by Jack Flacco
No human did either.
Back in the truck, as the vehicle cruised to where the boy stood, Matty asked. “What’s going on with Wildside?”
“I’ve seen that look before.” Ranger said, pressing on the accelerator and readying his shotgun for a conflict. “He’s seen death.”
As the headlights approached, filling the corridor with light, whatever Wildside saw scurried the length of the ceiling to an open shaft five feet from the ground. He had followed it as a shadow that never was.
“Stay here.” Ranger tapped on the dashboard after having parked the truck. He spilled on the road from the driver’s side and closed the door shut.
Still in the backseat, Jon asked, “What do you think it is?”
“Whatever it is,” Matty answered, “it sure spooked Wildside. I know he has fear about stuff, but this is way different.”
“What did Ranger mean when he said, He’s ‘seen death’?”
At the gate, Ranger approached a frozen Wildside. “Are you all right?”
Wildside gulped then slowly turned to look at Ranger with a pitiful gaze. His lips quivered mouthing words that’d caught in his throat. His tongue felt twenty pounds heavier.
“What is it?” Ranger stepped closer, the lights of the truck splashed over their bodies creating shadows over the entrance to the catacombs.
Finally, the words trickled from his terrified heart. “I saw…” His eyes shut once for a moment then opened again.
“What did you see?” Ranger grasped Wildside’s shoulder with his free hand holding his shotgun with the other.
“I saw…” Still nothing came from Wildside’s mouth. Death? Is that what you saw? Is that the reason you couldn’t say? That you would die if you told? Did you see death? He pointed to the shaft. “It went over there.”
The cold eyes Ranger carried with him in times of absolute hatred for the zombies, returned. Staring at the shaft with his cocked shotgun, he grunted, “Get in the truck.”
No arguments from Wildside.
Inside the truck, Randy said, “He’s coming back.”
“Let’s play it cool.” Matty said, sitting straight in her seat. “Whatever happened to him, we need for him to know we’re here for him.”
Slipping back into the warmth of the vehicle, Wildside kept quiet.
But Jon had other ideas. “What’s that stuff on your shoulder?”
The substance from the darkness that had dripped on Wildside’s back rattled him from his trance, causing him to slide his hand over the jelly to inspect it. Sliding it within his fingers, shock seized him. Not again. No, no, no. Not again! He twisted, turned, and scrapped the matter on the seat, shaking in violent protest. Disgust poured from his extremities, batting the goo from his back. He wanted it off.
“Wildside.” Matty said. “Wildside. It’s okay. You’re in here with us. It’s okay”
His arms flailed, his face grimaced into nasty contortions, but nothing could get him to listen. Every fiber of his body screamed at him to peal the skin from his flesh.
“You’re fine. You’re fine. Come back to us. We’re right here.” Matty gently touched his shoulder in hopes of stemming his fright.
He swung around and imposed a glare on her, like a madman. Never had he looked at her like that before. But whatever she had said to him, perhaps in her soft voice, he listened. The flailing stopped. The shaking stopped. Matty’s words soothed him into realizing he was safe. Safe from whatever it was he saw. Safe from the outside.
In the meantime, the undiscerning weapon Ranger so treasured, led the way to the shaft where those elusive yellow eyes that had stared at Wildside disappeared. His steps gradual, his caution raised, the warm headlights provided little light to where his anxious feet took him. His eerie shadow ran the length of the access tunnel. He sneaked all the while scanning his surroundings. At the mouth of the shaft Ranger stood as if set in stone. His shotgun at the ready, he gazed inside. He swallowed hard, something he would have never done before. But there’s something different with this. He could feel it in his bones, sending chills to his hands that held his insurance against the unknown. Zombies don’t run into shafts. He knew that. Zombies attack in stupid formations that make no sense. He knew that, too. This was no zombie.
