"I'm with Kim," Tyler said. "We haul our asses to the road."
Everyone took off running, respective weapons in hand.
As he ran, Tyler kept the gun in hand and made sure to keep a tight grip on the handle. There was no way he was dropping it. The farther from the camp he went, the more the trees seemed to come together and the more his mind toyed with him, or was it? He kept thinking he was seeing flashes of movement, a dark shape disappearing behind a tree or climbing up one. He swallowed hard and kept going, knowing that reaching the truck was the most important thing in the world right now.
It was difficult not imagining the creature stalking them, getting ready to pick one of them off. The fear made his legs pump faster, branches pulling at him like weak children's arms.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Kim. She was falling behind. June was next to him a few feet away. If anyone was a target, it would be Kim—the slowest gazelle in the herd.
Tyler slowed, hoping Kim would catch up. He was hurting the group's survival chances, but he couldn't leave her behind. But now he'd left June out front alone. If the creature attacked her, she'd only have the hammer in her hand to defend herself. His line of sight was greatly obscured by a plethora of flora.
Kim grew closer and waved him onward. "Go," she shouted, huffing and puffing. "Stop that vehicle."
He nodded and took off, his heart tugging at his soul, but knowing he was doing the right thing. She'd be fine.
The ground sloped dramatically and he worked harder to climb. June was ahead, using trees to pull herself forward. The truck's engine was louder than ever. As he pushed on, he saw the truck through the trees. It was going to pass them.
He pushed harder. He couldn't see June. Where had she gone? His eyes darted left and right, then straight ahead. His heart sank and his first thought was that the creature had gotten to her.
Then he saw her scramble into view, her form having been hidden behind a copse of trees. She made it to the road.
He wanted to cry out with joy, but kept on chugging until the forest gave way to open road. June was jumping up and down, waving her arms. The truck had passed them. Standing next to her, out of breath, he did the same, yelling and waving his arms, hoping the driver would see them in the rearview mirror. A second later, the vehicle's tail lights came to life.
The truck was a small tanker. It slowed to a stop by the cliff that overlooked the lake and performed a K turn. Kim burst from the tree line, hands on her knees and sucking in air.
"Did it see you guys?" she asked.
"I think so," June said.
"It turned around," Tyler said, wondering why it hadn't just stopped.
The group hurried down the road toward the vehicle. Tyler realized he had the gun in his hand, and not wanting to appear threatening, shoved it into his waistband and made sure his shirt was pulled over the handle.
The driver side door opened and a large man climbed down. He wore gray coveralls and had a gun in a holster at his side.
"Thank goodness you saw us," June said, as the group reached the tanker.
The man said nothing as he eyed each of them almost suspiciously, arms crossed at his chest. "What're you all doing out here?"
Tyler felt a bit of unease fall over him, but neither June nor Kim seemed to notice.
"We need help," Kim said. "There's something after us. It killed our friend."
The man's eyebrows shot up. "Someone after you? Killed your friend?"
"Some thing," Kim said, looking frantic. "A creature. It killed two people already."
"Whoa, like a bear?" the man asked.
"No," Kim said, "a fucking monster."
Tyler winced at Kim's choice of words. As true as it was, no one was likely to believe such a tale.
"Look," June said, holding out her arms, palms up. "My friend's just upset. There's no actual monster, just monstrous people we ran into. Really bad, dangerous people."
"Is this some kind of prank?" the man asked.
Movement from behind the man caught Tyler's attention. There was another person in the truck on the passenger's side.
"No joke," June said. "We're in serious trouble. You, too, if these people catch us. We need to get out of here and to the cops."
The big man rubbed his chin, said nothing. Tyler wondered what was wrong with him. He obviously wasn't taking them seriously. Then again, there was something off about the guy. He was acting very odd.
Tyler's gaze shot to the tanker truck. He saw the writing on the side and wondered what the hell a milk truck was doing in the middle of the woods. His mind analyzed the situation—the bank robbery, the creature, a milk truck, a driver with a gun holstered to his waist—and suddenly he wasn't sure they should have made their presence known. Was everything related or just coincidence? If he had to guess, the milk truck was anything but a milk truck. Based on the man's attire and the truck having turned around at the cliff that overlooked the lake, he had to think the truck was loaded with some kind of factory waste. These men were here to illegally dump hundreds of gallons of it. Hence the lake water and how clear it was. Everything in it was dead.
"Police, you say?" the big man asked, giving a slight nod. The man's hand fell and rested on his gun's handle. "I don't know what bullshit you all are up to, but this is private property. I suggest you get back in your car and get the hell on out of here while you can."
"We don't have a car," June said, obviously perplexed.
The truck's passenger door opened and a skinny, gray coverall-wearing man with stringy long hair got out. He strolled over and stood next to the big man. Tyler didn't see a gun on him. "Problem?" he asked.
"These folks say some bad people are after them," the big man said. "I told them this was private property and it'd be best if they got back in their car and left quickly."
"I told you, we don't have a car," June said.
"Is that right?" the skinny man said. "So whose sweet Charger is that parked a quarter mile down the road?"
