Read Online Wormwood Dawn (Episode V) by Edward Crae - Free Book Online
Authors: Edward Crae
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into the seat, gasping for breath and clutching his throat. Dan peeked up through the sunroof, scanning the road behind them.
“We’ve got problems,” Drew said.
Dan turned ahead, seeing that Drew had turned on the headlights. Shamblers and the undead were rushing back onto the highway, right in their path. Dan raised his rifle and fired at the nearest shambler, blasting its head into a cloud of filth. The sound of bodies hitting the bumper was deafening.
“Speed up,” Dan shouted. “Don’t stop.”
Drew gunned it. Dan dropped back into the cab, grabbing Cliff by the arm. “Are you alright, man?” he asked.
Cliff nodded, still choking but getting shallow gasps of air. Dan rose up through the sunroof again, slapping another mag in the M4A1. Drew was swerving all over the road, obviously perturbed by the horde behind them. However, the way was clear from here on. Dan looked back, seeing the faint outlines of the shuffling stragglers that tried to follow them.
They had gotten away.
Dan settled back down into the seat, leaning up into the driver’s cab. “We’re clear dude,” he said to Drew.
Drew was silent, but let off the gas, gradually slowing down to a more steady and manageable speed. Ahead, the sign for highway 50 loomed ahead. Drew slowed, rounding the turnoff with a slight squeal, and continued on.
“Take a left on 65 when we get there,” Cliff said, finally able to speak. “We’re outside of town. I’ll let you know when we get there.”
“Right, right,” Drew gasped.
“That was fuckin’ close,” Dan said, clapping Cliff on the shoulder. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, man,” Cliff said. “We lost the drone, though.”
“That’s alright. It served its purpose.”
“Dude,” Drew said from the front seat. “Find me a fuckin’ beer.”
Dan fumbled around in the back, finding four cans stuck together with plastic rings. He broke one off and handed it up, then offered one to Cliff.
“Natural Light?” Cliff said with a grin.
“Better than nothing,” Dan said, handing one over. He cracked one open himself, and the three of them chugged happily.
“Oh damn,” Cliff said. “That’s better than I remember.”
“Sadly, it will eventually run out,” Dan replied.
He leaned back in his seat, raking his hair back with his hand. Outside, the moonlit landscape passed by, and he watched the horizon for any odd shadows or signs of movement. He thought back at what the preacher in Oolitic had said about the dead, and about the mutants dying off. He was likely right—about the dead, at least. But there were obviously still stalkers around, and probably worse.
“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen, Cliff?” he asked.
Cliff shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, as far as… monsters go. We’ve seen mutant coyotes, horses, other things…”
Drew glanced at him through the rear-view mirror, probably wondering why he had not mentioned the Robert-thing. Dan briefly wondered that, too, but kept quiet.
“Mostly just the infected humans,” Cliff said. “The moldy ones that stumble around, plus a few of the quicker ones.”
“No animals?”
“Not that I know of,” Cliff said. “Our place is pretty isolated. We haven’t had many encounters, but I’ve heard strange things in the woods around us. Max says he’s seen some dogs that got infected. Travis, too.”
“Who’s Travis?” Dan asked.
“One of the older people,” Cliff said. “He’s a doctor—or he used to be. He’s kind of a hippie dude with long hair and a beard. He came with his son, Eric.”
“Who else is there?”
“Them, Max, me, Melanie, a lady named Lena, and her boy.”
“And the dog,” Dan added.
Cliff nodded humorlessly, “Yeah, that damn dog.”
Dan noticed that Cliff’s expression had changed to one of anger. He wondered what could be so bad about this dog that it made Cliff angry. Cliff answered before he could ask.
“There were two others before,” he said.
“We’ve got problems,” Drew said.
Dan turned ahead, seeing that Drew had turned on the headlights. Shamblers and the undead were rushing back onto the highway, right in their path. Dan raised his rifle and fired at the nearest shambler, blasting its head into a cloud of filth. The sound of bodies hitting the bumper was deafening.
“Speed up,” Dan shouted. “Don’t stop.”
Drew gunned it. Dan dropped back into the cab, grabbing Cliff by the arm. “Are you alright, man?” he asked.
Cliff nodded, still choking but getting shallow gasps of air. Dan rose up through the sunroof again, slapping another mag in the M4A1. Drew was swerving all over the road, obviously perturbed by the horde behind them. However, the way was clear from here on. Dan looked back, seeing the faint outlines of the shuffling stragglers that tried to follow them.
They had gotten away.
Dan settled back down into the seat, leaning up into the driver’s cab. “We’re clear dude,” he said to Drew.
Drew was silent, but let off the gas, gradually slowing down to a more steady and manageable speed. Ahead, the sign for highway 50 loomed ahead. Drew slowed, rounding the turnoff with a slight squeal, and continued on.
“Take a left on 65 when we get there,” Cliff said, finally able to speak. “We’re outside of town. I’ll let you know when we get there.”
“Right, right,” Drew gasped.
“That was fuckin’ close,” Dan said, clapping Cliff on the shoulder. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, man,” Cliff said. “We lost the drone, though.”
“That’s alright. It served its purpose.”
“Dude,” Drew said from the front seat. “Find me a fuckin’ beer.”
Dan fumbled around in the back, finding four cans stuck together with plastic rings. He broke one off and handed it up, then offered one to Cliff.
“Natural Light?” Cliff said with a grin.
“Better than nothing,” Dan said, handing one over. He cracked one open himself, and the three of them chugged happily.
“Oh damn,” Cliff said. “That’s better than I remember.”
“Sadly, it will eventually run out,” Dan replied.
He leaned back in his seat, raking his hair back with his hand. Outside, the moonlit landscape passed by, and he watched the horizon for any odd shadows or signs of movement. He thought back at what the preacher in Oolitic had said about the dead, and about the mutants dying off. He was likely right—about the dead, at least. But there were obviously still stalkers around, and probably worse.
“What’s the weirdest thing you’ve seen, Cliff?” he asked.
Cliff shrugged. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, as far as… monsters go. We’ve seen mutant coyotes, horses, other things…”
Drew glanced at him through the rear-view mirror, probably wondering why he had not mentioned the Robert-thing. Dan briefly wondered that, too, but kept quiet.
“Mostly just the infected humans,” Cliff said. “The moldy ones that stumble around, plus a few of the quicker ones.”
“No animals?”
“Not that I know of,” Cliff said. “Our place is pretty isolated. We haven’t had many encounters, but I’ve heard strange things in the woods around us. Max says he’s seen some dogs that got infected. Travis, too.”
“Who’s Travis?” Dan asked.
“One of the older people,” Cliff said. “He’s a doctor—or he used to be. He’s kind of a hippie dude with long hair and a beard. He came with his son, Eric.”
“Who else is there?”
“Them, Max, me, Melanie, a lady named Lena, and her boy.”
“And the dog,” Dan added.
Cliff nodded humorlessly, “Yeah, that damn dog.”
Dan noticed that Cliff’s expression had changed to one of anger. He wondered what could be so bad about this dog that it made Cliff angry. Cliff answered before he could ask.
“There were two others before,” he said.
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