Dead Hunger | Book 10 | The Remnants

by Shelman, Eric A.

  You first, he said, using his telepathy again. They had agreed it would be best to remain 100% stealthy.

  Isis gripped the rope and climbed; her feet pressed against the heavy trunk of the tree. In three strides, she was atop the first branch. She stood and looked down.

  She nodded, and Max duplicated her climb. Once up, he removed the rope and re-coiled it, clipping it once again to his holster. By the time he was done, he looked up to see Isis already ten feet above him.

  How high? he asked.

  Isis looked around from her perch. Looking back down at Max, she thought, Let’s cover two sides. You get over on the south side, I’ll straddle this one on the north. That way we can both see the pit, but I can still see the trail leading to Athens and you can see the trail leading to points south.

  Max nodded, and they both moved into position. The leaves of the walnut tree were thick, but it was still well possible to peer through them for a clear view of the ground.

  *****

  Darkness fell and Max and Isis honed their senses. They played telepathy games using the numbers and colors they always did, but now the colors were not red, blue, green, and yellow, as they were when they were kids; now they were chartreuse, mauve, lavender and cerulean. They continued their games until they heard a faint rustling below them.

  Max, down, said Isis.

  He looked down. You seeing this? he asked.

  My eyes are as good or better than yours, Maxy, she said. They’re deeper than we thought.

  Though they scanned the entire area around the base of the large walnut tree, only one was moving. It had been dark for perhaps twenty minutes, and as the sun sank further below the horizon, the darkness grew deeper.

  The sole active creature wriggled out of the capsule-like tunnel it had created. As the leaves and debris moved away, a sheet of what appeared to be some kind of rough, curved bark could be seen sliding outward, revealing the face.

  Max, don’t move.

  Max knew why Isis had said it without asking. They hadn’t considered that when these things unearthed themselves, they would be facing upward – staring directly at the canopy of trees above them.

  Luckily, Max and Isis were both shielded by heavy branches, and with the night sky, their vision would have to be extraordinary to spot the pair.

  Also without coordination, Max and Isis held their breaths as the bark sheathing slid completely clear. A fine, red mist billowed gently out of the makeshift bed, and in the next moment, the female’s arms snaked out of the pit, reaching out and clutching at the earth.

  It pulled. Its body slid. It never opened its eyes.

  Isis eased her breath out, as did Max. They had gotten lucky. The creature was entirely nude; it made sense to Max and Isis. The clothes they would have had on at the time of their changing would have been torn away after so many years.

  They don’t sleep, said Max. Why the holes?

  It was a question Isis had, too, but when she saw the mist wafting out of the hole as she made her way out, it was answered.

  I think they’re cocooning inside, surrounding themselves with a high concentration of the earth gas. Remember, it’s not coming out with near the force it was back during the original release.

  Shit, you’re right, said Max. Like marinating in it. Think it’s like a battery recharge?

  It’s a good analogy, said Isis. Now the question is why is only one awakening?

  The Red-Eyes do love their hierarchy, answered Max.

  The one who awakened first stood, her arms by her side. Isis looked at her, studying her hard.

  Nothing had really changed about their appearance except the fact that they were not carrying dead children within them. The one below them, as Manuel had said, had a gaping hole in her belly.

  At once, all of the earth beds began to shed their leaves. The hands, some of which had been partially visible while they had been in their holes, gently brushed them away to reveal the same piece of wood or bark. It was then that Isis realized what they were for.

  Seals, she said. They provide an air bell of sorts. Capturing the gas so they can breathe it. I’m betting there’s more of them than we can see from here.

  The forest bed had now come alive. The only area that was not shifting and moving was the trail itself; they were all a couple of feet to either side of it, as though they planned it all out.

  It goes on as far as I can see, said Max.

  So, the question is, how many of them are there? asked Isis.

  Now the forest was not only heavily occupied, the air underneath the canopy of trees was tinted red. This did obscure both Max’s and Isis’ vision, so they could no longer see as far into the woods as before.

  As each body rose, they stood still, as though awaiting commands. This went on for three hours as zombies that had been more distant moved in and stopped, waiting.

  The pair in the tree shifted and tried to bring numb limbs back to life as they waited for something to happen.

  The moon rose higher in the sky, and now its light filtered through the mist, making it easier to see the gathering crowd below them.

  There were hundreds of them, but what really surprised Isis was the same thing that surprised Max.

  There were males there, too. Emaciated and shredded, also nude, mostly. Some had remnants of pants and durable leather belts around bare waists, but the females appeared better preserved.

  For the most part. Some were not so tattered. And to go along with that fact, what really caught Isis’ eye were the fully dressed females. There were at least six of them, all told. There were probably more. Were the ones with more clothing on newer recruits? Former residents of Athens or Lula? Points south, east, or west?

  The thought horrified Isis. This meant they could still change people into the walking dead. Even with the gas at a minimum. It’s all about adapting. These things were adapting.

  There were maybe a thousand or more within view. How many were beyond their vision they did not know.

