NorthWest (John Hazard - Book II)

by Glaze, JH

  Raj screamed in pain. “I’m not dead! I can walk! Look!” He pushed Sherri away and tried to take a step. Immediately he fell to the ground in agony.

  “I’m sorry, Raj. I hate to sound like some kind of fuckin' beast, but there is no way you’ll be able to run, and we can’t carry you and still get away. We don’t have time man, game over. We have to go.” He squeezed Raj’s shoulder and said again with more empathy, “I’m sorry, dude.”

  Emily protested, “John, we can’t just fucking leave him. Those things will get him!” She was crying now and struck out at him as she spoke, narrowly missing his jaw with her hand.

  “Em, we gotta buy some time.” He put his hand on Raj’s shoulder and looked into the tear-filled eyes of his injured classmate. “Raj, you can be a hero, right here right now, maybe save lives.”

  “What if I don’t want to be a fuckin’ hero, John?” Raj grabbed a handful of debris from the ground and threw it at John.

  “We can’t leave him!” Sherri was trying to lift Raj to his feet again, but there was no way he could put any weight on his ankle.

  Emily had an idea and asked, “What if we cover him with some leaves and branches, you know, hide him?”

  “Don’t just leave me! Fucking please don’t leave me.” Raj was trying like hell to stand on his own. “Give me your belt, or wrap something around it!”

  “Come on, Raj. A belt is not going to help a broken ankle.” John was shaking his head.

  Sherri looked at him sternly, “I thought you were a Marine, John. What about all of that ‘hoorah’ shit and ‘no man left behind’? What about that?”

  John matched her glare saying, “Listen, that shit is for the battlefield, and the saying is, No marine left behind, and Raj is no fuckin’ marine!” He had a flash of remorse as he said it, and looked at Raj. “Sorry, buddy.”

  “Buddy? You gotta be shittin' me!”

  “No Raj, I am not shittin’ you.” John turned to Sherri. “Look, I’ll help you cover him up, but that’s it. No carrying, no carving him a walking stick, no lean on my ass and we’ll get through this together.” He looked around to his right and left, then pointed at a low spot in the bank. “Get him over there! Then, Raj… Lay the fuck down!”

  “But John…” he sputtered.

  “Shut up and lay down over there, or I’ll knock your ass out!” He pointed again.

  Raj moaned as he crawled to where John had directed while Sherri tried to help him. He reached the low spot on the ground and lay back huddling himself into it. Sherri and Emily began gathering branches while John dropped to his knees and began digging up large handfuls of partially decomposed leaves and sandy dirt, throwing them on Raj.

  “Cover your face now. We gotta get out of here, and I don’t have the time to be careful about where I’m throwing this shit.” John was scooping up large handfuls off the forest floor. “The rotting smell of this stuff might cover your scent.”

  Sherri and Emily brought quite a few branches and laid them over Raj while John brushed the dirt around to try to make it less obvious that something was hidden there. By the time they were finished, it was hard to tell there was anything there but a pile of dirt and branches.

  “You’re going to have to stay there for as long as you can, Raj. Try not to piss yourself, because if you do, it will give those fuckers something to smell. When we find our way out of this mess, we’ll send somebody back for you. Okay?”

  John knew that there was only a minute chance in hell that they would ever find him. If they were able to get out of this alive and sent a search party back, it was highly likely that wild animals, exposure to the elements or even the bastards they were running from would have already killed him.

  “Sure,” came a muffled response through the leaves.

  “Bye Raj. Just do what John said, and you’re gonna be okay. Stay still.” Sherri looked for his hand or a shoulder or something she could touch to reassure him, but there was nothing left exposed. It gave her some small comfort that she couldn’t see him as she stood beside Emily.

  “Good luck, Raj.” Emily said as she and Sherri turned and walked away. Like John, she figured they would never be able to find him again and a tear rolled down her cheek. She understood why they had to do this, but she hated that there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. John was right, just as he had been all along, and she wasn’t about to start doubting him now. Raj could never walk out with a broken ankle. If they had taken the time to build a stretcher or even tried to carry him, they wouldn’t be able to get away.

