“Are you sure it was coming from downtown?” she said. “What if we’re walking in the wrong direction?”
“Downtown is as good a place as any to start looking,” Nick said. “Don’t worry so much CD. Whoever it is, we’ll find them.”
They continued walking south along the freeway. Cody passed the time by checking out the sights – those that he could make out amongst the blanket of darkness that pressed down on them. He noticed a large public car park off to the left with few cars taking up a fraction of the space. Most of the cars were burned out wrecks, not unlike Cody’s Dodge Challenger outside the airport. Further south, they passed a large wooded area at the edge of the freeway, which appeared to stretch in a westerly direction for miles. Cody was aware that some of this scenery – the car park, the woods – was starting to look familiar. If his hunch was right, they were close to Alamo Heights, a small town located about five kilometers north of downtown San Antonio.
“Look!” Rachel said.
Her voice was full of shocked surprise. Cody jerked around – frightened that something was wrong.
Rachel was pointing up at the sky.
There was a loud whooshing noise over their heads.
Cody looked up and saw a large flock of birds flying overhead. They raced past the travelers, a swarm of of black specks soaring effortlessly under a black canvas. Cody guessed they were looking at either crows or ravens. From a distance, they looked like a tribe of giant bats making a hasty getaway out of the city.
“Holy shit!” Nick said. “That’s incredible.”
Cody watched them fly overhead.
“How do they know where they’re going?” he asked. “I thought they used the sun, sort of like a compass?”
Richards and Crazy Diamond had by now caught up with the others.
“They’re probably using landmarks to guide them,” Richards said, without taking his eyes off the display overhead. “It’s also possible that they might be using the Earth’s magnetic field. I guess we can’t ever know for sure.”
“So many of them,” Rachel said, looking up in awe.
She skipped away from the group, climbing over the short concrete wall that separated both sides of the freeway. Rachel ran into the northbound lane and reached both arms up to the sky.
The birds seemed to linger for a few seconds, as if they were checking out the little girl standing on the road below. The massive cloud dipped in mid-air. Some of the crows flew in short, swooping circles overhead.
Rachel was laughing and pointing, almost as if she was sharing a private joke with the birds. It was a strangely intimate encounter, and Rachel was having the time of her life.
Soon, the misty ghost-like shape continued northwards. It faded out of sight.
Rachel watched them go until there was no trace left of the birds in the sky. She started walking back towards the southbound lane when she spun around quickly, as if she’d heard something.
She stood in silence for a moment. Staring towards the edge of the road.
“Dad,” she said.
“What?”
“Do you see them?”
Cody looked towards the edge of the freeway.
“See what?” he said.
“Over there,” Rachel said.
Cody peered towards the northbound side. He heard something – a faint trotting sound in the distance. Seconds later, he saw a hint of movement close to a row of trees lining the edge of the road.
Dark shapes hurried along the road in a northerly direction.
Nick walked over for a closer look. “Are those horses?”
“Zebras,” Rachel said. “Check out their stripes Nick.”
“Oh wow,” Crazy Diamond said, tiptoeing over to the concrete wall. “She’s right.”
Cody saw them clearly now. There were about nine or ten zebras making their way up the road in a swift but orderly procession. The travelers were allowed only a brief glimpse. Maybe the zebras saw five humans and got spooked – whatever it was, they disappeared back into the dense foliage again.
“Did I just see a pack of zebras on the highway?” he said. “Have I finally gone crazy?”
“A zeal,” Richards said. “A group of zebras is called a zeal. Or a dazzle.”
“I’m dazzled alright,” Nick said.
Crazy Diamond jumped the wall and stood beside Rachel on the northbound side.
“Where did they come from?” Rachel asked.
“Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch,” Crazy Diamond said. “That’d be my guess. It’s not far from here. Or I don’t know – maybe they came up from the zoo. Things have sure changed around here though, right?”
“Will they be okay?” Rachel said.
“Sure they will,” Crazy Diamond said. “Doing better than us that’s for sure. They’ve got the pick of the grass in Olmos Basin and all those large parks scattered around the city. Don’t worry about them. Worry about us.”
Cody didn’t feel comfortable standing still for too long. What else was creeping around the freeway in the dark?
“C’mon you guys,” he said. “Let’s keep moving.”
They walked in silence for a while. Tall, dark shadows sprouted up in the distance – these were the buildings in downtown San Antonio. The travelers were getting close to something but there was still no further sign of the blue signal in the sky.
They approached a smaller overpass on the city outskirts
Cody felt something land on his head and he jumped in fright. A drop of cool liquid trickled down the back of his head, running onto his neck. He felt his body stiffen with fear.
“Hold it!” he called out.
Nick stopped and turned around. “What is it?”
A drop landed on Nick’s forehead. “Black rain” he yelled.
Richards hurried forwards, his face pointing at the sky. “It’s those things,” he said. “They’re coming after us.”
Cody scooped Rachel up off the ground. He staggered backwards under the weight of the two backpacks and his daughter.
“Under the overpass,” Cody yelled. “Move!”
They ran in the glare of Nick’s flashlight towards the overpass.
