by Maxey, Phil
“In here.” Zach said opening the door. He noticed Fiona was limping. “What happened?”
“Had a run in with some cat like thing, I took it down but hurt my leg doing so, it’s fine.”
They all filed into the small corridor and Zach led them into the communal room. Abbey was reading a magazine on pacific islands, her flashlight perched on the sofa’s arm pointing towards the stairs entrance.
“Jacob said he’s about twenty minutes out,” said Cal.
“We need to check out the rooms upstairs, Cal you ok staying down here to show Jacob and Jacks the way in?” said Zach, Cal nodded. Zach led them up a narrow staircase, past the exits to floors one and two, until they got to the third floor. He pointed his flashlight’s beam through the small glass window and looked down the hallway of the dorm. Some clothes lay scattered on the floor, but there was no sign of humans or creatures. He opened the door and they all walked slowly into the hallway made up of eight doors, four on each side, and a window at the far end with connected with another fire escape. The first door on their left was open, the others were closed.
“Anyone in here?” said Zach into the hallway, the milky white walls lit by the beams of the groups flashlights. “Fiona, Abbey, you check out the right side, we’ll take the left.” Zach peered around the edge of the first door numbered seventeen, into a small room with two unmade beds. A desk with an overturned lamp was on the far wall under a small window and solid looking books lay on the floor. Michael tried the next door, which was locked. Fiona and Abbey had better luck on their side, and opened all but one of the doors. Michael and Zach faced their locked door, then both kicked forward near the handle causing it to fly open. This room was typical of the others apart from walls adjourned with some astronomy posters. A noise came from the staircase behind them. Cal, Jacob and Jacks emerged from behind their flashlight’s beams.
“Any sign of human life out there?” said Zach to Jacob. Jacks spoke first.
“None that we could see, but Jacob here drives a bit slow so we didn’t cover as much ground as we should of.” Jacob remained emotionless and then spoke.
“Nope, we did see some of the E.L.F’s that Fiona ran into, looked liked the kind of thing I would see in those fancy New York museums as a kid”
“Fiona took care of one of them, but she saw another two, there’s probably a lair around here somewhere, but first we need to find out if the intel that Ops gave us about survivors is true,” said Zach.
“If we hadn’t gone on that little sightseeing tour of yours, we would have had more time to find them,” said Jacks. An awkward silence started to grow in the flashlight lit hallway.
“My whole life I dreamed about being in a girls dorm, and now I’m here the worlds ended,” said Michael. Fiona and Cal started laughing.
“Yeah that’s tough luck,” said Zach smiling and patting Michael on the back. “Let’s get that other door open, then we all need to choose a room to bed down in for the night.”
“Might be a good idea to barricade the stairs door,” said Cal.
“Good idea.”
“I’m going to do a perimeter check,” said Jacks.
“Cal will go with you.”
“Nah, I’m good, prefer to work alone. If I’m not back in thirty send a search party,” said Jacks smiling, who then walked to the end of the corridor and left by the fire exit.
After a short time, they had kicked in the remaining locked door, and piled up a sofa against the stairs entrance. The darkness outside made it feel later than it was, and after agreeing to be up at 6 am and going over a rough plan for the next day, they each retired to dorm room to sleep in. Zach and Abbey picked room seventeen with the two beds.
“We really in separate beds?” said Abbey closing the door and then sitting heavily on the left bed.
Zach smiled. “Not unless you want too.” He walked over to the window and picked up the lamp, then took a candle from his backpack, lit it and placed it on the desk. Looking out through the glass, there was just enough light left to make out the cities buildings. Small specks of rain started to hit the window. “I wonder if it’s going to effect the weather.”
“The death of animal life?”
“Yes, but also what effected all of them.” Zach stared off into the uniformity of the night sky.
Abbey sighed. “I don’t think anyone knows anything at this point, not even those back at the camp. Everyone’s making it up as they go along,” she looked straight ahead and briefly touched her chest pocket. “What do you think of Jacob?”
