Amber scoffed. “You’re a real idiot.”
Trish shook her head. “Look we don’t know who Trevor and Brandon are. We’ve been out here alone. The only reason we made it is that we spent half our nights up a tree. Our days were mainly spent in the water.”
He raised a brow. “You hung out in the river?”
“Just up to our ankles because they refuse to go in the water.”
“Ya mean the animals?”
Amber groaned. “No! You’re a fucking idiot! This is hopeless. We’re just going back and forth.”
Trina sighed. “Look, people started fighting, killing each other, and eating each other. It’s not a joke.”
Watching them carefully, he nodded. “I’m impressed, but I was expectin’ somethin’. I wasn’t expectin’ this though. I have to hand it to ‘em. They topped the cake today. Are you guys like… real actresses or somethin’?”
Amber shook her head. “Why are we wasting our breath with this moron? They actually trust you with people’s lives. It doesn’t say much for this campground.”
“Where the hell did they find you; Bitches R Us?”
She rolled her eyes. “We should be okay as long as we don’t run into the others.”
“What others?”
“The ones who walk around in daylight.”
Trina shook her head, looking at Mark, curiously. “Look, we don’t know who Brandon and Trevor are, but they didn’t put us up to this. It’s really happening.” She pointed down the road. “Go take a look. It’s pretty gross and smells horrible, but you got to see it to believe.”
“We haven’t heard any gunshots in a while. I think everyone alive got out of here and we were forgotten,” Alex said.
“They can’t forget about us!” Amber yelled. “We’re paying customers.”
Shaking her head, Heather groaned. “Yep we are, but then again so were the others and they’re dead!”
He smirked, running a hand across the nape of his neck, trying to stay calm. This was why he was a loner. Sometimes he just hated other people. “I told ya, they only sound like ‘ere’s this huge--”
“I’m not going to keep trying to explain this to you. You need to see it for yourself.” Infuriated, Amber pointed down the road.
“Ya must be on some pretty damn good drugs.”
Grumbling, Trina shook her head. “God, I wish this was caused by some freaky drugs. It’s really happening. Like we said, go over and take a look for yourself.”
Heather nodded. “It’s the only way you’re going to understand.”
Exhaling, Alex looked at him. “It’s real. Like we said, you’re the first real person we’ve seen in days.”
He looked at them curiously. They were adamant about what they saw. If this was a joke then these girls were hired actors. He turned, looking down the road where they all pointed. Shrugging, he headed in that direction. The girls were right behind him. As soon as he walked around the corner, the smell hit him, forcing him to stagger back and put his hand over his nose. “Holy shit, what’s ‘at smell?”
Rolling her eyes, Amber shook her head. “That’s what we were telling you about.”
Turning around, he looked around in shock. He hadn’t seen anything close to this on his way in because he took all the back roads to avoid being seen. There were rotting bodies littered everywhere. He looked at the girls in shock. “What the hell happened?”
Heather sighed. “We warned you it was bad. So what do we do? I mean, seriously. What the fuck do we do?”
“What the…”
Trina nodded. “Yeah, that’s what we thought too. Now, what do we do?”
“I dunno. I expected to find my tour here, not this.”
Amber groaned, rolling her eyes. “Well, guess what? Your tour’s not here. You’re in charge, so figure something out!”
Shaking his head, he ran a hand through his hair, looking around. “Okay, let me think about this for a minute.” He paced up and down the road. He wanted to freak out. What good would that do? She was right. He was in charge. He had to figure out a way to get these girls and himself to safety. Looking around, he tried to think of a plan that would work and not get them killed. The girls followed after him, not letting him leave their sight. “The first thing we should do is get to headquarters.”
Trish blinked. “What is headquarters?”
“The place ya came in to pay.”
“Oh.”
Snapping his fingers, he spun around to look at them. “We’ll take my truck. Someone should be there. Even if they aren’t, at least there’s food an’ electricity. Don’t worry. We’ll figure this out.”
Trina nodded. “Finally, we’re all on the same page.”
