Sarah lifted George to her chest and hugged him tight so his face was against her chest. She nodded that she was ready and Jack moved out and across the bridge. All the vehicles were empty of people, though their belongings remained, some spilled out on the ground. Jack picked up a couple of water bottles and the odd chocolate bar. As silently as they could, they skirted the main shopping area, taking a smaller side street that went around behind the shops. His nerves felt like a thousand needles stabbing him as he scanned the vicinity for the monsters, and for people like Duke. Jack didn’t ease the pace until they could see the evac centre up ahead.
As soon as he saw the race course, Jack knew something was wrong. It was the lack of movement. The lack of noise. Now that there was no one around, the ambient noise of human civilisation that always played in the background was absent. Surely they should’ve heard something, anything, as they approached?
He gently tugged at Sarah’s arm and ducked behind a row of trees. “Stay here,” he said.” It’s too quiet. I’ll go on and check it out.”
Moving as quietly as possible, Jack flitted through the woods from tree to tree, staying in the shadows and keeping the trunks between himself and the evac centre. Dark green army tents had been set out in rows. Interspersed between them were white medical tents with red crosses. Careful to not be seen, he crept up behind one of the tents and ducked in. Jack gasped at the sight that greeted him. Cots, blankets and clothing were jumbled about like a bull had gone crazy. Broken cups and glasses lay everywhere.
The same scene played over and over as Jack moved through the camp. Everything was chaos. Everyone had either run for their lives or been taken by the beasts. This wasn’t an evacuation centre; it was an extinction centre. Jack spotted a rifle lying next to a medical tent and jogged over. The stench coming from inside nearly overpowered him. When he ducked his head in, he saw beds, some empty and some containing people. Jack clamped a hand over his mouth to prevent himself retching. One of the infected was thrashing about on its bed, its skin blackened, bleeding from its eyes and ears. Jack scooped up the rifle and started to jog back to Sarah. As he ran, he kept an eye out for a vehicle. Jack was tired of running. Tired of this endless quest to reach Hamilton and the safety of Dee. He knew that if he could just reach Dee, everything would be okay. Dee had that way about her. She made you feel safe, feel that anything was possible.
Jack heard the throaty V8s rumbling up the road before he saw them. Duke. He cursed to himself. Of course that asshole would come sniffing around here. Probably after more guns and whatever drugs he could find.
Jack crouched down behind a tent and looked over his pilfered rifle. He recognised it as something the NZ Army used, but beyond that, he had no clue. He had no idea how to use it. He tried to recall what Dee had shown him with her dad’s guns. Surely they were similar? It didn’t take him long to find the safety switch. It had three settings. Safety, semi, and full. He clicked it to semi and tested pushing it into his shoulder. Apart from a shotgun, he had never fired a weapon before.
You’d better learn fast.
Duke and his men tore into the evac centre, three cars skidding their tyres in the mud. They each drove around in a circle, revving their engines. Jack cringed, fearful of the noise they were making. Fearful of the creatures coming for them and fearful of being discovered. Duke had let him go last time only to hunt him. Jack knew that this time he would be executed on the spot.
He kept an eye on Duke from his hiding spot. The man raised a clenched fist from his car window, halting the maddening din. Even from this distance, Jack could hear his shouted orders.
“Todd. Take Pixie and Mac, gather up all the weapons the army has so kindly left us. Nancy-boy, you and Alan are on drug duty. And if I catch you taking any, I’ll kill you myself. Jeff, we’re on food.”
The men exited their vehicles and walked away, leaving one person in Duke’s car. Jack squinted trying to get a better look. Emma? What was she doing here?
Jack gritted his teeth. These men strutted about in such a carefree manner that Jack wondered if they knew about the creatures’ habits at all. Not that he planned to educate them. He waited a few more minutes, listening to them as they plundered their way through the centre, crashing over unwanted supplies. The sounds reverberated around the race course, making him more nervous. Once they were far enough away, Jack rose and crab-walked to Duke’s red Holden Commodore. Emma was looking away from him as he clicked open the door and held up his hand.
