Read Online Valkyrie: Rat in the Dumpster by Tony Bowman - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tony Bowman
Tags: Horror
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hiding place.
What are they? She thought. She watched the patch of sky visible beyond the bridge. More of the creatures soared overhead, riding thermals across the lake. They had paused at the bridge only in passing.
Now that her heart had stopped pounding in her ears, she became aware of the sirens. Police, fire, ambulance – all sounded behind her from the direction the creatures had come from. And, as the monsters crossed the lake, fresh sirens sounded from the other side and mixed with the sound of gunshots and screams.
How long do you wait before sticking your head up when the world was ending? She thought. If this had been a tornado, there would have been a siren announcing all clear. But, in this strange twilight world, she found herself huddled in the dark hearing only the dying sirens of police cars and ambulances. They slowly went silent. One by one, they stopped.
She could see smoke and flames on the other side of the lake. Tendrils of smoke floated across the lake when the breeze shifted, bringing the acrid smell of what she imagined was burning flesh. More likely, it was only the remains of burning buildings, but Rat knew from the screams there was some human component to the smoke.
Rat slid out of the cramped space and crouched. She stared at the street. Movement brought with it a simultaneous thirst and urge to pee. She had no water, and the latter was out of the question. If she was going to die, it wouldn’t be squatting under an overpass with her jeans around her ankles.
She climbed the concrete embankment and looked at the street above. The lanes were clogged with cars. Many of them were on fire. Nothing moved but the dancing flames reflected in the broken glass.
Not one vehicle was intact: windshields were shattered, doors had been ripped open.
Bodies were strewn across the lanes, lying on the asphalt, many hanging out the shattered windows of their vehicles.
And, like their cars, none of the people were intact.
Rat looked up at the sky. The grey impenetrable cloud seemed to hang just above her head, but she knew this was an illusion. There were no birds in the air, and, more importantly, the winged creatures were gone.
The skateboarder she had shared the weed with earlier was lying on his back across the guardrail, his head and feet touching the ground on opposite sides. He stared glassy eyed at the sky above.
She stared at his jeans pockets, wondering if he had any more weed stashed. Rat shook her head, “Stop it, Rat, you moron. End of the world and all you’re thinking about is weed. Get it together, Ratty.”
She shook. Her voice sounded like thunder in the silence around her.
Something moved down the street.
Rat dove behind the bumper of a car and peered around the tire.
A body moved on the road less than a hundred feet away. It was a man, dressed in a gray business suit. He was lying face down and his arms and legs were working as if he were crawling, but he made no progress – his body stayed in the same place.
Rat bit her lower lip and looked at the sky. Nothing. No winged monsters.
She crept forward slowly.
There was an ambulance near the man, and Rat made a mental note to check it for supplies.
She was close enough to see the man wore only one shoe. His right foot was bare and his toes dug at the asphalt. The nail of his big toe bent back and blood poured onto the pavement as he tried to crawl.
No. Not blood. This was darker. It was black like ink.
She could hear his labored breathing as he struggled.
“Hey, mister,” Rat whispered. “Are you all right?”
He stopped trying to crawl. He was facing away from her, and he turned his neck trying to look at her.
More of the black ink poured from his mouth and he hissed at her through black stained teeth.
Rat took a tentative step toward him.
“Don’t go near it, kid,” a man’s voice said.
Rat almost screamed. She staggered backward, her butt colliding with a red Camaro.
A man was sitting in the open rear doors
What are they? She thought. She watched the patch of sky visible beyond the bridge. More of the creatures soared overhead, riding thermals across the lake. They had paused at the bridge only in passing.
Now that her heart had stopped pounding in her ears, she became aware of the sirens. Police, fire, ambulance – all sounded behind her from the direction the creatures had come from. And, as the monsters crossed the lake, fresh sirens sounded from the other side and mixed with the sound of gunshots and screams.
How long do you wait before sticking your head up when the world was ending? She thought. If this had been a tornado, there would have been a siren announcing all clear. But, in this strange twilight world, she found herself huddled in the dark hearing only the dying sirens of police cars and ambulances. They slowly went silent. One by one, they stopped.
She could see smoke and flames on the other side of the lake. Tendrils of smoke floated across the lake when the breeze shifted, bringing the acrid smell of what she imagined was burning flesh. More likely, it was only the remains of burning buildings, but Rat knew from the screams there was some human component to the smoke.
Rat slid out of the cramped space and crouched. She stared at the street. Movement brought with it a simultaneous thirst and urge to pee. She had no water, and the latter was out of the question. If she was going to die, it wouldn’t be squatting under an overpass with her jeans around her ankles.
She climbed the concrete embankment and looked at the street above. The lanes were clogged with cars. Many of them were on fire. Nothing moved but the dancing flames reflected in the broken glass.
Not one vehicle was intact: windshields were shattered, doors had been ripped open.
Bodies were strewn across the lanes, lying on the asphalt, many hanging out the shattered windows of their vehicles.
And, like their cars, none of the people were intact.
Rat looked up at the sky. The grey impenetrable cloud seemed to hang just above her head, but she knew this was an illusion. There were no birds in the air, and, more importantly, the winged creatures were gone.
The skateboarder she had shared the weed with earlier was lying on his back across the guardrail, his head and feet touching the ground on opposite sides. He stared glassy eyed at the sky above.
She stared at his jeans pockets, wondering if he had any more weed stashed. Rat shook her head, “Stop it, Rat, you moron. End of the world and all you’re thinking about is weed. Get it together, Ratty.”
She shook. Her voice sounded like thunder in the silence around her.
Something moved down the street.
Rat dove behind the bumper of a car and peered around the tire.
A body moved on the road less than a hundred feet away. It was a man, dressed in a gray business suit. He was lying face down and his arms and legs were working as if he were crawling, but he made no progress – his body stayed in the same place.
Rat bit her lower lip and looked at the sky. Nothing. No winged monsters.
She crept forward slowly.
There was an ambulance near the man, and Rat made a mental note to check it for supplies.
She was close enough to see the man wore only one shoe. His right foot was bare and his toes dug at the asphalt. The nail of his big toe bent back and blood poured onto the pavement as he tried to crawl.
No. Not blood. This was darker. It was black like ink.
She could hear his labored breathing as he struggled.
“Hey, mister,” Rat whispered. “Are you all right?”
He stopped trying to crawl. He was facing away from her, and he turned his neck trying to look at her.
More of the black ink poured from his mouth and he hissed at her through black stained teeth.
Rat took a tentative step toward him.
“Don’t go near it, kid,” a man’s voice said.
Rat almost screamed. She staggered backward, her butt colliding with a red Camaro.
A man was sitting in the open rear doors
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