The Sixth Extinction America Omnibus [Books 1-12]

by Johnson, Glen

  The man simply shrugged his shoulders.

  Frank and Lindell nodded they understood.

  “After you,” Frank said to the Boss. He would feel uncomfortable with the man behind him.

  The Boss nodded, and the two strangers started jogging back along the corridor.

  Smokie waited until the others had departed before turning to Terrance. “You’d better start at the beginning,” she said.

  313

  Naomi

  Down inside the hull of the cargo ship

  Somewhere off the shore in New York State

  Naomi stared at the buried handle of the knife as Cain gripped her hair.

  Just one lunge and it will be mine. Then just one thrust in this bastard’s gut, and he’ll die slow and in agony. At least he will die along with me. She felt a tinge of satisfaction, knowing the bastard would die slowly and in pain.

  Naomi was pumping herself up, trying to gain the courage to dash for the weapon.

  I can elbow the asshole in the groin. He may be changed, or whatever he is, but I’m sure he will still feel my elbow like any other man.

  She knew she had no other choice, but no matter how small a chance; she was still hoping the others would break in and save the day.

  As if, she thought. They’re glad to be rid of me.

  She’d seen a glimpse of them outside, when Troy’s body was pulled through the hatch. She could see Troy’s lined up along with the rest of the old crew’s bodies.

  Her attention was snapped back to the moment at hand.

  The large pod finished lining the dead, decomposing bodies up against the metal hull. In then turned.

  Naomi could see no eyes, but she would swear it was staring at her.

  The large creature started to move toward her and Cain.

  “She’s so beautiful. A Goddess of light,” Cain muttered in reverent awe. “An ancient creature of beauty and magnificence… a living Goddess.”

  The large pod started to move towards them, with its large powerful, spider-like legs thumping down onto the deck.

  Naomi tried to move back, but Cain’s body stopped her. His grip tightened on her hair, while the other hand gripped her jaw, holding her face, so she couldn’t look away. His grip was like a vice – inhuman in strength.

  The undulating black pod was stood directly in front of her. She could feel its presence, like a vibration in the very air.

  It’s massive; she thought, as she tried to keep her eyes closed.

  “Open your eyes, bitch, or I’ll cut off your fucking eyelids!” Cain hissed, as his spittle dripped onto her forehead, as he yanked her head up to look at the pod.

  Tears streaked Naomi’s face, thankfully blurring her vision.

  The pod’s armoured legs twitched as it seemed to stare, which was unnerving considering it had no discernable eyes.

  A thick black tentacle rose towards Naomi’s tear-streaked face, with just the tip feeling over her features, like a thick caressing finger.

  Naomi held her breath and tried not to throw up.

  This is it. This is the end; she thought. Today I die…

  314

  Emma and Sue

  Inside the bridge of the superstructure

  Somewhere off the shore in New York State

  The mist outside was clearing. Emma had adjusted the small joystick to make the massive cargo ship move a mere few degrees, which would allow it to clear the peninsular where the lighthouse perched. She wanted to stay as far away from the craggy coastline as possible, without losing sight of it.

  “I cannot get anyone on the radio,” Sue stated, as she watched more deformed seagulls circle above the deck of the ship. They made the hair at the nape of her neck stand on end.

  Moments ago a cluster of birds started to dive-bomb the deck again. Emma and Sue could only speculate as to what was happening below their field of vision. They just hoped everyone was okay. Every few minutes another bird would slam into the large view port, as if testing the windows strength.

  The small dog, Tia, was running back and forth, barking at the deformed birds perched on the sill of the large curved window.

  “Smokie didn’t want me to go too far out to sea, due to no one on the boat being able to say with a certainty where we would be, if we lost sight of land,” Emma said. She was worried that the few degrees of directional change would send them far out into the open ocean.

  On a large stand was a collection of nautical maps, with rulers, pens, and compasses ready to mark out the ships journey. However, to everyone who looked at the setup, it was just a meaningless bundle of objects. There were a few references to landmasses, but mostly it was strange lines all over a large blue sheet of paper, which everyone presumed represented the ocean – that was all they could work out.

  “I think Smokie would rather we changed course than ground the vessel up a stony beach, or into those nasty looking cliffs,” Sue replied. “Mitigating circumstance,” she muttered.

  The circling birds were starting to worry them. They had no idea where they were coming from, and there was more than enough to change everyone on the ship ten times over. They seemed to know there were people about, and were ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

  “What’s that?” Sue asked. She’d spotted something on the distant horizon, now the mist had lifted. It was way out to sea, but it sat like a dark dot on the far distance.

  “Shit, it’s not another ship is it?” Emma asked. The last thing they needed was more modern-day pirates trying to take the large cargo ship off them. The last encounter was a close call, and all too fresh in their memories.

  She realized it made sense to get out on to the water, away from the land-based creatures. However, it was getting a little too crowded for her liking.

  “I don’t think so,” Sue muttered as she adjusted the binoculars. “Goddamn, I’ll be…”

  “What, what do you see?” Emma asked reaching for the binoculars.

