This Land of Monsters

by Tim Gabrielle

  “Were you with a group?” asked Nash.

  “A while ago, yes. The dead ransacked our camp and we all got separated. We made it away safe but it didn’t take long for us to come across another group of the dead ones. That’s when I lost them for good.”

  “I’m so sorry,” whispered Eliza, who listened intently as he told his story.

  He didn’t respond, but looked longingly out the window in solemn silence. She watched as a single tear slid down his cheek onto his collar.

  “Do you have a group you belong to?” asked Barry, but received nothing but silence. Everyone knew better than to divulge any information of their group to a stranger, even one as sincere as him. There was still a sniper at large.

  “We’ll take you some place safe,” said Sullivan, undecided on whether Barry would be allowed to enter into the Treefort.

  “Honestly, anything would be greatly appreciated. One more day alone and I don’t think I would have made it.”

  He reached down to his backpack, situated on the floor between his legs, and pulled out a weathered canteen. The water sloshed inside as he placed the nozzle to his lips, taking a long drink and watching Eliza stare at him from the corner of his eye. He kindly smiled at her as a splash of water escaped on to his chin. He released a small chuckle as he wiped it away with his palm.

  “Here,” he said and handed it to Eliza with a smile. “It’s the least I can do.”

  “No thank you,” said Eliza, tapping her own canteen with the tip of her knife.

  Barry smiled and placed his canteen back into his bag. He let out a little giggle before pulling out a second canteen.

  “This is where I keep the strong stuff,” he said with a smile.

  Eliza looked to the front of the SUV for a small moment as Barry poured contents of the canteen into his hand. He reached up and smacked her across the face, leaving a dark, bloody handprint across her mouth. She gasped in shock, looking down at his hand covered in thick blood and tasting it in her mouth.

  “No…” she said softly with fear in her eyes.

  “He’s coming to get you! He’s coming to get you! HE’S COMING TO GET YOU!” he squealed in a horrific singsong before he opened his door and launched himself into the rapidly moving landscape. Eliza lunged sideways and sliced his arm with her knife but wasn’t able to stop him before he tumbled out of the backseat.

  “What the hell?” yelled Sullivan, adjusting the rearview mirror to try and see find Barry.

  Nash saw him hit the ground in his side view mirror, tumbling a few times before getting to his feet and hobbling into the distance.

  “No, No, No! Oh my God I can already feel it!” screamed Eliza as she sobbed thick tears over her freckled cheeks. Nash turned quickly as she cried into her palms, seeing the pungent, sticky blood pooling on the floor from the open canteen.

  “Sullivan you need to pull over!” said Nash as he watched her with a mixture of fear and confusion. Her tears stopped as she removed her hands from her face and revealed red bloodshot eyes that reflected a newfound rage.

  “She’s infected! Pull over now!” barked Nash as he looked into the face of a newborn howler in the backseat.

  Before Sullivan could take his foot off the gas, Eliza lunged into the front of the SUV, screaming wildly as she crashed against the dashboard. She landed in a heap on Sullivan’s lap as she thrashed her feet frantically back and forth. One of her powerful feet kicked hard against Nash’s throat, which sent him into a fit of wheezes as Sullivan struggled for control of the dead girl.

  Eliza flipped violently on top of Sullivan as he tried to maintain control of the SUV. Her legs snaked their way down below to where his feet were working the pedals, and as she continued to fight against his strength, her feet took control of the gas pedal and pressed it to the floor. Sullivan tried his best to remain in control of the vehicle but most of his attention was focused on her teeth as they clattered inches away from his as she eagerly tried to sink them into his face.

  Eliza’s unbridled strength was much more than Sullivan had ever expected as he held her throat in one hand his other hand on the steering wheel. The sounds of her teeth breaking as she smashed them together became less audible as the SUV continued at full speed, moving dangerously down the desolate road. Nash continued to try and regain his breath as a wave of nausea settled over him and sent a mouthful of vomit onto his chest and lap.

  “Brace yourself kid! Keep your eyes and mouth shut!” yelled Sullivan hoarsely. “Eliza, honey, I’m so sorry.”

