by Tim Moon
“Let go of her, you animal,” the man yelled again.
Ben felt something warm and wet drip behind his ear and run down his neck. He cringed at the sensation and tried not to think about what it was.
Anuhea ran over and grabbed Ben’s hand. She pulled, but he didn’t budge.
“Wait, my foot’s stuck.”
Ben tried to free his foot and he felt his foot begin to slip out of the shoe. “Okay.”
Anuhea pulled again and he slowly inched out from under the weight above him. Charlotte left the boy behind one of the shelves, and ran over to help. She reached under his other arm and pulled too. Ben slid out and quickly stood up, stepping away from where he’d been trapped.
No wonder I couldn’t move, Ben thought as he turned and looked.
A giant man, weighing at least three hundred pounds, was tearing into a woman while being pulled at by another man – for all the good that was doing. The woman pummeled her attacker, but he ignored her pitiful strikes. Her stomach already leaked blood from several big bites, and it was obvious that her strength was fading. Torn flesh dangled from one of her forearms.
Without looking, Ben grabbed the nearest thing from a shelf and hurled it at the fat man. The black helmet flew through the air, hitting the fat man in the shoulder. It bounced off him and smashed a motorcycle’s side mirror.
“Shit, grab her,” Ben said, motioning to Anuhea and Charlotte. Recalling his high school football days, Ben stepped forward and kicked the man as hard as he could in his wobbling jowls.
The creature’s head popped back with a sick crunch and red chunks spurted out of the man’s mouth, splattering Ben’s legs. But it wasn’t enough to stop him. Ben kicked again, aiming for his face this time, but was blocked by the man’s arm.
Thick fingers grasped at the bottom of Ben’s shorts and he strained against the man’s grip, tearing the fabric. Freed from the man’s grasp, Ben lunged for the helmet he’d thrown. Splayed atop the woman, the man didn’t bother to chase Ben. Instead he refocused on the meal trapped underneath him.
Ben picked up the helmet and whirled back to face the fat man. With a roar, Ben swung the helmet at the man’s bulbous head. The skin on his scalp split, and inky blood began to dribble down his face. Over and over, Ben struck him until the side of his head caved in and his body went limp.
Ben stepped away and dropped the helmet, breathing heavily. He raised his hands above his head to catch his breath, shocked at himself for killing the man.
Charlotte and Anuhea weren’t able to pull the woman out before the fat man’s body went limp. Unfortunately for the woman, she was now pinned under his massive dead weight.
The man in the doorway was crying.
“Thank you,” he said between sobs.
“Pull her out,” Ben said, leaning his hands on the fat man’s body to roll him off the woman. Ben looked around for Ty. “What the hell, Ty? Get your ass over here.”
Ty slunk out from behind one of the shelves. “My God, what’d you do?”
Ben was surprised too but he knew there was no time to dwell on what he’d done. “Shut up and help me move this guy.”
Together they pushed the man aside enough for Anuhea and Charlotte to slide the woman out from under him. She’d gone silent and it appeared as if she’d passed out.
When Ben stood up, Charlotte hugged him. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
For a moment, Ben held her in his arms. The comforting feeling of her embrace soothed his frayed nerves.
Still sobbing, the man crouched by the woman and cradled her upper body.
“Grace, I’m so sorry,” he told her limp form, caressing her hair.
Charlotte pulled away and knelt by the man.
“May I?” she asked, reaching toward her neck. He nodded silently.
After a few moments, Charlotte looked up at the group. Sadness filled her eyes. She shook her head just slightly.
“Let’s get out of here. More of these things might come in,” said Ty quietly.
Anuhea slapped his arm, shooting him a dirty look. Ben was disappointed that Ty had hidden behind the shelf, but he was still right. The woman was gone, there was nothing they could do to help her now.
Ben nodded at Ty then put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Hey man, she’s gone. You should come with us. This place isn’t safe.”
A low moan escaped the lips of the woman. Her eyes fluttered open, black and soulless.
