Hunters

by L. J. Cuff

  “Drive in that direction!” Mary stated as she pointed to the right.

  Dennis momentarily paused.

  “Do it!” Mary shouted. Dennis turned to Ted who nodded just as an infected jumped onto their roof.

  Dennis slammed on the gas, moving the car away from the pack. Mary watched out the back window as the infected stopped chasing them. She paused for a moment to catch her breath then she looked over her shoulder at Diane.

  “Will this serum really make them all normal again?” Mary asked.

  “Well… It should… Plus some counseling…” Diane responded.

  Mary raised her eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “Those people… Or infected as they’re called… they’re really just people who’ve forgotten what it means to be human… They’re brains were damaged by the virus and the body, to protect itself, preserved the mind but caused amnesia in the process…”

  “So they’re still in there?”

  “Well… They were when we tested it before…”

  ***

  The car slowly drove towards the large grey building. The large gates stood perfectly in place. Two solitary infected stood in the tall grass, watching as the car came to a full stop. Dennis honked the horn. The two infected moved towards the car. The gates began creaking as they opened bringing the infected’s attention back to them. Dennis floored it and quickly made it into the courtyard. The gates were closed almost immediately stopping the infected from entering.

  Mary yawned and stretched her back. She looked to her left and right. “I thought you said we were going to a hospital?” She asked, turning to Diane.

  “Well… It is a sort of hospital… These people help people get better…” Diane responded, getting out of the car.

  “Am I missing something?” Mary inquired, looking over at Ted.

  “She likes to justify her half lies…” Ted responded, half opening his eyes. “She wanted to get to this research facility but was afraid that if she mentioned it, we would refuse. Especially since this place has been a hot spot for infected because it’s been trapping and experimenting on them.” He pointed at the door and said, “It’s time for you to go as well…”

  “What about you?”

  Ted shook his head. “Yeah, yeah… I’m coming… Slowly…” Ted stated as he opened his door and pulled himself out.

  “Diane!” Abby shouted, stretching out her arms. “It’s so good to see you again!”

  “Abby!” Diane came running to her friend. Abby broke free of her friends’ arms as she saw Ted cradling his arm.

  “When did that happen?” Abby asked.

  “Yesterday… The serum should help…” Diane responded, glumly.

  “Of course, come on inside. I’m sure all of you need a bit of a wash and rest.” Abby stated, motioning for everyone to follow her.

  Mary stayed towards the back. She looked up one side of the building then down the other. She heard low grunts coming from just beyond the gate. Stepping forward, she noticed the two infected were standing in the exact same spots as when the car had passed them. She walked even closer to the gate and noticed a bandage on one of their arms.

  “Is everything ok?” Dennis whispered to Mary.

  “They have bandages…” Mary responded under her breath.

  “Very observant…” Dennis agreed, “They also have collars on.” He put his arm over Mary’s shoulders. “For now, we have to behave ourselves, ok? Don’t trust anything.” He brought Mary in close to his body and his lips against her cheek. She was about to step back when she noticed someone in the window.

  “Shit, how long have they been there?” Mary asked, holding Dennis close.

  “As long as we’ve been out here.” He responded.

  “Mary, Dennis!” Diane shouted out from the door. “Come inside, they’ve got a delicious roast in the oven.”

  “Of course. Coming!” Dennis happily responded, breaking away from Mary. He took her hand and together they made their way to the door.

  The smell of cooked food filled the air as Abby led the way to the dining room. Mary’s stomach growled with anticipation as she watched the plates placed in front of her. She smiled in gratitude at the wine poured into her glass even going so far as to bring it to her nose.

  “I wish I’d known exactly when you were coming, then I would’ve made more,” Abby stated, cutting a slice off for Ted.

  “This is plenty for us,” Diane responded with a large smile, lifting the drink to her lips.

  Abby smiled graciously. She piled roast onto each plate and was about to take her seat.

