Yield (52 page)

“
Jeez, mate. Now you
’
ve got me jumpy,
”
Devin says. He looks over apologetically to Isabel and Terra, but his gaze quickly crumbles. Their disgust pulses back at him
,
betrayed electricity slashing through the air.

“
I ain
’
t your mate,
”
Chris snaps.
“
Selfish bastard, you don
’
t think we
’
d rather be home?
”

Devin shrinks under the black man
’
s eyes.

Out of nowhere, a whipping slap shoots across the fireman
’
s face, sobering him instantly.

“
I
’
m sorry, alright?
”
Devin defends, turning toward his assailant. His eyes lock on Isabel
’
s.
“
I have my own family to think about! We have no blooming idea what
’
s even going on out there, love.
”
Devin
’
s voice trails off.
“
The whole bloody world could be gone for all we know.
”

“
What if it is?
”
Isabel cries.
“
Right now, we
’
re all each other have.
”
She rubs angrily at her eyes.
“
We can
’
t control a damn thing other than that!
”

Isabel storms away, but suddenly, almost regretfully slows. The Latina looks up into an uncertain face. She pauses for a moment before giving Abd a fiercely grateful hug.
“
Thank you for waiting for us.
”

“
No time,
”
Terra says softly. The words are like wind through the leaves, falling away before anyone can hear them.

“
I
…
”
Abd stutters. He looks uncertainly to Chris. The huge teenager nods his head ever so slightly. The gesture speaks volumes.

“
No time
…
”
Terra whispers louder. Her eyes dart fearfully out to the shadows writhing around them.

“
What, honey?
”
Isabel asks. She gently brushes a lock of the teenager
’
s straight black hair away from her forehead.

Terra
’
s sapphire eyes stare out into the dark. Terror blossoms within them.

“
You see something?
”
Devin asks.

“
You care now?
”
Chris says coldly.

Devin
’
s eyes move across the beating black, uncertain of what they see.
“
How many?
”

Terra trembles next to them. Her voice is trapped inside.

The night is deathly silent as it stalks
…

“
How many did you see?!
”
Devin turns to Chris.

“
I don
’
t know,
”
Chris growls.
“
Just shadows. Moving in the dark.
”

In the distance, a woman
’
s scream pierces the night sky. Several male voices cut off her anguished sounds. The unseen attackers shout and laugh before they begin to ravage her.

Terra
’
s hand shoots out. It digs into Isabel
’
s arm, pulling her tight. The haunted teenager
’
s body quakes.
“
Make it stop,
”
she cries, burying her head deep in Isabel
’
s shoulder. Terra
’
s eyelids snap shut. Clenched veins rise to her temples.

“
Please
…
No
…
”

The scream fills them all with
a frigid
panic.

Chris
’
s eyes dart around, seeing motion now in every shade.

“
Whatever happens, keep moving toward the freeway,
”
Devin says. He lunges ahead and motions them forward into the dark. The fireman loads his shotgun with the shells grabbed behind the blood-stained grocery store. He cocks the weapon before scanning the darkness again.

Chris and the others follow quickly. The black shifts all around them. Sounds continue to grow as they walk.

Terra
’
s head snaps to the right. Footsteps are just behind them. She sees hands stretch out for her through the pitch black, clutching for their next victim.

Abd
’
s blade slashes at the exposed flesh. Dirty arms instantly pull back into the void.

Chris spins, taking Terra
’
s shoulders and forcing her on. The basketball star pushes the women up closer to Devin. He glances out at the swirling darkness. Chris
’
s left hand rifles through the open duffel bag slung over the fireman
’
s shoulder and finds the butt of a flare.

He strikes the red stick on the ground, pivoting and launching it as hard as he can behind them. The glowing missile arcs high into the air and explodes across the concrete. Hundreds of orange, prison-suited silhouettes scatter back into the shadows.

“
Jesus!
”
Isabel screams.

“
One shotgun won
’
t be enough!
”
Chris yells to Devin.

“
Bloody hell! What
’
s close to here?
”

“
There
’
s a sporting goods store another quarter-mile ahead.
”

The fireman nods protectively toward Terra.
“
Stay close to her!
”

Their bodies quickly encircle the girl as Chris strikes another flare. Burning red flickers back from the nightmarish faces of the night.

Burning sparks rain down above Chris
’
s head. His eyes dart around through the crimson smoke. The flare illuminates a shrinking circle of safety around them.

Their bodies move faster and faster, running now through the darkness. At the edges of the scarlet shadow, the contours of innumerable others follow just behind. Ambiguous shapes come into the red briefly before returning again to the black. Orange jumpsuits frame evil eyes, glinting back the color of flame. They spread like wildfire before going dark once more.