Cody and Rachel took cover first. Crazy Diamond and Richards were close behind them. They wiped themselves down in a panic, if the black rain was burning a hole through their flesh and sizzling its way down to the bone.
Cody turned around. Nick was slowing down. He was still out in the open, not yet under the overpass like the others.
“C’mon Nick!” Cody said. “Get your ass moving man.”
But Nick had stopped dead. He was standing about ten feet from the shelter. With a look of pure concentration on his face, he was studying the raindrops running down the back of his fingers.
“Wait a minute,” he said.
Nick shook his head and laughed. For a split second, Cody thought his best friend had gone mad with Black Fever.
“It’s just rain,” he said. “It’s normal rain.”
Crazy Diamond stepped cautiously out of the shelter.
“Are you sure?” she said. “You mean those things aren’t coming?”
Nick’s eyes were wide and childlike with wonder. Slowly he tilted his head back and let the raindrops trickle down his face.
“Been a long time since I felt that,” he said.
Cody put Rachel down. Dropping the bags on the road, he took Rachel’s hand and crept outside. Sure enough, the water that fell was clear. It was rain – natural rain, which had been scarce since the early days of the Black Storm.
Rachel and Richards joined the others standing under the light rainfall. They stood there in silence, allowing the cool water to wash over them, to soak their heads and hands. They drank the drops that met their lips. They rubbed the water over their faces and felt clean for the first time in a long time.
It was a rare blissful moment. It ended when Cody heard a noise further down the highway.
He spun around. The road was trembling under h
is feet.
It was the sound of a car engine. Coming closer.
“Now what?” Crazy Diamond said.
Cody pulled the Glock out of his pants. He nudged Rachel towards Crazy Diamond. “You, Richards and Rachel,” he said. “Grab the bags and cross the freeway. Hide in the trees. Hide anywhere. Nick!”
Nick had already taken up position at Cody’s side. His AR-15 was pointing towards the sound of the incoming vehicle.
“Dad,” Rachel said, pulling on his arm. “I don’t want to go…”
A pair of dazzling white headlights pierced the darkness up ahead. Cody saw a small van, a few seconds from reaching the overpass.
“Go!” Cody yelled to the others. “Get out of here.”
“It’s too late,” Crazy Diamond said.
She was right and Cody knew it. The van was too close. It had bolted up the highway and caught up with them easily. There was little chance of anyone getting away on foot, especially with the old man in tow.
A white Ford Transit van with a low roof skidded to a stop about fifty feet ahead of the group. Cody and the others stood still, caught in the trap of the blinding headlights.
Nick’s rifle was locked onto the growling van.
Cody pointed the Glock at the windshield.
There was a loud click as the driver’s door was pushed open. A second click followed coming from the passenger side.
“You won’t be needing those guns,” a man’s voice called out from the driver’s side. “We come in peace.”
“Thanks for the advice,” Nick said. “But I think we’ll be keeping them all the same.”
The driver’s door slammed shut. Cody saw the dim outline of a man with a baseball cap standing behind the headlights. A woman with brightly colored hair stood on the passenger’s side.
“We’re not looking for a fight,” the man said.
“Isn’t that what everyone says before a fight?” Nick said.
“Yeah,” the man said, laughing. “That’s a good one. Let me guess, you’re traveling downtown, right?”
“So what?” Cody said.
“Did you see a signal?” the man said. “A flashing blue light in the sky? And now you’re looking for the people who sent that signal?”
Cody and Nick exchanged a brief glance.
“Maybe,” Nick said, turning back to the speaker.
“Then maybe it’s your lucky day,” the man said. “Congratulations, you’ve found us. Or maybe we’ve found you. Either way, looks like we’ve saved you good folks a bit of walking. And if by any chance you want to thank me for that, you can start by putting those guns away.”
Chapter Six
The man and woman took a couple of steps towards the travelers.
As they came closer, Cody could see in the glare of the van’s headlights that they weren’t carrying guns. Or at least if they were, their weapons were concealed.
“That was you?” Cody said. “You sent the signal?”
“Sure did,” the man said.
“So it wasn’t the army then?” Nick said, looking disappointed.
The man shook his head. Cody guessed he was in his early to mid sixties at most. There was something fragile about the man’s appearance – he had a wiry build and a gaunt face with cheekbones that could cut through glass. A flamboyant green Hawaiian shirt was half-unbuttoned, revealing a hint of a white vest top underneath clinging to his skinny frame. Greasy strands of brown hair poked out from the edges of his cap, spilling over his cauliflower ears.
In contrast, the young woman looked very much alive. She was wearing dark green camouflage pants and a tight-fitting black t-shirt over her robust build. Her shoulder-length hair was violent purple and her eyes were coated in black eyeliner, which made for a distinct Emo look.
“Sorry,” the man said. “I don’t think there is an army anymore.”
“We’re here to help,” the woman said. “So take your damn guns off us. Do you know how risky it us for to be here?”
“No we don’t,” Nick said. “We don’t know jack shit. That’s why we’re pointing our guns at you.”
The man coughed and hacked something up that landed in the back of his hand. Tilting his body to the left, he spat something onto the road – something that sounded more solid than liquid by the thud it made when it hit the ground.
