Anomaly

by Scott Prussing

  Gregerson nods and heads to the front of the store, where four Marines are keeping watch from just inside the doorway.

  Darkness envelops the store just a short time later. It’s not completely black in here—as my eyes adjust I can see the dark forms of the people closest to me, though I can’t really recognize any of them except Kai. I can make out the outline of his bow, which he is carrying in his hand, and besides, he’s the only one walking about as he continues his restless pacing. Anyone else would have to move very carefully to avoid bumping into anything, but his keen eyes pierce the darkness much more easily.

  We’re all pretty tired from all our walking, plus we’re used to going to sleep soon after dark, so our current situation is no real problem. We Miracles chat among ourselves for a little while before stretching out on the floor under our blankets to sleep. The floor of the store is much harder than the leaves and ground we’ve been sleeping on, but I don’t really mind. I’m tired enough to fall asleep anywhere, and it’s kind of nice to have a roof over our heads and solid walls around us for a change.

  A moment after I lay down, Kai squats beside me.

  “I’m going outside,” he tells me in a soft voice. “I’ll feel better keeping watch out there instead of in here. I’ve already told your father.”

  “Okay,” I say, understanding his unease. I’m glad he let me know he was going out, though. “I’ll sleep better knowing you’ll be watching over us.”

  Kai rests his hand lightly on my shoulder. “Sleep well, Leah. I won’t let anything in.”

  With that, he vanishes into the darkness, moving as silently as a wraith.

  I wake up with a shudder, opening my eyes to blackness. I know exactly what woke me—another nightmare. As I force myself to breathe deeply to try to slow my pounding heart, I give thanks that’s all it was, a dream. My all-too-realistic night terrors consisted of hundreds of tarantula-sized black spiders crawling over me, burying me beneath their fuzzy, fetid bodies and stinging me with their poisonous stingers.

  I’m too wound up to go right back to sleep, so I ease myself up into a sitting position with my back against a wooden counter. From this position I can see the top half of the front windows, which are a slightly lighter black than the interior of the store. The very slight illumination results from the partial moon and the stars—there’s no hint of dawn yet in the sky.

  Radar stirs next to me. I can’t see her face, but I have the feeling she has opened her eyes and is looking up at me. When she whispers to me, my feeling is proved correct.

  “Leah? Is everything all right?”

  “Yeah,” I reply softly. “I just had a nightmare, is all.”

  Radar pushes herself up and sits next to me against the counter.

  “Pretty scary?” she asks.

  “Yeah. There were big spiders. LOTS of very big hairy spiders, all over me.”

  “Ick,” she says. I imagine she’s grimacing, but I can’t see her face, even from this close. “I hate spiders,” she continues. “Especially big hairy ones.”

  “Me, too.”

  Radar takes my hand in hers. “Maybe we should stay awake for a few minutes, huh? Let you settle down a bit.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” I reply. I give her hand a light squeeze. “It’s nice to have some company, though. Even if I can’t see you.”

  Radar leans her head against my shoulder and we sit together in silence in the darkness. At some point, we both fall asleep.

  The next time I open my eyes, the first faint gray light of dawn is filtering in through the windows, lightening the interior of the store enough for me to see all my comrades asleep on the floor.

  Radar’s head still rests against my shoulder. Her breathing is slow and regular, telling me she’s fast asleep.

  I gently straighten her neck, trying not to waken her. When I’m satisfied she won’t fall over, I stand up, moving as quietly as I can. Other than the four Marines standing sentry at the doorway, I seem to be the only one awake. I know that will change soon as the room lightens just a bit more.

  I move to the doorway and look outside. A low layer of pewter clouds blankets the sky, but off to the east I can see a slight yellowing of the gray as the sun rises higher behind the clouds. It looks like the sun will burn away the clouds sooner rather than later today.

  I scan the parking lot in front of the store and see Kai leaning against a light pole near the far edge. There’s a waist-high pile of some dark material on the ground in the corner of the lot behind him. I don’t remember it being there yesterday afternoon, but maybe I just missed it.

