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** The following chapter contains a graphic scene depicting violence. Read at your own discretion!**
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Barrages of wind pummeled Liam’s group as they struggled through a mountain pass - the same pass Levon’s group had taken earlier that day. Steep mountain walls sloped with sharp rocks on either side, providing only two directions to go. The colony mapped all known Bridging Zones, marking each one’s path with simple stone cairns. A current total of ninety-two Bridging Zones were on record, but Zone Seventy-Seven - despite its proximity to the colony’s home - challenged most seekers. Surrounded by mountains and only accessible by mountains, Zone Seventy-Seven required the most planning.
A blizzard was coming. Snow poured down like heavy rain, with the mountain pass walls acting as wind tunnels. Those in the group who didn’t possess goggles had to rely more on their riding beasts to guide them. Despite this, Liam kept confident. He had traveled this route many times over the years, and blizzards were a normal part of life. Although hypothermia and frostbite remained a threat, his men had grown accustomed to the harsh conditions of this hellhole. Besides, if a town existed as reported, it could serve as shelter to wait out the storm.
Another stone cairn became visible before the group. This one identified where the path opened up and sloped down into the valley of Zone Seventy-Seven. Liam yanked back the reins of his riding beast, raising a signaling hand for the others to halt. He turned towards Harlan, who pulled up beside him on his own beast. They had named these creatures ‘Dire Wolves’ because of their immense size and wolf-like characteristics. Their true identity - or even where they came from - was anyone’s guess. Most group members rode one, but the rest had to commute inside one of the two carriages driven by yet another set of mysterious creatures. These held an appearance similar to an ox with cattle-like bodies and a pair of thick, curved horns atop their head. What set them apart was their draping fur that brushed along the ground and round faces that bore jutting teeth. Not what one would consider majestic, but their strength and ability to withstand intense cold made them invaluable to the colony.
Liam locked eyes with Harlan, pulling down his scarf as he tried to shout above the wind. “See if you can make out anything below.”
Harlan shot Liam a thumbs up and unshouldered a wood-bodied hunting rifle. He looped his reins around his left wrist as he raised the rifle and squinted through the scope. Seconds later, he lowered it to wipe the lens. He attempted once more, shielding the front of the scope with his right hand while his left pressed the rifle deep into his shoulder for balance. This proved unwieldy despite his strength, and he gave it up. He shook his head at Liam.
“Snow’s too thick, Boss. Can’t see a thing. Doesn’t help that Levon’s group has the rifle with the better scope.”
Liam let out a resigned utterance, nodding in acknowledgment to Harlan. He stared out at the valley below, but Harlan hadn’t exaggerated. The fog of white obscured most of everything. He grabbed at the radio from his belt, calculating his next move. The small, green-lit screen revealed a low battery charge, but he ignored it as he twisted the channel knob to two and squeezed the talk button.
“Relay-Two, you there?” It took a few seconds before a male voice responded amidst heavy static.
“You got Relay-Two. Go ahead.”
“This is Collins. My team is located at the mouth of Zone Seventy-Seven. Any news from Levon’s group?”
“Negative. Haven’t heard a peep. They're past due for a check-in. The weather or terrain could be affecting their signal, but I’ve been hearing some weird sounds. Pops that sound an awful lot like gunshots. They come and go with no regularity, although it’s been quiet for the past little while. Could have sworn I also heard something like horns at one point, but I can’t be sure. Sound travels funky in these mountains. However, I can’t shake this feeling that something’s up, but from where I’m stationed, I can’t make any certain claims.”
The news stabbed at Liam’s nerves, especially that part about the horns. “Understood. Appreciate the report. Stay alert, and be ready to relay any orders I may give you.”
“Will do, sir.”
Liam lowered the radio. His face must have revealed the circulating stress clawing at him because Harlan’s voice soon bellowed out.
“What’s going on, Boss? I couldn’t hear much, but I’m not picking up on any good vibes from ya’.”
“It’s Levon. His group hasn’t reported in. I can understand the recruits forgetting, but Levon? No way. Something’s not right.”
“Think they’re in trouble?”
“I don’t know. Relay mentioned it could be signal issues, but they’re not sure. I’m going to try contacting them myself.” Liam raised his radio again. “Relay Two?”
“Relay Two here.”
“What channel is Levon’s group on?”
