Eric S. Brown (8 page)

“
Bigfoot,” Thomas told him. “It’s freaking Bigfoot.”

***

The truck sped along the road, its speed increasing as it went. The beast was chasing after them. It moved impossibly fast for something so large. Its yellow eyes burned with a fury unlike Elijah had ever seen in a living creature before. He knew the beast was called Bigfoot, Sasquatch, or any of a dozen other names. Elijah cursed, pounding the side of the pickup’s bed with his fist. He figured he had thought of everything but he had never imagined that such a beast actually existed on this Earth. All of his efforts to get here, all his well laid plans, were threatened by a monster that shouldn’t be real but was. Lori and Helena were straining to hold on and not be flung from the truck’s bed as the redneck driving tried to keep them ahead of it. The backwoods road they were on was narrow and winding, allowing the beast to stay on their tail. Elijah placed its speed at near forty miles an hour. He couldn’t chance it catching up with them.

Elijah stood up in the center of the truck’s bed, balancing himself like a surfer riding a wave. Drawing his pistols form the holsters underneath his trench coat, he started popping off shots at the monster. Even with his level of skill, the motion of the truck made it hard to score a decent hit. For every round that struck the beast, another went wild or buried itself in a tree. The bullets that did manage to hit the beast had little effect. At best, they produced tiny splatters of red in its hair and only seemed to make it angrier from what Elijah could tell. The thing’s muscle density was so thick that he wasn’t getting any real penetration. He needed a bigger gun, a lot bigger gun. The idea of leaping from the back of the moving truck to the road and facing it with his swords crossed his mind but he was so close to his goal, he couldn’t bring himself to chance it. He holstered his pistols, digging around in the pockets of his trench coat. Somewhere in them was a grenade he had swiped as he left the army base when the rotter plague began. Finally, he found it. Yanking its pin, he stared into the beast’s yellow eyes as it poured on a fresh burst of speed, bringing it closer to the truck. Elijah threw the grenade at its feet. A flash of fire and shrapnel filled the road behind the truck as he heard Lori and Helena screaming. Whether it was the shockwave from the blast, or loss of focus on his balance, he didn’t know, but he lost his footing and slammed hard, face first, into the truck’s bed as he fell. He barely had time to jerk an arm between his face and the metal of the bed before he smashed into it. He could still hear Lori’s and Helena’s horrified cries as his world went black and he lost consciousness.

***

The explosion in the rearview caused Thomas to swerve too hard as he rounded another bend in the road. The truck’s wheels whined in protest as the vehicle slid sideways again. Thomas almost lost control of the truck as it threatened to flip over and go rolling into the bank that ran along the side of the road. He righted the truck, struggling against the jerking wheel, keeping it moving forward.

“
Dude, this isn’t a bloody episode of The Dukes of Hazard!” Jacob shouted in his ear.

Thomas checked the rearview to make sure the girls and the weird guy were still in the back of the truck. Seeing that they were okay, Thomas cracked a smile at Jacob. “Can’t say we good old boys don’t know how to drive.”

There was no sign of the beast. Whether it was dead, lying in the road somewhere behind them bleeding, or just gone was anyone’s guess. Thomas hoped the weirdo had killed it, but he didn’t figure they were that lucky.

“
Where are we headed?” Jacob asked him.

Thomas kept his eyes on the road ahead. He didn’t’ want any more surprises sneaking up on them. “Home,” he said after a couple of seconds. “We’re going home.”

Thomas led the group onto his farm. They had left the truck at the end of the drive heading up to the farm. Thomas turned on the electric fence as they entered through the gate. He doubted it would even slow down the beast if it was still alive and out there in the woods somewhere but it would sure mess up any rotters who had followed them home. At least it would until the creatures’ numbers overloaded it and shorted it out.

Jacob and Lori were dragging Elijah with them, his arms over their shoulders and his weight divided between them. Helena brought up the rear, her .38 revolver held tightly and ready in her trembling hands.

“
Nice place you got here,” Jacob commented as they reached the front porch of the house.

“
I get by,” Thomas grinned. “Can’t say it’s been easy.”