Tyler understood. The car had to belong to one of the thieves, the one the creature had killed. It explained why the guy hadn't been in camp when they arrived. The thief must've been on a supply run or something. So he and the women did have a vehicle to use, only the keys were most likely back at the camp in the headless corpse's pocket.
"Are you listening?" Kim asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "We don't have a car. We hiked our asses here."
"Look, we just need—" June began when Tyler ushered her backward.
"We're sorry for bothering you, gentlemen," he said. "We'll be on our way." June stared at him over her shoulder, mouth hung open in surprise. She looked ready to protest when a growl emanated from the woods.
The faux milkmen flinched, heads turning. The burly man said, "What the hell was that?"
"Bear," the other one said.
"That wasn't a bear," Kim said, head whipping around, eyes darting like a bird's. "It's the monster."
The big man withdrew his gun, a Smith & Wesson .45. Tyler did the same, pulling out his magnum. The growl came again and this time it was clear that it had come from the left side of the forest.
"That ain't no bear," the big man said.
"We tried to tell you," Kim said. "We need to get in the truck and leave before it kills us."
The growl sounded again, this time closer. Branches snapped and wood splintered. Tyler thought it sounded like a rhino was bulldozing its way toward them. He tensed, gun out, eyes peered.
Suddenly, the noises ceased. Tyler could taste the tension in the air. Someone farted. The woods were dense, his keen eyesight unable to penetrate a great distance.
Kim took off running toward the truck. The skinny man grabbed her. "Whoa, where do you think you're going?"
"Get off her," Tyler yelled and pointed his weapon at the man.
The big man leveled his gun at Tyler and said, "I don't know where you got such a nice piece, but I'll be taking it from you now." He held out his other hand.
"We'll be fine," the big man said. "Whatever it is, it won't come near us now that it knows we're here."
Tyler saw a black blur out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see the creature sailing out of the woods, mouth wide, claws out. It landed on the big man whose gun went off. The bullet whizzed by Tyler's head, knocking him down. Hot pain lit up his ear and he knew he'd been shot. Putting a hand to where the pain was coming from, he felt the area and then saw blood on his fingers.
Screams broke out.
Tyler's ear was missing a chunk, but otherwise he guessed he was fine.
The creature was on top of the big man, its maw clamped onto the right side of his face. With its clawed hands, it grabbed the big man's arms and yanked them out of their sockets, flinging them away. One collided with June and knocked her down. The creature then pulled the flesh from the man's face, along with his jaw. The skin stretched like latex before it began splitting and finally snapped free with a popping sound, revealing muscle and skull beneath. Blood gushed from the arm sockets and face, covering the creature and surrounding ground, turning dirt to mud and coloring the grass crimson.
The skinny man had thrown Kim to the ground and was climbing into the truck's cab.
Tyler got to his feet and realized he no longer had the gun in his possession. It was on the ground a few feet away.
The creature was chewing its victim's jawbone and flesh, the crunching sounds audible over the din of chaos. The big man convulsed beneath the monster as he continued to bleed out.
Tyler snatched up the gun, ready to shoot the creature when it sprang from the big man and landed on Kim just as she got to her feet, knocking her to the ground again.
He took aim, measuring his shot, not wanting to hit Kim, when the creature's throat ballooned outward. Its mouth opened and a stream of black sludge poured out. Kim's face was covered in the stuff, her screams quickly muffled as its tongue shot into her mouth.
Tyler pulled the Magnum's trigger. The weapon boomed and bullets flew. The monster howled as its hide was pierced. Its tongue retracted back into its maw and it sprang away, landing on the hood of the truck. It looked at Tyler and hissed, black blood leaking from its wounds.
The truck's engine roared to life. The creature spun toward the driver and growled at him through the windshield.
Tyler couldn't believe it. The skinny bastard was going to leave them behind. Fuming with anger, he raised his gun, not sure if he was going to shoot the creature or the human behind the wheel.
As his mind raced with indecision, he saw the creature swing its arm at the glass. A moment later, the windshield was gutted. Shards of glass exploded as the creature dove into the cab and attacked the driver. The man's screams ended quickly.
Tyler pulled the trigger on his weapon and fired two shots before there was only the click of an empty gun. He needed to reload, but there wasn't enough time. He looked around for the big man's .45 when he heard gunshots. Looking up, he saw June with the dead man's weapon. She was firing shots into the creature's back as it continued to shred the skinny man. The thing howled and backed out of the truck. It turned toward June, strips of flesh and blood decorating its face. June continued to fire, bullets ripping into the thing. The creature crouched, looking ready to pounce, when a bullet struck it in the head and sent its brains exploding out the back of its head. The creature jerked backward and then fell from the hood and out of view.
Tyler ran over to Kim and helped her to her feet as she coughed up black ooze and gasped for air. He held her up and patted her on the back. June ran around to where the creature had fallen. Tyler wanted to reload his weapon and help her, but he had to make sure Kim was all right.
"I'm fine," she said, spitting remnants of ooze out of her mouth. She shoved Tyler away. "Make sure that thing is dead."
