Scorched Flesh

by Ian Woodhead

  “They were control systems, Travis. Your stalks are the armour, the chassis, and I suspect they also carry the main weapons systems, while the leggy bastards were the brains of the outfit as well as the transport. Yeah, if you had gone out there, young Fitzpatrick, I don’t even think you’d have even got a single number. It would have been a total waste of a pound.”

  “We’re so fucked,” I whispered. I was looking at something ripped from the nightmare of a madman. The stalk was now horizontal and segmented in three places. Three thick legs sprouted from the trunk, lifting the monster up to a height of about seven feet. The two segments were conical and bulged at the join.

  That dimpled texture covered every surface, and I saw no sign of any colour; from segment to leg, the nightmares were as black as pitch. As I stared, the things began to move, striding down the alleyway towards the main road. Those segments moved from side to side, and up and down. It took me a moment to realise that they were one of its weapon systems, the other visible form of attack were the black ropes. They hadn’t gone; over a dozen of them were coiled around its legs, constantly moving like restless snakes.

  “Bed time, I think,” commented Stu. “You know what? I do believe I’ll make some hot chocolate. It’s been years since I tasted that rather delectable beverage. There’s bound to be some way of heating the milk, perhaps our now dead shopkeeper has a camping stove somewhere? Wanna help me look for it?”

  I blinked, turning away from the window as those monsters finally disappeared around the corner. “How can you even think about such trivial crap at a time like this?”

  “Is this not the best time, my young Fitzpatrick? In the morning, we’ll both be heading out into a new world, one where we are now mice amongst a planet of hungry cats. We must live for the now, Travis, as we might not be around to enjoy life.” He grinned. “And what better than to drink yummy hot chocolate before we sleep?”

  “Where do we go? I mean, in the morning?”

  “You’re not that good with living for the moment, are you?” Stu brushed past me and left the room. “Is not obvious?” He shouted. “We’re going to the mall.”

  “But my mum is…”

  He poked his head around the edge of the doorframe. “Yeah, your mum’s gone away. They’ll all be going away now that they can move about. It means we’ll be able to explore the place without having to dodge their stingers.”

  I followed him out of the room, trying to avoid looking at the two corpses. Stu had his head bent over the counter. He was serious about that drink; he’d already placed a tub of chocolate powder on top of the counter. “Why?”

  “Because we’re only two, that’s why. If this had happened a hundred years ago, I guess that we’d both be heading towards the largest church. As shopping is the new religion, it makes sense that we go to the mall. We need to find more survivors, and by survivors, I mean more like us, and I think that’s where people will go. We’re a tribal species. Not many of us are equipped to handle life alone.” He lifted his head.

  “If these dirty little cunts think that they’ve beaten us, then they’re so fucking wrong,” he growled. “Tomorrow, we’re going to start fighting back.” He looked down at the corpse, his face full of hate and disgust. “They’ve shown their hand, they’re not invulnerable. You’ve proven that, Travis.”

  I nodded, unable to find my tongue. The man in front of me, currently dipping his finger into the tub of chocolate powder, had once again turned from eccentric vagrant into a cold hearted killer, right before my eyes.

  “My guess is that their advance guard has been here for quite awhile, hiding under the ground, gathering information, and waiting. They’ve already worked out how we are built. From what I’ve seen, I don’t think that would have been that much of a challenge for them. Unlike our species, they’ve gone the way of organic technology. As we put our dead in the ground, they’ll have had plenty of raw materials to work on. As whether they are also masters of other technologies, well, I’ll be able to figure that out once the others arrive.”

  “What do you mean by that? Are you saying they’re not already here?”

  “Hell no! Like I said, I think that this is just the advance guard, their job is to clear away as much resistance as possible before the next stage. Judging by how quickly they’ve moved, we’ll soon discover the true masters.” He replaced the lid and put the tub back on the counter. “Enough of that, Travis, we’ll find out more once the sun comes up. Hell, I can’t believe I just came out with all of that. Your dad used to spout shit like that all the time back when we were in the service. Now, are you going keep me yapping, or help me set up the camping stove?”

