Evolution Page 2

  Bethann held Daisy’s bike in her hands and swung around and bashed the tire of the bike into the head of the infected that had scratched her. It fell to the ground, unable to stay on its mangled legs. Bethann didn’t hesitate, she lifted her foot and shoved the heel of her shoe as hard as she could into the cracked skull, piercing the brain with the shards of the skull. Bethann didn’t stop to scrape the black goo from her shoe, she pushed the bike across the car and quickly followed.

  “Quick! Quick! They're coming!” Daisy waved her hands, urging Bethann to move faster. Daisy reached out and grabbed the bike, careful not to touch the wheels, and pulled it to the ground. She could see the blood from the new wounds mixing with the blood from the old ones. The sight scared her.

  “Are you ok?” Daisy felt a bit better when Bethann just nodded and motioned for Daisy to get back on the bike. “What if they follow?”

  The thought sent shivers down Bethann’s spine. In the theater they seemed to be unable to figure out how to get past obstacles. If they can do that now, that would mean that they are evolving.

  Shaking her head, Bethann assured Daisy, “They can’t climb.” Pushing her bike a few feet, Bethann swung her leg over again, “When they figure it out, we’ll be long gone.”

  The truth of Bethann’s words rang as the infected pummeled into the cars. Torn flesh meeting steel, the sound of cracking bones and frustrated screeches followed them as they rode away.

  Chapter 3

  “Knock on the window.” Danny urged.

  “What?” John shook his head, “No way, you do it. That could be one of the infected in there playing possum.”

  Cindy made a sound of disgust, “You can take the boys from the video games but you can’t give them their brains back.”

  Cindy’s comment earned her goofy grins. She walked up to the window and peered inside. The woman appeared to be sleeping. She was wearing pajamas, no shoes. Her brown hair was tied up in a messy knot on top of her head and she held on tightly to a long handled ice scraper. There wasn’t any blood that Cindy could see and there were no signs of infection. Cindy bent forward and stared at the woman’s toothpaste stained tank and watched as her chest rose and fell with ther even breathing. Feeling confident that the woman wasn’t going to wake up and gnaw their heads off, Cindy tried the door handle. Finding the door locked, she tapped on the window.

  Cindy tried not to laugh as the woman slowly woke up, fluttering her eyelids and producing a very large yawn. Cindy could see the wheels turn in the woman’s head as she first frowned at finding herself in the car. The woman’s eyes widened and her mouth fell open when she turned toward the sound that woke her up. Cindy could tell she was about to scream so she offered a smile and a thumbs up.

  Avery sucked in a deep breath and was about to scream when the person on the other side of her window smiled and gave her a thumbs up. Snapping her jaw closed, she scrunched up her face again, “Who in the hell is this crazy person?” she muttered.

  Avery watched as the woman made a spinning motion, asking her to roll down her window. Avery looked at her steering wheel, she had power windows and knew that the only way to roll down the window was to start the car. Reaching for the key, she started to turn the ignition over.

  The sharp slap on the window stopped her. Looking back, Avery saw the woman shake her head no. Sadly, Avery was really hoping that last night was all a dream, that she was on some kind of drunken escapade. Sighing her disappointment, she reached over and unlocked the door. Pushing it open, she stepped out into a whole new world armed with her deadly ice scraper.

  “Um...Hi?” Avery was relieved to see real live human non-eating brains kind of people. In the light of day she could see the clog of cars that had tried to make it onto the highway. Shaking her head, “I can’t believe that I made it through the night in my car.”

  “Are you ok?” Danny walked up to Avery with a first aid kit, “Have you been bitten or scratched by anything?”

  Avery lifted up her arms and twirled in a circle, “Nope, all good.” Lowering her hands, she took a look at the small group before her, “Is there anyone else alive.” She didn’t mean to sound so dramatic but it was a really important question.

  “Not to worry. I’m sure there are all kinds of lucky people out there, just like us.” John offered her his best smile and stuck his thumbs in his belt loops, “So, you dating anyone?”