  He let go of the wheel and grabbed a handgun from his side, pulled it from its holster and fired a single shot into her temple. The windshield turned red as a spray of blood splashed across the glass. Her body fell limp with her arm caught in the steering wheel, pulling it as she slumped over and sending the SUV into a tumble. It flipped three times before it came to a stop upside down in the middle of the road. Nash and Sullivan remained buckled into their seats, hanging upside down in the mangled pile of metal and glass.

  “Are you okay?” asked Sullivan as he placed his hand on Nash’s chest.

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, doing a quick survey of his body to make sure there were no injuries. His head was pounding hard and felt as if it had just gone through a washing machine.

  “I’m gonna get myself out, then come around and get you. Keep your mouth shut, don’t let any of her blood get in your mouth or eyes.”

  Sullivan unlatched his belt and fell to the ground, landing on one of the canteens belonging to Barry. He used his feet to open the door in one kick and sent it flying off the already damaged hinges in the process. He crawled out, cutting his hands on shards of broken glass and metal as he tumbled out onto the hot pavement. Sullivan moved his way quickly around the SUV, ripping his blood soaked shirt off in one loud tear as he moved.

  Nash sat perfectly still and hung upside down as he waited for what seemed like an eternity for Sullivan to make his way to him. A drop of blood fell from above and landed on his chin, running down his face methodically. In the time it took Sullivan to get out and over to his side of the SUV, Eliza’s blood covered almost half of it as he tightly clenched his eyes and mouth shut, using one of his hands to pinch his nose closed.

  Sullivan opened the door gruffly and unlatched Nash’s belt, letting him fall gently into his arms before he pulled him from the crumpled SUV. Nash quickly wiped the blood off his face and removed his shirt, tossing it aside in a bloody heap. Sullivan appeared from the back of the SUV with a bottle of water, opened it, and threw the top to the ground. He used the water to wash Nash’s face and hair clean, making sure all the blood had been washed away.

  “What the hell happened?” asked Sullivan as he knelt down to where Nash was sitting and feverishly making sure there was no blood on his face or hands.

  “I think he had a canteen full of blood. He smacked her in the face with it on his hands.”

  Sullivan stood and looked off into the distance, trying to see if Barry was within view. “Dammit,” he whispered, shaking his head as he looked down at the back of the SUV. Her body sat wedged against the back door, her bloodied face plastered against the only window left intact. “I didn’t check his canteens.”

  “Why would you? Never in a million years would I have thought anyone would do that.”

  Sullivan helped Nash to his feet as they both stood and surveyed the wreck. Aside from some deep scratches and soon to be bruised arms and legs, the two of them had left the SUV with no major injuries. Sullivan walked to the back of the wreck and tried to avoid contact with Eliza’s dead, bloodshot eyes.

  “Son of a bitch!” he bellowed as he planted his foot against the crumpled metal and moved the vehicle a couple inches. He stood with his hands on his hips and looked up and down the road while hoping to catch a glimpse of Barry.

  “We should follow him,” said Nash, looking down the road where Barry had escaped.

  “Trust me, I want to, but we don’t even know which direction he went.
” He pried open the back door of the SUV as Eliza’s body spilled out and landed on the pavement with her arm outstretched on the road. “We’d be best utilized getting back to the Fort. I’d rather be there, should he somehow find it, as opposed to wandering through these fields looking for him.”

  Reaching into the back of the SUV, he pulled out a large blanket, and unfolded it on the pavement. As gently as he could, he pulled Eliza’s body from the wreck and placed it on the blanket. Sullivan carefully folded her arms across her chest and closed her eyes with his fingers.

  “I don’t even know what to say right now. She was alive ten minutes ago.” Sullivan stood over Eliza’s dead body as he helplessly stared down at her. Nash searched his mind for anything to say and came up empty, realizing he hadn’t known her at all. Looking at her now, he wished he had.

  Sullivan inhaled deeply before leaving her to rummage through the back of the SUV. The two of them picked through the bloody mess to salvage the most important items, most of which were coated in Eliza’s infected blood. Nash used his bloodied shirt and wiped off the blood before passing it to Sullivan to do the same to his rifle. Sullivan stood stoically with his back to Nash, Eliza’s body laying in front of him on an old blanket.

