by J. Axbridge
We ran unbelievably hard for five straight minutes, definitely the hardest we’d run yet before stopping letting our pounding hearts have a short break while deciding our plan of action now that we knew there were those crazed things in this maze with us.
Taking notice of our surroundings, in the alleyways to our right still sat the beginnings of Lake Michigan lapping the shores of destruction innocently. To our left were paths of putrid death, junk and debris of all types leading to giant craters, mounds of rubble and feelings of unseen trouble. Definitely not paths I’d want to venture down.
As we stood there catching our breath I knew we couldn’t rest for long as more “Red Eyes” as Victoria and Caelyn were now calling them were more than likely coming up from the south behind us. Arthur showing bravado, although I know he just wanted to show off to Mayumi, took over the front position as we all rested. Peeking around the next corner we were to travel down heading north he stood statuesque as he turned back to us, his eyes wide while his back rested against a tall wall of rotting earth. “They’re surrounding us!” Arthur said to Mayumi quietly. Then to the rest of us in anxious worry he uttered lowly, “We need a plan . . . like now!”
“Arthur’s right!” Jax said urgently, “I just counted five coming up on us from the south as well and we can’t wait here to be surrounded.”
One of us had to make a decision so I gave the orders. “Arthur . . . you and Mayumi take the north side and keep track of how many there are. Retreat to a safer area if the odds are too great but don’t lead them back to this spot if possible, we need to keep these three safe.” I nodded towards our younger siblings - Caelyn, Victoria and Ethan.
“Got it . . . .” Mayumi said and began to turn then stopped and stared me in the eyes, “Good luck and do us proud Addie,” she smiled and then flipped her long braided hair back. It felt like a really bad dream but before I knew it she and Arthur had disappeared around the corner screaming battle cries as I heard them begin to fight with the advancing Red Eyes from the north.
I desperately wanted to be with my brother and Mayumi in their battle but we had our own fight to win, I just prayed they’d make it through this alive. Suddenly I was scared. Scared for their lives and scared for my life, and wished I’d had Mayumi’s confidence. I knew I’d have to fake it the best I could for now and not to let Jax or anyone down. Even though with each new challenge I’d faced I felt I was growing stronger, something inside me wasn’t quite ready for life or death battles.
“You three take this alleyway and hide,” I pointed down the alley to our right. “We’ll be back soon,” I yelled as Jax and I jogged off heading south to face the Red Eyes who were sneaking up from behind. With my shotgun and Jax close by, I suddenly felt a surge of invincibility well up inside and my heart began to pound preparing my body for battle. Hmm, is this what it’s like to feel total confidence? I thought as I kept on Jax’s heals, or is this what it feels like to turn into a werewolf?
Chapter 20 - Floating Away
Caelyn
Ethan, Victoria and I ran fearfully down the alleyway my big sister had told us to hide in. Thinking we were far enough away from danger, we stopped half way down to search for a good place to wait out the fighting. We didn’t want to go too near the water, it stunk of mold. But we definitely needed to be far from the main trail we came from. I couldn’t believe Addie and Arthur left the three of us to fend for ourselves, but so far things looked OK although the smell of rot was more overpowering than I first realized and it was starting to get to me.
Better to smell the rot than to be part of it, I thought as the three of us scanned the area for a good place to hunker down.
“There’s nowhere to hide.” I said in panic, looking all around and up the mounds of earth and grotesque destruction. “I definitely don’t want to climb up that gross stuff.” I pointed to areas of earth and death in the wall where it oozed red tinged slime disgustingness’. Maybe we should go down a different alley; they’ll find us when they come back.”
“Here . . . , we can squeeze in here,” Ethan yelled, moving trash out of the way revealing an upright office desk with just enough room for the three of us to squeeze under.
Quickly the three of us began moving the debris to enter what we thought was a great place to wait out the fighting. That’s when we heard sounds coming from just about every direction, except the water. Within seconds, before we could squeeze tightly under the desk, Red Eyes seeped into the alleyway from the sides and easily spotted us standing there in fear staring wide-eyed back at them. We now had no choice but to scoot all the way back into the cold, mucky, black waters that calmly rolled in behind us to escape the things, but now we were trapped. Not that I couldn’t swim through the disgustingness, we’ve all had swimming lessons but I’d rather not if it could somehow be avoided.
