The Dark Trinity (Book 1): Shuffle (13 page)

Nathan Ackland was dead.

CHAPTER 14 
  FILL ‘ER UP

The 1991 Ford Taurus careened down the curves of Cemetery
Lane. The tires squealed with every turn of the wheel. Evelyn's heart pounded
in her chest and she couldn't stop herself from hyperventilating. The old man
at the wheel glanced between the road and the car mirrors. Neither of them had
spoken a word since they escaped the complex.

“So um, I guess I should say thank you,” she said as she
gasped for air.

“No thanks needed, darlin’,” he replied, as he continued to
focus on the road.

A man of few words.
She held on to the door handle as
the car continued to sway back and forth with the turns. They reached the end
of the road and turned left onto Babcock Boulevard.

"What's your name?"

"Sam. Sam Lusce," he replied. "Apartment
19."

"I'm Evelyn, from 46."

Sam nodded with a grunt. "Pleasure to meet you
Evelyn."

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“We need some supplies. Those creepers chased me outta there
before I could grab my bug-out bag,” was his response.

She looked out the window as the car sped on. Pockets of
people ran this way and that. Large numbers of infected hunted those who fled.
The sight made her think of the creature that attacked her in Julie's
apartment. For the most part, the road was empty, although every now and then,
an abandoned car forced the old man to veer into the oncoming lane.

She expected to see more people than she did. The various
shops and bars that dotted Babcock appeared to be vacant. Perhaps they were just
locked up, their owners barricading themselves in while they waited for
salvation.

The car veered into a gas station and came to an abrupt stop.
The old man popped open the glove box and pulled out a small revolver. Looking
over Evelyn with a skeptical look, he handed the pistol to her.

“You know how to shoot one of these?” he asked.

“Sure do,” she replied with confidence. "I spent over
three months training with Navy SEALs while I researched my last novel."

He gave a mixed look of disbelief and admiration. “Well, I
feel safer already.”

He gave a wink, opened his door and got out of the car. “You.
Get out and pump the gas. I need to run inside for something.”

“What if more of those things come for us?”

“Then you point that dangerous pistol at them and pull the
trigger.”

He slammed the door before she could object, walked around
the car and headed towards the mini-mart. She saw him reach behind his back and
pull out another pistol from his waistband. He opened the door and made his way
inside. Evelyn looked around. Confident that she didn’t see any creatures, she
opened the door and got out of the car. She circled around to the gas pump,
opened the tank, and began to fill it up.

While she waited, she tried to sort out the jumble of
thoughts that swam in her head. Her fiancé was stuck downtown and she had no
idea if he was okay. A creature from Hell devoured her best friend. She had
abandoned their dog and now she was fighting for survival with a gruff old man
to whom she now owed her life.

The gas pump snapped, indicating that the tank was full. The
noise jolted her from her thoughts and back to the present. Just then another
noise made her jump. Gunfire. Inside the mini-mart, two shots fired. A moment
later, Sam ran through the door.

“Get in the car. Now!” he yelled as he limp-ran towards her.

She yanked the pump out of the tank, replaced the gas cap,
and ran around the car, closing her door as Sam jumped into the driver’s seat.
The car roared to life and he laid about three feet of rubber as they sped out
of the gas station parking lot. Looking back, she saw the gas station attendant
emerge from the mini-mart; two bullet holes seeped dark blood from his chest.
The clerk gave chase. She couldn’t believe how fast he was. Before long, they
pulled ahead and were far in front of the danger behind them, although it
didn’t look like the clerk was going to stop running.

“Are you okay? What happened in there?” she asked.

“I needed smokes. The clerk had turned into one of those
dead-things so I had to shoot him. Lotta good that did.”

“You risked our lives for cigarettes?” she asked
incredulously.

“Listen lady. This has been a pretty shitty day all around.
The car needed gas, because we ain’t gonna last too long without it and I
needed smokes, because I ain’t gonna tolerate you too long without them. Got
it?” Sam pulled out a fresh pack of Winston Lights, tore open the package, and
slid a cigarette into his mouth. He pushed in the car lighter and a moment
later, sucked down long, deep drags of the noxious smoke.

She coughed and opened her window. He made a quick glance at
her and opened his window as well. “You’re not one of those health nuts are
you?”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to preach to you about how you’re
killing yourself,” she replied.

“Good,” was all he said. The cold winter air billowed
throughout the car. Evelyn shivered against the chill. She wished that she had
opted for her heavy coat. She didn’t expect to be gone long, so she had only
grabbed a light fleece jacket when she left for Julie’s place.

The man must have noticed this and cranked up the heat,
aiming the vents her way. “Don’t worry Evelyn, we’ll get you some warmer
clothes. We have another stop to make.”

She wrapped her arms around herself, thankful for the blast
of heat hitting her. The events at the apartment complex played through her
head.

“Um, hey, thanks for saving my life back at the apartment.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said, shrugging. “That ain’t no way
for a lady to die. No way for anybody to die, really.”

“Well, I do appreciate it. So where are we going?”

“The mall. We need to get you some clothes, and some other
supplies if we’re going to get through this mess.” And with that, they sped on.