  I took a deep breath and actually found myself smiling, although the grin soon slipped off my face when I strode over that corpse. I found myself wondering if I’d have been able to push that screwdriver into his flesh if it had been Mark sitting on my legs.

  ***

  Going by Stu’s thinking, I guess I would be a multi-billionaire by now. I would have been able to buy back our world with my pocket change. Considering the state of the fucking place, I guess that even pocket change would have been too much. The aliens have left what’s left of our species on a solid ball of death. The only organisms able to survive down there are the travesties of their own making. They make the advance guard of all that time ago look like fucking teddy bears. In a way, I should be glad that I’m up here.

  Son, I don’t envy what you and your fellow survivors must confront every day. I only hope that these words, if you do receive them, will somehow help you in your struggle to finally eliminate their taint.

  Looking back, I suppose that we should have expected that they would have pulled a stunt like this. After all, it’s not like our species haven’t done the same. Just look back in our history, and you’ll see plenty of examples of a vanquished enemy, ensuring that the victors can’t enjoy what was rightfully theirs.

  I just hope that my words, the true tale of what happened before you were born, will be able to help you in your struggle. That is, if they reach you in time.

  I will admit that he is the sole reason for me still able to breathe. I may have survived the first change, but if it hadn’t been for his instruction, I have no doubt that I would have died during the first few weeks of the invasion. Stu gave me something else just as important as the tools in which to fight back: he gave me hope and the reason to continue living, even when it all seemed like a pointless exercise.

  Getting some sleep before setting out to look for anybody else had proven to be the right decision after all. We weren’t the only ones to have stayed intact after the first change, although from what I heard the next night, there had been even more than the ones we found the next morning.

  I think that you’ve already guessed what those organic machines were. Stu and I were probably the only humans who witnessed the creation of the Black Sentinels and lived. We slept through the night; at least, I did. I’m not totally sure that Stu followed his own advice. I think he stayed inside, though. If he hadn’t, the man wouldn’t have been the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes the following morning.

  Needless to say, we were told that other survivors didn’t stay hidden when night fell. The machines killed them seconds after they left the relative safety of their hiding places. Not one of them managed to escape their weapons. I once believed that in that first night what little chance of our species surviving died. Of course, I now know that we’re more robust than I ever gave ourselves credit. I wonder if the aliens would have even attacked us if they had known this beforehand.

  ***

  He’d not moved away from the crater in the middle of the road for over two minutes now. I’d already asked him what it could be, but Stu had just silenced me with an irritable wave of his hand, like I was an annoying fly or something. I should have already gotten used to his strange mood changes by now. It’s not like this was the first time since he woke me up that he went all space cadet on me. It reminds
me that apart from knowing that he once served with my dad and his name is Stu, I know next to nothing about the man.

  I turned away and went back to watching the streets and houses, looking for signs of movement. I hoped to find others like us, but what I didn’t want to bump into were any of those nightmares that we saw last night. So far, apart from the rotting anchors left from the passing of the stalks, I hadn’t seen one. Unlike Stu, I took this as a good omen.

  “You had better come here, Travis.”

  The sound of his voice scared the hell out of me. It had been the first time he’d spoken in over half an hour.

  My legs took command of my body, just as the gravity in his voice took command of my legs. His tear-stained face turned away from the mess in the road. “Travis, the night no longer belongs to us. This is the remains of weapon’s fire.”

  He crouched down, and slowly ran his fingers across the inverted bubble. It looked as smooth as glass. I now saw that it wasn’t uniformly one colour. Off to the side, I could make out a couple of splashes of silver. Stu saw me looking, and sighed heavily.

