Fatal Reaction, Battle of the Hunted

by M A Hollstein

  Bam! Bam! Bam! There was more banging. This time it was on the front of the garage door.

  “Shit!” Jack groaned, clutching the shotgun. What the hell am I gonna do now?

  He reached for the doorknob, leaned in and tried again when he felt something next to the door on the wall, brush his shoulder and jingle. Reaching for it, his fingers felt key rings hanging from nails on the wall. There were three sets of keys. Grabbing all three, he raced to the Mercedes, nearly tripping over his feet, and hopped into the driver’s seat as the banging on both doors increased.

  Hands shaking, Jack set the shotgun down on the passenger seat and tried to focus. He fumbled with the first key on the ring, and the damn thing wouldn’t fit in the lock. He tossed it on the floorboard and tried the next key. That key wouldn’t work either. The third key ring had numerous keys on it.

  “What the hell?” he cursed. “Who needs so many fucking keys?” He felt them for the largest key, and to his relief, the key slid into the ignition just as the side door to the garage busted in.

  The alien screeched while entering the garage. Jack turned the key and pumped the gas. The engine sputtered and died.

  “Come on! Come on!” he coaxed, trying again and again. “Start up, damn it!”

  He noticed the remote for the garage clipped to the visor. The alien began to growl. A deep rumbling sound filled the garage. The light from the outside security lamp lit up the alien just enough for Jack to see it squatting down as if getting ready to pounce.

  Trying again to start the car, Jack pumped the gas. He wished the damn car had its roof on to at least shield him. The owner must’ve taken it for a joy ride before the virus hit.

  More loud bangs were coming from the garage door when the engine caught, roaring to life. Jack hit the garage door opener and threw the car into reverse. It just began to rise as he floored the gas pedal. The alien pounced at him, not having expected the car to move, and grabbed hold of the windshield, securing itself to the hood of the car.

  The Mercedes flew in reverse, almost colliding with the alien that’d been pounding on the garage door trying to get in. The other alien lunged at the car as Jack entered the street and then slammed on his brakes. The alien hadn’t expected the car to stop and overshot its lunge. The car skidded sideways. The alien clinging to the windshield rolled to the side, and half of its body slid off the front of the car. It clawed the hand with the razor sharp blades at the glass as it rolled back into place.

  Throwing the car into drive, Jack pushed the gas pedal down hard, and then slammed on his brakes again, skidding in the street. The damn alien refused to let go of the car. He couldn’t seem to shake the fucking thing loose.

  Jack grabbed the shotgun from the passenger seat just as the second alien pounced again at the passenger side of the car.

  Firing, Jack blasted the creature in the chest. It let out a shrill scream and fell backward. The alien on the hood of the car reached up and swiped at him with its metal claws over the windshield.

  Jack’s foot pushed again on the gas pedal while he was leaning back trying to avoid the daggers. The tips of alien’s claws caught hold of his shirt, ripping the fabric over his shoulder to shreds. The razor-sharp blades scratched the surface of his skin. Jack barely felt the burning of the scratches; his adrenaline was pumping so hard. He was thankful he’d leaned back in time to avoid being shredded to pieces.

  Making a sharp right turn, the Mercedes skidded around the corner and Jack almost rear-ended an abandoned pickup truck. His eyes caught the reflection in his side view mirror, and he could see that the alien he’d shot, was running around the corner.

  What the hell? The damn thing was still coming after him. The shotgun blast only stunned the damn thing.

  Jack raced down the street, zooming around several abandoned vehicles in the middle of the road. He turned left, and then made a right-hand turn. The creature on the hood was pulling himself up onto his knees. It’d been wearing protective eyewear that slid off its face and was now hanging around its neck. It glared at him through the windshield with glowing reptilian like eyes. Its skin was thick, gray and leathery. Jack slammed on his brakes, tires screeching when he suddenly entered a cul-de-sac. The creature, caught off-guard, flew off the hood and tumbled into the driveway to the house in front of them.