  Emma lifted them to her eyes. She stared for a minute, as if not comprehending. “Jesus, is that what I think it is? Fuck, we need to tell Smokie.”

  315

  Bachman, Emma, Ralph, Pete, and Tes

  Zone 6

  The underground bunker

  Quirauk Mountain, Pennsylvania

  It took three swings to sever Pete’s arm, just below the shoulder joint – it was the bone that caused the most hassle. The amount of blood that poured out was unbelievable. Ralph gagged and almost threw up. Emma had shouted at him to concentrate on what he was doing. If his hands slipped, Emma could just as easily cut them off.

  The smell of burnt flesh hung in the air. The iron now rested in the kitchen sink, with blistered fleshy tissue stuck to the metal.

  Pete’s stump was a blackened, burnt mess. Bloody pus was already running from the cauterized wound.

  The wound looked horrendous.

  Jesus Christ, have we done the right thing? Emma asked herself while looking at the end of Pete’s mangled stump. She knew they had no choice, but to see the aftermath, she was beginning to doubt their decision. The idea seemed simple enough. The actual hacking and burning was more gruesome than she’d imagined.

  Ralph was in the toilet throwing up.

  Bachman was leaning on the kitchen counter with his head in his hands. The smell that hung in the air was making him nauseous.

  Tes was wrapping the stump in bandages smeared with antiseptic cream from the small first-aid kit.

  Emma sat in a chair with the bloody axe across her shaking knees.

  The severed arm lay on the floor in a puddle of congealing blood. The small black tentacles still thrashed about in the gash, unconcerned that the arm wasn’t attached to the rest of the body.

  Pete was starting to come around. A few moans issued from him. One of his feet twitched.

  “How about a section of the wetsuit, to pull over the stump? Wouldn’t the pressure do it some good?” Emma asked, as she managed to snap her attention away from the stump.
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br />   Tes nodded. “It’s worth try.”

  First Emma wiped the blood and a small glob of flesh from the blade on the edge of the chair she was sitting on, then she used the edge of the axe to cut a section off the leg of her wetsuit. She passed the black foamed neoprene to Tes.

  Tes rolled it up and with some pressure, pushed it over Pete’s stump.

  At least I don’t have to look at the charred mess anymore; Emma reasoned.

  Pete groaned and shifted his body. His eyes fluttered.

  Tes pulled it into place, rolled up the access fold, and tied it up with a bandage.

  “Should we split up? Someone stay here with Pete, so the rest of us can go to get some weapons?” Ralph asked as he exited the bathroom, while using a towel to wipe his mouth.

  “I don’t think we should split up,” Bachman said from over in the kitchen.

  “But is he in any fit state to move?” Ralph questioned.

  “We cut off an arm, not his legs,” Emma announced.

  “You know what I mean?” Ralph muttered.

  “We need to stick together,” Tes stated.

  No one would admit they didn’t want to be left alone in the room with Pete while the others left without them.

  “But what if he slows us down?” Ralph asked the room in general.

  No one wanted to state the obvious. However, they all knew that if push came to shove, they would have no choice but to leave Pete behind.

  But first things first, they didn’t even know if the plan had worked. What if the spores were already in Pete’s bloodstream, and he was still going to change anyway?

  As Tes stared down at the dismembered arm, she noticed the small tentacles were going crazy. Just then, she heard a crashing sound at the end of the corridor outside.

  316

  Stu, Soozie and young girl

  On the cargo ship.

  Somewhere off the shore in New York State

  Stu carried the unconscious girl in his arms. It was like carrying a dead body. It reminded him of when he moved the bodies of his dead family to bury them.

  Soozie led the way. She was aware that there was still the other two men from the boat on the large ship. She didn’t plan on bumping into them, until she had the others on her side, hunting the bastards down. The images that flashed before her eyes of what she was going to do to the so-called Boss made her smile.

  Maybe slowly drown him, to let him know how that poor boy felt when he died? Possibly tie a rope around his feet and hang him over the side so his face is just in the water. See how long the asshole lasts.

  Because Stu carried the girl, the handgun was tucked into his wet jeans – the gun still had five bullets.

  Soozie carried the rifle. However, after Stu had shot at the creature, as it scurried away, there was only four bullets left. The knife was stuck in a loop on Soozie’s motorbike leathers.

  She held the rifle pointed at the deck. She had to be careful not to be spooked and shoot one of her own people.

  The corridors where bare and cold, like walking along inside an unadorned metal box.

  Sterile and as welcoming as a tomb, she thought as she headed towards the superstructure.

  She could hear Stu’s laboured breathing behind her, and his wet trainers squelching on the deck.

  She’d been on the cargo ship dozens of times since they’d discovered it; she was familiar with the layout. The ship always gave her the creeps. She hated how it was so empty and the way her footfalls echoed around her. Whenever it was her turn to search an area, she always took Tia with her. The small dog’s excitement at everything made the dull, sterile corridors more bearable.

  The fact that nobody came back to check she was alive still hurt. They had seen her fall over the side of the bridge. She knew, deep down, she would have done the same if it was someone else. The world was a different place now. And even though they survived as a small group, she knew it was really each for themselves.

