“He thought he did. I saw it, he…he…bit her.”
“Well, she’s not dead anymore, sweetheart, and she looks pissed as hell.”
The girl whirled around and glared at him through narrowed eyes. “I’m not your sweetheart. The name’s Katy, and if you’re too scared to fight, give me that knife, and I’ll do it.”
“You don’t care if I kill your mother?” he asked, testing the waters, though at this stage it didn’t look like he’d have much of a choice.
“Of course, I care! But that’s not her, and that’s not my dad either. Whatever happened to him, he changed and passed it on to my Mom.” She pointed at her dead father, then at her very much alive mother, before stamping her foot. “Put her out of her misery. Maria, the real Maria, would rather die before hurting her daughter.”
Her sudden show of anger flipped a switch for Sam. Young, pretty, and feisty? Now that was too good to pass up. He shrugged. “If you say so, Katy.”
With a firm grip on the knife, Sam crouched low and beckoned to the growling Maria. “Let’s go then.”
Her lips curled back, and she launched herself at him from several feet away. With a yelp of surprise, he rolled to the side, risking a quick cut at her leg. The blade sliced through the hamstring, and Maria howled in anger before whirling to face him on one leg. The other now hung uselessly beneath her.
That didn’t seem to faze her, though, and she came at him again, swinging her vicious claws at his face. He ducked and sank the blade to the hilt in her sternum, certain he’d hit a lung. Bingo!
Maria’s hot breath washed over his face as she struggled to pull free. Her strength astounded him, and Sam swallowed his shock when she didn’t drop weaken as expected. “Um. It’s not working.”
His left hand caught Maria’s wrist as she aimed for his eyes and held it at bay a mere inch from his face. His muscles quivered beneath her onslaught, and he faced the real possibility that she might be unstoppable. “A little help here, please?”
With a cry, Katy jumped onto her mom’s back and stabbed the fork into her neck repeatedly. She must have struck gold because blood gushed from the holes, covering them both in a crimson mist.
The fight left Maria in a rush, and she collapsed to the ground, taking Katy and Sam with her. They lay on the ground in a tangle of limbs, breathless from the struggle.
Sam grinned at Katy. “Thanks.”
She shot him a hard look, but after a while, her shoulders slumped. “It’s in the blood.”
“What?”
“Whatever’s in them, it’s in the blood. Bleed them out, hurt them badly enough, and they die. They’re strong, but not immortal.”
He frowned. “How do you know that?”
She shrugged. “It’s a reasonable deduction. They both died after we cut the carotid arteries.”
“I see. Science geek, huh?”
“I guess so.”
“Wait. If it’s in the blood, are we infected too?” Sam sat up and wiped at the fluid covering his face with frantic movements.
Katy sighed. “I don’t think so. My dad bit my mom and drank her blood. She didn’t get any of his before she turned.”
“That’s fucked up,” Sam replied with a shiver. He stood up and brushed off his clothes before wiping his face again with his shirttail.
“That leaves me to guess the infection is carried over via the saliva,” Katy continued. “It must be a virus of some sort. Or bacterial, maybe? Something caught at the ISC where he works?”
Sam eyed her, wondering at her sudden calm. A ploy, he surmised. A tactic to stay coherent under extreme circumstances.
Distant screams drew his attention, and he looked around. “Are there more of those things?”
“More than likely,” she answered.
“Great. Just great.”
“This infection is virulent and fast acting. If my dad’s been in contact with anyone else, it’s probable they also have it.”
The screams were moving closer, punctuated by bloodthirsty howls. He could even hear sirens and gunshots coming from the city center. Whatever it was, it was bad. Where were the police? Usually, they’d be all over the place by now. They’re not coming.
That realization was a game changer. Sam looked at Katy’s upturned face and came to a decision. He reached out a hand. “Want to come with me?”
She hesitated. “Where to?”
“Anywhere it’s safe.”
“You’d take me with you?”
“Yes.”