CHAPTER 15 
  MAN’S BEST
FRIEND

Boomer finished scarfing down his Busy Bone and now stared
out the large picture window by the front door, as he often did. Lady seemed
upset about something. He didn’t pay too much attention to it though, as she
had given him a bone. Besides, Lady got upset about silly things a lot. Like
when master would leave his drink cans on the coffee table. She really hated
that and would always yell at him for it. Master would laugh and pet him on the
head and would whisper funny things in his ear. “Uh oh, looks like Daddy is in
trouble again,” he would say.

Lady had left the house in a hurry. This was strange to the
dog. Although Master was the one who usually took him for walks, Lady would
take him out sometimes and walk him. She would take him down the street to the
other woman’s house and the two of them would talk and laugh while he sniffed
for little treasures under the bed. He didn’t like Lady’s friend, but was able
to tolerate her. She was loud all the time and talked like a baby to him. Only
Master was allowed to baby-talk him. She also stank of flowers, but not flowers
that he smelled when Master walked him. He didn’t know where Lady went off to,
but she had gone in a hurry and that was unusual; out of the ordinary. He
didn’t like things that broke from routine.

A loud noise boomed outside and Boomer perked up. He saw one
of the neighbors run outside, heading up the steps which led to the parking
lot. It was the nice woman who owned the little black and white Cocker Spaniel
a few doors down. She fled from the man who lived with her. Something was
different about that guy. Immediately, the dog's instincts kicked in. Sensing
something was wrong, Boomer barked. The strange man tackled the woman and swung
his hands at her. Blood sprayed all over the snow as the woman screamed. Her
wails stopped and the man began to bite her; eating her while she bled all over
the sidewalk.

DANGER!
The man looked odd to Boomer. He didn’t look
like any type of human he had seen before. He had long sharp claws and pale
skin. The man looked up from the dead woman and turned his head towards the direction
of the loud barking. He saw the dog standing in the window, got up, and headed
towards the apartment.

The hackles on the back of the dog’s neck raised. His bark
become more threatening and he bared his teeth as a warning. The bad man moved
up the steps and stood on the front porch. The only thing that prevented the
dog from attacking was the closed door and the large picture window, which the
bad man now tapped with taloned fingers.

The bad man wants inside,
Boomer thought.

It was his job to protect Master’s house. The bad man pounded
the window and the glass shattered. Boomer yelped and darted off the landing
and into the hallway. Turning back towards the door, he continued to bark
ferociously.
The stranger was inside the house. The bad man is not listening
to me. I will make him listen.
Boomer lunged at the intruder and bit down
on his ankle with all his might. Teeth penetrated the flesh and he could hear a
snap as his jaws shattered bone.

The man made a weird noise, then kicked out his leg, which sent
the dog flying down the hallway and into the living room. He rolled and flipped
back up onto his feet. The stranger came at him, but was too slow. Boomer
circled around and bit down on the man’s ankle again, tearing more flesh away
from the bone.
This man tastes like dead things.
The intruder reached
down with one of his clawed hands. The scrappy pooch saw it coming and released
his vice-grip on the ankle and dodged to the right.

Although he was able to avoid the brunt of the blow, the
man’s sharp claws managed to graze him, cutting him on his shoulder. He yelped
in pain, but kept moving, running around the room to avoid another attack. The
stranger surprised him by leaping over the couch, but missed him within inches.
Not being a stupid dog, he knew that he couldn’t take down the man, even though
he caused significant damage to his leg. He turned and ran full speed towards
the broken window, jumping over the shards of broken glass and onto the front
porch. Following the path that he and Master always took on their walks, Boomer
ran to the parking lot.

He paused when he reached the dead woman. She was a nice
lady. He gingerly stepped around her entrails and nudged her head. When he was
sure that the woman was in fact dead, he licked her on the cheek and continued
to the steps. The intruder had just emerged from the apartment and gave a loud
wail. He then jumped down from the porch and gave chase. His ruined ankle
snapped in half from the impact of the fall; his foot bent at a complete ninety
degree angle.

Boomer bounded up the steps and into the parking lot. There
was a lot of noise as men and women screamed all around him. More of those
strange people were hurting the others. None of them were his Lady. He could
detect the faint odor of her scent and began to follow it. Running full speed,
he sprinted down the road. There were a lot of those strange people outside.
Some of them had noticed him running and had started to give chase.

As he ran, the scent of Lady was fading. The smells of blood,
death, and those strange people flooded his senses. It became difficult to
pinpoint Lady’s direction. More of those creatures now chased him and,
although he was fast, he knew that he would not be able to keep up this speed
for long. Changing directions, he darted off the road, into the snow covered
grass and up the hill. Soon he reached the edge of woods which surrounded the
complex. Weaving between trees and brush, he made his way deeper into the
woods. After a few minutes, he stopped and looked behind him. The strange people
were no longer in sight.

The dog turned and trotted through the snow and soon emerged
onto Cemetery Lane. He sniffed the air, hoping to catch a scent of Lady. No
trace. He needed to make a decision.
I need to find Master. He will know
what to do.
Letting instincts take over, he ran down the road towards the
highway to find the human who was his best friend in the whole wide world.