Pack Animals [An Undead Post-Apocalypse Thriller]

by Cain, Kenneth W.

  “I think so.”

  “Good.” Allen savored the moment. “Then I’ll meet you all outside by the dragon.”

  Isaac nodded and continued loading his pack.

  Allen turned back to him. “Oh, and Isaac?”

  “Yes?”

  “Take care of them, will you?” Allen meant all of them, but more so, he was referring to his own family. “You know what I—”

  Isaac grinned. “I’ll see you in Minnesota.”

  “Yes, in Minnesota.”

  After a moment, Allen departed to wake Sydney.

  CHAPTER 66

  After a quick kiss for Sydney and a rousing of Orson’s hair, they sent the dragon off on a course back to the horrors of the unknown world. Allen was positive they had enough provisions, but that didn’t keep him from worrying.

  Isaac would keep them safe. They should be able to keep the dragon fueled and running as far as the Mississippi River. Allen had secured uniforms for both Sydney and Isaac, as he trusted them most. His hope was that the disguises would make the travel through the eastern states hassle free, without any military involvement. It was what came after the Mississippi that left him uneasy.

  As the jester revealed, Landon’s men had been working on cleaning up this mess pretty much from the onset. It was all part of Landon’s big plan. The western half of the United States had never been part of that scheme though. Landon had planned to abandon it right from the beginning, possibly forever. Who knew what waited for them on the other side of the river?

  He waved them off, and continued doing so until they were well out of sight.

  “You ready?” Dale asked.

  Allen nodded, though not fully prepared to leave at all. He wanted to go after them, to make sure they made it safely. But they were on their own, and nothing he did now would change that. It had occurred to him that they could take the helicopter and go with them, abandon his vengeful plans. That wouldn’t do. If Landon ever did try to reclaim the west, that could make trouble for them. Greed was all that fueled that man. And if Landon ever discovered the truth, he would come looking. He might even get to Allen’s family. That wasn’t a good life, constantly needing to look over your shoulders.

  Allen followed Dale to the helicopter. He hoped he still remembered how to fly one. It had been a long time. Originally, Dale had suggested bringing a soldier along to fly the copter, but that was too risky. If anyone had the slightest clue as to what they planned to do, it would spell the end for his entire group.

  As it was, Allen suspected they would only fly as far as Pittsburgh, maybe a little farther, before they were found out. From there, they would be better off securing another means of making it through to Washington.

  The mere thought of Landon sitting in the Oval Office behind the Presidential desk sickened him. Landon likely had plenty of security at the White House. Whatever the case, while an airstrike held promise, they hadn’t found a single missile. Besides, he thought they’d be shot down before he figured out how to fire one. Also, Allen wanted to see Landon’s face when he killed him. Allen thought he could trick most of the ground troops to let him by, mostly because they wouldn’t know who he was. All they would see was the uniform and tattoos of a high-ranking official.

  Landon was a confident man and quite conceited. Allen questioned whether he would be so naïve to thin his troops in order to secure the eastern half of the United States more hastily. The man might even be so bold as to walk about the grounds without any sort of security at all. Anyone that had opposed Landon had already been eliminated as far as Landon knew. Now he was a national hero. His only opposition were the creatures, and before long, they too would be obsolete to Landon.

  “What’s up?” Dale asked.

  Allen looked at him, noticing how much thinner the man looked. He cleaned up rather nicely.

  “Nothing.” Allen gazed off at the horizon where the dragon had gone before sliding into the cockpit. “Just hoping they will be okay is all.”

  “Me too, brother.”

  Dale loaded one last bag into the back before entering the cockpit. There wouldn’t be much of a scuffle. It was well within Allen’s falsified rank to take the copter when he pleased. The soldiers would be surprised at the time in which they left, but given the way things were heading at the complex, Allen didn’t think they would give it much thought. They would likely enjoy being leaderless. Allen felt bad for the civilians, but it was too risky to try and free them. Besides, taking them with would have made them more suspicious of Allen. Hopefully that would afford Dale and he enough time to exact their revenge.

