Breathe Deep Fear Vol. 1 Page 11

  Her voice filtered down through the tattered remains of the second floor. It was quiet, almost hoarse, and filled with an abhorred breathlessness.

  He bolted up the stairs and found her coming out of the far room, head down and pale.

  Inside the room, two bodies lay tossed in a corner on top of an overturned crib. He steeled himself and walked around the crib, and his heart broke.

  “Do- do you have any idea what is capable of this?” Julia shook her head. “We need back up.”

  “Cale … the rest of the team is on another mission. It is equally as important.” She looked up at him fully. “I know we need help, but if they don’t stop what is happening where they are, then an entire city could be overrun.”

  “What about a cleaner team?”

  “No, cleaner units are not as combat ready as us, and statistically, a team larger than eight loses its effectiveness and becomes a risk for increasing enemy numbers. Cleaner units are only allowed to arrive after the full threat has been realized and the majority of it neutralized. Their purpose isn’t battle. It is to prep the battlefield if necessary, and then remove any trace of our involvement.”

  “We are in trouble then.”

  “We are. The speed of the attack and level of destruction implies a high degree of muscle mass. Given the history of these creatures’ resilience, I would assume this monster is nearly impervious to the weaponry we have now.”

  “So what do we-”

  He was cut off as shouts from outside echoed through the desolate home.

  They shared a look then sprinted down the stairs and outside. A rusty blue pickup was parked behind Tim’s car, the latter of which was loading up his shotgun. Two guys were arguing heatedly with Lyons and Tony. Cale recognized one of them. It was the bastard who had managed to land a punch on him.

  Hawk, walking next to him, had an equally annoyed expression as Lyons and himself. Good, idiots were not going to be tolerated. He holstered his gun just to be sure it wouldn’t exacerbate matters.

  “Sheriff, what’s going on?”

  Cale and Julia stepped between the two parties.

  “What did you find?” Lyons’ face fell as the two stared straight ahead. “My God.”

  “These two are Bill and Will. They’re part of Mullen’s group and apparently trying to interfere with our investigation,” Tony said. “Kind of stupid considering we can already bring them in for assaulting a federal agent!”

  “Tony, save the bull,” Bill, the one that had punched Cale, said. “We’re doing what we can to catch this thing and keep our town safe.”

  “No, you’re playing hide and seek out in the woods.” Cale’s lip dipped into a frown. “And making our jobs more difficult.

  “Didn’t Jack tell you to get, boy?”

  “I’m not under his orders.”

  “Well you ought to.” Bill pointed at all of them. “In fact, all of you should go hide in your little station and let us handle it. We almost had it last night and now that we’re baiting it, we should get it soon.”

  “Baiting them with what?” Tony asked.

  “Jack got us a cow that we strung up. We even managed to get a few shots off on it last night.”

  Cale’s blood ran cold.

  “Do you know what you’ve done?” Julia’s voice rose slightly. “It had a limited diet, and due to lack of nutrition, it was hindered. By increasing the size and amount it can hunt, you just made it more dangerous and aggressive. The family in that home was slaughtered because you didn’t think about the consequences.”

  “Lady, we’re here to hunt what’s bothering our town. If a few people get caught, that’s sad, but oh well.” Will glared down at her. “Mullen and us guys get what we want and that’s all there is to it. We want this thing, plain and simple, and no outsiders, sheriff, or small family is going to change that. Now why don’t you shut your pretty mouth and go make cookies or something?”

  “There was a baby in that house.”

  “So-”

  Cale didn’t give the man time to finish his sentence. He grabbed the back of Will’s head and rammed it through Tony’s truck window. Crying out as lacerations spotted his face; the man didn’t have a chance to react as Cale smashed his head against the frame again. He slumped as Bill lunged for Cale.

  Julia kicked him in the face, snapping his head backwards before twisting his arm and burying him head first into the dirt.

  “Holy shi-” Tony jumped as Julia whirled around to look at him and Lyons.

  “I’m sorry, but these men have put every last person in danger.” She let out a controlling breath. “Do you have a spare set of cuffs?”

  Cale picked the men up and slammed them onto the hood of the truck, pulling the hands behind their back. It was bastards like these who gave good honest country folk a bad name. He was technically a hick since he had lived in a very rural area, but did people equate the word to a humble, intelligent, small-time farmer with good hygiene like him? No, they pictured these idiot scumbags who never thought anything through as the general country type. Expanding the thing’s tastes was stupid, and if he got what Julia was saying, then this thing was getting stronger with every kill.

  What were they going to do?

  Tony ran to the other side of his truck as Lyons face reddened and a scowl formed on her face.

  “What the hell is going on in my town?” Lyons stomped towards him. “You two sure as hell aren’t law enforcement, and I damn well know there is more going on than what you’re telling me. I want answers right now!”

  Chapter

  23

  Lyons slammed the metal bars shut on Bill and Will as they dabbed at their marred faces with paper towels. Cale ran his hands through his hair and kept staring at the ground as Julia examined the contents of the gun cabinet. Why Lyons hadn’t thrown them in the cell with the other two was beyond him. Well, he or Julia probably would have ended up beating them again, but that was besides the point.

