Cascade Collection

by Phil Maxey

  “Your dad was USAF?” said Zach holding a picture of a man in uniform.

  “Yes, he worked in…” Dee searched for the correct terms, “Operations Intelligence. He helped find bad guys before he made games.”

  “For what it’s worth Dee, your dad seemed like a great guy,” said Zach. Dee smiled. “You got everything? We need to move out.”

  “Yes. Where’s Brad?”

  “He’s outside, think I heard him talking to Ray. You been watching that box of tricks he gave you.”

  “Shit!” Dee ran back into his room. He slowly reappeared with the black box in his hand, intently looking at it. He then held it up in front of him with the LED’s facing towards Zach.

  Two lights near the top of the grid flashed intermittently. “What does this mean?”

  “It means we need to leave.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Fiona, Cal and Michael had managed to throw various large desks and chairs into the first and second floor stairwells, before running up to the computer room floor. Abbey then locked all of the lower floor doors remotely. Michael, Fiona, Jacob and Abbey stood and sat in the computer room watching the outside camera feeds.

  Cal was in one of the adjacent offices looking out in the direction the creatures were coming. Nothing could be seen. Where the fuck are they? “Do you see anything?” he shouted.

  “Nothing, you?” replied Abbey.

  “Nothing, I’m going up on the roof,” said Cal running up the stairwell. A cool breeze swept across him as he looked at the nearby buildings. There was no sign of the wolf creatures. Have they turned away?

  For a moment time seemed to stop as there was only silence and stillness out there in the city of Roswell, not insane creatures that shouldn’t exist. But then he caught sign of movement near a car and a brown fur covered creature like something out of a fifties horror movie stood up on its hind legs, then leaped forward and within seconds slammed into one of the large glass windows on the ground floor, shattering it and causing glass to fly out onto the steps in front of the building. Only one? Thought Cal. He scoured the area just around their building but again there was no sign of anything. Even from the roof he could hear the paws of the creature on the ground floor scratching on the smooth polished surface. He then ran back down to the computer room. Everyone was watching the foyer camera.

  “What’s it doing?” he said. The creature was standing on its hind legs and looking left and right, seemingly sniffing. It then walked forward. Everyone jumped slightly at the oddness of seeing a wolf-like creature move in such a way.

  “Wow that’s creepy,” said Michael. “Cool in movies, not so much in real life.”

  Slowly the creature moved towards the ground floor stairwell door and sniffed it.

  “If they get up here I don’t think your ten rounds is going to be much help, there must be something else we can do to defend ourselves,” said Fiona.

  “Maybe if we kill that one the others will…”

  The sound of multiple windows shattering rang around the building. Abbey brought up extra internal camera feeds for the lower floors and at least five wolf creatures could be seen recovering their footing on the first floor. They snarled and growled at each other, then immediately their heads turned towards the stairwell exit.

  “Look at their front legs, they look like…” said Michael.

  “Arms,” replied Abbey.

  One of the creatures bounded up to the stairwell exit and sniffed the door, then reared up on its hind legs and slammed into it with its teeth and front claw like paws. The door held but seemed to splinter slightly.

  “That door’s not going to last, and there’s no point us hiding in here they can obviously smell us, that’s why they are moving upwards,” said Fiona. “Okay we need to leave this room and get up to the penthouse, we can defend that area better, and if all else fells we move to the roof.”

  “And have no means of escape?” said Jacob.

  “Right now it’s kill or be killed. Let’s move everyone!”

  The others ran upstairs, while Abbey switched off the screens so to not draw any attention from the creatures, she hoped if they survived this the computer room still be in working order.

  Abbey and Fiona were the last to leave the computer floor and as they entered the stairwell, they could hear the creatures slamming into and gnawing the door four floors down.

  They both ran into the apartment and Fiona almost slipped on the floor. She gathered herself then stood bolt upright lost in thought for a few seconds as the others piled up furniture against the front door. She then ran into the small en-suite bathroom and turned on the tap, fresh cold water poured out. She then quickly returned to the living room. “Michael how much water do we have still?”

