You and Me against the World: The Creepers Saga Book 1 (10 page)

Chapter 7

An Epic Retrospective

E
verything you need to know you learned playing Dance, Dance, Revolution

The lead SUV’s chrome grill shone like giant teeth as it accelerated down the center of the road. Its two companions swung to opposite sides of the street to form a V. The three vehicles remained in a fighter jet formation for another hundred feet and then came to a screeching halt. Doors flew open and several occupants exited. The muzzle flashes started even before they were fully out of the vehicles. Infected rushed to the new arrivals, and they were cut down by a hail of bullets. The team of rescuers cleared the immediate area and then advanced slowly down the street. They maintained the same V formation, except now it was comprised of people instead of SUVs.

Thorn watched with fascination. The music blared, and he immediately understood that the impromptu concert’s purpose was to draw the infected. A crazy and dangerous idea, but it worked, and Thorn was grateful. The vehicle lights outlined the saviors, but their faces remained in shadows. The group’s leader walked at the top point of the V, with his shotgun cradled in his arm. He pointed in various directions. He would call out an incoming attack with a hand gesture and a team member targeted and killed the oncomer. A blonde girl walked in the third position of the right leg of their V advance. She broke formation and, to Thorn’s amazement, literally danced her way toward a charging infected. Her hair was golden in the light, and she wore a Hollister T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants. She didn’t have a gun but instead carried a large machete in each hand. As the infected approached, the girl raised one machete in the air and kept the other low. She performed a little hop, skip, and spin and helicoptered the machetes with her extended arms. The timing was perfect, and she chopped off the infected’s head. She ended the move in a crouch, with her head bowed and the machetes held straight out to her sides. Thorn thought it was a very foolish risk, but the beauty and grace of the dance of death captivated him and he almost clapped. The girl paused for a moment, then hopped up and walked backward to take her original position in the waiting formation.

The team advanced.

A tall thin guy on the left broke formation and jogged across the road onto a lawn. The flashlight clipped under the barrel of his rifle illuminated his movements. He picked up speed and disappeared between two houses. The leader made an impatient gesture to one of the team, and the member followed the first between the houses. The left leg of the V was now two members short. A member from the right side moved left and returned the balance. The leader’s shotgun came up into a ready position, and he fell back into the group to bolster their protection. The infected charged, and the team blasted them. When the two absent team members returned, the leader took point, and the V shape was reestablished. Thorn and Susan watched as the delicate dance of position and firepower leveled the infected.

In less than ten minutes, the infected that had trapped and haunted Thorn and Susan for what seemed forever were dead. The rescue team approached them as they stood there on the drive.

The team leader turned to a young girl on his left and spoke to her. Thorn could not hear them. The girl’s stare remained forward, and the leader seemed to wait for a response. The girl finally gave a single nod, and the leader keyed the mic on his walkie-talkie.

“Okay, bring ’em up. We’re clear to the corner.”

The music stopped, and the SUVs roared up the street toward them.

Thorn had imagined this group to be an elite fighting force of marines. Before him stood the leader, who appeared to be no more than twenty years old. His uniform was a pair of black Under Armor basketball shorts and a black T-shirt. Even the scruffy beard couldn’t mask the obvious youth of the guy’s face.

The leader looked at Thorn and smiled.

“What’s good?” he asked.

Thorn laughed. “You guys; you guys are good.”

“Thanks. I’m Devin,” he said and extended his hand.

“I’m Dr. Thorn, Russ Thorn. This is Susan.”

Devin gave Susan a polite smile, reached out, and shook her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Susan.”

The eldest in the group turned out to be twenty-one, and the youngest was fifteen. They demonstrated an unexpected degree of respect and politeness considering the state of their world. Thorn found it both strange and endearing.

One by one, the group stepped forward and introduced themselves. The sixteen-year-old kid in the Yankees hat introduced himself as Austin. He shared too many features with Devin to be any relation less than a brother. The blonde Death Dancer was a seventeen-year-old named Annie. After the introduction, she moved impatiently from foot to foot, ready to go. The youngest girl shook hands but didn’t speak. She stood silently with a .38 in her hand and her iPod playing. Annie introduced her as Golden. “But some of us call her Goldie,” Annie added. She also told them that Goldie didn’t talk much anymore. Thorn caught the “anymore,” but he asked no questions.

Brandon approached and shook hands. He welcomed Thorn and Susan as if he had just asked them to step into his office for a consultation. Nick introduced himself next. He was friendly but reserved, and his eyes scanned the area around them not in fear but in vigilance. Nick stepped back next to the quiet girl. He put his hand on her shoulder in a brotherly fashion, and she gave him a small quick smile. Connor came last. Thorn recognized him as the one who had run in between the houses. He was polite like the others, but Thorn saw combat fatigue in the kid’s eyes and the smile was a little off. He made a mental note.

“So, are you the guy in charge?” Thorn asked Devin.

Devin gave a little laugh. “You older folks, no offense, but you’re all about the pecking order.”

“Oh, he thinks he’s in charge,” Austin said with a bit of friendly contempt only a younger brother could pull off.

Devin ignored him.

“Let’s just say, Dr. Thorn, I’m currently the bro making the plans.”

“Yeah, for now,” a voice said from behind them. A young guy with dark hair and glasses stepped forward and stuck out his hand.