  With this last thought, Allen beamed. He wasn’t sure how they were going do it, but he knew they would. Landon was going to pay for his crimes.

  Allen ran through a mental checklist. After several minutes, the helicopter took to the air unsteadily. In time, as Allen’s skills shed their rust, it all came back to him, and they were on their way.

  CHAPTER 67

  Sydney scanned the rear window, trying to see Allen as they sped toward their destination. He was long gone, but he still had her heart. She detested feeling like she needed to harden herself again, but she had Orson to consider.

  Orson stood beside Isaac. She was thankful Isaac set such a good example of what a man should be. She didn’t know much of his past, not that it mattered. One thing she had learned above all else was that the past was the past. All pasts had been scorched away from this Earth like a wildfire. As such, Isaac could only be judged by his present actions, and he was a dependable, caring man.

  Isaac grinned at Orson, then tousled the boy’s hair. Seeing that made Sydney smile. Orson said something, and Isaac laughed. Somehow, in this horrid world, they had found friendship, and she hoped it would last.

  She wondered if Allen would make it back to them, and she tried to stay positive. Regardless of what she wanted to feel, concern fell over her. She thought about Allen and Orson’s relationship and wished they’d gotten closer in the short time they were together. Hopefully, the future would see better days between them.

  Sydney considered all of this until they were well near the river. Only then was she shaken out of her thoughts, first by Craig, then by Chris as they identified trouble on the horizon.

  She reached for her gun, but it wasn’t there, and made her way to the front of the vehicle. What she saw was both terrifying and disheartening. This was the gateway to their new home. The sound of the dragon firing up startled her.

  CHAPTER 68

  “Slow down, Craig!” Isaac couldn’t believe the guy kept on trucking. “Craig!”

  That startled the old man enough he finally hit the brake, but only a little, so they were rolling along.

  Isaac stepped forward and bent to extend his leg next to Craig’s and stomped on the brake. The dragon skidded to a halt, sending Orson sprawling into Isaac’s back. Isaac threw the bus into park, left the dragon idling, and checked to make sure Orson was all right. The boy looked a bit stunned by it all, but he would live.

  Isaac put a hand on Craig’s back. “You gotta wake the hell up, man!”

  Craig’s eyes hadn’t left the action on the horizon. “So…sorry.”

  What bothered Craig, equally troubled Isaac, though. He identified at least ten suited soldiers, similar to the one they killed upon finding Orson. Two vehicles, similar to their own, sprayed hot venom everywhere. They were more modern versions of the dragon—a better protected landing and the fire cannon itself was housed instead of out in the open—but relatively the same.

  A daunting figure walked among the creatures and mechanical. It appeared to be mechanical, with a cockpit and plenty of apparent firepower. It maneuvered around the battlefield on four thick spider-like legs. A horde of creatures fought these machines, hundreds of them in this pack. If any of them spotted the dragon, they would get caught up in this, like it or not. That was the last thing Isaac wanted.

  Somewhere to the left of the driver’s seat, a radio crackled. “Drag
on 5, do you read?”

  Craig stared at Isaac, then to the radio. Neither of them knew what to do. A label across the top of the radio receiver spelled out “Dragon 5” just like the man called for over the static-filled line.

  “We sure could use your help, Dragon 5. Do you read?”

  Again, both of them just stared at each other, unsure of how to respond or if they should. Isaac thought they would be smart to make a run north. But, if they did that and any of those soldiers saw them, it could lead to them being tracked. The gig would be up long before they even got settled. Isaac wasn’t sure what to do.

  Sydney came up behind him, and ushered Orson away from the cockpit. The boy stumbled right back, his eyes focused on the ensuing battle.

  A loud rush of air burst from behind them, then over them. It sounded like an old muscle car firing up after a long, cold winter. Everyone glanced up, but Isaac was busy taking note of the passengers.

  Chris?

  The guy was stupid for getting them involved in this without consulting them first. Isaac hoped they could get him back down before he attracted any attention, but a quick glance out the front window revealed that it no longer mattered. A small pack of creatures rushed their way.

