“Terrified.”
“We’ll be ok, Zoe. We’ve come this far.” Em leaned her head against my shoulder.
“Em,” I whispered.
“Huh?”
“Your head kind of stinks.”
She chuckled under her breath and proceeded to nuzzle the side of her head against me. “I think we all stink, Zoe.”
I felt the raft give a slight lurch as Nathan kicked us off. Gus and Boggs each held one of the collapsible oars. The sound of them rhythmically lapping at the water was soothing in a way. Aside from rowing, it was quiet all around us. As we got closer to the beach, a knot was forming in my stomach. My head was still clear of intrusions, but I knew my ‘abilities’ weren’t a hundred percent. The closer we got, the larger the island looked and the calmer the water surrounding us became.
“We’re almost there,” said Boggs. “We’ll beach the raft to the left, where it looks smoother.” Beaches in Puget Sound are rugged, the sand dark and coarse. “Be ready to hop out the front, and we’ll hand the weapons out.”
“I’ll pull the raft up past the tide line,” offered Gus. “Zoe, does it feel clear here?”
“Ya.”
“Be on guard anyway,” he said.
The raft bounced across some rocks close to the surface then came to a stop once it hit the sand.
“Ok girls,” said Gus. “Try not to get your feet wet.”
Emilie and I helped each other from the raft and onto the wet sand of the beach. Waves lapped lightly around us, a small bit of sea foam making an irregular line where the tide was receding. Clumps of dark green seaweed were scattered about and a small crab skittered sideways, headed back into the water.
Emilie was reaching back to grab equipment, and the two of us made a chain of sorts. She’d hand it to me and I carried it farther in to shore. Boggs joined us to keep guard with one of the shotguns. He walked the edge of the beach, looking into the woods. My mind was still clear, aside from my own deep thoughts.
“Em, mind helping me with the raft?” asked Gus.
Emilie took the opportunity to help with great enthusiasm. She skipped to Gus’ side, ready for instructions.
“Grab the rope, darlin’? Help me pull it up onto the beach.”
“Sure.”
I left them to their job, and walked toward Boggs. I kept a pistol in hand.
“Anything seem off?” I asked quietly.
Boggs looked over at me and shook his head ‘no.’ “It almost seems too quiet, if you know what I mean.”
“Almost too good to be true.”
“Ya, that’s a good way to put it.”
Footsteps behind us caused us to turn.
“Hey, kids,” said Gus. “Let’s get going, huh?
“Ya,” said Boggs, who had his eyes back on the tree line.”
“Everything ok, brother?” asked Gus.
“Not sure. Listen close.”
“What am I listening for?” asked Gus.
“I thought I heard a clicking in the distance.”
“Maybe a woodpecker?”
Boggs punched Gus on the shoulder with his fist, just hard enough to let him know to be serious. “Shut up and listen.”
We all grew quiet. There it was, from two different directions. A clicking, one low and one higher pitched. The hairs on my arms stood on end. My mind was clear, but my gut was telling me we were in deep shit. We stood close to each other, and I could sense the tension from the others. It was an instinctual reaction for all of us, of that I was sure. I scoured my brain, searching for clues that would tell me just what the source of this horrible feeling was. The clicking seemed purposeful, almost a language. My mind came up with nothing, other than ‘danger.’ It was impossible to tell just where the clicks came from, and now it sounded like there were three distinct sets. True to my ears, I saw Gus hold up three fingers, and then point to three different areas he suspected they were coming from. I looked to Boggs, who had his attention split between Gus and the woods. I saw him motion acknowledgement with repeating the ‘three’ symbol.
“Zoe, talk to us,” ordered Gus in a low tone.
“It feels like pure evil,” I said quietly. “But my mind is still blank. I have no doubt it’s the dead, though.”
“I feel it too,” echoed Emilie.
A succession of several guttural clicks sounded, closer this time.
“Do you think they’re trying to lure us in? To the woods?” I asked. My voice sounded shaky.
“Possibly,” said Gus.
