by TJ Weeks
The Horror Squad 3
TJ Weeks
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events
portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
The Horror Squad. Copyright © 2016 by TJ Weeks. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. For information, email [email protected]
Weeks, TJ
The Horror Squad/TJ Weeks. - 1st ed.
Title ID: 6465099
ISBN-13: 978-1536820706 First Edition: July 2016
Acknowledgments
I’d like to take the time to thank Karen Dziegiel for all of her hard work going through each of my books. My wife for all her editing and support. Chelley Jordan and Bobbi Payton for so awesomely helping with running my pages. I’d like to thank all of my military buddies for staying by my side with their support.
Most of all, I’d like to thank all of my fans for pushing my work out there. If it wasn’t for you none of my books would have been put on the best sellers list on Amazon and I wouldn’t be up for as many awards as I get put in for.
www.facebook.com/tjweeksofficial www.twitter.com/tjweeks6 www.tjweeks.com
PROLOGUE
STEVEN SLOWLY dozed off
from the weakness of lack of food, water and loss of blood.
The blurriness took over his sight. Steven ran his arm across his face trying to gain better sight, but his sight was still blurry. He could not see where he was going; he stuck his hands out in front of him and began walking. Steven noticed quickly that it was painful to move one of his arms and one of his legs. He limped a bit as he walked even though he could not see. He ran into something, side stepped it and continued walking.
He could feel hunger coming on and really needed something to eat, but he wasn’t craving anything that was in his room. He was craving what he smelled, which was a live human. Steven walked to the small mirror that he remembered he had found and hung in his classroom.
Again a different reflection
mirrored back at him as it had before during the dream of his birthday. His moustache was still gray and his hair was partly slicked back, the other part hung in his face. He tried to lift his arm to make himself look presentable, but could not control his extremities. Steven quickly gave up after a few tries. He walked to the door and in his mind, he was trying to reach out to grab the door knob but the back of his hand slammed against it. He was unable to grasp anything. He could not control himself to do what he wanted.
Steven backed away from the door and peered down at himself to see that he had lost control of his bladder and it had ran down his pants leg and had stained his jeans like it had been there for months. Steven’s button down shirt laid open and exposed his concaved chest and showed two ribs poking through. Blood had streamed down and mixed in with the urine to make it brownish orange in color. He stared at his hand trying to will it to work and noticed that his fingers had all been pushed sideways and laid on the side of his hand which he thought explained why he was unable to function to open a door or fix his hair.
Steven walked forward again and ran into the door hoping that someone would hear the noise he was making and help him. How they were going to help, he was not sure, but he needed help with something.
He fell backwards after hitting the door with his body and landed on his ass and rolled. As he gained his balance, apparently he had lost
control of his bowel movements as well, because it had squished out of his wrangler jeans and was all over the floor. He was able to feel the wetness on the back of his pants and tried to reach behind him to wipe with his hand so that he would not be embarrassed when someone found him.
Steven tried to open his mouth to yell for someone to help and all that came out was a groan that scared him. He jumped back at his own noise.
“I’m a rotter?” He thought to himself. “Rotters can’t think.”
Steven limped back to the mirror and his face swayed back and forth in front of it as he tried to keep his balance. He had started turning the dirty color of a rotter. It was then that he noticed the ribs that stuck out were not causing him much pain and his hand had gone numb as well. He was able to move the nub that was on the other side of his body, but only in a circle motion and it was exposed and out of the sling.
“I am turning right now!” He thought.
His groans got a bit louder and he was unable to control the clanking of his jaw ringing throughout his ears.
Now he hoped that no one came into his room. Would he eat them, would he be able to contain himself and not take charge on his friends and make them rotters as well?
The door to his classroom flew open and Gizmo and TJ appeared in the doorway. Steven stared at them and limped towards them.
“Are you fucking kidding me? You’re a rotter?” TJ questioned out loud.
Steven groaned trying to get them to close the door and leave, but they decided to enter his room. The two laughed at Steven’s ribs poking through his chest and the urine and feces covering his bottom half. Steven walked towards them and Gizmo placed a hand on his forehead and pushed back hard to make him fall.
“How the fuck did you become rotter stupid ass?” TJ asked, as if he was going to answer.
Steven fell and a pop sounded throughout the room. His ankle had buckled under him and the bone was now showing through his skin as he pulled it out from under him to try and stand but failed.
“Hell, don’t try and get up, we will have to take you out.” TJ stated to Steven stuck on the floor as a rotter.
“This has to be a nightmare!” Steven thought.
Steven closed his eyes as he had before and tried to make himself wake up. He opened his eyes to Gizmo and TJ standing over him.
“So what the hell do we do with him now?” Gizmo asked.
“Well, I hate to kill the asshole, we served together and have been friends for years, but if he was stupid enough to get turned to a rotter then so be it right?” TJ questioned out loud.
Steven waved his arms at the two, hoping that they would realize that he really wasn’t a rotter.