  Tim and Tony had chatted quietly in the corner, throwing the occasional glance their way. They were freaked; whether it was about the barn or them was the question. He didn’t know why they would be surprised by him. His methods were simple, brutal, and he was calm under pressure. Most people had qualities similar to that. And Julia … well okay, she was apparently the ninja fighter from hell.

  He’d put a guys face through a window, and he still cringed watching her drop the other creep.

  Lyons sat down, lighting a cigarette and taking a long slow drag.

  “First, I’m going to apologize for losing it back at the farm. I’m old enough that I shouldn’t be losing my composure like that.” Her face hardened. “However, I want to know what’s going on. We’ve taped off the farm and put a few trustworthy guys on it, but the mayor and townsfolk are going to want answers.”

  Julia wandered over to Cale, her neutral expression barely hiding the fact that she was shaken up. Were her thoughts along the same lines as his? Telling them everything, getting the town fighting as a single unit, increased their chances of survival, especially since those that died remained dead. However, what would the government do if the town learned about this? They wanted to take him out. Were they willing to do the same with a couple hundred people?

  “What has been attacking is something I have never encountered before, and far outclasses past experiences.” Julia’s voice remained toneless, like she was reading from a report. “Honestly, we do not have the means necessary to defeat it.”

  “What is it?” Lyons asked. “Are there are more of these things out there?”

  “I do not know. Normally, the mutations are simply a reanimation of dead bodies that spread from person to person, or in rare cases, animals. These creatures are more drastic mutations. The one that attacked the farm is gaining more and more strength along with its hunger. Normally, they grow weaker over time. The one that leaves the blue secretion behind we know even less about.”

  “So there are two of these things?” Lyons
took a moment to suck in another lungful of smoke. “What is causing all of this?”

  “We cannot say.”

  “You damn well better.”

  “Sheriff.” Cale stepped forward. His people skills were less likely to get Lyons trigger happy. “It really doesn’t matter. The back story has no use here. This is new and much worse. All of our old knowledge is useless.”

  “If you two can’t kill it, we need to evacuate the town.”

  “No.”

  “What do you mean no?”

  “This thing just slaughtered, scattered, and fed on over fifty cows, assorted farm animals, and people. The next town is six hours away, and by the time you get everyone organized to prevent a panic, it will be dark. This thing is a hunter. Do you really think a convoy of loud vehicles carrying people through the winding mountain roads at night is a good idea?”

  Lyons snuffed out her finished smoke, immediately starting in on another. She studied them with a shaky eye.

  Cale wracked his brain. They were trapped and running out of time. What happened would spread like a brushfire, gossip increasing an already horrible tale. People would start to flee on their own or lock themselves in their homes, thinking they had some form of protection. The monster would pick them off one by one. Maybe even worse would be if they did try to escape. A few might get away, and leave a trail to the next town.

  Of course, the second one hadn’t been seen, which was also a cause for concern.

  Jack Mullen charged in, the doors nearly being torn from their hinges. A long pulsing vein ran along his neck, reappearing at his forehead.

  “I want my men released now!”

  His eyes were bloodshot from a lack of sleep, and Cale did not miss how he referred to those locked up.

  “They not only assaulted an officer twice, but possibly provided the means for the murder of three people. They’re staying put, Jack.”

  “I don’t have time for this, Lyons. I need them out there hunting that thing before it kills anymore.”

  “Your stooges didn’t seem to have any problems with a family getting killed because you idiots pissed it off.”

  Cale moved so he was just close enough to knock the bastard flat if he wanted to.

  And boy, did he want to.

  “I thought I told you to get out of town, boy.”

  “You did. I didn’t listen to you, scumbag.”

  Julia pressed the barrel of her gun against the back of Mullen’s head and pulled the hammer back.

  “We have work to do, and you are interfering with it. If you do not leave, you will be detained.”

  Mullen didn’t move. Indignant and furious, his veins became more pronounced, and for the briefest of moments, Cale thought the man was really dumb enough to try something. Instead, the crazed creep circled around Julia and stormed out.

  “I want those two released by dark, or we’re going to come for them ourselves.”

  Julia holstered her gun as a truck roared to life outside and peeled out of the driveway.

  “Well that’s nice, there’s only, what, twenty of them, right?” Tony scratched the side of his head. “We should all survive easy.”

  “Can it, Tony.” Tim turned to Lyons. “Sheriff, what do we do? Should we release them?”

  “No, they’ll just cause problems later. Besides, I don’t trust Mullen not to come after us anyways.”

  “He seems almost delusional.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  Cale leaned against the counter. They didn’t need more problems. Two monsters and a pack of angry morons – it was like they had won the lottery of getting screwed over. It was too dangerous to track anything in the woods now, not with the super monster and a target on his back. With their current luck, he’d run into all of them at the same time.

  His eyes widened.

  “Sheriff.” Cale pushed himself off the counter. “We need some beef, big and bloody. Any farmers around here willing to give a cow up?”

  “I wouldn’t be making dinner plans yet.”