I was the first to see it, out of the corner of my eye. It was on the far end of the beach, slithering from behind a large piece of driftwood. It was almost snakelike. I turned my body to face it, my movement causing the others to turn. The hideous thing on the beach hissed at us. It appeared almost human, but the position of its arms was alien to me. Its shoulders were bent backward, elbows aimed upward, palms with its fingers pointed behind it. Joints weren’t meant to twist like that. Its chest was off the ground, bared breasts threatening to scrape the sand. The creature was naked, its pelvis dragging behind it. I had to do a double take as I noticed what almost looked like a tail trailing behind.
“Boggs, focus on the tree line. You too, Em. Zoe, you’re closest. Shoot it. Now. It’s trying to distract us.”
I raised my pistol obediently, aimed at the thing’s head, and fired. As the shot from my gun rang out, the creature fell onto its face and was still. The woods went quiet for several long moments. I looked beyond the fallen monstrosity to the woods, and carefully stepped forward. I didn’t dare get within reach of it, in case it was still dangerous. I skirted around to look at it from the side and saw that it was actually trailing the remains of its own legs. Both limbs had been stripped of flesh, its feet were long ago removed, and all that remained were chunks of muscle, tendon, and ligaments from hips to below the knees. The tissues were bleached grays and tans, like a turkey neck that had been boiled for far too long. A piece of shiny, deep green sea grass was wrapped around its thigh and stood out in stark contrast with the faded coloring of the monster.
I looked up and stepped back at the same time that the clicking began again. The highest pitched set of noises sounded like it was straight in front of me. I looked up, my gun aimed at the sand, and watched. It was there, crouched by some low growing bushes, still as can be. It was actually camouflaged, its pale skin covered in what appeared to be mud. Fronds from ferns were in front of it, making the effect particularly astonishing. It was capable of hiding, obviously in more than one way. My mind was still void. I whistled, long and low. The thing in the bushes responded with a new set of four clicks. I heard another set of clicks to my left. I could tell it was dead from its clouded over eyes. I raised my pistol, aimed, and fired. A shriek sounded to my right as the cammo-zombie fell forward. I turned to the new sound, and was thrown off guard when a similarly camouflaged creature was running at me full speed. I tried to cock my pistol, which jammed. I found myself suddenly on my back, the Runner sitting upon me. Through wide eyes, I watched it open its mouth unnaturally wide in a snarl that made me go cold to my core. The creature’s mouth was rotten. I saw only a shredded stub of a tongue, darkened and broken teeth, and maggots feeding on what looked like a piece of flesh that was stuck halfway down its throat. Its eyes were sunken and wrinkled. It appeared as if the top layer of the eyeball had sloughed off, leaving sickening ulcerated black pools as irises.
“Zoe, stay flat!” I heard Gus scream.
Suddenly I knew what I had to do. I reached up with my hands and pushed on the chest of the creature to lift its head high. My hands broke through its ribcage, landing on the rotten flesh within. It was cold and damp and reeked of Hell itself. I wanted to vomit. I made no progress with lifting it up for someone to shoot. My hands had come to rest on its shoulder blades, allowing me to just barely keep its snapping jaws from reaching my face. I forced myself to take a deep breath, shifted my hands to find its collar bones, and pushed harder. I got angry. Ang
ry enough to move the corpse a couple of inches higher off of me. At long last, a shot was fired and the creature fell limp on top of me.
Within moments, the rotten body was rolled off of me. I was helped up, and then the others stepped away from me. I looked down at myself and saw that I was covered in gore. Whether it was old blood, cavity fluid, rotten muscle…I had no way of knowing for sure.
“Stay back, Boggs,” said Gus. “We have to make sure she’s ok.”
“Of course she’s ok,” said Boggs. Their voices were distant, my own heartbeat drowning out the clarity of their words.
“You saw what happened with Aldo,” said Gus. “Emilie, keep your eyes on the woods.”
My arms were black from the innards of the Runner. I saw my hands trembling.
“Zoe,” called Gus.
I looked up and focused on him.
“Zoe, darlin’, did it bite you?”
“I…I…I don’t think so,” I answered. “But this crap is all over me.”
“Ok hun, I want you to listen, ok? It’s really important.”
