Welcome to the Silent Zone, page 26
An unnerving hum ripped through the ether, the message echoing and broken.
“Diesel, clear!”
One of the chairs creaked as it was moved, then silence, little later another static.
“Python, do you copy?”
The muffled reply came from below. “Standby!”
Abigail took a deep breath to calm herself. Her heart was pounding and refused to slow down, the vein in her neck throbbed. She glanced at Cassius, helpless. He gestured for David to hide, then helped Megan up and guided her behind the sofa with Soxy’s box. Just as he finished, the staircase squeaked. They’re coming…
Cassius rushed over to Abigail.
“You have the element of surprise; I have the brute force. Use a knife!” he whispered, and pushed her towards the curtain by the stairs. The heavy yellow shroud seemed the perfect hiding place.
Abigail slipped noiselessly behind the curtain and pulled the knife from her belt. From her cover she could see everything: Megan, biting her hand as she snuggled into the cover of the sofa; David behind one of the cupboards, eyes closed; and Cassius turning one of the large mirrors in the exact direction he had intended to hide.
What the hell is he doing? Is he using himself as bait?
Their eyes met once more. He gave the signal — not a word! — and she readied her knife. They both knew they could not make a sound. The kill had to be silent, or all the man-eaters would be on their trail. And then it would all be for nothing...
The last step creaked softly. Abigail dared not move. She could hear a wheezing breath and smell the sour odor of sweat mingled with the tang of gun oil. Her body shuddered as she felt the presence of the man-eaters. The air filled with tension. Then it seemed as if the sound was cut off.
Abigail held her breath. Every fiber of her being protested against it, but she peered cautiously out from behind the curtain and caught sight of the two man-eaters, barely an arm’s length away. They were both looking at the mirror, which Cassius had cunningly adjusted, and in which his figure was clearly visible.
The two man-eaters raised their weapons and took a careless step forward. Unable to contain themselves, they burst out laughing.
“Found ya,” the one in white shoulder pads chuckled. His short companion lowered his gun, letting the other take the glory.
“Now, come on out...”
That was the signal, and Abigail did not hesitate.
She dashed out of her hiding place, lunged at the short man-eater, and plunged her knife mercilessly into the man’s neck. With her free hand she held his head, then kicked his leg out, and the blood-choked, gurgling man collapsed like a sack.
His white-shouldered companion, unable to control his instincts, spun carelessly, and that was his fatal mistake. Cassius sprang to his feet and immediately attacked, but the bulky man deflected the first blow with his weapon. The knife sliced through his side, and the man-eater cried out in pain. Damn! Without thinking, Abigail leapt at his neck, her hand covering his mouth, and Cassius pulped his liver with three lightning-quick stabs. As the man-eater’s body tensed in shock, Cassius and Abigail simultaneously caught at the gun-wielding hand, but were too late.
The rifle went off, the bullet scraping the decayed wooden floor.
“Oh, no!”
Megan screamed; David threw himself to the ground. The man-eater collapsed, helpless. Cassius and Abigail looked at each other, not daring to move, as if they could undo what had happened. After a few seconds of silence, the walkie-talkie sounded, crackling on the short man-eater’s side.
“What the hell was that, Python? Can you hear me?”
8.
There were eight of them, and they approached from the crossroads at a brisk pace. They wore the same silly outfits as the two already lying on the floor covered in blood, but one of them, the man at the head of the procession, stood out. His face was covered by a black military helmet and he wore an ultra-modern tactical vest and olive-green trousers. He was tall and wiry, towering almost half a head above the others, who followed respectfully. His light movements showed confidence.
He must be their leader, Abigail thought. She turned to Cassius, scanning his face to see if she could read his intentions. His expression was unchanged, his stubbled features showing no emotion.
“Do you think they saw their companions come into this building?”
“We’ll soon find out.”
The man-eater hanging at the back, a frail, gas-masked figure, paused and broke away from the group. Her long red hair peeked out from under the mask. She headed for the alley opposite. She had noticed something, but her companions were not the least bit interested.
The leader raised his walkie, and when he pressed the call button, the transmitter of the short man on the floor buzzed and sounded static. The noise lasted barely a second. Cassius swung immediately, but didn’t get there in time. The raspy voice seemed to speak to them from another world, impatient, commanding.
“Python, can you h…?”
Cassius switched off the walkie, but in the dead silence the short crackling sound of the reception gave them away.
The man-eaters turned at the same time towards the upstairs window from which Abigail was peering. They stood motionless for a few seconds, then readied their guns and moved away from each other. There was only one goal in front of them: besiege the hideout.
The leader looked at his companions contentedly, and said something else into the walkie, but Abigail could no longer hear it. The tall man repeated the message, and when he got no response this time, he raised his receiver in a casual gesture, indicating that he wanted to talk to them.
Abigail glared at Cassius.
“What if they want to negotiate?” she asked quietly.
“Negotiate? About what to flavor us with?”
“At least it would buy us some time.”