Emma snapped her head around, her eyes bulging in surprise. She held up her hands, which had been cable-tied together and pointed to her feet.
Jack always carried a knife in his hiking pack. It was one of those objects that had so many uses, like duct tape. He made short work of the ties and tugged Emma through the car. They hugged briefly, Jack turned quickly, leading the way. It was easy to avoid Duke and his men. They made so much noise it was like a child care centre had been released in a toy shop.
Jack paused at the edge of the tents and glanced across the road. He could see Sarah’s bright red jacket amongst the trees, could sense her watching. With one last glance behind him, he gestured to the trees, pushing Emma in front of him. Jack clutched the rifle and followed her.
— 13 —
Thump!
Dee shuddered and risked a peek out the window. She had boarded up the windows as best she could, using every available scrap of timber and furniture. Anything to barricade herself in and keep the creatures out. So she only had a slither of a gap available to watch for Jack. She reached out and gently pulled the curtain aside. Her view was limited, but she could see the driveway and gate. Both led to the street.
Thump!
There it was again. Dee clenched her teeth and scanned the property, still seeing nothing. It was a bright sunny day, hardly a cloud in the sky. Dee loved autumn days like this. The last remnants of summer hanging on before the dreary winter set in. Seeing nothing, Dee let the curtain fall and relaxed the grip she had on her katana.
Still reeling from losing Rachel, and barely making it home, she tried to make herself safe. She’d fortified her house and boxed up all her provisions. She and Jack had prepared bug-out bags months ago. As she waited, Dee busied herself checking and rechecking the bags. It was two days since she had spoken to Jack, and with each passing hour the fear that she might have lost him gnawed at her more and more. She’d been out in that bedlam twice now, taking the risk to bike back to Rachel’s to retrieve her car. Having it home settled her, like she needed it. Knowing that she had an out mattered, a means of escape in case Jack didn’t come home.
Dee checked the driveway and gate once again, glanced at the pile of supplies. She had noted the growing number of creatures. At first it had been just the odd one, still human-looking with tattered clothes hanging off them. As the hours passed and day turned to night, they had come out in ever-increasing numbers. Solitary creatures had begun to gather in packs, prowling down the street and sniffing the air. When they smelt something, they would emit a high-pitched shriek and bound across the property and into the house.
Dee cringed every time she heard glass breaking and the screams that followed. Once, in the early morning, she had heard the boom of shotguns. Even that hadn’t lasted long. With nothing to do but wait, her mind wandered and she found herself imagining what had become of Jack. Two nights had passed since they’d last spoken, but still she found it difficult to accept that he wasn’t coming back.
Dee sighed and checked her phone for the hundredth time. She had very little battery power remaining and only kept it on out of habit. She switched it off and slid it into her jeans pocket.
She decided to move down to the basement. It was more secure there, and easier to defend with only two entries: one leading from the kitchen and the other from the back yard. Dee strapped the katana over her back and lifted the first box. Better to do something than sit around waiting.
It took Dee half a dozen trips to move everything she ne
eded down to the basement. Next, she emptied out the pantry of all the canned goods, the fruit she had preserved over the summer and all the dried foodstuffs. Once she had everything she thought she’d need, she decided to secure the access door from the kitchen. She found some of Jack’s tools and put a dozen 80 mm screws through the door into the thick timber jambs. Thankfully the door was solid with no window.
She had just finished screwing the door shut when she heard the shriek. It was so loud it wailed around in her brain. Frantic, she scanned the kitchen, looking for somewhere to hide. She glanced at the back door, which was ajar. Could she make it to the basement?
There was another shriek. This time it was close, perhaps even down the side of the house. Gritting her teeth, she ducked into the only hiding spot available: the pantry. The handle of her katana knocked the spice rack over, spilling the contents all over the floor. She swore quietly and pulled the door closed behind her. The pungent aromas from the spices hung in the air around her, so Dee covered her mouth with her T-shirt and held her breath.
