Deserted

by L. M. McCleary

  I stared up at the piercing blue eyes of Tsvetan and mouthed the words. “Essence of Life?”

  Krastanov glanced over his shoulder at the wasteland through the window. “As you can see, it was a colossal failure. I mean, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t supposed to happen.” He chuckled at the screen and I raised an eyebrow – how was this funny? Almost as though reading my thoughts, Krastanov’s smile faded and his face grew sterner. “I don’t know how far this reached or what its affected, but we should know soon enough. I imagine we will be getting picked up today, although it was supposed to be yesterday…not sure what’s going on with that.” He leaned back into his chair, allowing more of the window in the background to be seen. A few more scientists were wandering around the now decrepit land outside, as though searching for something. One of them turned absently towards the window, then did a double-take as his face rested on Krastanov’s figure inside. The man approached the window and knocked loudly, causing Tsvetan to jump in surprise and stare behind him. The scientist outside beckoned Krastanov to him and neither man looked terribly pleased by the idea. Tsvetan finally nodded and turned his attention back to the screen.

  “Well, I guess that’s it for now. At least I got some footage of the Essence. I know I was told not to but it could come in really handy for future testing – what’s wrong with having a little proof?” He smiled shortly at me with a small shrug. “Until next time.” Krastanov reached up towards the monitor and the screens went black once again – just as I was pulling out the book I was looking for.

  The screen flashed to life again. Tsvetan was once again there but his hair was not quite as perfect as it once was and his eyes appeared drained. He said nothing at first as I stared down at the book in my hands – the book I had found at the campsite. Flipping it open, I studied the name inside – the same name as the man that now spoke.

  “It’s been a week,” he was slow with his words, “and there’s been no word. I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do now.” He sighed. “We were hiding deep underground, in our bunker like we were told to do. We barely felt a thing. Were we too late in coming back up? Did we miss them?” He stared off into space. “We heard some sounds to the south. Saw smoke rise up. Not sure what’s going on but we’ve decided to stay indoors for a while. I’m tending to my plants but there’s only so much I can do to pass the time.” He leaned back into his chair, allowing me to see him wringing his hands in his lap. “I was promised a bigger lab…more resources for my plants. They’re too cramped here and there are chemicals everywhere. This is no place for research.” There was a moment of silence as Krastanov lost himself in his thoughts. He bit his lower lip before continuing, “I have a bad feeling about the south. It’s a slaver’s town – they’ve been said to take from the tribes that live in these parts. I can’t help but wonder what the Essence might have done.” I was a little shocked by his demeanor. Krastanov had seemed so…excitable and honestly unprofessional in the previous video. Whatever happened outside must have really unnerved him. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said that…” Krastanov tossed his elbows onto the sides of the keyboard and ran his fingers through parts of his hair. “They don’t want me doing these videos. Afraid I’ll say something stupid, I guess. They’re always on my case – they don’t want me here. But you know what?” Tsvetan looked up at the screen with weary eyes when a loud knock erupted at the door.

  “Krastanov, get the hell out here!” The voice was loud and riddled with rage.

  Tsvetan furrowed his brow. “What’s the point of having video software if you’re never going to –“

  “Now!” The voice bellowed. “You’re really getting on my last nerve, bud. Enough with the videos – just go play with your stupid flowers!” I could almost hear the eye-rolling in the other man’s tone.

  Krastanov, visibly offended and almost pouting, replied, “They’re not all flowers, you know!”

  “I don’t give a rat’s ass what they are, it’s still useless. You better start towing the line if you expect to go anywhere around here, kid. We never needed a new guy, let alone a botanist. What good is that really going to do us? I mean really?” The man cackled, his words still tense with anger.

  Krastanov slowly raised his hand to the monitor and the room went black once again. I started to put the book in my hands back into my knapsack when Krastanov appeared on screen again, his hair wild and his coat hanging sloppily off his shoulders. His eyes were large and crazed and he was standing this time, gasping for breath.