“Whoa!” Ben jerked his hand back in surprise. “Get away from her.”
Before the guy could react, she reached up like a lover reaching for a kiss. Stupidly, the guy leaned in. Her mouth opened and she immediately extracted a chunk from the side of his neck. Squealing like a pig, he shoved her away.
He flopped over backwards holding his neck, groaning in pain.
Ben and Charlotte grabbed the man and pulled him away from the woman he had called Grace, or what used to be Grace.
Ty pulled Anuhea behind him and ducked behind a shelf. Anuhea grabbed the boy and the three of them moved to the back of the shop.
“Ben, Charlotte, come on,” Ty said urgently, holding the door with the Employees Only sign open.
The thing that used to be Grace stood and slowly made her way toward them. Charlotte grabbed a mug off the shelf and flung it at the woman. It bounced off her chest and smashed on the floor.
“Damn,” Charlotte said, reaching for another mug.
“Charlotte, let’s go,” Ben said, urgently. He now held the man upright, forcing him toward the back of the shop, away from Grace. Still, the man struggled and yelled at Charlotte, “No, don’t hurt her.”
Ben shoved the man through the Employee Only door and let Charlotte go through next. He saw Grace walking toward them as if they were going to let her tag along.
An explosion of sound made Ben flinch. In what felt like slow motion, Ben saw the after effects of a car that had burst through the window at the front of the shop, scattering the neat display of bikes. One of the smaller Harley’s flew into a shelf which flipped and smashed into a mannequin. One of the mannequin’s arms popped off as the body flew through the air and slammed into the back of Grace’s legs, knocking her over.
Bodies swarmed the car, and Ben saw half a dozen more attackers walking toward the gaping hole that used to be the front of the shop. The person in the driver’s seat yelled for help, staring wide-eyed at Ben. But Ben knew he couldn’t fight off that many people.
“C’mon, Ben,” Ty said, his hand grabbing Ben’s arm and pulling him through the door.
Charlotte locked the deadbolt on the Employee Only door behind them once Ben was through. They ran through the stock room, with its tall shelves holding motorcycle parts and extra merchandise, and slipped out of the shop.
In the street behind the Harley-Davidson shop, the group hid behind a pair of giant green dumpsters. The sounds from the main road made Ben think that the crowds might be dispersing. The street they were on now was far less crowded but there were still people running and attackers bent over bodies on the ground.
Anuhea crouched down next to the boy, holding his hand. The man they’d helped leaned against one of the dumpsters for support and wept softly as he stared down at his bloody hands. Charlotte didn’t have anything to cover the wound and stop the bleeding, so she told the man to keep pressure on it.
Ty and Anuhea turned to Ben, each with an expectant look on their face.
Ben blinked in confusion. “What?”
“Which way is your car?” Anuhea said.
Ben looked around, trying to get a feel for their location. “Is that Palani over there?” He gestured to the street to his left.
“Yeah,” Anuhea said.
“I parked past Palani on Pawai, near a coffee shop.”
“Can we make it that far?” said Ty, nervously.
Anuhea nodded. “We parked way over on Henry Street, near the highway. So you’re closer.”
Ty leaned toward them and lowered his voice. “
I don’t think we can fit this many people.”
Anuhea shot Ty a dirty look.
“We’ll make it work,” Ben said, firmly. “We’re not leaving anyone behind.”
“Then let’s go,” Anuhea said. She turned toward the street then glanced at Charlotte. “Can you bring him okay?” She nodded at the boy.
“I can carry him,” Charlotte said. She smiled encouragingly at the boy, who nodded.
“Where are we going?” the boy asked.
“Somewhere safe, buddy,” Ben said with more confidence than he felt.
Ty put a hand on Ben’s shoulder. “Wait, where are we going?”
It seemed fairly obvious to Ben. “We’re going to our hotel. From there we can figure out what to do.”
“Shouldn’t we go to the hospital or the police station?”
The injured man glanced up and shook his head. “No hospital. I’m fine. I just, I…Grace…” His voice choked off, and he shook his head again.