“Let’s fuck with him a little bit.” Gizmo laughed.
Steven was unable to control himself and began biting the air each time they got close. TJ and Gizmo laughed at his moustache bouncing up and down as he bit the air like a dog trying to catch a fly. They would step forward and then back just to watch him chomp down onto nothing.
Each chomp of the air he took; pieces of teeth would fall onto the floor. Steven tried to stop the urge to eat them, but it was inevitable. The banter went on for a good while before TJ and Gizmo got tired of watching his teeth fall to the floor. They soon started pulling at his moustache each time he leaned forward and laughed because Steven would pull back and shake his head with each piece that was left in their hands.
TJ kicked his feet over, which made him lie on his stomach.
“I don’t see any bite marks. How in the hell did he turn?” TJ wondered aloud.
“Shit I don’t know, but this is kind of entertaining.” Gizmo laughed rolling him back over with his foot. “Ewwww, look at his ribs, they are poking out and pieces of skin are falling off now.”
Steven finally managed to back himself against a wall and was becoming angry at their playfulness with him. He stabled his feet to stand the best he could and began his clumsy swayed walk towards them. The two rounded the teacher’s desk that was at the front of the room that had been left and separated
themselves from their friend. Gizmo grabbed a wooden pointer stick that was on the lip of the dry erase board behind them and began poking at Steven. He poked him on the shoulder with it which made Steven stumble backwards.
He poked him in the chest and Steven stumbled another few steps back.
Steven was getting agitated and could feel his stomach sinking further into his body needing food. He did not want to eat his friends, but at this point, with their smart ass attitudes of not giving a shit, he was ready to take them on. Steven limped around to try and get to the side of the desk that they were on and TJ and Gizmo would move each time to the opposite side. Steven reached his hands across the desk to try and grab one of them to pull them in and they both took a step back. Steven fell over the desk and face first onto the hard floor.
Another loud pop sounded through the room. Gizmo and TJ stood for a moment to see what would be next and watched Steven roll and then eventually stand. His neck was now bent over and part of his collar bone stuck out of the skin that had become thin with his rotter transformation. His head laid almost fully over onto his shoulder. Steven was unable to feel anything but a bit of pressure from all of the protruding bones and went on about his goal to eat the assholes that were giving him such hell at this point.
With his neck cocked and his ankle broken, rib bones protruding out of his chest and his growls that he was unable to control, he lunged at them at what he thought was fast but was really slow enough that TJ and Gizmo were able to take a few steps back without any worries. They stepped outside of the door and into the hallway and let Steven follow. He growled again and leaned forward in hopes to get just a piece of one of them. His body hit the floor again as he tripped over his deformed feet and landed on his stomach.
“What the hell are y’all doing?” Kris asked jogging down the hallway.
“Long story, but stay back, he is full blown now.” TJ put his arm up to his wife.
Steven pulled his head halfway off the floor and dropped it back down. A bit of slime splattered as his forehead hit. He raised it again and pushed himself up to stand this time.
“What the hell!” Kris whispered standing behind TJ. “Kill him!”
“Man, it’s Steven, he didn’t get bit or anything, he couldn’t have just turned without getting into it with one.” TJ explained.
So y’all are just antagonizing the poor guy?” She questioned.
“What else are we going to do with him?” Gizmo shrugged.
Steven walked his rotter walk toward them and each time he would get within arm’s reach of any of them, Gizmo or TJ would push him
backwards and he would start from square one trying to catch a meal.
Steven’s groans became louder and drew out some of the group from their rooms with the echoes through the hall.
“What is that noise?” Tina popped her head out of the door.
“Steven!” Kris exclaimed.
“What! What in the hell have you two done?” Tina asked.
“We didn’t do shit, we heard noises and came in and found him like this.” Gizmo explained.
Tina walked up behind her husband and watched them taunting him with their presence.
“What the hell are we going to do with him?” Tina questioned.
Gizmo and TJ both shrugged and continued pushing him backwards each time he would get close enough to touch one of them. Steven’s jaw began to dislocate from the side of his face with each chomping motion he made at them, the sound of his own skin tearing, pierced his ears and his jaw dropped with only a thread of skin holding it to his face. His face still made the motion of the up and down chomping, but with only a few teeth showing. His skin was now a pale brown and the blood dripped from his exposed bones. The smell was intense as it sauntered down the hallway from his release of urine and feces that covered his lower half.
“We gotta do something man, we can’t just leave his ass like this!” Gizmo stated.
He pushed him back again and turned to TJ with a questioning look on his face.
“Why are you looking at me?” TJ asked.
Steven had finally made it to his goal, he wrapped his misshapen arm around TJ’s neck. TJ grabbed his arm and pulled it away from his neck and placed the palm of his hand on his forehead. He pushed Steven back hard and he fell to the floor.
“Really buddy!” TJ said calmly to him.
