Wormwood Dawn (Episode III) (11 page)

“Run!”
Dan shouted.

The men scrambled to get away, following the creek as the explosions continued to blast their ears. Shards of flaming wood and chunks of rock flew through the air around them, and the smoke and fog were becoming too thick to see through. Still, they plodded through the creek, running toward the opposite direction of the jets.

Trees crashed into the ground behind them, sending flying branches into the smaller trees around the creek. There was fire everywhere, and the smell of burning wood choked them.

“Get to one of the Hummers,” Jake said. “They should have gas masks.”

The crossing was just ahead, and a Hummer was visible through the fog and smoke. They made their way through, avoiding the many fires that were scattered around the yard, finally reaching the Hummer breathless and coughing. Jake pointed to where the nail bomb was, and they all avoided it.

The big guy opened the rear door, reaching into the cargo compartments. He passed out the gas masks, and they all quickly donned them.

“We should really get the fuck outta here,” he said, his voice sounding muffled through the mask. “The forest is gonna burn. The house, too.”

Dan shook his head. “No fucking way, man,” he protested. “This is our castle. We defend it.”

Jake grabbed him by the arm, pulling him face to face. “Dude,” he growled. “We’re gonna die. They’re determined to kill us.”

As Dan looked up into Jake’s burning eyes, the outline of another chopper appeared through the fog in the distance.

“Something’s coming,” he said. “Another chopper.”

Everyone turned to look, and Jake let go of Dan’s arm. The black shape emerged from a break in the smoke for a brief moment. It was a larger chopper; one that was used for carrying cargo.

“It’s a Chinook,” Jake said, turning back to glare at Dan. “See what I mean? They’re coming in heavy now. Let’s
go!”

Resigned to flee, Dan nodded and began backing away. Through the smoke, the chopper was growing larger as it approached, and he could see a large object dangling from the bottom, at the end of a long tow cable. It looked like a crate.

“What is that?” Dan said, pointing.

The chopper disappeared into the smoke again, obscuring everyone’s view before they could see. Jake pushed them all back, urging them to run for their Hummer. Behind them, the sound of the chopper’s rotor echoed as it neared.

Dan turned and raced toward the creek, where he had parked the Hummer earlier. The vehicle was almost frame-deep in the rushing water by now, and they would have to struggle to get it out.

“Fuck,” Dan cursed.

“In through the top,” Drew shouted.

Dan grabbed onto the roof and pulled himself up, dropping into the cab and turning the key as the others piled on. The engine cranked… and cranked… and cranked. Nothing.

“Goddamnit!”
he hissed.

“Fuck it,” Vincent said. “Back to the house. We gotta take cover.”

Dan climbed out, jumping into the creek again. They all mounted the bank, struggling to get up its muddy slope. And that’s when they heard the crash. The chopper suddenly swooped overhead, rising above the tree line as it banked to return to its home base. There were no troops inside from what they could see, but the crate was also missing.

The chopper had dropped it.

From the distance, sharp cries and howling shrieks caught their attention, the sound sending chills up Dan’s spine. He glared into the smoke and fog as they ran, desperate to escape whatever was coming next.

From the looks of it, things were about to get much worse.

“The house isn’t secure,” Dan said as he ran. “There are huge fucking holes in the walls.”

“To the deck, then,” Jake said. “At least there’s only one way onto it.”

“Oh great,” Drew protested. “Let’s just corner ourselves there.”

They sprinted across the yard through the rolling smoke, looking back through the haze as the howling and screeching grew louder. Then, as they neared the house, a shrill cry erupted directly behind them.

A dozen pale white, gangly figures burst from the smoke; some of them staggering on two legs, others galloping on all fours. They were grotesque and horrifying, and they were all hell bent on tearing the four men to pieces.

The largest of them pounced, leaping through the air right toward the porch. Dan ducked and rolled out of the way just as the creature crashed into the door, growling and chattering.

“Fuck!”
Vincent shouted, blasting the thing with his shotgun.

Jake turned and fired his LMG at the charging creatures, hitting a few as they closed in. The four men backed away, Vincent still blasting the leaping creature as it twisted and flailed to regain its footing.

Drew and Jake cut right, taking the path around the back of the house. Jake released a stream of flame, incinerating a charging pair of creatures. They howled with agony as the flames overtook them, and broke off from the group; rolling and writhing in the mud to extinguish themselves.

Dan fired his AR as he ran, taking down one creature with several shots to the chest. Vincent fired behind him, finishing off Dan’s target with a slug to the head. The two of them ran along the front line of hedges, jumping over the rubble to reach the larger side yard. Behind them, the growling and hissing of the creatures at their heels spurred them on.

