by Edward Crae
Travis turned the dials, changing the frequency and trying to center around a channel with some squealing noises.
“Come in,” Max continued. “This is Max. Is anyone there?”
“—is is –vid Mar—read you.”
“Turn the squelch,” Max said. “Get rid of that noise.”
There were more squeals and pops as Travis adjusted the squelch, and then there was silence.
“This is Max. Say again.
“This is David Marks. I hear you. Where are you located?”
“Southern Indiana,” Max said. “How about you?”
“Somewhere in the DC area, south of the city.”
“We were trying to find some info on the recent impact.”
“Haven’t heard much. Only that after the comet fragmented, we passed through the tail of the largest piece a few weeks before the first impact.”
“We have a scientist with us,” Max said. “She was on her way to study the first impact with a military escort.”
“You’ve seen military?”
“Just the one survivor. That’s all.”
“What happened?”
“They impacted something in the air near… Atterbury, I think.”
“Flyers. Yeah, we’ve seen those.”
“Flyers?”
“Mutants. Likely bats or large mutated birds. Mostly harmless.”
“We’ve seen other things,” Max said. “Have you encountered any reanimated corpses?”
“No. Just the fungus things and a few mutants. Big ones.”
“We’ve seen a bigger one, too. Some people in my group have firsthand experience. They witnessed it reanimating the dead.”
There was silence for a moment.
“Jesus…”
“Have you seen the sentient mutants?”
“Only two dead ones. The male had taken a lot of damage, it looked like. Unrecognizable. The female was bigger and looked more dangerous.”
Max looked back at Dan, shrugging.
Fuck, Dan thought. What could be more dangerous than the Robert creature?
“You have to watch for the females. From what we’ve seen, they’re egg-layers.”
Dan’s heart jumped. He looked over at Nathan, who shrugged. He could hear Travis let out a humorous laugh. Max sighed loudly, turning back to look at Dan again, his brow raised and his eyes wide.
“Fuck,” Max said. “We’ve got a mama mutant.”
Royce walked by himself as the group scoured the roads for a way into the woods. They could easily trudge straight through to find the heat source, but Enoch wanted to make sure they had all three of their vehicles with them. It would do no good to take prisoners without a way to get them back to the base. There was no way Enoch was going to march anyone back several miles back to their parking spot.
But Royce didn’t really care.
He was not a terribly angry man, not like Enoch. He was just a guy who wanted to survive by any means possible. He had joined Enoch’s group not because he agreed with their values, but because they seemed the type to survive. There was always the possibility, however, that another group would be stronger—but so far, there had been none. Enoch’s brutality always won, no matter how strong or numerous a rival group was.
But that was Royce’s concern.
Why were other groups always “rival” groups? Why couldn’t Enoch ever work together with others? Why did he always insist on leading instead of cooperating? He wasn’t an idiot, Royce realized, the man knew what he was doing. But he was always suspicious of others, and would typically do everything he could to destroy them. But why?
Royce could never figure out that part. He wasn’t a violent man himself, but he never spoke up or suggested that Enoch just let things go. Enoch would kill him, he knew. Enoch would never understand the value of joining forces. Everything was war and death, never peace and cooperation. Even when the group had run across those who knew how to grow food, Enoch would kill them and take what they had. He would never try to learn from them, or ask them to join forces.
Seth was a little smarter, Royce remembered. The younger brother always at least tried to learn new things, even going so far as to try to make trade arrangements with others. They usually ended up just taking what they wanted, but Seth never just outright murdered people for their possessions. He was more logical. Enoch wasn’t. He was just bloodthirsty and brutal.
He only killed and stole.
Where was the value in that? Eventually, the food would run out. Enoch would kill everyone who knew how to do things; important things like make clothes, tools, or grow food. Down the line, there would be nobody left, and nothing left to steal. Then what? Would he just kill everyone else in his own group and steal their shit? Would he wander by himself until he finally starved?
It was ridiculous. It was stupid. It was self-destructive.
“Royce,” Enoch called to him from the other side of the road.
Royce looked up, seeing Enoch pointing off into the distance. There was a farmhouse there, neat and tidy, with what looked like dim lights inside. They were barely visible through the early morning haze, but they were there.
“Take a few men and raid that farm house,” Enoch said. “Take the food, ammo, and any bitches they have. Kill the rest.”
Royce sighed. He looked over to a few of the other men walking around them. A few of them seemed eager for blood. But there were others that seemed to be feeling the same way Royce did. They too sighed and hung their heads. Maybe he wasn’t alone.
“Alright, boss,” Royce said. “James, Dave, Leonard, let’s go.”
He had picked those who seemed of like mind. Maybe they could go and investigate, ask for supplies, and leave without hurting anyone. There was no reason that couldn’t happen since Enoch wasn’t going. He would have to tell the boss that there were no “bitches” though. That could be believable he supposed.
He crossed over to the other side, taking the three men with him. Royce didn’t even look at Enoch as he passed, but he could hear the man’s grunting breath—that familiar sound of bloodlust and anticipation. Royce knew that Enoch wanted a woman to pass around more than anything. He didn’t care how old, either. It didn’t matter to him or some of the others. Anyone they found would be enjoyed for a few hours, and then killed. That was just the way it was. It was Enoch’s way.