  Kai’s manner is alert, but he doesn’t appear overly anxious about anything, so I’m guessing it’s safe for me to come out here. I take a few quiet steps out into the parking area. He hears my footfalls and turns his head toward me. He smiles, so I take that as permission to continue across the lot.

  As I draw nearer, I see that the pile behind him looks almost like some kind of fur. The morning twilight isn’t bright enough for me to make out any details yet, though.

  When I’m just a few paces away, I stop abruptly in my tracks. That thing behind him is not a pile of anything—it’s the carcass of a beast. A beast that looks an awful lot like a giant spider with very furry legs.

  My shock must be evident on my face, because Kai steps toward me and puts his hands on my shoulders. I suddenly feel even more protected than before.

  “It’s okay, Leah,” he says softly. “It’s dead.”

  I turn my head and look at the thing more closely. It definitely is a giant spider, hairy legs and all. There’s an arrow protruding from one of its eyes and a deep gash in its throat that’s crusted over with some kind of icky green pus. Kai must have killed it sometime in the middle of the night, all without waking anyone. I doubt the monster would have made it past four Marine guards, but I’m glad we didn’t have to find out.

  “I’m not worried about that,” I say. “It’s just….” My words trail off. I’m not sure what I want to say here.

  Kai studies my face for a long moment. “Just what, Leah?”

  “I, uh, had a nightmare last night,” I explain. “I was covered by hundreds of spiders as big as my hand. They were black with hairy legs, just like that thing there.”

  Kai removes his hands. I want to reach up and grab them, but I resist the impulse.

  “Shelobs like this one hunt alone,” Kai tells me. His handsome face breaks into a grin. “Though I guess one would be enough to cover you completely.”

  I smile. His joke doesn’t explain why I dreamed about spiders while he was busy killing this mother of all spiders, though.

  “Is that what you call this thing?” I ask. “A shelob?”

  I remember the word as the name of a giant spider in the book Lord of the Rings. It’s another example of how nightmare creatures from There have appeared in stories in our world.

  Kai nods. “Yes. They are very dangerous. They shoot jets of acid-like liquid from their mouth, and have a poisonous stinger used to paralyze their prey.”

  “And yet, you managed to kill it without even waking us up.”

  Kai shrugs. “Fortunately, shelobs are pretty slow, which helps. I blinded it on one side and then took care of it with my blade.”

  He makes it all seem so matter-of-fact, like he had done nothing more difficult than stepping on a spider and squishing it. Only this spider looks like it weighs at least a few hundred pounds. And what seems slow to him might seem quite different to a human. I’m glad I don’t have to see this monster in motion.

  Footsteps sound behind us. I turn to see my dad and several Marines approaching across the parking lot. The Miracles are walking behind them. When they reach us, everyone’s eyes fasten upon the giant black carcass.

  “Holy crap!” Radar exclaims. “What the hell is that?”

  “It’s called a shelob,” I reply. “Kai killed it.”

  Dad studies the dead shelob for a moment and then turns to Kai. “Would our bullets
have killed this thing?”

  Kai nods. “Its hide is tough, but not hard enough to withstand your weapons. It might have taken quite a few hits, however, before some found a vulnerable spot.”

  I try to imagine the shelob stalking the store in the darkness. I have no idea how fast the beast can move, or whether the four sentries would have been enough to stop it. Even if they were able to, I’m sure at least a couple of them would have been burned by the creature’s acid. And if they didn’t stop it, what kind of havoc might it have wreaked inside the store before the soldiers managed to kill it?

  Once again, I give thanks that Kai was sent here to help.

  Radar is looking at me with a puzzled expression. She doesn’t voice the question I know she wants to ask, though—the question about my spider nightmare.

  That’s just as well, because I don’t have any answers.

