watching us.”

  “I know.”

  “We have to draw them out, into the range of the gas pumps,” Jeb suggested as he stepped further back.

  Hiss

  Tate turned. One was to the left.

  With another loud cackling, and angry hiss, one of the creatures lifted its claw. He had speared a man, and the bloodied body was attached to the creature like a shish kabob.

  That creature revved back and tossed the body of the man Jeb and Tate’s way, just as the remaining two creatures lunged.

  “Out!” Jeb ordered, and he and Tate flew out. “Back it up! Back it up!” Jeb ordered. “Toward the truck. Now! Move it. Weapons ready?”

  Bishop barely had time to ask the question, before the building burst into splinters and the three creatures plowed out.

  He raced backwards to join up with Tate and Jeb.

  With a mighty roar, a creature pulled back its claw and swept down fast and hard at Ben, spearing him through the chest and lifting him high.

  “Fuck!” Jeb shouted. “You fuckin’ got my guitar player, asshole!” He pumped and fired. He ignored the warning call of Tate about the gas pumps, and lucked out.

  The shot landed dead center of the creature’s chest, sending the alien flying high and backwards. It crashed into the adjacent building, and when it did, it was like opening Pandora’s Box.

  From that building and the third, crawled multitudes of the second wave.

  Twenty, thirty of them. Their arms swung out fast and furiously, hitting the ground with a vengeance.

  “Fire at will, but make sure you hit them. Back it up!” Jeb ordered. “Sam! Will fire do anything to them?”

  Frightened, Sam replied as he ran, “Yes. It will slow them.” He watched as the others fired, hitting some. Missing some. The weapons definitely worked on the ones that were hit. Grey blood showered out in each blast.

  “Quick. What else can you tell me?” Jeb requested.

  “They will not send more than thirty-five creature to a site. They are laboratory grown. Kill these, and we are good to the next hit.”

  “Excellent.” Jeb charged. “Tate. Manny, hit those pumps. Bishop, you, Tate and me will aim for these assholes. Ready? Let’s build a wall of fire to slow these bastards down!”

  They neared the Humvee. Jeb ordered Sam inside to prepare for a quick take off. He did.

  Manny and Travis fired at the gas pumps. The explosion and fireball rocked the earth, and flames shot upward.

  The creatures pursued. Tromping through the flames, pausing when burned, squealing in pain, and continuing on at a slower pace, despite their injuries.

  Travis ran to the safety of the truck, firing in close proximity to his escape vehicle.

  They were hitting them, if the shot landed correctly, the creature would die. If not, it would continue.

  Manny injured one, it swung out at him, sailing him fifteen feet to the side, and leaving Bishop open and vulnerable for the descending spearing claw.

  Inches from Bishop, Jeb fired, hitting the creature, and sending it back.

  Even though they were killing many of them, they were still outnumbered and losing ground. They couldn’t fire as much as they wanted; they were jumping and diving to avoid being speared.

  Jeb rushed to Manny’s body, and swept him up, tossing him over his shoulder. “Everyone near the truck!” he ordered. “We’re gonna use our one ace.”

  Everyone knew what that meant. One full powered shot, another fireball of explosion.

  A last resort like Mas had suggested. It was tricky but if they pulled back far enough, stayed under cover of the Humvee, they should be fine.

  Bishop lagged behind. Just as Jeb set an unconscious Manny into the Humvee, ordered Tate, and Travis inside, he saw Bishop go down. The foot of the beast pinned him to the ground as the creature readied to claw him.

  Jeb fired. The creature flew back. “Cover me.” He raced to Bishop. When he arrived, Bishop moaned. “Get up! Can you?”

  Bishop nodded.

  Jeb yanked him to his feet by his collar. “Run.”

  “I can’t,” Bishop cringed. “I can barely move”

  “Fuck.” With a heave, he tossed Bishop over his shoulder, dove to the left to avoid a claw, nearly tripping in his turn, and raced to the Humvee.

  Tate manned the vehicle and was the last inside as Jeb tossed Bishop in.

  “Drive, back it up,” Jeb ordered.

  Tate paused. His eyes shifted. The creatures moved slow, but kept coming. “Jeb. No. Get in.”

  “Go!”

  “Fuck.” Tate slammed the Humvee in reverse and kept peeling backwards.

  Jeb backed up. He knew he had one shot to do it and had to be quick about clearing the blast wave.

  A little further back, Jeb shifted the weapon for that one deadly shot, pumped the chamber, fired at his best accuracy, and spun hard, racing with everything he had.

  The ‘boom’ rattled the ground, but Jeb kept charging. He ran until the blast of the explosion, knocked him forward. He was ready for it. He felt the heat of it.

  Winds of destruction carried not only heat and power, but also the painful screams of dying creatures.

  A rain of debris lanced around him to the ground, then … silence.

  “Jeb!” Tate called. “You OK?”

  Jeb shook his head to clear the dirt. He fluttered the dust from his lips. “Yeah.” He coughed and rose up some from the ground. With a twist of his body, he peered behind to see the carnage.

