Carver Pike - Scalp

“We need those things to jump,” Hal said. “Or at least to be active enough for the ladybugs to see.”

“Got any ideas?” Phyllis asked.

It was clear her boyfriend, Bradley, was trying to come up with something. For a second, it seemed like he might figure this out. Then he lowered his gaze and Hal knew he’d given up.

“I’ve got one,” Hal said, “but it means I probably won’t be joining you all on the rest of this journey.”

“What?” Sally asked. “What the hell does that mean?”

“It means it’s a suicide note,” Nitsy said.

Everyone was quiet.

“Look, I don’t have a whole lot to live for,” Hal told them. “When Susanna, my daughter, was taken from me, my whole life fell apart. When my wife Sheila went to be with her, I knew I needed to be close behind, but I haven’t been brave enough to do it. Maybe this is my way out.”

“Hal,” Sally said, “no, we’ll find another way.”

“There is no other way,” he insisted.

“Why don’t we burn this place to the ground?” Thomas suggested. “Fire seemed to work back at the campus.”

It wasn’t a bad idea. Hal had considered that option himself. Fire killed most things, and he was sure it would kill these too. If the U.S. Army showed up and took care of it, that might work, but he had no flame thrower to aim directly at them. If he set the building ablaze, they’d simply run off into the woods and wreak havoc someplace else. That would be a temporary fix and definitely wouldn’t save them. The second they stepped outside the fiery building they’d be surrounded again.

No, his idea was the only one he could think of that might work.

“It’s a good idea,” Hal said, “but they’d only run away.”

Pieces of the wall came down on the floor around the door. They didn’t have much time.

“Trust me,” Hal said. “I’ll do everything I can to get back to you guys, but I need to do this. We have no time. Come with me.”

They all argued with him as he ushered them to a back room that was clearly used as an office and bedroom. It didn’t surprise him that Andre slept here. It was where he’d hid since his truck crashed.

“Tell us what you’re going to do,” Nitsy demanded. “It’s kind of important. What if it fails?”

“Then you all can climb out that tiny window and take your chances,” he said as he pointed at a narrow window above Andre’s desk. “Maybe if enough of them are in here, none of them will be out there.”

Hal stepped back out into the main room and retrieved his duffle bag. When he returned to the office, he reached into his bag and handed them each a gun. “My friend Clementine gave me these guns,” he told them. “She was one hell of a lady. You take care of these. They’ll just be a precautionary measure. Now, lock this door behind me. If I start barking out orders, follow them. If you hear nothing but yelling and screaming and they come to this door, then climb out that window and run like hell.”

Thomas raised both eyebrows. “I don’t think I can fit through that window.”

“Hal, no,” Sally said as she wrapped her arms around him.

“For Grant,” he replied. “He didn’t deserve to go out like that. Neither did Andre or Clementine or any of those kids back at Stonewall.”

She closed her eyes. God, she was a pretty woman. Hal had never looked at a woman and found her truly attractive. Not since his Sheila had died. But he thought Sally was a pretty girl. She kissed him on the forehead and said, “For Grant. For the others.”

“Mr. Hal,” Nitsy said.

“Hal,” he corrected her.

“Hal,” she replied. “I don’t imagine you’d remember this if you were turned into one of those things, but if you decide you need our help, use the code word…” She looked around the room and saw a music CD cover on Andre’s desk. It was Hank Williams Jr.’s ‘Family Tradition.’ She picked it up and showed it to him, pointing at the first word in the album title. “You yell out the word ‘family’ and we’ll come running. Guns blazing. You might not have a daughter or a wife, but we’re family now. Use that word. Family.”

Hal nodded. “Family.”

When he closed the door behind him, he felt his eyes welling up. Nitsy reminded him a bit of Susanna if Susanna had grown to her age. He needed to do this for the kids in that office. He wouldn’t yell out that word, family , unless he really thought there was a chance for them to help.

The door was so close to caving in. He doubted he had even a few minutes left. They’d come bursting in here, all manners of beast, ready to take his head off. He’d be waiting for them. He had a pistol in each hand, fully loaded.

He walked into the tent and looked around at the ladybugs. They were everywhere. He knew he was crazy for talking to them, but it felt wrong not to. “Hey little buddies. Listen up. I need your help. There are going to be some real bad things coming in here to get me. I need you to protect me. Can you do that? If we work together, I think we can end this here.”

Of course, there was no answer, but one of the ladybugs landed on his nose. He’d seen one do it to Nitsy earlier and he couldn’t help thinking maybe this was the leader of all these bugs. Maybe this was his or her way of saying, “Don’t worry. We’ve got your back.”

He laughed. It was a dumb thought.

To complete his plan, he only needed one thing from this room. He set his guns down on the grass, walked over to the one plant in the room he was familiar with, and started picking off its leaves. He held one up to his nose to make sure he was taking the right plant, and its scent was undeniable. It was definitely cilantro. The ladybugs were all over the leaves. He carried as much of the plant with him as he could when he made his way back to the biggest tree at the center of the room.

The ladybugs swarmed over the tree. It was definitely their home base. They looked like a blanket of red and black draped over the tree’s trunk. Only this blanket moved. It was truly a sight to see. The sheer number of them seemed impossible.

Hal was afraid of squishing them. He needed as many of them alive as possible, and he needed them on his side. So, he carefully pushed them away from the ground in front of the tree, and when he’d cleared a large enough spot, he sat down. He reached for his guns and brought them closer to him, so they’d lie on the ground at his sides. The ladybugs were already crawling on him.

If these had been any other kind of bug, he wasn’t sure he could handle it. If they’d been cockroaches, he would have been in that office with Sally and the kids. But these were the child-friendly bug from his youth. He was pretty sure they were supposed to bring good luck.

To make sure as many of them came to him as possible, he placed the cilantro leaves on top of him. Some on his lap, some on his shoulders, and the rest right on top of his head. The ladybugs responded as he hoped they would. They loved the stuff. If they didn’t, Andre wouldn’t have had it in here.

As Hal sat and waited, the overhead heat lamps caused him to sweat. It was either that or nerves. Quite possibly both.

The pounding outside continued. From where he sat, Hal could watch the door and would see if any of them entered.

Any second now.

He wasn’t sure if he was imagining it or not, but he could have sworn the door was starting to buckle. It almost looked like it was starting to dent inward. The shrieks grew louder in anticipation. They knew they were about to burst in here.

Hal could barely sit still. His heart threatened to rip through his chest and run away.

The sounds were the worst part.

It was like an entire zoo was outside that door waiting to kill him. Humans included. The ceiling crumbled in front of the door. Debris fell on the ground. It sounded like the horde of infected creatures outside had found a battering ram and were working in unison. Of course, that wasn’t the case, but the force with which they hit the door was so powerful it vibrated the floor beneath him.