“Yeah, but I wish it was a different book.” Turning, he walked back toward his truck. He stopped short, staring straight ahead. There was a creature watching them and it stood in their way. “What the fuck is ‘at?”
A hairless animal stood on its hind legs glaring at them. The missing fur replaced with a burned-looking, thick hide. It snarled with sharp, deadly teeth. The claws tapped the ground as it growled. It looked like a smaller version of a hairless bear.
Turning, Trina didn’t waste any time, running in the direction of the river. “Oh shit! Get in the water! They don’t like the water.”
Mark brought up the rear, checking behind him to see how close the creature was. It ran fast. “Run faster!”
Running through the woods, they didn’t stop when they hit the water and plunged straight in. The creature stalked back and forth from a safe distance, growling in protest.
Standing in knee-deep water, Alex struggled to keep from falling. “What the hell is that?”
Trina shrugged. “Got me. I studied animals. It doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen.”
Arching a brow, Mark stared at the creature. “I almost wanna say a raccoon. If it had fur. I can’t be sure, but it looks carnivorous.”
“Don’t raccoons have fur?” Heather asked. “I don’t remember them looking like that.”
Alex nodded. “I don’t remember them being meat eaters either.”
Sighing, he turned to look at the girls. “Normally they have fur an’ they’re not usually this aggressive. They don’t just attack people unless they’re sick. What the hell’s goin’ on around here?”
Amber shrugged, sitting on one of the taller rocks. “I don’t know. It started out of the blue. Everyone got sick shortly after we got here.”
Trish nodded. “We figured it was because of all that rain. We got caught in it and our first night here, some of the girls were really sick. They just got worse.”
Finding a rather large rock, Heather sat down. “Yeah, we came here so we could practice our routine.”
He looked confused. “Routine?”
“Every year we have a dance off and kill it! They got sick and wouldn’t leave their sleeping bags. It got so bad; we started hanging color-coded socks on the tents so we knew who was unbearably grouchy!”
Seeing the raccoon wasn’t going anywhere, he too sat down. “Why didn’t they go to the doctor?”
“Dude, we came to camp, not play nursemaid,” Alex said. “Besides, they kept saying it was a cold. They were getting better. Eventually it was better to leave them alone.”
“Yeah, only they didn’t get better. They got worse,” Trish said.
“A lot worse.”
Nodding, Trina continued the story. “Yeah, it happened while we were sleeping. The ones, who were sick, started attacking everyone. Luckily, we weren’t there. We were plotting revenge on some of the girls. They played a trick on us at the dorm so we were going to get even. We saw what happened and ran until we found the cave. It’s kept us pretty protected.”
Alex nodded. “Yeah it did, until we had to leave to get supplies. That’s when we got trapped out here after dark. We had to find a tree to sleep in. It was safer than heading back.”
Amber nodded. “It was better than sleeping in the riv
er.”
“You think this is the end of the world?”
Heather nodded. “It looks that way. So does that mean it’s just us six?”
He rolled his eyes. “God, I hope not.”
“It’s up to us six to repopulate the world. That’s going to take a long time.”
“Before ya start claimin’ my sperm, let’s make sure we’re alone.”
It was a half hour later when the raccoon headed off for easier game. When it was out of sight, Mark motioned them to follow him, leaving the safety of the water.
Trish grabbed his arm. “Where are you going?”
Looking back at her, he smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not gonna leave ya. We need to get to my truck an’ drive to the main buildin’. I would say walk, but after seein’ that thin’, I think drivin’s better.”
“Not to mention safer,” she said, winking.
One by one, they joined him walking up the road. The shoes the girls wore squeaked from being wet and squished with every step. As they got closer, he slowed down and shock took over his features. He groaned, racing to his vehicle, running his hand through his hair. “No, no, no, no, no! What the hell is ‘is? It ate my back tires. This can’t be happenin’! Fuck me!”
Alex smirked. “Okay. I said I would do you. Stop begging. It’s embarrassing.”
