"Also there are copies of all the research I did for you to present to the CDC. Please be sure I am given credit for my discoveries."
"Of course," Drenon restrained a sigh and just managed not to roll his eyes. He packed the containers into the mesh duffel bag and waved over his shoulder without saying a word as he walked out of the lab.
A few minutes later Jaws met him at the small rental moving truck. Drenon set the duffle bag down carefully in the passenger seat and strapped the seat belt around it to keep it secured.
"Everything is packed Drenon,” Jaws said. “I had a few guys help me carry the tree once I was able to drag it out of the secure lab. I am going to be cleaning soil out of those decontamination rooms the entire time you are gone. What a mess."
"Good, you won't be bored. Where are the larvae?"
"I am never bored,” Jaws replied. “They are all on the floorboard on the passenger side in a heavy duty plastic specimen container, except for the ones in the large aquarium feeding on the branch. They are secured tightly in the back, padded with Styrofoam on all sides, with the lid taped down. None of them are getting out. Also, I included copies of all of the paperwork and put it into six boxes in the back. You would not believe how much we have accumulated since we first started looking into the cotton trees. Do you want to put the duffle bag in the back?"
Drenon replied, “No, I need to get on the road. The sooner this is over the better. It will be fine up here where I can keep an eye on it. You can take the iguana back to the lab though.” Drenon unzipped the duffle bag and handed the caged iguana to Jaws.
“Okay, will do. Have a good trip.”
"I will try. I hope to be back next week, but who knows what will happen once I get to Atlanta. I have never dealt with the CDC before."
The trip was just over twelve hours according to the website he checked. Drenon decided to see how far he could make it and then find a hotel for the night. Thirteen hours later, after two short stops for fast food meals and three stops to fill the tank, he was driving north up I-85 within the Atlanta perimeter. He was exhausted, but he had made it.
Drenon stayed as far to the right as he could on the five lane highway. Even going fifteen miles per hour over the speed limit, he was passed by every car on the dark road. He had driven in Atlanta before and was always amazed the police never seemed to do anything to stop the insanity.
Peering hard at an approaching blue sign to see the hotels available at the next exit, a racing motorcycle flew by him in the median to his right. He never even saw it approach. He had just enough time to estimate its speed at well over one hundred while swerving instinctively away, when a second motorcycle racing to catch up to the first passed him with inches to spare on the left. Drenon panicked and swerved wildly to the right to avoid a collision just as he approached an overpass.
The top heavy rental truck first fell on its right side, then immediately catapulted spinning into the air from the impact with a low concrete barrier. As the truck hit a tremendous concrete column, he watched the front of the truck collapsing inward, and felt it pinning his legs to the seat. Drenon lost consciousness before the truck stopped rolling. It came to rest on all four wheels directly in the middle of the highway.
~ Chapter XIII ~
When Drenon woke he was numb. Everything was deathly quiet except for an incessant click, click… click, click… click, click…
He could move his head from side to side, but nothing else seemed to be responding. Opening his heavy eye lids he looked down. By the intermittent flashing green light of the right turn signal, he could see the steering wheel was imbedded partially in his abdomen. If any part of him below the wheel was still attached, it was impossible to see. He realized he must be paralyzed, and was momentarily grateful after seeing the condition of his broken body.
A quick movement from the right caught his attention. Thing was poised above his arm, now motionless, only visible every other second with her front legs cocked in the strike position. The tarantula was missing a back leg and had another bent upwards towards the sky. A large sliver of clear glass protruded from the right side of Thing’s abdomen and blackness leaked from the wound. The flashing light cast a temporary menacing extended shadow on the cloth seat next to him, which then disappeared again.
When the blinker came back on less than a second later, Thing was securely latched onto his wrist. He could not feel any pain, but just the sight made him nauseous. He closed his eyes but could not stop from seeing the fangs buried deep in his arms, and then shuddered remembering what those fangs could be passing to him.
Sirens approached rapidly. Red and blue lights soon lit the cab giving it a bizarre circus-like atmosphere. Drenon drifted out momentarily and then back in again, but finally succumbed to the undeniable urge to rest. He drifted off for the last time at 10:36 PM. His soul left his earthly body, never realizing the battleground it had become.
Gasoline poured out of the truck’s tank soaking the ground in all directions. Traffic heading north was completely stopped and rapidly backing up. Police and emergency crews were ordered to stay a safe distance away from the accident as firefighters assessed the situation.
