Pack Animals [An Undead Post-Apocalypse Thriller]

by Cain, Kenneth W.

  Sydney had kicked men in the nuts for less than that in the past. She faked a smile at him and thinned her lips, so he knew she was serious. “I mean it. Keep the car ready. We have to be quick.”

  She stared at him, trying to make sure he understood. That he wasn’t just saying it to say it. Nor was she in the mood for fooling around. She made that clear despite the dark lenses of her shades, staring at him over the top of her sunglasses.

  This time he only nodded.

  Content, she refocused on the road. “Everyone hold on.”

  She rolled the wheel hard left as they passed the first building of town. The car skidded around the corner. She was grateful to find the road clear. After another block, she could see the infected coming around the corner after them. She threw the wheel hard right, taking another corner. The car slid toward the curb before fishtailing back on track.

  “Keep an eye out.” Sydney’s breathed heavy. “I’m going to pull alongside the drugstore on Eighth Street. We’ll take the side entrance. But first we need to lose our escorts here. Let’s hope we don’t pick up more.”

  Two blocks up, she tugged hard left on the wheel. In the rearview mirror, the pack came into view. They were farther back. It was working.

  Sydney took an immediate hard right, then another left. They had been lucky to lose them without running into another pack.

  A few blocks farther down, she slowed and made her way to the drugstore. After scanning both directions, Sydney backed into the alleyway beside the pharmacy so they could make a quick escape. She hoped it would keep them out of sight until they picked up what necessary goods they could.

  She left the car running, popped the trunk, then exited, and motioned for Chris to take the seat. “Keep it running. Wait for us to load up everything we can find. Don’t panic.”

  That last part was more of a warning than a request. Panic always made things worse. And Chris was the sort who would panic if things even warmed up a little. She had seen him do just that.

  Holding up a fist, she could see the other two were unsure what that meant. They’d had no formal training. She waved for them to follow.

  They had been here before, so she thought the door would still be unlocked. As they filtered into the drugstore, they knew where everything was too. There had been plenty of water, more than they could carry in such a small car. There were all sorts of prescription drugs, medical supplies, and snacks. All were needed. Each of them took two small hand-baskets, knowing it would take several trips to load up the car.

  Wanting a quick trip with few stumbling blocks, Sydney kept an eye out, making sure both men stayed safe. The only goal was to get what they could and get out before a large pack showed up. It would help if she knew where the packs were, but what she did know was that they weren’t within a few blocks in any direction. She had driven most of those blocks to lose their pursuers and they had not seen any other packs.

  None of that mattered once they turned down the first isle and found a small group of people loading up on water. Sydney’s initial concern was how much of a dent they had put in the supply. Having encountered other groups at a distance in the past, she didn’t recognize any of these people. But as they moved through the isle it became apparent that this and other groups had nearly bled the drugstore dry. Almost all the shelves were empty.

  Before anyone could do anything, she had her guns in hand. The barrels of each leveled on the two people she thought most likely to make a move: a large-framed man who looked like he ate bullets for lunch and the young, wiry man beside him. Still, Sydney wanted to appear amicable, but it was a little late for that. Her hope was that they would agree to share what was left. The sneer on the younger man’s face suggested otherwise.

  Trying to remain calm, she kept her voice low. “We only want half of what is left.”

  “You’ll get shit and like it,” the thin man said.

  Sydney pushed out in front of Craig and Gavin, making her stance on this issue clear. One of the two women leveled a shotgun on Sydney, trying to intimidate her. The other woman continued to load bottled water into a shopping cart. The two men moved slowly toward Sydney’s group.

  This is not going to end well.

  Craig was eyeing up the big guy, which was amusing given that the dark-skinned man-made Craig look like a dwarf. It was a bold move, but times like this often called for such actions.

  “Son, I don’t think this is what you want,” Craig said.

  “I’m gonna tell you this once, and only once.” The large man’s eyes narrowed on Craig. “You get nothing.”

  Sydney replaced her guns and drew her sword so fast the woman nearly shot her. The time for words had passed.

  “What the hell you plan to do with that pig sticker?” The younger man laughed. “You going to carve all of us up with that, missy? Think you can?”

  “Yes.” Sydney spoke matter-of-factly, her confidence obvious. “If you aren’t willing to split the water, then I’ll be forced to split you from neck to toes.” She grinned, still wearing her shades despite being indoors. “I would prefer we share, but I assure you, if I have to use this…pig sticker, as you refer to it—you will not leave this place on two legs.”

  Sydney shifted her left foot forward, hoisting the sword to a ready position, an image of what she planned to do imprinted in her mind, just in case. Her path clear, the plan solid, she could see the order of the lives her blade would steal if these people refused her more than generous offer.

  Only these people did not seem the least bit intimidated by her. And that meant she would have to do—

  Before she could do anything, screeching wheels broke her concentration. She knew right away that Chris had sped away.

  CHAPTER 9

  Feeling an itch, Chris scratched his cheek. That was when he saw it, as his eyes glanced in the rearview mirror out of instinct more than anything else. He had been staring at the door to the drugstore, waiting his companions, when he saw them coming. If not for the chance look, they might have gone by unseen. Chris would have been better off if they had. But he had seen them, the shape of them moving just beyond the edge of mirror, out in front of the car, at the end of the alley.

