Chapter 9

A Chapter by Sean H.

Chapter 9

Brock and Marshall stood with their guns out, safeties off, ready to fire. Trying to decide on what to do, Marshall said, “We need a plan.”

“Yeah,” Brock said, drifting off into thought. Then it hit him. “I remember a ways back, there was a way back to this hall, just a bit further up ahead; the way they were walking Abby! We could get ahead of them and get Abby’s attention, so she wouldn’t freak out. Then we take down the men.”

Marshall thought about the plan for a moment before agreeing, “Yeah, that should work as long as neither of us screw it up. You said you know the way, so you lead. Keep guns at the ready,” he ordered.

The way down to the hall was just a circle. They moved quickly so they could get ahead of Abby and the men. Then they waited.

After waiting for just a few minutes, Abby came into sight, followed by the men in black. Pushing himself close up against the wall, Brock peaked his head around the corner, picked up a tiny rock from debris, and threw it at Abby. A hit.

“Ouch…” Abby mumbled, looking in the direction where the rock had come from, towards Brock. Seeing him, her face lit up with joy. Brock had one finger over his mouth, signaling Abby to keep silent. She understood.

Brock turned back to Marshall and said, “Okay, she knows. Now, we wait for the men to pass, don’t let them see us, and then on three, shoot.”

Marshall questioned the plan. “How in hell’s we gonna not get us selves noticed?” he asked with a grimace. “They’ll walk past an’ sees us for sure!

Without even having to think for the answer, Brock replied, “There’s bodies all over. Just play dead. They won’t think a thing of just a couple more bodies.”

The two men proceeded to flop down in the hall, next to stacks and heaps of bodies, playing dead like an opossum. Then they waited, just a moment. The two men passed by with Abby in front. They towered over Brock and Marshall. So low to the ground, they had the perspective of an ant.

After they had passed, Brock and Marshall jumped to their feet, pulled their guns a snuck around the corner. They took aim and locked eyes for a second, then looked down the sights of their gun. Marshall whispered, “One… two… three!” and guns went hot.

Each shot, dead center in the back of the head and the men fell to the ground, bodies loose and lifeless.

As soon as the men were on the floor, Abby ran over them to Brock, tackling him around the legs with a hug. “Brock! You’re back!” she said, excited and relieved. Brock kneeled and returned the hug even tighter than hers.

“God, Abby. I missed you! I was so worried. Next time anything happens to me, just run. You’ve got to stay safe,” Brock directed.

Marshall stood, just staring at the emotion shared between the girl and the man. He wasn’t the type of person for all the mushy, lovey type stuff.

After giving Brock one last squeeze, Abby let go of him. Marshall cleared his voice and said, “We prob’ly oughta’ get movin’.”

Brock nodded. Marshall was right. “Yeah, just hold up a second.” He tried picturing in his mind what would be a map of the ward so he could figure out which ways they had already gone. They still needed to find an exit. He had just about decided which way they should go when Abby tugged at his arm, getting his attention.

“I’m sleepyyyyy!” Abby told him.

Brock looked to Marshall for permissionto sleep for the night. Marshall nodded his approval. “Alright, Abby. We’ll find a place that we can sleep for a while! It shouldn’t be too hard.”

There were small offices and closets all over, scattered throughout the ward. They found one that they thought would be suitable to sleep in and got settled. The room was a little small, but still big enough to fit all three people inside. Marshall insisted that he keep watch over night, so he took a spot outside the door with his M-16.

Abby fell asleep immediately after laying down. Brock saw this and chuckled and said, “Poor thing must be just so tuckered out.” Then his face became painfully serious. He thought about what the girl must be going through. She didn’t deserve any of this. She was just a child.

Brock was just about to fall asleep when there was a monstrous sound somewhere in the distance. It sounded like what he would imagine a dinosaur to sound like. The building shook at the sound passed through.

Abby began to toss and turn, whining a bit. Brock took a quick look down at her then left the room and went out to speak with Marshall. Just as he had grabbed the door handle, the door flung open. Brock jumped a little, not expecting the door to open.

It was Marshall, alert and wide awake. “You hear that, boy? What in the hell was that?” he asked with a hint of fear in his voice.

Brock had no answer for him. The roar came again, shaking the building. “Brock’s eyes darted down the hall; left, then right. “It sounded closer this time,” Brock said.

The door of the small room slowly swung open. “Brock, what is that noise?” asked Abby, innocently, in a small voice.

Brock looked to Marshall for an answer.

Marshall thought back to the journal they had found when looking for Abby, just hours before.

“Like the devil. I don’t know what the hell happened but we’ve created a monster.…A hulking brute. It attacked us all. It’s still out there now!”

“Brock! I reckon it’s that she-devil! In the book!” Marshall yelled in panic.

Abby was clinging to Brocks leg, trembling with fear. “Let’s get out of here!” she cried, nearly scared to death.

The thing, whatever it was, was getting extremely close now. From just around the corner came stomp after stomp. Then there came the first sight of it.

prev chapter