Stopping at knee height, not yet willing to go further out we turned around and Ethan raised his spear ready to fend off the Red Eyes’ best he could. Victoria and I pulled out our survival knives shaking as we watched those once human beings come towards us slowly robot-like unafraid of three kids, nor the cold, dark, stinking water we were standing in.
“LOOK, THERE . . .” I yelled super excited and pointed to my left, “Under that junk over there, it’s . . . it’s a boat.”
Hidden under moldy and decaying office furniture floated an actual aluminum fishing boat, ‘Sea Nymph’ although faded was clearly written on its side. It didn’t look in the best of shape, it was surely quite old and really dirty with dents and scrapes but more importantly, it was floating. Setting our packs of survival gear down we hurriedly lifted the furniture off, tossing it between us and the impending doom approaching. Then using all the strength the three of us could muster, we jumped in the boat and pushed off down the narrow alleyway of water using the single oar we found still laying on the slimed over aluminum seats.
“WAIT, WAIT OUR PACKS,” Ethan shouted, and pointed as we began floating away. But that was the least of my worries, it was too late anyway as the Red Eyes were getting closer and weren’t slowing. A few thankfully stopped at the water’s edge seeming confused, but others waded in, gaining on our small boat even while fighting the weight of their wet ragged clothing.
Ethan tossed his spear to me and I stuck it into the water and together with Victoria we pushed our boat down the alleyway further as fast and hard as we could while trying to avoid getting stuck or bumping into exposed debris. Our top priority was putting a safe distance between us and the advancing red eyed zombie people things.
At three feet deep the Red Eyes were still determined to catch up and to our dismay, were not turning back. The nearest one having navigated the water and debris better than the others reached out and grabbed the back of our boat with a jerk. I screamed like I’d never screamed before and jabbed Ethan’s spear back and forth into the red eyed man before putting it through its eye socket into its brain I assumed, because in a grunt of pain and blood its fingers slid off the boat and we pulled away. Being safe for a moment, we quickly pushed ourselves further away from the advancing danger. The remaining Red Eyes followed us closely for twenty or so more feet and stopped only when the water was up to their necks, giving them the ghoulish appearance of floating bodiless heads. Thankfully it appeared they couldn’t swim or at least didn’t want too.
Yep, definitely way scarier than any horror movie I’d ever seen, I thought, as I continued helping Victoria and Ethan push us further away from those things with all the strength I had left.
Unfortunately, we were so preoccupied with survival and escaping the Red Eyes that we hadn’t realized how far we’d actually floated down the alleyway until we were near its end. We were almost to the spot where the water was back to its normal dark blue hue and flowed freely into the vastness of Lake Michigan.
“Caelyn, stick the spear into the side of the wall and slow this boat down,” Victoria yelled panicked, as she stuck her oar into the water in front of the boat hoping to jam it into t
he lake floor. But her oar simply sunk in the deep waters and bobbed up again and again not catching the bottom, the water was obviously too deep and we were not slowing at all.
“I can’t get the spear to stick, what should I do?” I yelled back, but it was too late for action as our aluminum row boat picked up even more speed gliding out from the alleyway of death being swiftly sucked into the open waters of Lake Michigan.
The current had suddenly grown stronger; grasping our boat tightly like a feather in the wind, it shot us away from land in a whoosh. All of a sudden we were rapidly heading east into the vast body of open water with no control, soaked, afraid and alone with no idea of what to do next. We’d even lost our supplies.
Chapter 21 - Not Alone
Adelaide
With Jax’s sheer quickness and inhuman strength as a werewolf, he easily took care of the first three Red Eyes he and I faced with only minor scrapes. I used my shotgun to blast a fourth in the head just as it was reaching for me, causing bits of skull to scatter in all directions including on myself. Instinctively I recoiled in disgust as bits of dark red bloody goo dripped down my arms. However my confidence was growing; I excitedly aimed for another Red Eye, stepping over the first’s body to take my shot knowing this was going to be a piece of cake.
