Wormwood Dawn (Episode X)

by Crae, Edward

  Toni heard the pathetic whimpers of the man she had shot. He was calling out someone’s name, but she couldn’t make it out. She knew damn well she had hit him right in the lower abdomen, an extremely painful place to get shot.

  She could see Jake and the others take cover on the other side of the house, near the RV. Jake handed Nathan and Max guns from inside, and Toby had his Ruger in his hand as he crouched behind a nearby stump. The barrels of two suppressed weapons were poking out of the top floor windows; Drew and Cliff were sniping whenever the opportunity presented itself.

  “We’re cornered,” Travis said, stuffing some shells into his shotgun.

  “It looks like we got first blood though,” Toni said. “He’s cryin’ like a baby.”

  “What is that he’s yelling?”

  Toni shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “It sounds like Royce or something.”

  Travis scooted up next to her, leaning the barrel of his shotgun against the car. They stared into the darkening forest, trying to find their targets. In the distance, over the sound of the intruders rushing around, were the moans and groans of an approaching horde.

  “Goddamnit,” Toni said. “The horde is back. They must have been attracted to my gunfire.”

  “I bet they were lured in somehow,” Travis said.

  A muffled poof sounded from the top floor window. “Drew and Cliff must see something.”

  “I don’t see shit.”

  As soon as Travis spoke, a pair of shufflers broke through the brush and stumbled onto the gravel path. They were taken down almost immediately with a number of poofs from above. Toni looked back toward the RV. There was another barrel poking out of one of the windows. Linda must be in there, Toni thought. She was a good shot, too, but had no suppressor.

  Neither did the others, except for Toby.

  There was a rustling to their right, and Toni turned to see a pair of corpses coming at them. Travis raised his shotgun, but Toni stopped him, drawing her knife. She leaped up, kicking one of them down, and dragged the other to the ground, driving her knife into its skull. She then rolled toward the other, taking it out just as quickly and quietly.

  “Nice job,” Travis said when she returned.

  “Thanks daddy.”

  “We got your surrounded!” someone shouted from the forest. “Give up now or we kill all you mother fuckers.”

  “Yeah right,” Toni said. “They’re surrounded too.”

  There was a sudden scream from the same direction as the voice, followed by a few gunshots.

  “Jesus,” Travis said. “Those stupid assholes brought the horde with them and they’re trying to hide.”

  “Not a very good plan,” Toni said. “They aren’t gonna listen to orders.”

  “Their leader must not give a shit about them,” Travis said.

  Enoch grinned as he smeared himself with gore. He had taken down a corpse with his axe, and chopped it up into bits, just to cloak himself in its scent. With his own scent covered, the horde would ignore him, and he could get closer to the other group without being noticed. Surely they would run when they saw the massive number of creatures. His own men were fleeing.

  They were dying too, but he didn’t give a shit.

  He began the journey inward toward the house he saw in the distance. It was getting dark, but he could still see fairly well. If he needed to, he could use his IR scope to get even closer. But for now, he just wanted to observe and see what the fuckers would do.

  He wondered where Royce was. He swore he could hear someone cry out his name. He knew that if someone was in trouble, Royce would ignore. The man was a traitor, and the others hated him. He wouldn’t last long. He was fodder, nothing more, and that’s why Enoch had sent him in first.

  There was a long, overgrown driveway that snaked through the woods. On either side of it were gullies that probably flooded with every rain. He had to steer way clear of the elevated path, choosing instead to walk along the flatter ground.

  He saw one of his men get mauled by a creature; something on four legs with swirling tentacles. He laughed, knowing how painful and terrifying it would be. Those fuckers were hard to kill.

  “Bye bye, mother fucker,” he whispered.

  As he walked on, he pictured smashing Drew’s head with his axe. Smashing it right in front of Dan. Maybe he would torture Dan for a while, too, just to fuck with him. He liked the thought. Either way, he would have his revenge, and would smear Drew’s brains all over the place.