  “Oh shit… I almost forgot… I have to go get Eric…” She stated as she stood and left the room.

  Mary watched her go then turned her attention to the food in front of her. She was famished, she hadn’t eaten since they left her house. She was about to take a bite when she felt a painful jolt in her right side. Looking down, she saw Dennis’ hand holding onto her leg. He looked her directly in the eyes. Her jaw dropped as she saw his eyes glaze over. He slumped forward in his chair as did everyone else, including Mary.

  Hands grabbed Mary under her arms. She could feel herself lifted from her chair and tossed to the ground. Suddenly, something heavy was dropped on top of her stomach. She moved her hand slightly, touching someone’s hair.

  “Ok, that’s all of them,” Abby stated cheerfully.

  What the hell is happening? Mary thought as she heard a door opening from behind.

  “Then let’s get them down to the others,” A man drearily responded.

  “Bring this one to Victoria, she was complaining about having only men lately so this will be a nice change of pace,” Abby said gleefully.

  Mary felt herself being lifted and placed onto something cold. She tapped lightly with her nail and heard the familiar sound of metal. She could feel it moving. Opening her eyes slightly, she saw lights moving across on top of her. She looked to the left and saw that they stopped in front of the kitchen.

  “Where should I put this one?” The man called out.

  “In there, we’re still working on the last ones.” Victoria responded.

  The man began pushing Mary again, through another door. Instantly, Mary felt intense cold.

  “I hope you stay asleep until she gets to you unlike the last one,” The man stated sadly.

  Mary focused on her breathing to stop her from shivering. She was lifted from the table and placed on the floor. Shackles were positioned over her hands and feet. Mary instinctively kept her hands close and wide, trying to force the man to keep them loose.

  “Eric, are you done in there yet? Abby needs your help with the rest,” Victoria called out.

  “Almost done,” Eric called back, turning to the door. He looked back at Mary and noticed the last restraint was in place. He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I already finished,” He said to himself and left the room.

  Mary moved her head back and watched the door close, leaving the room darkened. The only light coming through was from the window leading to the kitchen. Mary quickly pulled her hand from one restraint and looked around. She couldn’t see the keys anywhere. She inspected the restraints from top to bottom. The chain connected them to the wall was solid metal but around the wrists was a simple cloth with metal surrounding it.

  Maybe if I can cut through the cloth then the metal can be slipped off, Mary thought as she quickly reached into her boot for her pocket knife. Good thing they didn’t bother searching me, she thought as she began cutting at her restraint.

  Suddenly, she saw something moving in front of the window. She quickly hid her hand to the side, pretending it was still shackled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw an infected staring at her. He licked his lips as he pushed his nose against the glass. He turned to his left and grunted then looked back at her. He snarled and left.

  Mary took in a deep breath of relief and began working on the restraint again. Finally, she could feel her bond loosening. She pulled her hand a
way from the shackle and pushed up with her other hand simultaneously until finally it was free.

  She was about to get started on her feet when she noticed they were not tightened. She pulled off each one of her shoes and removed the final restraints just in time to see a woman appear in the window. She quickly froze but then she noticed the woman was not looking at her yet. She put on both her shoes and positioned her shackles so it appeared that she was still restrained.

  The woman entered the room, holding a needle to her side. Mary hung tight to her knife, waiting for the woman to close in. The woman tapped Mary on the shoulder but Mary didn’t respond. She kept her eyes closed and her ears open.

  “Stupid Eric, trying to get me to use this stupid anesthetic… It makes the meat taste tainted,” The woman proclaimed as she pulled out a set of keys.

  Mary quickly opened her eyes and jammed her knife into the woman’s throat. The woman lifted her arm to defend herself but Mary pushed it to the side as she pulled her knife out. She then brought the knife down towards the woman’s chest. The woman lifted the needle towards Mary but Mary quickly subdued her. Mary pushed her knees against the woman’s shoulders and used her knife to slice through the woman’s throat then she stood up. She watched as the woman’s eyes became lifeless. She lifted the keys and walked over to the door, replacing her knife back in her boot.

