Dead Of Winter (The Rift Book II) (35 page)

“Found ‘
em
,” he said.

Colin, suddenly over his anger, hurried over. “Smarty,” he said. Together they sifted through the makes and models until they had a hold of four sets of keys marked with a
G
. They chose the SUVs, thinking they’d prove much more practical than the Mustang Josh had his eye on earlier.

On their way back to the garage Josh looked his friend over. He appeared in high spirits and it bothered him a little that their conversations had been so sparse. “So,” he said finally, “how you feeling?”

“Fine,” replied Colin.

“Just fine?
No more than that?”

Colin grinned and patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Josh. I’m not ignoring you. I’m not mad at you. I just got things on my mind.”

“Things like Jess?”

“Something
like
that.”

“You love her, don’t you?”

He nodded.
“Seems that way.
But she’s hard to read. I can’t tell if she feels the same. It’s
kinda
annoying.”

Josh thought of his conversation with Jessica the previous evening and decided to stretch the truth. “I’m sure she does,” he said. “And if not now, she will. I mean, who
doesn’t
love you, man?”

With a chuckle, Colin said, “I can think of one dark-skinned lady who may not.”

Josh laughed. “Okay. I’ll give you that one.”

They arrived at the door and Colin opened it. Before he could step in Josh grabbed his arm. “I do love you. You know that, right?”

Colin nodded. “Of course I do.”

“Can I have a hug?”

With a roll of the eyes Colin stepped in and embraced him. It was short-lived, however. A few seconds after it started he wiggled out of Josh’s grasp and fixed him with a cockeyed stare.

“Let’s just go,” he said with a hint of humor in his tone. “I don’t wanna get all mushy. Might make me question my orientation, and I’m not ready for
that
kind of confusion.”

Opening the bay door proved difficult without electricity, but eventually Colin and Josh were able to pry it open with a crowbar enough to snap the connections to the automatic system. It flew up on its track, bouncing once it reached the top. When each slipped into one of the SUVs and found that the gas tanks were indeed full they stuck the keys in the ignition and turned. For Josh it was a few painful seconds of turning over before the engine roared to life. The one Colin hopped in started up quickly. Josh nodded to his friend and pulled out of the garage. Dusk had already settled over the land by then.

The road was treacherous and slippery. Josh maneuvered as best he could, letting the automobile’s headlights light the way. He tried to keep his eyes focused on what lay in front of him but movement off to the side caught his attention. There appeared to be something following his slow progress in the gloom just beyond the trees. Then the shrieking began, just as it had the previous two nights. This time, however, it was deafening.

A pair of shadows darted from the woods. Josh slammed on the brakes and slid to a halt. He glanced to his right to see Colin inching up beside him. He lifted his hands as if to say, “what?” Josh let his sight trail from Colin back to the road.

Two four-legged creatures stood in the beam of his headlights. Their muscular bodies were covered in hairless flesh that sagged like ill-fitted suits. Long, sharp fangs protruded beneath the remains of canine noses. Thick, gelatinous saliva dripped from their maws. Their eyes glowed.

They were the biggest, ugliest dogs Josh had seen in his life.

One of the dogs reared up on its hind legs and yowled and the other followed suit. Once again the air was filled with their primal screams. Josh covered his ears and allowed his head to turn. He looked at Colin, whose gaze was focused straight ahead, at the monstrosities before them. His mouth lipped the same words Josh spoke.

“Shit.”

*
 
 
*
 
 
*

“Shit!” Colin screeched as he stared at the beasts in the road. Their muzzles dropped while their eyes flicking from one automobile to the other as if trying to decide which one posed the bigger threat. He froze in place, terrified to move. The blaring of a car horn came next and he glanced over to see Josh pressing on his steering wheel.

Idiot
, thought Colin.
I’m sitting in the best weapon I could hope for.

He lifted his right foot and went to stomp the gas petal. The two mutant dogs, oblivious to him, turned their snouts in the opposite direction, swiveled on their burly legs, and took off. Colin threw the SUV into park, opened the door, and leaned out.

“That’s right, fuckers!” he screamed. “You can’t take me!”

He heard Josh yelling his name. He peeked at his friend to see him pointing at the woods. Colin glanced over his shoulder and spotted numerous silhouettes moving at a rapid pace through the trees. He cocked his head and listened. Growls and snorting reached his ears. He then looked back at Josh, whose eyes were wide as dinner plates.

Colin slid back into his seat, slammed the door, and hit the gas. He realized the direction the advancing horde was headed and he panicked.
Home.
Jess.
He spun the wheel and kept the pedal pressed to the floor but had trouble keeping the large vehicle under control.

The two creatures that had crossed before them were nothing but jumping dots in his headlights. He took a deep breath and eased off the gas, allowing the tires to catch on the slippery road. Then he eased it back down and gained speed. Josh’s headlights flashed in the rearview mirror, which he slapped aside as to not get blinded.