“I’m Harry and this is my daughter Layla,” he said. “There you go – now you know something. Who are you? Where are you coming from?”
“The airport,” Cody said.
“Airport?” Harry said, slowly reaching a hand into his shirt pocket.
Cody’s trigger finger stiffened. “Hold it.”
“Just getting a cigarette?” Harry said. “That okay?”
“Slowly,” Nick said. “I see anything other than a cigarette coming out of that shirt pocket and it’s goodnight from you. Dangerous habit you got there.”
“Sure thing boss.”
Harry reached a forefinger and thumb into his shirt pocket. He pulled out a crumpled pack of Marlboro Reds and a matchbox. With a wink, he held them aloft as if to show Cody and the others that was all he was bringing out. Popping a cigarette in between his lips, he struck a match and raised the tiny flame to his face. He inhaled and blew a thick cloud of smoke into the air. Harry smiled, turning his face into a canvas of deep grooves and scars.
“Good,” he said. “That’s better. You know, these things are like gold dust. Marlboro Lights? You’ll find them all over the city. Not even the end of the world makes me want to smoke Marlboro Lights. But Reds? That’s a different story. Shit, if you’re going to smoke, why not do it right?”
“How did you know we were here?” Cody said.
“We didn’t,” Harry said. “We always do a quick patrol after we signal. It doesn’t bring much in the way of results nowadays but old habits die hard I guess.”
“You’re looking for survivors?” Cody said.
“Sure thing.”
“Why?” Nick said.
“Lots of reasons dummy,” Layla said, scowling at Nick.
Nick’s jaw dropped.
“Easy Layla,” Harry said. “That’s rude. It’s only natural to be curious.”
“I’d like to hear those reasons,” Cody said, looking at Layla.
The young woman turned her scowl on Cody.
“Alright then,” she said. “First up, we give a damn about other people. Gettit? Remember good old-fashioned human decency? Love thy neighbor? Nobody who’s still alive in San Antonio is having a good time believe it or not.”
“Second reason,” Harry said, cutting in. “Recruitment purposes. We’re always looking for survivors to join us. I know we probably don’t look like much but along with a few friends, we’re the last of the resistance movement in San Antonio.”
“Resistance?” It was Crazy Diamond who spoke. “What are you resisting against?”
Harry took a long, labored drag on the cigarette. He inhaled all the way down to the pit of his lungs.
“The Black Storm,” he said, shooting out a fine spray of smoke from in between his lips. “Well sort of. To say we’re fighting the Black Storm – that’s like saying in World War Two we fought against German guns and tanks – against the machinery itself. You know what I mean?”
Cody shook his head.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the Black Storm,” Harry said. “What else? The fires went out in this city months ago. Humankind was almost wiped out and I presume it’s the same all over the country, all over the world for all I know. But it’s still here – the Storm – finding new ways to get rid of the leftovers. That’s us by the way – any human being still drawing breath can consider themselves a leftover.”
Cody lowered his gun. He felt like somebody had just punched him in the stomach.
“Back up a minute,” he said, taking a step towards Harry and Layla. “Did you just say that the fires went out months ago? Months?”
Harry nodde
d. “At least six or seven months. Wouldn’t you say?”
Cody and Nick exchanged confused glances. There was a hint of panic in Nick’s eyes.
“But the city was still burning when we took off,” Cody said to Nick. “That was today, wasn’t it?”
Nick shook his head. “I knew something wasn’t right,” he said. “Listen Cody, I figured we might have lost some time up there but I didn’t want to say anything in case I sounded crazy. Think about it man. Look at how the airport was trashed when we got back. That didn’t happen in an hour.”
“You guys aren’t making much sense right now,” Layla said. “Were you in a plane crash or something? Bump your heads?”
“No crash,” Cody said. “But yeah we were in a plane today. The Black Widow brought us back.”
Harry shook his head. “The Black Widow doesn’t bring planes back. She crashes them.”
“We know,” Cody said. “Doesn’t change the fact that we’re still alive.”
Nick swallowed hard.
“We tried to get away,” he said. “It was always going to be a long shot and sure enough, she caught up with us. We ended up back at the airport where we started. Then we went outside and these things – ghosts or something – shot out of the ground. Hundreds of them. Killed the other passengers in seconds, drove them mad with the Fever and well...”
“Sliders,” Harry said. “Yeah that’s a nasty way to go.”
Cody pressed a hand up against the gunshot wound on his side. He felt nothing.
“Maybe that’s why I healed so fast,” he said. “When we skipped forward, something must have happened.”
“Like what?” Nick said.
Cody shrugged his shoulders. “Beats me man,” he said. “If I ever read up on the effects of time travel on gunshot wounds I’ll let you know.”
Harry smiled at the five survivors. “Sounds like you’ve had quite the adventure,” he said. “Must be quite a jolt to the system, knowing that you’ve missed six months of your life.”
At last, Nick lowered his rifle.
“What do you know about the Black Storm?” he said, looking at Harry and Layla. There was a desperate look in his eye. “What the hell’s going on down here? What did we miss?”
The Exterminators Trilogy: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller Box Set Page 19
