Invasion

by Eli Constant

  Aside from our van, the Peterbilt, and our new acquisition, there were only three other cars- two parked side by side next to the convenience store and one next to the pumps.

  All was quiet once more. It's all just in your head, idiot. Give Jason the damn bucket. I took a deep breath and lifted the bucket. Jason took it silently, his face still a question.

  As soon as my hands were free, I heard the sound once more. The scratching. The scrapping.

  And I whirled again.

  Not my imagination.

  If it was my imagination, then I was just imagining those two bent over figures charging my way. Why couldn't it just be my damn imagination?

  "Shit!" My heart leaped into my mouth, pulsing against my tongue.

  "What? What's wrong?" Jason, who'd sat back in the passenger's seat, rocketed to his feet and leaned over to me, trying to see what I was seeing.

  "No, Jason, we need to move!" I shoved him back and pulled myself up into the truck. I slammed the door closed and hit the lock, like that would help... especially since the door window was busted all to hell. "Probably a bad time to tell you that I have no freaking idea how to drive this thing." I spoke quickly, my tone apologetic.

  "Son of a... move!" Jason lunged towards me. I scrambled out of the driver's seat and squeezed past his body as we switched places. This time, there was no time to consider hugging him and pretending. This time, I didn't care about anything except getting the hell away from what was coming at us.

  The beasties barreled towards the truck; I could see them in the side mirror. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. God, I hoped that was true. They were so fast though. So fast. In moments, they were gone from view. So close that we could not see them. Jason threw the truck into gear. He upshifted as quickly as he could, but one of them launched itself onto the nose of the truck. The eighteen wheeler rocked slightly with the impact.

  "Mom? Mom! What's wrong?" Megan was awake now. Kara too. And they were yelling at me.

  "Mo-mma!" Kara's high pitched voice squealed.

  "Mom, what's happening? Mom!"

  "Mo-mma, mo-mma!"

  In unison now, the 'moms' bombarded me. I blocked them out; I tried to focus. Their little voices were pleading. The sound made my chest constrict with anxiety. My shirt felt too tight on my body, the tension ever building.

  "Elise, now would be a splendid time to do something!" Jason's voice rang out over the din.

  I unzipped one of the weapon duffels at my feet and pulled out a sawed off shotgun. Two rounds at a time- not really ideal, but I'd take what I could get. I didn't see any ammo. I opened the second duffel. Ah. Jackpot.

  I pulled out a box of red shells and loaded two into the shotgun. It was a miracle I could. I'd never used a shotgun before. Only the handgun. I rolled down my window halfway and stuck the barrel outside. The violent bang of the gun had me clenching my teeth and the girls burying their heads in the mattress. I shot twice. I missed twice. Shit.

  My ears were ringing. My arms hurting from the gun's violent kickback.

  Jason swerved to the left hoping to dislodge the undergrounder from the hood, but he only succeeded in pissing it off more. Its clawed fingers dug into the metal. It began to pull itself further up the hood toward the windshield. Towards us.

  I loaded the shotgun again, my hands shaking slightly. I dropped one of the red shells in the process. It rolled under my seat, running away from me like it didn't want to be used.

  My next duo of shots hit home and the beastie screeched as the bullets entered its lower leg and upper shoulder. The wounds were large and ugly, the skin ruined rags around the entry points.

  Jason exploited the new injuries, the weakness.

  "Try to hold on now!" He yelled and jerked the steering wheel. The grotesque form slid, barely holding on. Its nails against the hood screamed- high pitched and piercing, like a microphone receiving feedback.

  A second wheel-jerk in the opposite direction and, unable to keep its grip, the undergrounder flew off, landing on the black top immediately in front of us. The truck jumped upwards and our ears heard the satisfying crunch of bones grinding beneath our wheels.

  "Yes!" I screamed.

  My elation was momentary.

  "Elise, weren't there two of..."

  My head was yanked into glass and window frame; the pain was sharp and real.

  "Duck!" Jason screamed.