  Sydney made her way up to Chris, no doubt needed to help or even replace the guy. Allison took Orson and a gun and headed to the back of the vehicle, where it was safest. Craig stayed at the wheel, ready to get moving if need be. Gavin manned a window with an old 30-30. Isaac armed himself and prepared to guard the entrance.

  They were in this, and the only way out was to fight. The cannon bellowed and a thick spray of fire lit up the night and at least half of the charging pack. It drew more attention to them, so an even larger horde headed their way.

  CHAPTER 69

  Orson wriggled free from Allison. She didn’t pursue him, apparently too afraid to follow. Orson didn’t blame her and wouldn’t hold her responsible for watching him.

  He made his way up to Gavin, trying to keep enough distance between them that Gavin didn’t mind. Gavin wasn’t much older than Orson anyway. The teen offered a sideways glance to show his disapproval, then his eyes softened for a brief second before refocusing on the approaching horde. Orson guessed that was his way of showing he understood.

  “Thing is,” Gavin said, “these bastards are fast.” He fired off a round. The empty shell ejected into the seat beside Orson. “Reminds me of some of the video games I played when I was your age.” He fired two more rounds, ejecting the shells in a similar fashion.

  Orson thought to mention that he also remembered some video games, though not likely the same ones Gavin did, but decided against it. It would be better for him to remain a bystander and nothing more. He leaned up against the side of the bus about to peer out one of the windows. Before he could, one of the creatures threw itself against the vehicle, striking the window where Orson sat. His ears rang as the bus shook under the temporary shift of weight.

  Gavin straddled the seats, standing over Orson. He leaned to one side and wrestled the gun for a moment. Then he had it out the window and fired. Outside, one of the creatures fell to the ground with a thud. Gavin returned to his own window.

  Orson decided to be more cautious after that. He seized the lip of the window and pulled himself up, keeping his head back and checking for danger. When he finally did catch a glimpse of the horizon, the full battle came into view.

  Two suited soldiers were literally clawing their way through a field of creatures and gradually advancing. The protruding triad of swords exposed on each fist helped with that task. Not every swipe killed, but as the weapons swirled their way through the horde, they left a trail of severed arms and legs and heads. Orson supposed the men and women in the heavy mechanical suits had been trained for hand-to-hand combat, but a good stock of weaponry helped them greatly.

  A strange spider-like machine crawled along on four legs, appearing almost alien among the other creations. Its cockpit reminded Orson of an airplane, maybe one of those his mom said they once used to transport tanks long distances. Its spider-like legs were thicker than a giant spider, each tip ending in a point that speared any creatures they found. A rain of bullets sprayed out of the spider’s mandibles to the surface, laying waste to anything in its path. Orson watched as the bullets sawed one creature in half. Then one of the legs pierced the corpse as the spider passed.

  The two tankers were more heavily armored than theirs. A large “22” was on the side of the red one and a “31” on the green one. Together, they appeared incapable of maneuvering through the thick horde. A couple suited soldiers were making their way toward the dragon. They laid down a line of fire as they trailed the pack of creatures.

  Isaac pumped bullets through the entrance. Up top, Orson’s mom was using her sword to protect Chris. Every few minutes, a burst of fire lit the darkened sky, and Orson saw a great distance. His focus this last time was at the middle of the pack, where he saw something unfathomable.

  At first, he thought it was one of the suited soldiers. It was certainly large enough. Unfortunately, that was not the case. When the fire lit the sky and many of the undead, a different type of creature was revealed among the horde. It towered over the others, an enormous bulk of torn flesh and muscle. Without regard for its kind, the giant clawed through the horde, making its way to one of the soldiers. The soldier brought down one of its weaponized fists, striking the mammoth in the stomach, blades and all. The huge creature reeled away, pulling free of the blades and putting distance between them. After a split-second reprise, it attacked the solider. The soldier valiantly fought back and before Orson could witness the conclusion of this battle, the fire diminished.

