A New World: Untold Stories (28 page)

Much to Sam’s relief, the three young people agreed with the Man’s suggestion. At first, Ashley headed toward their house but Andrew held her back, convincing her it would be wiser to stay with Mr. Johnson until the morning, considering they didn’t know what was in their parents’ home. Ashley didn’t look happy about that idea, but the past few days had been a lesson in playing it safe.

Acting on the Man’s direction, Andrew and Connor, Ashley’s cheeseburger-scented boyfriend, moved their vehicles to Nate’s house, parking them face-out on the lawn. They quickly unpacked their meager supplies and brought them into the house only minutes before the sun finished its retreat into the western horizon.

Like many older homes, the Man’s house had a roomy attic. This was where he had been sleeping for the past couple of nights. The pull-down stairs were made of a wooden base with narrow slats attached, making it difficult for Sam to get his footing, but with the Man’s help from the front and his Boy’s help from behind, he was able to climb up. In spite of the boxes and dusty furniture, the space was big enough for four grown people and a large dog. Most importantly, it was the safest place in the house.

Sam watched as his Boy, the Girl, and Cheeseburger settled in. They worked quickly and quietly, trying to do what they could with only a dimmed flashlight for guidance. While they were busy, the Man double-checked all the entry points into the house for weaknesses. Finding none, he went to the darkening kitchen and found some bread. He grabbed the last of the cheese and ham slices from the warming refrigerator to share with his houseguests, dog included.

The four sat in a circle on the attic floor, eating and talking quietly in the dark, voices barely above a whisper. Sam lay next to his Boy, chin on the floor between his paws, listening. Cheeseburger explained to the Man how his parents left for work three days ago and never returned. His dad was an urologist and his mom a registered nurse. Both were working at Sacred Heart the day things got really bad. Neither parent had answered their cell phone or returned his messages. Figuring things were crazy at the hospital, he didn’t start to worry until the second day when he still hadn’t heard from them.

The Girl’s story was next. She left the house after lunch three days ago, while her parents were still at work. She spoke with her dad on the phone that evening and learned her mom was feeling ill, which was strange since she had gotten a flu shot. By that time, the news and social media were flooded with stories of strange events happening seemingly everywhere. Her dad told her to stay at Connor’s house (in separate rooms, of course) until the morning when he could come get her.

When her dad didn’t pick her up the next morning, she called the house. Nobody answered the landline phone so she tried each of her parents’ cell phones, thinking maybe her mom had gotten worse overnight and they were at urgent care or the ER. The cell phones went unanswered as well. At this point, she had grown worried enough to call Andrew at his apartment in Seattle. Andrew had been trying to call their parents as well, with no success. He admonished Ashley to stay at Connor’s and to not leave the house. He told his little sister to wait for him to get there and they would look for their parents together, starting at home.

At that point in Ashley’s story, the first shriek of the night sounded. That shriek was followed by another, then another. They sounded far away, but the group stopped sharing their accounts and sat in the dark. Sam could sense the tension coming from his Boy and the others. His body tensed at the sounds as well. He bared his teeth as he emitted a low quiet growl. His Boy quickly and quietly shushed him. Sam could tell by the tone in that “shush” that he meant business. He didn’t stop baring his sharp teeth, but he was able to keep his desire to growl under control.

Since the shrieks didn’t seem to be getting any closer for the moment, the sleep-deprived survivors decided to use the relative quiet to try and get some sleep. In whispered tones, it was decided the guys would stay up in shifts. The Man took the first shift. The rest made themselves as comfortable as possible and one by one, drifted off.

Sam stayed awake with the Man for as long as he could. When he did fall asleep, it was shallow and filled with the type of surface dreams that made his legs and paws twitch. The dreams woke him up frequently and it was difficult to discern what was real and what was not. He continued this pattern of light dream sleep until the sound of high-pitched shrieks startled him fully awake. These were close, very close. It sounded like there were at least a dozen
Shriekers
in the street and yard below.

