A roar like thunder boomed throughout the valley.The scavenging wolves recognized the sound and froze, knowing that danger approached. The pack looked at the leader for guidance, the alpha responded with a growl. Fiercely he strutted out into the road, leaped onto the roof of a wrecked car, a gave a long, loud howl.
· · · — — — · · ·
"So you used to play a lot?" Martin asked, tossing a baseball. Roger swung the bat with ease, feeling a rush of joy reminiscent of his earlier years.
“I was in the adult league for many years,” Roger answered.
“He played damn well,” Said Mary, who was watching them from up on the rock formation. “Had a strong swing.”
“Did he?” Martin replied when he returned with the ball.
“Go ahead, throw me a fast one,” Roger challenged. He focused and everything seemed to slow down. Martin swung his arm releasing the ball at high speed. Roger pulled the bat back, ready to swing. As the ball approached Roger held his breath, whipping the bat through the air. The impact was devastating, the ball burst into a cloud of powder and the bat shattered in his hands. Mary squealed and Martin stared in awe.
Roger dropped the splintered bits of woods and wiped the dust off his hands before commenting; “Well that’s new.”
· · · — — — · · ·
“This is so fun!” Mason cheered as he drove the weaponized truck down the main road of Estes Park. Mason slowed when they passed a motel. “This is where I found Roger,” he told Gary.
“I thought he had a hiking accident when you found him?” Gary recalled.
Mason shook his head. “No, believe it or not, Roger walked for days before he reached town. I saved him here, although he sort of saved me in return.”
“How’s that?” Gary inquired as they started moving again.
“I was ready to opt out,” Mason said. He remained silent for a few minutes, taking in the view of his once hometown. He turned at the blackened intersection, where charred corpses remained from the recent purge. Gary sighed and closed his eyes, humming a mournful tune.
A sudden blast of gunfire from the tailgate reminded them of their passenger. “What is it, Brady?” Mason hollered out the window.
“Just scaring off a wolf!” Brady reported. He’d been keeping a vigilant look out from the truck bed all night and was getting bored. He wiped a tired hand across his sweaty forehead, scanning the surrounding buildings for signs of Seekers or more animals.
The brakes squealed as Mason pulled over next to a pharmacy. He and Gary leapt out with pistols in hand. “Keep watch, would ya?” Mason asked.
Brady nodded, scanning the shops across the street. Just up the road was an open plaza dotted with bushes. He heard glass breaking behind him, glancing back he saw Mason climbing through a window.
“No Seeks in here,” Mason announced.
Brady sighed in relief and returned his eyes to the plaza. Then he saw movement in the hedges. He squinted, searching for signs of Seekers.
“Make a move,” Brady thought aloud.
An ear splitting howl broke the silence. The wolf’s call was answered by several others in the quiet valley. He aimed the mounted gun at the bushes. “Found you,” he muttered, squeezing the trigger. A loud bark startled him and he missed his shot. He whipped the turret around and gasped. Four dark wolves stood ready to pound on the roof of the pharmacy. The biggest gave a vicious snarl, scratching its clawed paws against the floor.
“Clever pooches,” Brady muttered, opening fire on the roof top. He hit two but the third managed to leap over the bullets, slamming into him. “Oh shit!” he cried out as he fought the wolf off. He could see the fourth holding back, snarling and pacing. The third pounced him again, and out of desperation Brady grabbed its jaws. Using all his strength he pulled the wolf’s mouth open and snapped it apart. It shrieked in pain and rolled off of him. The remaining wolf howled and jumped.
“Afraid I can’t let you do that,” Gary exclaimed, bursting out the pharmacy door and grabbing the wolf’s tail. He yanked the animal downwards, slamming it into the ground. The wolf yelped.
Mason dashed out with his pistol aimed. He lowered his gun when he realized Gary had the upper hand. “Yeah, show it who’s boss!” He cheered.
Gary let the wolf climb back to its feet. It growled, baring its teeth. Gary didn't blink when the wolf charged. He delivered a swift kick to its head, crushing the animal’s skull. Blood splattered on the side of the truck.
Brady stared, frozen in shock. He could see a bright glow in Gary’s eyes. A shiver ran down his spine.
“Thought we told you to keep watch?!” said Mason.