  It would be glorious.

  Chapter Eleven

  Dan and Eric emerged from behind the shed, about two dozen feet down the nearby slope. The sound of gunfire echoed around them, and the sickening growls and moans of the infected were almost deafening.

  “It’s the horde again,” Dan said.

  They climbed up the slope as fast as they could. Dan needed his rifle, and it was inside on the couch. The back door was clear at the moment, and it would be a short but furious sprint to get there.

  “Where’s your shotgun?” he asked Eric.

  “It’s inside on the kitchen counter.”

  “Alright,” Dan said. “Let’s make a run for it.”

  They sprinted toward the back door, weaving in and out of shufflers that were beginning to filter in from the sides. Dan kicked one down, stomping on its head as he passed by. He heard Eric tackle another one, coughing and choking on the poof of spores that it let out.

  “Jesus Christ,” Eric shouted. “It’s like a puffball.”

  They reached the back door and slammed it open. Grace was there in the kitchen, and Drew and Cliff were coming down the stairs. Eric grabbed his shotgun, and Dan ran into the living to fetch his rifle.

  “Where is everybody?” he asked.

  “They’re all outside,” Drew said. “But we can’t hole up in here. We gotta run, man.”

  “Yeah,” Dan said. “I know. Grace, are you ready?”

  Grace nodded, gripping her rifle nervously.

  “Alright, we gotta keep everybody together. Understood?”

  Everyone nodded when they were ready. Dan gripped the door knob, preparing to burst through, when he heard a scream outside. The voice didn’t sound familiar, but he knew it was because an infected had taken someone down.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  He pulled the door open and burst through. He saw Toni and Travis on the right, and the others to the left. Toby was behind cover, firing his rifle whenever he could. Dan ran toward him, and the others followed. He got Toni’s attention and motioned for her to join them at the RV. But the infected were too thick. They were beginning to charge the front of the house and she and Travis would be cut off.

  “Shit,” Dan said. “We gotta run. How fast will this RV go?”

  “Not fast,” Eric said. “It takes a long time to get up to speed, too. We might be able to outrun the infected, but not humans. Besides, they’re probably waiting for us at the highway.”

  “Damn it,” Dan said.

  He raised his rifle to look through his scope. Among the infected he saw swarming in the woods, he could see a few men stumbling around. They must be shielded with guts, he thought, like Nathan was when he approached the house. Maybe they could do that, too.

  Dan moved to the edge of their cover, spying a small group of shufflers headed for the house. There were a few dead among them, just enough to get a nice supply of innards for disguise. He picked one near the back of the group and waited for them to approach. When they were near the front door, Dan raised his rifle and took aim at the last creature.

  Then the creature pulled a gun.

  A shotgun blast took the man out, causing the rest of the infected to turn in their direction.

  “Goddamn it,” Eric shouted, pumping his shotgun.

  Everyone stood, ready to flee as the infected raged toward them. Dan took down a few with his Blackout, and he heard the poofs of Cliff and Drew’s rifles as they began thinning them out as well. But they were ge
tting closer.

  “We need to split up,” Jake said. “Give them multiple targets.”

  “Alright,” Dan said, taking out another.

  Jake grabbed Drew and the two made enough noise to distract another group. They went around to the back side of the house. Dan could see Toni and Travis preparing to pile into her car when they got the chance. He gave Toni a nod and watched as she opened the passenger side door and crawled in. Travis crawled in right behind her.

  “Careful, Dad,” Eric mumbled.

  “Cliff,” Dan said. “Take Grace and head around the shack. Try and draw some of them that way. If things get shitty, we’ll take off anyway we can. Try to make it to Nashville.”

  Cliff nodded and took Grace’s hand. “Don’t let go, baby,” he said.

  The two went off and disappeared around the shed. He could hear gunfire, and see the infected falling one by one as they ran for safety. He was relieved.

  “We’re running out of people,” Max said. “Someone needs to drive the RV.”