  *****

  When they began to walk it was 11:30 PM. The first female to exit her den slowly turned to the south and began walking. There was no audible command; just follow the leader.

  Glad they’re not going north, said Isis.

  We couldn’t have stayed here if they had, replied Max.

  They waited for the group to slowly disappear from view. Isis unclipped the radio from her belt.

  “Hemp Chatsworth come in?” she said. She had known her father-in-law would be carrying a radio, as he insisted on being contacted once it was safe.

  His voice came on the radio. “Isis, are you both alright?”

  Isis clicked the transmit button. “We are, dad. If you want to come, they’ve all left. I don’t know how long they’ll be gone, but with the size of that group, I don’t think this is a short trip.”

  Hemp came back on immediately. “Stay safe. They’ve got some fully-charged electric scooters here. I think we can maneuver along that trail, so give us fifteen minutes.”

  “You do that, stay on the trail. If not, you’ll tumble that cart into hole after hole. Both sides of the trail for as far back as we could see.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” whispered Hemp.

  *****

  The horde of Red-Eyes and lesser males moved through the woods, shuffling among the leaves and natural debris until the scattered, flickering lights of the small city of Covington, Georgia appeared through the trees.

  When she drew to a stop at the tree line, the others also fell still behind her. Her awareness did not include the name of the city or even the state in which she was; only the lights visible in the distance told her this was a place to feed.

  It wasn’t the first time they had observed the sparsely-populated city. It was just isolated enough it fit their criteria, and there were enough people that they could pick off several of them before a search team was sent out to see what had become of them.

  And they had taken several of the humans. No
body had ever come after them.

  The one who watched and planned was Lilith. She had no idea of her last name, or of the fact that she ever had one.

  When she had first awakened face down on the ground, coughing out the dirt that had been pressed against her face and mouth, she had known virtually nothing. She realized at that moment she no longer felt the surging power that had once swelled within her, but some of it was still there.

  Enough to make her push herself up and wait for her vision to clear sufficiently to the point she could see beyond the other bodies of her kind all around her.

  Some had been stirring, like her. Others had been cut into pieces by the weapons of their adversaries. Her thoughts were jumbled and confused, and what had happened was at first a blurred memory.

  Lilith waited until nothing moved around her, then pushed to her feet and struggled toward cover. She did not know the name of the place where she and her kind had gone in desperation to feed, but somehow, they had been defeated.

  As she moved from the spot where she had collapsed mid-battle, she saw some of the others that had been moving rise and follow her. Night had fallen by then, and no loud explosions or hunters pursued them.

  Instinctively moving along narrow alleys and darkened buildings, they exited the population center, making their way into the heavy forest beyond.

  Once under cover of the thick canopy of trees, she had operated on pure instinct. She had no concept of time; only of nights and days, but she did not count them.

  It took several darks and lights for her instincts to take over. The followers simply came along as she led them from place to place, remaining in each new location only as long as they went undiscovered.

  Lilith had no way of knowing her story was one of millions of others just like it. What happened in Lavonia, Georgia had also taken place in Kingman, Kansas, Clyde, North Carolina, and a hundred other small towns.

  These places were small enough to protect, and survivors in these various places had come up with similar plans, executed differently. Some built fences, some used heavy equipment to stack vehicles into a barrier that had become walled-off fortresses. They had become population centers with sometimes hundreds of people, creating beacons to the dead.

  The calling came from the sounds, lights, and the scents they emitted. While many of the abilities she once had were gone, Lilith remembered them well enough to sense their power and effectiveness.

  The call of distant allies, reporting the locations of food. Some of that was still there, but no longer was it possible over great distances.

  She relied on instinct more than help from others of her kind; it was what drove her now.

  It was what made her realize this would be their last opportunity here, in this place. They would have to walk again to find another place where they could feed.

  This meant they could annihilate and consume the population of Covington, Georgia.

  She felt a strong pull to the west, though she would never know the name of the place that beckoned to her.

  She could not know that years before, Flex Sheridan, Gem Cardoza, Trina Leighton, and Hemphill Chatsworth had gone there, to the CDC, to find Max Romero.

  There was much darkness left. They moved through the brush toward the town below, the lights blinking out as more of its citizens took their leave for the evening, assuming they were safe now.

  They needed time to feed, then time to find a place to burrow again to replenish until the next dark.

  *****

  CHAPTER TEN

  Isis and Max had waited for the horde to completely disappear to the north before calling Hemp and the others back to the lair.

  She watched as her father-in-law lay on the ground, shining his light into one of the cylindrical holes created by the Red-Eyes.

  “It’s definitely a cocoon of sorts,” said Hemp. “But in this instance, it’s not to allow a metamorphosis; rather a recharge.”

  “So, the gas, as slim as the flow is, fills those chambers and they lay in there and … what, marinate?” Flex looked at Gem and shrugged.

  “Sounds about right to me,” she said. “Use that air thingy and let’s get out of here,” said Gem.

  Isis and Max had climbed out of the tree and did not intend to wait for the creatures to return. Both stood watch further down the south part of the trail where the horde had gone just in case they came back earlier than anticipated.