  They picked up their pace and caught up to John, who was quickly walking away. As the two of them came up beside him, he turned to them and asked, “Are you able to run some more? We need to regain our lead on those bastards. We lost a lot of our advantage helping Raj. I just hope it doesn’t get us killed.”

  Still conflicted, Emily didn’t feel like talking. She just nodded and began jogging out ahead. Sherri was trailing behind John silently praying for Raj. They ran for about a hundred yards before Sherri finally spoke up. “Hey, John… Emily…” and she slowed to a stop. “I can’t leave him alone like that. I’m going back.”

  John stopped and snapped at Sherri, “Don’t do it! If those things find you, you’re dead. Raj is hidden, and he’ll be okay.”

  “I’ll cover myself too, John. They won’t find us.” She started to head back.

  Emily heard the discussion and came back to intervene. She caught Sherri by the shoulder. “Look, Sherri, John is right. You don’t have to go back.”

  “Yes, I do. I’m going, and don’t bother arguing with me. Just go get us some help!” The tears were streaming down her face as she turned to run away.

  John shook his head and took Emily by the hand. “Come on, Em. Let’s go. Good luck, Sherri! We’ll send somebody back when we get out of here.” To find the bodies if there’s anything left to find, he thought as he pulled Emily along behind him. Reluctantly, she followed.

  Forty Nine

  Raj lay very still as he sensed someone or something nearby. He was very well covered and outside sounds were quite muffled, yet he had the feeling he was not alone. His ankle was throbbing and it made no difference whether he moved or not, the pain was excruciating.

  “Raj? I’m back.” Sherri nearly passed him by as she looked for the mound they had made to cover him. This looked like the right spot and she patted the top of the mound to let him know she was there.

  Raj jumped and the branches covering his head slid away enough that she could just make out his face. Muddy streaks across his face made it clear that he had been crying. “Why did you come back? You should have stayed with them.” He was both surprised and dismayed.

  “I just couldn’t leave you like that, Raj. It didn’t seem right.” She tried to wipe the dirt from around his eyes without getting it in them. You hold still now, I’m going to cover you back up then I’m going to cover myself too.” She put the branches back over his face and wedged them against each other so they would stay in place better than before.

  “Okay, Raj. I’m going to go get some branches for myself. Hang in there, I’ll be right back.’’ She walked into the wooded area where she and Emily had found the other branches. Her mind wandered to thoughts of her son as she pulled some dead branches from a tree. She hoped she hadn’t let him down by coming back here to stay with Raj. She wondered if anyone had yet reported them missing. If Shandre had heard about it on the news, she knew he’d be worried about her.

  She had a good armload of sticks and branches, which she carried over and dropped on the ground next to Raj. “First load, Raj. One more and I’ll be good to go.” Raj mumbled something in response and she headed back into the nearby trees.

  She was reaching to pull a low leafy branch from a tree when she saw a movement to her right and turned to look. “Oh God,” she whispered out loud, “please let it be a rabbit or…” Then she saw them.

  Four aliens were standing nearby, and they looked hungry.
They always looked hungry, and they were even bigger now, standing nearly five feet tall. She was so startled, she let out a scream. For a moment, they just stood looking at her.

  With no time to think, she had to decide what she should do. It was obvious that there was no way to hide herself now. If she ran after John and Emily, she would lead these bastards right to them. What should I do? Gran? Nana?

  Finally she yelled out, “Raj, they’re here! Don’t move! I am going to draw them away from you. I’ll circle back after I lose them.” With that, she started running. She ran away from the trail and deeper into the trees as fast as she could with the monsters in hot pursuit.

  She was not sure how she could be running with such speed and agility - she should be exhausted by now. They had been going hard at it all morning, but somehow with every step she found more energy. She was running for her life and she knew it. She was putting distance between herself and the creatures and she was running uphill!