I nodded.
“We need to get you cleaned off. Now. You need to take all your clothes off, but I don’t want you getting that shit in your eyes or mouth. Do you understand?”
“Ya.”
“I’m coming over with a knife, Zoe. I’m going to cut your shirt off. Don’t pull it over your head.”
“’Kay.”
I was already peeling my pants off, the job made difficult by my shakiness.
“Boggs,” said Gus. “Keep your gun ready, I’m taking the knife over.”
“Gus, is this really necessary?”
“You know it is, brother.”
Gus was a few feet from me. I held onto one of his arms for support while I kicked my shoes off and slipped my pants the rest of the way off. He must have been the one who helped me stand initially, as I noted corpse scum on his hand and arm. He used his hunting knife to cut my t-shirt from neck to waist, and I shrugged it off. Before long, I stood nude on the beach, shivering. Modesty was the last thing on my mind.
“Zoe, you have to get in the water. Wash this crap off,” said Gus softly.
“Fuck, Gus, it’s too cold,” said Boggs, who I could tell was extremely agitated.
“I know. I’m going in with her. As soon as she’s clean, we’re heading back to the boat. Zoe, it’s gonna be colder that shit in there. We’ll need to do this fast, get in the raft, and get back. Understand?”
I nodded. I saw Gus and Boggs exchange a concerned look. Emilie had her full attention on the tree line, and Boggs was dividing his between dangers that may be hiding in the woods and the danger of me turning into a flesh-craving Runner at any moment.
“Gus,” said Boggs. Gus had already begun stripping from his clothes to accompany me into the salt water. He looked up. “I can take her in.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, brother, but I have cold water experience from the military. It’s been years, but still. Plus, I have this shit on me too.”
Boggs was quiet for a moment, then nodded. “Ok.”
I interrupted them both. “I should go alone.”
“Not happening, Zo,” said Boggs.
“Neither of you should get close to me. What if I turn…”
Gus put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Don’t worry your pretty little head about that, Zoe.” He was naked as a jaybird now. It should be awkward for both of us, but under the circumstances I doubted any of us cared.
“Let’s hurry,” said Emilie, who was still focused on the woods. “This place is creeping me out.”
Gus held a hand out to me, and I took a hold hesitantly. He pulled me closer to him, bent down, and lifted me into his arms. “You ready?”
I shook my head no. I looked down at my belly and saw that it was beginning to swell. The green streaks moving upward from my hip were nearly to my belly button now. Gus had kept his shoes on to maneuver the rocky shore, and stepped into the lapping waves. I felt his muscles tense and heard him inhale sharply.
“Gus?” I whispered, looking at his face.
“Hmm?”
“Don’t let go of me.”
“Never, darlin’, never.”
Before I knew it, the cold water of the Pacific was all around me. Gus had carried me out as far as he could stand without my butt touching the water, and then let me fall into the cold abyss without warning. He had spared me from a slow introduction to the pain of the frigid water. I clung to whatever part of him I could find, needing to breathe but knowing my face was under water. I was quickly panicking. I felt his hands on me, around me, and as soon as my face hit the cold air again I sucked it deep into my lungs.
“Shhhh, Zoe, you’re ok.” Gus’ voice was soothing.
“S…s…s...so c…c…c…cold,” I stuttered.
“I know, baby,” he whispered. “It’ll be over soon. I’m just going to wash this shit off of you and get you back to the boat. Keep your eyes and mouth closed, baby.”
I was already shivering, uncontrollably. I felt his large hands smooth away the dirt from my face and hair. It felt like he was using sand to help.
“Hold your breath, Zoe,” he whispered. I did as told, and felt him guide me underwater again. His hands were on my face as I was submerged, but this time I didn’t fight. I was pulled above water again, and he wiped my eyes. “You doing ok?”
I found it difficult to speak, so I nodded while my teeth clattered together.
“Ok, I’m just going to give you a quick look-over before we get out. Try standing, ok?”
I held onto his arms and tried to find the seafloor with my feet. Jagged rocks threatened to cut my toes. “It’s r…r…rocky,” I said.
