by Lee Wise
“Is that what they’re calling them?” My husband asked curiously.
“Yes. I believe because the first case of this craziness was reported here in Maine, thus Maniacs.” The man explained.
“You said they can’t speak?” I questioned him.
“That’s right.” The man replied.
“We just saw two that didn’t speak but there was someone with them speaking and shooting a gun.” I stated.
“Hmm.” The man pondered. “I’m guessing it was just a regular person who wanted to join in with them. I mean there were killers before all this, right?”
“Well, that’s scary!” I commented.
“It definitely is.” The man agreed. We continued walking and for a time it was quiet. “We listened to the news for a little bit, but then it turned into crazy talk about end days and such, so we turned it off.” The man stated.
“Not before hearing the best tip though.” The lady added.
“What was that?” I asked.
“Don’t move in the open and especially avoid cars.” She replied. “We heard that and immediately stopped the car and jumped out. It’s a good thing we did, because not long after that, we saw the car that had been in front of us flipped on its side. However, they didn’t die from the crash. Someone killed them outside their car. We ran like crazy through the woods when we saw that.”
“We’ve been on foot since. We’re heading to Plumington. Our mom lives there.” They introduced themselves as Jeff, Jess and Vickie Marsh. Jeff and Jess were siblings and Vickie was Jeff’s daughter. They had been at the fair when it started.
“We’re heading to Wexton.” I said. My husband glanced at me. I guess he hadn’t trusted them. I’m a lot more trusting than he is.
“Do you want to stick together until Plumington?” Jeff asked. “It will be getting dark soon.”
My husband and I looked at each other, he shrugged his shoulders and we agreed. We made our way to Plumington together. John and I took turns giving the girls piggyback rides. Jeff and Jess did the same with Vickie. It was a good thing that we joined up with the Marshes. They knew a lot about what was going on and a lot more areas to sneak around then John and I were aware of.
At Plumington, we parted ways. They offered to have us over, but we just wanted to get home. That was the last time we saw them. I often wonder what happened to them. They were really nice people. I hope they survived.
CHAPTER 2
Exhausted, but unable to stop, we trudged on towards Wexton. We were all pretty tired and ready to be done, but we knew that we had to keep moving before it was night. Halfway through Plumington, we stopped. I had to call my sister, Cathy. She answered on the first ring. “I was so worried about you guys!” She cried.
“We’re in Plumington.” I told her. “We passed the Blake’s farm.”
“Why did you wait so long to call us?” She shouted.
I smiled in spite of everything. My sister had always been a worrier and always got so heated over everything. “We’ll pick you guys up at Booger’s place.” She said.
“Is it safe to drive?” I asked.
“Don’t worry. Right now this town is ours.” She said. “Just get to Booger’s place.”
“Okay.” I replied.
Booger had been a classmate of John’s who got the nickname Booger all the way back in 2nd grade when he would always pick his nose. He actually liked the nickname and was proud of it.
“How do you know that he’s okay?” I asked.
“Robert took him out. He was one who changed.” She sighed.
“Oh.” I said quietly.
“Anyways,” She said. “Hurry up! Robert will be waiting for you. I love you. Keep safe, be careful.” She hung up.
I relayed the message to John and the girls. They both whined about sore feet and legs, but we began walking again. It took a little longer to get to Booger’s house since both girls’ legs were so tired. Robert was sitting on the porch when we got there with a shotgun on his lap. I heard a gasp and looked in the direction that Sarah was looking. Booger was on the lawn, clearly dead with bullet holes in the chest. I covered the girls’ eyes.
“Finally! I didn’t know if you guys were still alive!” Robert announced as he stood up.
“We got here as quick as we could.” John replied. “The girls are exhausted.”
“I bet! Come on in. There’s plenty of snacks and water. But we’ll have to get moving soon. It’s getting late.” Robert declared.
“Sounds good to me.” John said. We all walked slowly inside. The energy drained from us now that we had finally made it to a “safe” spot. Sarah and Megan were completely quiet. I noticed tears on Megan’s face and both girls were sniffling.
“It’s alright now my girls.” I said. “We’re safe now.” I wrapped my arms around both of them.
John opened the refrigerator and found some waters inside. He handed one to each of us and then found some crackers in the cupboard. Laying them out on the table, he asked “Do you know what’s going on?”
“Not in front of the girls.” I said. “They have heard enough.”
“Why don’t we get home and talk about it when we get there. Jenny can play with the girls while the adults talk. We can take the snacks and drinks to go.” Robert suggested. Jenny is Robert and Cathy’s 14 year old daughter. Our houses were right next to each other.
“Sounds like a good plan.” I agreed.
“Good! Cathy is cooking up a storm. Hope you guys are hungry!”
“I’m starving and happy I don’t have to cook!” I said.
“Perfect!” Robert said. “And it will be nice for Jenny to play with the girls. She’s been listening to the news since this started and she needs to stop!”