“What do you mean?” said Zach, Abbey’s question bringing him back from the far off place his mind was.
“Do you trust him?” Abbey was now looking straight at Zach.
“Yeah of course, why wouldn’t I?”
“No particular reason, just wondered if you had seen him do anything strange?”
“Where’s all this coming from?” Zach turned and sat on a small chair close to the window, the candle lighting his expression of confusion.
“Just something Ray said to me few days back. He thought he’d recognized him.”
“He probably just thought he had. He had been confined in that cell for longer than any of us.”
Abbey smiled. “Yeah.”
“My concern is more with Jacks.”
“He’s not one of us,” said Abbey.
“It’s more than that, anyway hopefully he will come in useful in the days ahead.”
“So any idea where these survivors might be hold up?”
“Brownstone covers a wide area, they are probably staying away from the main streets. Tomorrow we’ll check out the fire station and the storage units, grab what we can then split up again.” As Zach finished speaking he picked up his radio and gave Ops their final status for the night.
Lying in the bed next to Abbey, he felt an emotion that felt alien to him, happiness. At least he thought that’s what the emotion was, because it was something he had not felt since June fourteen 2004. He jumped a little as flashes of that day played out in his mind, and Abbey stirred in her sleep next to him. For the first two years of his incarceration he had no memory of the day when he had returned home and found a scene of carnage. Then slowly like a damn breaking during the years following, memories started coming back to him, even if he didn’t want them. The first thing that came back, was him pulling up in the Humvee after a day on patrol. He had agreed with Jaclyn that he would bring home dinner for the family and was holding the bag of Chinese food when he strode up the pathway oblivious to what was lying in black plastic sacks just a few feet from him. When he entered his home, the smell hit him before the visuals and the visuals even to this day are hazy. He remembered checking his wife’s and child’s pulse even though it was obvious there was no need too and then nothing until his military police colleagues were putting the cuffs on him.
The psychologists couldn’t get anything out of him, and with all the evidence that pointed at him, that’s the direction the prosecution went in. He didn’t care what happened to him and it was only after two years that he started to think about the serial killer case he was working on at the time of his family’s murder. Over the years following he went over every piece of the case that he was building against a high-ranking officer before his family were murdered. The conclusion he came to was that his suspect had framed him. The net was tightening around them and he felt he was just one piece of evidence away from trapping the individual that had been killing local girls. Eventually after four years he gave up thinking about it completely, knowing that whoever it was he was never going to be the one that caught them. Today lying next to Abbey, those thoughts started to flood back in, but he pushed them away feeling it was unfair on Abbey to let them effect his life now.
Fiona lay, wrapped up, in the comfy bed looking at the room around her. It was a female students room, probably someone not that much older than her daughter. There’s that word again she thought, “daughter.” Emotion suddenly overwhelme
d her and she wanted to be with her, not here. It was Christmas soon and she started to regret leaving. Turning over in the bed she took in a sharp breath because of the pain in her calf. A small bedside table covered in worn stickers, with a single top drawer sat next to the bed. In the flickering light of the candle, she reached over and pulled the top drawer open. Inside was a calculator, a pocket mirror and a small purple plastic notebook, with the title “My journal” on the front. She took out the pocket mirror and journal, placing both on top of the table next to the candle. She then went to open the journal, maybe reading about the life of a young girl at college would give her some insight into the mind of her own daughter? But before opening it she stopped and put it back down. If it had been her own daughter who had written about her days in this university, she wouldn’t of wanted a stranger reading it. This girls innermost thoughts will stay forever secret. Instead she picked up the pocket mirror and opened it. Wow I look rough She thought and gave out a brief laugh. She examined the lines and wrinkles that now resided on her face. They weren’t allowed mirrors in their cells and that was fine by her as she wouldn’t of wanted to see herself anyway. This was the first time in years she had seen her reflection and the woman looking back at her was a ten year older version of the one she remembered.