“What the fuck is this? Has God forsaken us?”
Amber sneered. “You can’t seriously believe in God?”
“Yes I do. Fuck! Okay, we need a new plan.”
“Okay, Captain Obvious. What’s the new plan?”
“The way I see it we have three options. One; we can take the truck, but with flat tires, it won’t last long. We’d be forced to walk more ‘an halfway there, which is about two miles.”
Trish shook her head. “That doesn’t sound like a lot, but walking in the woods. What’s the next option?”
“Ya knocked out two in one shot. The other plan is we go down the river. It’s where we keep the buses. We get one of those an’ take it up the road.”
Standing with her hand on her hip, Amber looked at him. “How are you going to drive a bus?”
“We’ll cross ‘at bridge when we get to it,” he said, turning and walking towards the river.
“We’re not swimming there, right?”
“No, we’re not swimming. God forbid. You might melt. We’re going to get a raft and take it down.”
Furrowing her brows, Heather followed closely. “We’re going to go down on a raft? Are you sure we’ll make it?”
“Yes. This is a river. A raft’ll take us straight down.”
“Isn’t that dangerous?”
“Not as dangerous as walkin’.” As he got closer to the water’s edge, he breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes! It’s still here!” He walked to the back of the trailer. Lifting the heavy iron bar, he pushed the door open. Inside were a number of single tubes. There were red ones, blue ones, and gold ones too.
Amber groaned, peering inside the trailer. “You can’t be serious. We’re going to ride in one of those?” She pointed to the tubes.
“No. We have boats in the back.” He climbed inside, pushing tubes out of the way. “We kept a few for partyin’.” After clearing a path, they saw the six-foot rubber raft. It was big enough to hold six. “There it is. That’s what we’ll use.”
“Are you sure that thing’s safe?”
“I’m pretty sure, but I’ll test it before we go.”
Amber scoffed. “I’m not rowing.”
Picking up the raft, he tossed it to the ground and jumped down beside it. Dipping it in the water, he checked for any bubbles, which would mean there was a leak. Not finding any, he closed the trailer door. “That’s okay. I figured that.” He picked up the boat and tossed it in the water.
Trish looked at it. “What makes you think they didn’t get a hold of those tires too?”
“I won’t know until we get there, but we don’t have much choice.”
Trina nodded in agreement. “He has a good point.”
“Usually I wouldn’t allow ya out without life vests, but beggars can’t be choosey.” He held the boat steady. The girls just stared at him until he held his hand out to them. “Come on. We’re wastin’ time an’ sunlight. Get in the boat.”
No one else moved so Trina shrugged. She took a hold of his hand and moved to a seat. The boat rocked and wiggled from side to side. She squealed a few times, but soon settled in. “That wasn’t so bad.”
He smirked, holding his hand out to the next. “Come on, ladies.”
The others slowly followed suit. Once they were in place, Mark climbed in the back. Taking the oar, he pushed them out.
Amber looked around. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
Snickering, he nodded. “Yes. I know exactly what I’m doin’.”
He guided the raft down the river, steering around rocks and logs. The ride was nice and peaceful. They glided along the surface of the water. As they passed by the campground, Mark got a full view of the devastation. It was horrific. He continued to steer them around obstacles in their path. Everything was fine until they hit the rougher rapids. Due to all the rain they had recently, the river was up. It made it dangerous in certain areas, and it was right in their path.
The waves slammed into them, splashing over the edges, rocking them from side to side. It looked like it was going to capsize as it launched high in the air to crash back down. The girls screamed, holding onto the rope on both sides.
Looking out at the rapid waters, Amber glared at Mark. “What the hell? You didn’t tell me we were going white water rafting!”
Alex gripped the side. “I feel like we hit the rinse cycle!”
He motioned for them to calm down. “Girls, stop panickin’. I got this. Trust me. This is nothin’. You need to keep calm.”
“Easier said than done!”
“If ya don’t stop bouncin’, we’re gonna lose ‘is ship.”
