Afterworld: Into the Arms of Darkness Ch.28
Title: Afterworld: Into the Arms of Darkness
By: Pink Rabbit Productions
Chapter: 28
Date: 7 October, 2010
Rating: R (for sex and violence)
Disclaimer: Hmmm, characters, not mine, situation, mine, though with the proviso that certain scenarios owe a major debt of gratitude to George Romero. Sex? Likely. Genders involved? Likely all female (at least anything on camera). Also there are likely to be very bad things in this story. I'm not one for prodigious amounts of gore, but this is horror and there is likely to be ickiness and things that might disturb some folks. Seriously. If it's gonna bother you, move along.
Summary: When the dead rise, civilization falls.
Author's Notes: Awhile back, just for fun, I did a faux movie poster that set Otalia in a horror setting and used some elements from an idea I've had running around for ages (what can I say---it was the Halloween season). See the poster here: http://altfic.com/artgallery/otalia/glafterworld01b.htm . Sooo, at some point, it seemed like fun to take a gander at writing them in that universe. I've quite deliberately tried to break away from my usual style and make it a bit faster moving, with frequent chapter breaks, deliberate cliffhangers, shorter scenes and more directed pov. We'll see if I can keep to one pov per chapter (well, they are short chapters...lol).
Dedicated to: My mom. Seriously. All of my growing up years, she would constantly throw me these what-if scenarios and press me to figure out logical ways to survive/get out of various emergency situations. Now, she never mentioned the zombie apocalypse, but I'm sure that was just an oversight or a desire not to scare a little kid (because, really, I grew up as the daughter of a top secret type during the cold war...I already had enough fear issues), but really, that odd little game was the genesis of...well...not just this story, but a lot of my love of writing. So, thanks mom.
Previous Chapters: | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23 | Chapter 24 | Chapter 25 | Chapter 26 | Chapter 27 |
Afterworld:
Into the Arms of Darkness
Chapter 28
Natalia fixed her gaze on a distant point, refusing to look at the man pressed up against her body. Sour breath and the stench of sweat and dirt wafted off of him, but she could feel the shape and ripple of solid muscle. She understood the implicit threat. Strangely, where it had horrified her when Olivia had menaced her in similar terms, it was simply what she expected from scum like this.
He continued to hold the remote up where she couldn't miss it. "With the power out, this shouldn't be of much use..." He paused to consider the device for a long moment, then turned a hard look her way. "And yet here it is."
She continued to stare past him, refusing to give him any recognition.
"Which house?" he ground out.
She flicked a quick look his way, then went back to staring into the distance even as a rush of relief slid through her. He hadn't know where she'd come from. She had time.
"Z at three o'clock," one of the outlying pickets said suddenly.
In spite of herself, Natalia looked. Remy on his lonely patrol. She'd timed her trip to avoid him, but with the delay, there he was.
Jeffrey's gaze followed the same path as hers and she heard his soft curse. "Finish it off," he ordered with a sharp wave to one of his men.
She couldn't contain a wince and had to bite her lip to keep from crying out a warning. Not that Remy would understand, but even dead-she thought of his perpetually-polished badge-he was less a monster than these men. At least he took no pleasure in his impulses to kill. Watching helplessly, she silently willed him to turn away, head along another path. Something. Anything. But he wouldn't. He never did. He always kept to the same route. Reliable in death, just as he had been in life.
The mercenary stepped forward, taking aim just as Remy noticed the small group of humans. Her former friend's mouth opened wide and he let out a ragged, incoherent cry as he lunged forward, his stiff-legged gait awkward, but surprisingly fast.
The mercenary fired twice in fast succession and Remy's left knee exploded in a splatter of bone and semi-congealed blood.
Remy toppled, his left leg very nearly severed at the knee. Where a human would have been screaming in agony, he screamed in feral rage. And where a human would have been trying to get away in terror, he was still coming, using his hands and good leg to pull himself along while his other calf flopped uselessly, barely attached by a few remaining tendons.
"Dammit, I told you no shooting unless absolutely necessary," Jeffrey snarled at his underling. "Let's try not to give Olivia too much warning..." He snatched the pistol from his flunkies hand. "...or use up too much ammo," he added under his breath.
Remy continued to scramble their way, his shrieks splitting the air. If he had any survival instinct, it was completely sublimated to his hunger.
"Now finish the fucking thing off." Jeffrey grabbed his underling's sleeve and shoved him toward Remy. "You wanted into this outfit. Time to do your fucking job...and that means getting up close sometimes."