In the vehicle, the kids held fixed with the same frozen look Ranger had plastered on his face. They too knew something different had happened to Wildside. Their eyes didn’t deviate and their mouths didn’t say a word. Had anyone measured Matty’s heart rate they would have discovered a jackhammer. This was no zombie.
A subtle breeze grazed the zombie hunter like a gentle wind caressing a ship’s sail on a moonlit ocean. Ranger’s gaze didn’t break from the opening. Seeing nothing, he slowly lowered his weapon. His eyes returned from the cold.
All at once, it burst from the shaft. The creature jumped Ranger throwing him to the ground. The weapon slipped from his grasp sliding five feet away. In its place, his hands held the animal from the fur of its neck as it bit into the air. Death flowed through four eyes embedded into the creature’s triangular cortex. Razor-sharp mandibles smacked together missing Ranger’s face with every snap. The thing seethed. Thick saliva scurried the edges of its natural weaponry, soaking Ranger’s cheek. The same stuff Wildside had on him. Ranger couldn’t reach for the knife he had holstered on his side. The creature kept him pinned on his back, swiping at the zombie slayer with those evil scissors it had as a mouth.
A shadow slithered on the ground, growing larger, covering Ranger’s face and the creature’s body. Determined footsteps soon followed. Before the thing realized anything was happening, a knife pierced the back of its head, squirting yellow puss from its frame.
The creature dropped on Ranger.
Pulling the knife from the cortex, Randy cleaned, and sheathed it into its holster by his side. He then pushed the body with his foot off of Ranger.
“Thanks.” Ranger said patting his head, wondering if he’d lost his baseball cap.
“You would have done the same for me.” Randy offered a hand to help him to his feet.
A smirk grew on Ranger’s face, accepting his offer. “Nah, I’d probably leave you to rot.”
Randy smiled knowing Ranger had forgiven him for abandoning them at the Green Grove apartments. He didn’t need to hear anything else. That’s how they communicated.
While Wildside drove the truck through the gate, Matty and Jon ran to see what had attacked Ranger.
“Look at that thing. I could swear it was a giant bug.” Jon said, braking in his tracks. The look of astonishment washed over his face as he studied the pointed mandibles and the triangular cortex housing the creature’s four eyes. The four legs, large one-piece body, and the sheen of the dark green fur that almost appeared black, left him without words.
“It’s built like a dog.” Matty said.
Retrieving his shotgun and slipping it right by his side where it belonged, Ranger used a rag from his back pocket to clean the mucus from his face, a leftover gift from the creature’s attack.
“Now I know why Wildside’s staying in the truck.” Randy said.
“I’ve never seen this thing before.” Ranger said.
“I’m thinking it’s a guard dog.”
“You might be right. It sure did its job of protecting the entrance to the facility.”
“Obviously, not one of ours.”
“Obviously.” Ranger threw the mucus-filled cloth on the creature’s body, like a piece of garbage thrown away at the dump.
Jon’s chin dropped as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, “If this is a guard dog, what was it guarding? The entrance, sure? but what if the entrance is not the only thing this thing was—”
“You’re really pushing it, aren’t you?” Matty glared at him.
“Well, we might as well say it, since we’re all thinking it. That thing is an alien beast. We don’t have dogs like that on earth.” Jon pointed at the puss-soaked body.
Matty shook her head and
let out a sigh. She thought, what else is there? Zombies, locusts with four antennas, alien dogs. What else does she have to contend with on this mission to destroy the zombie stronghold?
“All I’m saying is I don’t think this place is what we think it is.”
Ranger glanced at Matty then said to Jon, “C’mon kid, tell us what’s on your mind.”
Wildside gradually ambled from the truck to inspect the carcass Randy dispatched.
“I think,” Jon said, “this thing is only the beginning. No one asked where the military is in all this. I mean, we’ve seen the helicopters. I think that’s as far as it’s gone.”
“Containment.” Ranger pointed at the kid.
“It’s the only explanation.”