  I threw my head against the dash as he jerked the sidearm from his shoulder holster. I hit the glove compartment hard and knew my head was going to hurt when the adrenaline drained away.

  He fired towards the passenger window. The bullets flew so close that I felt the quick whip of wind whizzing past my face. The half-raised window exploded, shards of glass raining outward. Jason's aim was true.

  I heard a thump as the humanoid's body slammed against the ground. I hoped its body was in morbid pieces splattered across the concrete, red innards stark against the gray. Two beasties dead. Bully for us.

  I pulled my head up and looked out the windshield.

  We were on a direct collision course with the inoperable gas pumps.

  Circle City Lullaby

  It was the end of the world.

  I was not going to die in a freaking car accident.

  I could feel my heart fluttering in panic, expecting the worse, but Jason's instincts kicked in and he smoothly corrected our course. Each new revolution of the eighteen tires caused my adrenaline to wane, my pulse to relax.

  The highway was easy to access and soon we were back on track- a bit worse for the wear, in a really drafty truck, on a chilly night. But alive. That's all that mattered. I looked at the busted side windows, holding myself against the shivers that threatened.

  Roughly five hours later, at about noon, Indianapolis proved to be as deserted as everywhere else. I felt guilty that Jason had to keep driving, but we didn't have time to stop and give me a crash course in stick shift.

  We passed two crumpled bodies as me moved through the city. How many people were left? How many humans were still alive? I knew in my heart that I didn't want the answer. Maybe that was the blessing of communications being sparse, of news stations not broadcasting, of phones not working--it gave us the freedom to pretend things were better than they actually were.

  "Mom, I need to go to the bathroom." Megan sounded sorry, like her need to urinate was an insane imposition.

  In truth, it was. We'd stopped three times already today. I just didn't understand how she could pee so much. It wasn't like she was gorging herself on water, maybe drinking only 40 ounces or so a day. Not nearly enough to warrant so many stops. I can't remember if she was this bad at home, before everything had gone shitty. Maybe she had used the restroom a dozen times a day and I just hadn't noticed because going to the bathroom is a human need, like breathing.

  "Megan, we stopped forty minutes ago. There is no way you need to pee again." I drank the least amount of water possible to keep myself going and it was hard for me to put myself in her shoes, to be understanding. To be motherly. I try to remind myself that a child shouldn't have to feel bad about needing to pee. They just shouldn't. This is a world with monsters though. A world in which we have to take greater care. I hate the undergrounders.

  "Mom, I really need to go!" Megan stressed out 'really' to a comic point. "I'm sorry, but I do."

  "You'll just have to wait or use the bucket."

  Her little face scrunched up in dislike. "I'm not using the bucket with a boy in here." It's the same argument she's used all day to get us to stop so she can go outside.

  "We're going to stop in just a little bit... if you can hold it." I do understand. I don't want to pee in front of or behind Jason either. I don't want to pee anywhere near him. So I can't exactly expect my daughter to embrace the concept.

  Megan's face screwed up with determination. I could see the little wheels of her brain turning: I don't have to pee; I don't have to pee.

  "I can hold it." Her voice was s
erious. I half-smiled at her- such a young age to master mind over matter.

  Indianapolis was home to the Circle City Mall, a four story testament to the US obsession with more. On the one hand, I hated the monstrosity. On the other hypocritical hand, I was thankful for a one stop shop for all our survival needs. Talk about an effective advertising slogan.

  The only reason I knew about the mega-mall was my Aunt Jane decided to take her vacation there one year. Uncle Steve was miserable- an entire week of wrecking his credit. Fate is a funny thing. If Aunt Jane had been spend-thrifty, I might never have known about Circle City. I guess that's one reason to give a cheer for rabid consumerism.

  "Jason. There's a big mall close by. I think we should check it out. We're really hurting for clothes and food." He nodded. I was surprised he took me at my word. Did he already trust me so much? Maybe. I wasn't there yet with him, but I was close.

