Wormwood Dawn (Episode II) (11 page)

Drew continued driving as Dan and Jake went over their inventory of weapons. Black Sabbath droned on the sound system, giving them all a much needed dark and melodic lullaby. They still had plenty of ammo left, with several carbines to spare. The question was whether to save them for backups, or give them to whoever needed them. One each would suffice for their little group. With travel a definite possibility in the future, there would be little room for an overabundance of rifles; they needed all the room the Hummer could spare.

One thing they were still lacking, however, was an adequate power supply at home. The generator used a lot of gas, and they would soon be siphoning abandoned cars for more; not only for the generator, but for the Hummer, too.

Jake had opened his manual to a section on solar power. He showed Dan the schematics for building a complete circuit that could be easily attached to the existing main supply line. It seemed simple enough, and Dan knew where to get the supplies. Gary and Linda had a whole solar array, and that would be their first quest once they returned to the house; after a night of rest, of course.

As the landscape around them became more familiar, Dan’s thoughts went back to the strange vision he had during the creek chase. What he had seen in the woods was something that had horrified him; even jarred his very soul. He wasn’t even sure he had seen what he thought he had seen, but if he had, he faced a dilemma.

Jake had mentioned that some people had seen them, and had posted their experiences on the bulletin board. Perhaps he should read them; privately, of course. If he had hallucinated, it would best not to even bring it up. He didn’t want to seem crazy. Jake had scoffed at the stories, he remembered, but maybe there was something to them. Maybe there really were dark, shadowy figures roaming the ruins and the forests.

Maybe there were some in his own neck of the woods.

Or maybe he was just crazy.

Either way, something had been out there, and he wanted to know what it was. Shadow or not, it was real. He had seen it with his own two eyes, and it was watching them. Not attacking, but watching.

Watcher,
he thought. That was a good name for them, if they existed.

“Coming up on 39,” Drew announced. Dan shook himself out of his obsessive thoughts.

Jake was leaned against the window, fast asleep, with Pauli leaned against his leg. Drew was bobbing his head to the music—still Black Sabbath—and was driving at a leisurely and even speed, sipping on a beer. Dan crawled up into the front seat, reaching down to grab a beer of his own, and lit a cigarette.

He watched the countryside go by, relaxing back in the passenger seat with a feeling of contentment. Once again, they had survived a mess, and the sense of confidence he had after the first major encounter had returned. He and Drew had defeated an attacking horde on their own—complete with a stalker—and now with their new companion, they had defeated not only a horde, and a stalker, but a pursuing paramilitary force, as well.

They were growing in strength and skill, and their new companion had some much needed knowledge that would be valuable to their survival. With the three of them working together, they could even help others to survive.

Wait… what?

Dan chuckled to himself as he repeated his last thought. What was he thinking? He never cared about helping others. Ever. He had a hard enough time helping himself over the last few years. He had no time, or resources, for helping others.

Still, in the back of his mind, the thought persisted. He kind of hoped it would go away.

He chugged the last of his beer, crushing the can and tossing it over his shoulder. It bounced off Jake’s chest, prompting the big guy to smile crookedly and shake his head.

“Fuck you, man,” he said.

The sky suddenly blazed with a blinding light. As the three of them covered their eyes, the Hummer skidded off the road, bouncing into the roadside ditch, and coming to a jerking stop. The light was followed by a deafening, but distant, boom that shattered the sky. Dan felt the explosion in his ears, and he wrapped his arms around his head to shield them.

“
What the fuck!?”
Drew shouted.

The ground rumbled, and the concussion of the explosion shook the Hummer as it swept toward them from the northeast. When the light died down, Dan peeked up over the top of the door, squinting into the distance. He briefly looked back at Jake, who was slowly raising his head, too.

There, on the horizon, a huge mushroom cloud stretched upward into the yellow-brown sky. Dust and debris blew in their direction, striking the Hummer in an endless barrage. The ground stopped shaking, but the damage had been done. The forests in the distance had been leveled, and the glow of countless fires lit the darkness as the smoke cleared.

“That was Indy,” Jake said. “They fuckin’ blew it up.”

Dan’s heart raced, and his gut sank as he realized what had happened. Gephardt had destroyed an entire city. Perhaps in an effort to kill off the infected, but likely to simply eliminate the many military personnel who were there sheltering the survivors.

All of those people… gone.

“It’s like Hell on Earth,” Dan said. “I can’t believe it. This is unreal.”

They watched in silence as the mushroom cloud dissipated, and the haze cleared. The sky remained an odd yellowish color, and the clouds that had once dotted it were gone; blown away by the force of the explosion. All that remained was a tall, swirling column of smoke that twisted and broke apart as the winds returned.

Drew put his hands to his face, lowering his head in sorrow. Dan knew that even though it was likely that Drew’s family had perished in the infection, there was no question that they were gone now.

Everyone was gone.

Dan looked back at Jake, seeing the forlorn expression on his face as he stared off into the distance. He, too, may have had family there. Or, maybe he was just affected by the prospect of so many people dying at once. Who knows? Either way, it was yet another disaster in a seemingly long line of disasters to come.

Though the weight of emotion was heavy, Drew began to chuckle. He wiped his eyes, starting the Hummer again; a wide smile on his face.

“This is just
fucked!
” he shouted, putting the Hummer in gear, banging the dash with his fist.

He dug the tires into the grass as he pulled back onto the road, leaving a rooster tail of debris behind them. Pauli whined from the back seat, and Jake picked him up to calm him down. Dan said nothing, leaving Drew to grieve in his own way.

“Well,” Drew said, somewhat calm. “What now, boys?”

“It’s been a rough day, man,” Dan replied. “Let’s go home and get shit faced.”

Drew grinned again, giving an exaggerated nod. Jake chuckled from the back seat. Dan reached down and hit the power button on the sound system, and the cab was once again filled with the brutal sounds of down-tuned guitars and blast beats.

The countryside was a blur as they headed south at top speed. With the music playing, there was no need to speak. It was clear that they all had the same thought on their minds; pure survival. The world had gone to shit, and there was nothing left to care about anymore except for waking up day by day, and making sure they were still alive at the end. No bills, no utilities, no paychecks, and no taxes. It was all just caveman style survival. Kill or be killed.

The way it was meant to be.

There they were; three men and a dog in a stolen Hummer filled with military grade weapons, headed home toward an uncertain future. They were apocalypse cowboys; a posse of former losers who were now the alpha males among the remnants of the human race.

…and whatever else was out there.

About the Author

Edward is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, whose dreams had always steered him toward storytelling. Having studied biology and astronomy in his spare time, Edward developed a story that eventually combined the two sciences with his love of horror and sci-fi. Wormwood Dawn is the result of this mishmash of disciplines.