Dead Hunt (9 page)

Paul looked at Michael. “You distract him so
we can drive around him.”

“Yeah, right. I’ll get right on that.”

“No, seriously, Mikey,” Paul told him, “slide
open the door and lean out. When it sees you, it will go to the
side of the van. Then we can drive past him. I’ll pull you back
in.”

Michael looked at Paul doubtfully, “Pull me
in? You’ll probably throw me out.”

“Listen,” Paul snapped back in an irritated
voice, “this is fuckin’ serious, man. You said those zombie things
are following us and Big Ben there is blocking the road. We can’t
wait for him to move, so we have to lure him out of the way.”

The bear stood on his hind legs again and
roared.

“His eyes are all fucked up,” Wade said.
“He’s a goddamn zombie bear.”

“Why me?” Michael asked timidly.

“Would you prefer I hang one of the girls out
the door instead?”

“No,” Michael replied uncomfortably.

“Wade is driving, and I’m stronger than you.
I can pull you back in quicker,” Paul told him. “So that leaves
you.”

Michael swallowed a lump in his throat.

“Michael,” Paul said, placing his hand on
Michael’s shaking shoulder, “it’s no big secret that you get on my
nerves, and sometimes I’d like to kick the shit out of you, but,
like you said, we got bigger problems right now. And right now, our
biggest problem is that bear. You have to trust me.”

Michael looked at Lucy. Lucy looked at Paul,
then back to Michael and nodded.

“Somebody do something!” Wade’s voice
cracked.

“Give me your belt!” Michael said to
Lucy.

Michael looped her belt around his wrist and
offered the other end to Paul.

He forced a smile, “Paul, if you let go, I
will kick the shit out of you.”

Paul smirked and wrapped the belt around his
own wrist.

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” Paul
promised.

Lucy slid the door open and Michael hung out
of the side of the van, holding on to the belt for dear life.
Michael yelled at the bear. It looked at Michael for a brief moment
then turned his attention back to Wade.

Michael picked up a rock and threw it. The
rock bounced at the bear’s feet, but the bear still didn’t
move.

“Big Ben doesn’t like your plan.” Michael
tried to sound brave but his shaky voice told the truth.

He threw another rock, and it hit the bear in
the head. The huge bear dropped to all fours, let out a blood
curdling growl and started to move towards Michael. Paul pulled
Michael back in as Lucy slammed the door closed. The bear stopped,
then turned its attention back to Wade.

“Umm, guys,” sweat was running down Wade’s
forehead, “he looks really pissed now, like he wants to come
through the windscreen. Do something!”

The bear opened his mouth and roared. Wade
could see the bear’s giant, yellow teeth stained with blood. Wade’s
hands continued to shake uncontrollably. Michael slid the door open
again, yelling at the bear and throwing more rocks. The bear moved
towards the side of the van as Paul pulled Michael back in so
forcefully he almost dislocated Michael’s shoulder. Lucy slammed
the door shut just as the bear slammed itself into the side of the
van. The impact lifted two wheels off the ground. Everyone screamed
in panic and Wade floored the accelerator.

The van bounced the teens around like rag
dolls as Wade raced to get away from the monstrous killer. They
screamed for Wade to slow down, but he was driving like a mad man,
like a man possessed. He was possessed, with fear. Shear panic had
grabbed Wade and wasn’t letting go. The van bounced around another
sharp corner as it raced up the mountain. The rear tire slammed
hard into a large boulder, throwing the van into an uncontrollable
turn. The van raced off the road, slamming hard into a giant
tree.

The impact threw Lucy so hard against the
front seat that it punched her breath away, then instantly slammed
her back into her own seat as the van crunched to a stop. The
impossibly loud screams of terror and shattering glass shrieked in
her ears as something heavy slammed into the back of her head,
pushing her to the hard, metal floor. Complete silence followed
except for the faint but steady hissing sound of steam escaping
into the still, night air.

Lucy tried to get up but something heavy
pinned her down. Was Lauren on top of her? Lucy’s mind, numb with
fear and shock, struggled to form a single thought. It wasn’t
Lauren on top of her, it was Lauren and Emma.

“Get off me,” Lucy exhaled as she awkwardly
tried to push them away.