The clicking of a creature’s claws across the kitchen tiles and the popping of its joints made her skin crawl. She gagged when the rotting fruit smell that seemed to hang around them reached her nostrils through the mix of spices. She squeezed her eyes shut and held the door closed with one hand. Sweat began to pool in the small of her back and behind her ears, saliva in her mouth.
All it would take for the creature to discover her was one peek in at where she was hiding, one whiff of her scent.
Crouched in the pantry, she listened to the beast. It scrambled around, knocking God-knew-what to the floor. It would stop in its destruction every few seconds to sniff at the air. Dee could hear each sniff, because it made the creature sound like an obese asthmatic trying to breathe. She gulped in her own breath, as quietly as she could, when the creature scratched at the door. She heard it sniff again, and it sneezed. Powerful sneezes, one after the other. It seemed to scramble away from the door, its clawed feet scraping on the smooth tiles. There was a shriek, and the creature crashed out of the kitchen.
Dee waited until she couldn’t hear it anymore. She counted to ten, slowly. She peeked out of the pantry. Pots, pans, cups and plates lay smashed all over the floor. The spices she’d spilled had claw marks in them.
Something clicked. The creatures hunted mainly by scent. Twice now she had escaped their detection because of overpowering smells, once in the compost and now again with these spices. To have any chance of surviving in the basement, she would need to disguise her presence.
Dee dashed for the basement and bolted the door shut. Smiling, she took the seaweed plant-food off the shelf and poured its contents over the door and threshold.
That would have to do for now.
Hurry, Jack! Come home.
— 14 —
The liquidambar was one of the first deciduous trees to begin changing colour in autumn, and one of Jack’s favourite trees. Its leaves would first turn a deep purple before turning red and falling to the ground. Jack jogged ahead through the leaf litter that covered the grass, releasing a peaty scent into the air. He held the gun in front of him, ready. He remembered reading about where to keep your finger so as not to accidentally fire the gun; on the trigger guard, not the trigger itself. He was tempted to flick the safety on, but with Duke and his goons in the vicinity and the fact that mid-afternoon was fast approaching, he was on edge.
“Where are we going, Jack?” Emma gasped beside him.
“We need a vehicle. Best place is a dealership,” Jack said. He glanced behind to check on Sarah. She was lagging behind, carrying George. Emma followed his gaze and dropped back.
“Here, let me take him for a bit,” Emma said, handing Sarah the bachi hoe and lifting the red-haired boy into her arms. She spent a few seconds adjusting his weight.
“Thanks,” Sarah panted.
It was a long run back into the centre of Cambridge. Jack was aiming for a Toyota dealership he knew of next to a strip mall of fast food outlets. As they ran, Jack caught his reflection in the shop windows, hardly recognising himself, he was so dishevelled. He must’ve smelt just as bad. It was days since he’d showered, and the swims in the river wouldn’t have helped matters. Jack blinked as he caught a movement in the glass. It flicked through his vision so fast he wasn’t sure what he had seen.
Only instinct saved him. He was close enough to Emma and Sarah to pull them down behind a vehicle just as the creature bounded out of the house. It howled and pivoted, searching for the prey it had seen. Jack caressed the rifle and crawled in front of the two women and George. He could just see the top of its deformed head. The flesh on the skull had blackened and there was no hair at all. It leapt onto a brick fence and sniffed at the air. Its yellow eyes swivelled around and locked onto Jack. For a moment Jack thought the beast was going to bound off. Moving slowly, he brought the rifle up and squinted through the scope.
There was a blur of motion and the creature was sailing through the air. Jack sucked in a breath and pulled on the trigger. The rifle bucked into his shoulder as three shots ripped out, going wide. Jack pulled the trigger again as the creature landed on the concrete and swiped a claw at him, knocking the rifle from his grasp.
George cried out and Emma, gripping the bachi hoe in both hands, stepped in front of Sarah and George. The creature bowled into Jack, its mouth curled back to reveal rows of razor sharp teeth. Jack fell back with a thump and grabbed the creature’s arms, desperate to keep it from tearing into his flesh. He kicked out at the beast but his efforts had no effect. He spotted the rifle only a couple of metres away.
