Trying to Survive (Part 2)

by C. J. Crowley

  The front passenger door opened and a balding man in a white tank-top stepped out. He was holding one of the M4’s.

  He seemed to be in his mid-forties and embodied the very definition of the “average person”. The first thing that came to mind was a school teacher. When he looked at us and smiled, I could see that his teeth were abnormally white.

  Jessie was the first one to make it across the front yard, and of course, I was the last. He aggressively stomped towards the balding man and yelled “We’ll give you whatever the hell you want! Just let him go! Why do we have to play games!?”

  I was surprised when the balding man took several quick steps forward, raised his rifle and yelled back “Shut your damn mouth, peewee! We’ve had enough of your shit! The boss wants to talk to someone who isn’t an asshole.”

  He smiled and said “Anyone ever tell you that you remind them of one of those little yapping dogs?”

  Jessie was at a loss for words – we all were.

  “I have a tendency to shoot annoying dogs that won’t shut the hell up… I like the cute little yelp they let out when the bullet hits.” He looked right at Jessie. “I can’t help but wonder if you’d make the same kind of noise.”

  What the fuck…

  Jenny started to walk forward and the man motioned for her to stop with the rifle. “Not you either!” He looked at Walt, lightly laughed at his youthful appearance and then moved his eyes to me. “You! Come over here.”

  Jessie said “Whoa, man!”

  The balding man snapped “I said shut-up, you little fuck! If you yell at me again I’m going to shoot you in the foot… and probably the knee too.” He pointed to me. “You, come here.”

  Jessie practically growled as he forced himself not to lash out against him.

  Walt lunged forward and started to raise his rifle. The man put Walt in his sights and began to laugh. “You won’t have time kid…” He tilted his head and mockingly pushed out his bottom lip. “I know the world is shit now – but you still like being alive, don’t you?”

  Jessie and Walt were wrong… there isn’t something “off” about these guys. They’re fuckin psychos…

  He moved his gun back to me. “If you don’t come over here right now, I’m going to shoot your brother.” He smiled. “In the face… You see, unlike your little Chihuahua over there, I don’t care if he suffers for a while first – I’ll just end him.”

  They really have been watching us closely… When I hesitated, he fired a shot just past Walt’s head and shattered the driver’s side window of the van. “NOW!”

  As I took my first few steps toward the car, Walt and Jenny began to protest. I quickly turned back and said “Just stop. I have to go.”

  The balding man’s smile widened, then he opened the back door to the car. “Hop in, please. I’m glad we didn’t have to resort to violence, James.” His words oozed condescension.

  Doesn’t seem like it…

  First I saw brown work boots, similar to the ones I used to wear, then jeans and a bright red shirt. When I lowered myself into the car using the roof to keep weight off of my leg, I noticed an AK47 leaned up against his door.

  Once my ass hit the seat, I was face to face with a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties, possibly even early-forties. His face still grasped onto youth, but I could see the scattered gray that was beginning to overcome his raven-black hair.

  His eyes were glazed over, and so dark in color that I could barely make out his pupils. He had a strange smile on his face that I would almost describe as “stupid”. When he let out a somewhat deep breath, I understood why – I was hit with a shockingly strong smell of liquor.

  He thinks this is funny, just like that other asshole…

  The door shut behind me. I expected the balding man to get back in and for the car to drive away, but instead he just stayed outside and kept watch. I took it as a good sign.

  When I looked over the back seat and examined the driver, I could see a 9mm in his lap. When he noticed me staring in the rearview mirror, he snapped “Pay attention!”

  The man with the raven-black hair began to softly laugh as he put his hand out. “I’m Darren, nice to meet you, James.”

  I looked down at his hand, thought to myself - Are you kidding me? and then shook it. “Yeah, you too.”

  “Would you like a drink?” He said in his strange, slightly high-pitched and somewhat childish voice.

  “No, thanks.”

  “He turned his body toward me so he wouldn’t have to strain his neck. “I’d like to start by saying how sorry I was to hear about what happened to the little boy who was with you.”

  I felt my lips tighten and the corners of my eyes wrinkle… Don’t push it, motherfucker…

  “You know, a lot of great men have suggested that you can judge a man’s soul by the way he treats animals… That boy – he had a good soul. It really is a shame.”

  I wasn’t in the mood to play games and I could tell he was prolonging our interaction and toying with me on purpose. “Look, man. We just want our friend back and we’ll be on our way. You can have all of our stuff. We’ll just go find more… As I’m sure you already know – all the gun shops and grocery stores are full.”

  He sighed and pursed his lips. “Oh, I see… There’s been a misunderstanding. We don’t want you to leave – we want you to stay right here with us.”

  My heart skipped a beat… What the fuck is this.

  A devilish smile spread across his face. “Allow me to explain.”

  He reached up into the center console and pulled out a clear glass bottle that was perfectly shaped into a human skull. Even though I’d been seeing that brand at the liquor store for years, I felt it was odd that he went out of his way to carry it around. It was only building on the threatening aura I already felt from him.