CLUNK, I pulled the trigger but nothing happened. Where was the deafening blast and painful recoil?
“OUT OF AMMO!” I cried, reaching behind my back and sliding out my aluminum bat, liking the way it felt gripped tightly in my hands. Being a former All-State softball player I swung hard and controlled, easily making direct contact to the Red Eye’s temple, feeling like a wet sack of potatoes on impact. “Homerun,” I cried out relieved. I turned to help Jax when I thought I heard the Red Eye I’d just knocked unconscious begin to snarl behind me. Turning back with a startle I was surprised to see the inhuman thing still alive even as blood dripped from his eyes, nose and ears, then as luck may have it, the damn thing began to stand.
Jax having already returned to human form pulled his gun out from the side of his zip coat and blasted the thing’s head at close range, taking care of that last Red Eye our path.
“Thanks Jax, although, I know, that you know, I had this,” I said, exhaustedly leaning back on a tilted vending machine which strangely enough, still contained bags of my favorite chips and snacks.
“I know you can take care of yourself Addie, but I figured, why should you have to exert so much energy so early in the day, we have a long ways to go and probably more fights ahead of us.” Jax pushed off the solid debris pile smiling then patting me on the small of my back as he passed. “Let’s go help the others, there’s no time to chitchat.” Even with our sweat and the stench of the gore around us, I could still smell his sweet scent of fresh pines and nature as he walked by me. I so could have collapsed into his body at that moment, having his strong arms wrapped around me holding my tired self up.
“WAIT!” I yelled as Jax started to take off. Taking aim, I swung hard, smashing open the vending machine, spraying a shower of glass into the air like a small fireworks display. Hurriedly Jax jogged back and we loaded up on bags of BBQ chips, chocolate candy and an assortment of protein and breakfast bars stuffing them into our back packs.
“OK, now we can go,” I gave Jax a thumbs up and together we sprinted up the path heading back to find Mayumi, Arthur, the twins and Ethan. I only prayed they were safe and had an easier time than Jax and I had.
Arriving at the spot where we originally separated from the group, finding no sign of any of them, I felt panic begin to well up inside. “Do you hear or smell anything Jax?”
“No I don’t . . . but I’m sure they’re fine. I’ll climb up this wall of junk and have a better look,” Jax said, finding a secure footing after kicking some rubble and trash out of the way. He easily shimmied up the repulsive wall to the top and looked out over the area. “The Red Eyes seemed to have disappeared as quickly as they appeared. I don’t see, smell or hear a thing; it’s weird, just that eerie silence again,” Jax leaned over the edge and yelled down to me.
“We need to find them Jax.” I said, my breath hitching. “Head further down the wall and I’ll check the alleyways down here, I just can’t remember the exact one they went down.” I pondered looking at all the intersecting alleyways. “Let’s meet back at this corner in about ten minutes.” With a nod from above, Jax took off taking leaps over protruding junk and looking from side to side as he ran down the wall above me. I then began running up and down each alleyway I could find, paying close attention to my location and for any signs of the twins, Ethan, Arthur and Mayumi. My heart was beating fast as I tried to convince myself that everyone was ok but I began to sweat with fear as my mind kept roaming back to the worst case scenarios.
Ten minutes later we’d met back up at the corner and Jax yelled down that he’d ran at least a quarter mile through end of the world decay finding no sign or scent trail leading to any of them. But luckily I’d stumbled onto a clue or at least I think I did.
“Jax, over here, I think I’ve found something.” I called out breathlessly.
“Where’d you go?” Jax hollered from on top of the wall. “I can’t see you.”
“Down the first alleyway east, follow my voice . . . or scent or whatever you do and get your butt over here.” I blushed to myself thinking, sexy butt, but left that part out for now.
