Adrian Smith - The Rule of Three - An Extinction Cycle Novella

Frantically, he searched for a way out. They had made it this far. Alive, bruised, broken, and injured — well, he was — but alive. He didn’t want to give up now. He had fought to break away from his cocoon. He had found some salvation in George. He had discovered the reason behind their capture. They had escaped. All this would be for nothing if he didn’t find a way for them to reach safety.

Feeling George nestled into his chest, hanging on to him for any sort of comfort, confirmed it. He was thankful. Thankful for this chance at redemption. Jack looked around for a way out. He had trained as a lifesaver in his youth, but with all the trauma his body had gone through, he wouldn’t last much longer in the river.

Farther down the river, he could still see the limestone cliffs soaring high. But lower down, little pockets of bank had eroded away to form muddy coves covered in a thick tangled mess of tree roots and scrub. He could see the bright green of his hiking pack floating close by.

As far as Jack could see, there weren’t any monsters in the scrub. Their screeches sounded close, though. He really needed to get out of the river. Risking it, he kicked for shore, toward one of the muddy coves and his pack. Pushing George in front of him, he pulled his exhausted body out of the river, hooking his leg through the strap of his pack as he did so. To have any chance at survival, he needed his pack. Cold water dripped of his head, splattering onto the mud. Having trouble focusing on his immediate surroundings, he realised the last few days were beginning to take their toll. Wiping some of the water out of his eyes, he crawled under the mess of roots. Exhausted, he leant up against the tree. Looking down at the thick mud coating his legs and arms gave Jack an idea. Scooping up handfuls of mud, he started to coat George with it.

“Sorry, buddy. I know it’s cold and gross, but we need to hide from the monsters, okay?”

Jack made sure the kid was completely covered before doing himself. Maybe it will work. It was worth a shot.

The creatures clearly had excellent vision and a heightened sense of smell, not to mention exceptional hearing. As exhausted as he was, he knew that if he wanted any chance of getting down the river, they had to hide out for now and rest.

For now they had achieved the impossible: they had escaped the hell of that place.

Since learning of the virus, Jack had been trying to get home to Dee. They had always had a “what if?” plan. But no amount of planning and preparation had prepared him for the horrors that now hunted him. He had always been a keen outdoors type, and had learnt the hard way that you needed to be prepared for anything.

One spring day, a day hike turned into a three day nightmare. The weather was cool, clear and crisp as he set off on his six-hour return hike up one of the many valleys cutting their way through the mountains close to his home.

The trip up the valley passed with no incidents. On the return journey, he slipped on a wet rock and caught his boot on a tree root. The result was that he broke his ankle as he tumbled down a steep ravine.

Jack shouted for help until he lost his voice. He had broken the cardinal rule: he hadn’t told anyone of his intentions.

With little hope of rescue, Jack spent the next three days crawling out of the ravine, and then farther down the river to the more popular walking tracks. A very surprised group of elderly hikers found an extremely dehydrated and hungry Jack.

The relief had been immense. He had learned his lesson. Now he followed a strict code of conduct.

Always be prepared.

Sounds of the monsters scrambling through the bush reached Jack. He prayed for his mud trick to work. The closest monster let out a screech. He held George’s hand tight as the mud-covered kid snuggled into him, shaking in fear. Closer now, the screeching intensified. He struggled to keep himself from shaking in fear.

Go away… go away… go away…

A screech right above him nearly made him contemplate jumping 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 the river, back toward 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 toward the nest.

Holding a shaking George, Jack rocked him 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 his 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 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 curvature.

Pointing to the main building, Ben said, “We go in there, nice and slow. Shoot anything that’s not human. Go for the centre mass to bring it down, then once in the head, okay?”

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

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

Dee looked at Ben, determined but scared. It’s okay to be scared . Ben placed a hand on her shoulder, comforting her somewhat. “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 a large set of wooden doors. She could smell 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 practiced 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. People were stuck to the walls, trapped in some weird membrane. Cocooned. Their faces were serene. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breath quickening. 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.