by Paul Cave
***
Squirrel heard the screech of rubber. He looked back and the helicopter launched itself into the air. A moving wall of darkness replaced it instantly.
“GO!” he yelled. He climbed out of the truck and threw himself over the hood. Alice sat rigid, frozen in her seat by fear. The mechanic reached in and grabbed her. He pulled her both out of the truck and to her senses. “RUN!” he ordered. They sprinted for the trees. They didn’t make it. Squirrel slipped and fell flat on his face. Alice slid to a halt. She spun around and reached out to help him to his feet. The mechanic looked up and watched as the solid mass rushed towards them. He grabbed Alice’s hand. Instead of climbing to his feet, he dragged her down on top of him, threw his arms over her protectively, and then squeezed his eyes shut.
Something hot and oily and massive passed over them. The smell of burnt rubber filled Squirrel’s nostrils with a thick, pungent reek. For a second, he felt as if the thing would rip them up off the highway and drag them to their deaths. But the sensation lasted for only the briefest moment. In the next second the trailer had passed over them harmlessly. Its giant wheels missed them by a mere fraction, before they sent the rig into the woods.
The first few trees took the full impact and exploded in a shower of wooden splinters. Tree trunks snapped in half like brittle twigs. Bara, bloodied and broken, flew from the cabin and bounced and spun violently as she smashed against first one tree and then the next. She finished scattered in pieces throughout the woodland. The eighteen-wheeler gave one final groan. The trailer finished tilted listlessly to one side, half sunken in the roadside ditch.
Squirrel turned towards the wreck. Everything had gone quiet. He climbed to his feet before helping Alice to hers.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
Alice found herself speechless for a second, then a weak, “Yeah,” croaked from between grey lips. Her entire face looked bleached of colour.
Shock, Squirrel thought. He gripped her arm and forced her to look at him. “Take a deep breath. We’re okay. We made it.”
Alice gulped in air.
“Are you okay?” Squirrel asked, seeing her struggle to draw breath.
She opened her mouth. The clatter of rotor-blades silenced her reply. They gazed upwards and watched as the helicopter drifted down towards them. “Squirrel,” Alice moaned, terrified. He held her tight as he followed the aircraft’s descent. It touched down about twenty yards in front of them. Squirrel looked to the trees, ready to bolt for freedom. Still, before he got his legs to move, something else began to drone noisily from behind. He turned and watched as the darkness parted to allow the remaining jeep to appear. It bounced and skidded towards them. The trees beckoned but he knew the jeep was more than capable of following. They would be cut down in seconds.
Two boots appeared at the side of the helicopter. A huge figure moved around the aircraft, a collaboration of iron and menace held in its two mighty hands. The figure stepped away from the downwash and then grinned malevolently at them.
“Get down,” Ben said.
Both stood frozen.
“Get down,” Ben ordered again.
Ben slid the firing-pin back and armed the Browning. The aggressive sound pulled both Squirrel and Alice out of their trance. They both dropped to the floor instantly. Ben planted his feet wide apart. He drew the weapon into his shoulder. Thirty yards in front of him, the jeep revved. The vampire in the rear trained his weapon towards the gunner.
A line of bullets tore up the highway directly to Ben’s right, passing him in a series of miniature explosions. The gunner held his nerve. He waited and another line of fire cut towards him from the left. The jeep closed in and the third attack almost found its mark. Ben pushed his shoulder into the Browning and then fired. The weapon chattered noisily and spent shells fell to the highway in a brass shower. He found his mark first time. The jeep slowed instantly, as if hitting a brick wall. The driver disappeared in a shower of gore, his arms and head scattering in opposite directions. The vampire in the rear tried to jump clear, but Ben cut him in two. His upper half fell onto the highway. It tried to crawl towards the trees in a bizarre act of horror. Ben ended its misery with a couple of well-placed shots. With no driver to steer it, the jeep rolled to a halt, finishing a foot or so away from Squirrel and Alice.
The rotors of the helicopter began to slow and the clatter they made drifted away like the distant roll of thunder. Stepping away from the aircraft, Ben asked, “Are you two alright?”
