Rise of the Mudmen

by Thompson, James FW

  The smell of gasoline reached Nicole, making her heart race faster as she spurred everyone into action.

  The doorframe finally splintered under Jared’s assault and gave in, causing a huge crash as the door fell inward. A short silence followed, and then they heard Jared bellow in frustration. “I know you’re still here, somewhere!” he screamed from the bedroom. “I watched you all fucking day!”

  They had slept in the “hard way” room, knowing that if Jared decided to make his move, the bedroom would be his first stop.

  Nicole took advantage of the noise Jared was making to open the back window and throw out the emergency ladder. She hoped there were no mudmen down there, drawn in by Jared’s noise. The fence would protect them, though it had been badly buckled when David had been used as bait when they rescued the girls.

  If she’d had time, Nicole would have checked for danger, but she didn’t. Now, Kaitlyn had already carried Hannah down; hope was all Nicole had as David headed out next. She would hand Ryan to him, then Alex would go, carrying Shadow. Nicole would be last. She owed them that at least.

  She heard Jared’s footsteps approaching when she noticed the glow of the the flashlight they had left on the floor. The only other light in the building. Their secret escape was over.

  “Go!” she ordered, shoving Ryan toward David.

  ALEX

  Jared must have seen the light by now, Alex thought. He looked at Nicole, contemplating exactly what he should do. No. He knew what he should do, but he wasn’t sure if he actually could.

  Nicole looked at him, a confused expression on her face—something he wasn’t used to seeing from her. She was about to lift Ryan into David’s waiting arms.

  Alex bolted for the flashlight and then for the door, turning back just long enough to say, “Make sure Shadow gets out safe!” He ran into the hallway.

  “Stop!” Nicole yelled, but it was too late.

  Alex was already in the hall, waving the light to get Jared’s attention.

  “You are so fucking stupid, Alec-SUH!” Jared yelled, the warm, flickering light from his torch surrounding him. “You’re so fucking dead!” He threw the gas can toward Alex, but it landed short in a clattering roll. He pulled a knife out of his pocket, this one much bigger than the one he had taken from Steve. He lifted his torch over his head and tossed it behind him.

  The gas caught. Flames quickly blanketed everything as Jared advanced on Alex.

  This didn’t work. Now he’s just going to chase me back out the same window he would have, only sooner. We’ll have less time to get away. I’m dead, and so is everyone else.

  He backed away a few steps, keeping his eyes on Jared. The crazed boy wasn’t running, just casually walking toward him. Behind him, Alex could see the possibility of an exit. The walls, the ceiling, the floor were all aflame, but there was a path through the middle.

  I’m dead either way.

  NICOLE

  Nicole watched Alex as he stood in the hall, framed by the doorway just a few feet away. Behind her, Ryan had a grip on Shadow, who tugged against the small boy’s arm. Jared was just steps away from seeing them.

  Alex turned his head and mouthed at her, “Go!” He looked away, back toward Jared.

  Nicole called out, trying to get him to come back. She would have gone after him—dragged him back to the window and berated him for his stupidity—but she had Ryan to worry about.

  And maybe she had to let him do this.

  Alex would distract Jared long enough for her to get Ryan down the ladder. Maybe long enough for all of them to make their escape completely.

  ALEX

  As Alex ran toward Jared, the world moved in slow motion.

  He remembered the same thing happening two summers before when he fell off his bike into a fifteen-foot pit. Each bounce—each time his body hit the gravel—happened at half speed. It had happened plenty of times when he played soccer. The ball coming at his face took forever to make contact. He had experienced many slow-motion experiences. They all had one thing in common.

  They always ended with him getting badly hurt.

  The closer Alex got to Jared, the more he realized just how much he and his knife would hurt him.

  “Stop! Come back!” he heard Nicole yell behind him, quickly followed by an anguished “No!”

  He tried to sidestep Jared, but the older boy anticipated it and grabbed him by the arm. He glared at Alex, sweat pouring down his face.

  As Alex looked into Jared’s eyes, he realized that he would much rather face the fire than the intensity that Jared had bottled up and was about to unleash on him. Before the knife made contact, he kicked Jared in the shin, disorienting the larger boy long enough for Alex to twist out of his grip.