But it wasn’t Royce’s way.
As he passed, he briefly thought of putting a bullet in Enoch’s back. It was a thought that put an uncomfortable smile on his face.
Chapter Eight
Bill was buried at first light. Nobody in the group was terribly religious, but Jake said a few words that warmed their hearts, and made Linda more at peace with their decision to dig the grave in this unfamiliar area. Dan knew that Bill would have wanted to be buried—or scattered—on his own land, but Linda had insisted that these woods would be sufficient.
Dan put his arm around her as everyone lowered their heads in remembrance. Jake’s words were kind and comforting. They reminded everyone that Bill did not lose the fight, but that he was finally at peace, and wouldn’t have to live through the struggle any longer. It brought a tear to Linda’s eye, which prompted Dan to pull her closer. He could feel her silent sobs against his side.
“And with that,” Jake concluded, “we commit Bill’s body to the grave that he may depart to seek solace in the arms of God Almighty. May he rest in peace. Amen.”
“Amen,” everyone repeated.
Drew and Eric began covering the body, gently shoveling the dirt into the grave. Linda turned toward Dan, and he wrapped his arms around her as she lay her head against his chest. He gave Jake an approving nod, and leaned his head against Linda’s.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said. “Bill was a great man. I didn’t know him well, but he opened his home to me when I needed it.”
“He was always that kind of man,” Linda said. “He was kind to strangers, even when they didn’t deserve it.”
Dan nodded,
knowing that was the truth. Dan hadn’t really deserved being rescued, he realized. Bill could have just let Dan be torn apart, but he hadn’t. He had risked his life to save Dan, and brought him back to recover. Even afterwards, Bill’s words made Dan realize that his group needed him; that he wasn’t a burden to them. Cliff’s trauma had not been his fault, and his quick thinking had actually saved Cliff’s life.
That fact alone made Dan realize how much he liked Bill, and how much he had needed his counsel.
Travis walked up after making a last minute check on the RV. His face was grim.
“Something happened to the RV last night, man,” he said.
“What’s that?” Dan asked.
“Not sure, but it might take all day to fix it. I’ll put Eric on it. He should be able to figure it out.”
“Alright,” Dan said. “I guess we’ll plan on staying another day. I think we all need some rest anyway. Last night was pretty rough.”
Travis looked exhausted. Everyone did, in fact. “Get some sleep Travis,” Dan said. “Everyone should. I’ll take first watch.”
As the others got some much needed rest, Dan patrolled around the RV while Eric did repairs. Despite the previous night’s events, the area seemed peaceful and quiet. The horde that had attacked was gone, having been distracted long enough for them to forget what they were after. Dan inspected the tracks in the clay soil, seeing that after the fizz bomb had burned itself out, the horde left eastward.
Among the tracks, he noticed, were the strange, three-toed prints of the stalkers among them. He could not, however, find any evidence of the larger creature that had helped them. He wondered if the event had even happened, or if Toby had really even seen it. Why would a dangerous alien-like creature help them? Humans were food for them.
Dan tried to remember his experience with the Robert creature, and what its attitude toward humans was. He didn’t recall it ever eating any human flesh, neither in the cellar nor out in the open. He was sure it had to eat, though, otherwise how would it survive? Even it didn’t eat humans, why would this creature help them? Why would it have saved Toby’s life?
“Hey Dan,” Eric called out.
Dan snapped out of his haze and went back to the RV. “Yeah?”
“We need another serpentine belt,” Eric said.
“Fuck. Where the hell are we gonna find another one of those?”
Eric sat up, shaking his head. “I have no idea,” he said. “We might be able to get by for a few miles the way it is, but we’ll need one soon. It’s worn out and could break any minute. Right now it’s slipping. I can tighten things up, but that’s about it.”
“So we’ll have to keep our eyes open for a larger vehicle then?”
“These are pretty specific,” Eric said. “One from a rig might work, or maybe a dump truck. Something bigger than average.”
“What’s the nearest town?”
Eric looked up and shrugged. Dan frowned, then tried to get his bearings. He wasn’t exactly sure where they were in relation to the towns. But he assumed Columbus was probably closest, and they weren’t about to go back there.
“I guess someone’s gonna have to go on a run and get one.”
Eric nodded. “That or we just leave the RV here. I’m sure we could find another one.”
“Okay. Well, we’ll see what everyone else thinks.”
Eric stood and closed the small hood to the engine compartment. He wiped his hands off on his pants and smacked the side of the RV.
“Damn,” he said, sadly. “I’m gonna miss this big ass thing. I’d hate to leave it behind. It’s nice and roomy so people can sleep while we’re driving.”
Dan nodded, leaning against it. “Before we go, I think we need to look for this creature Toby saw.”
“Why?”
“The voice on the radio said the females are egg-layers. Toby said it was a lady; one that lived here. This is her house, and if she’s one of those things, I bet she’s laid some eggs.”
“Without a male?” Eric said. “I’m not so sure.”