“It’s not his fault,” Gary intervened; “We weren’t expecting an attack from animals.”
“Did you find anything in there?” Brady asked, pointing at the pharmacy.
“Yeah, tons.” Mason answered, going back inside and returning with several grocery bags full of medical supplies. “We might find better at the clinic though,” he noted, tossing the bags to Brady.
· · · — — — · · ·
“Do you believe we’re safe here?” Mary asked. Roger put an arm around her, looking at the surrounding forest from their perch on the boulders. “What do you mean?” he inquired.
A tear fell from Mary’s eye. Well, after last night, and what you guys said about the Mockers…”
“Not a problem anymore.” Roger reassured. “I suspect Mason used the ‘Monster’ to eradicate the neighborhood.”
Mary sniveled, leaning against him and stroking his back. “How many more of us have to die?” she choked.
“None, I hope.” He sighed.
Roger listened to the sounds of the valley; light gusts of wind whistling through the pines, branches swaying and creaking; he gazed at the majestic rocky peaks, still coated in a thin layer of snow. Misty plumes of fog shrouded the jagged stone spires, reflecting shimmering glints of sunlight. He felt the warmth of the sun on his back, Mary’s smooth skin touching his.
Roger smiled, feeling peaceful. “I could get used to this,” he commented.
Mary wiped away her tears. “We were so stupid back then,” she giggled.
Roger snorted. “At a time where we should've been closest, we’d never seemed farther apart.” he recalled.
“I should have been more patient,” Mary apologized.
“I had my priorities all wrong,” Roger muttered. Roger looked into her hazel eyes for a moment before giving her a passionate kiss.
· · · — — — · · ·
“They look so good together now,” Gloria commented, seeing Roger and Mary through the kitchen window. Martin Kray was sitting at the bar, exhausted.
There was an awkward silence before he responded. “Did you love Matt?”
Gloria kept her back to him, turning red. “Not in the way you think,” she answered.
“I know it’s sudden,” Martin apologized. “Its’ just that nobody’s mentioned him since last night.”
“Like nobody cares he’s dead,” Gloria whispered.
“Huh?” Martin grunted. “That’s not quite what I meant.”
“But you know it’s true!” Gloria snapped. “Matt died last night. So did Carlos, and several new folks too. But apparently we just have to move on like it didn’t happen.” She blinked away tears.
Martin got up and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder. “Before the outbreak, people still died. Disease, war, starvation…” he reminded her.
Gloria sobbed harder. Martin frowned, trying to think up more comforting words.
“What’s going on in here?” a raspy voice coughed. One of the elderly men, Drew Magnost, entered the kitchen.
“Just talking,” Martin blushed, backing away from Gloria.
The old man smirked. “I got my good eye on you,” he grunted, adjusting his glasses and shuffling over to the fridge.
“You should get what you want while you still can,” Drew said while sifting through the liquor bottles. Martin thought he could smell alcohol on the man’s dirt-stained blue sweater.
“What do you mean?” Martin and Gloria asked in unison. Drew sneered, revealing missing teeth and scarred gums. Gloria shivered in disgust.
“I mean…” Drew began in a blatant tone, “that you two should screw before one or both of you ends up dead.”
Gloria wiped away her tears and slapped him.
Drew glared at her, rubbing his jaw. “Keep your filthy hands away from me, you little slut!” he snarled.
“Hey! Don’t you ever speak to us like that again, asshole!” Martin exclaimed.
“Whoa, hold up!” Pierall rushed in to intervene. “Drew, get back in your trailer damn it!” he ordered. Upon seeing the beer in Drew’s hand he snatched it away. “What did I say, you witless drunk?” he scolded.
Drew cackled. “My choice in drink is none of your concern, brother.” He spat at Pierall’s feet and proceeded out to his trailer, grumbling nonsense.
“Brother?” Martin asked.
“In-law,” Pierall corrected. “We used to get along well enough. Sorry for this little scene.” He grabbed a wet cloth and and wiped up the floor. He looked at Gloria, her eyes red and cheeks still wet. “Did he hurt you?” he whispered.
Gloria shook her head. “Only with words,” she croaked.
“I’m sorry dear,” Peirall apologized. “I don’t know what to do about him, I mostly make sure he’s sober and holed up in his RV.”
