by Maxey, Phil
She had also had time to think about her would be assassin. She saw him change, but the being she glimpsed in the distance on the highway, was still mostly human. Part was in shadow and she presumed, just like with Rackham, that section of his body was now given over to the virus. He had eaten the chocolate within a hairs-breadth of becoming… She still wasn’t sure what ‘they’ were. And obviously blamed her for what had happened. The change had altered his body, and mind. Something which she wasn’t completely ready to accept for her own metamorphosis, but rage was always lurking beneath the surface of her otherwise logical thoughts and she remembered enough of the old Jess to know that wasn’t normal.
Entrance, hallway, main stairs, assembly room, class rooms a to h, kitchen…
As she tried to see movement across the grass, fences and roads which bordered the property, she ran though what was below her and where she would go, depending upon which point he tried to gain entry.
Why’s he doing this! I should be driving! I’m not far from Sam and Josh, I can feel it!
She swung away from the large window, her anger getting the better of her and forced her breathing to slow.
Deep breath in and out…
She followed her best early Saturday morning Yoga routine, but her anger still simmered.
You know why he’s doing this. He blames you. Think’s the world ending is your… It is my fault… They used my work. One for money, the other because he’s crazy, but if I hadn’t—
“I know you’re in there, ruiner!”
Colm’s voice almost made her fall over the desk she was leaning back on. “Damnit!” she whispered in frustration of becoming distracted.
Keep your shit together, Jess.
She walked to the window, making sure to not be fully seen from the outside and looked through the raindrops to a distorted figure some fifty-feet away, standing in the middle of the road which led to the School.
How’d you get there so quick?
Even locked within the debate in her mind, she still would have heard his car pull up, but there was no sign of it. And a middle-aged man would not have been able to sprint… She suddenly realized he was like her. Altered. Improved.
“Shit…”
That complicated things. There was also the problem of what he had in his hand, which looked similar to the weapon she gave Daryl. She took in a deep breath, flicked the latch to the side and lifted the window. “What do you want with me!” she shouted, her voice almost lost to the wind blowing across the building. Even from a distance, she could see his eyes widen then narrow, his hate rising like heat from a summer road. She studied his motion, waiting for the barrel to raise in her direction. However, it remained at his side.
“He wants you to come back with me. Wants to play with you!”
Uh?
“What are you talking about?”
“The man in my head—”
He’s insane… should make this easier…
“— wants you. Say’s you’re special! Ha! But I don’t do what others tell me. Never have done! You’re gonna pay!”
He stormed forward with a speed which despite knowing the mechanism, still surprised her. He passed beneath her view and the sound of shattering glass was quickly followed by an explosion, but her joy was brief. Her first little chemical experiment had worked. Mrs. Keller, one, Crazy psycho mutant, zero.
An inhuman roar vibrated through the air. She sighed. She knew her first trap wouldn’t end him but his guttural response told her that it hadn’t done the damage she hoped. In her mind she imagined Colm, injured, limping forward through the classroom, awkwardly climbing across the upturned chairs she had placed across the tiled floor and…
Another explosion rang out, but this one wasn’t accompanied with a groan of pain. Instead, there was merely silence in the building around her. He was beginning to understand he wasn’t the only one doing the hunting.
She skittered across the floor of the room and stood in the open doorway, doing so as quietly as possible so not to give him any clues to her location.
He’s in the main corridor, which means he will probably—
An explosion came from the bottom of the main stairs, only ten or so feet away. It was obvious he was now seeing the thin wires she had placed to create the sparks needed to detonate the compounds. The wide stairwell was completely blocked by large pieces of furniture. No way up for him there, which left…
She looked at the far end of the corridor, to an unassuming door and the jug of hydrochloric acid which was balanced above on a nail. This was a second, smaller stairwell used by staff. That’s where he would come up. The chemical wouldn’t kill him, but it would slow him down enough so that she—
Sounds came from the wrong direction. Not from the opposite end of the corridor, but from above… He was on the roof.
She swore to herself. He had scaled the fire escape on the other side of the building, giving up on getting to the second floor from within.
He’s not an idiot, Jess.
She spun around to the window she had left open.
Shit.
Before she took a step forward, a shadow was cast across the seal, and with it came a boot attached to an ankle which twisted as if made from rubber, feeling for the bottom of the window. There was also no sound other than the wind. Once he was a few inches lower his weapon would be free to spray the room with bullets and that would be the end of that. No more Jess. No more Sam and Josh. The end.
She rushed forward with a speed that the creature climbing down had no inkling she was capable of and as he dropped lower, raising his weapon as she predicted, he was met with steel nails behind the weight of the bat. It struck him centrally, the shards of metal plunging into his chest, knocking him off the ledge he was clinging to and taking the bat with him.
She stood for a second or two in shock, then lunged forward seeing over the edge to the ground and…
He wasn’t there. Just a dark, damp impression in the grass.
What?