His proffered hand waited until she took it, her fingers curling around his. He pulled her upright and turned toward the outskirts of town. “Ready?”
She pressed her lips together and nodded with severe intent. “I’m ready.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
As the screams and cries of a dying city grew closer, the young couple vanished into the night, leaving only the echo of their footsteps behind.
Chapter 6 - Lola
Lola shivered in the cold breeze, her plunging halter neck top, and mini skirt no defense against the chill. She shifted from one foot to the other, careful to jut out her hip in an alluring manner while smiling at the passing traffic.
A car drove past slowly, its windows tinted. Her heart skipped a beat, and hope rose in her chest. Business was slow, and she knew Lee was watching from the shadows. He’d beat her black and blue if she didn’t earn enough money tonight.
The vehicle stopped, and the window rolled down to reveal a middle-aged guy in a suit. She pouted and fluttered her lashes. “Hi, there. Fancy some company?”
He stared at her for several seconds before nodding. It seemed she’d passed the inspection. “Get in.”
With a flip of her hair, Lola walked forward. Her hips swayed as her long legs closed the distance. She knew she was pretty with her thick brown locks, luscious curves, and creamy skin. A real treat, or so Lee used to tell her in the beginning.
Her thoughts slipped back to that time. A time when she was nothing more than a silly little girl falling for the wrong kind of guy. Lee was everything her straight-laced parents had warned her against which made him all the more attractive. A forbidden fruit.
Her mother tried everything short of locking her up but to no avail. By the time a year had passed, she’d run away with him. They’d ended up in a tiny apartment in one of the worst neighborhoods possible.
At first, he was kind and caring, and though they were dirt poor, she was happy. It didn’t take long for reality to sink, however. Before she knew it, he was peddling Salt, the preferred drug of choice for the poor. The hallucinogenic crystals offered a brief reprieve from the nightmares of life even though the price they exacted on your body was hardly worth it. She was glad she’d never touched the stuff, no matter how desperate.
Lee, good-looking and tough, was good at his job and moved up through the ranks with swift efficiency. With time, he changed. Incidentally, his boss also ran a booming business in hookers, and in no time at all, Lola found herself among them with her boyfriend now acting as her pimp.
Beaten and bullied, used and abused, her dreams of a white picket fence and a family faded away. After a while, the only thing she wished for was release.
Until now.
Unconsciously, her hands strayed to her stomach, still flat despite her being three months pregnant. A fact she’d kept hidden from Lee. He’d force her to get an abortion, and that was something she couldn’t live with. So she planned to wait until it was too late and force his hand. This baby is mine, my only chance. Maybe he’ll love me again if I have his child. Our child.
Lola reached the car and pushed these thoughts aside. Right now, she had to focus on work. Anything to keep Lee happy. Despite everything, she still loved him and hoped he’d come around.
She strode around the front of the car to the passenger side and reached for the handle. As her fingers closed on the latch, an awful screech split the air. It was followed by a scream that froze the blood in her veins, one fille
d with fear. Stunned, Lola stood rooted to the spot. Shouts and gunshots punctured the night, and another ear-splitting shriek caused her to wince. What is that?
She was forced to dance away as the old guy in the car jammed his foot on the gas, nearly running her over. He sped away in a cloud of exhaust smoke, not sparing her a glance.
Terrified, Lola whirled in a circle and looked for the cause of the ruckus. Was it another turf war? A drug deal gone bad? A robbery? Instinct told her it was something far worse, and she scurried off the street and into the shadows.
From around a corner, people came running. They cast fearful glances over their shoulders, pursued by an unknown enemy. Whatever it was, it caused hardened criminals and street workers to flee like children. Huddled in a corner, Lola prayed for Lee to rescue her. He had to be close by. He always was.
With her gaze fixed on the runners, so she saw the exact moment a crouched figure leaped from the roof of a shop and took down a straggler. He fell with a pained cry which turned into a gurgle as the thing tore into his throat.