The Man’s muscles tightened and he held his rifle close. The others woke slowly, obviously drawn out of a much-needed, deep sleep. When the booms made by bodies slamming themselves against the walls and doors of the old house began, all were alert and prepared to take action. The banging and shrieking continued for what seemed like hours, but was probably closer to an hour. The Girl cried quietly and Sam sensed it was more from exhaustion and frustration than from fear. Sam tried to comfort her by putting his head on her lap. She absently petted his warm fur as she stared into the dark. The shrieking and banging gradually faded. Sam wondered if the
Shriekers
moved on in search of more easily attainable food.

The Boy took the next shift. Sam was so tired, his sleep was solid and mostly dreamless. Sometime in the early morning hours, Cheeseburger must have taken his shift, because when Sam awoke to the morning sun shining through the narrow window, he was sitting against the wall with his rifle on his lap. Sam wondered if the boy was thinking about his parents.

The Man, Girl, and his Boy woke up about the same time. The space had grown stuffy during the night and, frankly, quite smelly. The Man lowered the attic stairs and quietly told the others to wait while he checked the house for anything that may have gotten in during the assault. The small group in the attic breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Man gave them the “all clear”. They carefully maneuvered down the steep staircase, helping Sam along the way. It felt good to stretch out in the larger rooms.

Andrew and Ashley were anxious to see if their parents were home, perhaps riding out the early days of the chaos by locking themselves inside. Sam could have told his Boy and the Girl this was not the case, if only he could speak as they do. He wanted to tell them to stay far away from the house. Instead, all he could do was sit at his Boy’s feet and look up at him sorrowfully and whine. His Boy wasn’t paying attention to his faithful retriever’s expression, or he might have picked up on the dog’s signals.

It was the Man who provided a reality check to the brother and sister, pointing out that the home’s windows and doors hadn’t been boarded up. The persistent night creatures would have surely found a way in if there were anyone alive. There was also the fact that Sam had been out of the house and obviously very hungry when he showed up on the Man’s back doorstep, indicating he hadn’t eaten for a few days. Sam knew the Man didn’t tell Andrew and Ashley this to hurt them, but was trying to protect them from dashing into the house unprepared and possibly getting hurt or killed in the process.

The Girl’s face had paled considerably by the time Nate was finished. Sam’s Boy seemed to take in the information more objectively, nodding his agreement with all the points the Man had made. It was decided, then, to check the house carefully and fully armed.

The dog and small band of survivors made their way across the street, rifles in hand. The house was completely still, as it had been the day before. Birds darted out of the grass and into the trees as the group walked up the front path. As preplanned, Andrew pounded on the front door. Although he knew better, he couldn’t help but feel disappointed when nobody spoke out or came to the door. Plan B would have to be implemented.

The three men spread out along the side of the house, slowly working their way to the back. Unarmed, Ashley went last, facing behind to make sure they weren’t being followed by someone, or something. When they reached the closed gate, Andrew pulled the latch, allowing access to the rear of the house. The first floor windows were all intact, as was the glass on the French doors off of the patio. Except for the silence, everything seemed normal.

The Man checked both of the handles on the French doors and found them locked. Sam tried to warn them of the danger inside with a deep, menacing growl. The fur on his backside was raised, ears back, weight on his front paws. The Boy and the Man took note of the dog’s body language and met each other’s eyes. The look they passed indicated they believed Sam’s behavior to be a confirmation of what they already knew in their hearts; if anyone were home, they were no longer human.

“Do you have the keys?” the Man asked. The Boy felt his pockets and shook his head.