She looked left, right, leaning out, the rain now falling more heavily, then feeling exposed pulled back sharply, stepping away from the window. She swallowed then reached forward, pulling the window down, closing it, moving the latch across.
Her traps had not worked. Nor had a blow that should have at least rendered him unable to move. She turned slowly, trying to stretch her audio senses into the surrounding structure. He now knew she was strong, but maybe he still didn’t realize that she too had changed.
Something clanged in the building, but she couldn’t pin down where. Maybe the increasingly violent weather had dislodged something or maybe…
Focus Jess…
Her head flicked towards the corridor, and the far door. Finally he was coming up the staff stairwell. She pulled the large knife from the back of her pants and walked carefully around the nails she had placed in small pieces of wood across the hallway until arriving ten or so feet from the door, which noises came from.
She pulled the sunglasses from her pocket, placing them on her face, then wrapped the plastic she had found around her face, her arms already being covered and waited.
Come on… come—
She saw the splintered hole in the old door before she felt the burning on her cheek and heard the crack of automatic gunfire. She threw herself to the ground, narrowly missing one of her own traps as the door disintegrated and a beast of a man burst through. His scream confirmed the jug had fallen, but as she got back to her feet he stormed forward, grabbing her by the throat with a clawed hand, lifting her off the ground, then slammed her into the nearby wall. Something cracked within her shoulder but any pain was nothing compared to the fire raging inside her. She slammed the knife into his neck, aiming for the largest artery but missed. As the air to her brain grew thin, she stuck it in again, this time lower and with it her world turned red. Blood gushed, covering her and him. Painting the walls and floor.
As she fell back to the floor and he staggered backwards, t
rying to staunch the wound, she saw what he had become. Shoulders and neck which belonged to a great ape, a face which was partially covered in scales, and a hand more birdlike than human.
Still alive…
Words gurgled within his leaking throat. He lunged forward but she jumped to the side, sliding a bit in his blood and pushed him in the back. He fell forward, landing exactly on one of her six-inch nails and lay, quivering.
She walked slowly to the gun he had dropped. Picked it up, turned, aimed it at his skull and fired. As all motion left Colm’s body, roars and screeches echoed from the nearby town.
She staggered forward, pain spreading from her left shoulder, kicking the traps from her path and moved back into the classroom then picked up her backpack, awkwardly placing it over her uninjured shoulder. The screeches were getting louder.
They’re angry…
She peered through the window. Trees blocked most of her view to her right, where the residences were but within the swaying branches and leaves she caught glimpses of things moving.
They’re coming…
She checked the magazine of the weapon which appeared half full while walking quickly into the hallway then kept on going, stepping over the pools of acidic moisture and ran into the narrow stairwell. Each step as she descended pounded through her back, but even in the confined space she could hear the sounds of approaching death. She jumped off the bottom steps, running along the corridor and pushed open the door marked with ‘Exit.’ As soon as the brisk wind slammed into her she remembered her car…
Flat… tire…
Beyond the chain linked fence, about two hundred yards away, things were bounding towards her, some faster than others. Twisted bodies, consisting of things natural and otherwise, were tearing through sodden ground, their eyes hidden within angular faces of hatred. She fell back against the door frame.
His car… where’s his car… Keys!
She ran back up the stairs, turning at the landing and climbed again, the sound of vengeful hate now a cacophony. She burst from the second floor stairwell, immediately but painfully bending over and rummaged through his pockets. Her fingers grabbed the cold metal keys, pulling them free and she started to return to the stairs, when something heavy crashed through the bottom door to the building.
Instinctively she ran back to the room with the window, opening it then looked out. Ten… twenty? She couldn’t see all of the misshapen figures running across the muddied ground, but she knew if she stayed, she would never be seeing her family again.
Where’s his… ah!
Something flat and metallic, glinted at the far end of the road, near the entrance to the school. The wind blowing the trees, revealing it. She turned, maybe the main stairs would still be—
Dripping flaps of dark-gray skin with legs that belonged to an insect, all contained in a body that was as high as she was tall, was standing near Colm’s body. Its head, if you could call it that with inset eyes, lifted towards her.
She staggered back against the window frame, feeling it with one hand, the other gripping the gun.
An orifice with multiple rows of yellowing teeth, opened slowly…
“Jessssiicccc—”
A hail of bullets tore into it, making it flinch then with determination walk forward. Its claws digging into the floor.
“Jesssssiiiccccaaaa…”
It surged towards her. She turned, climbed up and jumped not knowing the result, but landed on both feet, then tumbled forward, pain exploding from her shoulder. Doing everything she could to ignore the pain, she ran forward, being aware in her periphery vision of a chaos of movement, a wave she was about to be engulfed by.