  Before bolting into the growing inferno, he realized that antagonizing Jared even more would ensure he would follow him, and not continue to the back room where the others were making their escape. He struck Jared on the side of the head with the large flashlight he still held with a death grip. The top of it shattered, but the blow brought Jared to his knees—a worthwhile sacrifice. As he headed toward the flames, he hoped Jared might not be able to follow him at all.

  The hole in the flames was bigger than he had thought. The walls, floor, and ceiling were engulfed in a waving cover of fire, but the space in between was just smoky and hot—the hottest thing he had ever experienced. If he hadn’t just struck someone he knew to be a killer, he would not have dared to go through it.

  The stairs were completely free of fire, but the smoke made it difficult to see and breathe. His eyes stung as he headed down. Faint light from the smashed-open door gave him a goal. He only had one thought now: get Jared away from the others. As far away from them as possible. He didn’t think about how he would find them again—he had no idea where they were headed after the decoy houses. He hadn’t thought to ask where any of them lived.

  Maybe he knew he wouldn’t get the opportunity to look.

  He heard Jared stumbling above him. “You’re dead now, Alec-suh!”

  Good, Alex thought. He sees me. He’s not gonna get me right now, but I know he’s there.

  He headed into the street. The cold air was even more intense after going through the fire. He felt a wave of nausea wash over him, though he wasn’t sure if it was the drastic shift in temperature, or what was chasing him. Wiping the panic sweat from his brow, he ran across the parking lot and stopped to watch the door. Jared stumbled out, looking around frantically for his prey. Alex felt the wind ripping around him, pushing him back toward the building. Jared spotted him. Rubbing his fists into his eyes, he yelled and started for Alex.

  Alex ran. He just had to stay ahead of Jared, who would be going at an all-out sprint; he’d have nothing holding him back and rage pushing him forward. Alex wouldn’t risk looking; he knew that Jared would stay after him. His friends were safe, for now. He just had to lead Jared somewhere to give them time to get farther away. He had no idea where he was going. Just away. Into the dark. The clouds allowed hardly any moon- or starlight to shine down on the streets. Over the howling wind, he heard Jared’s footsteps slamming on the pavement behind him.

  As he approached an intersection, he had to make a decision: if he kept going straight, Jared would eventually run him down. If he went right, he would be headed into an unfamiliar neighbourhood. If he went left, he headed toward his own house.

  He turned left, forming an idea. One that would possibly even help him survive and get back to his friends.

  He ran through yards, around barns and abandoned cars to create obstacles between him and his pursuer, though it proved just as difficult for him as it seemed to be for Jared. Realizing the futility of dragging the chase on that way, he decided to take a shortcut to his house. The woods would prove just as much of a challenge for Jared as the debris in people’s yards.

  Alex stopped behind a truck to catch his breath, just for a moment, until Jared got close enough, and then he ran into the woods, jumping ov
er fallen branches and raised roots.

  Jared might even hurt himself in here! he thought. He might be so blinded by rage that he could run into a low branch or slip in the mud. He felt hope, as he imagined Jared lying on the ground with a twisted ankle, unable to pursue him or his friends any further.

  If not for that image—if he had been paying closer attention to what he was doing—he probably would not have tripped over a root, twisting his own ankle and falling hard to the cold, muddy ground. His arm caught underneath him, all of his weight suddenly thrown onto it with an audible and painful crunch. The intense, sharp pain told him it was broken, but that was the least of his problems.

  Jared was there within seconds. He grabbed Alex’s twisted ankle, triggering excruciating pain as he flipped him over. “Aww,” he said in mock sympathy, “you take a widdle spill, Awec-suh? You gon’ be all wight?”

  Alex could only look up in terror, unable to even squirm away, unable to make his inevitable torture or death even remotely difficult for Jared.

  Jared reached down with his knife, putting the blade against Alex’s throat.

  As they walked, Alex almost wished Jared had just killed him, or left him in the woods to die. No one would be there to save him. But Jared had another idea—what he called “a more suitable punishment” for Alex.