CHAPTER 4
“Zach, wake up.” Zach’s eyes felt heavy and resisted opening. “Wake up, there’s a light.”
Zach opened his eyes into darkness and blinked a few times, he could vaguely make out a form to the side of the bed, which he presumed was Abbey.
“Abbey? What time is it?” The form moved to the window and the distant glow of either the moon or stars just gave him enough light to recognize her standing next to the window and waving him to get up.
“I don’t know, 4 am maybe. But there’s a light off in the distance to the north.”
Zach sat up in the bed, his arm resting on the spot where Abbey was sleeping, that was now cold. “How long you been up?” He said, his mind still not fully awake. Abbey came over to him and pulled him up by his arm, almost dragging him over to the window, she then handed him his rifle.
“Look, just off the horizon, north north-east.”
Zach lifted the rifle slowly up to his eye line and slid the view across the horizon, until he saw it. A tiny speck of light, glistening behind the drops of water on the window glass. Zach took the scope away, rubbed his eyes, then looked again, it was still there. “Go wake the others, we move out in twenty.”
After informing Ops, they all gathered in the hallway outside their rooms to check their supplies and ammo. Cal had also taken a look at the light and told them that it seems to be on top of some kind of tower, probably a few klicks from where they were. They quickly moved the sofa and descended down the stairs into the gloom, the sound of their boots echoing around the halls until they made it back onto the carpet of the communal room. Zach moved along the corridor to the outside door and looked through the glass.
“Looks clear outside. Everyone’s flashlight’s off, just follow mine till you get to your vehicles.” And with that Zach moved quickly to the truck, making sure to keep his beam pointing at the ground. He waited until the others were in their vehicles then started the trucks engine, leaving the parking lot at a good pace and rejoining the road. They retraced their steps from the afternoon before passing the fire station and storage units, and were soon moving along the ever-widening road towards the light. “Cal, can you make out anything. Over.”
“It’s some kind of fire on top of a brick tower. Over.”
“Hey did you see that?” said Michael.
“See what?” said Fiona who was driving.
“As we came around the last bend, there were eyes glistening in the headlights, seemed to be around some cars back there.”
“Just make sure nothing is following us,” said Fiona, who then got on the radio and told the others what Michael had seen.
Soon they were approaching the tower, which stood proud as a large dark form against the cloudy grey of the night sky. The fire on top of it seemingly dying, but its embers still floating upwards. Pulling down a small dirt road they arrived at the base of the tower, their headlights illuminating it’s red brickwork and a small wooden door with something attached to it.
“Keep the engines running, Cal and I will investigate, Jacks, keep the Humvees gun ready to go if we get company. Over,” said Zach. Affirmatives came back and Zach jumped down from the truck and joined Cal as they walked forward towards the door. Cal scoured the area around them with his guns night scope as they walked up to the door. Nailed to it was a piece of a wood with words written in marker pen. “Food and shelter at the Frederick’s Church three-hundred yards up the main road.” With an arrow pointing to the northwest.
“I think we might of found our survivors,” said Zach. They both returned to their vehicles. “There’s a church northwest of here on the main road we were just on, we’re going to check it out, keep eyes out for creatures. Over.”
The convoy turned around and returned to the main road. As they continued it became a slight incline and their destination became obvious. Ahead of them, off to the right a wall of compacted and twisted metal rose up twenty or so feet.
“Are those cars?” said Abbey.
The truck pulled up alongside what seemed to be large makeshift gates. Just as Zach started to get out, beams of light illuminated the convoy.
Zach told everyone to stay in their vehicles, slung his gun over his back then slowly walked around the front of the truck and stood ten-feet from the gates. He tried looking up at the source of the light but they were too blinding.