In a matter of seconds he’d gained ground on the beasts. They were now clearly visible,
huffing
their deformed bodies across the packed ground and acting as if the large vehicle closing in on them didn’t exist. Colin used this to his advantage and gently pressed down the gas even more. The SUV came upon the first dog. It didn’t even offer a glimpse back when it disappeared beneath the front bumper. The vehicle bucked twice and Colin, who hadn’t strapped in, whacked his head on the ceiling. “Yow!” he exclaimed, and proceeded to rub his bruised scalp with one hand while steering with the other.

He missed the second dog, which veered out of the way at the last moment, but the sound of two more nauseating bumps a second later told him Josh had gotten it. He slowed down and allowed his friend to catch up. They exchanged worried glances while they drove. Their street wasn’t far away.

They flew down the road and came to a sliding halt. Their temporary homes stood on both sides of them. People were still outside – children, mostly – and they all looked up, waving and jumping with excitement, when Colin and Josh exited the vehicles.

There were things other than people rummaging about in the trees, however. Colin could hear the pattering of their pawed feet. He raised an eyebrow to Josh, who replied with a knowing bob of the head.

“I’ll get this side,” Josh said. “You take the other.”

They took off in opposite directions. Colin could hear his friend yelling behind him and joined in. “Everyone!” he screamed. “All of
you,
get inside!
Now!”

As he approached the house Emily stared at him as if he’d lost his mind but didn’t move. The children playing in the front yard didn’t, either. They simply shrugged to each other and frowned.

Luanda
and Yvette stepped out of the home, followed by even more of the children. “No!” he bellowed.
“Wrong way!
GET THE FUCK BACK INSIDE!”

It was too late. Alice and Mary appeared from the side of the house, and as they did
Alice
fell on her face. It looked for a moment as if she’d developed a huge tumor on her back, a tumor that wiggled and jumped and buried its teeth into the back of her head.

Mary froze. Colin was about to yell at her but decided to change his plan. “Okay everyone, fuck the house! Get in the cars!
Hurry!”

At last the others got the message.
Luanda
and Yvette snatched up the smaller children in their arms and ran across the snow-covered front lawn as if fire nipped at their heels. Emily stumbled after them, doing her best to keep the remaining young ones in front of her. She slipped and almost fell but Colin caught her under her armpits and brought her steady. He then swiveled to see Mary locked in a mortal tug-of-war. A huge, deformed monstrosity held
Alice
’s head in its jaws. Mary had her elbows locked around
Alice
’s knees. The poor woman in the center of it all was yanked this way and that. Streams of blood pooled on the ground beneath. Her arms dangled, limp as deflated balloons.

Colin ran up to the struggling woman, grabbed her by the collar, and gave her a good tug. Mary let go of
Alice
’s calves and wheeled around, swinging. Colin ducked and then quickly circled around her. Glancing to his rear he saw the mutant beast haul
Alice
’s corpse into the woods. He took a deep breath and pushed at Mary’s back. She fought against him.

“No!” she cried. “No!”

“It’s too late!” said Colin through gritted teeth. “She’s gone! Just move!”

Eventually she did and they arrived at the SUVs, parked cockeyed beside each other, in time to see Josh ushering Meghan, Andy, and Francis into the back seat. Kyra was helping him. He took a moment to inventory the people. Only two were missing. On cue, the ear-splitting howls started up again.

Colin grabbed his own hair and yanked it. “Shit! Where’s Jess and Zack?”

Josh peered over his shoulder. “They were right behind me!” he shouted.

Colin raced around the car and that’s when he saw them, the beautiful young woman stumbling down the porch steps with her three-year-old son tucked in her arms. He watched as Jessica tripped and went tumbling to the ground, tucking Zachary to her body like a football as she fell. He heard her head strike the pavement at the bottom of the stairs. Her body shook as she started crawling forward, still clasping tight to her son.

“Shit!” Josh exclaimed. “Make sure everyone gets in! I’ll help her!”

He watched his friend take off, running with a noticeable limp toward his prone, would-be lover. Colin stared for a few moments and then pointed at Kyra.

“You heard the man,” he said as an unnatural calm washed over him. “Get them in. Make sure we don’t forget anyone.” He reached into his backpack, which was on the floor on the passenger’s side, pulled out the knife he’d packed earlier, and then turned to
Luanda
. “And you – get in the driver’s seat of that one. Get ready to peel outta here as soon as you can.”

He burst into a dead sprint.

*
 
 
*
 
 
*

The pack of the mutant dogs emerged from the woods. Josh ran as fast as he could, hoping he could reach Jessica before they did, but he’d twisted his ankle on the way up the steps and it hurt like hell. He swallowed his pain and pushed onward.

He slid to a halt, bent down, and grabbed the struggling woman by the coat. She wrestled with the slop beneath her. In her wild panic she lost hold of Zachary. Josh caught him before he fell.