  “You plan to bait it like they did.” Julia’s neutral features became more grim. “If we put it out shortly before their arrival then the monster would hopefully arrive when Mullen does. It is a risky plan and dependent on luck.”

  “You said the same thing about the gas station.”

  “And you blew yourself up. Given the creature, this could be even more suicidal.”

  “Do we have any other choice?”

  “… No.”

  Lyons was on her feet and jabbing a finger in his chest.

  “I’m not sacrificing townspeople. Even if it is Mullen.”

  “They’re not sacrifices. They’re firepower.”

  Chapter

  24

  Cale pushed Lyons’ solid oak desk up against the main entrance. Every window had been boarded up by Tony and him, and desks had been positioned as either barricades or shields. Thin lines of dimming natural light shone in from the gaps between the ply boards so they could fire back as a last resort. The back was fortunately protected by a deep river, so no one was getting in that way.

  Tim and Julia stockpiled every weapon they had available in the center of the room after loading them, while Lyons kept watch from the front. The dripping bull carcass out front hung freely from the tallest tree parallel to the parking lot, swinging lazily with the wind. If that didn’t draw the monster, nothing would.

  The real question on everyone’s minds was what would show up first.

  Mullen’s men had been tight lipped about their experiences. They almost talked when Julia let it drop that they were apparently legally allowed to torture people if needed. He had talked her out of that one. Beating someone up was fine – they healed and usually shared a beer or kept their distance in the end. But torture, and even killing, was well out of his comfort zone. Ultimately, he would do it if necessary, but not until the last possible moment.

  Of course, if Mullen showed up long before the thing, the last moment would be sooner rather than later. Twenty angry guys with guns … well, he was partial to Westerns and last stands.

  He pulled his coat back on, wondering if it were bullet proof with the mesh weave. It seemed heavy enough to be, God knew it made his shoulders stiff from wearing it, but trying it out wasn’t high on the list of things he wanted to do. How had Julia managed to get it in there in the first place?

  “Looks like we’re all set up and ready for Mullen to come and wipe us out.” Tony smiled. “Anyone have a deck of cards?”

  Their chuckles were cut off by a pair of terrified screams coming from the cells in back. Picking up the shotgun he’d set aside earlier, Cale ran toward the back. Had the monster gotten in? How could it so quietly? Kicking the door in, the gun barrel swept along the room as he went inside.

  The cells were empty.

  The iron bars of the cage were either cut or torn from the foundation, glowing blue tracks leading further in.

  From that same direction came another scream that choked out into a terrified gurgle.

  Cale chased after it, Julia and Tony right on his heels.

  The trail of gel went under a door to their left. It was the bathroom and a completely dead end. The screaming had stopped, and nothing had crashed through a wall or window. The thing had to be in there.

  Cautiously nudging the door open, the trio entered. The blue gelled tracks went straight up to the closest toilet, and disappeared.

  “What the hell?” Tony’s face scrunched up in confusion, a look mirrored on Cale’s own. “What did it do, give them a super swirly?”

  “It is the other creature.” Julia looked up from the gel. “We did not account for this. It is no longer safe to be here. We need to leave before it comes back.”

  “Where? Julia, we have a dead cow hung up outside baiting one monster and another that can teleport through toilets. We’re trapped no matter where we go.”

  He had meant for that to sound more confident than it had.

  The light
s flickered twice and then completely died, the trail of blue gel illuminating the floor. The group raced for the front. Yep, it was the lottery alright.

  “What happened?” Lyons flicked on her lighter.

  “The other monster, Sheila, it got Bill and Will. It also apparently knows how to cut the power.” Tony moved over to her. “I think it’s safe to say we are in serious trouble.”

  Four pairs of high beams blasted into the office, blinding everyone. The sound of truck doors opening and slamming almost covered up the stomping and hollering. It may have been his imagination, but Cale thought it sounded like a lot more than twenty guys.

  A lone shadow came into view at the entrance.

  “Lyons, I want my men now! You have thirty seconds.”

  “Cale, Tim.” Julia whispered over to them. “Take out the lights on the vehicles.”

  She snuck up to the gap in the window, knocked the glass out, and started firing.

  Angry panicked shouts chorused from Mullen’s men as bullets ricocheted off hoods and burrowed through windshields. Doing as told, Cale and Tim took two other spots and fired at the lights. In a matter of seconds, everything had gone dark aside from the light of the moon.

  Then, Mullen’s group started firing back.

  “Take cover!”

  The group dropped to the ground as the world shattered above them.

  Cale crawled toward the back as glass and pieces of wall showered him and the floor, bullets zipping and pegging everything two feet above him. He looked around through squinted eyes. Everyone but Julia had their heads buried under their arms as debris rained down on top of them. She was moving like him, looking for some way to get a counter shot or escape.

  They swung behind the same desk and pressed their backs up against it.

  “I’ll draw their fire. You get everyone else to the back.”

  Cale struggled not to shout over the gunfire. He didn’t want Mullen’s group getting wind of their plans. Julia shook her head.

  “You would be pointlessly mowed down.”

  “Hey, I’ve got the reinforced coat, remember?’