the saplings. It was so quiet she could hear herself breathe. The edge of the building beckoned closer as one footfall gave way to another. It occurred to Molly that she had no clue what was around the corner.
Just keep going, she inhaled as her fingers crept along the painted wall of the arena, exploring in the dark for the corner. Just take a peek around it. It’s safe, it’s got to be safe.
Three explosions counted off the seconds. Molly felt the brick around her shatter and spatter the darkness with debris. She was down on her knees and around the corner. Molly then stopped her heart and breathing. Her eyes widened but found nothing to focus on.
“Got ‘em!!” An unfamiliar voice bellowed.
“Hell, yeah!” It was camo man. Molly crawled on her stomach and peeked around the corner. A dark shape was splayed on the grass. Fuck, it was tracking me and I had no idea. She realized coldly, staring at the thing that was a shade blacker than the grass. Molly was face down in the shadows now. There were two approaching figures in the white splash of the sidewalk. The man with the rifle paused at the edge of the grass.
“I could’ve sworn there was another one.” The man with the rifle peered into the dark in her direction. He’s looking right at me. Molly tried to think in the shadows as she swore their eyes met. He sees me. I know he can see me.
“I only saw one.” Camo man seemed to be wishing out loud.
“I dunno,” The guy with the rifle raised the barrel and pointed it in Molly’s direction. “I coulda swore......”
“Virgil.” Camo man sighed and spoke in a logical, somewhat tired tone. “We are near the end of our shift. This is no time for heroics.”
Don’t move......Molly buried her face in the dirt. Don’t move, don’t breathe.
Her eyes were closed so she did not see them begin to walk slowly toward her. Their feet made no sound as the boots brushed the blades of grass aside. If they mistake you for one of them......
An animal sound split the silence in two. It was followed by a scream of surprise. Molly lifted her eyes to see a shroud rise from the grass and pounce on the rifle man. He screamed a second time while camo man stepped away and fumbled with the side arm in his holster.
“It ain’t dead!! It ain’t dead!!” He struggled with his rifle, raising it as a shield from enveloping, cold fingers. Camo man pulled out his firearm and fired blindly. Adrenaline in his veins set off the fire of panic within him.
Molly couldn’t count the gun shots. They were like a single rapport played out in an echo chamber. The two forms struggling staggered together like a drunken dancing couple and crashed into the soft grass.
“Aw Gawwwwwwwwd!” Camo man’s voice wailed into the night. He was frozen in place with only his mouth moving. A form rose from the darkened shadows and staggered upright. The second figure lay motionless in the grass beside his rifle. Camo man was suddenly fumbling in his pocket to reload.
Among the shadows and vague streetlights, Molly saw an outline face the camo man. The jaw dropped open and a low growl froze time between them. Camo man looked up and his face became covered in shock. The thing took a step toward camo man and the spell was broken. He ducked, turned and ran toward the hotel.
“Awwwww, sweet Jesus!!!!!!!” She heard him sob. “Sweet fucking Jesus!!!”
Molly slowly stood up in the shadows, shoulders shivering uncontrollably. Was it really this cold out all of a sudden? Her mouth had parted slightly as she stared at the thing. It was watching camo man as he retreated down the street. The head then turned slowly back to its motionless prize lying in the grass. The teeth parted in anticipation.
For an instant, a thought seemed to cross its face and it looked up briefly. He was almost handsome, young and once full of life. He wore a checked shirt with crimson rings pocking the fabric. The nose seemed to wrinkle almost imperceptibly. The shoulders hunched with animal intensity. Something is here. The pus yellow eyes scanned the darkness.
He smells me, Molly swallowed. Oh god, he knows I’m here.
It took a step toward her. It was like the shadows peeled back before it and revealed her to him. She felt helpless, naked and frightened. Their eyes met through the shadows and for a second time the jaw opened and uttered an animal challenge.
Molly took a step back and then another. They were slow and careful foot falls. Their eyes were locked and riveted on another. It took another step forward and assumed a ragged stance in front of the body on the grass. Again, it hissed loudly without blinking at her.
Leave..........leave me now. It took a stand in the dark and spoke without words.
Molly backed away faster now and it did not follow. She turned to walk away at a quicker pace with her breath still trapped in her throat. Molly stole a terrified glance over her shoulder. It was making sure she was gone. The eyes seemed to gather what little light was around and reflect it back to her. God damn it, they seemed to glow with an inner fire. Molly was almost running now.
As she crossed the parking lot Molly dared one more look in its direction, satisfied that it had vanquished all threats, the thing turned back toward the dark grass, it carefully knelt down beside the motionless shape that was its’ prize. Two shadows then seemed to meld into a single, larger form and the victor extended his teeth into the soft, precious and still warm flesh.
Her feet felt unsure amid the curbs, grass and corners of buildings. A Wendy’s that had been closed and re- opened as a field kitchen offered no light in the darkness. The glass windows were hidden by wooden boards six feet high. The window peeking over the top of the new barricades gave a pill box impression. It was just another place under siege.
Molly watched the shadows carefully as her pace quickened toward the highway. Each one was a warning, a cold moment in time. The darkness seemed almost mummified. She carefully watched the blackest centers of the shadows, looking for a hint that the sable canvas would move and follow her. Molly’s eyes slowly traversed the territory. On the other side of Third Street a funeral parlor sign etched in concrete caught her attention. She took a fast run across the asphalt divide of the road and slipped in behind the concrete pillar. At one time, it would have been lit by off white, delicate luminescence.
A gentle reminder of services offered that no one spoke about. The lights on the sign had been extinguished long ago. The choices now were cremation or closed casket burial after decapitation. Most agreed on cremation, a final assurance against return. Crouching behind the concrete block with etched characters, Molly pulled out her secure Blackberry and checked the time. She had made the distance from the hotel in a remarkably brief period.
It only felt like a million years inside her head, her heart was playing out her life rhythm loudly. She swallowed hard with a dry mouth and began to walk towards a rusted sign post that was still readable.
TO HIGHWAY 7 HIGHWAY 527
CHEASAPEAKE
There was a gentle incline upwards toward the bridge across the Ohio River. Molly used the terrain to try and stay out of the line of sight of any sentries. They probably wouldn’t be looking this way, anyway. Molly turned three hundred and sixty degrees as she started to walk slowly across the 6th Street exit ramp. She was thankful for the silence of her shoes on the road. The quiet of the night time was far from calming, however. What had she thought back in Elkin?
It’s too
