Day One (Book 1): Alive (6 page)

“Jesus! Look at that damn thing… it’s gonna kill us all,” Man One stated. His friend turned to him and gave him a look of disapproval, shaking his head.

“Knock it off!” he said. “It doesn’t know we are in here and we’re going to keep it that way, understand.”

Man One nodded his head reluctantly, although the look plastered across his face spoke otherwise.

“The interstate is just a few hundred feet away. If we can sneak out the back, then we can work our way through the darkness. That way it can’t see us – there has to be a car out there we can take.” He turned toward me, the suspicious look held firm. “The three of us together give a greater advantage.”

I wasn’t going to go anywhere with them, as Kember was just outside and hopefully still asleep. I silently prayed that she would not wake up and begin crying, as I was in a rough spot and neither direction I could see would lead me very far. If I was going to survive I had to think straight and outsmart the two Men.

“Did you hear me, man?” Man Two asked.

“What?’ I said, still wrapped in the idea of looking for a way out.

“I said the three of us will make a good team until we get out of the area.”

There it was. The words I wished would never have been spoken, but they were. The plan was to bypass the interstate at all cost and move further away from help and deeper into the unknown. Only someone with something to hide would run from help, especially with the world falling apart as it was. Going the opposite direction was a sign of guilt as well as a sentence of death, neither of which I was inclined to tag along with.

“No, I’m good right where I am. You two want to leave, go for it, but I’m staying right here,” I said quickly and it drew the attention of the Second Man with heightened suspicion. His eyes moved from me to the SUV, and then back to the items I was holding on to.

“Quite the combination there, wouldn’t you say?” Man Two asked.

“Come again?” I said, feeling the noose tighten around my neck. The Man was on to me and I needed to throw him of the trail quickly or I wouldn’t last much longer. Somehow I had been too evasive with my words or to swift with an answer. However it went, the game was almost up for me and if I did nothing soon, it would be game over. I was outnumbered, and although one of them was in a deep emotional state, it didn’t mean that he could not prolong the feelings long enough to help his buddy kill me and steal the SUV with ease. After that Kember’s life wouldn’t mean much to them. They might not be the ones to actually harm her, but they could just as easily put her out somewhere and let those things have her.

“An energy drink, two things of fruit juice and some strawberry milk,” he said stroking the light hair on his chin, as if thinking deeper into the situation. “I would say that’s a combination not intended for just one person.”

I looked at him putting on my best confused expression. “What are you saying?” I asked. “Just because I have an assortment drinks that means I’m not alone… is that it?” I looked around the dimly lit store. “Do you see anyone else here with us? Cause I sure as hell don’t!”

The Second Man looked at the SUV once more. “They could be out there in that SUV waiting for you to return.”

“And I told you it wasn’t mine, as well as the fact that it was locked,” my words were becoming increasingly defensive and they were giving me away even though I wasn’t fully aware of it at the time. The anger building for these two Young Men was getting the best of me. I knew what kind of lowlifes they were and how far they would go to get what they wanted. They only cared about themselves and it angered me beyond words.

“While we are being honest here. Why are you bypassing the National Guard?” I asked, eyeing the Second Man. “With what’s going on out there it would be stupid to run from the only help that can actually do something about it… that is, unless you had something to hide?”

He ignored my statement. “If it’s yours just tell us and we can all leave here together.”

“Even if it were my vehicle, which it isn’t, I’m not as stupid as you’re hoping I am. The second we leave here together, I wind up with a bullet in my head down the road and a nice ditch to rot in. Sorry, but no thanks.”

A smile curved upon the Second Man’s face and I was now more than sure what their true intentions were. Now more than ever I wished the pistol was with me. The anger by itself wasn’t enough to blind me to the point of cold blooded murder, but their unfolding actions were. I could easily have raised the pistol and shot both of them in less than two seconds, found the back door and left. That thing would wind up getting in here and finishing them off as I drove safely away.

“So who’s all with you?” Man Two asked.

“Me, myself and I.”

“Look man, this ain’t no fucking game here! If that’s your SUV then we can use it to get out of here.”

“Like you said, there should be at least a few cars out there on the interstate… so go take your pick.” I fired back defiantly.

Man Two suddenly found humor in my words and shook his head a few times. It was the look of a man trying to keep his cool when all he wanted to do was create havoc to whoever was in front of him. “Ah, man. You are making this so much harder than it really has to be.”

“For who? You or me?” I asked tightening my grip on an unopened can of soda. It wasn’t a bullet, although if I was able to hit one of them square in the nose with it, it would be more than enough to even the odds.

“You want to drive, fine. You drive and we’ll ride in the back… how’s that sound?”

I needed no time to thank about his answer. “No. Find your own damn car!”

“I knew that was your SUV the moment I saw you,” Man Two said. “I tell you what I’ll do since I’m still in a good mood and I kind of like you. How about you just give us the keys and let us be on our way. That way no one gets hurt and you can use one of those cars out there on the interstate.”

“No one gets hurt?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Man Two said and smiled. “But know that I won’t ask nicely again. I’ll take them from you if I have too.”

Up until then, Man Two’s hands had been visible to me and that had kept me from showing any real signs of fear. His left hand slowly moved from the shelf and disappeared from sight, which to me was a blatant threat and without thinking I thrust my hand behind me and dropped my voice several levels. “Put your hand back on the shelf where I can see them!”

“And if I don’t?” Man Two asked.

“If I lied about the SUV, then wouldn’t it be safe to assume that I lied about being armed as well?” I asked, feeling a sense of accomplishment in creating doubt in their minds. Doubt was usually a bad thing to have to deal with, yet in certain situations, this one to be exact, doubt could be a powerful weapon.