  CHAPTER 29

  AFTER A QUICK BREAKFAST inside the store, we’re on our way north again. The highway remains pretty much the same as the day before—flanked by lots of commercial buildings in various states of disrepair. Only a few show the distinctive destruction caused by a portal opening up. The rest appear to simply be victims of neglect. I find myself wondering what happened to all the people who lived in this area. It clearly had once been home to a fairly large population. Not city large, but large enough. There’s no trace of them now, though. Either they’re all dead or have long ago fled this place, or they avoid the main roadways and remain in hiding elsewhere in the area.

  It’s the middle of another beautiful sunny afternoon when Kai returns from one of his frequent scouting forays. He walks with a rapid, determined-looking stride directly up to my dad. Since I’m just a little bit behind, I hurry forward to see what Kai has to report.

  “There are others of your kind nearby,” he tells Dad. “They’re up ahead, some distance west of the highway.”

  I’m stunned by the news. We haven’t seen any people at all since we left San Diego. It’s nice to know that at least a few humans outside the fenced-in Districts have survived.

  Dad reacts instantly, motioning the company to a halt. He quickly dispatches runners to tell the advance scouts and the flanking parties stop as well. The runner headed for the party to the west is told to bring them back closer to the main group.

  Once Dad finishes giving his orders, he turns back to Kai.

  “How many?” he asks. “How far from the road?”

  “A thousand paces or so, I would guess. As to how many, I cannot say for certain. I didn’t see them—I smelled them. I debated trying to get closer, but decided the wiser course was to return and alert you.” Kai turns his head and gazes off to the northwest for a moment. “There are at least as many of them as there are of you, though. They have weapons like yours—the powder smells the same. I did not detect the scent of any flame weapons, though.”

  “They didn’t see you?” Dad asks.

  Kai almost looks offended by the question. “Of course not. And even if their noses are as sharp as mine, the west wind would have carried my scent away from them.”

  “They’re probably some of what’s left of the people who used to live here,” Lieutenant Gregerson offers. “Doing whatever it takes to survive. It’s no surprise they have automatic weapons. Every gun store used to sell them. I’m sure the locals emptied out every store, once they knew what they were up against.”

  “They might be glad to see some fellow humans,” Dad says, “or they might not. Either way, I don’t want to find out. If they’re hostile, we can’t afford the fight. And if they’re not, they may need help that we don’t have time to give.”

  He looks toward Kai again. “Kai, can you scout the land east of the highway for us, please. I want to give those people up ahead as wide a berth as possible.”

  Kai nods and glides silently away to the east.

  “Let’s get off the roadway while we wait,” Dad says as Kai disappears behind the buildings of an old strip mall.

  The largest store is a discount shoe place near the end of the row of buildings. Just like with the drugstore where we spent the night, the front doors are broken open, but the tall windows along the wall remain intact. We cross the narrow parking lot to get off the road and Dad sends a squad inside to make sure the place is empty.

  The soldiers emerge moments later and give the all clear, so we head inside. Surprisingly, the place has not been emptied entirely of its merchandise. Piles of women’s shoes in all kinds of colors and fancy styles are strewn about the aisles, like they were taken from their boxes and dumped there. The boxes are nowhere in sight—I guess they proved more useful than dressy shoes with tall heels. All the practical shoes are gone from both the men’s and women’s sections, along with all the socks, belts and other accessories.

  Radar nudges one of the piles of shoes with her foot. “There are some pretty expensive brands here,” she says. She bends and picks up a shiny red and black leather shoe with six-inch stiletto heels. “I guess these aren’t much good when you’re running away from monsters, though.” She tosses the shoe back onto the pile.

  “I guess that’s why all the sports shoes are gone,” Plush says.

  “I bet people used the shoe boxes as fuel for fires,” Lights adds.

  We Miracles gather up some of the padded stools and benches still scattered around the store and sit down together near the center of the large display area. Marine sentries keep an eye on the front and back entrances while we wait for Kai to return. To pass the time, Radar, Plush, Doc and I try on some of the fancier shoes—brands and styles we’ve never worn or even seen. It’s a welcome bit of frivolity—a nice break from what has been mostly a deadly serious mission.