  Creatures were in bits. Some burned, releasing a horrendous stench. Some cried out.

  Another cough and Jeb stood. He saw his brother in the distance. He waved then yelled, “Was that fuckin’ awesome or what?” Chuckling, he stepped forward.

  “Jeb, watch out!” Tate warned.

  No one was ready. Not even Jeb.

  Full speed, as if the last resort, a huge creature raged from the inferno, lunged out, and with a sweep of his arm, clutched Jeb into the jaw of his claw.

  Jeb’s weapon fell as he was lifted high in the air. The creature swung him about, as if for protection from any shots.

  “Someone shoot!” Sam ordered.

  Tate aimed. “I can’t get a clear shot.”

  “Me either,” Bishop cried.

  Jeb fought and struggled.

  If it could be called a smile, then that was what the creature did. He smiled, hissed. Clutching Jeb, he raised another claw to end the battle.

  The spear-ended prong of death careened down at Jeb … but never made it.

  A single shot fired out, nailing the creature in the neck area.

  It dropped Jeb to the ground, then spun and fell to its side.
>
  Tate, Bishop, and Travis turned. Neither of them fired. Who did?

  Robi.

  She was standing by the other Humvee, weapon still in hand, breathing heavily.

  “Robi." Tate smiled. “Excellent shot.”

  “Jeb!” she cried out in horror then raced full speed to him.

  She saw what the others did not. Too engrossed in watching her, Jeb failed to see the creature twitch in its last leg of life.

  Twitch to this death and roll over one more time. Only as it did, its claw plunged forward, straight down into Jeb, through his back and into the ground.

  “No!” Her scream carried as she ran all the way to him. “No!” She dropped to her knees. There was no blood. The tubular claw created a vacuum seal. She reached for the claw. It was in good. “Someone!” she cried out. “Hold on, Jeb.”

  Tate arrived first.

  Robi stood. “Someone help me get this out of him. Get this out of him!” she screamed.

  Tate gulped. He winced at first at the sight of his brother then waved Bishop and Travis forward. They all gripped the claw. “On three,” he ordered.

  Robi dropped once again to her knees. “Jeb.”

  “Robi,” he called out weakly.

  She released a simple sob, trying desperately to hold back. She saw the huge object and how badly it had impaled him.

  “Three!” Tate ordered.

  Jeb grunted painfully, as the claw had lifted with a suction from his body.

  Like a fountain, blood shot forward.

  Robi rolled him onto his back. “Jeb.”

  His eyes fluttered. “Robi … Robi.” His words breathy. “I’m … I’m sorry.”

  “No, I’m sorry." She laid her hand on his face. “I’m sorry I didn’t have faith in you. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I’m sorry for doubting you. You won’t die. I won’t let you die.”

  “Things…” Jeb swallowed hard. “Things aren’t looking too ...too good.”

  “Sure they are,” Robi wiped a tear from here eye. “You were right. You aren’t gonna die. Look who I brought.” From the baby carrier strapped to her back, Robi reached in and lifted Martha, and held her out to him. “Look who’s here.”

  “Dudday!” Martha cried out as she extended her arms. “Dudday!” She crawled on Jeb, laying her chest to his chest.

  “Hold her, Jeb.” Robi lifted his arms and put them on Martha. “Hold your daughter tight.”

  Jeb did.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  25 miles East Of San Diego, CA

  ‘What made you come?’ was the question asked of Robi a half dozen times. Why and what made her follow the crew of men at the exact time she did?

  She responded with Jeb’s own words, ‘… sometimes, being a good leader is knowing when to put yourself in harm’s way and when to stay back.’

  Her instincts told her to move forward, plus she admitted that her instincts were aided by Mas who kept crying out ‘Jeb of Death.’

  What would stop Jeb’s death even in the most crucial of moments, even after the death sentence was delivered? Either stopping it or reversing it.

  “How does it happen, Mas?” she asked. “How? Can you see it? How does he die? Does he die right away?”

  When she heard how, she knew she had to high tail her way there.

  Bishop had a broken rib and Robi was pretty certain Manny fractured his skull. After Martha woke, she’d have to get her to work on Manny. He was in and out of consciousness and incoherent.

  Manny worried Robi. She only hoped and prayed that perhaps there was a doctor or medication in So Cal.

  Jeb healed.

  Tate was beside himself after witnessing the horror of what happened to his brother.

  But one thing was never made clear to Robi; the closer a person is to death when healed, the less they would remember of the incident.

  Jeb was sore and weak from loss of blood, but he was better and unable to remember anything beyond lifting Bishop over his shoulder.

  He knew something happened though. No one told him what.

  The remaining few hours of the trip was cautious and a quiet ones. The loss of Ben, even though a newcomer, was a hard hit to take.

  Tate positioned himself on the roof of the lead Humvee all the way to San Diego. Fastened by a bungee cord, he was the lookout for any more second wave creatures.

  There were no encounters.

  As Mas and Sam both said, the second wave would strike where groups of people resided.

  This brought them fear about So-Cal.

