by Matt James
“I don’t want to be here a second longer, Frank,” she says. “The quicker we can get out of here the better—off the island… Forever.”
While I’m ecstatic that she wants to leave so soon, her question definitely has some merit.
Now what? It rings through my head again.
Now what…
I have no idea.
29
Hand-in-hand, Jill leads me over to the same security guard she was talking to just before we tackled each other.
“How many dead?” I ask my wife.
“We aren’t sure, honestly,” she replies, her eyes sad. “John and I have been searching the museum, looking for survivors, but…”
“But what?” I ask.
“But we mostly find bodies.”
Ugh.
“Who’s John?” I ask, stopping in front of the night guard.
“Sergeant Jonathan Sneeden, retired,” he says, sticking out his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Detective Moon.”
I smile at the recognition and take the offered hand, feeling his vice-like grip tighten around mine. “Retired? Police?”
“Marines, actually,” he replies, standing straighter. The posture is a dead giveaway and something I hadn’t noticed. Even with everything going on, he’s still as attentive as ever.
“Good to meet you Sergeant Sneeden,” I say, gripping back. “And it’s Frank.”
He chuckles, showing the strong creases across his forehead and around his eyes. He might be in his late fifties, but he carries himself like he’s closer to my age. “Very good then, and please, call me John.”
I grin. I like this guy. His accent is Carolinian I think. I have friends in Raleigh and they have a hint of it too. I personally have a mix of everything being from Florida. We are a mutt mix of cultures from Midwest to New England to Southern.
“So why here?” I wave my hand around the room, seeing the space’s blood splatters for the first time. They have definitely seen some awful things. I remember when Jill called me about people coming in and killing the others.
An aberration on the floor draws my attention next as I see something I recognize. Footprints. They cover the surface and are represented in all shapes and sizes. Bare feet and not. I trace the pattern back to the doors Vinny and I just entered, seeing that they did, indeed, come from there.
Mercifully, he answers, drawing my attention back to the conversation and away from the carnage. “Was always a fan of history and the like. Even studied it some in the service. I inquired about a job and they asked if I’d be interested in being the night guard. I couldn’t pass it up. I like to roam the halls and think about things. Even thinking of writing a book soon. It’s peaceful here…”
He doesn’t finish.
“It was peaceful,” Jill adds.
John and I both nod in agreement.
“How the hell did you make it here, Frank?” Jill asks. Then she looks to her cousin. “You too, Vinny.”
“You don’t want to know. Plus, we don’t have time for that right now. First things first... We need to figure out a way to get everyone out of here.”
I turn and take in the room, but before I can download everything I see, John speaks. “It shouldn’t be too hard.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, facing the man again. The look on his face tells me everything I need to know.
Glancing behind John, I see two people sitting on a bench. Then I quickly scan the large hall again, seeing no one else. I meet John’s hard stare, but watch as it softens a little.
“We’re all that’s left.”
“What?”
I’m completely shocked. I knew that there were deaths, but I wouldn’t have imagined that there would have only been five survivors in all—seven if you now include Vinny and me.
“What happened?” I ask.
“We were set up in the next room—you don’t want to go in there by the way. It’s something that no one should have to see.” I understand what he means. Lots of bodies. He continues, “Your wife, Mrs. D’Angelo, and the Howards here—they were all the closest to the room’s exit when the monstrosities made it inside. They don’t arm us, but thankfully these two ladies were.”
Carla steps over. Joining us. She gives me a quick hug and then steps into Vinny’s waiting arms. “We held them off as best we could, but John here insisted that we hide.”
“We were terrified Frank, and there was no way we could kill them all.” Jill’s head drops, a fresh set of tears falling down her cheeks. “So, we ran, and kept running until we couldn’t hear the screams anymore.”
I hug her. “You did what you could. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
I nod at John, giving the man my thanks. He reacted under pressure like the soldier he was—still is. That kind of training never goes away. Where a lot of the people—the victims—probably froze in fear, he moved and saved as many as he could.
Including Jill.
He quickly gives me a curt nod of his own. “I’d have to agree with your wife, though. And ask the same question.” He crosses his toned arms in front of his chest. “Now what?”
Honestly, this is actually good news for us. It’s something I’d never admit nor say aloud, but knowing that these are the only survivors will actually make this escape easier. Leaving with seven people is a hell of a lot easier than say, thirty. We don’t have an armor-plated school bus on hand to charter a group that big off the island.
I breathe in deep and turn, taking a few steps away as I think. I meet the gaze of the Allosaurus skeleton and get another set of chilling goosebumps. Its empty eye sockets remind me of the Unseen, staring through me without actually seeing me.
“I’m assuming that the truck is a no go,” Vinny says, speaking up for the first time.
“Most likely,” I say, agreeing with him. “Unless they give up soon and we can hurry over to it.”
“Can’t chance it,” John replies. “They could just be waiting for us to emerge. We need another way out.”
A foreboding silence fills the exceptionally large room, keeping my nerves on edge. My head pulsates with pain every time I try to concentrate and I lose my train of thought.
