You and Me against the World: The Creepers Saga Book 1

by Raymond Esposito

  Austin felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Golden staring at him. She nodded to the Escalade. He understood and he grabbed Annie by the arm and whispered, “Get Brad and let’s go.”

  She didn’t understand until he smiled his little devious grin and looked back at the Escalade. She laughed and grabbed Brad’s arm, dragging him toward the vehicle.

  Austin jumped in the driver’s seat as the three others piled in. He hit the roof lights. Golden didn’t wait on finding a CD in the back but instead took off her iPod and attached it to the Aux input. She hit Play and then turned the dial all the way to maximum. The speakers screamed. Austin gunned the engine and backed the big SUV at the highest speed he could maintain. Lights blazing and stereo blasting, they rushed passed the crash at a high enough speed to blow back the standing group’s hair. Austin continued his high-speed reverse through the oncoming horde, crushing several beneath the vehicle.

  “What the fuck are they doing?” Adam asked.

  “Dammit, Austin!” Devin yelled. “You’re gonna get yourselves killed!”

  Austin piled through the Creepers until he had put some distance between the truck and the now reversing horde. As anticipated, the lights and music drew the Creepers away from the van. The music blared, but none of the occupants needed instructions. They fell out of the SUV and began shooting everything in range.

  “That’s pretty heroic,” Thorn said as they moved the crying children to the van.

  Devin shook his head. He, Adam, Nick, and Brandon and the two young girls formed a short wall between the Creepers and the van, but it was unnecessary as all focus was on the lights and music.

  “It’s dumb,” Devin replied. “He’s gonna get himself killed.”

  “You know what I find alarming?” Brandon asked.

  “What?” Devin looked over at his friend.

  “That your dad had this song on his iPod.”

  Devin could not help but laugh. The thought had occurred to him also; his dad hadn’t seemed the Miley Cyrus type.

  Nick sang a few lines of the song. The others turned and gave him a critical stare.

  “What? It’s ‘Hoedown Throwdown.’ You all have something against Hanna Montana?”

  Devin shook his head. “I got something against you singing Hanna Montana.”

  The distraction worked. When the kids were loaded, the van backed and ready to go, Devin and his team moved forward. Vanessa didn’t move. She just looked down at her feet. Brittney stopped between her friend and the advancing group. Devin turned and saw the problem.

  “Brittney, forget it; just get her in one of the trucks.”

  They moved forward and pumped bullets into the Creepers that stood between them and the Escalade. They aimed carefully to avoid catching their friends in the crossfire. Austin’s team saw them, took out a few of the closest infected and then scrambled back into the SUV and sped forward.

  It was a cramped, uncomfortable ride, and the van’s temperature gauge quickly rose to Hot. However, they had escaped with only the loss of the C2. Overall, they had been very lucky. That worried Brandon. In his experience, God had a way of collecting on those lucky breaks. He would have preferred to be wrong, to have judged God too harshly. Unfortunately, in a short time, his fears were confirmed.

  Here kitty, kitty

  “Austin,” Devin called from the CB radio.

  “Yeah, bro?” Austin called back, his tone conciliatory in anticipation of his brother’s anger.

  “Dude, that was dumb. You guys could have been killed, or worse.”

  “I know, I know, but something needed to be done.”

  Devin was silent. He closed his eyes for a moment. “Yeah, okay, but no more heroics.”

  “Roger. And bro … I love you too,” Austin said, and made kiss-kiss noises.

  “Just follow orders.”

  Brandon saw the smile flash on his friend’s face.

  He took the mic from Devin. “Austin, I want my Escalade back and in one piece.”

  “Yeah, a question about that …” Austin called back.

  “Did you ruin it?”

  “No, I’m just wondering if you ever turned on the GPS system. Yeah, I didn’t think so.”

  Devin and Brandon looked at each other. Satellites were still unaffected. They had never even considered it.

  “Austin”—it was Thorn—“this van is not going to run much longer. Can that GPS find us a place to stop?”

  “Oh, look at that,” Austin said sarcastically. “It has a Google map. Let’s see. Brandon, turn left in … shit, never mind.”

  A few seconds later, the black Escalade sped past the other two vehicles and took the lead.

  Annie’s voice came over the radio. “Austin says to follow us.”

  A small dirt road wound through the woods. It led to a two-story building surrounded by an eight-foot-high chain-link fence. The gate was open, and the vehicles drove through and then stopped in front of a large roll up door.

  “You saw this on the GPS?” Susan asked as she got out of the van.

  “Sort of,” Annie answered. “The thing had a Google Earth file. Those maps aren’t current, but it was worth a shot.”

  “Okay, Adam and Brad, let’s check it out. Everyone else stays put until we’re sure it’s clear,” Devin said and led the group into the dark building.

  At one time, the building had served as a small machine shop. It was mostly empty now, but the thick cement two-story walls, the high windows, and the heavy doors made it the best safe haven they could hope to find. There was one large, empty room, almost eighty feet long and half as wide. A short hallway flanked by three offices connected to a second room. This room was half the size of the first and had no windows. High on the wall, almost at ceiling level was a line of vents. It also had two large exhaust fans hanging from the ceiling. In addition, there was a generator, and it was full. It started on the first pull. Adam flipped a switch, and lights came on in every room. They were low, but it was better than the sitting in the dark.