Lori laughed darkly, “You’re kidding right? You been to the city recently?”

Thomas suddenly felt bad about his choice of words and flippant attitude as he realized what they must have lived through to get here. “Sorry, ma’am. Guess I’ve taken for granted what I have been blessed with way out here in the backwoods.”

“
Is that. . .” Jacob pointed to a small building in the distance beyond the house where chickens were pecking at the dirt.

“
Yep. It’s a hen house. Got some cows too in a pasture over the hill if that dang beast ain’t killed them,” Thomas bragged.

“
Do you have horses?” Helena asked.

Thomas shook his head as he watched disappointment fill her eyes. “Never had need for them, I reckon. Wish I did though. They would come in mighty handy these days.”

“
The fence is a nice touch,” Lori told him, clearly impressed.

“
Thank you. It’s kept the rotters out so far. Got some bear traps and other nasty things set up too but the fence is my mainline of defense.”

“
I hate to interrupt,” Jacob said, “but can we get somewhere we can put Elijah down. The freak is heavier than he looks.”

“
Just put him over there.” Thomas pointed to a swinging bench at the far side of the porch. Jacob and Lori gently laid Elijah on it.

“
He okay?” Thomas asked, knowing that if the man wasn’t, there wasn’t exactly a whole lot they would be able to do for him. All he owned was a single, very basic first aid kit. Unless one of these folks was a doctor, the poor guy was out of luck if he didn’t pull through on his own.

“
He’s the toughest bugger I have ever met,” Jacob said, “I’m sure he’s fine.”

“
I can’t believe he was carrying a grenade in his pocket,” Thomas admitted.

Lori just grinned. “Hey, it’s Elijah.”

Thomas didn’t know them that well but he got the point of what she said.

Lori looked down at Elijah on the bench. “He took a rather nasty fall when that thing went off. Don’t think there’s anything we can do though but wait for him to wake up.”

“
Well then . . .” Thomas smiled so wide it threatened to swallow his face. “You folks look like you could use some food. . . And I know y’all could use a shower.” He waved his hand playfully in front of his nose.

“
Did you say shower?” Lori asked.

Thomas nodded as she beamed like a supernova of excitement and happiness.

He showed the girls to his bathroom and gave them the towels they would need, cautioning them about the limited supply of hot water due to the small size of the water heater in the cellar. He also left them some clothes, faded jeans and t-shirts, where his washing machine was. As he walked into the kitchen, he could still hear them arguing over who got to go first. Thomas decided having other living people in his home was worthy of good old fashion splurge from his stockpile of supplies. There was some steak and bacon set aside in the freezer. He carried them both to the stove and went to work preparing dinner. He couldn’t help but wonder if the girls were spoken for. It had been a long, long time since he’d been with a woman. That Helena was cute as button in a nubile, sexy kind of way. She was as Italian as he was Southern. Her hair was as dark as midnight and her figure. . .oh, man. He hoped his drool hadn’t been obvious every time he looked at her. She was a good bit younger than him, obviously still a teenager, but who was to say stuff like that even mattered anymore? She spoke with an air of maturity; likely she’d grown up a lot in the last few days. Surely it had to be a whole new ballgame now if the human race wanted to survive, what with the rotters and so few folks still breathing. As with everything else, you made do with what was available and he. . .he was certainly available if she was.

Having four extra mouths to feed would be a hardship but the extra help the new folks would provide should balance things some. If that beast was dead, heck fire, they could handle the rotters. A trip into town for supplies might be a good idea if they were careful. Batteries, ammo, canned goods, a stop at a pharmacy to upgrade his first aid kit, some more gas for the generator-- because they would want it when the power finally did go out as it surely would--and of course coffee were some of the possibilities that crossed his mind.

As the heavenly smell of frying bacon drifted through the kitchen, Thomas realized with a start that Duke and Hunter were missing. It wasn’t unlike the dogs to let themselves out the backdoor. There were no signs of trouble in or around that house that he saw. Probably out chasing rabbits and doing their business. He figured they’d come back when they were ready. And if they weren’t back by in the morning, he would go hunting for them. His new guests took priority at the moment.