  “Something came from the south. It attacked Andy – he was wandering alone outside. It made its way inside and then more came – a horde of them. They look like people, but something’s off.” Krastanov was barely looking at the monitor, his words rushed and strung hastily together. “They’re mad, deranged…they’re attacking everything in sight! Rhoda and Chuck made a run for the bunker but the place is surrounded; they didn’t stand a chance. I told everyone I could to meet here – the door is solid and may be our only chance. But did they listen? No, of course not! But I have these –“ Krastanov held up some haphazard-looking boards and I glanced behind me at the wood that now lay scattered on the floor. “I can board the windows with these.” He looked wildly around the room. “Maybe Scott will bring food…he’s always in the kitchen…” Krastanov said it more to himself than the monitor.

  His rushed, unsteady demeanor started to make me feel uncomfortable. He almost didn’t seem like the same man from the first video. I watched as Krastanov went to work, boarding up the glass with surprising speed. When he was finally done, he plopped himself down in the chair at the computer. He sighed, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He took a few minutes to compose himself.

  “They swarmed the front door, attacked anything that moved – including the liquids being held in storage. Supplies were raided, chemicals were stolen and spilled. I don’t know why they would want them but I saw a few trying to drink them…that won’t end well.” He scrunched his face up at the thought. “There’s a stench in the air now, and it’s only going to get worse. Some of the beasts took off into the desert – I don’t know where to or why. Many were drenched in chemicals and liquids, glowing far into the distance. Maybe they startled themselves into fleeing? I don’t know and don’t really care – as long as they’re gone. I can’t imagine what those toxins will do to their bodies, though…” Krastanov shook his head sadly. “Or the environment for that matter.” His glance meandered across the large keyboard before him. “I’m going to wait for the others to show up…I’m sure they will. They might not like me but they wouldn’t ignore sound advice, right?” His voice wavered and tapered off before the screen went black.

  I slowly sat down on the cold stone floor, my head starting to swim. I worried that if my sickness didn’t let up I may not be able to stay to hear the full story. The screens flushed to life once again and Krastanov was barely visible – the lights were off and with the window boarded, only the faint glow of the monitor illuminated his face. His eyes appeared sunken and his skin was pale. He was jittery and clearly overtired.

  “They’re still out there,” he whispered, “I can hear them scamper just outside the door.” He looked over to where the entrance of the room would be, his eyes wild with fright. “I don’t know what day it is anymore. No one is coming to save us. I had an email in my inbox – he calls himself an Elder, now – claiming that the slaver’s town is done for. The tribe they enslaved, they were root doctors or something; natives that experimented with the afterlife and hoodoo.” Krastanov’s eyes were glossy now and he turned his face away from the monitor. “The town’s been cursed. Guess that tribe didn’t take too kindly to being enslaved. The Essence of Life couldn’t have helped, either. Psh.” There was silence as the scientist’s wide eyes rested on the door again, as though he could see more creatures running by outside. “The Elder isn’t concerned, though. He actually sounded pretty happy at the news. I don’t know what that means but it doesn’t matter in the en
d; my emails won’t send. I could barely even read his message – the screen was all garbled and choppy. The computer’s on her last legs, I think.” He stared hard into the monitor, almost as though he could see me. “I tried to get food…but I couldn’t. My co-workers…they were everywhere! And those deranged ones…I could see their shapes upon the walls, their shadows distorted by what little light is left inside here. I ran, straight back here!” His lips looked parched as he spoke, cracking slightly in his voracious message. “The radiation is getting to them, I think. Thankfully I have Potassium Iodide in my drawer here.” A sliding sound was heard, then the smash of something hitting the floor. Krastanov cursed under his breath and then a large white container was shoved into the camera’s eye. I couldn’t help but turn my eyes towards the spot on the floor that the drawer would have fallen to and noticed a few stray splinters scattered about. Following the trail, I strained my eyes to see the remains of it tucked into the darkness of the world under the computers. I had hoped the tablets were still in there.