  Stepping outside, she saw a knife block sitting directly in front of her. She moved forward, reaching out to take one when suddenly, she heard a sound coming from her left. She turned just in time to hold the infected’s cheeks as they both fell to the floor. He opened and closed his mouth, trying to bite her hands. Lifting one of her feet in between his legs, she felt around for the tray. She pulled it forward causing all the knives to fall on both of them.

  The infected threw the tray off of him and growled. Mary lifted a bloody cutting board in front of her.

  “Bring it on,” She said, bearing her teeth at him.

  The infected grunted and began moving to the right. Mary turned to face him with her board. Each time he lunged forward, she held her shield at the ready. After he’d made a semi-circle around her, he began advancing. Mary took a step back for each one forward.

  Suddenly, Mary felt a hard surface behind her. She turned her head slightly to the left and noticed she was backed up against a wall.

  “Clever little boy,” Mary stated, lifting her eyebrow, keeping her head to the left. She smelt something odd. She shifted herself over to the left and noticed a large stovetop next to her.

  Out of the corner of her eye, Mary saw the infected lunge towards her. She bent her knees, brought the board underneath him and threw him onto the stove. The infected screamed as he quickly got himself off. Mary reached down and picked up one of the steak knives.

  She pounced on the infected, plunging the knife into the left side of his neck with her right hand. She pulled across slitting his throat. The infected fell forward with blood spurting out of his wound. He turned his head to the right and stood up. He grunted and lunged at Mary. She held the knife high and stabbed him in between his eyes.

  Mary took a moment to compose herself. She looked around the kitchen for more weapons and any keys she could find. She quietly stepped out into the hall, keeping to the walls. Hearing footsteps, Mary leapt into a nearby door. She found herself inside of a utility closet that had a distinctive smell. She had a hard time pinpointing it until she looked down at the ground. There stood a full bottle of bleach and other, strong detergents. She brought her sleeve to her mouth and watched out the door.

  “Come,” Abby said as she walked past, holding a leash. She stopped in front of the closet as it became taught. “I said to come,” Abby said through clenched teeth, pulling on the leash.

  Mary quietly clutched her knife to her chest, at the ready to pounce if needed. She heard a growling outside the door. She took in a breath and prepared herself for her next step when suddenly she heard another set of footsteps in the hallway.

  “I told you she wasn’t ready yet,” Eric stated.

  Abby gritted her teeth. “Well, I still think she is and I’ll prove it to you in the kitchen!” She shouted indignantly.

  “If you can get her there. Hell, you can’t even get her to walk past this stupid closet. What is this? The third time you’ve tried today?”

  Abby looked straight at the closet and paused. Mary held her knife even tighter, she was sure she would be discovered. Then Abby looked back at the infected she was pulling then at Eric.

  “Fine,” Abby said under her breath and walked away.

  Mary stayed in the closet until she’d heard both sets of footsteps leave. She took in a deep breath and carefully opened the door. She looked left then right and stepped out. Taking large, quiet steps down the hall, she finally reached the dining room.

  It looked meticulously set, almost as if no one had used for days on end. Mary was about to take a step inside but stopped. She looked up at the cameras pointed around the room. She quickly glanced around the hall but noticed none were set up out there.

  I guess they only watch that room, she thought. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a door slightly open. She stepped towards it and peered inside. She couldn’t see much and was about to walk away when she noticed a bloody handprint smeared on the side.

  Her lips quivered as she lifted her knife to the ready. She slowly opened the door and noticed a light emanating from downstairs. Looking up, she could see why it was so dark – the lightbulb had been removed. She carefully took a step down and closed the door behind her.