He arrived a moment later and climbed down the grotesque wall of mashed existence finding me standing alone in two feet of water peering down the alleyway in distress. “Look there,” I pointed hastily, “There’s one of those damned Red Eyes floating dead and it looks like someone put a hole in its head. Is that the type of wound Ethan’s spear could have caused?” I asked with bated breath, hoping for a definitive “yes.”
“Hell yeah it does . . . that means they fought it out here in this alleyway and took at least one of them down, that’s good news. The better news is that I don’t see any of them floating beside that thing, so they’re probably alive somewhere hiding . . .” Jax paused, “Or maybe they were captured? Or maybe they made it down this alley of water somehow,” He surveyed the long alley of water searching for its end.
“There’s no way they could have swam it, not with their packs, but if they had a raft it’s possible they could have gotten away,” I muttered one of the many scenarios flying through my head. “I just pray they’re together somewhere safe!”
“They probably are,” Jax reassured me. “Just don’t forget that we still need to watch our backs Addie, we can’t let our guard down even while searching for your family and Mayumi . . . Although for the moment, it does seem we’re okay here but we need to find an even safer place and then figure our situation out. We can’t simply stand here waiting for another attack . . .” Jax spied the area uneasily. “Anyway, whatever those ‘Red Eyes’ are they’re not your typical zombie you’d see in a horror flick, they still have functioning brains and are surprisingly organized, and obviously know how to retreat and regroup. So no matter how tempting it is, we can’t take these things lightly. A couple of them gave us a really good fight and if they can adapt, we’ll have our hands full.” Jax said while searching for a good spot for him and me to climb the debris wall to the top.
“Don’t look so sad, it’s totally possible Ethan and the twins made it out alive, along with Mayumi and Arthur. They’re fighters, and Arthur’s growing into a man fast. And if by chance we did get separated, Mayumi knows where we’re heading, she’ll lead them safely to the Elders home and we’ll meet up there.” Jax was doing the best he could to help me stay positive and I adored him for that. I actually agreed with what he’d said to me despite the fact it wasn’t helping much, I was too worried about my brothers and sisters and wanted nothing more than to be together again. Then, as if on cue my positive will broke and I let the raging fear seep in.
“But what if they’re dead; I left them. IT’S ALL MY FAULT, WHAT TYPE OF STUPID SISTER WOULD LEAVE THEIR YOUNGE
R SIBLINGS BEHIND TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES IN THIS SHITTY WORLD WE NOW LIVE IN!”
“Addie, calm down. You didn’t leave them behind; you took the fight to the Red Eyes, to protect them for God’s sake. If other Red Eyes somehow found them, you couldn’t have known, you made the best decision you could have made considering our predicament and I would have done no different. Besides, we’ve all taught them how to protect themselves, so they can do it, they can survive, you must have faith in them.”
Taking deep rhythmic breaths to try and calm my frayed worried nerves, I contemplated my siblings’ safety.
“OK, let’s stay with the positive for now.” I stood straighter pushing hard to drive the fear out of my mind, “Suppose they made it out of this water alley alive. We need to find out where it leads and do it before nightfall. The first darkness will be here soon and if it can be avoided, I don’t want those kids out there on their own in the dark.” I looked down at the survival watch Arthur had given me for time confirmation but all it did was remind me of home and my missing parents.
“I wonder what my parents are doing right now . . . I mean, I wonder if they’re even still alive,” I blurted out randomly, now feeling guilty for not thinking of my parents the past few days. But staring at the date on the watch I realized it had been a while I’d last seen them.
“I’m sure they’re also fine,” Jax smiled and touched my shoulder sending bolts of electricity shooting from my heart throughout my whole body. I don’t think he noticed though but I was hyper aware of his warming touch. “Your dad is strong from what you’ve told me . . . , and if they’re in the guide book, then that must mean they’re special in some other way besides just being great parents,” Jax continued to smile curving my wavering confidence. “For now, let’s follow that waterway to the end like you suggested and see what’s out there. We’ll have to follow from up here though.” Jax turned and began walking up and down the mounds of debris following as close as he could to the water channel with me a close step behind still buzzing from his warm touch.