Train…
My eyes go wide. “What about the subway station in the basement?”
“What about it?” John asks. “There’s no power. No way to move the cars.”
“I’m not talking about the subway cars themselves. I’m talking about the tunnels.” Everyone turns to me and listens. Even Mr. and Mrs. Howard have joined us over at the ticket counter, interested in how I plan on saving their lives. “What if we head underground and walk the tracks south to 72nd?”
“Then what?” Carla asks. “We still need a way off the island and I seriously doubt we can make it on foot. I mean it’s not far, but…”
She’s right about that. The Howard’s have to be in their seventies at least and the girls are still in heels. Vinny and I are beat to hell and won’t make it much further either. The only one that looks to be in good health is John, the former Marine Sergeant. He looks as if he could run a marathon.
“Do we have a choice?” I glance over to Jill. “We need to leave here—now. We can worry about transportation once we get to 72nd.”
Carla’s about to argue, but Jill beats her to it. “Besides…” she adds, smiling at me. “Frank and I have a perfect way off the island—no car needed. The only thing is that we actually have to get there.”
I squint, unable to recall how I have a way off the island. I step away and close my eyes, rubbing my temples. The headache is subsiding a little and my concentration is getting a tad bit better. I think of what’s around the 72nd Street subway entrance and come up with nothing.
A way off the island.
My eyes snap open and I get it. Jill was literally talking about a way off the island without the use of a car—or the bridges for that matter. She’s talking about the water.
She must see my body language and smil
es.
I look at the others and then back to her. “You’re a genius!”
30
As much as we wanted to leave right then and there, we couldn’t. My head was still swimming from the shot I took outside and Jill convinced me to sit and rest for a while. Once I could stand without feeling like I was going to vomit and/or fall over, we picked it up and left. It messed with our timeframe, which I wasn’t happy about. It meant that if we didn’t make it to the river quickly, we’d be stuck here for another night. Navigating the city at night was a death sentence and it wasn’t hard to convince the others.
Now, Vinny and I lead the way, shotguns in hand. Thankfully, we were able to save them and our ammo from the initial conflict on the stairs outside. Vinny said he dropped his to help me, but picked it back up when he dragged me inside. Apparently, Jill snagged my felled weapons and followed us in. Even my trusted baton is back in my pocket.
“Hold up,” John says, gripping my second Glock at the ready. It’s the one Vinny was using earlier, the one I got with the help of Betty. “Let me go first. I know this building better than anyone.”
Vinny and I step aside and let the man go. I would have argued against it if he wasn’t who he was. His combat background and the comfortable way he holds the gun makes the decision easy though. He’s no doubt better with that thing than any of us are.
I glance back at Jill and Carla. Both women have their small caliber handguns out, bringing up the rear. Their ammo is in short supply, but it should be enough if we don’t get into a serious fire fight anytime soon. Jack and Beverly Howard are right smack in the middle of everyone, being protected as best we can.
Stepping out into the Lower Level, John sweeps his flashlight back-and-forth, backhand style, holding the gun directly above it. It’s exactly as I would expect someone with police, or in his case, military training to do. Thanks to him, we all have the same LED flashlights too, minus the Howard’s. They just huddle together, never letting go of one another.
John stops and signals for us to join him, his posture relaxing a bit. We quickly follow his instructions and silently move forward, sweeping our own beams back-and-forth.
“I forgot to ask,” I say, whispering. “What ever happened to the creatures that made it inside?”
John turns and motions to Jill and Carla. “They killed a few as we ran, but after that…”
“We didn’t go looking for them,” Jill adds. “Would you have?”
Answer: No, I wouldn’t have, but it still has me on edge knowing some of the Unseen could be near.
“Let’s keep moving,” I say, turning to John. “Lead the way. Let’s get down onto the tracks and we’ll go from there.”
Without acknowledging me, he turns and heads deeper into the basement level. He continues to sweep his light back-and-forth, clearing the way for the rest of us to follow. Vinny and I have moved out to the sides while our wives continue to guard our rears. The Howards are also still latched onto each other, shuffling forward.
“Down here,” John says from ten feet ahead, pointing his flashlight. Illuminated in the LED is a line of wood-framed glass doors, leading down to the subway level. I’ve come up through this entrance only once in my ten years of living here. Generally, we walk, or if the situation forces us to…we’d take a cab or bus.
“So,” John asks from the front, “you really think we can get off the island using kayaks?”
I shrug. “It’s worth a shot. We need to get off the island quick and I doubt we could get a car through any of the tunnels or bridges.”
“What about the Howards?” he asks.
“There’s normally a couple of canoes there too. Shouldn’t be an issue for one of us to row them out.”
“What about a boat?” Carla asks. “The 79th Street Boat Basin houses all kinds of yachts and whatnot. We could just pile into one of the larger boats and cast off.”
“If,” Vinny replies, “there are keys aboard, which I doubt. We could get there and be trapped. The kayaks are our best bet. Frances—”
“Ahem,” Jill interrupts, motioning to herself.
“…and Jillian’s idea is sound. We should head for the Boathouse.”
