Adrian Smith - The Rule of Three

The closest monster let out a screech, its pitch deafening. Jack held George’s hand tight as the mud-covered kid snuggled into him, shaking. Closer now, the screeching intensified. Jack struggled to keep himself from shaking.

Go away… go away… go away…

A howl right above him nearly made him jump back into the flowing water. Opening his eyes, he checked his escape route. Looking out at the river, Jack couldn’t believe his eyes.

A large motorboat was slowly making its way up towards the dam. He wanted to yell out a warning to the tall, brown-haired figure. It was hard to tell, but Jack thought he looked to be only a teenager.

The figure glanced from side to side, watching the howling monsters on top of the cliffs. Jack could see he was being careful to keep the boat in the middle of the river.

With a horrific screech, the creature above Jack tore off after the boat, following it back towards the nest.

Holding a trembling George, Jack rocked the boy back and forth, trying to soothe him.

“It’s okay, they’ve gone for now,” he whispered. “We’re going to eat the last of my food, then we’re going to have to get back in the river, all right?”

George whimpered into Jack’s chest.

Watching the disappearing boat, Jack wondered what the hell the kid on the boat was thinking?

Has the whole world gone mad?

Dee stared at the hydro dam as Ben pulled to the side of the road and brought the 4x4 to a stop. She could see the dam stretching across the river, a high cliff dropping away on the opposite bank.

A small electrical substation nestled against the side of the bank she stood on, and beyond, a road stretched across the dam wall, following its curve.

“We go in there, nice and slow,” Ben said. He was pointing at the larger building below the substation. “Shoot anything that’s not human. Go for their centre mass to bring them down, then once in the head, okay?”

Dee nodded. “Got it. Rule two. Double tap.”

“If they attack en mass, just fire until you’ve got nothing left. When you reload, shout it so I can cover you.”

Dee looked at Ben. She was determined but scared. Scared of failing. Failing to find Jack. Scared of dying. Dying without knowing what had happened to him. To anyone she cared about. She sighed and looked down at the AR-15, feeling the weight of it.

Ben placed a hand on her shoulder. “Just point and shoot, kid. Give them hell. We find Jack, we retreat straight away.”

Dee followed close behind Ben as they crept up to the large set of wooden doors. She could detect the rotten fruit smell that lingered around the beasts, a sure indicator they were here. Taking a deep breath, she readied herself.

Ben reached out and tried the handle. It gave. Dee watched as he pushed the door wider. She took a last deep breath to help centre herself and followed him through. She took up a covering position like they had practised back at the bunker. Scanning the small room, she could see a little desk to one side but no other furniture.

Ben indicated with his head for her to cover him. He opened up the next door, revealing a steel set of stairs going down. The reek of rotten fruit made Dee gag. Another stench wafted in. She wasn’t quite sure, but it reminded her of decaying flesh.

The thought of what lay beyond, at the bottom of the stairs, horrified her. Ben looked at her, his eyes asking if she was all right. She nodded, and they descended into the stench.

Opening the door at the bottom of the stairs, Dee saw what true horror looked like in the corridor beyond. People were stuck to the walls, trapped in some weird membrane. Cocooned. Their faces serene. Her heart pounded, her breath quickened. Praying for her Jack, she frantically ran down the corridor, searching the faces for him. She ignored Ben’s pleading for her to slow down.

On she ran, searching. With each successive stranger’s face, her hope of finding Jack alive dwindled. She nearly tripped over the body of a man, blood pooled around his head. Letting out a gasp, she dropped to her knees and pulled the body over. Not recognising the face, Dee let the pent-up tears flow.

Ben reached down and hauled her to her feet. “We have to keep going.” He gestured down the long corridor.

Dee wiped away her tears. “I thought it was him for a moment.” She gripped her rifle tighter, feeling the anger building in her body. Seeing the fate of these people drew up the hate that had dwelled deep down for so long. Dee had learned long ago to control that instinct. But seeing this place brought it out. She wanted to make those responsible pay. To exterminate them.

Dee and Ben made their way farther down the corridor, Ben covering as Dee searched the faces. The stench of death and decay became overpowering as they reached a large green door. It stood ajar, splintered on both sides of the door jamb.

Ben poked his head around the door. She saw his eyes go wide in horror.

Screeching erupted from the room, chilling her. Ben spun to Dee. “Run now, fast! Go!”

Dee turned to run. The screeching grew louder. Ben slammed the useless door and brought his rifle up to his shoulder.

The Variants smashed through the broken door and Ben opened fire. Firing quick bursts, he quickly took down the first three. Dee raised her own weapon as she turned to help and aimed for a Variant crawling up the wall beside them. She fired, hitting it right in its torso and taking a chunk off one of its weird claw-like appendages. She watched, amazed, as it kept coming at her. Firing again, she blasted it straight in the throat. The Variant slumped to the ground, dead. More Variants replaced it.

Man, these things are fast.

The next few minutes became a blur of terror. Dee fired again and again into the writhing mass of hell, but still they came.

She went into a state of automatic trance. Aim, fire, reload, repeat.

While she was reloading, a Variant crawled over the body of one she had dropped and raked its claws down her leg.

Screaming out in agony, Dee smashed the stock of the AR-15 into its head. Again and again she bashed it. Black blood oozed out of its head but still it came. It screeched and slashed at her with its claws. The creature smacked its sucker mouth together and flicked out a forked tongue.

Dee slung the rifle over her shoulder and drew her katana. She lunged and speared the Variant through the throat. The black, gunky blood gushed out over her hands. She watched the demon light leave its eyes and she grunted with relief.

Dee looked around for Ben. He was firing into the last group and finally dropped the last two Variants with a quick burst. Ben looked over to Dee clutching her leg.

“You all right?”

“I’ll live, I think.”

“Good. C’mon. Time to leave.”

Dee shook her head. “I need to find Jack.”

“I’m sorry Dee, I really am, but I think he’s gone.”

“You don’t know that!” Dee shouted.

Ben moved closer and placed a hand on her shoulder. “No, I don’t, but you need to live. If not for you, then do it for Jack. Carry on, for him.”

Dee shook her head again, harder this time. “I’m not leaving without knowing,” she said and brushed past Ben.

Dee had taken a few steps down the corridor when a terrifying screech caused both of them to turn. Several Variants were approaching from the direction in which she and Ben had entered. More screeches and howls answered them. Looking over Ben’s shoulder, she could see a door with a red sign. The walls had been smashed in on both sides of the door.

Ben turned and saw what Dee was looking at. “Go! Yes!”

Bursting into the room through one of the holes in the wall, Dee saw a barricade made from metal lockers. Jack? Hope to find her husband alive in this den of terror returned. She clambered up on top of the lockers. Ben started firing at the screeching Variants.