  “Right now a few weeks’ worth, why?”

  “We need piping.” She frantically looked around, then focused on a ream of garden hose someone had grabbed from the gas station on Main Street. Grabbing the hose she ran into the bathroom and connected one end to the tap, and fed the other end out into the living room. She then ran back into the bathroom and turned the tap on full. Water poured out onto the apartment floor.

  “What are you doing?” Michael shouted. “We are going to need that water!”

  Jacob put his hand on Michael’s arm. “Leave her alone kid I think she’s got an idea.”

  “Abbey, I need you to find any kind of extension cord, I think there’s one in the kitchen. When you find it, pull the covering off the end so the wires are exposed.’ Abbey went to ask why, then realized what Fiona was planning.

  With an almighty crash something heavy and angry slammed into the penthouse door. Cal, Michael and Jacob where holding the furniture in place best they could, but the initial slam pushed all of them back momentarily before they could gather themselves and push back. The floor of the apartment was now more akin to a large puddle, with water splashing everywhere when anyone moved in it.

  “They got up here quick, so much for the barricades,” said Michael.

  “The access to the roof is slim, we might be able to defend that spot, Abbey, you done with the cable?” said Fiona, Abbey shouted it was ready, “Good plug one end in the wall, but for god’s sake don’t drop the exposed end, hold on to it.”

  Something slammed into the door and they were all pushed back momentarily again. The door splintered and huge canine teeth appeared in the tear.

  “We can’t hold this much longer!” Cal shouted.

  “We need to wait until more than one is in the apartment we are only going to get one shot of this. Jacob and Michael get to the roof! Abbey, pull the cable into the roof stairwell. Then get up to the roof!”

  Another solid impact slammed the door, making furniture fall away and land with a splash on the floor. The door was disintegrating before their eyes.

  “They are almost through!” shouted Cal, barely audible through the sound of snarling and frantic clawing at the door.

  “Now!” shouted Fiona. She and Cal turned and ran into the kitchen splashing and trying not to slip, then into the stairwell. Fiona grabbed the cable, pulling the stairwell door as closed as much as she could, giving her a small gap to look through.

  The furniture exploded backwards into the apartment and two wolf creatures bounded into the living room sliding on the wet floor and slamming up against the glass windows and sofas. Quickly gathering their footing one of them stood up on its hind legs and sniffed the air. It was at this point that Fiona truly grasped how big these creatures were because standing upright it was easily nine-foot high. Another one of them skidded into the apartment and it was at this point that Fiona thought now or never. Opening the stairwell door some more she threw the exposed end of the cable extension down onto the kitchen floor. The effect was immediate. All three creatures froze then started squealing and shaking, falling to the floor as the wall socket where the extension was plugged into popped with a large bang making sparks.

  A loud bang was also heard on t
he roof were Abbey, Cal, Michael and Jacob where moving the fridges across towards the stairwell.

  Cal ran over to the stairwell as soon as the bang was heard and found Fiona slumped over on the bottom step. He immediately realized that the ground in front of her was wet. “Michael! Abbey!” he shouted behind him as he quickly walked down the stairwell steps.

  “Don’t touch her she might be still touching the current!” shouted Abbey. Cal ignored the advice and grabbed Fiona, while pushing the roof door closed.

  “There’s no current, it shorted,” he said, pulling her up onto the roof. “Quick, get those fridges down the stairs.”

  “Is she breathing?” said Abbey, as Michael and Jacob did what Cal asked. More sounds could be heard coming from beyond the apartment.

  Cal checked for Fiona’s pulse. “It’s there but very faint. I think the electric shock knocked her out. Let’s get her onto the chair.” He pulled her to it. “Stay with her,” he said, then ran back to the stairwell which now contained two large fridges.