More of the monstrous things poured from the bowels of the city, jumping from rooftops, alleys, and side streets, to pounce on their chosen victims. The hapless men and woman, some whom she recognized, fell to the agile, leaping things like wheat before a scythe. None got away.
A strangled sob burst from between Lola’s lips.
A mistake.
One of the things turned toward her, its head raised to sniff the air. Lola caught a glimpse of its teeth by the light of a streetlamp. Its claws scraped across the concrete as it moved. She swallowed hard on the bile that rose in her throat and imagined it ripping into her flesh. Her thoughts winged to her pregnancy. One hand flew to her stomach. My baby!
That was enough to get her moving. With deft movements, she slipped the stilettos she wore off her feet and clutched one in each hand as a weapon. Crouching low, she ran sideways along the shopfronts, away from the monster while sticking to the shadows. A quick glance confirmed she had escaped with the beast still standing in its spot.
On bare feet, she ran up the street, barely keeping ahead of the massacre occurring behind her. Sirens blared, gunshots popped, and people screamed. A hand reached from an open doorway and grabbed her arm. Lola gasped and raised one shoe, prepared to fight.
“It’s me,” a male voice hissed.
“Lee?” She lowered her hand when she caught sight of his face and sagged with relief. “Something’s happening. There are monsters on the street.”
“I know. Jim called me. Something escaped from the ISC Labs, and it’s spreading.” His face was grim as he checked the rounds in the illegal sidearm he carried tucked away in a pocket.
“What?” Her mind reeled.
“We need to get out of the city,” he added.
“All right,” she replied, confident he knew what he was doing.
He began walking up the street, away from the noise, still holding her by the arm. “We need a car.”
As he uttered the words, a black shadow flew over Lola’s head and smashed into Lee. He let go of her, and she fell to the pavement, landing hard. “Lee! No!”
Lee ignored her, grappling with the thing that snapped at his neck like a piranha. It growled, and its lips pulled back to reveal a predator’s teeth. Its skin was pale, its eyes as black as night, and it moved with incredible speed.
As Lola watched, it dug its claws into Lee’s abdomen. Lee screamed, long and loud. Blood poured from his torn flesh, staining his t-shirt crimson. He pushed the muzzle of his gun against the thing’s head and fired.
A spray of red mist blew out of the back of the monster’s skull, taking a chunk of bone with it. Lee fired a second time, and the bullet obliterated what remained of the head. The monster slumped to the ground, and Lee fell back, a low moan issuing from his lips. A pool of dark liquid formed around him on the tar.
Lola scrambled toward him on all fours, her eyes widening at the sight of his injuries. “Lee!”
His stomach was ripped open, the skin shredded with slick intestines bulging through the gaps. The stink of feces filled her nostrils, and she had to fight the urge to throw up.
“Lola,” Lee gasped. “Run.”
“No, we need to get an ambulance,” she replied with a sob, not willing to accept the inevitable.
“Too late. I’m dead already.” He shook his head, bloody froth bubbling from his lips. “Take this and run.”
“I…” She stared at the gun he pressed into her hand. “I can’t.”
“For the baby,” he said.
Her eyes flew to his. “You knew?”
Lee nodded. “Go, save our baby.”
“O…okay.” She kissed him on the lips, tears streaming down her face. “Bye, Lee.”
“Go!” he rasped.
Lola stumbled to her feet and ran. Her body felt numb while her mind was in a whirl. Nothing made sense anymore. All she knew was that she had to protect her child. Her and Lee’s baby.
She’d dropped the shoes and now held the gun with both hands, hoping she’d be able to hit something if she had to. She knew little about firearms, had never fired one. It was a Glock pistol. That much she remembered from Lee’s bragging. How many bullets did it take?
A screech caused her knees to buckle, and Lola almost hit the ground. She managed to keep going, but a quick look confirmed her worst fears. One of them was after her. It loped across the ground at a much faster pace than her. She’d never outrun it.
With that realization, Lola slid to a stop, whirled about, and aimed the gun at the oncoming threat. Without pausing to think, she pulled the trigger. The bullet went wild, and the recoil buzzed through her wrists causing her to cry out in pain. There was no time to panic, though, not if she wanted to live.