“He’ll be fine, Ty. We have a first aid kit in the hotel room, and Charlotte’s a nurse. Besides, don’t you think the police are a little busy right now?”
“Can we just go, please,” Charlotte said. She stood with the boy riding piggyback.
They jogged across Palani, following Ben as he led them toward his rental car.
A black eyed monster, with blood seeping from its eyes like tears, came at them as they neared the sidewalk. Its one arm reached out at them. Strips of shredded flesh dangled from the shoulder where the other arm must have been torn from its socket.
Anuhea sprinted past Ben and shoved it to the ground. “Keep going.”
They jogged down the next two blocks without incident. Ben saw the car in the distance and pointed at it. “It’s right there – the silver car.”
12
May 11, 2014 | Portland, Oregon | 1927 Hours
WITH THE DRINK order placed, Ben set his phone on the table and leaned back in the booth.
After a successful meeting in Seattle, paving the way for his employer – Black Tide – to acquire a small drone manufacturer, coming back to Portland and hanging out in The Boiler Room was the perfect place to unwind. Its brick walls, thickly padded booths, and dim lighting made it feel cozy.
Kristin walked in briskly and sat down across from Ben. “Hi,” she said.
“Hey babe, our drinks should be here any minute. How was your day?”
Kristin’s hands rested on the table, her fingers fidgeting with her car keys. Her auburn hair spiraled down past her shoulders. Ben waited for her to say something. When that failed, he reached up to take her hand, but she pulled away.
Tension filled the air.
The waitress arrived. Awkward timing.
She must have sensed something was wrong because she quickly set the drinks down and walked away.
“So, what’s up?” Ben said, trying to keep his voice relaxed. He had learned the hard way not to put her on the defensive.
Kristin’s gaze flicked up from her hands. Her eyes looked red and puffy, like she’d been crying. She peered at Ben for a moment then looked away. With a heavy sigh, she jammed her keys into her purse and busied herself by taking in the details of the room, like it was her first time here. Which it wasn’t.
Whatever this was, Ben decided to wait for her to talk.
His glass beckoned him. It was filled with the pinkish-gold brew they called Ruby, a glorious blend of raspberries and hops. Ben raised the glass to his lips, savoring the flavor.
Yes, this is definitely the perfect summer drink, he thought.
Ben went to set the pint down, but when he looked at the coaster, he noticed something in the way. Not realizing at first what it was, he picked it up.
Once it was in his hand, Ben knew.
Kristin’s engagement ring.
Ben’s eyes widened as he realized what was going on. “What? Why?”
“I can’t do this anymore, Ben.”
“What do you mean? Did I do something?” Things had been going so well between them. Ben couldn’t believe she had decided to bail for no reason.
“I just can’t do this. We’ve discussed this before. I’m not ready for this level of commitment,” Kristin said.
“You told me that you were ready for me to ask you. I wouldn’t have proposed otherwise. And if you weren’t ready, why did you say yes?” Ben said. She could be so frustrating.
“I thought I wanted this, but I don’t. Please don’t make this more difficult.” Her eyes welled up with tears.
“I’m not trying to make anything difficult, I just don’t understand.” Ben held his hands out in confusion.
“My stuff is already moved out,” she said.
“Jesus, Kristin. You’re leaving, just like that?” He couldn’t believe this. “I thought we were happy.”
“I thought so too, but this isn’t the life I want. I want to do things, see places. I can’t be tied down. It feels claustrophobic. It’s not right for me to keep you tied down either.” She gulped her drink, quickly downing half the pint.
“You don’t feel like you can do things and see places now? I wouldn’t stop you,” Ben said, starting to get annoyed.
“I don’t want to be with you anymore, Ben. Why can’t you just accept that?” Her glass slammed the table, the beer threatening to slosh out.
“Because it sounds like bullshit to me. What’s the real reason?”
Kristin gave Ben a sharp look. She bored right into his eyes. He cocked his eyebrow at her. He wasn’t backing down, he deserved a real answer.