“Didn’t stop him today,” Martin muttered.
· · · — — — · · ·
Roger stood and helped Mary to her feet. He glanced at the ground, over ten feet below at the foot of the jumbled pile of boulders, and chuckled.
“What is it?” Mary asked.
“I wanna try something,” Roger replied. He swept her into his arms like a child, causing her to yelp. “Roger, what-” she protested.
“Hold on,” he said. Mary looked into his eyes and saw a soft green glow. She gasped when Roger bounded forward and leapt into the air. She felt weightless as they glided over the yard, and felt awe in how far Roger had jumped. He hit the ground hard on his feet but held her tight. “That was… amazing,” Mary breathed.
“There’s more,” Roger commented. He looked up at the large pines in wonder. He walked up to one, rubbing his hand against the bark. “I feel… better.” He explained. Glancing at Mary he added, “Bet I can climb it?”
Mary rolled her eyes. “Show off.”
Roger took a deep breath and jumped upwards. For him it felt like gravity gave way to his new strength. He laughed when he caught hold of the lowest branch, nearly twenty feet above.
“How’d you get stuck up there?” Peirall exclaimed, dashing down from the patio.
“I’m not,” Roger hollered back, swinging from the branch. He did a front flip and landed with a bow.
“What is this insanity?” Pierall prodded.
“Roger’s immune,” Mary asserted. Pierall looked from one to the other, confused.
“I have what Gary has,” Roger sighed.
“Power,” Pierall retorted. “Like Otis Graham.”
· · · — — — · · ·
A thick fog was rolling into the valley. Leaves rustled and crunched under heavy boots. “Listen,” Gary ordered. “We stick together, no matter what happens.”
Brady hastily nodded. Mason grunted in agreement. Through the fog they could make out the sign for the Estes Park Medical Center. The brick and stucco building loomed in the the midst of the cloud covered hillside.
“There should be a helicopter on the rooftop,” Mason mentioned as they got closer, climbing a short set of stairs to the parking lot. An ambulance lay on its side, the back doors hanging open.
“Check in there, would you?” Gary ordered.
“Yes, sir!” Brady responded, climbing in.
Mason shook his head and continued towards the building. He could hear banging on the glass doors and made out shadowy figures inside. He checked to make sure the others were following before shooting at the glass.
Shards burst apart, gleaming with dew. Mason felt a gust of air as Gary rushed past, and in a blink twenty corpses fell to the floor. Gary applauded himself with a grin and proceeded into the hospital. Mason and Brady stepped over the twitching bodies, seeing large chunks of glass protruding from various limbs.
“I got their major joints,” Gary reassured them, “They won’t be walking anytime soon.”
A Seeker reached for Mason’s leg, gurgling. Mason snorted and kicked the Seeker aside. When Brady walked by it spit up a glob of blood, staining his boots.
“Watch your step,” Mason retorted. Brady groaned in disgust.
· · · — — — · · ·
A loud clamor echoed from Drew Magnost’s trailer. Martin leaned against the door, fuming. The guy’s a danger to us, he thought. He felt a pounding on the door and pushed harder against it.
“Let me out, you piece of shit!” Drew screamed through the window. Martin shook his head.
“Come on,” Drew’s tone changed, “I’ll share you a bottle.”
“Can it!” Martin ordered, his temper rising. The thought of Gloria getting hurt again was infuriating. His fists clenched, veins pulsed under his tanned skin.
The double doors of the house flew open, and Pierall marched out. “Thanks for standing watch, Martin,” he said.
Martin nodded, “No problem.” He took a breath and relaxed.
“I’m going to talk with him, set things straight.” said Pierall.
“You better,” Martin retorted, stepping away from the door and letting Pierall in. He heard the lock click.
“Young man, do you have a minute?” Ben Osmer waved from the picnic tables under the awning between the house and garage.
“Sure,” Martin answered. What now? he thought. He plopped down across from Ben, feeling exasperated.
“Listen, I know these are tough times, Ben began.
“No kidding,” Martin scoffed.
“Let me finish, boy!” Ben coughed. “Times are tough, especially for you and me. The old and young aren’t the best at survival-” Marting rolled his eyes, “-and we definitely weren't prepared for this crisis.”