  I hope this is a good idea, she thought as she quietly made her way down the stairs, one step at a time. Hearing the voices clearly from the bottom, Mary stopped immediately and peered around the corner. She could see Abby and the leash she was holding previously. Her jaw dropped as she saw the infected. She looked different than the others Mary had seen in the past, she had peeling skin on her cheeks. Her eyes appeared glazed over and almost innocent in her inability to understand versus the hunter’s eyes that most others had.

  “Fine, you stupid thing, let’s just leave you here since you can’t even follow the most basic instructions!” Abby yelled at the infected as she shoved it inside of a small cage. Mary stepped off the last stair and hid behind a stack of boxes. Abby slammed the cage door shut and locked it. She shook her head and stormed up the stairs and out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

  Mary looked up at the ceiling and saw cameras aimed at the cages. She looked around at the floor and noticed a large, green bag sitting underneath the stairs. She quietly pulled it close to her and opened it. Buried within was a revolver stacked with five rounds of ammunition.

  This’ll do nicely, Mary thought as she lifted it to the top of the boxes. She took careful aim and took out each camera she could see. She dropped the gun back in the bag and lifted it along with her knife. She ran down in front of the cages, glancing into each one as she passed by. Finally, after seven cages, she came across a large cell where she found Diane, Dennis, Claire, and Ted lying on the floor, all stacked on top of each other.

  She quickly knelt down to unlock it when she heard the door at the top of the stairs creak open and Eric shouted out, “Abby? Are you down there?”

  Mary quietly moved beside the cell, out of sight of the stairs. She pulled out the revolver and aimed.

  Eric calmly stepped down the last step. He walked forward, staring at the camera on his left.

  “Now what could’ve done that?” He quietly said aloud. He took a few more steps, looked up at another camera on the right. He braced his foot against one of the cages and pulled himself up towards the ceiling, reaching to the side.

  Suddenly, the infected that Abby was attempting to train grabbed his foot causing him to fall on his side to the ground.

  “Ugh,” He grunted as he pushed himself onto his front while the infected pulled his foot further into the cage. He quickly put his other foot against her cage and began pulling his r
ight one back. He opened his mouth to scream when suddenly something was shoved into it and he could feel a gun against his back.

  “Help us get out of here or I will feed you to her myself,” Mary whispered into his ear.

  Eric turned his head to the side and nodded. Mary stepped back and helped pull his foot out of the cage. Eric kicked her in the face. Mary was reeling from the hit when she heard a shotgun go off. She looked up and saw a hole in the wall directly in front of Eric. He was stopped at the bottom of the stairs. He slowly turned and looked at Mary then behind her.

  Ted was holding a gun, aimed straight at Eric. “Get back here or I will kill you and she will take the keys.” Ted stated, motioning with his other arm.

  Eric grudgingly came back to the cell and pulled out a set of keys.

  Suddenly, the door at the top of the stairs opened and shallow footsteps could be heard. After taking three steps, Abby asked, “Is everything ok down there?”

  “Yes, it’s all ok,” Eric responded, looking over at the gun. The footsteps made their way back upstairs but the door was left open. “Where are you people going to go? I can convince Abby to let you stay here since you killed our cook…” He whispered to Mary as he fiddled with his keys.

  Mary shook her head. “I’m not staying here. I’d rather eat dirt…” She responded, “Now hurry up…” She looked around briefly then leaned into Eric. “Where is the fourth man that was with us?”

  Eric stopped for a moment and looked at Mary. “He was just deadweight… You guys really should’ve left him long ago…”

  “Hurry up and unlock this cell,” Ted said, grabbing Eric’s shirt and slamming him against the bars.

  Click! The cell door unlocked and opened. Eric took a step back and raised his hands.

  “Tell me where he is,” Mary demanded.

  “I fed him to the guards,” Eric stated coldly. “Now go ahead and shoot me because I will give you guys up…”

  Ted looked over to Mary then back at Eric. He punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious. He dragged him over to the cell door.

  “Please, don’t,” Mary asked, touching Ted on the shoulder.