  Avery couldn’t help the snort that escaped, “Your not my type.” Turning to the little blond woman that woke her up Avery asked, “What happened...what is happening?”

  Cindy smiled and the shocked look on John’s face. He was a huge flirt and had fun doing it. Reaching out a hand Cindy introduced herself, “I’m Cindy. Those two goof balls are Danny and John.”

  “I’m Avery.” Avery looked around her again, nodded at the two men, noticing that John wasn’t at all put off by her not interested line, just offering her another wide mouth grin.

  “Who’s that?” Avery pointed to a woman that looked like she had been in a cage fight with a grizzly bear and managed to come out alive.

  “Veronica!” Cindy gave a soft shout, just enough to get her attention. When Veronica looked her way, Cindy motioned for her to join them.

  Veronica nodded her head and made her way back to the car at the end of the line. She had been searching the other cars for any survivors, looking for Bethann and Daisy. Figuring that not finding them is good news, she made her way back to Cindy and Avery and offered her hand, “Hello, I’m Veronica.”

  “You look like shit. What happened?” Avery slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. “I’m so sorry. Apparently I’ve lost my filter at what appears to be the end of the world.”

  “No worries, she’s a tough cookie. Aren’t you Veronica.” Cindy gave Veronica a gentle punch in the arm and smirked when Veronica winced.

  “No problem.” Veronica assured Avery, “I look worse than I feel. Under the circumstances, I’m good.”

  Veronica still couldn’t believe she survived a bite. They don’t know how or why but she was grateful nonetheless. She had been busy arguing with Cindy when Danny mentioned the fact that she wasn’t showing any of the symptoms of infection. Once the realization hit, they moved fast to get to safety, just out running the herd that had come hunting down the street. It took a few hours for Danny to get her cleaned up and patched. A little food and a few hours of sleep made a big difference.

  “How did you manage to get yourself stuck here?” Veronica questioned Avery.

  Avery blew out a breath and started from the beginning. She described the horror of watching people tear into each other. Hiding out in her bathroom only to be flushed out by her treacherous stomach. She talked about the flash of light that gave her away and the creepy ninja boy zombie. Not even aware of the look that passed between Cindy and Veronica at that bit of knowledge. She finished with racing out of the subdivision, knocking the cars together to create a block, and coming to a halt at the end of the line.

  “Did you see anyone else? Anyone alive?” Veronica was looking for any clue as to where Bethann and Daisy could have gone.

  Avery shook her head, “I was starting to think that I was the only one to make it out of there alive.” Avery watched as Veronica looked back to where they had come from and wondered what or who she was looking for.

  “Well, you may as well come with us. Unless you have other plans?” Veronica was eager to get back on the road. There was no way of knowing if Bethann stayed in the subdivision or was able to get out.

  “Oh..well, I guess I’m sticking with all of you, if you don’t mind.” Avery didn’t add that there was no way they were leaving without her, they just met after all.

  “So should we hit the highway or try to walk along on the frontage road as far as we can?” John was looking at a map spread across the hood of Avery’s car.

  “It looks like we will have to walk a way for now.” Cindy followed a faint line with the tip of her finger, “Time is what we need to make up. Let's try the highway and see how far we can get.”

  A round of nods concluded the plan and each person checked their weapons to make sure they were ready for what could be out there.

  Avery swung her ice killing stick then look down at her feet, maybe the flip flops were better than nothing. She went back to the car and opened the back door and rummaged around the mess on the floor. Finally pulling out the yellow sponges.

  “If we have to run, you may not be able to keep up.” Danny was frowning at Avery’s footwear. Then smirked at Avery’s choice of weapon.

  “Hey, I’ll have you know this beast has slashed through crazy thick ice. She’s a beast.” Avery slashed at the air again. “Besides, sponges are what I have for now buddy. As soon as I can find real shoes, I’ll change.” Avery slipped on the sweatshirt that she managed to slip off last night. What is the world was she doing in her sleep?