“I’m Adam. Nice to meet you, Doctor, ma’am.” He tipped his head slightly.

He turned to Devin, and to assert his own authority he said, “Me and Brad are gonna push on through the neighborhood and work the rest of these Creepers.”

“Yeah, in a minute, let’s reorg here and get Dr. Thorn and Susan back to South.”

“Brandon can do that,” Adam said.

“Yep, he can, but you need to wait until we’re ready to move as a team.”

Adam didn’t agree, but he walked back to the SUV without further argument. Brad came forward and introduced himself. He was athletic and moved like a running back. After the introduction, he followed Adam back to the vehicles, but not before he stole several glances at the Death Dancer. The third driver approached and hi-fived Nick and then said to Annie, “Love the dance, little girl, but you’re gonna get yourself killed.”

She laughed. “Naw, Austin’s got my back.”

Chris introduced himself, and then he turned to Devin.

“Do you want me to get these folks back?” he asked.

“No, stick with me. Brandon’s on medic duty tonight, so he’ll drive.”

“Look, bikes,” Annie said and pointed to a couple of small tricycles in Thorn’s neighbor’s drive.

“Did they have kids?” she asked Thorn.

“Yeah, two.”

Annie looked at Austin.

“You know what that means? They might have Coke.”

She jogged past the group and headed for the neighbor’s house. She was halfway across the drive when a Creeper came in a full gallop on her blind side. Austin’s rifle came up in a flash, followed by a deafening blast. The infected fell dead a few inches from Annie. She turned and looked at Chris.

“See, Austin’s always got my back.”

“You better hope there’s never a time I have something better to do when you screw up,” Austin said, and then laughed.

“Ann, remember, we work as a team,” Devin called. There was no aggravation in his voice, and no expectation that she would stop, just the quiet reserve of acceptance.

“Austin, Chris, go clear that house with her … and see if they have any Coke.”

Thorn was still trying to take in all that had happened so fast.

“Devin, why play the loud music?” Susan asked.

“It draws the Creepers out of their holes. Better that they come to us than we accidently step on one of those mounds. At night, if you’re careful, the Creepers are pretty apathetic unless you get too close to them. Like right now, we’re okay here for a while, but if we stay too long, the ones up the street will come out for a bite to eat.”

Thorn looked down the street. There was no movement … yet.

“That song you were playing seemed a little classic rock for this young group.”

“Yeah.” He gave a small laugh, but Thorn saw the stress in it. “It’s sort of a retrospective for my dad.”

“Yeah, every night is a damn retrospective for Ray,” Connor said.

The quiet girl’s gun came up quick, and Thorn and Susan stepped back. Goldie aimed it directly at Connor’s face. She didn’t say a word. Her eyes were deadpan, blue shark eyes.

She will pull that trigger without blinking and then return the gun to her side as if nothing happened while the Connor kid lies dead on the driveway. And Connor is standing there, hoping she pulls the trigger.

Thorn looked at Devin and then Brandon. The good-natured casualness was gone. Their faces showed stress lines, and their eyes were heavy and tired. Regardless of their bravery, these were a bunch of kids just as scared as he and carrying a boatload of responsibility—and a lot of weapons.

Nick defused the situation. He seemed to have some connection with Goldie. He didn’t touch the gun but instead whispered something to her. She stayed steady and targeted on Connor, who stood waiting. Nick talked but it was unclear if she listened. Then she let her gun arm slide down to her side. She turned, went to the lead SUV, and climbed in.

“Not fucking cool, dude,” Devin said.

“I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“You’re losing your shit,” Devin said.

I think his shit is already lost
, Thorn thought

“Come on, Connor, let’s get the next house,” Nick said.

Nick is the peacemaker in the group.

“I’m going to go sit with her,” Susan said and walked to the SUV.

The tension was high, and Thorn hoped a change in focus would help.

“How did you guys know we were here?” he asked.

“Oh, we didn’t. We do these recons every other night. We hit supplies on one night and then look for survivors the next. You got lucky, I guess,” Devin said.

“How many of you are there?”

“A few, but mostly children and elderly,” Brandon answered.

“Any other groups like this?”

“Not that we’ve seen, but the military took out most everything north of Gulf Coast Hospital.”

Austin, Annie, and Chris came out of the house next door. They each carried a box overflowing with food and household supplies. Annie reached into her box and threw Devin a can of Coke. He caught it.

“How many of these?”

The three of them belched in unison and then laughed.

“That’s the last one,” Annie said and smiled.

Devin handed it to Brandon and said, “Goldie.”

“Look, Dr. Thorn, I know you have like a thousand questions,” Devin said, “but we are far from safe here, and we need to get some work done before sunrise. I don’t have to tell you it’s not safe at daylight.”

“No, I’ve seen that.”

“Brandon will take you back to South. We’re pretty safe there, and he can answer a lot of your questions.”

“Okay, and thanks, Devin. You saved our lives.”

Devin laughed, but it had a sad sound to it. “No, we haven’t, but we’ve bought you a little more time.”

Thorn nodded and followed Brandon to the black Escalade. Behind him, a volley of gunshots rang out. He turned and saw the team had reformed their V just in time to meet a horde of infected.

To be that close,
Thorn thought,
those things must have been sneaking up on us—they are Creepers
.