“Stand on my feet, Zoe.”
My feet searched for his, and before long I found his wet shoes. I placed my feet on top of them, and steadied myself.
“That’s right, Zoe, there ya go. Let me see one arm at a time, and we’ll be done soon.”
He inspected both of my arms, my chest, my shoulders, and my face and head for any signs of bites or scratches. Finding none, he ended by searching my eyes with his. I felt him lift me again, and carry me to shore.
“Boggs, come help me with her.” I could feel Gus shivering now as well. “Wrap her in my jacket and get her to the raft.”
“Is she ok?” asked Em.
“I’m going to assume so. No wounds. Clear eyes.” He was having trouble speaking. “Get her in the raft, Boggs. Sorry Bud. You’ll have to row.”
My vision was narrowing, dark in the periphery like I was looking down a long tunnel. I was so incredibly cold. I could feel my heart beating, but it sounded so slow and far away.
“It’s hard to see,” I managed to whisper as Boggs took me from Gus’s arms. His body was so warm.
At my words, Boggs stilled. “Gus? She says it’s hard to see.”
“It’s just the cold, Boggs. Get her to the raft. Em, we have to go.”
I was too cold to look back for Gus, but worried he might have trouble walking. The muscles in my abdomen were clenching and I was having waves of shuddering tremors.
“Em, grab my clothes?” asked Gus.
After those words, it grew quiet, aside from the return of the clicking from the woods.
I felt Boggs running with me in his arms, and suddenly I was lying down in the raft.
“Gus, get in. Oh my God…go!” screamed Emilie.
Gunfire followed. I found myself unable to open my eyes. Someone was beside me now. Half lying on me. By lack of warmth, I figured it was Gus.
“Em, get in! Fuck, Em, get in!” The raft was bobbing in the water now as gunshots continued. I heard splashing, followed by the feeling of more weight added to the raft.
“Duck, Emilie! Fuck, no…” It was Boggs’ voice.
The sound of the oars breaking the water and Emilie crying was the last thing I remembered.
CHAPTER 23
I woke colder than I can recall ever bein
g. Everything was swaying. All of my muscles ached. Memories of the beach came back to me in a sudden wave, and I opened my eyes.
“Hey there,” I heard Emilie say in her sweet soft voice. I looked at her and blinked to clear my eyes.
“Em, where are we?” I asked. I tried to sit up.
“Easy,” she said. “Don’t try to sit just yet.”
“Did we all make it back?” I asked, fearful of the answer.
Emilie placed her hand on my forehead, stroking my hair back from my face. “We did, but barely.”
“Gus? He’s ok?” I asked.
Boggs walked up behind Emilie. “He’s fine, Zo. Pretty out of it like you, but he’ll be fine.”
“It was so cold,” I moaned. “What happened after the water?”
“We can talk about that later, kid,” said Boggs.
“I ache all over. Especially my stomach,” I said. I was lying down now, having taken Em’s advice.
“You’ve been asleep for about twelve hours,” said Boggs. “Gus said you’ll both be sore from your muscles reacting to the cold water. He says you should both be fine.”
“What about the baby?” I asked.
Emilie and Boggs looked at each other, for a split second too long.
“Is the baby ok?” I tried to sit up again.
Boggs sighed. “When Nathan and I pulled you into the boat, you were bleeding, Zoe. Down there.” He sighed again, trying to think of what to say. “Gus says we have no way of knowing, but he wants you off your feet for a few days. He says you’re still measuring farther along than you should be, even more so now.”
I felt a surge of sadness, thinking that my baby might not have made it. “How will we know if it’s ok?” I asked, trying to not fall apart and cry.
“Gus says time will tell, sweetheart,” soothed Em. “The bleeding’s a lot less now. I’ve been watching it while you’ve been asleep. Want me to have Gus come talk to you?”
I nodded. She kissed me on the cheek, stood, and left the little bunk room to find Gus. Boggs stayed at my side. He held my hand and stroked my hair, and I allowed him to.
“Boggs, why couldn’t I sense them?” I asked.
The Grace Series (Book 2): Tainted Grace Page 23