by Lukens, Mark
There were no rippers waiting on the other side.
But the rippers were coming. He saw them running down the side of the house towards the garage doors. They would be here in seconds.
Ray jumped inside the SUV and slammed his door shut. He pushed the button down to lock all of the doors.
“Now, Dad?” Mike asked.
“Yes,” Ray told him. “Now.”
Mike lit the string of firecrackers in his hand as Ray shifted the SUV into drive. Thank God the vehicle had been backed into the garage so he could just pull right out into the parking area. He stomped down on the gas pedal and the SUV lurched forward.
As the fuses sizzled on the string of fireworks, Mike pushed the button to roll down his window.
Ray sped out into the parking area, but he’d forgotten that Kim’s SUV was parked so close to the garage. He had to turn the steering wheel sharply to the left, the tires sliding on the thin layer of snow, the back end of the SUV fishtailing.
We’re going to hit the truck and be stuck here.
Mike flung the string of firecrackers out of his window. They started popping before they even hit the ground.
The group of rippers stopped when they saw and heard the firecrackers, some of them sliding on the snow, some of them stumbling a little as they backed up a few steps, their eyes wide with surprise.
“It worked!” Mike yelled.
But they weren’t in the clear yet. They had missed crashing into Kim’s SUV by mere inches as Ray let off of the gas and kept turning the steering wheel. He had to turn the wheel the other way to straighten the vehicle out so they didn’t crash right back into the garage. He stomped down on the gas pedal again.
The back tires spun on the film of snow, but they finally caught traction. They sped down the driveway towards the open metal gate.
The rippers were chasing them down the driveway now. And at least twelve more rippers were running across the front yard from the trees, trying to cut them off before they reached the gate.
Ray had to slow down as he reached the gate. He couldn’t take that turn too fast out onto the road; he couldn’t slide off the road and into the bushes and trees, stranding them in a ditch or in the brush. He let off the gas and pressed down on the brake pedal gently as he turned the steering wheel. He felt the back end of the SUV sliding, but it wasn’t out of control yet.
Some of the rippers were throwing rocks at them. Ray heard the pinging sounds of the smaller rocks bouncing off of the rear quarter panels, and one large rock thumped off the back, but at least they hadn’t shattered any of the windows yet.
Ray drove a little faster now that they were on the road that ran through the trees. He glanced to the right and left, but he didn’t see any rippers running towards them from the other mansions set back on either side of the road. And now he could see Prospect Road ahead through the trees. He risked a glance in the rearview mirror and saw that they were leaving the group of rippers behind. A few of them threw some rocks, but none of those rocks even got close now.
He slowed down and turned onto the street, turning right, heading west. They were driving faster now, the trees on both sides of the road whipping by in a blur.
Emma breathed out a long breath, like she’d been holding it in for a while. She unbuckled her seatbelt, and then she was moving around back there.
“You okay?” Ray asked her.
“Yes,” she said as she picked up something from the floor. “How about we celebrate with a little music?” she asked and handed Mike the CD player he had found for her.
Mike smiled and took the CD player she offered. “Don’t we need batteries?”
“I put some in it yesterday,” Ray told him.
Mike flipped the lid up on top of the player. “There’s a CD in here already.”
“Play it,” Emma said.
Mike frowned, reading the CD inside the player. “Gloria Gaynor? Who’s that?” He was about to take the CD out.
Ray put a hand on top of Mike’s hand, stopping him. “Just play it.”
Mike closed the lid with a sigh and hit PLAY. A moment later I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor began to play.
“What’s this?” Mike asked.
“It’s great music, son,” Ray told him. “That’s what it is.” And Ray began singing along.
“Please don’t sing,” Mike groaned.
Ray sang anyway, and Emma joined in. After a few choruses, even Mike began to sing along.
Yes, Ray thought, he had made the right choice to leave Craig’s house. It would have been overrun by rippers today. They would have been trapped down there in the basement. But he didn’t want to think about that. It was already the past, and now he was looking towards the future. Doug’s cabin in West Virginia would have weapons and food, he was sure of it. They would be safe there if they decided to stay through the winter. And after the winter was over, maybe they could go down to Georgia, find the place called Avalon. Maybe there were scientists in Avalon, scientists working on a cure.
He liked to believe there was.
But in the meantime, Ray was going to enjoy this moment, and after that they would keep on surviving.
A THANK YOU:
Thank you so much for reading my book! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you’ll check out the next book in this series – Chaos: Dark Days Book 2. Being an author is a dream come true for me, and it only happens because of readers like you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Please feel free to follow my blog for updates, sales, articles, and more. Just click on the link below and select the Follow button.
https://www.marklukensbooks.wordpress.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Mark Lukens has been writing since the second grade when his teacher called his parents in for a conference because the ghost story he’d written concerned her a little.
Since then he’s had several stories published and four screenplays optioned by producers in Hollywood. One script is in development to become a film. He’s the author of many bestselling books including: Ancient Enemy, Sightings, The Exorcist’s Apprentice, Devil’s Island, and Followed. He’s a proud member of the Horror Writers Association.
He grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida. But after many travels and adventures, he settled down near Tampa, Florida with his wonderful wife and son . . . and a stray cat they adopted.
He loves to hear from readers! You can find him on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/Mark-Lukens-Books-670337796318510/
You can follow him on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/marklukensbooks
His blog is: https://www.marklukensbooks.wordpress.com
He can be reached via email at [email protected] and at [email protected]
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