After a brief stare down, she looked away and stood up.
“I can’t have a family holding me back,” she said, glaring at him briefly before walking away.
Now Ben was confused. He turned in the bench and looked at her. “Family?”
She paused at the top of the stairs with her hand on the cold metal railing, staring at her feet. The she turned and looked at Ben.
“I was pregnant,” Kristin said. She blinked back tears. With a flip of her hair, she sniffed once. “Goodbye.”
Ben stared at her as she disappeared. His mind tumbled down the stairs after her, trying to catch up with what she’d said.
A small part of him wanted to chase after her. But he was still numbed by what she just revealed, and Ben knew deep down that an irreparable chasm had opened between them.
His stomach clenched and his breath caught in his throat.
Her words replayed on a loop in his head.
“I was pregnant. Goodbye.”
13
October 10 | Kailua-Kona | 0814 Hours
BEN PUSHED THE gas pedal as close to the floor as he dared, racing north on the highway toward the Waikoloa Beach Resort and Spa.
Ty and Anuhea sat in the back with Eric, the guy from the Harley shop. Eric held one of Ben’s spare t-shirts to the wound on his neck. He looked a little pale but insisted he’d be okay. The kid sat in Charlotte’s lap in the passenger seat.
“What’s your name, kid?” Ben asked as he watched the road for cyclists.
The boy wiped his face and glanced up at Charlotte before facing Ben.
“Oliver,” he said softly.
“Nice to meet you, Oliver. I’m Ben. That’s Charlotte. Ty and Anuhea are in the back seat with Eric.”
He leaned forward a little, peering into the backseat then ducked back into Charlotte’s arms.
“Do you know your parents’ phone number? I’d like to tell them that you’re safe,” Ben said, keeping his eyes on the road.
“They’re gone,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked.
Ben got the feeling everyone was listening intently to hear what Oliver would say.
“My dad left a long time ago. He was a soldier and Mom said he died fighting for us,” Oliver said.
“Oh,” Ben said. “He sounds like a good man. I’m sorry he…left. What about your mom?”
“We were watching the race for Uncle Joe. Mom got in a fight
with one of the scary people. She got hurt real bad,” Oliver said with a thick voice. “She told me to run and hide, but I couldn’t leave. The bad people took her. I couldn’t help, and now she’s gone too.”
Charlotte hugged him and rested her cheek on his head. Anuhea reached forward and patted his knee.
“Oliver, it’s not your fault, buddy. You’re safe now, that’s what your mom wanted,” Ben said before his throat constricted completely at the pain in Oliver’s face. His eyes prickled and filled with tears. But Ben held them back, turning away from Oliver’s sad little face and focusing instead on the road.
The steering wheel felt hot beneath his hands. Glancing down, Ben noticed that his knuckles were white. He wondered if it was fear of those creatures, whatever they were, or the pain that had hit him when he realized the kid sitting less than an arm’s reach away was now an orphan.
What the hell was I thinking?
Ben wasn’t a parent. He had no idea what to do with Oliver, and now here he was responsible for Oliver’s life.
Ben carefully flexed one hand at a time to relieve the cramps. He took a few deep breaths to ease the tension building in his chest.
Coming around a bend, Ben saw a group of cyclists still thinking there was a race to win, who continued to mash their pedals. Annoyed and incredulous looks contorted their faces as the car whipped past them.
“What was that back there?” Ty asked loudly.
“Hell on Earth,” said Eric, softly.
“Those poor people,” Charlotte murmured, hugging Oliver.
Ty and Anuhea held each other in the backseat. In the rear view mirror, Anuhea looked like she was in shock. A blank look filled her eyes as she stared out the window.
“I don’t know, man. That was crazy,” Ben said, as he swerved to go around another group of cyclists. “It was too much like what happened at The Brewing Company and on the airplane. It all has to be connected, this is definitely not some bullshit disease.”
Ben couldn’t help thinking about how clueless the riders they passed were. They had no idea what was happening back there in town. Ben slowed down as they neared the next group of riders.