“Yeah,” the mechanic replied weakly.
“Good,” Ben said. “We’d better get out of here. The rest of the convoy isn’t far behind. Come on.” He turned and headed back to the Huey.
“Wait,” Alice called.
Ben stopped.
“Who the hell are you?” she asked.
“Quickly, there’s no time for introductions.”
“I’m not getting into that thing unless I know who with.”
“Listen lady, I haven’t got time for your bullshit. Now either climb aboard or stay here and take your chances with the rest of Ezekiel’s army.”
“You know about Ezekiel’s army?” Squirrel asked, as he joined Alice.
“Yeah, and if you don’t hurry you’ll soon be part of it. Now come on.”
“What do you think?” Squirrel asked Alice.
“I’m not sure, Squirrel. What do you think?”
Ben stopped dead. He spun around. “What did you just call him?”
“What?” Alice asked, worried she’d angered the huge man somehow.
“His name. What’s his name?”
“Squirrel. Why?”
Ben’s face cracked open with a wide smile. “I’ll be damned,” he said. “You’re a mechanic, right?”
“Yeah,” Squirrel nodded, confused. “But how do you know that?”
Ben’s grin widened, it stretched from ear to ear. “Why, from Jacob Cain, that’s how.”
“You know Jacob Cain?” Alice asked.
“You bet,” Ben responded.
“Where is he?” Squirrel and Alice said in unison.
Ben’s grin slipped and his face turned uncharacteristically serious. “He’s buying us some time.”
“For what?” Alice asked.
“Our survival,” came the reply. Lieutenant Hutson stepped away from the aircraft to join Ben by his side.
“Kate?” Alice asked, as the woman drew near.
“Lieutenant?” Squirrel added.
Hutson smiled warmly. “Don’t worry about this big old oaf. He’s a friend of ours.”
Shocked by the unexpected appearance of the lieutenant, both Alice and Squirrel stood open-mouthed.
“I think you’d better come take a look at this. Especially you, Squirrel,” Hutson said, gesturing towards the Huey and the large crate that had been roughly fixed to its side.
Ben made his way towards the helicopter. Both Squirrel and Alice followed. As she passed the rear of the trailer, Alice heard a muffled noise come from within. She drew alongside the trailer. Pressed her ear carefully against the metal surface. At first the noise baffled her. But then, with startling clarity, she understood what lay within. She bolted away from the side and moved directly to the rear. She reached up to tug at the opening mechanism. The back doors opened with a squeal of rusty hinges. What she found inside sucked Alice’s breath right out of her lungs.
Human prisoners.
Alive.
Chapter Forty-Two
Trees whipped past in a constant blur. The dirt bike weaved its way through the tight foliage and kept the convoy of trucks, jeeps, huge rigs and motorbikes to its right. Jacob watched as the army snaked southwards in one continuous line of flesh and chrome. Most of the foot-soldiers had joined their comrades on the highway, marching alongside the steady stream of vehicles. One or two stragglers remained in the woodlands, and it was these henchmen that the tracker kept an eye out for. Pet was pinned at the rear and his skinny arms cut into Jacob’s stomach.
> The dirt track that they followed began to narrow down to little more than a shallow trough. Jacob steered his way as far as the track would allow, then slid to a halt. The sound of diesel engines and marching boots drew his attention to the highway. It was time to find an opening and join the rest of Ezekiel’s army.
“Hold on,” Jacob said over his shoulder. He twisted the handlebars and dropped the bike towards the black strip of road. They bounced and juddered, the forks at the front taking most of the impact, and broke through the wall of trees. The bike skidded to a stop, directly in front of a platoon of armed soldiers.
The front row of soldiers halted abruptly. A swath of black uniforms blended in perfectly with the darkness that surrounded them. Sleek, deadly machineguns hung loosely from their shoulders. Stitched into the upper arm of their jackets were three red daggers, signifying Ezekiel’s elite guard.