Cassius reluctantly turned the walkie-talkie back on, then pressed the transmit button, but for the moment he said nothing. The signal lasted a single second, and Abigail saw the leader nod before he raised his receiver to his mouth again.
“Good, my birdies, it’s good to know you’re not slipping through our fingers,” he said in a raspy voice, then removed his helmet. He raised his freckled face to the sky, cupped his jaw, and spread his hands theatrically. His companions watched in silence.
Abigail had a strange feeling when the scarred, arrogant face turned towards them. The cold, steely blue eyes, the long dimple that sliced his chin, and the shock of blond hair belonged to someone she had thought would forever be in her past.
The leader of the man-eaters continued as he gestured with his hands in a spectacular manner.
“I don’t hold out much hope for you, but at the same time, I don’t want any bloodshed. If I read the situation correctly, you have put an end to our two companions... No need to answer, silence means assent.”
Cassius and Abigail were silent. Assent.
“Well then, let’s make a deal. My men told me there are four of you, so an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. I’ll take two of you, and I promise the rest can go. That’s the best deal I can offer you, and it’s good for about a minute.”
Abigail looked at the siblings, who were shaking like jelly and blinking in alarm.
“Calm down,” she whispered to them. She waited for Cassius to say something promising, but he didn’t respond. “They’re lying, aren’t they?”
“Of course they are,” he hissed.
Abigail turned back to the window. After a brief pause, the leader croaked.
“Well, what’s the decision? The clock is ticking.”
His companions lowered their weapons with a grunt, one even lighting a cigarette.
Abigail then had a flash of inspiration and snatched the walkie from the unsuspecting Cassius’ hand. As soon as she pressed the button, she said it, with a mixture of a wide grin and disgust on her face.
“I see you haven’t changed a bit, Jason. You’re just as stupid as ever.”
The man-eaters fell silent and looked at their leader in shock. The smoldering cigarette fell to the asphalt.
An angry, defiant shadow crossed Jason’s face. His upper lip curled back, he bared his teeth, and he raised the walkie close to his mouth.
“Who the hell are you?”
Cassius’ features tightened, but before he could snatch the receiver from Abigail’s hand, she nimbly stepped away.
“Don’t you remember your old neighbor? You disappoint me.”
“I don’t know which of those idiots you are, but if you think this will...”
“Of course I don’t, silly boy.” Abigail’s smile grew wider and wider, and she began to enjoy the game more and more. She ignored Cassius’ signals. “I remember you well. If you had something on your mind, you had a hard time letting it go. Tell me, do your friends know that you used to wet your bed when you were in high school? Your mom laughed and told my parents all the details. Stress because of the game days, my ass; you were just piss-a-bed boy.”
The man-eaters couldn’t help themselves: they laughed out loud, but Jason shushed them after a few gasps. Then he shook his head in disbelief.
“Abigail?”
“Bingo, dumbass. Have you stopped biting your nails?”
Jason’s face contorted. Cassius took the receiver from her and gave her an angry look.
“We were supposed to be buying time. You’re just going to piss him off.”
Abigail shrugged self-consciously.
“Never mind. I’ll be all the happier to pop a cap in that brat.”
Cassius froze in shock, but had no time to react. Outside, Jason gave the order to his men and the man-eaters headed for the building.
“Now, be tough.” Cassius sloppily tossed the walkie back to the girl and stepped to the window, ready to take down as many of the attackers as he could.
A shout came from the alley. The man-eaters froze and turned in the direction of the sound.
The gas-masked, red-haired figure came running, waving frantically at her companions. She stopped, gasping for breath, and took off the gas mask. It was the red-haired woman who, not long ago, they had believed was a victim of the man-eaters. Cassius was right again. Abigail pursed her lips, trying not to think about what would have happened if they had taken the bait and driven up the overpass.
The red-haired woman said something to the men gathered around her, who all at once snapped their heads up and glanced toward the alley. Jason pushed them aside and headed to the rusting dumpster the woman had indicated. As he approached, his footsteps became more and more restless.
When he got there, he froze, and for a moment he stood still, watching the mysterious thing lying on the ground behind the dumpster. Even from their position above it was clear to see that his limbs were heavy, and his back was hunched. Then he turned and walked out of the alley, back into the street. He did not run, he did not hurry, but Abigail noticed that his gait was firmer now than before, while he was looking nervously around.
David jumped up, his face stretched with astonishment.
“Does anyone understand what’s going on?”
Abigail silently shook her head no.
Jason gave a whistle and motioned for the others to go back to the intersection. The man-eaters followed in quick, panicked strides, their eyes on the surrounding buildings. They disappeared so quickly it was as if they had never been there.
“What the hell?” whispered Cassius. He looked at Abigail in disbelief. They were both thinking the same thing.
“What were they scared of?”
The walkie-talkie crackled to life in her hand. It was Jason. He was shouting to drown out the engine noise.
“My apologies for the early goodbye, but there are some things we don’t fuck around with. Good luck, my little birdies!”
9.