  Orson anxiously looked left, then right, wanting to see everything he could. Gavin shoved him aside as he began to struggle with one of the creatures who had managed to get a hand inside the window slot. Two shots blasted, making Orson’s ears numb and ringing.

  Relief showed on Gavin’s face. “Listen kid, you better make your way elsewhere. This is getting nasty.”

  Without questioning Gavin, Orson retreated to the back of the bus, rubbing his ears on the way. Even there, once he could hear again, the sounds of death and war went on for a very long time. Through it all, he remained unafraid.

  CHAPTER 70

  Sydney had witnessed much devastation in her time, more than she ever planned on seeing when she said yes to Allen at the ripe age of nineteen. They had met at a Halloween party, thrown together by a mutual college friend. She expected the home, the love, and the kid, all of it, but no way could she have ever anticipated this, a full out war against the creatures. Seeing how bad it was, she evaluated their situation.

  Though Gavin was taking out a few of the creatures, he was wasting far too many bullets. Isaac laid out a line of fire that sawed anything in half that crossed his path. Chris was more focused than usual, spraying the fire over a sea of foes. Sydney protected him as the cannon was the bulk of their much-needed arsenal.

  From the right, a creature sprang for Chris. Sydney maneuvered to his side, snapped her sword out, and severed its head. The skull rolled to the back of the bus, spraying her shirt with black fluids.

  Hate when that happens.

  Sydney disregarded the mess and made her way back to the other side in time to meet another creature. This one, she skewered through the neck with a quick thrust of her sword. She held it there in mid-air for a second before letting it drop.

  They were winning, but Craig was maneuvering the dragon closer to the other fire cannons. Before she knew what had happened, a semi-circle of armored soldiers closed this gap. Up close, with so many corpses and all the debris, though they moved slowly, it was a bumpy ride. Sydney held tight to the cannon chair for stability. Some of those bodies gave under the tires, pulverized. Others survived the damage, either wounded or a limb severed but still moving. Sydney worried the dragon would get stuck, or, even worse, damaged, if they kept this up.

  She forced the negat
ive thoughts out. Besides, this vehicle must have been designed with that very sort of terrain in mind. Wouldn’t they have thought about that? She compared the dragon to the others, noticing how ancient their model appeared in comparison. The dragon had clearly been a prototype, having paved the road for more reliable designs, but she fully believed it would serve them well. She had to believe that. And she had a strong sense they were going to win this fight. Confidence was high. The horde nearly decimated. Then something new came into view and her hope dwindled fast.

  Its body riddled with scars and gashes, the flesh was gray and green in places, but more muscular than the largest of bodybuilders. Every orifice on the creature’s face dripped an awful black ooze, as if its insides had grown beyond capacity and exited through whatever openings it found. It appeared to be the only one of its kind, but she knew if there was one of these things, then there most certainly were others.

  While the smaller creatures were easily exterminated by bullets, knives, and flame, the monstrosity weathered it all. The massive creature stood atop a fallen suited soldier who no longer fought back against the creature. Sydney prayed she wasn’t the only one who saw this thing.

  “What the hell is that thing?” Craig asked.

  Surely everyone saw it now. That was good because it was going to take a lot to bring this one down.

  The creature reached up with its giant balled up fists and brought them down against the suited soldier’s chest. A spark of electricity burst out of the soldier’s armor. Then the creature tore away the breastplate with ease and threw it aside. Having unearthed such a tasty treat, several of the smaller creatures joined the mammoth to feast on the struggling soldier. He was dead within seconds.

  Another suited soldier moved in on the giant creature with their swords. The soldier struck while the creature was distracted by fresh meat, tearing through a handful of the smaller creatures to get at the larger one. The blades impaled the behemoth but did not kill it. The creature only stumbled away from its meal, the resulting red beard of blood making it more horrifying to Sydney. Before the soldier could attack again, the creature swiped a hand and batted the soldier away. Instead of going after the soldier, to finish him off, the creature went back to its meal. Obviously, it was confident it could take anything the soldiers dealt out.