  He forced Alex to his feet, one bent awkwardly as he tried hard to not put any weight on it. The uneven, slippery ground made that impossible and he was in immense pain within seconds. “Get moving,” Jared said, punching him in the obviously broken arm. Alex howled in pain, but didn’t dare look at it; he knew his hand hung the wrong way.

  Jared stayed behind him, prodding him by punching, or just tapping, his broken arm. Alex limped slowly on his twisted ankle, forcing noises of frustration from Jared. Alex took a small joy in that. He would make things as annoying for his captor as he could.

  The harsh wind blew against them as they went. Alex kept a close eye on the ground, making sure he had good footing and that nothing was in his way to trip him again. He’d had to catch himself on his injured ankle a few times already and each time the pain grew, forcing him to squeal or whimper.

  Each time he made a sound of pain Jared laughed and prodded him harder.

  The wind carried the smell of smoke from the community centre, even so far away. Or maybe it was coming from his clothes. Either way, it reminded him of the day when he set out to find his father at the former elementary school only to find it burned down—flaming and smouldering walls, thick smoke in the air stinging his eyes. It seemed so long ago, though Alex could not really remember how many days it had been.

  As they went, he noticed a new smell. The rotten, filthy, stench of decay and death. He stopped when he realized where they were heading. Jared’s shove almost knocked him to the ground. He caught himself and let out a scream of pain.

  The moon had finally come out, just in time for Alex to see what Jared had prepared for him. A few feet away, Jared’s pit was a dark shadow on the ground. The moaning sounds of the mudmen still trapped inside filled the air.

  “Oh, come on, Alec!” Jared laughed behind him, “You woke ‘em up! You were gonna be a surprise!” He shoved Alex’s shoulder, but Alex would not move, no matter how much it pushed his injured foot into the ground, further twisting it in the wrong direction.

  “No stopping now, Alec!” Jared said, “Not when we’re so close!” He faced Alex, placing his hands on Alex’s shoulders, with a mock smile. “Don’t worry, buddy! It’ll be all over really, really soon.”

  Alex saw his opportunity to strike. He could hit Jared and force him away, giving Alex a chance to escape. Maybe he could even hit Jared so hard that he’d fall into the pit and solve the problem for Alex and his friends forever. He tried to make a fist, forgetting at that moment that his wrist pointed the wrong way. Instead of striking a blow against Jared, he just whimpered in pain.

  Jared gave him a quick smile, maybe realizing what Alex had been thinking. He put his forehead against Alex’s, as if he cared; as if he was trying to forge a connection. He grinned as he pressed even harder into Alex, forcing him backward onto his bad ankle. “Really, really soon,” he whispered.

  He grabbed Alex by the shirt, and spun him around quickly. Alex’s ankle throbbed as he tried to balance himself. Not that he had to; Jared held him off the ground. He could have gone limp to make things harder on Jared, but instead, he tensed out of fear for his life—which he knew, as Jared had assured him, would end really, really soon.

  Jared backed him to the pit, grinning the whole way. Again, life moved in slow motion. It was only a few feet to the pit, but it felt like he was staring into Jared’s hate-filled eyes for far too long. Still, he wished it would last longer—when it ended, so would he.

  Something moved in the darkness. Were there more mudmen in there than before? He couldn’t tell. It sounded like there were more, or maybe they were just more excited, knowing they were getting a full meal at any moment.

  “Got any last words, Alec-suh?” Jared said as he held Alex over the pit of clambering mudmen. Instead of waiting for an answer, he just laughed a horrible, horrible laugh.

  Alex wanted to answer, but his mouth was locked shut in terror. He wanted to say something. A dozen pleas ran through his mind as he clenched his eyes closed—as if it would be possible to convince Jared to let him go; to let him live.

  Please, let me go!

  Stop it!

  I won’t tell anyone!

  Stop it!

  I’ll do whatever you want!

  Stop it!

  Please! Please! Please!

  “Stop it!”

  Alex’s eyes flew open, surprised at the words. He wasn’t sure if he had said it, or if it was someone else. The voice sounded unfamiliar. Was it Jared? Was it Steve?! Was it ... one of the mudmen? Could they talk?

  Jared looked over Alex’s shoulder, with a wide grin. “Now what the fuck do you want?”