The lead vampire’s hand closed around the handlebars. “Where are you going in such a hurry?” The muscular vampire appeared to be almost bursting out of his uniform.
Jacob cleared his throat. “Picking up stragglers.” He eyed the huge vampire and met its gaze with equal intensity. “Not all of your men seem adept at following simple orders. Or directions for that matter.”
“What are you talking about?” the vampire questioned.
“Fools like this one,” Jacob said, with a backwards tilt of his head towards his pillion. Pet tried to offer the soldier a grin, but the tight chinstrap turned it into a grimace.
The soldier’s eyes narrowed as he looked over the other’s uniform. Unlike theirs, it had no insignia stitched into the arm or any other discernable markings. “This fool is not part of my platoon. Where are you from, soldier?”
Pet tried to speak but the helmet held his jaw tight.
Jacob spoke: “He’s part of the logistics crew. Lost his way a couple of miles back. I was sent to find him. He’s not too bright.”
“Really?” the soldier quizzed, “and who might you be?”
Jacob dropped his hand inside the pocket of his jacket. He felt the reassuring presence of the frag grenade. “I’m Jacob Cain, scout for the logistics crew.”
“The logistics crew, hey?” the vampire said cautiously. “You’re a long way from your command. Logistics is way up front. A couple of miles away at least.”
“Like I said, I came back to find this fool.” Jacob’s finger threaded itself through the pin of the grenade. “I’ll be on my way.”
“Watch where you’re going in future. You’re lucky my men didn’t shoot you instantly. Ezekiel takes his security very seriously.”
Jacob bowed submissively in an exaggerated show of gratitude. “We’ll be out of your way immediately.” He throttled the bike and readied to move out. However, before he had chance to pull away, another vampire spoke urgently into the ear of the first.
“Wait!” the huge vampire ordered, once they’d finished.
Jacob’s foot pressed heavily on the brake, but his hand throttled back slightly. “What?” he asked, over the roar of the engine.
The vampire signalled for the engine to be cut. Jacob looked ahead. The highway appeared to swell with either one type of soldier or another, and the dark stretch of road offered little or no chance of escape. He turned the ignition off and killed the engine. His other hand, nonetheless, stayed clamped firmly around the grenade.
The two vampires entered into a quick, furtive discussion. The huge vampire turned his attention back to Jacob. “It seems a… position for two technicians has arisen. Two of our techs were left behind… stragglers as you call them. Only we don’t tolerate such weaknesses. They were left behind permanently, if you get my meaning.”
Both nodded, Pet more so than his colleague. Jacob had to fight to prevent himself from grinning like a fool. He could not believe his luck. Yet he also understood that to offer his services too freely would look either suspicious or overeager. “Wait a minute,” he said, “what the hell are we supposed to do as a tech?” His question seemed to irritate the huge vampire and he hoped he hadn’t been too convincing.
“Whatever we tell you to do. Now stop gawping and get moving.”
“Where to?”
The vampire turned back and pointed towards the end line of soldiers. “Follow these men until you come to a large silver Airstreamer. You know what that is, right?”
He did. “Yeah.”
“Good. Once there ask for Brother Trask. He’ll assign you your duties.”
“Brother Trask?”
“Yeah. He’s one of Master Ezekiel’s lieutenants. A real hard-ass.”
“Ezekiel’s lieutenant?”
“What the fuck are you – a parrot?” the vampire growled.
Jacob shook his head. “Just making sure of my orders.”
“Well, now you have them. Tell him Captain Balack has sent you.”
“Yes Captain,” Jacob said, and flipped him a salute.
“So what are you waiting for? Go!”
Jacob brought the dirt bike to life, then steered away from the colossal vampire and made his way along the line of soldiers. Every one of them looked highly prepared, each with a well-maintained weapon at its side. They were a mixture of men and women, although as he passed them Jacob struggled to make out which sex some of them belonged to. With their lean bodies, long hair and identical uniforms, most could be of either gender. One thing they all shared – whether they were male or female – was the hunger for battle. They marched with determination and purpose, in line, organised and deadly. The tracker shuddered. If they reached the underground, then it would almost certainly be the end for mankind. He had to find Ezekiel, and soon. Only the loss of their leader could possibly halt this mighty army’s advance.