  I thought back to the abandoned tablecloths at the Natural Bridge and I felt a bit sick thinking about the loss of so much. Nowadays, every little bit counted... it counted a lot. Such a waste. Hopefully though, we'd find enough at the mall to make up for it. If nothing else, fresh clothes would do us a world of good.

  We entered the mall premises by way of Georgia Street. Of course, the eighteen-wheeler we were driving didn't quite fall under 'garage approved', but at least we didn't have to pay the buck-fifty for parking. My Uncle Steve would have killed to save that little bit of money. We left the truck obstructing the entrance to the Moon Garage... because everyone is a star when shopping at Circle City Mall. That's literally what the sign above the parking structure said. Barf.

  It was a quick walk into the building and a short hunt for a directory map. There was quite a bit of natural light spilling in from the arched skylights above. They were architecturally beautiful. Even better, they would deter most undergrounders from wandering into the main hall.

  Because it was very likely that there would be beasties taking refuge in dark sections of the lower level. As long as we kept relatively quiet and stayed in well-lit areas, we should be fine; we should be safe...hypothetically. Putting our survival in the hands of a hypothesis sucked. Big time.

  The directory showed a supplement store on level three. "Jason, we might be able to load up on meal bars, protein powders, and vitamins in the VitaCraze store. Let's head that way first."

  "Worth a shot. Let me see the map, will ya?"

  I refolded the pamphlet and handed it over and then tried to mentally go over our current supplies. I had one can of formula left. If I couldn't find more, I was going to have to force Kara to drink protein shakes and eat whatever canned food was available. She wouldn't be a happy camper. We needed to hunt down more water too. God, we needed a million and one things.

  Thanks to Jason I knew that there were other ways to get water though, outside of bottles and gallons and springs. He even said we could rip cloth strips and wrap them around our calves, walk through meadow grass in the early morning, and collect dew. Not that I really envisioned myself in the middle of the field prior to full light, but never say never.

  I also needed more basic hygiene supplies. A few luxuries would be nice too- scented lotion, clean underwear, new shoes for the girls. We needed some camping supplies too, but the directory didn't show an outdoor store.

  Ninety-nine problems, but a beastie ain't one. At the moment, at least.

  The girls and I walked to VitaCraze holding hands. Jason trailed behind, still studying the mall map. There were a dozen or so reusable shopping bags displayed on the counter at the supplement store. It's funny how those bags used to help wasteful people feel better. Half the people I'd seen carrying them were dressed to the nines in designer clothes. Those things don't matter anymore.

  We helped ourselves to every remaining food supplement on the shelves, filling up the reusable bags. When we were ready to go, Jason realized we needed a mode to transport everything we found. Most malls had kiosks set up to rent children's strollers with large baskets attached. We left the bags on the ground outside the store and went searching.

  It didn't take long to find the strollers near one of the main entrances. They were locked away by a metal arm, but Jason made quick work of ruining the barrier. Megan and Kara climbed into one cart. Jason ended up pushing that one. He said something about me looking tired. I did feel a little tired and I certainly didn't have the energy to call him out on being macho.

  When we got back to the store, our bags were waiting.

  Half of me had expected them to have disappeared, my luck continuing to suck, but they were still there- lumpy and hope-inducing. We threw them into the stroller baskets. I surveyed the cash of goodies feeling more lighthearted than I had in a while.

  "Not too shabby." Jason smiled appreciatively. "Where to now?"

  I moved my finger across the glossy paper of the directory. "There's a kid's clothing store on this level."

  Megan and Kara had both grown a bit since our mad dash out of Georgia. Soon their current clothes would look like ill-fitting hand me downs. On a more important note, they really needed clothes more fit for northern hemisphere weather.

  We were entering the children's store when Jason paused. "Elise, I'm going to run down to the restaurant section. We might get lucky. I wouldn't doubt that the two Mexican places have a store of canned beans."

  "Ugh. Mom, all we have left is beans in the van. Green beans. Pinto beans. Lima beans. Do we have to eat more of them? I'm going to turn into a bean!" Megan looked at me, pleading with me not to make her eat more beans.