  “It won’t prevent radiation completely, mind you – but it should hold off the effects for a while. Not to mention…” Krastanov’s crazed face appeared behind the bottle that was now slowly being lowered from the camera, “…that this door is made of lead. Guess they must have seen this coming, huh?” He cackled quietly and shoved the KI bottle into a pocket upon his coat. My heart dropped at the sight and my skin crawled from his laughter. It barely sounded human.

  “I’m going to try to escape tonight – I have to.” His whispered words grew louder with each breath. “Maybe I’ll go crazy out there, too, but I can’t stay here. Whatever happened to those people…I have to get out of here; it’s a risk I’ll have to take.” He nodded fervently. “To anyone who may find these files…good luck. Maybe we’ll meet one day.” He shot me a crooked smile. With sunken eyes and a darkened face, his once inviting appearance now seemed menacing; I was glad that the broadcast was finally over.

  The screen returned to its original view and the side monitors continued in their crazy jargon. I felt weak, but not just from Krastanov’s words. I crawled under the keyboard towards the tossed-aside drawer on the floor and flipped it around; I sighed in relief when I saw four tablets had been left behind. I snatched one up in my hand and hastily devoured it and then I grabbed the rest and shoved them into my medical satchel. Hopefully they were still good. I crawled back out from under the keyboard’s table and wiped the dirt from my jeans, looking up absently as I did so – and then I froze. There, at the window…a face was looking back at me.

  Her splotchy hands were spread across the window and she glared at me with bloodshot eyes. Sores blistered out from the skin on her face – what little there seemed to be, anyway, that stretched taut over her skeletal frame. A few strands of grey, broken hair clung to her scalp, blowing lifelessly in the wind and entangling themselves in her sticky and porous face. If I wasn’t nauseous before, I certainly was now. I reached for my dagger, not taking my eyes off the maddened creature before me. Her eyes narrowed at my movement and she snarled. I pursed my lips and gripped at the bottom of my shirt to steady my nerves. The woman pressed up against the glass but made no effort to break it. Would she even be able to? There was a moment of tense silence between us but I knew I had to get out of here – any more exposure could cause some serious side effects, I was sure. I glanced towards the open door on my left and braced myself for a run. Would she follow? Then, a more disturbing thought…was she the only one? My courage waned. What if some were waiting at the door for me? What if they were already inside? I could feel panic start to rise up within me. I shut my eyes briefly and took long, deep breaths. I had to think.

  “Okay,” I whispered to myself, “there’s a Known in front of you –“ I fluttered my eyes open, the decaying woman still watching me, “- and the Unknown behind you. Which one is riskier?” It was a rhetorical question, of course; I had to get back to Ponika and get as far away from this lab as possible and that wouldn’t happen if I stood around all day. An obvious choice, yet the question helped calm my emotions all the same.

  With one hand on my dagger’s hilt, I made a run for it. I bolted through the open doorway and down the cluttered corridor, wishing there had been more windows to seep in moonlight…although that could have been my problem to begin with. I shouldn’t have removed the blinds. I ran past a stained and dusty window on my right when suddenly a figure bolted past, mere seconds after I had. My heart leapt; I wasn’t sure how many more surprises I could take at this rate. I continued on down the corridor and each time I passed a window I found I was being followed by the crazed woman outside.

  I rounded the last corner and removed my dagger from its sheath. I knew I would have no choice but to fight my way out. Reaching the front door, I put my shaky hand upon the knob when I heard the woman outside cry out in pain. And then…

  “Ponika?” His hooves were unmistakable. I glanced out the nearby window and was shocked to see my horse right outside, his legs flailing wildly as he kicked and stomped at my pursuer. “Ponika!” I yelled, grasping for the door once again. I didn’t know what this woman was capable of and definitely didn’t want my horse to find out.

  I flung the door open and rushed outside just in time to see the haggard woman limping hurriedly away, glancing back at us with a hissing scowl. “Something’s definitely broken.” I said casually to my horse, watching our attacker scuttle away with shambling limbs.