They didn’t move; their combined weight was
too heavy.

“Get off me!” she pleaded in a shaky
voice.

A claustrophobic feeling of being trapped
raced through her aching body. With one last adrenaline-fueled
push, she broke free of the web of tangled teens. She shook them
violently.

“Wake up,” she tried to yell, but it sounded
more like a whisper as a buzzing sound built in her ears.

She steadied herself and took a few slow,
deep breaths to keep from passing out. She heard the girls make a
soft moaning sound, so she crawled to the front of the van, first
shaking Michael and then Paul. The hissing sound grew faint as the
last of the steam was released from the crumbled radiator that
hugged the giant tree.

Lucy’s eyes widened with terror when she
looked at Wade. The windshield directly in front of Wade was
shattered. It looked like a million tiny spider webs weaved and
crawled away from a large, crimson rimmed hole. The top of Wade’s
head disappeared into that hole. It only took a few seconds for
Lucy’s still numb brain to put the pieces together. Wade’s head did
not disappear into the hole; his head made that hole.

Panicked, she tried to pull Wade free from
the tiny spider webs. The windshield released its grip on him with
a wet, sucking sound as Wade’s head popped free. As he fell back
into the driver’s seat, his head slumped to the right. His eyes,
wide with shock and pain, looked directly at Lucy. His hair clung
to his forehead, matted down with glistening red. Tiny speckles of
glass dotted his bloodied face like glitter.

“Lu..cy?” Something liquid and gurgling
roughened his voice.

Lucy felt another stab of panic. She mouthed
his name but she could not squeeze out enough air to make an actual
sound. Tears raced down her cheeks in a stream of sadness and
fear.

“L-Lucy,” Wade repeated in a fragile
voice.

Globs of blood gurgled over his quivering
lips. Lucy took his hand and held it to her wet cheek. His eyes
looked glassy; unfocused. She choked out a pathetic sound that
resembled his name, but her tears were too strong, her breath too
weak, for any coherent language.

She gently squeezed his hand. He did not
squeeze back. As the rest of the teens groaned painfully back into
consciousness, Lucy was kneeling quietly by Wade’s seat, still
holding his hand to her tear-soaked cheek.

“Wade!” Paul yelled, panicked, scrambling
towards his friend when he saw his blood-soaked face.

“Wake up! Wake up, buddy!” he tried to shake
him awake but Wade did not move.

“He’s…he’s gone,” Lucy sobbed, still kneeling
on the floor holding Wade’s hand.

Paul shook him again and yelled, “Fuck!”

Lauren let out a piercing scream. Emma threw
up.

Michael wiped a tear away with the back of
his hand and slid the door open. “C’mon,” he told them. “We gotta
go.”

“Go? Go where?” Paul yelled. “We’re not going
anywhere without Wade. We can’t leave him here. We can’t leave him
like…like this!”

Michael grabbed Paul by the arm. “Paul,
listen to me. That bear will be here any minute. Those zombie
things are on their way. We have to go. Now!”

“Not without Wade,” Paul yelled as he jerked
his arm from Michael’s grip and started dragging Wade out of the
van. “We can’t leave him here for… for them! He’s not a piece of
meat!”

Michael laid his hand gently on Paul’s
shoulder and in soft, gentle voice whispered, “He was my friend
too.”

Paul stared blankly at Michael.

“We’ll close up the van,” Michael told him,
“so nothing can get in. When we get the guns and get help, we’ll
come back for him.”

Michael’s voice deepened as it took on a more
commanding tone. “But right now Paul, we need to man-the-fuck-up
and get the hell out of here.”

Paul didn’t say a word as he inhaled deeply
and stared at Michael. A few deep breaths later, Paul nodded and
set Wade back into the driver’s seat as gently as if placing a baby
in a car seat, then stepped out of the van to join his friends. He
slammed the door shut, scanning the faces of his companions.
Michael had watery eyes, the girls were still crying.

Paul took a slow and deliberate breath then
said in a dry, matter-of-fact voice, “ Ok, boys and girls, let’s
get this walking feast moving.”

A loud crack echoed in the still night. The
girls screamed and an instant later, the rain came. It pounded the
group, drenching them instantly.

Paul looked skyward and yelled, “Can you
please give us a fuckin’ break?”

