Ed ignored her, and said, “Lead us to our weapons, or you’ll see just how big a dick I can be.”
The woman took off her glasses, and glared at Ed with her fierce blue eyes. He pointed with his gun, gesturing for her to start walking in front of them. She looked young, maybe in her mid 20’s. The kid, who looked around 12, was probably a brother or someone she teamed up with on the road.
As they walked to the store, the woman asked, “So, what’s your name, Mr. Homeland Security?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Ed said. “Keep walking.”
“Is he always this grumpy?” the woman asked, turning and grinning at Brent.
Brent wanted to say nothing, to stay as serious as Ed was, but the mischievous part of him hadn’t been let out in a while. Plus, Ed did gross him out with all that talk of eating a pregnant spider.
“Yeah, he used to work at the DMV before becoming an agent. He’s a teddy bear when you get to know him, though.”
“No, I’m not,” Ed said, not even looking at Brent, keeping his eyes, and gun, trained on the woman and child in front of them.
“Aw, did someone not get enough love as a child?” the woman asked. “My name is Lisa, and this is Billy. It’s a pleasure meeting you both.”
She stopped and offered her hand to shake.
Ed pointed with the gun, “Keep walking.”
Ed turned to Brent, “She a relative of yours? She sure is chatty.”
Brent laughed, hoping Ed would return the laugh, but he stayed corporate.
“So, you’re with the government; can you tell us what the hell happened? Where everyone went? What the fuck these monsters are?”
Brent wanted to say they’re not monsters, but aliens, but kept his mouth shut. He wasn’t sure what information was still classified. There was no disguising the fact that these things were running rampant, but what they were, that was still top secret shit, perhaps.
“That’s classified information,” Ed said in his gruffest voice.
“Ah, so it was you all that made the world go poof? I figured as much.”
Ed didn’t respond.
When they neared the grocery store, the woman pointed inside and said, “Your stuff is in there, inside the manager’s office. You think you can leave us something?”
“Like your boy left us? No. Besides, as you said, there’s plenty of stores you can find what you need.”
“You’re the government; you’re supposed to help us!” Lisa said, turning back and casting an exaggerated angry look at Ed. Though she was likely serious, Brent couldn’t help but notice how good she was at banter. She was probably a rather successful person before October 15, like one of the power networkers he used to run into on the job — someone who could get anything, meet anyone, or find out anything through the power of their words alone. The opposite of Ed, who couldn’t persuade without a weapon or the threat of violence.
“Where are you two going?” Lisa asked. “Are there others out there? Other than the people who killed our friend the other night, and chased us here?”
“Yes, there’s others,” Ed said, surprising Brent with his candor. “At a place called Black Island, up by New York City.”
“Never heard of it,” Lisa said.
“Most haven’t,” Ed said.
“So, can you take us back there? Is it safe?”
“Yeah, it’s safe, but we’re not headed back for some time.”
“Why not?”
“Because we’re looking for someone,” Ed said.
“Who? Wait, lemme guess . . . Classified?” Lisa said as she pulled the double mechanical doors of the grocery store open, and slid inside. The kid was right behind her.
“That depends, do you know anyone named Boricio?” Ed said, as they followed the duo into the grocery store.
The minute they breached the doorway, rifles were pressed into their heads, held by men in black gear similar to their own.
Lisa turned and smiled.
“Wow, Black Island has approximately shit on Black Mountain Guardsmen.”
* * * *
LUCA HARDING: PART 4
At the top of the stairs, Luca looked at Boricio. “Thank you,” he said.
“You can give Boricio the Blue Ribbon later, and maybe teach me the magic mind bayou voodoo you do so well. Right now, it’s time to keep the balls swinging in their sacks and kill us some fuckers.”
Luca didn’t know what happened, what he’d done to Boricio, or if he’d done anything at all. Nor did he know what to make of the scene he saw or the lightning that struck he and the three versions of Boricio. He wondered if that jolt had something to do with his inability to bring Mary or Paola back. Maybe his healing powers were gone.
Or maybe he just couldn’t bring people back once they were dead.