  “That’s a watch, Travis. Or a belt buckle; it might even be a Zippo lighter. Their weapons are hot enough to turn metal into liquid and fuse stone. Flesh, bone, and skin is just vapourised.” He stood up. “The fact that we haven’t been turned into craters tells me that they must only hunt at night. Makes sense really. Depriving us of our natural sleep time will make us even more vulnerable.” He looked over my shoulders. “I think I can see another one over there. We’ll need to find a more secure haven tonight. They’ll be widening their search for us, smashing through the doors and windows of every building they come to. Considering most of the human race now look like fuck-ugly three legged, giant spiders, I doubt it’ll take them too long to burn out anyone dumb enough to hide in a house.

  The depression that had lifted a little once we’d finished our breakfast this morning now settled back on my shoulders like a big black cloud. Stu left the side of the small crater, and walked over to the other one. I stayed where I was, not wanting to see what could have been me if I had decided to look for somewhere else to sleep last night.

  Stu abruptly turned away. He gave me one small nod before pushing his hands deep into his pockets and walking away from our location. I took this as a hint to follow him. Our heading hadn’t changed. He still wanted to check out the shopping mall. I had given this idea a lot of thought while Stu had been preparing his rucksack. Two of the people that I cared deeply about could still be in that building, and I still wasn’t sure of whether I’d be able to cope with seeing either of them in their changed shape without having a mental breakdown. I hadn’t shared my fears with Stu simply because, after the events of last night, I wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t leave me.

  I trudged down the pavement, feeling the hot sun on my forehead, whilst listening to the occasional insect buzzing. The emptiness was seriously beginning to unnerve me. It made me even more determined to keep close to Stu. “I haven’t seen a single cat or dog since we left the shop,” I commented. “Come to think of it, I heard none either.”

  He stopped next to a clump of tangled roots left from one of the stalks. The sun had dried out most of the material, but you could still make out the bare circular outline of where the stalk had stood with its growth spread out like the twisted petals of a flower.

  “Pinball machines are probably a bit before your time, Travis.”

  I shook my head, “I remember them.”

  “Imagine our town is the playfield, and Tiddles and Fido are the steel balls.” He pointed at the remains of the stalk. “This chap here, with its black ropes, were the bumpers. Do I need to carry on with this analogy?”

  “No, you’ve made your point. Thank you.”

  “That’s nice. Now come on. If we hurry, we should be able to get to the mall in a few more minutes. Although there’s plenty of sunlight remaining, it’ll be best to get this over and done with sooner than later.” He stopped and turned. “I meant what I said about those monsters searching through every single building tonight. To be honest, I still haven’t thought of a decent place to hold up yet.”

  I hoped to Christ that he was wrong. Where on earth would be safe from something that has the power to melt fucking metal? I turned as I walked, looking at the vast profusion of shops, houses and offices all around us. I could think of nowhere. Even the buildings with security shutters over their doors and windows wouldn’t be safe. In fact, I bet that they’d be the first places to be targeted. After all, if I didn’t know what I knew now, it’s exactly where I would have hidden. It’s exactly where I’d feel safe.

  “Have you ever fired a gun, Travis?”

  I shook my head. I didn’t think using Mark’s ultra powerful air rifle would count. Apart from taking out pigeons and a couple of rats at his uncle’s farm, my experience of guns was zero. I did once have a crossbow, until my mum took it off me. That was almost five years ago, and I never really did much with it apart from turning a coke can into a colander. “Sorry, unlike my dad, I never got the urge to join up.”

  He shrugged. “You have shown the intent though, and you certainly know the score. That’ll make up for any lack of shooting experience. As long as you know which end the bullet comes out of, you’ll be fine.” He slowed down. “Until now, I never noticed just how ugly the mall is. Strange how lack of people can alter your perception, or at least divert your eyes to other matters.”

  “You seriously think a bullet will stop them? More to the point, exactly where are we going to get our hands on them? With live in the UK remember. We can’t exactly pick a couple of AK47’s off the shelf at Sainsbury’s.”