  “This seems pretty damn secure,” Brad said.

  “I agree,” Devin nodded. “Let’s get everyone in and figure out what to do about the van and the supplies.”

  There was much to accomplish, but the adrenaline rush from the narrow escape had left them exhausted. Thorn leaned on the van and watched as Susan and Caroline unpacked dinner from a storage box. The two talked and laughed, and Thorn suddenly realized how close in age they were and how old he was by comparison. Beyond them, he saw Brad, the former high school football player, talking with Annie. She had taken his hand, and he looked around nervously to see if anyone noticed. The rest of the group sat in a circle and discussed their next move. Adam was showing a lot of animation as he made some point, and Austin absently hefted his baseball bat.

  “I bet you want to brain him, don’t you, kid?” Thorn said to himself and smiled.

  Thorn felt like he was being watched. He looked around. In the corner near the front door, he saw the two younger girls, Vanessa and Brittney. Brittney was talking to her friend, but Vanessa just stared off into space and gave no indication that she listened. Thorn reminded himself to speak with both the girls; he still worried about their mental health. They were more alone than the rest. They hadn’t known any of these people before the end. In a way, they were on a treadmill of following directions, of trying to stay alive, and he wondered if anyone had ever asked them about their families or their friends lost in the apocalypse. The feeling of being watched persisted; he turned again and then looked up. On top of a tall metal cabinet, nearly ten feet high, he saw the blue-eyed girl watching him. He realized that she probably saw as much as he did, probably thought about things as much as he did. Locked in her iPod world with nothing to do but think. He wondered what went on in her head. Wondered what she thought of while she sat high up there. Was she the se
ntry, or was she the observer?

  “Dr. Thorn, got a minute?” Devin called.

  End of the world and the kid still practices his manners, Thorn thought.

  “Sure, Dev, what’s up?”

  “Another slight difference in opinion.”

  Thorn didn’t intend to but he looked at Adam.

  “Yep, the pain in the ass,” Austin snickered.

  “Not this time,” Devin countered. “Adam has a valid idea, but I want to throw around the options.”

  “Reflections Lake part two,” Austin laughed.

  “You know what?” Adam yelled and stood up. “Maybe we should just settle this outside.”

  Austin stood up and spun his bat with one hand. Thorn thought how much the piece of wood was an extension of the kid’s entire being.

  “Austin, come on. Seriously, give Adam a break, will ya?” Devin said.

  Austin nodded his head.

  “Yeah, okay. Sorry man, I’m just screwin’ with you.”

  He walked over to Adam and extended his hand. Adam hesitated for a moment, unsure if Austin was serious. Then he took the hand and they shook.

  “I swear, Austin, you get under my skin like my kid brother,” Adam said and smiled. The memory of his kid brother must have surfaced because the smile faded.

  “I know; I do it on purpose,” Austin smiled back.

  Friends at last, Thorn thought.

  “Hey, if you two aren’t gonna kiss, can we get on with it?” Nick said, and they all laughed.

  Austin gave Nick a punch in the arm and then sat back down.

  “So here’s the deal,” Devin continued. “Even if we fix the van, we need another vehicle. Now I didn’t see a dealership back in town, and honestly, going back there is probably a pretty bad idea.”

  Heads nodded.

  “But we need to at least get the van a new radiator. If—and that’s a big if—we can fix it, we can pull out the seats. We can pack the little kids in there with some supplies. Nick and the doctor can drive that one. The two SUVs can carry some supplies, and we pack the rest of us in them for a few miles. We are bound to find another vehicle down the road.”

  “So the problem is the van repair,” Thorn said.

  “Exactly. We need to go into town and find a radiator.”

  “But town is a bad idea,” Thorn added.

  “Right. So Adam thinks we’re better off splitting up. A group goes ahead and finds another van and another SUV.”

  “I saw that movie.” Brandon laughed. “Everyone dies.”

  “Well, I have a question that might help with the solution.” Thorn looked around. “Does anyone know how to put in a new radiator?”

  No one did.

  “Then I have a different solution. Let’s fix the one we have.”

  “Okay, my turn, Doc. Do you know how to fix a radiator?”

  “Umm, I never have, but the idea is fairly simple. We have a hole in the van’s radiator, but the fan and the hoses are still okay. We weld the hole shut, using that welding equipment we found in the other room. We refill it with water, and then we drive slow and watch the gauge.”

  “Will that work?” Devin asked.

  “In theory, it should. As long as we can stop the water from draining out, it should be okay.”

  “In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is,” Brandon quoted and smiled.

  Devin looked at him. “Are you done?”

  “Yeah. Sorry.”

  “But don’t we need to take out the radiator to weld it?” Nick asked.

  “I don’t think so. We just break off the front grill to reach the hole.”

  “And it won’t blow up?”

  “I guess we can put some of that sheet metal behind it to keep the torch away from the engine. If it works, we can stay together and find a better solution. If it doesn’t, we’re no worse off—just a little delayed.”