~ Chapter XIV ~
David Stanley had been a fireman his entire adult life. He had seen many accidents like this one and knew there was no way to predict if the gas was going to catch fire. It would either happen or it would not. He was suited up in an entry suit made of zetex which was able to withstand extreme temperatures.
David knew most vehicle fires did not result in an explosion and the suit should be enough to withstand any flames. He also knew from years of experience there were no certainties, so he approached cautiously, watching the entire scene for the presence of flame. David said a prayer as he always did before going into any situation, and started walking slowly toward the truck.
The driver’s door was destroyed, but was bulging outwards. He tried to open the door pulling hard on the handle, but it may as well have been welded shut for all the difference his effort made. There was a gap a small child could fit through between the door and the truck’s frame. David looked in at the devastation and knew there was no easy way to get any survivors out of the truck. Even from behind the driver, he could tell the body had been badly crushed and was pinned. He would bet the man was dead.
He moved to where the mirror used to be attached and using his flashlight peered into the cab through a huge hole in the shattered windshield glass. There were no additional passengers in the cab. If there had been someone, they had been thrown out.
Suddenly the driver’s head swiveled towards David. Both of the man’s eyes were completely black in the light, yet seemed to look deep into his own. The pinned man’s head lunged forward aggressively, straining against the rest of the body trapped in the seat. Most disturbing were the jaws which continuously opened and clamped shut with a staccato clap like two round stones striking together.
As he jumped backwards in fear and surprise, David caught a flash from his left. A flame which had originated under the motor quickly approached, and then went flying by his feet. It spread rapidly outwards towards the perimeter where people watched and back towards the gas tank. David, protected by his suit, thankfully could not feel the heat. He stumbled awkwardly as his heart thudded audibly in his head. He was just five feet away when the flame seemed to jump off the ground and up into the truck.
The gas tank caught and created a wicked twenty foot long curling column of flame spewing out towards David and knocking him to the ground. It reached out towards the emergency crews and held back any rescue effort like the giant arm of God. The firefighters attempted to extinguish the flame, but were unable to make more than a token effort in reaching the truck through the inferno.
Within moments there was a fireball curling up and around both sides of the cab and the truck was engulfed. David, crawling, retreated a safe distance and related what he had s
een to his captain as the two watched the truck burn brilliantly. At one point David noticed an odd shape which looked like a tree blazing like a giant torch.
Hours later the truck had cooled to the point where crews could approach the cab. There were very few remains recovered. The body did not seem to be burned as expected. Instead, it appeared to have melted.
~ Epilogue 1 ~
Deep in the rain forests of Belize the rainy season had once again begun. An incredible storm bullied through the region for days. Early in the predawn morning, a particularly severe gust of wind struck a massive cotton tree. A branch near the top of the tree broke off about a foot away from the truck. Countless white larvae briefly poured from a deep cavity where the branch had been. The branch struck after a fifteen story fall causing a slight tremor to shake the ground.
Hours later the storm had calmed and the dawn filtered softly through the thick jungle canopy. Thousands of larvae were gathered around the trunk of the tree attempting to climb or chew their way back inside. Others were scattered in and around the broken branch.
A close look revealed a swarming pile of ants covered one of the easily overwhelmed larvae. Nearby, a large spider stealthily crept towards the tree branch attracted by the activity. Perched near the end of the branch, a small colorful bird pecked at a squirming white meal pinned at its feet.
No iguanas were to be seen.
~ Epilogue 2 ~
Dr. Slavin leaned against his kitchen counter and stared fascinated by the pupae behind the glass, wondering when it would escape from its hard white shell. He had only been able to save one larvae, but it looked like he had chosen the right one.
The CDC backed by government officials had invaded and ransacked his personal laboratory, as well as the rest of the science wing of the university. They had interviewed and interrogated him for days. Fortunately, he had expected the intrusion and had the foresight to hide his last precious larvae in the crawlspace of his home where it was overlooked.
###END###
Author Notes
This is my first published work. I have written others, including a full length novel which I am not ready to publish yet. The novel is part of a trilogy I have planned… it is just missing books two and three.
This particular story started when I searched for free zombie short stories myself and enjoyed reading what I found.
Zombie Threat: The Undead Arise Page 4