  She could see the top of the ridge and those snapping jaws were now far behind. If I can keep up this pace, I might be able to outrun them, she thought as she jumped over a fallen tree like an Olympic runner.

  Meanwhile, Raj was lying as still as he could under the pile of debris. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat, and he was having trouble breathing with the branches covering him. He figured Sherri must have gotten away. If she hadn’t, he should have been able to hear her screaming by now. There was no way to tell how far away she had gotten or if she was even still alive.

  Raj tried to suppress the feelings of panic that were growing inside of him. What if I just can’t hear anything under this mess? What if she let them get her to save me? He thought about it. She may have actually saved his life. She might be sacrificing herself for him right now, something he had never thought possible, never expected such a thing from anyone. He knew he didn’t deserve this, and again the tears started to stream.

  Calm down, Raj. Don’t think about the worst that could happen. It’s going to be okay. He fought the feeling of his throat closing off the way it does when someone is about to begin sobbing. His mind was racing but he tried to reassure himself and slow his mind to a state of calm.

  He was so focused that he hadn’t sensed the two aliens walking up to his hiding place. They stood directly above him staring down at the pile of leaves and dirt, flexing muscles as their skin was stretching with new growth. They raised their heads and smelled the air around them. Something was not right. They sensed that food was very close by, but nothing could be seen.

  One looked at the other and tilted its head as if gesturing at the pile of leaves. Then, without a sound, they dove onto it together, clawing the branches and dirt away. Raj began screaming uncontrollably, and suddenly his bladder let go. He felt the spreading warmth of his urine spreading across his lap as his mind snapped. He screamed again and again realizing full well that he was about to die.

  A clawed hand hit his stomach with incredible force, ripping it wide open. Raj was frozen with fear and agony as he watched his small intestine being ripped out and thrown a few feet away. It landed with a wet ‘slup’ sound on a patch of pine needles. He passed out, and was spared the torture and butchery that ended his short life.

  Sherri was coming up to the ridge and her heart was pounding in her temples, her lungs burned, and she could swear that she tasted blood in her mouth. For a moment, she thought she heard screaming, but she felt sure it could not be Raj because all four of those creatures were still behind her. No, she must be hearing things, she was sure of it. Maybe it was the shriek of a hawk. She reassured herself with that thought and kept on running.

  Suddenly she topped the ridge and, breathless, stopped in her tracks as she nearly fell forward. This was no ridge, but a cliff, a very high cliff overlooking a large valley and a craggy, rocky drop below her. A river trailed through the center of the valley, the swift running water frothing white as it crashed against the rocks. There was nowhere to go. She looked to either side for an escape route but the brush was too thick to run through.

  Sherri could hear the things coming. It was as though they were communicating with each other in scraping, shrieking sounds that made her blood run cold. They were getting closer and closer. She looked around on the ground nearby searching for something to use as a weapon. Maybe a branch, but then again, she realized that hadn’t worked for Macy.

  Maybe somehow she could manage to lure them to jump off the cliff. After that she could run back the way she had come, check on Raj, and hopefully meet back up with John and Emily. Scanning the area, she could find nothing but a few small sticks lying around. It was just her luck that this part of the trail was mostly dirt and rocks. Rocks, that was her only choice!

  As she picked up a couple handfuls of medium sized rocks, she saw a pair of the creatures coming over the ridge right at her. She started throwing the rocks to try to slow them down. “Stop! Come any closer, and I’ll kill you with my bare hands if I have to!” She said a quick prayer and threw one of the rocks narrowly missing the head of one of the aliens. Immediately, she threw the next missile and managed to hit the other one directly in the eye.

  It roared as it reached up and clawed at its injured eye. Orange blood began to run down its neck. She had put out an eye!

  “Yeah, come on! I’ll put out both of your eyes and throw you off the cliff!” Defiantly she yelled, her voice faltering with false courage. The injured alien was obviously enraged, though somewhat stunned. Arms flailing, it continued to grab at its eye. The other one had slowed its advance. It seemed more cautious, seeing its partner’s eye oozing blood. It shrieked at her and stood sizing her up.

