The Carnage Trilogy (Book 1): The Carnage [Unbending, Unyielding, Unforgiving]

by Birch, Matthew

  "Everyone leave now" His voice is hard and stern. We leave without a word.

  I have to move to one side for a moment...

  I can't believe it. This day has changed my outlook on life. I never thought the day would come that I would be playing life or death with a young child. Why did this have to happen to me? What did I ever do to deserve such a cruel predicament? Shifting my view, I look at Ed and Alice. She's still crying without end into Ed who simply calls me over. "Alice is staying with us" His voice is confident, his choice set in stone. Patrick shoots him a dirty look. I understand why. We barely have any food, water or medicine. A new member will put more strain on the group. As if we weren't as strained as it is...

  "Come on, let's go" Maya brings me away from my dark thoughts, pulling me as far from the cabin as she can. "Come on, all of you, we can't stay here" Maya beckons for everyone else to follow. I feel sick because any moment now, the gun will ring and the poor boy will be dead.

  A muffled gunshot, while barely audible, still makes me flinch. Looking back, I see Cody leave the garage. His face resembles a blank canvas. He can’t believe what he just did. This world-

  I hate it.

  Chapter 36 - First Blood

  The journey back was a silent one. Many calm, peaceful times have been experienced in the past since the outbreak. Not something you would expect, but this apocalypse holds many secrets. It is like no other. This time, the air holds a different tone from what the survivors are used to. This time, they have faced a choice far worse than anything before. A young boy was put out of his misery; there is no easier way to say it. Cody grew meek and cowardly, his whole character was different. Patrick had no interest with anyone, maybe he holds himself accountable? Marcus kept to himself, and rarely shared a conversation with anyone. Maya stuck by Ed who kept a close eye on the grieving, upset Alice. Our survivors are breaking, how much longer can they last?

  Time is almost up. The study is coming to an end.

  Maya

  Throwing the door open, Ed tries to escape before I can say anything to stop him. "Ed!" I shriek his name and the childish man wedges himself between the door frame and the door. With that foul grin of his, the dense man refuses to give me a choice in this situation. Because our ranger station has been adapted for who is already here, and we don't have the materials to make more room at the moment. We have had to compromise and cut back in places. Patrick is currently changing up the rota for who's on guard so we have one extra person at all times now. Plus two people on standby to take their places. That immature prick who looks at me innocently from the door volunteered within about five seconds so he could give his bed to Alice! Marcus has already moved out and now Ed is as well. Their room has been completely handed over to us! Plus, Patrick is getting superstitiously paranoid with the whereabouts of the monsters.

  "Yes?" his fake, high tone of a voice beckons at me. I'm not stupid; I pick up the quiet creaking from the door as he carefully slips it open. He won't be squeezing to freedom without my say so. Before he can make he can make a break for it, I pounce forward and grip his brown leather jacket. "What do you take me for?" I ask with a cooled anger. Tugging him back into the room, I say, "Look, I get it; you're a selfless fool, and we are both thankful for that" I glance to my side to see the flustered and confused Alice who curls up on Ed's bed. She's not really sure what to do in this situation.

  "I thought you knew me well?" Ed brushes my hands away and raises an eyebrow at me. I get what he is trying to say through his hidden meanings. What he's trying to say, is that when he has his mind set on something, you might as well accept it because he won't be changing his mind. I sigh, and step back as if to say, 'I get it'.

  Ed nods at me; removes the blue cap from his head, and flings it across the room to Alice. It lands in front of her face, and she raises an eyebrow questioningly at it. Leaning up, she takes the blue cap in her hands while smiling brightly at Ed. Strange, she went from disregarding it to acceptance. What such a change of heart since earlier today? Ed has that kind of effect on people, you can't help but warm up to him and like him. I think? Deep down, I feel a stupid pang of jealousy as Alice places it on her head. Dismissing the sentiment (that I know I shouldn't be feeling) and moving on, (even though it is already too late) I focus back on Ed.

  Bang...

  BANG

  BANG

  Someone, I don't know who-

  But someone's blood-curdling scream ripples through the air, travelling through the darkness of the outside world. The gunshots ring loud and clear - ceasing as quickly as they came. By the time I unfreeze and regain composure. Ed had already gone, and Alice leaps to her feet to go after him in pursuit. "Wait here" I blank Alice who goes to protest. Shaking my head, the annoyed Alice flops back on the bed and does as she is told.

  Barrelling out the door of the ranger station, I see everyone is present with the exception of Linda. Patrick's barking orders, already armed and in the midst of rounding up people. It has gone into chaos, everyone prancing around without a clue in the world of what to do. I stand on the porch with an elevated eyebrow. In the pile of panicked chatters and sauntering people, Ed sees me and promptly disbands himself from the others. Rushing up the steps, the out of breath and panicked Ed looks me in the eye, his face paling. The words barely make it past his lips. The words that break me, the words that destroy me, and the words that end me all at once.