  “I want to get out of here as soon as possible,” Devin said.

  “Afraid they’ll find us here?” Thorn asked.

  “That, and it’s damn hot in here without air conditioning and I hate the heat.”

  The group laughed.

  “Okay,” Devin said. “Let’s give it a try.”

  They pulled the seats from the van. They argued over the supplies. Some were not happy about leaving behind food and water; others argued leaving ammunition and weapons behind was a death wish. They balanced out the best they could. Thorn was surprised to find that he, the pacifist doctor, felt a pang of uncertainty at the boxes of bullets and number of guns they had stacked in a corner.

  Devin walked over and stood beside him.

  “You hope that a day doesn’t come when the horde is running you down, you’re chambering your last bullet and thinking about this pile we left behind.”

  Thorn nodded.

  Devin put his hand on Thorn’s shoulder and said, “But there are no right answers anymore, are there, Doc? Just the next choice to make based on what we need at that moment.”

  Thorn turned and looked at him.

  “Spoken like a true leader, Devin.”

  “Yeah, I still prefer to be just the bro making plans.”

  “I think,” Thorn said, “those days are over.”

  It was Devin’s turn to nod.

  “Well, it’s time to see if my crazy welding plan works,” Thorn continued.

  “Yeah,” Devin smiled. “This one’s on you if it doesn’t.”

  Brittney screamed. Brandon silently cursed God. Everyone ran to the open door, where the young girl lay on the floor.

  She pointed to the parking lot.

  “They attacked her. I told her not to go, but she did, and they all just jumped on her when she opened the gate.”

  Adam stepped outside, and the others followed. He directed a large flashlight into the moonlit gravel parking area. A hundred feet from the building, Vanessa lay on the ground. She didn’t move. Twenty infected cats crawled over her, tearing off pieces of her flesh and eating them. The cats only slightly resembled their preinfected state. Although they were no taller than an average cat, in the flashlight’s beam, their fur was thick and luxuriant. Beneath all the fur, the group saw the cats’ muscles ripple and bulge. Their green eyes were luminescent in the dark, but when they faced the light, they became a deep liquid gold. The flash beam drew their attention and twenty gold eyes were joined by forty more that poured through the now-open gate.

  “Get in, close the door,” Thorn yelled. He had forgotten about the infected cats and again cursed his own stupidity.

  “No!” Brittney screamed. “We have to get Vanessa.”

  She pushed through the small group.

  “She’s dead,” Thorn said, more harshly than he had intended.

  “No, she can’t be. She can’t be!”

  Adam tried to push her back through the door, but she broke away and ran toward her fallen friend. Adam started after her, but Nick grabbed his arm.

  “Don’t,” was all he said.

  The cats attacked the young girl. Her screams were brief, and then she too lay motionless on the ground. The cats ran toward the group as they fell back inside and slammed the door.

  Inside they were silent. Each considered how they had failed their two young and loyal companions.

  Duets

  Caroline and Susan cried over Brittney and Vanessa’s death. Perhaps because they had spent the most time with the two girls, or perhaps because they had not been killing former humans and current rapists. Perhaps through that lack of killing, they had managed to maintain more of their humanity than the rest of the group. Thorn held Susan and let her cry. Devin did the same with Caroline. There was little time for mourning, especially with the sound of the infected cats scratching at doors as they searched for
entry.

  Thorn and Devin left the women with the children. Both the women collected themselves quickly, which in Thorn’s opinion, was a further testament to the inner strength they both possessed. The children were aware something else bad had happened, but they had the benefit of innocent resilience, and they returned to helping sort through boxes and repacking for the trip.

  “I’m starting to lose my sense of humor with this shit,” Annie said. You could see the intense anger behind her blue eyes and in the flush on her face. “Creepers by day and now fucking infected cats at night. What the fuck! And I hate fuckin’ cats. I say we go out there and kill them all.”

  “No one’s going outside,” Devin said. “Chill, Annie.”

  “I’m tired of fuckin’ chillin’ while everyone around me dies.”

  A tear spilled down her cheek and then another as she put her head down. Golden approached her sister and hugged her. All of the anger drained from the Death Dancer and she cried. Brad finally stopped pretending he wasn’t in love with the girl, walked over, and hugged her.

  Devin cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes. It wasn’t necessary to hide the emotions he felt; he wasn’t alone in his sorrow.

  “Doc, I think we need to get that van ready,” he said.

  “I think you’re right.”

  “Nick and Brandon, can you guys help me load these vehicles?” Adam asked quietly.

  Adam looked over at Brad and decided to leave his friend to his girl.

  “I’m gonna take Golden, and we’ll patrol the inside perimeter,” Austin added. “Annie can join us when … well, whenever she’s ready.”

  The Escalade had a flat tire. The jack was under the pile of supplies in the back. They needed to remove everything in order to reach it. It took several attempts to weld the radiator. Thorn didn’t know how to use the torch, and the weld kept breaking away. Things were the usual cluster fuck.

  They needed at least another ten minutes of preparation when the first infected cat found its way in through a vent in the second room. Only an hour remained before sunrise. Devin sighed at the thought of another bad escape plan.