The thing that had been Isaac stared at the group inside the Med Hut for a moment and then, as if just realizing it was on fire, began to thrash. Shrieking, it clawed at its flesh, tearing deep grooves which released a syrupy goo and swung its numerous appendages in wild arcs, swiping at the air. Mo couldn’t tell if it was in pain or pissed; probably both.
“Get back!” hollered Mo, as the thing began to eject the dark fluid in haphazard trajectories. One trail nearly struck Lacy and Mo grabbed her and pulled her into him. He was trembling. He’d almost lost her to infection from the orb; he was not going to lose her to this fucking thing.
Lacy squeezed him. “I’m okay.”
Moving ahead of her, Mo took aim with the rifle and pulled the trigger. It clicked.
With a gut-punch of despair, Mo remembered that Mitchell had unloaded the rifle. Shit.
“Mitchell took your rounds,” shouted Grant above the sound of the screaming creature. “He still has them.”
Charles stared with eye wide. “What do we do?”
Mo thought. “You have more of that flammable material?”
Charles glanced toward the cabinet he’d gotten it from and nodded. “Ethyl Chloride. Yes.” The substance was in the cabinet, however, which stood ten feet away. “Shit, why didn’t I grab it before!”
“It’s alright,” assured Mo. “I’ll distract it. You grab it and light it up.”
Charles nodded and took a step toward his right, while Mo moved in the opposite direction. “Hey!” he shouted, trying to draw the creature’s attention. It continued to thrash about and didn’t seem to notice him. Mo picked up the metal folding chair he’d been sitting on earlier. He folded it and flung it at the thing, striking it in what he thought was its head. It swung toward him and shrieked.
Lacy screamed. Mo retreated three steps and bumped into the wall as it advanced. Pieces of it fell to the floor, singed and smoking. It reeked of something rotten and charred and Mo fought the impulse to gag.
Suddenly, the thing halted and spun toward Charles. With what might’ve still been a leg, it kicked the other folding chair and it zipped through the air like a missile, hitting Charles in the back and he dropped to his knees.
The creature began to approach Charles when Lacy ran toward him. Mo shouted for her to get away from it, but she didn’t listen. She wiggled past Charles, reached the cabinet and grabbed the substance she heard Charles mention: Ethyl Chloride. She removed the lid, turned back to the creature and, with both Mo and Grant hollering for her to get away from it, threw the container.
It was a direct hit and bright, new flames coursed hungrily across the thing’s body. It lurched backward, screeching louder than before. Then it turned and charged toward the Med Hut door.
*********
Laird, for the first time, noticed the tiny bulges in the temples of his wife and children. “Jesus Christ! You’ve been implanted?” When could this have possibly happened? The only time he was ever away from them was guard duty or…
The Supply Runs.
On one of the extended ones he guessed, when Laird had gone to the place he’d planned to take his family. That’s when that son-of-a-bitch Isaac must’ve done it. Had he known what Laird was doing?
Reflexively, he reached up and felt his own right temple, but it was flat and smooth. No, he would’ve remembered if he’d had the procedure, wouldn’t he have?
“We’re more in tune with Community’s rules now, Laird,” said Kay, matter-of-factly. “We understand the importance of Community’s survival, the children and I.”
Laird stared disbelievingly. “You don’t understand shit, Kay. You’ve been brainwashed and you let our children be brainwashed!”
“No, Laird. Our eyes have been opened. If only you’d allow Isaac to-”
“Isaac’s not coming within ten feet of me, or you or the children ever again.”
Lance stepped in front of his mother, the pistol extended. “No, father. Without the implant, you’ll never come near us again.”
“Not once we inform Isaac,” added Audrey.
Laird glanced at his children. “You guys aren’t yourselves. You’ll come with me and I’ll take care of you. I’ve found a place where everything is like it used to be. Plenty of food, medicine… We can live in the house we had before. You can have video games again…see family and friends…”
Kay shook her head. “You’re delusional, Laird. Once implanted, you’ll see. We need Community and Community needs us.”
“I’m never getting implanted, Kay!” shouted Laird. “It’s never happening!”
Audrey stepped closer. “Then we’ll miss you, daddy.”
Lance pulled the trigger, then blinked in surprise when nothing happened. Just a click.