  "It took Ben-"

  My mouth drops and I am left standing here agape like a headless chicken. I don't know what to do-

  "Let's move it!" Patrick's leadership is back and the people squabble back to him. All three Officers - Gavin, Dave and Max are ready for a fight. Alongside them are Marcus and the terrified William. "Come on, move it!" Patrick barks angrily, ushering William who stands there pathetically. Rushing off into the darkness of the forest, the search party track down our beloved Ben. A pack of men with guns and blades are going out in the dead of night to find our first casualty. Their only track is the distinct blood trail they follow. I see it on all their faces as they leave; the fear is ripe and seeps into the rest of us. I know this because I feel the same. My heart is racing - my blood runs cold. My eyes go wide and I focus my attention on Ed.

  "Ben..."

  * * *

  Marcus

  Holding my torch high with my left hand and a shaky rifle in my right, I continue running aimlessly through the pitch black, the torches are the only source of light in this abyss. Patrick leads us, keeping to the front of the group. William falls behind me, his pace slowing out of fear. We come to a stop - holding up his hand, Patrick listens carefully. Staying as still as a statue, I take deep breaths and relax. However, nothing will rid me of the tension I feel right now. If I tense up any-more, I am going to go into the worst, most painful cramp of my lifetime.

  Then, a scream breaks the silence.

  "Keep on your guard, weapons ready and wait for my command" Patrick's deep, solemn voice commands. We all nod, giving him our undivided attention. After everything we've been through, there is no denying the fact that Patrick is the most capable person here. He’s contested, but his skills and leadership out here will keep us alive. So, we bolt forward, deeper into the forest. Where the wildlife dies around us, and the trees begin to shrink and the grass loses its green and the wind is as dead as the life that inhabits these lands now. It is when we reach an open clearing in a part I can no longer recognise, that we find the source, an overly large, monstrous creature. N-no, a-

  No words can describe what a monster is no longer. It is red, with black murky streaks that litter its vein infested, gooey pulsating body. It's much larger than us and walks on all fours. Its back looks painfully arched and its nose sniffs at us eagerly. We take no action, only watching it curiously. Patrick steps forward to meet it; he raises his shotgun and wraps his finger around the trigger-

  "Do you know of the Carnage?" It speaks to us in a snarky tone. Its voice is deep, croaky and menacing. Its red glea
ming eyes scream death. So, it has intelligence? And it's words, what do they mean...

  Patrick shifts slightly, stepping on a branch, his weight snaps it and the sound it elects echoes around us. The rumbling and grumbling of several other monsters who hid away in the surrounding trees approach, making themselves known by revealing they have cornered us in this opening. My heart races even faster than before. We huddle together in a circle and raise our weapons defensively. But they do not strike. "Don't shoot" Patrick looks over his shoulder at us, giving us all a reassuring nod. We lower our weapons, albeit slowly.

  Smiling, the monster watches us all as we go along with Patrick's words. "You and I are alike..." Its voice says politely, but that same disgusting tone it has remained, like it is constantly gargling on something.

  "Where is Ben?" Patrick ignores the monsters remark and gets to the point.

  Shifting itself, the monster murmurs, "You are a pack leader, as am I" What I can only guess is the pack leader, proudly adds on, "We guide our flock..." It begins stepping backwards. "Aaaaand, Ben is fine" It gleams gleefully. I hear a rustling in the bushes ahead of us, so I step forward as smoothly as I can as to not alert attention from the prying hungry eyes that focus on us. Waving my torch ever so slightly reveals the small army lying in wait beyond the trees.

  "Now, I think it's time you answer my question, humans" its voice beckons not just to Patrick, but to us all. We all turn to face it, its voice drawing us in. Our fear and insecurity dissipate, naturally as a human we want to know what we are up against. So our curiosity takes its place.

  "I don't know what you're talking about" Our leader's voice lowers, and he turns his gaze away for barely a second. Our trust in Patrick wavering as we can tell we are well and truly fucked right now. His strength diminishes in an instant and this angers the pack leader who stands on his two hind legs, forcing all us to stare in awe at its ridiculous size and might. "WHERE IS THE CARNAGE?" Its sudden shouting unnerves me. I raise my rifle high with one hand while waving my torch with the other so I can get an idea of where all the monsters are. They grow restless. Any moment could be our last.

  "William isn't here" Patrick whispers...

  Wait, what?

  "What was that?"

  Patrick doesn't answer the hulking red tower of death who leans in towards him.

  "I SAID WHAT WAS THAT!" Red spit and goo erupt from its mouth, coating me and some of us behind Patrick. I can feel it slithering down my now sodden body. The pack leader leans up straighter, crossing its bulging arms. "So, it is an ambush I see... Smart little humans" Its voice rattles. "We'd been watching you... Studying you... But all you really are-" The pack leader sinks back down on all fours, moving its face so eerily close to Patrick, I swear the man crapped himself right there and then. "Nothing more than vermin..."