  The monsters were closer now, standing no more than ten feet away. They seemed to be weighing their attack strategy as they clicked and growled to communicate to each other.

  Sherri stood clutching the remaining rocks in her hands. She had never been so frightened in her life, and she quaked to her very core. There was no place to run, no place to hide. In that desperate moment, she heard her Nana’s voice. “You’ve done well, child. Now there’s nothing more we can do. You can’t hold them back much longer.” Her grandmother sounded calm and seemed close as always when she spoke. “Jump, honey. You have to jump.”

  “I can’t survive that, Gran. There’s no way!” she argued.

  “We know honey, we know. Don’t be afraid, we will be right here with you.” The voice was soft and reassuring.

  “I can’t! Shandre is waiting for me to come home! Who will take care of him?” Sherri was crying as she continued to argue.

  “Shandre’s grandma loves him very much,” Nana responded. “He’ll be well taken care of, you’ll see. Come on, honey. There are more of those monsters coming for you, and it will be a slow, painful way to go. Don’t let them take you, child. I promise you won’t feel a thing if you do as we say.”

  Gran added, “When I say jump, don’t even think about it, just do it.” Her voice was calming to Sherri.

  “Okay, Gran, okay. I know you love me and have always watched out for me. I have to believe there is no other way. Just tell me when to jump.”

  The creatures suddenly broke free of their confusion. They closed ranks and began their attack with one leaning forward much farther than the other, turning its head and opening and closing it’s jaws as if taunting her. They were so close now that Sherri gagged as she caught a whiff of their stench.

  “Jump now!” and without hesitation, she jumped as far out over the edge of the cliff as she could. The creatures charged and jumped right at her. Since she had jumped just before them, they misjudged the distance and began to shriek as they fell with her over the edge of the cliff.

  As they fell together, the seconds seemed like forever. The monsters writhed as their fate became apparent to them. They were clutching at the air, but Sherri felt at peace somehow. A smile appeared on her face as she crashed against the rocks and the aliens splattered next to her.

  Back in the neigh
borhood, Shandre had been begging his grandmother to let him ride his bike on the sidewalk. After his relentless tirade, she had finally agreed – if he promised to wear his helmet and stay off the street.

  She helped him unlock the chain on his bike and carry it down off the porch. “Okay, Shandre. Stay on the sidewalk right here in front of the house until I get back out here.”

  “Okay.” He put his helmet on and fastened the chin strap that held it in place, then jumped on the seat and began riding down the sidewalk toward the corner.

  She’d made a nice glass of iced tea and left it on the kitchen counter while she helped Shandre with his bike. He was a good boy and she figured he would be okay by himself for a few minutes.

  Shandre loved the feeling of freedom he had when riding his bike. For a boy his age, this was as good as it got. He had promised to stay in front of the house, but when he reached the corner, he forgot all about it and made the turn. A few houses down the road, his grandmother’s words came back to him and he swung wide up into someone’s lawn and made a U-turn. He pedaled back toward the corner hoping to get back home before his grandma came back out.

  As he came up to the turn, he thought he saw some money blowing across the street. It could be a dollar bill, or maybe even more. It made his heart race thinking about what he could do with that money. Quickly he calculated his options. Could he ride out there, grab it, and get back on the sidewalk before his grandma could see him? Or should he let that money just blow down the street for someone else to pick up?

  It didn’t make sense to leave it. He would just have to be quick and then explain to his grandma that the money was on the sidewalk. That’s right, it was on the sidewalk and all he had to do was pick it up! He had one wheel over the curb when he heard a voice yell, "Shandre! You stop right there!” Was that his grandmother?

  “Dang!” He was gonna be in trouble now. Immediately, he rolled to a stop just before his back tire came off the curb and onto the street. No sooner had he stopped than a large cement truck came around the corner and blew past. The driver was blowing the horn and driving faster than any vehicle should have been going through this neighborhood.