After a brief pause, the mercenary drew a machete from a sheath strapped to one thigh and edged forward.
To Natalia's eyes, he looked scared.
"Move it!" Jeffrey ground out. A soft clicking sound played rhythmically as he moved his thumb back and forth, flicking the safety on and off.
The mercenary glanced back and readjusted his grip on the machete.
Jeffrey continued clicking the safety on and off, his mouth twisted into a feral expression.
His flunkie got the point. Gritting his teeth, he straightened his shoulders, then hurtled forward, swinging the machete high. He landed one booted foot on Remy's hand and the other on his back above his shoulder blades, pinning him down. And then he swung.
Natalia flinched and couldn't contain a small cry as a dull, wet, thudding sound assaulted her ears. It took two blows and then it was over. She winced both times.
"Sympathy for the devil?" Jeffrey mocked.
Biting back on tears, she shook her head. Whatever he still was, Remy deserved better. "None at all," she whispered, tipping her eyes up to glare at him through the fringe of her bangs, her tone making it clear who she considered the more devilish.
His eyes narrowed and his mouth thinned.
He didn't like that. Not at all.
He stared at her for a long moment, then suddenly grabbed her hand.
She still had the keyring looped around her index finger and he yanked it free, careless of her efforts to resist.
Then Jeffrey passed the key and the remote to another of the mercenaries. "I'm guessing you won't have to go too far to find out what door this opens..." Grabbing her shirtfront, he yanked Natalia away from the side of the SUV. "Meanwhile, the lady and I will be having a...discussion..." Another hard pull unbalanced her until she was hanging at an angle from his grip. She heard the sound of the SUV roaring to life as she was hauled away.
* * * * * *
Olivia was just coming around the side of the house when she heard the gunshots. Even feeling ungraceful and slightly out of control of her own body, she moved fast as she ducked into the cover of a thick hedge that ran along the side of the house. Slightly relieved by the feel of her heart slamming solidly in her chest, she edged forward, scanning the area until she spotted her van and the small group of people
A low growl vibrated at the base of her throat as she spotted Jeffrey. He was holding onto Natalia, manhandling her. Olivia's hands fisted at her sides as she watched him deliver a vicious, backhanded blow. Same bastard he'd always been. He clutched his prisoner's shirtfront in his other hand, not letting her fall, but also keeping her off balance as he hauled her away from the SUV.
Olivia fully expected them to head toward Natalia's place. Instead he turned toward the house where she'd gotten her beating from the bully boys.
Natalia hadn't told him.
He wouldn't stand for that defiance long. Anyone could be broken, even idealistic young idiots with more courage than survival instinct.
And Olivia couldn't let that happen. Not for Emma's sake.
And not for Natalia's. Her willingness to care for Emma-to love her-meant the stakes were too high.
Meanwhile, the SUV pulled away, and began circling the houses, driving among them as though the driver was hunting for something.
Teeth gritted in frustration, Olivia tracked it closely. She couldn't move without being, had to wait until the SUV was out of sight. She could guess what was going on in the house, but Jeffrey would need to keep Natalia alive until he had the information he wanted, probably wouldn't even hurt her too badly.
For awhile.
She still had time.
To find him and tear him limb from limb.
A tiny quiver of awareness slid through Olivia, the growing predator in her responding to the idea of hunting him down and rip his throat out. That should keep her busy enough to let Little-Miss-Fish-And-Chips-Platter make a getaway. Not that Olivia was planning on snacking on her, but the demons were giggling over the prospect-she was a lot more appealing than Jeffrey on the dinner menu, asshole not being known as the world's greatest flavor.
Then she spotted the fire ladder still hanging from a second floor window and smiled. He'd helpfully chosen a house she knew how to get into without being seen. She wondered if maybe the punks who'd attacked her had been more of his flunkies. Wouldn't be surprised. He liked to use that sort as eyes and ears. And he was good at talking, selling the stupid a bill of goods.
God knew he'd managed the trick with her teenaged self.
Jeffrey slipped out of sight and she heard the sound of a door. She was just about to move out when the SUV came around the corner and she had to dive back down to avoid being seen. Suddenly, there was a grinding noise next to her and a section of the wall split away and started to roll upward.
Hidden garage door.
Dropping to a crouch, she watched as the SUV pulled up. Only one person inside. She vaguely felt the compress and play of muscles that wanted to go slack as she smiled.