Tyler reloaded his gun as he made his way to June. She stood over the creature. It wasn't moving. June pointed her gun at what remained of its head and fired two more shots before her gun clicked empty.
"It's dead," he said, and lowered her gun arm.
"Yeah," she said, then spit on the creature's corpse. "Just wanted to make sure."
CHAPTER 17
Kim cleaned herself off as best as possible, the black sludge caked in her hair. There was no way she was going to bathe in the lake. With the creature dead, the urgency to leave was lessened, but no less desired. The milk truck's keys were in the vehicle. The group piled in and drove out of the woods and to the nearest town where they informed the police about everything. The F.B.I. was immediately called and the three friends were questioned. Samples of the sludge were taken from Kim before she was allowed to leave. She worried about having been infected, of turning into a creature, but the medical staff assured her nothing of the sort was possible, even after hearing all three survivors' tales.
The group wanted nothing more than to return home to New York, but the F.B.I. and Department of Environmental Conservation insisted that they stay in a nearby hotel in case they were needed for anything else. They would be permitted to leave in a day or two.
"I can't believe we made it," Kim said after coming out of the shower.
"Not all of us did," June said coldly, sitting in a chair by the window, drapes closed.
"I didn't mean . . ." Kim said, toweling off her wet hair.
"I know, I'm sorry," June said. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.
Kim came over to June, pulled her out of the chair she was sitting in. The two embraced and shed tears together. With everything going on, June hadn't been able to release her emotions since Edgar's death. She broke down in Kim's arms.
Tyler came out of the bathroom, having gone in right after Kim. He joined in the hugging, and before anyone knew it, they were all crying.
A few minutes later, tears wiped away and sniffles filling the air, Kim said she was worn out and needed sleep. Felt a tad dizzy and nauseous.
"We're all wiped out," June said. "I think I'll head to my room and let you two get some rest.
June cried herself to sleep, and she'd slept soundly.
Upon awaking, her body ached a little, her muscles sore. The time on the bedside radio told her it was eleven o'clock at night. She'd slept for quite a while, way past the few hours she thought she'd get. Now she'd wind up being up all night, alone with nothing but her thoughts. She could turn on the television and—
A loud crash came from outside her door, followed by the sound of faraway shattering glass. She jumped out of bed, heart hammering. She immediately thought of Kim and Tyler, whose room was across from hers.
Had the creature found them?
No, it was dead. She was being silly. The commotion was nothing, a maintenance crew or drunk patron.
She walked toward the door and raised her hand to open the lock. No matter how much she told herself everything was okay, that the nightmare was over, she was nervous. Taking a deep, steadying breath, she shook the nerves from her body, unlocked the door, and opened it.
The door across from hers was closed. She poked her head into the hallway and looked left and right. All clear.
She laughed, feeling like a fool.
Since she was up, she might as well see if her friends were up too. Maybe they were having a crazy sex romp and that was the reason for the loud raucous she'd heard.
She knocked on Tyler's and Kim's hotel room door. "Hey guys, it's me. You up? Decent?" When she heard no reply, she tried the door.
It opened.
Immediately, she was assaulted by a wave of air that had a coppery, chemical odor to it that made her eyes water. Her mind flooded with images of the creature and its black ooze.
Panic seized her like a giant hand, but she fought through it and stepped into the room. She saw the beds, one saturated with blood and black sludge. A trail of both fluids led out the shattered window.
Kim had been sick. Infected.
The room began to spin.
Somehow, the sludge was infectious. A biohazard. She needed to alert the authorities. Warn them, if they'd listen.
She turned to flee and smacked into a hard, unmoving black shape. Looking up, she saw herself reflected in the eyes of the creature she had killed. No, not the one she had killed, but a different one, slightly smaller in size.
She backed up a step, arms out. "No," she mumbled, shaking her head. "Noooo!"
The creature lunged.
The End
About the Author
David is originally from a small town in upstate New York called Salisbury Mills. He now resides in NYC and misses being surrounded by chainsaw-wielding maniacs and wild backwoods people who like to eat human flesh. He’s grown used to the city, though hiding bodies is much harder there. He is the author of the A Mixed Bag of Blood, Goblins, Skinner, The Unhinged, Witch Island, The Tree Man, Relic of Death as well as others. He is also one of the co-authors of Jackpot.
You can reach him at davidbernsteinauthor.blogspot.com. Twitter: @bernsteinauthor or on Facebook. Email him at [email protected]
About the Cover Artist
Ogmios is an illustrator and independent comic producer/publisher. Focused on horror, myth and comic art, he has many independent book covers and illustrations to his name. He was the cover artist and interior illustrator for The Witches’ Almanac for seven years. His graphic novel SPLICERS was featured in the Attleboro Sun Chronicle, weekly for multiple years. Ogmios also runs Outside The Box Comics where he produces comic titles including Summerlands Fanzine, an anthology style comic for mature readers. For more Art By Ogmios visit his website www.ArtByOgmios.com. He also can be found on facebook as Ogmios TheArtist.
ALSO from Great Old Ones Publishing
ALSO FROM GREAT OLD ONES PUBLISHING
The Sludge Page 10