  “Let’s go,” he said and walked down the road, pulling Eliza gently behind him. “Eyes alert.”

  It took them close to two hours of complete silence to get back to the Treefort. The words “HE’S COMING TO GET YOU” ringing in their heads like a nightmarish lullaby. Nash wanted nothing more than to discuss it with Sullivan, but he knew right now wasn’t the time as they walked along the lonely road with the body of one of Sullivan’s closest friends.

  Sullivan stopped at the edge of the trees leading to the Treefort and looked both ways down the road in a last check that Barry hadn’t followed them. “I might be wrong in this, but I don’t want people knowing exactly what happened to her. Not yet anyway.” Nash nodded in silent agreement; he didn’t quite know what was right either. “I want to talk to Dianna and Stu before letting people know the truth. For now, we’ll say she was attacked by a howler leaving the exile site.”

  Sullivan marched into the trees in silence as Nash followed close behind. The woods seemed to have doubled in size as the two of them walked together, sharing the burden of awful news.

  “Cole is going to be devastated,” whispered Sullivan as they approached the Fort and alerted Dianna to their presence. Sullivan gingerly picked up Eliza’s body, making sure that her bloody head was hanging away from his body. Dianna opened the front gate for them and the two of them walked in, Eliza’s blanketed silhouette lying softly in Sullivan’s arms. Dianna’s hand raised to her mouth as she realized what was underneath the blanket.

  “No…” she said as her eyes welled with tears. “What the hell happened?”

  “I’ll tell you in private. For everyone else, she was bit by a howler.”

  “Oh God! What happened?” Cole yelled, his eyes already welling with thick tears. Scott and Meghan shared a long look before they disappeared back into camp, eyes glistening.

  Sullivan tried in vain to comfort Cole as Nash made his way to Melissa. She hung her head out of the sliding window as he approached to see what the commotion was.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked as she disappeared into the truck and came out the door to join him.

  “Eliza’s dead,” he said softly with her hands in his.

  “What? Why? Was it Duncan?”

  “No, it wasn’t Duncan. I’ll tell you, but you need to keep it between us. You can’t tell a soul.” The realization that they were no longer alone settled upon her as he explained what happened.

  Cole refused to move away from Eliza’s body. Seeing his anguish, the group kept their distance, letting him come to terms with what had happened. It wasn’t long before Scott and Meghan reappeared with shovels in their hands. They were quietly making their leave to ready a grave for burial when Cole saw them.

  Cole shot to his feet quickly and knocked the shovels out of their grips. “I do this, not you! It’s too fucking soon, anyway! She’s not even cold yet!” Scott and Meghan stood for a moment as Meghan whimpered softly. Scott took her by the hand and led her away, leaving Cole alone with the shovels on the ground.

  “You!” yelled Cole as he picked up a shovel and pointed it at Nash. “I wanna hear it from you! Tell me what happened to her!”

  Cole marched toward Nash with the shovel at his side, huffing wildly with anger as Sullivan quickly stepped in front of Nash.

  “Back off, Sullivan!”

  “I already told you what happened, Cole. I know you’re upset but this isn’t Nash’s fault.”

  “Isn’t it though? It’s his asshole father that had you all out there in the first place!”

  “Hey!” Melissa countered, standing beside Sullivan. Sullivan placed his arm in front of her and created a barrier between her and Cole.

  “This isn’t his fault, Cole,” said Sullivan as he tried his best to keep calm. “We’re all upset right now, but you need to calm down and back away.”

  Nash remained sitting, hidden fully from Cole’s view by Sullivan’s massive stature. Cole stood in front of them all, bubbling with anger before he turned and disappeared out of the Fort with one of the shovels.

  “I know he doesn’t mean it,” said Nash. “Doesn’t mean he’s wrong, though.”

  “Don’t say that,” said Melissa.

  “No, he’s right. If we’d never come here, she’d still be alive.”

  “It could have happened to any of us, Nash,” said Sullivan. “Nothing that happened today is your fault. Take a few minutes and meet me in the war room please.”

  Sullivan walked away and joined Dianna and Stu at the front of the war room before they disappeared inside.