  Lucky for him, they hadn’t seen him. And although Chris went unnoticed, he worried they would come back any second.

  His foot shot down and flattened the gas pedal. The rev of the engine drew the attention of the infected. Chris threw it into gear and floored it, the squeal of tires trailing him.

  The tiny car split the two creatures blocking his path. One clung to the hood of the car as he banged into them, and Chris couldn’t shake him. He swerved back and forth, the open trunk flapping and clanging. A thud at the back end of the roof startled Chris. In the rearview mirror, he saw another one—a woman this time—had leaped onto the car. The first one worked his way up over the top of the car and slid down the front window. A third chased the car in full sprint, reminding Chris of a werewolf in an old movie he had seen as a child.

  He pulled the car hard left, struck the side of a truck and his undead hood ornament slid to the left, but quickly regained his footing. The one on the back held tight.

  Chris turned to look at the one trailing him and saw Sydney standing in the street, watching this unfold. All he ever wanted was to impress this woman. Life had been hard enough being alone. With the end of their country nipping at his heels, there were fewer and fewer opportunities left. And none of the options pleased him so much as Sydney. Although she came off as being unapproachable, he knew with persistence he could wear her down. Sooner or later she would realize she didn’t have many options left, either. It would be Craig or Gavin, one of the other old men or boys or the guy playing up to her kid. It seemed that ploy had started to work.

  The infected creature on the hood stood up, clutching both hands above its head. Before Chris could find another obstacle to swerve at, the creature brought his fists down and punctured a hole in the glass the size of a basketball. The rest of
the window became a wall of cracks, so many he could barely see out of it.

  The dead man’s gnarled fingers worked at the glass, peeling it back like the lid to a can of tuna. Chris was certain it was equally anxious for the succulent meat inside. Driving near blind thanks to the cracks was bad enough, but having those dead fleshy fingers pulling and poking through the hole in the glass only made it worse. If nothing else, the creature made the hole larger and larger until Chris could see out it. The creature pawed inside, finding Chris’s shirt and pulling. If not for the seatbelt, that might have been the end of Chris.

  He spotted a pickup in his path and centered on it. The undead man’s hands found his shoulders, pushing his mouth in through the hole in the window and chomping its teeth again and again. A trail of yellow drool dripped from its torn chin. The blackened tongue worked inside the mouth, writhing about the rotten teeth and gums.

  The woman on the back had gotten the trunk closed and busted through the window. Another thud came as the last of the one that had been chasing Chris landed on the rear of the car, causing the front end to lift slightly. Chris worried the car would flip due the added weight of them both. The tiny car was surprisingly solid.

  Chris looked left, mostly to shield himself from another frontal assault. He saw the approaching horde, a large pack, and all hope left him. With the sudden realization of where his fate had led him, a warm sensation spread over the seat of his pants, and he sped up. As if sensing what he was attempting, all three of his attackers made one last ditch effort to tear away a piece of Chris’s flesh, then, realizing they wouldn’t be successful, all three leaped from the car.

  Seconds later, the Prius struck the truck, jerking Chris forward, against his restraint. The airbag released, smacking him hard in the jaw like a heavyweight boxer landing an uppercut. It forced him back in the seat, the warmth on his jeans spreading. Something wet went up his nose, making it difficult to breath. He snorted, tasting the bitter of fresh blood. Then came the ache and burn of his broken nose.

  The car folded around him, and he became aware there wasn’t much car left to keep him alive. The underside of the dashboard pressed against his legs, and for the briefest of moments he wondered if this crash would leave him legless. But the Prius stopped short of doing anything more than pinning him against the seat, and a shard of glass that had thrashed the side of his cheek. Heat traced the line it had carved in his flesh, warm wetness spreading down his cheek. He was so dizzy, so banged up, his vision blurry.

  As his vision cleared some, he saw them, literally dozens of the infected staring at the wreck with anxious anticipation. Chris rested his head against the airbag, watching them, staying as still as possible, and tried not to cry. He knew if they heard him, he’d be done. But he saw they smelled his blood, and they likely sensed his fear.

  Like a horde of locusts, the rather large pack swarmed the Prius.

  CHAPTER 10

  Sydney could only watch as the Prius bounced off one truck, then veered off toward another at the end of the street. In a way, she was thankful. She hated that car. This would give her a good excuse to find something more suitable for their situation. On the other hand, her son’s friend was now a guaranteed ‘Happy Meal’ for those three creatures.

  She felt bad for feeling a little relieved by the accident. Then again, the guy hadn’t befriended her son out of the goodness of his heart. He had other intentions right from the start, and he’d been more than clear what those were. All Chris ever wanted was a taste of Sydney in exchange for that friendship. It was a deal she never condoned and had never planned to pay up on her end either. Now it seemed she would no longer have to worry about it.

  Craig and Gavin joined her. The large dark-skinned man came up behind them and stood by her side. She didn’t confuse this as the act of an ally, but thought it the same curiosity she and the others felt. Plus, he was probably more concerned about protecting his own people than anything. The woman with the gun also joined them.