  “That’s not going to hold them back,” said Jacob.

  “She took out three, maybe that will put them off,” said Michael.

  Something large crashed into the opposite side of the roof door. The fridges hopped in their positions as the door shuddered.

  “Jacob, get ready, when you clearly see one of them, shoot, aim for the head,” said Cal.

  Jacob stood at the top of the stairs, both hands on the gun, aimed at the door that was now being chewed and eaten. The sound of the creatures furiously attacking was incessant and filled the air around them.

  Michael handed Cal and Abbey large kitchen knifes. “I grabbed these on the way through the kitchen.” He held a chopper which he flipped from one hand to the next.

  “If they get through…” Cal was stopped before he could finish the sentence by the sound of gunfire. His reaction was to look at Jacob, but he had not moved or fired. A deep howling sound echoed around the streets below.

  Cal ran to the east west wall and looked over. “Good timing Zach,” he said with a smile on his face.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  As Zach pulled up in the pickup outside the office building, he could see two wolf creatures already in the foyer and multiple windows on the first floor shattered. They had gone back to get Brad’s own pickup, then back to his home to grab some of his prized possessions, two M4 Carbine assault rifles, a few handguns and extra ammo. Brad’s home was surprisingly close, and it was only a few minutes before they got to the base of their building just as Fiona six stories above them had dropped the live cable onto the drenched apartment floor.

  Ray and Dee stayed in the pickup with a handgun ready to shoot anything that came close.

  “Watch your six!” shouted Brad, “These fuckers like sneaking up behind you.”

  Zach had a quick look over his shoulder, but couldn’t see any creatures. They both approached the foyer, guns raised.

  “I got the one on the left, you go for the right,” said Zach.

  A large brute of a creature with dark brown mottled fur swung its head around in Zach’s direction. It immediately hunched its shoulders and lowered its head and snarled. Its clawed hands clenched and opened as it lowered its head even more, bending its back legs.

  Zach pummeled it with bullets, pushing it backwards up against the foyer desk. The other creature scrambled forward with the velocity of a sprinter, its hands clawing at the space in front of it. Brad fired two shots, which missed it completely ricocheting off the foyer walls. Zach looked across at Brad.

  “I got this,” said Brad, dropping down on one knee to steady his hand. He then let loose a volley of three more shots each one connecting and dropping the beast instantly.

  The other creatures left in the building heard the howls of pain and leaped from windows on the lower floor, over Brad and Zach’s heads and onto nearby rooftops and out of sight.

  “Yeah! Get going!” shouted Brad as their snarls faded into the distance. Dee’s head appeared in the pickups window. Zach opened the passenger’s door and Dee climbed out followed by Ray.

  “Stay close.” Zach said to Dee, as he, Ray and Brad walked past the corpses of the wolf creatures and through the hole where a twelve-foot high pane of glass used to be. As Brad walked past the creatures he pushed his gun into each to make sure there was no reaction.

  The remains of the foyer stairwell door broke open and Abbey appeared, half crying half smiling and ran and hugged Zach with an embrace that took him by surprise. With the hand that wasn’t holding the M4 he held her too. Cal, Michael and the others appeared out of the stairwell door as well, stepping over pieces of furniture best they could. The last one to appear was Jacob, still holding his handgun. Abbey finally let go and stepped back.

  Zach walked to Cal and passed him the gun. “I suspect you’re better with this than I.” Cal grinned and immediately checked the magazine. “This here is Brad and he’s the reason you’re all still alive.”

  Brad for a moment looked a little embarrassed. “I could never take them on alone, feels good to give them bastards a kick in the teeth.” He slung his M4 on his back.

  “You’re the UFO guy who left the message?” said Abbey.

  Brad smiled. “I am.”

  Dee stayed closed to Zach but was watching the closest wolf creature with wide eyes.

  “Don’t worry Dee it’s not going to hurt anyone now,’ said Zach.