“Emma! The gun.”
The beast gnashed it sucker mouth together and globs of drool dripped onto Jack’s face. He glanced at Sarah and George hiding under the car. He glanced at the trees lining the streets. Streets that would normally be filled with life, with people going about their daily lives. They all lay empty now. Anyone left alive was either hiding or had been evacuated. He grunted, trying to push the monster off him, and stared into its soulless eyes. The creature thrashed about with new fervour, dragging its clawed hands down Jack’s arms. Jack was watching its mouth when it suddenly went rigid and blackish blood began to drip from its mouth.
Jack frowned, puzzled. He hadn’t heard any gunshots or sensed any movement. Emma kicked the creature off him and held out a hand. He clasped it and she pulled him to his feet. He glanced down at the beast and saw the bachi hoe embedded in its back.
“Thanks.” Jack scooped up the fallen rifle. This time he placed the strap over his shoulder.
Howls echoed around the houses.
“We need to move,” he said. “To the river, and a boat.”
“What about a car?” Emma said.
“Too late. We’ll be safer out on the water.”
He and Emma helped Sarah and George out from underneath the car. Sarah brushed dirt out of George’s hair.
“There’s a jet boat company down by the highway bridge.”
Jack nodded and pivoted, trying to orientate himself.
They headed in the general direction of the river, jogging from car to car and ducking into gardens when they could. Anything to keep out of sight. The creatures’ howls and shrieks filled the town like a hundred wolves had suddenly invaded and were hunting for food. Sarah led them on a zig-zag route through the town centre, ducking down alleys and behind buildings. Finally Jack glimpsed the river and spotted the bright red building Sarah had mentioned. Painted on the roof were the words “Cambridge Jet Adventures”. Perfect if you were an adrenaline junkie and didn’t mind nature whizzing by.
Jack gripped his rifle tighter and waited until the others had moved past him. The shrieks of the beasts were getting ever closer. During the course of their flight, Jack could have sworn he kept seeing them, but whenever he searched for them, they were absent. He had put it down to being exhausted and paranoid.
“Jack?” Emma broke into his thoughts.
“Sorry. Com
ing.” He caught up to her.
“Daydreamer, huh?”
“Yeah. I just had this weird feeling that we are being herded.”
“Herded?”
“I could see the creatures. They’ve been following us the whole time.”
Emma paused and glanced around. “We’d better hurry then.”
Jack peered through the scope on his rifle and scanned the yard of the boating company. Next to the shed were three large speed boats and a tractor. All painted bright red like the shed. Apart from the birds and the insects, nothing moved. He strained his ears, trying to judge where the howls were coming from, but the noise echoed around and bounced off the river, making it nearly impossible to discern a direction.
“What do you guys think?” Jack whispered. “We’re going to make a bit of noise, so we need to do this fast.”
“What’s the plan?” Sarah said.
“I’ll drive the tractor and back it up to the trailer. Get George inside. You and Emma hook it on and I’ll drive it into the river. I’m not going to bother backing it. Just straight in. As soon as we are in, start the boat and unhook it from the trailer. If all goes well, we’ll be motoring downriver to Hamilton in a few minutes.”
“Keys?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. “They’re not going to be just hanging in the ignition.”
Jack grinned. “The tractor ones are there. As for the boat, there should be a switch and an ignition button.”
“Shouldn’t we check before charging in?” Sarah asked.
A high-pitched shriek rang out over the yard. Jack shuddered. He swung his carbine up and searched for its source. Perched on the roof of the engineering business next door were five creatures.
“Go! Now!”
Jack slung the rifle over his shoulder and sprinted for the tractor. He was halfway there when movement blurred in his peripheral vision. Creatures were pouring out from behind every building, howling and spitting, jumping up and down at the sight of their prey.
The Rule of Three (Extinction New Zealand Book 1) Page 8
