Scattered (2 page)

I pantomimed sneaking behind him with my hands and Dustin’s crying increased. I grabbed his arms and gave him a shake. This was not the time to break down. We needed food if we were to get out of here. I didn’t know how long it would take us
to get across the water and we needed to be prepared. Even if it was terrifying.

I went first, creeping along the pale linoleum floor, the scent of blood and eviscerated bowels assaulting my senses; that was what I’d smelled earlier.
I put my hand over my mouth and pinched my nose; tried not to gag as the Nevermore slurped up something long, wet and stringy.

Dustin, trembling so hard I wasn’t sure he would make it, slowly inched his way behind the Nevermore. Mid way, his running shoe hit a patch of moisture and let out the softest of sq
ueaks, freezing all three of us
.

The Nevermore let out a low growl and began to turn his head back toward our original hiding spot. I motioned for Dustin to jump, run, something but he just stood there, shaking.

There was only
a
split second for me to make a
decision
. I reached out and grabbed him, yanking him with me down the next
aisle
. The Nevermore let out a querying grunt and I held my breath. The shuffle of feet, the slide of a body on the linoleum floor. He was dragging it away from us.

I let out a breath.

“Sorry
,
” Dustin whispered.

I glared at him, my fear turning into anger. He was going to get us both killed. We worked our way in and out of the
aisles
, managing to pick up a little food. Some baby
food (
mashed
peas and carrots)
, a few cans of tomatoes,
and a
single box of no-name cereal.
It wasn’t exactly a feast, but it would have to do for now.

We reach
ed the far side of the store, listening for the Nevermore dragging his kill, but hearing nothing
.

The last aisle was
bread and jam-
we hit the jackpot. There were four cans of jam and two containers of peanut butter. I clamped down on the urge to squeal. We hadn’t eaten anything sweet or that rich in protein in at least two weeks. Subsisting on the local berries that had come into season and a large bag of rice had l
eft us craving something of
substance.

Stuffing the jars into the knapsack, I took the now heavy bag from Dustin. He smiled up at me, the corners of his lips trembling. I ran my hand over his head, the blond hair ruffling under my fingers.

A massive screech followed by a thunderous tumble of something heavy snapped us both low and into a crouch. We scuttled forward and peeked around the corner. There stood our three hunters, the Nevermores who’d chased us for the last few hours.

“Damn.”
Apparently
I’d said that aloud
because their heads snapped towa
rd us.
Our eyes met,
fear suffused my whole body
as
their eyes
filled with an
intensity
that made
me flinch.

I pulled back and Dustin followed me
.
Then the howling of the hunting pack began, echoing through the store, reverberating in my skull. Dustin was panting beside me and a quick glance showed his face tight and pale.
We ran.

Passing each aisle
,
I could see flashes of the Nevermores running to where they’d last seen us. After the third one flashed by
,
I spun and ran down the nearest aisle,
filled with
cooking
utensils
and spice
s
, heading toward the open doors at the front of the store.

“Annie!” Dustin screeched
,
and I slipped in some canola oil as I tried to turn, my hands reaching out for him as I fell. My eyes could barely take in what I was seeing, my heart pumping with fear.

The largest of the males had Dustin by the back of his shirt with his mouth, a low growl rippling around the fabric.

“Slip out of the shirt.” I
screamed. There was no point in being quiet now. They knew we were here.

Dustin squirmed and wiggled and the male Nevermore wrapped an arm around my little brother’s middle. I was on one knee, my feet and hands slick with oil
. Very slowly I stood, taking even
,
careful steps toward them. A second Nevermore and then the third appeared behind Dustin and his captor. I slipped off the pack and slowly unscrewed the lid on one of the peanut butter containers.

Dipping my fingers into the soft paste I pulled them out and stuck them in my mouth. My saliva glands kicked into overtime as the salty sweet peanut flavour stuck to my teeth and tongue.
The smell quickly filled the small space around us and the Nevermores lifted their noses in the air.

“You want this?” I asked, smacking my lips together
. The two
smaller Nevermores
let out low whimpers. I waved the jar in front of them and
they followed it, like dogs after
a bone in their
master’s
hand.

One last wave and I threw the jar, over their heads to the back of the store. The two of them went scrambling and snarling after it, but the male who held Dustin didn’t loosen up an inch.

“Dustin, I’m going to . . .” I didn’t get to finish my sentence. A crack resounded through the store and something whizzed by my right ear, the heat of it searing my skin. My hand clamped on
that
side of my face and I dropped to the ground. The male who held Dustin loosened his grip, a perfect round hole in the middle of his forehead appearing
,
as if by magic.

“Come on
,
you two.”

Dustin leapt toward me and I caught him, his arms tightening painfully around my neck. “Come on
,
buddy, we’ve got to go
,
” I said.

He loosened his grip and we slid down the rest of the aisle toward our rescuer.