  Abbey looked at Zach with tearful eyes, but these were sorrowful tears not the joyful ones from a few moments ago. “Fiona was hurt.”

  “How bad?” said Zach, fretful of the answer.

  “The young lady was electrocuted, saving our asses, she’s still alive, but hasn’t regained consciousness,” said Jacob.

  Zach rushed to the stairwell and ran up the stairs best he could, the others followed closely behind. Finally he made it into the penthouse and stepped through the sodden carpet and out onto the roof, pushing past the fridges. Fiona was laid out in the reclined garden chair, kneeling he checked her pulse. Cal, Michael and Abbey appeared from the stairwell.

  “Pulse seems okay, a bit intermittent, but she’s alive. You say she was electrocuted?” said Zach, Cal nodded.

  “She should be conscious by now,” said Zach. He then felt her head and found a small bump at the back of her skull. “Ah, it wasn’t the shock, it was when she fell she must have hit her head and it knocked her out, have we got any strong spirit anywhere around?”

  “There’s a bottle of whiskey in one of the boxes,” said Michael.

  “Bring it here.”

  Michael ran off and quickly returned with the bottle. Zach opened the bottle and sniffed. Taking a swig he then placed the bottle under Fiona’s nose. She started to stir, then swiped the bottle away with her hand, almost knocking it out of Zach’s grasp.

  “I don’t dring,” she slurred.

  “Yes!” shouted Michael. Abbey instinctively hugged Cal and Michael.

  Zach helped Fiona sit up, placing the bottle of spirit on the floor. “Someone grab me one of those water bottles from the fridge.” Abbey quickly found one and passed it to Zach who twisted the top of and gave it to Fiona. She gulped a few mouthfuls down then started to shake her head but quickly stopped, wincing in pain she felt the back of her head.

  “They didn’t kill us all then,” said Fiona.

  “You, Zach, the UFO guy saved us,” said Michael.

  “UFO guy? You found him?” she said, becoming more alert.

  “More he found us, but yeah he’s downstairs. When you feel up to it, we need to have that chat I mentioned before I left, but for now rest here,” said Zach, smiling.

  “I’m going to keep watch up here for a while,” said Cal, Zach nodded his approval then walked back into the penthouse and observed the scene of devastation. Abbey appeared behind him in the kitchen.

  “Quick thinking, electrocuting them,” said Zach.

  “Yeah it gave us the extra few seconds we needed for the ca
valry to arrive,” said Abbey smiling, her expression then changed, “The computers,” she said and ran past Zach jumping over one of the wolf creatures, broken furniture, and out of the apartment.

  Zach followed her down to the computer floor, as he approached the computer room he could see a flashlight beam haphazardly moving across the walls and screens. Entering he saw Abbey pushing some buttons on the terminals.

  Abbey sat down heavily on the office chair. “It’s all fried. I hoped this system had a surge protection but if it did it didn’t stop us losing these computers.”

  “Hello?” Brad’s voice could be heard from the corridor outside.

  “In here,” Zach shouted back.

  Brad walked into computer room brandishing his own pocket light, illuminating Zach and Abbey in front of him. “Fried?”

  “Looks that way,” said Abbey, shaking her head in disappointment. “We were getting a signal back from the two remaining evacuation camps.”

  “You talked to them?” Brad asked.

  “Talked?” replied Zach.

  “I’m in frequent contact with Brigadier General Halsted in Portland and General Trow near Austin. Last communication was with Portland at twenty-two hundred hours last night,” said Brad, looking glum, “They are just hanging on up there.”

  “You got comms at your home?” said Zach.

  “Sure do, and you are all welcome to come back with me. Looks like this place is done,” said Brad.

  Abbey looked at Zach with a hopeful smile. Zach stood for a moment weighing up the options. “I think, that’s what we should do.” He held out his hand to Brad, who shook it briefly but welcomingly. “We have maybe four hours left before sunset, should be long enough to get everything packed up.”