We piled into Robert’s truck, which he called “Old Yeller” since it was bright yellow and an antique, and drove away. “At least if something happens to all the things with computers I won’t have a problem with this truck. Old Yeller is way before those days!” Robert exclaimed.
“No computers!” Sarah gasped.
We all laughed. “Imagine that!” Robert said. “How would you kids survive?”
The drive back home was a short one, but it felt longer today. “The prescription!” I said.
“What?” Robert asked.
“It was the main reason we were in town today. We went to the store for Sarah’s prescription.” I sighed.
“Mom! You don’t have to tell everyone! That’s so embarrassing!” Sarah exclaimed.
“I got the prescription.” John announced.
“Prescription for what?” Robert asked.
“It’s not a big deal.” John said. “It’s just for eczema.”
“I thought that was an over-the-counter type of medicine.” Robert asked.
“Normally it is, but there are a couple of spots that are in bad shape. The doctors figured that we could fight those spots with the prescription.” I said.
“Mom!” Sarah shouted.
“What? It’s not embarrassing.” I said.
“Yes it is!” Sarah stated.
“Okay. I won’t talk about it anymore. I promise.” I said.
“Anyways, I picked it up quickly when you guys headed to the bathroom. This was the first time that I have never seen a line at the pharmacy. I even had time to look in electronics.” John said.
“That was the only reason you went downtown?” Robert asked.
“That was our main reason, but we were going to pick up a few other things like milk, water and stuff for a barbecue today.” John said. “I only managed to grab the prescription before shit hit the fan.”
“Well, we have plenty of water and barbecue food. We can raid some places for milk.” Robert suggested.
“Raid places?” I asked.
“It isn’t the world that we knew just yesterday. Everyone is for themselves now, so we have to also be for ourselves.” Robert explained.
We pulled up to Robert’s place. “First we make sure th
at we aren’t stealing from anyone who hasn’t gone crazy!” I suggested.
“I agree.” Robert said while getting out of the truck.
“Ditto.” John echoed. He was also getting out of the truck and stopped quickly. “Damn.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I just realized that I have no beer.” He complained.
I shook my head. “Seriously?”
Robert laughed. “I’ve got you covered.” He assured John.
“I have to go check on the cats.” I announced and got ready to head to the house.
“Not by yourself.” John proclaimed.
“It should be safe.” Robert said. “But take my gun just in case. The girls can come inside with me.”
They went inside and I could hear them talking to Jenny as soon as they walked in. I breathed a sigh of relief. I hadn’t realized that I had been so tense until now.
“I agree.” John mumbled.
“What?” I asked.
“It feels good to be here. More safe.” John replied.
We walked over to our house and fed the cats. They always acted like they were starving even though they always had food. “We should grab some supplies before we head back over.” John suggested.
“Definitely.” I agreed.
John grabbed his guns. He had a shotgun and handgun. I wasn’t a big fan of guns, but I knew how important they would now be. I went into the girls’ bedroom.
“What are you getting in there?” John asked.
“The girls’ stuffies and blankets.” I announced.
“Why?”
“They won’t sleep without them.”
“You want to sleep there?” He asked.
“I think that we should all stay together. Then there will be someone always guarding the place.” I stated.
“That’s true.” He replied. “In that case…” He disappeared into our bedroom and came back out with something in his hand.
I looked closer. “Seriously?” I asked.
“What? It’s important to have. We can see what’s going on around the world.” He stated.
“And it’s not just to play games?” I asked.
“Good idea. I can do that too. In that case, I’ll bring my charger!”
“Might as well bring the girls’ tablets too. I…” I realized that they left theirs in the car which was still in the parking lot back at the store. “Oh that’s right.”
“That’s okay. Jenny has a ton of electronics. Let’s grab some stuff from the refrigerator and head back.” John suggested.
“What about the cats?” I asked.
“I think we should leave them inside. I’m not sure if those things will go after them or not, but they would be safer inside.” John said.
“I agree.” I replied. We left the cats inside and headed back to my sister’s house. We walked in and you could hear the kids’ laughter coming from Jenny’s room.
“At last!” Cathy came running over to give me a hug. “You’re the only family we have left! What took you so long?”
“What about my brother and parents?” Robert asked.
“They’re all the way in California!” Cathy exclaimed.
“So, they might be on the way here.” Robert said.
“You really think that they are going to drive all the way from California to Maine just to see us? They definitely can’t go on a plane right now!” Cathy stated.
“Why wouldn’t they drive here?” Robert asked.
“Because they have families of their own to take care of. We’re definitely not going there.” Cathy said.
“They haven’t even called me yet anyways.” Robert sighed.
“Have you called them?” I asked.
“I…” He began. “No.”
“So, they are probably saying the same thing about you.” John stated.
“I’ll call them now.” Robert walked off with his phone.
“Are these crazy people going after just people or animals also?” I asked.
“They’re calling them maniacs on TV.” Cathy pointed out.
“I know. It’s just so strange to me.” I replied.
“I agree. But so far I haven’t heard anything about them going after animals.”
“That’s good.” I said.
“Just in case, Mr. Doggleton isn’t outside playing right now.” Cathy stated.