“Slow it down, guys.” Matty patted the air, palms facing out. “I’m confused. Who is the enemy? The zombies? The military? I wouldn’t have thought we’d be in the middle of a war.”
“That’s just it. We’re not at war. It’s an invasion and we’re the resource.” Jon said.
Other than Ranger and Jon, all the others sported a confused look.
That was when Wildside jumped in. “Jon’s right. If we were at war, we’d have a chance. Remember the saucer-shaped ship in the desert? The military’s helping with the harvesting. No, this is a full-scale invasion, and Worship Square is the headquarters. I don’t think we’ll even find the military here. It’s too dangerous for them. But I’m pretty sure we’ll find something.” He nodded at the dead animal, “If this thing is any sign, we’re in trouble. Lots of it.”
Matty reached over to her brother bringing him in for an embrace. With all his wild ideas, this one actually made sense. It would explain why they found the sentries abandoned.
* * *
Matty leaned against the far wall next to the entrance gate. A vacant look settled on her face as thoughts of her journey filled her head. A full week had passed since she met Ranger and it seemed like months.
Randy had followed her while everyone stood in the distance studying the alien dog’s cadaver. At first, he didn’t say anything, happy to lend support with his silence. It’s what he thought she’d appreciate. But he surrendered to his inner voice telling him to say something, anything that might help in removing the frown and sullen eyes from her face. He said, “I came back to be with you. I couldn’t see you get hurt. I could never forgive myself if anything were to ever have happened to you. So, I came back.” He paused wanting to make sure she absorbed what he had to say. “When everyone left me behind in that building, I crawled into a corner and wallowed. I thought of how much I’d let you all down. I should have been there and I wasn’t. I was too afraid of what might happen to me instead of thinking of what might happen to you.”
She tore her gaze from her emptiness to confront him head on. “I hated you, you know that? The hate I had for you was unlike anything I’ve ever felt before in all my life. They say there’s a fine line between love and hate. I walked that line until I saw you come back for us. I would’ve never wanted to hurt you as bad as you hurt me. Never.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you here for good?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Then there’s nothing to be sorry about.”
The boys hovering over the body of the creature stared at Matty and Randy until Randy gave them a glare. They turned away minding their own business, faking ignorance.
“You have to promise me one thing.” Matty said.
He held his tongue allowing affection to seep from his eyes. Does she see it?
“Will you promise you’ll look after Jon if anything happens to me?”
What? He turned away, eyes bouncing, lips shut tight. What did she mean by that? Is she planning on doing something stupid like sacrifice herself for everyone else? In no way would he promise her anything that had to do with her death. That’s asking for trouble. He’d promise on one condition.
“Will you?”
“I will. Only if you promise me you will never try to kill yourself for any one of us.”
A smile filled her mouth and warmth beamed from her eyes. “What?”
Ridiculous. He looked like an idiot to think she would do anything like that.
She shook her head and chuckled. She saw the affection in his eyes. After a minute, without thought, she leaned into him and kissed his cheek. “That was for being honest with me.” Another soon followed, this time a peck on the mouth. “That was for coming back.”
* * *
As Jon examined the alien dog’s body, Ranger asked Wildside about his fright. “Better?”
“I am.”
Shutting his eyes for a few seconds, Ranger let go of his exhaustion from his battle with the now-dead beast. Lifting his eyelids, he said, “I know you didn’t want to come with us. That this wasn’t your idea. I know that. This was my idea. But you have to understand, I need you, Wildside. I have no idea what to do with that thing hitched to the truck. You might as well tell me it’s a Christmas tree, I would believe you. All I know is you have a knack with things. You can make explosives out of two rocks and a twig. I don’t know how you do it, but you just do. That’s your talent. We can’t do this without you.”
“Thanks, Ranger. That means a lot to me.”
He stepped toward him, laying his hand on his shoulder, facing him. “I kill zombies. I’m good at it. You blow stuff up. You’re good at it. Let’s take what we know how to do best and burn this place to the ground. Because I’d be damned to hell if I let any of those flesh-rippers leave this place alive. That’s a guarantee.”