  I turned towards my horse to praise his fine work when I was suddenly knocked to the ground, my father’s dagger flying from my hands. I was only down mere seconds when I felt Ponika standing over me, pelting my assailant with his strong hooves. The creature was knocked off of me and I immediately ran for my weapon. With one swift movement I snatched it up and turned to face my new enemy – and was surprised to see three.

  The beast that had attacked me lay in a crumpled heap by the door, unmoving. Three more of these wretches had taken his place, though, and their bright red eyes stared hungrily at Ponika, who whinnied and kicked in a show of force. Even if they had just witnessed the murder of one of their own, they didn’t seem to care; they were already trying to circle my only companion. While the idea of inflicting pain upon another living being was not something I felt I could do, the notion of fear or guilt was swept away when I knew Ponika was in trouble. Without a second thought I threw myself onto the closest lug and plunged my dagger deep into a squishy recess. I don’t know which one – I had refused to look. Only when my weapon was free of the spongy body it had plummeted into did I open my eyes, seeing the deranged man lying still in the swirling sands at my feet. Ponika had already knocked another one down in the meantime and we turned our attention towards the last assailant, although that didn’t last long. Dagger firmly in my clutches, I inched towards the man when a blur of black and brown charged into me, knocking me onto my back and temporarily taking my breath away. The creature, however, wasted no time. I felt a wrinkled, lumpy hand around my throat and stars danced in front of my eyes as the beast started to constrict my neck. I gasped desperately for breath and struggled to break free but the man had inhuman strength, pinning my arms and legs down with his tall yet lanky body, his sharp elbows digging deep into my skin. Through intermittent vision I had started to make out the face of my attacker and was surprised to see his brilliantly clear skin, with only the smallest of scrapes dashing across his cheeks. However, what should have been the reddish lump of scar tissue covering them was instead a light green, glowing quietly from underneath his epidermis. Panic rose even faster within my chest as I realized what this sight would mean; that the man’s very blood was irradiated and likely diseased, and yet here I was, inches from his face. He snarled at me, drool dribbling from the corners of his foul-smelling mouth. I instinctively tried to look away but there was no escaping the odour or the man’s grotesque visage. He drew his face closer to mine, his teeth like razors as they hovered just over my chin. I suddenly shivered as I felt the sli
my sensation of drool crawl down my chest as a pool had seemingly gathered on my shirt. The creature’s grip on me tightened and I struggled to keep a steady eye on him, only faintly aware of the sounds of Ponika fighting in the distance. The man’s eyes pierced mine – bloodshot, yet cloudy. At first glance, his eyes seemed animalistic and angry…and yet, somewhere in there I felt a shred of humanity still shone, albeit faintly. I could see a sane man through those eyes although his appearance was brief. I scanned them, hoping to find a way out and realized this was no beast…no, he was still human, but his brain was scrambled…confused; resorting to basic instincts of survival. In the brief flash of a few seconds, I knew exactly what Krastanov was talking about.

  I tried to speak to the man but my words were garbled by his strength. Almost as though he were offended by the attempt the pressed harder into my throat and growled at me. But when he opened his mouth next, I was surprised at what came out.

  “This…our place. No outsiders!”

  I gurgled again in response, the world quickly going black. These…people – were they threatened by me? I tried to look for Ponika but the man’s snarl was all I could see. Suddenly a pain shot through my right shoulder as I realized that the man’s claw-like nails had pierced my skin and embedded themselves inside. I felt sick. My fingers twitched rapidly and curled themselves on top of something – something hard, yet ornate. My dagger! I gripped it as firmly as I could, my life almost blinking out. I took one last look at the man above me. He was scared – I could see that now. But he left me no choice.

  I mouthed the words. “I’m sorry.” Then, before I could even process the motion myself, my hand was beside his head, my dagger reaching the dark recesses of his skull. His eyes suddenly cleared before he slumped forward and I pushed myself frantically away from the now limp body and its gaping wound of red and green. The man had looked sane in those last moments and I knew the vision would forever haunt my thoughts.