Getting Home

Part 32

Sean's hands trembled, his gun swaying as he tried to maintain aim. That's Pete's face—why is it wearing Pete's FACE?

"Oh my God, that's..." Sophia breathed.

A low groan filled the alley—a low groan that slowly turned into rumble, a rumble Sean could feel in his chest. It came from the human-shaped mass, morphing into a long drawn out raspy hiss... a hiss that began to sound like...

Words.

Like it was trying to talk.

"Neeeeeeed..."

It began to shuffle towards them.

"Innnnnnnn..."

"Go!" Sean shouted, thumbing the safety off the gun and pulling the trigger, only to realize he couldn't pull the trigger at all—

Mentally.

"Puuuutttttttt..."

It's not really Pete! Sean's mind screamed. SHOOT IT!

Its shuffle turned into a shamble—and then it was moving quick. Sean's body still wouldn't respond or listen; all he could do was think I'm going to die. An odd feeling of calmness came over him as it got closer; followed by the deepest hollow of sadness he had ever felt, sinking down to his final thought before the end—

Ava had been right the whole time.

Fury suddenly bit his calf—hard.

Sean immediately began firing, rapidly pulling the trigger as fast as he could—POP-POP-POP-POP! The alleyway lit up with flashes, the sound ear-piercingly loud as the reports bounced and rung off the walls, drilling into his ears.

He started backpedaling, continuing to fire.

The thing (blob, monster, whatever it really was—Sean had no word for it) continued after him. He could see his rounds impacting with each hit as it got closer, each bullet making a little splash of black liquid—

Sean slipped.

He fell to the ground, landing on his palms and butt, his gun bouncing next to him. He faintly felt the wet ground, the slick, muddy slime that felt like kelp on his hands. The monstrous human-sized blob moved faster and faster, getting closer and closer. He tried scrambling away, his hands and boots slipping over the wet, slimy ground—it was almost upon him, fast yet in slow motion, raising up, opening its arms—

Fury was suddenly in front of him, barking.

"No, Fury!" Sean shouted. Fury remained in front of him, putting himself between Sean and the blob. "Get—"

KA-BLAM!!

Malloy's face suddenly disappeared—the entire head exploded, black liquid splattering backwards throughout the alley like bucket of paint flung from a catapult. Sean's hearing immediately vanished from the thunderous sound, only to fade back in after a few seconds, muffled and ringing.

He turned around as best as he could from the ground, to see what was going on behind him—

It was FBI Agent Johnson.

The Agent re-cocked the shotgun, the shell flicking up and out, twirling through the air.

Agent Leigh slid up next to Sean like she was sliding into home base at the bottom of the ninth in the World Series, her long-coat rucking up from the slimy, slippery ground. She grabbed Sean's collar as she effortlessly stood up out of her slide, pulling him up with her—Sean just barely managed to snatch his dropped pistol as he was yanked to his feet.

"Come on!" Agent Leigh screamed in his ear—Sean's hearing was so muffled he could barely hear it. He caught a blurred glimpse of the black snowman-like figure, still upright, arms out wide, headless—

And still coming.

KA-BLAM!!

Sean felt the massive reverberation in his chest—it was like a giant hand had slapped him on the back. The thing's right leg violently back behind it like it was on a rollerskate, dropping the entire mass to the ground, now a hill of black ooze with a torso and arms stretching and waving aimlessly as it began to burble and bubble.

Sean finally turned and ran.

The black BMW SUV was parked in front of the alley, all four doors already open—Sean could see the comforting, dim yellow light on the soft backseat standing out. The alley seemed endless in his terror as he panted for air, running and running but never getting any closer to the way out.

Agent Leigh kept right up with him—and Sean could run fast. Johnson was somewhere behind them, firing the shotgun, Sophia already further ahead with Fury right on her heels.

They reached the SUV.

The engine auto-started as soon as Agent Leigh flew into in the passenger seat. Fury dashed into the backseat, followed by Sophia and Sean scrambling in and slamming the doors. Sean caught a flash of Agent Johnson passing by his window, reloading his shotgun as he brisk-walked to the driver's seat. Sean looked back out the window—

To see the entire alley filling with black liquid.

It sloshed against the alleywalls as it filled, pouring from somewhere deep back in the alley, building bigger and bigger as it climbed up the walls and swelled forward, a giant tidal wave of—

Agent Johnson floored it, the BMW quickly and smoothly accelerating away.