The Aliveagainers

20 - Descent

Jamie opens his mouth to say somethin' and then we hear this awful blood-curdlin' scream. In the gloom ahead I see the shadow of a man writhin' and he stumbles to the ground hard. From the darkness I see a soldier walkin' forward, 'cept his face is literally a swirl of noise. He's holdin' a rifle but he's got it held the wrong way round, his hands clenched around the muzzle.

"Get in the car!" yells Caleb to the other guy as he points to the attacker.

There's a loud burst o' noise as he lets loose at the attacker. I hear the bullets thwack into him and see his body lifted up and hurled back into the snow. He then reaches back and pulls open the back door behind Jamie and jumps in fast.

The other door bursts open and another man jumps in, sittin' right next to Késhaun who yelps in shock. Jamie hits the gas. He starts movin' through the murk I can tell he's lookin' out for the body of the guy they just killed. I look up in the mirror, kinda thinkin' I know who it might be. Them honey brown eyes stare back at me. Micah.

I realise the last time I saw him was that night.

"Go! Go! Go!" yells Caleb.

Jamie floors it and the car moves forwards, liftin' a little with a squelch as we run over somethin'.

He picks up speed and I look back out the window. With a shriek, I see an Aliveagainer in the snowy mists turn back to us. Its mouth hangs open, too large, too dark inside. It opens and shuts but there ain't no noise except the engine revvin'. As we speed away I can't help but stare back, lookin' in its eyes.

"Keep drivin', kid, don't slow down. Place will be crawling with them-quick!"

We make our way past a truck that's half stuck in a ditch by the side of the road. There ain't no one around, not that we can see anyway.

"Is that a real gun?" Késhaun asks Micah.

Micah laughs a little, almost as if he ain't even seen Késhaun sittin' there the whole time. He opens his mouth to speak, but then Caleb cuts him off.

"Hell yeah, it's a real gun, boy. M16-A2! You get hit by a baby from one of these, you're wasted! Except if you one of them!"

"Shut up, Caleb!" I say, and can barely believe I said the words.

"Heh, Kayla, Man, it's clear you haven't changed one bit! Still as feisty as ever! I thought your time away might've chilled you out a bit! Guess not! Ha!"

The road clears up and Jamie picks up speed, but I can tell he's freakin' out and he glances at me then speaks up.

"Who are you guys!? We didn't have to pick you up you know? And what's with the guns?"

Caleb glares at him. "Listen, kid, right about now the world's gone to shit so I think you might just be safer with some people around you who know how to deal with things. Alright?"

I look back at Micah but he's silent. Same as always.

"Kayla, Kayla, Kayla." Says Caleb.

I stare ahead, not lookin' back.

"Of all the people to run into, man, who would've thought I'd ever run into you? I figured you'd be dead for sure, one of the first. I mean you ain't one who copes so well when shit goes down. Right?"

I stare at the road ahead. The snow swirls and dances, unfurlin' before us.

"Where you been, Kayla?" comes Micah's voice, soft and gentle.

I pause a moment before speakin'. "We've been out for a few days, at a farm house."

"Off Wynyard Line," says Jamie, "1550."