  Jack threw the car into reverse. He did a sudden turn just in time to see the other alien appearing from the fog. Rushing past the alien, Jack took several more turns hoping to lose both creatures until he came to an Elementary School. In the football field, he could just make out a large, bulky looking dark figure through the haze. He squinted, studying it and realized it wasn’t bulky. It was carrying something over its shoulder. Kylie. Pulling into the school parking lot, he parked in the bus loading and unloading zone.

  Glancing over his shoulder, he looked for the other aliens that’d been chasing him. As far as he could tell, he’d lost them somewhere in the maze of neighborhood streets. Grabbing the shotgun, he hopped out of the car and ran towards the figure in the field.

  “Hey!” he shouted, trying to get the alien’s attention. “Hey, you!”

  The creature stopped walking and turned to look at him.

  “Uncle Jack!” Kylie screamed.

  “I’m coming, Kylie!” Jack raced towards them. “Let her go!”

  The alien just stood there staring at him.

  “I’m warning you!” Jack yelled stopping and aiming the shotgun. “Let her go!”

  The alien growled, took a few steps backward and stomped his foot. Kylie screamed. In a flash of blinding light, they were gone.

  “What the hell?” Jack blinked hard. For a moment, he was blinded. When his eyesight returned, they were gone. He circled the field looking for traces of them, but there were none. He peered upwards. The fog was beginning to thin, and he could barely make out a hulking black ship in the sky. Kylie was on the ship.

  ***

  Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, Amanda sucked in a deep breath to try to calm her nerves. Stepping on the mat, in front of the automated doors of the grocery store, she expected them to slide open, but they didn’t.

  Amanda tried the handle to open the doors manually, and they wouldn’t budge. Locked. She grabbed hold of the handle and shook the door. Nothing.

  Leaning forward, Amanda cupped her hands and tried to peer through the tinted glass. The lights were still on inside, but that didn’t mean much. The lights had been on all over the world ever since the electricity came back on with the arrival of the first ship. She still hadn’t a clue as to whether The Order purposely turned on the electricity or if it’d been some fluke thing having to do with the electromagnetic field of their ships in our atmosphere.

  “Hello!” Amanda called as she knocked on the glass door. “Is someone inside? Hello!”

  “Squeeeak… Squeeeeak…”

  A shrill sound from somewhere in the parking lot startled her. Amanda spun around, her heart thumping in her chest. She scanned the lot for the source of the sound. It was so foggy that she couldn’t see far through the haze. Amanda slid her backpack off her shoulders while staring out into the fog. Her mind had been so preoccupied that she forgot she’d been wearing it. Unzipping the bag, she didn’t take her eyes off the lot. She groped around inside until her fingers found the cold, hard steel of the pocketknife she’d packed. She went to slide the knife into her pants’ pocket when she realized she was still wearing her grey yoga pants and a black tank top that she’d fallen asleep in. She had no pockets. At least she’d had the common sense to slip on a pair of tennis shoes before she’d hidden in the crawlspace. Otherwise, she’d be running around barefoot right about now.

  Making a quick decision, she slid the knife into the little side pocket on the outside of the backpack for easy access, and then slipped the straps of the pack onto her shoulders.

  Amanda waited for whatever it was to make another squeaking sound. Her eyes were drawn to a lamppost in the parking lot to her righ
t. She stared in that direction, waiting. After what seemed like an eternity, she’d decided to move on and try the Chinese restaurant next door to see if the doors were unlocked. Earlier in the day, she’d seen people, well, she supposed they were aliens of The Order that resembled human people, outside. Maybe someone would be in there. And maybe they could give her shelter until she figured out what to do next. Again, her mind drifted to Bill. She prayed that he was okay and that he was safe, hiding somewhere from the Scourge. Unless the aliens of The Order had a way of helping her search for him tonight, she’d have to wait until morning. In the morning, she’d head back to the apartments. The waiting was killing her.

  Walking in the direction of the restaurant, Amanda had the uncanny sense that someone was watching her. Reaching into the side pocket of the backpack, she grabbed the knife. Her thoughts were still preoccupied with Bill and his safety while feeling the hard steel clutched in her hand. Then she heard it. A sound. Another strange sound.