Burning was coming from all her limbs as she pushed her thighs and arms to their limit. She almost crashed into the side of the flat vehicle, scrambling to press the fob. The door sprang up, which she grabbed bringing it higher then dived into the seat, slid the key in, turning it and hit the gas at the same time. An alarm pinged, followed by a voice telling her to close the door. The ground was trembling as if she was about to be confronted by a stampede. Reaching up, she cried out in pain but grabbed the handle, pulling it down and pushed down hard on the gas. This time the car surged forward, the wheels spinning, trying to, then achieving grip. She grabbed the wheel, struggling to control the drift but just managed to keep it on the concrete.
As the car sped away, she looked in her side mirror at the things, now static, silent. Watching.
CHAPTER NINE
1: 11 p.m. Highway 63.
Images of Sam and Josh flashed through Landon’s mind. While he was searching, such memories were banned. For they brought with them too much pain, but now he knew his two kids were alive, he allowed them free rein.
There had been a few more broken messages until the connection was stable enough for a constant conversation, and after the joy of knowing Sam and Josh were still alive came the grief that another child was not.
“So… I guess, the whole… we’re immune… we’re going to live through this… was kinda stupid,” said Arlo.
The convoy of two vehicles, headed up by Tracey’s sedan drove through a barren landscape of muddy fields with sprinklings of white powered snow, and dark spindly trees.
Landon thought of his wife.
Where are you, Jess…
Biochron had her. Which meant there was a possibility she was back where everything started, in Denver. The thought of returning sent a chill through his bones. Would he be able to leave his children again?
He let out a breath. The pain of choosing between his wife and kids too much to even begin to think about. First things first. Get Sam and Josh the vaccine then he’ll face the impossible question. A road sign flashed past mentioning Rockston.
Arlo glanced again at his passenger. “I could change at any moment…”
Landon didn’t bother meeting his gaze. “Yup.”
Arlo nervously snorted. “Not really the answer I was looking for.”
“Any of us could have died five times over, during the past three days. It’s a miracle we made it this far.” He looked in the rear mirror. The woman was looking back at him, but the other was still lost within his hood, looking out his own window. “What was it like for you when it started?”
Joan briefly smiled. “Same as everyone else, I guess…” She looked away before looking back at Landon. “People died… I didn’t.”
He shifted his gaze. “What about you?”
The young man lifted his head slightly, revealing a slim face, but heavy brow. “Same.” He went back to observing the winter countryside.
“How far out are you now? Over,” said Sam from Landon’s radio.
“Just moving through Rockston, so maybe another thirty minutes. Over.”
“It’s really something, that you’ve been able to find your kids,” said Joan. “Makes me hopeful for the future.”
“What did you do before all this?” said Landon.
“Ran a hardware store with my two dogs… Before that I did a tour of Iraq with the Marines. You?”
“Denver P.D.” He noticed a slight change of orientation of Lachlan’s head.
“What happened to them?” said Arlo to her.
“Ah… the things got one, the other… they’re both gone now.”
“Sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah… Me too.”
They were now driving past multistory hotels and large white warehouses, intermingled with superstores and mostly empty parking lots.
“You don’t think there will be things in this city?” It was the first full sentence Lachlan had uttered.
“The highway is the quickest way to Sturgeon,” said Landon. “It cuts to the right of the city. We should be okay.”
The young man returned to looking outside as did everyone else. Lots full of new cars and trucks slid past, then other vehicles, these though were parked across the four-lane road, some with their driver’s doors open. They drove around them.
“Wonder
what happened to the folks in the medical center,” said Joan.
They swung around a long bend which curved around a complex of brick built buildings. An ambulance sat on a side road, its rear doors open, but they drove past too quick to see the interior.
Something was troubling Landon as he grew closer to their destination. Where were the creatures? They had avoided major towns and cities precisely to not come into contact with the abominations created by the virus, but this town, which they were seeing in glimpses from the highway appeared to be devoid of any activity. Had they left? Are they hiding in the dark places? Or maybe… some were already starting to die off? The virus which animated them, run its course?
Despite wanting nothing more, it wasn’t a concept he was ready to accept. Not yet.
Too easy.
The highway returned to being bordered by rows of green-brown trees under an immense white sky, which icy flakes were falling from.
Tracey was the first to see them. The dots on the horizon, just off the side of the four-lane road which rapidly became figures, jumping, waving.
“Do you see us?” said Sam excitedly.
Landon smiled, his heart pounding. “I do… I see you!”
Sam, Josh, Meg and another person he didn’t recognize were standing to the side of the road, just in front of a grass bank. A small boating pond and other buildings beyond.
Tracey and Arlo pulled up, Landon’s door already open before they fully stopped and he ran forward embracing his children with his one good arm. Tears running from all their eyes. Donnie jumping up and down.
“I can’t believe you found us!” said Josh.
“I wish mom was here,” said Sam.
He didn’t want to let go, but Landon pulled back, taking his pack from his shoulder, placing it on the ground and reaching inside for the small box.
“That, what I think it is?” said Meg.
He flicked the lid open, taking out the small bottles and handed one to each of them. They immediately unscrewed the lids and drank. He looked down at the remaining bottle and sighed. A silence falling upon the small group.