Deep Seattle clouds consume the moon. It plunges them all into black just as the flare burns down. Savage voices begin to scream out all around them. The sounds are close. So close. They stink of a vile and cruel fury.

“
Come here, girly,
”
they echo. Their primal calls are ice in Terra
’
s blood.
“
Gonna make you scream
…
”

Another hand reaches out for them from the shadows. Its skeletal fingers move like a viper strike. They latch onto the back of Terra
’
s jacket and drag the screaming teenager back into the darkness.

Unaware, the others sprint on at full speed.

Abd feels something brush his side, moving so quickly out of their circle of light that he barely sees the white jacket sleeves before they
’
re gone. The Arab spins, his eyes widening with terror. The writhing bodies of at least a dozen animals stretch out for them in the black.

“
Devin!
”
Abd yells. He pivots in a single breath and launches himself at the convict gripping Terra
’
s jacket. The metal shiv rips at the arms and hands reaching out. Its serrated edge finds many in its arcing path. Hands pull at Terra, unwilling to lose their exotic prize. Abd jumps again at the body of the attacker, slashing at the skinhead
’
s stomach and chest until the beast finally releases her.

Chris leaps over Abd, lashing out with powerful kicks and punches from his long limbs. He lifts Terra up into his arms and lunges away.

Abd spins again toward the dark and whips his knife into the remaining tentacles of orange. Slowly, the shadows recede.

The Arab backs cautiously away and turns to join the others. He takes only a few steps before a sharp pain shoots through his lower left back. Abd looks down at a set of dirty fingernails now gripping that shoulder.

He stumbles forward to jerk himself free. Glancing behind, Abd sees a face with two teardrops stitched just below his eyes. The man smiles wickedly back. In the convict
’
s hand, a 4-inch blade covered in deep crimson flickers in the flare
’
s red light.

“
Come on!
”
Devin yells. He pulls at the Arab
’
s Mariners jersey, dragging him into a run. For some reason Abd
’
s legs feel weaker with each stride. Every footfall again summons more. He grits his teeth, trying to blink back the growing fog in his eyes.

Frenzied footsteps and the stench of hot breath are right on top of them as they scramble towards the glass entry of Warshal
’
s Sporting Goods.

Devin shatters the bottle of Jack Daniel
’
s on the concrete sidewalk in front. He smashes the butt of his shotgun through the glass door, kicking the rest in.

Chris quickly helps Terra and Isabel through the broken shards just as the shotgun booms behind him.

The wet streak of alcohol on the ground instantly blazes to life. Flames igniting within the battle lines of vice illuminate a legion of wild-eyed men in
orange
. The former inmates cringe back from the light. They move angrily into the shadows,
gathering to watch their game flee.

Devin pulls Abd to the door and throws him forcefully through. The surprisingly powerful arms of the fireman send the thin Arab man hurtling through the air. His body lands and slides painfully along the unforgiving tile floor. The wind rushes out of his lungs. Abd
’
s legs still churn, trying to drive him deeper into the store.

The fireman backs through the frame after him, cocking his weapon as the animals lunge at them both. Devin tears down a display rack in front of the broken window. He fires his last round into a pair of violent hands at the doorway. The enraged prisoner crumples. Buck shot rips through his torso before he falls.

Devin pushes over carts and stand-up displays to block the shattered door, staggering back into Warshal
’
s. Just outside, the shrieks of anarchy awaken and turn into a deafening roar. Orange soon fills the glass. A blur of savagery moves through the city, eager to speak its native tongue.

Two inmates approach the door again, stepping on top of the dead man trapped inside. They climb through the broken window, their eyes glowing white in the darkness.

Devin lunges toward the glass. He cocks the gun and levels it ominously. The last empty shell shoots out of the side, echoing loudly as it hits the floor.

“
Get the hell out of here!
”
Devin roars. He slams the shotgun barrel into one of the men
’
s faces.

Seeing the familiar flash of one of their own in Devin
’
s deadly eyes, both men back slowly away. They glare at him with a barbarous hunger. Reluctantly, they turn and join the mob of orange jumpsuits screaming down the street in search of easier prey.

Devin steps back into the shadows one guarded foot at a time. The fireman
’
s hands keep his bluff trained on the doorway. Behind him, he hears Chris raiding the gun counter.

Randomly, the teenager grabs weapons and boxes of ammunition, placing both on the glass top. Terra cowers behind the safety of the counter closest to him. Her blue eyes are transfixed by the sea of orange still coursing just past the storefront.

“
You know what you
’
re doing?
”
Devin whispers. He backs quickly down the aisle toward them. His head whips back and forth, hearing a new crowd of inmates running by the broken entrance. The chants begin to grow outside in some kind of deadly anticipation.  Worry twists through Devin
’
s stomach.