“I didn’t see him when we got here.” John noted.
“You know, I didn’t hear any barking either.” Cathy agreed. “ROBERT!”
Robert walked back into the kitchen. “My family is fine.” He replied. “They just want to lay low until this is all over.”
“That’s what I want to do.” I agreed.
“Not me.” Robert remarked. “I really want to go hunt them.”
“Robert!” Cathy exclaimed.
“What?” Robert asked.
“Where is Mr. Doggleton? And you are definitely not hunting those…those things!” Cathy expressed.
“I don’t know, and why not?” He asked.
“They’re people.” Cathy said.
“So? They’ll kill you if they have a chance.” He argued.
“What if the government can figure out what’s wrong with them?” Cathy asked.
“Ha!” Robert scoffed. “The government! They’re the ones who did this in the first place!”
“You don’t know that!” Cathy disagreed.
“Most likely they are!” John started. “But maybe they do have the solution.”
“As do I.” Robert announced holding his gun in the air.
“Robert!” Cathy gasped.
“What? You want to just let them walk in and kill us?” Robert demanded.
“No! But I’m also not going to go hunt them. We’ll stay here together and protect our families.” John said.
“Fine! But I’m still going to check the perimeters. I…” Robert began.
“Someone’s here!” Jenny announced. She had Mr. Doggleton in her arms.
“Get in the bedroom now and lock the door! Cathy, Aleisha go with the kids. Hurry!” John ordered.
We went into Cathy and Robert’s room with the girls. A couple minutes later there was a knock on the door. “It’s okay. It’s just our neighbors that are here.” Robert assured us.
We came out of the room and went downstairs. The neighbors, Ellen and Jacob and their son Greg, were there. Jenny’s face lit up. Greg was her boyfriend. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” She exclaimed and ran over to hug him.
“Enough of that!” Robert said and we all laughed.
“We just saw the news and hurried over to see how you guys are. This can’t be happening!” Ellen cried.
“It’s crazy isn’t it?” I responded. “We were just downtown and it’s scary!”
“You guys were downtown?” Jacob questioned. “How many of them were there?”
“A lot. They’re everywhere.” John said.
“Mama? Are we going to be okay?” Megan asked.
“Of course baby.” I assured her. “Why don’t you go watch a movie.”
“Okay. But I’m not a baby.” Megan announced.
“I’ll put one on for us.” Jenny said. The four kids left the room.
“Now what?” Jacob asked.
“Well, Aleisha and John are going to stay here for a while. We figure that there’s safety in numbers. That way there’s always someone keeping watch.” Robert stated. “You guys are welcome to stay also.”
Jacob looked at Ellen. “I think we might take you up on that. I’ll run back to the house and get some food and supplies. Is there anything specific you want?”
“Blankets, flashlights, batteries…” Robert began and looked over at John. “And beer!”
“Definitely beer!” John laughed. We all laughed.
“Do you mind if I bring Ranger? I wouldn’t want to leave him at home.” Jacob asked.
“Bring him. He’s a good guard dog. He’ll actually bark when someone is here, unlike Mr.
Doggleton.” The bulldog looked up from the spot he was laying near my feet and then went back to sleep. “I’ll go with you.” Robert said.
They left and I helped Cathy set the table. “Did you guys eat yet?” Cathy asked Ellen.
“Yes we did. Thanks.” Ellen sighed and sat down. “I was hoping that the news was a hoax. This seems like something you would see on a movie or read in a book. It just doesn’t seem real.”
“It was plenty real out there.” I stated.
“I’m going to run to the house.” John announced. “Anybody need anything?”
“I thought that we grabbed everything we needed.” I answered.
“There’s something that I have to get.”
“What?” I asked.
“Do you need anything?”
“No.” I said knowing that whatever he was going to grab was a secret. “Be careful.”
“I will.” He replied. “Be right back.” He went outside.
We talked a couple minutes about neighbors, pondering over who was alive and who wasn’t. Finally, I pondered “Wonder what he forgot,” thinking that John should be back any minute.
“You never know with guys.” Cathy said.
“Speaking of them.” Greg had walked in. “What’s wrong honey?” Ellen asked.
“Where’s dad?” Greg asked.
“He ran to get some supplies.” Ellen answered.
“Well then who’s watching the outdoors?” He asked.
“John will be right back.” I replied. “He just left for a minute.”
“We’re pretty sure that we saw something in the field.” Greg announced.
“What?” I asked. My heart started to pound.
“I’m…I’m not sure. It moved really fast. It was in the field.” He added.
“In the field near my house?” I asked.
“Yes.” Greg replied.
I grabbed my phone and frantically dialed John’s number. I heard his phone ringing.
“He left his phone on the counter!” Cathy shouted.
“NO!” I cried.
“Mama?” Megan had walked in. “Is everything okay?”
Jenny had come in the room also and saw the look on my face. “Megan, you’re missing the best part. “ Megan ran back into the living room. “Aunt Aleisha, do you want to borrow my walkie-talkie?”