“We are from the camp near Austin, we are here to help,” shouted Zach towards the gates. Some hushed voices could be heard on the other side and then one of the gates started to open, dragging across the damp dirt. A man in his thirties with short dark hair, covered in a rain mac appeared from the small gap holding a hunting rifle.
“What’s your name?” The man said with an English accent.
“Name’s Zach. I’m a Captain out of Camp Bravo, near Austin. They picked up some radio signals from Brownstone and we’re here to take survivors back to the camp.”
“My name’s Alex. Alex Watson” He then walked forward and held out his hand, which Zach shook. “We didn’t think our home made radio getup was working, we never heard anything back.”
“It was enough,” said Zach smiling. “Probably best if we come inside, we’re bit exposed out here, and we might of seen some E.L.F’s a few klicks back.”
“Of course.” Alex then waved his hand above his shoulder and the rust plated gates started opening.
Zach jumped back in the truck. “We’re going inside. Over.”
The small convoy drove through the gates and stopped a short distance inside, the Humvee and the pickup pulling up alongside the truck. In front of them was a large single story church with boarded up windows and side buildings on both sides. Alex waved the group from the convoy inside past the open doors. They entered a medium sized room lit by lanterns. With Alex was a tall heavy built man with a straggly greying beard and cap, wearing jeans and a grease stained jacket.
“This is Rob Harris, he’s responsible for the wall out there,” said Alex.
“Nice work,” said Zach holding out his hand. Rob just stared back at him and then looked over the group.
“If you have come from Austin you must all be hungry, we have some food in the main hall,” said Alex opening a set of doors into the church. There were a few pews at the front but mostly it was full of boxes, wooden and cardboard, filled with supplies. The candles at the front provided light as they passed down the central aisle and through a side door eventually coming out into a large room full of chairs and tables. A slim middle-aged woman with greying blonde hair was standing near one of the tables. “This is Aileen, she keeps us all fed.”
“Excuse my appearance, I was sleeping just twenty minutes ago!” Aileen said in a strong Texan a
ccent. “We got some coffee and I think we got some stew left over from last night if you’ll want some.” Most of the group accepted the invitation and sat down, taking their backpacks off and resting their guns on the floor. Zach still stood.
“Could we talk somewhere?” said Zach to Alex.
“Sure, I have a small office back here.” Zach followed Alex into the office and Alex closed the door. The room looked smaller than it actually was due to the maps and books fighting for space on shelves and on the floor. An equally paper covered desk was alongside one wall, with a single bed on the opposite side. A large candle burned on the desk.
“So you got our messages? Please take a seat,” said Alex pointing at a well-worn armchair in one of the corners, as he sat near his desk.
“Austin did yeah, we got into Brownstone yesterday but didn’t have much time to search the town, so we holed up in the University. Good thinking lighting that fire on top of the water tower.”
Alex pulled off his rain mac, revealing a black and white collar. “Good to know it worked. I guess I should of given my full title, it’s Father Alex Watson.”
“How did a Brit priest end up in Texas?”
“It’s a bit of a long story, the short version is I was here with my wife at the behest of previous priest of this church, Father Garcia. When the animals changed, I couldn’t get back to England, so we made the best of it here.”
“How many people do you have here?”
“Not including myself, and Rob’s family, forty seven, of all ages.”
Zach sat back in his chair. “That’s a lot of people to keep alive.”
“It is, but we started with one hundred and ninety-two…” His voice trailed off and Zach could see his gaze was towards a small-framed picture of a woman on his desk.
“What’s been the situation with the E.L.F’s?” said Zach.
“Three to four months back the attacks were daily, luckily most attacked from the ground, we only had one attack from the air, although that took its toil. Recently the attacks have been much less, until a week ago when these new creatures that look like giant cheetahs but with the heads of a tiger started attacking. Some made it over the wall and we lost three more. We knew we wouldn’t last here, so we increased our efforts to make contact with the outside world and it seems our prayers have been answered.” That last part sounded sarcastic Zach thought.