The bike rounded a bend and they were unexpectedly caught in the bright headlights of a chrome mammoth. A horn sounded. Brakes were applied and the release of compressed air filled the highway. The giant wagon shuddered to a halt. It sat there like a beast from hell, waiting to devour those who dared to pass. Steam rose from the huge grill-plate at the front in an exhalation of breath. Four headlights burnt so brightly that Jacob felt heat wash over him. For a second he thought the white beams would actually burn his skin. The windshield was a mirror of black glass, impenetrable, and it was impossible to see the driver of this magnificent beast. Tyres almost as tall as Jacob himself held the wagon four feet from the highway. Polished chrome covered the vehicle from fender to fender in a gleaming silver skin.
Jacob heard an electronic hum as the side window slipped open. A lean face appeared at the break and it stared at them with both anger and irritation. “Where the fuck are you two going? The battle is that way.” A bony arm threaded itself outside. Then pointed in the direction they had just come from.
“We’ve been assigned to Brother Trask. He requires two new technicians,” Jacob explained.
The driver’s arm slid back inside the cabin, gracefully, like the movement of a snake. “Ah – Captain Balack has finally found… replacements. Good.” He smiled slyly, and Jacob though the guy looked like a direct descendent of a cobra. “Join the back and keep in formation. Once we stop to make camp find Brother Trask. He’ll assign you to your duties.”
“Brother Trask?” Jacob asked.
The vampire hissed with a fit of mean laughter. “He’s hard to miss. Now get out of my way before I crush you flat.” The window hummed as it slid shut. The wagon lurched forwards, barely allowing the bike to steer clear. Its huge wheels kicked up large stones as it pulled away. Behind it came a thirty-foot Airstreamer trailer. A large, oily coupling buckled and squealed and kept the impressive trailer connected to the rear of the wagon. The trailer stretched out like a silver rocket. Chrome panels covered it from tip to tip. Additional metal plates had been added, mainly over the wheels and windows, and they looked solid enough to have taken a direct hit from one of Ben’s Brownings. A mobile control centre, Jacob realised instantly.
The tracker felt a cold sweat break out
on his skin. He was just feet away from the leader of the vampires. Inside beat the very heart of the undead army. Meticulously planning the destruction of the human race, no doubt. Jacob felt for one of the grenades, but he knew, realistically, that it would be incapable of damaging the bullet-proof Airstreamer. Better to wait and see if a more fruitful opportunity arose, he thought. He concentrated instead on joining the rear of the convoy.
They seemed to march for hours, a constant thump of boots, which drew ever closer to the remnants of the human race. Eventually, a signal spread from ahead, passed from soldier to soldier, telling them to halt. Jacob hit the brakes and slid to a stop. He arched his back in an attempt to work the stiffness out of his spine.
All around them, soldiers began to drop their weapons, exchanging them for their backpacks. A legion of vampires began to jog quickly away, their task to erect shelter for the rest of Ezekiel’s army. Some of the vampires who remained began to unpack tents and aluminium poles. In no time at all they had begun to form a command post.
“You there, what are you gawping at?”
Jacob turned to face the colossal figure of Captain Balack. “We’re waiting for instructions.”
“You were told to inform Brother Trask of your recruitment,” Balack reminded the pair.
Jacob looked from one devilish face to the next. Which one belonged to Brother Trask?
“What’s this about recruitment I hear?” a gravely voice quizzed. A squat, muscular vampire stepped out of the gloom, dressed in an impressive garb of armour. He had a rifle or club, or a mixture of the two, hanging down from around his broad shoulder. “Why haven’t the fires been lit?” he asked the huge vampire. Almost twice the size of Trask, Balack still twitched with an uncontrollable fear. “We’re working on it now,” he replied, unable to hide his anxiety.
“Well hurry,” Trask said. “The wolves around here are hungry!”
“We’ll have a perimeter set up immediately,” Balack responded.