  Cindy waited for Avery to get herself together and motioned for her to fall in after Veronica. John led them up the ramp onto the highway. The cars were packed in. The trucks were lined up single file but some of the smaller cars were doubled up, both trying to get up the ramp like conjoined twins.

  “Either a lot of people got away or we’re in for a big surprise down the road.” Avery commented as she peered in at all the empty cabs. Most were just empty, others looked like a bottle of ketchup and a bottle of barbecue sauce did the tango with their caps off.

  Nobody commented. They all new what the empty cars represented. Reaching the top of the ramp was a slight anticlimax. They all expected the road to be piled up for as far as the eye could see. However, it was just one little jeep that had tipped over that caused the ramp to close down. Some vehicles tried to drive round, only to find themselves slipping down the
steep hill into the ditch along the road. The highway was only spotted with cars, many had swerved off the road, doors hanging open.

  “Where are we headed?” Avery hadn’t thought to ask before now, “Maybe we can take one of the abandoned cars?”

  “Eau Claire, we’re meeting our friends there.” Cindy offered as she inched toward a small four door. With her weapon raised she searched the vehicle, it was empty but didn’t have keys in the ignition. “Who takes the keys when they’re running away?”

  Danny and John had ventured toward a red pickup with an extended cab. Danny started to pull the handle when the sound of a growl was followed by a face smacking against the driver side window. The infected inside startled Danny, causing him to tumble and fall on his back.

  “Nice.” was all John offered. “I think cars with doors closed may have infected inside, others probably have no keys. We may have to walk a while before we find one that does.”

  Chapter 4

  “My name is Dr. Sylvia Hollowman and my assistant is Jenny Howard. We have had an infectious outbreak at the Alwalth Center and need assistance getting to the Center of Disease Control.” Dr. Hollowman stood at the closed gates, ID in hand, pleading with the guard to let them through.

  “Dr. Hollowman, we are not authorized to let anyone through the gates.” The male guard stood with his hand on his weapon and a stone look on his face.

  “You don’t understand! It’s spreading, people are dying!” Jenny had wrapped her hands around the bars, begging for help. “It will come this way. We drove all night to get away.” Jenny’s pleas had no effect on the guard.

  “I demand to speak to whoever is in charge.” Dr. Hollowman wasn’t going to be nice anymore. “I have contracts with the government, don’t make me call people, we don’t have time.”

  The guard reached into the booth and picked up a phone receiver. He spoke slow and swiftly but always keeping his eyes on the women at the gate.

  They waited, agitation growing with every minute that passed. When Dr. Hollowman followed Jenny out the door, she hadn’t planned on getting into her car. She just knew that they needed to leave and Jenny was already pulling her door open when she raced toward the parking lot.

  “Jenny, get into the driver’s seat and be ready to go through the gate.” Dr. Hollowman directed.

  Jenny didn’t argue, she was afraid and just wanted to get somewhere safe. Slipping into the seat she pushed the buttons on her radio, desperate to find a station that could give her news. “How is it possible that there is no one on the stations?” Jenny switched to turning the dial, one click at a time. “There is no way it could spread that fast,” she whimpered. Jenny knew better though. Infection spreads faster than a person can count and this strain was nothing that they have ever encountered before.

  Jenny got excited when she heard a faint high pitched whine but quickly realized that it wasn’t coming from her car speakers. Whipping her head around she looked out her back window. At first she didn’t see anything, relief filling her, she turned back to look at Dr. Hollowman and the blood drained from her face.

  Dr. Hollowman stood still. She heard the screech but hoped that she was only hearing the echoes that rattled through her skull. It was the smell that convinced her that they were in serious trouble.

  “Jenny, start the car!” Dr. Hollowman whirled back to the guard, “Open this gate NOW!”

  The guard has stopped talked and stared at Dr. Hollowman as the stench of death hit his nostrils, “What is that?”

  “Your funeral if you don’t let us in!” Dr. Hollowman was livid, “Give me that phone.”

  A screech sounded at the same moment the guard reached out his hand, the echo of it caused him to drop the receiver. Irritated, Dr. Hollowman reached through the gate and picked it up.