His heart was broken, even more so for Desmond, but they had no time to nurse their wounds now. The Sanctuary had become a battleground, as the men, women, and children fought the demons with guns, shovels, and anything they could find.
The courtyard was bathed in the orange glow of the children’s house, which had caught fire. Corpses, at least a dozen humans and maybe nine of the demons, lay on the ground. Luca saw the mean girl from his class, Tammy, lying on the ground in front of the barn, choking up blood. One of the monsters came out of the darkness, and landed on her, it was on all fours like a beast. It grabbed both her arms and ripped them from their sockets, then ran off with the souvenirs. Tammy’s dead eyes stared at the churning clouds in the night sky above as blood spurted out of where her arms had been, adding more red to the snow.
Despite all she had done, Luca wanted to run to her, and try to save her.
Then he remembered Rebecca, and couldn’t believe that he’d forgotten about her in all that had happened. His eyes found the box Rebecca had been in, turned over on its side in the middle of the courtyard, open and empty.
Oh God, she’s dead, too.
He scanned the chaos, searching for her. Maybe she’d made it into one of the houses, where he could hear gunshots as the people tried to fight off the monsters.
Luca searched the corpses, praying not to find hers.
Boricio raced off, firing shots at one of the creatures and then another.
Luca turned, confused, overwhelmed by the cacophony of noises both external and the flood of frightened thoughts all around him. These thoughts were even louder and more powerful than the others, though, as he could also feel the fear, and pain of the people of The Sanctuary as they fought for their lives.
Luca dropped to his knees and closed his eyes, oblivious to the danger of doing so, as he reached out into the madness to search for Rebecca’s thoughts. People and monsters both raced past and bumped against him. He tried to ignore them until he heard her.
“Luca are you out there? I’m so scared. Please . . .”
Then something slammed into Luca, knocking him back. He opened his eyes to see one of the demons on top of him.
It looked down, eyes gleaming, mouth open, rows of jagged teeth ready to bite.
An explosion of thunder, and the monster’s head erupted in black goo.
Boricio appeared, firing a second shot, which thrust the rest of the monster to the ground.
Boricio yanked Luca off the ground. “Not a good time to be napping, kid!”
Luca was stunned and disoriented. The world was speeding by in a blur, and he just wanted to retreat. Close his eyes and go back home.
But he had to find Rebecca. Though he couldn’t close his eyes and concentrate, he still tried to listen for Rebecca’s voice again.
Boricio fired at another monster, dropping it in two shots, then turned to Luca.
“Looking for Strawberry Shortcake, kid? Follow me and we’ll find her together.” Boricio handed Luca a pistol, then said, “I imagine you’ve got dick of an idea how to use that, right?”
“I’ve never used a gun.”
“Ever play with toy guns in the backyard?”
Luca no
dded.
Boricio held his gun in the air and aimed. “It’s exactly the same as toy guns. Point at what you wanna kill, then pull the trigger till it’s dead. If you don’t think, it goes faster. Now come on.”
Boricio raced through the courtyard, gun in in the lead. Luca followed.
It was easy to feel safe and strong behind Boricio. He seemed fearless, even when there were monsters running toward him. He never flinched, just raised his gun, aimed, if he had time, then pulled the trigger until the monsters stopped moving. Once, when one of the monsters was faster than Boricio and he couldn't get his gun raised in time, he used his fists instead.
Luca cringed at the sounds of Boricio’s flesh sloshing into the monster’s slippery black skin. The creature cried like a swung cat, probably shocked by Boricio’s lethal attack. Boricio spun himself behind the monster, then kicked it from the back. When the creature landed on the ground, Boricio aimed just above its slit for a nose, pulled the trigger, then laughed. “Will you look at that gallon of demon goo! You could tar the fucking highway with that shit!”
Boricio led them through the courtyard, through the madness, in search of Rebecca.