It was a two-car garage. The far spot was empty, the near one filled by a large, late model truck. As she watched, the SUV pulled into the empty slot.
She glanced back toward the other house. He needed her alive for now. There was time.
And she couldn't leave one of them in possession of the SUV and sure as hell couldn't leave one in the house with Emma.
The garage door was already starting to come down again when she darted into the garage, hiding between the wall and the elderly truck, well out of sight of the SUV driver. Drawing the bali song from her pocket, she flicked it open. It would come in handy.
As she crept along, it struck Olivia how strange it was, feeling so uncoordinated and completely in control at the same time. The twitching had mostly stopped, but it was like her body was moving of its own accord and still learning how. It left her with a sense that if she lost focus for even a moment, it might go off on its own course, careless of her wishes.
Still, she was enough in control to stay low and out of sight as she edged along behind the truck. To her left, the door continued its steady journey downward. It dinged shut a moment later, throwing the room into darkness.
Her head snapped up as she heard the car door and smelled the sour-sweat, rotted-meat stench of him. Easy one to track, even in the dark. Just follow the stink. Stomach churning with a combination of hunger and revulsion, she dropped to a low crouch, peering under the vehicle just in time to see combat-booted feet step out.
The soft crackle of a radio echoed faintly. "This is Decker," her stinky, little prey murmured, his voice low. "I've found it...right, fucking, next door...maybe a hundred foot walk."
Sounded like he had an earpiece in because she could only hear his side of the conversation.
"Yeah, got the wagon stowed...no sign of anybody...nah, lemme figure out how to get outta this place, then I'll come show you..."
She heard a soft laugh and could almost see the smirk that went with it.
"Save a piece for me."
Her turn to smirk. Funny he should mention pieces, since he was likely to wind up in so many. The static faded away. Probably kept radio time to a minimum to preserve their batteries. Even if they had a way to recharge them, it was probably pretty limited.
Good. That meant Jeffrey wouldn't know she was coming.
Her prey-Decker he'd called himself-was easy to track by smell as much as by sound. She could hear him fumbling with something, then he flipped on a small flashlight and ran the beam over the surrounding walls until it illuminated a narrow door. Outside access for foot traffic. It was only a few feet away from her.
Never suspecting he wasn't alone, he didn't take any precautions and moved fast.
So did she.
He was a big man, but no pro. Probably just some dumb, hungry numbfuck Jeffrey had picked up with a promise they could rule the world if they just fucked over enough innocent people.
She was willing to bet the poor bastard hadn't counted on meeting her. At least not one-on-one.
Surging up behind him, she wrapped her left hand around his head, bracing her hand across his mouth as she yanked his head back. At the same time, she brought the knife in from the right, cutting fast and deep. The blade sliced through muscle, tendon and artery in a single pass, doing so much damage that his head lolled even as he continued to struggle. He had a pistol in one hand and she felt the spasmodic flex of muscle as he tried to fire. Not giving him a chance, she stripped it free, then shoved it in a pocket.
Only second or two after she'd inflicted the gaping wound and he was fading fast.
Olivia, meanwhile, was running on pure adrenaline, her heart hammering in her chest, blood surging in her veins. For the moment, the voices were silent. He'd unlatched the door, so she only had to use her foot to wedge it open and haul him out.
Moving fast, she was barely thinking, hardly slowed by the additional burden. A quick kick slammed the door in her wake, closing the house back up, at least to the zeds.
And then the smell of the blood hit her.
Rich, warm, wet. The odors of a good steak and a great martini blended into one intoxicating perfume. She froze and her body convulsed with pure, wanton hunger.
It would be so easy. He was dead or would be in seconds and she...
She flung the body away into the deep grass, then stood shaking. She should steal his gear. The tactical vest was valuable and he might have kevlar on under his shirt, maybe more guns and other things she could use. He wouldn't be getting up for a few more minutes. She had time to do it safely.
But the blood called to her. Move too close and she wasn't sure she'd be able to pull away.
She took a half step back, then her gaze fell on the crimson still trailing from the blade in her hand. So tempting to drag the red-dipped metal across her tongue.
It would be a waste not to after all. And her mother had always lectured on not wasting food.
No.
She was still human, still in control, and the fucking blood and gore would just have to wait.
The demons sighed their disappointment, but didn't argue too hard. They knew Jeffrey was still out there and there wouldn't be any more of this silly holding back once she found him.
She flicked the blood off the knife with a quick gesture to remove temptation.
Then she'd have her fun...
* * * * * *
TBC