  Hemp removed a box and opened it. Inside were several test tubes and other containers. Once he prepared it, he moved more brush and forest debris atop one of the openings and checked his watch.

  “What are you doing?” asked Charlie.

  “At the rate the earth gas is coming out, it should reach maximum saturation in approximately a minute,” he offered. “I want to know the ratio that recharges them.”

  “How will that help you?” asked Gem.

  “It will satisfy the scientist in my brain,” said Hemp. “I’m still baffled at how they survived.”

  “If they need it to be concentrated, why leave them wide open?” asked Charlie. “Seems like a dumb thing to do. Plus, anybody walking by would notice them.”

  Hemp seemed to think about this for a moment. “That’s an exceptionally good point, Charlie. They’re smart enough to create a place where they can immerse themselves in the gas, but they leave no gas building up while they’re gone.”

  Checking his watch again, Hemp picked up one of the test tubes and pushed it through the pine needles and leaves, into the hibernating chamber. Reaching his other arm through, in another ten seconds he withdrew a capped test tube.

  “Okay, we’ll test this, and the other samples I’ve taken. Let’s make sure nothing is disturbed and take our leave of this place.”

  Just like the old days, only Hemp, Charlie, Flex and Gem had come; Nelson, Trina and the others hadn’t been happy about it, but they promised to keep in regular contact using the radios. With the gear they had with them, they needed the space on the two electric golf carts just to get everything back.

  Looking back at the dozens and dozens of holes in the forest floor, Isis said, “Looks like it did when we got here. Let’s move.”

  Flex drove the front cart, the hum of the electric motor low, the engine strong. Max and Isis had ridden with Hemp and Charlie.

  He turned to Gem. “Too soon for this shit, right?”

  She shrugged. “We always knew it was a possibility. Just can’t believe it happened this soon. I’m not sure I’m ready for this, Flex.”

  “Ready was the last thing we were when it first started,” said Flex. “Jamie, losin’ Jessie. The whole thing threw us for a loop. At least this time we’re not starting from scratch. We know their secrets and we know how to stay alive.”

  “I’m a lot older, and so are you.”

  “Fuck, don’t I know it,” said Flex, extending his left leg out of the cart. “Probably need a goddamned knee replacement, but that ain’t happening.”

  “Is that why you don’t like the back door anymore?”

  Flex laughed and shook his head. “You’re a sick puppy.”

  “So sue me,” she said.

  “So, Gemina. What are we gonna do about these rotters? They’re not the dumbasses, either – not all of ‘em. They’re the ones that ran the show. That’s troublesome right there.”

  “It’s all I’m thinking about,” she said, chewing her lower lip. “I worry for Colton. He went through enough in Kingman. If it weren’t so close to Athens, I’d say let’s light that forest up.”

  “Kid’s tough,” said Flex. “But yeah, a fire could burn a long way,” said Flex. “Could destroy thousands of acres. Kill good folks.”

  “Not if we warn them first,” said Gem. “Send out parties to tell everyone to have fire teams on watch. It would be the easiest way. We could surround the forest and just wait for them to run out.”

  “Let’s see what Athens says. Sarah and Manuel seem to have a lot of pull. Plus, Nelson knows that Koko d
ude.”

  “Fuck, slow down, babe,” said Gem, resting the Uzi between her legs and cupping both breasts in her hands. “This shit suspension has got me wincing with every bounce.”

  “You should think twice before leaving the house without a bra on.”

  “You noticed that?”

  “Gemina, I’ve been noticing that since I first met you. It’s one of the reasons I asked you out. Still works on me, too. What are you doin’ later?”

  “I might be killing zombies,” she laughed. “But if I’m not, I might be hiding.”

  Flex looked over. “Hiding? You?”

  “Not me, silly,” said Gem. “The salami.”

  Flex shook his head. Every time he glanced over at Gem, he laughed again.

  *****

  “I saw you two up there. Looked like you were out for a Sunday drive,” said Charlie.

  “Had to slow down to save Gem’s boobs. And my life.”

  “I know,” said Charlie. “Bouncy parts. Unlike Gem, I wore a bra.”

  “Jeez, did everybody notice?” Gem looked around.

  “That you don’t have a bra on?” said Nelson, walking up. “Yeah, I said as much to Dave.”

  “That he did,” said Dave. “So, what did you guys learn?”

  “Some people learned that mom never wears a bra,” said Trina. “I think it’s sexy. She can still pull it off.”

  “She sure pulls her bra off,” said Flex.

  “Can we stay on point?” asked Hemp.

  “Buzzkill,” said Charlie. “What kind of man doesn’t like to talk about tits?”

  Hemp folded his arms. “Okay. Please continue the mammary mulling, the tit chit chat, the boob barrage, and the fun bag confabulation, and let me know when you’re ready to discuss the serious things.”

  “Apocalypse 2.0 is not going to be as fun as the first one,” said Charlie.

  Everybody laughed. When they were finished laughing, they noticed Hemp was already halfway to the door of Sarah’s Sandwich Shop.