Dan skidded around the corner, glancing quickly from left to right to find a place to turn and fire. He heard Vincent curse and stumble, and spun around to grab him. The two creatures pounced, both of them spreading their wicked claws and baring their fangs. Dan fired a burst of rounds, striking one creature in the face just as Vincent rolled out of the way. The injured beast staggered off to the right, and Vincent blasted its head apart with his shotgun.

The remaining creature continued after Dan, rising up to its back legs to run human-like and swipe with its claws. Dan spun out of the way, taking off for the back of the house. He saw Jake at the corner, his flamethrower ready, and his machete in full hack mode.

“
Jake!”
he shouted. “
Behind me!”

Jake ducked to the side as Dan sprinted toward him; his pursuer bearing down on him and cackling beast-like as it prepared to pounce. Just as Dan passed the corner, Jake let loose, engulfing the nasty beast in a ball of flame. It screeched in agony, and flailed its arms as it fell to the ground, rolling and thrashing in the mud. Jake continued spraying it as it rolled away.

Dan joined Drew in laying down a barrage at the remaining creatures. They fired round after round at the rushing enemies, and they were soon joined by Vincent, who ran up reloading his shotgun. Behind them, Jake hacked the flaming creature with his machete until it was nothing more than flaming chunks of putrid flesh.

One two-legged creature leaped onto the deck railing, clawing its way sideways along the wooden slats. Its eyes burned red and its maw dripped as it came at Dan, and he put three rounds in its face, blasting holes in the strange, white flesh. But the creature kept coming, and pounced in the air screeching as it snapped its jaws. Dan ducked out of the way, spinning around to put another burst of rounds into the creature’s back. It tumbled away screaming, and Jake drenched it in flame.

Vincent and Drew spread out to separate the remaining creatures, each one running in circles and dodging the razor sharp claws. Jake lowered his flamethrower, pulling out his repeater, and fired round after round. The creatures scattered with the barrage, one of them fleeing with one leg flopping uselessly. Jake finished it off with a skull shattering headshot.

Drew and Vincent finished off the rest, chasing after them and blasting them into a bloody pile of macabre, white flesh.

“What the fuck, man?” Jake said. “They’re using the infected? How did they catch them?”

Dan shook his head in disbelief. “They were different,” he said. “Kinda like Stalkers, but not as mutated.”

“They sho’ was ugly, tho’,” Vincent said.

Drew pulled off his gas mask, tossing it aside. “The smoke’s clearing,” he said. “I can’t breathe in this fuckin’ thing.”

Vincent and Jake pulled theirs off, too, and Dan reluctantly tugged at his mask. He decided against it, leaving it on. “Still too thick for my allergies. But what do you guys think?”

Drew shook his head. “I dunno, man. But I think it’s time to move on. They know we’re here and they want us dead. That’s pretty obvious.”

Dan nodded, sadly. Drew was right. The house was all fucked up anyway. Gephardt would just keep coming until they were dead. Regardless of how well they defended the place, constant raids would get old really quick. Besides, the mercs would eventually turn to just wiping out everything with a bomb.

“Alright,” he said. “Let’s go back in and grab everything we can. Vincent, maybe you can get the Hummer running. I couldn’t get it started.”

Vincent nodded, slinging his shotgun over his shoulder, and headed for the Hummer.

“I’m gonna miss this place,” Drew said.

“Me too,” Jake said. “And that stupid dog. Little fucker.”

Dan slung his rifle over his shoulder and starting walking toward the house. He could hear the others behind him, solemnly following in step. Dan looked at the mess with a heavy heart, but knew that leaving was probably for the best. They were no longer safe here, and keeping on the move would make it much easier to stay hidden.

He was about to turn the corner when heard a faint pop in the distance. Before he could look back, pain suddenly shot through his shoulder, and his face was splashed with blood.

“
Jesus Christ!”
he heard Jake shout. “
Get down!”

He felt himself shoved to the ground and dragged toward the creek. His legs bounced over the muddy ground, splashing slimy mud all over him. The pain he felt was incredible, but he couldn’t tell why he was hurting. Was it his blood? Why were the other guys screaming and dragging him away?

What was happening?

“Dude!” Drew said, his face right in his own. “Are you alright?”

Dan’s vision blurred. He felt pressure on his shoulder, and looked to see Vincent pressing his hands against him. There was blood everywhere, and the looks on everyone’s faces were disturbing. But he couldn’t speak.

“Dan,” Jake said, smacking him in the face. “Stay with me, brutha!”

Why was Jake smacking him? What the fuck was going on? Why did he feel like puking?

He felt the cold water of the creek rush over him as he was dragged into it. It cleared his vision a little, and he looked in the direction of the popping sound. Through the fog, a dozen large, bulky figures emerged; slowly stalking toward them. They were fully armed, almost robotic in appearance, and black as night.

“What the fuck are they wearing?” he heard Drew shout.