The roar of gunfire started to dim, as the crowd began to dissipate from between the houses. The hanger was now the busiest part of The Sanctuary, as members of the congregation abandoned their faith, piled into cars, and floored pedals toward escape. A hundred feet or so from the hangar, Luca saw one of the brothers dragging Rebecca behind him, as she kicked and screamed and thrashed in the dirt. She saw Luca and cried for help.
Luca broke into a run.
The Brother, whom Luca didn’t recognize, saw Luca and turned and fired a shot, but it whizzed right by. Luca didn’t dare fire his gun for fear of hitting Rebecca. Instead, he raced at the man, who let go of Rebecca and steadied his aim at Luca, holding his pistol with both hands.
Luca raced ahead, staring right down the chamber of the man’s loaded gun.
Is this how I’ll die? Is this what Will wouldn’t tell me?
He had to get to Rebecca. He didn’t care about the threat. Nor did he need to.
Boricio’s bullets found the man true and killed him before he could squeeze off another round.
Luca reached Rebecca, frightened out of her mind, and crying. He collapsed to the ground beside her and pulled her close.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Rebecca wept into Luca’s chest. “They killed my mom,” Rebecca cried.
“I’m sorry,” Luca said, then turned to Boricio, who was right behind him, eyes on the lookout.
“Get us a car,” Luca said, “And keep Rebecca safe. I need to find Desmond.”
Boricio made a face that was sort of like a smile, though Luca couldn't really tell.
Linc appeared, blood all over his clothes, and holding a pitchfork covered in black demon blood. “Where’s Desmond?”
“I dunno,” Luca said. “Let’s find him while Boricio gets us a car.”
Linc nodded his head as Boricio took Rebecca’s hand from Luca, and led her toward the hangar, saying “Whatever you say, G.I. Junior” as he walked off, laughing as he fired at monsters and anything else that stood in his way.
The chaos around them was dying, but the nightmare was just getting started. There was a black inside Luca’s mind he couldn't see through. The only thing that made things okay was the glimmer of Will in the distance, roaring toward them as fast as he could.
* * * *
DESMOND ARMSTRONG: PART 5
Desmond found Rei behind the barn, just as Rei finished off one of the monsters.
Desmond had a shot from about 40 yards away, but Desmond didn’t want to dull the vengeance with a ranged shot in the back. No, that wouldn’t do. He wanted to experience Rei’s death up close.
He wanted to see the lights leave his eyes.
Desmond should have taken vengeance when he had the chance.
Rei heard him coming, spun around and fired. He missed, but the sudden shock of Rei’s shot caused Desmond to duck and weave. Rei bobbed from view before Desmond could recover his aim. Desmond was on Rei seconds later.
Desmond kicked the gun from Rei’s hand. Rei managed to grab Desmond’s right wrist and squeezed hard, wrenching Desmond’s gun away. The pistol fell to the snow and Rei jumped toward it.
Demond fell atop him, got him in a headlock, and pulled back just as Rei’s fingers grasped at the gun handle.
Desmond rolled back, pulling Rei with him, and away from the gun.
Desmond squeezed Rei’s neck with all his might, choking the life out of the weasel.
“Die, fucker, die!” Desmond said through gritted teeth, squeezing even tighter.
Rei struggled, his legs and arms flailing wildly, attempting to break free.
Desmond squeezed tighter, then reached up with his free arm and gouged Rei’s eyes out, thrusting his fingers deep into Rei’s warm eye sockets, puncturing balloons of blood that seeped forth.
Rei screamed, shaking even more violently.
Die you fucker. Die, die, die!
A moment later, Rei obliged, his limbs falling limp to the crimson snow.
Desmond collapsed into tears of grief for Paola, Mary, and their unborn baby.
Just when Desmond was about to renew his vengeance upon Rei’s lifeless corpse, Linc and Luca appeared. “Desmond!” Luca called out.
Desmond stood up, gave a final scowl at the deceased harbinger of death, then began to walk toward his friends when his back, then stomach, erupted in explosions of pain. He looked down just in time to see a monster’s hand sticking through his guts.
* * * *
LUCA HARDING: PART 5
Luca screamed to warn Desmond, but he was too late.