CHAPTER 8 – Strangers

“Good evening, this is Clay Buffer with the
Atlantic Television Network’s 6 o’clock evening news. Tonight’s top
story: A series of bizarre murders in the tiny village of Margaree
Valley has authorities baffled. Chief Brian Dunn of the Royal
Canadian Mounted Police refused to make a formal statement pending
further investigation. Sources close to the Chief claim the RCMP
have blocked all roads going in and out of Margaree Valley, and
they are working around the clock on the tragedies that have
besieged the isolated community since early this morning. Field
reporter, Jess Jessup has the story.”

“Thank you, Clay. We have just received
reports that members of the CDC have been flown in from Atlanta,
Georgia, along with members of the American National Guard to
assist the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces as they quarantine
the area. Some startling new evidence has led officials to believe
that some type of virus has infected the residents, causing them to
attack their neighbors, friends and families.”

“Did you say a virus is causing people to
attack their own families?”

“That’s correct, Clay, a virus.”

“Is this virus creating some form of a
delusional psychosis that causes the infected victims to lash out
against their family and friends?”

“At this time, the CDC is not releasing any
information. No discernible motive has been established as of yet,
but sources have suggested the murders are horrific and beyond
anything they have seen.”

She paused as a man in a suit handed her a
piece of paper. Jess read the note then continued:

“The official liaison for the CDC has just
informed me that they will be holding a formal press conference
tonight at 10 P.M., Atlantic Standard Time. The spokesperson has
assured me that the virus is not airborne and is contained within
the Margaree River Valley area. Once again, a spokesperson for the
CDC has just confirmed that it is indeed a virus and that it has
been contained to the Margaree Valley area. The virus is not
airborne and the rest of the island is not in any danger of
infection.”

Jess re-read the last piece of information on
the paper, then hesitantly added, “Authorities are warning citizens
that anyone attempting to leave the Margaree area will be dealt
with swiftly and severely. This is Jess Jessup, ATN Evenings
News.”

“Thank you, Jess. That was Jess Jessup
reporting from outside Margaree on Cape Breton Island. More on that
story later tonight on the Late Night News. Up next, the Maritime
Weather with Meteorologist, Jimmy MacIntosh. Any chance of this
heat letting up any time soon, Jimmy?”

“Father?” Robin’s voice echoed in the empty
lab.

Various rooms flicked on and off her screen
in rapid succession. The images on the monitors changed to those
from the cameras mounted outside the cabin then stopped on a group
of people walking towards the lodge. As the group stepped into the
light, Robin scanned the individual faces of these uninvited
guests. She searched her memory banks. This group of people was
unknown to her. The locks on the door clicked shut as the strangers
stepped onto the huge veranda and a hand reached for the door
knob.

“It’s locked,” Lucy said as she jiggled the
handle.

“Hello?” she raised her voice as she knocked
on the door. “Is anyone there?”

She waited a moment, listening intently, then
pounded the door harder. “Hello! We need help! Somebody open the
goddamn door!”

The computer monitors flashed in rapid
succession, still searching the rooms. Once again the image on the
monitor focused on the strangers at the door. Unable to find
Heslin, Robin’s only course of action, the most logical one, was to
allow the strangers entrance to help search the places her camera
eyes could not see. If Heslin was hurt, these strangers could
administer medical aid, something else she was unable to do. Robin
sensed something in her system she never sensed before. It was a
new process, outside her primary programming. It felt like… No,
Robin knew that was impossible… Computers could not feel. Robin’s
artificial brain could duplicate various preprogrammed expressions
to simulate feelings, but they were only simulations. Somehow Robin
knew this was different. This was new. She was… scared.

The locks on the door clicked open as her
monitor went black.

Lucy tried the door again, and this time the
knob turned. She pushed the door open, expecting to see someone. A
large, empty foyer welcomed them. The teens rushed into the lodge,
locking the door behind them.

“Hello?” Lucy yelled again.

No answer.

She turned to Michael and Paul. “Check up
stairs.”

She turned her attention to Lauren and Emma.
“Check the kitchen, check…” she paused for a moment, “Just check
everywhere. The door didn’t unlock itself, so somebody has to be
here. Everyone meet back here in five minutes.”