  “Dr. Hollowman, clearance DAF579. Order us in.” Dr. Hollowman handed the phone back and watched as the guard started nodding his head.

  The ‘Yes Sir’ was quickly drowned out by the sound of stampeding feet. Dr. Hollowman slammed the door as soon as she hit the seat, “GO!”

  Jenny sped through the gate, scraping both sides of the car as she slipped through. The guard immediately started closing the bars again, the metal clanging just before the infected came into sight.

  Jenny slammed on her breaks and Dr. Hollowman jumped from the car again, “Lift the cement pillars! We need to add support to the gate or they will force their way though!”

  The guard didn’t hesitate this time, pushing the button to raise five cement pillars. The motor ran, slowly pushing up from the ground as the first wave of infected rushed the only defense they had. The guard pulled his weapon and took aim.

  “No! The noise will excite them.” Dr. Hollowman warned. “Just get in your vehicle and leave. If there isn’t anything alive to gain their attention they will settle down.” Dr. Hollowman watched the indecision flash over the guards face. “This is the only protection we have right now. They are stronger and faster than they look.”

  The guard finally lowered his hand but couldn’t stop staring at the people that were reaching through the gates. Faces were void any emotion but anger. Black eyes matched the liquid the oozed from most of the wounds.

  Dr. Hollowman turned and left, driving away with Jenny. The guard walked up to the gate to take a closer look. They looked more than sick. Many of them were missing body parts, some even had their chest cavities pried open. The guard surveyed the line of people as they slowly calmed down. The screeching stopped and they stood there silently. The guard look around and noticed that he was all alone. Walking closer to the gate he stood arms length away, trying to get a better look. In the mass of bodies he saw a little girl. She looked almost normal but for the black eyes. He stared at her round face, trying to figure out if she was still alive. He watched as she slowly raised her hand, palm up, as if reaching for help.

  Without thinking he reached out and grabbed her hand. Her touch was soft but very cold. Slowly, she closed her hand around his, squeezing tightly until the guard started to tug at the pain she was inflicting. He had no warning when she jerked him forward, bringing him smashing into the bars as her small head slipped through. He tried to yell but the sound of his flesh tearing filled his head. He was surprised when he fell backward, the girl letting go.

  The guard lifted a hand to his neck and stared in horror as the small child chewed, blood dripping down her chin. His neck felt numb but the pain that started to build in his stomach was fierce. He turned his head when the vomit erupted, trying to keep it off his uniform. He tried to get up but found that he could only curl into a ball as an explosion of fire filled his pants, fear filled him. Looking back at the girl, he watched as she slowly smiled as his vision started to fade.

  The growl that erupted from the new turned infected echoed creating a chorus of growls from the infected on the other side of the gate. They watched as the body rolled over, gaining his feet. The stumbles only lasted a few steps before he dashed toward the center of the base.

  The man only felt one thing, hunger. He knew how to hunt, to seek out prey, and how to tear it apart and flood his body with the warm flesh. Somewhere in the back of the brain, there was knowledge. It pushed him in the direction that would quickly appease his hunger. Stopping to smell the air, he screeched in delight. There. That is what it needs. Racing forward again, he crashed into a warm body. Mindlessly he tore at fabric to find the soft parts. Once there, he shoved the tips of his fingers in, digging deep. He didn’t hear the screams begging him to stop. He didn’t feel the bullets that lodged up his back. Excitement took hold and he buried his face in the bowels, the metallic sent beckoning him forward. He bit down, savoring the taste. He stopped, a new smell coming close. Hunger welled up again, he lunged, sinking teeth into warm flesh. Bite again and again. One after the other.

  Dr. Hollowman and Jenny were carrying the samples into the building when the sound of screeching reached their ears.

  “That sounded really close.” Jenny was trying very hard not to drop the box as fear made her body shake.

  Dr. Hollowman didn’t stop, “They got in. We don’t have much time.” Walking through the doors, she walked right up to the desk. “This is a national emergency. We need to be flown to the Atlanta CDC now.”