The sounds of gunfire erupted around him, and the other guys moved away from him, taking cover behind the bank. Dan managed to roll himself over, bringing up his rifle to rest against the mud. Though his vision was still swimming, it was beginning to clear. But his stomach still felt queasy. Nevertheless, he looked through his scope at the approaching figures.

They were Gephardt, to be sure; probably some elite squad of highly armored juggernaughts. They had likely been sent in to clear the area for good. As the troopers passed one of the Hummers, an explosion knocked several of them away, shredding their armor and tearing them limb from limb. Dan knew that Jake’s bomb had done it, and he smiled.

The other guys fired at them, keeping low and hidden as the enemies fired back. The creek exploded around him, and he struggled for the strength to pull the trigger. He got one enemy in his sights, searching up and down the man’s body for a clear place to fire. He decided on the faceplate, zeroing in and holding still enough to fire.

He squeezed the trigger, waiting for his target to fall. But he never did. The target kept coming, holding a large weapon toward them.

“What the fuck?” Dan whispered to himself.

He was suddenly forced back into the creek as Vincent pounced on top of him. He looked up into Vincent’s face as he pressed his shoulders down into the mud. From the look on Vincent’s face, Dan thought for a moment that his friend had betrayed him, and was now going to finish him off. But Vincent leaned in, pressing his forehead against his own.

“Stay down, brutha,” Vincent said. “We got this.”

Dan choked as Vincent pressed him down into the creek. He propped himself up in confusion, watching as Vincent and the others left him behind to advance.

“
Wait!”
he protested.

Jake turned, LMG in hand, and waved him down. Dan lowered himself back down, crawling backwards until he reached an overhanging branch. He pushed himself back against the bank, pulling loose branches over his body as he peered out at his friends. They were rushing the troops, firing wildly, doing the most insane thing they could possibly do.

He felt a twinge of fear, knowing in his racing heart that his friends were rushing to their deaths. A lump rose in his throat, and the sobs came quickly.

“Stop,” he whispered, breathless. “Don’t leave me.”

In the distance, the troops fired large grenade launchers. The smoking missles bounced on the ground near the guys, releasing clouds of gas that blew yellow in the wind. The mix of fog and gas obscured whatever was happening, and Dan could only guess that his friends were in trouble. As his vision began to swim around again, he saw the faint outlines of Jake and Drew pitching forward onto the ground. Vincent lasted the longest, bravely fighting off the approaching juggernaughts before he too dropped his gun and fell.

The soldiers emerged occasionally through the yellow-white glow, surrounding his friends and bending down to lift them away. They were being captured. They were still alive.

Dan fell back, exhausted. His strength was waning quickly. Though Vincent had wrapped his wound, he knew he had lost a lot of blood. He could very well die here with no help. He needed a doctor, or at least someone who knew how to treat wounds.

First aid kit in the Hummer,
he thought.

Yes. First aid kit. The Hummer couldn’t be that far away. He could drag himself to it and fix his own wound—if he could make it. Gritting his teeth, he dragged himself to the side, crawling in the direction of the creek crossing. That’s where the Hummer was. That’s right. Right there at the crossing. Not too far away.

He clawed his way forward, ignoring the pain and freezing cold. He could barely breathe in his gas mask to top it all off, but he wasn’t about to remove it. The area was completely engulfed in gas, and he too would succumb to it if he was unprotected.

He groaned with the excrutiating pain, stuffing it down with a growl, and continued forward. The mud slowed his progress, as well as the roots and chunks of sandstone that littered the creek. But he pressed on, determined to reach the Hummer.

Then, behind him, he heard the muffled shouts of troopers. He stopped, sliding over into an alcove of mud to conceal himself. He heard the splashing of boots in the water, and the chatter of two or more soldiers. As his heart raced, and his breathing quickened, he closed his eyes and accepted his fate.

He, too, would be captured; possibly tortured and killed. But, he thought with a smile, at least he would be with his buddies.

“Come get me,” he whispered faintly, his strength finally giving out.

He heard a sudden scream, a gunshot, and the splashing of someone struggling in the water. Then, a loud crunch. Silence.

What had happened?

He turned his head, his vision clouding and swirling like he was hammered in a bar. He rolled over onto his back, weakly forcing his eyes to stay open as he scanned the creek. He saw only the rushing water, clouds of mud, and a splash of blood on the bank.

Was it his?

He sighed, laughing. He would die here, he knew; all alone and in shit creek. Literally. He had to laugh at his fate. What a way to go.

He heard splashes again. Someone walking through the creek toward him. He couldn’t see, only hear—almost feel it. He began to feel the darkness closing in. He was done for. He had lost way too much blood.

The last thing he saw before his vision faded was the faint outline of a dark figure stalking toward him; slowly bending down and cackling with delight.

“Hello, Dan,” a demonic voice said. “We meet at last.”