“Crisis?!” Martin interrupted, slamming his hand on the table. “You think that’s all this is? Have you not noticed what is happening? It’s the damn apocalypse!”
“Now calm down,” Ben raised a hand. “Epidemics come and go.”
“The DEAD are rising,” Martin pointed out. “If you believe the biblical bullshit, you’d see my reasoning.”
“I read the good book, I know what it says,” Ben responded in a calm demeanor. “Yet I refuse to think this is the end. We can all come back from this.”
“Come back? HA!” Martin laughed. “They nuked Denver. Our home. Almost everyone we knew is dead. We kill corpses and murder people to stay alive! We can’t come back from this.”
Martin heard a sneeze behind him, and Gloria placed a shaky hand on his shoulder. “I think there’s hope,” she stammered.
· · · — — — · · ·
“Think it’ll fly?” Mason wondered aloud, admiring the banged up emergency helicopter.
“It’s a little banged up,” Brady responded. On close inspection Mason noticed several dents and bullet holes.
Gary shook his head and chuckled. “You really can be arrogant. I may have strength, but I’m no tool. What happens if I tear the blade off entirely?”
Brady opened the pilot side door. “Cockpit looks fine,” he reported. “He’s got a point Mason,” he continued, relaxing in the pilot seat.
Mason scoffed. “I’m sick of this crap,” he snarled at Gary. “You… have all this ‘power’ but you hide out here in the mountains while everyone else fights for our lives?”
“I…” Gary choked, appalled.
“Calm down, man,” Brady warned. “He protects us.”
“He won’t when he learns what happened to his little experiment.”
“What do you mean?” Brady asked. Gary’s face went cold.
“Our host here had a pet seeker. The late Matt used it for knife practice. Kept a souvenir too,” Mason explained, holding up a sealed plastic bag of pink and yellow mush.”
“Matt killed Ghost?” Gary croaked. “Do you realize how much progress will be lost?”
“On what? The ‘cure’? There isn't one! James Patcorn himself couldn't make one before they blasted that godforsaken lab to bits!”
“What the hell are you talking about?” a confused Brady interrupted.
Mason shook his head. “Nothing you’ll understand. Let the big boys talk now, please.”
“Hey now,” Brady slid out of the cockpit and trudged over. “I think I deserve to know. I’m not stupid.”
“I’ll tell you guys everything when we get back to the den,” Gary promised.
“I can show you all you need to know right now,” Mason told Brady, raising his pistol at Gary and firing his entire clip. Gary’s eyes glowed as they rolled back and he fell to his knees.
“No!” Brady exclaimed, charging. Mason swung around throwing a hard punch to Brady’s gut, then brought a knee to his groin. Brady gasped for air as Mason grabbed him by the neck, forcing him to watch Gary bleed out.
“Why?” Brady stammered.
“Because he’s just like the undead.”
Brady watched Gary heal in awe. “See my point? He’s not human.” Mason insisted.
“He won’t be happy you shot him!” Brady yelled. Mason dusted his hands off, climbing into the helicopter. Hope it flies, he thought as he began flipping switches.
“Nah, he barely felt it,” Mason remarked while the engine spun up. Brady had to shield his face from a blast of dust. Mason saw Gary climbing to his feet and pushed the throttle. The helicopter wobbled violently as it lifted due to the bent rotor. Gary glared up at Mason and in fury dashed across the rooftop after the helicopter. Mason raised his altitude, feeling nauseated from the shaking.
An alarm started beeping and the helicopter took a sudden dive. Mason cried out and corrected it, but not before vomiting into his lap. He glanced back at the hospital in time to see an air conditioning unit whirling towards him. He pulled at the controls, managing to dodge the large projectile, forcing the helicopter into a spin. Mason frantically tried to remember what he knew about flight, aiming for the lake in the middle of town in preparation for a crash. He felt sick, dizzy, even scared. To his luck the helicopter stabilized just over the water, spraying a cloud of mist in all directions.
“Too close,” he muttered in relief.