  I’m gonna go ahead and guess I won’t like what he has to say…

  “Let me ask you something, James… Did you get the point of what I said about the young boy?”

  Is he trying to get me to attack him? Or does he just enjoy tormenting people?

  “I can see by the look on your face that you didn’t pick up on it… What I was trying to say was – the reason he was killed is because he had a good soul. Because he tried to help that dog.” He pointed at me. “And I’m gonna bet you’ve taken on some of the blame, am I right?”

  I was already past the point of wanting to bury my fist in his face… Don’t do it. They have Brian… Don’t do it…

  He squinted and leaned in closer to me. “That’s a yes! Well, you shouldn’t… because it was his good soul – not you, not anyone else.”

  Since I couldn’t beat him to death with my own hands, I felt the need to hurry the conversation along. Without actually yelling, I forcefully said “What’s the point of all this?”

  His eyes moved to the skull-shaped liquor bottle and he held it up to the window. As it caught the light, he suspended it with his fingers and began to spin it around. His mouth slowly opened and he grinned

  This asshole is trashed…

  I got his attention. “Say what you have to say.”

  His eyes shot back to me and he bit down on his bottom lip. He looked angry. He obviously didn’t like being told what to do. “My point, James… is that you can’t worry about having a good soul at a time like this. Otherwise you’re doomed. We all have to do what’s necessary.”

  As I waited for him to continue, for the first time since I entered the car I glanced around the back. I immediately noticed dried blood in the all the seams and crevices in the seats. I kept looking, and soon came to the conclusion that large amounts of blood had recently been cleaned up. There were faint stains almost everywhere I looked… I’d been so fixated on his strangeness since I entered the car, I hadn’t taken my eye off of him.

  He must have seen the concern and growing fear spread across my face. “If you’re wondering whether that’s blood or not… It’s blood.”

  I could feel my
heart starting to beat faster and my entire body breaking out into a sweat, but I had to appear strong – otherwise he’d walk all over me. I tried to appear casual and even threw in some confident sarcasm when I said “Look, I get it. You’re very scary men and you’ll kill us. Just tell me what you want so that doesn’t happen, please… and we don’t plan on staying here – we’re continuing on to look for more survivors.”

  He smiled and said “But you’ve found them. Don’t you see?”

  Ninety percent of the population is gone and this weird prick survives?.. “Just tell me what you want.”

  He began shaking his head. “You see, it’s not about wanting. It’s about needing. And it isn’t about what I need – it’s about what we all need, what humanity needs… In this hell, we have driven away the demons and begun the creation of a nirvana.”

  He leaned closer to me. “Now, James… Do you know what the two most important things in a situation like this would be?”

  As I said “Apparently, I don’t.” I imagined myself grabbing his gun and blowing his head all over the ceiling of the car… This fuckin guy is too weird to let live…

  “We need able men to protect the new world we will create. And women to bare their children.” He smiled. “We’ll need the three women with you as soon as possible, and your involvement isn’t required. Preferred, of course! But not required… Your lives are in your hands, James.”

  My eye widened… I can’t let him take them. Even if it sacrifices Brian – I have to find a way to kill him… Alright, alright… I just have to play along for now so I can think. Get him talking. He likes to talk…

  I couldn’t help but remark “You mean two women and a child.”

  “You can’t worry about things like that during a time like this. Look around you! They outnumber us twenty or thirty to one. The only way we can ever take back our world is if we begin repopulating immediately… And in the face of Armageddon, it is her duty as a female member of the human race to take part.”

  He smiled again, that same devilish smile. “Now do you understand, James?”

  I ignored his insanity, nodded and continued to think – hoping he would ramble on. I was at a loss for ideas on how to get us all out of this alive. The only option I saw was to hit the guy standing outside my door and try to get his gun, then hope the others follow my lead and none of us get killed… It could work, or it could be a total disaster.

  He continued to carry on about the importance of repopulating the earth to fight off all “the demons” and it gave me plenty of time to think. The longer I did, the more I realized that I only had two options – let them take Melanie, Jenny and Clara, or fight back.

  They’re going to take our weapons and we’ll never see them again unless we comply and join… But that won’t change anything for them. They’ll basically just be sex slaves for these assholes, and have to go through the pain of childbirth over and over again… I know Brian would want us to fight instead of allow that to happen… Or at least I think he would…

  In between thoughts, I kept hearing Darren mention the war against “the demons”… I know exactly how to keep this conversation going, and maybe even talk some sense into him… If that’s possible.

  “There won’t be any war, Darren. These things have a short shelf-life.”

  He began to laugh and said “Why would you even tell me such a ridiculous lie? They haven’t been around long enough for you to know things like that.”

  “The government knew about this… It’s a genetic mutation that’s been in our DNA since the very beginning. Overpopulation is what activated it.”

  He began to laugh even harder as he choked out “Just when I thought you couldn’t be any more ridiculous!.. So, tell me, how do you know all this? Did your new friends tell you?”

  I slowly nodded. “There’s good news, Darren.”

  He tilted his head. “Good news?”