They stood in the doorway of the old café for long minutes, none of them wanting to move. The sound of the vehicles driving off had finally died away, and outside there was only the rustle of dust stirred up by the wind. They were alone, yet they hesitated. Abigail hung the walkie onto her belt and glanced at Cassius.
“Do you think it’s a trap?” she asked, knowing that he was wondering the same thing. His gray-green eyes darting back and forth told her he was considering their options. He scratched his dusty stubble with his fingers.
“They could have fired on us if they wanted to. It’d be nice to know why they didn’t.”
“Shall we go and see?”
“Yeah.”
Yet for a few seconds, neither of them moved. Finally, Cassius decided to go first: he sighed and stepped out into the bright light. After a brief pause, Abigail followed, but stealthily watched the intersection where the man-eaters had disappeared only a few minutes before. Her face was scorched by the sun within a few moments, the heat clutching her chest like a vice.
“You take the alley!” Cassius said. Abigail nodded.
They split off from each other. He crept to the crossroads, she to the alley. When each had reached their destination, they both ducked against the wall. Abigail held up her index finger to signal to him and, after a moment’s hesitation, he peeked around the corner. She watched curiously as his stiff shoulders eased and his tense posture relaxed. Cassius scratched his nose, waited a moment, then strode at an easy pace towards the girl, down the alley.
“Are they gone?” Abigail asked.
“Yes.”
“Then let’s see what’s upset them.”
They walked to the container slowly, as if more afraid of the answer than of the man-eaters themselves. Abigail could not imagine what could have been such a frightening discovery that they would run away without thinking, but whatever it was, they had to take it seriously.
The only sound they heard was the buzzing of flies.
Abigail was the first to arrive, and she winced when she saw the coagulated blood, fur, and bone, the remains of some animal. The slaughter had been brutal. Whatever had devoured the animal, it killed swiftly and ruthlessly. The smell of decay hovered in the air, insects buzzed around them, and a feeling of fear like no other permeated their pores.
Cassius crouched down by the remains.
“Judging by the amount of blood, it must have been a deer,” he concluded.
“And what attacked it?”
“I don’t know, but the tracks suggest it was recent, maybe dawn. And we’re in the attacker’s hunting ground.”
“Ferals?”
“Or worse,” Cassius pointed a few yards away. There were bloody footprints on the tarmac, the imprint of huge paws. Like a dog’s, yet larger, frighteningly deformed.
“Rabid animals?”
Cassius nodded.
“We gotta get out of here.”
10.
“Get out? Where to?”
David stared at Cassius with his arms outstretched, and pointed at Megan on the sofa as if he couldn’t imagine what was not understandable about their situation. The young man continued hysterically, his arms going in wide circles during the rant. “In this condition we won’t make it to the next block, let alone the river. We need to get a vehicle or we’re screwed.”
Cassius didn’t flinch, he remained perfectly calm.
“I see you’ve missed the point. After sundown, this place will be crawling with rabid animals. We have to go!”
“But like how? Carry Megan in my arms to the city limits?”
Before Cassius could answer, Abigail waved him off. The girl looked at the siblings with a serene smile.
“We’ll figure out something!” she said, pulling Cassius aside. She forced herself to be firm. “We have enough problems; stop playing the stern daddy!”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Looking forward to your suggestions, mommy!” he said, and put his hands on his hips.
“I’m thinking.”
“Then think fast, because time is running out.”
Abigail smiled cynically, half saluted, and hurried to the window. She glanced down the silent, empty street, but saw no sign of an intact vehicle; anything usable had long since disappeared from the streets of Headland.
Think, come on! She tried to kick start the gears in her brain which were spinning at a snail’s pace, but the heat drained all her energy. Assess the situation, she heard Cassius’ voice in her head, and use all your senses... Her face twisted into an angry grimace. As if it was so easy, but then she blushed. She felt ashamed. Think! What is there? Ah, yeah… Control your fear, don’t panic! Plan your next move before you make any unnecessary effort. Improvise, be creative... She snorted so loudly that even David snapped his head towards her in the background. Creative... How am I supposed to be creative? Just like magic? She thought anyone else in her position would be looking for a car, but maybe there were other options.
She noticed something on the side of the building across the street. The old, four-story brick house had been renovated before the epidemic, and its industrial metal-framed windows still looked strong. She could imagine the young people strolling into the trendy café after a hard day’s work, chatting and having a drink. Cassius had told her about it, and it was one of the most exciting things he had ever said to her. Friends, together, free, doing what they wanted.
“I have an idea.”
“And I’m listening.”
She pointed to the building opposite. There was a bike rack fixed to the sidewalk at the entrance. Alongside the bikes, with long-deflated wheels, someone had parked a kick scooter before the Breakdown. Cassius immediately understood what she meant and nodded.
“If you can ride it, it’s fine. Otherwise, we’re no better off.”
“I envy your optimism,” she scoffed.
Cassius took the bullets from the dead man-eaters, then slung his bag over his shoulder and waved to the others.