  “I’ll drive it,” Eric said. “But we might not make it through. We need to make sure everyone gets away before we try to plow through the horde and the people.”

  “I’ll go with Max,” Linda said. “I’m good in the forest and I can shoot. I’ll make sure he’s okay.”

  Dan looked at Max, who nodded approvingly. “Alright,” he said. “You guys go. Remember, Nashville.”

  Royce stood with his back against a tree. All around him, Enoch’s men were shooting toward the house, desperately weaving in and out of the horde. There were infected everywhere; the mold creatures, the four-legged freaks, and the walking corpses. Royce didn’t like any of them, but he realized he could probably pass as one of the dead with a little creativity.

  A single corpse was coming his way, stumbling along with its rotting teeth bared and its claws held out in front of it. He whistled, getting its attention, and it growled and turned in his direction. He reached behind him to grab the knife out of his belt, waiting for the creature to approach. He charged it when it came close enough, stabbing it right in the forehead.

  As it fell to the ground, he slit open its gut, nearly puking when the smell of shit and rotting guts blew upward. He held his breath, gritted his teeth, and reached inside. It was squishy and disgusting, but it was his only hope. If he could get close enough to Dan and his group, maybe he could convince them to flee—and take him with them.

  When he had sufficiently covered himself in gore, he shouldered his rifle and began walking alongside the horde, closing in on the house. If everything went right, he could escape Enoch and his heathens. If not, he would die.

  Either was acceptable.

  Cliff led Grace through the woods, heading away from the horde. There were stragglers here and there that jumped out from behind the trees, but Cliff silently took them out with his knife when he could. There was no reason to waste ammo when a good stab would do.

  Though it was hard to see, they managed to cover a good distance. The scene behind them began to fade away, and all they could hear were muffled gunshots, distant growls and shouts, and the occasional howling of the larger creatures.

  Cliff slowed down, rounding a tree and crouching down to look through his scope. Grace crouched next to him, breathless and terrified. The IR revealed several heat signatures in the distance, probably twenty yards away, and a few darker spots that belonged to the dead. But there was one among them with a bright signature, much like Nathan when he came close to the house.

  He watched the figure for a moment, moving from side to side to pop the creatures that came too close. Every time he dropped a shuffler or shambler, the figure paused for a moment, and then continued its march. It looked like the person—whoever it was—didn’t really know where he was going.

  “Look this way,” Cliff said, prompting Grace to use her own scope.

  “That must be one of the bad guys,” she said after a moment. “But look. There’s another one behind him.”

  Cliff raised his rifle again, looking far behind the stumbling figure. Grace was right; there was another man coming up behind the stumbling figure fast. The new figure was firing bursts of suppressed rounds into the creatures off in the distance as he hastened his pace on the first figure.

  “What the hell is going on?” Cliff mumbled.

  “It looks like he’s after the first guy.”

  They watched the man come closer. He obviously knew they were there, as he changed direction, still picking up his pace as the man behind him gained ground. Then, the pursuer stopped, raising his rifle to aim at his trophy.

  Cliff took him out with a headshot.

  He turned his scope back to the first man, who had stopped. Cliff saw his hands slowly go out to his sides and above his head as he stopped.

  “He’s surrendering or something,” Cliff said.

  He lowered his rifle, whistling through his teeth with just enough volume for the man to hear.

  “He’s coming,” Grace said.

  “Keep your aim on him,” Cliff said. “If he tries anything, take him out.”

  Cliff stood, leaning out from behind the tree. “Over here,” he whispered loudly.

  Though he couldn’t see much in the dimness, he heard the frantic approach.

  “Stop,” he said, switching on his gun light.

  He shined it on the man, seeing a walnut-skinned younger man covered in gore. His face was desperate and pleading, and he appeared to be armed, but had holstered his pistol.

  “Who are you?” Cliff asked.