  “Yes… I’ll explain it the best I can… The mutation makes the body work a lot harder and produce all kinds of minerals and adrenaline to give these things their strength and speed. But it also strains all of their internal organs and eventually causes them to shut down… They have a life-span of no more than two years.”

  He started to cut in and I stopped him. “That’s not all. They can also starve to death, and will begin to eat each other to prevent it if we just stay away from them. This isn’t going to last long because nature actually designed it that way – they’re supposed to die off so we can start again… You don’t have to hurt people and kidnap them.”

  I could tell he understood exactly what I said, but it went against his “big plans” so he simply shifted his reasoning to get past it.

  “Let’s say you’re right – that your new friends are telling the truth.” He placed his hands in his lap and intertwined his fingers. “Let’s pretend they all die off in two years… There are others doing exactly what we’re doing and they’ll try to take what we have.”

  His brow was moving further down as the seconds passed. “There are many reasons why we need all of you – you’re just selfish and wanting to avoid your duties to humanity because it doesn’t fit your personal agenda.”

  He began shaking his finger at me. “My guys and I really don’t like people who would do something like that… In fact, we feel the world is just better off without them – know what I mean?”

  Fuck you… “I know exactly what you’re saying.”

  He stared at the glass skull for a few moments and then proceeded to take several long and uninterrupted gulps. “Are you wondering whether or not some of your blood is going to end up in this car, James?”

  “Yeah.”

  He laughed. “It’s funny, really… I just have to ask – do I have a twin brother I don’t know about?”

  What the hell is he talking about now? “What?”

  Darren began laughing harder. He put his hand up and turned away as he tried to stop himself. “I’m sorry James, it’s just so funny.” He finally gained control of himself and said “You see, to show people we’re really serious… Generally, whichever person from the group who takes part in this little meeting leaves lacking something.”

  He raised his brow and tilted his head, suggesting that he was waiting for me to answer the question. When I stayed silent, he said “A single eye!” and theatrically threw his hands up.

  He leaned forward as if he genuinely expected me to laugh. When I didn’t, his smile faded and he said “Hmm… No sense of humor? Maybe I will take your other eye after all.”

  This time there was no smile and no laughter, just a stone cold stare that let me know it was either time to comply, fight, or die.

  As I was about to speak, he stopped me and said “Look, James. I’m not a monster… I’m going to go ahead and let you out – eye and all… I’ll let all of you have a few hours to think it over so you can come to your senses and no one has to get hurt. How does that sound?”

  Good. Now get me the fuck out of here so I can try to take that asshole’s gun and kill you… “I appreciate that, Darren – very much. It’s just a lot to take in.”

  “Oh, I completely understand… Hopefully, I’ll be seeing you soon, James.”

  Darren reached up, banged on the roof and the door opened. When I began making my way out of the car, he said “Did you see he’s already missing an eye?” The balding man replied “Funny, huh?” and then began to laugh.

  Darren slapped his leg and yelled out “I asked him if I had a twin somewhere that I didn’t know about! You get it!?”

  These men need to die…

  As I got out and stood up, the balding man was laughing so hard that he slightly leaned over and closed his eyes – just for a second.

  Without even really thinking about it, I grabbed him by the neck and head, and slammed him against the roof of the car with every bit of strength I had. I heard a dull crunch and he fell to the ground in front of me. I yelled out “We have to kill them, NOW!”

  I
took too long to remove the rifle strap from around his body, and before I knew it, the car was almost at the end of the street. I heard gunshots coming from behind me and saw the windows shattering, but the car just kept going.

  I looked back to the others, expecting a barrage of questioning – then I heard the low boom of metal striking metal.

  I whipped around to see that they’d crashed into the lone car in the driveway near the end of the street… One of them must have hit the driver…

  As the smoke started to rise up from the front end, the others went running past me. I yelled out “They’re going to kill us! Make sure they don’t get away!”

  I tried my hardest to keep up with them, but I didn’t even come close. Walt slowed down and stayed by me. I could tell he wanted to leave me behind and go help them, but he didn’t… I should have told him to go help them, but I selfishly held back.

  Jessie didn’t take any chances. He started veering left as he sprinted toward the Town Car, and Jenny copied his movements, simply in the opposite direction. There was still no activity coming from the car, but once they were both in a position to get clear shots through the doors and windows, Jessie yelled out “Fill it full of holes, Jenny!”

  They both proceeded to fire at least ten rounds into the car. The gunshots seemed to carry forever. Suddenly, I remembered something... There was no doubt that they’ve had people watching us since the very beginning, so there was no reason to think we weren’t being watched from afar right now.

  I took a deep breath and yelled out “Snipers!”

  Jessie and Jenny both started running toward the wrecked cars for cover, and I heard a shot come from my right. My head automatically jerked in the direction of the sound. When I looked back, Jessie was on the ground and Jenny was no more than ten feet away – hiding behind the car.

  Jenny got down on her stomach and began crawling to Jessie so she could pull him behind the car with her. I was relieved to see that his right knee was up in the air and moving around, but at the same time, I knew his chances of surviving a shot from a high-powered rifle were very low. He was most likely already close to losing too much blood.