She was a big woman in a bright orange and yellow muumuu that had perhaps fit her tighter at one point in her life. The swirl of colour contrasted with the black rifle she carried
and it
was all my b
rain could take in and process in that moment.

“Come on then
,
you two. Unless you want to stick around for the others
to show up
?
They really are drawn to
gunfire;
seem to know it’s a kill of some sort.
”

We followed her without a word outside to a large station wagon.

“Get in if you’re getting in then. Crazy world, all these people taking shots, turning into monsters.” She grabbed my arm and put her face into mine, taking me by surprise. “I told them this would happen, no one listened. They threw me out of every medical center. I tried to convince them.”

She was spitting on
me
by the end of it
and I squinted my eyes to keep them clear of the foamy white spray. She let me go and I wiped my face.

Dustin
stood trembling
and I pushed him into the car. The woman was obviously not in her right mind, but she had a vehicle and she was shooting the Nevermores. At this point, we couldn’t take another chance on our own. We needed help to survive this mess.

She started the engine up just as a
pack of Nevermores came around the corner of the Safeway, drawn by the noise of the gun. She revved the engine and started to laugh as the pack rushed us. Dustin let out a whimper and buried his face in my arms.

“We’ve got to go!” I yelled at her, clinging to Dustin, my fear spiking as the pack drew close.

She didn’t answer, just threw the car in gear and hit the gas,
peeling out of the parking lot. T
he pack howl
ed
their anger and frustration, but quickly g
ave
up.

A few moments passed in silence before I mustered up the strength to speak to our rescuer.

“I’m Annie, this is
my brother
Dustin.
” I paused. “
Thank you for saving us.”

She grunted but didn’t say anything.

I tried again. “Did you hear about
the airport? People are getting flown to safety. We’re going to find a boat and cross the strait. You could come with us if you want.”

I cringed even as I put
out the offer
. We would have to find a much bigger, sturdier boat if she decided to come along.

She didn’t answer me. Just focused on her driving, scooting around any debris or parked vehicles as she made her way North up the island toward Nanaimo.

Dustin tucked his face close to my ear. “I think she’s crazy.”

I nodded. If she hadn’t been nuts before, the strain of the outbreak had sent her over the deep end. My stomach let out a growl and I pulled the
back
pack around, opening up our bounty.

“Would you like something to eat?” I asked. Again there was no response. I shrugged
,
and Dustin and I dipped our no
-
name brand cereal
—
each individual flake
—
into
our
now
only
peanut butter jar.
It was divine, the sweet sugary starch of the would-be cornflake with the salty thick paste of the peanut butter left me nearly moaning with pleasure.

As we entered the southern outskirts of Nan
a
imo
, she began to slow the car down.

“Is something wrong?” I asked. I motioned at Dustin and he screwed the lid back on the peanut butter and tucked the remains of our meal into the back pack.

She didn’t answer me, just pulled the car to the curb and turned the engine off.

“Excuse me, are you okay?” I reached forward and touched her shoulder.

That was a mistake.

She let out a snarl that would be the envy of any Nevermore and I found myself staring down the long black tube of the rifle.

“What are you doing in my car?” She screamed at me, her face purple with rage.

The blood drained from my face, I could feel it slide down through my body and pool in the pit of my stomach.

“You asked us to come with you
,
” Dustin said, and even though the words were n
ot exact
, it was close enough.

“LIARS!” She screamed and the gun swung into the air as she seemed to have a fit or a seizure of some sort
, screaming and frothing at the mouth
.

Without another thought, I grabbed the handle and flung the heavy pane
l
led door open, tumbling out into the street. Dustin was right behind me, the woman in her
brilliant
muumuu screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Run.”
W
as all I said as the first shot of the rifle echoed around us.

We stumbled and lurched toward the closest building
—
a gas station
—
ducking inside just as a pack of Nevermores crept forward, surrounding her station wagon. She screamed and the Nevermores answered back with their hunting howl that raised the hairs all over my body.

En masse
,
they launched at the vehicle and the prize within.
A few shots rang out, then she began to scream,
and
then laugh
,
and finally
,
there was silence.

We slid back through the dim interior of the building and crouched behind the counter. We were far from safe, but I was exhausted and needed to rest.

“We’ll stay here for a bit. Then we’ll go looking for a boat
,
” I said. Dustin nodded and curled up next to me, his eyes drifting shut
immediately
.

But I couldn’t sleep. The horror and fresh fear still thrumming through my veins
made
my blood pump
too
fast. Every little sound, scrape and shuffle of movement snapped me to attention. After two hours, I woke Dustin
up;
I couldn’t sit still any longer.

“We’ve got to move buddy
,
” I said as I peeked over the counter. The pack was gone, their feast on the muumuu woman over.

Taking care to be stealthy, we slipped out of our hiding spot and
into the downtown core of Nanaimo. With every shadow that shifted, every crow that cawed, I flinched and pulled Dustin against the buildings we were
already
hugging.