  I started to get mad at her; I started to tell her to stop whining, but then the whole situation struck me as funny and I started laughing. Not controlled, demure giggling, but full-out belly laughter. And I couldn't stop.

  Something about my kid worrying about transforming into a legume in the middle of a post-apocalyptic landscape struck me as hilarious. Just a-freaking hilarious.

  "Elise?" Through the haze of my hysteria and damp eyes, the look Jason was giving me registered.

  It was a 'great, she's lost it and I'm going to have to help three children survive' look. I also saw my girls. They were looking at me with hopeful expressions. Maybe they wanted to be let in on the joke that had mommy laughing so hard.

  I took a few slow, steadying breaths, hiccuping several times with the effort. Apparently the girls thought this was even funnier than my momentary lapse in sanity. They giggled now and the sound rang out, hitting the domed ceiling above and echoing back towards the lower levels.

  My laugh was relatively quiet compared to their jarring, childish chuckles.

  In a quick motion, I was kneeling beside them. "Hey babies. Mommy just had a crazy moment. We need to be quiet okay. Remember the bad things could be in here with us."

  Megan stopped her laughter with an iron will. Kara, on the other hand, took a bit more coaxing. Once you get a toddler laughing, it should be a crime to make them stop. It's not clapping that brings magical, mythical fairies to life; it's a child's laugh. I put my index finger on her small mouth. "Shhh, baby. Quiet now."

  Kara's laughter slowed and finally stopped.

  "Elise... I'm going to go, but will be back quickly. Are you going to be okay?" Jason looked doubtful and I felt embarrassed that I'd lost control.

  "I'm fine." He held my gaze for a moment. "Really Jason, I'm fine now. Cross my heart." I raised my right hand and made an X motion on my upper left chest.

  He didn't say anything else. He just nodded and walked away.

  We were lucky that the kids' store was still displaying winter clothes when the world ended. Warm weather apparel galore.

  It was pretty easy to find sizes for Megan. She was very petite for her age. I let her pick what she wanted as long as it was cold-weather approved. Lots of layers to put on and take off as the weather shifted. She made a beeline for everything brightly colored and glittered. It's not like fashion mattered any more, but I couldn't give my girls much now. So, if Megan wanted
a pair of bright purple, shiny corduroy pants and a faux fur jacket with a sequin-covered hood, then that's what she was getting.

  Of course, when you don't have to pay for the merchandise, it's much easier to have loose pockets.

  Kara was a bit more difficult. Unlike her sister, she was big for her age and seemed to be growing rapidly. There wasn't quite as much in her size, but I could go up to 3T and she'd be able to grow into it. I picked out ten or twelve different items, all things that could be mixed and matched. Megan followed suit, not missing a single neon-colored item in the store.

  By the end of our shopping frenzy, the girls had a modest wardrobe each. I looked at the now full stroller basket and seconded-guessed my decision. The excess would be a lot to transfer from vehicle to vehicle when that time came. In this moment though, I justified the extra work so that my kids would feel a modicum of normalcy. Maybe clothes were still important- if the current looks on my daughters' faces were any indication.

  Besides, I thought, as long as we aren't being charged by rabid undergrounders... I let the thought trail off into oblivion. The likelihood of not being charged by beasties again was about a zero to flying pigs to freezing temperatures in hell.

  Jason came back then and to my surprise, his cart was laden with cans. When he saw my gaping mouth, he grinned. "So, my hunch was spot on. Both restaurants had pantries full of diced tomatoes, corn, green chilies, refried beans and black beans. We'll mix it all together and have heartburn for a month."

  I smiled, the cart of cans making me feel better about the pile of abandoned food left at the Natural Bridge. "Please feel free to have those useful hunches in the future."

  "I'll do my best, but the crystal ball only works at its will." Jason made the last words sound very mysterious, like an oracle telling a great prophecy. He even wiggled his eyebrows.

  I laughed and, this time, the sound was controlled and short. "Anywhere else, you think?"