The creature dropped Desmond’s dead body in the snow, then opened its mouth wide, screeching at Luca and Linc.
Linc, with only the pitchfork could not attack the demon. It ran toward them, at full speed.
Luca raised his pistol and fired at the rapidly approaching doom. Linc held his pitchfork out, ready to strike.
One of Luca’s bullets connected, and the creature rolled to the ground in a shriek just short of them. But it was not dead.
Linc stabbed the beast through the head. Now it was.
The rear gate burst off its hinges as a fresh wave of the creatures raced into the grounds of The Sanctuary.
“Fuck!” Linc screamed, “Let’s go!”
Linc and Luca raced toward the hangar and the hope of escape with Rebecca and Boricio. The creatures, at least eight of them, were hot on their heels.
Two cars screamed from the hangar, plowing right into one of the several creatures scattered outside the hangar, waiting for them. Both cars made it to the front gate.
Luca hoped to God Boricio was still in the hangar, waiting for them, and that they could get to his car in time.
Luca wasn’t sure how many bullets his gun had left, but he doubted many. And while there were plenty of scattered weapons lying next to corpses in the snow, he didn’t think he’d be able to get to any before the monsters made a meal of him.
He swallowed, preparing for death, when Boricio and Rebecca raced from the hangar entrance in a black Escalade. Boricio whooping and hollering so loud, Luca could hear him outside the car’s cabin, even above the roar of the engine and screeching from the monsters.
Boricio tore through a cluster of creatures, then swerved toward Luca and Linc.
The monsters were just steps behind, and gaining ground.
Luca raced toward Boricio, pinched his brain, and thought, “Run them over.”
“Gotchya,” Boricio thought.
Borico was angling the Escalade directly at them. At the last possible moment, Luca shoved Linc to the side and onto the ground just as Boricio sped past them, striking a mob of creatures, sending some flying backward and crunching others beneath the Escalade’s oversized tires.
Three creatures raced past Linc and Luca, eyes now on Boricio’s truck.
<
br /> Luca sat up and took aim, hitting two of the creatures as the third veered off toward a new target, one of the Brothers who was fleeing from the main house.
The courtyard was momentarily cleared. Boricio drove up next to them, rolled down the driver’s side window and said, “What the French fried fuck are you waiting for? Git your asses inside!”
Rebecca opened the back and they climbed inside. Linc slammed the door shut just as another monster landed on the Escalade’s roof, quickly followed by another.
Another two sprung onto the hood, their claws ripping through the Escalade’s metal and digging deep into the engine.
A shrill and sudden ringing filled the night, followed by an explosion. The main house erupted in flames. Then the second house echoed, with a second detonation sending it to splinters.
The third house was already on fire.
Boricio gunned the engine, but nothing happened.
“Fuck my asshole with asphalt!” Boricio’s face was beading with sweat. He gunned the engine again. The silence seemed louder the second time.
“Alright folks,” he said, turning to the backseat. “Looks like we’re gonna have to run from here to there,” He nodded toward the barn. “There’s at least three of them greasy mother fuckers outside, maybe five. Anyone got bullets left?”
Luca handed Boricio his gun so he could check.
“Okay, we’ve got one bullet left. Awesome.”
The car started to shake violently. The clicking and screeching outside the cabin was deafening, as though the monsters were determined to be heard.
“We’ve got slightly less than no time. You trip, stumble, think or breathe, you’ll end up a couple hundred pounds of demon chew. You run, and don’t stop. First one to look behind them is a rotten egg forever. I’m gonna bust this door open and run as fast as I can in the other direction.” Boricio pointed to the church that would never be finished, then pointed at Rebecca. “You wait five-seconds, then open the door and run as fast as you can. Miracle Boy will follow. Linc, you go last, or with Luca. Don’t look behind you, no matter what. I guarantee every one of them fuckers’ll be following me. I’ll lead ‘em in the other direction, then circle back round to the barn.”
Yesterdays Gone: SEASON TWO (THE POST-APOCALYPTIC SERIAL THRILLER) (Yesterday's Gone) Page 49