  Patrick gulps-

  "However-" It leans back up, stepping away from us. The crowd of killers around us begin to growl, growing even more excited than before. "You're smart vermin... Using the one named William to ambush us" And, at its confusion. I know its words gave the other monsters the means to attack us. So I leap forward, leaving my place and causing pandemonium. But I don't care. I get in front of Patrick and go to reason with the pack leader. It may be our only chance! "NO, YOU HAVE IT ALL WRONG!"

  I fail.

  My vision goes black.

  My ears pop.

  A horrible buzzing rests in my ears.

  I don't know what's going on.

  Am I dead?

  Everything starts spinning around me as my faded vision returns. I feel sick from the motion blur and I reach up so I can place a hand on my head where I feel the definite traces of a hot liquid that descends down my skull. My vision comes back a little to me now, and I prod away at the numbness that is the heavy wound on my head. My skull feels heavier than I remember-

  I scramble around. I can feel, taste and smell the dirt below me. Traces of my blood soak into the ground, making the dry earth soggy. Ignoring the aching sensation, I shake off a migraine that attacks me. Getting to my feet, I look around. I am in a totally different area. I've been thrown to the side, and then dragged as I can tell from my trail in the dirt. Maybe they thought I was dead?

  The gunshots catch up to me, a mix of screamed agony is mixed in with the chaos. I take a step, and then I stumble. Even as my knees buckle and my legs turn to jelly, I keep moving forward towards the source of the nearest gunshot. Resting up against a tree to catch my breath, I find I am right next to the source. I look up-

  And, I swear in the midst of the fighting, with all the blinding shots from the various guns and the scrambling of the monsters...

  I swear I saw his right leg had been torn off... His clothes are ripped where the slashes from the monsters have ripped deep into him. Red goo is already forming where his wounds are. Changing him into one of them, Max, our second causality, is dead. Our first is Ben, who I will never have the pleasure of saying goodbye to.

  Patrick appears, fires another shot into the distance, turns around and sees the state Max is in. He takes a single glance at his missing leg and torn body. Without another thought, he pulls out his handgun that was strapped to his side and releases a bullet deep inside his skull.

  I look away. My stomach is churning. I come around from behind the tree and make myself known to Patrick. He sees me, shouts something and points somewhere. I haven't quite got my wits about myself back yet. I can't hear him either. Dave Wilson runs by Patrick, they share few words before Dave both nods, then shakes his head. Is this is his way of goodbye? Whatever it is, he turns tail and runs, leaving us behind. Shaking his head and making what appears to be an evident huff; Patrick sprints over to me and shoves me in the direction he pointed. I have no idea what he is trying to say, but I go along with it anyway.

  I keep moving, and as I move, my sight comes back until it is one hundred percent with me. I can hear again a few moments later too. No blurred vision or faded hearing anymore. The world around me comes to life. The aching in my skull becomes a heavy pounding as I pick up the pace. My body telling me to stop while my heart tells me I must keep moving. Moving past twigs, branches, bushes, overgrown dead grass, trampling over the wilting flowers and through the dirt until I feel I trip over something. I tumble to the ground. Recovering from my fall, I look back to see-

  I see Gavin. He's dead.

  William is nearby, leant up against a tree. Curled up in a ball and rocking himself ever so gently. A coward who probably got Gavin killed in the first place.

  "What the fuck happened William!" I find myself shouting, a sudden rage inside me. He looks up, tears in his murky eyes. Struggling to give me an answer, William gives up and retreats to his safe zone.

  "Can’t be dealing with this right now!" Kneeling down, I grab him and lift him up despite his little protest. "Stop fucking fighting me you prick, we need to get to the ranger station!" I basically spit in his face. We are fighting for life here. We need to get back and warn everyone! Wait that must have been what Patrick wanted me to do! Doesn't matter, it's what I am going to do.

  "We are all going to die!" William starts freaking out as I drag him along the mysterious trail. He keeps fighting against me. Luckily he is much weaker than I am. Then, he freezes and goes dead-weight.

  "What are you doing out here?" Ben's voice says kindly behind me. I freeze up. My muscles cramp up. My heart beats a million miles a minute. I go pale and slowly turn to face where the warm breath on my neck is coming from. Making the hairs on my neck raise, I come face to face with the grimy pack leader who smiles at me. On all fours and watching us - his pray - carefully. He was able to fake Ben's voice...

  What the fuck is even going on anymore-

  "I thought I killed you?" He says in Ben's sweet voice again. Both William and I back away, causing me to let go of him in the process. I have no weapons. No way to fight back-

  A pistol clocks behind me as it is reloaded. William?

  BANG

 
The pack leader is hit with the bullet! He holds his stomach where the shot connected. Though, he looks barely fazed, only growling at us before dashing off into the trees to recover his healing wound. I can't believe it-