Shrugging, Nate broke the pane of glass nearest the door handle with the butt of his rifle. He reached in and unlocked the door from the inside. He pushed the door open and listened for any sounds of movement. There was nothing. He indicated to Ashley to stay outside and whispered his instruction to Connor to stand guard at the door and only shoot if the other two were being pursued. He and Andrew stepped into the house, careful to observe any movement in the shadows. Sam tried to follow them in, but Andrew quietly commanded him to “stay”. He did, but watched alertly as the two men worked their way deeper into the house.

Nate was impressed with Andrew’s ability to take the cues given while clearing the house. Within minutes, the pair was able to declare the first floor threat-free. The door to the basement was shut, so Nate wedged a heavy chair under the door handle. They would save that part of the house for last, if needed.

Sam watched from the doorway as the Man looked at his Boy and pointed to the second floor of the house. His Boy nodded his understanding and he and the Man started up the staircase, one step at a time. The dog growled quietly, unable to control it this time. Unlike before, nobody “shushed” him. About halfway up, a loud creak issued from the step as the Man put his weight on it. Everyone froze, waiting to see if there would be a response to the noise from inside the house. There was. A quick shuffling sound came from one of the rooms above.

Sam’s Boy tried to swallow his fear as he and Nate continued to climb. At the top of the landing, Andrew stayed to one side of the hall, Nate on the other. The two slowly crept into the hall leading to the bedrooms. The first door was shut and a quick glance farther down the corridor showed the rest of the doors to be open. Nate and Andrew quickly but carefully cleared the rooms with the open doors. As they approached the closed bedroom, which Andrew knew belonged to his parents, they heard more shuffling behind the door along with animal-like panting. The two men internally debated their next move when a high-pitched shriek come from inside the room. The inhuman sound made everyone jump. A sharp
bang!
followed the shriek as the thing inside the room threw something heavy against the door.

Andrew and Nate stepped away, expecting the door to break open. Even though there had to have been damage on the inside of the door, it held. Another large object was immediately thrown against the door and what sounded eerily like a scream of frustration was heard again. Andrew knew deep within that whatever was on the other side of the door was no longer his mom or dad. The shrieking thing would ravage him if it had the chance. Both he and Nate raised their rifles in anticipation of what was coming next.

The top half of the door splintered vertically as another heavy object made a direct hit. Andrew watched in disbelief as the door was split open enough to reveal the monster’s face as it screeched at them through the crack. The famous “Here’s Johnny” scene from
The Shining
flashed absurdly through his mind, but instead of Jack Nicholson’s face, it was his mom’s face peering through the door.

Andrew hesitated to shoot — that was his
mom
! The thing moved swiftly as it saw the potential for fresh meat and smashed what was left of the door. Nate lifted his rifle and shot at its center mass, creating a hole in the thing’s chest. Unbelievably, it made no difference in its speed and determination to reach its prey.

Downstairs, Sam heard the door splinter open and the ensuing gunshot. Breaking the orders of his Boy, he shot up the stairs like a bullet. He saw the mom-thing jump on his Boy just as he reached the top of the stairs. The Man looked ready to shoot again but seemed to be struggling for fear of shooting Andrew as he tried to fight off his attacker. It was pure instinct when Sam lunged at the creature, going directly for its neck. It took only seconds for Sam to rip out the thing’s throat, putting an end to its shrieks instantly. Blood poured all over Sam and his Boy as the monster eased its attack. The Man finished it off with a bullet through the head, blasting off half of its skull, spraying gore.

Andrew rolled out from under the body of what had once been his mom. He looked at his blood-soaked arms and shirt, and promptly threw up. When he looked up, he noticed Sam was also covered in blood. The Man was checking the dog for any injuries, but there didn’t seem to be any. Andrew was miraculously without bites or scratches as well.

Ashley started toward the stairs, calling out for her brother. Nate told her to stop, that they were alright, but to stay away. She did as she was told and welcomed her boyfriend’s comforting embrace instead. She knew whatever had happened up there had been ugly. She knew her parents were dead, she and Andrew orphans. She wept silently as she mourned the loss of her parents, Connor’s parents, and her friends.