  However, they all kept reasoning, that although wide range communication was lost a while before, folks like Minnie and Millie were in contact with them for some time after that.

  The Utopians had taken residence at Andrews Air force base, a highly secure and bunkered area.

  Utopia had to be there and intact. It had to be. And the three vehicles consisting of survivors gathered throughout the barren land rolled with hope into the city limits of San Diego.

  <><><><>

  Edwards Air Force Base

  It was seen as a dark black cloud in the distance, and the closer they drew, the more they knew that it was smoke that encompassed the area surrounding Edwards Air Force Base.

  Destination … Utopia.

  About a half of a mile from the gates of the base, they halted the convoy.

  “No!” Tate shouted as he stepped out of the Humvee. “No. Fuck!”

  Robi closed her eyes. Even at a distance, flames smoldered throughout the base and black smoke billowed out. Fires never extinguished, only left to burn out themselves.

  Days? Hours? No one knew.

  With another ‘Fuck,’ Tate moved to the bus.

  “What are you doing?” Robi asked.

  “Keep watch,” Tate ordered and climbed up on the roof of the bus. Once there he pulled out the binoculars.

  “What do you see?” Robi asked.

  Tate examined for a while and not half-heartedly. He climbed down. “It doesn’t take an Einstein to figure out what they battled there. I don’t see any of those things. But we can’t be sure. We have to go in. Let me take the Humvee in alone.”

  “No.” Robi shook her head. “No. I will not let you go alone.”

  “Who else can watch my back? Manny is down, Bishop is down …”

  “Me.”

  “No.” Tate was adamant. “No. My brother would kill me.”

  “Your brother has no choice. You go with me or you go with Travis.”

  Tate sighed. “Fine.”

  Robi nodded. “Grab the specials and reload. I’ll go get the radios, OK?”

  Tate agreed.

  At this time the others began to gather outside. They wanted answers.

  Robi went to Mas. “Do you sense them? So you see anything?”

  Mas shook his head.

  Sam added, “The second wave has already been here. Damage done. Mission accomplished. Can you see this?”

  “I can, but we’re still going to go in and take a look.” Robi passed a weapon to Travis. “Keep watch.” She passed another to Greek. “One of you take the roof. We’ll be back. Mas, are we safe?”

  “Safe,” Mas said. “Not …” he stopped and closed his eyes.

  “What?” Robi asked.

  Mas didn’t answer.

  Tate tried. “What?”

  Mas opened his eyes. “Died have not all. Hiding.”

  Tate knew what this meant and looked at Robi. “They’re hunkered down.”

  Robi gave a twitch of her head. “Let’s go.” Before taking off with Tate, she approached her son, laid a hand on Nick’s cheek, and kissed him. “I’ll be back.”

  “I know.” He squeezed her hand. “I also know it isn’t good news.”

  “We’ll see.” She backed up, and then as she turned, she secured her own weapon and boarded the Humvee with Tate.

  The smoke thickened along with the stench as they pulled in through the destroyed gates of the base.

  Robi
coughed and gagged as it hit her throat. “What now?”

  “The main building will have access to the bunker.”

  “There’s nothing left.”

  “I know.”

  They drove slowly through the wreckage. Bodies were everywhere—bodies of people and second wave creatures. Everything burned.

  “Maybe we should stop,” Robi suggested. “It might be easier on foot.”

  “You might be right.” Tate stopped the Humvee. “They fought hard.”

  Robi opened the door and stepped out. She covered her mouth and fought the nausea that formed from the horrendous smell of simmering flesh.

  “Where to even begin.” Tate began to scan left and right.

  Walking backwards, Robi kept her eyes peeled. “There’s no direction.”

  “Is this even worth it?”

  “Who knows?” Robi stated.

  “I can’t fuckin’ believe this. You know that, don’t you? All this way. All this way and it’s gone. Fuck.”

  “Didn’t we all kind of know that? But we had to …” Robi’s head cocked and jolted at the sound of falling debris. She quickly raised her weapon. “Where?”

  “There.” Tate nodded a direction. “The noise came from over …”

  “There.” Robi pointed. A figure of a man stumbled through the smoke. “Someone is alive. Now it’s worth it.”

  Together they hurried to the man.

  “Hey,” Tate called out. “Hey.”

  He coughed. “Thank God. Help me. Help.”

  Arriving at the man, Robi saw that he was injured. He bled from his side. “Here. Let me help you.” She reached for him.

  “I’m OK, I’ll be OK,” he said. “Are you two alone?”

  Tate replied, “There are more. Mister you need medical attention.”

  “I’ll … I’ll be OK. It’s the others I’m worried about. They’ve been down there. Stuck. I can’t … I’m not strong enough alone to move the debris.”

  Robi asked, “What happened here?”

  “We’ve been fighting these things for a day straight. About a week ago we came under fire. We don’t know where it came from. It seemed to come from the sky. That’s … That’s when we moved below,” he explained. “We fought. But …” His eyes closed. “We lost mostly everyone. Only about thirty of us are left.”