  Soozie was a little ahead, in case she ran into trouble, which would give Stu time to put the child down and draw his weapon.

  As she turned a corner, right in front of her, she saw the man called the Boss, alone with his one remaining henchmen.

  Instinct kicked in. She swung the rifle up, and due to the close proximately, she kept it going, swinging the butt right up into his jaw. She would put him out of action and then swing the rifle to bear upon his buddy behind. That would still leave three bullets to finish the bastard off.

  The rifle caught the Boss under the jaw, sending him tumbling backwards. His body slid along the metal deck.

  Soozie swung the rifle up, preparing to fire.

  317

  Naomi

  Down inside the hull of the cargo ship

  Somewhere off the shore in New York State

  Naomi held her breath as the thick tentacle moved across her face, feeling her features as if it were a blind person reading the lumps and bumps.

  She’d once picked up a snake. She’d always presumed a snake was slimy and tacky to the touch – with cold and scratchy scales. She was surprised to feel the soft, pliable skin, which was warm and felt like smooth leather.

  However, the tentacle felt exactly like she guessed it would. It was ice-cold and felt wet and slimy as it wiped across her flushed skin.

  It took all her strength to stay motionless. She knew she couldn’t move because Cain held her in his vice-like grip. But every atom in her body wanted to fight back, resist, do anything she could to break free.

  The knife was well out of reach; it had moved when the pod tossed the body that covered it to one side.

  She wanted to close her eyes, but she knew Cain would be true to his word and slice her eyelids from her face.

  The large undulating pod loomed over her, its large spider-like legs to either side, leaning slightly forward as if pinning her to the deck with its nonexistent stare. Tentacles waved around it, which grew from all different parts of its black underbelly.

  The dead bodies around her were all lined up, as if waiting for orders. She had no idea why the pod would bother to rearrange the dead. The smell from their decomposing bodies made her nostrils itch and sting in the enclosed space.

  Please don’t hurt me. Please… please… please… she chanted in her head like a mantra.

  Cain’s fingers dug into her face. She could hear his heavy breathing in her right ear, as if aroused by the sight of her anguish. She could also feel his body pressed up against her.

  Please let this be over… please God… any God…

  The large pod pulled the tentacle away from her face. Its large armoured legs moved back a few steps, thudding down onto the metal deck.

  Thank fuck… Please just let this be over. She knew there was no way the creature would let her live. Why would it when it had killed all of these people? I’m no more important than them. There is no reason to think I’m any better.

  She’d resigned herself to death. Just let this be over. She was so weary. I’ve been running non-stop. I need to rest. Lay down my weary bones. No one’s wanted me my whole life, why should now be any different? I’m used to being a lone wolf, an outcast.

  The grotesque pod moved back another few more steps.

  “Time to serve the Queen,” Cain muttered into her ear.

  Serve?

  Naomi was confused. She was sure she was about to be picked up and thrown against the hull, and then speared with the pod’s spider-like legs, and left to bleed out on the cold deck – just another body in a pile of corpses to rot along with the others.

  Instead, Cain forced his dirty hands over her mouth and held it open. She could smell his rancid, unwashed hands over the stench from the bodies.

  What the fuck? She started to struggle as he gripped her jaw and nose, pulling her mouth apart.

  Just then, the tentacle that had been caressing her face shot right at her, and forced its way down her throat.

  318

  Smokie, Terrance, Caroline, Donna, A
lex, and Mollee

  Inside the superstructure of the cargo ship

  Somewhere off the shore in New York State

  Terrance and Alex led the way. Donna and Caroline walked behind with Smokie. Mollee walked at the back, as if protecting them from anything that might appear from behind. And considering how life was shaping up that was very probable.

  The group walked in silence. Smokie presumed it was because they felt embarrassed that they were jumped on in the corridor and separated from their weapons. Or it might be that they thought she was weak to strike a deal with the Boss, who’d snuck aboard their ship.

  I don’t give two tosses what they think. If they want to step up to the plate and take charge, they can be my guest. See how they like it when people start second guessing them. Everyone wants a leader, until they make a decision they don’t like.

  She remembered the look the Boss gave as he stared her down.

  He’s certainly unpredictable. One minute I’m watching him go down with his ship, the next he’s holding a gun to my face. A guy like that is resourceful. He may be an evil bastard, but he’s the kind of man we need to help us survive. He’s the kind of person who will survive this apocalypse and thrive, because he does what needs to be done.

  She returned her thoughts to the moment at hand. “We’re going to need to find out once and for all what’s happening below deck, and what attacked Troy,” Smokie said.

  “It was big,” Alex muttered. “Real big.” He shook his head at the memory, as if trying to shake the images from his mind.

  “How big are we talking?”

  Alex turned and motioned with his hands at least a foot and a half wide.

  “That’s how thick it was?” Her eyebrows went up. “Fuck!”

  “Fuck is the right word,” Terrance stated. “Whatever it was it folded him in half like paper.”