  “My name is Royce,” the young man said. “I’m with these mother fuckers, but I’m tryin’ to get away. Let me pass. I’ll leave you alone.”

  “Who is this group?”

  “Enoch’s group,” Royce said. “He’s lookin’ for Drew.”

  “Fuck,” Cliff whispered. “We gotta find Drew.”

  “There ain’t no goin’ back, brutha,” Royce said. “Wherever you was goin’, you need to keep goin’ that way.”

  “Dan said to meet up in Nashville,” Grace said.

  “Do you have a vehicle?” Cliff asked.

  “No,” Royce said. “But there’s plenty on the state road if you can make it there.”

  “Alright,” Cliff said. “You can come with us.”

  “Bet,” Royce replied, smiling.

  “This way,” Linda said, leading Max around a larger group of shufflers. “We’ll head alongside the driveway and hit the state road. There should be some vehicles somewhere we can use.”

  “We could steal one of… whoever these guys are.”

  “Right,” Linda replied. “Stay close.”

  Linda had her rifle ready, and Max carried the AR Dan had given him. Linda knew he was hesitant to shoot, but could do so if he was required to. She had confidence in his ability to defend himself. Though quirky, and somewhat geeky, the kid knew his weapons. Given his tech knowledge, she was compelled to defend him as well as she could.

  He was valuable to the group, and their survival depended on him.

  Gunshots sounded ahead of them in the darkness. She stopped and pulled Max close to her as she hid behind a large tree. They heard heavy footsteps as a few men ran by, popping creatures that were in the distance.

  “How the fuck can they see shit?” Linda mumbled.

  She waited for them to pass, and then pulled Max along with her. The driveway was up ahead; she could see the slope going upward toward it. If they could make it there, it would likely be safe, as the infected weren’t very good climbers.

  They struggled to climb upward. The slope was steep here, and the soil was loose. After a few minutes of slipping and sliding they finally made it to the top, both of them scratched and breathless, but safe.

  “I wonder where everyone else is,” Linda said, stopping to catch her breath.

  “They’ll get away,” Max said. “Don’t worry. The only question is can everyone make it to our designated rendezvous point.”

  They
could both see headlights through the trees toward the house. They didn’t know who it was, but the intruders had come in on foot, mixing with the horde. Whoever was in a vehicle, it had to be one of their own.

  “We should stick around and see who’s in that car,” Max said. “Off the road, of course.”

  Travis had taken over driving, and Toni hung out of the passenger window, firing at everything that moved. She used Travis’ shotgun, and struggled to keep steady as the old hippie swerved and skidded around every corner. She could hear the impact of several infected bouncing off the bumper of her little car, and could see the dull eyes of the dead in the headlights.

  “Keep steady,” she shouted. “I can’t hit shit.”

  “I’m just tryin’ to stay on the road man!”

  “Be careful! The rocks are slippery.”

  “No shit!”

  Travis swerved sharply as an unexpected curve appeared. Toni dropped back down into the passenger seat, glaring at Travis.

  “Jesus Christ,” she said.

  “Sorry, babe,” Travis replied, stomping on the gas. “I think it’s a pretty straight shot from here. We’re almost home free.”

  Toni caught her breath and stared ahead at the winding gravel road. They were still elevated above the forest floor, but the slope was gradually leveling out. But then, out of nowhere, there was a slight curve, and two people in the headlights. Toni’s heart jumped.

  “Look out!” she shouted.

  Travis stomped on the brakes and swerved. The car spun out, catching a large rock on the edge of the road. They went over, bouncing down the steep slope to their left. Toni held on for dear life as Travis tried desperately to avoid the thick trees. The car smacked into one, and spun out again, tumbling over onto its side and sliding down the rest of the way to the forest floor. They did one complete flip, both of them smacking their heads on the roof, and came to a crashing halt against another tree.

  “Jesus Fuck,” Travis whispered.

  Toni held her nose as it bled. The bone had been broken, but she was alright; she was alive.