  Kai isn’t gone long—less than twenty minutes, I guess. When he’s not slowed down by traveling with humans, he can cover ground amazingly fast. He converses briefly with my dad, and then Dad tells us we’ll be leaving out the back door and following side roads until we’re well past the area where the other people are gathered.

  We hurriedly discard our “dress-up” shoes and get back into our sturdy hiking boots. Playtime is over. It was fun while it lasted.

  The company exits through the rear supply entrance, a bunch of Marines in the lead, then the Miracles and then more Marines. Dad sends out an advance party and the rest of us follow along a two lane road several blocks west of the main highway.

  This road takes us into the first residential area we’ve passed through on our entire journey. Like the buildings along the highway, the houses all suffer from neglect and disrepair. Paint is peeling, windows are broken, and shutters often hang at oblique angles. Wherever those people Kai smelled earlier are living, it’s not here. And that’s exactly why we’re walking along this road. Still, everyone keeps an even sharper lookout than normal.

  After a few miles, Kai tells Dad that it’s safe to go back to the main highway. Since it provides a more direct route north than the residential road with all its bends, we return to the highway.

  Having spent my entire life inside the District of San Diego, I never realized roads like this—flanked by a seemingly never ending line of commercial buildings—existed. We pass gas stations, motels, car dealerships, medical buildings, mini-marts and stores of an almost infinite variety. It’s almost hauntingly sad to see them all empty and deteriorating. The deserted highway and the empty residential section drive home just how profoundly The Incident changed life in our world—and just how potentially important our mission to San Francisco might be.

  CHAPTER 30

  LATE THE NEXT DAY, we come to a literal fork in the road. We’ve pretty much left the developed area around Monterey and the surrounding towns behind. The landscape is once again more rustic, covered with long grasses, bushy shrubs and scattered trees. For a little while we were along the ocean again, before curving more inland.

  We’re on the outskirts of a small town a road sign tells us is called Castroville. Route 1, which we’ve followed for almost all
our trip, heads to the left. Highway 156 veers off to the right.

  Dad and Lieutenant Gregerson are squatting over an old road map. I’m peering over Dad’s shoulder, curious as usual. Kai is apparently not interested in maps, because he’s standing off to the side. He’ll go along with whatever Dad decides.

  From Dad and the lieutenant’s discussion, I know the choice comes down to staying on Route 1, which will return to the coast and be somewhat winding as it follows the shore, or to head inland to Highway 101, which seems to be much more of a wide, straight route to San Francisco. Either way, it’s now less than a hundred miles to our destination.

  “I was leaning toward using the 101,” Dad says to Lieutenant Gregerson, “figuring the travel would be easier on the Miracles. But our close encounter with people back near Monterey has me thinking Route 1 might be a better choice.” He traces a finger along the route. “Other than Santa Cruz, it goes through areas that were much less populated.”

  Gregerson nods. “I agree. Less populated should mean fewer chances to run into trouble.”

  Kai walks over to join us. He’s evidently been using his keen hearing to follow the conversation.

  “Fewer people likely means fewer hunters as well,” he says.

  Dad folds up the map. “It’s settled then. We’ll stay on the 1.”

  We’ve still got more than an hour of daylight left, so we start walking along the highway. Buildings become fewer and farther between as we leave Castroville behind us, so when we come to a gas station with a small market attached, Dad decides to stop for the night. There’s a mangled UPS truck in front of the store. The dark brown metal body of the truck is twisted and nearly torn in half—I’m pretty sure the damage was done by the appearance of an Anomaly. Radar studies the truck for a moment and then confirms my conclusion.

  “The Anomaly that did this occurred a long time ago,” she tells us. “Probably back in the early days after The Incident, before people figured out electrical systems can trigger an Anomaly.”