  A bundle of nerves, Amanda froze. Her stomach flip-flopped, and her pulse quickened. Glancing over her shoulder, she flinched as she witnessed a shopping cart roll until it hit the lamppost she’d been staring at earlier.

  It’s just a shopping cart, she told herself, switching open the knife, blade ready. Calm down... calm down. She balled her hands up into tight fists. Her right hand squeezed the handle of the knife as she picked up her pace. She wanted to panic but was forcing herself to stay as calm as she could.

  Amanda grabbed the handle to the door of the restaurant. It didn’t budge. The restaurant was locked up tight and appeared dark inside. Not wanting to stay too long in one spot, Amanda quickly scurried down the sidewalk. She passed by a dry cleaners and a tanning salon. She didn’t bother to see if the doors were unlocked. She figured they were locked and didn’t want to waste time. Her senses were on high alert. She felt as if she were being followed and didn’t want whatever it was lurking in the fog, to catch up to her.

  Lowes hardware store was at the other end of the shopping center. Amanda thought that the hardware store would be her best bet for safety. Quickly, she crossed over to the adjacent parking lot, scurrying in between abandoned cars left throughout the lot. Instinctually, Amanda wanted to run, but her brain told her not to. If she ran, the thing that was stalking her would strike. She didn’t know this for sure but had seen enough cats in her lifetime stalking prey. As a child, her cat, Buttons, had five kittens and her mom let them keep the entire litter. On many occasions, Buttons and her offspring would catch mice, lizards, bugs, and sometimes even rabbits in the yard. If their prey ran, they pounced on it before it could get away.

  Amanda felt like whatever it was in the shadows was hunting her. It was waiting for the perfect time to strike. If she were to run, it’d attack to keep her from getting away. However, if she didn’t find a place to hide soon, or get away from it, it was going to pounce anyway.

  Tears formed in her eyes, and she scolded herself for wanting to cry. Right now wasn’t the time to lose control of her emotions. She needed to think. Devise some kind of plan. What the hell was she going to do?

  Stop it! she told herself. You don’t even know if you’re being followed. But she knew she was. She sensed it. She also knew that Susan had let the cat out of the bag. The Scourge eat people. That’s why The Order infected everyone with Scourge DNA. The Scourge don’t eat other Scourge. She remembered the words Susan used, “We were trying to taint the food source.”

  Thump! Pat… pat…

  Amanda jumped at the sound.

  This time she didn’t turn to see what made the noises behind her.

  To hell with walking, she thought, as her legs picked up momentum. She ran as fast as she could in the direction of the hardware store.

  Getting closer to the store, she ducked between a van and a pickup truck and dodged a Honda Civic. Then she scooted through a collision involving several cars in the parking lot in front of the store. She was thankful she didn’t see any rotting corpses.

  Upon their arrival, the aliens of The Order had been cleaning up the infected bodies. She figured they were cleaning up the mess they’d created by infecting the humans in the first place. They wanted to make the planet habitable for their own kind. It burned her up inside that she was in need of their help. She needed help from the same species that caused the sickness. The same species that inadvertently brought the Scourge to Earth.

  Bam!

  Startled, Amanda screamed. A dark figure wearing a brown hood, and what appeared to be leather clothing and a face mask, had leaped up onto the roof of a car in front of her. Yellow reptilian looking eyes glared out of the mask at her. Amanda stopped running and held the knife out in front of her. She backed up until she felt the cold steel of a black Toyota Tundra pressed against her back.

  The Scourge bent at the knees and began to growl. A familiar deep rumbling sound filled the dense night air. The growl resembled that of the infected. Amanda began to panic and threateningly held the knife out in front of her. She hurriedly glanced in the direction of the hardware store. She was so close to the doors, but the Scourge was blocking her. Her other choice would be to run away from the store. There was a McDonalds, a Starbucks and a gas station. She wasn’t sure what to do. The doors to all of the buildings could be locked. And to get to McDonald's, she’d have to run quite a ways. However, if she ran toward the hardware store, she’d have to get past the Scourge blocking her way.