Laird drew up to the boy and snagged the pistol from his hand. “I thought something like this was possible. I never expected it to happen, but just in case, I unloaded both pistols.” He stepped backward, holstered the pistol and stared at Kay. “I didn’t expect my wife to deceive me.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
A terrific rumbling broke the tension. Some deep disturbance within the ground. Laird grabbed hold of the stairs railing for balance. The children took leaned against the wall for support. Kay scrambled forward, concern across her face. A noise of rending metal came from a lower floor in the silo.
“Kay, Community is falling apart,” said Laird. “Can’t you feel it…sense it? That something is wrong?” The rumbling returned and the silo’s walls vibrated, giving off a faint humming noise. “It’s like something is coming for this place. The same something that has consumed everything else is coming for Community.” He held his hand out to her. “Let’s go. Let’s take our kids and leave this place.”
Kay took his hand and he pulled her toward him. From the bowels of the silo came a CLANG! Laird stepped toward the opposite railing and stared into the main cylindrical shaft. It was dark, but something down there was moving.
Climbing.
“We’re leaving now!” said Laird, turning back to Kay. An acute pain pierced his torso and Laird saw a kitchen knife protruding from his left side. Blood seeped into his sweatshirt. He raised his knee into Kay’s stomach, and she screamed, doubling over. The defensive move intensified the pain and Laird bellowed. He reached down, took the knife by the handle and pulled it free. “Christ!”
Kay rose to her feet. Lance and Audrey although apparently stunned from the sight of their parents engaged in battle, flung themselves at Laird with twisted, menacing faces. He side-stepped them easily and moved to the ascending railing.
The silo shuddered again, and this time was accompanied by a slick, wet, scurrying sound. Kay got up and staggered toward Laird but was halted. She glanced down and saw a black coil around her ankle. The snakelike thing circled up her leg, multiplying into tiny, black branches. She cried out, “Laird!”
Lance and Audrey began bawling, reaching for their mother. Laird seized both of them and wincing through the pain of the stab wound, dragged them up the stairs. “Stay here!” He turned to go back to Kay, but the tendrils had spread so quickly that it seemed impossible. Her leg was engulfed by the dark matter and it had entangled her right arm, pinning it to her torso.
“Kay!” Laird shouted. He drew his pistol up and fired into the black tentacles. One of them split and thrashed around. More shot up from the blackness below, grabbing hold of railing and tearing it loose. It fell down the shaft, banging against the walls as it fell.
Kay mumbled something; her mouth obscured by the glistening substance. Then, all but consumed by the whip-like appendages, was tugged to the floor. As Laird took aim, she was torn from the stairs platform and gone.
His mouth agape, Laird, torn from his trance by the cries of his children, grabbed one in each arm and marched up the stairs. Behind him, the creature climbed up the railing. He opened the panel on the wall and punched in the security code, unlocking the door. Once through it, he locked it behind them.
“Mom is gone! You listen to me, now!”
Through streaming tears, the children nodded their heads and Laird was relieved to see that the trauma seemed to have overridden the implants’ influence. He wanted to dress them in bio-suits but there wasn’t time. Instead, he had them each grab one and then he opened the outer airlock.
Frantically, the children scurried after their father. Behind them, the silo sounded as if it was collapsing.
Leading with the Glock, Laird led them around to an open area where the rig was parked. He loaded the children into the cab, then hurried around and jumped into the driver’s seat. The engine roared and he shifted into Drive. They had gone only fifty yards when Lance and Audrey shouted, pointing out the front window. Laird hit the brakes. Before them in the road beside the Med Hut was a humanoid shape and it was on fire.
Holy shit! Who is that!
Was it one of the others from Community?
The Med Hut emptied, and Laird saw Wes and Charles. Then, surprisingly, saw Grant, who he’d last seen when they left him at this house. Lacy exited the building, followed by someone Laird didn’t recognize. Then it dawned on him. He concentrated on the burning thing in the road. It in return, appeared to focus on him.
It began to rearrange itself, limbs flailing and twisting. A head that had been located in the torso, slid upward, into its proper position. Then, when it was almost upon them, Laird saw Isaac’s face.
He released the brake and stepped on the gas. The rig collided with the burning Isaac creature, trampling it beneath the tires. When he passed over it, Laird braked, shifted into Reverse and drove over it again. A scraping, crushing sound came from below the cab. Laird stopped the truck and stared at the still, smoldering mass.