***

Lori actually shook from pleasure as the hot water exploded from the showerhead and washed over her naked skin. She scrubbed at the dirt, dried blood, and general crud caked onto her skin. Helena sat on the toilet, with the lid down, using it as a chair while she waited on her turn. Lori ran her fingers through her hair and let it flop wetly onto her naked shoulders.

“
Lori?” she heard Helena call her name.

“
What?” she moaned in response.

“
Are we gonna live here? I mean is this our new home?”

“
I really hope so kiddo,” Lori answered. Something in Helena’s voice told her the girl wanted to ask a completely different question. “Thomas is nice but he’s too Brad Pitt for me.”

“
Really?”

“
Really. Have at him kiddo. He’s all yours,” Lori chuckled, but inside she was still mourning Michael and certainly wasn’t ready for any new romance.

“
Lori?” Helena started again. “Do you think that thing is dead?”

“
Don’t know. Elijah usually gets the job done but that Bigfoot or whatever it was scared the crap out of him too. Everything was happening so fast, I couldn’t do anything but try to hold on and stay in the truck,” Lori admitted.

“
Me too, but a grenade like that should’ve killed it don’t you think?”

“
Everything is gonna be fine, Helena,” Lori assured the girl. “Besides,” she said, stepping from the shower, a light steam dancing from her body. She didn’t want to get out but she knew she had to share. “It’s your turn. Come on. Stop worrying so much and let yourself live a little. We’re never going to have it this good again.”

Helena sprang to her feet, shedding her filthy lab coat and under garments, as Lori watched her with a smile on her face.

As Helena climbed into the shower, Lori shuffled through the stack of clothes Thomas was thoughtful enough to leave in the bathroom beside the towels. They were all men’s T-shirts and jeans but Lori didn’t care if she looked ridiculous. The shirt she picked was clean and soft on her skin as she slid it over her head. She wiped the condensation from the medicine cabinet’s mirror with her bare hand and took a good long look at her reflection. She honestly felt alive again, not just surviving but alive. She sniffed the air. Dear goodness, was that bacon she smelled? Her stomach rumbled a loud and clean affirmative. Lori wondered if she had died on the road when the grenade detonated and if this farm really was heaven.

PART III

Revelations and Endings

Jacob sat on the bench next to Elijah. Elijah was a mess. Had it been anyone else, Jacob was sure they would have at least tried to clean them up while they were out. Elijah was a mystery though and gave every impression that he wanted to stay that way. Besides, he wasn’t the sort of chap you wanted angry at you. His trench coat was ripped and torn in numerous places and the gore from all their battles crusted onto it. Elijah’s wild hair above his goggles reminded Jacob of some Eighties rock singer. He couldn’t remember the singer’s name but he did remember the song and the video. It was called “Blinded me with Science” or something like that. Elijah would have fit in a steam punk convention pretty well with his weird style. Jacob owed the man his life. As he stared at Elijah, wanting to help him, he noticed one of the lenses of the man’s goggles was cracked. Tiny fractures ran across the right lens. Jacob leaned closer for a better look at the damage. As he did so he noticed small shards of glass imbedded in Elijah’s skin below the broken lens. He reached over, trying to rub the glass away with his thumb. Something like blood oozed from around the cuts. Jacob withdrew his hand. Whatever it was, the fluid was a bright greenish yellow, like anti-freeze. Jacob didn’t really know anything about cars but that was what it made him think of. The writer’s breath exploded from him as if someone had punched him in the gut.

Was Elijah infected with the rotter virus? Was he sick? Was that the reason he was so secretive?

Jacob scooted to the other side of the swinging bench without taking his eyes off Elijah. Should he tell the others? What would Elijah do to him when he woke up if he did? If Elijah was infected, Jacob certainly didn’t want to be sitting here when he turned. As he thought about what to do, he rubbed a hand through his hair. A low growling drew his attention to the bottom of the steps leading to the porch. Two big, angry dogs sat on their haunches, baring their teeth, between quivering lips, focused on Elijah. Where in the Hades had the things come from? he wondered. Dogs terrified him, always had since he was a boy and one tried to maul him in the park. His dad had saved him that day but the fear had never gone away.