  “He’s right, Nash. This isn’t your fault,” said Melissa as she sat beside him and placed her arms around him. “I hate what happened, but at least we know now.”

  “Know what?”

  “That something’s coming for us,” she said softly.

  “We don’t know that,” he said. “That Barry guy was deranged.”

  “Go sort this out,” she said as she placed her hand on his cheek. Find me when you’re done.”

  Melissa gave him a peck on the forehead and headed back to the food truck with tears in her eyes. Nash walked with a heavy heart to the war room as Cole’s words followed him like a venomous shadow. Scott and Meghan reached the war room at the same time, and Scott held the flaps open for Nash and Meghan to walk through.

  “Keep your head up, kid,” Scott said as Nash walked into the tent.

  The inside of the war room had its typical hot, muggy air, but none of them seemed to notice. Nash sat down in the same spot he had the last time they met and looked over to the empty seat across from him. Scott zipped the front of the war room shut as they each flicked on their lanterns.

  “Eliza didn’t die because of a howler bite,” said Sullivan. The already quiet room silenced completely. No one breathed. “We met a man named Barry driving back from exiling Duncan. Eliza spotted him running in a field so we stopped to see if we could help him. He seemed genuine and peaceful, honestly just looking for sanctuary. I searched his bag, confirmed he was unarmed, and allowed him in the SUV with us. Shortly, after we started driving, he took a canteen out of his bag.”

  Sullivan stopped, rested his hands on the table below him, and hung his head. Tears dripped onto the table below as he stood in silence, unable to tell the rest. Dianna got up and softly rubbed his muscular back.

  “He had his own canteen he was drinking from but he had a second canteen full of infected blood. He poured it all over his hand and smacked her in the mouth.” It felt as if the air had been vacuumed out of the room. They stared at Nash, dumbfounded over the thought of someone doing such a thing. “Sullivan is right. He was as genuine as they come. He was frail, unassuming, and the look in his eye was genuine loneliness. He played us hard.”

>   “After she took a drink, he opened the door and jumped out. He disappeared after that and we weren’t able to find him. Eliza turned within seconds and was in the front seat with us in a flash.” Sullivan stopped, visibly shaken by the memories of the afternoon. “This is why we try and avoid the howlers at all cost. The strength she exhibited while I fought her to maintain control of the SUV was staggering. I had no choice; she was eventually going to bite me so I put a bullet in her head.”

  Dianna began to sob, leaning onto Sullivan’s back. Stu and Scott sat with their gazes fixed on Sullivan, while Meghan leaned on Scott as she also began to cry.

  “At that point, she slumped over and we lost control of the SUV. It flipped a few times and landed upside down.”

  “You two are lucky to be alive,” said Scott as he put his arm around Meghan and nodded at Nash.

  “We need to find this man,” said Stu, his bruised and bandaged face rippled with anger. “We need to find him and make him pay for this.”

  “I’m afraid we may have something bigger to worry about,” said Sullivan as he helped Dianna to her seat. “Right after she spit out the blood from the canteen, Barry started chanting something.”

  “He’s coming to get you,” said Nash, the sound of the singsong way Barry had sung it rang in his ears. It sent shivers through his core each time he thought of it.

  “This is why I didn’t tell you the truth when we first got here,” said Sullivan, head down toward the table in exasperation. “I didn’t want to cause a panic. I wanted to talk to you all first before saying anything.”

  “We need to tell everyone,” said Meghan, sitting up from Scott’s chest as she wiped her eyes. “People need to know what we’re dealing with. This guy broke your trust and murdered Eliza. If he’s part of a bigger group, we need to be prepared.”

  “I agree,” said Dianna. “We all need to be ready for whatever could be out there.”

  “We don’t know if anything is out there,” said Scott who looked sadly at each of them as he spoke.

  “No, Scott, she’s right. Something is coming and we need to be ready,” said Sullivan. “This place was built to hide us from the dead, not protect us from other groups. If we aren’t vigilant with our security, we’re just sitting ducks. I don’t want to overreact and I’m not talking about arming everyone. I just think that we need to be prepared if someone does end up at our doorstep.”