He bows to his cousin, a smirk on his face. Jill curtsies her thanks and we continue forward, John still in the lead.
The night guard grabs a door handle and pushes. As soon as he does, we hear something from behind us. It’s something I’ve grown accustomed to.
“Shit,” Vinny says, looking at me, aiming his shotgun behind us. “It’s them.”
“Vinny?” Carla asks, gripping his arm.
“It’s the creatures still inside the museum. They must have followed our scent.”
I turn back to John. “Quickly, Sergeant.”
He nods and throws open the door, ushering us inside. The Howards are the last to make it through the doors, just as the sound of skittering nails erupts from the dark. The Unseen have made it down into the lower levels.
“Can you see how many?” I whisper to the man.
He shakes his head. “Not yet.”
“Let’s not find out.” I then turn and move forward to the stairs leading down to the museum’s subway level ticket counter and security checkpoint. Everyone follows as quietly as they can and we make it behind the desks before we hear something bump the doors above.
“Stay down and stay quiet,” I whisper. “They may pass us by.”
The doors to the subway station rattle again as they’re struck, but they don’t open. Please don’t open. The Howards, along with Vinny and Carla are huddled inside one of the square ticket counters and Jill, John, and I are in the other. There’s a gap of about ten feet inbetween us and the entrance to the platforms lay to our rear.
Can’t leave yet, or we’ll be done for.
The doors get bumped again and I stand a little taller, just enough to get the barrel of my shotgun up-and-over the countertop. Everyone else who is armed, does the same. I look over and thankfully don’t see the Howards.
Good. They need to stay down.
The squeaking of a door opening refocuses my attention back up the stairs. One of them opens and shuts slightly, but nothing comes in. I glance to Jill who has a questioned look on her face. I shrug her my answer and again aim my weapon up the stairs, waiting.
Four of the doors explode inward in a shower of glass as a Goblin destroys one of each. They are airborne when we begin our barrage. I clip one, knocking it out of the air. It lands in a heap nearby, crashing to the unforgiving staircase. John and Jill take care of it while I search for my next target.
I pull the trigger on the next closest one as Vinny does the same. Our twin shells rip the Goblin apart, spinning to the floor, blood spraying in every direction.
Carla squeezes off a few rounds towards the third creature as it leaps onto the nearby wall. It begins to climb, but only makes it a step before Vinny dislodges it with a quick pull of the trigger.
I can’t find the fourth one until it lands on the counter behind us and swipes down. Its clawed hand is caught by John who pulls the thing down to the ground, leaping onto its back. He then wraps his thick forearms around the Goblin’s neck as it claws and scrapes his flesh. Beyond furious, John squeezes, locking his wrists under the thing’s chin. It reminds me of a move I’ve seen in wrestling before. He then leans back and pulls as hard as he can.
With one final grunt, John, the night guard, yanks, breaking the monster’s neck with a savage battle cry. He then slowly unhinges his arms and lets go, dropping the lifeless body to the floor. It lands right inbetween Jill’s and my feet.
No one comments or questions the man. We all know what his background is. I’d rather not know how many times he’s done that. A conversation for another day—over a beer…or five.
Everyone—including the Howards—stands as one.
“Everyone okay?” I ask, checking my own body for injuries.
John seems to be the only one with any kind of battle scars. His arms a
re cut, but nothing to serious. Jill pulls a couple of wipes from her purse and quickly takes care of them before any kind of infection sets in. He doesn’t even flinch.
“You good?”
He nods. He honestly looks fine, just a little winded from exertion maybe.
“Never thought I’d have to do that again.”
And there it is... Great... Now I’m curious.
But before I can even think of the right question, Vinny speaks up. “We should go while it’s quiet.”
He’s right and I say as much. “Alright,” I step forward. “Head south to 72nd. It’s not far and we should be able to take our time and recover a little as long as we’re alone down here.”
“And if we’re not?”
I look over to Mr. Howard. It’s the first time either one of them has spoken. They’ve stayed quiet until now, letting us do the heavy lifting—and rightfully so.
I’m a cop and John is a former badass.
He still is one.
“For everyone’s sake…” I then turn and look away from the older man. “I hope you’re wrong.”
I walk away from the older man, grinding my teeth, but get stopped by a familiar touch.
“What’s wrong?” Jill asks, pulling me aside.
“We’re getting closer and closer to finishing this and I can’t help but imagine something horrible is about to happen.”
31
“It should only take us fifteen minutes or so by foot to get there if we don’t have to stop for anything,” John says as he climbs down onto the track below. He then turns to help Mr. and Mrs. Howard. “Luckily, there’s no electricity and we won’t have to worry about getting fried.”
The look on Mrs. Howard’s face is priceless as she’s set directly on top of one of the normally electrified tracks. It’s also the only time I’ve been thankful for no power thus far. Turning, I help Jill down, gripping her hips. Playfully, she all but falls into my arms, and I don’t let her go, her feet just inches off the ground. I hold her for a second longer, feeling my heart flutter as the contours of her body slide against mine before setting her down.