  He pulled Alex away from the pit and dropped him beside it. Clearly, he wanted to enjoy feeding him to the creatures without distraction. Alex lay in the same spot he had been in before, pain thrumming in his arm and ankle, trying to see who Jared was talking to. He wasn’t sure if it was the darkness or the pain that made it so difficult.

  Jared moved to the other side of the hole, leaving him alone for a moment. Evidently, he considered it impossible that Alex could run away. He could take care of whoever had interrupted, then scoop up Alex, already defeated, and toss him to the mudmen.

  “Stop it,” said the voice again.

  It sounded much smaller to Alex the second time, but still unfamiliar. As Jared, holding up his knife, took a step toward whoever it was, Alex finally made out a small figure standing on the cleared path between some trees. He almost didn’t recognize him; at least he understood why he didn’t recognize the voice.

  Ryan stood alone against Jared.

  Alex tried desperately to get to his feet, to save the younger boy, but he collapsed with a grunt as he tried to push himself up on his injured arm.

  “Don’t worry,” Jared called over his shoulder to Alex, “I’ll finish with you right after I take care of this little retard.” His glare never left Ryan.

  Alex dragged himself around the hole. Maybe he could grab Jared’s leg, giving Ryan a chance to run away. Why did he come? Did he follow us the whole time? Where’s Nicole? Where’s anyone else?

  By the time Alex reached the other side of the pit—the mudmen clawing at the soil, trying to either climb out of their prison or pull Alex in to begin their feeding frenzy—Jared stood right in front of Ryan. Obviously, he didn’t think the small, quiet boy was much of a threat, since he just stood, looking at him, taunting him.

  Jared raised the knife as if he was going to drill it straight through the top of Ryan’s head, killing him in one shot. Then a dark, blurry shape launched at Jared. He staggered backward, fighting with the thing that was trying to get on top of him; something black, and strong,
and growling viciously. Something defending Ryan and Alex.

  “Shadow!” Alex yelled.

  Jared slashed at the dog, as he stumbled and struggled back toward Alex. “What the fuck?!” Jared yelled, just a few feet from him. Alex saw light reflecting off blood on Jared’s hands and arms and hoped it was Jared’s, not Shadow’s. She continued growling, but there was a whimper to the sound as well. She was still fighting for him and Ryan, through her own pain.

  But she couldn’t fight forever.

  Jared finally threw the dog off, shaking his arm as if in wild pain, splatters of blood flying. Hot drops hit Alex’s face as his psychotic bully stood near him. Jared took a step toward Shadow, his breath coming in hot, short, spit-filled bursts, and his knife raised. The dog was now the biggest—the only—threat that Jared saw. He would finish her first.

  Alex tried to grab Jared’s foot, to pull him back, to stop him from butchering his dog—his constant defender. He didn’t get the chance.

  In a flash, Shadow was back on her feet. She charged at Jared, clamping down on the arm that brandished the knife, flinging it back and forth. Alex could see desperate anger in her eyes. Jared’s rage matched hers, but it was also clearly mixed with pain. Alex was more proud of her than he had ever been of anything in his life. Maybe they couldn’t stop Jared, but Shadow would give him scars to remind him never to try it again. Maybe she would even make it so that he couldn’t do it again.

  As he struggled with the dog, Jared stumbled back, almost stepping on Alex. Fearing further pain to his arm, Alex pulled it underneath him and balled himself up. He felt a solid kick to his side and a scream from Jared. He’s going to take us both out in one swipe! Me and Shadow. Then Ryan.

  The scream, he quickly realized, was not one of anger, but of terror and pain. Jared’s weight crushed down on him, then rolled off. It wasn’t until the screams intensified that Alex realized Jared had rolled to his right.

  Into the pit.

  Alex didn’t see what happened to Jared next. He heard all of it. And imagined it: the mudmen growling in their frenzy as they tore and bit into Jared, their teeth and hands covered in gore. Jared screaming, trying to fight them off. But there were too many of them, and the pit too small and tight to give him any opportunity to fight them off or even to back up. He would have fallen right into the middle of them. He wouldn’t even get the chance to stand up.