“It’s a raft. Maybe you’ve heard of it before?” Trish teased, looking terrified.
“How do you claim to have this? We’re rocking all over the place?” Amber yelled, pointing at a large boulder. “Watch out for that rock!”
“Calm the fuck down!” He yelled. “Stop movin’! You’re makin’ it impossible to steer. We’re fine as long as ya don’t freak out!”
The girls continued rocking the boat as they moved from one side to the other, trying to avoid getting wet, making it hard for Mark to keep control of the boat. They hit headlong into a sharp rock, which flipped them over. It threw Mark and the girls into the churning water.
When he surfaced, he quickly swam after them. He pushed through the water, fighting against the current, swimming as hard and as fast as he could. It was obvious the girls weren’t doing too well. Some of them bobbed along the top, arms flailing, and they were going to drown if he didn’t hurry.
Kicking her feet, struggling to stay afloat, Trish resurfaced, screaming as she sucked in a waterlogged breath. “Help me!”
She was the closest, so he swam in behind her and grabbed a hold of her, pinning her back to his chest. She struggled against him and he gripped her harder. “Stop fightin’ me or I’ll have to knock you out.”
That was enough to make her stop and relax, as much as possible as the waves kept trying to drown her. “What do I do?”
“Relax your body an’ just let me tow ya to shore.” She did as he said, and held onto his arm around her waist with a death grip. When she was close enough to shore, he pushed her away from him and towards it. “Get on land. I have to get the others.” That said, he turned, swimming back out into the dangerous water.
He grabbed each one of the girls, doing the same thing as before. Everything went like clockwork until he came to the last girl, Amber. She was the first one in the water and went through the worst of it, being pelted and pounded by white water. She was caught in the undercurrent, which confuses swimmers to which way is up and down and they usually drow
n.
He scanned across the surface and didn’t see her anywhere. Quickly, he dove down, looking through the murky water for any sign. It was hard to see and visibility was next to nothing. Once more, he resurfaced, turning to the girls on shore. “Do you girls see ‘er? I can’t find ‘er!”
After skimming the water for a few moments, Heather pointed. “What’s that floating in the water?”
Turning in that direction, Alex cried. “Oh my God! It’s Amber and she’s dead!”
Mark turned in the direction and quickly swam over. They were right. It was Amber floating on her stomach, not moving. This wasn’t good. He flipped her over onto her back and nestled her against his body. Keeping her head out of the water, he quickly towed her to shore. He was barely out before he started CPR on her. She wasn’t breathing, and didn’t have a pulse.
He kneeled against her side, pulsating her heart with the heel of his hand. He delivered five pushes, then tilted her head back, squeezed her nose and breathed into her mouth. He continued this for what seemed like hours, but it was just a few minutes.
“She’s not coming back! She’s dead!” Heather cried, running a hand through her hair. “What are we going to do?”
“She’s dead!” Alex screamed. “Oh my God, Amber is dead!”
“I’ve lost another sister!”
“Stop that!” Trina yelled. “She’s too mean to die like this.” She looked down at Amber, yelling in her face. “Fight this, you bitch!”
Mark continued CPR. While he pumped on her chest with his hand, he glared at the others. “I don’t think you’re screaming loud enough. Try an octave higher.” He hit her chest with his fist.
That did the trick! Soon enough, she was spitting out the gallons of water she had her lungs from the trip down the river. She continued sputtering water from her mouth and nose as she coughed, gagged, and tried to breathe through the attack. It took a few minutes and she thought she was going to die from the lack of breath, but soon enough she was able to breathe with a few coughs in between.
Turning, she glared at him. “I knew you were going to fucking drown me!”
He scoffed, shaking his head as he leaned back, taking a much-needed break. His muscles screamed from the overexerted workout. He was on the verge of exhaustion, but there was no time for that right now. He had to play the hero. “You’re un-fuckin’-believable, a real piece o’ work!” He rested on one of the rocks, trying to catch his breath.
Beautiful Death (Bella Morté Trilogy Book 1) Page 15