“That would be channel nine, sir.”
“Thank you.” Liam adjusted the channel dial and spoke once more. “Levon, this is Collins. Come in.” He let go of the talk button and waited. The radio stayed silent, and an unease swelled in his stomach. He tried again. “Levon, come in. This is Liam Collins. I need you or someone in your group to report in.”
This time, the radio crackled back. Liam relaxed his face. Thank goodness, he thought. He waited for the reply, but then the static clicked off. Confused, he inspected the radio, having remembered the low battery indicator from before. Its screen still showed a charge. That was odd. He waited a couple more moments.
Nothing.
“Levon, please respond. We’re entering Zone Seventy-Seven. If you’re hearing this, I need you to confirm.”
Again, static came as a reply. This time twice, with each response lasting a handful of seconds before cutting off. There were no discernable voices or background noise. Nothing to let Liam know if someone was trying to communicate. Dread permeated deep. If it were signal issues, he would have heard the disconnected speech of someone trying to speak. That or no return transmission at all. Instead, the silent responses repeated in a uniform fashion. They were deliberate. They were suspicious. He shouted to Harlan.
“Inform everyone to avoid communicating via radio. I believe our comms have been compromised. Tell them to ready their weapons and be prepared for possible contact.”
—
“Oh, this is not good,” Mary said. “Not good. Not good. Not good. I can’t see a dang thing.” She gave herself a silent curse, refusing to look at Nathan’s kids who sat next to her in the old, red pickup that belonged to their father. Her own two sons had already moved out and started lives for themselves some years ago. She was rusty and hadn't had to hold back her words in a while.
“Sorry,” she said. “Everything’s gonna be just fine, sweethearts. I just have a bad habit of complaining is all. All this snow makes it hard to see, but I know where I’m going. We’ll get there, and I’m sure your dad is just fine. He just had a small accident, that’s all.”
“Why won’t you tell us what happened?” Jay asked.
Mary increased her grip on the steering wheel. She could feel the older brother’s stare. “I’m sorry, honey. Like I told you, I’m not really sure what happened myself. Your dad’s partner, Eric, just told me that your dad got hurt, and that they were going to head on over to the clinic to get him right as rain. I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Then why couldn’t they just meet us at the station afterward? You’re the dispatcher, right? Aren’t you supposed to be helping the other officers?”
That one stumped her. She knew she needed to be cautious with Jay. If memory served her, he had just turned fourteen this year. A bona fide teenager, complete with a know-it-all mentality and topped to the brim with raging hormones. Not to mention Lina was three years younger than him, and Mary recalled Nathan talking about how protective Jay was of her. To Mary, Jay was a ticking time bomb. The reality? She did know what happened. The tragic aftermath of the high school attack, and what had become of every single person there. The fate of the other officers, including the chief. She knew it all. No way would she reveal any of it to them. It took everything in her to keep up the facade for herself. If she relaxed for even a moment to process anything, it would paralyze her. She needed to deflect.
“Look, I’m sure your dad just wants to keep you kids close so he knows you’re safe. Needless to say, today’s events have… well… it’s been one heck of a day, and it’s got a lot of us feeling a bit scared. Not gonna lie to you. I know you kids are probably feeling it too, so it makes sense your dad wants you near him. I’ve got my radio with us, so I can still perform my duties as a dispatcher. Any equipment I would have used at the station doesn’t work anyway, what with the power being out and all. I’m just glad your dad gave you the keys to his truck ‘cause my little old beater would have crashed in a ditch for sure.”
There. That would do the trick. She applauded herself in her head. With most of her attention directed at the horrible conditions of the road, she had pulled that pile of bull out of thin air with quite the performance. She still had it.
“You forget we were both in the car when Dad got called to the school.”
Panic shot through Mary. She had forgotten. She heard Jay taking a deep breath, and she braced for the worst. To her surprise, his tone softened.
“I know what you’re doing,” he said. “I know you’re just… trying to protect us. You don’t want to scare us and I get that, I guess, but… we’re already scared. We know that something bad happened at the school, and that you wouldn’t be taking us to Dad unless things went… wrong. Really wrong.”
Mary didn’t respond. How could she? The silence felt heavy despite the strain of the old pickup’s engine. Wiper blades rubbed against the windshield in an out-of-sync rhythm, struggling against the snow. The vents blasted heat, and the pickup’s body rattled to every bump.