· · · — — — · · ·
Martin sat on his bed, holding his dead brother’s gun. Memories flowed through his mind. The last time he’d seen Charles was when he left with Gloria to find medicine. For Paul Marshall, he thought. Charles died for the guy to mutate and go on a rampage. He twirled the revolver in his hands. No, he died to save her, he reminded himself. If your brother would die to protect her, wouldn’t you kill for the same reason? He got up and holstered the gun.
“Judgement day,” Martin whispered, heading downstairs and slipping out the front door unnoticed.
“It won’t do much good.” Ben hollered as he passed the patio.
“Way to give it away,” Martin groaned, rubbing his forehead.
“My pleasure,” Ben said with a wrinkled smile.
“Why do you care so much?”
“Why do you?” Ben remarked. “So he said a few hurtful things, don’t we all?”
“What am I supposed to do then, huh?” Martin whispered through gritted teeth, “There’s only one way to deal with his sort these days.”
“His sort? Hah!” Ben laughed. “How backwards it sounds, for a young honest fellow to plot of killing and old fart, now where’s the justice in that, boy?”
Martin was at a loss for words. He tried to collect his thoughts, but realized they were all entangled in irrational rage. Ben’s right, he thought, killing Drew isn’t justifiable. There’s not enough good reason.
Mary peered around the corner, looking at Martin. “She’s not worth it,” she warned him. Martin nodded, setting down his gun.
“I guess you’re right,” He sighed as Mary walked over, her tousled hair shifting in a light breeze.
“Why don’t we just enjoy the sunset?” Ben commented, tilting his head towards the snowy peaks, bathed in the glow of the falling sun.
Martin looked too, but noticed a twitch in Ben’s eye. Martin reached for his gun but the old man was faster, knocking it to the floor. “Hey!” Martin began before Mary cupped her hand over his mouth.
“I’m sorry, we can’t take any risks,” Mary explained, punching him in the face. Stars popped into Martin’s vision, his ears rang… He stumbled, sputtering. His nose throbbed and he tasted blood. Martin lost his balance, and the last thing he saw was Ben’s boot coming down on his face before he was knocked out.
· · · — — — · · ·
“Was that really your best idea?” Roger asked, dropping hot chunks of metal into the Jacuzzi.
“Speaking of ideas,” Mary coughed, avoiding the subject, “Will this even work?”
“Mason’s zappy blades work, so figured I’d try it out.” Roger shrugged, carelessly grabbing more heated metal parts off the grill. Mary grimaced at the sizzling sound of searing flesh. Roger chucked them one by one into the water, each giving of a steaming splash.
“Not feeling anything,” Roger commented, showing her his hands.
Mary gasped at the sight of them; fingers charred, palms melted and bloody, she could even see some bone. Roger clenched and unclenched his fists, chuckling while the flesh regrew, the blood siphoning back into his vessels. He wiggled his fingers and the layer of black ash flew off revealing pristine skin.
“See?” He reassured her with a hug.
“It still freaks me out,” Mary giggled, wrapping her arms tightly around him.
“It tickles, to be honest.” Roger joked. Mary grinned, hoping to look amused; however her emotions were running wild in her mind. The power’s changing him, she worried.
“Well, it’s not hot, but the water isn't cold either,” Roger said, pulling out the metal chunks and tossing them aside. “Wanna take a dip?”
“Sure,” Mary agreed.
· · · — — — · · ·
Martin woke in a dark room, tied to a chair. He blinked in an effort to discern anything in the shadows. It was cold, and the air had a metallic taste. Possibly the blood, he remembered, but I think this is the garage. He tried to shout, and was unable to make a sound. His face was so numb it took him a moment to realize he’d been gagged. What’s happening? He thought desperately.
The silence was deafening. Martin concentrated on wiggling the bonds around his wrists loose, but with his arms pulled behind the chair the task was proving difficult. After many minutes of struggle he gave up, sweating and exhausted.
Why are they doing this? Martin wondered. I wasn't going to do it, they knew that! He heard a quiet rumbling in the distance. Curious, he concentrated on the familiar sound.
Is that a helicopter? Martin thought in amazement. There were many indiscernible voices outside, and the noise of rotors grew increasingly louder. There was another sound too, the roaring of Gary’s truck. Gravel clanged against the garage door and he heard cheering.
“The boys are back!” Roger announced, loud enough for Martin to hear.
Somebody help me! Martin pleaded.
. -. -..