Man One felt the situation quickly decaying and knew a gunfight was emanating, to which he wanted no part of. The noise would be deafening in the narrow confines of the store, not to mention that fact that it would bring that thing running toward them, and maybe more that they could not see.

“I’m losing my patients, man.”

“Put your fucking hand back where I can see it!” I demanded, still holding the belt loop on the rear of my pants. It was a fake move to throw them off guard, however, the consequences that ran with such an action could easily turn against me if either of them had lied and were armed as well. A hand contorted into a fake gun was no match for a real one.

“Okay, just calm down,” Man Two said and put his hand back where it could be seen. “There, it’s back on the shelf. Are you happy now?”

“Both of you get up slowly and head toward the coolers.”

“Why?” Man Two asked.

“Do it!” I demanded. My bluff had worked and they feared I was armed and had the advantage over them. I moved the opposite direction toward the register as they moved slowly toward the coolers. Moving around the corner I slid behind the counter, keeping an eye on both of them, placed my four bags on the counter and grabbed several packs of smokes to shove into as many pockets as I could.

“I say we rush him. He can’t get both of us,” Man Two whispered to his accomplice.

“And what if he can?”

With the store being as quiet as it was I had heard the comment and quickly wanted out of the store, even if it meant running out the front door. The thing surely couldn’t get me before I got to the SUV and the two assholes would not be stupid enough to give chase.

“Listen to your buddy, asshole. You rush me and I’ll pop both of you.”

I was about to grab my bags when something just under the counter on a small shelf caught my attention. It was a sign that I took as a guarantee that I would at least live through the encounter and when I looked up I saw both of them moving slowly toward him. “Stop where you are!”

“Or what?” Man Two asked. “I don’t even think you have a gun… in fact, I’d be sure of that.” He began to move forward and balled his fists.

“You willing to bet your life on that?” I asked.

Man One suddenly butted in. “Man, just give us the keys and let us go. It doesn’t have to go down like this… we don’t want to kill you unless you make us.”

“Unless I make you, really?

Since I was old enough to understand the logic of life and death, I had heard stories of the trash that travelled the interstates of America from one coast to the other, preying on innocent people. They were vile creatures that had no remorse for the things they did or for the lives they destroyed. It was all about personal gain to them and if it meant they had to kill an entire family coming back from vacation to get what they wanted, then they would do it without thought and laugh afterward. The anger I felt turned to hate and I couldn’t even stand to look at them anymore. I wanted them to die. I wanted them to suffer for the unknown things they had done in their criminal lives. I wanted them to pay… and they were about to.

“You rush me and I’ll get one of you for sure.”

“Then the last one of us will get you,” Man Two stated.

“You can try.” I said and grabbed the large revolver from the shelf and thrust it up in front of him, the sights coming to rest on the chest of Man Two and I cocked the hammer. Both Men stopped, seeing that I had not been bluffing them after all.

“Oh shit.” Man One said.

“How does it feel to have the tables turned on you for once?”

“You shoot and that thing comes this way,” Man Two offered.

“And I’ll be out the back door and moving around to my SUV before it can get through those thin windows.” I shot back and my words were more lethal. “But you two won’t be so lucky. Now how does it feel?”

“Fuck you!” Man Two spit.

I moved from behind the counter and backed toward the kitchen area where I had seen an exit sign. The back door had to be located somewhere back there and I’d find it. If not, then I’d be able to defend myself with the revolver and put both of them down. There was a part of me that wanted them to rush me, as I would have my justification to kill them. The anger would eventually fade and the regret and remorse of killing them would haunt me for the rest of my life.

Both Men moved toward the kitchen as I disappeared from sight, keeping a safe distance in case I emerged and began shooting at them. Man Two pulled the small derringer type pistol from his front pocket and motioned for his buddy to peek around the wall. He took several quick steps, shoved himself against the wall and slowly peeked around the corner. The back door was wide open and he looked back at his partner.

“He’s gone.”

Abruptly I stepped into the opening, Man One saw me and scurried out of the way, calling to his partner who took cover behind a small chip rack. I raised the revolver toward the front door and fired a single round. The concussion from the revolver blew a calendar off the nearby wall, startled Man One who dropped to the floor, as he was sprinting away. Man Two stayed where he was as the glass from the front door exploded. The screams from the thing in the parking lot cut through the cool night and grew. Both Men looked in its direction and saw it racing toward them.

“C’mon, we gotta go!” Man Two yelled to his partner.

The thing crashed through the front door, got caught by the handle and flipped to the ground. It recovered and was quickly on its feet as both Men flew out the back door in time to hear the SUV pull out of the parking lot with tires squealing.

Man Two pointed his pocket pistol at the fleeing SUV, although he didn’t fire. “I’m gonna get you, you fucker!”

I pulled the SUV onto the interstate and punched the gas, the engine responded and the vehicle flew down the onramp as I glanced to my right to see the two Men behind the gas station flipping me off. I felt a rush like nothing I had ever felt before. I was fully alive and was in perfect harmony with all of my senses. I was alive. I smiled and felt the weight fade from my shoulders.

The two Men, confronted by the screaming thing, fled into the woods behind the gas station with it hot on their trail. Survival depended upon them either being able to outrun it or lose it within the darkness and heavy undergrowth. Each of them hated the stranger even more for his actions, what he had caused them to face and for leaving them stranded. They both wanted revenge and if they ever had the opportunity, they would exact it upon him and whoever else had been with him.