No sooner had the words escaped Ranger’s mouth that Randy and Matty appeared. With them all there, it lent for the perfect opportunity to review the map. Ranger pulled it from his pocket, crouched to the dead animal, and placed the map on it, using its hide as a table.
“We’re here.” Ranger said, circling the spot with his finger.
“We’re a block away from the entrance to Worship Square.” Jon said.
“If we follow this road all the way to the end, it’ll take us underneath past the South entrance. We can then use the Annex tunnel to move the bomb in place.”
“What’s this?” Like Ranger, Matty pressed her finger on a red line across the access road just before the South entrance on the map.
“I’m not sure. They’re all over the map.” His hand hovered over each location.
“I don’t know about this, Ranger.” She adjusted her hair, threading the loose ends around her ears from her eyes. “This whole thing’s not sitting well with me.”
“We talked about this before.” Wildside said, playing with a pen.
“I know we did. But something’s not right. Jon said this before, getting into this place was too easy. Other than the locust and this demon dog from hell, we have yet to see any resistance we thought we’d encounter. It’s just not—”
“The lack of daylight doesn’t help. And this cold, damp atmosphere adds to the stress.” Randy paced the perimeter of the crowd.
“There he goes. He’s going to do it again.” Wildside said, throwing his pen on the map.
“Wildside,” Ranger scolded.
“No, Ranger. I’m saying it, okay?” He stood erect.
Randy shot a glare at Wildside.
“He bailed on us once and he’ll do it again. You’ll see. How can we trust him?”
That’s all it took. Randy charged Wildside, but Matty had anticipated the confrontation tripping Randy and causing him to crash to the ground.
“Ah, damn it.” Ranger’s anger flowed to his arms throwing Wildside against the wall. He then picked him up by the scruff of the neck and lifted him, feet dangling from the ground. “Are you finished? Huh? Are you done, yet?”
Confusion strangled Wildside, choking the words he’d otherwise have.
“Take a look at that thing on the ground. Do you know why it’s dead?” he shook him. “Do you?”
“I don’t know, Ranger. Put me down, you’re hurting me.”
Loosening his grip, Ranger steered the boy to a gradual descent. When Wildside’s feet touched the ground, Ranger kept the pressure without letting go. “Randy came back to us. You got that. He also saved me from that thing that’s now starting to smell like an unwashed armpit. He’s here with us now. And as long as anyone is with us, they’re not against us.” He let him go.
Pressing his hand against his neck, Wildside tried to relieve the strain.
“I’m not doing this again. This love-hate relationship has gone on far too long.” Ranger grabbed Wildside by the arm and marched him to where Randy had fallen. Then, he picked Randy off the ground, and stood him face-to-face with his nemesis. “Go ahead. Beat each other senseless, if that’s what it’s gonna take for you two to be friends. Go on.”
Neither of the boys budged. They only cleared their throats and stared at their shoes, but neither one took that step forward to trash the other. Everything had been said already.
“That’s what I thought.” Ranger seized the map and sauntered back to the truck.
But Matty couldn’t let it rest. She whispered something to Jon. In turn, Jon walked over to Randy and pulled him to the dead creature. “Can you show me how you killed this thing? It’s pretty gruesome.”
Matty had Wildside all to herself. She took him aside and said, “I know where you’re coming from. Believe me, I know. I can feel your anger toward Randy. I was angry too. I didn’t like what he did either. And yeah, it was a pretty uncool thing for him to do. Not cool at all. But he’s sorry, Wildside. He really is sorry. Not with words, but with helping us get a new truck, saving Ranger’s life, and going against his fears. You too have fears. Remember when you stood frozen by seeing this thing for the first time? Remember what it felt like when Ranger came to you? Remember the relief?” She paused for dramatic effect. “Let it go, Wildside. You can’t carry a grudge for the rest of your life. It’ll eat you alive. Let it go.”