“I remember in biology class how some reptiles can lay eggs that are already fertilized. They change sex or something. It can happen when there are no males around. It’s called parthenogenesis or something.”
Eric scrunched up his face. “I thought that was just dinosaurs.”
Dan shrugged. “Either way, we’re not dealing with a natural creature. We don’t really know what it’s capable of. But if we let it reproduce, who knows what will happen?”
“This isn’t really my area,” Eric said. “Maybe Grace would have some ideas.”
“First things first, though. Let’s see if we can find some tracks.”
Royce and his three partners stared down the farmer with guns raised and ready to smoke him from existence. The farmer stood strong, putting himself between the men and his own family; a woman, and two teenaged children. He had a sawed-off shotgun aimed directly at Royce, and a look in his eyes that said, “Go ahead and try it”.
Despite being hopelessly outnumbered, the farmer didn’t move a muscle. There wasn’t a single ounce of fear in his expression, and Royce didn’t doubt for a second that he could waste all four of them before they could even pull their own triggers.
It was a Mexican standoff with only one opponent.
“Look, man,” Royce said. “We ain’t got no problem with you, alright?”
“Get. Off. My. Land.”
“We will,” Royce said. “I promise. Now let’s put our guns down and just talk, alright?”
“What the hell do you want boy?”
Royce sighed, lowering his rifle and motioning for his companions to do the same. They complied, none of them really wanting to engage the crazy-looking cracker.
“Our boss sent us up here to kill everyone and steal what you have. But I don’t have the stomach for that shit no more. Neither do my homies. Understand?”
The farmer’s brow furrowed, and his grip shifted slightly as he contemplated Royce’s words. “So what do you want then?”
“We don’t want to hurt anybody,” Royce explained. “But we gotta show the boss that we did what he asked. He wanted any women, but we can tell him y’all didn’t have any women with you.”
“And then what?” the farmer asked.
“We could just tell him nobody was here at all, but you had that candle burning in the window. We saw it from a mile away. Just give us some shit, we’ll fire a couple shots in the air, and then we gone.”
The farmer began chewing for some reason. Royce guessed that was just the way hillbillies made their brains start working. After a few seconds, the farmer lowered his shotgun. Royce relaxed. He truly didn’t want to hurt anybody.
“What does this man expect you to bring back?”
Royce shook his head. “I don’t know, man. What do you got that you don’t really need?”
The farmer thought for a second. “What kind of rifles you got?”
Royce looked at his companions. “I don’t know. Why?”
“I got about ten boxes of .338 ammo and a few boxes of 20 gauge shotgun shells and nothing to use either one of them in.”
Royce nodded. “Okay,” he said. “That’s a good start.”
“Teak uses .338 in his AR,” Dave said.
“What else you got?” Royce asked.
“Not much, honestly. But let me ask you this question, son. If you don’t like this man then why do you work for him? That don’t sound right to me. Y’all don’t seem like criminals. You’re just a bunch of boys compared to the thugs I’ve met in my life.”
“Right, right,” Royce said. “We ain’t got much choice partner. Enoch was the only game in town, and once you with him, you in for life.”
The farmer shook his head. “Just put a damn bullet in his head and be done with it. You boys are better than that. I know it.”
“Don’t think we ain’t thought about it,” Leonard said. “But like homeboy said, once you in…”
“
He chased down someone who tried to leave before,” James said. “Busted his head open right in front of everybody. Anyone who leaves gets killed. He has too many loyal mutha fuckas on his ass.”
“You see, partner?” Royce said. “We don’t have a choice. Let’s just get this shit over with and we’ll be on our way.”
The farmer turned. “Zack, grab that black knapsack by me and momma’s bed. There’s a pistol in the night stand drawer, too. Grab that.”
He then turned back to Royce with a slight grin on his face. “Give that pistol to your boss. It’s defective. It might shoot a few times before the barrel blows out and blows his hand off.”
Royce grinned. “Alright. That sounds good. You ready for our shootout?”
The farmer pointed his shotgun toward the ground. “Shoot down. Trust me. Don’t ever shoot into the air. Daisy, go inside and grab daddy’s whiskey.”
The girl ran into the house after her brother, leaving the farmer’s wife to stand and cover her ears in anticipation.
“Me first,” Royce said.
He fired into the ground. The farmer fired two shots and waited for the others to take a turn. After a few minutes of random gunshots, they stopped. James then fired one more shot into the ground, drawing curious stares from everyone else.
“Kill shot,” James said, shrugging.
Royce approached the farmer with his hand out. The farmer took it and gave him a nod.
“Thanks for playing along, partner,” Royce said.
“Thank you for sparing my family. And listen, go your own way or get rid of this Enoch. It’s time for all of us to work together to create a new future.”
Royce nodded just as the farmer’s two children return with the requested items. Royce and his men took the offer and stuffed everything in their packs. The farmer opened the bottle of whiskey and took a swig, passing it to Royce.
“To peace,” the farmer said.
Royce took a shot, and then passed the bottle to James. “To peace.”
“Did you hear that?” Eric asked. “It sounded like gunshots in the distance.”
“Yeah,” Dan replied. “I wonder where they came from.”