  What if there were more than one alien hunting her? Amanda’s mind was going a mile a minute. She felt her chances would be better at Lowes because of the automated doors. Bill had been in Lowes several times to get supplies since the infection struck. The doors should still be open unless someone physically locked them like the grocery store. The grocery store doors had also been open until tonight.

  What if it was the same with the hardware store? Someone, or something, may have locked the doors. Should she take the chance?

  The Scourge snarled and bared its pointed teeth.

  Amanda tried to make herself look threatening and sneered. She held the knife out for the Scourge to see. She hoped she looked ominous enough to keep the creature from attacking before she made a decision.

  Even if she did make it inside of the hardware store, then what would she do? It didn’t guarantee her safety. She didn’t know how to lock the door behind her. The Scourge would most definitely follow.

  Amanda eyed the front doors again. She glared at the Scourge and then held out the knife as threateningly as she could. Careful not to turn her head for too long, she quickly eyed the McDonalds and spotted another Scourge in the light of the gas station next door to it. She was trapped. What was she going to do?

  Finding her voice she yelled at the top of her lungs, “What do you want from me?”

  The Scourge on the roof of the car held out its hands and clawed at the air. Silver, retractable, claw-like blades, extended from the leather-gloved right hand. Amanda gasped. The freaking thing had blades built right into its own hand that were longer and deadlier than her knife.

  “Fuck!” she cursed as the other Scourge that was roaming around by the gas station snarled and began to sprint in their direction. The Scourge on the roof of the car let out a loud snarl and eyed the Scourge running towards them.

  Amanda took this distraction as her chance to get away. She ran to the right of the car and hopped up onto the sidewalk in front of the store. To her relief, the front door slid open. Behind her, she heard loud growls accompanied by snarling.

  Only a few overhead lights were on in the store. Amanda glanced at the front doors and wondered if she could lock them. That was when she saw the Scourge leap off the car and attack the other Scourge. Deciding to leave the doors, Amanda ran towards the section immediately to her right with outdoor patio furniture and barbeques. She wasn’t sure what to do. Where could she hide? Or should she look for a back door?

  Just then, Amanda heard a blood-curdling scream coming from outside. She ran past t
he barbeques and entered a section with appliances such as refrigerators, washers and dryers, and dishwashers. The overhead lights were out, and the back half of the store was dark. She heard a loud crashing sound coming from the front of the store and tripped over her own feet. Stumbling, she caught herself before hitting the ground but accidentally dropped her knife. She’d felt her right foot kick the knife with the toe of her shoe, causing it to slide under a rack.

  Amanda heard pounding footsteps heading in her direction. Too afraid to look for the knife, she left it and ran along the back of the store until she came to a hallway leading to the restrooms. She tried the door to the woman’s restroom, and it was locked. She then grabbed the handle to the men’s restroom and was relieved when the doorknob turned.

  Shutting the door behind her, Amanda fiddled with the handle until she found the lock. She quietly tried to turn the knob and then gently pulled it. The door didn’t budge. Not wanting to take a chance on trying the light switch, in case it’d draw attention to her hiding place. Amanda slipped off her backpack and sunk down in the dark until her rear-end was planted on the floor and her back leaning against the door. She placed the backpack on her lap and hugged it close.

  Taking a deep breath, she held it in her lungs as she listened to the Scourge running through the store looking for her. When the footsteps sounded like they passed the bathrooms and then she heard some more crashing sounds further away in the store, she slowly let out her breath. She prayed that the Scourge would eventually leave. Closing her eyes, she thought about her next move when she heard a sound.

  Breathing. Someone or something was in the bathroom with her.

  ***

  Tires screeching as they skidded around the corner, Aaron slammed on the brakes to avoid ramming into a long line of abandoned cars.

  “What the…!” He threw the truck into reverse. The road was too narrow to get around the vehicles. He backed up until he was back on Coast Highway. Jorge looked behind them.