“Did you see that shit? Your buddy wants to have you for dinner.” Gizmo laughed.
TJ shot Gizmo a go to hell look then looked back at Steven. He bent down and grabbed his broken ankle and turned to drag him back into his room. Before he was able to get there, Steven’s ankle tore off and TJ fell forward and took a knee as he
stumbled from the surprise of the separation. TJ pulled his hand forward and peered at the bloodied ankle he held. TJ stood and threw the body part into the room and turned back around to Steven pulling his way to him. Steven grabbed TJ’s foot trying his hardest to bite down when Gizmo kicked Steven in the face to knock him back. TJ grabbed his other foot and began to drag him the rest of the way into his own room. He jerked his body around and landed him in the middle of his room. He dropped the leg he held with his own back to the doorway.
“Kris, go get my big knife. I am going to take care of this prick.” TJ demanded.
Steven woke up trying to throw his right hand up, but it was not there, only in spirit. He sat up, bringing up his knees and started to rock back and forth with Texas size tears streaming his face.
CHAPTER ONE
“FUCK THIS, go load up in the
deuce!” I called out to everyone. “I don’t like the sound of this.” Bo stated.
“Just do it!” I angrily made myself clear.
Kris helped Bo down from the window and they all ran to the truck grabbing things on their way through to bring home. I suppressed a few more rounds before dropping down from the window and made my way to the driver’s seat.
“Hold on!” I called out to
everyone.
Bo was sitting in the passenger seat and had a look of great concern written across his face.
I threw the deuce into gear and slammed my foot down on the gas pedal with it pointed straight for the entrance doors Bo and I had been looking through the night before. By the time I hit second gear we were barreling through the doors with glass blowing from its once solid surface like a grenade slinging shrapnel into my enemies.
Several of the rotters dropped when the shards of glass shot into their foreheads and one plastered itself to the front of the truck. It would have gone unnoticed until it slapped its grubby hand on the windshield. I caught third gear and applied more gas trying to shake it off, but it started climbing up more. I was shocked to see that it was Bryan Tann once he revealed his face.
“Holy shit! That’s Bryan Tann.” I stated.
Bo looked over at me with
confusion. “Who?”
“He narrated one of my
books…Actually he narrated the first audio book that I ever released. He is…was a really cool guy.” I broke the mystery.
I grabbed my rifle and had Bo take the wheel while I hung halfway out of the window and shot him in the head. I almost fell out of the window when he fell under the truck.
“That was quite a bump.” Bo called out as I made my way back into the vehicle and took back over the wheel.
I couldn’t help to think of how lucky I was. I could have fallen out and ended up one of the rotters & be hunted or even worse, I could have been the cause of the death of my family and friends. I’d say that I couldn’t live with that, but there’s not much living being a rotter.
I jerked the wheel over as we hit the main road and slightly slid around the corner. Bo looked at me like I was crazy as his head almost took a dink from the window, but all I could think about was getting back to check on Steven. I didn’t want him to be taken out by some piece of shit that never cared for him. He was like a brother to me, much like Justin, Gizmo and Bo except for the fact that we had served together and lived a life of having each other’s back.
Steven and I hadn’t always got along and it would actually be safe to say that he hated me in the beginning. I was always one of those that ha
d a problem with authority and wasn’t much for someone telling me what to do, especially when it came down to things that sounded so stupid, like filling sand bags or hesco barriers on your off time as if we hadn’t spent enough time under the dome of the sun’s intense light. We stayed
dehydrated about ninety percent of the time and couldn’t piss a clear stream to save our lives. We used to have piss charts to test our hydration, followed by forced hydration,
followed by mandatory physical training.
You always have that one guy that has the rest of the squad dropped because of not doing what they’re told…That guy was me. I was always quick to tell our higher up to fuck off. That’s more than less where our friendship started.
He had gotten tired of dropping because of my actions or words, plus I was always calling him an old man. He tried to jump me one day to show that he had had enough of my bullshit. It just didn’t work out as he had planned and he ended up getting a whole new appreciation and respect for me after getting choked out. Most would think that I’m an asshole, but my whole motto was never surrender and never back down, so I was always ready for anything and was quick to backup anything that flowed from my mouth.
I pulled up to the front gate after hours of thoughts and barely gave Bo enough time to jump out and open the gate before pulling through. I didn’t even bother with pulling down to the storage shed to download all of our new goods; I pulled straight to the front doors of the school and jumped out while leaving the vehicle running and made a bee line straight through the hallway to Steven’s door. I threw the door open and walked through. He jumped from his bed from being startled.
“What the fuck did you do?” I questioned before he had time to greet me.
He sat down on the edge of his bed. “It looks worse than it is.”
“Really, because it looks like a stupid ass decision made by someone with no sense or no thought process.” I made clear.
He looked down and then across to his arm. “I’m not well brother.” “You’re god damn right you’re not well!” I stated.
Kris came running through the door. “Calm down.”