Lola bit her lip, steadied her aim, and held her breath. The second shot sliced through the monster’s shoulder, cutting a groove through the flesh. It howled but kept coming.
She fired again, and again, and again, each bullet punching a hole through the thing’s torso. It kept going, and she feared it was unstoppable, then it seemed to slow, before tripping over its own feet. It crashed to the ground and slid to a stop mere feet away from her, still snarling its defiance.
At last, it exhaled and lay still.
Dead.
Lola stared at the corpse, heaving for breath. She’d been lucky, but how long would that last? What if she ran out of bullets? She needed to get away from the city. Her head swiveled, looking for a car, help, anything.
A high-pitched howl announced the arrival of another beast. It jumped off a roof and came at her without pause. Behind it, two more slipped out of an alley.
Lola choked back a sob. Terror flooded her veins. Even as she prepared to shoot, she knew it wouldn’t be enough. She’d never get them all. One way or the other, this was it. Death was upon her. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and Lola looked down. “I’m sorry, baby. I tried.”
The trio of monsters growled in triumph as they bore down upon her. She raised the gun with trembling fingers and pressed the muzzle to her temple. Squeezing her eyes shut, she began the countdown.
Three, two, one.
The sudden roar of an engine and tires spinning on gravel caused her eyes to fly open. A white sedan stopped in front of her, and a woman with a blond ponytail screamed at her through the window. “Get in!”
Lola didn’t hesitate. She yanked open the door and jumped into the back seat. The door slammed shut as the car raced away, leaving the nameless things to chase them with futile howls of fury.
The girl in the front twisted around. “Are you hurt? Are you bitten?”
“No, I’m okay.”
“Are you sure?” the driver asked, a scruffy young man not much older than Lee.
Lola shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“Then hold on because it’s gonna be a rough ride,” he answered. “I’m Sam, by the way. This is Katy.”
“Lola,” she answered, marveling at the ste
adiness of his voice and manner.
It turned out Sam was right. The next hour was a nightmarish flight through the streets of the city. He dodged crashed cars, fleeing citizens, overrun police barricades, and an ever-growing number of hybrids. For that’s what they were according to Katy. Escaped hybrids from the labs of the ISC.
They managed to save only one more person, a middle-aged lady called Rebecca. She still wore her uniform, albeit spattered with blood, and was a nurse at the local hospital. In her right hand, she clutched a scalpel while the other clung to the cross that hung from her neck. She never stopped praying the entire time they made their escape, her faith in God seemingly unshakable.
Lola watched the horror on the streets unfold from the dubious safety of her back seat. They probably wouldn’t have made it out if it wasn’t for Sam’s intimate knowledge of the city, all the little bypasses, short-cuts, and back alleys.
At last, they left it all behind, the buildings fading to be replaced by dried shrubs and stunted trees, the legacy of a blighted atmosphere. Darkness enveloped them, alleviated only by the shine of the car’s headlights as they cut through the countryside.
“Where will we go?” Lola asked.
Sam glanced at her over his shoulder. “Don’t know. Somewhere far away.”
“Far is good,” Lola murmured, brushing one hand over her belly. “Safe is better.”
She twisted around to look back. A deep orange glow lit the horizon, casting the tall buildings into sharp relief. The city burned, its inhabitants sacrificed to the plague that consumed it. Bye, Lee.
Chapter 7 - Rebecca
Rebecca peered through the small gap in the wooden slats nailed across the window. It was late afternoon and already growing dark. Thick banks of clouds covered the sky, heavy with unshed rain. Thunder rolled across the land, and the sharp zing of ozone pricked her nostrils.
“There’s a storm coming,” she said to no one in particular.
Sam grunted in agreement but didn’t bother to answer. Instead, he carried on with the wooden carving he’d been working on for weeks now. It was supposed to be a gift for Lola’s baby, the only thing any of them had to look forward to.
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