Lina was the first to speak, her voice quivering and pleading. “We’re not little kids, Mrs. Clark. We need to know what really happened… please.”
Mary shifted in her seat with discomfort. “You kids certainly take after your father. You’re too nosy for your own good, you know that? Never thought the day would come that I’d be interrogated by children.”
She looked over at them, their eyes desperate but frightened. She hesitated. They didn’t know what they were asking. That the truth was a nightmare. A nightmare worse than the town being somewhere it didn’t belong.
She caught Jay’s attention redirect to something through the windshield. His eyes grew wide as his body stiffened. Mary shot forward. She screamed, smashing her foot on the brakes, the tires crying out in rebellion. The truck shook as something hit and rolled off the hood. They spun out of control, the truck’s rear swinging around in a three-quarter circle before connecting with a utility pole. The impact stopped the truck with a metallic crunch.
Mary stared out the windshield with teeth clenched, arms stiff, and hands still clasping the steering wheel. Her body ached something fierce, but when she heard Lina hyperventilating, horror replaced the pain. She whipped around and cried out in a stressed pitch.
“Oh my, god. Are you kids alright? Are you hurt?”
Neither responded to her, their eyes locked onto something outside. Mary followed their gaze until she saw it, too. A few feet ahead of them, a man’s body lay crumpled on the ground. Mary’s face drained, her voice stuttering with desperate sobs. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Oh god, no.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and shoved her door open. “Stay in the truck.” She bolted over to the body, forgetting to shut the door behind her.
Stress and hysteria coursed through her. The man was still alive. His chest heaved with rapid gasps, short wheezes escaping on every exhale. His face contorted with shock, and one of his legs bent the wrong way. Blood stained his clothes and painted the surrounding ground. Tears poured out from Mary. It was already too late.
“I’m so sorry. Oh, my god, I’m so sorry. I didn’t see you. I didn’t see you. Dammit. Dammit all to hell.”
The man choked and gurgled, attempting to speak. Mary dropped to her knees and clasped her hands around one of his. “Shh,” she said. “It’s gonna be okay. Don’t try to talk. I already called for some help. Everything’s going to be alright.” She closed her eyes and her body trembled. Of course, it was a lie.
The man squeezed her hand. It wasn’t out of reassurance, however. Rather, he squeezed hard enough to make Mary pull away with a painful cry. At first, she thought he had done it out of anger. She then realized he was pointing toward a house across the street. Picking up on the clue, she inspected it. It looked normal. The entrance was open, but beyond that, nothing stuck out to her. She turned back, her expression puzzled.
“I… I don’t understand.”
The man, still wheezing, gestured with his fingers in a running motion. He then jabbed a single finger at the truck. When Mary didn’t respond, he repeated with more emphasis, despite the action causing his body distress. It unsettled Mary. She opened her mouth, about to ask what he meant. That’s when she heard an unnatural rumble breathing from the house. Goosebumps trickled up her arms and legs as she lifted her head.
Something was standing in the doorway.
Sweat formed as she started crawling backward. An eyeless head trained on her. Hisses chorused from writhing hairs that circled the thing’s head like a lion’s mane. Mary froze.
“What the actual hell?”
A strange sound began forming in the thing’s throat. It pulsed with rhythmic low grunts, almost like panting, but with a more horrific intent.
Run, Mary’s mind told her.
The grunts evolved into a barking-like roar, maintaining its rhythmic pulses, but increasing in intensity and speed.
RUN!
Mary rolled to her feet and broke out into a full-on sprint. Her hand caught the handle of the open truck door when Jay and Lina started screaming. Something slammed her body into the door, shutting it before she collapsed to the ground. Pain spread from crushed bones, the breath knocked out of her. The thing leaped on her before she could recover. Hundreds of thin, fang-like teeth bit into her limbs, causing them to become paralyzed within seconds. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t escape. Desperation engulfed her. The thing’s head roared in her face, spraying her with saliva.
With a swipe of a claw, the thing split her stomach open. Her throat let out a screaming wail as blood gushed out, flashing her nerves with hot pain. The head’s jaw plunged into the open wound. She let out an uncontrollable retch as it ripped something long out of her, red dripping from its lips. Despair settled in as she realized…
She was being eaten.
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