  Sydney believed the other two left inside were working hard to secure what was left of the water and other supplies. They would be ready to go before this situation played out. But Sydney couldn’t worry about that now.

  Or can I?

  Guilt fought the thought, but it was greed that made it clear the idea was a good one, or at the very least the best choice she had. She fumbled with Craig’s vest as he stared off into the distance. He bobbed back and forth as she pried into pockets searching for the thing she knew he had brought. Upon discovering the object, she withdrew her hand to a blank stare that found her for only a brief second. Sydney held it up in the air and her new enemies’ eyes fell on her instead of the wreckage. Her thumb depressed the trigger and a horrible buzzing sound shrieked from the horn. All three creatures ignored the sound, opting to flee instead.

  “Why the fuck did you do that?” the woman said.

  Sydney saw the gun pointed at her chest but didn’t answer. Craig looked too shocked to do anything but observe. Gavin saw the result of the horn first.

  “There!” Gavin pointed off into the distance. “What the—”

  Sydney ignored the gun, captivated by the horde she hadn’t seen who were now rounding the corner by the wreck. Upon seeing Sydney and the others, the pack ignored Chris and sped for them instead.

  Seems Chris will be okay after all.

  There must have been three-dozen creatures trampling toward them, their mouths drooling, determined yellowing eyes centered on them. Sydney led the way as everyone retreated back to the drugstore. They piled in, no longer aware of the boundaries that had been formed between the two groups. The big man was the last to enter, slamming the door shut, which caught the others of his group by surprise so much they sprung up, guns lifted above the shelves. their nervous expressions looking puzzled.

  “Trouble’s coming.” The big man moved fast. “We gotta block all the entrances. Every one of them.”

  “What happened?” the younger woman asked.

  The woman with the gun shot a disgusted glance to Sydney. “She blew a goddamned horn.”

  “It wouldn’t have mattered.” Craig tried to reason. “You think after they got done snacking on our friend out there, they wouldn’t come for us? Besides, seconds earlier we were ready to kill each other over a little water, for Christ’s sake.”

  “No good arguing ‘bout it now,” The big man pressed through the group. “Everyone spread out. Help secure this joint or we’ll all be screwed.”

  CHAPTER 11

  As they neared the city limits, Dale switched off the music. Allen felt relieved he didn’t have to request it be quiet. He wasn’t so sure such a request would be received well with these two. He thought them not only a little off their rockers, but seeming to thrive off the madness they dwelled in.

  Wonder how they made it this far?

  That didn’t mean he thought them stupid. They were anything but, and it was obvious they could be quite clever when motivated. Not the sort of smarts a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon exhibited, but something more like street smarts.

  No, not street smarts.

  These boys had that backwoods knowledge, a sort of good old boy mentality. They knew things about trapping and killing, perhaps even more than they let on. But they also enjoyed making trouble where there wasn’t any. Every opportunity they got to do so, they went in hell-bent on destruction.

  Clyde elbowed his brother. “Why’d ya do that?”

  Dale looked at his brother, nose wrinkling. “We’re almost to the city, ya moron.”

  “Almost! You said almost, dickhead.”

  Allen ignored the banter, the beginning of yet another unimportant argument. So far, they’d argued four times about who got the most kill-shots, twice about who could drink more whiskey, three times over which side of the Civil War had been right, and once about who Allen liked more. All of these disputes seemed to involve Allen in one way or another, as if he had been fully accepted into their little clan. This argument
would no doubt involve him as well. Like all the others, he would offer no opinion on the matter.

  He tried to keep his attention on the horizon, on the city. As they made their way inward, he kept his eyes peeled, and continued to ignore the brothers quarrel. At least their insults were quieter now, instead of the shouting he had endured for much of the trip when they competed with the blaring music. That in itself might keep them from being noticed. Then, Allen saw them.

  A large pack raced down the street. He was sure they had seen him, so he drew his gun and readied to flee if he had no other choice. Gollum stirred in his cage for the first time in a while—not out of interest, but seeming to be equally alarmed. But the creatures weren’t coming for them. Seeing the pack, the brothers stopped bickering.

  “What the hell?” Dale asked.

  Allen watched as the pack attacked a drugstore, ripping and tearing at the building without much progress. “Indeed.”

  “What you think they want in there?” Clyde asked.

  “I’m not sure, but I’d imagine someone is holed up in there for one reason or another.”

  “What you think we should do?” Clyde asked.

  Allen’s stone-cold demeanor seemed to bother the brothers before he even spoke. “Nothing.”

  “Nah, screw that noise.” Clyde climbed across the top of Gollum’s carriage to the large canvased blanket covering their possessions. He dug under it like a rat looking for a crumb in a barn. He came away with a long black suitcase.

  Dale clapped his hands with child-like glee. “Oh, hell yeah!”

  Allen felt like various warning bells should be sounding off. “What’s that, Clyde?”

  Clyde’s crooked teeth poked out here and there as his smile grew. “Something we picked up at some army base. Launches missiles.”

  “Light that shit up, bro.” Dale bounced where he sat. “Fire one of them right up their collective asses.”