  “You took out that man with a screwdriver. For all its advantages, flesh will never beat steel in a straight fight.”

  “Yeah, I know that, but where are we going to get the hardware?”

  “Geoff Towers has three shotguns. His farm is only three miles north of here. In the middle of the Silvertree estate, a rather questionable fellow called William Harris has three East European handguns hidden away in a plastic bag buried at the bottom of his mother’s garden.” He took off his rucksack, loosened the cord, and brought out a black cloth bag. “I have a little memento from when I wasn’t a civi. Oh, it still works fine, and I’ve certainly not forgotten how to use it. Let’s not forget your dad, Travis. He still has his gun too. Well, it’s not his, he had to hand that one back, but he had his own, brought back from the Middle East.”

  “What, how? How the hell do you know all of that?”

  “Because although I’ve always been around, people just don’t see me, and because of that, I hear things that aren’t meant to be heard. That’s how. Now, if you’re quite happy, shall we get on?

  I stared aghast at him. “My dad has a gun?”

  “He had, Travis. Whether that’s true now, though, is something else entirely. You see, I was with him back then. I remember what he had to go through, and why he’d ignored specific orders regarding trophy hunting. Imagine that, your dad not obeying the chain of command.” He paused. “Oh, he has never filled you in about his life before you came into this world. Again, I’m not that surprised.”

  I was glad that he was talking again, just not too comfortable with the subject matter. I joined him on the corner of the junction, and stared at the top of the mall. We were just minutes from our destination now, and so far, we’ve encountered nothing but silence and a couple of melted craters. When we first set off, I had kinda expected to run into something by now. Still, I’m glad we hadn’t. I just hope our luck continues once we reach the shopping centre. Somehow though, I don’t believe it will. Stu hadn’t put the gun back in the rucksack. He now held it tight in his left hand.

  “Is it loaded?”

  “It wouldn’t be very effective if it wasn’t, Travis. Come on, we won’t find anybody by standing about here.” He skirted past a dirty white pick up truck, then doubled back and stared through the driver’s side window. He gestu
red me over. “Look at this.”

  I shook my head. I had no idea what he was showing me.

  “It’s been placed here. It looks as though it crashed into the lamppost at the start of the change, but there’s no damage to the front; neither is there any root material on the cab floor.” He chuckled to himself. “This is fantastic news. It means that I’m right.” He raced across the road.

  Stu was already at the main entrance by the time I caught up with him. It took me a few deep breaths and a lot of courage to walk around the multitude of stalk impressions. Although, thanks to the sun’s heat, most of the material had already gone, taking with it that vile smell. Even so, the taint still remained, and just that alone was enough to stop me in my tracks.

  “I don’t think I can go any further.” In fact, I know I couldn’t. The sun could penetrate inside the mall, meaning those stalk impressions would be everywhere. Either he hadn’t heard me, or he chose to ignore my fear. Stu pushed and squeezed between the half-open doors, and within second I’d already lost sight of the man, leaving me alone out here.

  That black void looked as inviting as the very mouth of hell. Yet I couldn’t stay out here. Now that he’d gone, I felt so exposed, and I no longer felt as though we were the only ones left alive in our town. I turned around and faced that white truck, allowing Stu’s words to sink in. I was perfectly cool with the owner coming back to the truck, as long as he wasn’t a humanlike. Stu must have known that it could be possible they could have left the truck there; otherwise, he would have left the gun safe in the rucksack.

  “Come on, you bloody coward,” I growled. “Grow some balls; after all you’ve faced, you can do this.” It’s strange how comforting it sounded to hear my own voice. It didn’t get rid of that crippling fear, but it did manage to get me turned back again, and force my body to slowly make my way over to those glass doors. I knew where my real fear lay. I didn’t know what I’d do if I came face to face with Mark.