Brian Keene: Deluge: The Conqueror Worms II

She’d seen that white fuzz before. But now, there was a new aspect to it.

“What the hell?”

The dirt around the fungus seemed to be liquefying.

“What’s wrong,” Kevin asked. “Worms?”

“No. It’s… I don’t know what. It’s that weird mold, but it’s doing something different. It’s turning the dirt into water or something.”

“Is that why we crashed?”

She swung the door shut. “I don’t know. Maybe. But we’re in a sinkhole. The road washed out. Can you move?”

“Yeah. Just knocked the wind out of me. I’ll be okay.”

“Let’s get out of here before the truck sinks down further.”

His eyes widened. “How deep is the hole?”

“I don’t know. There’s water at the bottom. It doesn’t feel unstable. The truck’s not rocking. But still, we should go.”

They rooted through the truck, checking under the seats and in the glove box for anything useful. Sarah found three emergency flares and a hunting knife with a nine-inch blade. The knife was in a leather sheath that said ‘ Teddy ’ on the side. Seeing his name brought a lump to her throat. Behind his vehicle registration and insurance card, she found a small, round can of Skoal.

“Oh my God.” She held it up so Kevin could see.

“Shit,” he laughed. “That poor guy. He was jonesing for nicotine so bad, and all this time he had a can in the glove box.”

She stuffed the can in her pocket.

Kevin frowned. “You dip tobacco?”

“No. I’m saving it for when we see him again.”

“He’ll be pissed as shit when he finds out he had one all the time—after everything he went through to get some.”

Kevin rooted around under the seat some more and found a baseball bat, an old blanket, and a fluorescent orange wool hunting cap. He tugged the hat over his head.

“How do I look?”

“Ridiculous,” Sarah said. “But I guess it’ll keep the rain off.”

“Nothing will keep that rain off. I haven’t felt dry in months.”

Sarah put her hand on the door. “Ready?”

“Let’s do it.”

They climbed out of the truck, clambered up over the tilted bed, and crawled out onto the wet ground. They were both careful not to come into contact with the weird mold. The edges of the sinkhole collapsed beneath them, and both had to scramble to keep from tumbling back down. They stood up and rested for a moment, catching their breath.

Sarah checked her clothes, looking for signs of the strange white fungus. Then she inspected Kevin, as well.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Just making sure we’re okay. How’s your head and chest?”

“Hurts like a bitch, but I’ll be okay. How about you? You cracked your head pretty hard.”

“I’m fine.”

They set off on foot, giving the widening sinkhole a wide berth. Their boots sank into the muddy ground, and each step they took made a loud sucking noise. The downpour was almost blinding. The wind blew the rain directly into their faces.

Neither Kevin nor Sarah saw the cluster of worms until they were almost right on top of them.

The creatures lunged before they could scream.

CHAPTER 3

There were four worms writhing together in the mud. Their entwined bodies glistened with slime, and their musky, chlorine-like reek filled the air. The smallest of the creatures was about six feet long. The largest was nearly fifteen feet long and thick as a barrel. There was a bulge in its center—a recently devoured meal. The worm’s pale flesh quivered as its dinner squirmed inside of its belly.

The monsters raised their eyeless heads, sensing Kevin and Sarah’s presence. Then they collapsed back into the mud and surged forward. They attacked in silence. Sarah darted backward and pulled the hunting knife from her pocket. She fumbled with it, trying to open the blade, but her wet fingers slipped on the metal.

“I got this one,” Kevin said.

Holding his ground, Kevin lashed out with the baseball bat, striking the closest worm in the head. Enraged, the creature opened its mouth and made an explosive farting sound.

Sarah grimaced. The first time they’d heard the worms make that noise, it had been almost comical, but there was nothing funny about it now.

The worm struck at Kevin’s leg, but he danced out of the way. Two more of the creatures slithered forward, trying to flank their prey. Kevin struck the closest worm again, grunting with the effort. The blow split the monster’s flesh, and brown, watery blood gushed from the wound. The worm thrashed, hissing in agony.

The large worm heaved itself forward. Mud squelched beneath its tremendous bulk. Sarah continued fumbling with the wet knife while Kevin retreated to her side. Another of the smaller worms wriggled after him. Kevin swung the bat, but the beast dodged the blow and seized the weapon in its mouth, wrenching the bat from Kevin’s grip.

“Fuck this.” Sarah shoved the knife back in her pocket and pulled out one of the emergency flares instead. Moving quickly, she unscrewed the cap and struck the tip of the flare against it. The flare sputtered to life, emitting a red flame. Sparks burned the tiny hairs on her arm, but she ignored them. She thrust the flare forward, and the worm reared back.

“Come on,” she said, stepping in front of Kevin. “Go around the other side of the sinkhole.”

The two smaller worms slithered back and forth, hesitant to come near the sputtering flame. The larger creature thrust itself forward, lurking on the edge of the sinkhole. Gritting her teeth, Sarah took a step backward. The monster’s segmented body tensed, and she knew it was preparing to charge. Before it could, however, the sodden ground collapsed beneath the creature’s weight. The worm tumbled into the sinkhole. Water splashed up over the sides of the crater.

Cheering, Sarah swept the flare back and forth in a wide arc, keeping the remaining two worms at bay. She slowly retreated, glancing over her shoulder to make sure she wasn’t too close to the edge of the crevice. The worms followed, but slowly.

They’re communal, she thought. We suspected it before, but seeing them close up like this… How are they communicating with each other?

When she reached the road, Kevin was waiting for her.

“Got another flare?” he asked.

She nodded, not taking her eyes off their pursuers. “We’ve got two more. But we need to make them last. No telling how many of these things we’ll run into between here and the ranger tower.”

“We’re still planning to make for that, then?”

“We can’t make it back to Teddy’s. Not without the truck. The fire tower is closer. It’s either that, or stay out here in the open.”

“No thanks,” Kevin said. “Let’s go.”

They rounded the other side of the sinkhole. The road stretched ahead of them again, heading into the forest. The downpour prevented them from seeing very far, but it didn’t look like there were any more washouts. They’d make better progress on the road than they would in the fields and meadows. Both were muddy, and it would be like running through cement.

Sarah paused, watching the worms. They hovered at the edge of the road, still cautious of the sputtering flame. Sarah reached into her jacket and pulled out another flare. Then she handed it to Kevin.

He frowned. “I thought you said—”

“I’m going to try something different. Just stick that under your jacket. Keep it dry. Don’t light it unless I tell you.”

She tossed the flare towards the worms. It landed in the middle of the road. Sarah held her breath, wondering if it would go out, but the flame continued to burn brightly. The worms paused, caught between the flare and the hole.

“That gives us a head start.” She grabbed Kevin’s arm. “Come on!”